His to Claim

by Paris Brandon

  She nodded briskly and wedged a bright-yellow can of coffee between a three-pack of paper towels and a gallon of milk before wheeling past them. Ike followed in her wake but turned before he reached the end of the aisle.

  “Maybe we can meet up for a beer, sometime soon.”

  “Sounds good,” his father replied.

  After Ike disappeared into the next aisle, a shrug accompanied his father’s grimace. “That didn’t go as bad as it could have.”

  No, it hadn’t. All things considered, his father had handled the afternoon outing better than he’d expected.

  “Can you think of anything else we need?”

  “You mean besides a big sign saying ‘Ray Decker isn’t a threat’?” He shook his head. “You know, they stock a pretty nice gingersnap here. Why don’t I grab a bag and meet you at the checkout counter?”

  They wasted no time after paying for their groceries. The day had gotten warm in a hurry, and he didn’t have any intention of serving Bree warm steak tartare. Not going to happen. He loaded his treasure, wrapped in plastic and nestled in a bed of ice, into the cooler placed in the pickup’s bed, while his dad climbed into the passenger seat.

  J.D. slid behind the wheel and glanced at the distinctive brown bag of cookies on the seat between them.

  His dad shrugged. “I didn’t want them crushed. You can take them over tonight.”

  ***

  Bree scribbled out her latest efforts to sketch the cross-draft kiln she wanted to build. She’d toyed with the idea of continuing her Aunt Edie’s special-order dinnerware line to include her own consignment collection of decorative pots and vases. Unlike the down-draft kiln her aunt had been using, the cross-draft would allow the flames from the fire chamber along with the wood ash to be pulled through the pots in order to exit the chimney on the other side. She’d toyed with the idea of trying different glazes, and the melting ash would produce a unique finish.

  Still in the experimental phase, she could cut costs by starting out small and expanding as demand grew. She tried to concentrate on the do-it-yourself, pottery kiln manual but her thoughts kept drifting to J.D.

  Until his return, she hadn’t planned on doing anything except expanding Edie’s pottery business, running with the available males she found attractive, and doing as she pleased.

  What about what makes you happy?

  J.D. had been fishing when he’d asked her, but he hadn’t pushed when she’d skirted the real issue. He hadn’t mentioned marking her, but the question had been there, hanging like an empty conversation bubble in a graphic novel.

  What did make her happy?

  She’d spent the past year fighting to remain independent to make her own decisions. Seeing J.D. leaping from his truck in order to defend her had made her want to be able to depend on him.

  If she turned her back on those feelings, she’d be lying to herself and everyone around her, including J.D., especially J.D. The familiar longing he always elicited fluttered through her. He’d promised her a delicacy to whet her appetite for tonight’s run. Something raw and primitive.

  Inside, her wolf howled, and clawed to be set free, but she shushed her with the promise of a luscious moon and a magnificent beast. The howl became a whimper of anticipation as Bree stared at the sheet of paper before her, and, instead of dimensions or material lists, she’d sketched the moon and J.D.’s profile. Slipping her fingers beneath the page, she intended to tear it out of the notebook. But, instead, she released her tentative grip at the same moment she realized J.D. commanded as much of her life as any other plan she made for the future.

  ***

  Something raw and primitive turned out to be a sexy, half-naked wolf mincing a half-frozen, beef tenderloin while standing at the breakfast bar. Watching him assemble the crisp crostini on a cherry-red platter containing tiny matching bowls of chopped onion, capers, and cornichons, along with a ceramic saucer containing two perfect egg yolks, she marveled at his precise, calculated movements, and could barely keep from salivating.

  “I thought tonight’s run might require a little more energy.” He mixed the glistening orange orbs into the raw meat and spooned a bit onto one of the toasted rounds, embellishing it with a sprinkling of the rest of the ingredients before feeding it to her.

  Bree savored the sweet-and-salty blend of flavors while he scooped a portion for himself. “Is this the raw and primitive portion of the evening?”

  “Just whetting your appetite.” He fed her another delicious bite, and she barely refrained from smacking her lips.

  His sun-bronzed skin rippled over his lean, muscular torso. The rest of him, positioned discreetly behind the bar, beckoned. She might start drooling any minute now, but he’d made the rules clear. He could feed her, but she couldn’t touch him until they’d shifted.

  She could have complained, but he deserved to make his point. She did want him, couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else. Eager to see the wolf he’d kept at bay, she leaned across the space separating them and allowed one bare nipple to trail through what remained of the steak tartare.

  “Whoops.”

  She giggled when he lapped at her breast then spooned the rest of their snack onto the last piece of crostini before he popped it into her mouth. “That should hold us both for a bit.” He reached for her hand.

  The full moon beckoned, and they answered at the edge of the woods. She watched the air shimmer and sparks surrounded J.D. as muscle and bone bent and twisted, reformed into the howling dark-gray wolf impatiently pacing back and forth, circling and imploring.

  Bree stretched toward the shining orb calling to her as aggressively as her wolf, eager to join the gray and bound into the dark woods. She welcomed the first shudder as her ribs contracted. Her shoulders stretched to allow her body to change, and she enjoyed the unrestrained freedom it craved. Her wolf whined, demanding to speed the process until reddish-brown fur replaced skin, and she could run on four legs instead of two.

  His howl invited wildness and escape from the confines of the human world, and she eagerly followed. She darted past him, and he zig-zagged, never quite on her heels but always within sight.

  The sharp scent of pine and loamy earth surrounded them, and the sounds of the night accompanied the beat of their racing blood. Focused on each other, they didn’t bother with a raccoon splashing in the water, or the sound of a frantic rabbit searching for a place to hide.

  The first rush of excitement spent, Bree slowed slightly, anticipated J.D.’s next move, and maneuvered to a place by his side. With longer legs and more bulk, he could have easily outrun her, but he swerved a little closer until they ran shoulder to shoulder.

  Wolves didn’t laugh often. Their tongues might loll to one side, and they might yip playfully, but she could feel the rumble build in her chest until a sound she’d never experienced made its way to her throat and out into the night.

  The gray stopped immediately, nuzzling her neck as if searching for signs of distress. She returned the gesture, rubbing the side of his neck, nipping his ear, and licking his muzzle. Panting hard, their hearts beat together in a rhythm as old as time.

  When J.D. stepped away, wary and watchful, Bree whined, and rolled her head to one side, ruffling the fur along her neck, exposing the skin.

  He sniffed delicately and licked at a spot behind her ear. She whimpered her acquiescence, and his quick, sharp bite made her shudder with orgasmic pleasure. J.D. answered with a faint growl.

  Their wolves appeased, their human nature clamored for the touch of skin and lips, teeth and tongues, but they’d run quite a distance and would make better time as wolves. Still in sync, they raced for the cozy cabin at the edge of the woods, and the comforts of a hot shower and a soft bed.

  Bree reached the clearing where the moonlight pooled like a serene, incandescent lake. Her wolf grudgingly relinquished its identity, shifting smoothly and waiting for J.D., who tucked her hand inside his and pulled her into his arms.
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  She slid against his hard-muscled chest and pressed a kiss into the hollow of his throat.

  “I’m glad I didn’t need to make the speech I’d prepared about how I’d be willing to wait until you were sure you wanted to accept my claim.”

  “Are you saying I made it too easy for you?”

  “Hell no, but there will be people telling you you’ve made a mistake, and many of them will be your family.”

  “I didn’t do this without any thought to consequences, but I’ve known since you came home we belong together, and I’ve defended my feelings for you, whenever one of them questioned my decision.”

  “Mind if I ask you what made you decide to accept my mark?”

  “I tried to imagine my life without you now, and I can’t. I always thought the old line about two hearts beating as one belonged in a greeting card for a holiday designed to sell candy and roses.”

  “The day you stormed out of your truck, nostrils flaring, ready to do battle, I could feel your heartbeat. You were fifteen feet away, and I could smell soap and sweat and your wolf. All I wanted to do was step off the porch and lick you from head to toe. I came to the realization I’d rather spend forever experiencing life with you than let you go again. If you left, I’d follow you.”

  “What about all your plans? Expanding the business, building onto Edie’s shop?”

  “I can work anywhere, and Edie can continue the business here.”

  “Why the sudden change?”

  “It isn’t sudden. I’ve been waiting for you to come home since you left. I’ve always loved you. I didn’t realize how much until I tried to imagine my life if you left again.” She stood on her tiptoes, put her arms around his neck, and tried to pull his head down for a kiss, but he turned his head and sniffed the air.

  “I smell smoke,” he said, moments before a familiar howl full of rage and pain, coming from the direction of Gunnar and Luna Redmond’s cabin pierced the night.

  Ray.

  Chapter Nine

  A full moon illuminated Gunnar and Luna’s charred deck, and J.D. detected the acrid scent of kerosene beneath the harsh, bitter smell of burnt wood.

  Several other members of the pack came running at the first whiff of danger. They’d grabbed their clothes off the back porch and dressed on the fly. A naked Ike Kiel and a younger version of the blond giant hacked away at the remnants of the damaged structure, while three men and two women, all lucky enough to be dressed in old jeans and flannel, smothered piles of smoking timbers with shovelfuls of dirt, tamping out any remaining embers.

  The crack of splitting boards and the roar of three men ripping the last of the smoldering pieces away from the house, added to the tension surrounding the small group. J.D. swiveled his gaze and found Gunnar. His fury seemed to be guarded only by his clenched jaw, and Luna’s arm hooked around her mate’s waist, her gaze never leaving Ray.

  Sid Riggs and another man flanked his grimy, shirtless, and barefoot father. His dad’s jeans, soot streaked and ripped at the knee, hung off his slim hips. A thin line of blood trickled from his split, bottom lip.

  One way or another, J.D. owed Sid or whoever had hit his dad, a smashed face.

  “Do you want to tell me why my father is bleeding?”

  Sid smirked, but Gunnar’s rage exploded.

  “You were supposed to do one thing when you came home. Watch over your father. Luna and I came home from a run to find Sid questioning Ray about why he was holding a kerosene-soaked rag, and what it had to do with our deck being on fire.”

  “It’s his shirt,” Sid added. “I’ve seen him wearing it.”

  “The shirt was in a box of rags in my shed, and, until now, I’ve never thought I needed to lock it. I didn’t do this.” His dad’s simple statement drew a grimace from Gunnar.

  Sid snickered and rubbed his knuckles. “Then what were you doing here when we showed up?”

  His father’s you can’t possibly be this dumb expression spoke volumes. “I smelled smoke, just like the rest of you.”

  “Your place is miles away. How’d you get here so fast,” Gunnar asked.

  “I still range pretty far during a full moon.”

  “With only three paws?” Sid’s smirk died when he caught Gunnar’s glare.

  “I think you might be surprised at what I can do with only three paws, pup, as long as my arms aren’t being held.” His dad yanked his arms away from his captors then wiped the blood off his chin, smearing it through the soot darkening his weary face.

  “I told you what would happen if you ever came near Luna again.” Some of Gunnar’s anger seemed to have seeped away, the heat chilled by a calmer-than-expected tone.

  “I didn’t forget, but, as some are quick to remind me, I’m still part of this pack. It’s my responsibility to see to their safety if I think a member might be in danger. Any consequences are of secondary importance.”

  “Are you asking me to believe your only reason for being here was because you were afraid we might be in danger?”

  “It isn’t any more far-fetched than believing one of Ray’s kerosene-soaked shirts survived the blaze, intact enough to incriminate him,” Bree offered.

  “How did it get here?” Gunnar glanced around, and J.D. followed his gaze. Those on shovel duty stayed focused on their small group, but Big Ike had sauntered over and wedged his muscular frame into the mix until Sid grudgingly gave up ground.

  “I’ve been wondering the same thing.” Ike’s soft voice cut through the building tension. “I’ve known Ray a long time, and this isn’t his style.”

  “Everybody knows he’s a coward.” Sid practically spat the words.

  Ike’s feral smile didn’t reach his icy gaze. “Cowards don’t try to protect people who are too afraid to stand up for themselves. They don’t make sacrifices that cost them their family, and they don’t shy away from what needs to be done. Ray Decker is no coward. I didn’t stand with him twelve years ago, but I’m standing with him now.”

  “Who else has a reason to come after Luna?” Sid asked, clearly not happy about being challenged.

  Luna cleared her throat, as if anyone would have forgotten she hadn’t left her mate’s side. “Anyone Magnum ordered my father to hurt.” She stepped between Gunnar and Ray. Smaller than either of them, she gazed at Ray and shook her head. “You’re the perfect scapegoat.” Her announcement gave J.D. a flicker of hope. This didn’t need to end badly.

  Ray nodded, and J.D. blamed his dad’s watery eyes on the smoke still lingering in the heavy night air. He planned on using the same excuse.

  “You’re still a dangerous man to be around,” Gunnar said. “J.D. can take you home and sit on you if he needs to keep you in plain sight, but you don’t go anywhere without him. Bree can stay with us tonight, and I’ll take her to her parents’ house tomorrow.”

  J.D. slipped his arm around Bree. “Where Bree stays isn’t your concern any longer.”

  Bree linked her fingers with his and faced her cousin. “I know you’re trying to protect me, and I appreciate it, but I’ll be going home with my mate.”

  “Bree, this is no time to make a snap decision.”

  “It’s done, Gunnar.” Bree lifted a section of hair away from the circle of slightly bruised skin. “Ray is as much my family as you are. His problems are my problems, and I won’t desert him any more than I’d desert you.”

  “One of us will always be with her, Gunnar,” J.D. promised.

  “Not as reassuring as you might think.”

  “My main concern at this moment is getting Bree and my dad home and making sure they’re safe.” As standoffs went, Gunnar seemed to be giving in a little easier than expected, but his relief didn’t last long. Two large wolves appeared at the edge of the clearing, shifting smoothly into Drew Tao and his enforcer, Ryker.

  Both men were powerful in their own right, but Ryker used disapproving silence to make a point, while Drew simply emanated a calm resolutenes
s not duplicated by anyone J.D. had ever met.

  Even the slight limp didn’t hamper his unique alpha presence. He aimed his clipped words directly at Sid. “Someone have a barbeque and not invite us?”

  Sid sketched a nod toward Ray. “I caught him trying to burn the house down.” He waved the brown, kerosene-soaked rag around and seemed surprised when Drew reached for it and held it to his nose for a moment.

  “Is this your rag?” he asked Ray.

  “Yes.”

  “Did you use it to start this fire?”

  “No.”

  Drew thrust the rag back at Sid. “Take a whiff and tell me what you smell.”

  Sid did as requested, but he didn’t look happy, and J.D. noticed many pack members exchanging puzzled glances. Whatever Drew’s plan, he didn’t think too many people knew about it.

  Ryker, feral and thoughtful as ever, stood at his side. Nothing had changed there.

  Sid shook his head. “All I smell is kerosene.”

  “You come from a long line of Trackers, don’t you, Sid?”

  “What’s your point?” Sid snapped, and even the people on shovel-duty glanced over. He took a deep breath and adopted a more reverent demeanor. “I mean, no, I’m not a Tracker.”

  “All wolves know how to mask their scent when they hunt, but it takes someone with special skill to leave absolutely no detectable evidence. Your old man trained you well, but everyone has a particular scent, especially humans. If you’d been smarter, you would have used something Ray had worn recently or left an identifiable possession of his behind the first time you tried to terrorize Luna.”

  “But he’s the only one who hates Luna enough to remind her—”

  “Remind her of what? She’d been held prisoner by a madman? Why else would you leave the collar and leash on the floor of her cabin? Were you going to swoop in and save the day? Did you hope Gunnar would believe you’d make a good Pack Protector? Did you think Ray would make a good scapegoat since Gunnar had already warned him off?”