Inside the house, Kiera glanced around helplessly. She hadn’t realized how much stuff she had accumulated over the years. None of them had thought to bring boxes on this trip. What was she going to pack everything in?
Connor seemed to understand her issue. “If you’ll tell me where the local liquor store is, I’ll go see if I can get some boxes from them.”
Kiera gave him directions. After Connor left, she decided to organize the stuff in her bedroom and determine what she was taking and what she could leave. She didn’t get very far before there was a knock on her door.
“Kiera, do you want to get the door or should one of us?” Colin asked.
Kiera turned and saw Colin standing in the doorway. She was nervous, knowing it was probably one of the werewolves in the neighborhood, one of the ones who had tormented her most of her life. “Why don’t you let Gabriel get it?”
Colin smiled and nodded. He pushed away from the door frame and went back to the living room.
Gabriel, having heard his wife, went to open the door. On the other side was an average sized blond man. From the scent of him, Gabriel knew he was a werewolf.
“May I help you?” Gabriel asked the stranger.
Dan’s brow furrowed. What in the hell was going on? He’d heard talk that Kiera was moving out, but he hadn’t believed it. “Who the hell are you? Where’s Kiera?”
Gabriel arched a brow. Just who did the pup think he was? Straightening to his full height, which towered over the other wolf by several inches, Gabriel glared down at him.
“My wife is in the other room.”
Dan’s eyes just about popped out of his head. Surely he hadn’t heard correctly. If his nose didn’t deceive him, this guy was an alpha. Why would he marry Kiera?
“Wife?”
Gabriel nodded.
Dan visibly swallowed. “I’m Dan. I live across the street. When I saw all of the cars I just thought I’d make sure Kiera was okay.”
Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing the man doubtfully. “Why the sudden concern? Werewolves in this town haven’t cared the slightest what happened to her before now.”
Dan had the grace to blush. “That isn’t entirely true. Some of us cared, we just weren’t allowed to.”
Ah-ha! So the young man had feelings for Kiera. Gabriel almost felt sorry for him – almost! If he had been a man, he would have stood up to the others and asked Kiera out. Then again, if that had happened, Gabriel wouldn’t have been able to find her and marry her.
“Regardless, she’s my wife now. Your concern is appreciated and noted. Now, unless you have some boxes to contribute for her packing needs, I’d suggest you go back home.”
Kiera had heard everything from the bedroom. She had never known that Dan liked her. Pretty much every time he’d seen her, he’d been mean to her. Sometimes he was downright ruthless.
Gathering her courage, she walked into the living room to stand beside Gabriel. Her sweet alpha put his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. Kiera smiled up at him.
Looking at Dan, her smiled faded. “What do you want Dan?”
He growled low in his throat. “Watch yourself woman!”
Kiera trembled slightly, but felt Gabriel’s muscles tense. She felt the growl before she heard it. Before she had a chance to stop him, Gabriel had broken loose from her and had jerked Dan into the house and pinned him to the wall.
“You will watch how you speak to her! If you ever growl at my wife again, they will be looking for the pieces of your body for years to come! Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
Dan made a strange noise that Kiera assumed meant he understood. Of course, if Gabriel didn’t have him by the throat, he might have made more sense. Should she stop him? She started to put a hand on Gabriel’s arm, but quite frankly she was enjoying the fear on Dan’s face a bit too much to put a halt to it just yet.
Cole stepped over beside his brother. “Gabriel, why don’t you let him go? I think he got the message.”
Gabriel growled, but released the worthless excuse of a man. Dan slumped to the floor gasping for air.
Glowering down at him, Gabriel tried not to rip the idiot apart. He couldn’t believe the young man had actually growled at him! He backed up a step, allowing the man to stand.
“Get out,” Gabriel rumbled, his rage barely concealed.
Dan stumbled to his feet and lurched out the door. He managed to stagger down the steps and across the street to his house. Once he could talk again, he would have to call Thomas. The alpha needed to know about the men he’d allowed into their town.
Chapter Four
A few hours later, between Kiera and the werewolves, her entire house had been packed into boxes and grouped into “items to take” and “items to donate,” assuming they could find a place to pick up the donations. Kiera had also called the local realtor’s office and arranged for the house to be put on the market.
Kiera was exhausted and wished they could go home. Unfortunately, they still had to load the trucks and the back of her SUV. Sighing, she collapsed on the couch. Never again would she collect this much junk!
Gabriel saw Kiera flop down on the couch. He wasn’t sure she could stay standing for much longer. Walking over to her, he sat on the couch beside her; drawing her against his side, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Are you okay, honey?”
She sleepily nodded. “I’m fine, just tired.”
He absently rubbed her arm. “Does your friend live nearby? Maybe she’d let you rest at her place while we load everything into the vehicles.”
“I don’t mind helping,” she protested.
“I know you don’t, but I can tell that you’re wiped out. We still have a long drive back home.”
Kiera sighed. “We should have gotten up earlier today. As it is, everyone is going to miss work tomorrow. It’s almost midnight and it’s an eight hour drive back home.”
Gabriel hid a grin. He was happy that she already thought of Ashton Grove as her home. She did have a point about Monday. He would need to call Michael to have the garage closed for the day and Cole would have to call his boss and Marin.
“Since it seems we won’t be heading home until the morning anyway, is there a hotel around here?”
“Hmm. Well, there’s a small one on Main Street. I don’t know how comfortable it is though.”
“Kiera, as tired as we all are, I don’t think it will matter much. Since we already packed up your bedding, we’ll have to get a room as well.”
She nodded against his shoulder. Honestly, she didn’t care where they stayed as long as Gabriel was with her. Being back in her hometown had her feeling out of sorts.
Kiera got up and walked over to the kitchen. Picking up the phone, she called the motel. Being a small town, there were always empty rooms. She just wasn’t sure how many rooms to ask for. Putting the phone down a moment, she turned to the guys.
“How many rooms do we need?”
Gabriel wasn’t sure if his brother and cousins minded rooming together, but he knew he wanted Kiera all to himself. “See if they have a room with a king size bed,” he told her.
Kiera blushed, but nodded. She looked at the other werewolves to see what they wanted.
Connor and Colin looked at each other and shrugged. “We can share a room,” Connor told her. “Just make sure it has two beds.”
“I don’t mind having a room to myself,” Cole replied, knowing the newlyweds would want to be alone.
Kiera picked the phone up and told the receptionist to book three rooms, one with a king size bed. Hanging up the phone, she looked at the four men standing in her living room. She almost laughed. The entire time she had lived here, men had never come to visit her. Now here she was, looking at four men gorgeous enough to be models. Okay, so one was married and another was her spouse; now that was a sobering thought. It still stunned her that someone like Gabriel was her husband.
“I don’t suppose there’s a twe
nty-four hour place where we can get a bite to eat?” Colin asked.
“Oh, um, actually there’s a small diner a few blocks from here. They mostly serve breakfast food and sandwiches.”
Colin shrugged. “I’m not picky, food is food.”
Gabriel walked over to Kiera and pulled her into his arms. “Do you want a minute to say goodbye to your house?”
She smiled up at him. He was so thoughtful and kind. You’d never know it by looking at him though. He had a rough, dangerous look that would scare most people. It only turned Kiera on.
“I’m fine. I grew up here, but once dad passed away, I was miserable. Honestly, I think I was miserable before that.”
Gabriel nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. If he had anything to say about it, she would never be miserable again. Once Marin and Cassie introduced her around town, Gabriel was certain that his wife would have plenty of friends.
***
At the diner, Kiera was having a great time. The guys were loud and rowdy, but they made sure to include her in their conversation. It was nice being part of a family again. She’d never had siblings before, but having brothers and cousins was great, even if they were through marriage.
Gabriel had his arm resting on the back of Kiera’s chair, his fingers playing with the wisps of hair that had escaped her braid. Her hair felt like silk and smelled like heaven, even after hours of packing. The scent of her was enough to drive him mad. He couldn’t wait to make love to her again.
Cole was smiling, watching his brother and sister-in-law. He was happy for both of them. Now they only needed to get Michael settled; he knew that his twin had been feeling left out. With both Gabriel and Cole married, Michael was probably feeling like a fifth wheel. Cole hoped that his twin would find the same happiness that he and Gabriel had found with their mates.
Connor and Colin were in some sort of debate. As the waitress delivered their food, they heard the bell over the door jingle. Kiera looked up and held her breath. Austin was heading their way. This was bad; this was really bad. Maybe she could head things off at the pass so to speak.
Smiling at the guys, she said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Standing, Kiera briskly walked over to Austin, intercepting him before he could reach their table.
“Hi Austin, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
He glowered down at her. “What the hell is going on Kiera? Dan called Thomas saying that an alpha from out of state tried to strangle him. Then I see you sitting in here, apparently having a great time, with the alpha and his pack.”
Kiera looked down at the floor, automatically being submissive. Taking a breath, she decided it was time to take a stand. “I didn’t realize I needed your permission to hang out with people.”
“I’m Thomas’s second in command. If I were you, I’d watch my tone.” Austin crossed his arms and looked down at the little werefox. She’d always been timid before. He had been surprised at her small show of spunk; and oddly turned on by it. The woman apparently had depths he had never seen before. She’d always been a hot little thing, but wolves mated with wolves. Even just playing around with another type of shapeshifter wasn’t done.
“I take it you’re here because of Dan,” she stated.
Austin shifted, a little uncomfortable. “That’s part of it.”
Kiera looked up, surprised. “Part? What’s the other part?”
“I saw you sitting with them. I didn’t like it.”
Kiera’s mouth almost dropped to the floor. Austin sounded jealous. Surely she was mistaken. He had been nicer to her than the other werewolves in town, but he had never actually been nice.
“Austin, are you feeling okay?”
He shrugged. “I think you need to head home while I go talk to those guys.”
Kiera shook her head. “I’m not leaving, Austin.”
He stared at her. Had she actually just refused to follow an order?
“Kiera, go home!”
She shook her head. “No.”
Kiera turned to go back to her table. She saw Cole, Connor, Colin, and Gabriel watching her. Before she could take another step, she felt a firm grip on her upper arm and she was spun to face Austin again.
“Don’t walk away from me!” Austin yelled.
Kiera opened her mouth to reply, but she felt a presence behind her and saw Austin’s mouth straighten into a grim line. There was a rumble behind her and she knew it was Gabriel, growling at Austin.
“This doesn’t concern you. Go back to your table,” Austin told the visiting werewolf. He still didn’t understand why Thomas had let them into their town. The alpha hadn’t given any details, just told him that a pack would be visiting for a day or two.
Gabriel reached out and forcibly removed the man’s hand from Kiera’s arm. Pulling her back against his chest, he glared at the other werewolf.
“Actually, it does concern me.”
Austin was taken aback. What would an alpha want with Kiera? Yeah, she was hot, but she was still just a little werefox. Obviously a few pieces of the puzzle were missing.
“Excuse me?” Austin asked.
Gabriel sighed. The man looked more shocked than anything else. What was wrong with these people? So what if his wife shifted into a fox? Were they really that bigoted around here?
Turning Kiera in his arms, he kissed her. “Why don’t you go sit with the others for a minute?”
Kiera buried her face against his chest, breathing in his scent. She nodded and walked around him and headed back over to the table. Cole, Connor and Colin were all watching the scene, fascinated. All that was lacking was the popcorn.
She plopped down in her seat by Cole. He put a protective arm around his sister-in-law. He wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but it was unspoken that if anything happened to Gabriel, his pack would take care of Kiera. Not that Cole thought it would come to that. He mostly just wanted to comfort Kiera.
A few feet away, Gabriel and Austin stared each other down. Both were in a defensive stance with their arms crossed. Gabriel was an inch or two taller than Austin, both men had broad chests and were well muscled. They were a sight any woman would have found drool worthy. There was nothing like a show of male dominance to get the blood pumping!
“I think it’s time for you and your pack to leave,” Austin told the alpha in front of him.
Gabriel raised a brow. “Your alpha gave us permission to be here. We’re staying the night and then we’ll leave by noon tomorrow.”
“Do you even realize the woman you just kissed is only a werefox?”
Gabriel’s mouth quirked in a half grin. “Just a werefox, huh? Funny, I thought she was much more than that.”
Austin, misinterpreting Gabriel’s statement, thought he had gotten through to the alpha. Now that the man knew Kiera was only a werefox, he was certain the pack would leave her alone.
“Well, why don’t you and your pack go finish your meal and I’ll walk Kiera home.”
Gabriel growled. “I don’t think so.”
“I thought we had an understanding. She’s just a werefox. You can’t possibly want her.”
Gabriel stalked toward Austin, pushing the man back towards the door. “Oh I want her all right. And if you have any sense, you’ll walk out the door and keep walking.”
“What the fuck is your problem? You don’t even know her! She’s just a piece of ass to you!”
Gabriel felt rage well up within him. Before he could reach out and rip the dumbass in two, he felt two restrictive hands on him. From scent, he knew it was Connor and Colin. His brother, Cole, was probably still with Kiera at the table.
“Come on, cousin. Take a deep calming breath. I’m sure the moron didn’t mean to insult you,” Connor said, with a glance at Austin. He saw the young man pale.
“No, of course not. I didn’t mean to insult you. My concern was of course for a citizen of our fair town. I simply didn’t want to see her hurt.”
Connor knew the man wa
s telling them a load of lies. From what Kiera had said, the people in this town didn’t care for her at all. They had delighted in tormenting her, had refused to date her. Maybe he should just let Gabriel go after all…
The tension left Gabriel’s body slowly. “I would never hurt her.”
“Then why are you playing with her like this? You’re leaving tomorrow, or rather later today. You said as much yourself.”
Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I did. What your alpha apparently didn’t tell you is that Kiera is going with me.”
“What?” Austin was so surprised you could have knocked him over with a feather. “Why would you take her with you?”
“Because she’s my wife.”
Austin blindly grabbed behind himself, looking for a chair. Grabbing one, he pulled it over and sank into it. Kiera was married? To an alpha?
Gabriel watched the young man uncertainly. Why hadn’t Thomas informed his pack that Kiera was married? That she was moving out of town? This town was strange to say the least. The sooner he put some miles between his family and this whacky place the better.
“I didn’t mean to offend you or your pack. I hope you’ll accept my apology,” Austin said in a quiet voice.
Gabriel sighed. He turned and motioned for Kiera to join them. With his wife by his side, they sat across from Austin.
Austin looked Kiera over. She had always been pretty. If things had been different in their town, he would have asked her out a long time ago. Thomas, the town’s alpha, wouldn’t allow a werewolf to mate with another shapeshifter. Austin had always wondered if things were different in other packs; apparently they were.
“Kiera, I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you in the past. I just thought it was better to keep you at arm’s length,” Austin told her.
“But why?”
He sighed, glancing at the alpha, wondering if the man would punch him if he told Kiera the truth. “Because I’ve always liked you. If Thomas had allowed his werewolves to date other shapeshifters, I would have asked you out back in high school.”
Kiera was stunned. “You would have?”
Austin nodded. “Yeah, but I wasn’t brave enough to go against the alpha,” he grudgingly admitted.
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