Built Fur Love Box Set

by Terry Bolryder

  But honestly, he had felt sort of doomed from the beginning. How was this ever supposed to work out?

  “I… Look, April. I have a lot of things to tell you.”

  She sat up, eyeing him suspiciously. “Now? I thought you said my camera wasn’t working.”

  He walked over to the table and slammed a hand down. “This is far more difficult than you presume.”

  She bit her lip at his sharp tone, and he regretted letting his stress take effect on her. “How?”

  He sat on the bench next to her, keeping her from leaving while at the same time making sure they were close enough they could talk without anyone hearing. “I never wanted to keep secrets from you. You weren’t supposed to be my mate.”

  “Your what?” Her skin went a shade paler.

  “Listen, you know those wolves you saw?”

  She nodded.

  “I’m one of them.” He had no way to sugarcoat it and didn’t think the situation could really worsen, so he just said it right out.

  She stared at him, blinking, and then laughed in disbelief, putting a hand over his gently. “Um, Grayson. You’re not a wolf.”

  “But I am,” he said quietly. He let the shift take place, just enough to shift the color of his eyes to the brilliant blue of his wolf’s, and then let them return.

  She jumped back so hard she nearly fell off the bench, and when he reached out to right her, she slapped this hand away, looking scared. “What did you do just then? No, really, what the hell did you just do?”

  He stood, blocking her way to the door so she couldn’t run out, because the last thing he needed was Mattson finding her right now. He stepped forward, regretting that he had to put a hand over her mouth to quiet her down. But if he didn’t, they would both be in danger.

  “Listen, you need to be quiet, or we could both be killed.” Her eyes were wide over his hand. “If I let you go, you promise not to run or scream?”

  She hesitated, her eyes still looking frightened.

  He stroked her hair gently, not letting himself be hurt when she flinched away. “April, you know me. I’ve cared about you almost from the moment we met. I know I’ve kept secrets, but I’m finally going to tell you. If you just let me get it all out, maybe it can all make sense. But you have to be quiet, because these are not things you are supposed to know.”

  She took a deep breath, nodded against his hand, and her eyes relaxed slightly. She did know him. She did trust him, at least somewhat.

  He lowered his hand, bracing himself as she took a deep breath.

  But she didn’t scream. Instead, she took a seat on his recliner, curling up in a ball, her chin on her knees as she watched him avidly.

  “I…” He scratched his head. “I’m something like a werewolf…”

  “Wait, like you shift with the full moon?”

  He gave her a bitter smile. “No. I don’t lose my human form with the moon. I don’t have one true form. I’m half wolf and half man, and both are a huge part of who I am. Though the wolf has been quieter since I lost my pack.”

  She pursed her lips. “So your family…”

  “The pack disbanded while I was serving in the military to try and support them. I should never have left. I came back only to shallow graves.”

  She was quiet as he talked, her eyes full of sadness for him. Sadness he didn’t want.

  “Listen, April, when I came out here with Garrett—that’s my friend and boss—I never meant to stay here. But I found this pack, and they needed my help. And I thought maybe if I helped them, it would be like saving my pack. But it isn’t.”

  She stared at him. “Why?”

  “Because I found something that means more to me than any pack does, and it has put me in a bad place. Because I was only supposed to be distracting you, but while I was working, my wolf fell in love.”

  “Is that what you mean by mate?”

  He nodded. “I resisted at first because I didn’t know my mate could be human. But honestly, there was a pull in my heart from the moment you walked into my life.”

  She swallowed awkwardly, tucking dark hair behind her ear. “This is a lot to process. I mean, I’ve been having fun with you, but—”

  He leaned back against the cabinets, looking at the ceiling before turning his gaze back on her. “It’s more than that, isn’t it? Have you ever let someone come on trips with you before? Have you ever let someone ravish you in a spring before? Or under the stars? Do you let just anyone get away with asking you to stop your research?”

  “Of course not, but—”

  He stepped forward, taking her hand and holding it to his heart before pressing a kiss to it. “Every day, the urge to be with you gets stronger, yet every day, things get worse around here.”

  “Why?” She blinked. “What, so everyone here is a werewolf, too?”

  “Shifters,” Grayson said. “We’re animal and human at the same time, and we have to keep that hidden from the human world. This pack is obviously bad at it, and that’s why you’ve been getting reports.”

  “Weird that no one mentioned the size of them,” April murmured, looking like even her considerable brain was struggling with all of this new information. “Wait… so… it’s not a wolf pack. It’s just some humans?”

  “It might not be this pack of shifters. It might be someone from up north. But either way, what you saw was not wolves. Not regular ones. Shifters could tear you apart with one swipe of their claw. That’s why I’ve been so worried about you.”

  She sighed, looking down at her hands, which fell into her lap as she lowered her knees to the ground slowly. “So why now? Why are you telling me now? Are you trying to distract me from what I’ve discovered?” Her gaze darkened. “That’s why you were assigned to me, isn’t it? You were supposed to throw me off the scent. That’s why you asked me to stop my research.”

  “That’s not fair,” Grayson said. “I did all of this because I was worried about you, because I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to you, not because I cared for this pack.”

  “But you do care for this pack.”

  “Of course, but not enough to harm you. Or trick you.”

  She stood, looking angrier by the second. “But you have tricked me. You knew all along I was looking for nothing. You must have thought it was hilarious as I tracked your kind while you were right there beside me.”

  “I told you it’s because I care—”

  “Right, right, you cared instantly about the little nerd researcher. You didn’t like me when you first met me, but you realized you had to keep me out of everyone’s way.”

  “I was trying to protect you.”

  She put a hand up, looking pained. “I don’t know what to believe from you anymore, Grayson. I would have thought you were someone honest. And yeah, I get why you can’t tell me you’re a wolf. But you let me just make a fool of myself when you could have stopped me.”

  “Could I?” Grayson said, letting his voice rise slightly. “Could I really have stopped you? You were going to do whatever you wanted. What I asked of you meant nothing compared to your research.”

  “For your information, I had already decided to get your opinion on what to do. I wasn’t planning to bring the world down on this pack if you didn’t want me to. Now that I know they are humans, that’s obviously different.”

  She was practically yelling now, and he moved forward to cover her mouth.

  “April, they aren’t human. Not really. And they’ll kill you if they find out you know what they are. There are rules to our world. People aren’t supposed to find us. There are ways that our kind deals with those who do, and there are even more powerful beings who deal with us when we incorrectly expose ourselves to the human world.”

  She pulled his hand away from her mouth, and he let her. She was his mate, and he couldn’t force anything she didn’t want. “So what, now they’re going to kill me?”

  “Of course not. I wouldn’t let them. As I said, you’re my ma
te—”

  “What the hell does that mean? Does it mean you sex me up and follow me around to protect shifter kind? Does it mean you say a bunch of nice things, always showing up to distract me? Have you been sabotaging my cameras, too?”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her against him. “You know I wouldn’t do that. And you’re being too loud.”

  “You really expect me to believe in wolf people? How am I supposed to buy that?”

  He held up one hand, letting the claws there slowly extend as her eyes went wide.

  “Holy shit, what the hell are you?” She wasn’t taking this well, and he saw her grasping for the door handle behind her as she backed away from him.

  He retracted his claws. “I would never hurt you!”

  “How am I supposed to know that? You’re… you’re… You aren’t what I thought you were!”

  “You still know me,” he said, feeling hurt that his revelation could change things so much. “April, I love you.”

  She closed her eyes and tears welled there, and he wanted nothing more than to wipe them away. But she pushed at his chest, and he had to release her. “I… This is a lot to think about. I need to go… somewhere.”

  “You can’t. You won’t be safe. Not if they find out that you know.”

  “How will they find out? Will you tell them?” She paced in front of his door. “Oh my God, I’ve wasted my research time. I came so far for this, and not only are there no wolves, but I let myself get caught up in something dangerous. I’m such an idiot.”

  “You aren’t,” he said. “It’s an odd situation. I know. But it doesn’t have to be a bad one. You know what I am now. We can run, and—”

  She turned to face him. “You would do that? What about the pack? What about—”

  He froze, hearing the pitter patter of light footsteps going away from the trailer. He shot to the window and pulled up the curtain to see Candace there, running swiftly away.

  Had she heard everything? If she had, then the pack would soon know.

  “Shit,” Grayson said, slumping slightly.

  “What?”

  “It appears someone in the pack was spying on us.”

  April’s lips quivered. “What?”

  “Someone was listening. Soon the whole pack will know, and we’ll be in danger.”

  She dropped into his recliner and curled up in a ball. “Just a few minutes ago, I was so happy. I thought I had discovered something amazing. I thought I was falling in love…” She flushed as she looked up at him, and despite the betrayal in her eyes, a part of him was still overjoyed that she could even say the word love.

  Perhaps there was still hope.

  “But I don’t understand. If I’m human and you’re… And I’m not supposed to know…”

  “Only our mates can know.”

  “Ah, so I… If I’m your mate…” She still looked like she was in shock, slightly pale, hands shaking.

  “You are,” he said. “As in you’re my soulmate. The one person who is right for me. But it’s still your choice if you want to be with me. I know it isn’t what you probably pictured before.”

  “So you’re a wolf. You look like those wolves on my camera?”

  “Probably.” He nodded.

  She sighed. “I don’t know what to think about it.” Her eyes met his tentatively. “You’re amazing, Grayson. The best person I’ve met. And I love wolves, but… you aren’t either wolf or human. You’re something else, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to figure it out.”

  “It just takes time,” he said, taking a step closer to her. “This was unexpected to me, too. I never thought I would have to explain it to a human. But honestly, I’m glad it’s you. I’d go through everything I went through up to this point just to find you. You’re it for me, April. Say you’re willing to work through this, and I can face anything to stay by your side.”

  She opened her mouth hesitantly, about to answer, just as loud pounding started against the door.

  More pounding started along the sides, rocking the trailer, and April looked up at Grayson in shock.

  “We know you’ve got the human in there!” a voice called.

  “We know you told her! Traitor!”

  Grayson felt the wolf taking control inside him. His mate was shocked, panicked, and he was the only one who could defend her.

  “What are they going to do?” April asked, looking shaky. “God, will they eat us?”

  He laughed bitterly, knowing that was at least one thing he could reassure her about. “No. We don’t eat humans.” He frowned. “But if you’re a threat to the pack, they might want to kill you just the same.”

  She bit down on her lower lip, and he went over to her, cupping her chin.

  “I’ve wanted to protect you from the moment I met you, and I’m not stopping now.”

  “Grayson, get your ass out here and bring the human, or we’ll just go in and get her, too.”

  Grayson put his hand in hers, grasping tightly. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise you that.”

  Then he opened the door and led the way down the steps, surveying the crowd around him.

  It was even worse than he’d expected. A full mob of people at his door, some of them half feral, ready to shift.

  And his fragile human mate just behind him.

  He had no more excuses, no way to play either side or make peace here. The only thing left was the truth and a confrontation, and he would do his best with both.

  As pack enforcers stepped forward to escort them, Grayson pushed his way through, making sure no one could touch his mate.

  “We’ll go to the alpha on our own,” he said fiercely. “Anyone who touches April is going to die.”

  Some of the wolves stepped back warily, and Grayson passed through the opening in the crowd to make his way to the trailer of the wolf who would decide their fate.

  Chapter 16

  April still felt like she was in a dream she couldn’t wake up from as Grayson pulled her toward a beat-up trailer that was bigger than the others but in no better shape.

  The crowd of… humans that were actually shifter wolves, she guessed, followed along behind them, murmuring and shouting insults at different intervals.

  She held on to Grayson’s arm because his strength was still comforting, even if she’d just found out he was lying to her all along.

  There was still too much to process. First, there was the fact that Grayson had known about the wolves all along and tried to hide them from her while pretending to help. Then there was the fact that he had apparently been assigned to distract her.

  Then there was the fact that she was in danger.

  And a little while ago, she’d thought she’d made a huge, world-changing discovery, not stumbled onto something that could get her killed.

  So those huge wolves were actually humans, and Grayson was one of them?

  Grayson, whom she’d fallen for while hiking in the wilderness. Grayson, who’d always showed up with coffee and to fix whatever she needed. Grayson, whom she would have actually considered putting her research aside for.

  Now she wasn’t sure she was even going to live to make any kind of report.

  Grayson had assured her he would protect her, which was good because she was worse than useless in this town of apparent monsters.

  But there were so many of them and one of him, and the way they kept talking about him, yelling at him, saying he was an outsider, she wasn’t sure he would have much sway.

  She was still processing that he’d had a pack once and it wasn’t this one. What had growing up even been like?

  She shook her head. That was the researcher in her, and she couldn’t afford to think about things like that right now as they were led up the rickety steps and pushed bodily into the trailer.

  She kept ahold of Grayson’s hand as the door was shut behind them and locked with a deadbolt.

  There were several men in the trailer, sitting around an older man who was lain
up in bed, several tubes sticking out of his arm.

  Some kind of IV?

  The man was paid deference by all of the others in the room, so was this the alpha? He had black hair that was halfway silver and he looked to be slightly emaciated.

  To his right was a middle-aged man with brown hair streaked with white, and on his left was a middle-aged man with a short, stocky build and blond hair.

  To the far left was a younger man, maybe Grayson’s age or younger, sitting with folded arms and worry on his face. He was somehow familiar, and she quickly glanced back to the man in the bed, realizing why.

  A family member, probably a son.

  Could be why the man was so worried.

  Grayson stepped protectively in front of her, and a part of her felt that he wasn’t that different after all, even if she did know he was a wolf.

  If her brain could ever wrap itself around that fact, anyway.

  “Let me see her,” the main dude said, and April stepped out to stand at Grayson’s side.

  “Beautiful,” the man said, his voice gravelly. “Is it true? You have told her about us?”

  “Alpha,” Grayson said. “It wasn’t—”

  “I’m not your alpha, rogue,” the man said sharply.

  “John.” Grayson corrected himself. “You should know the position I’ve been put in here in regards to your pack. I’ve been helping where I can, and—”

  John narrowed his eyes and folded pale, thin arms. “Because your bear friend is trespassing on pack property.”

  “Not according to human laws,” Grayson said tersely. “Anyway, the government sent April here, and your pack was either going to attack her or send me to keep her away. None of this should have been on me, but I knew if your pack hurt her, there would be hell to pay with the Tribunal. Your wolves are already on the verge of discovery, and you know what that means.”

  As Grayson told someone else, April could more clearly see the position he’d been forced into. It wasn’t a good one.

  “We are already discovered, if what Candace said is correct,” John said angrily. “This human is beautiful, yes, but you had no right to tell her about our kind.”