“I’m picky.”
“Won’t you answer my question?”
Dane shifted in his seat and the corners of his lips twitched downward in a frown. “I’m a shifter. And as you know, we’re not entitled to certain things.”
“I’m fully aware of the inequalities in the law for the shifter species,” she said.
When shifters were first discovered just decades ago, half of the world revolted in chaos and the other half sided with them. Animal activists group came out of the woodworks fighting for the rights of the wolves even when they could clearly fight for themselves. These weren’t just wolves; they had the ability to take the form of human and animal at will. This ability to shift didn’t sit right with everyone and struck fear in some humans. But apparently the shifter species had been living in secrecy for centuries without causing trouble.
Back then, the government only hoped that the public outing wouldn’t create mass problems. For the most part, they found this to be true when the shifters were given their space and privacy. Inside the packs they were governed by shifter laws, but on human territory they were held to abide by human laws. All the laws were said to be applied the same, but somehow the rights were never laid out equally. So Trina could understand Dane’s statement.
“What certain things are you referring to?” she asked.
“I’m a half-blood, but I’m a wolf shifter nonetheless. My mother was a human. My father, a full-blood shifter. When they passed on, the will they began was never fully endorsed or recognized by the human courts so now I’m being challenged for the land and home that once belonged to my mother.”
“This home?” Trina looked around at her surroundings. They’d met in what looked like his study or a home office. It was spacious, just like the rest of the home, with the bare minimum—desk, chairs, bookcases. Almost no clutter at all.
“No, this land I refer to is farther west. Near the mountains,” he said. “The estate here is where I stay when I conduct business not related to the pack.”
Pack. So he belonged to a wolf pack. From what she’d heard, most shifters were loners that never identified with a pack. Some humans were threatened by the wolves’ ability to run together and form their own unions and alliances. They feared that one day the wolf packs would rise up against them. After all, one of the goals of a wolf pack was to multiply in numbers and expand territories.
“And where do you conduct business related to your pack?”
“At my pack home,” he answered bluntly.
“So let me see if I got this right. You need to marry a human to get your mother’s land back?”
Dane cocked his head to one side. “Right. The property won’t be deemed shifter territory until I do so.”
“So what happens after six weeks? You take our marriage papers to the courts?”
“Exactly. When we are legally married, my mother’s land will be safe from government seizure. You and I own the land on paper for six weeks. After six weeks is up, we will dissolve the marriage and you will release all rights to me. The land will then become territory of the Aspen Valley Pack as it should be.”
“You’ve got this all planned out perfectly. What’s your Plan B if things don’t happen that way?”
He bit into his bottom lip. “This is the only way to get my mother’s land back. I will make it work. A Plan B would mean I’ve failed to gain my territory.”
“This is a very underhanded deal? What if the authorities find out?”
“They will only find out if you tell them,” he said. “That’s why it has to look like a real marriage for the next six weeks.”
“There’s danger involved with this. I can go to jail for aiding and abetting this type of deal.”
He grinned. “Well something tells me there’s a story behind why you’d reply to an ad like this.”
She swallowed. “I need the money. And I need it quickly.”
“For?”
“My dad’s surgery. We have no health insurance and medical bills never disappear fast enough. I get us in the green and something comes up unexpected related to his care and we’re deep in the red zone again—like now.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t be telling you all of this.”
Dane sat up in his chair. “But your background shows that you have a Ph.D. What happened?”
“I left a six-figure job as a marketing executive in Manhattan to come back home to take care of my dad. I lost my mother to the same car accident that crippled my father. Although he made it out alive, he’ll wear prosthetics for the rest of his life. Both legs have already been fully amputated. Once there’s enough money, we’ll go ahead with his surgery for customized prosthetics. It’s not a one-time deal at all. After the initial surgery, there will be many follow-ups for maintenance and replacements.”
His brows had furrowed. “I’m sorry about your loss. I’m no stranger to death of parents…”
“So you understand that I just want this six weeks over with quickly so that I can collect the money and pay for my dad’s surgery. It will give him some comfort in his everyday activities and will give me piece of mind. I understand the risks, but like you, I want to keep this marriage as low key as possible from the public eye.”
He nodded. “We’re on the same page it seems.”
“I’ll need this to cover the deposit.” She grabbed the check off the table. “When can we get this over with? The marriage, I mean?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“Huh?” Trina hadn’t expected it to be so soon, so his answer surprised her to the point where she was no on the edge of her seat. “As in tomorrow, you mean…?”
Dane lifted his wrist and glanced at his watch. “In twenty-two hours from now.”
“I guess, but I’ll have to get things in order at my dry cleaning business.”
“Already taken care off. I have two young interns in their early twenties who would love to learn the ins and outs of running a business. If you lend them your trust, they will operate your business for the duration of this arrangement. I will pay them double what you would normally offer for part-time work.”
Trina’s mouth fell open. “You were serious about doing research on me, weren’t you?”
“Very serious. I made some arrangements while you were in the shower.”
She narrowed her eyes. “My father…”
“I knew you were still living with what looked like an older gentleman. I figured he was your father, but you confirmed that today.”
“And he needs my help. And that’s what we need to discuss now. I can’t leave him home alone for too long.”
“No discussion needed. While you are my wife, you will remain under my protection and act as such. I’ll make a quick call and we can set up round-the-clock care for your father right here. However, you will remain with me at another location during the duration of our marriage.”
“Are you crazy?” This part of deal had never been discussed.
“I’m not crazy. As you witnessed, there is some danger involved in being the wife of a shifter. I can’t have you exposed and at risk. I have a Plan A. That is all and I don’t plan to deviate. Do you understand?”
What would she tell her father? She hadn’t told him a word about signing up to be a temporary wife of a shifter just so she could earn all the money to take care of his surgery and medical bills.
“I…”
“Six weeks. Three days. Is all I’m asking.”
Dane Magnus had backed her into a corner. She wondered what he did for a living because he’d just literally turned the tables on her. She would have to give up more of her freedom than she thought.
Six weeks. Three days.
“So…” He leaned forward.
“How do I know you’re not some serial killer on the loose?”
“You had no problems accepting my cock in that sweet pussy of yours with these suspicions.” He smirked. “And if that was the case, I would have been arrested that night when I bit the arm of the m
an who held up that nightclub.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a candid bastard?” Trina wanted to punch Dane and kiss him at the same time. What was wrong with her?
“Why yes, as a matter of fact, I’ve been called both of those names.” His voice sounded like a deep bass and as he spoke he assessed her with a dark teasing stare. “I should warn you that I am not popular with your human government. I’m…how can I say this…active for the rights of shifters.”
Trina couldn’t blame him for fighting for what he believed him and for a group in which he obviously belonged.
“Since there is risk…” A warm sensation crept up her spine and she shifted in her seat. “…pay me all the money up front and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
“Whoa…”
“You want me locked away in a secreted location with a ball and chain around my ankle. I need some reassurance that I get paid in the case that your Plan A doesn’t work because you said it yourself…you don’t have a Plan B.”
Trina smiled sweetly.
Dane rested in his chair and remained silent for several moments before he opened a drawer. He pulled out a blank check and began writing the details on it with the full amount of payment. After signing it, he slid it over to the table at her. “Deal.”
“Deal.”
Chapter Six
Dane rose from the sofa in the living room the moment he sensed Trina coming down the staircase. He didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse, but her distinct sweet honey smell lingered everywhere. Her scent wouldn’t have been an issue if his wolf didn’t go crazy each and every time she was around. He didn’t know how long he could keep his wolf in check, but the reality was that both sides of him wanted her. The arrangement to marry was completely separate from this lethal need to have her even if it was only one time.
This time Trina was dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt. Everything about the outfit was normal, but she couldn’t hide the fact that she was exquisite. And she certainly couldn’t drown out the natural scent that was her own with the subtle perfume she wore.
He wiped his slippery hands on the front of his pants and tried to act calm, yet he was anything but. This woman awakened his deepest urges, one’s he never had any problems subduing before if he wanted to. With Trina, he didn’t want to subdue them. Trina was no shifter. She wouldn’t understand the lustful urges running through his body.
“Everything okay?” He met her halfway in the room.
She nodded. “I think so.”
He could tell by her demeanor that she was having second thoughts. The nice girl he’d researched was very much a stranger to his way of life. Something told her that she’d never planned to do something so drastic for money.
“Change of heart?”
“No, I want to do this.” She lifted a small bag. “I packed two nights’ worth of clothes like you said.”
Dane took her bag. “And your father? Is he comfortable?”
Trina visibly swallowed. “For now. I had to tell him that you hired me to build a marketing plan for one of your companies and that I had to go away for a little while. I didn’t want him to know…I don’t want him to know about this.”
He didn’t like seeing her sad. “You know what I said about you always being under my arm…that’s not possible all the time. You don’t need permission from me to come see your father.”
Trina smiled. She had a beautiful set of pearly white teeth that complemented the rosy hue of her lips and almond-toned skin.
“Marcia just recently retired. She was the assistant to a very prominent doctor in the city. She knows what she’s doing and will take care of him while we’re away.”
“She’s a very sweet lady.” Trina smiled. “Thank you for doing all this extra stuff.”
“Consider it part of the deal. There’s no use being unhappy during this whole thing. I know you care about the well-being of your father and I didn’t want to interfere with any of that.”
“You said the lawyer was meeting us at the home you’re trying to win back at noon. We have less than an hour to get there so I hope you’ve got your car ready.”
“I don’t own a car, sweetheart.”
“So how are we going to get there?” Her eyes were innocent, but held him in a demanding stare as she pressed for an answer.
He dug a set of keys out of his pocket and slung her bag over his shoulder. “My bike.” He started off toward the door.
“Those things are too dangerous and I’ve never ridden one.”
He chuckled. “There’s a first time for everything. You’ll get your first riding lesson from a shifter.” He turned to take quick glance at her over his shoulder. “That way you’ll remember this day either one of two ways.”
She stopped in the foyer as he held the door for her. “Do you mind elaborating on the second way?”
He gave her a once over for the hundredth time. She had curves in all the right places. Her waist was cinched in where the jeans were buttoned and the fabric clung to her hips and thighs. Her breasts pushed against the thin fabric of her shirt and even though she wore a bra, the material must have been flimsy because he could detect where her nipples were ready and erect.
Dane’s mouth water and his cock pushed against the front of his zipper. “The other way involved me being as quick or as thorough as you requested it to be.”
He was still thinking about the way her tight wet pussy milked him.
“Hmmm.” She gave him a teasing shove. “Well if your bike rides better than you do, that would certainly be a shame.”
“Oh, that mouth of yours…”
Trina led the way out of the door and Dane followed her with no hesitations.
****
Johnston, the lawyer, was a shifter. Trina could tell right off the bat.
Brock Justice served as the witness to them, signing and agreeing to the marriage on paper.
Johnston had gotten down to business, explaining every term for her when she’d asked. Brock never cracked a smile. In fact, it seemed that he was against the arrangement.
Something she learned was that shifters who identified with a pack did nothing to hide their true nature. Many of her loyal customers at the dry cleaners were shifters since the business was located so close to a pack home. By now she knew how to pick them out of the bunch. They didn’t look so different on the outside, but sometimes their instincts and mannerisms gave them away. She had an advantage, though. Before her dad lost both legs in the car accident, he volunteered regularly at a wildlife rescue facility. He’d tell her stories of his adventures in saving animals from near-death experiences. In the past, she’d gone with him a numerous times to care for the animals.
“This document represents the pre-nuptial agreement. It basically says that should the marriage end, and it will, nothing will be gained. All parties are left the same as when they entered the marriage with the exception of the prior agreement that you’ve made with Magnus. He keeps the land and you keep your cash. Understood?”
Trina looked from Johnston to the document. It was a one-page document stating in expanded form what he’d just told her. She suspected that had this been a marriage to a human under normal circumstances the document would have been ten times as long and required much more attention on her part. The simplistic manner in which the terms were presented on the document told her that the shifters were more direct and forward in their approach. They left out the fluff.
Brock cleared his throat and nudged Dane’s side. They got up and retreated into the other room.
She was no dummy and knew they were discussing her and the agreement Dane was about to sign. One would think they would have talked about this before Dane decided to do this. Even if they had, it seemed Brock still had reservations.
“Those boys have always been indecisive. Even as young pups,” the lawyer commented after a moment of silence.
“Then you’ve known Dane a while?”
“Since the day he was b
orn.” Johnston stroked at his chin. “He was a good kid back then. Never got into any trouble. Things change when you’re faced with whether you want to just get by in life or live your life. I don’t blame him for what he did. The majority of us don’t. He’s still a good man. He does what’s necessary to protect his pack.”
Trina’s lips parted on a question. There were many questions running through her brain. Dane and Brock returned so she never got to ask the lawyer about anything
Dane picked up his pen and motioned for Johnston to continue. Johnston slid the first prenuptial agreement back across the table.
Dane signed the document and she so did she. The next agreement detailed how and when the marriage would end and there was even one that bound her to confidentiality, prohibiting her from discussing the arrangement during or after the marriage. The final was the marriage agreement.
Her attention lingered on the clause that said the marriage was considered valid after six weeks under human laws and only valid when the male marked the woman under shifter laws. And they needed to validate the marriage both ways because of the arrangement. He needed his mother’s land, but had to legally marry a human to do so and he needed his pack’s recognition. His pack would not recognize the marriage without seeing the mark. The lawyer had made all of this clear.
Trina felt as though she were signing her life away, but in reality all the agreements were set to end in less than two months from now. She’d give away two months of her life if it meant that her dad could enjoy the rest of his life and be happy.
After Johnston and Brock left, they both sat behind the solid oak writing desk side by side.
“My mother was a journalist,” he finally said, running his fingers through the cracks and ridges of the desk. “She’d write all her articles here by hand. I remember going with her to the city to deliver them to the newspaper and magazine companies.”
“What was her name?”
“Debra Smyth. Her father grew corn, wheat, and barley on the land before he passed on. It was his business. There were plans to revamp harvesting when my father took my mother as a mate, but they passed on before any of it could be done. All the paperwork, even the one with my mother’s will, was left in shambles.”
Shifter Untamed Page 5
