by J. L. Wilder
CHAPTER 5
JACK
The whole situation still pissed off Jack. Between finding a mate and the clan struggles and just staying alive—not to mention running the ranch—he figured they had enough to worry about without some single mom and her kid showing up and complicating things.
“Those cattle were fucking expensive,” said Jack. “And that’s not even considering the money they’re not going to be making us now that they’re dead.”
“I know,” said April. “And I’m sorry. My son ran off and got onto your property; it was all my fault for not keeping a closer eye on him.”
She seemed genuinely upset at what had happened.
But there was something else on Jack’s mind—namely that April was hot as hell. She was young, looking to be no older than twenty-five. Her hair was sun-blonde; her eyes big and blue. Her face was slender and oval; her features small but striking.
Then there was the matter of her body. Even in the simple jeans and T-shirt she’d likely just thrown on when she’d left looking for her son, Jack could make out her sexy curves, her round ass, and her tits. Her scent drove him wild, too. It was a wolf’s scent—a forbidden scent.
That made him want her more. But he knew screwing a wolf would only lead to trouble, especially if he were to do it behind his brothers’ backs.
“Yeah,” said Jack. “You screwed up. And now we have to worry about you and your kid.”
He didn’t know why he was coming down so hard on her. Sure, he knew he was talking sense. But it was a mother and her son. Jack might’ve been something of an asshole, but he had enough of a heart to understand that kind of bond.
“I don’t know how many ways I can say I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll take Sean as soon as he’s healed and then...we’ll find some way to pay you back.”
“You got the money for something like that?” asked Ryder. “Cattle sure as shit aren’t cheap.”
April chewed her lip. It was something she was doing out of stress, but Jack still found it a huge turn-on. He imagined her biting down on her lip as he pumped between her legs, April’s mouth opening into an “O” as he fucked her hard.
Goddamn, he thought. Get a fucking grip. More important things are going on than getting your dick wet.
It took all the effort he had to put it out of his mind.
“I don’t know,” said April. “But I’m not going to leave you on the hook for this. Sean’s my kid, and I’m his mom. I’m responsible for what he did.”
Jack had to admit he liked the way she took responsibility. Plenty of shifters out there would try to cut and run. Then again, maybe that’s what she was planning.
“We need to figure out a solution here,” said Stone. “And there’s more going on than just the dead cattle.”
April was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Sean told us about you,” said Jack. “Told us that you are all alone up here. That right?”
“It’s right.”
“And you’ve got no dad to look out for him,” added Ryder.
“That’s...also right.”
“What happened to him?” asked Stone. “He dead?”
Anger flashed on April’s face for a brief moment as if she were upset he’d bring up such a sensitive subject like that. But it faded when she seemed to realize she was in the brothers’ debt.
“It’s...a long story. But the important thing is that no, he doesn’t have a father.”
“And that’s the fuckin problem,” said Jack. “You’ve got a wolf shifter who’s about to be a fully grown male. With no pack, no man to teach him how to behave, he’s gonna be nothing but trouble.”
“Right,” said Stone. “He said he went out to run and blacked out, came to after he’d killed the cattle.”
“Imagine the shit you’ll be in if in a few months, he pulls the same stunt but with some human hiker.”
The color drained out of April’s face as she considered the idea.
“But...I don’t know what to do. Our pack’s hundreds of miles away and getting back together with his father’s not an option.”
“And why’s that?” asked Jack. “A boy needs a father.”
“Because it’s not!” There was anger in her voice, enough to make the men all take pause.
Silence fell for a few moments before April spoke again.
“Sorry,” she said. “But you have to trust me. As bad of an idea as it might be to raise him on my own, his father being in the picture is even worse. That’s...all I can say about it.”
The brothers regarded one another.
“We need to talk about this,” said Stone. “Me and my brothers. Figure out what the hell to do.”
“Right,” said Ryder. “Go upstairs. There’s a spare bedroom right by Sean’s. Lie down for a minute, and we’ll find you when we’re ready to talk.”
April opened her mouth to speak, but as if she’d realized she had nothing to say, closed it. Then she rose and headed up the stairs. Jack watched her ass while she walked away and had a pretty good idea his brothers were doing the same thing.
When she was gone, the three of them turned their attention to one another.
“Alright,” said Ryder. “Let’s figure this shit out.”
Stone spoke up. “Probably don’t need to check her damn bank account to know she doesn’t have the money to make this right.”
“Yeah,” said Jack. “If she’s up in the woods away from her pack, living alone, she’s probably dirt poor.”
“Her fucking husband,” said Stone. “Or whatever the fuck he is. She got real tense when he got brought up. Bet that’s a real bad fucking scene.”
“How do we know he’s not in the picture?” asked Ryder. “Sure, maybe she ran off from him or whatever the fuck. But that doesn’t mean he’s not still around.”
“Yeah,” said Jack. “Parents don’t exactly take it lightly when their kid goes missing.”
Jack looked around at the other guys. There was a damn elephant in the room, and he knew it.
“There’s something else, too,” said Jack.
“Yeah?” asked Stone.
“Yeah. The girl’s fucking fine as hell.” He grinned, happy to have gotten it out in the open like that.
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” asked Ryder.
“It has a shitload to do with everything. Dudes, we’re all going crazy up here. There isn’t a single female in the clan that’s good enough for us.”
“What the hell are you trying to say?” asked Stone.
“I’m trying to say...maybe she’s it. The moment I saw her, I couldn’t take my eyes off April. Her fucking body, her scent—everything. Makes me crazy. Are you guys gonna tell me you weren’t thinking the same thing?”
Stone and Ryder looked at one another, each of them not sure what to say.
“Right,” said Jack. “We’re all into her. We’ve been looking for a woman, and maybe she’s it.”
“That’s...I don’t know how the hell you can be thinking of something like that right now,” said Ryder.
“Don’t tell me you aren’t,” said Jack. “We’re looking for a female, and here comes one, dropping right into our laps.”
“But we barely know the fucking girl,” said Stone. “She’s hot, sure, but there’s more that goes into a mate than looks.”
“Sure,” said Jack. “And that’s why I’ve got an idea.”
Ryder sat back, crossing one leg over the other. “You’ve got an idea, huh? Let’s hear it.”
Jack was eager to get into it. “So, the way I see it, we’ve got a few problems. We’ve got two dead cows that April can’t afford to replace. We’ve got an immature wolf upstairs that’s gonna be nothing but problems for all the shifters in the region if he can’t be tamed. And then there’s the fact that we need a damn female around.”
“And you’re thinking of a solution?” asked Stone, intrigued.
“I am. The price of the cattle’s no big deal—we�
��ve got the money to replace them. But the other issues...we can handle them now.”
“Go on,” said Ryder.
“The kid’s got to stay here for a few more days until he’s healed up. And there’s not a chance April’s going to leave his side. So, that means we’ve got a couple of guests on our hands.”
“Right,” said Stone.
“And we’re all into April, but we need to figure out if she’s mate material. So here’s what we do—we let the two of them stay here for a while. Sean, we put to work. We give him some odd jobs around the place, give him a chance to work off his debt. And while he’s here, we can spend some time with him, show him what it means to be a shifter man.”
“What, you want us to raise that kid or some shit?” asked Stone.
“Not saying raise him, but at least steer him in the right direction, so he doesn’t run wild.”
“Weird words to hear from the guy who wanted to leave him in the woods,” said Ryder. “Or worse.”
“Yeah, I know. But I’m thinking of the best interests of all of us. We help him get his powers under control, and then we don’t have to worry about him killing some random human and bringing all that shit down on us. And if we have April around, see if she’s actually mate material...”
“That’s the other thing,” said Stone. “She’s a fucking wolf, dude. Even if she’s perfect, bears mating with a wolf won’t fly with the rest of the clan.”
“To hell with the rest of the clan!” said Jack, his voice rising. “We’ve been linked up with them for years, and what’s it gotten us? Jonas has been in charge of them since he took alpha position, and they’ve only gone downhill. We’ve been talking about starting our own clan for a long-ass time now, and I’m thinking this might be the sign we ought to finally do it.”
Ryder nodded. “We got to be smart about this, though. Can’t rush into things. We need to know what kind of woman April is.”
“And she’s gotta know what kind of men we are,” said Stone. “So here’s what I’m thinking.”
“Let’s hear it,” said Jack.
“We let them stay here. We’ll watch out for them for a while, make sure they’ve got food on the table and protection from the rest of the shifters in the area. And we’ll put Sean to work, teach him how to be a man...”
He trailed off, and Ryder seemed to know where he was going. “And while that’s happening, we each spend some time alone with April. Only way we’re gonna know if she’s a match for any of us.”
“Right,” said Jack. “Take her out on dates or some shit. And if when that happens, she doesn’t seem right, then we can send her back to where she came from. We can keep an eye on them too, make sure Sean doesn’t get out of control.”
Ryder nodded. “This is fucking crazy, but it might work. At the very least, we can make sure we don’t have a wild wolf male running around picking off our cattle.”
“So, we’re in agreement?” asked Jack. “This is the plan?”
“Yeah,” said Stone. “Let’s do it.”
Ryder nodded. “April! We’re ready for you!”
They heard footsteps, and then April appeared at the top of the stairs.
“We’ve got an arrangement for you,” said Jack. “Come on and take a seat.”
“Sure,” she said.
The brothers regarded one another as if realizing their lives were about to change forever.
CHAPTER 6
APRIL
Sean wasn’t happy about the arrangement.
“Are you serious?” he asked. “We’re going to be staying here?”
Really, April was having a hard time with it herself. But the three brothers had laid out their terms. Sean was welcome to stay until he healed, and they were free to leave after. But if they did, she and Sean would be on the hook for the dead cows.
However, if they wanted to stay, they were also more than welcome. But Sean would be put to work on the ranch, paying off his debt. And April would need to go on at least one date with each of them.
Part of her thought it was totally insane. A date? What did they want, to all have a chance to impress her? And Sean—how did she know she could trust them with her son?
“We’re going to be staying here at least until you heal, so a few days. I’m not risking you going through the woods with your leg looking like that.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
He was still in bed. Sean’s leg looked better, but still not well enough to walk.
“You won’t be fine. And if you don’t take care of the cost of those cows, you’re going to be working to pay it off until you’re eighteen. The brothers are giving you a hell of a deal.”
“But what if they’re still pissed? What if this is a trick or something?”
She knew he had a point. Though the brothers seemed on the level, she couldn’t let her guard down. After all, bears and wolves had always been major enemies.
“We have to trust them. And Sean, what they’re offering is very generous. You know that you need some men in your life to teach you how to be an adult.”
“I can figure it out on my own,” he said.
“No, you can’t. Sean, you said yourself that you didn’t remember killing the cows. What are we going to do if you blackout again like that and kill another shifter? Or a human? Can you imagine what would happen if you killed a human and brought the human law down on us?”
He said nothing. Sean might’ve been a kid, but he knew enough to understand that it would be very, very bad.
“You’re going to rest here, and I’ll be around to look after you. And if I’m gone, the brothers will take care of you. OK?”
He sighed, seeming to get there was no arguing.
“Fine. But I want to be able to run.”
“You want to run, huh? How about hunt?”
His eyes lit up with excitement for the first time since he’d woken up.
“Yeah! I want to hunt!”
April smiled, knowing she had him right where she wanted him.
“If that’s what you want, then you should be dying to stay here with the guys. Hunting, running—that’s all part of being a shifter man, and they’re going to show you how to do it.”
Sean was conflicted. April could tell that he was into the idea of real men showing him the ropes of being a shifter, but that he was still uneasy, unsure of what to do.
“Listen,” she said. “I know this is strange. But Sean, you know it’s been hard for us up there in the cabin. We’re all alone, and I can tell you hate being stuck there. This is a chance for us to try something different. If it doesn’t work, then you tell me, and we can get out of here as fast as possible, OK?”
Sean thought it over, then took a slow breath. “OK. If they’re bad, we leave. Right?”
“Right.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in!” called out April.
The door opened, and it was Jack. April couldn’t help but eat him up with her eyes. The brothers were all tough and rugged, but Jack seemed to be the most handsome of all of them.
“How’s the dude doing?” he asked as he entered.
“Fine,” said Sean. “My leg still hurts.”
“Bet it does. But you’re handling it like a champ. And think about this—if you get your shifter powers under control, then you’ll be able to take pain like that and not even worry about it. Hell, I got hit by a car the other week, and I was fine right away.”
Sean’s eyes lit up. “Are you serious?”
“Sure am. You stick with me and my brothers, and you’ll be tough as hell before too long.”
Sean was clearly into the idea.
“Yo, April,” he said. “Come talk with me.”
“Sure.”
April kissed Sean on the forehead, Sean scrunching his face up as she did. Then she left the room, shutting the door behind her.
She felt a thrill run through her body as soon as she was alone with Jack. He was tall, looming over her
with his powerful, muscular body. Without thinking, she bit down on her lower lip. Jack’s eyes flashed as if he were totally turned on by this.
“The guys got work to do around the ranch today. Thinking you and I go for a ride into town. Grab some dinner, get up to some shit.”
“’Get up to some shit?’” she asked. “That...sounds like a strange idea for a date.”
He grinned. “It won’t be that hardcore. Unless you want it to be.”
April didn’t know what to say. Part of her was shocked he’d say something so forward. But another part of her was into it, happy to be around a real man who wasn’t afraid to say what he wanted.
“Let’s take it slow,” she said. “But yes, I’ll come with you.”
Another grin. “Rad. Let’s go.”
Before she had a chance to react, he took her by the hand and led her down the stairs. April felt like she’d been caught up in something that she could barely understand. Before she knew it, she was in the ranch’s garage, the huge space filled with sports cars and motorcycles.
“We’re gonna take my ride,” he said. “Come on.”
He led her to a huge black-and-chrome motorcycle, one so big that she had no idea how she was going to be able to get on top of it.
“You ever ridden on one of these before?”
She shook her head. “Never. Kinda...always wanted to, though.”
He laughed. “You’re gonna get your chance.”
On the handlebar was a helmet, and he took it and handed it to her.
“Where’s yours?” she asked.
“I don’t wear one—fucks with my focus. But you’re gonna wear that, no discussion about it.”
“Alright. If it’s safer.”
“Trust me—you’ll be safe. I’m the best damn biker in the region. Now hop on.”
Jack climbed onto the back of the bike, and April did the same.
“What...what do I hold onto?” she asked, looking for some kind of bar or handle she could grab.
“You hold onto me.”
April’s eyes went wide. She was unsure at first, but the moment she wrapped her arms around his thick, muscular body, her excitement went past her fear.
