Taming Her Mate

by Kathy Lyon

  “You said you didn’t choose this.”

  She shook her head. “Dad invited me to dinner with Raoul and they both pitched the idea to me. Inject the serum, become a full shifter. I’ll admit I was interested.” She sighed. “Interested, not convinced. But they didn’t wait for my consent. I passed out from whatever was in my drink, and then woke up screaming.”

  She felt him stiffen beside her as a growl rolled through his body into hers. It was the animal in him, angry that she had been so abused. But instead of rousing the wolf in her, his fury filled her with warmth. She couldn’t remember a male who had ever gotten angry on her behalf. She knew it was because she projected such an air of competence. She could handle anything, right? But the fantasy of having a man by her side to cherish and protect her—and beat the crap out of anyone who hurt her—was so tempting that she sunk into it and him. She burrowed into his side as he gripped her shoulder and she allowed his strength to support her.

  Heaven.

  “How bad was it?” he asked.

  “Really bad. Every joint, every cell burned. Even the air felt like fire.”

  “Did you shift then? Into a hybrid?”

  “Yes.” She’d thought shifting would ease the pain, but it hadn’t. She’d writhed on the floor, pouring out stink and agony. Both her brother and father had started throwing up and all the while, she’d been screaming.

  “How long?” There was tension in his body from his questions. Raw fury that he held in check while he encouraged her to talk. And it helped. She was able to give him the information he wanted.

  “I don’t really know. It felt like eons, but I recovered faster than my brother did. He was still gagging on the stench when I managed to stand up.” She grinned, sitting up. “I beat the shit out of him.”

  “Wish you’d killed him.”

  Sometimes she wished it, too. If she had, then none of this nightmare would have happened. Raoul would never have gotten her father and most of the pack addicted to the serum, he wouldn’t have dumped it into the water supply and brought the city to its knees, and he sure as hell wouldn’t have rounded up Hazel and started a war with the bears. But hindsight was 20/20 and even in the depth of agony, she hadn’t been able to kill her brother. She wasn’t entirely convinced she could do it now.

  Then Ryan adjusted so they sat face-to-face. His expression was shadowed but he caressed her cheek with heat and emotion. She read anger and respect. She didn’t want to think the word “love” but she felt that, too, though she had no idea if it was real or not.

  “Let me kill him for you,” he said. “I know he’s your brother and a pack mate. You can’t pull the trigger, but I can.”

  Overcome, she just stared at him, her mind reeling.

  “I can do that for you,” he said.

  “Become a murderer?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve killed before.”

  “In cold blood?”

  He nodded, but she didn’t believe it. He was all about law and order. She knew that because she’d followed his work in the gang task force. He developed relationships with kids no one else wanted to even talk to. He cooled tempers, talked about respect for oneself and others. He was not one to go out and assassinate anyone even with good reason. It’s part of what made her lo—

  She stopped her thoughts from that thought. It’s part of what made her like him so much.

  “When?” she pressed. “When have you killed in cold blood?”

  He arched a brow. “You want me to confess my sins to you?”

  “Yeah. You got a problem with that?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I do. You’re not my priest.”

  “You Catholic?”

  He waved that question away. “You know what I mean.”

  “I do, and I don’t believe you. I don’t believe that you would just go out and assassinate someone. Certainly not on my say-so, but probably not even if you’d been ordered to by your captain.” She blew out a heavy breath. “You just want me to hand over the problem to you. But I can’t do that. I need to take care of the pack myself.”

  He narrowed his eyes as he studied her face. “You’re too damn smart for your own good.” He took a breath. “I’ve killed before. And people have died because of my actions. My first gang negotiation was a clusterfuck and children died.” She could hear the pain in his voice and knew that his mistakes haunted him. “I’ve broken into crack houses and burglary rings, knowing I would kill.” He trapped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, gently holding her steady as he tried to impress his next words on her. “If your brother is responsible for the Detroit Flu, I will bring him in. And if he doesn’t go willingly, I will force him. And if I have to, I’ll kill him.”

  She heard the honesty in his words, but also the restraint. He’d said If your brother is responsible. He wasn’t just going to take her word for it. And then he continued.

  “I’ve killed, Frankie. You haven’t. Let me take this burden from you. I’ll carry it responsibly.”

  Oh hell. So much for holding back from the word “love.” Her heart squeezed tight in her chest and then fell straight into hearts and rainbows, white picket fences and babies. So many babies, all with his fierce integrity and bear-sized heart.

  But even while she was reeling from her plummet into Valentine’s Day, she knew this wasn’t real. Good sex and a promise to take away her problems wasn’t love. It might feel like it, but it wasn’t. Especially since her problems were hers alone.

  “You can’t win a dominance fight for me. You can’t take control of a werewolf pack.”

  “I know. But I can take out your biggest threat.” He flashed her a playful smile. “If I arrest Emory and Raoul—”

  “I’ll handle Emory,” she interrupted. “You take Raoul and let the law do what it does. Grind him up, spit him out, I don’t care. But I handle the pack.”

  “You don’t get to pick who I target. Whoever is guilty gets arrested.”

  “Raoul is guilty. My pack members are victims. When I’m in charge, I’ll see the right people punished.”

  He shook his head. “You want to run the world by pack law. Drop us backward into strongmen and warlords. We have a legal system for a reason. Your pack was supposed to police its own long before the city got poisoned. It didn’t. So now it’s time for—”

  “You? For Detective Ryan Kennedy to right the wrongs of the world?”

  He straightened up. “If I can.”

  “I can. Let me fix my pack.”

  “It’s too late. The problem is too big and has gone too far.” He gripped her fingers. “The Detroit police force is sixteen hundred officers strong. Let us do our job.”

  Her jaw tightened in frustration. Why couldn’t he just help her? “This is a shifter problem.”

  “I’m a shifter and a cop. And I’m trained—”

  “You’re a bear, Ryan. This is a wolf problem.”

  His fists planted in the mattress on either side of her thighs. He leaned in, his expression tight and his eyes bright with anger. “Pack problem, wolf problem, family problem. What’s next? What else are you going to dredge up so that you have to face this whole thing alone? So that it’s your responsibility and not your father’s or Mrs. Merriman’s problem? They’re the alpha male and female. Just why is it that you have to walk alone, fight alone, do everything alone?” He spread his arms. “I’m right here, Frankie. I’m strong and I’m trained. Plus, I’m a cop. Why the hell won’t you let me help you?”

  She didn’t answer. She sat there, facing him square on, and listened to his words. He had logic on his side, but she couldn’t do it. He wanted her to let him control what happened to her family, to her pack, to everything she held dear. Just hand him all the evidence and let him and the justice system decide everyone’s fate.

  She couldn’t do that. She was the daughter of the alpha wolf, and she would control what happened to whom in her pack. His job was to help her eliminate Raoul. She would deal with the rest. If that meant se
lecting what evidence he received, she would do it in a heartbeat.

  So she gave the only answer she could. “I’m going to take over the pack and get you the evidence you need. I just need you to get Raoul out of the way while I make my move. You’ll get everything you need, but I have to lead the pack first.”

  “And if one of his men kills you?”

  Her jaw tightened. That was a very real possibility. “Then I guess I’ll have to hope that you and your sixteen hundred officers can do what I couldn’t.”

  Chapter 14

  Ryan stared at the most beautiful, fierce, loyal, and stubborn woman he’d ever known. He saw it all the time when working with the gangs. Loyalty trumped common sense. Obligation to brothers-in-arms forced people to make stupid choices, take insane risks, and forgive the most heinous crimes. And werewolves had that particular psychosis in spades. They were all about the pack, which was indeed their greatest strength. But when the leadership went bad, it was their greatest weakness.

  Frankie was trying to fix things from inside, and two months ago he would have supported her wholeheartedly. But the problem was too big and too dangerous now. It was time for law enforcement to step in. And that meant him since he was the only shifter on the police force.

  But before he could say anything, before he could make the woman see reason, her phone rang, distracting them both.

  She leapt on it, thumbing it on and answering with a desperate, “Noelle?” Her gaze connected with his, and she nodded. “That’s great!” Her voice was happy, but her expression fell, and she tried to speak but kept getting interrupted. “I understand, but—” Her shoulders sunk. “They’re fine. Why don’t—” Her gaze cut to the ceiling. “I know, Noelle. Thank you. You know, we can—” She looked at her phone, then dropped it back onto the bedside table. “She hung up.”

  He arched a brow in query and she gave him the bullet points.

  “Brady will show us where the serum is held, but not until he gets some sleep. He’s wiped out, plus Noelle and her sister are drunk.” She held up her hands in defeat. “I tried to find a way around, but she was barely coherent. We’ll just have to wait. He’ll come over here when he’s ready.”

  “Do we know when that will be?”

  She shook her head. “We just have to wait.”

  Not his favorite words, but he understood patience. Sometimes it was all he had. So he nodded, but before he could say anything, Harley toddled into the room rubbing his eyes.

  “Where’s Mommy?” he asked, his voice high and tight.

  Noelle scrambled sideways and quickly dragged on an oversized shirt. Ryan moved equally quickly as he hauled on his sweatpants. Meanwhile, Jaxon joined his brother in the doorway. “Mommy?”

  Ryan finished with his pants and scooped up both boys, one in each arm. “Mommy’s not here right now, but I am. What say we—”

  The two started crying as if they’d timed it together. Wails in stereo, straight into both ears. Ryan winced as he tried to comfort them, but it didn’t work. It was the middle of the night and the kids wanted their mother.

  “Come on, Jaxon,” Noelle tried as she pulled the child out of Ryan’s arm. “Don’t cry. I’m here.”

  That left Ryan able to support Harley with both arms as the kid squirmed and worked himself up into a major fit. “Hey, buddy, why the fuss?” he tried as he started heading to the boys’ room. The kid wailed even louder.

  Meanwhile, Frankie took the opposite approach. She sat down on Noelle’s bed and murmured something to Jaxon. He quieted quickly as he nuzzled into her neck. Ryan frowned at her, wondering how she’d done that when Harley was screaming like he was being tortured. Fortunately, she had the answer. In the pause where Harley had to take a breath, she spoke up loud enough for the both to hear.

  “Harley, do you want to lie down here with me and your brother? We can rest right in Mommy’s bed until she comes home.”

  The kid pulled it together in a split second. He nodded tearfully and reached out to her. Well hell. Ryan carried the boy to the bed where Frankie had stretched out with Jaxon snuggling her on her left. Harley went to her right, curling into her side as if she were his whole world. Which left Ryan standing there in shock as the boys settled down.

  Meanwhile, she flashed him a rueful smile. “Noelle says they do this to her every night. They wake up and won’t be quiet until they can sleep with her like this.”

  He nodded, seeing everything he craved spread out before him: a woman and children, all snuggled together on a bed. As he watched, he saw the stress of their argument melt from Frankie’s body. She dropped kisses on both boys’ head then extended her legs and exhaled with a sigh. He tucked them in, gently pulling the blanket over all three bodies.

  “Do you need anything?” he whispered.

  She shook her head, her eyelids already drooping. Then just as he was about to leave, she called out to him. “It’s a big bed. There’s room if you want to join us.”

  “Do you want me to?”

  Her eyes opened, and she gave him a tired smile. “It’s up to you, bear. Do you join the puppy pile here? Or sleep alone in the next room? It’s all a matter of choice.”

  Prudence told him to keep his distance. Setting aside their earlier argument, he was still a bear, and she was a wolf. No sane person entered a cross-breed relationship without careful thought. And yet, no part of him wanted to go slow. He wanted her and them.

  So he climbed into bed. He had to lift Jaxon and resettle the boy. He worried he was upsetting things needlessly, but a moment later, the child flopped over and dropped his head onto Ryan’s arm. It was sweet and allowed him to stretch out his hand to stroke Frankie’s shoulder.

  “This okay?” he asked.

  “Mmmm,” she answered. Her eyes were closed, Harley had started sucking his thumb, and everything was quiet outside.

  He didn’t think he’d fall asleep. And frankly, he worried that if he did, he’d have a nightmare and wake everyone up. But he didn’t want to leave, and so he resolved to stay awake and just bask in the feel of warm, innocent bodies sleeping next to him.

  He basked. And soon, he slept.

  * * *

  Ryan woke with a jolt at the sound of keys turning in the front door lock. He was out of bed and heading to face the intruder before he fully cracked his eyes. Unfortunately, his movement woke the boys who leapt up and started calling out.

  “Mommy?”

  “Is it Mommy?”

  He held out his hands to block them from coming out of the bedroom, but by that point the door pushed open. It was Noelle looking happy, but with dark sunglasses covering her eyes.

  “Mommy!” both boys cried in unison. He could see her wince, even behind the dark glasses, but her smile was genuine as she squatted down.

  “Shhh, boys,” she said as they rushed into her arms. “Geez, you’d think I’d been gone for a month.”

  “Nah. More like a week,” Frankie said as she stepped out from behind Ryan. She was fully dressed, though her hair was an adorable mess. She waved as another man stepped into the doorway behind Noelle. He was large, the muscles in his forearms bulged, and Ryan recognized him immediately.

  It was the man who had shot him in the sewers.

  “Hey, Brady,” Frankie said.

  “Hey,” the man’s rumbling voice answered. And though he seemed casual enough, his gaze was trained on Ryan and his stance was that of a man who was ready for a fight.

  “Did you two have any breakfast?” Frankie asked. If she were aware of the tension mounting between the two men, she gave no indication of it.

  Neither did Noelle as she groaned, “Not after what I drank last night.”

  Frankie chuckled, a warm, happy sound. “I’ll bet.” Then she crossed into the kitchen. “Ryan, be a doll and start making the coffee. I need some caffeine.”

  Ryan turned toward her without taking his eyes off Brady. Meanwhile, Frankie kept talking.

  “And while he’s doing that, Brady, would y
ou please tell Ryan that you’re sorry you shot him? That you were under orders then, but it isn’t going to happen again.”

  Brady shifted uncomfortably where he stood. “Still under orders,” he muttered.

  Frankie stepped out from behind the counter.

  “Really?” she challenged, as she got straight in Brady’s face. “Since when do you take Raoul’s orders?”

  His gaze dropped hard and heavy onto Frankie, and Ryan had to stop himself from moving to protect her. This was a dominance fight right in front of children. If Frankie couldn’t win this, then she wasn’t going to win over any of the wolves. Fortunately, Noelle wasn’t stupid and immediately ushered her kids to their bedroom.

  “Time to get dressed,” she said firmly, as she shot Frankie and Brady a worried look.

  Meanwhile, Brady was squaring off with Frankie. “It wasn’t Raoul’s order,” he said.

  Frankie cocked her head. “You sure about that?”

  Brady frowned, and his expression tightened. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I’m sure.” He ducked his head as he looked her in the eye. “You’re asking a lot here,” he said.

  “Really?” she challenged again. “I’m asking you to think for yourself. Hopping up the pack on serum is insane. It isn’t ‘vitamin water’ and you know it. You also know going to war against the bears is stupid. Hell, everything about that serum in wrong. So, you tell me, is it asking a lot for you to stand up for what’s right? To stop poisoning a city in trouble? To not risk your life on—”

  “Okay, okay,” Brady said, holding up his hand. “I already said I’d show you where the shit is.” He glanced uneasily over her shoulder at where Ryan stood ready to fight if Frankie needed him. “Just don’t ask me to be friends with him.”

  Not a problem. At least it wasn’t for Ryan, but apparently it was for Frankie who exploded into motion. While Brady had been looking at Ryan, she slammed a hand hard into the middle of his chest. His breath exploded out of him as he fell backward against the wall. His eyes widened, and his mouth curved into a snarl.