An Alpha's Trust

by Shannon Duane

  The sound of their claws on the hard wood made Shana momentarily wince which was quickly hidden with humor. “All right guys, no peeing on the furniture and keep your claws and fangs to yourselves.”

  The three wolves, Conner, Grant and she believed the third was the sheriff, Paul, went to the large rug in front of the couch and laid down. Trevor hopped on top of them without hesitation and wiggled his way in-between Conner and Grant. How was it possible she knew them in this form?

  “Don’t question it,” Jake said quietly in her ear, startling her. Did he read minds too?

  Jake backed up into the bathroom, removed his clothes and changed to his wolf. He trooped out to the living room and licked Shana’s hand. He went to the rug and licked Trevor across his cheek. As Trevor giggled, Jake laid down by him.

  Trevor was petting his head, looking sleepy, when Shana made her way over. She plopped down by Jake and Grant. She cuddled up to Jake and began to pet his head. “You’re so soft and fuzzy. You better not shed on my new rug.”

  He couldn’t believe it. Shana was asleep on his wolf and a tuckered out Trevor was asleep in-between the guys. He licked her hand and placed his muzzle on her tummy.

  He slept for hours only waking when Trevor whimpered. He looked at the boy and could tell a potty break was needed, but he didn’t want to wake Shana. Oh well, it was almost time for school so he figured it was alright.

  He rose and motioned for Trevor to follow. They arrived in the bathroom, he shifted back to human and dressed while a content Trevor looked on. “Way cool. One day, I wanna be in a pack. Maybe we can sleep outside and go camping.”

  “Sure, lil’ man. Whatever you want,” Jake said on a yawn. “First, let’s get you to school.”

  Chapter 15

  It killed Jake to leave Shana snuggled with his pack, but he had to show her he could care for her son and be reasonable. Even though, his jaw was clenched at the thought of her lying with three other wolves-male wolves. But she needed comfort and support; that’s the way the pack worked. Plus, she was safe.

  He walked quietly back into her home after dropping Trevor at school. He made coffee and toast. Going to her he gently brushed the hair from her face and said, “Morning, sunshine.”

  She woke slowly and noticed aches in her body that shouldn’t be there. Her shoulders were tense so she stretched and...Wait, why was she surrounded by fur? She opened her eyes and remembered she was on the floor with the pack. She’d had the best couple of hours of sleep, better only if they weren’t on the floor. She looked up and saw Jake leaning down to offer coffee. She looked around for Trevor and panicked slightly when he was nowhere in sight.

  “I took him to school. He said to tell you to have fun at work.” Jake had a really good time with Trevor that morning. They’d bonded. Trevor was nothing like other five-year-old kids he’d known. He was like a man trapped in a boy’s body-intelligent and reasonable.

  “Oh, uh...thanks. He ate breakfast? Brushed his teeth and hair?” She didn’t know why she felt left out. She was the one to care for Trevor, the only person he depended on. She felt replaced.

  “Yeah, he’s a good boy and knew what to do. He introduced me to his teacher and I’m afraid you might have some splainin’ to do.” He didn’t mind that Trevor called him his dad, but it appeared to make Shana uneasy.

  She groaned. “Yeah, I bet. I better get ready for work.” Jake held out his hand to pull her up. She flew up and into his chest. Yum, werewolf strength. Oops, shifter. They didn’t like being called werewolves. Whatever. Focus.

  She took the coffee he held out to her and took a sip. “Perfect. Thank you, for everything.” She brushed a light kiss to his lips and turned for the shower.

  He stood there, shocked. She kissed him. Just that brief contact had him rigid, tenting his sweats. He wanted so much more, but he was excited she seemed to be opening up. He heard the shower start and imagined Shana naked, wet, and covered in soap. Looking down at his bobbing cock he heard a huff. He’d forgotten about the guys. Crap.

  He opened the back door and watched Grant, Conner and Paul trot outside and into the forest. “My sincere thanks for last night.” They were probably hungry. So was he. With one last look at his aching manhood tenting his sweats he went to make more coffee.

  Shana was in the shower thinking of all the extra support and didn’t notice the water going cold. She quickly washed up and got out. She dressed for work and felt happy, content. Even after the early morning call she felt secure. Damn wolves were growing on her.

  It was such a happy accident that she decided to move to American Canyon. She grabbed her stethoscope, badge and went to grab more coffee. She entered the kitchen and smelled bacon and eggs. Goodness, there was a hot half naked man/shifter cooking at her stove.

  “Grab a plate and then I’ll take you to work. Overhearing your conversation this morning, I’d like to keep a better eye on you.”

  She just stared at his naked chest with wide eyes. She licked her lips and tasted her cherry gloss.

  “That okay with you?” He had a shit eating grin on his face. Damn, he noticed her obvious approval and liked it. She had never seen someone look this masculine.

  “Um, I’d rather drive myself if that’s okay. I need to pick Trevor up after school.” She looked back to his chest. Yummy; was she drooling? She closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath. Yeah, that didn’t help. He smelled like man, spicy and wild.

  “I don’t have plans today so it’s no problem. I can drive you to pick him up. If that’s okay?” He noticed the way his voice was low and vulnerable. Crap, he was an Alpha. He’d just tell her how it would be. No asking. Isn’t that what her ex did? He was in an impossible situation.

  Lucky for him she didn’t feel like arguing. “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you at around one then. Can we eat in the car? I don’t want to be late for work.”

  They drove in silence, uncomfortable silence. What was he doing wrong? “Everything okay, darlin’?”

  “I’m fine. Thanks.” She was thinking about how she was going to go see her lawyer with Jake following her all the time. She wasn’t going to argue though. She’d never felt safer. She didn’t want him to think she was using him. Was she using him? There was a definite lust, but...she was so confused.

  “You have no idea how many emotions you just ran through, do you? First anxious, content, anxious and then confused. Penny for your thoughts?”

  “I just have a lot going on right now.” How was she going to focus at work? She needed to clear her mind.

  “Wow, now you’re a blank. You’re good. I’m here if you wanna talk, Shana. I won’t judge you, or get upset.” He needed to know what she was hiding. Was she in even more danger than he thought?

  Thank the Lord; they’d arrived at the hospital in the nick of time. “We can talk later, but everything is...fine. See you later.”

  What, no kiss this time? He hid his disappointment. “Bye.” He watched her enter the hospital.

  At the last minute, Shana turned and ran back to the car. “Thanks again.” She leaned in and gave him a whopper of a kiss. “Mowah.”

  Sure, their mouths were closed but she’d initiated contact, twice. He drove away smiling, licking the taste of her cherry lip gloss off his lips.

  * * * * *

  “Excuse me I need to change the contact information on my son’s emergency card. Could you please fetch it for me? Trevor Dunn, please.” The secretary looked at him over her glasses. He knew this was his son’s school because this was the closest school to where Shana used her cell, according to the tower. And that damn secretary just kept eyeing him over her glasses. “Did you understand?” he asked in his most authoritative voice.

  “Yes sir, I believe I did. However, if you need to update the information we’ll just give you a new card. There’s no reason to take the old one since it’s incorrect. Here,” she passed him a new card and smiled, “return it at any time.”

  She turned back to the computer, dismissin
g him. Now how was he supposed to get her address?

  * * * * *

  Jake was waiting on her outside the hospital. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. He was sitting in his truck and...Reading. How did she know that? He said this would only happen if they completed the bond. She had a moment of panic when she realized, he was a noble man and she trusted him. Whoa, hold on there; trust? What the heck. She didn’t know when that had happened, but suddenly it was clear. She trusted someone other than Katie and her parents. Big day.

  She walked out and found him just as she imagined. He put the magazine down and greeted her with a slow smile.

  “Hey there hot mama, need a ride?”

  She got in the truck and, without thinking, leaned into him. She put her hands on his chest and kissed him smack on the lips. He tasted of coffee and smelled delicious, as always. She slid her tongue, in invitation, along the seam of his full lips. He groaned, but let her in. They stayed in the lip lock until they both pushed away panting. She felt powerful knowing this big strong man became hot, and lost control, for her.

  He licked his lips and tasted her gloss again. It was tempting to fall back into the kiss, but they had to get Trevor. He adjusted himself in his jeans and started the car. “Ready?”

  “I am if you are, big boy.” She couldn’t believe she was flirting with him. It had been so long since she was comfortable even talking to anyone. She was acting wonton, and it felt amazing.

  He held her gaze for a full minute, shook off the lust haze that had taken over, and drove to the school. When they arrived at Trevor’s classroom, the school secretary pulled her aside.

  “You told me to let you know if there were any inquiries into your son. Today, a man claiming to be his father came to the office and wanted to ‘update his emergency card.’”

  “You didn’t give it to him, did you?” she blurted. How could he have found them so easily?

  “Calm down, ma’am. No, I didn’t give it to him. I gave him a new card and told him to fill it out and we would enter the information. He seemed upset, but left.”

  The panic subsided somewhat. “Thank you for letting me know.” She walked over to Trevor on shaking legs and scooped him into her arms. She began walking to where she normally parked her car, but realized she didn’t have her car. Shit-fuck.

  She turned to Jake and said, business-like, “We need to go,” and began walking to his truck.

  “What’s wrong, mommy?” came her son’s small voice from the extended cab of the truck.

  “Nothin’, lil’ man. Don’t fret. We’re gonna take a trip; when we get home you have to pack. Quickly, okay. We’ll go stay with grandma and papa for a while.”

  Jake looked at her with hurt in his eyes. “Where do your parents live?”

  “We can’t go anywhere, silly mama. I have to go to school tomorrow. We gonna do art.” He sounded so happy and she hated to uproot him, but it had to be done, to keep him safe.

  “We’ll talk about it later.” She was talking to them both. She didn’t want to be blunt in front of Trevor. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to Jake. If only he had met her long ago, it might have worked.

  As they pulled up to the house, Jake looked at Trevor. “Grant is in the backyard and wants to play a game of catch. Do you have a glove and ball?”

  “Yep, I got ‘em.”

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Go get ‘em.”

  “But mama said I gotsa pack. Huh, mama?” He looked to her eyes pleading.

  “You can play for a while. I still have to make plans.”

  Chapter 16

  Jake got out of the car, stormed into the house and slammed the door after Shana entered. “What the hell is goin’ on?” He tried to rein in his beast, but he could tell his control was slipping.

  “What do you mean? You don’t own me, and you certainly are not entitled to my future plans with my son.”

  He flinched at her words, his anger diminishing. “I realize that he’s your son Shana, but I’ve offered numerous times to share my life with you. Let me in. What happened? Maybe I can help.” He could hear the pleading in his tone.

  “I know you’ve offered, but I haven’t accepted. I’ve taken care of myself, and Trevor before, and I’ll do it again. Anything to keep him safe.” She started towards her room.

  “Wait!” He used his Alpha voice. No more Mr. Nice Wolf. “I will not stand by and let you make decisions that could harm Trevor. If you want to go off half-cocked and get yourself hurt I have no say. You’re an adult, but you will not get lil’ man involved in something over your head with. Think, if something happened to you, who would take care of Trevor? And do you care anything for me? I would mourn you my entire life. You are my one true mate! My only shot at happiness.”

  His chest was heaving and his heart racing. “You hire a security team to help you, and it’ll only hinder us...me because you can’t be forthright.”

  She stopped dead in her tracks and listened to everything he said. Let the words sink in. If it weren’t for Jake, Trevor would have been kidnapped, and she’d probably be dead. What should she do?

  “Let me help. What happened? If running is the best thing, you better believe I’ll run with you.”

  She looked over her shoulder and saw anguish on his face. She already admitted to herself, she trusted him. What could it hurt? Maybe he would come with them. “Ryan went to the school office today to get Trevor’s emergency contact card. It has all of our information on it. Phone numbers, address, place of employment, even email. I’m afraid he’ll come for us.”

  “They didn’t give it to him, did they?” He sounded worried.

  Hey, this opening up thing wasn’t so painful.

  “No, I informed the office staff of our...unique situation when I put Trevor in school. The secretary told me today when we picked him up. I freaked a little.” She admitted to herself, maybe a lot.

  “You are still safe, but I understand your worry. We need a new plan. I’ve been thinking, maybe you and Trevor can come stay with me. I have plenty of room and it’d be no trouble. You don’t have to tell anyone; it will be super-secret squirrel.” Great, now he was babbling like an idiot.

  Shana tilted her head to the side, considering his words. “Do you have enough room? Would it be safe? Umm, you wouldn’t...like want...uh...sexual favors in return, would you?” Why was she smiling? She had a shit day and she felt raw from so much emotion.

  He smiled, showing bright white straight teeth, for once, his panic and uncertainty falling away. He knew he loved her, from the moment he met her. He would want no other. “No Shana, I won’t make sexual demands, but you have to promise me one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  He chuckled. “You leave your torture device at home.” He lifted one eyebrow when she looked at him with confusion.

  “What...Oh, yeah, okay. I’ll leave Mr. Happy?” Her poor vibrator would get lonely without her. She wasn’t even embarrassed.

  Seriously? “Mr. Happy? I know a way for you to upgrade your...activities. Just say the word.” He gave her a wink and a smile before going to the back door to tell Trevor the news.

  Just that easily Jake had calmed her and, more importantly, made her see reason. She was falling for him, fast. Bloody hell.

  * * * * *

  “Really, mommy? We get to have a sleep-over at dad’s?” Trevor came barreling into the house.

  “Uh, honey, maybe you could call him Jake. Just for a little while. I know you can...ya know...see stuff. But it makes me feel...”

  “Sure, mom. I’ll try. Hey Jake, do you have books at your house that you can read to me at bedtime? What kind of sheets do you have? Power Ranger? This is gonna be awesome! Are the others coming to? Ya know, the guys?” He ran to his room without getting any answers and started to pack.

  “Sorry, he’s easily excitable.” Shana was emotionally exhausted. She needed to call Katie, see what she was supposed to do if Ryan broke parole or the restraini
ng order. He wasn’t supposed to contact her, but he’d called. Would he go back to jail for that?

  Lost in thought, she barely heard Jake’s response of, “We’re all a little excitable these days.”

  * * * * *

  “Jake, how many rooms are in your house?” Should she offer to sleep on the couch now? What was she getting herself into?

  “Enough. Come on, let’s get you packed. I’ll help Trevor. The wolves are gonna come over to pack house when we leave. You still okay with this?”

  “Yeah, how much do I bring? We’ll only be staying a day or two, right?” She pulled a small bag out of her closet and began to put her necessities in it when she heard a growl coming from behind her.

  “Why are you in my mate’s room?”

  She saw Grant moving purposefully into the room.

  “Permission to enter, sir?” Grant mocked as he stepped into the room and looked to Shana with his hands in the air. “There is a car parked at the corner, and I’d like to know if you’re familiar with it.” Turning to Jake, he said, “That is if Jake will allow it.”

  Jake rolled his eyes. He knew he was being overprotective, but he couldn’t help it. His mate was being stalked and his temper was at Def-con five. “Sorry bro. You’ll have your chance with the mate frenzy. Let’s take a look.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Whatever car Ryan would’ve had is probably gone. He’s not stupid. He’d rent a car or buy a new one.” Her voice sounded broken behind him.

  “Babe, it’s okay. It’s probably nothing, but we need to check anyhow.” He tried to sound reassuring because he didn’t want her to have to look either.

  They met Grant in the living room and he handed the binoculars to Jake first. Stupid Alpha rule. Was he going to have to go first during the whole relationship? Because that could get old, really fast. Wait, no, not relationship. They were...what were they? Business associates? No, that would be inappropriate with the kissing and all. Friends? Nah, she didn’t even know his favorite color. It was too complicated to think about right now, so she’d call him friend for lack of a better option.