by Renee Rose
BECKY
* * *
I didn’t want to be at Audrey’s. I didn’t know where I wanted to be. Certainly not my house where Todd had been murdered. God, he’d had his throat ripped out by that wolf I just saw bleed out in the snow. I never wanted to go to my place again.
I felt as if everyone I knew, everyone I thought I cared about, led a secret life. Todd and his underhanded plans for me. Clint, obviously. Even my best friend knew about shifters and hadn’t said anything. Hell, just the other night, we’d gabbed around Willow’s table about my relationship with Clint, and none of them had said a word. Not Rob when he’d let us in. Not Audrey, Marina or Willow all the time I’d stuffed my face with snacks.
They must have been laughing at me when I left. How did I look Audrey in the eye?
Then there was the whole shifter thing. Holy fuck, I’d never seen that coming. What the hell was that about? Was it just the guys around the ranch… holy shit. Wolf. Ranch.
It was right there all along.
I was so confused. My stomach ached from throwing up twice. I felt like my heart was breaking in two, and my brain was frazzled. I didn’t know what to even think. I couldn’t bear to talk or listen to anyone right now, either.
Boyd pulled up in front of their cute little cabin, extra adorable in the snow, glowing indoor lights making it all quaint and cozy. He hopped out, came around and escorted me inside.
It reminded me of the times Clint carried me about. Fuck.
Audrey rushed to my side when she saw my teary face. She wore black leggings, a hoodie sweatshirt and fleece socks. She was about six weeks further along than me, and her pregnancy couldn’t be hidden any longer. Her glasses were perched on her nose, and she looked at me with her usual frown when she was concerned.
“Becky?” She set her hand on my shoulder. “What happened? What’s going on?”
“Turns out Clint’s been a council enforcer,” Boyd said. “A wolf showed up for revenge—the one who killed Becky’s ex.”
Audrey gasped, and her fingers squeezed.
Boyd sighed before he went on. “He showed up at Clint’s family cabin. Kicked the door in and, from what I understand, planned to kill Becky as payback.”
“Oh my God.” Audrey lifted her hand to her mouth as she studied me.
“She saw her mate shift for the first time. Shift and kill.”
Audrey blinked. “Wait, hold up. What’s a shifter council enforcer?”
She looked to me, as if the shift and kill part was totally normal. Her question confirmed Audrey knew about shifters but not everything.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I broke in, my vision swimming. Really. “I considered you my friend. I mean, girls tell each other important shit. I sure would’ve liked a heads-up that the man who got me pregnant wasn’t a man at all. That my life is now out of a weird horror film.”
“I’m sorry,” Audrey said, regret etching the lines in her face. Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away. “I couldn’t tell you about shifters in general. It’s the rule. Even if I could, I thought it was Clint’s job to tell you what he is. You two were so new, he was probably waiting for the right moment.” She took my hand and tugged me to an overstuffed armchair. “Here, sit down. I’ll answer all the questions I can, and Boyd will, too. Or he can leave if you just want girl talk.”
She pulled a blanket from the couch and draped it around me.
I sniffed, looked up at the two of them as they loomed over me. Boyd really did look concerned. Not once since he’d come into Clint’s cabin did he have his usual swagger about him.
“He can stay. We still don’t know what the whatever-council-enforcer thing is.”
Boyd sat on the couch facing me although watching as if I might freak out again. Or throw up.
“Are you feeling okay? The baby? No cramping or anything?” Audrey asked, eyeing me now like a doctor.
I shook my head.
“Do you need a snack?”
“She threw up twice,” Boyd told her, and I glared.
“Lemon tea?” she asked.
That did sound kind of good. “Sure.”
Audrey stepped into the kitchen, and I heard her fill the electric kettle and flick it on.
She came back and sat down beside Boyd, leaning against him. He settled his arm around her shoulder, so her head was tucked into him.
“The Shifter Council is sort of the regulating organization for shifters. Like the Supreme Court. Issues go before them, and they make rulings which enforcers carry out. Their identities—the enforcers—are kept secret because they’re essentially executioners. They put down shifters who’ve gone rogue. Usually it’s over killing a human. Sometimes it’s because they’ve gone feral—like in the case of moon madness. But an enforcer’s job would be to track and kill.”
Again, I tried to reconcile the notion of Clint as a killer with the man I’d thought I’d known. Fresh tears tracked down my cheeks. “But Clint…” I shook my head. “He doesn’t seem like” —I had to swallow hard over the tight band constricting my throat— “a killer.”
Boyd scrubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t know either. I swear. Clint’s the most level-headed, kindest one of all of us. Which is probably why he was asked to serve. Why he’s quiet. He would’ve served at Rob’s behest.” Boyd flicked a glance at me. “Rob’s our alpha,” he said, as if that explained everything. “The one who leads all the wolves in this area. The pack.”
I shook my head to ward off all this information. This whole world I hadn’t known existed until tonight. I tucked the blanket around me which prompted Audrey to get up and make my tea.
“Clint kills people for a living?” My teeth chattered from the shock. Audrey returned and pressed a mug in my hands.
“I know it sounds terrible,” Boyd admitted. “Human laws wouldn’t work on shifters. You couldn’t keep us in prisons because we’d just break out. We’d have to run, especially with the moon. And once a shifter’s had the taste of human blood, he has to be put down. It’ll turn him feral, for sure. They lose their human half and become all beast. They’re a danger to humans and shifters alike.”
I forced myself to sip the tea which was tangy and hot. It slid down nicely and settled, warming me from the inside out. The lemon cut the bad taste in my mouth, and my stomach didn’t mind it, especially empty.
“H-he didn’t tell me.” Except I remembered what he’d said right before the front door had been kicked in.
The guys on the ranch—Boyd and Colton and Rob. Me and my family… we’re, ah, different.
He’d been about to tell me they were wolves. Would he have told me he was an enforcer, too?
I swallowed. “So, everyone on the ranch, you’re all wolves?”
Boyd nodded then glanced down at Audrey. The look he gave her made my heart hurt. It was so full of love, of something I’d thought I’d had with Clint. “All the males. Audrey and Marina aren’t. Willow is.”
For some reason, I remembered the pretty juice girl from the grocery store. “And Clint’s cousin, Shelby? His whole family. Janet and Tom. God, Rand, too. Even Nash? Everyone was in on it?”
Boyd sighed. “No one’s in on anything. Yes, it was kept from you but not because of anything other than you’re human. Clint was going to tell you, I’m sure of it.”
I pursed my lips then took another sip of tea.
“Tell them the science behind it,” Audrey told Boyd.
He smiled at her. “The part you like, Doctor.” He turned his attention back to me. “We’re a species, so being a shifter’s hereditary. Your baby and Audrey’s will carry the genes. Whether they’ll have enough of them to actually shift or not will be unknown until adolescence.”
I placed my hand on my belly. Anger shot through me. Clint had given me a werewolf baby?
But no, he hadn’t meant to get me pregnant at all. That had been an accident.
The place he’d bitten me suddenly tingled, and I touched it.
Boyd nodded at my movement, like he knew what I was touching. “Clint marked you. Bit you, right?”
I nodded then blushed, remembering when exactly.
“It’s what male wolves do when they’ve found their true mate. We embed our scent into their skin to keep other males away.”
“What?” I set the mug of tea on the end table and stood up. “This is… this is just crazy. He had no right to do that.”
Boyd shook his head. “He probably couldn’t help himself, Becky,” he said gently. “It’s instinct. When a shifter finds his one true mate, the biology is overwhelming. We can’t hold back. With you being pregnant, his need to protect you would be off the charts.” He glanced at his own wife—mate—with soft eyes, as if he spoke from experience.
“Wolves mate for life, honey,” Audrey said, also standing and hovering nearby. “Clint knew the minute he saw you—he belonged to you.”
I shook my head. “No, he didn’t. We had a quickie at Cody’s. We parted ways. For four months.”
“Yeah, but you said his nose was broken. When was the next time you met up?”
“The grocery store. I threw up on him.”
“What did he do then?” Audrey asked with a smile.
“He got me out of there, took me home.”
“He caught your scent then. Been protective ever since? Bossy?”
I nodded.
“They’re all that way,” Audrey added.
“Hey!” Boyd said, pretending to take offense.
I whirled on her and frowned. “Yeah, I already had a husband who thought that way. It’s not a selling point, Audrey,” I snapped.
When she blanched, a kick of remorse went through me. But no. She kept this from me, too.
They all did.
“I’m leaving,” I said, even though I had nowhere to go. I didn’t even have my car here.
Boyd jumped up. “Clint would want you to stay here.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Clint has no say,” I snarled.
He held up his hands then pulled out his keys. “Okay. Where can I take you? I’d rather you stay here just for my own protective streak, but with that guy… dead, you’re safe. You want to stay at Audrey’s place in town? Until the police have finished with your house?”
The tight knot in my stomach twisted. None of this felt right.
None of it.
“Yes, please,” I said tightly. What choice did I have? “I’d appreciate that.”
“I’ll come, too,” Audrey offered, but Boyd and I both waved her away.
“You and the baby need to stay here. Get some rest, darlin’,” Boyd said, his expression going soft again, the way it always did when he looked at her. “I’ll get her settled.”
Settled.
Fuck that.
My ex was dead. I was a fucking widow. I wasn’t sure if I had a job after being taken away for questioning by the police from the hospital. I still might be charged in a murder case. I’d almost been murdered myself. I found out the guy I loved was part wolf. And an executioner. Not only with a bullet to the brain but with his teeth. The baby I was carrying was not fully human. My heart had been obliterated for believing in someone. Trusting them.
No, I didn’t think I’d ever feel settled again.
24
CLINT
* * *
Boyd called me last night. Told me Becky was physically fine. She hadn’t been hurt when I’d rolled her to the floor. She and the baby were well. He’d told me they’d tried to explain shifter things to Becky, but she’d been more bitter than receptive. He’d driven her into town and settled Becky into Audrey’s house in town. I knew where it was. Knew Boyd had secured that fucker up tight. Audrey rarely stayed there now, only when she was on call, and it was too far to get to the hospital quickly from the ranch. Usually, Boyd stayed with her, but on rare occasions, she crashed alone after a late delivery. I’d even helped him install the top-of-the-line security system.
Becky was safe but alone.
My wolf didn’t stand for that shit. I didn’t either, but I wasn’t going to kick her door in either. Once in her lifetime was enough.
I’d texted her last night that I was sorry I’d kept things from her. That I was sorry I put her in danger. I asked if we could talk, and she’d told me not to call. I had to respect that. I remembered what Rob had said about giving her time and space, but it fucking killed me to be estranged from her. Like I literally felt my body withering away like it would die.
So now I sat across the street in my truck. Watched. It had been quiet all night. Clouds had come in and covered the moon. Snow began to fall. Yeah, I spent the night in my truck. No, I didn’t give a fuck about the cold.
Dawn came, and I’d seen no movement from the house. Boyd pulled up a little after seven. He got out, and I rolled down my window. Snow quickly settled on the brim of his hat. He tucked up the collar on his coat. “Just dropped Audrey at the hospital. Go home. Get some rest. Hell, go up in the hills and run. I’ll watch her.”
My wolf was resistant, not wanting to move, but I’d already pissed in an empty soda bottle, and I needed food. I was tired as fuck, too.
“Thanks,” I replied, knowing I had to leave her.
He nodded and went back to his truck.
I watched him settle into his seat before I pulled away. It was fucking hard, but I knew Boyd would take care of her.
A few hours later, I returned. Rand had taken Boyd’s spot. I got out and hopped into his passenger seat. I handed him the to-go cup of coffee meant for Boyd.
“Haven’t seen a thing,” he said, angling his head toward the house then taking a sip of the hot drink.
I looked the place over and panic settled in. “You sure she’s in there? What if we’re watching a fucking empty—”
“Brother, she’s there. Audrey said she’s on administrative leave because of everything going on. Audrey texted with her when I swapped with Boyd. Becky hasn’t gotten out of bed.”
She hasn’t gotten out of bed. While that idea would normally be sexy as fuck, it made my wolf want to howl. I’d hurt her. Bad. This was all my fault. She thought I was a monster.
“She needs to eat,” I growled. “I bet that kitchen doesn’t have an avocado in it.”
He ran his hand over his face, studied the house as if answers were painted on it. “I’ve got an idea. You got it from here?”
I nodded then climbed from his truck and back to mine.
He drove off. I didn’t know what the idea was, but it had better be fucking good.
An hour later, I was ready to peek in the bedroom window to check on her like her deadbeat, dead ex, but Rand pulled up behind me. With Mom.
She hopped out in her heavy boots, thick coat and hat, holding covered dishes. She sported a narrowed gaze I recognized as one that said “get out of my way, I’ve got shit to accomplish.”
Fuck, yes.
Rand was brilliant. Mom had food and hugs and everything Becky needed.
BECKY
* * *
I heard the doorbell but ignored it. I heard the knock on the door and ignored that too. When my cell rang, I flopped over in bed and reached for it on the nightstand.
Audrey had texted earlier to check on me. I knew she worked today since I’d been supposed to work with her. Administrative leave was a bitch because I had nowhere to go. Nothing to do. No money. I hadn’t heard from the sheriff to know if I was still under suspicion of Todd’s death.
I knew who’d done it, but it wasn’t like I could waltz on in and tell the guy a shifter ripped Todd’s throat out because my mate, who’d bitten me with his sharp teeth and claimed me for life, was a wolf enforcer who’d shot the guy’s cousin in the head and wanted revenge.
They’d think I was nuts. And I was.
After the night before? How could I not be? The man I loved was part wolf. Wholly dangerous.
I read the text.
It’s Janet. I’m at the door. Let me in. I’m cold, and my hands are full of se
ven-layer dip and barbequed cocktail wieners.
My stomach growled and had me hopping out of bed at the mention of tiny hot dogs. The last few times I’d thrown up, it hadn’t been from morning sickness. It appeared I might have gotten past the nauseated phase—thank God—but hadn’t lost my weird hankerings.
I all but tossed open the door, and there was Janet with plastic containers in her hands. I grabbed them from her, and she laughed, breezing in as if it were July and not snowing. “Honey, I didn’t know which one sounded good right now, so I made you both. No reason to even get a plate, huh?”
She bustled me toward the small kitchen and settled me at the table. I had no idea if she’d been to Audrey’s house before or not, but she went directly to the silverware drawer and pulled out a fork.
I took off a lid as she brought me the utensil and grabbed a napkin from the little holder in the center of the table.
The scent of tangy barbecue sauce and meat wafted from the first container I opened. “Oh my God, these look so good.”
As Janet took off her coat, she smiled. “All my boys like them. I’d put them in the slow cooker because the boys loved to snack after school.”
“That sounds nice for them.”
I’d tried to block visions of Clint, but instantly a ten-year old version popped into my head, all tousle haired and rowdy, ready to chow down for a snack.
“You must’ve bought a lot of food,” I said, shoving a cocktail wiener in my face. It was still warm, and the sauce was sticky and sweet. I closed my eyes as I chewed. Sooo good.
“I did. When Rob, Colton and Boyd lost their parents, we pretty much took care of them. They stayed at the main house… it’s their home and all, but I made sure those guys were fed and sorted. Still do, at least a little bit.” She sat quietly as I savored the flavor. I hadn’t eaten anything since the night before. “The baby’s happy now?”
After I swallowed, I speared another and shoveled it in. “Mmmhmm,” I replied.
“You’ve got a big job going on inside you. If you want little hot dogs, then you can have little hot dogs.” She reached for the second container and took off the lid.
