by Alisa Woods
But first, he would have to win over her mother.
Marco edged closer to Sarra in the front seat, ostensibly to point out the exit from the freeway that she needed to take next, but Jak was no fool: he could see the way Marco was looking at her, watching her every movement, letting his eyes roam over her face when he thought she wasn’t looking. There was definitely something going on there, and it wasn’t a brotherly kind of interest. Jak was sure seeing Sarra naked hadn’t exactly tamped down Marco’s interest, but it had been there before the fight. From the moment Jak awoke, he could tell: there was something between them. Maybe because Marco swore to protect her from Mace? Jak knew full well how protecting a beautiful woman from an asshole alpha could excite all kinds of primal, lust-filled interest. Maybe it was simply that Sarra was one of the bravest, most selfless people Jak had ever met, short of his own Arianna? Sarra and Arianna were alike in the most basic of ways, even if they seemed nothing alike on the surface—and Jak wasn’t at all surprised that Arianna’s brother was falling hard for Sarra.
It didn’t hurt that she was incredibly hot in her post-shift nakedness.
That had surprised everyone: Sarra shifting. She had tried to shift again before they left, but she couldn’t. Whatever fleeting ability she had disappeared when Mace died—presumably he took his magic with him. And Sarra was back to her non-shifting, normal self.
Marco had to know what that meant, even if no one talked about it out loud.
Which brought Jak back to figuring out where all the pieces fit… he loved Arianna and wanted to mate with her as soon as possible. Assuming she was willing, but her every teasing, loving, impossibly sexy touch told him that she wanted this—and she had already said as much to his face. But now she was returning to her family’s ranch in the countryside of Eastern Washington. That was Marco’s domain—he was alpha of their small family pack. What were his intentions with all of this? Could Jak fit in somewhere in that scheme? And what would Arianna’s mother think? Not to mention the issue of Sarra, who Marco was already trying to convince to stay more than just the night?
The nerves came creeping back into Jak’s stomach, and he was glad when Arianna stirred against him, sitting up as they turned off a paved road onto a bumpy dirt road that took them even farther away from the lights of the highway.
Arianna stretched her beautiful body, and it was all Jak could do to keep his hands off her. “We’re almost there,” she said with a shy smile. “I can’t wait to see my mom. She should be back from Robertson’s ranch by now.”
“Great.” Jak winced internally at how awkward that sounded.
Arianna squeezed his arm and grinned. “She’s going to love you, Jak.”
“Right. I hope so.” He swallowed.
“How could she not?” Arianna asked with a comical look of exasperation on her face. “You rescued me from Mace. You freed me from the mating bond—”
“And I’m bringing home her youngest son barely stitched together.” Not to mention throwing a wild card into their whole family situation. But Jak didn’t want to bring that up. Not yet.
Arianna slapped his arm playfully. “Marco will get the blame for that.” Nothing could daunt the smile on her face, nor did Jak really want to.
“Hey!” Marco protested from the front seat. But then he quickly returned his attention to pointing out the long driveway Sarra needed to turn down. Kalis stirred with the commotion and rubbed his eyes.
Arianna scooped up Jak’s hand, lacing her fingers with his, and holding the back of it to her lips for a kiss that went straight to low in his belly. He gave her a warning look, and she just smirked: she knew exactly what she was doing to him. Which only made him want to get her alone even more. He pulled her in for a kiss, but she put her fingers playfully against his lips.
“Time for that later,” she said with a wicked grin.
He sincerely hoped so.
The driveway was at least a half mile long, but they finally arrived. The house was simple but spacious—two stories, with a big wraparound porch, wide planks for siding, and a peaked roof. Wood-rail fencing ran out from both sides and far behind the house was a barn as large as the house itself. Arianna had told them they were ranchers, but it appeared they were a dude ranch in the making with the number of horses they must have in there. There was a series of cottages in back as well, on the far side of the barn, maybe for guests? He had no idea. He’d grown up in a small country pack, too, but not this far out. Just in a small town like North Bend, which looked like the city compared to this.
Arianna held his hand and led the way, with Marco and Sarra helping Kalis out of the Jeep. He was already moving better on his own, but Jak could tell he was working the injury for all it was worth—the kid looked like he was crushing on Sarra almost as much as Marco. At least Marco was old enough not to be jailbait.
Arianna captured his attention again as she dropped his hand to throw open the front door.
“Mom!” she called, not waiting for him as she rushed into the house.
Jak hustled after her, not wanting to blow his chance before he even had it.
The spaciousness of the house continued on the inside—a wide entryway led to an open kitchen in back, stairs going up to the second floor, and a cavernous living area sprawled with couches. At the end was a rough-hewn table that could seat at least twelve, maybe more. It looked about a hundred years old, and the entire place was rustic, decorated with antlers, fur, and oil paintings of cowboys rustling cattle. It was like stepping back in time… and somehow the simple comfort of it ratcheted down Jak’s nerves, just like being around Arianna had always done.
The love of his life was wrapped up in her mother’s arms. Jak held back, not wanting to encroach on the moment: Arianna’s mom held her tight, eyes squeezed shut with tears leaking from the corners. Even with her face contorted with tearful happiness, Jak could see she was as beautiful as her daughter: the same high cheekbones, same gorgeous, long black hair, only frosted with streaks of white that made her seem like an ancient sorceress, all wizened and powerful.
“Arianna,” her mom whispered, still holding her tight. Then she pulled back and held her daughter’s cheeks in her hands, looking her over like a mother worried her daughter wasn’t as unharmed as she pretended to be. Then she peered into Arianna’s eyes with the same brilliant blues that her daughter possessed. “My heart cried every day for you. Every day you’ve been—” She choked up, and her words cut off.
Jak was working hard not to choke up himself. Living to see this moment was all the reward he would ever need.
“I’m free now,” Arianna told her firmly, even though she had already filled her mom in on everything on the ride over. Jak had listened to one side of that conversation, dying to know what was being said on the other end. “And I’m home.” She hugged her mom again, hard but fast. Then she turned to Jak. “Mom, this is Jak Roberts.” Arianna met his nervous stare and smiled. “He’s the one who set me free.”
It made his heart leap to hear those words, but he forced himself to meet the steady gaze of Arianna’s mom. She was inspecting him head to toe, taking her time, not speaking. Agitation was threatening to explode out of him, but he managed to keep it cool and step forward, extending his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Stefan.”
She took his hand in both of hers—her hands were soft but strong like he would expect from a woman who worked a ranch with only her two sons for help—and briefly held it. Then she dropped it and stepped closer, peering up into his face with a dead-serious expression.
“I cannot repay you for what you’ve done,” she said as if he was expecting some kind of payment walking in the door. Her brilliant blue eyes bored into him.
Jak was nonplussed for a moment. When words finally worked their way to his mouth, he was glad they weren’t completely idiotic. “I’m the one who owes your daughter.” He glanced at Arianna then back to her mother’s cool expression. “She’s saved me in more ways than one.�
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The barest smile graced her face, then fled, banished by the serious look returning. “What are your intentions here, Jak Roberts?”
He gaped, then quickly shut his mouth. She was as plain-spoken as her daughter. He should have expected as much. “I love your daughter more than my own life, Mrs. Stefan. With your permission, I would have her as my mate and protect her all the days I have left on this earth.” He glanced at Arianna again, and the tremulous smile on her face made his heart swell. It gave him the courage to push further… for the thing he really wanted but wasn’t sure was possible. “I’ve never had a family worth the name, Ma’am. I don’t know if I’ll fit into yours. But if you’ll have me, I’ll do everything in my power to pull my weight and keep all of you safe.” Marco was technically the alpha, and Jak knew he’d have to submit to the kid to become truly part of their pack. But that kid was willing to lay his life down for his sister—he was the kind of alpha Jak wouldn’t have to think twice about respecting. He could submit to him. And he didn’t want Arianna to have to choose between him and her family. He wanted her to have both. Besides, he could easily vow to protect them like his own pack—his heart had already pledged to do that long ago.
Arianna’s mom studied him a moment longer, blue eyes glittering. She flicked a look over Jak’s shoulder, and he suddenly became aware that they weren’t the only ones in the room—Sarra and Marco and Kalis had joined them but had remained at the door.
Arianna was holding back her smile, and every second that passed without a response from Arianna’s mom was a held-breath burning in Jak’s chest. Arianna’s mom lifted her chin, and Kalis gained a miraculous recovery as he strode over to give his mother a hug. She scowled at him, but only momentarily, before her face was taken over with a small smile. She took his cheeks in both hands and gave them a squeeze. He wrenched his face away with a horrified look that made everyone else in the room smile. Even Jak, although he hadn’t missed the fact that Arianna’s mom had completely dodged his unspoken question about remaining with them. Joining their pack and their family—it was a lot to ask, two seconds inside the door. His heart was pounding, hoping he hadn’t screwed up already.
Marco waited until his mother was done embarrassing Kalis, then he brought Sarra over, holding her gently at the elbow. “Mom, this is Sarra, the shifter I told you about on the phone.”
Jak liked how Marco called her a shifter—even if Jak suspected it was to win over Sarra more than his mother. For her part, Sarra looked more nervous than he’d ever seen her. Which was saying something, given she’d stared down more shifter gang members than he could count.
Arianna’s mother beamed and took Sarra’s hands in hers. “Welcome,” she said with a wide smile. Then she gently took Sarra’s cheeks in her hands, and the smile tempered to affection. “I heard what you did. Both the stitching and… the other part. Marco told me all about it. It’s an honor to have such a brave wolf in our home, not to mention a healer. You are welcome here for as long as you wish to stay.”
“Um… thanks,” Sarra said. She looked a little lost, but in a good way. Like this was some kind of dream she was having—the kind she didn’t really believe but didn’t want to wake up from, regardless.
Jak was happy for her—he knew the hard road she had walked, and she deserved all the gratitude the Stefan family could dole out—but he couldn’t help having his chest grow a little tighter. He hadn’t quite earned the same warm welcome… yet. But he was determined to make that happen, for Arianna’s sake. He resigned himself to the fact that it might take time, and that would have to be okay. He could be patient. He’d already given everything he had in this life for Arianna… he could give the idea of joining her family a little time to settle in.
Arianna’s mom dropped her hands from Sarra’s face and turned to Marco. Some kind of wordless conversation passed between mother and son. She gave him a nod that seemed like an order somehow, and Marco left her side to stand face-to-face with Jak.
Jak frowned, his heart sinking a little. Was this it? Time for him to leave already? He scrambled for some reason why he still needed to stay, at least the night—
“Jak Roberts,” Marco said, his blue eyes staring steadily into Jak’s. His voice was ridiculously formal, given what they’d all just been through. “My father was the alpha of our pack. When he died, I took on that role. I never thought I’d find a man I could respect as much as him, someone I’d be honored to be beta to. But then I never expected someone else to love my family as much as I do.”
Jak struggled to keep the shock off his face, but he had absolutely no words for what Marco was saying. Then Marco shifted before him, and Jak couldn’t keep his mouth from dropping open. Marco stood on all fours for a moment, staring up at him with wolf eyes, then slowly he stretched his paws forward and dropped his tail behind.
Marco was submitting to him.
It was so unexpected, Jak took a half step back. He flicked a look around the room: Sarra’s face was shocked, but Arianna was smiling wide. She was in on this, clearly. Before Jak could say or do anything, Kalis had already shifted and submitted. Arianna’s mother captured his wandering gaze and held it with a small smile. Then she shifted, too, followed quickly by Arianna.
The four of them were all submitting to him. He could feel the surge of their bond, tempered because he was still human, but bolstering him with an incredible energy nonetheless. He openly gaped at Sarra, who of course was still human.
She arched an eyebrow at him, obviously impressed. Then she tipped her head. It wasn’t submission, but it was definitely approval.
Jak took a deep breath and shifted as well. In wolf form, he felt the full power of their submissions wash over him. It was a bath of magical energy like nothing he had ever felt. He was overcome for a moment… all the love and acceptance and respect built into this simple act… then, as the moments passed, he wondered why they were still bent in the submission position. Their thoughts twittered at the edge of his mind. Then he realized…
They wouldn’t move until he commanded it. Rise, he thought, and as one, they lifted their heads and perked up their tails. Kalis bounded over to him first, bumping shoulders with him on his way out of the room and up the stairs. Marco likewise approached him, but in a more measured way.
We’re straight shooters here, Jak. There was a laugh in his thoughts, probably because Jak’s dumbfounded look was still on his face, even as a wolf. Hope that works for you.
I think I’ll manage, Jak responded.
Marco ducked his head in acknowledgment, then backtracked to Sarra, who was waiting off to the side, still human. He nuzzled her hand and tilted his head to the kitchen. She followed after him. Before he trotted from the room, Marco scooped up his clothes in his mouth.
Arianna’s mother approached him next. Her eyes were still blue, and her black coat was frosted with silver tips.
This is a burden we’ve placed upon you, Jak, she thought, holding his gaze. You have us until the next moon. If the burden’s too great, no one will begrudge you laying it down at that point.
She was as kind-hearted as her daughter, something Jak should have also known would be true.
Nothing could pry this burden from my grip, Mrs. Stefan.
She dipped her head, then lifted it high as she passed him to climb the stairs after her youngest son.
He and Arianna were alone.
Shift for me, my love, he thought as he shifted to human himself. A moment later, she was naked in his arms. He had a sudden, fervent appreciation for the fact that everyone had vacated the room, leaving them alone. His hard-on was already raging. He kissed her thoroughly and was debating whether the hundred-year-old table could hold them when she pulled away.
A grin played across her face. “Not here.”
“I’m the alpha of your pack now, Arianna,” he said sternly. “If I want you in the middle of your family’s living room, that’s where I’ll have you.” He hoped she knew he was playing. He would follow h
er to the ends of the earth. All she had to do was ask.
She grinned wider and ducked down to the pile of his clothes on the floor. She looked up at him from there, her grin turning into a smirk. The fact that her lips were now so near his cock had him thinking that maybe he wasn’t playing after all. He certainly wasn’t going to last long in the playful stage if he didn’t have her soon. But before he could act on that impulse, she popped up from the floor and shoved his clothes into his chest.
“I have a special place,” she said with a shy smile. “Somewhere I’ve always dreamed of… being claimed.”
His heart leaped, banging against his chest. Those words made his mouth ache with need for her. And if she had a special place for this most special of acts—something he never thought was even going to be possible for either one of them—then he damn well was going there.
He hastily shoved his legs into his pants. “I sincerely hope this place is nearby.” His shirt was fighting him, but he managed to get it on.
Arianna was dressed just as quickly. “I’ve spent my whole life on this ranch,” she said with a smirk. “And now everything I’ve ever dreamed of is here.”
His body flushed with the love radiating from her. He was so tremendously smitten in that moment, it was all he could do to hold himself back. But he’d done much harder things… he could do this. Making Arianna’s dreams come true was worth everything.
He held out his hand. “Lead the way, my love.”
She grabbed his hand and towed him toward the kitchen. It was big and rustic like the rest of the house, filled with massive copper pots and black iron skillets. They didn’t slow down as she tugged him toward the back door. Outside, the light was waning, settling a warm amber glow on the rest of the ranch.
Jak didn’t notice Marco and Sarra until he and Arianna had already passed them. Marco was half naked, just his jeans on, and he had Sarra up against the back wall of the house. That kiss was hotter than hell, the way he had her leg hitched over his hip and his mouth covering hers. The way Sarra had her fingers digging into Marco’s back, she sure didn’t seem to mind. Jak flashed a look to Arianna, but she seemed pleased as punch that her brother was making out with Jak’s ex. Truth be told, he couldn’t be happier for the both of them.
