by Marla Monroe
Wren didn’t drop her gaze from the wolf’s eyes and waited for the fallout of her temper to erupt around her. She watched as Alex’s jaw muscles bunched then relaxed only to tighten once again. The way he opened and closed his hands over and over might have worried a less dominant shifter, but Wren only noticed it because it let her know how much of his control he’d lost. Blood dripped from the small cuts he’d made with his own claws. Though he shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, Alex didn’t change his stance or balance his weight as if he were about to attack.
They remained staring at each other without either one of them making the first move to back down or take it to the next level. Wren was more than willing to fight the wolf. Everyone in the shifter world knew that the only ones crazier than the wild dogs were the hyenas, and they weren’t too smart. She knew Alex wouldn’t want to risk getting bloody if he could manage to save face without it, but she wasn’t going to leave him any other option if she could help it.
I’m crazy and I’m stupid to start this right now, but if I back down to him now, he’ll hound me to death. I’m sick of his pawing at me, and I’m sick of being told what I’m going to do.
“What is it going to be, Alpha Alex? Are we going to draw blood to settle the issue or are you going to accept that there is no us and never will be?” she asked without taking her eyes from his.
She saw the twitch at the corner of his left eye, letting her know he’d made his decision. Instead of jumping back to avoid the blow, Wren stepped into him with her claws extended. Instead of the searing pain she expected to feel across her right shoulder and arm, she felt—fur.
Chapter Three
Soft, warm fur that smelled of oak trees and the terra of the woods cradled her as the swipe that should have landed whistled inches from her ear. A muffled grunt followed by a cacophony of snarls and growls erupted around her.
Wren tried to break free of the gentle but firm hold one of her mates had her in. She couldn’t mistake the punch of lust and sense of safety that filled her bloodstream, letting her know it was one of them. Since she didn’t know the two bears that well, Wren had no idea which one it was.
Enveloped as she was, she couldn’t see a thing. The massive two tons of fur-covered muscular mountain prevented any line of sight on the situation going on around her. She growled her displeasure, but the bear only grunted.
“Let me go. I can take care of myself,” Wren tried to get out around the fur filling her face.
She had no doubt he could hear her despite how muffled it sounded and the noise on the other side of the mountain. Still, he didn’t release her and didn’t even bother to grunt this time. This was so not going to work. They would have to talk about this if they were going to be mates.
No! I refuse to think about this. I know it’s inevitable, but right now I can’t claim them until I figure out what Alex is up to. I can’t leave my brother vulnerable to him.
Just as suddenly as the fur mountain covered her, it opened up to allow her to see the scene on the other side. TJ and Scoot, along with her brother and several bears she’d never seen before, all stood surrounding Alex and his three wolves. The part that was interesting was that one of her mates stood nose to nose with the alpha wolf and both men sported small cuts and abrasions that were already beginning to heal over.
“Back off, Warren. There’ll be no fighting here today,” Creed, the bear’s Ursus, said in a calm voice.
Warren growled and flexed his clawed hands before stepping back without letting his eyes leave Alex’s. The huge male with his shaggy dark brown hair and almost black eyes took another step back to effectively block her view of Alex. She stepped to one side with the growly bear mirroring her movement.
Warren was the one doing the stare down with Alex. That meant that her other mate, Eason, was the one currently in bear form. Warren stood about six foot two but Eason, in his shifted form, would probably be well over seven feet tall. Though she was tempted to turn and look at him, Wren didn’t want to miss what was going on between Alex and her brother.
“I told you she wasn’t going to accept your mate claim, Alex. You should have accepted that instead of threatening her. I never would have agreed to support you courting her if I’d known you might resort to violence with her. You’re not worthy of my sister. The wild dogs aren’t interested in your offer of merging,” Mojave said with no hint of anger showing.
Wren was astonished at his show of constraint when she knew for a fact his nature warred with him. In the state he was in, she would have expected him to already have attacked Alex and be fur deep in blood by now. The fact that her brother held this much self-control made her proud. If not for their familial bond, Wren wouldn’t have known the amount of strain he was under. Plus, she could feel his pull as he drew from her strength to hold his form.
This, more than anything anyone could have told her, finally convinced her just how serious Mojave’s situation really was. She had to figure out what Alex was up to and claim her mates so her brother was free to go. Maybe Alex was right about one thing. She had been selfish, self-centered, and stingy in refusing to mate sooner. Instead of holding out for her true mate when it wasn’t as big of an issue as it was for the males of her pack, Wren should have found a worthy shifter and given her brother a better chance at finding his mate before it was too late for him.
Tears burned her eyes, but Wren refused to let them escape. She’d cry when she was alone and figure out what to do. Until she knew if her true mates would help her keep her pack safe once Mo left, she couldn’t claim them. She needed to know what it was Alex wanted from them.
“Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, Mojave. Your pack would be safer with mine than out there on their own. They can continue to run the garage and living as they have been with me as their new alpha.” Alex spoke to her brother, but kept his eyes on Warren and his Ursus.
“My pack is no longer any concern of yours. I’ll take care of it just like I always have. Don’t bother my sister again. If I ever see or hear that you have raised a hand toward her or any of mine, I will kill you, Alex.” Mojave turned his back on the alpha wolf and strode over to where Wren stood behind the oddly colorful bear still blocking most of her view. “Thank you for protecting my sister.”
The mountain of a bear made a chuffing noise followed by a soft growl. Wren wasn’t sure what was going on with him, so she dug her fingers into the fur of his side and tugged.
“I’m fine, Mo. This is Eason. Eason, my brother Mojave, alpha of the Talmadge Wild Dog pack.” Wren made the introductions more out of something to do to ease the big bear’s unease than anything else.
She wasn’t sure why Eason hadn’t fully settled when the immediate threat had passed, but she wasn’t sure if he was in full control of his bear right then. Something about him felt off to her. Wren had the strangest need to try and hold the big beast together as if he were broken and needed mending.
“Thank you, Eason.” Mo lifted a brow when he looked back at her. “You’ve been here less than five hours and you already know his name?”
Wren rolled her eyes. “I met him and Warren when I was with Serenity and her mates that time.”
She saw Warren wink at her from over her brother’s shoulder. What was that all about? It didn’t help that her body responded to that innocent gesture as if he’d stroked her breasts.
This mating business is a lot more serious than I thought. Is it just because they are my true mates and there are two of them instead of one? Or were all matings like this? I wish Mom was here to talk to.
Growing up without her mom had been hard with her being one of the few female wild dogs in their pack. The hardest part had been navigating puberty with the hormones of her nature fighting with those of her human side. Now she had the mating heat pushing on her as well.
Her brother narrowed his eyes for a second then sighed and nodded. “You can move back home, Wren. I’m not going to try and influence your decisions anymor
e. I’m sorry I misjudged Alex like I did.” He glared over to where the retreating Alex and his wolves were heading toward their trucks.
“It’s okay, Mo. You’re just trying to take care of me and the pack with all the stress you’re under. You couldn’t see what I did because he didn’t show his true side to you,” she told him. “We need to watch him, brother. He wants something from us. I’m not the only reason he pursued you about the pack. He has an agenda.”
Mojave held out his hand to her and would have stepped closer but Eason’s warning growl stopped them all. She’d forgotten for a moment that the big bear was her mate and despite Mo being her brother, he wouldn’t like another male touching her.
Damn!
“Back down, Eason,” the Ursus said. “Mojave is her brother. He’s not a threat. You can relax now.”
“She’s safe, brother. Ease off. Remember what we talked about.” This came from Warren, her other mate.
She wondered what he was talking about but would have to think more on that later. First she had a mate in protective mode. It wouldn’t have been a good situation under normal circumstances, but add to the fact she’d just been attacked and Wren couldn’t stop a ribbon of worry to thread through her.
“I’m fine, Eason. You can relax, big boy. Damn you’re big,” she said in the most relaxed voice she could manage. “Thank you for sticking up for me, but everything’s fine now.”
The bear chuffed at her, nudging her lightly with his shoulder and nosing the top of her head before he lumbered back a pace. That was when she got the full picture of her mate in his definitely different shifter form.
The big bear looked more like a calico cat than a bear. Wait. No, not calico, but a tortes-colored cat. His fur held a mixture of black, gray, and every color of brown imaginable. His girth was much larger than any bear she’d ever seen. Of course Wren hadn’t seen that many bears before either. Still, his massive jaws and impressive paws tipped with killer claws would make anyone stop and stare.
“My. What big teeth you have,” she finally managed to get out once she’d looked him up and down.
Eason responded by grinning his bear mouth which showed off his very large and very sharp pearly whites. It wasn’t very settling, but Wren chose to see it as his way of participating in her joke.
“Wren?” Mo said in a questioning tone.
“I’m fine, Mo. I’m staying here, though. I’m not moving back home. Serenity was kind enough to turn down other offers, and besides, I signed a lease,” she fibbed.
“I’m sure the bears will be more than happy to release you from it if you ask,” Mo said.
“Um,” Creed began. “It’s not our house. It’s Serenity’s. I’m sure if you ask, she will.”
“I’ll think about it, but until then, the lease is in force.” Everyone turned to see Serenity with an annoyed looking Shayne and one of the other bears on either side of her.
“Serenity. You should have stayed inside,” Creed said, hurrying over to take the other bear’s place.
Wren saw Creed glare at Shayne and Serenity roll her eyes all at the same time. It was obvious that she didn’t follow blindly behind her mates. She respected the woman for that. The fact that the bears’ Ursa supported Wren’s wish to remain where she was made her like the female shifter even more.
“Now, Serenity. There’s nothing to think about. You can find someone else to lease the house,” Shayne tried next.
“Hmmm, I did have an offer double to Wren’s by that hunter. I guess I could call him back and tell him I changed my mind,” Serenity said, tapping her chin with one finger and looking up toward the sky. She turned to Shayne. “Hell no! My house, my decision.”
It was obvious by the way the two bears winced that they knew her tone brooked no argument. They both sighed and patted her shoulder. Wren had to fight back a grin. Living next to Serenity just might be fun. Then she remembered that her mates lived there as well and unease flittered at the back of her neck. Having them so close was going to play hell on her plans to resist them as long as possible. She held no illusions that she could escape what Mother Nature had in store for her. She just wanted a little more freedom and time to figure out what Alex had in mind for her pack.
“See, Mo. No dice. I’ll be fine. I have a sleuth next door to me. No one with half a brain would try to bother me here,” she said, trying to ease her brother’s worry.
“Seems like I remember you warning Serenity that hunters were after her not so long ago,” Mojave reminded her.
“They didn’t know the bears lived right next door or that they were screwing with their mate and Ursa,” she said with a broad smile. “I’m safe, Mojave. Now are you going to let me continue to work at the garage or do I need to find another job?”
“You would, too,” her brother said with only a slight snarl. “I thought about telling you no so that you would end up having to come home, but you’d end up working at a bar or something just to be able to stay on your own.”
Wren couldn’t help the smirk. Mojave knew her well. She had a stubborn streak longer than the continental divide. He’d been on the unfortunate end of that more than a few times and knew better than to challenge her.
“Fine. Stay here, but keep in touch with me when you’re not at the garage,” he said. “And call me when you leave to come to work every morning. I’ll know something is wrong if you don’t get there on time.”
Wren sighed. It was the best she was going to manage from her brother, so she’d take it. She was surprised. She’d expected more of a fight, but he’d given in much easier than she’d expected. On a closer look, Wren saw that the lines around his mouth had grown deeper. Then she realized he’d never stopped clenching and unclenching his hands from earlier. In that moment, she understood that she was looking at a male on the edge of losing all control. Fear, worry, pain, and sadness nearly choked her. Her brother really wasn’t going to last much longer.
“I will. I promise, brother,” Wren hesitated for a second then gave in to the need to hug him. “I love you, Mo. I’m sorry I’m so much trouble, but I need some space to think.”
Her brother looked at her a little closer and his eyes widened. Then he gave her a soft smile and nodded.
“I understand. Just be careful and don’t take any chances.”
“I won’t. Now go home and get some rest. You look tired.” She didn’t want to tell him the truth that he looked weakened by the stress of keeping his other nature under control for much too long.
Mojave looked over at the sleuth’s Ursus. “I’d appreciate it if you’d keep an eye on her for me.”
“That goes without saying. She’s already like family to us and we owe her for trying to warn our mate of the danger heading in her direction,” Creed told him.
“I’m hoping she’ll spend a lot of time at our house helping me decorate the nursery,” Serenity told him.
“Congratulations, Ursa. I’m ashamed that I haven’t said anything before now. Twins, huh. You’ll have your hands full if bear cubs are anything close to a wild dog pup.”
Serenity’s charming laughter rang through the group, leaving them all a bit more relaxed. Wren wished she had that sort of effect on others. It would be a nice weapon to have in tough situations.
“Oh I have little doubt my mates will have their hands full. I plan on leading the life of luxury and not have to even lift my pinkie.” She batted her eyelashes up at the two men still touching her.
Shayne grinned and kissed the top of her head. “You bet, honey. No stress for you.”
Creed just shook his head. “She has us wrapped all around that pretty pinkie of hers and enjoys rubbing it in.”
Wren envied Serenity. She had absolutely wonderful mates. Looking over at hers, she wondered if they’d be just as attentive or once the heat had passed would they go back to scratching their balls and asking her to bring them a beer. That thought made her shudder.
Please God don’t let them be pigs in bear’s clothing.<
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After looking at her brother’s face and really studying it, Wren knew she was going to have to allow her mates to claim her sooner rather than later. With her safely mated off to two bears who were more than able to help with running the pack, Mo could travel and look for his mate. She, with the help of her mates, could hold the pack and keep it safe. She knew her brother would protest, but he had to at least try to find his mate. Wren wasn’t sure how she could stand it if she lost her brother as well.
“I’m going back to the garage now,” Mojave said. “If you get done with unpacking before dark, call me and I’ll send someone to pick you up to eat. We can talk.”
“I should be finished fairly soon. I don’t have much. We’ve lived in apartments for so long we’ve never really accumulated that much.” Wren wasn’t complaining. Just stating the facts, but she realized it hadn’t come out that way.
Damn, now I’ve probably made him think I’ve resented it all these years. I haven’t. It would be nice to stay in one place and create a nest of sorts, but she hadn’t been complaining.
To his credit, Mo didn’t show it if it had hurt. Wren would be sure he knew she hadn’t blamed him for any of it. He’d done what he thought was best for her. She’d make all of it up to him. She just prayed he’d understand later and not hold it all against her. When wild dog males lost control of their nature after not finding their mate, they were often resentful and mean to those they had once loved. She could handle the mean part of it, but Wren wasn’t sure she would be able to bear the pain if he blamed his inability to find his mate on her. She would always wonder if it had been her fault.
“One of my bears will escort her to wherever you plan to go,” Creed said. “Just let me know.”
