Shifters in the Snow: Bundle of Joy: Seventeen Paranormal Romances of Winter Wolves, Merry Bears, and Holiday Spirits

by J. K Harper

  Jax grabbed his clothes and threw them on as quickly as he could. “I don’t know, but we’re searching this entire place until we find her.”

  “Why didn’t we hear her leave?” Hendrix followed suit, snatching up his shirt and pants.

  “I think we both passed out after last night. It’s still dark out, so she could have just gotten lost.”

  “Then why is my wolf telling me it’s more than that?”

  They searched the grounds but could not find her anywhere. They finally shifted and were able to pick up a trace of her beyond their borderline. That wasn’t the only thing they smelled. There were at least two other people who crowded her scent, and whoever they were, they had a role to play in her disappearance. They didn’t need smells to tell them that.

  Jax focused on the individual trails and committed each one to memory. He had to hold his wolf back from darting off to find her. They needed a plan if they’re going to get her back safely. He shifted back on two legs and stared in the direction the scent went off to.

  Hendrix growled as his wolf readied himself to hunt for their mate. “If anything happens to her…”

  “We’re going to find her before anything happens. I promise you that.” Jax wasn’t just promising his brother but himself also. He let his guard down for a little bit, and now their mate was missing. “Their scent smells fresh, which means they haven’t gone far. You run on foot, and I’ll shift. We’ll cover more ground that way and ensure we don’t miss anything.”

  His brother nodded. “And when we find them?”

  “We do whatever it takes to save her life, even if it means taking theirs.”

  The moon continued to light up the darkness, providing a solid light through the woods. They were still able to use their animalistic instincts to guide them through the trail.

  If they found one scratch on their mate, whoever did it was going to wish they had killed them when they took her. Jax still tried not to think of the negatives. Her life and the life of that baby depended on their focus.

  Instead, he allowed his wolf to do what it did best. It hunted.

  * * *

  Hendrix could sense his brother’s nervousness, even if Jax didn’t want to admit it. As the oldest, Jax had always been the strongest of them. Part of Hendrix wondered if his brother felt like he had an obligation to make sure he was okay. They only had each other growing up, which wasn’t a bad life.

  Lance’s father had taken them into his pack and when Lance took over, he’d made them his second and third in command. Both he and Jax had come to see the pack as their family, but even with that sense of home, it wasn’t enough for them. Until they met Rynn. One look at her in that bar, and they knew she belonged to them. She was their home.

  Before her, a commitment was the last thing Hendrix ever thought about. Part of him didn’t want to lose a woman the way he lost his mother. The other part didn’t want to take on the responsibility of having a family to call his. He already saw being Lance’s third as a hindrance. He didn’t mind protecting the pack, but he did want something that was all his. He just never knew what that something was until he met Rynn.

  Knowing that they had her made him want to be more responsible. He needed to protect their people even more because now she was a part of them.

  There was no mistaking it and no accident. Their wolves claimed her at first sight, and watching her defend herself that night made her even more irresistible.

  As they ran through the woods with purpose, Hendrix kept her image fresh in his mind. He thought of her softness and curves, remembered what it was like to have her in their bed, and pictured what a future could possibly be like with her and their baby. Both were part of them, and neither he nor Jax would rest until they were safe.

  He followed Jax as they rushed past trees and swamplands without missing a beat.

  He couldn’t let fear rule him. If he did, they’d never see Rynn again because he wouldn’t be able to take the action needed to find her. That would never happen.

  They came to a clearing with a cabin in the middle of it, and Hendrix could see two men in the distance guarding the place. Although they couldn’t see inside, it was clear more people were in that cabin. From the scent that invaded him, one of those people was their mate.

  He watched as Jax made his way to the right side of the property, and he didn’t have to be instructed to take the left. They needed to check all the surroundings before they attacked to make sure there were no surprises in store for them.

  Although he wanted to tear the men’s throats out, they had to be strategic, or whatever they did could put Rynn at risk. His wolf paced back and forth inside of him, anxious to be let out and seek the taste of blood from the assholes who had taken what was theirs and no one else’s.

  When he and Jax came back to their initial starting point, they knew what they had to do. They were each going to take one man down. Although Hendrix wanted desperately to bring his wolf out, it worked out better for only one of them to be in shifter form.

  He got on the ground and crawled, making sure he stayed as low as possible to keep from being spotted. Jax did the same and crawled on all fours. As soon as they got close enough, Jax was the first one to attack. His man took out a handgun, but Jax bit into his arm before he could shoot.

  “Fucking wolf!” the man screamed. “Get it off me!”

  Hendrix used the distraction to hit the other man from behind. They tumbled to the ground hard, hitting the sandy earth.

  It was time to release all the anger and aggression that had built up after finding Rynn gone, since realizing they hadn’t been able to keep her from being taken. The idiot he tackled was going to get all of it in full force.

  Chapter 7

  “You made a big mistake trying to leave me, Rynn.” Billy paced in front of her while she sat on the couch.

  They were in some kind of cabin from the looks of it, but Rynn wasn’t sure where they were exactly. She hadn’t been in Kala West long enough to get a strong sense of direction, which she was beginning to regret.

  The two goons he called friends kept watch outside of the cabin, leaving Rynn and Billy alone. She’d met them a couple of times, but they had always made her uneasy. Now, she knew why. Kidnapping tended to be something shady creeps did, and his friends fit that description perfectly.

  If it had been any other time, she would have been afraid of Billy. But the last few weeks alone along with the past couple of days with Jax and Hendrix gave her the kind of courage she never knew she had.

  “I couldn’t stay, not with you acting that way,” Rynn said. “I did the right thing by leaving, and I would do it again.”

  “Even if it meant leaving me without telling me about my kid?”

  She sighed. “It’s good that you know.”

  “Nice of you to leave the damn test for me to find. Weren’t you going to tell me at all, or just up and leave without a fucking word?”

  “I didn’t know I was pregnant until I left. Now you understand why I can never let you come anywhere near our child. I don’t trust you, and I refuse to let you endanger them with your drunken antics. I can add acts of violence to that, too.”

  “Drunken antics? Acts of violence?” Billy scoffed. “I told you, I’m not a drunk. Are you going to blame me for wanting to have fun? Plus, I would never hurt you.”

  “But it keeps happening, doesn’t it? There’s a difference between having fun and getting violent. I don’t think you understand the difference between the two.”

  “Where do you get off acting all high and mighty? Are you a holy goddess all of a sudden? Because I remember you drinking and having fun with me. Did you forget about that?”

  “Of course not. Maybe we were both just too damaged to be able to help each other or recognize that we weren’t good for each other. There’s nothing wrong with that. I know it now. That’s important.”

  “Damaged? Are you seriously calling me messed up when you’re the one who walked out on
us?”

  He yanked her up from the sofa by her arm and swung back with his other hand to hit her, but a light tore from her before he could get the chance. It burst out and shot straight into Billy until he was thrown across the room and he hit up against the wall.

  Rynn stared down at him as he shook off the shock. What was that? She clearly felt magic, but it wasn’t hers, although it seemed like it came from her.

  Then she realized it wasn’t her at all. She could feel the energy still gathering in her belly, preparing for another attack. Somehow the life inside her knew she was in danger and had protected her. It somehow knew Billy meant her harm, and now it was there to defend her when her men weren’t.

  “You crazy bitch!” Billy yelled. He twirled his hand and yanked her up in the air, which was his magical element. He had her suspended with one hand as she felt air rushing out of her lungs. “I don’t have to touch you to hurt you, Rynn. I can do it from a distance. You want me to be the bad guy? I can be the bad guy.”

  The look in his eyes scared her as she slowly started to lose consciousness. It was all too much, and now she was going to die at the hands of an ex who didn’t know how to love someone properly.

  She thought immediately about Jax and Hendrix. She wondered if they knew she was gone. As anxious as she had been, they probably thought she left on purpose.

  The affection and protection they offered scared her. She had never known anything like it before. It was something that both excited her and made her want to pause, because it couldn’t be real. One man wanting her was one thing. Two men being there for her seemed too good to be true. Now, she’d never know. She had been taken from them and didn’t know how to ever get back.

  Was it really possible for her to fall in love with them so quickly? It seemed too soon for something like that, but the evidence was there for her to decipher. Jax and Hendrix were hers, even if she was too scared to admit it while she was with them. She loved them, and she could at least die admitting that to herself.

  Then she heard the loudest growling sounds she’d ever come across. It was angry and animalistic as it rumbled through the cabin, shaking it. Billy’s men screamed as something hit the front door, knocking it in.

  Her wolves prowled inside, stalking the area of the cabin until they came to a stop in front of Billy, allowing him to drop her.

  She took deep gulps of air as she tried to stand up. They had him backed into a corner, right where he belonged. They were about to strike.

  “No!” Rynn screamed. “Don’t hurt him.”

  Hendrix shifted into his human form, while Jax stayed in his wolf skin. “He took you from us, Rynn. Who knows what he would have done to you if we hadn’t gotten here in time. We need to take care of him like we did his friends, or he could come back and hurt you and the baby.”

  “That’s why I don’t want to hurt him. He needs to understand the difference between anger and mercy.” She moved over to Billy and stood, knowing her men had her back if he tried to do something else stupid. “You need to leave,” she told him. “Leave Kala West, leave Florida, and never come back.”

  “Leave? You honestly expect me to leave my child here with savages? Let the kid be raised by wolves?”

  Anger rolled through her and her power danced along her skin, looking for the chance to strike. “Oh, no. You don’t get to have a say in anything after you just tried to kill me and your child!”

  Jax growled at Billy and snapped at him until he hit a chair and nearly tripped up on his back.

  “It’s okay, Jax,” Rynn said. “I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me at all, which is why he needs to understand what it means to show another person mercy.”

  Rynn found her courage and moved closer to Billy, never taking her eyes off him as she spoke. “If the roles were reversed, I know you would’ve killed me, and I refuse to allow you anywhere near my child. You will never get a chance to know him or her. You lost that right, but I want you to live. I want you to live knowing that these two men, these two wolf shifters, will be better fathers than you ever could.”

  “What makes you think I’ll let them raise our child?” Billy snapped.

  “Because if you don’t, I’ll let them kill you any way they want to, and I’m sure their wolves would love to chew up something precious of yours.”

  Jax and Hendrix both let out a growl to make sure Billy got her point. Damn, she loved those guys. That thought was sudden again, but it felt right. It gave her the courage she needed to finally get rid of Billy

  She moved closer to him, making sure every step intimidated him back until he hit the wall. At least it helped to have her men by her side. “Now you’re going to leave here, realizing that these two will be the ones raising their child with me, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” She placed her hand on her stomach and rubbed it in gentle circles. “It’s time for you to leave and never come back. If I even see or hear about you being anywhere near us again, I’ll let them tear you apart and won’t even think twice about it.”

  “You wouldn’t,” Billy said.

  She took a play out of Jax’s intimidation technique and allowed her face to go dark and emotionless. When Billy’s mouth opened, she knew she had him. “I would, Billy. I’d let them, and I’d watch to make sure it was done.”

  “You crazy—”

  Jax bit him on the leg and sent Billy howling in his own voice. She told them not to kill him, but there was nothing in her speech about hurting him a little, or a lot.

  They took Billy’s car and tossed him out at the town’s border. Jax actually got out and shifted back into his wolf to chase him further out of town than that, while Hendrix drove Rynn back to the community.

  Hendrix held her hand on the drive back, and she didn’t realize how much she’d missed him until then. When they all got home, she was going to let them know exactly how much they meant to her.

  Chapter 8

  “Stress isn’t good for that little babe of yours,” Olma said. The woman was the midwife to the Kala West pack and a few other paranormal groups, according to the brothers. She looked like she was in her fifties, but she had no signs of gray hair and had the agility of someone who was also a shifter, even though Rynn wasn’t sure if she was a wolf or something else. “We don’t want any stress for you either.”

  Hendrix had told Rynn the same thing on the drive back to the pack’s territory, and neither one of her men let her out of their sight when they finally got there.

  Even now, they stood anxiously against the wall, hoping all was well.

  “I know,” Rynn said, “and I’m sure the last of my stress just got his ass schooled today, so no more of that for me.”

  Olma snickered. “Good to see a woman who knows how to take charge of the craziness life throws us. I’m sure you’ll do a good job of putting these two in their place when they need it.”

  “Already does,” Hendrix said.

  “I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Rynn said.

  “Always, hon,” he said.

  It sounded good to hear him use an endearment for her. The word made it feel like they were officially together. It sounded silly, but the silliness still gave her butterflies.

  Olma poured some cold jelly on her stomach before using the wand on her to see their baby.

  “I don’t see anything,” Rynn said. This was her first baby, but it bothered her when she didn’t see any signs of life. She wished she had her wolves’ hearing. At least then she’d hear the heartbeat.

  “Give it a second,” Olma said. “There.”

  Rynn focused on the monitor. It showed an image so tiny that it was hard to see until Olma pointed it out.

  “There’s the heartbeat.” As if on cue, the gurgled beating sound filled the room.

  Rynn could barely believe what she was seeing and hearing. “What gender is it?”

  “Oh, we can’t tell this early, but it is a magical pregnancy, so keep in mind things will differ from humans. For shifters, we g
row at faster rates. For witches, the baby can take longer to grow than humans due to the connection it has to the elements and using them to grow. Their powers can emerge quickly, before they’re even out of the womb.”

  “I think that’s what happened tonight,” Rynn said. “Before Jax and Hendrix came, Billy tried to hurt me, but I think the baby did something to protect me.”

  “That sounds right,” Olma said. “Magical babies have a sense of protection for their mothers. This little one will make sure you two are protected until he or she arrives.”

  Rynn finally looked over at Hendrix and Jax, and they both stared at the screen and paled.

  She’d been so excited that she didn’t think about all of this impacting them. “Look, if this is too much for you two, I’d understand.”

  “What are you talking about?” Hendrix asked.

  “Babies can scare some away. I know I told Billy you’d raise his child, but—”

  “What you told that asshole was right, Rynn,” Jax said.

  “If you’ll have us, we will love you and that baby as ours,” Hendrix said. “There would be nothing else but ours.”

  She smiled as Olma finished the imaging and told her to come back in a week so they could check on her progress.

  She, Jax, and Hendrix walked to the house the brothers shared together, the house that would now be hers if she chose it.

  “What do you want, Rynn?” Jax asked. “If you don’t want us, all you have to do is say so. We’d hate it, but we’d respect your choice.”

  “Don’t listen to him,” Hendrix said. “We can’t see any other choice but you being ours. For us, there’s nothing else.”

  She walked into the house without saying a word. Yes, she felt a little bad dragging it out, but she wanted to be in the bedroom when she told them.

  They followed without asking anything else. Both of them even waited as she sat on the bed.

  “I want to be yours,” she said finally, “because I definitely see both of you as mine.”