by Alisa Woods
“I heard about that on the news,” Jace said, releasing his hold on his new mate. “Something about a shifter gang crashing the rally and making threats?”
“That was all a setup.” Jared shook his head. “The Senator orchestrated the whole thing.”
“That’s… disturbing.” Jaxson rubbed the stubble on his chin, thoughtfully.
Jared nodded. “Grace saw right through it. And I told her about the experiments. I think she believes me, but she still wants a chance to talk her father out of the legislation. So we’re waiting until morning. I came back here to check in and find out where you were with your side of things.”
“Well, Olivia’s got everything ready to roll out to the press,” Jaxson said. “She’s got shifters lined up to talk about it on camera, and she’s alerted her friends in the media that she might be calling a press conference. She’s just waiting for us to give her the word.”
Jared nodded. “I just need a little more time. I don’t want to throw Grace and her father under the bus with a press conference. Especially if we don’t have any more evidence connecting him to the experiments. That might just force his hand into something more drastic.”
“We do have something on him,” Piper said. “I tapped a hacker—someone Olivia knew—to breach the Senate’s email server. Got a raft of documents to sort through. But I’ve already found a couple emails between him and some guy named David Alcore. We think it might Agent Smith. There’s probably more, once we dig through it all. Got several shifters working on it.”
Jared sucked in a breath. “That’s good news. And if we’ve got evidence against the Senator, we’ll use it. But I trust Grace to help us—she wants to stop him as badly as we do.”
Jace and Jaxson exchanged a look of concern. “Are you sure about that?” Jace asked. “This is her father we’re talking about. She might not be willing to do what it takes to bring him down.”
“I trust her.” That was one thing Jared was sure about. “But I know she’s emotionally compromised in this situation. She needs my help to get through it.”
Piper’s eyebrows lifted, and Jace and Jaxson looked surprised as well.
“So… sounds like she trusts you.” Piper nodded approvingly. “You’re more than just her bodyguard now, aren’t you?”
That he could feel at all defensive about that surprised him. “I’m not going to let her get hurt. She knows that. And I’m helping her, well, to explore her wolf side.”
Jaxson broke out into a grin. “Damn, Jared. Sounds like you’ve been busy.”
Shockingly, this made heat rise in his face. “We’ve been getting to know each other.” He wasn’t going to tell them all the details—they could figure that out for themselves—but they needed to know she was something special.
Jace shook his head. “Are you sure about this? She could be playing you, Jared.”
That flared his wolf—his brother was talking about his mate. His mate. No, she wasn’t that. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Still… he glowered at Jace. “If you’d met her, you’d realize that she’s not playing anyone. She’s not the type.”
Jace looked unconvinced. “She’s the Senator’s campaign manager. She runs political campaigns all the time, Jared. And she’s his daughter. She has all kinds of motivation to play you, and play you hard. I just don’t want…” He exchanged another look with Jaxson. The smile fell off Jaxson’s face. Even Piper looked concerned now. Jace turned back to him. “I just don’t want you to get hurt,” he finished.
Jared understood—he’d been broken for so long, it was a wonder they hadn’t locked him up somewhere for his own good. “Grace would never hurt me. You’ll have to trust me on this. And if she can’t convince her father to stop the legislation, she’s going to come out as a shifter and shut him down that way. She’s been trying to stop him, even before she met me—before she really embraced what she was. The girl’s been living with her secret for years. Denying it. She’s just now owning it, and she’s about to turn her whole world upside down to do the right thing. She’s the one in danger of getting hurt here. And I’m not going to let that happen.”
Jace’s eyes were wide, but he was nodding now. “Alrighty, then.” He and Jaxson exchanged a look of agreement. “We’ll see what Grace can do first, before we do anything.”
Piper’s eyes were appraising him again. “You’re her link to the shifter world.”
Jared nodded. “She needs to know she can depend on me. In the morning, I’ll be by her side when she tells her father. Just in case anything goes sideways.”
“What do you need from us?” Jaxson asked, his face open and supportive.
Relief flushed through him. Jaxson was alpha, and no matter what doubts anyone else in the pack had, they would follow his lead. “I need you to hold tight until you hear from me again. It won’t be long. Deal?”
They all nodded in agreement. Jared gave them a few more tight smiles, leaving them with grins on their faces as they finished preparations for their impending nuptials.
He didn’t know how he would get through the night—there likely wouldn’t be any sleep for him. He should go for a run in the forest, burn off his energy and anxiety. His brothers were preparing for their new lives with their new mates—even with everything going on, they were filled with hope for the future. Piper and Jace were already getting busy on providing him with a little niece or nephew. That clutched at his heart, moving it in a way that felt like he was dying… or perhaps coming back to life.
For the first time in forever, it felt like he might have hope for the future as well.
Grace slowly buttoned her pale-pink silk blouse, then smoothed down her pencil-thin black skirt. She gazed in the mirror, making sure all the tendrils of her hair were tucked neatly into the bun at the nape of her neck, like her father wished.
It was time to change her life.
This was a long time coming—she finally realized she had been waiting for something to come along and force her shifter issue out into the open. Her lady parts were happily sore from yesterday’s encounter with Jared’s cock, but she knew that having sex with him went way beyond just punching her V-card. Jared had rolled into her life like a thunderstorm and completely taken it over—and he was forcing the True Grace to come out. She finally felt like the 25-year-old woman she wanted to be—someone who could live comfortably inside her own skin, embrace her inner wolf, and love a man with such abandon that it left her lightheaded and thoroughly connected to him.
It was time she straightened out the rest of her life, too—including the part where she vehemently disagreed with her father on shifter policy. It was way overdue for her to stand up and declare she would no longer accept his bigoted opinions, much less encourage them by being his campaign manager. If she were lucky, she would still be able to keep her world intact and bring her father around to the righteous side of things. But she honestly didn’t expect that to happen. More likely, her father would toss her out of the estate on her ear. She would be out of a job, out of a home, and without a family.
But she would have her dignity and integrity—and that was way more important than all the rest.
If she were very lucky, she would have Jared as well. She was uncertain at best about that—he had been open and honest from the beginning about his purpose in all this. He wanted to force her shifter nature out into the open. He came to show her the shifter side of things, and he certainly accomplished that. But she didn’t think she imagined the connection between them—or the sweet, sweet lovemaking that went far beyond the wildest, most powerful orgasm she’d ever had.
She had a feeling it was life-changing for both of them. Even more, she wanted to make sure Jared continued to open his heart to the world. To live again. That was almost as important to her as her own integrity—which she would be testing this morning.
A light tap on the door signaled Jared had arrived. She’d asked him to come and get her as soon as he reached the estate this morning.
She hu
rried over to the door and opened it. Glancing around and finding no one in the hall, she whispered, “I’d really like to kiss you Good Morning, but I don’t think we should take the chance. Rain check?”
He smiled broadly, but kept his hands clasped in front of him, standing in a position of quiet power and authority. “We’re taking enough chances this morning as it is.”
She returned the smile. “I’d also like to tell you all the other things I want to do, but we have an appointment with my father.”
Jared smile dimmed. “Are you ready for this?”
“I couldn’t be any more ready.” She smirked—that was the exact thing she had said before he took her virginity last night.
A sly smile crept onto his face. “I’ve hardly slept. Too busy thinking about you.”
He was getting her hot and bothered, and that wouldn’t do—they had things to accomplish first. She shook her finger at him as she stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her.
“No dirty talk, Jared River. I need to keep my professional face on.”
His smirk grew even hotter. “That’s really unfortunate.” Then his smile tempered a little. “Grace, I’ll be right by your side the whole time. No matter how this goes, I’m going to be there for you.”
She drew in a deep breath as some of the nerves from earlier in the morning returned to flutter her stomach. “Let’s do this.”
She brushed past him, striding down the hallway, her heels clicking on the marble flooring. Jared followed. He was dressed in the same outfit as yesterday—dark blue jacket and pants and a starched white collared shirt. She had shredded the last shirt during their lovemaking, so this must be a new one.
When she reached her father’s office, she held her head high and marched in like it was just any other morning debriefing. She had the Senator’s calendar ready, but she wanted to dive into the real reason she was here right away. No more time to waste.
Her father stood at his desk, peering down at his tablet. “Ah, Grace, good morning. I wanted to talk to you about this newscast today. I think we need a different host, or possibly a different show entirely. This person’s just going to softball me with questions about the budget. And I want to use this to warm up to the shifter legislation for next week.”
Well, this was her chance… queued up like he knew it was coming. “I’m sorry, I can’t do that, Dad.”
Her father looked up sharply. “Excuse me?” He flicked a quick look at Jared, but his gaze didn’t even hesitate a moment there, just returned to Grace. “Is there some reason why this particular reporter is important to us? I thought it was just the local news.”
He was always looking for the political advantage… not that she was any different. She understood this part of him—he had trained her well.
“It’s not the reporter,” Grace said. “It’s the topic.”
Her father frowned and lifted his finger from the tablet, then came around the desk, leaned back against it, and folded his arms. “Is this about the rally yesterday?”
“Yes.” She took a breath, the words at the tip of her tongue, struggling to find a way to come out. “I need to talk to you about that.”
The Senator sighed. “I know the shifter gang attack was unsettling, but this is exactly what I’m talking about, Grace. These people are dangerous, and they need to be identified for the common good. That’s all I’m trying to accomplish with the legislation. But you saw the anger and fear out there in our constituency. We need to listen to that.”
“No, we don’t.” Her passion about this was rising up. “We need to fight back against it, not pander to it. Part of leadership is showing the people they don’t have to fear the things that frighten them.”
The Senator’s arms unfolded, and his fists clenched at his side. “We’ve been over and over this, Grace. I thought we were done with this stupid arguing. We’re launching next week, for God’s sake.”
“No, we’re not—at least, I’m not. Father, there’s something you need to tell you—”
She was cut off by a knock at the Senator’s door. She snapped her teeth together. Red fury had risen up in her father’s face, but he held up an abrupt hand to stop her.
“Come!” he called out to whoever was at the door.
It creaked open, and the front guard, Richard, poked his head in. “Senator, there’s a Robert Sanders here to see you, sir.”
Her father gave a quick nod. “Send him in.” Once Richard retreated, her father turned back to her. “Whatever you have to say, Grace, hold it until we're finished with this business. Perhaps it will illuminate your understanding a little better about the situation we’re in.”
Grace grimaced, wishing she had just forced the words out or could think of a way to put off this Robert Sanders person, but the sound of hard-soled shoes was already pounding on the marble flooring outside her father’s office. She snuck a look at Jared, and he gave her a minuscule nod.
They could wait a few more minutes.
When the door opened, a tall, slender man strode in, wearing an ill-fitting suit but full of confidence. He moved with the kind of controlled power that reminded her of her father. “Good morning, Senator.”
Her father was back at his desk, poking at his tablet. He waved in Grace’s general direction. “Sanders, is my daughter, Grace.” He looked up with a serious expression on his face. “I think it’s time we read her in on everything.”
Sanders turned to her, a skeptical look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something but cut off when he caught sight of Jared behind her.
“What the—” But then he didn’t bother with words, he just reached into his jacket. Before Grace could even react, a blur of fur flashed past her.
Jared had shifted. Grace gasped, but before she could blink, Sanders had pulled a gun. Three shots banged through her father’s office, piercing her eardrums and stopping her heart.
She screamed, her hands flying up against her mouth. Jared had dropped like a stone. He landed on the floor in front of her, a massive hulk of fur.
No, no, no. “What have you done?” Her legs felt weak. Her father hurried around the desk and skittered to a stop in front of Jared’s body. She wanted to go to Jared, but the man still had his gun pointed at Jared’s head.
“No!” Her father held up his hand to Sanders. “What are you doing? I can’t have dead bodies in my office!”
Sanders hesitated, but Jared started to move, struggling to rise up from the floor. The man gave him a swift kick. His shiny black shoes came away bloody.
“Oh, God,” Grace sobbed, but she was frozen in place. Sanders quickly holstered his gun and pulled out another one. He pulled the trigger three times in rapid succession, but instead of bullets, it left darts sticking out of Jared’s fur coat.
He slumped to the floor and stayed down.
A shiver grabbed hold of Grace and convulsed her from head to toe. Her wolf screamed in protest, wanting to come out to protect her alpha. But it was too late. Jared’s gun lay on the floor, dropped along with his clothes. She wanted to pick it up, but she wouldn’t even know how to use it.
“How could you?” Grace shouted at both men.
Her father stared at Jared’s body. “How did you know?” he calmly asked Sanders, who was putting away his tranq gun.
“That is Jared River,” he said coolly. “I had him in custody once. He’s one of the River brothers that have been causing such trouble for us.”
“These animals are everywhere,” her father said in disgust. “Do you see what I mean, Grace? They’re trying to kill us. They’re criminals and spies. And apparently that threat against your life was all too real. Get Richard in here! I want to know how this happened. I want to know how a shifter ended up being a bodyguard for my daughter!”
Grace’s hands shook, so she clenched them at her sides. Her body finally unlocked, and she stumbled to the floor, falling to her knees next to Jared, tears spilling. Her fingers automatically buried in his fur. “He’s n
ot a criminal! He’s a man… a good man.” The pain and anger and fear washed over her—she couldn’t even tell if he was alive.
“Grace, get away from that animal!” her father yelled, reaching to haul her up from the floor.
She yanked away from him, scrambling backward. A shiver ran down her again from head to foot, but this time it was more—she was shifting. She tried to control it, tried to stop it, but she couldn’t. Her wolf was in agony and needed to come out.
She snapped through the shift and lurched to Jared’s side. She lay her furry head on his chest, listening for a heartbeat. In the shocked silence that followed her shifting, she could just barely hear the thumping of his heart, slow and weak. Her wolf whined for him and nuzzled into him, oblivious to what was going on around her. She didn’t care—all she wanted was for Jared to be all right.
“Stop that!” That was her father’s voice, but it was directed at Agent Smith, stopping him from something. “Goddammit, Grace! Get away from him!”
She blinked up at her father, seeing him through her wolf’s eyes for the first time. He was large and angry and hovering over her. Somehow the look on his face—concern stirred around with anger—snapped her out of her haze. But it was the gun sticking in her face—a gun in Sanders’s hand—that forced her to back away from both men on all four paws.
She focused inwardly, closing her eyes and regaining control enough to shift human.
“Put that thing away!” her father said, but not to her.
The man—Sanders or Agent Smith, her father had called him—lowered his weapon. Grace scrambled for her clothes, which had been shed when she shifted.
She was crying and shaking and had no idea what she was doing. Her brain was completely in shock, and she was acting on instinct, but she had to think of some way out of this. They needed to call an ambulance for Jared. But her father’s hard looks, and the fact that Agent Smith still hadn’t put away his gun, fuzzed out her brain even more. She could barely stand upright to get her clothes on.
