by RJ Blain
Maybe one day, I’d truly understand the significance of the shifting shades of a Fenerec’s eyes. Part of me recognized the color as Ryan’s predator, his wolf, showing through, although I didn’t understand why. I sniffed, struggling to sort through the many scents in the air. The relief from my father was the strongest, although there were undertones my wolf recognized as wariness.
Dad either didn’t know he was surrounded by predators or didn’t care. Striding to Ryan, he held out his hand and said, “I’m Ralph. Seems I have a lot to thank you for, Mr. Cole.”
Ryan shook my father’s hand. “Ryan.”
While my father was a lot of things, I’d never taken him for the violent kind, but before I could do more than gasp, Dad grabbed hold of Ryan’s shirt and tossed him on the floor. The next instant, he had his knee pressed to the Fenerec’s throat. “Rules are simple, Mr. Cole. If you hurt her, there will be a line of people ready and waiting to disembowel you. I’ll be at the front of it. Since I don’t have your Fenerec strength, I’ll ask Mom and Dad to help. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. Right?”
The male who had rested his head on Dad’s knee showed his teeth, and the female made her appearance, voicing a single warning growl.
I stared at the pair of wolves, realization sinking in they were my grandparents. I breathed in deep. While Dad lacked the spiced sweetness of Fenerec, my wolf recognized subtle similarities in their scents. Pointing at them, I blurted, “Grandmother?”
The female lolled her tongue and displayed a canine grin.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ryan replied, lying still beneath my father. “You’re pretty strong for a Normal.”
“Fenerec-born.”
“You’re still strong.”
“I’m going to have to be if I have to start beating Fenerec to keep them from making any inappropriate advances on my daughter.”
I closed my eyes and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Dad, Grandmother has been putting condoms in my purse for years. I think we’re beyond this stage of the game. He’s been perfectly appropriate, thank you. Stop trying to scare off my male.”
“Your male?” Dad growled.
I opened my eyes to narrowed slits. “Mine. I’m plenty old enough to decide who I sleep with, when I’ll sleep with him, and how often I’ll sleep with him. If I want to take him on the hallway floor in front of everyone, I can.”
Ryan gave a throaty chuckle. “Kinky.”
“There’s no need to publicly claim your male, Matia,” Dalton muttered, shaking his head. “I apologize for her, Mr. Evans. She hasn’t quite managed to learn to control her aggression yet.”
Laughter was the last response I expected from Dad, and his chuckles startled me. “She’ll figure it out. She’s smart. As for you, Ryan. I meant it. Hurt her, and I’ll make sure you regret it. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” Dad hopped to his feet and offered Ryan his hand. It surprised my wolf the Fenerec accepted the help. “Take your shirt off.”
“What?”
“Your shirt. Take it off.”
I covered my mouth with my hands, my eyes wide as I gawked at my father. “Have you lost your mind, Dad?”
“No. Take your shirt off, Ryan.”
Heaving a sigh, the Fenerec obeyed. “Why am I doing this?”
Dad crossed his arms and stared at Ryan’s bare chest. “I only want the best for my daughter, and that includes everything. I won’t have a scrawny weakling protecting my little girl. Turn around.”
My face burned from my embarrassment. “Dad!”
Turning in a slow circle, Ryan chuckled again. “Do I pass your inspection, sir?”
“How are your skills?”
“Dad!”
Dalton hopped onto one of the kitchen stools. “He doesn’t mean skills in bed.”
“This isn’t up for discussion,” I snarled.
“Relax, Matia. Let your father satisfy himself. It’s expected, and Fenerec-born males can be just as stubborn as Fenerec when it comes to their puppies. It’s better to just let them work it out.”
“Dad will not be satisfying himself using Ryan.” Everyone stared at me. When I realized what I had said, I sucked in a breath. “I didn’t mean it that way. Dad, leave him alone.”
“I don’t mind putting myself on display.” With a wicked grin, Ryan struck a pose and flexed his muscles. “I’m enough to make other Fenerec jealous.”
“It’s true,” Dalton conceded. “Ryan really is a prime piece of real estate. He’s submissive, Mr. Evans, which I think you’ll find is a good match for your daughter.”
“He won’t be able to control her,” Dad snarled, whirling to face Dalton. “That’s a problem.”
Dalton shook his head. “No, she’ll be fixated on making sure his world is perfect and happy. She’ll probably be a strong dominant one day, and having a submissive around will keep her grounded. It’s an ideal situation. That’s not the real reason I brought you here, though.”
Something changed, something that made the gathered Fenerec tense, and my father’s scent turn sour. My grandparents growled, and the low, rumbling sound put me on edge.
The acrid bite of anger grew and overwhelmed all other scents. It came strongest from my father, but was shared by everyone else, even Ryan.
“What’s going on?”
For someone who wasn’t able to transform into a wolf, Dad was good at growling. “We need to talk about how we’re going to deal with Harthel.”
Dalton nodded. “We also need to discuss the rogues who attacked La Guardia airport. We’re going to put together a plan, and we’re going to deal with them.”
At first, I thought my wolf’s burning desire was for revenge, but after I took a moment to really think about the emotions bleeding into me, I realized she wanted something far more important than vengeance.
My wolf needed justice, for me and for everyone else who had become a victim within the airport. Ryan deserved a chance to redeem himself for his failures, too, a chance to erase the darkness in his eyes and spirit when he spoke of those he hadn’t been able to save, me included.
Destroying Ryan’s living room and kitchen ruined Dalton’s plans, and the Alpha snarled at both of us about it. Without the couch and several of the stools and with the glass still embedded in the carpeting, there wasn’t enough room for us. At the barked order from the Fenerec, Ryan herded me in the direction of his bedroom so we could shift to wolves and make the journey down the mountain.
“It was inevitable,” Ryan muttered, closing the door behind him.
The flex of his bare muscles absorbed my attention, and I licked my lips. “I’d do it again.”
“You deserve far more time than we have. Later.”
My wolf warbled complaints in my head, and her lust for the man made it difficult to think about anything else. I clenched my teeth, forced myself to take long, even breaths, and waited until the burning need lessened to something I could tolerate and ignore. “Does it really get easier? Shifting, that is.”
“You’ll get used to it. It’ll always hurt, it’ll always be a little tiring, but you’ll get better and faster at it. With luck, you won’t have to shift again until the full moon.” Ryan offered me a smile. “Your father is an interesting man.”
“Dad knocks you on your ass, so you think he’s interesting?”
“That’s nothing more than standard Fenerec posturing. In his case, it’s a learned behavior. It was interesting he brought his parents to back him. Most men try to fight their battles alone, especially when it comes to their daughters.” Ryan’s eyes brightened, and he closed the distance between us, flicking his tongue over his lips. “And make no mistake, beautiful. He’s right to try to warn me and put me in my place. Unfortunately for him, you’re already mine, and I have no intentions of letting you go.”
I should have been alarmed and offended by his claim, but my wolf adored Ryan’s display of aggressive possessiveness. Her influence kept me silent and
rooted in place.
Something in my expression pleased a smile out of Ryan, and he dipped his head to press his lips to mine.
I didn’t realize he had tricked me into relaxing my guard until the pain of changing forms swept through me and refused to let go.
I warbled complaints at Ryan for forcing me to transform again. Aching and trembling from exhaustion and the aftermath of such intense pain, I could barely stay upright, which spurred me into snarling and snapping my teeth.
The way Ryan lolled his tongue at me, his scent sweet with his amusement, infuriated me into howling.
Howling brought my father, who opened the bedroom door. A pack of Fenerec, all wolves, crowded behind him.
“I haven’t heard a tantrum like this since you were six.” Dad stepped into the room, dodged the discarded clothes littering the floor, and stooped to grab me by the scruff of my neck. He lifted me up and turned me so I was forced to look him in the eyes. “I raised you better than that, young lady. I brought a muzzle, and I will use it if necessary.”
I snapped my mouth shut, flattened my ears, and tucked my tail.
“That’s better. Don’t even think about biting me, either. We have a long ride ahead of us, and I’d rather not have to fend you off. It’d be warmer for you in my jacket than forcing your male to carry you down the entire mountain.”
My wolf’s contentment warmed my head. I couldn’t tell if she was satisfied Dad wanted to carry us or pleased with his acknowledgement Ryan was ours, but it didn’t matter to me either way.
Even the thought of trying to walk to the living room seemed like too much work to me. I relaxed in my father’s grip. After several long moments of staring at me, he tucked me in the crook of his arm and strode down the hall, bumping large wolves aside with his legs.
There was only one snowmobile parked behind Ryan’s cabin. Dad straddled the seat, started the engine without hesitation. He shoved me into his coat, zippering it up so it pinned me to his chest, leaving my head exposed to the cold air.
The wolf I recognized as Ryan sighed, staring at the snowmobile wistfully.
“No, you can’t ride with me. You have legs, use them. Don’t worry. I’ll give her back to you once we reach the vehicles. Dalton said she should stay as a wolf until we reach the city.”
While Ryan flicked an ear back and sighed again, he nodded and joined the other wolves gathered where the yard made way for pine forest. Dad followed the wolves, and I was astonished at how fast they could run; the snowmobile was faster, but the Fenerec had no trouble keeping up with him despite having to plow their way through the snow.
By the time we reached a group of SUVs and cars parked at the end of the road, my fur was frozen, the cold bit my nose, and I shivered despite Dad’s warmth and his coat. Killing the engine, Dad slid off the snowmobile. One of the cars, dusted with wind-driven snow, was on, and its headlights illuminated the forest.
Sam stepped out of the vehicle. “Everything okay?”
“It’s fine. Sorry to call you back. The two had decided to play in the cabin and trashed the place.”
“Which two?” Sam asked, his tone wry.
“My daughter and her male,” Dad replied, pulling me out of his coat. “I’m not really sure how she contributed to the destruction, considering she weighs maybe five pounds.”
“Her male? Does he have a name, or are you going to play the role of disapproving father?” Kicking his way through the snow, Sam approached and held out his hands. Dad passed me over. “She’s not going to stay this small or cute for long. Enjoy it while you can, Ralph.”
Snorting, Dad headed for the car, brushing snow away from the back door with his hand. “He’s the one who helped her at the airport.”
“He has my approval.”
Dad shot Sam a glare. “I’m pretty sure they don’t need your approval. They need mine.”
“So you’re going the disapproving father route?”
“I’m thinking about it. He did something to annoy her, and I’m not sure what.”
Sam shook his head and draped me over his shoulder. “Ignore him, Matia. He just needs something to complain about. The car’s warm, so why don’t you relax while we get the other vehicles ready.”
Neither Dad nor Sam paid attention to my warbled complaint. They left me locked in the car, and I was too small to reach the window to watch them. Howling earned a tap at the window and a glare from Dad, and I snapped my teeth at him despite being aware I couldn’t reach him even if I wanted to.
According to the car’s clock, I was imprisoned for half an hour before Dad opened the back door. I launched my way towards freedom, only to have my scruff grabbed. I twisted around and paddled at his arm with my hind paws, which only made him laugh. “It’s too cold and dark for you to go romping in the snow.”
“She hasn’t been over ritual sickness for very long, so it’s not surprising she has pent up energy. She handled hunting with Ryan for several hours, too,” Dalton said, coming to stand beside my father. “Ryan will be a few more minutes, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he falls asleep during the drive. You want to take him in your car?”
“He’s not staying with my daughter if he doesn’t come in mine,” Dad snarled.
“Behave yourself, Ralph,” my grandmother demanded. I had always thought she looked young, but I had never believed she was anything other than my grandmother through adoption, justifying her appearance with the simple explanation of having my dad when she was really young.
Knowing differently didn’t change all that much for me. Dad presented me to my grandmother, and my wolf was intrigued by the pleasure in my father’s scent. “She hasn’t been this cute since she was little.”
“Ralph, that’s rude,” my grandmother scolded, taking me out of my father’s hand and cradling me in her arm. “Give her a couple of weeks. She’ll be big enough to sit on you.”
Dad sighed. “You’re ruining my fun, Mother.”
“Don’t you mind your father, Matia. He’s just relieved you’re alive and well. We all are. He’ll calm down by tomorrow, or I’ll be forced to have his father give him a stern reminder of his manners. For tonight, let’s get somewhere we can talk, make plans, and show the fools who dared to hurt you the real meaning of fear.”
Chapter Twenty
Ryan fell asleep moments after buckling his seatbelt, and I made myself comfortable on his lap, draping my front paws over his leg so I could stare at Dad and his mother. Grandmother won the argument over who would sit beside me and Ryan with a single snarled threat.
It wasn’t until I watched her snap her teeth and growl at Dad I realized they had all been very careful about their behavior around me, wearing masks to hide the truth of who—and what—they were. Even Dad was more relaxed, as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and I doubted it was just from knowing I was alive and well. At least Dad hadn’t shown up while I’d been too sick to do anything other than sleep and throw up.
It was bad enough I was hungry again. It hadn’t been that long since I had gorged on deer during the hunt with Ryan. My stomach growled its complaints, and my wolf whined in my head.
“You shouldn’t be surprised a male courted her, Ralph. You’ve raised a beautiful girl, and any wise Fenerec would want her,” my grandmother declared.
“He’s submissive,” Dad complained. “Submissive!”
I growled, flattening my ears. Ryan slept on, oblivious to my father’s scornful tone.
“Son, if you don’t behave, I’m going to have Sam pull over so I can beat some manners back into you,” my grandfather warned from the front seat. “First, if her mate was dominant, they’d probably both be dead right now. Dominants are not exactly subtle, and what Mr. Cole did in La Guardia required far more subtlety than most dominants possess. Second, she obviously likes him.”
“Matia asked for my help finding him after she came home from the hospital,” Sam added.
“He’s still submissive.”
“Ralph,” Grandfather growled.
“She knows nothing about being a Fenerec. I’ve already been warned—repeatedly—I will get bit, probably mauled, and otherwise put in my place before she learns to control her instincts. How is a submissive supposed to protect her during the transition? I’ve also been told if I have an intact apartment by the time they’re done, it’ll be a miracle.”
“Lots of sex, probably. If he’s keeping her busy in the bedroom, then she won’t be able to put you in your place, no matter how much you deserve it for being rude,” my grandmother replied. “Stop worrying. I’m sure the destruction at the cabin was them just playing. We do that. If he took her out on her first hunt, he was probably just trying to teach her, and they got carried away. Then again, maybe they destroyed everything while having sex. It’ll be one of life’s great unsolved mysteries.”
“Mother!”
I covered my eyes with my paws and sighed. While my wolf and I were very interested in Ryan for a lot of things, sex included, the last thing I wanted to do was talk about it with my family. My grandmother slipping condoms in my purse and informing me I needed to sleep around more was bad enough, but would I spend the rest of my life listening to her discuss my sex life?
Having a sex life was a new enough development I didn’t want it to be a topic of family discussion. If Ryan woke up and heard the conversation, would my grandmother be enough to drive him away?
“You’re such a prude, Ralph. Where did I go wrong? Did I not leave enough condoms out for you? Did I not encourage you to date enough? You’re one of New York’s most eligible bachelors. Every bitch this side of the Mississippi would love a chance with you. I can make a few phone calls. You can’t use Matia as an excuse, either. I promise you, submissive or not, her male will take good care of her. She’ll transition just fine. I’m more worried about you. When was the last time a nice woman took you to bed? You’re really tense, son. Stop bothering the newly mated—and for pity’s sake, call the poor boy by his name.”