Last Chance Mate: Wes (Paranormal Shapeshifter Mystery Romance)

by Anya Nowlan

  “Well, obviously he did,” Dakota replied, shrugging off her backpack.

  Both Tate and Wes watched her carefully as she dug around for a moment before pulling out her wallet and holding it open, showing them her ID.

  “See? Dakota Thompson,” she said, as they all studied her driver’s license.

  “That could be a fake,” Tate scoffed. “Plenty of Thompsons around.”

  “From Whitefish, Montana? Not as many as you’d like to think,” Dakota said, still partially hidden behind Wes, who wasn’t too keen on moving for some reason.

  “I never saw you around Whitefish,” Tessa shook her head.

  “Please, I don’t have time for this,” Dakota insisted, shoving her wallet back into her bag. “I know the binding amulet ended up at your store. I just want to make sure no one is using it.”

  That definitely got both Tate’s and Tessa’s attention.

  “You told her about the amulet?” Tate asked Wes, who was having trouble keeping up with all the information thrown his way.

  He knew the amulet that had brought that demon into their lives had mistakenly ended up at Tessa’s old store, but he had no idea who this Thompson guy they were talking about was, and he certainly didn’t know why Dakota being his daughter was so important.

  “I didn’t tell her anything. She knew about the amulet already,” Wes replied, glancing over at Dakota.

  Deeming her to no longer be in immediate danger of dismemberment by Tate, seeing as Tessa had come into the fray, Wes took a step to the side so he could look at Dakota better.

  “I know about the amulet because my dad told me about it,” she said. “And I know you can smell I’m not a demon, so why don’t you invite me inside and I can explain everything.”

  Tate and Tessa looked hesitant, and Wes couldn’t exactly blame them. But in his gut, he had the distinct feeling Dakota wasn’t here to cause trouble or try and hurt them. Since his instincts usually led him in the right direction, Wes decided to trust them. He hadn’t been sure about most things since Tate decided to grace Pinedale with his presence, but he was sure about Dakota.

  Which was ironic, because she was singlehandedly confirming all of his fears from before. That there was cause for alarm, and that vigilance was necessary even when it didn’t always feel like it was.

  “Please,” Dakota added. “I’m no threat to you. I’m just one woman. You could snap my neck before I could as much as insult your lineage. Just hear me out before you kick me out.”

  “Tate,” Tessa said quietly. “Let’s just listen to what she has to say,” she whispered, gently tugging at his arm, still pale in the face, eyes brimming with worry.

  Grumbling, Tate stepped away from the door and gestured both Dakota and Wes inside. This time, Wes sat down as everyone else did, picking a chair next to Dakota in the middle of the living room. There was a tension in the air that hadn’t been there when he had been in this house just a short while ago, and Wes could feel his shoulders stiffen as he watched Tate openly glare at Dakota.

  He couldn’t articulate it, but he got the feeling that he’d be willing to throw himself in the path of his Alpha if Tate decided to make a lunge for Dakota. It was another one of a series of stupid, suicidal notions that seemed to spring up in the wake of Dakota’s arrival and that Wes was nowhere closer to processing.

  “I gather you know what the amulet does. And that demons are real,” Dakota started, easily capturing everyone’s attention. “My father did, too. And it was his job to keep powerful items like that amulet out of the hands of people who would misuse them. Now that he’s gone, that responsibility has fallen to me.”

  Silence filled the room for a moment, as everyone absorbed what Dakota was saying. Tessa was the first one to speak up.

  “What took you so long?” she asked, reaching out to hold Tate’s hand in between their two armchairs. “We were on the run with that amulet, desperate to keep it from the hands of a powerful demon,” she continued. “Not even knowing if that creature could be killed or not. If you were supposed to protect your father’s items then… Where were you?”

  Now that’s a very good question, Wes thought, looking over at Dakota. And she better have a good answer.

  Five

  Dakota

  It was unlikely Tessa had intended to hit her right where it hurt, but her question still knocked Dakota off balance for a moment. Tessa was right. She should have been there when her father died, not just to say goodbye or to bury him, but to make sure his collection didn’t end up in the wrong hands. To avoid… well, whatever had happened in Pinedale and to this kind-eyed woman looking at her now, who seemed to carry more internal scars than she could openly admit to.

  Dakota had a sense about these things. She’d always been better at reading others than herself.

  Clearly she had failed at her task. Something she hoped her father could forgive her for from beyond the grave.

  “I am sorry you had to go through that,” Dakota said, leaning forward in her seat. “I should have been there to make sure none of that ever happened to you. But I was out of the country, and I didn’t even know my father had passed until after his estate had been sold off.”

  “No one told you?” Wes asked at her side, eyebrows raised.

  “I was uh… hard to reach,” Dakota replied, not wanting to get into that whole can of worms. “Look,” she refocused her attention on Tate and Tessa. “I fucked up. It wasn’t intentional, not that it changes anything. But I want to make things right, and I want to make sure no one else has to go through what you did. Which, incidentally, I’d love to hear about in detail one day, but likely not now.”

  “So you’re implying there are others out there, with things as dangerous as that amulet sitting on their shelves?” Tate asked.

  There was a churning in Dakota’s stomach. She glanced at Wes, studying her intently, and while it should have made her more nervous, it actually worked to soothe her nerves the tiniest bit.

  “None of my father’s… more private collection was ever meant to be sold,” Dakota explained. “It’s a mistake I’m hoping to rectify. That amulet is number one on my agenda, though.”

  “Because it can create portals,” Tessa nodded. “Between our reality and wherever it is demons live.”

  “That’s right,” Dakota confirmed. “Can I ask how you know that?”

  Tate ran a hand down the back of his neck, exchanging a peculiar look with Tessa.

  “We kind of… stole a book from Mr. Thompson’s, your father’s, house,” he admitted. “A demon named Loch came to Tessa’s shop looking for the amulet, and we needed information on what we were dealing with.”

  “Loch,” Dakota repeated, feeling her heart start to race. “I know that name. I’ve read some accounts… Even other demons are afraid of him…” she trailed off, taking a deep breath. “Did he get the amulet?” she asked, bracing herself for the answer.

  Dakota hadn’t even let herself consider the possibility Tessa no longer had the damn thing, and she certainly didn’t want to think about a demon getting its filthy hands on it. There was a lot of evil lurking in the periphery of existence and her father had been one of the few people who could be considered experts on the matter. She’d been trying hard to catch up with his base of knowledge, but he’d always been more into theory and she more into practice. It left her with information gaps, but guaranteed she wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable strolling into a werewolf encampment.

  After all, they weren’t the worst threat around. Not by far.

  “No,” Tate replied, and Dakota almost sagged in her chair under the sheer relief pouring over her. “And Loch won’t be bothering anyone anymore. We took care of it,” he said, tilting his chin at Wes.

  “You?” Dakota turned to Wes, her eyes wide. “You saw Loch?”

  “Not only saw him,” he replied, a faraway look on his face. “Sank my teeth into him. Tasted horrible, by the way,” he added with a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes.


  “You killed a demon?” Dakota asked, before letting out a low whistle. “I knew you shifters were tough, but…” she trailed off. “I’m glad my father’s book was able to help you, stolen or not. Where’s the amulet now?”

  “We got rid of it,” Tate replied.

  “Got rid of it how?” Dakota arched a brow at him.

  Things like the binding amulet could be tricky to destroy, and hiding it could end up doing more damage than good if anyone ever happened to find it. These wolves might have been strong enough to take down a demon, but reading one book didn’t exactly make them experts in the field of the supernatural.

  She had to admit, though. She was impressed. It happened rarely enough to be worthy of taking note of.

  Having grown up surrounded by the knowledge of the plethora of weird and scary out in the world left little time for being impressed or in awe of most things that happened in the everyday of her little blue-green planet. Then again, killing demons wasn’t everyday fodder.

  “Just trust me when I say the amulet won’t be a problem,” Tate said, in a tone that told Dakota this particular conversation was over.

  She didn’t like that vague answer, not one bit, but she was on the wolves’ turf, and wasn’t in a position to start demanding details. It was her fault the amulet ended up here in Pinedale in the first place, so the last thing she wanted was to piss off the guys that made sure the necklace didn’t end up in Loch’s hands.

  Now that could have been really, apocalyptically bad.

  “All right,” she pursed her lips. “If you say it’s not a problem, it’s not a problem.”

  That seemed to get Tate to relax a bit. Tessa was looking slightly pale, though, but less so than when Dakota spilled the beans on who she was.

  “You said Loch came looking for the amulet,” Dakota commented, looking at the woman. “Meaning… he came to your store?”

  Tessa nodded, her knuckles turning white as she squeezed Tate’s hand. Dakota couldn’t even imagine how that must have gone over. To be introduced to this crazy, hidden side of our reality was tough even in the best of circumstances, but to be thrown into it by having a demon show up at your door…

  “They both touched the amulet,” Tate explained, making Dakota’s eyes widen.

  He didn’t have to say anything else. Dakota knew exactly what that meant. The binding amulet didn’t only create connections between different planes of reality, it could also connect people. Or in this case, demons and people. By the look on Tessa’s face, having a demon try and wriggle its way into your mind had not been a pleasant experience.

  I should have never let dad send me on that wild goose chase in Guatemala.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Tessa,” Dakota apologized again, rubbing her temple.

  It’s all my fault.

  “It wasn’t your fault,” Wes chimed in, making her glance up at his face.

  She had no idea why he had stood up for her before, or why he was trying to make her feel better now. They didn’t even know each other. But she would have been lying if she said it didn’t feel good to have someone in her corner.

  “I don’t blame anyone except for Loch,” Tessa said, giving Dakota a small smile. “And I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “You’re assuming she is in fact Mr. Thompson’s daughter,” Tate commented, not as easily convinced as Tessa. “She doesn’t smell like a demon, but we still don’t really know who she is. All we’ve really got is that she knows about demons and wants to get her hands on that amulet.”

  “I thought we got past this,” Dakota sighed, stealing a glance at Wes. “I’m glad the amulet is gone. I always thought it was too dangerous to have around, but dad insisted he could keep it safe.”

  “Look,” Tate said, getting up to tower over her. “You’re the first person we’ve run into that really knows anything about this stuff, and you can’t fault us for being cautious. After you find out something like that amulet exists, things get put into perspective real fast. I hope you’ll understand when I ask you to not go anywhere until we make sure you are who you say you are.”

  “Now wait a minute,” Dakota jumped to her feet, a sinking feeling coming along with it as she realized what Tate was implying. “You can’t be serious,” she protested. “You can’t just keep me here.”

  But as she looked around the room, with three sets of distrustful eyes trained on her, she knew she didn’t really have a choice.

  Damn. Not how I expected this day to go at all.

  Six

  Wes

  “Go keep an eye on her,” Tate said, as Dakota was storming out of the house, leaving the door hanging open in her wake. “I’ll get the council back together.”

  Wes just nodded at his Alpha before rushing after Dakota, his long legs helping him to easily catch up to her. He’d barely stood still long enough to hear what Tate had to say, his wolf clawing at him to follow her wherever she went.

  “Hey, hold on,” he said, falling into stride next to her.

  “Or what? You going to keep me prisoner here?” she shot back, heading for the clearing in the middle of the village first, before swiveling around and starting for the tree line instead.

  “Slow down for a second,” Wes tried to reason with her. “You don’t even know where you’re going.”

  “I know where I left my car. And I’ve found my way back from a Mayan jungle, and a sacred temple in the middle of a desert. So I think I’ll be fine,” she replied, her tone dripping with indignation.

  “Wow,” Wes couldn’t help but say, feeling like his great open space of a home wasn’t so big at all now. “I’ve hardly been outside of Pinedale. It must be amazing, traveling the world like that.”

  “They weren’t exactly vacations,” Dakota replied, coming to a stop and crossing her arms in front of her.

  “But you could tell me about them nonetheless,” Wes prodded, raising a brow at her.

  Whatever it was that had him tailing her like an eager puppy also had him hungering to know more about her.

  “I know you’re just trying to keep me here while you figure out if I’m some sort of evil mastermind or not,” she huffed.

  “True,” Wes shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I don’t still want to hear your stories.”

  Dakota gave him a look that spoke all too much of her lack of complete trust in what he was saying.

  “This amulet isn’t the only thing I’m tracking down,” Dakota replied. “I can’t just hang around here. I have work to do.”

  “Oh, come on,” Wes scoffed. “You can’t save the world in one day, if that’s what you’re trying to do. It’s going to be dark soon anyway, and you’ve spent the day hiking. What’s the harm in staying here for the night and getting a fresh start in the morning?”

  “I don’t like feeling trapped, that’s the harm,” she said, eyeing him warily, like trapped prey. He didn’t want to make her feel that way, even if it might have been Tate’s exact intention that she does feel that way.

  This was certainly a woman who didn’t pull her punches, and had no problem with saying exactly what was on her mind. Clearly, Dakota Thompson was on a mission, and didn’t want anyone standing in her way. Now that was a problem for Wes, since he was supposed to keep an eye on her.

  Another issue was, he found her persistence entirely too attractive.

  So not only was she smoking hot and made his wolf stand on its hind legs, she was also a sparkplug, one that seemed to ignite something in him by the most direct path available. Now that was a dangerous combination if Wes had ever seen one.

  “You know it makes sense to rest for the night,” Wes tried again, searching her face for a sign she might be giving in. “Besides, it would be a show of good faith to the pack. And who knows, you might need our help in the future. We did take down a demon, after all, so we are useful friends to have.”

  When Dakota groaned, her shoulders slumping, Wes knew he had gotten through to her. He rejoiced. Internally. Wou
ldn’t do to let her know that he wasn’t going to let her leave anyway, even if it was partially because he just didn’t want to see her go.

  “Fine, I’ll stay for tonight,” she said. “But that’s it,” she pointed a finger at him. “I’m leaving in the morning, and you better not try and stop me.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Wes smiled.

  “Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” Dakota huffed, but there was a grin tugging at the edges of her lips. “This is the second time today you’ve gotten your way,” she added, sounding slightly surprised.

  “I take it you’re not usually easily persuaded?”

  “My dad always taught me to stand my ground,” Dakota shrugged.

  “And he also taught you about demons.”

  “Had to. Your dad taught you about other shifters, I bet, and you think that’s perfectly natural, knowing that there are dragons out there and bears who turn into men and every manner of other things. He knew making sure things not as positively inclined toward humans stay in hell would fall on me one day,” she replied, suddenly avoiding his gaze. “So he made sure I was well prepared.”

  “I get it,” Wes nodded. “He wanted to equip you with the tools to take care of yourself.”

  She was wrong, though. His own father hadn’t taught him anything, since he didn’t even know the man, but he could understand why Mr. Thompson did what he did. It was a father’s job to make sure their kids were ready to face the world, wasn’t it? And since Mr. Thompson’s world was different than most people’s, his teachings were different as well.

  “I was never afraid of the boogeyman under the bed,” Dakota replied. “I knew where the real monsters hid.”

  Glancing at her backpack, and the sweat on her brow, Wes tilted his head toward his cabin, nestled just beyond the tree line.

  “Come on,” he said. “I’ll get you a cold beer and you can tell me how you became a female Indiana Jones.”