His son spoke up. “You’ve put us in a difficult place, Grayson.”
“Silence,” John said.
The younger man was handsome, clearly stronger than his father, but sat back instantly, bowing his head.
“Brett,” Grayson said. “You have to know this was an accident. Someone went in front of April’s cameras. She came to me talking about huge wolves and world discoveries. How am I supposed to explain that?”
“You should have handed her over to us so we could give her to the Tribunal for memory removal.”
Grayson stepped in front of her again, protectively. “I couldn’t. She’s my mate.”
The alpha sighed. “That’s complicated, then. I suppose it wouldn’t be that odd for a rogue to want to mate a human.” He wrinkled his nose. “No wolf would have you.”
Grayson’s hand tightened on April’s. “I wouldn’t have anyone but her.”
John’s eyes narrowed to slits. “But I’m afraid what you want is impossible. I can’t have a rogue and a human risking the safety of our pack. You may feel she’s your mate, but you aren’t part of a pack, and you aren’t eligible to take a mate in this area. She will have to mate one of the males here if she wants to stay safe.”
Grayson let out a low growl. “I don’t care about being part of any pack. I don’t need to in order to protect her.”
“Be reasonable,” John said. “If she mates one of the men here, as a second or third mate maybe, she is a part of the pack and has an interest in protecting our secret. With you, she could tell at any time. She has no greater good in mind.”
April’s whole body tightened. What the hell was this man trying to say?
“The rule isn’t just that you can’t tell anyone,” John said. “The rule is that humans who are told on pack territory are the responsibility of the alpha. I will decide her fate.”
“That’s a bullshit rule,” Grayson said. “And you know it.”
“Is it, though? Should we be letting any rogue come in and tell humans what they are when our whole way of life, our homes, our children, are at stake?”
April felt anger emanating from Grayson, and his hand felt extra warm. She wasn’t sure exactly what was happening, but she did know that lone wolves in the wild had no hope of taking down a pack if that pack wanted them out.
Grayson was in a dangerous position, and she hated that she’d somehow put him there, even if she’d just wanted to come out and save some animals.
Given how much he’d helped this community, that’s all Grayson wanted as well.
“Brett,” Grayson said. “You know what I’ve done for this pack. Don’t let them do this. It’s not going to go well.”
Brett, who was the son apparently, shook his head. “You’ve tied my hands, Grayson. The other punishment is death for a human who discovers us.”
“You aren’t careful enough,” Grayson spat angrily. “Someone went in front of her cameras.”
“It’s a good lie,” John said. “But none of our wolves would have risked discovery. Why would they?”
“Because they wanted to screw me up,” Grayson said. “Besides, we heard howling the other night, not far from the canyon.”
“That could be a rival pack up north,” Brett said. “But they’d never travel low enough to be caught on a camera.”
“Yes,” John said. “It’s a good story to try and cover the fact that you openly betrayed us by telling this human what we are, but it’s not going to work.”
“You dumbasses, it’s true,” Grayson said, clearly losing his temper. “Just let us show you the cameras, and—”
“The second you’re out of here, you’ll run,” John said. “We can’t allow that.” Regret finally entered his eyes. “I hate that you’ve done this, Grayson. I hate what we have to do to you now. You’ve been helpful, despite your initial trespassing, but what you’ve done can’t be forgiven or erased.” His eyes met Grayson’s, unapologetic. “I have to protect my people.”
Grayson nodded shortly. “I get it, even if your people are completely misguided.” He turned to the rest of the room. “If you don’t start figuring out who your actual friends and enemies are, if you don’t start allowing outside help and integrating with the world, your pack is doomed. Just like mine was.”
“That may be, but we have our way of life here, and we can’t just let it go to the dogs because of her.” John eyed April.
“I would never tell anyone,” April said. “My whole job is to protect wolves.”
John cocked his head. “How so?”
“I’m a researcher,” she said. “I came out here to protect the pack I was hearing reports on so the government wouldn’t send hunters with bounties.”
John nodded. “You’ll be a valuable addition to the pack, then, because you can report and keep the government off our backs.”
Grayson snarled, rising to his full height. “She won’t be a valuable addition to your pack because she’s my mate, and she’s not going anywhere with you.”
“Don’t be silly,” John said. “We already covered this. Rogues can’t have a mate. Not when the mate is in the pack’s jurisdiction. And a human who discovered us is.”
Hair was starting to rise on Grayson’s arm, and April could feel something prickly in the air. Something inhuman.
“She’s mine, and I’m going to protect her. We’re going out of here, and I’ll fight any wolf who gets in my way.”
Brett stood, looking worried. “Grayson, don’t do this.”
“So be it,” John said, giving a wave. “We’ll show a rogue what happens when he goes against an alpha.”
Instantly, the door burst open and two wolves reached inside, dragging her and Grayson outside.
Chapter 17
Things had taken a far different turn than Grayson had ever expected.
He hadn’t ever thought he would be a rogue, so he’d never thought about the different ways pack laws would apply to him.
He knew he’d felt lost without his pack, but he’d never felt more alone than he did now, standing in a clearing beneath a semi-overcast evening sky, getting ready to defend his mate from an entire pack.
It didn’t matter that they said a rogue couldn’t be mated. He knew in his heart April was his. And the human in him loved her, too, so there was no way he could allow anything to happen, even if they hadn’t been destined by the stars.
Which they were.
“April, stay back,” he murmured. “They shouldn’t try to hurt you because you’ll be valuable as a mate. But if you were in the way…”
“I’ll stay back,” she answered quietly.
He was proud of the calm in her voice. “I’m sorry I got you into this, but I promise I’ll get you out. If for no other reason than I’m a stubborn bastard who’s in love with you and can’t let anyone else touch what is mine.”
She turned him toward her, gave him a smile, and then kissed him. When he looked at her in surprise, as the shifters circled, she shrugged. “It’s all gotten so crazy, but all I know is I feel at peace when I look into your eyes. I’m not willing to be with any of these monsters, so you better make sure you win, you crazy wolf.”
He nodded tightly. “As I said, when the fighting starts, step back.”
She moved behind him, nodding.
The first to step up was Mattson, obviously, followed by his cronies. His yellow eyes were lit with a smirk, and he strode up, looking confident.
“When I beat you, they might be grateful enough to make me the next alpha,” Mattson said eagerly, folding his arms.
“Or me,” both cronies said.
In a blink, all three shifted, becoming huge, snarling wolves in shades of gray and red.
Grayson’s response was instant, and he transformed into his wolf, grateful that his huge, black beast was bigger and stronger than either of these scrawny wolves.
He heard April running behind him and turned to see pack members running to catch her arms. He snarled and got in between them i
n a second, then scooped her onto his back and ran toward the nearest trailer.
“Hold on,” he growled as she quickly buried her fingers in his fur.
He leapt onto the trailer, making it creak, but not caring about the damage. “You’ll be safe here for now.”
He lowered his head so she could step off, and then he bounded back onto the ground, facing Mattson and his two lackeys, snarling.
Already, Mattson was squaring off with him, paws digging into the ground as he bared his teeth. But Grayson felt no fear, no hesitation.
Perhaps a lifetime in the military had taught him how to stay cool under pressure.
Or maybe his wolf just refused to back down to any of these fuckers.
“Come and get some. I know you’ve been dreaming of this.”
“Gladly.” At that, Mattson charged, crossing the last ten or so feet in a single leap, jaws open. But Grayson stepped to the side, ramming Mattson in his ribcage as he flew past.
Mattson tried to turn, but he was thrown off balance now, rolling to the ground and kicking up dirt and leaves everywhere. Before he could even get up, though, Grayson was on top of him, snapping for Mattson’s neck while the smaller wolf tried desperately to fend off Grayson’s attack.
Mattson swiped a paw at the ground near him, kicking pine needles and rubble into Grayson’s eyes. Searing daggers of pain blinded him, but he ignored it completely, following Mattson with his nose and ears instead, completely in tune with himself and totally confident.
Mattson used the momentary confusion to get up, circling in the hopes of catching Grayson off guard. But Grayson whirled around just as Mattson attacked, coming up on his hind legs to pummel the smaller wolf onto his back with his powerful paws.
Without hesitation, Grayson’s jaws snapped down on Mattson’s neck, and he yelped. If Grayson had held back any less, the wolf would be dead. And he would deserve it, too. But the last thing he wanted was to murder someone while his mate still watched from the temporary safety of the nearby trailer roof.
“Give up,” Grayson growled, tightening his grip.
But before Mattson could even yield, Grayson was blindsided as his two lackeys jumped into the fray. All four of them became a blinding tussle of fur and claws and jagged teeth as Grayson pushed himself free from the melee so he could volley for a better position.
Grayson rolled free from the growing cloud of dust, standing back up. Aside from a few cuts and bruises, he was okay. It took Mattson and his lackeys a second to realize Grayson had escaped, and when they did, all three turned to bear down on him at once.
“Be careful!” April called out, her words reassuring him, reminding him what he was fighting for.
This wasn’t some minor pack dispute or some gentleman’s disagreement. When it came to the discovery of their secret, there was no honor among wolves.
Everything was on the line.
Rather than wait for Mattson and his goons to get the jump on him, Grayson charged first. He rushed the wolf on his left, so quickly that he could see the shock on the idiot’s face for a split second before he ducked low and head-butted the guy upward into his jaw. The wolf lifted off the ground for a second, careening to the side and hitting a nearby trailer, making a giant-size wolf dent in the sheet metal siding.
Mattson and the other wolf recovered more quickly, attacking with admirable speed. But Mattson, overeager as always, jumped a little too hard, a little too fast, and Grayson dodged easily. As Mattson landed on the ground far from his initial quarry, Grayson snapped at his flunky. He tried to pull away, but Grayson’s teeth at his jugular had other ideas, and the wolf barely got back with his life intact. Deep gashes in his neck were proof of exactly what Grayson could do if he or anyone else tried to mess with his mate.
The wolf retreated just as Grayson turned to face Mattson.
“Why won’t you just die?” Mattson growled, frustrated.
Grayson didn’t respond, his mind working like a computer to assess everything from the velocity of Mattson’s attack to the surrounding terrain in their immediate vicinity.
It was too easy.
Angry and frothing, Mattson was more conservative as he leapt one more time at Grayson. This time, Grayson lurched back, then sprang forward with all his strength, overshooting Mattson just barely.
As the wolves flew at each other, Grayson above Mattson, Mattson barely had time to register sheer shock on his face as Grayson grabbed the smaller wolf by the scruff as they whizzed past each other in midair. The sheer force of Grayson’s jump wrenched Mattson’s trajectory backward midflight, throwing Mattson onto the ground with an incredibly loud thump.
Grayson, his teeth still deep into Mattson’s hide, dragged the simpering asshole into the center of the settlement as dozens of his pack mates watched in fury and confusion.
Up at the patio that led into the alpha’s trailer, Brett and one of the men who had been with the alpha watched. Brett didn’t seem to know how he was supposed to be feeling, while brown-haired guy, who Grayson remembered being called Taylor, just crossed his arms, scowling.
When Grayson dumped Mattson onto the dusty earth, there was a loud murmur from the pack mates.
“You may think you’ve won, rogue, but you haven’t.” Taylor’s eyes were full of disdain as he spoke. “Everyone, destroy him.” He pointed an accusing finger at Grayson.
There was a stunned silence as men and women looked to each other, uncertain for a moment. Out of the corner of Grayson’s eye, he looked up at the roof where he’d deposited April. But to his dismay, she was dangling off the end of a rusty storm drain, feet hanging for a moment before she dropped to the ground a few feet below her, landing in a crouch.
Thankfully, with everyone’s eyes on the alpha’s speaker, no one seemed to notice.
Yes, April. Run!
“That is an order!” Taylor commanded, angry at the crowd’s insolence, and at that, people left and right began to shift, tearing through the remnants of their already tattered clothing and changing into an array of gray and red and brown wolves.
Shit, that’s a lot of wolves.
Grayson whirled around to face the pack as they continued to shift, growling at him and advancing slowly at the order they’d been given. But he was surrounded in every direction by an overwhelming number.
If he could just hold them off, maybe it would give time for April to escape.
“Grayson!” He heard a feminine voice to his side. When he looked, April was running to him, and before he could speak, she buried herself into his fur, hugging him close.
The small opening she’d run through to get to him immediately closed, the wolves cutting off all escape for either of them now.
“What are you doing? You need to run.” He couldn’t hold back the desperation in his voice as he tried to calculate some way for them to get out of this. But with each second, the pack got closer, nobody wanting to be the first in the fray, but all of them ready to leap in the second somebody got the courage to do it.
“I can’t just leave you. You know I’m protective of wolves. That’s my job, my life’s work,” she said, nuzzling his thick fur. “That includes you, Grayson. Because you’re a wolf, and for other reasons, too.”
For a moment, he nuzzled her back, absorbing the feel or her soft body against him. And as the pack closed in, rage and love and protectiveness balled up inside him, fueled by his desire to keep April safe from any harm.
If this was the end, he was going to give them a fight to remember.
Then, suddenly, he felt incredible energy humming beneath his skin. A power he’d never felt before, made of light and love and care that had never existed until he’d met his mate and fully realized it for himself.
Like a light switch, something just turned on, and out of nowhere, an aura of light surrounded them like an orb. Then, in a flash, it materialized into a translucent, white shield in a domelike shape, protecting them in a twenty-foot circle, just as the pack was about to reach them.
/> Grayson didn’t even know where it had come from or how he’d done it. He just knew somehow that he’d made it, and he’d done it to protect his mate.
“Woah,” April exclaimed in wonder, looking up at the glowing light.
“Amazing,” someone muttered outside the shield.
One wolf, both annoyed and curious, approached the aura, first pawing at it and, unable to get through, trying to dig beneath. But beneath the ground, the shield continued invisibly, allowing none to enter.
There was a pause as wolves muttered to each other in confusion.
“Is he an alpha?” one murmured.
“That’s definitely an alpha power,” another replied.
Finally, ahead of them, Taylor stepped forward, arms flailing.
“What are you waiting for? There’s still only one of him. We’re an entire pack.” The spokesdouche urged the pack to continue attacking, fists clenching in futile rage. To his right, Brett’s eyes had gone wide with surprise, not at all looking in the mood to be fighting.
At this point, Grayson wasn’t sure this was even about the alpha’s wishes, rather more about Taylor just trying to be right.
Inside, though, Grayson just held on to whatever power within that made him able to keep the unnatural force up, keeping April safe from harm.
But outside, the wolves were already rallying.
“Let’s get him.” The mob was quickly turning back on the perceived threat in their midst.
“Yeah, we can take him!” one shouted out. “He’s alone!”
“Wanna bet?” a new voice chimed in, familiar and self-assured as always.
Grayson smiled gratefully, knowing help had finally arrived.
Chapter 18
April looked up from where she’d been holding on to Grayson’s fur, eyes closed tight in anticipation of an attack, to see two figures walking over to the edge of the crowd, standing above all the shifted wolves.
For whatever reason, Grayson’s shield flickered slightly, and he calmed a bit against her arms.
Built Fur Love Box Set Page 28
