by JoAnna Grace
“Because I loved her more than I thought possible.”
“What if that’s not enough?” Her voice pitched high and she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
Sampson leaned back in his chair and studied her for a moment. “Marriage is hard, Amilynn. Even if the wolves bond, the humans are perfect for each other, and the stars are aligned. Relationships take work, sacrifice, giving more than you get, and expecting nothing in return. It’s not easy to put someone else’s happiness above your own. But that’s what it takes. I knew when I proposed to Bianca that it wouldn’t be perfect, and we’ve had a few blowouts in our marriage. Make no mistake—my gentle submissive wife has fangs just like I do. But love doesn’t quit just because the road gets rough.”
Maybe that was her problem. She thought the situation had to be perfect before she could mate. What was perfect? Ezekiel was just fine accepting his wolf’s judgment about picking Ami. Maybe she needed to stop running just because the road was paved with her regrets.
“So when did your wolves finally get with the program?”
He blushed and his smile returned. “Bianca came into heat right after we were married. That’s when the angels sang.” He chuckled and Ami joined him. He didn’t need to say any more. When a female shifter of any species goes into heat, there’s only one thing that can ease her: a male. “Ezekiel was born later that year and our wolves have been in sync ever since. Never a doubt in my mind.”
Ami took a sip of her wine. She was filled and overflowing with doubt. So much so that she’d forced herself to be with a man who wasn’t her mate. What the hell did she know about love and relationships? The only healthy relationships she had were with her family, and even those had their pitfalls. She’d made the mistake of turning to Conall during her heats and things had been different between them ever since. At the time, she’d hoped that their animals would bond and she could have an easy mating with him. But as great as Conall was, they weren’t compatible. Their animals were too similarly matched in dominance. Neither wanted to submit.
Ezekiel would be no different. He was just as dominant as she was. Maybe more so, and that would bother the human side of her that refused to give her heart into any man’s keeping. The last time she thought she was in love, it turned out to be an abusive, controlling relationship full of anger and jealousy and manipulation. The thought of going through that again made her want to vomit.
“Ami,” Sampson said, snapping her out of her thoughts. “If you think you might have a mate, don’t waste the gift. Our race is blessed with animals that guide us. Humans aren’t so lucky. Listen to your animal; she’ll tell you when you find your mate.”
Giving Sampson a tight smile, Ami turned to stare out the window.
A man stood across the street with eyes she would recognize anywhere. His face haunted her nightmares.
Her heart stopped, frozen in place. Brian.
She stood too fast, kicking her chair backwards, her breath coming in short, frantic pants.
“Amilynn? What is it?” Sampson was beside her in a heartbeat, his body shielding hers, searching the darkness for what she had seen. A waiter hurried over to straighten her chair and asked if she was all right.
Ami blinked and the man across the street disappeared. Her knees went numb and she sank into her chair. “I saw, I think I, it was . . .” Spots danced in her vision and she closed her eyes.
This is not me; I don’t panic. I face danger head on. This is not me. She tried to regain her composure, but even her cat had hunkered down, fearful and prepared to run.
Sampson took care of the check in a hurry and escorted her out of the restaurant, his arm around her shoulders and his eyes scanning the area. “What did you see?” he asked as soon as they were in the car.
“I thought it was someone from the Nevada Pride. I can’t be sure. He vanished. I didn’t scent him when we were outside either.”
“Let’s get back to the Packlands.”
“I’m sorry, Sampson. This was a great night and I’ve ruined it.”
He took her hand and kissed the back. “You did nothing. If you say you saw someone, I believe you. I’ve had a good night too. You’re lots of fun when you’re not trying to beat my ass.”
A funny warm sensation chased away the cold of seeing Brian. It was too much like affection and it felt weird to feel it for Sampson. “Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. I’m still going to kick your ass tomorrow.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less.”
“GODDAMNIT, AMILYNN. YOU broke my fucking nose.” Sampson knelt on the mats, holding his hand under a bleeding nostril. His huge body expanded with every deep breath.
“You’re holding back. What was I supposed to do? Go easy on you? You made me train with a bunch of submissives and kids for the last three days. This is payback.” Amilynn bounced back and forth on the balls on her feet, her long, blonde ponytail swinging behind her. This was just what she needed—a sweaty, hard-core fight.
“Bianca is going to skin your hide, little girl.” He stood, his nose already healing.
Amilynn gave him just enough time to get back on his feet before she descended on him again. The red boxing glove landed right in his gut. “You tell her I broke your nose, I’ll tell her how bad you cuss when we box. We’ll see whose pelt she beats like a rug.”
“Traitor,” Sampson grunted and tried to take out her legs.
With feline grace, she jumped out of the way. She danced around him some more, working off a boatload of pent-up energy.
“You bet your ass, old man. She’s supposed to teach me how to make her famous brownies tomorrow. I can’t piss her off.”
“Fine.” Sampson executed a perfect roundhouse kick and knocked Amilynn right on her duff. He slammed down on top of her and used his extra weight to hold her arms to the mats.
“Shit.” Amilynn relaxed and quit fighting. He had most definitely been holding back until then.
Sampson grinned. “What was that about my old ass?” He laughed as he stood and offered a hand to his sparring buddy.
Amilynn took it and popped onto her feet. “Point taken. Good kick.”
“Speaking of my amazing mate,” Sampson said into the towel as he wiped his face. “I bet she’s cooking dinner. We’d better get cleaned up.”
“Right. Okay.” Ami began removing her gloves and tape. Without another word, she headed for the stairs.
“Hey.” He put his fists on his hips, narrowed his eyes, and pulled his lips in tight. “What’s up with you?”
Amilynn shrugged one shoulder and shook her head dismissively. “Nothing.”
“Liar.”
“I’m a girl. Sometimes, we just get moody. It’s no biggie. I’ve been on edge today.”
He gave her the deer in the headlights look, his head tilted to the side the same way his wolf would. “Is this about the other night? I sent patrols all over the area around the restaurant. They didn’t pick up anything unusual.”
Of course they didn’t. Brian would never leave a scent trail. He was too smart. With a sigh, she shook her head. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Sampson nodded. “All right. See you at dinner.”
Amilynn made her way across the sprawling mountain lodge to her room and flopped down on the bed. God, she was tired. For the last few days, she’d been teaching civilians how to protect themselves. It wasn’t nearly enough to take down a soldier, but at least they were trying. The wolves and bear had heart, she had to give them that.
Her phone chimed with a group text from Bianca: dinner in ten minutes. Ami showered and dressed in her comfy cotton pants and a zip-up hoodie that hugged her upper body and left a couple inches of abdomen showing. She’d worked hard for these abs; she was going to show them off.
Her phone chimed again and, this time, it was Martin. He wanted to see her tonight. They’d both been busy in the last couple days and hadn’t gone out. Since her dinner with Sampson, the idea of dating didn’t have the same appeal. Part o
f her was frightened that she really had seen Brian and that he was out there watching her every move. Part of her kept thinking about what Sampson said, If you think you have a mate, don’t waste the gift. He’d told her to listen to her animal, to trust the leopard’s judgment.
Who scared her more? Brian or Ezekiel? The question bounced around in her mind as she made her way through the house again to the large dining room where Bianca and Melissa arranged the food on the table. Those two women were Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart with a shot of steroids. They made it their mission in life to make sure that there was food prepared three times a day, that no one ever arrived unwelcomed or departed hungry, and that everything was cleaned with military precision. They were both submissives and, God love them, that was what they were good at, taking care of others.
Tyrone set the dishes at each place. Even when doing something simple, he had the look of a predator in his eyes. Only Melissa calmed the beast that raged within him. He smiled at his sister with a slight head nod and kept on about his task. It was odd to see Ty placing nice dishes on a polished table. He looked more gangsta than family man with his earring and black goatee, his baggy shirts and sagging pants. But his heart was good as gold.
She needed to make some time for her brother. Since they’d moved in, their sibling time was nonexistent. If there was one person she couldn’t lie to, couldn’t fool, couldn’t ignore, it was Ty. Hence, the nine degrees of separation.
Conall came in from the garage in his newly assigned police uniform. Kasey had recently laid down the law as alpha. Anyone serving in an official manner on behalf of the Pack would be in uniform just like any other human officer. Bianca asked Conall to wash up and put his guns away for dinner. She pressed a button on the intercom system and paged her sons and husband.
Vivian and Kasey came in holding hands and talking about the progress of her healing. Vivian swore she was one hundred percent better, but Kasey tried to convince her to get a follow up with the doctor. He was losing. Finally, Kasey seated Vivian, kissed the top of her head, and told her she could do what she wanted. Amilynn rolled her eyes. That man would give Vivian the moon wrapped in silk if she wanted it. Maybe that was a perk of mating an older man.
Conall took the seat to Ami’s left and was in the middle of telling her how much he liked the pink streak she’d dyed in her hair yesterday when her entire body went on alert. Her inner cat perked up and focused on the voices coming down the hall.
Innocent laughter. Yet it made Ami break out in a sweat. Because along with Nate, Tom, and Sampson came another male that sent her pulse spiking.
“Careful,” Conall whispered beside her in a voice so low no one else would hear. He cast her the slightest of glances before talking to Kasey.
Amilynn looked up and met eyes of slate blue. Ezekiel laughed at something Nate said, his panty-dropping smile wide and happy. Damned if her cat didn’t nearly burst out of her skin, overjoyed at his presence.
She had to get her cat under control. There were many other noses in the room and if they scented her desire, it would make dinner seriously awkward. But really, how could a guy who already rated a solid ten leave for five days and come back looking like a twelve? It wasn’t fair.
Ezekiel’s wolf stood at attention when Amilynn looked at him. The last five days had been hell. He’d thought giving Amilynn space was for the best, not realizing the toll it would take. When Brooks, their supervising officer, received a call about Ami freaking out over someone she thought she saw in town, Ezekiel booked it back. Not that he thought it wise to admit he was looking for any excuse to return to her. Brooks didn’t seemed fazed by the warning to be on his guard in the wilderness. Then again, the easygoing and intelligent wolf didn’t seem fazed by much. He asked a lot of questions and was interested in everything that had to do with the Pride members, but his main focus was securing the Packlands.
For most of their patrol, the novice soldiers stayed in canine form, using their senses to detect any signs of intrusion on the far corners of Pack territory. They moved slowly, methodically checking the perimeter and motion detectors. Most of Ezekiel’s companions were only a year or two younger, but they didn’t have near the training he did. Uncle Kasey had groomed him since childhood, knowing that dominance was a two-edged sword. It would either make him a great alpha or a dangerous male.
While they wandered through the mountain wilderness, Ezekiel had a lot of time to think about Amilynn. One would think that five days of not being face to face with the object of one’s obsession would help clear the head.
Not so much.
Standing before her now was like seeing her again for the first time. He nearly tripped over his own two feet. She was so hot with her wealth of long blonde hair and the pink stripe in front added character. Her bright green eyes locked onto his and it sent a shiver from head to toe. The baby pink jogging suit accentuated the bronzed tan of her skin. How could any man in his right mind not find her drop-dead gorgeous? Subtle changes in her facial features could make her appear soft, like when Nate sat at the table, put his arm around her shoulder, and said, “Hey, baby. Do you come here often?” She laughed happily at the dramatic wink Nate gave.
Then, when her eyes turned back to him, her face hardened. Her jaws tightened and her lips pinched together. Ezekiel hated the way she reacted to him. Damned if he knew how to change it, though. Instead of returning the cold glare, he smiled and winked at her.
Her eyes widened for a second before she turned her gaze away.
Victory was short lived. Amilynn looked to his father, who looked to Ezekiel. Sampson’s eyes darted back and forth between them. Oh hell. His dad had figured it out. Sampson straightened in his chair, his brows dipping low as he studied first Amilynn, who dropped her head as if ashamed, then his son.
“Well, look who’s back from walkabout,” Vivian said with a broad grin. Ezekiel, thankful for the distraction, made his way around the table, greeting everyone.
He kissed Vivian’s cheek. “How is recovery, Aunt V?”
“Long but progressing. How were patrols?”
“Long but progressing.”
“We missed you around here,” Melissa said in her kind, shy way.
“Oh, we sure did, big boy,” Nate said, batting his eyelashes and raising his voice. “Did you miss us, sugar lips?”
Everyone laughed, including Amilynn, especially when Ezekiel thumped his little brother on the head. “Everybody but you, fool.”
“Didn’t anyone tell you, Z?” Nate put his arm around Amilynn’s shoulders. “Ami and I are so going steady now.”
“Oh yes.” Ami played along. “I’ve found my dream man. He’s still in high school, can’t drive, and lives with his parents. The total package.”
“I’d send that package back,” Tom said, making everyone chuckle.
“Whatever, baby. You know you love all this.” Nate waved a hand over his torso.
Ami’s laughter was contagious. It went straight to Ezekiel’s soul and opened up a part of him he didn’t know existed. Who would have thought a sound could enter the body and fill it up, make it whole? The sensation about knocked him to his knees.
“You sweet, delusional boy.” She gripped Nate’s cheeks in her hands. “I’m leopard, not a cougar. Now let’s eat before the bullshit gets too thick in here.”
Even Sampson smiled at that. It was what Ami did. She brought laughter and light to people around her.
Man, Ezekiel had it bad and wanted more.
“Hey, Amilynn,” said Conall with a heavy emphasis on her name. “Didn’t Nate lose a bet to you the other night?”
“Balls.” Nate hung his head. Giving Conall a death glare, he meowed and licked the back of his hand like a cat cleaning itself. Everyone at the table broke out in laughter. His parents shook their heads, but enjoyed the spectacle all the same.
Amilynn banged her fist on the table, her head thrown back with a joyful expression that out shone the midday sun. “I almost forgot! Thanks
for reminding me, Conall.”
“You’re welcome, Amilynn.”
Nate’s expression promised revenge, but he meowed and licked his hand again.
Tom, who enjoyed the punishment far too much, elbowed Ezekiel. “Never bet against her, man. You’ll lose every time.”
Ami’s face beamed as she ruffled Nate’s hair. “That’ll teach you to think I can’t do something.”
“Oh, come on.” Nate threw his arms up in the air. “What were the odds that she could do a handstand on a basketball with a glass of water balanced on her foot? She’s a freak of nature.” The dramatic inflections in his voice and wild hand gestures only made his arguments funnier.
When Ami’s eyes met Ezekiel’s, her laughter held, the glint in her eyes didn’t fade, and he smiled back. “Mental note made. Never bet against Amilynn.”
“Whose side are you on anyway?” Nate huffed before he meowed and licked his hand. This continued all through dinner, cracking people up even when a serious subject was broached. Each time someone said Amilynn’s full name—which they did a lot, on purpose—Nate would have to act like a cat. For a juvenile wolf, it was a heck of a punishment.
“Ami has been teaching some of the civilians self-defense lessons,” Sampson said as the family sat around after the meal and visited. It was one of the things Ezekiel loved about his family, the way a meal would last a couple of hours because everyone stayed, had coffee, and talked about their day.
“That didn’t count,” said Nate. “It wasn’t her full name.”
“That’s cool,” Ezekiel said. “You like it, Amilynn?”
Nate kicked him under the table. Tom grinned like a lottery winner.
“Uh,” Ami swallowed hard, unable to talk directly to him. “Kind of. I guess. I was shocked that anyone even showed up, but we had fifty on the first morning and over a hundred the second. I didn’t count this morning. Did you, Sammie?”
His dad cringed at the nickname. Ezekiel grinned. No one had ever nicknamed his father.
