“Well, well, what do we have here? I didn’t know anyone was sending the welcome wagon,” he greeted.
Chayton roared, “We aren’t here to welcome you. What are you doing in Justice?”
He brushed a hand across his vibrant red head and pierced them with a dark green stare. “Last I checked, America was a free country. We’ve come to join the party.”
Diesel took another bold step forward, but Chayton halted his advance by pressing a hand to his chest.
“This is a private party and you’re not welcomed here or anywhere else in Justice.”
Diesel gazed briefly down at his hand, then back up and smiled wide, revealing his long sharp canines. “Shame on you trying to keep the beautiful women of this town all to yourself.”
Jax moved forward and didn’t blink, his gaze fixed on Diesel with the focused stare of a wolf. “You and your pack are not invited.”
“Now is that anyway to treat your future in-laws—oh wait—that’s right, you cancelled your engagement to my sister, which means we owe you nothing.”
“Maybe not, but this is our town. Were jurisdiction laws were established for a reason.”
He started pacing. “The same goes for arranged marriage, but we see how well that worked.”
Aidan stepped forward and instantly the rest of the pack straightened, ready to pounce, lips retracted and snarled. Tension was dangerously high.
Chayton held out his hand. “We don’t want any trouble.” There was a warning in his voice. They were prepared to tear them apart if it came to that.
“Just tell us what you want,” Aidan urged.
Diesel stopped pacing and turned toward them. “We want what my father and your father shook on. Marry my sister, unite the packs, making us the strongest in the country!” Diesel snarled, shoulders tense with rage.
“Not happening. Your sister is better suited for another Were, not me.” Jax countered.
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” There was a hard edge to his voice.
A vicious growl echoed in the forest. There was movement, and over a bush landed a large red wolf onto the lush grass. His mouth curled back in a snarl, teeth bared. Kane. Jax had noticed Diesel’s twin had been missing. One seldom traveled outside the pack without the other. The moment Jax realized he was absent, he would have known they were up to something.
Kane stalked forward, eyes locked on Jax as he moved to stand beside his pack. Towering high, Jax tilted his head, sizing him up. Dark red fur. Eyes green as spring grass, and canines—only inches away—were long and sharp enough to kill.
“So is this what it’s come to… pack against pack?” Chayton asked, his face twisted in anger, eyes every bit as flat and cold as Kane’s. He was good at keeping all emotion from his voice.
Diesel stepped forward, baring his fangs. “It’s your brother’s fault! He should have held up his end of the deal!” he shouted as if Jax wasn’t standing there. His eyes were dangerously weird. Scary, as if he’d attack at any moment.
“Shit happens. Get over it,” Aidan snarled.
The two other members of the pack took a confrontational step forward. Jax’s bones ached as he fought the urge to shift even though he felt it in his bones. Incisors emerged, strong and hard in his mouth. He took in long, deep breaths and somehow managed to stay in control. It wasn’t easy, considering there was no telling what the Chadwick pack had in mind. In human form he and his brothers were helpless against them. Not with Kane in Were form. Jax just hoped he and Aidan were able to hold them off long enough for Chayton to shift. But sadly Kane would have attacked and ripped the skin from their bodies before he would have had time to change.
Kane snarled and his hot breath fanned across Jax’s face.
“Now is not the time or the place!” Chayton snarled, teeth flashing. “There are hundreds of residents of this town standing a few feet away. Last thing either of us needs is to draw attention to our packs.”
Exactly. Especially since the Wildes had managed to live in this town for decades undetected. If anyone was to uncover who they were it would draw attention not only to them but to every pack in association. And neither of them were willing to take that chance.
Jax didn’t miss the uneasiness of Diesel’s gaze before he said, “Chayton is right. Now’s not the time.” His eyes shifted and met Jax’s and he felt pinned beneath his stare. “This isn’t over.” His lip curled showing a hint of his sharp, white teeth.
When Chayton stepped forward something dangerous moved in his eyes. “Leave Justice now or we’ll be forced to make you leave.” His meaning was clear, delivered in a harsh, rough voice. He stood his ground and waited for Diesel to nod and signal for the others to follow.
* * *
After they were certain the other pack had departed, Jax and his brothers went back to the party long enough to say their good-byes. Denim’s VW Bug, with an Oklahoma University sticker on the bumper, was already gone.
“Don’t say a word to Pop,” Chayton ordered once they had piled into the SUV, and the other two agreed without hesitation.
Jax, who was seated in the passenger’s seat dragged a frustrated hand along his hair. “Look, I’m sorry. If I had any idea things were going to–”
Chayton held up a hand. “Bro, no need to apologize. You didn’t want to marry the crazy chick. I totally understand. Hey, this ain’t the Stone Age.”
“Would you have married her?”
He stopped the vehicle at a four-way stop, then met his stare and said, “Yes, I would have honored the vow. Our packs have been waiting to unite for years. Think of what it would do for business.” Chayton shrugged. “But you did what you felt you had to do. I respect that.”
“Me too,” Aidan chimed in from the rear. They were moving again when he laughed and said, “I noticed the way you and Denim were looking all googly-eyed at each other. What’s the deal with that?”
Jax turned slightly. Chayton was stone-faced, and Aidan eyes were inquisitive. “Nothing, just catching up with an old friend.”
“Friends? As delicious as she smells… I’d be trying to tap that—”
“Watch it,” Jax warned and an unfamiliar level of possessiveness clutched at his gut. Aidan was right. She smelled far too fucking amazing for the two of them to remain just friends. After spending a short time with her, he knew without a doubt he wanted more.
What the hell happened that changed your mind? He asked himself that all the way back to the ranch.
Denim had gotten into his head and his loins.
Jax growled with rage.
Up until now he’d been adamant about staying clear of Denim and his attraction to her, but in a matter of an evening, all of that had changed.
As soon as they entered the house, he went up to his room and stepped off onto the balcony, chain-smoking. It wasn’t something he did all the time, just when he had a lot on his mind, and tonight he was stressed the fuck out.
Denim was back with a body so transformed that it had his teeth aching to sharpen and grow just so he could bite along her neck and shoulder, branding her. And then there was the smell Aidan had mentioned that was so alluring Jax had felt the rage to claim her as his on the back side of the house. Shit! She had no idea how close he had come to demanding she get down on all fours while he mounted her and sunk deep inside her heat. The crazy part was, Denim wanted him as well. That he was certain of. He’d seen it in her eyes. He had smelled the rich scent of her arousal and it was enough to drive a Were crazy.
Dammit!
It was almost maddening, insane even, but he understood the power of pheromones and no matter how much he wanted to fight it, there was no denying his craving to mate with one female.
A human female.
Jax took another long draw on the cigarette and stared off at the horse stables as he tried to make sense of the situation.
All the years he’d spent wondering when the day would come that he would meet his mate. All the years he’d spent speculating wha
t it would feel like when it finally happened, and now that it had, it was far more powerful than he’d ever imagined. What bothered Jax most was… he’d known all along. He’d felt it then, eight years ago, and he sure as hell felt it now. Yet, he still wasn’t ready to believe it.
Denim? A human? There was no denying she was beautiful, sexy, and smelled delicious. She was all those things. He licked his lips, still tasting her. But the problem still remained. She was a human. What would the pack say? Hell, they had enough problems as it was, and unless the two pack leaders could come to terms, the confrontation earlier was just the beginning.
Shit! Jax mumbled under his breath and restlessly shifted to the other side of the balcony. What was he going to do? If he had any sense left, he’d stay the hell away from Denim and keep her safe from him and the bullshit. But after seeing her at the party and sampling her mouth, he knew there was no way he was going to be able to do anything about what was stirring at his chest before settling right smack at his loins.
The beast within him roared in defeat.
No matter how badly he didn’t want his mate to be a human and preferred a Were female, it seemed fate had other plans.
8
Curiosity kept Denim from falling asleep.
She waited until Pappy was snoring in the bedroom down the hall before she slipped out of her room. As she tiptoed downstairs, Denim drew a deep breath. She knew she was behaving like a psycho, but she had to know if what she’d seen a few nights ago was real, or if maybe the telescope really was distorted.
Quickly, she stepped outside and the Texas heat hit her like a burst of flame, evidence it was going to be one long miserably hot summer. Denim headed toward the line of trees in front of her, then followed the path through the forest. Tonight the moon bathed the trees with natural light.
The party—mostly the kiss—was still rolling around in her head. Ever since he held her in his arms, she couldn’t stop thinking about Jax. The kiss was far better than the one they’d shared at thirteen, but yet the same familiar intensity. How was that even possible? All the years that had passed, how was it even possible that what she’d felt for Jax then, she still felt now? Attraction. Heat. Back then, it had been a childish crush, but she had been drawn to him, nevertheless. Now they were both adults and the mutual attraction was so overpowering, Denim was amazed she hadn’t begged Jax to take her right then and there against the tree.
Denim had been so disturbed by her reaction to him, she’d left the party, deciding to ride around and clear her head. But before their date this evening, she had to know if what she saw had been real and if so she was going to have to find a way to tell Jax what she’d seen. Would he believe her? Hell, she didn’t believe it herself, which was why she was out after midnight, lurking through the forest.
Denim made it up into the treehouse, took a seat and reached down for the pair of binoculars hanging around her neck that she had bought while in Austin with Quinn. Of course her friend wanted an explanation. Denim had lied and told her they were for her new hobby—birdwatching.
She pointed the binoculars toward the wild, beckoning land and peered through them. As soon as everything in front of her was crystal clear, Denim was ready.
What am I going to do with my life now? She wondered while waiting. She was a month away from turning twenty-two and no direction in sight. She heaved a sigh and was not at all ready to have that conversation with her parents, but once the summer ended there’d be no way to avoid it. She just hoped by then she’d had plenty of time to come up with a plan B.
A long howl split the air and Denim quickly scrambled onto her knees. Heart pounding, she waited for the three bionic-dogs to resurface.
Sure enough, within minutes, there were horses trotting freely along the land. And then there he was, the blonde wolf who’d turned and looked in her direction the other night. Denim’s fingers tightened on the binoculars and her hands shook a little while she tried to focus. There had been nothing wrong with the telescope. And that was definitely a wolf, not a dog, and it was indeed as big as the horses running alongside it. Part of her had hoped her eyes had been playing tricks on her. Seriously? Who would believe her? Jax, she hoped. Well, maybe if she could convince him to come up to the treehouse and watch from the window. Yep, she was… wait! Something was happening. Denim watched in horror as the wolf tilted his head, howled, and then his body started to change. Her hands began to shake, and she had a hard time holding onto the binoculars.
No freaking way!
The fur disappeared. Claws were gone. A man rose from the tall grass and turned on the balls of his feet to stare up the hill. What the fuck? If she hadn’t been there to see it herself she wouldn’t have believed it. Hell, she saw it with her own eyes and still had a hard time believing it. The wolf had transformed into a man. And not just any man.
Jax!
“You are shitting me,” Denim mumbled under her breath.
I know you’re watching.
Denim jerked around to see who was talking to her, but there was no one, yet the voice sounded as if it had come from behind her.
Totally spooked, she dropped the binoculars and started screaming. Denim wasn’t quite sure why she suddenly had the urge to scream, but she did. Probably because she had just discovered Jax was some kind of werewolf like in the movies.
No one can know.
There was that voice again and yet no one was near. Terrified, Denim quickly scrambled out of the treehouse, then hurried through the forest, almost stumbling over a fallen limb. She aimed the flashlight to the ground and headed toward the farmhouse. Denim started shaking uncontrollably because that voice was now calling out to her.
Denim, wait!
No one knew she was out in the forest, so there was no way in hell she was stopping. Racing in a manic state, Denim wasn’t sure how she’d remembered which direction to run. She was close to exiting the forest when something jumped in front of her. She jerked back and screamed.
“Denim, it’s me, Jax. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Get back!” she shouted, dropping the flashlight, and crossed her fingers like he was a vampire. “Stay back or I’ll scream at the top of my lungs.”
Jax held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, I’ll stay back, but you have to calm down and listen to me.”
“You’re… you’re a w-werewolf.”
Something shifted in his eyes. “Yes, I’m a wolf.” There was a long pause. “Don’t be afraid.”
Yeah right. She shook her head in denial. “This can’t be real.”
“But it is,” Jax replied, flashing a long tooth at her. Denim drew back as he turned the force of those freaking, gorgeous golden eyes on her. Trying to fight his powerful gaze, she looked down and her jaw dropped.
Jax was naked.
His chest was hard and chiseled. His cock, long and hard, pulsing against his inner thigh, but none of this was real, she told herself. Even though he looked real and she was absolutely certain he would feel real, Denim still needed to get away.
“Move out the way so I can go home.”
Jax shook his head. “Denim, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
What? Was he really going to try and stop her? The determined look in his eyes said he wasn’t joking. So, she did the only thing she could think of.
“Ouch!”
Denim kicked him in the nuts and the second Jax buckled over, she took off running.
“Denim, stop!”
Fat chance of that happening. She tore through the forest heading toward a clearing, hoping if she reached it someone would see her running for her life. Behind her, she could hear the rustle of the trees and knew Jax wasn’t too far behind. Denim kept running as fast as she could.
You’re wasting your time, Denim.
Where was that voice coming from? She wondered as she looked to her left and right. Unfortunately, now was not the time to explore her options.
Her legs and lungs burned and she was out of breath. And
just as she saw the clearing and a light on in Pappy’s bedroom window, Jax tackled her to the ground.
Denim screamed as loud as she could.
“Denim, don’t,” he warned, as he rolled her onto her back, then cupped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t scream. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise,” he added soothingly.
There were those sharp incisors, gleaming in the dark and she should have been terrified, but something told her he was telling me the truth. Besides, what choice did she have? Jax was a werewolf and could easily have eaten her. Denim just lay there chest heaving, with the weight of his body straddling her.
“I’m going to remove my hand,” he said and then cautiously brought his hand back to his side. He waited for her reaction, then gave a faint smile. “I appreciate that.”
Denim huffed. “It’s not like I have much of a choice! If I scream again you’re probably going to eat me.”
“Eat you?” Jax tossed his head back, sending his blonde hair swaying along his back. “What makes you think I’m going to eat you?”
He was staring down at her with this silly look on his face. Goodness, was there anything about this man that wasn’t sexy? Okay, maybe not that shifting thingamajig she’d seen him do. That wasn’t sexy.
“Eating people… isn’t that what werewolves do?”
His brow quirked. “Not any I know.”
“Well, whatever it is, I’m sure it’s nothing short of a death sentence,” Denim retorted in a huff. “And can you please get off of me! If I wanted a naked man on top of me, it would be for a different reason all together.” There she was, lying on the ground with her legs trapped between his thighs. Feeling the weight of his erection resting on her stomach was so arousing she couldn’t even think straight.
“Denim, do you promise not to run away if I do?” he’d said her name softly.
“What would be the point? You’d catch me before I reached the porch!”
Jax smiled. “Yes, you’re right. I would.”
“And how is that even possible? You ranch is acres away. Explain to me how the hell you got here so fast?” she asked as a whisper of a thrill crept down her spine.
Wilde About Her (Wilde Pack Series) Page 5
