by Paige Tyler
Diego didn’t know he’d reached out to take her hand until he felt the warm, soft skin under his fingers. He half expected her to pull her away. Instead she squeezed his hand tightly.
“Turning into a werewolf doesn’t work the same way in real life that it does in the movies, Bree. A bite won’t do it,” Gage said from the other side of the table. “Some people are born with a little something extra in their DNA, and when they go through a traumatic event, the rush of adrenaline and cortisol flips the gene, turning them into a werewolf.”
Bree’s eyes went wide, her grip on Diego’s hand tightening. “It happened when Brandon got shot, didn’t it?”
“Yes,” Gage said. “If he didn’t have the gene, he probably would have died.”
Bree’s expression was thoughtful, and she looked like she might say something else, but Brandon spoke first.
“Did something like what happened to me happen to you guys and the other werewolves on the SWAT team?”
Jayna nodded. “My change was triggered when I got assaulted. Gage was injured in combat, and Diego was shot in the line of duty.”
Brandon leaned forward, his eyes suddenly lighting up. “I got shot like Diego. Does that mean I’m an alpha, too?”
Gage gave him a small smile. “What kind of werewolf you become depends on what you were doing when the traumatic event that turned you happened.”
Meaning that if a person turned while they were risking their life for someone else, they became an alpha, like Diego. If not, then you turned into a beta, like Brandon.
“Okay,” Brandon said. “So, what am I?”
“You’re a beta,” Gage answered.
“How do you know? I didn’t tell you what I was doing or where I was when I got shot.”
“We can tell what kind of a werewolf you are by your scent,” Jayna said.
“Are you sure?” Brandon asked, disappointment clear on his face. “Maybe after I get older?”
“Nope,” Jayna said. “You’re definitely a beta.”
“Is being a beta a bad thing?” Bree asked, a little of that earlier panic back in her voice. “Should I be worried?”
Jayna shook her head, lips curving into a smile. “No and no. Betas might not be as big or strong or as aggressive as alphas, but their true strength isn’t in what they can physically do. It’s in their ability to form tight pack bonds. Nothing ever comes between a beta and their pack. No werewolf—even an alpha—would try to take on a beta in a fight because that would mean going up against his or her entire pack.”
Brandon considered that for a long time. “So, I’ll be part of a pack that close?” he asked hopefully.
“Yup,” Jayna said. “Once you meet the alpha you’re meant to be with, everything will fall into place like the pieces of a puzzle.”
“How will I know when I meet him?” Brandon asked.
Jayna’s gaze went from Brandon to Diego and back again. “You’ll know.”
Brandon nodded, but still looked a little unsure.
“Actually,” Diego said, looking at Jayna, “I was thinking Brandon could meet your pack. Being around some other betas will be good for him.”
Jayna nodded. “Everly’s baby shower is this Saturday. Everyone will be there, and I can’t imagine a better time for Brandon to get to know them.”
Brandon looked at his mother expectantly. “Can we?”
“I don’t know, honey. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
Gage chuckled. “You never need to worry about that. You’re part of our extended family now. Besides, there are going to be nearly fifty people there already. Everly and Cooper won’t mind.”
Brandon grinned. “Come on, Mom. You have to say yes.”
She laughed. “Okay, okay. We’ll go.”
Diego relaxed back in his chair. Damn, he’d been as eager for Bree to agree as Brandon was.
“Excellent!” Jayna said, smiling at Brandon. “What do you say we go for a walk around the compound? I may be an alpha now, but I remember being a new beta werewolf and how confusing everything was. I could give you some pointers.”
Brandon was half out of his chair before he remembered he should probably check with his mother. Bree let out another laugh.
“Go ahead.”
No sooner were Brandon and Jayna out the door than Gage announced he had some work to do in the training building, leaving Diego alone with Bree.
She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully before turning her head to gaze at him. Damn, she had beautiful eyes. “If beta werewolves bond as tightly as Gage said, will Brandon go off and live with his alpha when they find each other? Please be honest. Am I going to lose my son?”
The pain in Bree’s voice tore at him, and yet Diego hesitated. That question was more complicated than it sounded. Jayna had been right when she’d talked about how tight betas became when they bonded with members of their pack. It was next-level stuff.
“When Brandon meets the werewolves he’s supposed to bond with, they will be close, but their pack bond will never replace the love a child has for their mother,” Diego said gently. “I’ve been a werewolf for eight years, and I see my mom at least once a week.”
Bree visibly relaxed, a small smile curving the corners of her lips. “Your parents live in Dallas then?”
He nodded. “My brother and two sisters live in the area, too. We all get together at my mom and stepdad’s a few times a month for dinner.”
“That’s awesome.” Her smile broadened. “My sister, Beth, lives with us. She moved in after the divorce to help out with Brandon while I went to work. I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if she ever moved back East where the rest of our family lives.”
Diego gazed down at their clasped hands, not having realized he was still holding hers. She didn’t seem interested in letting go, and neither did he.
“That guy at the diner—your ex,” Diego said. He wanted to tread carefully here, not sure if she’d want to talk about this or not. But when she didn’t shut him down, he plowed ahead. “I sort of got the feeling you and Brandon weren’t too comfortable around him.”
She snorted. “You could say that.” When he patiently waited for her to say more, she sighed. “I married Dave right after high school graduation. I was too young and foolish to realize what a controlling jerk he was until after Brandon was born. When Brandon was eleven, Dave went to prison for manslaughter and served five years, nearly six if you count the time served during the trial. Brandon didn’t have the best relationship with his father before he went to jail. I didn’t either, I guess. He got out a few months ago and…well, it isn’t any better than it was before.”
Five years didn’t sound like a lot for manslaughter. “How is he out on parole already?”
Her slim shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Who knows? I was surprised he got released so soon. Then again, it wasn’t like I kept tabs on him after he went to prison. We got divorced and I never looked back. We were married nearly ten years, have a child together, and I just walked away.”
Diego opened his mouth to point out that she’d done the right thing, that if her instincts told her to run, she was smart to listen to them, but Gage chose that moment to walk in.
“We got a call,” he said. “Silent alarm at Capital One Bank on Gaston. Looks like another barricaded suspect.”
“I’ll be right there.” Diego muttered a curse, then looked at Bree. “I gotta go.”
Bree nodded and pushed back her chair. “Don’t worry about it. You have a job to do, and Brandon and I need to get home.”
Outside, he was about to turn and tell her he’d check in with Brandon later when she put her hand on his arm.
“Can I see you again?” she asked. “Before the baby shower on Saturday, I mean.”
Diego didn’t know whether she was talking about going on a date or getting together so they cou
ld talk more werewolf stuff, but the mere idea of Bree wanting to see him again did some crazy things to his pulse.
“Yeah, of course,” he said.
“Great!” She smiled. “What do you think about coming over for dinner? My way of saying thank you for saving our lives.”
Diego had expected her to suggest grabbing a cup of coffee or something, but a home-cooked meal sounded even better. “I’d love to. I’ll give you my number so we can nail down a day and time.”
She gazed at him for a moment, then pulled her cell phone from her purse and held it out to him. “Tomorrow night works for me, if it’s okay with you?”
He handed his cell to her, then quickly typed his name and number in her contacts. “It’s a date.”
Or maybe it wasn’t a date. He still wasn’t sure. But Bree didn’t correct him, and he tried hard to keep the stupid grin off his face as she put her information in his phone. He was trying to think of something romantic to say when Brandon ran up to them.
“Are you leaving?” he asked. “Right now?”
“About two minutes ago, actually,” Diego pointed out. “But yeah, I have to go.”
Brandon frowned, clearly bummed. “You’re going to be at the party Saturday when I meet Jayna’s pack, right?”
Diego grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
The kid smiled so big Diego was surprised he didn’t hurt himself. “Okay, I’ve got to get out of here. If you need to talk to me, I gave your mom my phone number. You can call or text me anytime—whatever you need. Okay?”
Brandon nodded.
Bree said something to him about being careful, but Diego was already running for the response SUV where Trey was waiting for him. He had to admit, having a woman concerned about him felt damn good.
Chapter 4
Bree and Brandon took the stairs up to their fourth-floor apartment rather than wait for the elevator. It wasn’t because the elevator was slow, or they were in a hurry. It was because they still had bloodstains on their clothes, something Bree hadn’t realized until they’d left the SWAT compound. The idea of being trapped in the confined space of an elevator with one of their neighbors was more than either of them wanted to deal with.
Thankfully, they made it to their apartment without running into anyone. Brandon held onto the bags of takeout from Keller’s Drive-In as Bree fiddled with the key. She’d barely gotten it in the lock when her sister jerked the door open so fast Bree nearly fell face-first onto the tile floor of the entryway.
“Where the hell have you been?” Beth demanded. “I saw on the news that some psycho with a gun held up the diner and took everyone hostage. I’ve been calling and texting you nonstop, and when you didn’t answer, I called the police and every hospital in the city. No one would tell me anything. I’ve been losing my mind for hours.”
Brandon handed Bree two of the bags, gave her a look that said “Good luck!” then headed for his bedroom with his burgers.
“Wash your hands before you eat!” she called after him as he disappeared inside. “And remember to feed Finn!”
Finn was Brandon’s ferret. The little guy was simply precious, but he could get fussy if they made him wait too long to eat.
Closing the door behind her, Bree placed the bags on the kitchen table, then walked down the short hallway to her own bedroom, her sister at her heels. She took one look in the full-length mirror on the inside of the closet door she’d left open and grimaced. She couldn’t think of eating until she took off her bloodstained clothes. As she exchanged her jeans and top for a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, Beth leaned against the doorjamb with a frown.
“It didn’t help that Brandon decided to leave his stupid phone in his room when you guys left,” she grumbled. “Why didn’t you answer any of my calls or texts? Didn’t you think I might be worried?”
Bree sighed, ashamed to realize she hadn’t considered her sister might have heard about what happened at the diner. Finding out her son was a werewolf on top of the two of them almost getting killed had kind of preoccupied her.
Ten years younger than Bree was, Beth had moved in with her and Brandon during Dave’s trial. After the divorce, Bree had put the house they’d lived in with Dave on the market and gotten this three-bedroom apartment, wanting to put her ex and that part of their lives behind them. Moving back East to be near family probably would have been easier, but Brandon had already gone through so much crap with his dad that Bree hadn’t wanted to take him out of a school he loved and away from friends he adored. But she wouldn’t have been able to do any of it if her sister hadn’t been there to help with Brandon while Bree worked full-time.
In a word, Beth was awesome.
Giving her dark-haired sister a small smile, Bree walked over to hug Beth. “I’m sorry. I had my phone in my purse on vibrate when we went into the diner, and after that, things got kind of crazy.”
Beth nodded, but didn’t say anything. Her gaze strayed to the clothes Bree had left on the floor, her face going a little pale. “Is that blood on your shirt?”
Bree looked down. The stains, which had been bright red originally, were now a dark rust-brown. The memory of how the blood had ended up there rushed back, and she swallowed hard. “Yes.” She put an arm around her sister, gently turning her around and guiding her out of the room, eager to get them both away from the horror of what had happened at the diner. “Come on. There are two bags from Keller’s in the kitchen with our names on them. Let’s eat.”
When they got to the eat-in kitchen, which was separated from the living room by a granite-topped peninsula, Beth took their food out of the bags and set it on the table. She grabbed a knife and fork while Bree poured two glasses of iced tea, grabbed mayo, mustard, and ketchup from the fridge, then sat down across from her sister.
“Were they right on the news about everything that happened at the diner?” Beth asked, opening the ketchup and squeezing some onto the wrapper beside her chicken club for her fries.
Bree nodded. Picking up her fork, she dug into her grilled-chicken Caesar salad and told her sister everything. Well…not everything. The whole werewolf thing needed to stay in the closet for now. But she did tell Beth about the gunman, the poor cops he’d shot, and how horrible it was to see the guy kill himself.
Beth shook her head as she nibbled on a fry. “I can’t imagine going through something like that. I’m so glad you and Brandon are okay.”
“Thanks to Diego,” Bree said, unable to keep the smile off her face as she said his name.
Her sister regarded her over the rim of her glass. “Who’s Diego?”
“The gorgeous cop on the Dallas SWAT team who risked his life for Brandon and me today.” Bree sighed. “You should have seen him, Beth. I couldn’t believe how brave he was to walk into the diner without any weapons and try to talk that guy down. I mean, I know it’s his job, but it was still so selfless. That kook could have shot him.” She shuddered inwardly at the memory, not wanting to think about that part. “Then there was how great he was with Brandon. We were both kind of shaken up after what happened, and Diego went above and beyond to make sure we were okay. Brandon only met him a couple hours ago and already idolizes him.”
“Brandon isn’t the only one.” On the other side of the table, Beth smiled. “I haven’t heard you gush about a guy like this since you were in high school.”
“I’m not gushing!”
Beth lifted a brow. “Trust me, you’re gushing.”
Bree speared a piece of chicken. “Okay, maybe I am gushing a little. But can you blame me? Brandon was so freaked out that Diego asked us to go back to the SWAT compound so they could talk about what had happened at the diner. It’s hard not to like a guy who does something so awesome for your son.”
“I won’t argue with that.” Her sister picked up her sandwich. “You should ask him out.”
Bree grinned. “I alread
y did.”
Beth stopped chewing to stare at her. “Seriously?”
“Uh-huh.” Bree pushed her salad around in the bowl, making sure every bit of seasoned chicken, crispy lettuce, crunchy croutons, and the juicy cherry tomatoes she’d asked them to add were covered in creamy dressing. She usually wasn’t so picky when it came to her food, but right then, she wanted to avoid her sister’s gaze. “Well, I didn’t actually ask him out on a date. I simply asked him to come over for dinner as a way of saying thank you for what he did for Brandon.”
Beth shrugged. “Sounds like a date to me.”
“It’s not like that,” Bree insisted. “He risked his life for us. Making dinner is the least I can do for him.”
“I agree. But since you’ve never invited a guy over before, Diego must be special.”
Knowing she couldn’t keep messing with her salad for the rest of the night, Bree took a bite to avoid answering right away. She wanted to tell her sister she was way off track, but if she was being honest, she’d have to admit Beth was right. There was something special about Diego—and it had nothing to do with him being a werewolf. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, though.
“Which is why I did something I never do and invited him over for dinner,” Bree said. “I think it would be good to have someone like Diego in Brandon’s life.”
Beth’s face took on a thoughtful look. “And what about having someone like him in yours? Wouldn’t that be a good thing, too?”
Bree didn’t say anything. Considering her track record with men, she wasn’t sure she trusted herself when it came to the opposite sex. Since divorcing Dave—who turned out to be a real douche canoe—she hadn’t been so great at picking men. Okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely accurate. Granted, she could count the number of men she’d gone out with on one hand, but she’d genuinely hit it off with only a few of them. Unfortunately, none had been interested in having a relationship with a woman who had a kid. But she and Brandon were a package deal, and any guy who wanted to get serious with her needed to be okay with that. When it came to making decisions, her son came first.
