His Stubborn Mate (The Ward Wolf Pack Novella Series, Book 2)

by Theresa Hissong

  “There’s so much we need to discuss about us,” he said, leaning over to kiss her some more. “After dinner, and after I have my dessert, I want to draw you a bath. We need to be alone when we discuss our future.”

  “I’d like that,” she agreed. “Mason Ward, you really know how to make a girl fall hard.”

  “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll catch you every time.” He winked and leaned over for the hat. She took it from him and readjusted it on top of her head. Once she was inside the plane, he made his way over to his own and started the engine right as she was pulling away. She gave him a little wave before turning onto the runway.

  “Maybe I do know what love feels like.”

  Chapter 9

  Charlie cried out when he made another pass across her clit. His hands held her legs open, and she was exploding on his tongue…again. Mason was insatiable, and she loved it.

  “I can’t come again,” she panted. “Oh, Mason.”

  “I’m still hungry,” he growled, causing a shiver to roll up her spine when he looked up at her.

  “We have to get ready for work,” she reminded him.

  “Climb over me, baby,” he urged as he directed her to take his cock into her body. She’d never get tired of his attention, and even though they had half an hour before they were scheduled to depart, Charlie knew he was going to use up every second of it pleasuring her.

  By the time they emerged from his cabin, she was dizzy from their early morning romp between the sheets.

  “Well, Fury told me about the no touching policy,” she groused. They’d talked about a few things the night before. Even after his promise of spilling the beans, they ended up making love until midnight. Only to wake up at five to continue until seven when it was time for work.

  “That’s an important one,” he cursed.

  “Don’t worry,” she said, leaning into his shoulder. “I have gloves and a long-sleeved shirt to keep me safe.”

  “If someone touches you and I’m not there, you need to call me immediately,” he ordered, taking her hand. “I don’t want you to be in pain.”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  They entered the building as Aspen was placing two folders on top of the counter. “Fury has you loaded. Weather is going to turn nasty later, Charlie. Watch the landing area at Booker’s place. It gets a little mushy.”

  “Booker?” Mason asked. “What happened to calling him Mr. Dupree?”

  “Booker…Mr. Dupree…whatever, Mason,” she blurted. “We have a full day, and Nash and Isabell had to run to her place in town. It’s just me today. Harper is harvesting.”

  “Okay, okay.” Charlie laughed when Mason held his hands up in surrender. “We will leave you to it.”

  As they walked, Mason kept his hand on her, walking them both to her plane. It was sweet, and she really liked that about him. He was more human than he let on. Even with the animal tendencies, the Ward pack was about as normal as any other human family.

  “Get home to me safely,” he said as he cupped her face. “And watch the weather.”

  “I’ll be home for dinner,” she promised.

  There was no time for stolen kisses. Charlie had to fly and make her deliveries. Summer was coming to a close quickly, and the residents they serviced were in need of supplies.

  After doing her checks, she set out for a new client in Cantwell. Mason waved her off and hurried to his plane as she taxied out. Once she was in the air, it was time to focus on the tasks for the day. She’d save her energy for the night when she could get lost in Mason’s arms.

  The flight was smooth, and even though the sky was clear, she could see the coming storm on the horizon. The two pallets of supplies for the clients were quite heavy, but the notes Aspen had given her said the family had enough people to get her back in the air in no time. This would be a water landing, and apparently, they had a new dock for her to use. It didn’t matter how they got it unloaded, she just wanted to get ahead of the weather.

  As she crested the mountain, she saw the new compound being built. Three cabins were up with two more in construction. Hmm, must be new to the off-grid life.

  The lake was plenty large for her landing, and she slowly made her way to the dock. Four large men walked away from one of the buildings to meet her on the dock. They were huge. As big as Mason and his brother.

  She grabbed the gloves and shirt Fury had provided for her and slipped them on while the men tied off the plane. When she opened the door, she paused for a moment. Some of their eyes held a few golden specks, but the one who approached the plane had deep brown eyes. The ones with the golden specs were a little different from Mason’s, but still the same.

  In that moment, she knew they were shifters, and she tried to keep her reaction from being noticed. One of them stepped forward, not offering his hand for a shake. That was another sign to her to let her know these men were not human. Shifters didn’t touch women.

  “Mr. Duncan?” she asked one of the men.

  “Yes,” they all replied.

  Charlie laughed and unlocked the back door to the plane. “Guess you’re all related, huh?”

  “We’re thankful you could get to us first thing this morning,” the one who she believed was the leader said.

  “No problem,” she replied and stepped back. “I’ll leave you to it.”

  Charlie climbed back into her seat as they worked, trying to look busy while filling out her flight log. Aspen liked it to be orderly, and she was thankful for the distraction.

  The Ward pack wouldn’t have sent her there if they knew this territory was occupied by shifters. From the new construction, it was obvious they’d moved from another location, and she wondered if this was the bear clan that was located closer to Fairbanks.

  It was too risky to call over the radio to talk to Mason or Aspen, because the residents also had the same type of radio and could hear everything. But she could talk in code.

  “We’re all done, ma’am,” the older one called out.

  Charlie jumped out of her seat to lock up the doors. The last of the supplies were being carried up to the cabins by the other men, but the one staying behind didn’t budge from his spot. When she turned from untying the plane, the man inhaled deep. His eyes flashed a bright golden glow before they returned to their original state as they leveled on her neck where Mason had marked her, leaving a small scar. It was the telltale sign to other shifters that a female was mated.

  “You be safe out there,” he grunted and turned on his heel.

  She’d never been afraid of a shifter, but those men had her getting out of there quicker than usual. It wasn’t a fear for herself. It was more worry for the pack. Knowing these shifters were a hundred miles away could get them hurt.

  “Ward Air, this is N99 Charlie Alpha Romeo. Do you copy?” Her voice was shaky, and it wasn’t Aspen who answered. Mason was close enough to hear her call.

  “N99 Charlie Alpha Romeo. What’s wrong?” Mason growled over the connection.

  “X25 Mike Alpha Sierra,” she breathed. “Just left first stop. Saw possible bears on the runway.” God, she hoped to hell he understood her code.

  “Any trouble with the wildlife on landing?” he asked, catching her meaning.

  “Not at all, but one noticed me before leaving,” she answered, banking to the south. “I’ll be on the ground in thirty. Where are you?”

  “Landing in ten,” he replied, but she heard the anger in his voice. “Meet me at the office.”

  “Will do,” she replied. “See you on the ground.”

  The pack was going to panic, and she felt like it was going to be warranted. There was a real threat right in their backyard, and there would need to be precautions. If the bears had come for them once, they’d come for them again.

  “Tell me exactly what happened,” Nash growled the moment Mason ushered his mate into the alpha’s office. Isabell was standing at his side, but broke away to embrace Charlie.

  “When I came over the mo
untain, I noticed a new compound being built,” she began after Isabell returned to her mate’s side. “There were three cabins finished and two being built. Four men came to a brand-new dock and met me when I landed. I immediately noticed their eyes were a deep brown, but some of them had weird golden specs flickering in them. They were like yours, but different. I’ve heard and read enough online to know that they were definitely shifters.”

  “Golden eyes are a bear trait.” Nash nodded for her to continue. “Their human color is brown, but when their beast is present, their eye will completely turn golden. The ones who were flashing their golden eyes must’ve scented us on you.”

  “I let them unload and made myself look busy with paperwork. I didn’t want to get too close to them,” she admitted. “When it was time to untie the plane, one of them stuck around. He scented the air and his eyes landed on my neck. He told me to be safe. I jumped in my plane and got the hell out of there.”

  “There is no way the bear clan moved from Fairbanks,” Aspen cursed. “I’ve been keeping an eye on them.”

  “Are they the ones who killed your family?” Charlie asked as Mason took her into his arms.

  “No,” Mason answered. “The ones who killed our family were grizzly shifters. The ones you saw today are black bears.”

  “Are we to be worried?” she asked.

  “There’s always a worry when another shifter clan or pride is near,” Nash advised.

  “Do they know my marks are from a wolf?” she cringed.

  “They know your marks are not from a bear,” Mason snarled. “Each bite is different. Like a fingerprint, but a bear’s bite is larger than most. So, they know you’re associated with another species. That, I can guarantee.”

  “Well, damn.” Charlie’s growl of frustration sent Mason’s wolf prowling. She’d been right in the grasp of an enemy and he hadn’t been there to protect her. “They’ll be calling back for another supply run. They have a lot of building they are doing.”

  “Then we won’t be the ones taking their calls,” Aspen huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

  “That’s one way to make them come here,” Nash explained.

  “We need to scout,” Fury stated, holding his mate close.

  Mason reached out and pulled his sister to his side when he saw the sadness flash across her vision. She’d taken the loss of their parents the hardest because she had been so young when they were attacked. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “If they come here, Mason…” She let the statement hang.

  “They won’t get through,” Nash ordered. “We are small, but we’ve also learned from our parents’ mistake. They never thought they’d come across other shifters. We know better, and Fury is right. We need to make a plan to scout our territory closer to theirs. If the two cross, it could mean a fight.”

  Mason agreed with his brother. It would come to a fight. Shifters kept to themselves for a reason. They were territorial. The Ward pack needed to get ahead of the bears and make sure they didn’t come within their area, because Mason knew if one of those males came for his family, he would die protecting them.

  “The weather will be here before you are back from your delivery. I’ve rescheduled everything for tomorrow. It’ll be too dangerous this evening to fly, and I think it’s best if we stick close until we can make a plan,” Aspen announced as she glanced at the clock. “I’ll get lunch started.”

  Mason took Charlie to the side. “Look, I need to talk to my brother. You can secure your plane and meet me for lunch. I’ll explain everything once we know how we want to proceed.”

  “I’ll take care of your plane,” she vowed. “Take your time. I’m so sorry this has happened to your family.”

  “It’s your family now, too,” he reminded her.

  Chapter 10

  The decision was made, and Nash, Mason, and Fury shifted to run their territory to the northwest. The females were locked in Nash and Isabell’s cabin with a promise to call out to Nash should anything happen while they were gone.

  Mason had to trust Isabell and Harper were strong enough to protect his human mate while he was away. As it was, he had loaded the females up with weapons anyway. Charlie had her own rifle, and thankfully, was an avid hunter.

  The sun was still high up in the sky when they left the compound after dinner. With them in shifted form, they could cover a lot more ground than when they were hiking on two legs. Being a wolf ensured they could get to their territory line and check to see if the Duncan clan had trespassed.

  His wolf searched for scent after scent as they moved quickly along a ridge. There was no sign of anything paranormal, but the wolf wasn’t satisfied until they checked everything. Being protective of his family, the wolf and human side were in agreement. If it came to killing the bear clan to save his mate, then so be it. They were ready for a fight if it came to that.

  His brother’s wolf found a game trail, small and thin, but it was perfect for the three of them to fall in line behind Nash, who led the small pack. Mason was thankful the longer days were slowly fading, giving the land more darkness the closer they got to the mountains that cut off their range.

  The wolves climbed the mountain, checking and scenting everything they could to look for evidence of the bears. It was a relief that they found nothing.

  Not until they crested the top of the mountain.

  Bears.

  Nash’s voice inside his head rumbled from the anger of it. The bears hadn’t come over the peak of the mountain, marking the other side of the territory as their own. The scent they’d left burned the wolf’s nose.

  They know we are here. There is no way they missed our scent on our side of the mountain.

  Mason agreed. Their wolves backed away, keeping their eyes out for anything out of the ordinary. Nash’s magic pushed them to retreat to their side. Shifters usually didn’t cross over unless they were itching to take over the land. As it was, the bears were respecting that.

  Mason’s human mind didn’t relax the entire trip back. What did it mean? Why had they left them alone, and why did they move from Fairbanks?

  It was nearing six in the morning when they finally arrived home, shifting in the meadow behind Nash’s home. The females were still inside the cabin when they arrived.

  “What happened?” Isabell blurted the moment they entered.

  Mason found Charlie at the kitchen counter, pouring her coffee into a thermos. He took her into his arms and held on to her tightly. The bears could’ve taken her and held her against her will to flush the wolves out of their territory.

  “They’ve marked their land all the way up to our territory line,” Nash admitted. Aspen gasped and came to Mason’s side. He wrapped his arm around her and used his other to pull Charlie closer. “I don’t know why they did that. We are the enemy because of our species, and any other clan would’ve come back to finish us off. I just don’t get it.”

  “It sounds to me like they are aware of you, but have no ill will against you,” Charlie added. “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “We don’t know, Charlie,” Mason interrupted. “It’s still too dangerous.”

  “Despite everything, we still have a job to do today,” Aspen announced. “I’d love to hunker down and hide until we know more, but the business has to run today.”

  “She’s right,” Nash agreed. “Charlie can get started. Mason, you should rest.”

  “I can pick up the hikers this afternoon,” he offered. Sleep sounded great, but he wasn’t sure he would get much knowing his mate was out there alone.

  “Okay, we have to get moving,” Aspen ordered once she realized the time. “Charlie, are you ready?”

  “Sure,” she said, turning toward Mason. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

  “Be safe, baby,” he said, kissing her softly on the lips.

  Nash and Mason shared a look with Fury. The presence of the bears was going to change the way they did things at the compound, and as soon as the fe
males were gone, Nash laid out his plan.

  “It’s time we tighten our daily perimeter, and we all need to take shifts patrolling it during the night, because if the bears are going to strike, it’s when we least expect it.”

  Mason and Fury nodded in agreement.

  “Aspen,” Charlie called out from the terminal desk. Mason’s sister leaned out of the kitchen area to see what was going on while she cooked. “Can you schedule in some free time for me tomorrow or the next day? I need to return to Anchorage.”

  “Why?” Mason growled as he entered the building. Charlie forgot about their exceptional hearing.

  “Ah, I have a home there,” she reminded him. “I need to get some things since it looks like I’m staying here with you.”

  She’d told him the other night that she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do for the future. Mason hadn’t asked her to change for him, and she wondered if he even wanted her to accept a change. Yes, she knew it was painful, but there were also drugs that could be given. It couldn’t be that bad, could it?

  “Everything okay?” Mason appeared worried, even more than he’d been over the last twenty-four hours. He hadn’t slept much, and it showed. Dark rings circled his eyes, and she reached up to run her thumb under one of his eyes.

  “You’re tired,” she stated. “I wish you’d head home and get some sleep.”

  “I will tonight,” he promised, cupping her jaw. He pressed his lips to hers, and she sighed through the kiss.

  “I’m worried about you,” she admitted. His world had just changed. The enemy was knocking on his back door, and they were helpless against another clan. They didn’t have the numbers the bears had when she saw how big a compound was being built.

  Maybe she should change…maybe she could help protect the pack.

  She shook that thought from her mind. The only reason to change was to be able to bear young, and at the moment, she had no desire to become a mother. Mason hadn’t said anything about wanting children with her…hell, he hadn’t even told her he loved her yet.