Trained by the Rogue Wolf

by Kristen Strassel

  No lie, I was having some serious she-wolf envy.

  I reluctantly let go of her, letting Mom and Dad share the love. And there was Marcus, her mate, looking just as happy. Someday I’d stop thinking of him as the wolf who took my twin away from me. Today wouldn’t be that day, but I’d use every ounce of my theatrical training not to let it show.

  He seemed uneasy. I could feel it. Or maybe it was my she-wolf intuition. I wish she’d just announce herself before she drove me nuts waiting for her grand entrance.

  “I can’t wait to see who I’m going to bring home,” I said to Jasmine. A furry new friend would help me make the transition to my new city.

  But I couldn’t shake that feeling that was radiating from Marcus.

  “What is it?” Jasmine felt it too. “Is it one of the Montana pack?”

  My blood ran cold. She and Marcus had defeated the bastard that took her hostage the night of her first shift. They couldn’t possibly be back for retribution tonight of all nights.

  “Better not be,” Dad growled when he turned around and did a double-take. “That’s Matteo Shaw. He just signed with the Bloodhounds, didn’t he, babe?”

  Mom squinted into the darkened crowd. “Yeah. What’s he doing here?”

  It wasn’t the spotlights making Marcus pale. “He’s my brother.”

  I went up on my tiptoes to figure out who they were talking about and almost fainted when I saw the hot shifter guy from the freaking plane standing in a shadowy corner of Forever Home Animal Shelter.

  Holy shit. Out of all the sexy shifters in the world, I’d spent the last eight or so hours lusting after Marcus’ brother?

  Nooooo.

  If they were anything alike, the absolute best I could hope for was some really hot hate sex.

  Which was still a lofty goal with a man I had yet to utter a word to.

  Jasmine disappeared into the crowd with Marcus, and I had nothing to do but go to my seat. I had so many questions, but they’d all have to wait. The next time I saw my sister, she was on stage. Total role reversal. She read the bios of each animal, stopping only to crouch down to give pets and accept kisses from the participants.

  Her shift turned my world upside down, had me questioning everything, and she was so at home here. After the show, when the audience lined up in front of the Sawtooth wolves to make their adoption appointments, she came over to me.

  I hugged her, and the stress left her body as she put her head on my shoulder.

  “That was amazing,” I said.

  She picked her head up and gave me an electric smile. She was up to something. “His name’s Matteo,” she said. Twin telepathy for the win. “And maybe you can ask him to be your date at my mating ceremony.”

  Alaska had suddenly become more tolerable now that I learned the man with the soap opera worthy name and the incredible eyes was a Bloodhound.

  “Usually it’s the other way around.” Wait a minute. “When’s the ceremony?”

  “In about ten minutes.” She couldn’t be serious. “You’re not the only one with a surprise tonight.”

  “It’s not a race.” She’d only known this guy for a couple weeks. “You don’t have to rush into this if you’re not ready.”

  “I’m ready.” Her tone left no doubt. “And when you meet your mate, you’ll be ready too.”

  Chapter Two

  Matteo

  Mourning my brother had been like getting swallowed in a black hole I thought I’d never escape from. There hadn’t been a day that passed that I didn’t think of him, especially when I was on the football field. Marcus was two years younger than me, and before our pack got attacked, he’d already been scouted by some of the top schools in the country, and they were prepared to fight for him.

  His star was supposed to rise high and shine bright for all of us.

  Now I wondered if I’d never gotten over his death because a little piece of me knew he was alive.

  But he’d been wiped off the face of the earth. Nothing I did proved he’d made it through that horrible night. When I saw him in that video, I knew he was alive, and no longer hiding from the cutthroat Montana pack that had torn our lives apart. If he felt safe enough to make his mark in the world, it was time for me to shine too.

  Now here he was, in Granger Falls, with a new pack and ready to promise himself to his sweet little mate forever. He was still shining.

  They’d asked me to officiate. The ceremony was short and beautiful, surrounded by pack, family, and all the animals who had just had their time in the spotlight.

  “Since this was a total surprise, we don’t have anything planned to celebrate.” Tessa Williams, Jasmine’s mom and legendary CFA reporter, looked around the room. “I hate to impose on the pack, again.”

  “It’s not an imposition.” one of the she-wolves waved her off. “This is your pack now. And I bet a lot of people who were just here stopped off at The Redheaded Stepchild, which is always ready to host a party.”

  No one had any better ideas, so after a quick explanation on how to get there for the out-of-towners, we were off.

  Part of me wanted to go, to spend time with my brother and reconnect, but he’d have eyes for no one but his mate. The rest of me wanted to shift into my wolf form, run through the forest, and think.

  My brother was alive and I was a professional football player. A few weeks ago, neither of those things seemed possible.

  Marcus stopped in front of me before he left the shelter. His fingers were intertwined with Jasmine’s. I wouldn’t have let go of her if she belonged to me, either. He clapped his other hand on my shoulder. “Want to ride with us to the party?”

  “I was thinking of going for a run on the mountain.”

  Neither he or his brand new mate could hide their disappointment.

  “I’d never tell you to deny your wolf, but this is a big night,” Marcus said. “I’d really like to have you there.”

  “I’ll be there.” I came here to reconnect with my brother. “But I’ll drive on my own, in case I have to go.”

  “Understood, brother. Fuck, I’m glad you’re here. I still can’t believe my eyes when I look at you. You’re here. You’re alive.” Marcus shook his head before walking away.

  I caught the eye of a woman who looked like Jasmine. If Jasmine was more refined. She gave me a coy smile and a wave before turning to leave with Tessa and Cole Williams. Jasmine’s parents. She had to be her sister.

  My wolf rumbled. He hadn’t been focused on anything but football and survival for so long, because the two things had become hopelessly intertwined. I couldn’t imagine one without the other anymore. I’d been with women, but none of them awakened my wolf.

  And this was not the time for it to happen.

  Or was it?

  I wrestled with that question on the short drive to the restaurant. It was a rough and tumble place on the edge of town. Not where I expected my brother to have his mating celebration, but a lot of things about him were no longer as I expected them to be. I had to get used to that. We weren’t kids anymore. We were men now. I’d seen some shit, and I was willing to bet he had too.

  The place was packed. The patrons might not have been expecting a party, but they were ready for one. I ordered a beer—something I never did when I was training, but this was a celebration. My drink was on the house. One of the shifters who’d come with us from the animal shelter was picking up the bar tab. I liked this pack already.

  Marcus and Jasmine were surrounded by well-wishers, and I sat by the bar, savoring my beer. It wasn’t the reunion I expected, but I didn’t mind the alone time. My mind had been in overdrive, learning the playbook and how to compete at the absolute top level. It was good to sit back and watch someone else win their own personal championship.

  If my brother could get everything he wanted, I could too.

  My wolf was aware of Jasmine’s sister before I was. She was standing next to my stool, looking like she wanted to run. My animal tried to connect with her
s, but he had a hard time sensing it. Interesting.

  “Hey,” she said, scraping her teeth against her glossy bottom lip. Her eyes were ringed with kohl, lashes impossibly long. The coppery red hair that made it impossible to deny her bond to Jasmine fell just to her collarbone, bringing my attention to the pale, bare skin, and the little swell of cleavage just inches below. This woman might not have her animal yet, but it didn’t make her any less dangerous. “My name’s Jessica. I’m Jasmine’s twin sister. And I’m feeling a little out of place tonight, too.”

  “Matteo.” I offered her my hand and was surprised by her firm handshake. “What makes you think I’m feeling out of place?”

  “I’m used to having my sister with me pretty much twenty-four seven.” Unblinking, she gazed out at the crowd that had gathered around the newlyweds. “I’m not going to lie, I didn’t like your brother so much at first.”

  She jumped when my wolf growled.

  “He was part of the pack that challenged my dad. And then he magically decided my sister was his mate, now here we are.”

  “What do you mean, part of the pack?” I did my best to keep my tone above a growl, but judging by the way she cringed, I didn’t do a very good job. I wouldn’t apologize. The she-wolf had no idea she’d thrown down a pretty serious accusation about Marcus. I’d be well within my rights to give her a taste of pack justice.

  She gulped. “Well, they’d taken him as a slave.”

  I took a long sip of my beer. My brother, a slave? Impossible. In our pack, we always knew he’d be alpha.

  “I was convinced he was taking advantage of her so he could get out of his own shitty situation, and Jasmine’s kindhearted enough to give him a chance. I’m glad I was wrong. Your turn.”

  Not so fast, little wolf. “Would you have given him a chance, if it was you instead of your sister?”

  She didn’t answer right away. “He’s obviously not my mate,” she finally said. “But would I have lied to save his life? I don’t know what I’d do in that situation. I haven’t shifted yet.”

  “That’s because you’re not ready.” I should’ve walked away from her when she gave me that indignant gasp. But my animal, who was so hot to run just an hour before, insisted I stay with her.

  “I suppose you’re right.” She sighed, and I almost apologized. But she just said she would’ve let my brother die. We were related by mate bond. It didn’t make us pack. She needed to learn what it meant to be a wolf.

  I didn’t have time to teach her.

  So you’ll let someone else lead her astray? My wolf rumbled. Then you can never have her.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you, but you asked a question and I told you the truth. I’m not my sister. I’m not the good one.”

  “Then what are you?” I asked. I was giving her a hard time, because she wasn’t used to it. Her life had been easy.

  “I’m not the bad one either.” She batted those impossibly long eyelashes at me. “Until today, I would’ve said I was the interesting one, but I’m not sure I can claim that anymore.”

  I grinned at her, and her stance softened. For a moment, she was willing to be a little less than perfect and my wolf liked that a lot. “I was kinda hoping you’d say you were the bad one.”

  “Define bad.” She gave a little shrug and eased into her smile. Cute.

  No. Dangerous.

  I raked my gaze over her body. Her black off-the-shoulder sweater revealed a bra strap, and a tiny pendant shined in the middle of her chest. She’d bought those jeans ripped. Her fingernails were painted dark red. Nothing about her was an accident. “I think I’ll let you do that.”

  Her eyebrows rose, and she steeled herself. Accepting the challenge. “What about you, rookie? You didn’t come all this way in the middle of a championship run just to stand on the sidelines.”

  “I came across one of the videos for the shelter on my phone. Couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my brother. I thought he was dead.” And from Jessica’s reports he’d been taken as a slave, he’d spent much of that time as good as dead. Which didn’t answer the question if the Montana pack was still intact, and still out for blood. “The only way I had to contact him was through the shelter website. I saw this event, and I told Coach I had a family emergency.”

  “Still risky. Coach doesn’t like his players focused on anything but football. He’s a reluctant participant in The Real Werewives, because he figures it keeps the guys a little mean.” Jessica put an elbow on the bar, and it was her turn to size me up. “You knew where Marcus was. It could’ve waited two weeks.”

  She was testing me, and my animal. Brave little wolf.

  “You know an awful lot about football.” And other things she had no business having opinions about.

  “Hereditary necessity.” She laughed. “Like it or not, all eyes are on you.”

  Chapter Three

  Jessica

  “You’re staying with us tonight.” Jasmine sat next to me at the giant table. The entire pack was here, but I didn’t feel like I belonged. All the shifters were friendly and taking the time to catch me up on the inside jokes. I caught myself wondering if I could live in Granger Falls.

  It wasn’t big enough for me.

  “It’s your wedding night.” Like I needed to remind her. She and Marcus hadn’t stopped touching each other since their ceremony started. I wasn’t sure I even believed in a mate bond, because I couldn’t think like an animal yet. “Don’t you want to be alone with Marcus?”

  Her cheeks pinked. “We have a spare bedroom.” She glanced past Marcus and back to me. “We’ve invited Matteo too. He can sleep on the couch, or whatever.”

  Matteo. He sat on the other side of his brother, and we hadn’t acknowledged our conversation since coming to the table, though I’d been replaying it in my mind over and over. I hadn’t decided if it was an utter disaster or a challenge I couldn’t back down from.

  After all, we were both going back to Alaska. He’d be busy with the Bloodhounds for the next couple weeks, but after that, he might want to play with me.

  If my wolf ever decided to show up, that would be helpful.

  Jasmine frowned. “I thought that would sway you to want to stay.”

  “I don’t think he’s interested.” I lowered my voice, but that silver gaze met mine. Damn that supersonic wolf hearing. That was how he was able to walk on a championship football team like it was no big deal. All his senses were on overdrive. My skin tingled, thinking what could mean for me. “Because I haven’t shifted.”

  The haunted look on his face when I said his brother had been taken as a slave flashed before my eyes. Again. He and Marcus had a lot of catching up to do.

  “Yet,” Jasmine said.

  This was not the night for a pity party starring Jessica. “Of course I’m staying at your house tonight. Before we leave in the morning, I’ll make the two...three of you breakfast.”

  “There’s a bakery down the street. We get cupcakes from there every time something goes right at the shelter. I bet they’ll have something yummy for breakfast.”

  I shook my head a little, to make sure I was awake. “It’s like they made this town just for you.”

  “I love it.” She looked around the table, and that glow was back. My twin was in her element, and all I had was emptiness gnawing at my belly. I wasn’t jealous, I was thrilled for her. But I was scared this would never happen for me.

  **

  We were greeted by two enthusiastic little birds when we got to Jasmine and Marcus’ apartment. The stars of the viral video. I thought I was going to adopt a furry little friend tonight but the townspeople reserved every single animal that I could realistically take back to Alaska with me. Which was awesome for the animals, but a bummer for me.

  “They’re so cute.” I loved them immediately. They looked like little teddy bears...but birds.

  Marcus opened the cage, ignoring Jasmine’s groan. The gray bird dashed for his finger and was out of the cage and on his shoul
der in a flash. He turned to me. “Want to hold Lola?”

  “Of course I do.”

  Jasmine put her finger in front of the bird’s tummy, and she stepped up. “Hold your hand out,” she instructed. Lola cautiously stepped onto me. “She loves having her head rubbed.”

  The little bird squeaked in approval. I glanced over at her partner, who was on Matteo’s chest, getting a head massage.

  “They’re both giving you heart wings,” Jasmine said.

  Matteo smiled at me. The bird had softened him, like they shared a bond, or at least an understanding. They’d both been rescued and found their way home.

  Lola nipped me and Jasmine laughed.

  “Someone’s cranky when she’s up past her bedtime.” She put her finger in front of the bird and she went back to her mom, and into her cage. She coaxed Harry away from Matteo, wished the birds good night, and covered them with a towel.

  “I’m exhausted.” She swallowed a yawn. “And I want to go to bed before I pass out. I promised Jess the spare room. There are blankets and pillows in there and the couch is super comfy.”

  She put her arm around Marcus and they disappeared, leaving me alone with Matteo in the dimly lit living room.

  Not awkward at all.

  “Will you be able to sleep in here?” The birds had night blindness and Jasmine left a light on for them. And he was right outside the newlyweds’ bedroom.

  “I can sleep anywhere,” he said.

  “Okay.” This was going well. “Let me get the blankets for you.”

  “Jessica.” It was the first time he’d said my name out loud and it rolled off his tongue like thunder. That first promise of relief from the unbearable heat I felt anytime he was near. I turned around and he was so close to me, his face in silhouette. “You were right. I was feeling out of place tonight. I came all this way to see Marcus, and all I wanted to do was go run in the forest.”

  I didn’t expect him to be so candid, especially since I had zero wolf cred. “Why didn’t you?”