The Alpha Shifter's Family Reunion - Howls Romance (Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance)

by Celia Kyle

  THE ALPHA SHIFTER’S FAMILY REUNION

  HOWLS ROMANCE

  CELIA KYLE

  MARINA MADDIX

  CONTENTS

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  About the Authors

  BLURB

  He will protect his mate from all threats. Even her own father!

  Reese has his mate Jane, his pup Connor, and a healthy werewolf pack firmly under his paw. His mate only needs one more thing to be completely happy—a reunion with her father. Not so long ago, Don went crazy and challenged Reese to a fight to the death, but Reese took mercy on the sick wolf. Now the werewolf National Circle claims Don is healed, but Reese isn’t about to risk the safety of his mate and pup.

  Will this family reunion end in howls of happiness, or will Reese regret sparing Don’s life?

  CHAPTER 1

  J ane counted herself lucky that she got to spend her afternoon with the most adorable—no, gorgeous—drool-worthy, and enchanting guy she’d ever met. Just her and him.

  Of course, he was less than adorable when he screamed at the top of his lungs at two a.m. And she wasn’t a big fan of him drooling on her while he was cutting a tooth. But no matter what he did, she couldn’t help but be charmed by his giggles and smiles.

  “Hey, Connor,” she murmured, and the drooling six-month-old looked at her, giving her his best toothless grin. The thinnest sliver of white showed through his lower gums, announcing his impending first tooth. He reached out to her, little baby hand opening and closing in his best baby wave.

  Or he was hungry. It was hard to tell the difference when it came to shifter pups. That gesture and a grin could also mean he wanted to nurse. But, since he didn’t follow it up with a cry or bark, she figured her boobs were safe for a little longer.

  Jane leaned back on her elbows, the soft sand cradling her as she relaxed. The sun hung brightly in the sky, casting its glaring rays across the Ft. Lauderdale beach. A warm Florida breeze drifted across the shore, ruffling her son’s short hair. The large umbrella shielded them from the sun’s harshest light, so their skin didn’t burn, and kept their area cool.

  Another gust of wind whipped past and Connor giggled, a carefree laugh that had Jane smiling in response. He banged his plastic shovel on top of his overturned bucket, sending sand flying everywhere. His chubby legs wiggled, heels making small dents in the sand.

  His pure laughter—joy—made her thankful they’d finally gotten away from their squabbling pack. There hadn’t been much time for family bonding since Jane’s Coleman pack had merged with her mate’s Warren pack to form a whole new joined pack: Wilde Ridge. Jane was their alpha bitch, her mate Reese their alpha.

  Jane rolled onto her stomach and rose to hands and knees before crawling to her son.

  Connor dropped his shovel and held out his hands for her. “Ma!”

  “Hey, sweet boy.” She reached him and nibbled his neck, making her kid squeal. “Mommy loves you, but she’s hungry. Are you my snack?” She growled and pretended to bite his plump arm. Then she blew a raspberry on his chubby tummy. “I’m hungry for a yummy puppy.”

  Connor released another tinkling laugh, pure delight in his giggles. He lost his balance and tipped backward, but Jane darted out a hand to catch him before he tumbled too far. “Oops! No falling.”

  “No fa’, Ma.” He banged his shovel on his bucket.

  Jane smoothed his blond hair, caressing the downy strands. “That’s right, no falling. We have to go see grandpa later. We can’t do that if we have owies.”

  Connor hadn’t figured out that he quickly healed from just about any injury due to his shifter nature. Jane wasn’t looking forward to him turning into a daredevil wolf pup anytime soon. It was bad enough that he was only six months old but developmentally equal to a human of about eighteen months.

  “G’pa.” He scooped up a bunch of sand and tossed it in the air, wind whisking away the granules. “Yay!”

  “Yup, yay.”

  Thankfully Connor was too young to grasp sarcasm.

  She’d had nothing but her father on her mind through their flight the previous night and then later in the limo to the National Circle’s mansion. A year ago, they’d discovered he’d been poisoned, which had caused irrational and violent behavior. She’d forgiven him for what he’d done to her and her mother, but…it was hard to forget.

  Hard to forget the way he’d snarled at her. The names he’d called her. The way he’d called her baby a half-breed bastard.

  Connor whined and leaned toward her, short arms reaching out, and she forced a smile to her lips. Her little pup always worried about her. He was always quick to give hugs if he thought Mommy was sad.

  “Mommy’s fine, sweet boy.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Can you build a castle for mommy?”

  “Ma!” He grinned and refocused on his toys, flinging sand all over the place.

  Jane fought to keep her emotions in check as she thought about her father, reminding herself that he was better now. She’d spoken to her mother several times a week, constantly checking on her parents and her father’s recovery.

  According to the healers, her daddy was healed. He was his old self now and was anxious to see his daughter, her mate and his young grandson.

  God, she hoped it wasn’t a trick. She hoped he truly was healed.

  At least that’d be something good in their lives, and they needed a bright spot after dealing with their unruly pack. Two packs of grown wolves were worse than a colicky Connor. Things should have settled down by now, but it was nearly a year later and…it was still the same.

  Breathing deep, she pushed away thoughts of the pack and focused on her pup. She sat up and helped her baby with his toys, joining him in lopsided castle construction. He dumped a pile of sand on her leg and she did the same to him. She buried his little toes and then pinched them as she pretended she was a sand crab, sending him into gales of laughter once more.

  How did she get so lucky to have such an amazing kid?

  Connor let out a tiny shriek and clapped his hands. He rolled to his side, rose to his hands and knees, and wiggled until he gained his feet. Then he bolted across the sand, arms waving as he raced. Jane grinned and followed his gaze until she found the source of his excitement—her mate.

  Reese rose from the crashing waves, ocean water glistening off his bronzed skin in the afternoon sun. His smile was just as wide as Jane’s, his own happiness glowing in his eyes. His attention focused on her for a split-second, those eyes flickering to the amber of his inner wolf for that tiny moment. Proof that his wolf only had eyes for her.

  With his slow, loping approach, her body warmed as she remembered the hours they’d tangled the sheets a few nights before. They’d come in from their nightly walk on the beach and bathed Connor before tucking him in bed.

  Jane had peered over the edge of Connor’s crib, singing his favorite lullaby until his eyes fluttered closed. Then Reese had come for her, wrapped his arms around her waist and guided her backward. Back and back and back until they were down the hall and in their bedroom.

  He’d smelled like smoke and whiskey and that masculine scent that belonged to him alone. When his mouth closed over her mating mark, she’d arched into him, wanting him in all the ways she always did.

  A new sense of awe filled her every time they to
uched. The most gorgeous alpha she’d ever met was her mate and the father of their beautiful child.

  With a shake of her head, she forced herself back to reality just in time to watch Connor’s legs get the better of him. He face-planted a few feet from Reese, half-shifted into his wolf form. Jane’s inner wolf spurred her into motion. The animal’s instincts coupled with her human worries sent her racing across the sand.

  And while Jane panicked, Reese just shook his head and laughed as he knelt at Connor’s side.

  “You’re gonna be one hell of a runner, buddy,” he chuckled and snared their child beneath his arms.

  Jane finally reached them, and Reese looked to her, his eyes as soft and molten as they’d been those few nights ago.

  She couldn’t help it. She melted for him right there.

  “Love you,” he murmured.

  “I love you, too.” She said it back without hesitation, the rush of pure love for her family too much for those three measly words. More than language could ever capture.

  Bending, she joined Reese and Connor on the sand, leaning forward to kiss the top of her baby’s head just before Connor jumped and nipped his father’s chin. Reese lunged back, toppling much like their son often did, and Connor took advantage of the situation, launching himself on top of his father.

  “I love you so, so much,” she said, for her own ears rather than either of her perfect guys.

  CHAPTER 2

  Reese crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the room. “The damn place looks like a holding cell.”

  Inside, his wolf prowled, pacing back and forth as the minutes ticked by. The National Circle hadn’t arrived, but he smelled them nearby. Their scents made his beast uneasy.

  So many strong wolves near his mate… Sure, most were mated, but that didn’t mean he liked dominant, single wolves around Jane.

  He balled his fists until his knuckles turned white and Jane glanced at him.

  “What’s going on? Are you okay? Are you worried?”

  “Not worried.” He shrugged. “Not exactly,” he grumbled.

  And he wasn’t worried exactly. They’d come to the National Healing Center to discuss her father’s treatment and condition. After ten months of near-constant updates from Jane, Reese was certain they weren’t about to receive any surprises.

  Still, he wasn’t about to be honest and tell his mate he wanted to claim her right here so the scent of their sex was thick in the air when the National Circle arrived.

  The chair he occupied seemed as if it could handle their combined weight. Maybe he could get her to ride him. That way she wouldn’t get rug burn. See? He was possessive, but he still wanted to take care of her.

  “You can tell me, you know,” she leaned against him, nuzzling his bicep, which calmed his wolf a little. It liked having more of his scent on her. “Whatever’s on your mind, I’ll listen.”

  Reese grunted. “I’m fine.”

  Jane propped her chin on his arm and stared up at him. “You don’t seem fine.”

  Reese snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her—and her chair—closer. “I said I’m fine.”

  Her lips slowly curled at the corners, a knowing smile creeping across her face and a light filling her blue eyes. “You don’t have anything to prove to them. You know that, right?”

  “Huh?” He narrowed his eyes.

  “You’ve claimed me. Thoroughly. Repeatedly. I’m yours. Just because these guys are the National Circle—“

  Reese grunted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Again, he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit shit.

  “Uh-huh.” Jane rose from her seat and planted herself firmly on his lap, plump ass on one thigh as she gave him her weight. The warm, soft feel of her skin against his was enough to send a surge of need to his cock.

  “Better?” she purred and wiggled her ass.

  Temptress.

  “I’d be better if you were naked.” He grinned. “But I can live with this for now.”

  She lowered her head, her sweet feminine scent filling his lungs, and he tilted his face up to meet her.

  Naturally, their potential kiss was interrupted when the metal door in front of them swung open and banged against the wall. Three men prowled into the room, their power like a bulldozer crushing everything in front of them.

  Each man was tall, broad, and—as much as he hated to admit it—handsome. They each had their own scars, visible testimonies of their past battles. Reese tightened his grip on Jane’s waist and settled her more firmly on his lap. His mate was going nowhere. She sure as hell wasn’t getting any closer to those assholes.

  The tallest of them flashed a smile, his gaze flicking to where Reese’s hand rested on Jane’s lap.

  Reese’s wolf snarled, lips curled, and a low growl rumbled through him. He was torn between dragging Jane away and moving her aside so he could challenge the other wolf. His beast voted for the challenge. It wanted to prove its dominance. They were alpha, dammit.

  Instead, he breathed deeply and sought a calm that seemed just out of reach. This meeting was for Jane, for their combined pack. He gripped her harder, spreading his fingers wide to express his claim.

  “You two look cozy,” the tallest spoke again. His long-ish dark hair framed his angular face and his green eyes appeared more amused than Reese liked.

  Reese gritted his teeth and swallowed the urge to snarl. He didn’t want another wolf commenting on his connection to his mate.

  Jane nudged his shoulder. “Jealousy is an ugly color on you.”

  Reese grunted.

  Another man, the brawny brunet with a light peppering of stubble on his cheeks, raised his eyebrows. “A feisty one, too. We should have known.”

  The asshole laughed, too, and Reese resisted the urge to punch him in the throat. Barely.

  “Are we going to discuss Lance or not?” Reese forced the words past gritted teeth.

  “Oh, we are. We’re just waiting on—“

  The door swung open and a short woman with grey cropped hair bustled into the room. “Hello, hello, I’m Healer Amelia.”

  She padded over to them and Reese expected his wolf to snarl an objection. He figured the beast wouldn’t want a stranger approaching them in a strange place, but it didn’t make a peep.

  Healer Amelia cupped Jane’s cheeks, a wide smile on her face. “You look just like your mother, but you have your father’s strength.” The older woman clucked her tongue. “Beautiful, beautiful.”

  The healer left them and he exchanged a look with Jane.

  What the hell?

  Healer Amelia took a seat behind a nearby desk. She flipped open a manila folder and grabbed the glasses that hung from the lanyard around her neck, perching them low on her nose.

  That was when Reese realized the National Circle had somehow stiffened and straightened further. As if she scared the strongest wolves in North America.

  Jane gnawed on her lower lip, her anxious gaze drifting to Reese while they waited for this woman to do…whatever she was there to do.

  Finally, the old woman spoke. “Were you three behaving yourselves?” She didn’t look up, not bothering to give the National Circle her full attention.

  “Yes,” the third man, a Chris Hemsworth lookalike, mumbled.

  “I sincerely doubt it.” The woman sniffed, those clipped words causing the National Circle to twitch.

  She was stern and short with the National Circle but spoke with a soft and calming tone when she focused on him and Jane. “Your name’s Jane, correct? And you’re her mate, Reese?”

  Jane nodded and shifted in Reese’s lap, a squirming that would normally make his dick hard. This time, it made his wolf growl at how uncomfortable this situation made his mate.

  Reese copied Jane’s nod, ready to get his mate away from here.

  “Good, good,” the older woman clapped her hands. “Now, we have a few things to discuss.”

  One of the National Circle wolves opened
his mouth, but the woman held up a finger, silencing him before he made a sound. “When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.”

  Reese blinked and shook his head. Then he shifted his attention from the woman to the other wolves and back again. “I’m sorry, but aren’t you three the big, bad National Circle? No offense, but you’re letting her talk to you like this?”

  The wolf closest to the door shrugged. “She’s scarier than us.”

  The Thor lookalike nodded. “She has our mothers’ phone numbers and she’s not afraid to use them.”

  Reese chuckled with that answer. Well, chuckled until the healer’s dagger-like eyes met his.

  “Are you done?” She glared at him.

  Reese winced much like the National Circle and found himself cowed for the first time in his adult life. By a healer who looked older than his own grandmother. “Yes, ma’am. Sorry for the interruption.”

  “Right.” She cleared her throat. “As you know, Lance has undergone a lot of physical therapy and very painful treatments while purging the poison from his system. It’s obviously taken a while, but I feel confident he is healed.”

  Jane’s breath caught and she whispered, “That’s wonderful.”

  Healer Amelia nodded, gaze softening. “It is. He’s weaker than you may remember, and he’s undergone quite a few physical changes. The wear and tear on his body from long-term poisoning has left behind some lasting effects.”

  Jane vibrated with tension, and Reese stroked her back, palm sliding up and down her spine. “I understand. When can he come home?”

  The healer gave her a soft smile, a mixture of expressions sliding across her features. An alternating hint of happiness and sadness all at once. “He could go home today. The question is…does he want to?”