Her Winter Wolves

by Milly Taiden

  Grace blinked. Adam’s words were a simple declaration. Two simple words spoken as if she should know what they mean. “Shifters…like from the movie Underworld?”

  “Not exactly, but yeah.” He nodded.

  “Werewolves.” A grin split her lips and she burst out laughing. “C’mon, Adam. Is this the put-on part of the trip?”

  His face sobered and an angry slash crossed his eyes. “You can laugh, but you know I’m right. We’re not werewolves, Gracie. At least not the way Hollywood likes to depict. We’re dual-natured and that means we possess both human and animal souls. They coexist within us, and yes, the moon plays a part in that, but not the way fiction describes.”

  “C’mon, Adam, game over. If this eerie ride complete with shadows and creepy sky was to pull off your little prank, consider it played.”

  “Grace, I can smell your unease and it’s not because of any prank. You’re uncomfortable because you know deep down I’m right. You’ve always felt as if you were different, and you are. You feel the moon’s pull on your body, Gracie. You have since you hit puberty. I saw your father walk you in from the cold as you stood in your nightgown staring at the full orb, your body shaking.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You know about that?”

  “Your mother, God rest her soul, was a shifter.” He nodded. “She kept it secret from your father until you were born. She meant to teach you about our ways, but she died just as you were coming into your own. When Oliver called, I was sent to watch over you. To keep you safe and when the time was right, tell you about your mother’s pack and your lineage.”

  Trembling, she lifted a hand to her mouth. “No, everything I sense, everything I seem to know. There has to be a rational explanation.” She shook her head.

  “There are things in this world that are beyond the realm of science, Grace, but that doesn’t make them…or us, any less real or any less explainable. We try hard to keep our dual nature secret, while at the same time assimilating into everyday life.”

  Not knowing what to say, she could only stare at the waxing moon behind the clouds. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” She turned to look at him.

  “I wanted to, but Oliver forbade it. He was hell-bent on you having a normal life. Of course, a year later, Margot was in the picture, and you had enough on your hands dealing with her.” Adam snorted. “So much for a normal life. Rather than risk telling you the truth, he looked the other way while Margot made your life miserable.”

  Grace’s voice cracked. “Dad did the best he could for me.”

  “Yes, but for someone like me to watch you doubt yourself and wonder if you were crazy, it was hard to abide by your father’s wishes. Then you graduated from high school and went away to college. I thought for sure you’d come into your own at some point then, but—” he shook his head. “After that, you went straight to France.”

  Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked them away. “I know I should be cowering in a corner waiting for the men in white coats, but the truth is, you’re right. I’ve always known I was different. I did my best to squelch it, but now—” She looked at him. “This cabin we’re headed to, you said it was your family’s place? Is it where my mother grew up?”

  He nodded. “Our pack is large and diverse. The cabin is at the center of our land, but it’s also the heart of our clan.”

  “Are you the—” she struggled for the word, “the leader?”

  He grinned. “You mean our alpha?”

  “Yes. The Big Kahuna.”

  “Grace, we’re a wolf pack, not a cheesy Elvis movie, but no, I’m not our alpha. Our alpha’s name is Zach Cassidy. I am the pack’s omega. Together, Zach and I represent the beginning and end of our ways, and together we are charged with keeping our secrets and traditions. Zach and I make up two thirds of a triad. The only missing piece for us is our mate.”

  “Don’t you mean mates? Plural?” she asked.

  Adam shook his head. “No. In our tradition, the alpha and the omega form a bond, not only with each other, but with a single mate. A woman meant to share their love, their bed, and their world. Hence a triad.”

  “So, you’re into threesomes? I wonder what the girls at Snow would say. I bet there would be more than a few willing to apply for the position—” she winked. “Or positions.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Well, at least you’re not freaking out on me. There’s so much you don’t understand. I’m hoping this weekend will help you come to grips with who you are.” He slid his hand to her cheek. “Who you are meant to be.”

  Grace ignored the tingle of his hand on her skin. “I’m not into kinky, Adam. Thanks anyway. Having the hots for you is one thing, but two on one?” She shook her head.

  “Grace—”

  She shook her head even more. “I may not have run screaming from the car, but that doesn’t mean I’m not having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact my mother was a supernatural entity, and that I may be as well.” Her eyes found his and her lips parted, but she snapped them shut again.

  “What?” he prompted. “There have been too many secrets for too long, Grace. If you have questions, ask. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

  She eyed him. “If this weekend is all about my shifter awakening, then why did you tell me it was for my safety? Am I really in some sort of danger?”

  “Believe me. Telling you we had to leave when we did was not some sort of stunt. You are in danger, and I refuse to let anyone harm you or intimidate me, but there’s more to it than that. I know you want me, Grace. Every time we’re together, your scent is saturated with unspoken desire. Even now, I taste your arousal on the back of my tongue, and it makes me want to bury my face in your pussy and taste you. So, taking you north was the only way I knew to help you understand.”

  “You want me?” she asked, stunned.

  He angled his head. “Couldn’t you sense it? Why do you think I stayed away from other women? You’re the one, Gracie, but there are rules I must follow. So, I have to wait.”

  “Why?” she asked. “If this is consensual, then why can’t we act on it?”

  “Because, there’s more involved when you’re a member of the triad.”

  She inhaled, and for the first time, allowed her senses to open to the emotions swirling in the scents hitting her nose. Adam wanted her, that much was clear, but there was something underlying that primal desire. It was a sense of foreboding, and the depth of it was something she couldn’t dismiss.

  Was it the threat hanging over her or was it something else? Adam said she could ask anything, but she knew now was not the time. She looked at him.

  “Uhm,” she began. “Maybe we should get moving. Shifters or not, I don’t think either of us wants to spend the night trapped in a snow drift in the middle of nowhere.”

  5

  “Are we nearly there? I have to pee,” Grace said, crossing her legs. It was bad enough her crotch was damp and slick from Adam’s skilled hands, but now she had to go to the bathroom, and didn’t relish the idea of squatting beside the car in the snow.

  “The cabin is the next turn off ahead and then about a mile or so down the road. Think you can hold it?” he asked with a chuckle.

  She smirked at him. “Ha. Ha. Tell me one thing. Does this cabin of yours have indoor plumbing?”

  “Seriously?” He looked at her.

  Grace shrugged. “I lost all sense of direction hours ago. Except for my crash course in life as a shifter a few miles back, we’ve been driving nonstop for hours. We could be in Canada for all I know.”

  “Crash course, huh.” He grinned. “Just wait until you shift for the first time.”

  “You seem very optimistic about that,” she murmured.

  He shrugged. “To be honest, I’m not sure, but it’s in your blood, so time will tell.”

  “Just because I stare at the moon and can sense when someone’s got a hard-on for me doesn’t mean I’m ready to drop to all fours.” She grinned. “Unless, of course, y
ou’ve changed your mind about making this thing between us a duo instead of a trio? Then it’s all fours…two knees…I’m game.”

  “Grace, please.”

  She smirked. “You’re thinking about it, though. Aren’t you?” She inhaled. “Mmmm…you’re more than thinking, Adam. You’re so hard, you could cut diamonds right now.”

  “I’ve created a monster.”

  She couldn’t stop the grin on her face, especially since his gray eyes were dark with want. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Which one? I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  “So, no bathroom, then?”

  Adam snorted. “Like a dog with a bone. Yes, Grace, the cabin has indoor plumbing.”

  “Hey, no hating on our peeps.” She sniffed. “The more wags, the merrier.”

  He slid his eyes to her and flashed a crooked grin. “I’m counting on that.”

  “Ugh, Adam. Enough with the threesome hints.”

  The house came into view almost out of nowhere, a large log cabin structure with gorgeous windows and a wide wraparound porch. Grace sat up straight, her mouth falling open.

  “Oh my God!”

  “Don’t look so stunned, Grace. What did you expect?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know, but certainly nothing like this. This isn’t a cabin. It’s a vacation lodge!”

  “Cabin. Lodge. The premise is the same, just bigger. I built this with my brothers and the rest of my pack,” he said, pulling the four-wheel drive in and around the circular gravel drive.

  Grace nodded and then stopped, turning to look at him. “Pack?” She exhaled, shaking her head. “This is too surreal. Next you’ll be telling me you all howl at the moon as a group.”

  He grinned. “Only on special occasions.”

  With a wink, he got out of the car as she moved to open the passenger door and step onto the driveway. The snow and rocks crunched under Adam’s feet walking around to the trunk for their bags. He left the car running and the headlights pointed toward the house to light the way.

  “Motion sensor lights might be an investment you want to make. It’s as dark as pitch out here, not to mention snow drifts as high as an SUV. How the hell do you see where you’re going at night?” She rubbed her arms before shoving them through the sleeves of her jacket. “Jesus! It’s like the tundra up here.”

  Adam reached into the trunk and took out a ski coat. “I anticipated as much, so I grabbed this from your hall closet before we left.”

  “Where are we, anyway? I mean, you’ve practically given me the club’s secret handshake, so I assume you can tell me where here is, exactly.” She took the coat from his hand and reached into the sleeve for the hat, gloves, and scarf she tucked away at the end of last season.

  “We’re near the Canadian border. Way off the beaten path.”

  She looked at him. “So basically, off the grid.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. We have electricity, but no cell phone coverage.”

  She looked around at the thick, dark woods. “And no police or nearby hospitals, from what I gather.”

  “We’re a wolf pack, Grace. You won’t have any need for police protection around here, so stop worrying. That’s my job.”

  He tossed her the car keys and then carried the bags to the foot of the porch stairs. “I’ll open the house and snap on the security lights. Turn off the car and make sure you shut off the headlights. Batteries drain quickly in this kind of cold.”

  She stood freezing with her breath puffing out in white clouds. Movement on the periphery caught her eye and she spun toward the woods. Nothing there. Or, at least, nothing now.

  Wind gusts swirled the light snow in soft billows and her hair whipped across her face. She shoved her hair back when a low growl jerked her head toward the trees again.

  “Adam?” she called. What was keeping him with the lights?

  Another growl and she backed up a step, her hand reaching for the car door. “Adam!” she yelled.

  A group of wolves padded from the darkness, their paws silent in the new snow. Heads down, they stalked forward almost in formation, as if assessing her for weaknesses. An immense black wolf was at their center, with the others flanking his sides.

  “ADAM!” she shouted again, panic rising in her voice.

  The flood lights snapped on and he walked out onto the porch. The wolves moved in closer and she fumbled for the car door handle. “Do…do something!”

  “And what would you have me do?” A crooked smirk took his lips as he walked down the stairs.

  Too scared to take her eyes off the wolves, she swallowed against the panic in her chest. “Sh…shoo them away! Growl back or something. Just make them leave!”

  With a grin, he stood on the bottom step and waved one hand toward the largest wolf. “You heard the lady, Zach, now shoo!”

  “This is so not funny!” she ground out.

  Adam stifled another laugh, this time earning a nasty look. “Sorry, love, but it seems they don’t want to leave.” Crunching across the snow, he stopped at the line of wolves to flank the alpha with the others. “They live here, too.”

  Her eyes flew to his and then to the large black wolf at the center of the line. “Are they—” She swallowed, not finishing her sentence.

  “Yes, Grace. They’re your welcoming committee. Welcome home, Ms. Snow.”

  She couldn’t drag her eyes from the huge dark wolf. As if her stare was some sort of invitation, he padded forward. The creature stood even with her chest, and she steeled herself not to flinch when he lowered his snout to sniff her private parts.

  Closing her eyes, she hid her cringe, but Adam’s chuckle snapped her lids open. “Enjoying yourself?” she said, eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

  “Zach is particular about lodge guests.” He shrugged. “Even ones who share our lineage. He’s just checking your credentials.” The large alpha chuffed, and the sound was definitely the wolfy equivalent of a laugh.

  “What? My driver’s license not good enough for your lot?” She glowered at Zach despite his menacing wolf form. “I get the shifter thing, but c’mon! Human manners count, too, you know.” Sparing a glance for Adam, she hesitated. “Wait, he doesn’t expect me to sniff him back?”

  Adam laughed out loud, no stifle this time. “Of course not, but if he rolls over you could always give his belly a scratch.” Zach chuffed even louder at that, and a few yips from the others pierced the night.

  Grace exhaled an annoyed breath. Six hours of driving only to show up to be the evening’s comic relief. “Fine,” she said, slapping the car keys against Adam’s stomach as she passed. “Yuck it up all you want. It’s cold. I’m tired. And I’m going in the house. You ankle biters can stay out here and pee on trees or whatever it is you do.”

  She stormed toward the stairs, leaving them in the snow. The front door closed with a bang and Adam looked at his brothers. “Well, so much for a welcome home.”

  The alpha lifted his head with a low rumble and Adam nodded. “Agreed. Better to have her angry and curious than fearful and suspicious.” With a low bark, the large wolf turned with the others toward the trees, disappearing into the shadows.

  Adam turned off the car and then headed into the house. Let the games begin.

  6

  The door slammed behind her and Grace stood in the foyer, annoyed. Welcome party, indeed. She dragged in a couple breaths to regain her self-control. Adam had a lot to answer for and this time she’d be the one calling the shots.

  With a sigh, she looked around the house. The inside was spacious, but still carried a cozy feel because of the furniture and décor. The place was rustic, but very comfortable, and someone knew ahead of time they were coming. She snorted. One guess who.

  The fireplace caught her eye immediately and she walked into the living room. Smooth river rocks covered the wall above the stone mantel to the ceiling, and the hearth itself was big enough for a man to stand in. There was no question it was the centerpiec
e of the house, and with the way the fire roared in the grate, it was easy to imagine cuddling up around its warmth on a winter’s night.

  Like tonight.

  Alone with Adam.

  Grace made a face. Not with six other wolves skulking around. “Welcome home, Ms. Snow,” she mimicked. “Oh, and by the way, we’re a wolf pack and you’re our designated star.” She pressed her hands together feigning a simpering smile. “Oh, thank you! It’s a fairy tale come true—and with two Prince Charmings for the price of one!” She muttered. “Fairy tale? More like Snow White and her seven mutts.”

  “Are you hungry?” Adam asked, interrupting her quiet grumble. “I had the fridge stocked. The pantry as well.”

  Lips pursed, she raised an eyebrow. “Trying to make nice, now?” She leaned against one of the living room couches and crossed her arms. “And with food, no less. Well, who am I to say no to a peace offering.” She pushed herself from the edge of the sofa and lifted a hand. “Besides, do I look like someone who has to be asked if they want to eat?” Her same hand swept her full frame.

  Adam’s eyes drifted slow and sexy, traveling the length of her full curves and back again. “You’re beautiful, Gracie. Striking. That’s the perfect word, because you struck me like a lightning bolt from the moment I first saw you. I knew then you were the one.”

  “The one? For what?” she asked. “To run the company? To take over?”

  He shook his head. “To complete my destiny.”

  Adam’s words were romantic and just a tad cheesy, but there it was again. The triad.

  “You keep dangling this threesome thing like it’s something I should be panting for, Adam. Don’t you think I should meet Zach before you give me the hard sell?”

  “You just met him,” he replied.

  She crossed her arms again. “Yeah, but I’d prefer to meet him in the flesh rather than the fur, and preferably without the howling entourage.”

  Lips twitching, he nodded slowly. “I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, there’s fried chicken and all the fixings, plus potato salad and sandwiches. Bakery fresh bread and muffins and of course, wine.” He motioned toward the kitchen behind him. “We could set out a spread by the fire and eat there. I promised you we’d talk, so why not make it cozy?”