Real Men Bite (Soren Pack | Paranormal Werewolf Interracial Romance) (Real Men Shift Book 4)

by Celia Kyle

  Valerie fell into step with Zeke, the two of them bounding into the deep, dark forest teeming with nocturnal life. They ran fast, pushing each other to go even faster as they tore through the thorny underbrush and leaped over fallen trees. Val knew Zeke could have outrun her in a heartbeat, especially with her being so new to wolfdom, but she quickly found her stride and relished the burn in her muscles, just as she did when she worked out in her human form.

  The rest of the pack dispersed, either to do their own thing or to give their alpha and his mate some privacy on their first run. Branches whipped her sides like switches, but she barely felt them through her thick fur. Stones and twigs poked at her paws, but the pads weren’t as tender as her own bare feet. Her wolf wanted to chase every little animal that dared to catch her attention, but she had enough control over the beast to keep moving, running, living.

  As she and Zeke darted back and forth, always coming back together, the scenery started looking familiar. They must have crossed over from pack lands into the Wolf Woods. Before she knew it, they’d entered the meadow where they’d had their picnic and where Zeke claimed her as his mate. Their spot. Panting from the delicious exertion, they trotted to the center of the clearing and sat side by side, fur against fur, watching as their pack mates darted around the edge of the clearing, frolicking like pups.

  Val sat watching it all, trying to fathom the depth of the changes inside her. She not only felt stronger, but the animalistic instinct that led her wolf seemed more accurate than any machine could ever be. Forget night-vision goggles. She had wolf eyes now. Beyond the physicality, she also felt smarter. No, not smarter, exactly. Clearer. As if all the noise clouding her human mind had evaporated, leaving only the most important things in perfect focus.

  And one of those things—the most important one of all—sat next to her, staring at her with love and devotion shining in his eyes. Every step she’d taken in life had led her to Tremble, to the woods surrounding her, to the mate pressed up against her. It was as if becoming a wolf had been her destiny all along.

  Which, of course, it had.

  Chapter Twenty

  Zeke sat at the head of the table as he waited for the rest of the ruling circle to arrive. Val sat to his left, holding a happy Fang in her lap. He’d never known his capacity for love was so deep, but as he looked at them—his girls—he realized it was fathomless.

  Warren wandered in first, giving Zeke a curious look and no doubt wondering why he’d called the meeting. He nodded and sat at the alpha’s right. Zeke gave a curt nod back but remained silent. Shull and Knox strolled in next, murmuring quietly to each other until they saw their alpha was already present. They missed half a step when they noticed Val’s attendance, but gamely took their seats next to her. Levi was last to arrive, sitting next to Warren as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Until Fang growled at him, her lip curled back in a vicious snarl—or as vicious as an adorable fluffball like her could get. Zeke had never considered himself to be a dog person, but Fang was pretty damn endearing. The fact she helped Val so much was icing on the cake.

  Zeke remained silent for a full minute, giving them enough time to feel awkward and uneasy. Once they started squirming and glancing at each other with unspoken questions, he began.

  “I called this meeting of my Ruling Circle to discuss our next move in the Wolf Woods situation. I—”

  “Glad to hear it,” Shull jumped in, excited about the topic at hand. “Knox and I think we should charge a tax for the pack to use the woods, which would be used to pay the bribes.”

  Levi nodded enthusiastically. “That’s a great idea! We could—”

  “I said…” Zeke held up a hand and the room fell silent as his steely gaze settled on each one in turn. “I said I called my Ruling Circle. Not my father’s.”

  Birds could have flown into Shull and Knox’s gaping mouths. They slowly turned to look at each other and then returned their shocked gazes to their alpha.

  “All we’ve ever done was try to help—”

  “Your father entrusted us to—”

  “Thank you for your help during the transition, gentlemen,” Zeke interrupted. No sense in letting them blather on any longer than necessary. “I sought your counsel and you gave it freely, even when that advice ran counter to everything an alpha should be and do.”

  Shull’s head rocked back as if Zeke had just slapped him. “Name one time—”

  “Kidnapping the Blackwood healer, for one,” Zeke snapped back. “If I recall, that was your idea, Shull. I take full responsibility for taking that advice, but things could have ended very badly. I expect my advisors to steer me away from such stupidity, not suggest it. Out of all of you, Warren was the only one to try and talk sense into me. Thank god Drew forgave my impetuous and very bad decision, which we can only attribute to fate.” He shot Val a sly smirk. “Fated mates, to be precise.”

  “Listen, Zeke,” Knox started, but Zeke cut him off.

  “No, you listen. The transition between my father and I could have been rough, and you both worked to make it go smoothly. I appreciate everything you’ve done, and you will hold a place of honor in the pack for your service, but from this point forward, you will no longer be joining Ruling Circle meetings. You’re excused.”

  For the first time since his father’s death, Zeke felt perfectly at home in the alpha’s seat. Hell, in the role itself. It had taken Val’s encouragement to lead from his heart to make him see that too many cooks in the kitchen spoiled the broth. After a year of second-guessing himself and seeking the approval of his elders, he’d finally found his footing as the leader of the Soren pack, and that meant relying on those he could trust to advise him, not his father’s sloppy seconds.

  The two old wolves stared at him in utter disbelief, and when they opened their mouths to protest, Zeke’s placid gaze turned hot and hard. The men blinked, sensing their new alpha meant business. Good thing because he wasn’t above handing them a smackdown, in spite of their age. A whiff of Val’s desire reached his nose and he had to tamp down the urge to smile. She liked his alpha display.

  Duly noted.

  Without another word or objection, Shull and Knox dropped their gazes and shuffled out of the room. If they’d been in their wolf forms, their tails would have been tucked between their legs. That didn’t stop them from slamming the door on their way out though.

  Levi, perhaps sensing his time had come to pay the piper for arresting Val, sank in on himself, trying to present the smallest target possible. Zeke watched him silently, letting the knife twist in the man’s gut.

  “Levi,” he finally said, his tone downright bloodthirsty. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Zeke—” Levi started in a pitiful whimper.

  “Execution!” Zeke shouted over him. Levi’s eyes grew wide with alarm, as did Warren’s. “I won’t lie, it crossed my mind, but that’s probably too harsh for your crime. Expulsion from the pack seems more reasonable, though I suppose with that lone wolf who’s been prowling around Wolf Woods, you wouldn’t be alone for long. Of course, we all know lone wolves are either a bit or totally insane so…good luck with that.”

  “Zeke, what crime did I commit?” Levi asked, his head lowered and his eyes pleading.

  “Don’t play with me, Levi. Trying to implicate the alpha mate in the sabotage of McNish’s construction site.”

  Levi leaned across the table, almost reaching for him. “But that wasn’t a crime, Zeke! I was doing my civic duty. We all heard her threaten to blow it up. Besides, she wasn’t the alpha mate yet—she was just a stinking human!”

  Zeke’s wolf fought to come out and lunge at Levi, but just as he snarled, and his fur and fangs started to show, Val laid a calming hand on his arm. He looked at Val and she guided him through five calming breaths. Once he had control again, he returned his still-fiery gaze to Levi.

  “That human kicked my best sentry’s ass. That human dealt with Calhoun in a way I never could
have. This human showed more initiative, integrity and balls than you have since I appointed you!”

  Levi had no response.

  “As I was saying,” Zeke continued. “I considered more drastic measures for that kind of insubordination, but my enforcer talked me out of it.”

  Warren looked puzzled while Levi screwed up his face.

  “B-but I’m your enforcer,” Levi sputtered, shooting a glance at Warren for support.

  Zeke smiled, turning to his implacable mate. “Not anymore.”

  He let the news sink in for a beat or two. Warren looked relatively pleased, but Levi’s face had turned an alarming shade of red.

  “Levi,” he continued, “you’ve been reassigned to scat duty.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Levi scathed with a scowl.

  “It’s a new position created just for you, and it’s a very important one.” Zeke somehow managed not to laugh as he explained Levi’s new duties. “Until the fate of Wolf Woods is decided, we need to be hyper-vigilant about not revealing any evidence of our presence. No trace whatsoever. Your new job, whether or not you choose to accept it, is to patrol Wolf Woods and clean up any random wolf scat you find.”

  “Fuck that!” Levi shouted as he jumped up from his seat and slapped his hands on the table in outrage. “I’m your enforcer! No way am I going on poop patrol!”

  Before he was finished ranting, Val set Fang on the table and stood slowly but purposefully. She then put herself between Zeke and Levi. They both knew Zeke didn’t need to be protected from the likes of Levi, but it was her job as his enforcer to protect him, and she took her duties very seriously. Damn, what a helluva woman!

  Her body vibrated with tension, ready for a fight should Levi try to attack, and Zeke almost hoped he would. He had no doubt she’d be able to handle herself just as well in a wolf fight as a bar brawl. Unfortunately, Fang had other plans.

  No doubt sensing the impending threat to her mistress, Fang gave one short warning snarl and then darted across the slick table in a frenzy of yips and nips. The surprise attack jerked a yelp out of Levi, who staggered backward, trying to avoid the dog’s needle-sharp teeth. Leaping from the table, Fang chased the terrified ex-enforcer around the room a couple of times before Levi remembered there was a door. Of course, as soon as he bolted out of the war room, Fang followed, nipping at his heels.

  Zeke roared with laughter, while Val and Warren watched with blatant amusement as Fang pranced back into the room, her head and tail held high with pride over her accomplishment. Val scooped her up and showered her head with kisses as she returned to her seat at Zeke’s left.

  “Congratulations on your new position, Valerie,” Warren said, a rare smile lingering on his lips. “And to you, Zeke, for choosing the best enforcer for the job.”

  Zeke grinned. “Glad you approve.”

  “So what’s the plan for Wolf Woods?” Warren asked him, turning deadly serious.

  “All I can tell you is that we’re not paying a dime to those scumbags. It goes against everything I believe in. McNish can go sit on an ice pick, for all I care. If we can’t work within the system to keep the woods wild, we’ll simply have to accept a new reality. We have more than enough room for runs on pack lands, which will act as a buffer between us and human encroachment. It’s not ideal, but we’ll be okay.”

  Warren nodded his approval of this more reasonable, if frustrating, plan. “Sounds good. Or good enough, anyway. I honestly didn’t see how paying off Calhoun and McNish could be sustainable over—”

  The doorbell bing-bonged loudly from the main living space and was quickly followed by a familiar voice calling out, “Hello?”

  “Chloe!” Val squealed and sprinted out of the war room to greet her best friend.

  Zeke had never seen her act so much like a…girl. He rather liked that side of her. Hell, who was he kidding—he liked every side of her!

  Grinning at Warren, he shrugged. “Meeting adjourned, I guess.”

  Warren didn’t seem quite so amused. In fact, he looked downright crestfallen.

  “Boy, you look like the cheese just fell off your cracker,” he said, slapping his beta on the shoulder. “Buck up, brother.”

  Warren winced and nodded but didn’t look any less bummed. He’d had something of a crush on Chloe for most of their lives, but she’d never been interested. It was one thing to pursue her as two unmated wolves, but once she’d found her fated mate in Drew, Warren really should have accepted how ill-advised his crush had been. Zeke felt for the guy, but it was time to let it go.

  “Hey, maybe seeing how happy she is now will help you get over her,” Zeke suggested.

  Warren didn’t look convinced, but he followed Zeke out to the foyer, where Val and Chloe were still clinging to each other in a brutal hug. Fang ran circles around the women’s feet, trying to find a way to wedge in between them and failing. Drew stood off to the side, chuckling at the display, and then caught sight of Zeke and Warren.

  “Thank god, some testosterone,” he said, hurrying over to shake their hands. “Good to see you both. Warren, how are you, man?”

  Warren actually smiled as he took Drew’s hand. “Can’t complain. Good honeymoon?”

  Drew began detailing the high points of their trip to Colorado, and Zeke was impressed by Warren’s interest. He even laughed once at a story about their being chased by an angry buck.

  Zeke wandered over to the ladies, who were still hugging and mumbling into each other’s shoulders. He tapped Val on the shoulder.

  “Can I cut in?”

  Chloe laughed and pulled her brother into a fierce hug. Then she sniffed the air between them. She glanced at Val, whose cheeks had darkened in a blush, and then back at Zeke, who smiled broadly at what his sister was putting together.

  “Holy shit!” his normally sweet-mouthed sister cried, drawing a gasp from Val.

  “Chloe, you cussed! Again!”

  “I know. Isn’t it fucking awesome?”

  They fell into each other’s arms again, giggling like schoolgirls. Fang grew tired of not getting the attention due to her and yipped at the women.

  “We have so much to catch up on,” Chloe said, glancing down at the dog. “Such as who this little furball is, but first I need to tinkle.”

  Val laughed. “Tinkle? I guess old habits die hard.”

  “Fuck you,” Chloe teased and then hurried down the hallway toward the bathroom.

  Pulling Val into his arms, Zeke smiled down at his already smiling mate. “So… I’ve been meaning to ask. I think I know the answer, but I’d like to hear it from you. Have you changed your mind about going back to the Army?”

  Her smiled softened as she snaked her arms around his neck and gazed up at him with so much love and devotion it almost hurt. “I called him this morning, actually. Told him I was done, that if they wanted me back, they’d have to come and get me.”

  Zeke winced, envisioning a Humvee full of MPs rumbling up to their doorstep to drag her away. “How’d he take it?”

  She shrugged, totally unconcerned. “I reminded him my contract has a matter of weeks on it, so I’m not worth the time and effort to hunt down. He didn’t love it, but that’s the way the Scooby Snack crumbles.”

  Zeke’s heart spilled over with the love he felt for his fearless, ferocious mate. Leading the Soren pack with her at his side would certainly be an adventure. No doubt they’d butt heads occasionally, but the bond between them was so strong, he also had no doubt they’d weather every storm and come out the other side stronger than ever.

  “I’m happy to hear that,” he murmured.

  Clasping her beautiful face in his hands, he stared into her deep, dark eyes before crushing her lips under his. She matched his ferocity, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and pulling him deeper into their kiss. Only when Fang yipped frantically at their feet, begging to be picked up, did they regain enough of their senses to break apart and save the rest for the bedroom. Zeke scooped up the dog with one hand.
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  “Looks like I’m not the only one who’s happy.”

  Fang licked his face and settled happily between them, just as it should have been.

  If you enjoyed this book, please be totally awesomesauce and leave a review so others may discover it as well. Long review or short, your opinion will help other readers make future purchasing decisions. So, go forth and rate our level-o-awesome!

  Did you miss a book in the Real Men Shift series?

  Book #1 - Real Men Howl at Amazon

  Book #2 - Real Men Snarl at Amazon

  Book #3 - Real Men Growl at Amazon

  Book #3.5 - Real Men Heal at Amazon

  About the Authors

  Celia Kyle

  Ex-dance teacher, former accountant and erstwhile collectible doll salesperson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Celia Kyle now writes paranormal romances. It goes without saying that there’s always a happily-ever-after for her characters, even if there are a few road bumps along the way. Today she lives in central Florida and writes full-time with the support of her loving husband and two finicky cats.

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  Marina Maddix

  New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Marina Maddix is a romantic at heart, but hates closing the bedroom door on her readers. Her stories are sweet, with just enough spice to make your mother blush. She lives with her husband and cat near the Pacific Ocean, and loves to hear from her fans.

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  Copyright © 2019 by Celia Kyle & Marina Maddix

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  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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