Blake, Abby - Suddenly Wolf, Too (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Abby Blake

  “Figures you’d wake up in the three seconds it took me to use the bathroom,” Aiden said as he strolled back into the room. “How’re you feeling?”

  Fork still halfway to her lips, mouth still open, ready to eat, Louise watched as he walked over, traced a finger over her shoulder, and sat down in the chair beside her.

  She squeaked in embarrassment as she finally realized she was naked. Fuck. How did she miss that little detail? Aiden must have read her reaction correctly because he lifted the tray off her lap and held it up as she dragged the bed sheet up her torso and tucked it tightly under her arms.

  He placed the tray back on her lap, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and settled back in his chair.

  “Where’s Zeb?” Definitely not the most important question, considering everything she needed to ask, but still one she wanted answered.

  “He went to try and track down Josh again. Hopefully, he can get him to talk to us without the dogfight this time.”

  “You let him go on his own?” She couldn’t quite explain the fear or hysteria that thought evoked.

  “Relax, sweetheart. He’s an experienced hunter. He knows what he’s doing.” Aiden leaned over and brushed the hair from her face once more. Considering the messy strands that kept falling into her eyes, she was fairly certain she looked well and truly fucked. Except that she wasn’t, was she?

  “What happened? Did we…you know…um…do something we shouldn’t have?”

  Aiden smiled softly but was quick to reassure her. “No, Louise, we didn’t have sex. You’re only naked because your clothes were torn to shreds and covered in blood.”

  Her relief was short lived. “So the pain, the accident? That was all real?”

  He nodded, his expression neutral.

  “And the whole werewolf thing? That wasn’t a joke?” If her memories weren’t faulty then she should be dead. Turning her into a werewolf made an almost-weird sort of sense. But werewolves weren’t real, were they?

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Aiden said as he moved closer. “When we realized you were with Cal, we’d planned to walk away, but we couldn’t leave you to die. Cal would have lost you today either way, but at least this way you get a second chance at life, and Zeb and I get to claim our mate the way that fate intended.”

  “I…can’t…” Her throat closed over the words as tears blurred her vision. Give up Cal? But they’d only just truly found each other.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but as a newly made werewolf you’re a danger to him. We need to get you somewhere safe before the full moon rises in three nights.”

  “The full moon?” Fuck. Was she really beginning to believe this bullshit?

  The hotel-room door opened, and Zeb came in. His clothes were dusty, and he looked tired, but he wore a smile until he saw her face. “You told her?” His voice was sad, his tone resigned as if he hadn’t wanted to have to give her bad news.

  She moved the tray off her lap, her appetite gone, and then lowered her head and rubbed a hand over her eyes. Still fighting tears, but somehow knowing deep down in her heart that they were telling her the truth, Louise asked quietly, “Can I see him one last time…to say good-bye?”

  She didn’t hear their answer as strong arms pulled her into an embrace and held her tight as she cried.

  * * * *

  Hours later, Louise was still sitting at her desk, making phone call after phone call, trying to find a temporary replacement to cover the sheriff’s duties until the sheriff completed his vacation. The arrogant asshole had barely listened to her carefully crafted explanation on how she needed to resign immediately because of a family emergency before swearing at her, telling to suck it up and deal with it. No way, no how was he accepting her resignation until he’d finished his damn vacation. He’d also given her his favorite lecture on why a woman shouldn’t be employed in a man’s job. In the end she’d hung up on the stupid asshole.

  But she still couldn’t leave the town without a sheriff while she went off and learned how to be a good little werewolf. She was almost to the end of her list when the bells over the door tinkled and someone walked in.

  Louise looked up to see Andrea walk through the door. After everything that had happened over the past couple of days, it was wonderful to see a familiar face. But Andrea’s smile faltered as she stepped closer, her gaze swinging immediately to Aiden and Zeb where they sat at the back of the room.

  And then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Andrea’s husbands, Xavier, Daegan, and Isaac, came through the door and placed themselves between Louise and her men.

  “Explain!” Xavier ordered in a voice that sounded barely human. Both Aiden and Zeb looked shocked, but they dipped their heads in what looked suspiciously like respect.

  “Explain what?” Louise yelled at their muscled backs as she stood up from her desk. All three of Andrea’s husbands seemed disinclined to answer, so she turned her angry gaze on her soon-to-be-former best friend. “What the fuck is going on?”

  Andrea looked angry enough to chew nails, but her expression turned a little guilty when she finally seemed to realize that Louise wasn’t happy with the way things were going.

  “We just want an explanation,” Andrea said, raising her voice so that Aiden and Zeb could hear her clearly, “as to why my best friend is suddenly a werewolf.”

  “Y–You know?”

  “Yes,” Andrea said, her anger obviously draining from her as she stepped closer. “What we don’t know is why.”

  * * * *

  This was so not good.

  Aiden glanced at his brother, seeing no way out of this situation. It was clear that all three men in front of them were very strong werewolves, and nobody would be leaving this room without their say-so.

  “Apologies, alpha,” he addressed the man who’d spoken, hoping that his assumption was correct. Hell, they could all be alphas, but he figured the one in the middle was most likely in charge. “We didn’t realize we were in your territory. We would have sought permission if we had known.”

  “You’re not in my territory,” the one in the middle said quietly, confirming Aiden’s guess. The alpha’s voice was calm and controlled, but Aiden knew that just made the man more dangerous, not less. “But the people in this town are under my protection. Explain why Louise is now a werewolf.”

  Fortunately, by the time they’d explained most of the story, all three men had relaxed, and the interrogation turned into a more friendly conversation. The woman who’d come with them was smiling widely, but Louise looked like she was ready to explode.

  She did a moment later. “Xavier, what the fuck is going on? What the fuck are you doing here? And why the fuck would you do that? I don’t appreciate you threatening people in my office.”

  But Xavier turned and grinned at Aiden and Zeb. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full with this one. Does your alpha know you’ve found your mate?”

  “Not yet,” Zeb said, reaching over to pull Louise into his embrace. She slapped his hands away, seeming so goddamned angry she could barely see straight.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are? My mate? Not fucking likely.”

  “Louise,” Andrea said as she stepped closer and wrapped a slender arm around her shoulders. “Becoming a werewolf is a good thing. Trust me on that. I can explain everything.”

  “Good,” a familiar voice said from behind them. “You can start by explaining how my woman ended up surrounded by men who think they’re fictitious creatures.”

  * * * *

  Cal was livid.

  He’d come into town to find Louise, declare his love, maybe get down on one knee and ask her to marry him, and then plan a life together. What he hadn’t expected was to find a tense standoff between Andrea’s three husbands—Three! Was the woman mad?—and the two men who’d been ogling Louise yesterday.

  The only good thing to come of his eavesdropping was that Louise didn’t seem any happier about the situation than he did. Their talk of werewolves was more than
a little unnerving. Just yesterday he would have declared them all insane, but he’d seen enough in the past twenty-four hours to give that theory just a little credence. Yet that wasn’t his main concern.

  Louise was upset, and it was his responsibility to comfort her. She’d looked angry enough to shoot the other five men in the room, but he smiled grimly as she stepped into his arms and held on tight.

  * * * *

  Zeb felt jealousy flash through him like a bolt of lightning. Every instinct screamed at him to drag his woman from the man’s arms and claim her immediately. Aiden must have sensed his thoughts, or maybe shared them, because he placed a restraining hand over his arm.

  He took a deep breath, trying to still his chaotic thoughts. Attacking the man she loved wasn’t going to win him any points anyway. Zeb glanced over at Cal. It was obvious he’d heard most, if not all, of the conversation. He would know he was dealing with a group of werewolves. Even if he didn’t quite believe, he had to know he was standing in the middle of a very dangerous group of men.

  A growing respect for the man caught Zeb by surprise. Cal loved Louise, that much was obvious, but it didn’t change the fact that she was now a werewolf. With her increased strength and stamina, she had a very real chance of hurting him accidently. Fair or not, she needed to let the man go.

  “Okay,” Andrea said. “Everybody out! I want to talk to Louise and Cal. Go on, shoo.”

  Andrea’s three husbands smiled indulgently but did as she asked, making certain that Aiden and Zeb went with them. It irked him to leave his mate in the arms of a human male, but it seemed he wasn’t being given a choice.

  “It’ll work out,” Isaac said as they stepped into the sunlight.

  Zeb hoped to hell he was right.

  * * * *

  “What are you doing here?” Louise asked Andrea.

  “We came to visit you two. Of course, if I’d known you were dealing with werewolves, I would have come sooner.”

  “How do you know about werewolves?” Louise asked. She had a feeling she already knew the answer, but until she heard the words out of her friend’s mouth, she wasn’t taking anything for granted.

  “Remember the day Jed Hawthorne thought he shot me?”

  The sudden change in topic confused her at first, but then all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “He really did shoot you?”

  “Yup,” Andrea said with a soft grin. “If Isaac and Daegan hadn’t been in town, you would have found my corpse the next day. They saved my life by making me a werewolf, the same way Zeb and Aiden saved yours.”

  “They said I have three days.”

  Andrea nodded, but her eyes filmed with tears as she tried to smile. “The next full moon is in three nights’ time. You’ll need to be somewhere safe by then so that you don’t hurt anyone.” She looked at Cal as the tears spilled over her eyelids and slid down her face. “I’m so sorry, Cal, but she can’t stay. You need to let her go.”

  Cal’s arms tightened around her, but he stayed quiet, simply listening to the conversation. It broke her heart that he was learning about what had happened to her in such a strange way, but it only reinforced everything Aiden and Zeb had tried to explain. She couldn’t stay in town, she couldn’t stay on as sheriff’s deputy, and she couldn’t stay with Cal. Her life had changed irrevocably, and there was no choice but to walk away from everything she’d once known.

  Cal didn’t say anything as Andrea got up and started making coffee. He simply pulled Louise back into his tight embrace and rocked her gently.

  * * * *

  Aiden could feel his mate’s grief and wanted to rage at the fates for their unfairness. Louise Jackson would have been fine if she’d never met them. She wouldn’t have been hurt, she wouldn’t have been changed to a werewolf, and she wouldn’t have been forced to give up a man that she so obviously loved.

  “Who’s your alpha?” Xavier asked as they waited outside the sheriff’s office.

  “Doug Grayson.”

  Daegan whistled a sound that suggested he realized how much trouble they were in.

  “What brings you here?”

  “We’ve been tracking a rogue wolf, Josh Hampton. We managed to corner him in barn early this morning, but once Louise got hurt we concentrated on her.”

  “This Josh Hampton attacked her?” The growled question may have come out of a human mouth, but it was pure wolf fury behind it. Aiden realized he needed to explain quickly, or Josh wasn’t liable to make it back to their pack for trial.

  “No, he knocked her over as he fled, but I’m positive it was an accident.”

  “Are you sure he didn’t injure the frail human on purpose so that you’d be distracted?”

  Aiden ran a hand through his hair. He knew in his gut that Josh hadn’t hurt Louise deliberately, but that wasn’t the sort of evidence one presented to an alpha as proof.

  “Before Louise crept up on us,” Zeb said slowly, as if he were choosing his words carefully, “Josh was talking to us. He’s frightened, really frightened, of what our alpha will do once he catches up with him.”

  “Why does your alpha want him?”

  “The report we were given said he’d gone rogue and was attacking people all over the country, but the man we met this morning seemed about as far from a crazed killer as a werewolf could get.”

  Xavier scrubbed a hand down his face, gave them both assessing looks, and turned to his brothers. “What do you think?”

  They seemed to be communicating silently, which even in werewolf terms was unlikely between brothers. It took a while to realize that they were probably relaying the conversation via their mate. If Andrea was anything like their first impression of the woman, he had no doubt she was a strong alpha’s mate and quite capable of helping the men make a decision.

  “Louise needs to be somewhere safe for her first shift. You’re welcome to join us for the full moon.” Xavier handed him a business card, turned away as if to leave, but then added casually over his shoulder, “Of course, Josh would be welcome, too, if you wanted to bring him along.”

  Aiden was still trying to figure out that cryptic invitation when the three men stepped back into the sheriff’s office. A few minutes later they, along with their wife, climbed into a large four-wheel drive vehicle and headed out of town. He watched them drive away with Andrea’s parting words still ringing in his ears, “Find a way to make it work.”

  * * * *

  “So what happens now?” Cal asked Aiden and Zeb as they came back into the sheriff’s office. He’d been so pleased to see Andrea’s car parked out front, but never in a million years could he have anticipated an outcome like this.

  “Xavier has invited us to stay at his compound for the full moon.”

  Louise shifted in his arms and looked up at Aiden and Zeb standing near the front door. “That’s a good thing, right? They’re only a couple of hours from here. We can come back afterward?”

  Zeb gave her that affectionate look that had Cal grinding his teeth with jealousy. Ironically, even through the green haze of his anger, he was also grateful that the men who’d made her a werewolf so obviously cared for her. But that only made things more confusing. This had to be the most fucked-up situation he’d ever encountered.

  “We need to finish our assignment, so I guess we can figure something out,” Aiden said with a sad smile.

  Zeb shook his head slowly. “Maybe that isn’t such a good idea.” He took a step closer to Cal, and for just a fleeting moment, Cal sensed sympathy from the man. “Cal, if we hadn’t changed her, she would have died this morning. You would have lost her anyway. Maybe it will be easier on both of you if you just make a clean break.”

  Cal wanted to punch something, to rage at both men. Cal’s loss was Zeb and Aiden’s gain, but even as the thought wound through this heart and soul, he knew they weren’t at fault. They’d saved her life, and despite being the reason she’d been hurt in the first place, Cal realized that as sheriff’s deputy, Louise had run that risk
every day. Even in this sleepy little town.

  He closed his eyes, suddenly realizing how unfair it was of him to try and hold on to the woman he’d known. If he’d had any doubts about the werewolf thing, Andrea had wiped them all away. Her honest and frank explanation had only confirmed everything he’d overheard, but he’d declined her offer to change into her wolf. Maybe it was his own form of denial, but by not witnessing one of his friends change into a werewolf he could somehow maybe deny their existence.

  He moved, lifting Louise to her feet. She turned to him immediately, but he placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her from hugging him. Aiden nodded, his own eyes glassy as Cal turned Louise around and gently guided her into the other man’s arms.

  “They’re right,” he whispered, hoping like hell Louise couldn’t hear the tears in his voice. “I love you, Louise, but our time has passed. Aiden and Zeb will take care of you now.”

  “I don’t want to be taken care of! Damn it, Cal, don’t you know me at all?” Her words twisted his heart, but it was the tone that damn near broke him. Louise was hurting, really hurting, and staying around, prolonging the agony of separation, would only make that worse.

  “I’m sorry, babe,” he said in what he hoped was a nonchalant voice. “But you know it’s better this way. I have no doubt that Andrea will kick their asses if they don’t treat you right.”

  Louise half laughed, half sobbed at his words. He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, noticing the hickey that should have lasted for days was already gone. He nodded to both men, turned toward the door, and walked away from the only woman he’d ever loved.

  Chapter Four

  Aiden ran his hand tiredly down his face. It hadn’t taken long for Louise to track down some information on the human called Josh Hampton. Aiden and Zeb had known he was a made werewolf, rather than born as one, but until Louise started digging up details from the human databases had known very little about the man they’d been sent to drag back to the pack.