by Renee Rose
And that was it. Those were the words that pushed me over the edge.
I lunged toward Rob, and the next thing I knew I felt pain in my muscles, my bones. Things shifted and moved. The sound of ripping cloth, cracking joints filled the air.
One second, I was ready to punch Rob in the jaw, the next I was running toward him on four paws.
My vision sharpened, my hearing honed. I smelled. Holy fuck, did I scent. The lemony tang of floor cleaner. The scent of the dogs. Rob’s deodorant or soap. And Charlie. I smelled her on the air.
I knew her cinnamon scent, but this was more. Heightened. I launched myself at Rob but he knocked me away. “Sit down.” I’d never felt alpha command before. Not really. Not like I did right then. It reverberated into every cell, as if his voice could control every organ in my body. I instantly skidded around and sat down on my haunches and breathed deep. As a fucking wolf.
I’d shifted. Holy fuck. And I scented Charlie.
My mate.
I glanced up at Rob. Yeah, up because I was only a few feet tall.
“I thought so,” he said, the corner of his mouth tipped up.
I growled.
He grinned, then squatted down in front of me.
“Charlie’s your mate, huh?”
I lifted my nose to the sky and howled.
He laughed. The fucker laughed. “Before you bite my throat out, let’s get you to shift back. Then we’ll figure out what’s going on with her. How to get her back.”
I stilled, realized I had no fucking idea how to shift back. I’d never been in wolf form before. I’d seen others do it hundreds… thousands of times. But me?
Fuck, I was a wolf! And Charlie—my… human mate… had brought it out. With a little help from Rob and his intentional word jabs.
“Stay calm. It’s fine.”
I snapped at him again. I was thirty-three years old, and I’d never done this before. Hell, I felt like Charlie, a virgin in my own right.
Rob narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath. “Shift,” he said, his voice booming, the deep alpha tone rippling through me. I wanted to roll over and show him my belly. Lift my neck, showing him I meant no disrespect. But my wolf obeyed instinctively, and somehow, I shifted back. I had no control in the action, which was probably a good thing.
I was on the floor, fucking naked, my clothes in torn tatters around me. I ran my hand over my face, looked at Rob. “I fucking hate you.”
He stood, grinned again as he grabbed a throw blanket from the back of a couch and tossed it at me. “Yeah, well, being alpha’s a bitch. Now let’s figure out what to do about your mate.”
24
CHARLIE
* * *
The stuffed wolf Levi won for me at the county fair rode shotgun with me the whole way back to Colorado. I’d even buckled the stupid thing in like it was real.
I was losing my mind.
By the time I got back, I’d driven through the night, fueled by strong truck stop coffee and my gnawing anxiety. Ten hours was a long time when there was nothing to do but stay on the highway and make sure no animals ran under my tires. The techno beat of my workout playlist had helped keep me awake, but it didn’t stop my mind from wandering.
Every mile I drove the ache in my chest grew stronger.
Leaving Levi felt like the biggest mistake of my life.
I’d really love to explore the possibility of something more. We’d been in the most glorious spot, looking back the most romantic, too. He’d looked into my eyes and suggested I move with Pops to Montana. To be with him.
And yeah, that was crazy considering we’d only known each other for a week, but it also felt so right. I cared about Levi. I cared about more than just his prowess in bed. He was honest and good. Courageous and strong. He’d taken a job as sheriff because he believed in justice.
And Wolf Ranch? I loved it there. The place… called to me, just like Levi did. It was the land, the laid back friendliness of everyone. The family feeling.
Levi hadn’t wanted me to move there because he felt the ranch needed a vet. No, he’d wanted me. Accepted that I came with an ailing grandfather. He wanted me as part of the family.
Hell, a family with him, however that was shaped.
It felt like I’d just run away from my future. A future I hadn’t known I’d wanted, but now that I shut the door on it felt more tragic than anything I’d been through. Well, other than having Dax call from inside my house. But that wasn’t tragic, that was terror-inducing.
But I had to remember that even if Dax hadn’t called, even if I hadn’t had to leave and drive through the night, my past would’ve caught up to me.
I was glad I wasn’t going to be around when Levi found out who I really was. The mess I’d gotten myself into. I was a coward and couldn’t imagine seeing his face. I remembered how he’d been with that teenager at the fair. He’d been young and stupid. I wasn’t young, but I was feeling pretty stupid. If he’d wanted that kid to spend the night in jail to learn his lesson, I could only imagine what he’d want as a consequence for someone like me. It wasn’t going to be handcuffs in his bed.
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve driven straight to Mr. Claymore’s ranch to drop off Seraphina, but these weren’t normal circumstances. My grandfather was in danger and had been since Dax had called. Instead, I drove straight to the house where I could negotiate with Dax. Get him away from Pops and tell him I’d get him the ketamine locked in my office at Mr. Claymore’s.
So I drove into my neighborhood at eight in the morning still hauling the horse trailer behind the ranch truck. I had to park it in the street since there was no way I could back it out of the driveway later.
Stomach gurgling and rancid from no food and only caffeine, I jumped out of the truck.
I dashed into the house, slipping on the rug in the entry with my haste. “Pops!” I called.
I heard his heavy footfall coming from the kitchen. “Well, look who’s here,” he said with a big grin. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. How’s my girl?”
I looked around. Dax wasn’t following him. Wasn’t in the living room, behind the curtains. “Are you alone?” I asked instead of answering him.
He frowned, just noticing my panic. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm down because he didn’t seem upset. “Yes, but Mrs. Vasquez said she’d stop by later to go through the newspaper fliers with me. She likes to cut out the good coupons. I was just putting my breakfast dishes in the dishwasher then was going to change into a new shirt because I spilled a little jelly on this one.” Patting his chest, I saw a red smear.
“Oh.” I went past him down the hall to the kitchen. No, Dax wasn’t hiding in the pantry.
“It’s Sunday, and I don’t want to miss the late service,” he said, following behind. “I hope Mrs. Abrams brings those little barbecue drumettes for the lunch after. I love those.”
Okay. Everything was fine. Too fine. I turned to face him, leaned against the peach colored counter. The kitchen hadn’t been updated since I was in grade school. “On the phone last night, you had a visitor.”
He nodded his gray haired head. “Nice fellow. Said he worked with you.”
I bobbed my head in agreement and said, “That’s right. How late did he stay?”
He put his finger to his lip, his usual thinking gesture. “Not past eight. I like my shows.”
Dax had left at eight. Maybe fifteen minutes after he called me. Fuck. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or scream. He’d had me drive through the night thinking that Pops was in danger. Immediate danger. There was no question he knew where we lived and had easily gained Pops’ trust. Dax wasn’t any less of an issue than the night before, but what he’d said on the phone and reality didn’t match.
I had never wanted to kill someone so much in my life. I’d driven all night! And shit, Seraphina was still in the trailer out front.
Since everything was fine and there was no real reason to have him cancel his usual plans for church a
nd an afternoon spent with friends at a luncheon, I told him, “I stopped in on the way to the stable to say hi. I have to get the horse into a paddock to stretch her legs.”
He came over to me, and gave me a hug. “It’s good to have you home, sweetpea. I just didn’t expect you until next week sometime.”
Me neither.
“Want me to give you a ride to church on my way?”
He shook his head. “The Merrimans are picking me up.”
“Right.” That was the routine for Sunday mornings. He was picked up by fellow church members who lived a few streets over, stayed for the organized lunch after. I rarely went with him because I often worked.
At least he would be with others and out of the house if Dax decided to return.
I closed my eyes, took a breath. I wanted to go upstairs and climb into bed and sleep for about ten hours. But Seraphina needed to be let out of the trailer, and I had a blackmailing asshole to finish.
I couldn’t wait any longer. I didn’t want to. It was time to find Dax and finish him.
I just had to hope it didn’t finish me in the process.
25
LEVI
* * *
I had a mate. I was a fully shifting wolf, and I’d found my mate.
Ordinarily it would be cause for celebration, but considering my mate was a goddamn drug dealer who’d left during the night without even saying goodbye, I wasn’t feeling all that chipper.
In fact, it was all I could do not to rip the inside of the airplane to shreds.
Yeah, I was on a plane. Nothing worse than that for a prowling wolf than a tin can in the sky.
I hadn’t thought what else to do. My wolf sure as shit wasn’t going to sit at Wolf Ranch and stew over my mate walking out on us.
And I needed to know about this ketamine thing.
Like, how was it possible that the beautiful, kind, responsible vet I knew and loved had become a drug supplier.
It didn’t make sense.
I’d thought about it the entire plane ride, which was thankfully only about an hour.
I kept coming back to that one thing she’d said in the truck after the county fair.
Sometimes people get themselves into things without fully understanding the consequences.
It wasn’t an excuse. Especially since Charlie was way too smart to not understand consequences. But she was innocent. Naive.
It was possible she’d gotten herself into some kind of predicament.
Maybe she even required help. That she was in over her head and needed me to save her. To protect her.
That thought had my wolf snarling. I felt him, right beneath the surface, struggling to get free. He wanted to protect Charlie.
But I didn’t even know if she needed my protection. Or would want it. Her bailing in the middle of the night was a pretty sure indication she might not want anything to do with me. Then again, maybe she was protecting me?
My wolf didn’t like that at all. Charlie was a fragile human. I was really hard to kill.
Fuck—what would I do if it turned out she was a drug supplier? That she wasn’t who I’d believed she was? Would I be able to walk away from my mate, right when I’d found her? Would I be okay turning her in to the local police? How could I have a mate behind bars?
I probably wouldn’t go moon mad as a half-breed. Thankfully, I wasn’t that alpha. But still, I didn’t know what it would do to my wolf. I might go a different flavor of insane. The human kind.
Fuck! I crushed the half-full water bottle in my hand just as the plane touched down, causing water to flood over my legs and the floor. The guy on the other side of the aisle gave me the side-eye, but I didn’t give a fuck what people thought about me.
All I cared about was this shit with Charlie.
I got off the plane and marched to the rental car counter, where all they had was a tiny white compact two door.
“Fine,” I growled, signing the damn papers, not giving a shit. I’d cram my body into a car three sizes smaller if it meant getting to my mate. As long as it had an engine and wheels, I didn’t care if it was a clown car.
As I jammed my legs under the dash, I came around to the same thought I’d had the whole flight over: there had to be an explanation. The woman I knew wouldn’t be in the drug trade for money. It just wasn’t like her.
I couldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t.
I would show up and demand an explanation—for the ketamine and for leaving without a goodbye. And not accepting my calls or texts.
Then I would tell her I was a wolf.
That she was my mate.
After that, we’d figure shit out from there.
As far as plans went, it was pretty fucking flimsy, but it was the best I had.
Because everything—my life, my future, my sanity—revolved around that woman. I just had to pray to fate this was salvageable.
26
CHARLIE
* * *
Claymore’s horse property was nothing like Wolf Ranch. Nestled in the foothills of the mountains above Denver, it sprawled in a large open expanse between the rugged terrain. There were acres to ride, but the mountains that surrounded it on all sides were unforgiving. This area was nothing like Montana. Claymore’s house—mansion—was set back from the road but was visible to all who drove by. It appeared to be intentional. Claymore’s wealth was on full display. The stable was state-of-the-art. The fencing around the corrals and paddocks was metal and indestructible. Everything was immaculately groomed and… perfect.
Just like I’d tried to be. A week at Wolf Ranch, with the neverending prairie and big sky, I felt almost claustrophobic as I pulled up behind the back side of the stable. There was a gate to the paddock there with room to park the trailer. I wanted to get Seraphina outside to stretch her legs not confined to a stall.
So much had happened while I was gone, which had only been about a week. I’d changed. I’d lost my virginity, but that was just a label. I’d opened up—and not just my legs—to Levi. Others, too. I saw that work wasn’t everything, that being there for Pops was what was important. And other connections.
Levi.
Fuck. No, I wasn’t going to think about him now.
Hopping from the truck, I went around to the back of the trailer to let Seraphina out.
“You!” Dax shouted, and I jumped a foot as the sound echoed around the inside of the metal trailer. Seraphina tossed her head and tried to retreat, even though she and Dax were buddies. Maybe, like me, she’d had a change of heart about him.
My heart leapt into my throat and adrenaline pumped through me as I grabbed her lead and tried to calm her. I didn’t say anything until I led the horse out of the trailer.
“Don’t spook a horse, you idiot!” I hissed.
“Where’s the fucking K?” Dax didn’t look like himself. The boyish good-looks disappeared, replaced with a menacing scowl. His hair was a mess, and his skin seemed sallow. Dark bags were under his eyes. Mine, probably too.
“In my office, I would assume,” I countered, with a shit ton of sass. “I just got back. You know, from driving straight through the night because you were with my grandfather?”
A sly smile spread across his face. “It got your ass back here, didn’t it?”
I didn’t respond to that. Nothing I could say would make a difference. All I’d do was show how much he got to me, how much he was controlling me. Hell, I felt like a puppet. His puppet.
“So get me in the office.”
“Seraphina’s been in the trailer all night because you’re a fucking asshole.” I pulled the keys from my jeans pocket, tossed them at him. “I’m putting her in the paddock. You get in the office yourself.”
I turned away, not waiting for him to respond. He had the keys if he wanted to get the drugs. As I opened the gate and led Seraphina through and into the tall grass, I heard him head toward the stable and no doubt my office within. I figured I had about a minute at most before he came back.
I
pulled my cell from my pocket and with a racing heart and fumbling fingers, I found the photo setting, pulled up the video feature and hit record. I dashed to the trailer and set the phone down on the wheel well bump-out.
I grabbed a shovel that was affixed to the interior wall of the trailer used to scoop manure, but Dax came back out. “Where’s the shipment you got in Montana?”
My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it. I wasn’t good at being tricky. Or sly. But I was smarter than him.
“The shipment of ketamine you made me order?” I asked, my voice clear and as calm as I could make it.
“Uh, yeah,” he said in a duh voice. “That one.”
“You called me last night from my own house, sitting with my grandfather. You threatened to harm him if I didn’t get back here right away.”
Dax narrowed his eyes. “So? Your gramps is fine. I didn’t do shit to him except eat some dinner. Too much fucking gravy.”
“So I left Montana last night a week early because of you. The shipment hadn’t arrived before I left. And I can hardly request it now. Not without an explanation. You’ve got plenty in your hands from the shipment you made me get before I left. What are you going to do with it all?”
He hoisted up his pants. “Sell it. You’re my supplier now, right, Charlie? I got you good.”
“How’s that?” I held onto the shovel handle, the tip of it in the ground.
“You’re part of the supply chain. In fact, the police go harder on suppliers than they do on peddlers of drugs. So you’re in this deep.”
I shook my head, even though I was quaking in my boots. “No. I’m not in this at all. I only started it because you threatened me.”
He took a step toward me, but I held my ground. “Try telling that to Mr. Claymore. Or the vet board. Or the cops.”
I made a mistake. I flicked a glance at the phone on the wheel well.
Dax glanced over and saw it, and then his pretty-boy face contorted into rage. He advanced on me. “You think you’re so smart? You’re recording this?” I lifted the shovel, ready to use it as my own weapon, but he was too quick. He wrapped both his hands around my throat, causing me to drop the shovel and claw at his fingers.
