Submitting to Her Mate: Drake (Cowboy Wolf Series Book 3)

by BJ Wane

  He waited ten minutes after the last car pulled in and the young couple dashed inside before grabbing his tools and sneaking over to McCullough’s truck. If it proved as easy to break into as most vehicles, he could get in, snip a few wires connected to the steering column, and get out in a matter of minutes.

  Timing was everything on a job like this.

  ****

  Drake resisted the urge to stalk across the room and drag Roz off that damn mechanical bull after she toppled off for the fourth time in a row. Her careless abandonment as she hopped right back on after each tumble reminded him of the first night they’d met. She hid it behind her flirting and teasing, but he could tell how much his delay in talking about his issue bothered her. With the delivery of two newly rescued mustangs to deal with, and the forecast for snow that required bringing down the herds still too far from the barn storing the livestock’s winter rations sooner than they’d planned, the week had gotten away from him.

  Tonight, he’d wanted to take her to the grotto, tell her about his heritage, and if she seemed accepting, reveal his canine. Between her affinity for animals, including wild species and the irresistible connection of matehood, the odds of getting as positive a reaction as his brothers from their mates were in his favor.

  If he could just get the opportunity, which wouldn’t happen if he went all Dom on her to curb her reckless behavior. Roz loved his dominance during sex, and he relished her submission, but she wasn’t about to relinquish that feisty independence for anyone. That was just one of the things he was ready to admit loving about her.

  Gavin strolled down the bar and waved a hand in front of Drake’s face. “Earth to little brother. We have customers lined up.”

  He pulled his eyes off Roz to glare at Gavin. “She’ll be the death of me, and it will be your and Cody’s fault.”

  “How do you figure?” Gavin returned, nonplussed by the growled accusation.

  “You paved the way for my downfall, and you’re Alpha, so everything is your fault.”

  Unconcerned, Gavin leaned against the bar and folded his arms. “If it makes you feel better, go ahead and think that. In the meantime, leave her alone. She’s not hurting herself.”

  “Fine.” Reaching for two glasses, Drake started filling one from the beer tap, giving Gavin the evil eye. “But if she does end up hurt, guess who I’m coming after.”

  “You can try, little brother. It’s been a while since we’ve gone at it,” Gavin answered dryly before walking away.

  Roz wound her way toward the bar twenty minutes later, just as he’d gotten caught up on filling orders. Her red face shone with perspiration, her lips curling with pleasure as she worked to catch her breath. He doubted anyone else noticed the shadow in her bright eyes, the one he’d failed to erase in the weeks he’d known her. Once he found the culprit harassing her, he intended to ensure her ex in-laws left her alone, one way or another.

  “Here, you need water more than another beer.” He handed her the glass, and she emptied it without pausing.

  “Thanks.” After passing it across the bar, she nodded toward the hall and the restrooms. “I’ll be right back.”

  “As soon as the crowd scales down, we’ll head out.” He paused then added, “Is that okay with you?”

  Her face blossomed into one of those teasing smiles he loved. “That works.”

  ****

  The water helped Roz’s parched throat, but she was still uncomfortably warm after using the restroom. Of course, Drake’s announcement of leaving soon, followed by his hesitant inclusion of her in the decision, could account for some of her hot-and-bothered state. She needed to work on letting go of fretting over Patty’s intentions. Next week, she would make her last call to the care home to check on Dean. After that, she would work hard on setting aside everything that had happened between them that last, fateful day.

  Leaving the restroom, she glanced out the window next to the rear door and caught a glimpse of light snowflakes. She loved snow, and what better way to cool down than to dash around to the front of the building, the soft cold splashes hitting her face. Her sweater would keep her warm enough for the thirty seconds it would take her, and, without further thought, she slipped outside.

  Roz took off on a sprint and a laugh, dashing around the side of the log structure and heading toward the front doors before halting with an abruptness that stole her breath as much as the cold. Dread churned inside her as she eyed the stranger slinking out of the front of Drake’s truck carrying a small toolbox.

  “Hey!” The shout left her mouth before she could restrain it, anger and fear over what he was doing overruling caution.

  His head whipped up, eyes going wide as he spotted her. His lips moved, his expression turning hard with determination as he reached behind him and pulled out a gun. She froze in shock, her heart pounding fast enough to burst through her chest. He took a step toward her, the move galvanizing Roz into action, her intention to zip around to the back door since he was between her and the entrance.

  As she tore around the side, however, terror for those inside took precedence over getting herself to safety. No way would she be responsible for bringing harm to anyone else, especially those she cared for so much. Living with what she’d done to Dean was bad enough. Making a snap decision, she veered toward the woods, reaching into her jeans pocket for her phone.

  “Stop, God damn it!” her pursuer shouted, likely counting on the noisy interior of the club to drown out his voice.

  Breathing heavily from exertion and panic, she stumbled through the trees, grateful for the wind block as she fumbled to press Drake’s number. She kept moving as she put it to her ear and heard him answer. Gasping, she cut him off, whispering as loud as she dared. “Drake, he’s…he’s chasing me… in the woods. He’s armed, oh, God, he…he’s getting close.”

  “Roz! What the fuck…talk to me!”

  Roz left her phone on, shoving it in her pocket to concentrate on staying ahead of her pursuer. She came to a ravine, slid down on her butt, and landed with a jarring thud. Shaken, trembling from cold and fear-induced adrenaline, she lay there for a moment to catch her breath.

  ****

  “What’s wrong?” Cody gripped Drake’s arm, demanding an answer as Gavin rushed over.

  “Someone with a gun is chasing Roz in the woods. That’s all I know, need to know right now.” Yanking out of his brother’s grip, Drake raced down the hall and out the door, barely hearing Gavin’s deep voice shouting instructions to someone. He had no doubt they would both follow, hot on his tail.

  With his heart lodged in his throat, his worst nightmare sprang to life as a deep-rooted rage took hold. A long-suppressed wildness rose up inside him as he ran into the woods. This time, he refused to battle it. Damn the consequences—no one got away with hurting his mate.

  Frustration and fear for Roz’s safety brought him to a halt a few minutes later, and he wasted no more time restraining his wolf. Stripping, he converted and took off, relying now on the wolf’s keener senses to find her.

  “Drake, wait up!” Gavin yelled as soon as he and Cody caught up to him in time to watch his wolf take over. “Damn fool.” He snatched up his brother’s clothes, and took off after him. “Let’s move!” he snapped at Cody, his alarm now as much for Drake’s sanity as for Roz’s safety.

  ****

  Thrashing and heavy breathing accompanied the shrill cry of a nearby mountain lion, motivating Roz into struggling to her feet. She took off, unable to see through the dark, dense woods until she came out on top of a rise that ended in a steep drop to a rushing stream. The full moon offered some light, and, as her pursuer rushed out of the woods, she realized how dire her predicament was.

  They stared at each other, their gasping breaths escaping in white puffs, shivering as the sky spit snow that stung their faces.

  “Who…who are you?” she wheezed, shaking with cold and terror-induced nausea. “Why…what do you…want with me?”

  Shaking his h
ead, he glared at her as if she were the root of all evil. “Fuck, woman, you leave me no choice. None of my marks have seen my face. That has been my safety net, until you. You’ve left me no choice, regardless of what Lindstrom wants.”

  Roz jolted at hearing the name of Dean’s uncle. “Richard? You know my in-laws?” Had Patty’s hatred finally driven the woman insane enough to get her brother to hire this thug to harm her? “For God’s sake!” she cried out in exasperation and alarm. “Dean attacked me! Can’t she get that through her head?”

  The man shrugged, lifting the gun. “Don’t know, don’t care. The guy’s dead now, anyway, and you’re about to join him.”

  Before she could assimilate that news, or dive to dodge a bullet, the bushes rustled and a mouth-foaming, emaciated puma sprang from the forest, landing with a snarling cry on her assailant’s back. The man screamed, trying to dislodge the crazed animal, and Roz managed to hold the shock at bay to search for a rock or heavy branch. He might be a bad man, capable of killing her, but there was no way she could run away and leave another person to get mauled to death without trying to help.

  Spying a large rock, she reached for it, but another animal barreled out of the woods, stalling her hand as her eyes connected with the unmistakable, eerily familiar gaze of the same wolf that had visited her at the clinic. His lips curled, revealing a row of sharp, pointed teeth, his large head lowering as he took in the battle between human and cat. The man’s pitiful cries for help spurred Roz into picking up the rock, but, as she moved to get close enough to wield it, the wolf howled and leapt, his strong jaws clamping on the cat’s neck, his massive body bunching to lift the cat off the man.

  The cougar roared, twisting to break free of the wolf’s hold. Snarling and hissing, the cat sprang, and the two of them slammed together in a violent clash of wills that shook Roz to the core, her anxiety now for the wolf. Rushing forward, she kept hold of the rock, kicked aside the gun the man had released to fight off the cat, and stooped to check his injuries while keeping one eye on the animal fight.

  Gavin and Cody were the next to join them on the cliff, Roz sucking in a relieved breath at seeing them. “Can’t you do something?” she pleaded, nodding toward the grappling, growling animals. “There’s a gun. Use it.”

  Cody started to reach for it, but Gavin restrained him with a hand on his shoulder. Ignoring Roz, he said, “No, he needs to handle this alone.”

  “You griped every time he went after that cat alone,” Cody argued.

  “Yes, because he didn’t have backup. Now he does. This isn’t about the puma but about atoning for whatever went down in that cave.” He pointed toward Roz’s assailant. “He saved him, from the looks of it, the man intent on harming Roz.”

  Cody took in the bleeding man and nodded. “Let me see what I can do, Roz, before I haul his sorry ass down to the sheriff.”

  “Where…where’s Drake? How did you beat him here?” she asked, quaking inside as the wolf got the upper hand, flipped the cat, and pinned him to the ground with his jaws clamped on his neck.

  “We didn’t, but I think you’re about to discover that yourself.” Cody cut his gaze to the animals as he shrugged off his coat and handed it to Roz. Reaching under the dazed man’s jacket, he ripped off a piece of his shirt. “Hold still while I bandage this bite before you bleed to death. That wouldn’t bother me, but my brother is risking his life to save your sorry ass, so you better not fucking die.”

  “What?” Roz shook her head, not understanding Cody or Gavin. When he ignored her, she pushed to her feet and looked to Gavin, but his intent gaze never wavered from the wolf.

  With a last, pathetic snarl, the puma ceded the fight, taking its last, tortured breath before the wolf released him. Sides heaving as blood trickled from a few claw gouges and teeth scrapes, he rolled off his prey and looked toward her with a feral glow blazing in his eyes.

  Compelled to go to him by an unexplainable pull, she held out a shaking hand and inched forward. When she got close enough without Gavin or Cody trying to stop her to notice his eyes were the exact same rare, blue-green color as Drake’s, suspicious confusion gripped her abdomen.

  “What’s going on?” She directed the question at the wolf who nudged her hand, the swipe of his tongue eliciting those telling tingles Drake’s touch usually produced.

  The wolf’s shoulders seemed to slump then his body twisted, changing shape as skin replaced fur and limbs contorted into thickly muscled human arms and legs. With a cry of stunned awe and concern, Roz dropped to her knees to touch a gaping, bleeding wound now showing on Drake’s side instead of the wolf’s.

  “You…you did not just change from a wolf,” she insisted then whipped her head around, noticing for the first time the clothes Gavin held as the pieces fell into place. Cody and her assailant were gone, and Gavin was left eyeing her with calm assurance that helped settle her nerves. “You know. Wait…can you and Cody…is this the secret everyone’s been aware of except me?”

  Gavin nodded, and Drake reached out to clasp her hand. His familiar grip was all it took to erase her doubt, his injuries forcing the questions filling her head to wait.

  “Are you all right, baby?” Drake rasped, struggling to his feet and pulling her against him.

  She could feel him shaking even through Cody’s thick coat. “You’re freezing and hurt, and you’re asking about me. If I were sane right now, I would tell you how much I love you.”

  Drake chuckled, taking his clothes from Gavin with a nod of gratitude. “You’re as sane as I am, I’m happy to say, Roz.”

  “Come on. Get dressed, and I’ll help you back. I think we can handle your wounds, but you’ll have to get tested for rabies,” Gavin said.

  “Oh, fun.” Drake dressed, spared a last glance at the puma, who, in the end, had been his salvation, then wrapped his arm around Roz. With Gavin supporting him, they started their return as he began explaining. “Last century, two of our great, great uncles…”

  ****

  “His name is Rodney Malcom, and he’s a two-bit thug for hire. As it turns out, he’s a lot smarter than Richard Lindstrom gave him credit for.” Gavin handed over the report to Drake and Roz.

  Seated in Cody’s den with Scruffy curled at her feet, Roz glanced at the papers then around the room at Drake’s family, her circle of support during the last forty-eight hours of revelations. Not just with learning the man who had threatened her was sent by Patty and Ricky, and that Dean was dead, but with helping her understand and cope with the knowledge of the McCullough’s shifter heritage. She could wrap her head around her ex in-laws illegal, immoral actions easier than Drake’s ability to change into a wolf.

  And yet, even with that image in her head, when she looked at him, her pulse still galloped like a herd of wild horses, and a need that was never appeased for long stirred to tingling life. Who cared if he was part animal? Her career choice had been based on her love of animals and her affinity with all species.

  “What do you mean?” Drake asked. “Have they arrested Roz’s in-laws or not?”

  Lips quirking at his impatience, she squeezed his rock-hard thigh. “Ex in-laws.”

  Gavin nodded. “After Rodney secured a promise for a reduced sentence, he turned over recordings of his dealing with Lindstrom going back ten years. The guy’s toast, and so is Patricia Cunningham as an accessory. You won’t have to testify, Roz. I got them to agree to a signed affidavit.”

  “Thank God. I don’t ever want to see either of them again. What about Malcom? He was there the other night when Drake…” She waved a hand, still wrestling with how to phrase their special capability.

  Cody answered from the other sofa, where he sat with Olivia on his lap. “I left with him before Drake shifted. All he saw was a wolf attacking the puma. He was so grateful to escape a lethal bite from the cat, he never asked the outcome.”

  “Small blessings. We’ll take them.” Aislyn leaned against Gavin with a comforting look toward Roz.

  “Speaki
ng of bites, Drake, I need to administer another rabies shot after dinner, before you take off.”

  Olivia’s job as nurse at the Brooksville Health Clinic, working for the doctor who had treated the McCullough offspring since childhood, had come in handy the other night. Some of Drake’s injuries might have raised too many questions if he’d gone to a clinic or hospital.

  “I’ll be glad when those are over. Speaking of dinner, all this good news has made me even hungrier.” Standing, he tugged Roz up next to him, sending her a heated look meant to convey his hunger wasn’t limited to food.

  As usual, despite everything thrown at her the last two days, she reacted with one of her flirty grins, lust dilating her eyes as she said, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a wolf.”

  Laughter followed them into the dining room, where Cody had set out his prepared feast.

  EPILOGUE

  Two weeks later

  The light snow covering the ground crunched under the tires as Drake drove out to the secluded grotto and hot springs on their property. He glanced at Roz seated next to him, and could all but hear her humming with the excitement shining on her face. She’d accepted his wolf as easily as Aislyn and Olivia, bombarding him with questions day in and day out until the only way to get her to stop was to rob her of air with an orgasm.

  He’d endured worse tasks.

  “What’s that smirk for?”

  Pulling to a stop along the tree line hiding the springs, he reached behind him to grab the large blanket and towels. “You, and your never-ending eagerness for sex. I love that about you, Roz.”

  “That’s good since you’re responsible for unleashing my inner slut.”

  Coming around the truck, he helped her out and led her to the path bisecting the woods. He’d discovered a wealth of things to admire about her since they met; the one that topped the list was when she’d said the words “I love you” after hearing his full confession about what had gone down during his escape. No hesitation after he’d admitted he could have pulled his wolf off his captors after they were down, only a smile of understanding and a clear-eyed look lacking an ounce of condemnation.