GRAY Wolf Mate: League Of Gallize Shifters

by Dianna Love

  “A lot, but that’s not the reason. In the paranormal underworld, it’s all about reputation. They can afford to take a financial loss on a job, but not to undermine their street cred. That would cost them ten or twenty jobs.”

  Cole had somewhere to take her that wouldn’t cause the team to blow a gasket over him exposing their safe zones. He’d been taking more breaks from the team over the past few weeks, getting away to where he could shift without putting anyone in danger. He’d run his wolf hard and fast.

  Gray Wolf didn’t wear out easily, but it took the edge off his wolf’s desire to kill any living thing that hit his radar as even a potential enemy.

  Right now his wolf had settled down until he was barely noticeable. When was the last time the wolf had remained present and attentive, but quiet?

  To be honest, other than when he’d been near Tess, Cole couldn’t pick a time Gray Wolf had behaved this way and he doubted it was due to the mating curse.

  It was obvious that having Tess close was influencing his beast.

  If only that would last, Cole would curl up at her feet and stay there for as long as she’d let him.

  Tess moved a little then curled up on the seat and gave into the crash that came after a shit load of adrenaline shot through a body.

  He drove quietly, merging onto the interstate and enjoying the absolute silence inside and out of his body. His wolf would eventually wear on him until Cole gave up more and more control.

  If he believed the wolf had a goal of killing him, Cole would hate his animal, but they’d managed to rock along for years without much trouble. His wolf had taken so long to get under control, Cole hadn’t realized that wasn’t normal until a non-Gallize wolf shifter told Cole that he and his wolf were almost like one. A partnership where they shared a body.

  Not Gray Wolf.

  The only reason that wolf didn’t burst out of Cole’s body at will had to do with the magic that Cole had as a Gallize shifter. On the other hand, his wolf was a beast because it was a Gallize animal.

  The shifters who inherited their animal genetically had their problems, but Cole doubted any of them would trade with him once they got a look at Gray Wolf on a rampage.

  Blood and guts would fly.

  Time passed faster than he’d expected as he traveled south of Spartanburg. The next thing Cole knew, he had exited the interstate and driven twelve miles into the country. He took a left onto an unmarked dirt road. The surface was packed firmly enough that the recent rain had created only a few mud holes, which his SUV handled easily.

  He rounded a curve and found the dirt driveway through large hardwoods. At the end of it, the woods opened up to a one-story summer home. Just a frame house with a basement a couple had built thirty or forty years ago. They’d passed away and their three grown kids turned the property over to a rental company so they wouldn’t have to sell it. They used it during the summer, but Cole had it for another eighteen days.

  He’d rented it two years back for the woods and stream running through it, where he fished. When his team was sent to South Carolina to shut down the Black River pack, he’d rented it again with hopes of spending a few days here, maybe even with Sammy, before ... time ran out for both of them.

  Once he parked and turned off the engine, he circled the truck and slowly opened the passenger door so she didn’t fall out.

  Tess jerked and sat up. “Get away!”

  He stood still to let her get her bearings. “It’s me.”

  “Oh, damn, I’m sorry.” She raked a handful of black hair off her face, looking like a beautiful urchin.

  “Don’t apologize for anything. You’ve been through hell tonight. You’re allowed some room to snap at me.” He smiled and when she lifted her gaze she gave him a crooked smile in return.

  She’d be okay once he got her inside and in something clean. He offered his hand. “Ready?”

  Struggling to unfold, she twisted around and shoved her feet out and reached for his hand.

  Smothering a curse, he pulled her up and scooped her into his arms.

  Giving him a wry look, she said, “Do I look like some freaking damsel in distress?”

  He chuckled. There was the Tess he knew from years back. “If I let you walk barefoot to the house, you’ll cut your foot on something. I’m too tired to bandage you up tonight.”

  “Oh, I get it. This is all about you.”

  “Right.”

  She shook her head, then laid it on his shoulder.

  His protective instincts had been in overdrive since he found out she’d met her father for dinner and had left on foot. Seeing her wiped out and vulnerable only doubled his need to care for her.

  Up on the small porch, he put her down and opened the door, leading her inside where he flipped on a lamp for light. Taking a look around the small structure, he nodded and said, “Give me a minute and I’ll show you where everything is when I get back. I need to get my bag out of the truck.”

  She looked at him like he was an idiot. “Did someone leave this place unlocked?”

  “Yes. Me.”

  Same look this time, only darker. “Aren’t you worried about a serial killer waiting in here?

  “I would have smelled a human or a shifter the second I opened the door. No one has been here since I left.”

  Using his shifter speed, he got the bag from the car and returned in thirty seconds.

  Tess was giving him yet another look, one filled with questions she was reluctant to ask.

  He’d prepared himself for the what-kind-of-freak-are-you reaction. Not that he’d try to convince her he was just Cole in spite of being a shifter, but a small part of him wanted her to be happy to be around him right now.

  The nine days he’d spent here before meeting up with the team had been the hardest he’d spent alone. Every day was another step toward the mating curse oblivion. Every day he saw his future slide further out of his grasp.

  “What were they going to do to me?” she asked, throwing him way off.

  “The kidnappers?”

  She nodded, standing there with her shoulders tense but still upright. He didn’t want to rush her to do anything, but he wanted her wrapped up in a thick blanket ... in his arms.

  Protect mate. Gray Wolf had roused, but wasn’t trying to rip out of Cole.

  I will if you go back to sleep, Cole said silently.

  Tess needed an answer, but Cole wasn’t about to give her more fodder for nightmares. “My guess is the kidnappers wanted you for ransom money. Even if that group isn’t working for the Black River pack, they find high-profile targets to fund operations in different countries that way.” Huge lie. Those jackals did not give up a live body unless a lot of parts were missing, but he felt justified in sugar coating it when her shoulders relaxed and she nodded.

  “I need ... I —” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

  He gave up standing back and moved in, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close, whispering. “Anything you need is yours.”

  She swallowed hard and moved her head, letting him know she understood, but seeing the fallout in her face from tonight’s attack ripped him up.

  He would find who had done this and they would pay. Not tonight, but soon.

  She wasn’t bonded to him, couldn’t be unless she accepted the mating bond, but he’d taken her as his mate the day he decided to marry her. He just hadn’t realized back then all that he knew now. If she had died tonight, he’d have had no way to stop Gray Wolf from breaking free to avenge their mate.

  If he was telling the truth, Cole had to admit that he would have been right there with his wolf.

  The Guardian would have put him down immediately, as was his duty, but not until Cole had completed his own duty to Tess.

  He stroked Tess up and down her back. She would never know he’d chosen her as his mate all those years ago, but she didn’t need to know as long as he kept her safe.

  We keep her safe.

  Yes, Gray Wolf. />
  When she moved to leave, Cole opened his arms.

  She looked around, searching. “I’m going to take a shower. I have to...” She took a deep breath, trembled once and said, “Get their nasty hand prints off me.”

  He gave her arm a squeeze and pointed down the short hall. “Go through that door and you’ll find a bathroom on your left.” Bending down, he pulled out one of his long-sleeved T-shirts that would cover enough for her to be comfortable. “Take this. There’s shampoo and soap in the shower. The drawers are stocked with extra toothbrushes and ... things a woman would want.”

  She lost her smile. “You need lots of extra toothbrushes?”

  He inhaled without thinking why, but realized she was jealous. Big character flaw, but that made him happy. He thought she’d never want to be near him again when she found out he was a shifter, but jealousy ... that was special.

  “The extra amenities are supplied by the rental company. I’ve never used any so use what you need. No one will care.”

  Blush spread across her cheeks. “That was stupid of me.”

  Standing, he put his hand on her soft neck. “I like it when you get all possessive. It’s sexy as hell.”

  She dipped her chin, but not before he saw the twinkle in her eyes.

  Holy hell. What was he thinking to flirt with her now when both of their bodies wanted release after the kidnapping?

  He should not be playing with her right now, not on the heels of what she’d been through. Her emotions were in a free fall and it was his job to do the right thing.

  How was he going to spend tonight and not touch her?

  He had no idea, but touch her he couldn’t. She’d regret it in the morning when she started thinking about being with a shifter.

  No way was he going to see the accusation and disappointment in her eyes.

  She reached up to touch her hair, still disheveled from her attack. “My barrette. I lost it.”

  He stopped her panic. “It’s in the car. I remember seeing it when you got in, but it must have fallen all the way out when you went to sleep.”

  “Oh, thank goodness.”

  “A barrette?” he asked, finding her concern a bit funny considering all that had happened.

  “I know. Sounds ridiculous, but it belonged to my mother. She wore it all the time and I just ... like to have a piece of her with me.”

  Oh, man. Not funny at all. “Don’t worry. I’ll find it while you shower. I know we have it.”

  “Thank you.”

  His voice came out gruffer than he planned. “Get going and I’ll fix you some tea.” He never drank the stuff but he always heard women drank tea when they were upset.

  Walking away, she called back over her shoulder, “Only if you put a shot of whiskey in it.”

  That’s my woman. He smiled and turned to the small galley kitchen.

  By the time Tess returned with damp hair falling around her shoulders and wearing the long-sleeve T-shirt he’d given her, he had a nice hot toddy of tea with whiskey, honey and even lemon for her. The best rental company ever had stocked lemon juice packets with the honey.

  The whiskey was his. He couldn’t get loaded, not being a shifter, but he liked the taste.

  She plopped down on one end of the sofa looking drained.

  Having this moment with her struck Cole hard. He’d never let himself dream about being with Tess again. Not like this. He’d anticipated her disappointment and anger over and over until he forced himself to let it go.

  To let her go.

  Or so he’d thought.

  He’d only managed to tuck her memory away to save and now ... he wanted her more than ever. His heart was slowly crushing under the weight of accepting that he’d never have anyone and definitely not Senator Janver’s daughter.

  She looked up at him expectantly.

  Brushing away his sadness, he walked over and placed the mug on the table next to where she’d curled up on the gently worn sofa. Reaching around the other end, he found a blanket and laid it over her.

  “Thanks.” She sounded small even though she was trying to be strong.

  Cole settled next to her and draped his arm around her shoulders. She’s mine for now.

  Gray Wolf huffed softly, but didn’t interfere.

  In fact, Cole couldn’t describe the calm he felt and the way Gray Wolf was at ease. It was something he and Gray Wolf had never experienced, something that felt whole and solid.

  None of that made sense. Cole was at the point of taking any good moments when they came along. He wouldn’t question this one, just accept and enjoy.

  Tess sipped on her toddy, making a contented sound that Cole took to mean he’d chosen well.

  “You’re pretty,” Cole said, brushing his hand over her hair, which was starting to dry in the warm room.

  “I’m a mess.”

  “A beautiful mess,” he teased. He liked her with no makeup. She’d always been one who needed her full armor to start the day. Had to be completely put together.

  Too perfect sometimes.

  Her armor had fallen away and left her emotionally bare. She trusted him to see her this way and he loved it.

  Why couldn’t he have this?

  Sammy had probably thought the same thing as he slowly deteriorated. Like Sammy, Cole didn’t need a lot in life to be happy. Having Tess next to him, snuggled against his side, was plenty. He closed his eyes, holding on to the feeling. Just touching her was heaven.

  It didn’t take long for that incredible mind of hers to start clicking again. She took another drink, set the mug down and said, “I need to know what’s going on and who you are. I need to know the truth.”

  Cole considered how little he could tell her and weighed that against how much time he had left with her.

  He heard the challenge in her voice to meet her halfway and knew he had to make the right decision. Everything she wanted to know had emotional land mines ... for both of them.

  Chapter 26

  Twisting her shoulders to look Cole in the face, Tess waited to see just how much he trusted her. Light from the kitchen cast a gentle glow on his carved features. If she could stay in this cozy cabin, wrapped in his arms forever, she’d do it. But life would get in the way again.

  She’d seen two sides of him tonight. The fierce warrior who dove into a van of killers and the man now holding her tenderly.

  But she needed to know who he really was now after having been a shifter for seven years.

  She understood that he worked with a highly skilled group of shifters.

  After seeing the results of his ability tonight, she believed Cole’s claim that he was one of the apex predators.

  Thankfully, he was on the good side of the law.

  She’d struggled for days trying to decide how to move forward, but after having that conversation with her dad, she realized the truth. Her dad trusted no one, not even her, and she couldn’t live that way. The world was changing and she intended to change with it.

  She trusted Cole. At his core, he was still the same man as the one she’d trusted without question when they were in college.

  He’d come to her after escaping the transport truck and bared his soul when he could have remained hidden.

  He’d faced being put in a hole that had sent other shifters into madness and had still forgiven her.

  He’d jumped into a pack of vicious jackals tonight in his human form and faced death to save her.

  Her Cole had not changed, only his physical makeup.

  In fact, the more she thought on it, the more she was becoming comfortable with what he was, because above all, he was an honorable man.

  But she’d asked for the truth of who he was and what was going on. What was his hesitation? “Cole?”

  “I’m not avoiding answering, Tess, just trying to figure out how to do right by you, my duty and my team.”

  “What’s worrying you?” Now that she was away from SCIS and alone with Cole, Tess sensed an underlying sadn
ess she didn’t understand. She’d missed it the other night in her apartment because she’d been reeling from the shock, and okay, then from a monster orgasm. But she felt it now, though she couldn’t explain how.

  The ever-present energy hummed in her and seemed content for the moment, but she had this weird sense that the energy inside her was the reason she was able to pick up on something that was off with Cole.

  “I’ve had to make gut decisions since learning I was a shifter, which is what I’m going to do now. I’m going to tell you as much as I can, but please know that I’m going to trust you with information that can’t be shared at SCIS under any circumstances. Can I have your word that you’ll not share it?”

  Tess chewed on that a bit then said, “I accept that condition.”

  “Thank you, because I do want to tell you more. You need it to stay safe. I’ve already told you that your agency has a leak, a bad one. It’s more than that, though, and we’re pretty sure the Power Barons have a hand in all this. One or more might be behind the Black River pack.”

  Scarlett’s words came to mind, but Tess wasn’t entirely sold that a mage intern was wandering around SCIS. It took time just to be cleared for a position with the agency.

  She argued, “The Power Barons can’t interfere in our agency. That would be like the Department of Education interfering with Homeland Security. We’re not at all related. The Power Barons have an agreement based on doing their part.”

  Cole huffed a sound that was a cross between a wry chuckle and a scoff. “That sounds good on paper and allowing no interference between agencies works in an ideal world, but it’s the perfect backdrop for a mole. That mole might get my friend killed before I find him.”

  “The sick shifter you mentioned?”

  “Yes. He’s a close friend, someone who taught me that I had full responsibility for whatever my animal did. He would have submitted to our leader to be put down before harming an innocent human or another shifter.”

  “Put down? That’s ... that’s ... ”

  “The way our world works,” Cole finished for her. “We live with a dangerous animal inside of us, especially my group. If a shifter is out of control, he or she might kill a lot of humans before someone stops them. If one of my group is out of control, few things can stop us.”