by Kris Cook
But he was broken. There was a deep wound in him that he kept hidden from her and everyone. She sensed it. The secret pain inside him clearly was the reason he’d retreated from the world, from his tribe, from life. Tears welled up in her eyes for Luke. He’d overwhelmed her very soul with his declaration of “you are mine.” How many times had he told her? Several as he’d claimed her body with his cock. Even more as she’d begun drifting off to sleep in his arms.
The early-morning sun peeked in through his front window, illuminating the cabin in a warm glow. Megan wondered what she could do to ease his suffering. Whatever it took, she was willing to do it for him.
“Quiet.” Luke’s single word startled her. He sat up and pulled her in tight to his body, clearly the act of a protector. His body felt taut and ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble.
She listened for any sound but heard only her own breathing.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in a whisper, knowing his wolf shifter senses were much more powerful than her own mere human ones.
Luke sniffed at the air. “Rance and Troy are back.”
“Oh.” She expected him to relax, knowing that last night they’d promised to return around this time.
“Your sister and grandmother are with them.”
“You get that all from smell?”
“Yep.” He leapt from the bed and pointed to the top drawer of his dresser. “Your clothes are in there. Get dressed. They will be here in ten minutes.”
“Okay. I can’t wait for you to meet my sister and Gran.”
“I’ve seen them both before.”
“But I want them to get to know you.”
“Not happening.” He walked to the back door.
“I don’t understand this at all.”
“You don’t have to. What you do have to do is tell your family that you are okay and that you are staying here.”
“For how long, Luke? I have things I need to take care of. Besides, I’d like to spend some time with my sister and Gran.”
His face darkened like a sudden thunderstorm. “You are not leaving me.”
Megan winced, believing she’d opened up his wound. He wanted her—that much was obvious to her. His uberpossessiveness with her had been a mystery to her. Now, she was becoming painfully aware that it came from a place of fear inside him, the same place his pain resided.
She nodded. “No. I won’t leave you. I will come back. I just would like to spend one night with Kate. There’s so much I want to tell her about you, about us. Can’t you understand that?”
Luke walked right in front of her, each step sounding like thunder in her ears. He leaned down and glared at her.
“Please, Luke. I don’t know why you are so angry with me.” She couldn’t bear making him suffer more.
He cupped her chin with his rough hand. His stare locked on her eyes, and she gazed back at him.
A minute passed and another. Suddenly, Luke sniffed the air, breaking the silence between them.
He looked out the window and then back at her. “You promised, little trespasser, not to leave me again. Did you lie?”
“No. I won’t leave you. I meant it when I said it. So, you don’t want me to spend the night away. Okay. Let me go have some lunch in town with Kate and Gran. I’ll come right back after.”
He shook his head. “You can eat with them here. No more arguments. They are almost here. Now, get dressed.” He turned and walked to the back door. “Your sister and grandmother may stay as long as you like today, but Rance and Troy need to get the fuck off my property. Tell them that for me, understand?”
“Why are you being this way? What do you have against them?” She slipped on her jeans, wondering why he refused to meet Kate and Gran. “Does your crazy testosterone explosion have something to do with being a shifter?” She’d seen jealousy before but nothing like the way Luke was acting.
“Just do what I say, Megan.” He opened the door and turned back with one last glance. “I’ll stay close.”
Then he jumped into the air, shifting fully into his wolf form in time for his four paws to hit the ground. In a flash, he was gone from her sight.
Just as Luke had predicted, she heard a truck headed toward the cabin. Now fully dressed, she stepped out the front door and saw Gran’s bright-red Super Duty F-450 Ford King Ranch approaching. She knew Luke’s truck, still parked on the road where they’d left it last night after the ambush by Rance and company, wasn’t near the size of this tank. Gran had always been flashy when it came to her vehicles. She was behind the wheel, with Kate next to her. Rance and Troy weren’t with them, and Megan breathed a sigh of relief.
Gran waved at her from behind the windshield. She and Kate opened their doors and rushed toward her.
“Sweetie, where’s this man that has swept you off your feet?” Gran asked as she wrapped her arms around Megan.
“He’s not here.” She turned to Kate, who was looking around like a soldier on the battlefield trying to spot a sniper in the trees. “Where are Rance and Troy, Kate?”
“They’re around.”
“Damn it. In wolf form?”
“Yes.”
Megan shouted as loud as she could. “Rance! Troy! Don’t mess with Luke!”
“What’s your problem, sis?”
“They need to get off this property, Kate. Luke is in no shape to face some overprotective shifters.”
“Is he hurt?”
“Not physically. If they find him or he finds them, I’m afraid someone is going to get hurt.”
“Rance and Troy will keep their cool. But if your abductor—”
“He didn’t kidnap me, Kate.”
“Really? You went for a ride on Nightmare, a horse who we’ve ridden since we were girls, and he comes back without you. When I try your cell—nothing. Then I send my fiancés out to find you. I was worried sick. Can you imagine how I reacted when Rance told me how he found you and how crazed this loner—who supposedly rescued you—was?”
“He’s not crazy, Kate.”
“Really? Let me quote my fiancés.” She made quotation marks in the air with two fingers from each hand. “Rance said, ‘The guy is a loner and maybe a bit of a ticking time bomb, honey.’ Then Troy piled on top of that, ‘I doubt he’d hurt your sister. He’s completely imprinted himself on her.’ Well? What do you have to say to that?”
“You might consider finding smarter fiancés, sis.” She laughed, hoping to lighten the moment.
It didn’t work. Kate folded her arms over her chest and glared at her.
“Girls, settle down. Kate, your sister is clearly in good health.”
“Maybe physically.”
Gran put her arm around Kate. “Even since you were little girls, you always took on the role of protector for your two sisters, sweetie. But Megan isn’t a child anymore. She can make up her own mind. I trust her instincts. You should, too.”
Kate’s shoulders sagged, and she sighed. “I know, Gran. I do. But after what Rance and Troy said about this guy, how can I not be worried?”
“I’ve seen Luke in town a few times, and of course I knew his father and mother.” Gran motioned Megan closer with her hand. “He’s shut himself off since the accident, but there is still goodness inside him.” Gran wrapped her other arm around Megan. “You are two amazing women, girls.”
Megan kissed her grandmother on the cheek. “Thank you, Gran.”
“Does he have a tea kettle in his house, dear?”
“I really don’t know.”
“Well, any old pot will do.” She pulled out three tea bags from her purse. These were not from the grocery store but were obviously of a homemade variety. “I think we could all use something warm and sweet to go with them.” Also from her purse, she produced a square, clear container. Its contents were cookies, which Gran was famous for countywide.
“You trying to enchant us?” Kate asked.
Gran smiled broadly.
Megan’s eyes widened. N
ow that she’d performed a spell, she was positive she’d inherited the gift from her family. “Gran, are you?”
“Enchant is too strong a term. This tea has more medicinal powers than magical.”
“But it does have magical powers, too?” Kate pointed at the bags dangling from Gran’s hand.
Her lips curled up ever so slightly, and she shrugged. “It does, I must confess.”
“What does drinking it do to a person?” Megan asked.
“To a normal person, nothing. To a witch, it enhances their powers.”
Megan asked, “Why would you want to get our powers all stirred up, Gran?”
“Because she’s not entirely sure about Luke either, sis.”
She folded her hands over her chest. “Is that true?”
Gran frowned, which wasn’t something Megan had seen very often. But whenever her grandmother did, she knew it was time to pay close attention to whatever came next. She turned to her sister and saw that she, too, was nearly standing at attention.
Gran put the tea bags back in her purse, and her face softened. “Are we going to stand out here and discuss this where all the wolves can hear what we have to say, or are we going to go inside and have a private conversation?”
When they walked into the cabin, the first thing Megan noticed was the state of the bed. Gran and Kate, who were already at the counter getting the water for their tea into a pot to boil, didn’t seem to notice. Megan knew that they surely had seen the unmade wreck left after the intense sex she’d had with Luke. Her cheeks burned ever so slightly.
“Megan, does he have a radio or television that we can turn on? In wolf form, they will still be able to hear us without some music or other sounds.”
That surprised her, but given how the last few days had been one shock after another, it really shouldn’t have. She turned on the little TV she’d seen yesterday. The local station’s morning news popped on the screen. “Will this work?”
“Perfect. I’ll burn some sage, just to make sure we have some privacy from eavesdroppers.” Gran pulled a tiny bundle of grayish-green aromatic leaves and a box of matches from her purse. After she lit the sage, she nodded. “Now, come sit down with us. We’ve got so much to talk about.”
* * * *
Luke sniffed the air. In human form, his sense of smell was heightened, but in wolf form, it was almost magical. There were six human heartbeats besides his own on his land. The three inside his cabin were female—his mate, her sister, and her grandmother. The other three were approaching. They were from the tribal pack, the group he had rejected long ago. Rance, Troy, and Hawk were also in their wolf bodies. He bared his fangs, waiting for them to appear from behind the trees.
They all came into view.
We’re not here to fight you, Luke.
Rance’s thought didn’t faze him one bit. His fur remained high and taut on his back.
Hawk snarled. But if he wants a fight, I’m ready to give it to him.
Luke recalled the day that his aunt had knocked on his parents’ door. Hawk hadn’t warmed up to him when he’d first arrived, so Luke had given him his space. Eventually, they had grown close, acting more like brothers than cousins. Still, something about Hawk’s parents’ split had obviously left a deep scar in his cousin that had often oozed to the surface on more than one occasion, driving a wedge between them. After the accident, Luke had walked away, leaving any chance of a bond with his cousin in ruins.
Luke growled a low warning. This is my land you are on, and I want you off of it, now.
Rance shifted into human form. “Come on, Luke. You have to understand why we are here. Our mate is here, too.”
He did understand. His own mate, Megan, had awakened the unimaginable protective urges inside him, too. Why is Hawk here? You and your brother are mated to my mate’s sister. He is not, Rance.
“Well, given how we left you yesterday, we wanted to have some backup, just in case you went off the rails.” Rance turned to the other two. “Shake off your wolf shapes. He needs to see that I’m telling the truth.”
Troy shook his body and stood up, now in human form.
I don’t trust him, Hawk, still in his wolf body, sent.
“Shift now, Hawk.” Rance glared at the beast. “I know you love to fight, but this is our business. You’re only here because we asked you.”
Your call, I guess. But if this lone wolf moves a single muscle, I will, without hesitation…The angry tribesman shifted and stood up on his two human legs. He glared at Luke. “Rance may trust you not to pounce. I don’t. Time for you to shift, too, asshole, or get ready to feel my fangs in your worthless carcass.”
It’ll be your funeral. Despite the apparent truce from Rance, Luke considered remaining in wolf form due to Hawk’s threat. Remaining on all fours gave him a clear advantage over the three other men, now in human form. But as the image of Megan, naked and in his arms, appeared in his mind, he relented. If he could avoid bloodshed today to please her, he would. If not, so be it.
He pulled from the very center of his being and transformed back into his human shape.
Hawk curled his hands into fists. Luke respected that. The guy was no pushover.
“Thanks.” Rance nodded.
“For what?” Hawk’s face darkened. “He’s done nothing to earn our thanks. He’s the one who chose not to be part of the tribe. Fuck him.”
Luke wondered where this standoff would end. Like him, Hawk was hot with rage and ready to go fist to fist, claw to claw, fang to fang until blood spilled. Troy wasn’t far from it either. Only Rance seemed hesitant to spill blood, but only just a bit. Every minute he wasn’t next to Megan and these males were within pouncing distance of her fueled his blackness. His mind began to replay the accident that took his parents from him.
“Fuck no,” Luke cursed, willing the memory away.
Hawk took a step toward him.
Bring it on.
Rance moved between them. “Cool it, Hawk. He hasn’t hurt anyone. We are only here to make sure the women are safe.”
The hothead growled. “Well, if you and Troy are satisfied that this piece of shit is harmless, I’m out of here.”
Rance nodded. “Fine. Go.”
Hawk shook his head. “Okay.” Then he fixed his stare on Luke. “You shouldn’t have left the tribe, cousin. You’ve brought shame to our family.” Then he shifted into his wolf shape and ran back the way he’d come.
Troy leaned against a tree. “Don’t hold it against your cousin, Luke. He’s got his own set of issues to deal with.”
“I know.” He’d watched Hawk immerse himself in the tribe, becoming its most ardent self-appointed defender.
Luke had been proud of him, but after his parents died, he’d pushed his aunt, the tribe, and even Hawk away. The kid had been crushed. So many times Luke had thought to reach out to him over the years, but the blackness and guilt in his own heart kept him from it. Hawk would have to sort things out on his own.
“Are you ready to stop threatening us, Luke?” Troy asked.
He looked in his eyes and saw no fear or judgment. “No threats, Keekoti. I just want you off my land.”
“Not a good idea for you.”
“Why not?”
“You want to keep your mate, right?”
His ears perked up. What could they tell him that would help him with Megan? He wasn’t sure, but advice from the two guys engaged to his mate’s sister might be worth listening to. “You’ve got sixty seconds.”
Rance chuckled. “You’re too much, Luke.”
“He’s got a two-ton chip on his shoulder, bro.”
“Are you two going to cluck like a couple of hens, or are you going to tell me what you came here to say?”
Troy shrugged. “No sense of humor. Too bad. Megan isn’t like you, Luke. She enjoys being with people, especially her sister and grandmother.”
“She’s with them now. I don’t see a problem.”
“I bet you don’t.” Rance continu
ed, “Black and white. That’s how it is with you. Your way or the highway.”
“Do you two have a point?”
“Ask yourself this question, Luke—can you make Megan happy if you keep her locked up in your cabin like a prisoner?”
Troy answered for him. “You know you can’t.”
Luke couldn’t deny that they might be right. He and Megan had just fought about her leaving to see her grandmother and sister. She’d relented, but at what cost? Still, Luke feared if he ever let Megan off his land and out of his sight, he might lose his mate forever.
Rance looked him straight in the eyes. “You have to trust her, Luke. If she’s really yours, she’ll come home to you.”
But in Luke’s experience, that wasn’t always the case.
* * * *
“Over the next few days, practice some of the spells from pages one to twenty, Megan,” Gran instructed her. “With my tea’s magic in you, they should be simple for you to master.”
“What about this section, Gran?” Megan finished off her second cup of tea. She pointed to the next group of spells in the book Gran had brought with them. She wondered what had happened to the copy she’d borrowed from Kate. Luke had said he’d retrieve it the night before, but then Megan had decided to run and everything had gotten crazy. She’d ask him about it when he got back.
“Those spells are a bit more advanced than you’re ready for, I’m afraid.” Gran winked at her. “It won’t be long, though, before the three of us are riding brooms on a moonlit night.”
Her mouth dropped. “We actually ride brooms?”
Shaking her head, Gran burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. In no time, Megan and Kate were chuckling along with her. It took a full five minutes for them to settle down back to a semblance of normality.
“Oh, my. That felt wonderful, girls. Laughter truly is the best medicine, even for witches like us.”
Megan smiled and hugged her grandmother. “So, we don’t fly in the air?”
“I didn’t say that.” Gran’s serious tone startled her. “We just don’t ride brooms. We are modern women, after all. Now, about your wolf…he’s imprinted on you, I can see that. When a shifter first imprints, their instinct to dominate their mate is the most powerful and volatile. That’s quite normal for all shifters in the tribe. Everyone supports the newly mated by ensuring they are protected from hurting each other. With a human and a shifter, the risk goes up, as Kate knows firsthand, but still the tribe is there. But since Luke has abandoned them, I’m worried that he might be…well, a bit dangerous.”
