by Kyle, Celia
“Hi, handsome.” She grinned broadly as she walked toward him. Too bad the charm of dimples were lost on animals.
He met her halfway, pressing the side of his huge body against her legs. She patted his soft head, but he continued pushing against her legs, as if wanting something from her.
“What is it?” She only understood what he wanted when he pushed what should have been a terrifyingly huge muzzle against the backs of her knees, nearly topping her over. “Okay, okay,” she laughed and sat on the bed of grass.
A groan of satisfaction rumbled out of the beast as he laid his head in her lap and looked up at her with big puppy dog eyes. Persia ran her fingers across his snout and along his cheeks, ending up with her fingers wrapped around the softest fur she’d ever felt.
“Oh, you like that, don’t you? Me too.”
The wolf rolled onto his side, totally blissed out by her attention. Unafraid, Persia planted one hand on the other side of his body and leaned against his bulk. He was like a giant, living body pillow, and after the last couple of days, the physical contact soothed her.
“This is really weird. You know that, right? I mean, it’s almost as if you understand me. Which would be a first,” she snorted and then sighed. “Well, except maybe that sexy construction guy.”
The wolf slapped his tail to the ground and rolled onto his back underneath her arm, his forepaws limp above his chest, looking for the world like he was begging. Persia tucked a red curl behind her ear and smiled down at him.
“Only… what kind of guy refuses to buy a lady flowers when he knows she likes them? That’s kinda shitty, right? Selfish, too.” The attitude Warren had given her about flowers—not that she expected any from him in the first place—seemed contradictory to his kind and generous personality. “Good thing I’m not interested in dating or that might have hurt my feelings.”
Her friend whined softly and bent his head far enough to lick her hand a few times until she acquiesced and petted him.
“Besides, I have to stay strong. Can’t get distracted, even if he is very distracting. I’m here to effect real change, my friend, not hook up with the local boys. I want to keep these woods around for creatures like you, as well as the locals who use them for recreation. Condos can be built anywhere, but once these woods are gone, they’re gone forever. I need to focus on stopping Dick McNish and nothing else.”
She’d almost convinced herself, but Warren’s smile flickered in her brain, sending sparkles and fireworks bouncing along her nerves.
“It’s a lot to take on, I know, but no one out there knows McNish like I do. I’ve studied him for so long. I know all of his strengths, weaknesses, and tricks he uses to turn those weaknesses in his favor. I’ve tracked his path of destruction all over the state, but no matter how hard I try to get people to see him for what he really is—a cold, greedy monster—he keeps getting away with his atrocities. No one seems to understand, but I do. That’s why I can’t let it go or do something else that might be productive. If I don’t at least try to stop him, nobody else will.”
The bushes she’d pushed through to enter the clearing rustled loudly. Something big was coming, and before Persia could react, the wolf had leapt to his feet and stepped in front of her, as if to protect her. His head dropped threateningly low, and every muscle under his fur rippled with tension. Even the darker stripe along his spine had risen, and the snarl coming from deep inside him put her even more on edge.
“What is it, boy?” she murmured as she jumped to her feet, vaguely aware she sounded like a character out of Lassie.
Before she could really get frightened, a man and woman emerged from the tree line—a pair of lovers out for a romantic stroll. It would have been downright adorable, if a very large, very angry wolf wasn’t ready to pounce on them like they were his next meal. Persia was about to lunge for him, to hold him back, even if it meant she would be his next target. Before she could, though, the wolf dropped to his haunches at her side and let out a soft, “Rumph.”
“Please don’t be afraid,” she called out, even though the couple looked more amused than anything. “He’s actually really nice.”
The man, a tall, handsome fellow with brown hair that glimmered with copper glints in the sunlight, shot his companion a smirk as they approached. “Oh, we know. We’ve seen him around.”
“You have?” Suddenly Persia didn’t feel quite so special anymore. It was silly, but she’d rather enjoyed the fantasy she’d somehow tamed a wild animal.
“A time or two,” the woman spoke. She was almost as tall as her fella and nearly as muscled, as evidenced by her shorts and tank top. Her black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail that highlighted her high, tawny cheekbones and keen dark eyes.
“Sorry if we, um, interrupted you.” The man was clearly trying not to smile. “I’m Zeke Soren.”
“Hi, Zeke. I’m Persia Moonshadow.” She extended her arm for a handshake, which she repeated with his wife, who he introduced as Valerie.
“I’m the, uh, mayor of our little village just up the road. I think you’ve met Max and Trina, as well as her brother Warren.”
Persia laughed. “Wow, word sure spreads fast out in the country. “
“We all keep an eye on each other,” Zeke confirmed.
“Then you must also know I’m sort of the ringleader of the protest against the McNish Development Corporation.”
“Trust me,” Valerie’s eyes turned stormy, “we know more about Dick McNish than we want to.”
“Then just think of me as his natural enemy,” Persia replied, smiling proudly. She loved finding kindred spirits—or at least ones with shared enemies. Her fingers found their way to the wolf’s head and buried deeply into his thick fur.
Zeke tilted his head as if he was assessing her. “We also heard you’re a lawyer. That true?”
When folks found out she was a lawyer, they often peppered her with questions about things she knew little about, so she was always hesitant to share that detail about herself. But Valerie and Zeke seemed savvy enough to not ask how to sue their great-step-uncle’s estate for not putting them in his will.
“Yeah.”
“Great,” Zeke brightened. “We were wondering, since we’re on the same side and all, if you could file some kind of injunction against McNish or something?”
Persia’s shoulders slumped and a defeated sigh escaped her. “I really wish I could. I’ve tried time and again, but he covers his bases too well. So well I have yet to find a solid legal reason that a judge wouldn’t laugh me out of court, even if he wasn’t on McNish’s payroll.”
The pair exchanged one of those psychic looks couples develop over years and years together, though they looked awfully young to have been together that long.
“Actually, we might be able to help on that front,” Valerie offered. “What if we had evidence that an endangered species of stink beetle inhabits Wolf Woods? Think that would do the trick?”
Persia’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground and her eyes grew wide. As her heart sped up, her fingers clutched the wolf’s fur. But instead of whining in complaint, the beast sort of hummed with excitement, as if he either felt her emotions or understood what was happening. Obviously, it was the former, but it certainly felt like the latter.
“Oh my god, that would be huge! Of course, I’d need to confirm their existence, maybe call an entomologist I know, but if what you’re saying is true, that might actually work. Courts tend to err on the side of caution when the continuing existence of an entire species is at stake.”
“And we’ve come up with an alternate plan we think McNish might go for, if he’s faced with this kind of challenge,” Zeke added. “We’re hoping you’ll attend a meeting with us later to pitch the plan to him.”
Persia’s stomach knotted and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Face to face with Dick McNish again. She’d done everything in her power to avoid even looking at the man for the last couple of years, and while she’d rather chew off
her own arm than go to a meeting with him, the locals who’d trusted her enough to join forces needed her.
“Present a united front, huh?” she mused, buying time to make a decision. “Will that Warren guy be there? You know who I’m talking about?”
The pair beamed at each other. “We do.”
“He’s nice and all, but between you and me, he’s a little pushy for my taste.”
Zeke pinched his nose and coughed into his hand, giving Persia the distinct impression he struggled not to laugh.
Valerie answered for them both. “That’s going to be tough because he’s actually the one who came up with the plan.”
“Really?” Persia balked. “I didn’t think he had much more going on than a pretty face and a rockin’ bod.”
It was Valerie’s turn to hide her amusement while Zeke took over the speaking role. “If it makes any difference, I personally guarantee he will be on his best behavior. And I think you’ll have a better impression of him afterward. So, will you come?”
As much as she wanted to say no, she couldn’t back out. Her passion for the world they lived in overpowered her desire to avoid looking into Dick McNish’s cold, dead eyes again. Looking up to face Zeke, she caught him glaring at her wolf before quickly meeting her gaze. Weird, but everything about this protest had been weird.
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
Chapter Seven
From the back seat of Zeke’s SUV, Warren glared out the window. The day had started so beautifully by spending time with his mate, but then Zeke and Val just had to come along and spoil everything. He chanced a glance at them, and sure enough, they were still smirking. Crossing his arms in a huff, he turned back to the window. A view of kudzu was a million times better than their smug asses.
“So, how long are you planning on trying to melt her heart as a wolf?” Zeke asked the question, ending on a snicker.
“Don’t,” Warren grunted.
“Gonna ask her for a bone on your first date? Get it? Bone?”
“Does Val still feed you kibble?” Warren snapped. “Oh yeah, I heard all about it.”
“Fucking Levi,” Zeke growled, scowling at the road while Val barked out a laugh.
The kibble incident after their first meeting would live forever in infamy, though Warren had convinced Levi, who’d witnessed the whole thing and couldn’t wait to share it, to never tell another soul or Zeke might have his head on a stick. Still, he wasn’t above using the little nugget to his own advantage.
“Look, man, I’m on your side,” Zeke scratched at the scruff on his face. “All I’m saying is the lady may think wolves are cute and fluffy, but how’s she supposed to fall in love with you? You’re barking up the wrong tree, my friend.”
“He’s barking up the right tree,” Val corrected. “The problem is the fact he’s barking.”
“Fuck my life,” Warren groaned under his breath and pressed his hot forehead to the cool glass. “I get it. I’m just taking what I can get as far as spending time with her goes. You heard her. She doesn’t even like me all that much. How the hell am I supposed to convince her she’s my mate?”
Val turned in the passenger seat to face him. “First of all, stop thinking in terms of ‘your mate.’ She has no idea what that means. It will fuck with her mind, and I say that as someone who was in her shoes not so long ago. Wait—” she looked over at her mate “—are Birkenstocks shoes or sandals?”
Zeke slapped the steering wheel as he chortled. “They’re an abomination, if you ask me.”
Val smiled and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. My point is that it took me a while to wrap my head around the whole shifter thing in general when Chloe explained it to me back in college. Otherwise, I would have totally flipped my shit when I met Zeke.”
“What do you suggest then?” Warren was desperate for any scrap of advice that would result in Persia falling head over heels for him.
“I dunno. Ease her into it. Go slowly. Treat her with respect. Maybe learn her real name, because… come on, Moonshadow?”
That set Zeke on another laughing fit. Ignoring his alpha, as well as Val’s suggestion, Warren leaned forward. “How did you react when Chloe told you?”
“Um, about the same way you would if you caught your roommate turning into a mermaid and flopping around on the floor.”
Warren waved away the analogy. “But how did she tell you?”
“I don’t recall the dirty details. I accidentally saw her shift and she sat me down to explain it all.”
“What kind of questions did you ask her?”
Val and Zeke shared a grim look, and Warren knew exactly what they were thinking at each other. Poor bastard. He didn’t care. He needed hope, and at that moment, Val was his best chance.
“I gotta be honest, Warren. The only big question I had was how she got anything done when she was able to lick her own pussy as a wolf.”
Zeke nearly drove them into a ditch from laughing so hard.
Warren was far from amused. “Come on, you guys. I’m flying blind here. Tell me this. How long did it take for you to, as you said, wrap your head around it?”
“I don’t really remember,” Val shrugged. “A week? Maybe as long as six months to really accept it? Hard to say, it was so long ago.”
“Six months! I really care about this woman, but I don’t want to scare her so badly she winds up in a mental hospital. Help me out.”
“Hey, I’d bet good money she already believes in aliens and ghosts.” Val flashed him another grin. “You’ve got that going for you. Maybe it won’t be such a leap.”
“Listen, Warren,” Zeke chimed in, “I’m just giving you shit. You’re a really good guy. You just gotta take it slowly and let her get to know the real you, not just the meathead. But don’t take it too slowly or she’ll think you’re not interested. Just the perfect amount of slow.”
Warren rolled his eyes and slumped back into his seat. “Right. Great. Thanks for nothing.”
The big rig rumbled into the McNish Development Corporation’s Tremble headquarters. Everyone in the pack had come to hate the site of the shiny new construction trailer, mostly because it served as a highly visible reminder that McNish wasn’t going anywhere.
As they climbed out of the SUV, a familiar face caught Warren’s eye. And judging by the way Zeke’s hands clenched into tight fists, his alpha had spotted the man, too. Randy Leeper, the asshole who’d shot Little Hux’s arm with his hunting rifle and nearly killed Max, happened to be McNish’s head wolf hunter. He even wore the camo to prove it, though his hunting rifle was nowhere to be seen. He was cupping something in his hands, but it was too small to see.
Leeper looked up as they approached and smiled broadly, as if welcoming old friends, and then started toward them. Zeke stopped in his tracks, tensing and getting a little furry around the collar. This was not the time to get into a brawl in the parking lot, but before Warren could hold Zeke back from ripping out Leeper’s throat, Val stepped in front of her mate.
As former military, Val followed the line of command to the letter. Her habit to protect her superior officers was deeply engrained. Even though Zeke was also her mate, he was the alpha of the pack, and she saw it as her duty to be his first line of defense. Within the confines of their relationship, they were equals, but where the pack was concerned, Zeke was the leader and he needed to remain safe. Warren stepped up just behind Val, in case something bad went down.
The closer Leeper got, the less it seemed he wanted a fight. He had a sort of dreamy look on his face and almost floated toward them. Instead of punching her, he pulled Val into a classic one-armed, Southern-style side hug.
Warren glanced back to see Zeke seething at the sight of a strange man—an enemy to boot—touching his mate, but before he could shift and tear the asshole to pieces, Leeper turned to Zeke and repeated the hug. When he grabbed Warren for a hug, they all looked at each other in confusion. Was it some kind of subversive tactic? The hunters had tried that once, but Valerie
had pointed it out so they wouldn’t get sucked in. But this…this was off-the-charts weird.
“Look!” Randy began with the enthusiasm of a child, releasing Warren and holding out his hand.
Warren was almost afraid to look. It would have been right up Randy’s alley to have something deadly that would kill them all in an instant. But one glance stunned Warren more than the hugs.
Three tiny yellow flowers lay on his big, calloused palm. One by one, he passed a flower to each of them, smiling as if he’d just handed over the Crown Jewels.
“Ain’t they purty?” His voice was filled with wonder. “Imma go find more.”
Without so much as another look at them, he spun around and walked away with a spring in his step that could almost have been mistaken for skipping. They watched him for a long moment before Val whispered, “What the fuck was that?”
“Remember, Cassandra said she put a spell on him to keep him from hunting wolves,” Zeke murmured under his breath, staring after the guy. “Maybe that seed she planted went a little deeper than she expected.”
“As long as it keeps him off pack lands, I’m happy,” Warren muttered and the others agreed with solemn nods.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Val warned. “It could just as easily be some kind of ruse to make us lower our guards.”
Dropping the flowers in the dirt, the trio stomped up the steps to the trailer’s door, Zeke in the lead. He threw the door open with relish, letting it slam against the side of the trailer—and hopefully marring its shiny exterior. A middle-aged woman stood and smiled at them.
“Good afternoon.” Her tone was perfectly pleasant, though a flicker of wariness sparked in her eyes. “You must be the, um, homesteaders. Please, have a seat around the conference table.”
Zeke ignored her outstretched arm pointing toward the table and glowered at her. “Where’s Dick?”
She pressed her lips together at his rudeness. “Mr. McNish will be here shortly. Now, if you’ll just—”
Zeke held up a hand. “That’s alright, ma’am. We’ll wait for our attorney to arrive.”
