by Renee Rose
I laughed at that, completely unused to her swearing.
“School’s important,” she continued. “I know you don’t love your field of study, but you could always switch majors.”
I held up my hand. “Oh no. I’m not switching now and adding an extra year on. Besides, I don’t know what I would switch to. It would be a waste of money to—”
“School is not a waste of money. It’s good to have a degree, even if you don’t go into that field for work. You can be whatever you want, Marina. You always could. Now you get to decide. You could transfer and go to school here in Montana. Or do an online program. I’m sure Colton would want you to be nearby.”
A little jab of pain ran through me at that. “Colton? He’s going back to North Carolina.”
She tilted her head. “Is he?”
“Well, he’s not sticking around for me.”
She frowned. “He didn’t say he wanted you to stay?” She was watching me closely.
“Definitely not. We didn’t even hook up last night.” Despite the fact that I’d chalked this up as a fling from the beginning, that fact hurt more than I expected. “He hasn’t touched me since yesterday. I don’t know, I guess the fling is over. He’s made it quite clear where he stands now.”
She frowned. “Um, Marina, he carried you upstairs to his room. We could all hear.” She blushed hotly, even though it was me who’d had sex, not her. “I don’t think he’s lost interest.”
“He has. That… yesterday, well, it was punishment for what I did at the motel room. He was mad at me. The fact that I knew who he was and didn’t tell.”
“Didn’t sound like punishment to me.” Her mouth tipped, and her eyes were alight with amusement.
“He got even, in a good way. A very good way. But that was it. Nothing’s happened since. At least, not sexually.”
Her eyebrows winged up at that. “What? Seriously? That can’t be possible.”
“It’s possible. Trust me.”
She bit her lip and was lost in thought. “There’s no way he could be like this. Not with tonight and all.”
“What, the wedding?” I shrugged.
She didn’t say anything for more than a minute. “Give him time.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m leaving. He’s leaving. The United States army doesn’t have late slips, I’m sure.”
“There’s more there, I’m sure of it.” She put her glasses back on.
“Well, I can’t expect him to want a relationship after knowing each other for two days. That’s crazy.” Even if we did seem to fit in every way possible. And our chemistry was off the charts.
“We’ll see.” That was all she said, and I wondered what she was leaving out.
16
COLTON
* * *
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Boyd said, running his hand through his hair and pacing.
We were in the stable, and I’d just finished brushing down Lucy. She whinnied at his loud voice. It was cool inside, but the tempers were hot. Mine included. I was glad Marina was with Audrey and would miss this convo. It wasn’t going to be pretty, and I wasn’t going to be able to explain the shifter-related issues and why Markle was a pain in our ass. After Marina had driven off, I’d texted Boyd and Rob that there was trouble with Markle. They’d met me here to figure out what we were going to do next.
“Nope. They were grazing all the way up by the waterfall,” I told him, explaining what Marina and I had seen on our ride. I hadn’t met Markle nor had to deal with his shitty ways, so I wasn’t as hot under the collar as Boyd. Still, it had messed with my time with Marina and that made me hate the guy.
Rob leaned against the wall, crossed his ankles. “If they’re grazing that far, it means they’ve been on the other property for a few days.”
I agreed. They weren’t fast moving animals, and there was plenty of grazeland between the opened fence and the waterfall.
“I’m going to go over and give him another black eye.” Boyd turned to stalk out of the stable.
“Now hold on,” Rob called. “You’re getting married in—” He looked at his watch. “—three hours. I can handle Jett Markle but not a pissed off bride because her mate decided to go off half-cocked before the ceremony.”
He sighed, and I watched his shoulders slump, then he turned on his heel and faced us.
“Fine. You two go.” Boyd came over, took the lead for Lucy from me. “I’ll get her settled and fed.”
I looked to Rob, who nodded. I set the curry comb back on the shelf, then led Cinnamon outside to wait for him to get his horse ready.
It took us less time than it took me and Marina earlier. We rode harder to get to the furthest spot from the opened fence. While I liked my brother, Rob was a silent fucker and wasn’t remotely as cute as Marina. He wasn’t in the mood to chat, and I wasn’t going to rile him. Not that he was easily riled.
We herded the cattle back through the opening with whistling and weaving the horses from side to side to get the animals in the right direction. Fortunately, there were only about twenty or so. It took another fifteen minutes to put the fence back in place, then another stretch to ride down to Markle’s house.
I hadn’t been on this land since I was a kid. I remembered the family that used to live here back then. There were a couple kids who were older than us, in high school when we’d been playing in the woods for fun. They’d moved away when the kids had grown, then Rob said someone else had owned it for a few years before selling it to Markle. The house had once been white, but now it was a deep rust color. The roof was now black metal. The windows had all been replaced with sleek glass and black trim. He’d even bumped out the back for a sunroom, one whole wall was windows that faced the mountain. It had been an expensive remodel, and it looked like a fancy ski lodge. I had no idea what his heating bill was in the winter, but Markle had to have deep pockets just to pay it.
Off to the side was a brand new four stall garage that matched the styling of the house. I didn’t know how many vehicles one man needed, and I was in the military and drove everything from a Jeep to a tank.
“Back here, gentlemen.”
We turned at the words and steered our horses to the back. Markle was in an Adirondack chair with a plate of cheese and grapes on the glass coffee table in front of him. He held a glass of red wine.
At three in the afternoon.
Jesus.
I did a quick assessment of the enemy. Expensive clothes made to look casual. Tanned skin that came from a tanning bed somewhere in his house. Hair had product in it. His gaze was pleasant, but he gave off a vibe of being an ass.
“Wolf,” Markle said by way of greeting.
We were about twenty feet from the edge of the deck, remaining in our saddles.
“My brother, Colton,” Rob offered in reply without looking my way. If Markle wasn’t smart enough to figure out he was referring to me, then he wasn’t going to explain.
Markle looked to me. “Another brother. How many are there?”
I stayed silent, let Rob handle this. I didn’t know what had been said before, and he was the alpha. His land, his pack, was being affected by Markle, and it was his responsibility. Oh, I’d have his back, but I’d be beta in this.
“Saw some of your cows on the Shefield property. They seem to have gotten through a section of fence. Colton and I were courteous and brought them back for you.”
“Oh?”
“You mentioned having some issues with wolves, so it’d probably be best for your stock if they stayed on your land.”
“Didn’t realize you owned the property next door,” he said, taking a sip of his wine.
“Didn’t realize you did either.”
Markle’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t show any other sign of being pissed.
“The land’s not yours, Markle. Stay off it,” Rob said, leaning down and setting his forearm on the pommel.
“It will be.”
Rob didn’t stoop to reply to that, on
ly turned his horse around and cantered away. I gave Markle one long look, knowing he was going to be a pain in our ass for the long haul.
Now wasn’t the time to deal with him.
Halfway back to the ranch, I said, “The niece better get up here, otherwise the next time we see Markle, he might be in Shefield’s house with his wine and cheese.”
Rob gave a little growl in response.
“Your leave’s almost up.” He looked my way. “I’ll deal with it. Boyd’s here now to help.”
He might as well have just shot me in the back. “You’re an asshole sometimes.”
“Only sometimes?” He looked my way. The corner of his mouth tipped up.
“I’m not re-upping. I’m coming home. For good.”
He tugged on his reins, stopped his horse. “You’re serious.”
I nodded. I hadn’t said it aloud, but it felt good. It felt right. Coming back here was supposed to be a week-long trip for Boyd’s wedding. Nothing more. Instead, it had been a life changer.
I found Marina. I realized Wolf Ranch was where I belonged. It was time to come home. It was time to make a life here.
“I’ll get Marina here. Eventually,” I said, hoping my wolf didn’t lose it in the meantime.
He slowly shook his head. “Boyd’s whipped. You’re whipped.”
“I’m fucking screwed,” I countered. “You’ll find your mate in time. Before the madness hits. And you’ll be able to claim her, unlike me.”
The wind kicked up, and I looked to the sky. Clouds were rolling in from the west, the typical late afternoon storm. After being caught in the crazy one the other night, I had to hope this just blew on through. I didn’t want it to fuck with the wedding.
“I’m not so sure,” he admitted. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.”
I thought of how I felt when the full moon pulled on me this last year. Riding me. Nipping at my heels every run. Every shift. Threatening to strip me of my humanity until only my wolf existed. And then there would be no more shifts. I always wanted to strip down and run. And run. But there was no relief. I found it now, not in the wilderness, but in Marina. Buried deep in her body. Her scent surrounding me. And I couldn’t go there again.
I could only imagine what Rob was feeling, being two years older. If he succumbs to this creeping affliction his human would be lost. He would never be able to shift back from human form, and we’d have to put him down.
“You will. You’re alpha.” As if that explained it all.
He looked to me, tipped his hat back, so I could see his eyes. “Think you’ll make it with your mate halfway across the country?”
He didn’t know who his mate was. I knew mine but couldn’t have her.
“We’re fucked, aren’t we?”
“After the wedding, we’ll shift and run. Okay?” It was the best way to stay away from Marina on a full moon.
All he could do was nod. “It’ll be good to have you back. We’d better hurry though, or Boyd will have us by the balls for being late to his wedding.”
17
COLTON
* * *
The barn was transformed. I didn’t know how they did it—some female magic trick of making something special with the most basic of ingredients. Like Marina’s cakes. Fairy lights were strung from the rafters, and an archway was covered in tulle and flowers. Maybe it wasn’t only female magic because Levi and Clint had been in and out of the barn all day. They’d wrangled the Barn Cats, aptly named for a barn wedding, and their fiddles to play for us, although it wasn’t hard to twist their arms. They loved any reason to play, and this was a good one.
Everyone was spiffed up, even me as we stood at a makeshift altar waiting for Audrey. I hadn’t brought any uniforms home with me, so I was in my crispest jeans and shirts with a bolo tie. I’d buffed my boots, but a shine on my shoes was normal for me. We were inside the barn, the doors wide open to let in the natural light.
It had been a while since the last shifter mating celebration, but that had been different. This time, there were human wedding traditions, like the bride walking down a center aisle. There were only a few chairs as the guest list was small. Becky, Leigh and Anna were here, but Audrey hadn’t invited any other human friends. The rest of the guests were shifters from the ranch or who lived up in the hills.
Rob stood in the center. As alpha, he would conduct the service. While Boyd had already claimed Audrey, this was a legal wedding in the eyes of the state. Rob was a Justice of the Peace and could officiate. He’d had the role for years, ensuring the pack members had the legal perks of being claimed as well as the shifter ones.
The fiddles started, softly and without the raucous punch I was used to from the duo.
I stood beside Boyd—who was as calm as a fucking cucumber—and watched as Marina walked toward me, a bouquet of wildflowers in her hands. The wind had picked up even more, and her hair swirled around her face.
My breath caught in my throat at the sight of her. She was wearing a simple dress, the color of spring grass. It was made of a soft, gauzy material that floated and wisped about her. It fell to her knees and she wore cowgirl boots on her feet. I wasn’t sure if Audrey had gifted her the pair or if they were borrowed, but she looked like a little slice of Montana heaven.
“Fuck,” I whispered, watching as she moved to stand on the other side of Rob.
He leaned toward me. “Am I winning the fifty bucks?”
I looked at Rob, saw the grin and growled.
Then Boyd looked toward the open barn doors, and his mouth dropped open. There was Audrey, pretty as could be, but I couldn’t look away from Marina. My wolf wanted to cut across the ten feet that separated us and tell Rob to make her mine, legally, then I’d toss her over my shoulder, take her somewhere private and claim her. But I couldn’t. Not only because Boyd would kill me and bury me in the back forty, but also because Marina didn’t even know I was a shifter. Didn’t even know how much I fucking needed her.
Hell, maybe I didn’t either, until now. Until the ride this morning. Until it wasn’t just a craving of my wolf. It was my heart that was telling me to make her mine.
I loved her. How the fuck that happened in two short days, I had no idea, but it wasn’t going to change. I had no idea what to do now. It wasn’t just my wolf that needed sating. I needed it too. I needed Marina.
Audrey cut into my view, and I blinked.
Boyd met her, took her hand and leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She smiled up at him, and he pushed her glasses up her nose. She wore a white dress with a similar gauzy material as a top layer. It had little flowers embroidered on it. Her dark hair was pulled back in the front but lay over her bare shoulders. I had no idea if she ever wore contacts, but she had on her glasses. Boyd had told me she was the picture of a sexy doctor, and I had to agree. She looked beautiful, in love and not the least bit nervous.
Maybe it was because she was already claimed, and this was just a human formality. A celebration, really. Yet it felt more to me. Doubly official.
They turned to face Rob, and he smiled at them. A full-on fucking smile.
I hadn’t noticed it all that much before, but the older he got, the more he looked like our dad. His bearing was that of an alpha. His voice, as he spoke of love and a permanent bond, was full of authority. He was made to be a leader although we all wished he’d have been able to wait a few years.
Our parents would have loved this. Loved Audrey, the baby she was carrying. And Marina.
“You may kiss the bride.”
Boyd leaned down and kissed Audrey while everyone clapped and cheered. I’d missed the entire ceremony, lost in my thoughts. Hell, I’d turned sentimental. A romantic. Next, I would need a hanky to wipe my tears.
But I wanted this with Marina. To profess my love for her. Completely and honestly in front of everyone we cared about. There were no secrets between Audrey and Boyd. I wanted that with Marina, but it couldn’t happen. Not now. Fuck me, I was scre
wed.
The first clap of thunder made everyone cheer, like it was the pistol-shot starting off the celebrations.
In true wolf-pack fashion, the place instantly transformed to a party. The Barn Cats struck up their instruments before the chairs were even moved to the sides. I pushed my way to Marina’s side, drawn like a magnet.
“Hey, beautiful.” I swept her up into my arms and twirled her around. Her scent flooded all my senses. It must have been the full moon because I could swear it made me drunk. The room suddenly spun even though I’d stopped moving. When I looked down at Marina, her eyes widened.
“What?”
“Your eyes look strange in the light—almost gold.”
Shit.
I should tell her what I am. She was my mate, she needed to know. Then again, if I weren’t taking this to the next level yet, I’d be breaking pack law. And right now, I was fucking surrounded by pack members all looking on with curiosity.
I’d made my decision to give her the life she deserved. The alpha had agreed.
“Hey, Colton. Looks like Boyd’s not the only one who found his—” Shelby, one of our younger pack females, stopped talking when I gave a tiny shake of my head. “—found himself a woman,” she said after a slight hesitation.
Dammit. This was getting downright awkward. I really needed to tell Marina, whether the rest of the pack approved or not. Or Rob. What kind of mate was I keeping such a crucial secret?
Honestly, when I first learned from Boyd that his mate was human, I’d been surprised the pack had accepted her without much fuss. I’d expected to hear some snide comments or whispers tonight, but I hadn’t. Maybe it was because the alpha was on board with it. Maybe it was because Boyd would probably rip anyone’s head off who spoke bad about his mate, no matter her DNA.
Their acceptance though, gave me hope. Would they be fine with both human sisters as mated into the pack?
“Shelby, this is Marina, Audrey’s younger sister,” I said, settling my hand at the small of Marina’s back. I wouldn’t stop touching her.