Claimed Mate

by Jessica Aspen

  Serena left the infirmary. Dawn was lightening the sky, and she was exhausted. She really needed to go and get some sleep and let her wolf run on the dreamscape, burn off some of this restless energy she had chasing down her bones, but it was almost morning. She wasn’t even sure she could get to sleep now. And she had to be at work in just a few hours and face Nancy.

  God, what a first week. She’d had such high hopes coming out here. Now, her life was in turmoil.

  Sam or Gabe? No, that wasn’t even the question anymore. Not for her. The question was: stay here or go back home to Maine? Tuck her proverbial tail between her legs and try to forget about Gabe, or try to stay here and make something out of this colossal failure? Could she stay if she didn’t mate with him? Did she even have anything here? Did she even have a job?

  When she’d been a girl she and Lacey had giggled under the covers as they’d exchanged stories they’d heard about mates and romance...and fate. What innocents they’d been, thinking that the stories of couples fated to be mates were romantic. Instead, she was finding out first hand—fate was a bitch.

  Bright light broke across the mountains, lighting up the wide stretch of valley that made up the Fated Mountain Ranch.

  New day, new opportunity.

  She was going to go to work and put all this aside for now. Face Nancy. That was all she had to do for the next eight or so hours. Then she’d figure out what to do about Gabe—and the rest of her life.

  Chapter Twenty

  The ranch was in an uproar. Wolves were sniffing all over the crash site, but Vince had taken care of that. When he’d stolen the vehicle, it had been one he’d had to use the other day for ranch business. All the supplies had been purchased online with his fake identity and shipped to his P.O. box three towns over in a non-pack area.

  But the best idea he’d had was the cleaning fluid with which he’d sprayed the log, the trees, and the grass before stashing everything in the Toyota and driving off the ranch. His only regret was that he hadn’t been there to see Wulfric hit the log.

  And that the shifter hadn’t died.

  At least he’d gotten two shifters for one. A smile stretched across his face as he worked on filing the mid-month reports. Not only had he taken out Gabe with the log, but Sam Wulfric had broken under the strain of the mating fever and had gone AWOL last night. He hadn’t been seen since.

  Serena was locked in her office. There were black shadows under her eyes, and her usual sunny smile was just a fleeting ghost. Nancy was running her ragged looking for errors in old paperwork from ten years ago. He’d promised to take her off of the ranch for lunch and the gratitude in her eyes had been huge.

  Yes, today was a good day. His smile got wider. And lunch with just Serena and himself was going to be wonderful.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Serena hadn’t been able to get back to sleep that morning. She’d tossed and turned and finally given up when the alarm went off an hour later. Four cups of coffee and one very hot shower later, she’d shown up to work, jittery and stressed and so not ready for dealing with her boss.

  She’d spent the first few hours with Nancy going over the rest of her terrible test results. As she headed for a quick break before whatever torture the woman had next in store for her, she passed by Vince’s desk.

  “Hey, hang in there,” he called out. “Don’t forget I’m taking you to lunch.”

  “I’m counting on it.” She gave him what she could muster for a smile. He was a nice guy, and she was grateful to have made a friend, even if he seemed to want to monopolize every spare minute she had here. She’d barely been able to get to know the other reamwalkers working in the office. And now, maybe she never would.

  Nancy came out of the records room with a stack of files, heading for Serena’s office. “Ready, Lowell?”

  “Ready.” She followed Nancy in and watched as she set the heavy pile down onto Serena’s desk. There was a puff of dust and the odor of old paper filled the room. “What are those?”

  “Files that need going through.” She started to leave.

  Anger rushed through Serena. “What am I supposed to be looking for?”

  “Discrepancies. I’ll let you know if you find anything worthwhile.”

  Whatever the hell that meant. It was just another case of Nancy not giving her enough instruction and then whatever Serena did, it would be considered a screw-up.

  “No.”

  “What did you say?”

  “You heard me. No. I wasn’t hired to go through your back paperwork on a snipe hunt. I was hired to work with clients. I’m good at my job, Nancy, and if this is what it’s going to be like here, I’m better off working elsewhere.”

  Nancy scrunched up her eyes and rubbed her fists in the corners. “Boo-hoo. Your boyfriends are both pissed at you, and now you want an excuse to run home to mama.”

  The stress and anger that had built up for days in Serena burst through. She was at Nancy’s side in seconds, before the other woman could blink. A growl rose out of her throat.

  She pressed close into Nancy’s face, the smell of the other woman’s perfume making her wrinkle her nose in disgust. “You’ve made this job a misery, Nancy, and kept me from taking care of the members of this pack like I was hired to do. I’ll make sure before I leave that the council knows how you’ve treated me.”

  Nancy’s upper lip curled. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Oh, yeah? Watch me.” Serena walked out of her office, heading for the main door. She passed Vince sitting at his desk, his mouth dropped wide open in shock.

  “Serena, wait.”

  She paused, and turned back, crossing her arms and glaring at Nancy hurrying after her.

  “I’m—” Nancy’s face was pinched, and she seemed to be struggling with getting her next words out. She glanced side to side at the other doors where their fellow reamwalkers were coming out of their own offices.

  Serena took another step toward the door.

  “I’m sorry,” Nancy said, her voice low. “Why don’t you head off early to lunch? In fact, take a two-hour lunch. And then, when you’re back, we’ll go over some case files for you to take over.”

  Serena cocked her head at Nancy. “Vince was going to take me to lunch. Can he come too?”

  Nancy’s cheeks reddened. Serena put her hands on her hips and waited. She had nothing to lose now and everything to gain.

  Finally, Nancy huffed out a breath. “Fine. Whatever.” She headed into her own office, turning around at the last minute. “But only two hours, not a minute more.” And she went in and closed the door.

  There were cheers from the rest of the staff. A few people high-fived her and gave her hugs. She hugged back, relieved, knowing the smiles on their faces were a reflection of her own victorious grin.

  “Way to go! I’ll be a minute. I have to shut a few things down.” Vince’s fingers flew over the keyboard a wide congratulatory grin on his face.

  “I’ll meet you outside.” She grabbed her purse and burst out of the building into the heat of the summer sunshine. The sky was a bright blue, only a few pure-white clouds scudded across its surface. From down in the valley she heard sheep bleating and the sound of men laughing.

  She took in a huge breath of the fresh mountain air. It felt so good to put things straight with Nancy. She might not be a wolf on the outside, but inside, you’d better watch out. Her wolf was just as powerful on the inside as any physical shifter’s.

  The next time she saw Gabe, she would make sure he understood—this was her home, and she was staying. And he’d better understand what she was, inside and out, because she wanted to stay. And she wanted to stay with him.

  GABE STOOD IN FRONT of the chief’s office, kicking his heels and staring at the closed door. It had been three days, and he was going crazy. He needed to get back on duty so he didn’t have to sit at home staring at the accounts and thinking about how he’d screwed up everything with Sam—and with Serena.

  But even he
re, he couldn’t sit still. His wolf paced inside, driving him to move. He stood up and went back around the corner to the receptionist’s desk. “How long is she going to be?”

  Cheryl rolled her eyes and popped her bubble gum at him. “I told you, she’s busy.”

  “But I’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes.” He rubbed his arms. “Who the hell is in there with her?” But Cheryl just shook her head and went back to sorting files.

  He headed to his spot and slumped back into the hard, plastic chair. Maybe he should shift and go for another run. But he’d tried that earlier in the day and not only was he too sore to run very far, but just being in wolf form exacerbated the Fever.

  Everything smelled sharper, colors stood out, and all he wanted to do was run up the cabin road and sniff out Serena, which, given how mad she’d been at him, was a very bad idea.

  The door opened and Anna Truewater, seventy years old and head of the Fated Mountain Pack Council, emerged, and right behind her Chief Wendy Howler. Their heads were bent toward each other, in intent deliberation, the contrast of the dark blond and the gray standing out to his extra-sensitive eyes. “It’s a big concern, Chief, but we need to keep it quiet. There haven’t been any issues...yet.”

  Gabe jumped to his feet, trying to hide the wince of pain from his body protesting the move.

  “No worries. The council can count on its enforcers. I’ll make sure the team knows what to look for.” Wendy’s face was grim.

  Gabe’s extra-sensitive instincts went on alert. Wendy Howler was young to be chief, only forty, but she’d always carried her authority well. He respected her, the whole force did. Something was very wrong if Wendy had that face on. He’d only seen it on occasions when they’d had a death in the pack.

  They both caught sight of him at the same time and their faces went professionally blank. “Thank you, Councilwoman, for bringing this to my attention.” Wendy shook hands with Anna, and the two women exchanged shuttered looks.

  “Thank you, Chief. I’ll be in touch.” Anna turned her laser sharp attention to Gabe. “Are you feeling better, Gabe?” She’d visited him right after his accident, making sure every member of her pack was taken care of, and even though he’d appreciated it, he’d been relieved when she’d left. The council was the judge, jury, and lawmakers of the pack, and Anna Truewater ruled the council.

  “Yes, ma’am. Much better and ready for duty.”

  She sniffed the air around him and frowned, giving Wendy a significant look. “I have full confidence in your chief’s ability to decide if you’re ready for duty.”

  Gabe’s hackles went up, and he stiffened. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  She nodded and went down the hallway in the direction of the front door.

  Chief Howler frowned at him. “Come on in.” She went back into her office, and he followed her. “So, Wulfric, I thought we’d decided you should take at least a week off. By my reckoning, it’s only been a few days. And don’t you have to take care of your restaurant now that Sam’s AWOL?”

  “The staff has pulled together and is covering his extra shifts. I can’t sit at home; it’s driving me crazy. I need something to do. And with Sam gone, I know you need extra help.”

  She sat behind her desk and stared up at him, her eyes boring into his as if she could see his secrets. “There’s no way you’re ready to go back on patrol.”

  His wolf rushed to the surface. “I have to get out!” He growled and started forward. At the last minute pulling himself back from leaping over the cluttered desk top and making her submit to his needs.

  “Wulfric!” she barked. “What the hell is going on with you?”

  He clenched his fists and forced himself to take two steps back. “Sorry, Chief, I’m a little on edge,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “A little?” She sniffed the air. “Fuck, you are in the Fever. What the hell are you doing trying to go back on duty? Who’s the lucky wolf? You should be with her taking care of this, not here.”

  Yes, he should be with her. He should be touching Serena, feeling her under his body, the nape of her neck under his teeth. He wanted to rip all of her clothes off, stroke every inch of her. Kiss her mouth so deeply she’d never think of anyone else but him ever again.

  “Wulfric!”

  He jerked himself back into the present moment. “Sorry, ma’am.” He gave himself a good shake, but there wasn’t anything he could do about the state of his arousal except hope she couldn’t see it from her side of the desk. He took a deep breath and tried to think of his accounts, anything to get his body back under control.

  Chief Wendy sighed. “I can’t put you back on the rota. You aren’t too far gone, though. Go find your girl and lock yourself away with her and get this taken care of.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but she shook her head. “You’re off duty until further notice.” She hit a button on the phone on her desk.

  Cheryl’s voice came over the speaker. “Yes, Chief?”

  “Take Gabe Wulfric off the rotation until I say he can go back on.”

  “But, Chief, with both Sam and Gabe out we’ll be shorthanded, and with that attack—”

  “Stop right there, Cheryl.” Wendy cut off whatever Cheryl had been about to say and gave Gabe a hard look. “Take him off. I’ll authorize some paid time for a few of the other volunteers. That should beef up the roster.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Wendy’s face sagged, suddenly leaving her looking tired and much older than her forty-five years. “Go find your girl.”

  He nodded and backed out of the office, unable to trust himself to speak. Go find Serena, who sounded like she’d never wanted to speak to him again and who was likely off with his brother Sam.

  Gabe’s heart pounded in his head. His wolf throbbed with the beat. They wanted, needed, to find Serena, but that wasn’t an option. And now he couldn’t work here. He couldn’t stay at the deli, wondering and worrying about Sam. Was his twin okay? Was he out in the wild, frustrated and angry and feeling like this? Like he was crawling out of his own skin?

  He couldn’t do what he wanted to do, but his wolf was right there with a good substitute. We need to get out—take someone down—hunt someone down. He stalked down the hall, and out the front door, ignoring Cheryl’s wave goodbye.

  The day was hot, and his clothes were stifling. He went to the covered side porch where there were benches and lockers and stripped out of his clothes and shifted. It was time to go wild. Time to hunt.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Lunch on Tuesday had been a disaster. Vince had barely been able to enjoy the expensive pasta he’d taken Serena out for to celebrate her taking down the boss. From the moment he and Serena had headed out, to the moment they’d gotten back, it had all been about the Wulfric brothers and not him.

  Sam was doing this, Gabe was doing that. And when she talked about Gabe, the stars in her eyes had Vince seeing red. Couldn’t she see that he and not Gabe was the reason why everything was going right in her life?

  She even thought her success with Nancy was all on her own, and not the result of his spending hours the day before seeding Nancy with fears that Serena might go to the council and destroy Nancy’s career.

  He’d sent Serena the roses, spending money he should have been saving to fix up his hideaway, and she’d thought they were from Sam. What a waste. He’d tried and tried, but the shifters took credit for everything he did. He’d even tried to approach her on the dreamscape, but she’d been locked up tight in her own little world and he’d scratched and howled at her walls in vain.

  Now, as he stared into her windows in the dark, he knew it was time to get this taken care of. Time to make sure she knew who really loved her.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Serena got back from the grocery store and parked the loaner car Nancy had finally authorized in front of the cabin. The night was chilly. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she carried her groceries and her purse to the front door. Everyth
ing was dark, and she fumbled for the key.

  “Way to go, Lowell. I swear we left the light on.” She was sure she remembered thinking ahead to how dark it would be up here on this side of the mountain. With no city lights, and no neighbors in the other cabins, it was seriously black as sin at night. She put everything down to search for the still unfamiliar lock and slid the key into the door.

  She turned it, but something didn’t feel right. Was the door even locked? Was she that distracted thinking about Gabe and how to fix what was wrong?

  It had been all she could think about at lunch with Vince the other day, and she’d had to go back and forth from aisle to aisle in the grocery store tonight, wasting time, because she kept forgetting items on her list. Even now, she was sure she’d forgotten something.

  She opened the door, groped for the switch, and froze when the light turned on and she saw what waited for her.

  On the kitchen table by the front door were fresh, bloodred roses in a new vase. And on the table below was a clean, white florist’s card with one word written on it in capital letters: LOVE.

  She backed out of the house and ran to the car, scratching at the door with the key trying to shove it into the keyhole until she remembered that this car had an electronic lock. She hit the button, relieved when she finally heard the loud click. She opened the door and shoved her purse and the groceries into the passenger seat, ignoring the food tumbling out of the plastic bag. Locking the door after her, she turned the car on and drove back down the hill, heading for the main ranch road and enforcer headquarters.

  Checking in the rearview mirror, she thought she saw a shadow in the light of the cabin’s open door. Shit! She’d forgotten to close the door. Had he been in there the whole time? Waiting for her?

  She went suddenly cold, with a deep chill that had her hands shaking.

  She tightened her grip on the wheel and focused on the curvy, unfamiliar road. The little compact tore down the hill, dust from the dirt road billowing out and obscuring what was behind her. But it didn’t matter; the cabin was well out of sight by the time she made it to the ranch.