Ashton Grove Werewolves (Boxed Set, Vol. 2)

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “Kiera wouldn’t want you to be unhappy,” Kinley said softly, taking his hand and leading him downstairs. “If she’s watching over you, don’t you think it makes her sad to see you this way?”

  “Maybe.”

  They reached the foot of the stairs, and she guided him into the kitchen and pushed him down into a chair. In the light, she could see how much weight he’d lost in the past month. His face was gaunt, his muscles had lost some of their definition, and his hair was a wild mess. She wasn’t sure he’d used a brush since the battle. If her nose didn’t deceive her, a shower hadn’t been high on his list either. Not that she would ever tell her alpha that he smelled, but he was definitely ripe.

  She watched as Gabriel ate, the food slowly disappearing between his lips. If this is what it took to get him to eat a decent meal, she’d be here every dinner,assuming he’d welcome her interference. He hadn’t thrown her out though, so that was a good sign. Maybe she could convince him to take a shower after dinner, and she could tidy up a bit. His bedroom had been a mess. The bed unmade, clothes littering the floor. She’d be willing to bet those were the same sheets from a month ago. There was no way Kiera’s scent was still on them, but he hadn’t let go.

  Gabriel needed someone to take care of him, to show him that people cared about him. Lucas said Marin and Chloe had been stopping by, but it didn’t look like they’d actually done anything. A layer of dust coated everything, and the house didn’t have a pleasing scent. If Kiera could see the state of her home right now, she’d have a fit. The alpha femme had always taken pride in her home, making it shine like a new penny. If Gabriel didn’t mind her presence in his home, maybe Kinley could make it shine again, or at least, clean it up a bit.

  “I made it clear to everyone, including my family, that I wanted to be left alone. Yet you were brave enough to come here.” Gabriel studied her as he chewed. “Why?”

  “I lost someone once, someone I had thought would be my mate when we were old enough. I still feel his loss, but the pain has lessened over the years. Now I’m able to remember him with fondness and a smile. I remember wanting to be left alone, but my parents wouldn’t let me. At first, I resented them, but after a week or so, I realized they were trying to help me. And it did help, knowing someone was there if I wanted to talk. Just knowing someone else was in the house helped some days. I guess I thought maybe I could do the same thing for you.”

  He played with the remaining food on his plate. “Do you think he was your true mate? I’ve noticed that you haven’t really dated much since joining the pack. Do you think you’ll ever find someone else?”

  “I haven’t dated much,” she admitted. “It never felt right. They were all nice men, but there was something missing. It wasn’t until recently that I felt that same spark, maybe even more so than I did before. So to answer your first question, no, I don’t think Sean was my true mate, but I believe we could have been happy together.”

  “Your true mate is in the pack?”

  She felt her cheeks warm. “I don’t know if he’s my true mate or not. I just know I’m attracted to him. He’s new. I don’t think you even know he’s here.”

  Gabriel frowned. “Someone new joined the pack?”

  “Actually, we’ve had several males join the pack, but there’s one who is human. Now, anyway.”

  “Now? How can he be human now if he were not before?”

  “The angel, Adriel, was cast out of Heaven. He came to us, the pack, and Connor welcomed him with open arms. He’s helped him get situated, adjusted to life on earth. They put him in one of the wolf dorms, and he was going to see Connor tonight about a job. I think the pack has been helping him with things like grocery money. I know Connor had the utilities turned back on for him. I overheard some of the women talking about it.”

  She could see the wheels turning in his head and wondered what he was thinking. He had to have known people would join the pack without his knowledge, having turned everything over to Connor the way he did. Was he, perhaps, regretting that decision now? Maybe she could lure him back into pack life by giving him bits of news here and there, telling him about the newest recruits. If some women were to join the pack, maybe she could even lure him out of the house. Everyone knew Kiera was his true mate, but she didn’t believe for one minute that he was destined to be alone. One thing she’d learned during her brief time in Ashton Grove was that Gabriel had a great capacity for love. She just had to remind him of that.

  “The pack misses you,” she said. “I know you’re hurting, but everyone is suffering without you. Connor is a great alpha, but we need both of you.”

  “I’m not ready yet.”

  She placed her hand over his. “You can’t hide forever. If you want to show Kiera how much she meant to you, how much you loved her, you’d go on living. Hiding in the shadows is no way to honor her memory.”

  He growled softly.

  “I’m not trying to anger you. I just think you’ve closed yourself off for so long now that you’ve forgotten you aren’t alone. Yes, you miss them, but so does the rest of the pack. They not only lost their alpha femme, but their packmates as well. Some were badly injured, scarred even. And now one of their alphas is in hiding.” Her gaze traced her alpha’s scars. “They need you to lead them, Alpha.”

  “It’s too soon. I don’t think I can be around that many people right now.”

  “Then baby steps. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to keep coming here. I can clean a little and have dinner with you at night. It isn’t good for you to be completely alone.”

  “What about your job?”

  “I lost it. I was injured during the battle and couldn’t return to work for a few days. It was minor, but enough to keep me off my feet. I couldn’t very well tell my employer I’d been in a fight with demons and needed a few days off, so they fired me.”

  He took another bite of chicken. “So how are you paying bills?”

  “I had a little saved up.”

  “If you come here and clean, I insist on paying you.” He looked around. “This place hasn’t been cleaned in a month, so it’s going to take a lot of work. I can’t ask you to do that without getting some sort of benefit from it.”

  “I’ll accept your offer. Expect me here tomorrow afternoon. Something tells me you don’t sleep well at night, so I don’t want to come too early.”

  She saw a ghost of a smile before he nodded. “Sometime after eleven would be good.”

  “Thank you, Alpha.”

  He rose, pushing his plate away. A plate he’d cleaned, she noted. Good to know he liked her cooking.

  “I think you should leave for tonight,” he said. “Thank you for being here tonight, Kinley. I guess I needed your company more than I realized.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  As he ambled out of the room, she gathered their plates and rinsed them in the sink before gathering her purse and keys. It felt good, knowing she’d helped him in some small way. She’d have to call Cole and let him know what happened, and that he and Michael wouldn’t need to pay her. She probably should have been completely honest with Gabriel and told him about his brothers’ offer, but something had held her back. It wasn’t the right time. It might not ever be the right time. Gabriel needed a friend right now, and whether someone paid her or not, that was going to be her.

  Chapter Two

  Adriel wiped the sweat off his brow and looked up at the glaring sun. July was not the best month to have decided to become human. The sweltering heat was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. As an angel, he’d never felt the heat or the cold. Now he was learning that summer in the South was not a fun time, not if you were working outside anyway. He’d talked to Connor three days ago, and the alpha had set him up on a construction crew with his company. Adriel knew absolutely nothing about construction, but he was a quick study and had picked everything up with minimal effort. He’d found that carrying the building materials helped tone his muscles, not that he was
a slouch in that department. He’d noticed more than one woman eyeing him, licking her lips, like she wanted to suck on him like a piece of candy.. It might have fed his ego, except none of them were the right woman.

  He hadn’t seen Kinley since that afternoon at the market, hadn’t even spoken to her. He’d heard word through the pack that she was spending time at Gabriel’s each afternoon and evening. While it might have made a lesser man jealous, he knew she was only trying to help her alpha. If anything, it made him glad that she had such a big heart. No one else had stepped forward to help the grieving wolf, except for his family, and even they seemed at a loss. If he still had some of his powers, he might have helped lessen the grief, but as a mere mortal, there wasn’t much he could do.

  Adriel nailed the board in place before reaching for another. He wasn’t sure if Gabriel knew what was going on or if it were going to be a surprise. Connor had decided that the pack needed a neutral place to meet, so Cassie and Matt had donated some land, and Adriel was now helping put up the framework for a pack meeting house. It would also double as a gym or a dance hall for special occasions. Really, Adriel was surprised something similar hadn’t been built already. It wasn’t like the Ashton Grove pack was tiny. Yes, they’d had some losses, but they were already growing again.

  If he had to guess, he’d say that Gabriel and Kiera had enjoyed having the pack around them, and that’s why nothing had been built prior to this. But times were changing. As the pack grew, so did their holdings. First, the apartments, wolf dorms, and duplexes. Now, a meeting place. Who knew what would be next? Adriel was happy to be a part of it. He could never thank the pack enough for welcoming him into its fold. They could have easily turned him away, left him to his own devices. Instead, Connor had given him a means to make something of himself.

  Now that he had a steady job, he could save for important things, like a car and a new place to live. If things went well with Kinley, he couldn’t very well bring her to the wolf dorm with him. And truthfully, he shouldn’t be there. Not that he had a problem being surrounded by wolves, but he knew it made them a little uncomfortable having him there, and he didn’t want that. He’d stay until he had enough saved to get his own place; then he’d move out.

  He was looking forward to getting to know Kinley better, and hoped she felt the same about him. If things went well, maybe they would be seriously dating in another week or two. He wanted her so badly he ached. Only Colin and Connor knew how he felt, well, and their mates. Announcing to everyone that he intended to mate Kinley was not a good idea, especially since she didn’t know it yet. She’d think he was a lunatic if word got back to her that he was spouting such nonsense. No, it was better to keep things quiet, for now,although, it was getting harder and harder to brush off the women in the pack. They were a persistent lot! What they saw in a mere human he’d never know.

  “About done here?” Rex asked, a new pack member who also worked on Connor’s crew.

  Adriel nodded. “Just a few more boards, and I’ll be done for the day.”

  “A few of us are going to Lagoona Paradise after work. We thought you might want to come along.”

  “Sounds good. Just let me finish up here, and I’ll join you.”

  Rex pointed toward the blue pickup in the parking lot. “Just meet me at my truck, and I’ll give you a lift.”

  “Thanks.”

  Adriel got back to work, nailing the rest of the boards into place. When he was finished, he wiped the sweat from his brow. He put his tools away, setting them inside the trailer on site, an arrangement he’d made with Connor, then walked toward the parking lot. Rex McKinnon and Sawyer Braxton were already there, waiting for him. Both were new to the pack, and he hadn’t gotten to know them very well. Tonight was a good night to remedy that. He needed more friends, someone other than the Andrews and Tierney families. Everyone had been nice to him, but he hadn’t really bonded with anyone yet. He wanted to fit in, make friends. It would be nice to hang out with the guys.,even if he hadn’t had alcohol before.

  They piled in Rex’s truck and headed to Lagoona, country music playing softly in the background. Adriel sat in back, letting Rex and Sawyer sit together. When another male joined them, Adriel was surprised. Cain Boudreaux, the resident were-tiger (?), slid in next to him, giving him a nod. The man was notorious for being the silent type, so Adriel was curious as to whether or not he’d open up while they were out tonight.

  When they pulled into the lot at Lagoona Paradise, there was already a large crowd inside. The lot was nearly packed. Adriel had never been before and was curious what it would look like inside. He’d heard the men talk about the women who worked there and their skimpy outfits. It was certain that the location had been chosen for that reason. It wasn’t like Lagoona was the only bar in town, but it seemed to be popular with the shifters, at least, the male shifters. He’d heard the women talking about another place in town.

  They nabbed a table near the wall, giving them a great view of the room. A woman approached them, wearing a shirt so tight, her boobs nearly burst free, and a skirt so short, he was worried she’d flash the world if she bent over. He supposed he could understand why the men found the place interesting, but there was only one woman he wanted to see half-naked, and she wasn’t here. No one else would do.

  “My name’s Darlene. What can I get ya?” she asked, popping her gum.

  The other guys each ordered a different type of beer, so Adriel wasn’t quite sure what to do when she looked at him expectantly.

  “What do you recommend?” he asked her.

  She shrugged. “Depends on what you like.”

  “I’m not really much of a drinker.”

  She popped her gum again. “Maybe a pale ale?”

  “Sounds good. Just surprise me.”

  She flashed him a smile and hurried off to place their order with the bartender. Rex drummed his fingers on the table.

  “I guess I hadn’t thought about you not having a drink before,” he said. “Is this going to be your first one?”

  Adriel nodded. “I’ve never really had a chance to try it . I didn’t see the point in buying beer just to sit at home and drink it alone.”

  “Guess we haven’t been real hospitable,” Sawyer said. “We should have asked you to join us sooner.”

  “I didn’t mind the alone time so much. Gave me plenty of time to think about things. Besides, Kendall and Aislinn were determined to feed me, so I’ve been invited to both their homes rather frequently these past few weeks. Not that I’m complaining, but it’s nice to have a night out with the guys.”

  Cain smirked. “If you don’t watch it, Aislinn will have you married off to someone, probably one of the new females. I’ve heard she’s tried a bit of matchmaking with some of the other males.”

  Adriel felt his cheeks warm.

  “Oh? I’m thinking our angel boy here already has his eye on someone,” Sawyer said, slapping his back. “Do tell. Who’s the lucky lady?”

  “Kinley.”

  “The sugar glider?” Rex asked, eyebrows raised.

  “Yeah. I have a date set with her for Friday night.”

  The waitress returned with their drinks, and Cain paid for their round and tipped her.

  Adriel took a hesitant sip of his beer, a little surprised at the taste. It was bitter, but not horrible. He couldn’t understand the humans’ fascination with the stuff, but if it helped him become one of the guys, he’d drink it. He glanced at the label, wanting to make sure he knew what to order the next time.

  “You ever been on a date with her before?” Rex asked.

  “Uh, no. We’re just having dinner at her house. She offered to cook.”

  Sawyer grinned. “Her place, huh? You play your cards right, you might get more than a meal. Not that anyone in the pack has scored with her. She’s been a little standoffish, but I guess maybe the right guy just hadn’t come along. Maybe she’s as into you as you are into her.”

  Adriel narrowed his eyes. �
�And just how many have tried to ‘score’ with her?”

  Cain laughed. “Down, boy. No one’s trying to take your girl from you. We’ll put the word out that she’s off limits, until you decide if you’re keeping her or not. Males outnumber the females in our pack, so naturally, the men hit on all of them. We all want our true mates, but we get lonely in the meantime. Doesn’t hurt to hook up with someone for a while. Besides, you never know. You may realize the woman you’re with is the one you’re supposed to be with forever. I hear that’s what happened with Ramsey. One look at that woman of his, and he was a goner.”

  “That’s pretty much how I felt the day I saw Kinley,” Adriel admitted. “I watched over her from Heaven. It hurt, knowing that we couldn’t be together.”

  Sawyer’s eyes widened. “Whoa! You gave up your wings for her, didn’t you?”

  Adriel felt his cheeks flush again; he nodded. “She doesn’t know. I figured it might freak her out. I’m trying to take things slowly, as a human would. .”

  “Dude,” Rex said. “In case you missed it, we aren’t human. If you want her, you have to go after her. If I were you, I’d tell her how you feel when you see her on Friday night. At the very least, let her know you’re definitely interested and want to pursue a relationship with her. Women love that shit.”

  “Take a bottle of wine with you,” Cain said, sipping his beer. “She’s friends with Jenny, the lynx shifter. If you want to know more about your girl, that’s where you need to go for your info. Just be subtle about it.”

  “Subtle?” Adriel muttered. “I’m not sure I’m so good with subtle.”

  “Just be yourself,” Sawyer said. “She obviously likes you, or she wouldn’t have invited you over for dinner. Far as I know, none of the males have been to her place, except to deliver a message.”

  “I just don’t want to rush her,” Adriel said.