by Lori King
“What happened here, Rudy?” She looked to her parents’ oldest and dearest friend, and waited while he tried to find the right words. She could almost see his brain working. “Don’t do that! Please, just tell me the truth.”
“Yesterday the Kaplan wolves attacked the den in the middle of the night. They didn’t bother with trying to fight us, instead they just threw lit torches of some sort into the windows of various cabins on the outer edges of the den. I suppose they were trying to run us out. Anyways, instead of running for the woods, we banded together and managed to save a couple of the cabins with water from the creek. I just wish we had been able to save more. Rafe and the boys got here and were able to help us run them off before they did more damage.” He looked sadly over at Kayla Griffin who held her sleeping young daughter Mari. The Griffins were one of the families who lost their home in the fire, and now had to start over.
“Unprovoked?” Cash asked, and Rudy turned angry eyes on the cowboy.
“Of course it was unprovoked! What do you think we did, stand out there waving a red flag and yelling come get me? We might not be big city, but we aren’t stupid.”
“Easy there, big guy. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just trying to get all of the facts straight so that when one of those Kaplan dogs gets close enough I can tell him why I’m ripping his throat out and watching him bleed to death.” Cash’s vehemence drew a startled gasp from Kayla, and he grimaced and touched his cowboy hat. “Pardon. Sometimes my mouth runs away with me.”
Kayla was one of the many women who couldn’t seem to resist Cash’s good ol’ boy act, and she smiled back at him. “If it were about anyone but those Kaplan wolves I would be offended, but I say, go get ’em.”
Cash laughed along with everyone else, and KJ turned back to Rudy. “So what now?”
Rafe cleared his throat. “Once we know more about your…I mean…Mom’s health we’ll determine how fast we can pack up and hit the road. No matter what we have to drive straight through, the Kaplans have already proven that they are tracking us and waiting for us to slip up.”
KJ felt the blood drain from her face. “Rudy, did you know that Nicolas Kaplan had his sights set on me and not Mom?”
Rudy’s dark eyes locked on her face, but didn’t reveal anything. He nodded slowly, and all of the air in KJ’s lungs hissed out.
“Why didn’t you tell me? When did he stop tracking Mom and choose me as his target?”
“Didn’t change anything. The whole time we were protecting Tasha, we were also protecting you. That’s just the way it is. Who cares what his goal was, as long as he didn’t achieve it, we’re doing our jobs.”
KJ huffed in frustration, but Bryson’s hand on her shoulder had her biting back a smart-ass reply. She looked back at him as he ran his hand over her hair gently, soothingly. His presence was comforting, but kept her libido on edge, too.
“Rudy, what do you know about the gold?” Bryson asked, and suddenly KJ felt the air in the room turn ice cold. All of the Quiver Creek wolves tensed, and glared at Bryson.
Kayla’s husband Samson spun to face Bryson with anger and suspicion in his eyes. “Why? You planning on running back to your pack and sharing information?” Samson was an enormous wolf. He stood nearly seven feet tall, with short blond hair, and hard gray eyes. He carried a scar on the lower part of his jaw, but if asked about it he would only say that it was from his past life. He and Kayla had four daughters, Lily, Daisy, Rose, and Mari, who ranged in age from twenty-six to their surprising youngest who was just seven. They had been a part of the Quiver Creek Pack for a long time, and their daughter Lily was KJ’s only female friend. Samson was particularly protective of KJ.
Bryson’s green eyes flashed with irritation, and he growled. “Back off, wolf. I’m here for my mate, where she is, I am, and no more than that. I won’t betray you, if you don’t betray me. That way neither of us has to die.”
Samson eased back, and gave Bryson a once-over. Turning to KJ he gave her a weak smile. “I might actually like this one, Katie Jo. He has some backbone.”
“Thanks. I think. Rudy, what do you know about the gold?” KJ said, gritting her teeth.
“I only know the story secondhand from your mama, so don’t expect the details. Your grandpa, Joe Raullins, had a gold claim up in the Klondike. He hit it big more than fifty years ago, but he shut down the mine shortly after he struck gold. Tasha said that he never wanted to be wealthy, and that he believed the gold brought a curse on him. To the best of my knowledge he still owns it, and it’s still full of gold, but no one knows where it is, except for Joe.”
There was silence in the room for a moment before KJ asked, “Are you telling me that he had a fortune at his fingertips and he didn’t mine it?”
Rudy nodded, and frowned. “That’s what I know. I’m sorry I can’t be more help.”
“Well it does explain why Nico wants KJ. The pack has been really struggling for funds for the last fifteen years or so. Evan Kaplan spends the money faster than we can bring it in. I have a feeling that Nico intends on challenging his cousin for the Alpha position, and if he has that gold he will have the pack’s support,” Bryson said, and KJ looked up into his worried eyes.
“Good thing I have you and Doc to protect me now, huh?” KJ winked up at him, hoping to ease his stress, but her own nerves were jangled. Why had her mother never shared any of that information with her? A spark of illogical jealousy flamed to life in her chest, and tears burned her eyes as she shifted to lean into Bryson. He accepted her easily, holding her gently against his strong chest. Maybe having a mate wasn’t going to be so bad.
At that moment Graham and Thomas stepped back into the room, pulling the bedroom door shut behind them. Graham looked lost and scared, and KJ jumped up to run into his arms and hug him tight.
Thomas watched them hold each other for a moment, and then turned back to the group. “Anyone got anything to drink around here? Something strong?”
Samson nodded to Brick Poplin who headed into the kitchen to retrieve the requested drink, and then asked the question they all shared, “How is she, Doc?”
Thomas grimaced, and his eyes flicked to KJ. “I’m sorry, but she’s not good. The bullet is definitely silver, and it’s embedded deep. There is so much infection now, that I’m concerned that even getting it out of her won’t allow her to heal.”
“So we just let her die?” KJ asked sounding panicky.
“I want to get her to a hospital where they can do surgery to remove the bullet and irrigate the wound,” Thomas said with a heavy sigh as he took the glass of amber liquid that Brick handed to him.
“We can’t take her to a human hospital here, we don’t have any doctors that know our secret, and if it gets out…well I don’t need to tell you the risk that would be,” Graham said with a shake of his head. “There has to be something else we can do.”
“Then we have to get her back to Kansas City as fast as humanly…I mean as fast as possible. I can’t do surgery alone, but Tina and Caroline could help me. Getting that bullet out of her body is the only chance she has,” Thomas said. He turned and faced KJ and Graham, staring into KJ’s eyes. “To be honest, I’m not sure that I can save her. Like she said, she may be too far gone.”
Suddenly, KJ couldn’t see anything, the blackness that had been threatening to consume her finally did, and she felt herself falling. Her last thought was that it was damn unlucky to gain two brothers and two mates in the last two weeks only to have to give up her mother and father.
Chapter 10
Bryson’s heart jumped in his chest when he saw KJ’s eyes roll up into her head and her knees buckle. Graham was able to catch her before she hit the floor, but the image would be burned into Bryson’s brain forever. There was no way he could ease the fear and pain she was feeling, and as he watched Thomas take KJ from Graham, he ached for him as well. Thomas was dealing with more guilt and pressure than anyone should have to handle.
“Rudy has cleared his ca
bin so that you three can stay there. Take her now, and let her rest for a while. But you two need to bond with her before something else happens. In your human form you’re the weakest link we have, Doc, but Rafe tells me that once you mate with my Katie-baby you will shift. I appreciate that you want to protect her, but at this point you’re no match for the wolves that are attacking us.” Graham’s words struck Thomas, and his face went pale, making the dark color of his facial hair even darker.
Bryson’s heart twisted for his new partner. Here was a man who just weeks ago was living a normal human life, and now he was bound to be turned into a werewolf and face the fire of battle alongside the rest of a pack of strangers. Could this get any stranger?
They followed Rudy out of the cabin and down the central path of the den. The cabins were set up in a circular layout of sorts, with the Whetstone cabin and the meeting hall being in the very middle, and then other cabins feeding out from them. Sort of like the spokes on a wheel, with one main path connecting them all to each other.
“I won’t force her,” Thomas said softly as they walked. The old man limped on cane, and his back was bent, his hands gnarled. He looked as ancient as KJ had described him, but his mind seemed to be as sharp as a tack.
“You won’t have to, son. The mating lust is very strong between the three of you, and she’s already carrying your scent. It’s light, but I can smell it on her. All you have to do is be there for her. Her wolf is likely to do the rest.” Rudy paused when they reached the porch steps of his cabin, and sniffed the air. His dark gaze searched the area around them, and Bryson went on alert.
“What is it?”
Rudy shook his head. “Probably just a paranoid old man, but I have this bad feeling in my gut that we haven’t seen the worst of Nicolas Kaplan yet.”
“He’s determined to get his hands on KJ,” Bryson answered. “Nico doesn’t give up when he sets his mind to something. After all he’s been tracking and harassing Tasha for more than thirty years.”
They all entered the cabin, and Rudy led them back to a large guest bedroom with a cozy-looking bed, and only one small window. The glass pane was missing, and in its place was a large sheet of plywood. There was a bathroom just outside the bedroom door, and even though the building was small, it housed everything necessary.
“You three can use my cabin until we leave, I’ve pretty much packed up everything I’m taking already, and I’m going to bunk down with the O’Brien brothers,” Rudy said, as he went into another room and picked up a large duffel bag.
“Thank you, Rudy,” Thomas said, laying KJ down on the bed, and brushing the hair off of her face.
“Don’t thank me until you’ve mated your girl there. Graham is right, Doc, if you want to protect her, then you have to be as strong as the enemy. I can’t relate to what you’re feeling, because I’ve been a wolf all of my life, but know this, wolf or not, you’re already part of our family because our Katie loves you.”
With that Rudy turned and left the cabin, leaving a stunned Bryson and Thomas standing guard over the sleeping woman. Bryson noted the lines etched into Thomas’s face that hadn’t been there yesterday, and the dark rings of exhaustion and tension that were under his eyes. This was putting a lot of stress on him, and Bryson was feeling a bit edgy himself about being pushed into mating. It wasn’t that he didn’t want KJ, no, he wanted her with every fiber of his being, but mating was serious. He wasn’t going to force her into something she couldn’t take back. They would mate her when she was ready, and not before.
“He’s right,” Thomas said with a loud sigh.
Bryson glared at him. “What? You just said you wouldn’t force her!”
“No, I mean he’s right about Nicolas. There is no way the man is going to just walk away from this fight, and that means that there will be another battle.” Thomas began pulling his clothes off, and then settled onto the bed with KJ.
Bryson still stood in the bedroom doorway, but he watched as KJ instinctively curled into Thomas’s body, and snuggled her face into his shoulder. His wolf was howling in his head trying to make him go climb into bed with them, but he resisted.
“Hey, I think I’m going to find something to eat real quick. I’ll come back in a few minutes,” Bryson said, and Thomas frowned at him.
“Are you okay, Bry?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I just…I guess I just need a breather. I’ll be back shortly.” With that he spun around and walked back out into the living room of the cabin. This whole series of events had left him feeling chaotic and he needed to think. Had it really only been hours since he’d met KJ and Thomas? Just a day ago he was a Kaplan Omega wolf on a mission to collect Katie Jo Whetstone and return her to her parents’ birth pack. Now he was fighting to keep her out of his Alpha’s hands. It was ridiculous and terrifying all at once.
Bryson had dreamed of getting out of Alaska and seeing the world for so long, and now he was going to be tied down to Kansas City with a mate and a…whatever Thomas was to him. His mom would be ecstatic to hear that he had found his true mate, and his wolf was clearly all in, but was he?
He thought about the beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed wolf that fought with such intensity for what she wanted. She was protective and loyal to her pack, but last night he had seen that she was also self-conscious and vulnerable. The fact that she remained a virgin at twenty-four when she was so beautiful blew his mind, and made him feel even more protective of her. She had saved that part of herself for her mate, and he and Thomas were just lucky enough to be on the receiving end of it.
His wolf butted against his chest, and growled in his head.
Mate.
Yeah, I hear you. I want her too, but I need to give her space to decide.
Mate.
It’s not that simple.
Mate.
There was no point in arguing with his other half over something that he couldn’t control. If KJ made a move then he would gladly take it, but until she gave the go-ahead, he was going to hold his wolf back one way or another. Dreams be damned, he was falling in love.
Set on his decision, he headed for the kitchen and rooted through the cabinets until he found a box of cereal. Munching on the sugary cereal gave him something to do, as he wandered through the cabin checking out the layout and security. There were very few windows, and the master bedroom had another large sheet of plywood nailed over the one window in it. The bedroom door also had an oversized deadbolt on it. Rudy had been prepared for an invasion at some point. The reality of how dangerous the situation was finally struck a chord inside of Bryson, and his stomach tightened into a ball.
If Nico got his hands on KJ again, she was dead. He knew enough about the man to know that there was a good chance that Nico was planning another attack on the camp now that KJ had arrived, so the best option was to get them all out of here as quickly as possible. Trying to load up all of these people into two vans, and transport them was going to be a challenge.
With a sigh of frustration, and a shake of his head, he walked back to the bedroom that contained his mate. Thomas had managed to divest KJ of her clothing while she slept, and he too was asleep now. They looked content curled up together, but Bryson’s wolf pushed him forward until he was climbing into the bed on the other side. Scooting in, he pressed his chest up against KJ’s back. Her scent filled his nose, and his cock grew rock hard. The memory of how her slick heat had enveloped him last night had him groaning low in his throat, and he tried to count sheep in his head to tame his libido until sleep took him.
KJ woke to the encompassing warmth of two large male bodies. Her cheek was pressed against Thomas’s chest, the crisp black hairs tickling her nose, while Bryson’s arm rested in the curve of her waist, and the length of his body warmed her backside. It was a perfect cocoon of love and protection, and her wolf was almost content. She was still pushing for the complete mating.
The old stories of wolves going out of their minds when denied their mates flitted through her brain, b
ut she pushed the thoughts aside. Surely that was just an old wives’ tale, and it wasn’t like she was really denying them. It was very likely that they would mate soon. She just wasn’t sure that she would be completely happy with never seeing the world. What if Thomas and Bryson turned into overprotective wolves just like all of those she had spent her whole life with, and never let her out of the den? She would be well loved and well cared for, but coddled and hovered over just like she had been for twenty-four years. Her heart ached with the need to stretch past her limits and get away from the invisible fences that held her captive. With two mates, she just couldn’t see how that would ever be possible.
Snippets of her mother telling her how happy she would be to find a mate and settle down to raise a family reminded her of the situation at hand. Her mother was dying. Thomas hadn’t wanted to tell her that outright, but she could read between the lines. When Tasha died, Graham would follow with a broken heart. She was going to have to face it, and move forward without the only two people that she had ever been able to trust.
She surveyed the situation with what she hoped was an open mind. Thomas was like many of the wolves she had met at the Gray Pack den. He was dominating, and protective to the extreme, but he was also genuinely sweet and loving. Bryson was his opposite. The light to Thomas’s dark. He was a jokester, playing and laughing, but his protective nature seemed to be just as strong. Bryson seemed to have some self-esteem issues based on his place in life, while Thomas felt inadequate when surrounded by werewolves who were stronger and faster than he was. Both were delicious in looks, and their imperfections were perfect in their own ways. She couldn’t deny anymore that she had very strong feelings for both of them, and would be lost without them. Now, facing losing both of her parents, at least she would have the two of them to hold her when she cried.
