by Bonnie Vanak
Hard to believe. Grayson felt a pang of sharp regret. No way could Cedric be aging. The Lupine was powerful, had been more of a father to Grayson than his birth father. He hated to think the alpha was that ancient. Yeah, he hadn’t been back to his people in years, but his loyalty still remained with them.
Katy thought he was packless. Lone wolf. She didn’t know his past, or his dark secret…
“I’m also here to convince you to come home for a visit.” Cedric gave him a long, thoughtful look, which made Grayson squirm as much now as it did when he was a young pup. “You’ve been gone too long, son.”
“I know. Busy here.”
“Door back home is always open, cowboy.” Chase leaned against the bar. “Even for a runt like you.”
Laughing, Grayson pushed a finger against the shot glass. His best friend always liked calling him runt, even though they were of equal height.
“I’m surprised they let a hound dog like you in here, with your rep for the ladies,” he shot back to Chase.
Mad Dog laughed, but Cedric did not. The alpha frowned. “This place makes me sick. Drunk Others, lazing around, too lost in their own thoughts. Let’s go.”
Guilt arrowed through Grayson. He also felt the despair scenting the air, but to these three, it was fresh, like an overwhelming stench.
“Later, cowboy.” Chase playfully punched his arm. “Don’t be a stranger.”
Grayson nodded. “Thanks for the visit. Reckon I should return. Soon.”
Cedric reached over and grabbed Grayson’s shot. He finished it in one swallow. “You’re always pack. Remember that, Grayson.”
Then the older male nodded at the other two, and they slid away, as silent as they had entered.
Easing out a breath, he finally relaxed. A visit from the home team always tensed him. Leading a double life was hard enough. But when the alpha showed up, it made him regret leaving his pack.
Almost. If not for Katy…
Ordering another shot, he turned to observe Katy as she sipped from a beer bottle. Her mouth cupped the rim, making his wicked imagination envision her sliding those wet red lips over his throbbing cock as those big eyes looked up at him. Forest green eyes…he’d memorized every inch of her sweet face first time he’d visited the Mitchell pack. Katy was a fine wrangler, handling her horse like a pro, and her roping was almost as good as his.
Grayson drank in her scent of wildflowers and fresh raindrops. Still a heavy dose of vanilla, the innocent scent of childhood and virgins. He ached to touch her, absorb her sweet innocence, let it soothe all his hurt. Sexual need twinned with a deep longing, the Lupine’s natural instinct to bond with pack, instinct he’d ignored.
Even to hold her hand, one simple touch. Lupines craved touch. They needed it like water, but he hadn’t let anyone draw close enough, only the anonymous hookups at this bar, and those Skins hadn’t fulfilled his deepest need for connection. Katy had a depth and empathy other Lupines her age lacked. Lately he’d noticed her vulnerability, as if she sensed she was different but couldn’t quite figure it out.
The sorrow in her eyes made him ache. He wanted to chase away all the dark shadows in her eyes and replace them with joy. Her laughter lightened his weariness.
Men in the bar had noticed the lovely trio of females, and their thoughts weren’t so kind. Grayson smelled the hot sting of their lust, the hard male aggression spiking as Lupine shifters in town for the rodeo leered at the girls in the corner. The drunk Lupine closest to him turned. Grayson scented the male’s intent in the sudden surge of testosterone.
Take the tall one with the dark curls in the back and show her a good time. She’ll scream as I fuck her. Sweet little cherry, you are mine.
Grayson’s protective Lupine instincts stirred. Grayson growled low at the cowhand, reached over and slapped a hand over his wrist.
The cowhand startled. “Get your paws off me, Moore.”
“Don’t even think about getting close to her. I’ll tear your throat out. She’s off limits,” he grated out.
The cowboy swallowed audibly as Grayson let his Lupine powers surge, knowing his eyes flashed amber. He could easily kill the smaller Lupine. Damn, he could kill him with a single thought…
The shifter threw dollars on the bar and headed for the door as if the wolves of Hell chased him.
Don’t let the door kick you in the ass.
Grayson made a mental note to alert Aiden to the cowhand. The alpha would deal with him.
This was a too-seedy crowd for such a lady like Katy, who liked carnation pink nail polish and baked butter biscuits light as dandelion fluff. Maybe he should call Aiden, warn him the females were here…
As he fished out his cell from his sheepskin jacket, someone sniggered and whispered, “Loser.”
Grayson dragged up his gaze to meet the sullen stare of Charles, another Mitchell pack Lupine. Charles, who’d developed a deep hatred for his neighbor.
“Go back to Las Vegas, where scum like you belong,” Charles said a little louder. “We don’t need your kind around here.”
He nearly dropped the cell. Instead he carefully placed it back in his pocket. How the hell did Charles know where he’d lived ten years ago? All he’d told anyone in the Mitchell pack was that he lived in Colorado for a while before buying the Double D.
Did Charles suspect what he was?
Kick his ass. Tear him up so he’ll never tell a soul…
He could take him, but not with Katy watching. She’d question why he fought with Charles and then find out the reason for the darkness in his soul.
Not now. Give her time. She needs time before you make your intentions clear…
If she found out what Grayson was now, she’d run away screaming. He didn’t want her terrified.
He wanted her willing and accepting, maybe a little submissive when he took her to his bed and sank his teeth into her neck as he sank his cock deep into her virgin sheath, branding her as his own forever.
Grayson tipped down his Stetson and ignored the taunt. Charles took a big swallow from his glass as his shoulders sagged.
Drunk Lupine.
Boot heels hooked around the barstool, Grayson stared at his drink. He was a powerful wolf who could snap a human neck with one twist.
He was lone wolf. A wolf who refused to shift.
A wolf who was more dangerous than even the grizzly shifter playing darts. Hell, he’d better leave before the wild lust riding him overtook all his tight control, and he stormed over to Katy and made his true nature known.
But as he drained his whiskey and started to dig for his wallet, the fresh scent of vanilla, wildflowers and cool rain flooded his senses, pushing aside sour beer, sweat, and crude male lust.
Grayson stiffened. He didn’t need eyes in the back of his head to know the lady in question stood right behind him.
What did she want?
Two weeks ago, she’d fantasized about Grayson being nude.
Now, seeing him at The Bar, the fantasy returned.
Even though Aiden trusted and liked Grayson, her immediate family naturally distrusted a lone wolf tending to his own small spread. But Katy saw the deep loneliness in his blue eyes. Grayson treated her as if her opinion mattered, and listened, really listened when everyone else wanted to coddle her in cotton wool or her five rambunctious, overly protective older brothers questioned where she went, and why.
She loved her family, but they suffocated her with rules and worry. When Holly and Sherry decided on celebrating her legal entry into Lupine adulthood, Katy had suggested The Bar. The wild impulse was only because of Grayson.
Katy wanted to see Grayson outside the restrictions of pack events. She felt this odd tug toward him, as if he were the only Lupine who truly understood her.
“Hi, Grayson.” She took the empty seat next to him. Out of the corner of her eye, Holly and Sherry gave her two thumbs up and mouthed, Go for it!
Grayson turned back to his glass. “Go away, Katy. This place ain’t for
you.”
Stung, she ignored his request and waved to the bartender, ordering a beer. “I’m old enough to be here.”
He snorted. “Not for this bar, Katy. Go home before something bad happens.”
You’re the something bad I wish would happen to me. The thought danced around her mind like a balloon about to pop.
“You’re not my brothers or my father, so quit giving me advice I’ll ignore.” She took a long pull of the brew set before her.
She wondered how Grayson managed to suppress his wolf around the Skins during the full moon. She struggled to control her wild nature against running with the moon, howling at inappropriate times.
The wolf nature that urged her to find a mate and then claw at him in her rising need…
He watched her drink. “Slow down. Alcohol can be rough on your system when you’re not used to it.”
“Maybe I’m used to many things you don’t know about, Moore.”
Grayson turned, surprise flashing in his gaze. Then his full mouth curled into an amused grin. “Mouthy Lupine, huh? You’re as rambunctious as a yearling calf on a warm spring day.”
Katy tilted her head, her unbound curls bouncing with the action. “Are you comparing me to a cow?”
He laughed, tweaking her nose. “Just comparing your spunk to one.”
Mood soured, she drank more beer. “Being compared to something you rope and then bring to market isn’t a compliment.”
Turning on the bar stool, he pushed up his Stetson to regard her. “There are some creatures I rope, tie up, and bring to market. And then other wild things I’d love to rope and tie up…and do something much more pleasurable to…and not in the corral.”
Heat crawled up her neck to her face like wildfire, but she wasn’t one to turn away from a challenge. Daring filled her. “Sounds like a plan.”
His mouth flattened. “Don’t stray into temptation, sweetheart. Not here and not now. You’re not ready yet.”
Stung at the insult, she bristled. “I know what my needs are.”
Grayson blinked, slid his palm over hers. He’d barely made skin contact, but it sparked something deep inside. Katy smiled at him, warmth spiking through her like the beer. “This is nice.”
Lifting her hand to his mouth, he turned her palm over and pressed a very slow, very sweet kiss to her skin.
Her flesh tingled where his mouth made contact. Grayson raised his heavy-lidded gaze to her. “That’s not where I want to kiss you, Katy. And you’re not ready for that kind of hard loving yet. Not the type I give.”
Her female parts tingled and her nipples grew rock hard. But her heart skipped a beat at the hard intent in his eyes. And then his eyes flared amber, and then…
Purple.
Shocked, she pulled her hand away. He released it easily. Then she caught a very low growl and turned.
Charles was baring his teeth, shaking his head at her. He mouthed to her, Stay away from him. He’s not pack.
She mouthed back at him, Butt out.
Ignoring Charles, she tilted her head at Grayson. “What are you?”
He shook his head. “I’m something you shouldn’t get close to right now. Not unless you want to end up flat on your back with your knees spread.”
“Maybe I want to get that close.”
He pinned her with a scowl. “You’re too fine a lady for what I need right now and you’re making me crazy. Go home, Katy.”
But Grayson was a flame drawing her close. Maybe she’d get burned, but past actions showed the wolf had more restraint and consideration than the average male on the Mitchell Ranch. How could he hurt her?
I want my first time to be with you, Grayson. Slow and gentle, and then hard as you wish. I’m tired of being wrapped up in cotton. I need….
What? Her wolf pawed, eager to be free, disliking the beer that made her senses less sharp, even as it lowered her inhibitions.
Grayson shook his head as the bartender asked about a refill. Oh dear. He would soon leave. Maybe if she turned the conversation to something safe, keep him here.
“Aiden talked a lot about how helpful you were at the round-up. He scolded ten of our cowhands for not working as hard.”
Grayson traced a line down his shot glass. “Mitchell’s a good wolf.”
“I wish he’d invite you to join our pack.”
“He did. I said no.”
Katy recoiled. News to her. “Why? You can stay at your own place. And you wouldn’t be alone anymore.”
“I need to be alone.” Grayson started to reach for his wallet.
“Why? There’s nothing good about being alone when you’re Lupine.” Such an attitude bewildered her. Much as she felt smothered by her overbearing family, Katy could never see herself living outside pack. Wolves were meant to live together, not apart. The loneliness must be crushing.
He raised his gaze to her and once more, his eyes turned amber, then purple, before turning to their normal ice blue. “There’s nothing good about living with Lupines when you’re what I am.”
Grayson dug into his wallet, threw down some bills. “For me, and the little lady, Ned,” he told the bartender.
“What are you?” she asked again.
He gave her a solemn look, the shadows dancing in his eyes again, making him look haunted. “I’m something you shouldn’t get close to before you’re fully ready. And you’re still so damn young.”
Then he cupped her cheek, the warmth of his calloused palm zinging through her blood. Katy closed her eyes, relishing his touch.
“I’m not a child,” she whispered. “I think I am ready. I’d do anything for you, Grayson.”
She felt the warmth of his breath against her mouth, parted her lips. Oh yes, he was going to kiss her. Finally, now was the moment.
His deep voice stroked over her shivering skin like hot velvet. “If you want to do anything for me, go home so I know you’re safe.”
Then he was tipping his hat to her and walking out the door. Katy fought tears of bitter disappointment, made more morose by the alcohol she’d consumed.
Depression settled over her. The one Lupine she really liked, who understood her, wanted nothing to do with her, even though she was now legal. With a furtive hand, she wiped away a stray tear and then glanced around, hoping no one noticed.
Lucky her. Charles had noticed, and was sneering. She scanned the room, but Holly and Sherry had left. They probably went outside, where the smells weren’t as awful.
Or perhaps they found two interesting Lupines to get to know better.
Katy slid off the stool, heading for the side exit. She went into the cool night air and looked around the dark, deserted area where she’d seen some couples stepping out for private necking. No one was there. She started back for the door when a hand slid over her mouth.
“Don’t scream or I’ll kill you,” the drunken whisper warned.
She had barely time to register the words when a hand squeezed a nerve on her neck, and then the world went black.
Out in the gathering cold, Grayson jogged across the parking lot toward his black pickup. He paused and dug into his jacket for his cell, and dialed Aiden’s number.
“Moore,” the Mitchell pack alpha answered on the first ring.
“Mitchell.” Grayson shivered as a cold blast of wind arrowed through him. Tonight his Lupine senses went askew and he felt more Skin than wolf. “Three of your vanillas are here at The Bar. Wanted to give you a heads up. They’re not in trouble. Not yet. But I’d reel them in if I were you, before some shark baits them.” He paused a minute. “Katy’s with them.”
A low curse. Then a brief, “Thanks. I’ll send someone out straight away.”
He warned Aiden about the drunk cowhand’s ill intent toward the women who had already left the bar. Aiden cursed.
“I’ll have Dale kick his ass. No one mistreats or abuses females in my pack. Anyone else from my pack there?”
“Charles is, but he’s acting drunk as a Skin. Want me to sta
y, keep an eye?” Soon as the offer was out of his mouth, Grayson regretted it. Not your business.
“No, thanks. We’ve got this.” Polite and clipped, a reminder that yeah, you are not pack and I take care of my own.
Grayson didn’t bother saying goodbye, but thumbed off the phone. Mitchell had enough strong males to take down the entire populace inside The Bar without even breaking a single sweat. But every male instinct in him warned not to leave until Katy was safe.
Mine.
The raging need nearly made him stagger. Grayson rubbed a hand over his face and quietly swore.
Hell, he didn’t dare risk being close to Katy. The alcohol had cranked up his lust, not tamped it. And if he lost control…
Grayson unlocked his truck to sit inside and keep watch until Mitchell and his Lupines showed up. As he started to climb in, he saw a short man carry something in a fireman’s hold.
Not something. Someone.
All his Lupine instincts tingled. Grayson locked the truck, pocketed his keys, and started toward the man struggling to stuff the shape into the back seat of a ratty-looking sedan.
Not a shape. A woman, he was certain of this. And then the wind shifted, carrying a certain scent of vanilla, wildflowers and fresh spring rain.
Horror immobilized him. Stretching out his hands, he went to use his powers and remembered where he was. Couldn’t risk it. Too dangerous. He could hurt the victim.
Grayson sprinted as the stranger’s vehicle tore out of the parking lot, barreling onto the road. He ran after it, using all his formidable Lupine strength.
“Katy!” Grayson shouted as he ran. He kept running, screaming her name, but soon the sedan was gone, kicking up a cloud of dirty snow in its wake.
He raced back to his truck to follow. But by the time he’d turned down the road, the sedan had vanished into the night, as if by magick.
Katy was gone. He’d let her slip away.
For a moment Grayson sat in his truck, fisting his hands. And then he lifted his face to the cold, uncaring moon and howled.
Chapter 3
