by Jane Jamison
“I am now.” She was surprised at how shaky she was.
Without turning Willa free, Stella turned toward the crowd. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Why didn’t any of you help her?”
The men who had cowered before suddenly found other places to be. Those who had stared and done nothing still did so, their support for Moses obvious in their glares and hard stances.
“See, boys? You might want to reconsider interfering between me and my woman.” Moses had regained some of his lost bravery.
But Stella wasn’t through. “You’re all a bunch of cowards. I don’t care if she’s not one of your pack. You still should’ve stepped in. Nothing, not even being your leader, gives him the right to act this way. Something should be done about it and soon.”
Stella’s face was grim yet determined. From the way Stella stared at the men in the crowd, Willa got the impression that she was talking about more than this one incident.
“What’s going on?” demanded Grant.
Willa had thought she was relieved before, but seeing Grant, Ryan, and Thomas barge through the crowd brought such an overwhelming release that she had to fight to keep the tears at bay.
“It seems Garrett thinks he can order everyone around,” answered Mike.
Grant frowned, trying to understand the situation. “Is that so?”
“Worse, he thinks he can put his hands on a woman,” added Stella.
It was as though someone had struck a match and tossed it onto a pile of kindling. Her men lunged forward, and if the Lennox men hadn’t stopped them, they would’ve taken Moses to the ground. Moses backed away like a mouse fleeing three angry cats and called for the other men in the crowd to come to his aid. Willa smiled when not one man stepped forward to help him.
“Easy, Thomas, she’s all right.” Alex had Thomas by the shoulders, holding him back. The other Lennox men had grabbed Grant and Ryan, barely restraining them from going after Moses.
“Are you all right, Willa?” asked Thomas.
She pulled away from Stella, thanking her with a grateful smile. “I am. Thanks to Stella and her men.”
“You assholes don’t know what you’re doing,” warned Moses.
The fury in Grant’s eyes was unmistakable. “Garrett, if you say another damn word, I’m going to cram my fist down your throat.”
“Don’t talk to your alpha that way,” said a voice in the crowd. Yet there was hesitancy in his tone.
“See there? Most of my people know their place.” Seeing that the Lennox men had Grant, Ryan, and Thomas restrained, Moses slipped past them to stand between two of his pack mates. “Let’s get out of here.” His hateful look centered on Willa. “I’ll talk to you later.”
She opened her mouth, ready to wish him luck in hell, but Ryan beat her to it.
“Don’t call her again, you motherfucker.”
“And don’t ever touch her again,” added an equally angry Grant.
Moses jabbed his finger at them even as he backed into the crowd. “You three are going to pay for challenging me.”
Willa looked to her men. They weren’t frightened, but she was. Not for herself, but for them.
“Okay, everyone, get along.” Mike waved at the crowd, scowling at those who dared to linger. “You heard me. Get out of here.”
Slowly, the crowd dispersed, leaving the eight of them together on the sidewalk.
At last, Willa felt as though she could draw in a steady breath. “Thank you for helping me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come along.”
“We’re glad we were nearby and heard Moses.” Stella took Willa’s hands and squeezed them. “I’m thinking you already know who we are but let me make up for lost time and welcome you to Fate. I hope you won’t think we’re all like Moses.”
“Of course not. I’ve been here long enough to know that most of the people in town are great.” She squeezed Stella’s hands in return. “Thank you again.”
“Okay, then, you’ve got this?” Mike questioned Grant.
“We do. And we owe you one.”
“No problem.” Mike hesitated before adding, “If you ever think about leaving”—his gaze jumped to Willa—“you’re always welcome with us.”
“It’s okay. I know about the packs.” She’d guessed they were werewolves, too.
“She’s our mate,” proclaimed Ryan, straightening up a little taller.
“We assumed as much.” Stella frowned, even as she attempted a smile. “But we also heard that Moses was planning on claiming her.”
“He can’t have me.” Willa pulled herself to her full height, mimicking Ryan. “I’m already taken.”
“You boys are heading full steam into a brick wall.” Alex crossed his arms. “Taking a woman away from your primary alpha? Now that takes balls.”
“Or stupidity,” added Mike.
“No,” said Stella. “It takes love. True love. Come on, men, something tells me these guys need to talk. Let’s leave them to it.”
A round of thanks and handshakes came and went as Stella and her men moved off. Willa watched them go. If the love she shared with her men was even half as strong, she’d count herself lucky.
“Babe, you’re coming home with us.”
“Wait. What?” She gaped at Grant. “Do you mean for a visit?”
“Nope. I mean to stay. Forever.” He pulled her against him, tight and hard. “You’re our mate, right? We’re all in agreement about that, so why wait? Moses knows we want you, and now he’s been humiliated in public. He’s not going to stop until he pays us back.”
“Are you in danger? What about the rest of the pack? I don’t want anyone hurt, but especially not you guys.”
“You let us worry about Moses,” added Ryan. His expression was hard, cold, and all for Moses, yet the warm gleam in his eyes was all for her. “We’re planning on making a break from the pack soon. Why not now?”
“Because werewolves don’t just up and leave their packs.” At least, that was what she’d heard. “You can’t defy your leader.”
Thomas smoothed back her hair. “I think we just did.”
“Maybe I should leave. I should get out of town until Moses cools down.”
“And leave us?” Ryan jerked back as though she’d physically struck him. “You can’t leave us. We just found you.”
“Actually, I just found you.” Teasing him was fun, but the fun soon died. Their situation was too serious to make jokes. “Still, if I’m not around—”
“If you’re not around,” interjected Grant, “he’ll still come after us. We stood up to him. He won’t, hell, he can’t, let that pass. The best thing to do is have you move in with us. You’re not any safer than we are now.”
“I would feel safer with you than at Henrietta’s. Moses has already shown up there a couple of times without calling. I think it scares Henrietta when he does. She’ll probably be relieved to get me out of her house.”
“Maybe so. Henrietta and her mates are good people, but they’re not strong enough to stand up to Moses.” Ryan’s grin was brighter than the sun. “Then it’s settled. Let’s round up your things then get you settled in your new home.”
“My new home. Wow.” She matched his bright smile. “That sounds really good.”
“Are you sure, babe?”
She blinked, thrown by Grant’s question. “Am I sure about what?”
“Are you sure you want us as your mates? I know you came to town looking for werewolf mates, but are you ready to settle for our sorry asses?”
She slapped his arm playfully. “Shut up and get moving.”
Mixed emotions plagued her as she got into their pickup. She was exhilarated, thrilled beyond her wildest hopes to have found her mates and to be going home with them. Yet worry hit her. Had she put them in danger? She knew Moses well enough to know he wouldn’t take their confrontation lightly. He’d demand payback one way or another.
Chapter Five
“I love it. I love i
t. I love it.” Willa spun around the living room of their—her—home. “Did I tell you that I love it? Because I do. I really do.”
The house was like most homes in Georgia, framed with one side bricked exterior. The front yard was bare, needing a lot of landscaping, but she figured she could put her green thumb to the task soon enough. The backyard was large and with long green grass stretching for yards until it met the brown dirt around the red barn in the adjoining pasture. Large shade trees with a hammock and Adirondack chairs were invitations to sit and enjoy the breeze.
The inside was as nice as the outside. Stairs greeted the visitor as soon as the green front door was opened. The living room, furnished with two leather recliners and a weathered leather couch shouted “single males live here,” but she’d soon put her stamp on that, too. The kitchen was stuck in the ’80s with Formica countertops and white appliances, but it was clean and had a good layout including an eat-at counter with four—yes, four, not three—stools. As though they’d planned all along for her to join them.
Minutes after arriving, they’d taken her out to the barn and introduced her to the horses. From there, she’d insisted they go riding. Although she was a city girl, she’d taken horseback riding lessons as a child. It was the same as riding a bike, coming back to her as soon as her butt met the saddle. Still, as much as she’d loved to ride, she’d had to return to the house to get another look.
“I think she loves it, boys,” joked Grant.
Ryan shrugged, but from the gleam in his eyes, he enjoyed watching her spin. “We think it’s a nice ranch, but I’m not sure it’s that nice.”
“Are you kidding me? The land is amazing, the horses are wonderful, and the house is like something straight out of a black and white movie.” She hugged herself. “I really feel like I’ve come home.”
“Well, shit, babe, that’s because you are home.”
“I am, aren’t I? And I love it.” She spun around once more for good measure. “Did I mention that I love it?”
“Yeah, you did.” Grant grinned. “I guess our job is done. We made you happy.”
“There is one more thing you could do.”
They exchanged a look as though at least one of them would understand what she meant. “Name it.” Thomas seemed confident he could give her anything she wanted. “If we can make it happen, we will.”
“Shift for me. I want to see you in your wolf bodies.” She made a worried face. “As long as you promise not to eat me.”
“We won’t eat you,” promised Ryan. “At least not that way.”
“But we might bite you.” Thomas wiggled his eyebrows.
“Bite me? As in changing me into a werewolf?”
“If it’s what you want, then sure.” Thomas chomped his teeth together. “All you have to do is say the word.”
“No. We can’t change her. Not yet.”
“Why not, Grant?” She was home, and she’d found her mates. Why wait to go through the transformation?
“If we bite you now, you’ll need two days to make it through the transition. It’s hard as hell, and you’ll be out of it most of the time. After what happened with Moses, you need to be alert. Not going through hell and vulnerable.”
She let out a breath, her excitement shaded by the memory of Moses’s outrage. “I understand. But that doesn’t mean you guys can’t change right now, does it? Come on. I want to see your wolves.”
Thomas growled then scooped her up by the arms and carried her to the couch. “Sit here and don’t move.”
Her eyes were wide as they shoved the coffee table out of the way then formed a straight line. “What are—”
“We’re giving you what you want, babe.” Grant tore his shirt away, the material ripping apart as easily as paper. Gloriously masculine abs were eye-level.
“Show-off.” Ryan tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it at her. The shirt landed on her head. She snatched it away to find Thomas twirling his shirt in the air. It flew past her, inches over her head.
They were magnificent. Men made of flesh as hard-packed as cement. Their sun-kissed bodies were lean, perfect examples of toned muscles honed from long hours of labor. Their jeans dipped temptingly in the front, giving the dark hair below a chance to tease her. She swallowed, finding it difficult to keep from reaching out. All she’d have to do would be to pop their buttons open then slide their zippers down. Their bulges might keep the jeans from falling, but she’d be happy to help them on their way.
They bent, taking hold of the heels of their boots. Two tugs each and they were kicked aside. Their muscles flexed with their movements, making her mouth water.
Shit. Oh, shit. I love this.
Yeah, three more things to love here on the Lucky Star Ranch.
As though they’d choreographed a routine, they reached for their jeans, and in quick moves, they undid the buttons. The flaps of their jeans fell open. More dark hair was revealed, and she squirmed to get at them. But no, the show wasn’t over yet. She couldn’t move. If she did and they stopped, she’d die a slow, agonizing lust-filled death.
“Guys? Jeans.”
Once again, as one they shoved their jeans down, giving her full frontal views any woman would’ve killed to see. She moaned then realized they’d heard her. But who cared? They knew she wanted them. Better yet, she knew they wanted her. The evidence was pointed straight at her.
Curved.
Purple-veined.
Thick.
Long.
Dripping.
Oh, hell yeah.
She began unbuttoning her shirt.
“What are you doing?” asked Thomas.
“Yeah, Willa. If you expect us to shift, you have to stop,” added Ryan.
“Unless you’d rather have sex before we change.” Grant’s eyebrows lifted in question.
She hungered for them. How could she not when there they were, standing naked in front of her? Yet she wanted to see them as the animals they were. Sex would and could come later. A part of her admitted that the idea of having sex after seeing them in their animal forms might make it even more exciting. After all, how many women wanted a man in the living room and a beast in the bedroom?
“No. Change first.” She drew in a hard breath. “I can wait for the other. If you can.”
“Your wish and all that,” said Grant.
Their bodies blurred, and she began to wonder if her eyesight had suddenly gone bad. After a quick rub of her eyes, however, she realized it was all a part of the transformation. Funny how she hadn’t seen it when Moses had started to shift, but maybe that was how it went. She added that question to the many others she wanted to ask. But those would have to wait until later. After she saw them in their wolf bodies. And definitely after they’d had sex.
Fur skimmed along their bodies like moss quickly growing over the trunks of grand trees. Ears elongated along with their faces as muscles and bones stretched to form muzzles. Tips of tails wagged to the sides. Fingernails grew longer, becoming claws.
She stared, fascinated and not the least bit afraid. Why should be afraid? They’d remember her even as wolves. At least she hoped so. Perhaps she should’ve asked before they shifted, but it was too late now.
Three gorgeous, huge wolves landed on all fours. Their almond-shaped amber eyes glowed as they swished their tails back and forth. Padding over to her, they sat, still in a line, as though waiting for her to speak.
“You’re beautiful.”
The wolf that was Ryan grinned, his wide mouth spreading upward at the tips. Thomas went down on his belly and put his head on her feet. Grant, ever the serious one, tilted his head at her. His body was all wolf, but the expression in his eyes was still the Grant she loved.
“I’m going to touch you now.” As though she expected them to tell her no.
She sat on the end of the couch as far as she could and skimmed her hand along Grant’s fur. He made a strange sound somewhere between a wolf’s growl and a human’s moan. Her fingers tunnel
ed through his fur, luxuriating in the texture. Soon, she’d run her fingers through his hair, too, and compare the sensation of them. She closed her eyes and put the smooth, yet coarse sensation of the soft fine fur against her palm to her memory.
She laughed and opened her eyes as she placed her other hand on top of Thomas. Ryan and Grant, with their dark fur, so similar to their regular hair color, were contrasts to Thomas’s yellow fur. If hair color was any indication, then she’d have auburn fur the same color as her hair.
Ryan pushed his nose against her, demanding equal attention. Although Grant growled, there was no animosity in the sound. Only irritation that she took her hand off him and gave Ryan his due.
“You’re beautiful,” she repeated. “If I look as good as you three, I’ll stay in my wolf body all the time.” Needing to be even closer, to feel their bodies against hers, she went to her knees. They surrounded her, enclosing her in a wall of fur.
She took in their scent. Would they smell differently when she inhaled their aroma as a wolf? Would she be half their size? She rested her head against Grant, closing her eyes again, and listened to his steady heartbeat. Did the love in his heart change when he was a wolf? Would hers?
They stayed next to her for several minutes as she ran her fingers along their bodies. She examined their eyes, their ears, feeling her way along the curve of their legs then putting her cheek to their noses, one at a time, letting their breath touch her cheek.
Soon, all too soon, they backed away. She wanted to beg them to stay in their wolf bodies then remembered how they’d look naked. “Go on. Change back.” She licked her lips and saw how they watched her tongue slide along her upper lip.
They changed, their bodies blurring again, the sound of bones breaking and reforming as they returned to being human. Knowing they wouldn’t leave her there long, she didn’t bother getting off the floor.
They’d seemed larger than life before, but now that she was looking up at them, they were so much bigger, like gods who had descended to earth to find the one human woman who was meant to love all of them.
