We were all born werewolves. It wasn’t something that could be spread with a bite. Life would’ve been easier that way. The females were sought out as soon as the pregnant mother was sniffed out. Girls gave off a different scent, maybe it was similar to the smell of money. Besides my mother, I’d never been close enough to a pregnant wolf to know. The bidding war began before the baby was born, and the girls were treated like porcelain dolls all their lives, pretty things to play with gently but kept behind glass for protection.
As females became scarcer, the wealthy packs began to have them segregated from the working-class males their age. They didn’t want them to want anything other than they had. Some of the she-wolves rebelled against the system. Their families were working class, and at first, they weren’t taken away from them. The girls had a hard time being treated differently, not realizing it was supposed to be a privilege. They’d sneak out to play with us when we were kids, meeting up with us as teenagers, testing the boundaries of these new arrangements. It was even crueler, becoming familiar with someone so soft, sweet, and stunningly beautiful but never being able to have them in the way we wanted them.
Historically the wolves had never been very friendly with the humans in town, but we needed them more than any of us wanted to admit. In recent years, many members of the pack had moved to town to survive. We needed food and stable shelter. Hiding our true nature wasn’t always easy, but we had our ways. Major’s willingness to turn his back so quickly on the women who’d saved his life shocked me. He was all wolf, no matter what skin he wore. And he was a fool in all forms.
“What a charmer,” Kiera scoffed, shooting one last glare down the road before Major faded from sight. “He was trouble the whole time he with us.”
We followed Trina to the front door. There was a strange sort of déjà vu, being on the other side. Barking and birdsong greeted us as Trina opened the door.
“Hey, guys!” She called out just like she did every morning. The residents kicked the chaos up a notch. “We’re back!”
The ladies went right to work. The morning ritual of opening the crates, letting the dogs and cats get out and run around while they cleaned up and fed everyone was always the same. Despite the fact the animals were in a shelter, they weren’t without love. They still had hope. That was half the battle.
“Are you guys going to help us or are you going to stand there and watch?” Trina looked over her shoulder as a beagle smothered her in kisses. “You know the drill.”
Her tone was all business, but her eyes danced, teasing. It made everything in my body twitch. She was a completely different woman here than she’d been behind her bedroom door last night. Both sides of her were sexy as hell.
I promised Trina I’d help at the shelter. Not just because it was the right thing to do, or I had it bad for the owner. During our stay here these animals had become our friends. They’d welcomed us into their home without judgment, and if this was the only home they were ever going to have, honestly, it wasn’t so bad.
A German Shephard ran over and stopped, sniffing me and then my brothers. Our wolves were always inside us, and he knew it. A quick growl in confusion, then he jumped on Dallas, giving him a tongue bath. Dallas scratched him behind the ears, clapping him on the back.
Getting the shelter ready for the day was exhausting work. Crawling into the crates, cleaning them out, wrangling the animals. I was used to physical labor, as a contractor I built houses for a living, but my human muscles hadn’t been used like this in a long time.
“What are you going to do today?” Trina asked over coffee. This was part of the ritual. Take care of the animals and then the ladies would sit in the common area and have breakfast. Predictability ended here; every day at Forever Home brought some sort of surprise. “You must be dying to get back to the forest. You can borrow the truck. I won’t make you walk back like Major.”
“Don’t pick Major up if you see him,” Kiera added as she sipped her coffee. “Is he always like that?”
“He’s always a ray of sunshine.” Baron sat close to her, and they shared a smile that the rest of us weren’t included in.
“We’ve got to go see Mom,” Dallas said. “She must be beside herself.”
“Yeah, that’s the first thing we have to do.” I took my last bite of toast. I’d missed food so much while we’d been held hostage in our wolf forms. Ryker fed us just enough to keep us skinny and mean, and Trina did the best she could with what she had. I was ready to be a man again, for everything it meant. I needed to take care of things.
But what I did after that was totally up in the air. My house was gone, my clients had gone to my memorial service, and there was no telling what had happened in the forest while we were gone.
MY MOTHER FAINTED WHEN we walked up the cracked stone path to her cabin. We ran to the door, catching her before she hit the ground. She was so tiny next to the work-hardened bodies of me and my brothers, but her heart was huge. It must have been smashed to pieces thinking we were gone.
“I have to be dreaming.” Her words slurred as she came to, propped up on the couch.
“No, you’re not.” I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “We’re home, Mom.”
She caught my face in her hands, smothering me in kisses, then looked over at my brothers. “Get over here,” she said, opening her arms to hug them both. “I never thought I’d be able to hold my boys again.” Her eyes squeezed shut, and a tear slipped down. They opened, looking around. “Where’s Archer?”
Baron and Dallas looked to me. Sometimes being the oldest sucked. If I wanted to be alpha, I needed to own it. All the dark shit, all the things people didn’t want to hear. It all fell on me.
“He’s gone, Mom.” I swallowed hard and she dissolved against Baron’s shoulder. “He fought hard, but we couldn’t save him.”
Mom slumped back against the couch, learning that her youngest son was dead once again, and this time it was going to stick. “Where the hell have you boys been?”
“That bastard Ryker got us,” Dallas growled. “He kept us captive and made us fight the Lowes.”
Wait a minute. “No one in Sawtooth knew about this? Word never made it back here that he got raided for dog fights? They took his livestock and everything.”
“It did. But I never assumed you boys were there because...” Mom didn’t have to finish. “I would’ve done anything to get you out of there.”
“When was the fire?” Baron asked.
“About six months ago.” Mom shuddered at the memory.
We’d known all along that Ryker was behind the fire, but the pieces fit too perfectly together. He’d planned on killing us. The only question was if Major had been in on his plan, baiting us into captivity. His claim to alpha would be uncontested if I was gone. It was a hell of a way to try to get rid of me.
If he was, I could never be in the same pack as him. Alpha or not.
WORD SPREAD QUICKLY we were back. All our neighbors were here. Mom loved a house full of laughter and it had been too long without it. It was a strange combination of celebration and memorial, our return made that much more real by the fact Archer didn’t make it back with us.
No one said a word about any of the Lowe brothers. Major and Xavier were probably still walking back to Sawtooth. Their village was close enough to ours that their trouble often spilled over.
“I need to get back to the shelter,” I said, standing up. Even with my friends and family surrounding me, I couldn’t stop thinking of Trina. “I have Trina’s truck.”
“Who’s Trina?” Mom’s face lit up at the mention of a woman. With no chance of a wolf mate, there weren’t many women worth mentioning in her presence. But it didn’t mean she didn’t want us to settle down. Four sons over twenty-five and not a grandkid in sight. It was making her antsy.
“The woman who runs the shelter. She broke up the fighting ring.” My body was on point thinking of her, of last night. It had been everything I’d been fantasizing about the whol
e time I was held captive in my wolf form. If all went well I wouldn’t be back here tonight. Trina was a hard woman to read. So open one minute and guarded the next. I wasn’t fooling myself by making assumptions.
“Is that all?” Mom asked with a raised eyebrow.
“For now.” Baron punched my arm. I whacked him back. I didn’t respond to the oohs and ahhs.
“Shadow Channing, are you leaving without saying goodbye to your mother?” Mom chased after me. “After I thought I’d never see you again?”
“No.” I stopped and wrapped my arms around her. As little as she was, she could still rock me back and forth. “I’m not going anywhere this time.”
“Who’s this Trina woman? Don’t try to tell me nobody. You can’t lie to me, Shadow.”
I laughed, pulling Mom in closer. That damn grin was back, the same one that spread over my face any time Trina popped into my mind. I must’ve looked like an idiot half the day, smiling at nothing. “I think she could be someone special. But she’s human.”
“Don’t let the pack speak louder than your heart. There isn’t anyone here for you to mate with, and when you boys were gone” –she squeezed her eyes closed and shook away a fresh onslaught of tears— “I thought that was it for our family. Our future was gone. You all deserve better than to be forgotten.”
“They’ll kill her,” I said. Major, and anyone else who thought they had a legit claim to the pack, would see a human mate as a weakness. Not only that she was as strong as a wolf, but that she would be my weakness. Anyone who hurt her, hurt me. “I can’t put her at risk like that.”
But I already had, last night when I went to her bed. Major had been in the next room, and he’d make sure to use this to advantage.
“They’ll see it’s the only way. You must take the lead on this. She’ll help you build your kingdom.” My mom patted my chest, just over my heart. “Baron and Dallas will take your lead. We need the humans too much for the wolves to hurt them.”
I wanted her to be right, but I wasn’t so sure.
Chapter Thirteen
Trina
“You can head out,” I said. Kiera and Lyssie stared at me, waiting for me to finish the end of day paperwork. Today the shelter had felt so empty without the wolves. The good news was we could take five more guests. But the bad news was Shadow was no longer mine.
I couldn’t stop thinking about last night, his body on top of mine, his lips everywhere, the way he filled me. For a little while, I was able to forget everything that had brought me to this place. But this morning, it was all still there. As much as I wanted to move on, I was scared shitless. So many things unknown.
And Shadow. He was gorgeous. Kind. And an amazing lover. I hadn’t known him as a man even twenty-four hours yet and my emotions were already so frigging intense.
“Do you need a ride home?” Kiera asked. “You can’t stay here tonight, Trina. I hate it when you do this. Everything’s all set. You need to have a life, too.”
I hated it when she started barfing up therapist speak. It was all we really had in common, that and the animals. Kiera and Lyssie had hit it off, they were roommates and were always together. I was happy for them, but it made me feel even more alone. But I had my grief, the most awkward third wheel possible. “Shadow’s coming back with my truck.”
“Will you text me when he gets here?” she asked, and I nodded like she didn’t just call me a liar. I mean, I could drive the rescue truck, but it cost a fortune in gas I couldn’t spare, and it was too hard to control. One accident was enough for a lifetime. I couldn’t hurt anyone else.
The shelter at night was so peaceful. I loved listening to the animals wind down for the day. If they could find peace here then I could, too. I’d stay late and finish my work uninterrupted. No calls, no questions. And I didn’t have to think about anything outside of the shelter.
“Hey.” Shadow stood in the lobby. I didn’t hear the door open. I jumped, my heart slamming against my chest with surprise. “Sorry. I knocked.”
“I zone out after hours.” I never realized how much. Shadow was still in the same sweats I’d given him last night. He had nothing. I needed to stop being so wrapped in my own head. This guy had it much worse than I did, and he wasn’t throwing a pity party. “How was your mom?”
His face lit up.
“Amazing.” He swallowed hard. “Telling her about Archer sucked.”
I couldn’t look at him anymore.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
Shadow knelt beside me, crooking his finger under my chin. “Look at me,” he said softly. His voice vibrated against my skin and parts of me that I hadn’t paid attention to until he’d walked into my life. “What happened to Archer wasn’t your fault. The Lowes were gunning for him because that was the only way they were going to get to me.”
He squeezed his eyes closed, bowing his head, his pain still harrowing. I took a deep breath, not convinced, but I nodded, pressing my lips together and managed a wobbly smile.
Shadow’s hand dropped to my leg and he laced his fingers between mine. “Want to take a ride out to my old house with me? I figured today was a good day to get all the shit I don’t want to deal with out of the way.”
“I’d love to.” I wanted to see a piece of Shadow’s old life, if anything was left. The more I knew him, the easier it would be for me to let him in. I’d shut everyone out for so long, I needed practice. “Will you be able to see anything in the dark?”
“Dark isn’t a problem for me. Wolves can see in the dark like the sun is out. They’ve probably cleaned up the site, but I have to know what happened. And I don’t want to go alone.” He shuddered, and all I wanted to do was kiss him and make it all go away.
He kept admitting his vulnerabilities to me, but he’d stood up to Major without blinking.
“I like to think I can see in the dark, too.” Awkward. I was trying to be profound, but it wound up sounding totally weird. This is why I spent most of my time with animals. I cringed, waiting for Shadow’s reaction. He squeezed my hand, understanding what I meant.
It didn’t take us long to drive through the town. Most of the residents lived on the outskirts and in the forest.
“A lot of shifters live in town now,” Shadow said. “It’s easier.”
“Like who?” I didn’t have many friends in Granger Falls, but gossip like this was too good to pass up.
“Let’s see.” Shadow grinned. “Jacques who runs The Redheaded Stepchild. Have you ever been to the Full Moon Fever parties?”
“Nope.” I was embarrassed to admit I’d never even been to The Redheaded Stepchild. Kiera invited me out sometimes, but I preferred to drink alone.
Shadow shot me a sideways glance and smirked. “Oh, I’m definitely bringing you next month.”
“Okay.” I could pretend I was excited about that. The idea of all those people and shifters was already freaking me out. “Who else?”
“A couple of the police officers, Fred who owns the antique shop.” No surprise there. I’d be more shocked to find out that guy was human. “The mayor.”
“What?” I shrieked. “No. Way.”
“Yeah. Think about it. It makes sense. There are more shifters in Sawtooth than residents of Granger Falls. Or at least at one time there was. So to make sure everyone plays nice, Southworth ran for office. The humans didn’t have a better option.”
“Would you ever do that?” I knew Shadow cared deeply about the packs. Unlike Major, he didn’t have a chip on his shoulder about humans. And Southworth wasn’t a favorite in town, either. Everything was making sense now. “He’s up for reelection. Is he part of your pack?”
He didn’t answer right away.
“I would,” he said quietly. “And no, Southworth isn’t in our pack. Packs mostly form between families, and our villages in the forest. We recognize and respect the leaders of each pack. There was some talk of combining our pack with the Lowes to take care of Ryker, but I don’t think Major and I can work togeth
er. All of the packs need to go in a different direction. But before I think about any of that, I have to rebuild what I had first.”
“I think you’d make a great leader.”
He didn’t answer me, because we’d pulled up at the place that used to be his home. The dirt driveway was still there, and a few hulls of burned out cars remained.
Shadow didn’t get out of the car right away. He gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead. I wanted to touch him, but I knew sometimes that made things worse. This was the kind of feeling I was all too familiar with. The realization that everything could change in an instant, no matter how much you wanted everything to stay the same.
“It’s all gone,” he said to himself. “Like we were never even here.”
“I’m sorry.” I put my hand over his. Shadow’s body was tense like he’d forgotten he had company, but my touch softened him. “Did you live here with your brothers?”
“Yeah.” Shadow managed a grin. “All four of us. Some wild stuff happened here.”
“Tell me a story.” I wanted to get to know Shadow the human, the one that existed before his house burned down and he spent six months in chains.
The smile widened. “One night, after a Full Moon Fever party at The Redhead, everyone came back here for the after party. There was a motorcycle in my bedroom the next morning. And half the packs were passed out on my lawn, naked. Think of The Hangover, Idaho style.”
“You want to bring me to one of these parties?” I raised an eyebrow. I hadn’t taken Shadow as a party guy. Maybe it was a way that problems got solved between the packs. But that party sounded like my own personal hell.
“We’ll break you in.” I had no problem seeing the smoldering look in his eyes, even in the dark. “Don’t worry.”
I didn’t doubt he would.
Shadow took my hand as we walked around the property. Every so often, he’d murmur something about the house, a log cabin he and his brothers had built themselves.
Her Captive Wolf (Sawtooth Shifters Book 1) Page 7
