Werewolves & Whiskers: Sawtooth Peaks Wolf Shifter Romance Box Set

by Keira Blackwood

  “I love you too,” I said.

  He leaned over and kissed my cheek, and I couldn’t help but smile. Leaving his hand on mine, he sat straight and started the truck back down the driveway. Reassured by his touch, I started to focus on what was next—dinner with his friends and family.

  Once we passed the bar, tall pines quickly blocked much of the sunlight that had lit the other streets in the town. Broken beams sparkled as they landed on snow covered branches. So close to the lively town full of people, the forest beyond was relatively untouched by human hands. I could definitely see the appeal of living just past the town’s borders. Cole could enjoy nature and shift for a run in the woods without the prying eyes of his human neighbors.

  We parked in front of a huge cabin that blended into the landscape, with warm cedar-toned wood. The foundation was built of stone, and the house was accented with a green the shade of pine needles. Huge windows offered a view straight through the house to the other side. The craftsmanship was impressive, and the size was a bit intimidating.

  Smoke billowed upward from the house’s chimney, filling the otherwise moist wintery air with a dry, wooden scent. My pumps sank into the snow, making me regret the choice not to wear boots until we entered the house. The snow moistened the bottoms of my pants as I stepped carefully toward the door. Lance caught my elbow and offered a steadying arm to hold on to for the walk up onto the porch. I handed Lance the bottle of wine and looked up to find Cole standing in the open doorway waiting for us.

  “Sorry about the snow,” Cole said. “I shoveled, but it’s hard to get that last layer above the dirt.”

  “We’re fine,” I said.

  “Happy Thanksgiving,” Lance said to his brother, with a smile.

  “Happy Thanksgiving,” Cole replied.

  The brothers shook hands when we reached the door, and Cole gave me a friendly hug. “I’m glad you came,” he said.

  “Thank you for inviting me.”

  “Did your mother show?” Lance asked Cole.

  “No, she insisted on staying home alone. I’m going to drop by later tonight to check on her,” Cole replied.

  “I’m sure she was stubborn about it,” Lance said.

  “Hailey tried to coax her into coming, though I told her it was a lost cause,” Cole said.

  “She’ll learn how Zaria is,” Lance said with a smile, “or Zaria will change.”

  “That would be the day,” Cole said. “Come in. Everyone’s at the table.”

  Cole hung our coats and led us around the corner to a spacious dining room. An enormous table sat in the center, topped with cream-colored candles and a forest green strip of fabric running down its length. Cloth placemats matched the color of the pillar candles at the center of the table, and held white place settings. Hand-carved chairs surrounded the table, filled with dinner guests. Hailey rushed over as we entered the room.

  “Lance, Trixie,” she said. “It’s so good to see you. I’m glad you could make it.”

  Lance handed her the bottle of wine and she hugged him. “Thanks for having us,” he said.

  “Nice looking wine,” she giggled, then hugged me. Hailey’s short dress was a cheerful orange that matched her personality. Her thick, brown hair was pulled partially up in the back, but left flowing over her shoulders and framing her ever smiling, heart-shaped face. “You look nice, Trixie.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “You do too.”

  “Let me introduce you to everyone,” she said, and linked her elbow in mine. I took in a deep breath and followed her lead, leaving Lance with Cole in the doorway to the kitchen.

  “This is Eric, my boss,” Hailey said, touching the shoulder of a red-haired man with thick, black glasses. He set down his glass of wine and offered me his hand. I smiled, and accepted.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said.

  “You too.”

  “I hear you helped keep Hailey safe in Ellistown,” he said. “We’re all thankful. Those people that took her were just awful. I can’t believe there are people around here that just kidnap women like that. I thought that was more of a big city problem. I’m still having nightmares about them in my apartment. I put in two more chains on the door.”

  Eric’s scent was human, and he didn’t seem to know much about what had happened. But the topic left me uneasy.

  “We were there for each other,” I replied, remembering Hailey on the floor with the bag on her head. The fierce look of determination on her face when the bag came off remained in my memory, the strength she showed when confronted with what we both had known would be our deaths. She was stronger than any other human I had met, and I had survived that hell because of her as much as she had survived because of me.

  A handsome man with a dark, chocolate complexion shifted in the chair behind Eric and offered me his hand. “I’m Victor,” he said.

  “Nice to meet you,” I replied.

  “You know they wrecked our apartment,” Eric said. “Everything was thrown about, and they left me taped to a chair. But I guess there are crazies everywhere. I’m hoping that makes our lifetime allotment of violence.”

  “That would be nice,” I said, then quickly changed the subject. “I visited your flower shop. It’s lovely.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “We can get in just about anything. I’ve got distributers around the world. When you’re ready to plant in the spring, stop in and I’ll give you a deal.” Eric winked and smiled. I bet Eric and Hailey got along well, with his sunny disposition and friendly chatter.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I will.”

  “Come, come,” Hailey said, then brought me around the table to a woman who looked like a taller, thinner, and equally beautiful version of herself and a tall and slender blond man that complimented the woman in looks.

  I glanced back at Cole and Lance, watching their body language as they quietly spoke. Both looked tense, a stark contrast from the easy smiles and relaxed movements of the rest of the room.

  “This is my sister, Liv,” Hailey said, and I turned back to the thin brunette. “Liv, Trixie.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  Liv wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace. I stiffened automatically from the unexpected contact.

  “Hailey told me all about you,” she whispered into my ear. “Thank you so much for saving my sister.” Then she let go and sat back down in her chair and took the hand of the handsome blond man beside her.

  I didn’t know what to say, and she had already sat back down. Distracted by Lance’s tension and uncomfortable with all of the gratitude, I stood next to Hailey, unsure what to do next.

  “Pierce,” the blond man said and offered his hand.

  “Trixie,” I replied, as we shook.

  “I hear you like to cook,” Hailey said.

  “Yes,” I answered. “I do.”

  Lance’s hard tone drew my attention back across the room. “Matteus and Kenton Patterson,” Lance snarled, just loud enough for me to hear. None of the humans seemed to notice.

  Hailey, Pierce, and Liv all looked at me. “Excuse me, please. I’m going to see if I can help in the kitchen.”

  I watched Lance’s hard face as I approached the brothers, who leaned close together but still stood rigid.

  Then he said something I didn’t expect. “Bears.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Lance

  “No,” Cole said. “I wish I had some answers.”

  My stomach dropped. If the Patterson brothers weren’t questioning Cole, they were more likely after Trixie than me. Either that or they didn’t care to find out the truth at all.

  “Let me know if they contact you,” I whispered. “I’m concerned that in covering for Aldrich Bastion, they’re looking this way for a scapegoat.”

  Cole’s eyes flicked up toward the dining room. I followed his gaze and found Trixie standing halfway across the room with all color drained from her face. What a stupid mistake. I had waited to talk to her about the Patterso
n’s visit, thinking it would be better to save until after the holiday. Then I talked to Cole about it in front of her. Of course she heard me, of course she was upset.

  I moved to her in a flash and took her hand. Trixie followed me to the kitchen without a word.

  “I should have told you,” I said. “I know I should have told you about the grizzlies. I was planning on waiting until after the dinner, knowing it would be stressful enough on its own.”

  She didn’t speak, only looked at me with her face a mask.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “You shouldn’t have found out this way.”

  Still she said nothing.

  “Two enforcers came to my house, grizzly brothers from the Tribunal. They implied that we knew each other before the attack in Ellistown. I wanted to know what else they were asking others. They said they were investigating Stratton’s death, and I’m concerned they’re looking for a scapegoat because at least some of the blame belongs within their ranks.”

  She stared at me, with hard, green eyes. “Yes,” she said, softening only slightly. “You should have told me.” Then she looked past me to Cole, who had inched into the dining room. “Cole,” she said. “Can I help with the meal?”

  “I’d like that,” he said, and offered me a pitying look as he walked past.

  Before I left, I kissed Trixie’s temple. “I love you, Trixie.”

  Each step away from her was painful as I walked back to the dining room. I didn’t want to leave things off between us, but she had dismissed me. And I had deserved it.

  The seat beside Liv’s date was unoccupied, so I sat beside him and introduced myself.

  “I’m Lance Tenbrook, Cole’s brother,” I said.

  “Pierce Sherman,” he replied.

  “How did you two meet?” I asked.

  “I was attacked by wolves, she was my nurse,” he said.

  Wolves attacking humans. The thought made me cringe. “She’s sweet,” I said. “She’s always been that way.”

  “I heard you all grew up together,” Pierce said. “Do you have any crazy stories to share?”

  I looked over at Liv, smiling and chatting with her sister and Eric, and totally ignoring our conversation. She was lovely as always, in a simple black dress. There were plenty of stories I could tell about her. There was a time when she had fallen in gym class on the hurdles, taking down the two girls next to her. She had worn braces for a year in middle school, and on one occasion had gotten taffy stuck between top and bottom.

  I looked back at Pierce and said, “I heard she’s crazy about you. Olivia’s always been kind and wonderful, the kind of girl that any man would be lucky to date.”

  I looked back toward the kitchen, wondering what Trixie was thinking. Were we okay? She was without question the only one for me, and I would spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of becoming her mate.

  “Nice answer,” Pierce laughed. “She is wonderful. And I do feel lucky. I keep wondering when I’m going to wake up and find something wrong with her, like she’s already married and the husband comes back or something. This just feels strangely too good to be true.”

  “I know what you mean,” I said, looking through the walkway to the kitchen.

  Cole came in carrying a huge serving dish with giant slices of turkey stacked partially on top of one another in orderly rows. Trixie followed with a dish full of what smelled like cornbread dressing. My eyes followed Trixie as she carried platters from the kitchen to the table. Every movement showed strength and grace. As her high heels clicked across the floor, her full hips swayed with each step. Her fiery red hair hung around her face and over her shoulders, resting just above her full breasts. Her gentle freckles softened the sharpness of her face, and her emerald eyes sparkled. She was, without question, the most beautiful woman in the room. I melted with just a hint of her sweet, citrusy scent.

  Trixie settled on the chair beside me, and I watched her as we passed dishes around the table. She seemed tense, but not unhappy. I wished we were alone so we could talk more, and I could find out how she was really feeling.

  “Thank you all for joining us for this Thanksgiving feast,” Hailey said. “It means a lot that you’re all here. I can’t remember a holiday that I was able to share with so many people that I love.”

  “I’m thankful for the food, and I haven’t even tasted it yet,” said Eric. “Everything smells divine.”

  Hailey and Cole held hands on the table, while Hailey and Liv giggled amongst themselves. Eric, Pierce, and Victor all dug into their food. The party was alive with chatter, and the sounds of the full room enjoying the feast. I took a forkful of turkey and turned to Trixie, who stared down at her plate without taking a bite. She looked over at Hailey and Liv, then back at the plate on the table before her.

  “Trixie,” I whispered, and reached for her hand.

  She accepted and turned to me. Her eyes were distant, somber.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, quiet enough that only she would hear me.

  She shook her head.

  “Would you like to go?”

  She nodded.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Trixie

  “I’m sorry,” Lance said. “We have to go, something’s come up.”

  My chest was tight, and my stomach churned.

  “Is everything okay?” Hailey asked, looking between us both, her face full of concern.

  “I’m not feeling well,” I said.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I hope you feel better.”

  “Thank you,” I replied. I needed air.

  We waved goodbye and thanked our hosts, then stepped out into the gloriously fresh, cold air outside.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “You gave me such a nice dinner yesterday, and I didn’t make it into my first bite for you.”

  Lance opened my door and helped me into the truck, then went around to his own side. “You have nothing to apologize for. I knew it was stressful for you to come. Then I didn’t tell you about the bears, and you had to find out about it there.”

  “That upset me, yes,” I said. “but it was the combination. I watched as Hailey and Liv giggled, and everyone shared the massive feast. I couldn’t help but think of me and Mara, how it had been progress when we had shared a can of peaches instead of having nothing at all. Everyone was kind, but between people bringing up what happened in Ellistown and the richness and extravagance of everything, it was just too much. I was overwhelmed. I need a moment, then we can still go back inside. I don’t want you to miss the holiday with your family because of me.”

  “I’d rather go and have you comfortable, than stay and have you upset. You are the one I want to spend my time with. I love you, Trixie.”

  “I love you too, Lance.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the grizzlies. I think Dashiell was the brother of a Tribunal member that attacked Cole’s mother.”

  “That’s horrible,” I said. “And to be fair, there’s something I should have told you too. If we’re moving forward, we should agree to full disclosure.”

  “Okay,” Lance said, and started the engine.

  Emotionally raw, I shared with Lance what little I had held back. “You should know, my brother has claimed alpha of Sawtooth Valley. He took all of the food you brought for us.”

  “Why would he do that?” he asked.

  “Selfishness or an excuse for control, I guess. He said he would distribute the food, but he didn’t. I don’t really know why he wants alpha.”

  “I don’t see what he would gain from stealing from his pack, certainly not loyalty,” he said. “We can bring more food, and keep it at your house for you to distribute.”

  “You’re so good to me,” I said, staring into his compassionate, blue eyes. Lance was always exactly what I needed, unconditionally kind and impossibly sexy. I traced the silver stubble over his square jaw, and stopped with the pad of my thumb on his soft lips. “I love everything about you. I love you.”

/>   “Trixie,” he growled, and crushed my lips with his.

  I kissed him back just as furiously, wishing we could be closer, physically and emotionally connected. I pulled back, and pushed him away with my hand. He looked frustrated, confused.

  “Take me to your bed,” I said, and he obeyed. Lance drove safely, but quickly through the forest, back through town and up to his driveway without a word. He raced to my side and lifted me out of the truck. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held his neck, pressing my body against his until we were as close as we could be with our clothes still on. In a flash, we were in his bed, Lance propped over me with my legs straddling his hips.

  “I’m ready,” I said, nervous but sure. There was no reason to keep fighting his magnetism, the pull that I had only ever felt with him. Lance was all I wanted.

  He pulled my blouse up out of my waistband and slid his hand up to one of my aching breasts.

  “Me too,” he said, rubbing his ready erection between my hips.

  “That’s not what I mean,” I gasped.

  He recoiled, concern clear on his face.

  I put my hand over his and returned it to my needy breast. “I mean, I want you to be my mate.”

  “Trixie,” he growled, and tore my shirt open with one quick movement. Trailing kisses down my scarred neck, he pulled down the thin fabric of my bra, revealing my nipples. The air around us was cool against my bare skin, leaving me tender and desperate for his heat.

  “Mmmm,” I moaned as his tongue flicked up and down over my exposed skin. “Say something,” I begged.

  “I want nothing more,” he said, then took my eager nipple into his warm mouth. I gasped as he sucked gently, sending currents of anticipation through me. Lost in sensation, my fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. Once I broke through the fabric barrier, his hard, bare chest was exposed to me. Taut skin covered his well-defined muscles, each tightening slightly with my touch. Contained by the fabric of his pants, his waiting cock teased me as he tilted his hips against me.