by Lori King
“Wow. I can’t imagine what that was like for them with a small baby to protect,” Cash said, shaking his head. The silence in the van was overwhelming, and KJ glanced up to see Ryley watching her in the rearview mirror as he drove, and Noah turned around to face her so that he could listen.
“I’m sure it was difficult, but I was too young to know it. As I grew up Mom and Dad constantly reminded me of the need to stay close and protect myself. I remember nights when Mom would wake me up and we would run as fast and as far as our paws could take us, leaving everything we had behind. We would start over in some new strange place, stealing and begging to put food in our bellies. I was six I think, when Louisa and Orlando joined us. They were outcasts from a pack in Mexico. I’ll let them tell you their story because it’s a painful one. They were on the run, too, and we were more than willing to accept them into our family in exchange for their strength in hunting, scavenging, and the added eyes and ears. Next to join the fray were Brick and Kelly Poplin. They are mated, but they were rogues that somehow managed to find each other. They have two kids now, little boys who are cute as hell, Axel and Jordan.”
“Kelly was a female rogue?” Ryley asked in surprise, and she nodded.
“There are more than you might think out there. She said that she left her pack when her father tried to force her into a mating with a wolf that wasn’t her true mate. Anyways, after the Poplins joined us we stumbled over the small canyon that Quiver Creek runs through. It was the perfect place for us to set up camp, but we never expected to live there for so long. The Kaplan Omegas either lost track of us for the next fifteen years or they gave up the hunt for a while. Either way, they backed off, and we had fifteen years of a fragile peace. The Griffin family, the Todd family, and several male rogues all came during that time frame. In total there were twenty-two of us when I left three weeks ago, but the Kaplan wolves had been prowling closer and becoming more dangerous over the last several months. They were shooting at our security patrols, and doing things like poisoning our water supply, so I don’t know who is left.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get everyone back to the den, and then we’ll figure out what to do to deal with Nicolas Kaplan. That man can’t be allowed to continue raising hell like this,” Cash said, patting her knee in reassurance.
“Thank you, but you can’t promise me that we will get everyone back to Kansas City safely. Not after I’ve seen the Kaplan wolves shooting at the women and children of our pack just for fun. They seem to have no qualms about hurting someone,” she said, gritting her teeth in anger.
“Well they haven’t met the Gray Pack yet. It’s about time they came face-to-face with someone their own size,” Ryley said, winking at her in the mirror, while Cash and Noah cheered, and exchanged fist bumps.
“Are all packs so close to each other?” she asked out of pure curiosity. It seemed like these men were all brothers instead of just pack mates.
Cash shrugged. “I don’t really know. We don’t travel between packs very often. Our most recent dealing with another pack was the Diegos. Their den is up by Chicago, and their pack Alpha had a mean streak in him. He also had a grudge against Devin, so he challenged Dev to an Alpha battle.”
KJ gasped. “A battle for dominance?”
Noah snorted. “Yeah, but before they even had a chance to fight, Barton Diego showed his true colors. Like the chickenshit that he was, he kidnapped two of our women, Caroline and Tina. He was going to rape and kill them, just to get under Devin’s skin. Man, he never knew what hit him when Caroline shifted into her wolf for the first time during the attack, and then the rest of the Gray Pack Betas crashed into the house. I sure as hell wish I could have been there.”
“Oh my God. Were Caroline and Tina okay?” she asked, leaning forward as she became engrossed in the story.
“Oh yeah, they were a little beat up and scared, but they were fine. That’s when Liam realized that Tina was his mate. Damn, that girl gave him a run for his money,” Ryley answered. “She didn’t want any part of mating into a werewolf pack.”
“Really? So she turned him down?” KJ asked.
“Oh yeah, in a big way. He had to put major effort into winning her over. Of course, it didn’t help when one of her coworkers started poaching wolves on pack land, and tried to poach Tina,” Noah said with a loud laugh.
“Poach her? You mean he tried to kill Tina? That poor woman!” KJ gasped.
Cash held up a hand. “Not exactly, see Carter Lawrence was trying to take her home with him. He found her out at the lake when he was out there hunting wolves, and decided to drag her home with him against her will. She got stuck…umm…” Ryley and Noah started laughing harder from the front seat.
“What? What am I missing?” KJ asked growling in irritation.
“She got stuck in a tree! It’s not nearly as funny if you weren’t there, but trust me, Cash and I had to go with Liam to rescue her. She was stuck in a tree because her boobs were too big to fit through the space between branches. It gave us just enough time to rescue her,” Ryley explained, trying to keep it together as laughter threatened to consume him.
KJ couldn’t stop the grin from spreading over her face as she pictured the slim woman with large breasts and how she must have looked stuck in a tree. “So what happened to the guy?”
“His attorney pled insanity on his behalf, so he’s in a hospital getting treatment. Tina is no worse for the wear, although I pity the next man that thinks he can kidnap that she-wolf. She has Alpha Bitch tendencies and a sore spot for kidnappers,” Cash said, wiping tears from his cheeks as he laughed.
“Good grief. Your women seem to be a lot of trouble,” KJ said with a shake of her head.
“Nah, not all of them. Shandi wasn’t any trouble for Rafe and I. All I had to do was turn on my charm,” Ryley said smugly.
“Oh yeah, I’ve seen that legendary charm. Didn’t she go running out of a bar trying to escape your charm?” Cash said, smacking Ryley upside the back of his head.
They all laughed harder when Ryley growled and then groaned with a nod of his head in admission. KJ couldn’t believe she was actually enjoying herself. These guys were turning out to be easier to get along with than she first expected. She knew that Rafe still wasn’t ready to be friends yet, but truth be told she wasn’t sure she even liked her oldest brother. He seemed so gruff and serious. Shandi was kindhearted, and her nature was truly generous. KJ had only one female friend even close to her age. Lily Griffin was twenty-six, and other than her the only people close to KJ in age were male, and had no friendly interest in her. After the time one of them tried to make a move on her, and she nearly ripped his arm from his body to escape, none of them ever attempted to touch her again.
Until today, there hadn’t been any males of any species that she was even remotely attracted to. To her, being mated was akin to being chained with silver to the stove, and forced to cook, clean, and breed babies. It wasn’t the life she wanted for herself.
Even the distant thought of Thomas Jameson in the other van filled her stomach with butterflies, and made her palms sweat. Her fingers itched to run through his dark brown hair, while she got lost in his almond-shaped brown eyes. What would his mustache and goatee feel like against her skin, for that matter, what would his lips feel like on hers? She closed her eyes and rested her head against the seat, trying to think about anything else but him.
A silent tension filled the van, and she cracked her eyes to find Noah and Cash both gaping at her with wide eyes. “What?” she snapped.
The two men exchanged looks, and she glanced up to see Ryley glaring at Cash in the rearview mirror. “What the fuck, man? That’s my sister.” He growled at Cash, who threw his hands up.
“Not me, dude! I don’t know what has her all worked up,” Cash said shifting in his seat. KJ frowned at Noah who was still staring at her, his nostrils flaring. She took in a deep breath, catching the musky scent of desire, and she groaned loudly. They could smell her desire, and the
y thought it was because of one of them.
“Shit. No! It’s not either of them, Ryley. I don’t want either one of them, I promise!” she said, trying to calm her racing heart, and her jumpy hormones.
“Thank God!” Ryley sighed.
“Hey!” Cash protested.
“Why not, sugar? I promise I’ll make it good for you,” Noah said with a wink as he blew her a kiss. Ryley reached out and smacked him, before he turned his attention back to her.
“KJ, who is it? Don’t try to deny it. I’m a mated wolf, I know the scent of the mating lust,” Ryley said. His hands were clenched around the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white.
“No one. It’s no one.” She lied, turning her head to the windows. “Besides, he’s not for me.”
“Not for you? Are you mad? Well if you’re not now, you will be when you deny your wolf her mate.” Ryley’s voice was tight with frustration, and Cash and Noah looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Believe me when I tell you that you can’t ignore what you’re feeling. I went through it with Shandi. I don’t know how I ever thought I could walk away from her, but I did at one point.”
“This is none of your business, Ryley. We may be family by blood, but you haven’t earned the right to pull the big brother act on me yet. Back off.” She could feel her wolf rising to the surface with her anxious energy.
“Not my business, are you kidding me?” Ryley yelled. The van swerved slightly, and then he pulled off the highway into a rest stop lane. Without saying anything else, he parked the van, and got out, slamming the door behind him.
She cursed beneath her breath as Cash and Noah exited the van. To her surprise they turned around, expectantly waiting for her to follow. When she shook her head sitting still in her seat, Cash growled at her. “Don’t be ridiculous. You may as well get out of the car and stretch your legs. We have a long drive still ahead of us, and who knows when Pissy-Pants will want to stop again.”
She gave a loud huff, and started to crawl across the seat to climb out, when Thomas’s scent hit her nose. She gasped, and tumbled out of the van, cringing as Cash and Noah both rushed to help catch her. So much for being graceful amongst strangers, she thought to herself. A third male body stood nearby, and without looking she knew it was Thomas.
Mate.
Her wolf clearly had no problem accepting its fate. She took a deep breath and stood, nodding to the guys that she was fine, but Cash didn’t release her elbow right away. Looked up at him in confusion, she was even more stunned to see his hard glare, as he looked between her and Thomas. Cash’s nostrils flared, and she felt the rush of blood fill her cheeks, knowing that he was scenting her desire. Embarrassed and ashamed of herself she jerked her arm away from him.
Without lifting her head, she muttered, “Thank you, Cash,” and wrapped her arms protectively around her waist. With a toss of her blonde hair she glanced back toward where Rafe and Ryley were arguing. They were too quiet for even her wolf ears to hear, but she knew they were both upset. Their muscular bodies were tight with tension, and they both kept glancing her way.
Thomas seemed to be drawn toward her like they were two magnetic matches, and she felt him move closer. Within touching distance, he stopped. “KJ? Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Clenching her jaw tightly together, she tried to inhale through her mouth instead of her nose. Instead of giving her relief it made her think about what he would taste like. Her mouth watered at the thought, and she bit her own lip to keep a moan from slipping out.
Her eyes darted around her, looking for an escape. It seemed that everyone else had disappeared all of a sudden. She was left standing alone with Thomas, only her brothers in sight. His large body seemed to overwhelm hers and she felt tiny standing next to him. She was trembling as she tried to gain control of the wolf inside of her, and she opened her mouth to decline, only to hear her own voice saying, “Okay.”
Thomas reached out and took her hand, pulling it away from her body and lacing his fingers through hers. She could have sworn she heard a crackle of electricity as their skin touched again. Thomas led her away from the vans and down a short footpath off the side of the rest stop parking lot. It meandered about forty feet into a small park that was encircled by trees. There was another couple a little ways away, but they were walking away down the path.
The moment that they were out of view from everyone, Thomas spun around to face her. The blazing heat in his brown eyes rocked her to the core, and she fell against his chest. The heat from his body against hers brought a soft sigh of contentment from her lips. He felt so perfect, and she fit so nicely into his arms. This is what it meant to be held by your mate. She wanted desperately to resist it, but all she could do was melt into him.
She lifted her face up to look at him, unsure of what to expect. If he felt half of the turbulence that she did right now, she didn’t think they would survive the mating lust. His chocolate eyes were nearly black with confusion and lust, and his jaw was clenched tight.
“Little one, I’m not exactly sure what’s happening here, but I hope you feel it too.” The rumble of his lust-tightened voice made her belly quiver and her pussy muscles clench.
“I feel it, too. Damn it.” Her snarl was met with his tight groan of need, just before he captured her mouth. Fire raced through her blood from the top of her head to the soles of her feet and she arched into him. The friction of his chest against hers was mind-numbing.
His hands slid down to cup her ass, and lift her higher against his body. Instinctively she locked her ankles behind his back, her thighs riding tightly around his lean hips. The hard ridge of his erection pressed against the seam of her jeans giving her the pressure she craved against her swollen clit. She rocked against him, tilting her hips forward to provide the perfect cavity for his cock to nestle, and he cursed against her mouth.
Biting her bottom lip, he dug the fingers of one hand into her ass, and his other hand snaked up to cup her breast. A sharp pinch on her nipple made her gasp and cream in her panties, and she broke the kiss to throw her head back and press her breast further into his massaging palm.
“God, you’re beautiful, KJ.” He cupped her aching tit in his large hand, and tweaked the nipple with his thumb. Even through her bra and shirt, his fingertip was heaven against the sensitive bud, making her moan. Suddenly, he was releasing her, and dropping her back to the ground. His hands were threading into her hair, and holding her in place while he rested his forehead against hers. “Damn it all to hell. I want to just take you here and now, little one, but I’m afraid your brothers would rip my throat out and bury my body.”
She couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled from her throat, “You’re right, Doc. Even though they don’t know me, they don’t seem to want anyone fucking with me.”
“Baby, I damn sure plan on fucking with you, but I will wait until we have more privacy.”
The grin that spread over his face made her cunt pulse, and she felt her own stickiness dripping down her thighs. She glanced behind him into the park, but there was no one else around now, and she sighed with relief just before a masculine growl sounded from behind her.
Spinning, she came face-to-face with Luke and Noah. The first man looked pissed off, while the second wore an arrogant grin and winked back at her like they hadn’t just seen her climbing up Thomas Jameson’s long, hot body.
“Well, well, well, so I see the Doc didn’t waste any time, huh?” Noah said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
“What the hell are you doing?” Luke snarled, his cheeks red with rage. His eyes glowed, and if she wasn’t mistaken, she thought she could see the hint of claws starting to protrude from his fingertips.
“None of your fucking business, Luke!” she snapped back, bracing herself in case he came at her.
“Easy now, little one, he’s just being protective,” Thomas said against her ear, and his arms came around her waist to lay flat on her abdomen.
“No, he’s just being a mor
on. I don’t believe either one of us invited you to this private moment, Luke, so turn around and go back to the vans.” She shrugged out of Thomas’s grip, feeling less confident about the situation than she had just moments ago. This wasn’t what she wanted, was it? She didn’t want or need a mate in her life, but she had very nearly claimed one, in every way possible. “Actually, never mind, you three stay here and fight it out, I’m going back to the van. We don’t have time for this shit.”
She stormed away from Thomas, pushing between Noah and Luke who didn’t fight her as she moved past. Good choice, she thought to herself. Her anger was running high and her control was thin. If one of them tried to stop her now, she was likely to shift and teach him a lesson about invasion of privacy.
Making her way back to the van, she inhaled a deep breath only to curse sharply at her own scent. Fuck a duck, there were some days where being a wolf just didn’t pay off. Her wolf was whining in her head, desperate to get back to its mate and finish what they started. And knowing that every man she was traveling with, save one, would know the direction of her thoughts just pissed her off even more.
Rafe stepped out from behind the van just as she tugged the door open. “Don’t start the big brother routine—”
His growl startled her, cutting off her words. “I’m not starting anything and neither are you. I get it, you want the Doc, but this is serious, KJ. He’s not a werewolf, he’s human, which means that he doesn’t understand what’s happening to him.”
“What exactly do you think is happening to him, Rafe?” she snapped back.
“The mating lust.” His blue eyes dared her to deny it, and she flushed under his scrutiny.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Just because I’m attracted to him—”
He threw his head back and laughed arrogantly. “Attracted to him? Honey, I could smell your desire a mile away. I just went through it, KJ. If anyone gets it, it’s me. You need to tell him. He deserves to know and understand what’s to come.”
