Legacy of the Wolf [The Gray Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Lori King

  “Shandi, have you tried to shift yet?” Caroline asked gently.

  Shandi’s eyes grew as large as saucers. “No! I mean, we just…well…it’s only been a few hours.” Her face grew red hot, and Rafe heard snickering.

  Turning an angry glare on Noah, he said, “We haven’t gotten that far yet. We will probably wait until tomorrow to start talking about her new abilities.”

  “I just thought you might want to have some female support when you shift the first time. I know I wasn’t super comfortable with getting naked in front of all of these guys at first,” Caroline said with a grin and an encompassing wink at the group.

  “Princess, there isn’t a male in this room outside of your mates that would risk your wrath to ogle you, much less the wrath of our Alphas,” Liam said with a loud laugh, and all of the men in the room nodded, as Devin and Damon both smirked possessively.

  “Yeah, well, humans have a little more modesty than werewolves,” Caroline said. “If you would like I can come to your cabin in the morning. Tina and I can help you then. I can’t shift myself until the babies are born, but I can be supportive.”

  “That would be wonderful. Thank you for being so kind. Wait, did you say babies?” Shandi asked.

  “According to Delaky there are two in there. One of each flavor!” Tina said, with a wink at Caroline, and then Shandi. “Leave it to the Devin and Damon to do things twice as well as necessary.”

  The laughter rippled through the room, easing the tension that had perfumed it. It was wonderful to see Shandi interacting with the women of the pack so well.

  Rafe couldn’t believe how easily she was accepting everything they had thrown at her. It wasn’t going to be easy to leave her behind in a week, but with her job they wouldn’t have a choice. Rafe and Ryley still had to put the pack first, regardless of their new relationship, but it would be easier knowing that she was protected by the pack, and safe.

  Consoling himself with the fact that she could use the time apart to organize her life and pack her stuff so that she could move to the cabin, he put his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.

  Ryley reached for her at the same time, wrapping his hand around her upper thigh and drawing circles with his thumb over the denim. She shivered under their touch, and he caught just the slightest scent of her desire. She was controlling it well, but it was there.

  “Are we done then, Dev?” Ryley asked in a voice that was slightly huskier than normal. Apparently he could smell her, too.

  “Yeah, I think so. I think that you and Rafe need to spend some more time with KJ before you guys go to Wyoming, but I won’t force the issue,” Devin said seriously.

  Instead of responding to his Alpha like he knew he should, Rafe got to his feet, and pulled Shandi up beside him. “Come on, angel, it’s been a tough twenty-four hours for you. Let’s get you home.”

  With a quick nod in Devin’s direction and without meeting his eyes, Rafe pulled Shandi along behind him, knowing Ry would follow.

  “Thank you, Devin, Damon, Caroline…I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” Shandi called out as he pulled her along out the front door.

  She remained quiet as they got into the SUV, but the moment the doors were closed she spun and narrowed an angry gaze on Rafe. “What was that about?”

  Rafe groaned, knowing he didn’t have a good answer for her. Resting his forehead on the steering wheel he tried to focus on why he didn’t want to be around KJ.

  “Rafe?” Ryley asked in confusion. “Bro, what happened in there?”

  “I don’t want to talk to KJ,” Rafe said quietly, and when neither of them responded he grunted in irritation. “Why should I care about her and her parents?”

  “Because they are our parents, too!” Ryley snapped back in astonishment.

  “We don’t know that! We’re assuming she’s telling the truth, but we don’t know her.” Rafe growled.

  “Whoa. Stop it right now. We are not going to be fighting between ourselves about this,” Shandi said abruptly, and she placed her hand on Rafe’s forearm. “Rafe, I understand why you’re questioning her. I have my doubts, too, and I don’t even know all of the details, but if someone needs help, whether or not they are family, we need to help them.”

  “I know you’re right, but it’s going to take some time,” he said, caught off guard by the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

  He could remember vividly the panic that had consumed him when his mother didn’t show up on time to pick him up at the Gray household. He and Ryley had been at Liam’s house for a playdate, but Mom hadn’t seemed quite right when she dropped them off. She had been crying all morning, and she had hugged Rafe extra tight, making him promise to watch out for his brother while she was gone.

  Thinking back on it, he knew that she had already made her plans to leave, but didn’t want them to know or be scared. She hadn’t been calm though, and that comforted him somehow. Maybe, just maybe, she had left against her will. If what KJ said was true, then she had left with the best intentions.

  “Let’s take Shandi home, Rafe,” Ryley said quietly, startling Rafe out of his memories and musings.

  Turning to them, he met Shandi’s worried purple eyes, and he couldn’t hold back a small smile. “Definitely. Let’s take our mate home.”

  The next morning Shandi found herself standing in the cool late-morning air still wearing another pair of borrowed boxers and one of Ryley’s T-shirts. Next to her stood a completely naked Tina and a way-too-chipper-for-this-early-in-the-morning Caroline. Along with the two women she already knew, there were also two women that she had seen but not been introduced to until now. Whitney Gray, who had introduced herself as Shandi’s future sister-in-law, and Tawny Truehope, who was Whitney’s best friend.

  Whitney looked like a Native American warrior princess. She was absolutely stunning, with long, ass-length black hair, and a gorgeous red-gold skin tone. She had full breasts, and the ideal hourglass curvy figure. Light-brown freckles dotted the bridge of her nose, and full lips were fixed in a friendly, easy smile. Next to her, Tawny looked like a long, slender snowflake.

  Tawny had straight blonde hair that hit her shoulders and was fringed on the bottom with pink tips. She had pale-green eyes, and full lips on a perfectly heart-shaped face with a pointed chin. Her body was extremely thin, but muscular, and she had small breasts and narrow hips. She reminded Shandi of a graceful gazelle when she moved, and she wondered what color her wolf would be. Her looks weren’t exactly traditionally pretty like Whitney’s, but in her own way she was gorgeous.

  “Do I really have to be naked this first time? I don’t even like to look at myself naked, much less bare it all for the world to see,” Shandi said nervously, trying to avert her gaze from the three other nude women. The guys had decided to give her some girl time to learn more about her wolf, and Caroline and Tina had decided they needed more estrogen to make it easier.

  “If you don’t you’ll tear the clothes apart. Believe me, we all have our hang-ups about our bodies. You’re gorgeous, get over it. Plus, if you tear up the clothes you’re wearing now, then you will have to go into the house naked when we’re finished,” Tina said bluntly.

  Shandi blushed because the house was full of men right now. Cash, Liam, Damon, Rafe, and Ryley were in the living room watching the Sunday football pregame show, and supposedly staying away from the back of the cabin.

  “Okay, what do I do first?” she asked with an uncomfortable sigh as she tugged her clothes off, shivering in the breeze.

  “The first step is talking with your wolf. Have you felt her presence inside of you yet?” Caroline asked patiently.

  “I think so, well yes, I know so. I keep having this odd sensation that there is someone else in my head. It’s a new thing, so I wasn’t sure if I was just going crazy or if it had something to do with the shifting.” Shandi giggled nervously as she stood there feeling more vulnerable than she had on the day the doctor had announced she had canc
er.

  She had scars on her body, from the biopsies as well as from the hysterectomy, and the three small dots on her abdomen were constant reminders of the chemo treatments. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust these women, but standing next to them she felt pudgy and unattractive. This was definitely going to take some adjusting to.

  “Has she talked to you yet?” Whitney asked curiously.

  Shandi shook her head. “No, or at least I don’t think so. How do I know?”

  “Umm…well, think about Rafe and Ryley. That always does it for me. Thinking about my men gets her all worked up,” Caroline said, running a hand over her rounded tummy.

  Focusing on her newfound talent of sharing thoughts with her men, she sent off the first words that came to her head.

  Shit, baby girl, now I’ve got a hard-on in front of the guys.

  Sorry, big guy, but I’m practicing.

  I can think of more pleasant activities to practice. Are you sure you don’t want to come in for a quickie?

  Shandi felt a blush creep over her face, and then an intense need filled her body. A pressure in her chest reminded her of what she was supposed to be doing, and the word Mate shot through her brain in a familiar voice.

  She gasped as she realized that the voice she was hearing was a lower, raspier version of her own. Her wolf wanted to go to her mate. Watching her closely, Whitney and Tina both started laughing at the surprised look on her face.

  “Wow, that was funny to watch. Do I dare ask what you were thinking?” Whitney said, holding her stomach as she laughed loudly.

  “I was just talking with Ry—”

  “Well, that explains it. That horndog was probably having a mental fuck with you from the living room,” Tina said, shaking her head, as Shandi’s cheeks grew even hotter. “Well, I guess the good news is that it worked, and you’ve now met your wolf.”

  Shandi couldn’t help the grin that stretched her cheeks. Tina was right. She had been successful, and now she was the proud owner of a wolf.

  Mate.

  Shandi rolled her eyes and giggled. “She wants me to go find Ry.”

  “Well, of course she does, sweetie, that’s the point of a mate. Werewolves are extremely sexual, so you will hear from her a lot about wanting to go get freaky,” Caroline said, laughing with her. “But for now, she needs to control herself. We need to teach her and you how to shift.”

  Shandi concentrated on the instructions the four women gave her. She focused all of her energies on the new presence filling her brain, and she felt her skin start to tingle, and then prickle. The sensation grew until it was painful, and suddenly she felt her bones begin to shift, cracking, breaking and then reforming into a different shape.

  Her hands morphed in front of her eyes into paws that had razor-sharp black claws on them, and russet-colored fur sprouted on her arms until she could no longer see any sliver of skin.

  A loud whine and then a howl split the air, and Shandi knew it had somehow come from her throat. Fear filled the pit of her stomach, and she began to panic as she felt her teeth elongating in her mouth. The tang of her own blood on her tongue brought tears to her eyes, but she fought with herself to complete the shift. No matter how scary this was, it was necessary. She wanted her men to be proud of her, in human form, and in wolf form.

  Just as her body seemed to relax and settle onto four paws, redirecting her sight line about two feet lower, she heard the back screen door slam into the wall of the house and loud snarls behind her.

  Turning her head, she was shocked to see two enormous yellow-gold wolves rushing across the yard toward her. For just a millisecond the instinct to run shot through her, until she recognized the scent they carried.

  Rafe and Ryley made it to her side in half a breath, and were nuzzling her all over, checking her for injuries, and surrounding her protectively.

  “She’s all right, guys!” Caroline called out, but they were already asking Shandi that question silently.

  Angel, we felt your panic and fear, and your pain. Are you really okay?

  I’m okay. It scared me, but I’m okay. I did it!

  Yes, you did, baby girl, and you are one hot she-wolf.

  Caroline cleared her throat, and they all turned to face her. “As you can see she’s perfectly fine. However, we haven’t finished our lessons.”

  Shandi watched in awe as the other three women shifted into their wolves. Tina was dark charcoal gray in color with white hairs streaking her face and head, Whitney was completely black, with just a few stray brown spots around her muzzle, and Tawny was stunningly white. Pure white, with not a stray colored hair on her whole body. They were all three beautiful in their wolf forms.

  Rafe nuzzled the side of her face, and she instinctively dropped her head, so that he could press his muzzle against the top of her head in dominance. Then Ryley followed suit, before they both shifted back into their human form, while still standing over her.

  Looking up, she met their pride-filled gazes, and her heart warmed.

  “Caroline is right. We’ll go back in the house. We just panicked a little bit when we felt your emotions so strongly,” Rafe said softly, running his hand over Shandi’s furry head. “Love you, angel.”

  She did the only thing she could do besides tell him silently that she loved him, too, and she licked his hand. With a chuckle he looked over at Ryley, who watched her with smoldering eyes.

  “Maybe we should put the rest of the lesson on hold…” Ryley started to say.

  “No way, Ry. We all go back to work tomorrow, and she needs to have control of her wolf before she does,” Rafe argued. “Come on, man, let’s go.”

  “I love you, baby girl,” Ryley said, with a small pout on his lush lips.

  Later, big guy, I’ll make it up to you.

  Hot damn! I can’t fucking wait!

  Go now, angel, but call out if you need us. We’ll be close.

  Get your fine asses in the house. I don’t like other women getting a look at my men.

  The two brothers shared a smile, and walked away chuckling. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight of their tight asses as they headed back into the house. A shove on her side broke her daydreaming, and she turned to find the three female wolves waiting for her.

  With a slight nod Tina directed her to follow along, and the girls took Shandi into the woods for her first run, leaving Caroline behind to wait for them. It was a cathartic experience, and she was stunned by how free she felt. Running through the trees, knowing that she was one of the strongest, fiercest creatures in them, gave her a sense of power she had never felt before.

  The smells assaulting her were intense, wet grass, rotting logs, rodents, birds, even the smell of the lake that was miles away. All of it filled her brain, keeping her adrenaline rushing through her body.

  After what felt like only minutes she saw Whitney signal her with her head that they should turn around. Loping back to the back of the cabin, Shandi’s breathing came in swift, hard pants, but she felt incredibly energized.

  When she reached Caroline’s side, she saw the other women shift quickly back into their human forms and begin to dress. Unsure how to proceed, she plopped down on her butt and whined low in her throat. What if she couldn’t shift back? Would she be stuck as a wolf forever?

  “It’s okay, Shandi, sometimes shifting back is harder to do. You have to calm your adrenaline first. You’re still breathing hard. Once you’ve relaxed, you can focus on changing back. Picture your human form in your head, and concentrate,” Caroline directed.

  Shandi did as instructed, and again felt the rush of prickling pain, but this time it was less overwhelming because she was expecting it. Her body reformed and she felt herself rising back to her familiar height.

  As the warmth eased from her limbs, she stood tall, stretching her muscles and arching her back. “Wow.”

  The one-word statement sent all four women into giggles.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” Tina agreed, hand
ing Shandi the T-shirt she had been wearing earlier. “Do it a couple more times today just for practice, and it will come easier every time. I promise.”

  “Thank you. That whole experience was amazing. Do you guys go for runs a lot?” She quickly tugged on the clothing so that she was presentable again, and they all headed toward the back door of the cabin.

  “Pretty much every time we get a chance. Werewolves need to run to expend energy. If we didn’t we could drive our wolves crazy, and they would eventually try to take over,” Whitney explained.

  “What happens when a wolf takes over?” Shandi questioned.

  “They have to be put down. They basically become feral, wild animals that are unsafe,” Tawny said softly, and Shandi gasped in shock.

  “What? You would kill one of your own family members in cold blood?”

  “Shandi, I know this is a lot to take in, but werewolves go by a different set of rules than humans do. I don’t understand it all either, because I’m still fairly new, but everything we do is for the good of the pack and our safety. They would never just go kill someone for no good reason,” Caroline explained as they all entered the house.

  “I guess there is a lot for me to learn,” Shandi said hesitantly.

  “Hey, we’ll do it together, chica. Whitney and Tawny have been great sources of info for me and Caro, and you can always ask Victoria, too,” Tina said, giving Shandi a quick one-armed hug from the side.

  “Why wouldn’t she ask us?” Rafe said, coming into the kitchen from the opposite door.

  “Because you and sunshine are of the male variety, and sometimes a girl just needs girl talk,” Tina said with a roll of her eyes and a wink in Shandi’s direction.

  Rafe met Shandi’s eyes as he moved across the room. His steps never faltered. He was steadfast in his direction, and it pleased her that he wanted to be close to her. His arms went around her, and his lips brushed softly over hers, drawing a soft mewl of pleasure from her throat. Lifting his head, he smiled at her with masculine satisfaction.

  “I don’t mind girl talk. We can talk about girls all you want, angel,” Rafe said with a raised eyebrow, and she snorted.