Nate's Deputy (2019 Reissue)

by Lavinia Lewis

  All Jared could see, all he could think about, was his mate, Nate, who was completely covered in blood. Barely managing to put one foot in front of the other, Jared crossed the yard to his mate, but when he reached Nate he could do nothing but stare.

  Nate reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder.

  “You okay?” Nate’s concern was evident in every creased line on his forehead.

  Jared shook his head, looking down at Nate’s chest. “You’re, you’re…bleeding.”

  Nate looked down at his chest and his frown deepened before he lifted his head to meet Jared’s gaze.

  “It’s okay, it isn’t my blood.”

  Closing his eyes, Jared tried to calm his racing heart and steady his breathing.

  Not Nate’s blood.

  The relief that swept through him was so intense he felt a lump form in the back of his throat and the sting of unshed tears behind his eyes.

  Not his blood.

  “Hey,” Nate said softly.

  Jared opened his eyes and stared at Nate but he still couldn’t force out any words, still couldn’t get his eyes and teeth to shift back to their human form.

  Nate smiled and gently squeezed Jared’s shoulder. “It’s all right. I’m okay.”

  “What are you doing here?” Jared said at last.

  Nate’s gaze shifted to Kelan and the other wolves. He sighed and pulled his eyebrows together into a frown. “It’s a long story.”

  “Jared?” Kelan called. “Can we talk to you for a minute?”

  Jared felt a tinge of regret when Nate removed the hand from his shoulder.

  “Be right there!”

  “You too, Nate,” Kelan added.

  Nate sighed. “I guess we’d better see what they want.”

  Jared nodded. “You sure you’re okay?”

  Nate’s smile lit up his whole face and it made Jared’s breath catch in his chest until he felt like he was suffocating.

  “I’m getting there.”

  Jared wanted to ask Nate what he meant by that but now wasn’t the time. He closed his eyes once more, centered himself, and felt his eyes shift back to their human form and his canines recede into his gums. When he opened his eyes for the second time, no trace of his wolf remained.

  Nate bent down to retrieve his hat, dusted the top then placed it back on his head. As if by silent agreement they walked side by side to join the others. As they neared, Ashton led Mrs. Rafferty and the two young wolves into the house.

  “Nate, good to see you again,” Gregory said. “How’s that chest wound of yours?”

  “Chest wound?” Jared’s head swiveled in Nate’s direction.

  “Nate got shot a few weeks back, trying to save Cary’s life,” Kelan explained.

  “Shot?” Jared gasped. “Jesus.”

  Nate shrugged. “It’s okay, it’s healed now.”

  Jared nodded, working hard to keep his breathing steady. “What’s going on here?”

  Kelan let out a long breath. “It’s a fucking mess. Ellie’s running some sort of halfway house. There are six young shifters in total—all boys—and as you saw, she’s not in control of a single one of them.

  “Her husband left her several years ago. Neil, her son, is the oldest boy living here and he’s hardly role model material. Ellie won’t admit it, but she’s way out of her depth.”

  “Where have the kids come from?” Jared asked. “Does she have legal guardianship of all of them?”

  “That’s the problem,” Gregory replied. “Under normal circumstances, she’d have to go through the courts, like anyone else—shifter or not—but she’s insisting she has permission from the council to keep every one of them.”

  “And does she?” Nate asked.

  Gregory shrugged. “It’s the first I’ve heard about it. Ashton has gone with her to check the paperwork.”

  “But if the council sent you here to check on the disturbances in town, wouldn’t they have told you about the situation here at the ranch?” Jared asked. “Especially seeing as Ellie’s son has been involved in most of the trouble.”

  Gregory pursed his lips and turned to look at Kelan.

  He opened his mouth to speak but stopped at the last minute and eyed Nate and Jared warily. “I don’t…”

  “You can speak openly in front of Nate,” Kelan said. “I trust him with my life.”

  A look passed between Nate and Kelan that Jared couldn’t identify. Jared watched Nate’s throat bob as he swallowed and lowered his gaze. It had looked almost as though they shared a secret.

  He didn’t like it.

  What the hell was going on between them?

  Kelan had a mate and so did Nate, Goddamn it!

  As soon as the thought occurred to him, Jared felt a bite of pain in his chest. Nate was free to do whatever the hell he wanted. Jared had no hold on him. But the thought of him being with anyone else left him cold.

  “And Jared?” Gregory asked.

  Kelan sighed, his gaze shifting back and forth between Jared and Nate. “Jared’s his mate.”

  Jared’s head snapped up and he glared at Nate.

  How the hell was he ever going to make sheriff if Nate was running around shooting his mouth off, telling everyone he was mated to a man? More importantly, what was there between him and Kelan that made it so easy for Nate to confide in him?

  “You told him?” he accused.

  Nate raised his hand. “I didn’t tell him anything. Kelan was there when I found out, remember?”

  “What’s going on, Gregory?” Kelan asked, changing the subject. “What have you got to tell us?”

  Gregory looked up at the house and sighed, nodding his head as if making up his mind.

  “This is to go no further than the three of us, understand?”

  Kelan shook his head. “I don’t keep anything from my mate but you can rest assured that Jake won’t tell anyone and neither will I.”

  “Fair enough.” Gregory looked to Jared and Nate for their confirmation.

  “I won’t say anything,” Jared agreed.

  Nate snorted. “I don’t talk to anyone, but you have my word. It won’t come from me.”

  “The council didn’t send us here to find out about the disturbances around town,” Gregory said. “Well, not exactly. They sent us to check up on Kelan, to find out if he’s doing his job properly and to see if his position as alpha is safe.”

  There was a long, pregnant pause before anyone spoke.

  Jared was surprised by Gregory’s statement. Kelan was a good alpha. Nearly all the wolves in town thought highly of him, but he was more surprised that Jared had told Kelan his true motive for being in town.

  “That’s fucking bullshit!” Nate roared, finally breaking the silence.

  Jared gritted his teeth.

  “It’s okay,” Kelan said. “I’ve been expecting this.”

  Gregory’s eyebrows knitted together and he lifted a hand to scratch the top of his head. “How did you know?”

  “I have a friend on the council,” Kelan replied.

  “I don’t suppose you’d tell me who?”

  “No, sorry. I can’t risk anyone finding out he’s been speaking to me.”

  Gregory’s lips thinned. “I’m trusting you here, Kelan. The least you could do is offer me the same courtesy.”

  “Don’t take it personally, Gregory, but until I know you better and know I can trust you, it’s not something I’m willing to disclose.”

  “Fair enough. If you have a friend on the council then you know about the…trouble that’s been going on there.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard about it.”

  “What trouble?” Jared asked.

  Gregory met Kelan’s gaze and gave a slight nod of his head. The action was barely perceptible, but it was enough for Jared to turn to Kelan to await an explanation.

  “The Supernatural Council has been in existence far longer than the human government,” Kelan said. “It was set up to keep an eye on the shifter po
pulation and to ensure that we don’t expose our secrets to humans.

  “But there have always been those in the council who think shifters should live their lives in the open.”

  Jared shook his head. “That would never work. Humans would be terrified if they learned of our existence. It would be out and out war.”

  Kelan nodded. “I agree, and those in favor of us coming out, as it were, have always been in the minority, but it looks as if their numbers are increasing and some of them have risen to very influential positions within the council.”

  “What does that have to do with you?” Nate asked. “Why would the council send in members to check up on you?”

  “I think I can answer that,” Gregory replied. “Kelan runs a tight ship here in Wolf Creek. Any and all incidents involving shifters are dealt with quickly and there has never been any danger of the humans that live here finding out about us.”

  “Until recently,” Kelan amended. “Until, it seems, those members in the council that are in favor of us living our lives in the open decided to send in more shifters—troublemakers—essentially making it more difficult for me to keep order here.”

  “And the more difficult it is for you to keep order, the more chance there is of humans here finding out about us,” Nate said.

  Jared turned to study Nate.

  He was practically vibrating with pent-up anger. The air was thick with it and the current zinged through Jared, making him shiver. Nate was a powerful wolf, that much was evident, and Jared couldn’t help but be in awe of that power. It excited him—made him want things he couldn’t have, however much he might wish otherwise.

  “Exactly,” Kelan replied.

  Nate’s strong jaw clenched and fury flashed in his eyes, making the tiny hairs on the back of Jared’s neck stand to attention. The air around them crackled and almost as quickly as the ferocity had appeared, it vanished.

  When Ashton came out of the farmhouse and made his way down the steps of the porch, Kelan and Gregory walked over to talk to him, leaving Jared alone again with Nate.

  “So how’s Trist—”

  “What’s going on between you and Kelan?” Jared interrupted before he could stop himself.

  Jesus.

  What the hell was wrong with him?

  Jared knew logically it was none of his business—he’d told Nate quite clearly how things stood between them—but it seemed he wasn’t capable of rational thought, couldn’t stop his mouth from saying the first damn thing that popped into his mind. Nate drew his eyebrows together and tilted his head.

  “What do you care?”

  Why did he care?

  He shouldn’t care at all.

  But the challenge in Nate’s eyes made him square his shoulders and puff out his chest. Nate still hadn’t given him a damn answer.

  He shrugged.

  “Kelan is mated. Didn’t think he’d be the type to fool around, is all.”

  “So you’re just looking out for your alpha’s best interests?”

  Jared frowned. “Will you answer the damn question?”

  Nate’s rich, brown eyes softened and he let out a gentle sigh.

  The emotion in those eyes had Jared rooted to the spot. He couldn’t have looked away if his life depended on it. Nate’s gaze held him in place and the electricity that arced between them was intense. A long moment passed as Jared stared into Nate’s eyes…lost.

  Jared had never felt so confused or so completely helpless, and he was sure his heart had stopped beating while he waited for an answer that had the capacity to shatter his whole world.

  “There’s nothing going on, Jared,” Nate said. His voice was rough, thick and so full of emotion it caused a lump to form in the back of Jared’s throat. “How could you think that?”

  Jared tore his gaze away—had to. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight onto his other leg. “I—”

  “Nate? We’re all done here!” Kelan shouted across the yard.

  Nate’s shoulders slumped as he acknowledged Kelan. “Be right there!”

  When he turned again to meet Jared’s gaze, he lifted one eyebrow, his face full of something that looked like hope.

  “Jared?”

  “Come on,” Jared said, grateful for the interruption. Another minute alone with Nate and Jared was afraid of what he might have confessed—what he might have asked for or what he would have offered.

  It was certainly nothing he could afford to give.

  “Let’s get back to the others.”

  Nate’s expression hardened and the emotion that had been present in his eyes a moment before disappeared.

  He gave a sharp nod of his head. “Right.”

  Without another word, he turned then strode across the yard. Jared waited a moment to calm his breathing and slow down his racing heart before following. When he reached the other men, he looked to Gregory, his eyebrows raised in question.

  “The paperwork was in order,” Gregory confirmed. “There’s nothing more we can do here.”

  “There has to be something. If what you were saying about the faction in the council wanting to expose us is true, then we can’t just let this go.”

  “We won’t,” Kelan said. “But we need to get together and discuss exactly what we can do.”

  Jared nodded. “Name the place, I’ll be there.”

  Kelan pursed his lips. “Luke and Mark are having a party Sunday afternoon to celebrate their first year anniversary. Why don’t you all come? I’m sure after the festivities have finished there’ll be a chance for us all to get together and go over our options.”

  Gregory turned to Ashton, and they both nodded in agreement. “We’ll be there,” he confirmed.

  “I’m off work on Sunday, so yeah, sounds good.”

  Jared wouldn’t admit to it, of course, but part of him was excited about going—not because they’d be able to discuss what was going on with the council, but because it would give him a chance to see Nate again. Even though he knew that wouldn’t be the best of ideas, he couldn’t think of anything he wanted more.

  “Good, then we’ll see you all there. Nate, you ready?” Kelan turned to leave.

  Nate met Jared’s gaze and held it.

  Jared felt his pulse quicken as he stared back, every nerve ending in his body felt as if it were on edge—poised, waiting for something he knew couldn’t happen.

  Nate cleared his throat but when he spoke his voice was gravelly. “I’ll see you on Sunday.”

  He tipped his cowboy hat then followed in Kelan’s wake.

  Jared watched his retreating form regretfully. They were halfway to their truck when Kelan turned and called out, “Jared, why don’t you bring your brother with you? He might make some new friends.”

  Jared struggled to reply around the lump that had formed in his throat. “Will do!”

  “I thought Kelan said you and Nate are mates?” Gregory frowned, watching the two cowboys get into Kelan’s pickup.

  With much regret, Jared tore his gaze away from Nate.

  He swallowed down the lump in his throat before replying.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Do I have to go?” Tristan whined from his position in the passenger seat. “It’s just some stupid party for a couple of old guys.”

  Jared rolled his eyes. “For your information, Luke is only a couple of years older than you, and his mate Mark is only in his mid-thirties. We’ve been invited by Alpha Morgan, and we’re going—end of story. Besides, I thought you wanted to see the horses?”

  Tristan sat up straighter in his seat and turned to face Jared. “Do you think I’ll get to ride one?”

  “I don’t see why not. As long as you ask nicely and you don’t cause any trouble while you’re there.”

  Tristan made a tutting sound and Jared knew his brother well enough to know there had probably been an eye-roll, too. He tried to hide his grin, keeping his eyes on the signal in front of him.

/>   “I wish you’d stop treating me like a kid, I’m twenty-one—an adult—and I don’t appreciate it.”

  The light changed and Jared pulled away. “It was a joke, bro, get with the program. ‘Sides, it’ll do you good to get out and meet people, you know. There is a young couple working on the ranch—Aaron and Cary—about your age, I think, so you might make some new friends today.”

  Jared saw Tristan shrug his shoulders in his peripheral vision. “Maybe. What’s got you so eager to go to this party, anyway?”

  Jared gripped the steering wheel tighter, every nerve ending in his body suddenly on high alert. Just what had Tristan picked up on?

  “What do you mean? I’m not eager.”

  “Please,” Tristan sputtered. “You changed your shirt, like, three times this morning, and you’re wearing cologne. You never wear cologne.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to smell nice.”

  “You do know we’re wolves, right?”

  Tristan rolled down the window, stuck his head outside, and very dramatically took in a large gulp of air before pulling it back inside.

  “I’m all for wanting to smell nice, but you didn’t have to take a bath in the stuff.”

  “I’m sure other people will appreciate the way I smell even if you don’t.”

  “Do you think Nate will be there? He told me he works for Kelan.”

  Jared’s pulse went into overdrive at just the mention of the cowboy.

  How the hell had Tristan’s mind jumped from Jared wanting to smell nice to Nate? He didn’t like where this conversation was going, not one little bit. He didn’t want to talk about Nate with Tristan. If he did, he might not be able to stop himself from blurting out that they were mates, and what would be the point of that?

  Neither he nor Nate wanted to do anything about their mating bond. Well…Jared might, but it was impossible anyway, wasn’t it? He had no time in his life for a mate.

  He had Tristan to think about.

  “How would I know?” he mumbled. “Possibly.”

  “I don’t know what’s got into you today, but you’ve been acting kinda funny.”

  Jared made a left and pulled into the country road that led to Kelan’s ranch. As they traveled down the narrow lane, kicking up dust in their wake, Jared’s breathing sped up to match his hammering heart.