Fur-Ever Yours: A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (The Protectors Book 2)

by Roxy Wilson

  While he walked forward, he saw three men standing in one corner.

  Joe shoved him in their direction.

  Keran recognized one of them.

  Shit.

  “Roger, what are you doing here?” He turned and glared at Joe, hatred for Joe and his henchmen burning in his chest. “You bastards!”

  It seemed that Joe and his men were one step ahead of Keran. Keran had placed all his hopes on Roger taking care of the business and the pack when he was gone, but it looked like they’d kidnapped him too.

  Now what the hell was he going to do?

  Chapter Nine

  Keran could only look at Roger and wish that he’d done things differently. Nothing made sense. He hoped what he feared before wasn’t about to come true. His blood boiled in his veins and there was a sharp ringing in his ears. His fingers clenched into fists. With an effort, Keran kept his temper in control.

  “Welcome, welcome,” said the man who stood next to Roger. “My name is Adam. I’ve been looking forward to this moment.”

  Keran shifted his gaze from Roger to Adam.

  The man was a head shorter than Roger. Big and burly too. A tattoo snaked over his right arm. He wore a ripped, sleeveless, black t-shirt over black pants.

  Keran had never seen him before. “Who are you?”

  “I’m the man who made all this possible.” Adam raised both his arms and then dropped them. “Thank you for coming. It’s a pleasure to see such a great and rich man brought to his knees.”

  “Where is my son?”

  “He’s here, safe and sound. You’ll see him soon.” Adam cast a glance at Roger. “I bet you’re thrilled to see your friend.” He laughed. “Man! You’re a stupid son of a bitch.”

  “Shut up,” Roger said in a mild voice.

  Keran watched his friend as he walked forward.

  Roger didn’t look as if he was injured and he looked alarmingly happy for someone who’d been brought here against his will.

  “How did they get you?” he asked Roger…Though his gut told him how.

  Roger cleared his throat. “They didn’t get me. I got them.”

  Keran narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

  Roger placed a hand on his shoulder and then removed it. He began to circle around Keran.

  Keran didn’t take his gaze off from Adam. Something was seriously wrong here and until he got a better handle on things, he couldn’t afford to react.

  “You’ve been a big influence on my life. Don’t you remember how your father took me in, an orphan, when he found me wandering the forest?”

  “He treated you like a son.”

  “Like a son, yes. But he didn’t exactly treat me the same way he treated you.”

  “We went to the same school and got the same training,” Keran defended. Roger was fourteen when he came into their household. He didn’t have a pack or a family. They gave him one. Keran never questioned that decision or Roger’s loyalty, but now he wasn’t too sure. “He loved you.”

  “Not as much as he loved you. You were the golden boy, the one who was going to inherit everything; the pack, the business, and the trust fund. Damn you, Keran. I was treated like your servant!”

  “Not a servant, Keran. A friend. That’s how I always thought of you.”

  “Please. I was the one doing most of the work.”

  “And you got paid handsomely for it.”

  “Yes, I do have a big house, nice cars, and a big office.” He pounded his fist against his thighs. “But I wanted more.”

  Keran was so pissed off that his heart beat like a drum against his chest. But at the same time, he felt a deep stirring of pity. He’d trusted his man and given him so much honor and respect but it didn’t suit him. Comprehension was slow to come but when it did so, it cleared his mind. “Why?”

  “Why? Roger glared at him. His shoulders bunched. “You dare ask why?”

  Keran braced himself for an attack.

  Roger shoved him.

  Keran stumbled but he didn’t fall. He also didn’t allow the tight coils of control that bound his temper to slip. He couldn’t afford to do any damage. His son’s life was at stake.

  “You’re the one who has it all, and I want it.”

  “And I handed it to you on a platter.”

  Roger threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, the number of times I wanted to smile when you told me to gather this paper and that. I got everything ready. All I needed were your signatures, and I was cooking up a scheme to get them prepared when you handed it all to me. Keran, you idiot. Now I have it all; your business and your trust fund, and I can do whatever the hell I want with them.”

  “The pack wouldn’t allow it.”

  “Why wouldn’t they? You’re the one who told them that they needed to obey me. You were the one who instructed them to accept me as their leader if anything happened to you. And something sure will. You’re not going to get out of this mess alive.”

  “That I’d figured out. I didn’t expect to live, not when I came here, but I didn’t know you would be the one to give me the death blow.”

  Roger laughed again. “Stupid Keran. I bet you’re cursing yourself for trusting me.”

  “That I am. I never believed you were the one I needed to look out for.” Keran shook his head. He’d thought of Roger as a friend, almost as a brother. “I told you to look after my son, and you promised to do it.”

  “He isn’t going to make it, Keran. You can see how it is. If I allow him to live, he will take it all away from me. I can’t let that happen, not when I have worked hard to get everything.”

  The thought of this man putting his hands on his son shook him. He wanted to reach forward and kill the bastard, but he couldn’t do it. He was helpless and he needed to wait for now. “It seems that I’m not a good judge of character. I suspected Devyn and she was innocent, and I trusted you and you’re the traitor.”

  “That’s the way the cookie crumbles, but don’t worry, Keran. I’ll make it quick for you and for Justin. That much I owe you. I’m not going to let you suffer. After all, we’re friends, and I can do that much for you.”

  “Friends don’t plot against each other.”

  “Who told you I was your friend?”

  “I see that now. Where is my son?”

  Roger came to a stop in front of Keran. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that father and son have a grand reunion before we get rid of you both.”

  Keran raised his hand.

  Suddenly, the room became unnaturally quiet.

  He merely scratched the top of his head and lowered his hand. “So it wasn’t anyone else. You were the one behind all this. You hired the wolverines.”

  “Yes, I did. And I promised them that they can live safely with us after you’re gone. No one has seen them.”

  “Martin has seen Joe.”

  “Martin won’t last for long, once you’re gone. I won’t need him.” He shrugged. “He would have to go, one way or another.”

  “So, you’ll keep killing good men just because you want control.”

  “That’s the way it is. When a new Alpha comes in, he puts people he trusts in positions of power. So when you’re gone, I’ll have to reorganize, but don’t worry, I learned a lot from you and your dad. I’ll put those lessons to good use now.”

  “I bet you’re dreaming of spending all the money that you didn’t earn.”

  “I earned every cent of it. We worked together. Shit. I should have been in control all along. Your father only made you Alpha because you were his blood and I wasn’t. It wasn’t fair, but it doesn’t matter.” Roger took a deep breath. He shifted a little on his feet. “My years of plotting have paid dividends now. If you were smart, you would have seen this coming, but you were so spoilt by your position of power and privilege that you didn’t see the danger that lurked right in front of you.”

  “I was stupid, yes,” Keran agreed. “There’s still a chance; you can be the better man. No harm has been done
yet. Let Justin go. Let me go, and we’ll forget that this ever happened.”

  Roger curled his upper lip and glared at Keran. “Are you crazy? Nothing can stop me from reaching my goal.”

  “Think about it, Roger. Nothing good can come out of this.”

  “Shut up, you fool. You don’t have much time to live. I suggest you use it wisely and pray.” Roger sneered.

  There was no point talking to this man. He was lost. So enamored by the promise of wealth and power that he was willing to throw away a lifetime of friendship and goodwill. Keran gave up all hope of convincing him to do the right thing. “Where is my son?”

  Roger glared at him for a few minutes, not even bothering to hide the hatred that had simmered inside for years. He snapped his fingers and one of the men who stood behind Keran

  The man marched off.

  Everyone waited in silence.

  Five minutes passed by. Keran was barely able to breathe. When the door opened again, he looked there, his heart beating against his chest. A loud sigh escaped his lips when he saw his son.

  Justin looked a little tired, a little lost, but he wasn’t hurt. Seeing him, Justin yelled. He ran towards his father.

  Keran dropped to his knees and opened his arms. Something he’d wanted to do for far too long. He held his son and hugged him. After a few minutes, he leaned back and gazed into his eyes. God. It seemed like he hadn’t seen his boy for a long, long time. “Are you okay?”

  Justin nodded. “Have you come to take me back?”

  “I have.”

  “I didn’t like living here.”

  “I know, son. And we’re going back home soon.”

  Roger laughed. “Beautiful as that scene is, you shouldn’t be lying to your son. Both of you are not going anywhere.”

  Justin stared at Roger. He seemed afraid of the man.

  Had Roger hurt him? Keran held his son’s hand. He kissed the boy on the cheek. “Be brave,” he whispered.

  Justin nodded.

  Satisfied, Keran stood. He wanted to spend more time with his son, but there wasn’t an opportunity to do so. He turned to face Roger.

  There was a smirk on his former friend’s face. It was obvious he was enjoying this.

  “Do you really think I wouldn’t have thought hard about all the events that led up to this moment?” he asked Roger.

  “If you’d done so, you would have known it was me.”

  “That I couldn’t ever guess. After all, I trusted you. But it wasn’t me who pointed out that there was a traitor. It was Martin and Devyn.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They both told me, on two separate occasions, that there was someone who was behind this, that there had to be someone who was close to me, who was giving information to the Wolverines.” Keran cracked his knuckles. “I didn’t believe them. I didn’t want to. But I did give Martin full permission to use whatever resources he had to sniff out the traitor.”

  “And he didn’t find anything. Guess the money you spent on him was wasted.”

  “He’s a good guy, thorough and reliable. The best there is actually,” Keran continued as if he didn’t hear Roger. “Martin didn’t leave any stone unturned. He added two plus two, even when I couldn’t. Do you remember when you brought in the money for Devyn’s return?”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “So, why didn’t they demand any money when I was coming here?”

  Roger shrugged as if he couldn’t follow Keran’s reasoning.

  “They didn’t because they expected to get their hands on more money. There was a reason to kidnap Justin, right? It was supposed to be about money. But you got so excited after you made me sign the papers that you didn’t think about it anymore. You should have asked me to bring some money. A million dollars or say…two million. But the kidnappers didn’t ask for it.”

  “So?”

  “So that told us that the kidnappers didn’t want money. That meant they assumed they would get more of it after I was dead. How was that possible? Martin told me there was only one way that could happen, and that was if they were sure they were going to get their hands on all my wealth. Only one person could hand it over, and that was you.”

  Roger’s eyes narrowed. His nostrils flared. “So?”

  “So, I didn’t have any option but to think that maybe, just maybe, you were the one who was screwing around with me.”

  “Liar. You didn’t have a clue!”

  Keran clutched his son’s hand even tighter. Anytime now. “Martin told me to be careful, and I was. Every paper that I’ve signed, everything that made you think I was putting the trust and the business in your hand was a lie. It wasn’t real.”

  “I have your signatures!” Roger screamed.

  “Do you?”

  Roger stared at him. He waved a hand and someone ran out.

  The person came back after a minute, carrying a briefcase.

  Roger opened it. He took out a sheaf of papers and turned them over. “Shit. What the fuck? It was all there. I saw it. It was there.”

  “Disappearing ink, Roger. Anyone can get it from any joke store. Simple, neat, and easy. And I had Martin track…YOU. I may be stupid as you and your henchman said, but I’m not so good at being entirely stupid. You don’t have anything. If I die, you won’t get your hands on my business and the trust fund. Martin will tell everyone about your duplicity and you won’t be the Alpha. If Justin and I don’t make it, it will go to charities. The pack will choose another leader who will take care of the trust fund. You’ll be left with nothing.”

  “This can’t happen. I won’t let it happen!”

  “It has happened, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do to stop it.” Keran was prepared for the attack when it came. He ran with Justin towards a corner. As soon as he deposited his son, he leapt and shifted into his wolf. He shoved into Roger who was running right behind him. They both wrestled with each other and he managed to push Roger away from his son. Alone, he wouldn’t be able to hold them for long.

  Everyone surrounded him. Roger growled.

  Shit.

  They were in trouble. Keran made sure he stayed right in front of his son. Someone swiped at him and blood gushed out from his right leg, but he didn’t move. If he gave them one chance, they would kill his son.

  He felt a bit of fear, but a moment later, the door banged opened and werewolves ran inside. Three of them came to guard over Justin and Keran was free to join the fray. He went straight for Roger. The man had dared to kidnap his child. He ruined years of trust and friendship. He put Justin at risk and he would have killed them if he’d gotten the chance. There was no way he could leave him alive. Roger deserved to die and Keran was going to get the job done.

  Keran growled deep in his throat. Now that he was feeling a little bit more confident about his son’s survival, he could afford to unleash his temper. It wasn’t fair what Roger did to him. Taking a child away from his parent was the worst thing he could’ve done. If he’d tried to kill Keran, he might have found some forgiveness in his heart, but he used his son in the worst possible way—for that, there was no mercy.

  His claws ripped into Roger’s side and the wolf leapt aside. They both eyed each other and then began to circle. The battle raged around them but Keran’s attention remained fixed on his nemesis. He’d trusted this man. If it wasn’t for Martin, Roger would have gotten away with it, because Keran had too much faith in him.

  But not anymore.

  He was tired of being taken for a ride. Keran leapt as did Roger and they met with a loud crash. Both wolves fell on to the floor but Keran was up on all fours within seconds. He bit into Roger’s shoulder and was rewarded with a loud moan that issued from the other wolf’s throat. Keran’s teeth sank in and he didn’t let go. Roger’s claws seared through his legs and he was forced to release his grip. Blood dripped down along his legs but Roger was in worse shape.

  Keran limped slightly as they circled each other again. Once more, he jumped over his
enemy and pinned him to the floor. He was going to kill this bastard once and for all. Just as he lifted his paw, his claws ready to deliver the deathblow, a wolf crashed into him and he spun on the floor.

  Taking advantage of the brief respite, Roger ran for the door.

  Keran gave chase along with others.

  All the Wolverines scrambled to get away. In the hoard that ran for the door, he lost Roger and that was enough for the archenemy to make a beeline for the forest.

  Keran stopped at the gate. He didn’t want to give chase, especially when he’d left Justin behind. He lifted his head and let out a loud howl. It was a signal for the rest of his pack to come back. He didn’t want to run after the Wolverines. In the forest, the fighting would become one on one and they wouldn’t be able to help each other.

  For now, it was enough that his son was safe. Soon, he would find the lot of them and wipe their existence from the face of the earth. Right now, they needed to concentrate on other matters. Keran shifted into his human form.

  The three wolves that guarded Justin did so too.

  His legs were hurting badly, but he wasn’t about to let a little pain stop him from doing something that he longed to do for a long time. Keran dropped to the floor and opened his arm. For a second time, his son ran towards him. Keran hugged his boy and buried his face in Justin’s hair. “You’re safe now,” he said.

  “I knew you would come for me.”

  “And I did. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again.” Of that, he would make sure. This war wasn’t over as yet. It wouldn’t come to an end until he’d figured out a suitable punishment for the wolves who tried to do the unthinkable. But for now, he was happy. There were lots more he had to do but Keran just felt glad that he’d found his son.

  Now they could go home.

  “We’ll find them again,” he said to Martin who came to stand beside him. “Thank you. You all did well but it’s time we let them go for the moment.”

  “They’ll come back.”

  “And we’ll be ready,” he promised. “And we’ll teach them a lesson they won’t ever forget.”