by Kimber White
“You are now,” Pat said.
“I have run some tests on your blood,” Suzanne said. “It will take some time to get complete results, but you do have shifter blood in you, I believe. I can make a guess. Perhaps a great grandparent two or three times removed. You have never heard this?”
I shook my head. “Never.” I never even knew my immediate grandparents. They all died well before I was born. My parents had no siblings. There had been no one to ask these kinds of questions for years. “I’ve only ever been told rumors about a something times great grandfather who was supposed to be a Mahican tribal leader or something.”
Dr. Olivet considered my words, running a hand along her chin. “Were blood runs rich in some of the Mahican tribes where I come from. Still,” she continued, “There must be hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people with shifter ancestry walking around. They do not shift. Why you have, that is what I hope you will let me help you find out.”
“Well,” Pat said. “This girl was marked by three different Alphas, mated and pregnant by one, pretty sure she’s still in love with another. That’s a hell of a lot of wolf in your system, honey. Maybe all that just kind of knocked something loose.”
I think Pat was trying to make a joke to lighten the tension, but Suzanne pursed her lips and shrugged. “There could be something to that theory. Three markings? Three different Alpha males? I’d like to study your case, as I said. But, I have a strong hunch Pat is absolutely right.”
While Pat and Suzanne talked through their theories, I pulled the covers up to my chin and rolled to my side. My hand went to my empty womb again. Guilt washed over me. Maybe if I hadn’t tried to get in the middle of Mal and Tucker. If I hadn’t been so eager to shift back.
“Don’t you go blaming yourself, honey,” Pat said, smoothing hair away from my face. “Nobody but nobody could have foreseen this happening. In fact, there’s no way of knowing for sure your shift caused it. Dr. O seems to think that might have been a coincidence. She-weres have babies. Shifting doesn’t hurt that. The McGraw line is testament to that. I had three miscarriages before Luke came. Human women lose more shifter babies than they carry to term. Mal and I didn’t want to tell you. No use worrying about something unless it was something . . . you know?”
“Exactly,” Suzanne said. “But you are healthy. And even stronger than you were before. You will have another child. If you want it.”
“Thank you,” I said. Though my head spun, her words offered more comfort than I wanted to admit to them or myself.
I could have another child. I could mate again.
“You hear that?” Pat said. She leaned in close and kissed my forehead. “That is, when you’re good and ready to choose your Alpha. You’ve got at least two of them out there hoping to get the job.”
Something heavy crashed against a wall downstairs. The two Alphas in question were directly below me in the kitchen and apparently in a mood to finish what they started out in the woods.
“Looks like they figured out you’re awake,” Pat said. She stood and straightened her dress.
Suzanne rose too. She kept a steadying hand on my shoulder as Mal and Tucker muscled their way into the room. My Alphas. Each of them broad and strong. Their faces lined with worry. Tucker’s hair hung long, past his shoulders, his nose had thickened through the bridge, making him look rougher, more feral. But, when his eyes sparked to mine, I felt an answering heat race through me.
Mal felt it too. A low growl emanated from him and I sensed his urge to shift right then and there.
“I told you two, no violence as long as you’re under my roof,” Pat said.
“Everyone get out,” Mal said. “Neve is my mate. She’s well. She’s whole. None of you need to be here.”
“Mal,” I said, my eyes never left Tucker. He clenched his jaw hard enough that I could hear it from where I lay.
“She’s not your mate anymore,” Tucker said. I gave him credit for keeping his voice even. He kept his eyes fixed to mine. “He knew I wasn’t dead, Neve. He kept the truth from you.”
My heart dropped. I couldn’t take it. Not one more thing. Not this. My eyes traveled from Tucker’s to Mal’s. Grief tore at him. I felt it inside me as it sucked the air from my lungs.
“Tucker,” I said, afraid to look at him. “I need everyone to leave. I need to talk to Mal alone.”
“Never,” Tucker pounded a fist against the wall hard enough to make the room shake. “I’m never going to leave you alone with him again.”
“Yes, you are,” I said, raising my voice. “We need to talk and you’re going to let us. Please.”
Mal smirked and came to my side. Pat and Dr. Olivet got to Tucker and urged him out. He stood like a stone wall.
“Please, Tucker. No matter what else happens, Mal lost a child today too. Give us five minutes. You can wait right outside.”
Tucker saw something in my eyes, perhaps, because he shut his tight and let out a sigh. He shook his head and left with Pat and Dr. Olivet. But, he didn’t go far. I heard him pace just outside in the hallway as Mal closed the door on him.
Mal came to me. He didn’t comfort me. Didn’t take my hand or touch me. He stood at the side of my bed, his breath heaving, eyes flashing.
“You’re mine,” he said. “We’ll mate again.”
“Was Tucker telling the truth? Have you been lying to me all these months?” I struggled to keep my emotions in check. Heat bubbled up within me and my vision wavered, going from light to dark. My own wolf hovered just below the surface and she wanted to come out.
“I went to where he’d fallen,” Mal said, his voice flat. “He was still breathing, yes. Didn’t look like he was going to survive, so I left him. After that, I couldn’t sense him anymore. That’s not the same as lying to you about him being alive.”
“But, you could have helped him and you didn’t.”
Mal shrugged. “Or I could have finished him off and I didn’t. Instead, I went after you.”
I pressed my thumbs against my brow then carved my fingers through my hair. “I’m sorry about the baby.” The last words came out as a garbled sob. I bit my lip to keep from losing it altogether.
Mal lifted his shoulders. “We’ll have another.”
I squeezed my eyes shut tight and looked at him. “No, we won’t.”
He ignored my words. “I can’t let him live. You understand that. It’s pack law. There can’t be two Alphas. I’m going to defend my pack and my mate.”
“Stop it! I don’t give a shit about pack law. God help me, I love you in my own way too. And my heart is breaking for what we lost today. But, I belong with Tucker. I’ve always belonged with Tucker. He’s my heart, Mal. He and I are . . . fated. And you know it.”
Mal took a step back, flinching as if I’d struck him. He recovered and lunged for me. I drew back. He planted his hands on either side of my hips, bringing his face less than an inch from mine. His wolf eyes flashed golden. Mine went dark. For an instant, I wondered what color my wolf eyes were. But, the moment I thought it, I knew. They were silver, just like Tucker’s. Mal’s face fell as he realized it too.
He pushed himself off the bed and ran a hard hand over his face. He pointed at me. “Neve. I told you, I have no choice. There can only be one Alpha in this pack and that’s me. It’s going to stay that way no matter what I have to do. It won’t matter if you’re fated mates if Tucker’s dead.”
Chapter Sixty-Seven
When Mal left, I buried my face in my hands and finally did give into the tears I’d held at bay. I cried for what I’d lost. I cried for hurting Mal. Despite everything he’d done, I knew he loved me. He’d risked himself and the pack to save me when no one else could. And, we’d created a life together.
Still, the moment I uttered the words, I knew they were true. Tucker and I were fated. And he was alive. Alive! My grief mixed with joy and the guilt of that fueled my tears too.
I was done lying around in bed. In the span of a few hours, my b
ody had become something different than it was. I threw the sheets off me and stood. I walked over to the full-length mirror hung on the back of the door.
I was still me, but the changes were marked. My hair had grown longer and thicker. I’d been trim and toned before, but I had new definition in my shoulders and biceps, my thighs and calves. But my eyes . . . I peered in close and blinked. The irises had changed to a pale gray, matching the shade of Tucker’s exactly.
I had to see the rest of it. Olivet and Tucker were just outside the door so if anything went wrong, I knew they could help me. I closed my eyes and exhaled, envisioning the wolf. She sprang to life within me, her hunger blazing. My flesh burned from the inside out. My bones seemed to melt and regrow. It didn’t hurt this time. I felt pressure like I’d just elevated to high altitude, but when I opened my eyes again, my shift was complete.
I took halting steps toward the mirror on gleaming white paws. I slowly raised my eyes. I had tall, pointed black wolf ears, and a dusting of silver-gray fur framed my face and swirled down my body. Gradually, it faded to white on my underbelly and paws.
“Neve? Let me in,” Tucker knocked softly on the door. Of course he sensed my shift.
I opened my mouth to speak, but a sharp whine came out instead. I closed my eyes again and envisioned human legs, fingers, face. When I opened them again, I was human again. I had it mastered. I was going to be okay.
I reached out and opened the door to let Tucker in.
He took a hesitant step forward, his eyes raking over my new body. I was naked, just after the shift. He closed the door behind him and reached out to touch me. I had the fleeting thought that maybe this was still some dream. But, when Tucker slid his fingers around the back of my neck and pulled me gently toward him, I felt his heat and knew he was real.
So real.
“Tucker,” my voice choked in my throat.
He ran his other hand over my shoulder, letting his fingers trail heat and come to rest at the small of my back. I took a step toward him, my breath trembling, making my breasts quake.
I brought my hands up and circled them around his neck. We fit differently together. I had grown an inch or two. But, our bodies knew the way. I tilted my head and Tucker came to me, pressing his lips to mine. His kiss was cautious at first, chaste. But, the heat between us erupted. My breasts ached for his touch, my sex throbbed and I grew damp between my legs.
I wanted him. Needed him. Now. Forever.
“Not here,” he whispered, his breath ragged with lust. “I can’t be here.”
I knew what he meant. A primal urge rose within us. Four walls and a roof seemed like a prison. We needed air. Trees. Water. I broke away from his embrace just long enough to nod. Then Tucker opened the window and jumped.
I laughed. I felt like I had enough civility to use the door, but watching Tucker shift in midair before he landed stirred me. My own wolf flared to life. I climbed out with feet and hands but my paws hit the earth. Tucker paused for a split second, then he charged for the woods. I followed.
I was speed and light and life as I ran beside him. The earth, the wind, the trees, everything was part of me. I felt immortal. For the first time in my life, I knew exactly what I was born for and where I fit in. I was born for this. I had always been born for this.
Tucker reached the edge of Wild Lake. The water shimmered gold from the afternoon sun. New life sprouted deep below the water as spring approached. I inhaled the fresh, crisp scent of tiny leaves struggling to burst forth from the barren branches around us. A flickering echo stirred in my empty womb. New life would sprout there too when the time was right.
Tucker shifted, rising to his full height, he turned and offered me his hand. I lifted my paw and stretched out, shifting to meet him. He took my hand in his and we stepped toward the water.
I gasped as the frigid water hit my skin. But Tucker kept walking until we were waist deep. He dropped to his knees and submerged. I did the same. When we came up, he shook out his hair and tiny droplets of water showered me. Then Tucker was on me again.
We embraced and went down together, ending up on the beach. Tucker lay beneath me and I rose up. I reached down and circled my fingers around his turgid shaft. My pussy clenched, aching to be filled. I straddled him, and settling myself over him, I sheathed myself to the root.
A moan escaped from Tucker’s lips, loud enough to rattle a field mouse near the edge of the tree line. He filled me, stretched me and I couldn’t get enough. I meant to go slow, savor our reunion, but my body wouldn’t allow it. Heat rose within me; I gripped Tucker’s shoulders and moved my hips. Tucker’s eyes flashed as his hands came up to steady me.
“Fuck me,” he whispered.
I did. Pumping wild and hard, I rode Tucker like the feral thing I was. This. I was born for this. For him. For us. I arched my back, letting my hair fall over Tucker’s hands as he gripped my ass. My breasts swung wildly and Tucker leaned up to bring one of my tender, swollen nipples between his teeth. He nipped me gently, sending a fresh wave of ecstasy zinging through my core.
My cries of pleasure echoed across the lake. I knew the pack could hear. Mal could hear, but it didn’t matter. I belonged to Tucker and he belonged to me.
Then, Tucker held me fast and flipped me, bringing my ankles up over his shoulders to give him deep access. He pumped into me, hard and fast. It had been good between us before. But now, I understood the true power of a full-blooded were. He didn’t have to protect me. I could take it. I had my own strength now. Tucker’s wolf sparked in his eyes and he dug his fingers into my shoulders as he ground out the rhythm he needed.
I raked my fingers down his back, settling them on his perfect, round ass. It spurred him on as I tore at him. The rougher the better. I met him thrust for thrust. We would split each other apart and come together as something new, something whole, something stronger.
Then, Tucker came. His hot seed spurted into me. I spread my legs wide to receive it, feeling the edges of my own orgasm start to rise. But, Tucker held me still, keeping my ass angled high with his fingers closed around my ankles. He spread me even wider, pinning me beneath him in ultimate submission.
I pumped and shuddered beneath him, unable to contain my own cresting pleasure. I came with him and around him. I milked him as my sex clenched and pulsed. On and on we came together; it seemed endless. Tucker filled me, owned me, completed me.
Finally, Tucker went slack and cradled me against him as I quaked with the last spasms of my orgasm. He smoothed the hair away from my face. We were both caked with sweat, sand, and each other like the wild things we were. He didn’t mark me again. There was no need. I was were now and so was he. Fate and choice strengthened the bond between us now. His heart beat steady within mine again, right where it belonged.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I think I loved you before I even knew you.”
I smiled and kissed his temple, brushing sand away from his brow. “I know you did. Everything that’s ever happened in my life has led me to you. I know that now. And everything that happens from now on will always lead me back to you.”
He smiled and held me close as the sun rose high above us, chasing away the chill.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
That night, I went with Tucker to the secluded cabin where he’d spent all those months healing and in grief. We hunted. We fucked. We got to know each other’s bodies again. I woke past noon alone.
My eyes snapped open and my heart raced. Tucker was gone. I leaped to my feet as three wolves bounded down the hill to get to me. Reed, Barrett, and Jake. They shifted and walked the rest of the way. I pulled the blanket around my shoulders and went out to meet them.
“You can’t keep me away,” I shouted, knowing it’s exactly what Mal and Tucker wanted.
“Neve,” Reed stepped forward, his eyes filled with worry. “You have to let them handle this. I know you don’t like it, but it’s the way it has to be.”
“Like hell it is!” I pulled the en
ds of the blanket tighter around my shoulders. “I will not allow this. I will not stand by and let Tucker and Mal rip each other apart. No more.”
I moved toward the woods and the three of them closed ranks, standing shoulder to shoulder forming a formidable human wall. So that was it. The rest of the pack had been sent to keep me here by force so that Mal and Tucker could settle their challenge once and for all.
I dropped my shoulders in defeat. I had new powers, but I was no match for three male weres with a desire to keep me here. So, if I couldn’t get past them with brute strength, I’d have to settle for logic and passion.
“There’s another way.” The moment the words came out of my mouth, a plan sprang into my head fully formed.
“Neve, listen,” Jake stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. Dear, sweet Jake. He looked more California surfer than hot-blooded wolf. I reached up and smoothed back a lock of his white-blond hair. “Tucker and Mal have to settle this once and for all. It’s killing us this way. It’s killing you too.”
I planted my feet wide and glowered at Jake. “Who would you choose as Alpha?”
Jake reared back as if I’d just spoken some foreign language he didn’t understand. Barrett took a stab at it.
“Packs aren’t a democracy. We don’t vote Alphas in.”
“Right. But if you could choose, would it be Tucker or Mal?”
Reed threw his hands up, exasperated. “It’s whoever is the strongest and takes it, Neve.”
“And you’re willing to let one of them die today. What would you have done if you’d known Tucker hadn’t died in that fall?”
Jake dropped his hands from my shoulders and turned white. None of them would meet my eyes.
“That’s right,” I continued. “You would have gone to Tucker’s aid. Mal got the job by default and under false pretenses. He’s an Alpha and a strong one. I’m not denying that. But this pack belongs to Tucker. I belong to Tucker. I go where he goes. And I’m telling you there is a way to end this without bloodshed. So, I need the three of you to trust me. Let me go to them. If I can’t get them to listen, then you win. You all win. They’ll fight to the death and that will be the end of it. I won’t interfere. But, if you love me, will you at least give me a chance?”
