A soft noise at the door made us both turn around. Beau leaned in, smiling slightly. “Sorry, ladies. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Jasper is dying to go. Did I hear you say you’ll come with us, Allie?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m ready,” I said.
The smile on his face sent a little jolt through me, a recognition. Just like when we were kids, Beau had the best smile: warm, welcoming. It was strangely reassuring, even now.
The door swung wider, revealing a still-shirtless Jasper and a half-smiling Mal. “We need to leave now, then,” Jasper said gruffly. “We must be in Silver Grove before the full moon, and that’s only a few days away.”
“Five,” I said, without thinking.
Mal’s eyebrows raised, but he didn’t say anything. Beau’s smile got slightly wider, and Jasper only nodded. “Indeed. Do either of you have an extra shirt that would fit me? Mine is… unusable.” We’d thrown his shirt into the first dumpster we’d come across since the pepper-spray-soaked fabric was making everyone’s eyes water.
Sarah nodded, her cheeks turning pink again as she stole another look at Jasper’s perfect ladder of abs. “I have one that, uh, a friend left. But I’m not sure you’ll like it.”
“If you’re willing to part with it, I would be grateful,” Jasper said. He didn’t smile, but he sounded a little less gruff. Forced courtesy from someone who was used to barking out orders instead. Still, the fact that he was making an effort surprised me.
Sarah shot me a grin. “It’s the one Bill left the last time he was here,” she said. Bill? Who was Bill? Then it hit me. He was a guy she’d hooked up with a few times only to leave him when she realized he was a terrible player. But I knew exactly which shirt she meant, now, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. “I’ll just go get it,” Sarah said, winking at me and sliding past the boys to go back to her bedroom.
I could feel their eyes on me, and I hoped I didn’t look as nervous as I felt. “I don’t have a car,” I said. “Did you rent one?”
Mal laughed. “A car? You’ve been in the city way too long, Princess. We’re wolves, remember?”
“It’s not far,” Beau said, with an encouraging smile. “A quick day and a half run on four legs. You remember, right? From when you left?”
Jasper was watching me, arms folded across his chest.
“Running… might be a problem,” I said, feeling the old humiliation start to churn in my stomach.
“Why?”
I took a deep breath, dropping my gaze under the force of all those eyes. “I can’t shift.”
5
Allie
“What do you mean you can’t shift?” Jasper demanded, staring at me like I’d grown a second head.
“Exactly what I said,” I replied, crossing my arms across my chest. “I’ve never been able to do it.”
Mal looked startled. “Not even during the full moon?”
“I get a little more physically strong, but that’s about it.”
Beau’s eyebrows drew together, a worried expression on his face. Jasper pressed a hand to his forehead. “A little stronger,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Can’t shift. Wow.”
I could feel anger mixing with embarrassment churning in my stomach. “Look, I don’t want to do this in the first place,” I said. “If you’d rather, I just won’t go.”
“No, we need you, Allie,” Beau said quickly. “We’re just a little… surprised. That’s all. But we will all make an effort to be more courteous going forward. Isn’t that right?” he asked pointedly, glaring at Mal and Jasper.
Mal raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, sure,” he said, with a little shrug.
Jasper held Beau’s gaze for a long moment, then nodded curtly. “Fine. We’ll go on foot.”
“On foot? I don’t think she can handle it,” Mal said, sizing me up and making no effort to hide the fact. His eyes lingered here and there, bringing a surge of heat to my face. “That’s not easy terrain in those woods, don’t forget. And she looks… soft.”
“Excuse me?” I said, irritated now. “I’ll have you know I do yoga three times a week. Just because I’m not some supermodel doesn’t mean I’m soft.”
Mal raised his eyebrows at my little outburst, then grinned. “I didn’t mean it as a bad thing, Princess. Quite the opposite,” he added, giving me a wink.
I hated the fact that I could feel myself blush again. “And don’t call me that,” I snapped, trying to cover my embarrassment. Mal was annoying, but being around him made my body seem to react with a mind of its own. The man was too damn handsome for my own good. Worse, he seemed to know it.
“I hate to agree with Mal, but calling you Princess is technically correct,” Beau said, with a little apologetic shrug. “You’re the Heir, the future Queen.”
“Not for long,” I answered.
“Luckily,” Jasper muttered.
For some reason that stung. Well, it was business as usual with the Silver Grove Pack. They didn’t want me and I didn’t want them. The sooner we were done with each other, the better.
Sarah broke the tension by returning with Bill’s shirt. “Here you go,” she said cheerfully, handing it to Jasper.
The expression on his face when he saw it cheered me up immensely. The t-shirt was a violently colorful tie-dyed mess, a relic of some past fraternity party. Hot pink bled into neon blue and highlighter yellow. On the front, 8-inch letters read #PARTYHARD. It was amazingly hideous.
Mal took one look and burst into laughter. “Oh, it’s so you, Jasper,” he said, in between guffaws.
Beau was biting his lip with an effort to keep some composure, but he was losing the battle. “It’s very kind of you,” he said to Sarah, his words coming out slightly strangled with his heroic attempt not to laugh.
“This is… Is this the only shirt you have?” Jasper asked, glancing at me suspiciously as if this was all some prearranged plot.
“We’re two ladies living together,” I said sweetly. “We don’t keep men’s shirts around.”
“Go ahead, try it on,” Sarah said, smiling innocently. I noticed she was avoiding my eyes. I knew as well as she did that if we looked at each other we would both collapse into giggles.
Jasper accepted the shirt from her gingerly, like it might bite him, and pulled it on with a wince of disgust.
Mal whistled as he tugged it into place. “Looking good, boss!”
Jasper rolled his eyes and didn’t bother to respond. “If we’re done being foolish, we need to go.” He turned to me expectantly. “Are you ready?”
“I don’t mind roughing it, but I will need some supplies,” I said.
“What kind of supplies?” Mal asked.
“A tent, some rain gear, and some better shoes, for starters,” I said. Being out in the woods without fur, even in the mild cold of early fall, would be a problem without any outdoor equipment.
Beau nodded. “If we’re going to be on two legs we’ll all need things,” he said. “Good thinking, Allie.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him. It was nice to feel like at least one of the wolves was on my side. I looked to Jasper, since he was leading this whole thing.
To my surprise, he nodded. “The Pack sent us with some human money, in case of an emergency. We’ll use that. Where is the closest store?”
“There’s one a few miles away. I don’t have a car, but we can take a cab.”
“Then let’s be off,” Jasper said, tugging at the hem of the shirt, as if getting it positioned just right on his muscular chest would make it less hilariously ugly. It didn’t work.
Sarah came over and pulled me into a hug. “Be careful,” she said. “And I mean it, you can call me if you need anything. I’ll come get you, even out in the woods.”
I had to smile: Sarah was the least outdoorsy person I knew. Her idea of roughing it was eating on the patio of a restaurant. But the genuine care in her voice and knowing that she meant it warmed me. “I’ll be back before you have time to miss
me. I’ll keep my phone with me, but we won’t have service for very long.”
Beau cleared his throat. “Cell phones don’t work in the Pack lands,” he said, looking apologetic. “But we’ll protect her, with our lives if necessary. You have my word,” he said, smiling at Sarah.
She nodded, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, then leaned to whisper in my ear. “Also, if you end up marrying one of these hotties, please send the other two my way?”
I had to laugh. “I think that’s… unlikely,” I whispered back. “But don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
As I left the apartment, accompanied by the men, I had a strange premonition that I would’t be back at all. With a little shiver, I quickened my steps toward the door.
* * *
The cab was a sedan, which meant Jasper claimed the front seat by the driver and left me sandwiched in the back between Mal and Beau. I tried to keep my mind on the list of supplies I would need for the trip, but I was painfully aware of the muscular thighs and shoulders pressing gently into me on either side.
Sarah wasn’t wrong: as annoying as they were, they were all damn good looking men. Plus, in the confined car, I was getting a double dose of their scents. Beau smelled clean and fresh, like the first breeze of spring. Mal had a hint of woodsmoke and fresh-turned earth. The combination started a tingling between my thighs that was not entirely unpleasant.
I realized it had been a long time since I had been around my own kind, and I was starting to wonder if I had missed out by avoiding them for all these years.
Luckily, before I could follow that ridiculous train of thought, we pulled up to the sporting goods store. The men didn’t comment, but I could tell they were surprised by the variety of goods. The closest human town to Silver Grove had only a few tiny stores, nothing like this.
“You know what you need?” Jasper asked. I bit back a giggle at the shirt and nodded.
“Good,” he said, making a beeline for men’s clothing. Unfortunately for him, the memory of him wearing that tie dye would be burned into my brain forever.
Mal wandered off, and Beau trailed behind me as I filled up a cart with the basics. “How do you know what you need?” he asked as he watched me pull things off the shelves.
“I used to go solo camping a lot.” I chose a thick sleeping bag and tossed it into the cart. “It’s been a while, though.” The truth was, being alone in the woods reminded me too much of being in Silver Grove. After the third trip where I sobbed myself dry, I sold all the camping gear and never tried it again. I was secretly looking forward to being out in nature again, even with my three unenthusiastic escorts. I paused in front of the camping meals section. “Will we need food?”
“Don’t you know you’re looking at the best hunter in the state?” Beau asked, grinning at me.
I couldn’t help but grin back. Of all the people the Pack could have sent, I’m glad one of them was Beau. His sweetness was a nice counterpoint to Jasper’s seriousness and Mal’s smartassery.
“It’s good to see you again, Allie,” he said softly. “Even if it isn’t under the best circumstances.”
“I missed you,” I said, without thinking.
His eyes widened, and I could feel my face heat up. “I mean, it’s good to see a friendly face. I did miss some stuff about Silver Grove. You, Gram, Ruby.” I knew I was talking too fast, but I had to cover up my slip.
Luckily, he didn’t press. “Your grandmother will be so happy to see you,” he said, smiling again. “She secretly showed me a few of the notes you sent her. They made her really happy.”
Since I couldn’t call Gram, I’d taken to sending her letters. Unsigned, but she would know they were from me. I never said anything too specific because I didn’t want her to come looking for me, but I wanted her to know I was doing ok. “I’m glad she got them,” I said. “And how’s Ruby?”
Besides Beau, Ruby was the only other Pack member who would spend any time with me. She was my age and teased me a lot about my strange parents, but that’s just what kind of friendship we had.
At the mention of her name, Beau’s smile faded just slightly. “Oh, she’s good. She was excited to hear that you were coming back.” He glanced down at the shopping cart. “Did you get everything you need?”
I checked the cart against my mental list and nodded. “Assuming you boys can take care of yourselves, I think I’ll be set.”
Jasper was waiting for us at the front, looking impatient. I noticed with some sadness that the had changed out the party shirt for a simple black t-shirt, identical to the one he’d been wearing when I’d maced him.
The cashier closest to the Alphas kept glancing over at them, a flirty smile on her face. She was so preoccupied she had to ring up her customer’s order twice since she scanned so many things wrong. To my amusement, Mal and Jasper didn’t even glance her way. Maybe they didn’t notice.
I paid for my stuff over Beau’s objections. “It’s not your fault I can’t… do things,” I said, glancing at the man who was ringing me up. Beau let it go without fighting me, and I was grateful.
In addition to my gear, I bought a few simple backpacks for the men. That way any who were in human form could carry their stuff. Once everything was paid for, Beau helped me haul the shopping bags out to the curb. We would take one last taxi to the edge of the city, and from there head into the woods.
My palms were sweating, and I wiped them on my jeans as we drew closer to the drop point. I had a strange premonition, like this was the last time I’d ever see the city that I’d tried to make my home. It was probably just nerves, but I couldn’t shake the feeling. I forced myself to take deep breaths until we reached the little park at the edge of the city.
After the cab pulled away, I put all the things I’d bought in the big hiking pack, forcing myself to focus on arranging my gear.
“Last chance to back out,” Jasper said. He was watching me, that cold, handsome face not giving any clue to what he was thinking.
I slung the straps over my shoulder and lifted my chin. “Let’s go.”
I wasn’t about to show any more weakness in front of this proud, haughty man. I would show him that even though I was half-breed, I was strong too.
I would prove them all wrong.
I could handle this.
6
Allie
I could not handle this for one more minute.
The new hiking boots I’d bought were a mistake. My heels blistered, and by the time we went to set up camp for the night I was limping.
But I could feel Jasper’s golden eyes on me, watching for any sign of weakness, so I gritted my teeth and didn’t say a word as I unpacked the tent.
It had been a strange first day. When we’d hiked far enough into the woods so that the dark pine trees hid us completely from view, Jasper called for a halt. “Mal and I will shift here,” he announced. “Beau, you remain human to help her carry her supplies.”
And then, without so much as a warning, the two men began to strip.
For a moment I could only stand there frozen. I had already seen Jasper’s bare chest, but it didn’t make it any less distracting when he peeled his shirt off again. Mal slid his jeans off first, revealing thickly muscled thighs and a sizable bulge in his tight-fitting boxer briefs. I caught a glimpse of a Celtic knot tattoo on the back of his calf.
I finally came to my senses and quickly turned away, feeling the heat surge up into my cheeks again.
Behind me, Mal laughed. “What’s the matter, Princess? Never seen a naked man before?”
“You could have warned me,” I managed. Seeing them this way, confident and powerful and totally unembarrassed as they stripped down, was having a powerful effect on me. Mostly between my thighs. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
“Humans are more modest than wolves,” Beau said, clearly trying to cover for me. “She’s probably not used to it.”
“She’s not a human, and she better get used to it,” rumbled Jaspe
r. “It’s going to be a long trip.”
His voice changed, dropping to a canine growl that told me he was mid-transformation. I didn’t risk a glance back, but I could hear the soft pop of bone as their bodies shifted and changed.
A soft nudge at my hand made me jump. Mal, wolf-formed, grinned up at me like a family labrador waiting for petting. His fur was a foxy shade of copper, like his hair. Jasper’s coat was jet black, and it made the dark gold of his eyes shine like twin moons. He shook himself and stretched, then scented the air.
Beau and I went around, gathering up their clothes and shoes and putting them in our packs. Once we had everything secured, Jasper nodded to Mal. The copper wolf took off through the trees at an easy lope and was soon lost to sight.
“He’s going to scout ahead,” Beau explained. “Jasper will stay with us in case of any danger.”
“Are you expecting danger?” I said, glancing out at the softly rustling pines.
Beau shrugged. “Nothing we can’t handle. Bears, wild cats, maybe a rogue wolf or two. Plus if he brings down some game it will save us some time hunting tonight.”
He didn’t sound too concerned, so I relaxed. But I did notice a certain wariness in his eyes as he looked at the trees.
As we made our way through the woods, despite the strangeness of the journey, I found myself relaxing. I had missed this. The pines rustled softly overhead, whispering to each other like patrons at a museum. The air was sweeter out here, and I took deep breaths, washing the city from my lungs.
And, although I didn’t want to admit it, it was nice to be with other wolves again. Not to have to watch my every thought or worry that I would accidentally slip up and say something that would reveal who I really was. They knew me, for better or worse. It was strange but also weirdly comforting.
Beau and I had made pleasant small talk as we walked, pointing out various wildlife and admiring the surroundings. But after a lull in the conversation, he glanced over at me.
Princess of Wolves: A Reverse Harem Romance Page 3
