by Ranae Rose
“I just went into town and picked them up, along with a few other things.”
Mandy arched a brow. “A few?” The day before, Clarissa had announced her intention to throw Mandy a baby shower. “I caught a glimpse of your list; it looked pretty lengthy.”
Clarissa’s smile widened a little. “Oh, you know how it is – there are a few things I’ll have to order online.”
“Just don’t go overboard. It’s really sweet of you to do this; I don’t want you to strain yourself or spend too much money.”
Clarissa just shook her head. “As a former midwife’s apprentice, I’ve been to plenty of baby showers. It’s fun for me to be able to plan one.” She lowered the booties and glanced toward the door, where her car was parked in the gravel driveway. “I’d show you the rest of the stuff, but it’s a surprise.” With a mysterious smile, she disappeared, tucking the booties into her pockets as she headed for her car.
Mandy smiled faintly as she turned back to her computer screen. Clarissa was a ray of sunshine, and over the past few days, Mandy had begun to feel a little more comfortable with the others, too. Well, most of them – she still hadn’t forgotten how Violet had tried to flirt with Jack, though Violet had said little of late. Still, all things considered, it was nice to have a pack. Having Clarissa around was beginning to make Mandy realize how much she’d missed having a female friend to talk to.
As Mandy finished a calculation, the rhythmic pounding of a hammer jarred her thoughts. The cabin was so small that any noise radiated through the entire structure; arranging her desk in the corner opposite the side of the cabin where Jack was building the addition made little difference.
Oh well. She wasn’t supposed to sit down for more than an hour at a time anyway, for the sake of avoiding blood clots in her legs. Fueled by that scary notion as much as by the noise, she pushed her chair back and began making her way across the cabin.
Jack had cut a doorway into the side of the cabin, a couple yards from the fridge. A blue tarp covered it, and she pushed it aside, stepping into the space that would soon be their baby’s nursery. Jack had erected the room’s skeleton, which showcased its shape and dimensions while leaving it totally open to the wilderness. The space smelled like sawdust and Jack and sweet autumn air. “How’s it going?”
Jack had just finished driving a nail and was leaning against a thick beam, bracing himself with one hand. His plaid shirt lay draped over a pile of wood, and his bare chest glistened in the afternoon sunlight. Mandy let her gaze wander over the ridged planes of his abs before raising her eyes to meet his gaze, her lips quirking as he shot her a knowing smile. “All right,” he said, straightening and laying down his hammer.
“Do you need any help? I’m taking a break from work.”
“Construction ain’t a break. Why don’t you rest for a while instead?”
Mandy frowned. “Pregnancy isn’t terminal, you know. I just want to help – I feel guilty over you sweating out here while I sit inside.”
Jack shrugged. “If I’m not workin’ on our home, I’m workin’ on one of the vacation cabins. I like it. Besides, Ronnie’s gonna stop by sometime soon to give me a hand.”
“Well, I’d like a little exercise, not to mention some time with you. How about a walk?”
Jack held her gaze silently for a moment, and a gleam passed through his eyes. “All right.” He pushed a lock of dark hair away from one eye and then extended his hand toward Mandy. “A walk through the woods?”
She nodded and they slipped into the forest, hand in hand.
It wasn’t every day that they strolled through the forest in their human forms, but it was a nice change – especially considering that if Jack had shifted, that would’ve put an end to Mandy’s enjoyment of the sight of his bare chest. The fall foliage was brilliantly colored, but couldn’t hold a candle to the beauty of Jack’s body. A branch scratched one of his broad shoulders as he passed between two trees, and he caught it in one hand, holding it out of Mandy’s way.
She smiled at him and stepped a little closer to his side. “This is nice.”
“Yeah, it is.” They walked in silence for a little longer – a comfortable silence, not an awkward one – and he never let go of her hand. When they stopped, they stood by the edge of a small waterfall formed by a crystal-clear stream that cascaded over several jutting rocks. The water was so clean that each and every pebble at the bottom of the waterfall’s pool was visible, along with several minnows that darted back and forth in the shallows like tiny silver darts. Mandy admired the scene, standing with Jack by the mossy rocks that formed a bank around the pool. The sound of falling water created background noise that complemented Jack’s Southern accent perfectly.
“Mandy, I’ve got somethin’ to ask you.” Jack hadn’t looked at the waterfall once; instead, his gaze was fixed on her. His hazel eyes met her blue ones, spangled with flecks of gold and even more beautiful than their surroundings.
“What is it?” She wasn’t sure why, exactly, but something in his voice, in his eyes, excited her more than was usual. The way his hand tightened almost undetectably around hers added to the feeling.
Still holding on to her hand, he sank slowly to one knee, crushing one of the fern plants that grew in abundance near the waterfall. When he’d settled, he let her fingers slip from between his, but didn’t break eye contact as he dipped his hand into his jeans pocket. Something shimmered from between his fingers – a hint of gold that was reminiscent of his eyes. “Will you marry me?” He raised the object, revealing a stone that winked from between his calloused fingertips. The diamond was set on a golden band.
Mandy’s heart had stopped when the first glimmer of the artfully cut stone had caught her eye. Now it beat in double-time, not because of the ring, but because of Jack’s question. His eyes stole her attention again, more attractive than the diamond, more appealing than anything. “Yes. Of course. But I didn’t know… I didn’t realize you wanted to get married.”
He rose and took her hand again, holding it up and exposing it to the dappled light that filtered down through the thinning forest canopy. Carefully, he slid the ring onto her left ring finger. “When you asked about the mate marks, it got me thinkin’. I figure that if we’re gonna comply with the traditions of the shifter world, we might as well get married. I know you grew up completely in the human world, and I thought that if you want my mark, you’d probably like an official wedding too.”
If Mandy’s heart hadn’t been beating so noticeably, she would’ve thought that it had melted. “I already feel like we belong to each other, but a wedding would be wonderful.” She smiled. “I want the whole world to know that we’re together.”
He smiled back. “So do I. Plus, I heard Clarissa say that she’s invitin’ your mother to the baby shower. That reminded me that there will always be people in your life who are oblivious to our world and ways – I don’t want any of them to doubt that I intend to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Jack. You’re the best.” To Mandy’s surprise, tears stung the corners of her eyes. “And these pregnancy hormones are turning me into a weeping willow.” She smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek, then wiped it away with the back of her wrist.
Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, slipping a hand beneath her chin. When he pressed his mouth against hers, another tear escaped and dampened their kiss. That didn’t stop him from embracing her a little more tightly and slipping a hint of his tongue into her mouth. “Does the ring fit?” he asked when the kiss ended.
She nodded. “Yeah. And that’s saying something, seeing as how all of my other rings are too small now.” Her fingers had swollen a little with pregnancy – not an unusual side effect, according to Clarissa and the internet articles Mandy had read.
Jack grinned. “I snuck one of your rings out of your jewelry box, took it to the jeweler and told them I wanted your engagement ring to be a half size larger.”
“When did you do all tha
t?”
“Just this morning. Got the fastest resizing they had to offer, but I still had to wait a little while before it was ready.”
With Jack’s arms around her and the ring he’d given her on her finger, she felt secure enough to broach the question that had been racing through her mind every day since their discussion about mate marks. “Is that why you’ve been putting off giving each other our marks?” A few days had passed since he’d come so close to giving her his, and each one had deepened her resolve to wear his mark.
He hesitated for just a moment, then met her eyes. “Yeah. I wanted to give you my mark and my ring at the same time. Would you like that?”
Her heart swelled at just the thought. “I’d love it.”
When he settled a hand on her right shoulder and tucked his fingertips beneath her collar, her knees went weak. She willed them to continue supporting her as he pulled the collar of her light V-neck sweater aside, exposing her shoulder. As he lowered his head just a little, his breath streamed over her skin, the lightest and most sensual touch she’d ever felt. “Why don’t you get down on your knees?” he half-whispered, half-growled. “That way I’ll be able to reach your shoulder with my mouth after I shift without having to put my paws on your body.”
She complied without a word, letting her traitorous knees buckle just like they wanted to. With one arm still around her waist, he supported her during her descent, easing her to the ground.
“This is gonna hurt,” he said, his lips brushing her shoulder. “I’m sorry about the pain. But I’m not sorry that you’re mine. That’s something I’ll never regret.”
Chapter 5
How bad would it really hurt? The idea of letting a wolf sink his fangs into her tender human flesh should have terrified her, but it didn’t – not when that wolf was Jack, and the bite would be a mark of his love. Beneath her clothing, her nipples hardened to pinpricks, poking against the cups of her bra as an ache flared between her legs. Maybe after they marked each other they could make love on the forest floor. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time, though as he pressed his mouth against her shoulder, she was sure that she’d never wanted it so badly. She pressed a hand against his back, between his shoulders, and let her nails dig into his skin as she waited for it to transform into a thick, soft pelt.
Jack was still human when a twig snapped a moment later. It was quickly followed by a second sound – the rustling of underbrush – that brought the devastating realization that Mandy and Jack weren’t truly alone in their intimate little world. Begrudgingly, Mandy raised her gaze and scanned the surrounding forest as Jack lifted his head, doing the same.
A wolf bounded into their field of vision, heading straight for them. Its coat of mixed shades of brown, black and white made it easily recognizable as either Noah or Daniel – they were both strikingly similar in coloration to Jack.
“Noah,” Jack muttered, having had a lifetime of telling his cousins apart.
“Do you think something’s wrong?” Mandy asked. Daniel wasn’t with Noah, and they’d left for the latest patrol together with explicit instructions to return that way.
Jack tensed against her, wordlessly confirming that he shared her suspicion. “Could be.”
Noah shifted just a few yards from them, saying nothing about the intimate position he’d found them in. As he stood naked, a scrubby sapling conveniently obscured the most intimate parts of his anatomy – until he took another step forward, apparently concerned with nothing besides catching his breath and delivering news. “Daniel’s gone.”
“What?” Jack untangled himself from Mandy and rose, extending a hand to help her to her feet as well.
“We found half a paw print and a whiff of wolf scent by the edge of our territory, and he insisted on leaving our territory to try to pick up the trail.”
Jack’s mouth thinned into a hard line. “I specifically told the two of you to come back if you found anything and not to leave our territory.”
“I know.” Noah frowned, shifting his hazel gaze to the ground. “Sorry. I told him that, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Damn it,” Jack breathed. “Just wait ‘till I get my hands on him.” He was halfway out of his jeans in an instant, as unabashed as his cousin. “Escort Mandy back to our cabin and stay with her there ‘till I get back.”
Mandy’s heart sank as Jack tossed his jeans aside. She could still feel the heat of his breath on her shoulder – they’d been so close. What bad timing for Daniel to pull some bone-headed move… She cursed him inside her mind and tried to look like she wasn’t about to be crushed by Jack’s departure.
“See you in a little bit, sweetheart.” Jack pressed a kiss against her temple. “Love you.” He grasped one of her hands and squeezed, as if in apology, before letting go and turning to Noah.
“As for you – you’re my beta. Second in command. Start acting like it.” With those words, he shifted, going from sharp-tongued man to sharp-fanged wolf in the blink of an eye. With a last look over his shoulder at Mandy, he loped away, disappearing into the forest with hardly a sound.
When Jack was no longer visible, Mandy turned her gaze to Noah’s face – the only part of him she could look at without feeling ridiculously embarrassed. At the sight of his expression, her heart sank a little lower – he looked stricken. His mouth, usually quick to smile, had turned down into a deep frown. Seeing him that way hurt not just because he was her packmate, but because he looked so much like Jack. She searched her mind for something she could say to erase the lines the frown had carved around his mouth, but came up with nothing. It was true that he should’ve controlled Daniel, but it was also true that Daniel was an expert at acting like an ass and had lashed out physically against even Jack.
Noah shifted without meeting Mandy’s gaze, assuming his wolf form and making his way to her side. Though his wolf’s mouth portrayed less expression than a human’s, his mood was still evident in the slumped set of his shoulders and the way his tail hung lifelessly, a hairsbreadth away from being tucked between his legs. Silently, he escorted Mandy back to the cabin, where he remained in his wolf from, waiting vigilantly by the door and leaving Mandy to worry silently over Jack.
Soon, he would be outside Half Moon territory, chasing down a strange wolf with an unknown agenda. There was no possibility of losing herself in her work this time; she’d just have to wait it out. Settling onto the couch, she drew her knees as close to her chest as her belly would allow and twisted her new engagement ring around her finger.
****
Mandy’s heart leapt when a sound came from the driveway beyond the cabin’s front door, but after a moment of listening, it became obvious that the noise was that of tires on gravel – not feet. Still, she rose from the couch, where she’d been sitting with her new computer in her lap, trying halfheartedly to work. Who was pulling into the driveway? A tourist looking for directions, maybe, or perhaps Ronnie? Jack had said that Ronnie would be dropping by soon.
It was Ronnie. Instantly recognizable thanks to his park ranger truck, he stepped out of the driver’s side door, the largest man Mandy had ever seen. As muscular as he was tall, he looked every bit like the black bear shifter he was. He wore his dark hair cropped short, but it still managed to be slightly shaggy, and was the exact color his pelt was when he was in his animal form. His strong jaw and bronze skin made him look even more rugged – maybe even intimidating to a stranger – but in reality, he was sweet, if a little stoic. “Hey Mandy,” he called as he strode toward the cabin, carrying a bundle of something under one arm.
“Hey,” Mandy greeted him from the front door.
He frowned, picking up his pace and stepping onto the porch. “What’s wrong?” His dark eyes searched hers.
There was no point in trying to hide anything from Ronnie – he’d been using his position as a ranger to protect the shifters in the area for years. If something really did go wrong … if Jack didn’t return … Ronnie would be able to help. “Jack’s cousin D
aniel disobeyed his orders and went outside pack territory in search of the mystery wolf.”
Ronnie nodded. Mandy had heard Jack explaining to him over the phone all about his cousins’ return and the strange wolf they’d scented in the woods.
“Jack has been gone for hours,” she continued. “I can’t help but worry.”
Ronnie frowned. “Well, that cousin of his is pretty bullheaded. I’ll bet they’re just bickering.”
Mandy donned a faint smile, recognizing Ronnie’s attempt to comfort her. “Thanks.”
“Tell you what.” Ronnie shifted his stance, and one of the porch’s floorboards creaked beneath him. “I’ll keep you company for a while, and if he’s not back soon, I’ll go after him.”
“That would be great – I hope you don’t mind that it’ll be a little crowded.” She opened the screen door wide, revealing the cabin’s main room and its occupants.
Noah was still sitting near the door in his wolf form. At the sight of Ronnie, he stood, his golden eyes fixed on the huge park ranger. All the girls were there too – Clarissa, April and Violet had made their way to the cabin after Daniel had failed to return at the expected time. They’d all been waiting – in chairs or on the couch or the floor – silently. Now they all stared at Ronnie, their eyes wide. The girls were all in their human forms, but didn’t say a word.
“Guys, this is Ronnie. He’s a close friend of mine and Jack’s. He’s a park ranger, and he’s one of us.” Of course, Noah had grown up with Jack and knew Ronnie, but the girls were another story.
“He’s a shifter?” Violet asked, her eyes going a little wider as she gaped at Ronnie.
