by T. S. Joyce
Too many.
Way too many.
They were just standing there, watching Kade war with the massive wolf. Near the truck, Leah and Bailey limped up, fur matted with crimson, heads lowered as they’re eyes stayed trained on Kade’s fight, too.
So many wolves.
She only had four shells left. The single empty shell smoked as it flipped from the open shotgun and fell to the ground.
And just as it touched the pine needle blanket of the forest floor, silence descended onto the woods. Trina jerked her attention to Kade, but he wasn’t looking at her. Laying on his belly, he had the neck of Darius Wulfe in his teeth as he watched a black speckled wolf slink away. The Alpha didn’t move. Beside Trina, Baily leaned heavily onto the side of the truck and stared at nothing. Poor Bailey. Tough Bailey. It didn’t matter if her ex-step-father was better off dead. Darius had been the only father she’d known.
There had to be thirty wolves here, watching, waiting for some signal to attack, but it didn’t come.
One of the wolves lifted its nose into the air and gave a long, steady howl.
Kade released the limp Alpha. He was bigger than any wolf here, but he wasn’t the Kade she’d known before. He was in control, steady, and wasn’t savagely tearing through every last Clan member just to sate bloodlust. He let off an answering howl that rose and rose.
The wolves lowered their heads and stalked forward, but their paws against the dry leaves weren’t the only sounds of the woods anymore.
“Caw, caw, caw, caw!”
“Caw, caw, caw!”
The flapping of wings replaced Kade’s howl. When he took a breath and howled again, Trina went to stand beside him. Fog was creeping through the early morning woods, setting a haze to everything.
Every muscle in her body shook from adrenaline dumps and crashes. Her arm was drip—drip—dripping into the dry leaves as she held the lowered shotgun in front of her, aimed at the ground but ready to lift the nose the second the wolves attacked. The branches of the trees around them sagged with the weight of massive crows. Red Dead Mayhem was here. Rike had brought help. In the distance, a bear roared. It was so loud it vibrated the ground under Trina’s feet. Another bear answered, and then another. A panther screamed. Kurt must be here with the Two Claws Clan.
Relief washed through her, and the gun sagged in her hands. “If you attack, you’ll all die,” she yelled into the woods, her words echoing. “And for what? The Alpha of the Wulfe Clan is dead. I’m tired. We’re all tired. There’s been enough death and bloodshed in this territory. These woods were a sanctuary, and now they’ll be haunted with the ghosts of your Clans. And again…for what? So you can get revenge? So you can have more territory? So you can have the town? Every Clan here has managed to set up alliances and band together…except for the wolves. Your treachery backfired.” Trina inhaled deeply and blew out a breath. “You have two options. You can leave now, leave the territory, and never come back, or you can all die.”
Out of the woods behind them lumbered two enormous grizzlies, a mountain lion, and two polar bears. Two Claws were here.
The wolves were tucking their tails. “This territory belongs to us,” she called out, resting her hand on Kade’s back as he snarled at the intruders. “You aren’t welcome in these woods. This town. This county. This is your eviction notice, assholes.”
And as Kade made his way toward them, lips peeled back, the darker gray fur along his spine all spiked up, his ears flattened, and that terrifying growl she’d grown to love rattling his throat…the wolves slunk away and disappeared into the fog.
Seconds drifted by, and still, the wolves retreated. Exhaling, Trina sank down to her knees on the edge of the road. She was exhausted, and her arm hurt so bad. She clutched it to her stomach as if that would make it any better. Her skin was speckled with the blood of those wolves who had failed to kill her.
“Cooper’s okay,” Rike said from behind the truck. He’d Changed into his human form and was staring at a cell phone. “Ramsey sent Kasey and a couple of the guys to get him. They’re bringing him back to the Red Dead Mayhem clubhouse to fix him up now, but he’s fine. Already bitchin’ about bein’ hungry for steak and eggs.”
Trina huffed a laugh. “Of course, he is.”
Her friends looked bloodied and beaten, but they were still here, still upright. And Kade—her Kade—he was looking back over his shoulder with steady silver eyes that swam with pride and relief. And sanity.
They were okay.
He turned and made his way back to her, limping deeply. He searched her face, for what, she didn’t know. “I’m okay,” she whispered. “More than okay.”
Why? Because she hadn’t lost her people like she feared she would. Dad was okay, Kade was okay. Her friends who had become family were okay.
Two Claws, Red Dead Mayhem, The New Darby Clan, the Blackwood Crows. Four Clans of shifters had come together to help Kade. To help her. She’d always felt on the outside, too afraid to really give her heart to people she cared about, too afraid to lose them, but she’d stunted her life that way. Loss happened. But she owed it to herself and to Kade to have enough faith in her people to open up to them. If she hadn’t done that, she wouldn’t be sitting here in the middle of monsters, cupping the face of her ferocious and loving mate, absorbing the very first moment of her life when she felt she really and truly belonged.
Epilogue
Leah opened the door to Kade’s bedroom, and smiled brightly at Trina. “Hey, little antisocial butterfly. You okay?”
Trina wiped her cheeks really fast and composed her face, then nodded. “I’m great.”
Leah frowned and came to sit next to her on the bed. “You don’t have to cut him, Trin.”
“Oh, goodness, that’s not the reason for the tears. I can’t wait to belong to Kade.” Her eyes were filling again, but they were happy tears. They leaked a lot lately. There had been so many changes in her life, all for the better, and all because of Kade. Like this. Leah was holding her hand, searching her face with those silver wolf-eyes, worry written all over every feature. Kade had given her Leah. And Ethan, Rike, and…and… Trina swallowed hard and pressed her hands on her flat belly.
Big changes were still to come.
She stood, smoothed the wrinkles from her white, lacy sundress, slipped her feet into a pair of worn cowgirl boots, and grabbed the small gift bag. It bumped against her leg with every step she took toward the front of Leah’s house. Every step she took toward her mate.
The sun was so bright as she stepped out onto the porch. She winced and held her hand up to shield the glare, and when she opened her eyes again, he was there, standing in the middle of their family and friends.
All four ally Clans and his parents. Barbecue and beer. That was what he’d wanted for today.
It was perfect.
He was talking to Ethan and Rike, dressed in a white Harley T-shirt that clung to the curves of his muscles just right.
Perfect.
He laughed so easy, head thrown back, eyes on Rike, bright white smile stunning her into stillness. She breathed for that smile on him. He used to be the keeper of so few smiles, and now look at him. Happy. Healthy. All those years of fighting…of never giving up…of never fully giving into an out of control wolf, and look where he landed. Look how he ended up.
Perfect.
A flyaway lock of hair came out of her loosely pinned updo and fell into her face. As she moved to tuck it behind her ear, Kade’s attention snapped right to her. The smile on his face fell slightly when he dragged his gaze down her body and back up.
Wow, he mouthed. You look perfect.
Her belly filled with butterflies.
Perfect.
Dad was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He held an arm out formally. His blue eyes were rimmed with tears, and the corners were wrinkled with his emotional smile.
“Hey sweetie,” he murmured.
“Hey, Dad.”
He patted her hand as she
slipped it in the crook of his arm.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“Remember when I was a kid, and you talked about what kind of man I deserved? And you told me not to pick a weak man?”
His smile got so wide. “I remember.” He jerked his head toward Kade. “And you listened. For once.”
She laughed thickly and rested her forehead on his shoulder for a second before she let him take her to Kade. His mom and dad were standing near him. It was his dad who stepped forward. “Welcome to the family, Trina,” he murmured, wiping his eyes behind his sunglasses. He offered her a knife. She recognized the handle. It looked like the ones Kade had gifted her those weeks ago. This time, the wolf and the mountain lion were right beside each other on the handle.
We are not separate.
Perfect.
Her dad handed Kade a matching one and shook his hand. Trina lifted her chin and looked her mate right in his striking silver eyes.
Kade shook his head slowly and stared at her like she was the moon and the stars. “I can’t believe you’re mine, Trina. You told me something once that changed the entire way I saw myself. You said, ‘You aren’t crazy.’ And that faith in me made me work harder to be a man you deserved. A better man. I am a little crazy, though, Trina Luna Chapman. I’m crazy about you. You came in and turned everything I knew upside down. I was doing so much wrong before I met you, and you were the first thing I ever really got right. Pretty girl, I love you now, and I’ll love you for always. You’ll never have to question if you’re safe because you have the protection of my body. You’ll never have to question if your heart is protected because you have my soul.” Kade brushed his knuckle gently across her cheek and tucked the flyaway curl behind her ear again. “I can’t imagine a single moment without you, and I’m honored to be your choice.”
Perfect.
Trina was trying so hard to keep it together, but there were sniffles in the crowd and Leah was losing it fairly loudly. She held out her hand, and he cut it. It hurt, but it was a sting that was temporary, and this scar, the same scar so many shifters had been giving for generations, would be a reminder of his love.
Trina blew out a steadying breath and cut his hand, linked their fingers, and then pressed her palm to his. She looked up into his eyes and said, “When I was thinking about today, I wanted to bind us in every way I could. You give me purpose. You make me feel safe and secure, and I never question if I’m loved because you are there reminding me every day. I thought a match for me didn’t exist, and then you came and showed me it’s okay to let people in. I asked your brothers what crows do for ceremonies like this. I know you aren’t a crow, but they’ve called you their brother over and over the last couple months, so it feels fitting. Ethan said crows give each other gifts when they choose each other. You’ve been giving me gifts this whole time, probably more gifts than you even realize.” She released his hand and offered him the small white gift bag.
He canted his head, and his dark brow furrowed slightly. “What’s this?” he asked pulling the tissue paper out of it.
Trina pursed her lips against her overwhelming emotions as he reached for the wooden carvings in the bottom. They had little magnets on them so they were all stuck together.
We are not separate.
He dropped the empty bag and turned the figurines in his hands. “There’s three,” he murmured in confusion. “Wolf…mountain lion…” Kade pulled the wolf pup from the side of the mountain lion and held it up with a questioning look.
“I don’t know if our baby will be a wolf or a mountain lion, so I just took a guess. There is the reason I haven’t been able to Change.”
Kade’s eyes went wide, and he looked back at the little family of carvings. Carefully, he placed the wolf pup back on the mountain lion, then jerked his attention to her again. His chest heaving, he dropped to his knees. “Trin, are you serious?” he asked, gripping her hips. “You gotta baby? My baby?”
She would lose it if she said a single word, so she nodded her head instead and clasped her uncut hand over her mouth as twin tears streaked down her cheeks.
He stared at her tummy and shook his head slowly back and forth, back and forth. “I never thought… I never thought I was going to be worthy of…”
“You’re going to be”—her breath hitched—“great at this.”
Kade slid his hands around her back and pulled her tight against him, resting his ear on her stomach. As she ran her fingers through his hair, she committed this exact moment to memory.
The family that was crying happy tears for them. The friends who had shown up just to watch them bind their lives together. The little miracle in her belly. The gift Kade had given her without even realizing how important it would be for them and their future. The wolves were gone, the alliances between her friends were concrete, and this right here was the moment that changed an entire life.
This was a moment she wanted to remember for always.
Because even with the uncertainty of life as a shifter, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she and Kade were at the very beginning of their story. And it was going to be a beautiful one.
We are not separate. From this day forward, she and Kade would never be separate again.
And everything was perfect.
Up Next from T. S. Joyce
Surprise Announcement:
We’re going back home to Damon’s Mountains for T. S. Joyce’s new Daughters of Beasts series.
Novak Grizzly
Coming September 2018
For More of these Characters
These characters can also be found in the Outlaw Shifters Series.
Entire Series, Available Now
For the Love of an Outlaw (Book 1)
A Very Outlaw Christmas (Book 2)
For the Heart of an Outlaw (Book 3)
For the Heart of the Warmaker (Book 4)
For the Soul of an Outlaw (Book 5)
New Release Newsletter Sign-Up
For new releases, exclusive sneak peeks, and giveaways, sign up for T. S. Joyce’s Bear Shifter Romance Newsletter HERE.
More Series by T. S. Joyce
Sons of Beasts
Son of the Cursed Bear (Book 1)
Son of Kong (Book 2)
Son of the Dragon (Book 3)
Red Havoc Panthers
Red Havoc Rogue (Book 1)
Red Havoc Rebel (Book 2)
Red Havoc Bad Cat (Book 3)
Red Havoc Guardian (Book 4)
Red Havoc Bad Bear (Book 5)
Harper’s Mountains
Bloodrunner Dragon (Book 1)
Bloodrunner Bear (Book 2)
Air Ryder (Book 3)
Novak Raven (Book 4)
Blackwing Dragon (Book 5)
Kane’s Mountains
Blackwing Defender (Book 1)
Blackwing Wolf (Book 2)
Blackwing Beast (Book 3)
Bears Fur Hire
Husband Fur Hire (Book 1)
Bear Fur Hire (Book 2)
Mate Fur Hire (Book 3)
Wolf Fur Hire (Book 4)
Dawson Fur Hire (Book 5)
Chance Fur Hire (Book 6)
Saw Bears
Lumberjack Werebear (Book 1)
Woodcutter Werebear (Book 2)
Timberman Werebear (Book 3)
Sawman Werebear (Book 4)
Axman Werebear (Book 5)
Woodsman Werebear (Book 6)
Lumberman Werebear (Book 7)
Fire Bears
Bear My Soul (Book 1)
Bear the Burn (Book 2)
Bear the Heat (Book 3)
Gray Back Bears
Gray Back Bad Bear (Book 1)
Gray Back Alpha Bear (Book 2)
Gray Back Ghost Bear (Book 3)
Gray Back Broken Bear (Book 4)
Lowlander Silverback (Book 5)
Last Immortal Dragon (Book 6)
Boarlander Bears
Boarlander Boss Bear (Book 1)
Boarlander Bash Bear (Book 2)
Boarlander Silverback (Book 3)
Boarlander Beast Boar (Book 4)
Boarlander Cursed Bear (Book 5)
About the Author
T.S. Joyce is devoted to bringing hot shifter romances to readers. Hungry alpha males are her calling card, and the wilder the men, the more she'll make them pour their hearts out. She lives in a tiny town, outside of a tiny city, and devotes her life to writing big stories. Foodie, bear whisperer, ninja, thief of tiny bottles of awesome smelling hotel shampoo, nap connoisseur, movie fanatic, and zombie slayer, and most of this bio is true.
Bear Shifters? Check
Smoldering Alpha Hotness? Double Check
Sexy Scenes? Fasten up your girdles, ladies and gents, it’s gonna to be a wild ride.
For more information about T. S. Joyce and her work, visit her website here.