Wolf's Mate_werewolf romance

by Katie Reus

  As he set the steaming mug in front of her, he tried to remember that conversation. “I…might have been serious at the time. But I want kids with you. I want everything with you.”

  “Really?” She sounded far too shocked by this.

  “Yes, really. Erica…this is happening way faster than I ever thought. And having kids…does kind of terrify me. But the thought of being mated to you, of having kids with you, that doesn’t scare me.”

  She was silent again, looking down into her mug and he wished he knew what she was thinking. When she said, “okay,” he wasn’t sure what it was in reference to and he wasn’t going to ask. He wanted to push so damn hard, but she was freaking pregnant and…he was in completely new territory.

  When his phone buzzed in his pocket, he contemplated crushing it under his boot. Damn it, damn it, damn it. Nope. He was not dealing with any shit today.

  “Before you murder your phone, at least check the message,” she murmured, a hint of the Erica he knew well trickling through as she smiled.

  When he checked the message, he wished he’d just smashed the damn thing. “My brother is meeting with our neighboring alpha. Wants me at one of the border lines just in case anything stupid happens.”

  “Is this about all that petty vandalism?”

  He nodded. “Maybe. Honestly, we’re not sure what’s going on. Our neighbor, Alex, has always been a good alpha. Has a strong pack. The last couple months, however, things have been strained.”

  “Go take care of it. I’m not going anywhere. Promise.”

  He wanted to stay. He really did. But…he couldn’t let his brother or his pack down for this. If his brother was meeting with another alpha, he had to be out on the ground ready to move into action if necessary. “I’ll have my phone on me if you need me. And you know where Abigail is so if you need—”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said, standing with him. “I’ll probably just take a hot bath and—”

  He groaned at the thought of her naked in a tub and realized that sound had been far too loud and sexual.

  Her eyes widened. “That thought turns you on?”

  “Anything you do turns me on,” he murmured, stepping closer. Fuck. His wolf was going crazy, torn with the need to take care of pack business and with the need to take care of his mate. When he scented just a hint of her lust through the fog of his mind, he took a deep breath. “If you touch yourself in the bath, think of me.”

  “I will,” she whispered.

  “When I get back, let me get you off.” It had been too long since he’d tasted her.

  “Only if I get you off first.”

  Oh hell. He was definitely a goner for her. Unable to find his voice, he simply nodded and brushed his lips over hers, the action more tender than he’d ever been. Though he wanted to deepen the kiss, to plunder her mouth, he held back.

  For now. And as he strode out of the cabin, he knew there were things he needed to think about. Things he’d been ignoring since last night. Like the fact that he hadn’t offered to go live with her.

  He’d simply never thought of it and he wasn’t sure what that said about him. His pack was here. His life was here. But hers was in Alabama. When he’d asked her to stay with him, he’d meant it with the intention of getting her to move here eventually. To become his. But he’d never considered moving across the country.

  And he should have. Hell, he definitely should have. Things weren’t just about him anymore. Not only about his wants or needs. If Erica wanted him to move, he would. He knew it would be difficult. But he’d sacrifice anything for her.

  Now he just needed to convince her of that truth.

  Chapter Eleven

  Erica shut the cabin door behind her, immediately feeling better as she drank in the fresh fall air. Though it was more like winter to her southern sensibilities even if there was no snow on the ground yet. She really loved it here, the weather was great, there was room to roam whenever her wolf wanted and… Hudson was here.

  Hudson.

  The wolf who’d told her he loved. If he’d tried to say it last night she might have thought he was full of it, but she was starting to believe him. She loved him too. But she’d been too afraid to say the words out loud.

  The conversation they’d had before he got called away a couple hours ago replayed in her mind, over and over. He’d been serious about everything.

  Which meant she’d had some pre-conceived ideas—based on things as she knew them—that had turned out to be wrong. Apparently, he really had been trying to go slow. She wasn’t sure why because she kinda liked the caveman, uncivilized version of Hudson. And she wanted a wolf who chased after her, who made it clear that he wanted to mate her. Not someone who dragged their feet.

  Now she had that.

  And she was freaking terrified. Yes, she believed him, but things were happening at warp speed. And okay, she was pregnant. With twins. And she was scared. Her parents had died when she’d been young and she’d more or less been raised by the pack. Erica had no complaints either. Her pack was amazing.

  Except now…she wanted to leave them. Sure, she’d been traveling the last year but it had been with the knowledge that she’d be going home eventually. Now she wanted to move here, to be with Hudson. Because she loved him and wanted to raise kids with him. No one would view it as a betrayal, she knew that. It just felt… She sighed. It was simply a whole lot of change on top of the huge change she was facing that made her feel completely off kilter.

  And way too deep in her own thoughts, she realized, as she glanced around the mostly quiet forest. She’d just started walking, not taking a particular path when she’d left the cabin. Now…she wasn’t quite sure where she was, but that was only because she didn’t know the layout of the property. She’d be able to find her way back once she was ready. Her wolf was a great tracker.

  Now, however, she decided to keep walking and enjoy being outdoors. The sun was high in the sky, warming her face even as a sharp breeze wrapped around her.

  She paused as she heard the sound of male and female voices nearby. She liked all of Hudson’s packmates, or the ones she’d met so far at least. Picking up her pace, she followed the voices and smiled when she saw what were definitely teenagers fixing a fence.

  “Hey, guys,” she called out.

  The three pups, two males and one female, turned to look at her. When they saw her, one of the guys held up a hand to wave. Then she heard…a growling sound.

  Turning, she saw a huge, gray and brown wolf racing through the forest toward her. It was impossible to truly know a wolf’s mood while in shifter form but Hudson looked pretty angry.

  “Shit,” one of the pups muttered, and by the time she’d turned around, they’d all shifted, shredding their clothes and were sprinting away.

  “Hudson!” she called out as he raced past her.

  He paused, looked at her, then in the direction the pups had gone, before turning back to her. Then he let out another growl. Whatever the pups had done couldn’t have been that bad.

  Finally, he shifted to his human form, all his brown and gray fur receding to be replaced by a pissed off, naked man. “Did they hurt you?” He was in front of her before she’d blinked, cupping her cheek with one hand and placing the other protectively on her stomach.

  In that moment, she melted way too much for him. “Ah, the kids fixing the fence? No.”

  “They’re not from our pack and they’re not fixing the damn fence. They were tearing it down.”

  “Oh. They’re still kids.” Stupid ones, apparently, if they’d decided to mess with the Kendrick pack. But that was kind of the definition of being a kid. You sometimes did dumb stuff. Though screwing with another wolf’s property was really, really stupid. “Look, what’s going on?” She placed a hand on his bare chest to find his heart racing out of control. Something more had to have happened.

  A few other wolves ran up to them, coming from the direction Hudson had just come. He simply pointed in the directi
on the kids had run and the little pack took off.

  “Caught some movement on the sensors we set up and when we headed this way I caught your scent.” His breathing was harsh as he continued talking, his eyes still wolf. “I could scent the intruders mixed with yours and my wolf went crazy. I sprinted ahead of my packmates to get to you. I thought you were in danger.”

  On instinct she pulled him into a hug. “I was never in any danger,” she murmured against his chest, knowing that wouldn’t matter to him, but still trying to soothe him all the same. She’d be a wreck if she thought he was in danger too.

  His grip tightened but he didn’t respond, just held her.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on?” He’d talked about border security issues in vague terms. “I know I’m not part of your pack—”

  He instantly pulled back to look down at her—and she had to force herself not to turn into a perv and eye the rest of his very naked self. “I’m not holding anything back from you. Like I said before, my brother is meeting with the neighboring alpha.” He glanced over at the planks from the fence lying haphazardly on the hard ground. “This is probably nothing more than petty vandalism, but it’s stopping today.” There was a menacing note in his voice that sent a shiver down her spine.

  Not because she was worried about herself at all—but that other pack was in serious trouble. “Should I head back to my cabin?”

  He started to nod, then shook his head. “No. The rest of my packmates are headed back. I can scent them,” he added when she gave him a curious look. “Once they get here we’ll all head back. Then we’re going to meet with my brother and Alex, the other alpha. Did you see the faces of who did this?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I can identify them if that’s what you’re asking.”

  He nodded before brushing his lips over hers. Then he shifted back to wolf form as his packmates returned. He barked out something that they understood before they raced off into the woods.

  Hudson simply nudged her instead of running off with his packmates, so she fell in step with him. The way he’d reacted when he’d thought she was in danger pretty much erased all the worry she had. She was going to tell him exactly how she felt.

  * * *

  Hudson tamped down his aggression as he watched his brother and Alex talk. Both had their arms crossed over their chests as they faced off with each other, standing on opposite sides of the invisible line that ran down the middle of their property line. They were speaking too low for either of the packs to hear what was being said.

  As a cool breeze kicked up, Hudson wrapped his arm around Erica’s shoulders even tighter. He’d read that pregnant shifters felt the elements more since their bodies were slightly more vulnerable. He didn’t look down at her, however. Didn’t take his gaze off the cluster of Alex’s pack standing behind the alpha.

  Nothing separated them. Not really. And a property line meant nothing. Clearly it didn’t, not to some of Alex’s packmates.

  When Malcolm looked over and nodded once at Hudson, he squeezed Erica. She fell in step with him to meet the two alphas. As they walked, Hudson noticed that Alex’s second-in-command not so subtly stepped forward as well, her eyes pure wolf as she watched Hudson for any wrong moves.

  “This is Erica, she’s visiting our pack,” Malcolm said, his voice polite and civil as he motioned to her. “Erica, this is Alex Lincoln, my neighbor and alpha of the Lincoln pack.”

  Alex nodded once at her, his smile polite. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m acquainted with your alpha, Grant.”

  Erica smiled and nodded but didn’t say anything else.

  “Malcolm tells me you saw some of my wolves tearing down one of his fences.”

  “I saw three wolves. I don’t know if they’re yours or not. But I can describe them or just pick them out if your entire pack is here.”

  His jaw tightened but he nodded once. “What do they look like?”

  Erica gave a basic description and before she’d even finished Alex’s second was growling. She turned and snapped out three names. A moment later, three wolves shuffled forward, looking at the ground as they walked. They were staring so hard at the earth it was clear they wanted it to open up and swallow them.

  “That’s them,” Erica said quietly.

  “They’re not working alone,” Malcolm snapped out. “Because more than simply three wolves have been destroying my pack’s property the last two months. This ends now or we’re no longer allies.”

  Alex nodded once, his gray eyes filled with a stone-cold anger. “It will end tonight.” He took a deep breath, paused as if considering his words before he looked at Malcolm. “There’s a very small group of wolves in my pack who think they have what it takes to run the pack—to challenge me.” He snorted. “I’ve been patient with them, trying to allow them to exert their dominance without crushing their spirit. One of them is related to me. I’m done.” His wolf peered out at them as he continued, raising his voice. “And if anyone does anything else to your land or your packmates after tonight, they’re yours to deal with. They will not have my protection.” Much quieter he added, “I’ll contact you once I’m done dealing with them. I’m…sorry. I should have cut this off sooner. The kid who thinks he can take over is a cousin. Not an excuse though, and I own my responsibility in this.”

  Spoken like a true alpha.

  Malcolm nodded and held out a hand. “No worries. Handle your pack. We’re good as far as I’m concerned—as long as you take care of things now.”

  That was that. Malcolm turned and motioned toward the rest of the pack, who quickly dispersed, heading deeper into the woods and back toward their cabins.

  “That was…interesting,” Erica murmured, looking up at Hudson.

  He lifted a shoulder. “Alex will be cleaning house tonight. I don’t foresee a problem after this. Listen, I need to talk to my brother about some pack stuff,” he said as they headed back toward the line of trees. “I won’t be long. Do you mind waiting for me at the cabin?”

  “I’ll be there.” The smile she gave him was soft and sweet. He didn’t want to read too much into it, but things seemed different between them now.

  Better. Like they’d been before. Now he needed to talk to his brother about a big change. And he knew exactly how it was going to go over.

  Chapter Twelve

  “What’s up?” Malcolm asked as he shut his office door behind him and faced Hudson.

  “I might be transferring to the Kincaid pack. I need to talk to Erica, see what she really wants. If she wants to move, I’m going with her.” It tore Hudson open to say the words aloud. Words he’d never thought to utter—that he’d be leaving his pack. His brother’s pack. His pack. One he’d been part of for over a hundred years after Malcolm decided to break out on his own. Not all family members worked and lived together like he and his brother did.

  “I…did not expect that.” Malcolm’s jaw tightened as he strode over to one of his cabinets. He pulled out an aged bottle of whisky and poured the amber liquid into two tumblers.

  They might not feel the effects of alcohol like humans did, but they certainly enjoyed a single malt Scottish whisky.

  His brother handed him a glass and clinked it once. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”

  He nodded once, his throat tight. He hadn’t expected any less, but it was still difficult to think about actually leaving. Though that was all lessened by the fact that he’d be doing it with Erica. And when he thought of her, most of the tension left his chest.

  “I haven’t told anyone yet. We haven’t…” He cleared his throat. “Erica’s pregnant with twins.”

  Malcolm blinked, then grinned, his reaction immediate and genuine as he pulled Hudson into a tight hug. “Congratulations, brother!”

  Hudson squeezed Malcolm once before stepping back, his own elation pouring through him. He was going to be a father. Something that was a privilege for any wolf. Having pups was harder for them than humans and
the fact that he was having two, and with the woman he loved? Yeah, he couldn’t be happier. “Thank you. Until she says it’s okay, we’re going to hold off on telling anyone else.”

  His brother nodded once, then plucked the glass from Hudson’s hand. “Go be with your she-wolf.”

  He didn’t have to tell Hudson twice. He barely remembered the walk back to Erica’s cabin. When he got there, he knew she wasn’t inside even before he knocked. Her scent wasn’t fresh enough and he couldn’t hear any movement inside regardless.

  Frowning, he pulled out his cell phone as he stalked back to his cabin. But she didn’t pick up. She wouldn’t have left though, would she? No. He refused to believe that. She’d probably just got caught up with one of his packmates doing something else. They all adored her, not that he could blame them.

  Still, he couldn’t fight that low-grade panic humming through him. Last time when he’d returned to his cabin and found her gone he might have broken some things. And hurt his fists. Fuck. If she had left, she wouldn’t have been able to go far. As he raced up the steps to his cabin, he pulled out his phone again and called the pack’s pilot.

  No way in hell was he letting his female go again.

  * * *

  Erica was nervous as she set everything up in Hudson’s cabin. He’d asked her to go back to ‘the cabin’ and wait for him and she was pretty sure he’d meant the guest one. Well, she’d decided to head to his instead. To make things crystal clear. She knew where she belonged.

  He’d asked her to move here, been frank that he loved her and wanted to mate with her. It was time to step up her game, to show him exactly how much he meant to her. She’d been trying to protect her heart before she’d left.

  Now that he’d laid himself bare, there was no more need. And if she kept pulling back she might lose the best thing that had ever happened to her. The man she loved.