Times of Change: Book 1

by B. L. Dawn

  Luke had waited all morning to see Tatum out on the farm. His heart leaped in his chest when he saw her walking toward the garden. The way she walked with strength and authority had his cock twitching. Now that he was paying attention, he knew she had authority over him. Fuck, over all of them. She truly was beta material, and who would have known something like that would happen in his lifetime.

  A grin spread across Luke’s face as he revisited a fantasy he had been playing on repeat in the back of his mind. Her in front of him, submitting to him, sliding his cock deep into that pretty mouth of hers. She could keep the fucking beta position if he could have her in all the other submissive positions that he wanted. He would never say anything against it because that’s not what he cared about. The truth was, it turned him on to see her strength. When she shifted, ripping her clothes away from that tight ass body, his cock came to attention so fast he was afraid it would rip through his pants to get to her.

  Did he have enough courage to make the first move when it came to her? Fuck, he hoped so, but honestly, he didn’t want to screw anything up between them. It’s not like he could just walk up to someone like her and order her to do anything she didn’t want to do. Who was he kidding? He wouldn’t be able to do that with anyone anyway. Even Lilly had to make the first move when it came down to it all those years ago. It was kind of Lilly, honestly. She sensed he needed a female and came to him. He just couldn’t do it. And even when they were mating together, it was very subdued, and he never wanted more from her than just a quick release, and he was done. If she got off, it was great because he didn’t feel like a piece of shit, but sometimes, she didn’t and would move on to the other males in the village.

  Looking up, he watched Tatum walk straight to the back of the group until she stopped beside Enoch. His heart dropped as a growl left his throat. He cut it off short. Why couldn’t she move up here with him? She was always with Enoch. He knew she would spend some time with the alpha, but for fuck’s sake, he never spent that much time with Enoch, and neither did Cade. Damn, what was wrong with him? Enoch had a mate, and it wasn’t Tatum. He needed to calm the fuck down.

  Natalie laughed, and everyone around chuckled. “And here is where we plant the cabbage, this crop…”

  Could he get time alone with her without his brother knowing about it? Cade was a big enough asshole to ruin Luke’s plans on getting to know the mouthwatering beta. The excitement of seeing her and feeling her presence outside in his vicinity was all new to him. He never felt excited to see anyone.

  Luke’s eyes went to the ground as he shoved his hands in his pockets, begging his cock to go back into hibernation until the appropriate time, but that damn stubborn thing wouldn’t listen. It was like a compass that pointed in her direction.

  Would she like him, or would she consider him a weak, submissive asshole? Maybe she needed to be with a more dominant male. Luke closed his eyes and pushed the burning fury down in his chest. He needed to make the first move, or he would never know. She was worth pushing his fears of rejection aside.

  Cade shoved Luke on the shoulder. Luke looked up, and only he and Cade were standing in the middle of the garden.

  Luke narrowed his eyes. “Dammit, Cade. What’s your fucking problem?”

  “Come on, dumbass. Everyone’s going to eat.”

  Luke stared at the ground as the other shifters made their way to the farmhouse. He glanced in her direction one more time, liking the way her form filled out.

  Cade pushed Luke again, causing him to stumble. “You better not be staring at who I think you’re fucking staring at.”

  Luke shrugged, shuffling dirt around his shoes. There was a small hole in the toe of his shoe. The tip of his white sock was visible from it. Luke looked up and rolled his eyes. “I can look at who I fucking want to look at.”

  Cade narrowed his eyes and pointed toward Tatum, still walking off in the distance. “That bitch is pulling one over on Enoch. Don’t let her do the same thing to you.”

  “What if she’s my mate? I’ve never felt like this about a female before. I can’t stop thinking about her.”

  “Fuck no, Luke. Fuck no!”

  Luke glared at his brother. “You know we don’t pick our mates. If Destiny matched us together, then she belongs to me.”

  “Destiny didn’t match you with that ball clipper, Luke. You’re thinking with your dick.” Cade fisted his hands in the air. “FUCK.” He lowered them, shaking his head. “You haven’t been with anyone but Lilly, and you just want new pussy. If that bitch were your true mate, she would be with you already. She doesn’t even know you exist.”

  Luke shook his head. “I don’t think that’s true. She just hasn’t had enough time to be with me.”

  Cade cocked his eyebrow and crossed his arms. “Well, give it the mating test.”

  Luke’s eyes jumped to Cade. “The mating test?”

  Cade sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, dumbass. Once you meet your mate, you can’t mate with anyone else. You can’t come while in someone else, and your dick would just hang in response to anyone else. What is this? Do I have to teach you everything? Go fuck Lilly and prove it to yourself and me that she doesn’t belong to you.” Cade closed his eyes and growled. “Why did Destiny give me such a fucking pussy for a brother? I can’t believe you think your true mate is a female who prides herself above males and is encouraging Enoch to love this fucking human piece of trash.”

  “Fuck you, Cade. You’re just pissed because you’re not the beta anymore. Get the fuck over it.” Luke walked away and headed back to the farm.

  Cade followed close behind until they got to the farmhouse porch. Luke rolled his eyes when Cade leaned against the railing and glared at Tatum as she talked with Enoch, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

  Luke walked away from his brother, trying to get some alone time. Cade didn’t need to be a dick to Tatum. She didn’t deserve that. Fuck! He needed to get his shit together. What would other shifters think if his mate was the first female beta? Would everyone consider him a pussy? Cade already did, but that wasn’t new. Cade had been an asshole before Tatum had taken his beta status and before Luke had found her fascinating. I’m not a fucking pussy for that matter. Fuck Cade.

  Tatum was tracking all the shifters. They hung around various locations, chatting and laughing with each other. Mostly, they rocked on white rocking chairs that lined the porch or stayed back in the living room, exploring all the magical things there were to learn about television. Some shifters were inside learning how to operate the kitchen and make food using technology. Tatum remembered those days of learning and exploring the world around her. Hell, now she realized that there was so much to learn and explore, she would never be able to do it in a lifetime.

  Tatum found herself leaning on the chicken coop fence, enjoying her time shifter watching. She was curious about all of them, wanting to know them all on a more personal level. She was also placing them in her long-term memory and grouping them in her head.

  Enoch came out of the farmhouse with a huge smile on his face. He headed toward Tatum and leaned against the gate. He nudged her shoulder. “This is a nice place, huh?”

  “It sure is.” Tatum followed his gaze over the pack. Everyone was talking and smiling. Well, everyone except Cade, who kept giving Tatum a dirty look. Damn, she needed a breakthrough with that guy. “Cade is upset. Have you talked with him?”

  “Yes, I have. Cade is trying to get used to all the changes. He’s pretty upset that he lost his position to a female, even though he would be upset if it were a male. His pride is hurt.” Enoch grinned. “He’ll come around.”

  Tatum nodded. “So I was thinking—”

  “As you’re constantly doing.” Enoch smiled.

  Tatum chuckled. “True. After we meet the animals, we should go over the land and learn where the property starts and ends. We need to check and see if Jenny has a map of her property line. It’s time we stepped up se
curity. Maybe my dream last night was trying to warn me not to get too comfortable. If other packs find out we’re here, and we have all this,” Tatum waved her hand around the farm, “someone might decide to attack us. Or someone could challenge you. Even though a human owns it, the pack would belong to someone new, and they might hurt Jenny.”

  “Over my dead body,” Enoch roared.

  Tatum nodded, looking out over the rolling hills of the farm. Most of it was trimmed grass, except for one ridge that held a mile or so of corn. There was a garden in front of that. Trees lined the whole property.

  The land felt alive. The wind glided over the grass like a feminine hand moving over soft velvet, bending it slightly in undulating waves. There were bluish-green mountains in the distance far to the east. There were different types of barn-style buildings nestled within the property, joined together by a white gravel road. A pond was to the south, closer to the exiting road that led out of Jenny’s land. There was so much to see and explore. But there would be time for that later. First, they needed to protect it. Then they needed to get things in order so the shifters could be active in the human world.

  Tatum was ready to go through with her plan. “Good. I’m glad we agree on protecting this land. I have a couple of other things. I know all these shifters would protect this pack with their dying breath, but that’s on this territory, and we’re planning on sending everyone out into the world. It would be better if we trained them in human form to defend themselves. The shifters won’t be able to shift to protect themselves out there in the human world. Eli can train them. We could train in the mornings before farm chores. When we have a better idea of the different jobs around here, I can make a schedule for everyone. This place will be running like clockwork.”

  Enoch nodded approvingly. “Good plan.”

  Tatum was enjoying the compliment when Cade walked by and snorted in disgust.

  “Cade, watch your attitude.” Enoch glared at Cade as he jerked himself upright and walked away.

  Tatum sighed and turned to Enoch. “We have a long way to go, but this is going to work out. I have another pressing matter. This one you might have to think over for a while before coming up with an answer.”

  “I’m listening.” Enoch leaned against the gate, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Jenny is human. She knows about us. And as we start to integrate into the human world, we’re going to have incidences where humans find out about us, whether by accident, on purpose, or mating. We need to decide what the rules are and let the rules be known to the pack. I’m guessing there is no big overseeing wolf pack out there who will punish us for breaking the human contact rule. Or is there?”

  “No, there is no overseeing pack. It is just a known rule. Each alpha is responsible for his pack.”

  “We can’t have all humankind knowing about us. The human’s fear would give a whole new meaning to the word ‘extinction.’” Tatum paused and took a deep breath. “I need help getting IDs for the shifters. There is a human, Eddie, who might be able to help us. But we might need to tell him that we’re shifters. We need IDs to go to school, to work, and to drive. We won’t be able to do anything without them.”

  “Is this the person who helped you get an ID?”

  “Yes. Eddie’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. I’m not sure how he’ll react when he finds out, but I doubt he would turn us in. After all, he does things against the government and has many secrets of his own.”

  “Have you ever told any humans about shifters?”

  Tatum wished she could say yes. She wanted Alma to know, but it was too late. She should have told her before they joined a pack. “No, we’ve never told anyone.”

  “Will this human male help us without knowing?”

  “If we don’t tell him, he’ll figure it out. I believe honesty would be better in his case. After all, we’re a large group. If we bring other packs into the world, they’ll need IDs too. Even if he helped us this time without asking too many questions, he would eventually figure it out. Trust me. He has his ways.”

  He would probably use Google Earth all day, every day until he caught one of us shifting. Tatum snorted at that thought.

  Enoch looked worried. “This is a complicated decision. What will happen when Eddie passes away, and our packs continue to grow? How will we get IDs?”

  “I think we need to give birth in human hospitals. They’ll give the young citizenship and IDs at birth.”

  Enoch contemplated this for a moment. “So if we told him and he helped us, we would not need to tell anyone else? If we use hospitals to birth our young?”

  “Yes, I believe so. The hospitals wouldn’t have to know what we are,” Tatum said.

  That is unless our blood type is different. Tatum imagined the huge uproar it would cause if nonhuman blood got analyzed. She shuddered at the thought.

  “Even if Eddie eventually told someone about us, the humans wouldn’t believe him.”

  “Go to Eddie and find out if he will help us. As for telling other humans about us, we must stay quiet. If a shifter comes forward with a human mate, I’ll allow them to know about us. However, I would want to meet the human.”

  “Thank you as always, Enoch. You have proven to be a great leader for your pack.”

  Enoch spoke again, “This evening, Cade, Luke, and I will do a perimeter check. I’ll talk to Jenny about a map. Tell Eli about the training. Tell Cade and Luke to get ready for a run.”

  “Yes, sir.” Tatum pushed herself off the gate to do what Enoch had told her.

  Looking around for Cade, she found him throwing rocks in the pond. She walked up to him cautiously.

  Cade froze when he saw her approach. Turning to face her, he straightened his shoulders. His face was that of a riled-up dog. He was ready to give her the “I’m the one in charge around here” attitude, judging by his furrowed brow and his twitching left eye.

  “Hi, Cade,” Tatum said.

  “What the fuck do you want?” Cade crossed his arms.

  Tatum’s eyebrows rose, but she continued, “Enoch wants you and Luke to go with him and scope out the territory boundaries later today.”

  Cade shook his head like he was disgusted at the sight of her. “Why aren’t you going around the territory with him? Does Jenny have a problem with you two being together?” Cade chuckled.

  Tatum’s brows scrunched. “No. I have something else I need to do.”

  “Of course you do.” Cade snorted, looking like he could spit nails.

  Tatum wanted to say something to him. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be respectful, show sympathy and kindness, or cuss him out. Undecided, she turned around and walked away. As Tatum put distance between herself and the asshole, she concluded that she was getting sick of his mean-ass attitude. The next time she talked to Cade, she wasn’t going to be so nice. She needed to take her position more seriously. Enoch believed in her, so she needed to believe in herself. Mr. Grouchy Ass was just going to have to get over it.

  Chapter 18

  Tatum crossed the gravel road, ten feet from the farmhouse’s front door, while Natalie walked outside laughing wildly into her phone. One of the young females, Chloe, was following Natalie around holding a huge rock up to her ear and imitating Natalie on the phone. Chloe’s hands waved here and there as she said things like, “I know, it’s crazy. Uh-huh…uh-huh…right?”

  Tatum burst out laughing. She supposed it would be off-putting to see someone holding a little rectangle up to their ear while talking into it. That’s it, she decided. Her being beta was going to be an enjoyable change in her life. Wasn’t it Eli who asked her what she would do when her brothers moved on? Well, it looked like this pack could keep her company. Would she have young of her own? Probably not, but at least she would have something.

  Later, as everyone finished up lunch, Tatum decided to call Eddie and see if she could schedule a meeting with him. She headed behind the house to get awa
y from young prying eyes and ears—no need to inspire another rock conversation.

  Behind the house was more land. All types of trees surrounded it—cottonwood, Virginia pine, sweetgum, locust, spruce, and countless others. The sun directly above was heating up as June was getting ready for the hot days of July. Passing the white farmhand house with its black shutters, Tatum walked with nowhere particular in mind. She crossed over into the tree line and pulled out her phone along with the little piece of yellow paper. Looking down at the paper, she rubbed it between her fingers, remembering what Enoch had told her about it. She rolled her eyes and finally downloaded Eddie’s number into her phone. Why had she never done it before? Probably because she only talked to him late at night.

  Was there more to it than Betty giving it to her for payments and rent? And why did she have the paper still anyway? Oh yeah, that’s right. She never programmed it on her phone. The first time she called Eddie, he took care of the money transaction between her and his mom.

  When they talked for hours on the phone, Tatum programmed his number on the landline phone, and they only spoke at night as she laid on the couch, curling the curvy phone cord around her fingers as they chatted about every movie under the sun. Eddie couldn’t believe that she hadn’t watched any of them and forced her into some of the scariest, funniest, sexiest, most thrilling movies she had ever seen. Their favorite movie was the Princess Bride.

  By the time she got her cell phone a few years later, she never even gave it a second thought. Eddie was like her night time buddy.

  A noise caught Tatum’s attention, breaking her away from what little memories she still had. She came to attention, fully alert of her surroundings. She was ready to knock Cade’s ass out if he approached her.

  Her eyes met Luke’s. He prowled toward her, not breaking eye contact for a second. Tatum stood frozen, wondering what the hell was wrong with her? She couldn’t move, her breath got stuck somewhere in her throat, and her heart was racing. As he moved forward, it was as if he were in slow motion—like a sex god from a movie.