Howling for My Baby

by Beverly Rae

  “Will you two keep your pants on? We have to deal with this moron first.”

  “You’re right, Benjy. Sorry.” On second thought, I’m not sorry at all.

  “Trust me. If I wanted to scare him big time, it wouldn’t be sweat staining your couch.”

  Eew. Gross. “Then definitely do not terrify him or you’ll have to buy me some new furniture.”

  “Can we stick to the business at hand, kiddies?” Benjy snuggled up next to the shuddering Max. With nowhere else to go, the hunter had to endure his advances. “We know he can’t go back to the hunters after I outted him, which means he’s no threat to us now.”

  “Sure he can. Granted, they didn’t like the idea of his being gay, but they won’t shun him because of his sexuality. After all, they accepted me after Skeller told them I was gay.” A flash of annoyance skirted over Jason’s features. “Even though I’m not gay.”

  “It’s not the gay thing they’ll hate him for.”

  “What do you mean, Dad?”

  “Jason’s right. They’re not happy when a hunter is gay, but they won’t run him out because of it. They’re angry at him because he’s kept a secret from them all these years. Exactly like they hate me because they think I kept you a secret.”

  The pang of guilt poked her in the gut, making her hold back a tear for her father. Yet she knew she couldn’t help being what she was. She was a shifter through and through. By Jason’s bite and by birth. Still, she’d never meant to hurt him. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

  “Don’t, Sydney. Don’t ever apologize for what you are.” Her mother walked over and took her face in her hands. “You’re who you are because of what you are.”

  “Yes, but I’m also who I am because of the way you and Skeller—I mean, Dad—raised me.”

  Benjy clapped his hands in a take-charge, diva-like manner. “People, stay focused. No more sentimental mush, hear me? What if Maxy promises to leave town and never return? Could we trust him to stay away? What do you say, All-knowing Alpha?”

  Jason studied Max and the rest of them before answering. “I think we can.” He allowed his fangs to slide over his bottom lip. “Because if he doesn’t, he knows I’ll have the entire Cannon pack on him before the sun sets on his first day home.” He added a snarl for emphasis and Max cringed.

  “Good. Then we agree? Max can leave town unharmed?”

  The group took a moment to think before responding to Syd’s question. Jason frowned, retracted his teeth and agreed. “I guess. But letting him go is going to ruin the fun I had planned.”

  One by one the others nodded their agreement. Except Benjy.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you the odd man out?” Leave it to Benjy to be contrary.

  “He’s always the odd man out. Way out.” Jason chuckled and dodged when Benjy reached around Max to pinch his arm.

  “Oh, Jay-Jay, you’re an absolute riot. Not.”

  “How many times do I have to say this? Do. Not. Call. Me. Jay-Jay.”

  “Sorry, boss dog. But I’m getting some heavy duty attraction vibes from Maxy-man. In fact, I think we were destined for each other.”

  What the hell? Syd glanced at Max and Benjy, unable to fathom his words. “You two? Destined for each other? A gay hunter and a gay wolf?”

  “Sure.” Benjy scrunched even closer to the trembling man. “Don’t you agree, Max, baby?”

  A strangled cry erupted from the hunter. With another terrified yelp, he thrust his body off the couch and fell on the floor. Gripping the carpet for traction, he half-crawled, half-scrambled toward the door. “No! Get him away from me.”

  Benjy chased after his love interest. “But Maxy-Max! Can’t you feel our connection?”

  The frightened hunter found his footing to bound through the open apartment door and down the stairs with the horny shifter rushing after him. “Maxy-love! Please, we can make this work. I know we can. Howl for me, baby!”

  At the door to her apartment, Jason, Syd and her parents watched the flamboyant shifter chase the frantic hunter across the parking lot and into the field across the street.

  “Do you think he’ll catch him?” She entwined her arm in Jason’s.

  “The small dude’s fast, but fear can make a human run like hell. Still, no man, gay or straight, should have to deal with Benjy when he’s in heat.”

  The four of them returned to the living room. When her parents took the couch, Syd motioned for Jason to join her in her favorite oversized chair. Patting the cushion for him to take the seat, she settled on the arm and took a much-needed breath.

  “Okay. Since Max is no longer a problem, we can concentrate on the other piece of business to discuss before the police get around to tracking us down. Once they find us, we’ll be too busy answering their questions to sort out our problem.” Glancing at her father and Jason, she sent her mother a thinly veiled plea. “Where do we go from here? I mean, as a family?”

  “We are not a family.” Her father kept his head down, yet she heard the turmoil inside him from the ache in his voice.

  “Dad.” At her use of the affectionate name, he raised his head to search her face. “Dad, whether you like it or not, we are. Or, at least, I hope we can be. I guess it’s up to you.” Come on, Skeller. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Taking another settling breath, she said the words she had to say. “I’m adopted and I’m a shifter.” Sheesh, you’d think I was at an S.A.—Shifters Anonymous—meeting.

  Her father issued an unintelligible grumble, but didn’t lower his head. A tiny spark of hope lit inside her. “And I’m a hunter. Don’t you see? I’m both shifter and hunter.” He opened his mouth to speak and she rushed on. “I’m a shifter by blood and by Jason’s marking, but I’m a hunter because of how you raised me. Think about it. I’m the best of both worlds. You know, a product of both environment and heredity.”

  “My family…” His face took on a funny expression. “…our family has been hunters for several generations. We’ve never had any ani—uh, werewolves—in our family. I don’t know how to deal with this.”

  “Then learn to deal with it, man. It is what it is and nothing you do will change it.” Jason’s challenge elicited an equally fierce reaction from her father.

  “No. I don’t have to accept this. We have a proud tradition of hunting your kind.” He scowled at Jason and turned to her. “What about your aunt? How can you disrespect her by living with…him?”

  Jason, however, answered before Syd could. “Don’t forget. We have a proud tradition of protecting ourselves from murderers like you.”

  The two men hurled their bodies at each other. Nose to nose, they sneered, neither one wanting to give in.

  “All right! We end it tonight!”

  Startled by her mother’s outburst, both men stood their ground, yet some of the steam in their stances evaporated.

  “Mom’s right. We have to come to an understanding.” Syd wedged her way between the two men she loved.

  Shoving against her father’s chest, she forcefully urged him to sit. Pointing at the chair, she ordered Jason to return to his seat. “Listen up, you two. This is how it’s going to happen.”

  “Sydney, girl, you’d better watch how you talk to me.”

  “I’ll talk to you however I want.” He started to object, but she raised her palm to stop him. “Yes, Dad, I can and I will.” At Jason’s chuckle, she scowled, stopping him. “And the same goes for you.” His grin faltered.

  “What has to happen before this feud, this war comes to an end? I almost died today.” Clinching her fists, she whirled on Skeller. “What happens when Jason and I have kids, huh?”

  Her father groaned, but she ignored it, too furious to stop. “Are you going to hunt your own grandchildren? Are you going to make them orphans? Will you blame them for your sister’s murder?”

  She wondered at her father’s wince. Which struck a chord with him? Killing his grandchildren? Or thinking about those children as shifters?

  “I’m giving y
ou both the same choice.” She waited to make sure she had their undivided attention. “Here’s the deal. You either accept each other—and I’m only asking you to act civilly and try not to kill each other—or I get out of both of your lives.”

  Both men gaped at her before returning to glare at each other. Would they go for her proposition? If not, would she have the strength to leave them behind? She glanced at her mother, who stood unmoving and pale.

  As usual, her father tested her determination. If he thought he could change her mind, he’d try. “You can’t mean what you’re saying, Sydney.”

  “Trust me, Dad, I do.”

  “After all we’ve gone through, you have to come home with me.” Jason’s dark eyes drew her in and she wanted with all her heart to tell him she’d go to the ends of the earth with him.

  Swallowing the lump in her throat, she held her resolve and shook her head. “No, Jason, I don’t have to go anywhere with anyone.”

  The hurt on his face almost brought her to her knees. Jason, please. Give my father a chance. Give us a chance. She bit her lip to keep from pleading with him out loud. Instead, she turned to her father and silently made the same plea. Come on, Dad. Do this for me.

  “You don’t understand, Syd. For centuries, they’ve hunted us, murdered us. First out of fear, then out of hatred. Worse, sometimes just for the sport of it.” Jason raked his hand through the white streak in his hair. “To ask me to forgive hunters…” He gripped the back of his neck, frustration creasing his forehead. “Hell, asking me to turn into a pumpkin would be easier.”

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he’s right.”

  “Are you saying you won’t give it a try either, Dad?”

  Both men shook their heads and glowered at each other.

  Tears blurred her vision, but she struggled to keep them from falling. Why are the two men in my life so stubborn? You’d think they’d gotten together and decided her fate long ago. “Can’t you see how this hatred has caused heartache and pain on both sides? Maybe werewolves were bad”—she raised her hand to silence Jason—“in the past, but it’s ancient history. Now they’re like us.” This time she lifted her hand to stop her father’s protest. “They live among humans and they work among humans. Hell, they even mate with humans. Can’t you understand how alike we really are? They have bad people in their ranks—like those who killed my aunt—and good people like Jason.”

  “No, Sydney. They’re evil creatures.” Her father’s retort was filled with emotion. “Don’t you remember anything I’ve taught you?”

  “Why?” She dropped to her knees in front of him, taking his hands. “Why are they any more evil than hunters?”

  Surprise registered on his face and he grasped for an explanation.

  “Yeah, Skeller. Tell us why you think shifters are evil? It’s like Syd said, some of us do bad things and you make all of us pay.” Jason scoffed at Skeller’s inability to answer.

  “You know what your kind has done. You kill innocents like my sister. And sometimes you do worse things. If you don’t kill them, you turn them into one of you.”

  “We don’t hurt anyone who doesn’t try to hurt us first. We aren’t the ones tracking and hunting prey. You’re the hunters. We’re the hunted.” Jason’s voice filled with anger. “Hunters are the real monsters.”

  “Listen to him, Dad. If my aunt had been killed by a human, would you want to eradicate all of mankind?”

  “It’s true, Skeller. Have you ever seen a werewolf attack without first being attacked? Without first being cornered by a hunter and having no recourse except to fight for their lives?”

  Again, her father couldn’t find the words. Instead, he opted to take the conversation in another direction. “What about Sydney?”

  “What about her?” Jason looked to her for understanding, yet she could only shrug.

  “You attacked her. You changed her into an animal.”

  Now it was Jason’s turn to search for the right words. She decided to jump in and answer for him. “No, you’re wrong. He didn’t attack me. He marked me, making me his mate, and I wanted him to.”

  Her dad stared at her as though she had suddenly changed into a stranger. “How could you have wanted him to? The thought of him, on top of you, is too awful to think about.”

  “Awful?” Her voice cracked. “Does it make me awful for wanting him to mark me? Does it make me awful for wanting to spend my life with him?” She waited for a reply, got none and confronted Jason.

  “Can you accept the hunter part of me? Can you respect my mother and my father, if only for my sake?”

  He looked from one to the other before slowly nodding. “For you, I can do anything.”

  Syd shot him a grateful smile. “What do you say, Dad? Jason’s willing. Are you?”

  Her father glared at Jason, then turned his head, diverting his gaze.

  “I guess I have my answer.” Standing, she reached out for Jason. “Take me to your home.”

  “No, honey. Don’t go. I’ll help your father understand. He just needs time.” Her mother reached out for her. “Please, give him some time.”

  “Will you, Mom? Can you? Do you truly understand and accept us?” The tears streamed down her face. “I’m a werewolf, Mom. Do you get what that means?”

  Her mother nodded through tears of her own. “Of course I do, honey. I’ve always known, remember? I loved you the first moment I held you in my arms, and I still love you.” She took Jason’s hand. “Jason and I are fine. Aren’t we?”

  He stiffened when her mother placed a kiss on his cheek. But a second later, a wide grin spread across his face. “Hey, if it means getting kissed by a pretty lady, I’m more than fine.”

  A spurt of joy leapt through her. Her mother and her mate share a connection. At least she’d have one parent on her side. But could she leave her father, knowing he hated her and her new family? “Dad, I asked you this earlier, but I’m not sure you told me the truth. Do you hate me? Because I’m a lycan? Because I’m a half-breed?”

  Her father jolted at her question. “I-I told you the truth. I love you.”

  She held her breath, waited, hoped and prayed. “Then if you do, you’ll try to accept me—the shifter me. And that means accepting Jason, too.”

  Standing to draw himself to his full height, Skeller studied each of them in turn until finally fixing his gaze on her. “I could never hate my little girl. No matter what. But I…”

  Quit stalling, Skeller. Say the words I need to hear. “Then you’ll give us a chance? Will you stop hunting? Will you stop for me?”

  “No.” He shook his head, his face growing stern. “I can’t, Sydney. I don’t know how to do anything else. I’m a Skeller and I hunt shifters.”

  At his words, she could almost feel her heart slamming shut. She couldn’t let what he said hurt her. Now she knew where she belonged. “Then this is goodbye.” With one last look at her parents, she led Jason into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

  Epilogue

  His hands roamed to her full bare breasts and his lust-filled moan sent a flood to the crevice between her legs. Pushing her down on the large flat boulder, he lay down next to her and slid one hand over the small mound of her tummy, past the furry patch of hair to finger his way through the folds.

  “Jason.”

  His answering growl sent shivers through her. Rubbing his index finger over her clit, he made her swell until she throbbed. Syd pulled him closer, crushing her mouth to his. How she loved his mouth on her. The way he played with one part of her body while his mouth caressed another made her pant with desire.

  He continued to kiss her, moving the kiss down her body as he made his way lower. He soon kissed her again. Not on her mouth. She gasped and reached for him to grip his hair. His warm breath mixed with the cool night air between her legs.

  “Oh, yes! Keep it up, Jason. Oh, man, I love what you do with your tongue.” She stretched her body, letting the moonlight cascade over he
r breasts. Knowing he was watching, she played with her tits. “Jason, please. Take me.”

  Obeying her wish, he knelt over her, wrapped her legs around him and thrust into her. Taking her face in his hands, he urged her with his burning gaze to match his rhythm, pounding her, rocking her body against the gritty texture of the stone under her.

  She moved with him, giving him everything she was. Squeezing, she clinched her cave around his shaft, milking him to his finish. Sweet sweat ran down his toned chest, and she lifted up onto her elbows to lick one of the rivulets beckoning to her.

  He cried out, heralding the climax sweeping over him. She arched against him, tugging him to her, and shuddered in her own release. They lay unmoving for several minutes, savoring the sensation of their skins and smells mixing together.

  “Syd?” He slid to her side to spoon her.

  “Yeah?” She snuggled her backside against Jason’s front, enjoying the way her nude body fit with his.

  “What happened on your visit to the city?”

  Her mind strayed a million miles away and considered what she needed to tell him. “My visit?”

  “You know. Your last visit when you met with your mother. Did everything go well?”

  She knew he’d skirted around asking about her father, knowing it would bring up the emotional turmoil she experienced every time she thought about Skeller. “Sure. Everything was fine.” Although her back was to him, she could sense the frown at the corners of his mouth.

  “Did you see anyone else?”

  “Oh, sure. You know how it is. I got together with some of the old gang. Charlie and I went shopping and had a great time. She’s dying to come here and meet the pack. Or should I say, the male members of the pack”

  His growl spread warm air across her shoulder. “You know what I’m asking, Syd. Did you see your father?”

  “No.” She hadn’t seen him since that last day in her apartment and she wouldn’t. Not until he accepted her new life and Jason.