by Elle Boon
“You know when Laikyn and the others were here, we had a party to celebrate Team Styles. That was before she had all them babies. Maybe they’ll come up to visit while you’re here. Do you know them?” Asia asked.
NeNe felt the world stop at Asia’s words. Why would her old friends have come to Fey? Her mind spun with reasons. She got up off the swing, backing away. “I...are you sure they were here and not on Earth when you met them, Asia?”
The little girl stopped swinging, her eyes widening. “Absolutely. Jenna’s the Queen, and she’s besties with Kellen. Although, I don’t think he likes it when she calls him wolfie, but maybe he does.” She lifted one shoulder.
Her eyes narrowed. If Laikyn and Kellen had been here, then they could very well be part of the group who’d hurt her. A growl rumbled out of her, her fingers clacked together, making her aware her bear was pressing forward. “Asia, go inside and lock the door.” She hadn’t lost control of the beast in forever, yet the betrayal from her friends made her want to rip anything and everything to shreds. In between one breath and the next, she shifted, letting out a roar. Pain, betrayal, anguish mixed inside her.
Little Asia made it inside the house, the lock clicking into place before NeNe fell onto all fours. She swiveled her head toward the huge castle like home but didn’t want to rampage there. No, she wanted to go to Earth, wanted answers from the people who’d lied to her.
“NeNe, stop it, right this instant,” Lula roared.
NeNe skidded to a stop, looking up the rise to see the pink dragon standing next to an even larger dragon. Belle, Lula’s mother flexed her wings but didn’t say a word.
“Why didn’t you tell me my so-called friends were like me? Did they have a part in making me like this?” Her words were a growled accusation.
“You say ‘like this’ as if it were an abomination. Being a shifter is a gift many would do anything to be. Many have done much to attain such a gift, child. Why are you so angry?” Belle asked.
“Because the man I love, have loved forever, will never want me now.” She sobbed, a little piece of her dying at the thought of Coti’s disgust when he saw her.
Belle looked at Lula, then they both laughed, making NeNe want to tear their wings off. Of course, they were both three times her size, so she controlled the urge. “You two are not helping.”
NeNe shifted, hating the talking in her head. She understood it was natural for Lula and Belle, but to her it was intrusive. She put up a wall like Lula had taught her. “I just want things to go back to the way they were.” NeNe rubbed her brow.
A burst of sunlight made her wince, and then a heavily pregnant woman was there. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back in a haphazard pony tail. She looked tired, but NeNe thought she’d never seen a woman more radiant. Words failed her as the woman waddled toward her.
“It’s not nice to refer to my gait as a waddle, NeNe, dear.” She placed a hand on top her rounded stomach. “You in there, stop it this instant, I have things to do before you make your grand entrance.”
NeNe held her hand out when she thought the petite blonde was going to fall over. “Are you alright? Do you need to sit down?” She looked over toward the hill, searching for the dragons.
“I sent them away so I could have a little chit chat with you. Let’s sit, shall we? I’m Jenna by the way, nice to meet you.” She waved her hand, making chairs appear.
At the comfortable looking furniture, NeNe wasn’t sure whether she should be awed, freaked, or go with the flow. Her choice was made when Jenna pointed and uttered the word sit in an authoritative voice. Hell, if the other woman would’ve told her to hop on one foot, NeNe had the distinct impression she’d have done that without question as well. “NeNe,” she replied taking a seat.
Jenna nodded. “Yes, I know. Ah, that feels lovely.” She put her feet up on a stool, leaning back and closing her eyes. “Now, you want to undo the shifter in you, yes?”
To hear it said in such plain speaking, NeNe felt a sliver of unease. No, she hadn’t wanted her bear. Now, the being inside her felt like she was...her. Although NeNe didn’t always feel in complete control when she was in her shifted form, the grizzly wasn’t some evil entity trying to take over, just the opposite. She’d learned a lot when she’d shifted, allowing the animal part of her to show her what she missed when she was human. “Yes, no, I don’t know. Why did this happen to me?” If Mac hadn’t attacked her, she’d not be faced with these problems. It all came back to that bastard, the one she wanted to wrap her paws around and rip into two. Something a human couldn’t do.
Jenna opened one eye, pinning her with a purple heated look. “You can’t have it both ways, child. If I were to take your bear out of you and send you back none the wiser, would you be happy?”
NeNe wrapped her arms around her stomach. On one hand, she could go back to being just normal NeNe, but on the other, if she did that, she’d not have the ability and knowledge to fight against what happened, if it happened again. Plus, she kinda loved her bear. She allowed her mind to imagine Coti and all his sexy glory to appear in her minds eye. Fuck, the man was too damn handsome for her anyway. At over six feet five, dark hair, green eyes and more tattoos than she could count, he had bad boy on lock. His smile could melt the panties off of any woman from sixteen to sixty, plus his muscles. Damn, his biceps were bigger than her thighs when he flexed. She couldn’t imagine him going to the gym, but he clearly worked out regularly. Their time together hadn’t given her the option to trace his eight pack with her tongue the way she’d fantasized, and if she moved forward, she probably never would. The alternative though, she couldn’t live with. “Damn rock and bear place,” she joked. “To be a bear, or not to be, that is really not fair. Can you magically make Coti okay with it?”
“Of course I could, but he’s already on board with the entire shifter gig,” Jenna announced. “Now that’s all cleared up, I think my nuggets are getting restless. They’re kinda like their fathers, wanting to decide when they arrive and when they don’t. I told them,” she paused, looking down at her stomach, a hand on each side. “You two need to stay in there and cook a little longer.” Jenna sighed, rolling her head back on the seat, meeting NeNe’s stare. “What? Doesn’t every expectant mother tell their young to cook a wee longer?”
“I’m pretty sure babies are the bosses when it comes to delivery.” She stared in awe at Jenna’s belly, amazed to see the rippling that was visible through her shirt. “Holy shit. Does that hurt?”
Before Jenna could answer, there was a slight stir of air, something she’d never have noticed had she been human. Instantly, her bear was rising, bringing her to her feet and next to Jenna. Her claws came out, ready to defend the female.
“At ease, we are here to collect our Hearts Love and young.”
“Do I know you?” One of the men asked.
“Damien, Lucas, this is NeNe. NeNe, these are my mates, fathers to my nuggets.” Jenna’s voice sounded strained.
NeNe shook her head. “I’m not even gonna say what’s on the tip of my tongue. As for knowing me, I’m pretty sure I’d remember if I’d met you.” One didn’t forget meeting gorgeous men, especially twins. Holy crap on a cracker, the two men were almost as good looking as Coti.
Jenna laughed, then groaned. “I’m glad you think my guys are handsome. They can be a handful.”
“How are you in my head? I’ve got a wall up.” She shook her hand trying to get her claws to retract, sighing as they disappeared.
One of the men moved closer while the other circled around, picking up Jenna. NeNe didn’t back away, waiting to see what he was up to. Her bear didn’t rake at her, which was odd.
Once he was within in a foot of her, he snapped his fingers. “Bear, you’re the bear,” he yelled, making Jenna jump.
“Dang it Damien, inside voice. Of course, she’s a bear, did you not see her claws?” Jenna asked.
Damien shook his head. “I was calming our little ones.”
Jenna sig
hed. “Is that why they’ve stopped trying to rip their way out of me?”
Lucas stood with her in his arms. “Let’s go home. I think they’ve cooked long enough, love. Now it’s time we let nature take its course and allow our wee ones out.”
NeNe stared at the trio, wondering how she was going to get home. While she appreciated Lula and everyone she’d met while she’d been in Fey, she needed to see where her life back home was. If she even had a life still.
Jenna held her hand out. “NeNe, come here.”
Looking at the two dominating men, she eased between them, taking the other woman’s hand. “What is it?”
“There’s many things you’re going to encounter, but one thing you need to remember. Pack is the most important thing in a shifter’s life. Kellen is one of the best alphas, along with Niall the alpha of the Mystic Pack. If you don’t think you want to stick around the Iron Wolves, I can send you to another pack. But this is non-negotiable, you need to be a part of a pack. You’ll be the only bear amongst wolves for now. I see that is all about to change, though.”
She gasped, hearing Jenna’s words. “Are you saying the Iron Wolves MC are made up of actual wolves?”
Chapter Ten
Unable to pull her hand away from Jenna’s strong grip, she had no way to fight the knowledge flowing into her mind. Good god, the woman, no the Fey Queen, pushed information into her mind, flooding her with details. NeNe held onto the small hand like a lifeline, jolting with each new revelation. Her friends, Lyric, Laikyn, Syn, and even Joz were shifters. They couldn’t tell her because she hadn’t been one. Through Jenna, she could see how hard it had been for her friends not to tell her, but they’d accepted their fate, leaving NeNe to go on without them, the little beotches.
“Alright, mia cara, I think the little female has enough to fill her mind for now.”
NeNe wanted to agree, for crying out loud her brain felt like a scrambled egg that’d been beaten a little too much if that were possible. “I feel fairly positive I won’t go on a rampage when you take me back home.” Dear god, was that croaky voice hers?
Yeah, the only one she planned to maim, kill, and all around dismember was Mac, but nobody would miss that fucker. One of the GD men patted her head.
“What does GD mean. I’ve heard of GQ, which hello, I get.” The one holding Jenna asked.
She growled. “Why can all of you get into my head? For fucksake, is nothing sacred here?” Seeing she wasn’t going to get out of telling them, she looked at the smiling pregnant woman, and then at the sweating man holding her. “Why are you sweating?” she asked instead of answering.
Her words made Jenna glance up at her mate. “Lucas Cordell, are you taking my pain?”
“I bet if she were on the ground she’d have stomped her foot when she asked that,” Damien joked. “Now, back to GD.” He stared at NeNe.
“God Damn. It means God Damn Man.” She looked at the stomach of the tiny woman, a frown pulled at her brows. “Are you okay?”
Jenna nodded. “We need to get back to Earth. Pronto! All aboard the Fey Train. We outta here. You wanna come with, you need to grab one of my goddamn men and hold on.”
NeNe was going to correct her on the pronunciation of GD, then decided to hold her tongue when Damien grabbed her arm, his touch firm just before a swirling vortex of death took her. Holy mother of gawd, what the ever-loving bit of horseshit did she step into this time?
“Girl, you really need to have a conversation with someone. I’m not sure what all is going on in that head of yours, but I’m pretty sure you ain’t right,” Damien said, releasing her quickly before she could punch him.
She growled, not her bear, but a girlie one. “Warn a woman before you decide to take her down a tunnel of darkness and throw in a swirly for shits and giggles. Oh god, I’m gonna be sick,” she gasped, bending over seconds before she yacked up the contents of her breakfast over his shiny black shoes.
“Are you kidding me?” he roared.
“What the hell?” Kellen asked.
“Can someone please open the ground again?” NeNe mumbled, keeping her head down even though the view she had was of an unappetizing one of pancakes that looked better going in.
“Ah, you didn’t get the happy juice I see. Where’s Jennaveve?” Kellen patted her back, seeming to not notice he was extra close to vomit.
“Our Hearts Love wasn’t in the best of moods. Our young are not being very nice to their mama.” Damien glanced down at his shoes, took a step back, and made a motion with his hands.
NeNe glared at him when she saw his shoes were clean, looking as if he’d just bought the damn things. Fucker. “I think you should go see to your, whatever the hell you call Jenna before I let my bear out and eat you.”
She was pretty sure the alpha of wolves sucked in a startled breath, but she ignored him, focusing on gathering her dignity from somewhere around her ankles. Damien lifted his hand to his forehead, gave her a jaunty salute, and ghosted. Damn, why couldn’t she be gifted with those nifty abilities. Instead, she had a beastly bitch inside her who clearly couldn’t hold her cookies. She wasn’t going to split hairs.
“You going to stand there and pretend I’m not here?” Kellen asked.
“Are you going to disappear if I do?” she questioned, turning to see his expression. He may be a big bad wolf, but her bear wasn’t a cuddly little thing. No longer was she going to cower from anyone.
Kellen nodded. “I see we got us another alpha bitch. Just what I need around here. Your man will be glad to find out you’ve come back in one piece. Come on inside, I’ll get you something to rinse your mouth out. And, in case you were wondering, that wasn’t a request.”
She eyed the big guy. Now that she was where she wanted to be, NeNe wasn’t sure what she was going to do with her life. The plan to trek it across the country as far from her family seemed like a lifetime ago. Jenna had said she needed a pack. “You’re a wolf?” she blurted. Gah, she wasn’t usually a blurter, dammit.
“Yep, so is just about everyone you know around here. You’re a bear, a grizzly to be exact, from what we’ve been told. How do you feel about that?” Kellen crossed his arms over his chest, the muscles bulging, making her think his wolf was itching under his skin.
“Is your wolf trying to get out and fight my bear?” NeNe was surprised her beast was actually quiet for the moment. Maybe the travel and sickness had sent the big girl into hiding.
Kellen eyed her up and down. “No, he’s not raking to get out and fight you. Yes, I can feel the apex predator in you, but my wolf doesn’t see you as a threat. Don’t take that as a put down. It just is.”
Coti picked up his phone, looked at the caller ID and groaned. Someone from the club had been calling him every couple hours for the past few days, checking to make sure he wasn’t going crazy. Or crazier. The fact he knew where his unclaimed mate was, yet she was unattainable to him had him on edge. He’d known he couldn’t be around the others of his pack, fear of hurting them kept him locked in his home. “What?” he barked into the phone after swiping his finger across the screen.
“I love you too, man.” Bodhi’s voice was loud, the music in the background making Coti wince.
“Dude, go make out with your mate and leave me alone.” Everyone had mates they could touch, while he’d had one night with his. Why hadn’t he claimed her then and there instead of thinking he needed to do the gentlemanly thing? “’Cause I’m a damn idiot, that’s why.”
“In that we all agree, but I thought I’d let you know your girl is here. Well, she’s outside with Kellen and one of the Cordells. She actually tossed her guts all over the shoes of that slick motherfucker. Funniest shit you ever did see. Whoa, why you yelling?”
Coti looked at the phone and then at himself in the hall mirror as he passed. “I need you to rewind and explain why NeNe is with the Cordells.”
“Not sure on the whys, only know Kellen stormed out of here like his ass was on fire and told me to stay in
side and keep my eyes and ears open. I saw and heard your girl, figured you should know.” Bodhi’s voice became slightly muffled. Coti heard him yelling for someone to get off the bar. “Gotta go, Syn and some of the girls decided to get on the bar and dance. Which would be fine, except Turo is being Turo. See you in a few.”
He could picture the ladies on Turo’s bar. Although it wasn’t technically his, since he was the head bartender and the one who usually kept the peace when a fight broke out, the man took his job very seriously. Plus, if he was there, then his mate Joz was probably with the other ladies, on top the bar. He’d let them have their drama, at least their mates were safely with them, while his was...shit she was back and he was fucking off. He ran his hand over his beard, looked down at his black T and worn jeans with a shrug. He snatched his wallet up off the side table next to his bed. After slipping it into his back pocket, he attached the chain to his jeans, stomped his feet into a pair of shitkickers, then walked into his garage. His first thought was to ghost to the club, his inner peace still amazed him since he’d allowed his beings to merge. “Fuck it,” he said, changing his mind and dematerializing. The need to get to NeNe too great. He’d worry about explaining to her about himself afterward.
Outside the club, he coasted on the wind, searching the area before he allowed his body to reform. The sweet scent of woman hit him along with a noxious odor. He walked over, seeing what the nastiness was, shaking his head at the pile. “That’s not a good sign.” With a thought, he cleared the mess away, not wanting to leave a trail for anyone to find. If he could scent her, then others might be able to as well. He’d not been able to find Mac, the soon-to-be dead bastard. Although the overlying scent didn’t remind him of the shithole where NeNe worked, he wouldn’t relax his guard when it came to her safety.
The door swung open, Bodhi’s big body stood in the entryway, his mohawk a little disheveled. “Where’s she at?” he asked the other man.
