Howl & Growl: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Various Authors

  Of course, there were wild wolves in the world; shifters who had no pack but were not rogue, and lived much more from the animal side of the equation. But Rafe was not a wild wolf. He was an alpha, and he needed to remain clear and sharp.

  His phone chirped and he checked the message. A scowl immediately crossed his features. Unsanctioned wolf activity had been detected west of the den, again out in the canyons and mesas near where he and Sara had been patrolling earlier in the week. The rogue alpha-to-be, Luke, had accounted for all his wolves. He'd dismissed one who clearly would never truly be able to function in a sanctioned pack. The others he vouched for, and was keeping them under tight control while they enjoyed the hospitality of the Black Mesa Pack.

  A somewhat suspicious hospitality on occasion, Rafe knew, but courteous nonetheless. Channing Bardou would tolerate nothing less from his pack members. In return, Luke Rawlins had guaranteed his remaining wolves would behave, which included not venturing beyond the central den premises without escort.

  Whoever the wolf was sniffing around the southwestern edges of Black Mesa territory, it was in for a serious surprise. Rogue or not, it didn't step paw onto their territory without questioning. Alpha wanted Rafe and Sara to join up with the patrol currently out there and bring it in.

  This would be a fun hunt. But first he needed his patrol partner with him. Another grin slipped onto his face as he flicked his thumb at his phone and called Sara while jogging downstairs to head to his house.

  Sara's ire rose to a sharp, fine point when her phone buzzed and she saw Rafe's brief text. Meet me at my place. Strange wolf southwest boundary

  Perfect timing.

  It took her twenty minutes to get from downtown to the den. She didn't bother stopping at her place to grab more practical clothes for what could be a long patrol in both human and wolf forms. A small overnight bag she periodically checked and restocked always rode in the trunk of her car, filled with a variety of clothing options. Good thing she thought ahead that way, because she was still so annoyed she probably would have picked out a crazy ensemble.

  Pure angry energy carried her straight from her car to Rafe's front door. She was almost too focused on the sizzling irritation to notice the neat little vegetable garden off to the side, the one he kept well tended when he needed to zen out, as he had once told her. Or the cute porch swing his mother had given him several years ago, which Sara sometimes saw the young cubs swinging on when they came by to visit. Rafe was unflappable as an alpha-to-be, but he was also unerringly gentle with kids and seemed to genuinely enjoy their presence.

  Not that she wanted to notice these things right now. Nope. Right now, she was still charged up from finding out about his new pack.

  With a sharp rap, she announced her arrival. Even his door had personality to it. Hand carved, it featured a dark, heavy wood with intricate yet subtle designs above and below frosted inset windows. The entire little house was attractive in a serious way. Just like the man.

  Rafe swung open the door. Sara felt some of her fury weaken as he stepped out into the light and she got a good look at him. Jeans hugged his hips. A black t-shirt molded itself to his chest. He hadn't shaved for a few days, so an unbelievably sexy stubble grazed over his chin and cheeks. His eyes, the color of a deep blue mountain lake, regarded her with a healthy amount of interest.

  She had the most insane desire to lean forward and lick him.

  He didn't tell you he was leaving, she reminded herself as sternly as possible.

  “That's your outfit?” The low, easy rumble of his voice caused a rippling shiver up and down her skin. He didn't seem to mind drinking her in with his eyes. “I like it.”

  Sara took a deep breath and stood as tall as she could. Which meant even wearing heels, her head barely reached his nose.

  “Ready to go?”

  Willing herself to stop thinking about his darned lips, she kept her voice firm. “Nope. We've got something to discuss first.”

  He frowned. “Problem?”

  “Yes. You haven't been honest with me, and I want to know why.”

  She kept her chin tipped up and hoped she looked unyielding.

  He only looked perplexed. It made him even more lickable. She stomped on the desire.

  “About what?”

  Sara took a deep breath. “About your new pack. When exactly will you be leaving? And when did you plan to tell me? Or did you?”

  Cocking her arms on her hips to give herself the will to not cave in front of his damnably male self, even tapping her fingers for good measure, she waited.

  Shit. Rafe's wolf sat up. Rafe tried to force away images of Sara's long, bare legs wrapping around his waist while he groped for the best answer. The one that wouldn't get her madder at him than she already was.

  “Sara,” he began.

  “Rafe,” she immediately snapped back. Her fingers beat out a staccato rhythm against her sides under the short, sassy little blue dress she wore. He couldn't help notice the beautiful swell her hips made. All he wanted to do was grab them and pull her close to him. Preferably on top of him, where the dress would ride up to those sweet hips and expose every gorgeous inch of her.

  Instead, he ran a hand through his hair to rub his temples. Just behind the beautiful she wolf glaring at him for all she was worth, Black Mesa rose. Like Sara, the mesa seemed to accuse him of abandoning it.

  His wolf let out the wolfish equivalent of a disgusted sigh and poked a claw into his mind.

  “Sara, I couldn't tell you. No one else is supposed to know yet.”

  “I'm not no one, Rafe.” Her eyes and her voice both snapped. “We're patrol mates, and—”

  From the sharp way she cut herself off, he sensed something running deeper and more furiously hot beneath her words.

  He tried reasoning calmly yet directly, which usually worked for him. “You don't seem to want to be someone for me.” Inside, he flinched at the words. The knowledge still stung. “I wasn't supposed to tell anyone until Alpha was ready to make the announcement.” He gave her a searching look. “How did you find out?”

  She flapped one hand dismissively. “That doesn't matter. What does matter is all the confusion I'm getting from you.”

  He couldn't help a short laugh. “From me? I've been clear. What I don't understand is your temper right now.”

  Wrong thing to say. That lit a fuse under her.

  “Temper? My temper? Rafe, this is not about me being angry that you didn't tell me you're leaving! You're leaving!”

  Repetition seemed to shock her into the truth of his impending departure. Abruptly quiet, her posture shifted from crackling anger to nonthreatening, nervous unease. The blonde locks Rafe again wanted to tangle his hands into curled and waved over her shoulders and delicate neck. A few strands blew over her eyes in the light breeze. She didn't swipe them away. Her instant relaxation from aggression to more submission lowered his own defenses as well.

  After another long moment, he carefully tried again.

  “I seem to keep screwing up with you, Sara. But I don't know how to handle this.” He paused to uncharacteristically search for words. “You said you weren't ready. You showed me you were weren't ready. So I backed off—again—to let you do what you needed to do.”

  A faint nod. She kept looking right at him, which just slightly unnerved him and his wolf. He wasn't used to her being so direct.

  “Alpha wants me to start up a new pack because it needs to happen,” he said, keeping it simple. “He's our Alpha. I'll always obey his commands, no matter what.”

  She nodded again, a tiny tremble bobbing in her chin. It still didn't seem like tears, however. Bothered that he couldn't place her emotion, he continued.

  “I need a mate, Sara.” The sentence hung stark between them. “I can't run a new pack without one. And I have to start this pack soon. The timing is critical.”

  “Did you know when we first got together?”

  “You mean last year? No. Alpha told me a few months
ago.”

  Her face dropped even more.

  “When we were first put on patrol together.” The usual lilt had left her voice.

  Rafe blew out a long breath. He'd thought of that, too, but only within the last week. It didn't remotely surprise him to finally put the pieces together. His father was a brilliant strategist. He'd probably thought Rafe and Sara would be good mates since they were pups. But he would never force any such decision on any of his wolves. He'd maneuver them into place, certainly. The final outcome had to be one of their own making, however.

  An outcome Rafe was destroying with every wrong word and move he was making. Maybe Caleb was right about him being a lame-ass alpha. If he couldn't convince Sara of his completely honorable intentions—well, almost honorable, considering he wanted to haul her inside, flip up that little skirt of hers, and fling her sweet ass onto his bed—convincing other wolves to follow him seemed to be getting farther out of his grasp as well.

  His wolf's ears lowered at Rafe's dark thoughts.

  “What do you want, Sara?

  He let the words ride the breeze and swirl around them both. She bit her upper lip as she regarded him. The cogs in her mind seemed to spin as he watched her. Finally breaking his glance, she stared with intent at the not yet blooming lilac bush that crowded against his deck railing. Reaching out to break off a piece, she worried it somewhat savagely between her fingers.

  Quietly, he waited, despite it being hard to maintain his impassive face when he wanted to step forward and kiss the hell out of her.

  Finally, she flicked her gaze back to his and spoke. A bit more fire rippled through her voice this time, but the bounce and sparkle he associated with Sara was still not quite there.

  “What makes me angry is that you weren't open with me. Look.” She sighed. “Yes, I like you a lot, okay?”

  The rosy flush he enjoyed so much creeped through her face as she said that. Rafe felt a gleam of hope he hadn't completely ruined every chance with her.

  “But I have to ask.” She paused before rushing out, “Did you seduce me like that in the hot springs just because you need me to help you with a new pack? Was that what you were looking for?”

  His wolf reared back in distress at Sara's naked worry.

  “What? No!”

  Rafe stared at her and wondered how he'd gone from making this sexy little vixen come on command to having her think he was some sort of cruel puppet master.

  Sara let his yell ring through her ears.

  Just asking him that made her feel a bit like a whiny, petulant child. Awesome. One sexy wolf she liked a little too much, and she might turn into a pathetically needy girlfriend. Not that she was his girlfriend. Although she could be his mate. Maybe.

  Her wolf turned in anxious circles, just like Sara's mind. An image of running and leaping filled her head, and she felt the small wolfish push that always meant she was getting too tripped up by her own thoughts.

  Okay. Time to rephrase. Somehow she'd have to stumble her way through it.

  Opening her mouth, she just let out whatever words would come. “I'm not that girl, Rafe,” she said softly. “I told you commitment isn't my style. And I want to prove myself on my own terms. And....”

  He waited. She noticed he'd crossed his arms over his chest. Which was a shame because it really was a nice, broad, well-defined masculine chest. Which led down to a sculpted waist. Which led to...strong legs, which were spread a bit apart to root his stance to the ground. Muscular thighs filled out the jeans, leading up to the spot between his legs where she knew temptation hung thick and beautiful. Unfortunately, temptation remained hidden behind denim.

  Swallowing, she looked back at his face. Now an eyebrow was cocked. She hurried on.

  “Rafe, I can't just be something for you to use, to—”

  “That is not at all—”

  “This would have to involve both of us.” She let her voice pitch over his. He subsided and gestured for her to go on with a sharp inclination of his golden head. “You didn't even think to ask me.”

  “Because I knew you would bolt.”

  She twisted her lips. Right. He did know her.

  “This is my pack, Rafe. I thought it was yours, too. I thought you would be the alpha here someday.”

  Her wolf rubbed her coat along the edges of Sara's mind in encouragement and understanding. She tried again, attempting to not sound quite so needy.

  “You asked what I want. This is what I want.” She waved her arms around them to include the pack den, the expanse of distant mountains, brilliant blue sky, a hawk crying in the distance, the two of them. “This is home, and this is where I'm supposed to be, and this is where and how I'm making my place. I'm ready to do more, to be more.”

  She paused as those last words sank in. Rafe stood motionless and still mostly expressionless, although she thought a darkness skipped across his face.

  “Spending time with you makes me smile. And more.” Of course she blushed at that admission. This time, she could swear a flash of satisfaction swept across his face before he schooled it back into that self-contained Rafe mask. “But this is too much, too soon. I want—I need to get the ground under me. Does that make sense? I just barely realized I want to be stronger on my own. I can't take on another role right now.”

  She didn't have to add, And I'm not ready yet.

  About five lifetimes later, he nodded. Then he glanced at the phone still clutched in his hand.

  “Okay. We have to go. Are we good for the moment?”

  Sara swallowed past what seemed to be an enormous dry expanse in her mouth.

  “That's it?” she said softly. “That's all you have?”

  The expression on his face matched the blackness of his shirt.

  “It's all I have to give right now, Sara.”

  Coldness spread through her as she nodded back at him. All the fight drained out of her, all the desire to do battle and engage him somehow. Right. He was leaving. It didn't matter that he hadn't told her before. She wanted to prove herself. Well, she was getting her chance.

  She was only realizing right now, though, that she'd wanted to prove herself to him.

  Chapter 8

  The chaos in Sara's mind felt muted and distant as she leaned toward the mirror a little. Frowning at her reflection, she dabbed at her lower lip with the applicator until the color was just right. Finally satisfied, she smacked her lips together and blew herself a kiss. Then she stuck her tongue out at her reflection and turned away.

  The all day patrol had exhausted her, and not simply because it was long and fruitless. They'd met up with the other Guardians, Caleb and his patrol partner, who'd scented the strange wolves at the far southwestern boundaries of Pack territory. None of them could pinpoint the origin of the scent. Sara still thought it was rogues, but Rafe hadn't been as certain. Whoever it was had crept near their boundary line, which although invisible to the human eye was clearly delineated to a wolf's senses. All four had returned to the den close to sunset, made their report to their grimly silent Alpha, and scattered to their own evening pursuits.

  Rafe had excused himself with just a nod good evening at Sara, although he'd stayed back to speak privately with his father.

  She'd come home with a raging headache, confusion still ricocheting throughout her. She knew of only one good way to make it all disappear. Her old stand-by solution: time to hit the bars in town and rustle up a little action. Losing herself in the embrace of some human cowboy had always been a fun release from anything and everything. Rafe was a whole lot of everything, and he was making her crazy with the “come here, come here, go away go away” routine. She'd had enough of it. Beside, it was Friday. Plenty of people would be out on the town.

  Her wolf rested somewhere deep in her mind where Sara couldn't clearly sense her presence. Despite the unease that created, she ignored it. Rafe couldn't give her what she wanted, anyway. There were way too many strings attached there.

  Right?

&n
bsp; Several times she picked up her phone to call Lily. Each time she put it back down again. Lily wouldn't want to go out without Kieran, which just wasn't like the old days. Besides, Lily seemed to be on Team Rafe. She wouldn't judge Sara's motives, but she wouldn't exactly approve, either.

  Nope, tonight Sara was flying solo until she met just the right guy to just take her to sweet oblivion. Who needed a hot blond wolf shifter with massive issues when she could just pick up some random guy in town? No muss, no fuss. Twisting her lips, she forced herself to believe that thought.

  With one last look in the full-length mirror, she nodded in satisfaction. Tiny black skirt, mid-riff baring top, and outrageously sexy red pumps. She was ready for action, on her own terms. Grabbing her phone, keys, i.d., and money, she headed out to her car. Resolutely, she ignored the fact her wolf seemed to be ignoring her.

  Rafe fished out his phone for the fourth time that evening, looked at the screen, and shoved it back in his pocket. The rumble of laughter, the smack of a cue stick against the ball followed by disappointed groans, and the ceaseless clinks of glass against glass from behind the hopping bar all provided a welcoming background of noise. The day hadn't gone as he'd planned. That and no calls or texts from Sara made him short-tempered.

  “Hey.” Caleb snapped his fingers in front of Rafe's eyes. “Did you hear what I just said?”

  Rafe dragged his gaze to his brother's rugged face, which was lit by an edgy grin. Caleb was itching for a bar fight to get out the energy he'd hoped to expend on busting some rogue ass today. The fact they not only couldn't find but couldn't even identify the scent of the strange wolves sniffing around their territory today had gotten under Caleb's ruff like a nasty burr. Rafe already felt sorry for the fool who decided to take on the barely contained rage of a wolf denied his prey. The Last Locomotive, one of the rougher bars in town, catered mostly to townies. The bar's motto of “Come on in and blow off a little steam” fit both their moods tonight.