by Anya Nowlan
Cooper looked at Argo as he spoke those words and Claire put one hand on top of Cooper’s on her thigh. She gnawed on her lower lip, thoughts thrashing around in her head so fast that she was having trouble keeping up with all the convoluted options.
In her heart of hearts, she knew she could never leave these two men. They hadn’t known each other for very long and she was sure there was plenty of surprising things she would learn about both Argo and Cooper, but somehow, none of it seemed to matter. What was important was that she was there. With them. Fighting for their future. She didn’t have a wolf in her to tell her that her choice was the right one, but she knew even without one that the love here was true.
Quietly, she slipped her other hand into Argo’s palm and squeezed it, making him look at her. Those big blue eyes of his were filled with apprehension and she could almost see the way his heart was banging out of his chest.
“Is this what you feel we must do for our future?” Claire asked, not at all surprised that she chose the word “we” over “you.”
“Yes,” Argo replied immediately. “My destiny was to find both of you. And my destiny is to unite my pack again. That’s the only way it could be.”
“Then it’s settled. We’re in this together. You just have to tell me about things like this. If this is going to work out, we have to share with one another. Everything. Good and bad.”
Argo’s face lit up and Cooper chuckled, leaning in and kissing Claire on the cheek sloppily. She giggled as Argo slid down the armrest and pulled her into his lap, his strong arms encircling her.
“I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” Argo whispered to Claire.
“And I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” Cooper shot at Argo, getting a grin in return.
For the umpteenth time that week, Claire Delane had to wonder what in tarnation had she gotten herself into. And why was she enjoying it so much!
She knew things were far from being set in stone between her and her wolves, so she made a pact with herself. If she could see them through this kind of trouble and still be sure that she wanted both Cooper and Argo in her life, she’d know that it was meant to be. A small-town girl could make a world of difference in the hearts of the right men, and she was sure as hell going to do her best to make certain that everything ended up positive.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Argo
His footsteps were feather-light as he tracked across the nighttime forest. Every now and then, he would stop and listen to the sounds around him to try and make sure no one was creeping up on him without him noticing. Somewhere behind him, he knew Cooper was following in his footsteps. But Argo knew that he could never catch Cooper in the act. Though he was a big, burly wolf, the racing madman had always been excellent at concealing himself when needed.
Over the weeks, he’d gotten in touch with many of the Longbrook wolves still in the area. It wasn’t hard to track them down. Their numbers had dwindled in the last few years, and since the Bitterroot bears, led by Ryder, joined forces with the Arder clan, the Longbrooks hadn’t gotten into any trouble worth mentioning. There were some rumors of them being to blame for a few quick and dirty robberies and vandalism in nearby small towns, but nothing had been pinned on the pack in a while, aside from attacking Battle.
Through private conversations, it had become abundantly clear for Argo that things were not great. He had been welcomed back with open arms and he was sure that if he took over the pack, he’d meet little to no resistance. Only his brother stood as the hurdle between him and his destiny. A hurdle he didn’t want to stomp over, but if that was what it took, he was ready.
Achilles had caught wind of Argo snooping about, and it came as no surprise when Achilles finally called him out on it. They had agreed to meet that night at the little clearing Argo had taken Claire to. It was a full moon, a gold moon as the dragons called it, and it seemed more than fitting for the occasion. Mother moon had always brought equal blessings and despair, and Argo was expecting no less this time.
The clearing was close to the house. He had made Claire swear that she wouldn’t come out of the house until he or Cooper returned, and he sure as hell hoped she would listen to him. Things had been good between the three of them and he wanted to keep it that way. Argo wanted to hold off on the ceremony until he got the pack back, but every day leading up to it was a struggle. His and Cooper’s wolves were getting more than a little antsy about marrying that beautiful creature in their home, but Argo knew it would be a moment he wanted to share with his pack, his family.
In a way, he hoped it would become the family Cooper had lost and Claire had left, filling the void for all three of them.
A lot was riding on this night, and Argo’s nerves were on edge as he stalked out onto the meadow, his head held high. The air was ripe with the smell of wolves and he spotted Achilles standing in the middle of the grass, two lieutenants on either side. Argo recognized one of them as a wolf he’d caught at Battle’s place, and the three others as Longbrook wolves. He’d had conversations with two of them and they’d expressed their unhappiness over the current state of affairs.
Argo padded straight up to the five wolves, staring down Achilles as he approached. Achilles snarled, though there was a hint of confusion in his eyes. For a moment, Argo was sure the smaller wolf would come at him right away, but that didn’t happen. Instead, he shifted. His posse remained in their wolf forms. Argo took the cue and changed as well, his wolf reluctantly being tucked into him, the long fangs and ferocious claws being replaced with hard muscles and razor-sharp words as weapons.
“I’m glad you decided to meet me, brother,” Argo said.
He extended his hand, but Achilles ignored it.
It couldn’t be that easy anyway.
“I’ve heard you’ve been talking to my people,” Achilles said, his wily eyes scooting around, looking for anything out of place.
It pained Argo to see his brother as a sad shadow of what he could have been. His anger and desperation had made him shrivel up. The proud frame he had was left unfilled.
“I have. I think it’s time for a change, Achilles.”
“You want my pack?” Achilles snarled.
“I do.”
“With what right? You left.”
“I did. That’s true. But you can’t lead this pack alone. The pack needs a triad.”
“And I suppose you have that triad,” Achilles snorted, hate in every word. “What, with your human whore and mutt puppy? He isn’t even from around here!”
“He’s not. But he’s my partner. And she is as well, so if I were you I would think long and hard about how to address these two people in my life. Fate brought me together with them. We’ve been given another chance to fix things. The Longbrooks don’t have to die with that day more than ten years ago. We can be great again,” Argo said, looking at the other wolves behind Achilles.
He knew there was little point in trying to reason with Achilles. Those wild eyes told Argo that there was little left there now to talk to man-to-man. But he could talk to Achilles’s lieutenants and make them see that what he wanted to do was for the good of the pack. For the good of them all.
“I didn’t want to come back originally. I thought I wasn’t worthy of it. But meeting Cooper and Claire… I understood that this was how it was meant to be all along. There was so much hate in Adam, Adriana, and me that we would have died one way or the other. One after the other. I think Adam died so the rest of us could live and have another chance. Don’t you see that?”
Of course he didn’t. Achilles’s hands balled into fists and Argo could see the hate in his eyes. Just when he was sure Achilles would sock him one, a rustling from behind him distracted them. Cooper was walking through the grass, hands tucked in his pockets, looking casual but ready for anything. He took up a place next to Argo and stood face to face with Achilles and his crew.
“It’s not just Argo you’re dealing with here. It’s him and I both. I think I
know him better than any of you. If this needs to be settled with blood, we’re ready for that. But you better be prepared for both of us, Achilles. We’re an Alpha pair and we fight like one. Can you handle that?”
Argo raised a brow in surprise. The plan had been for Cooper to stay back and make sure they weren’t getting ambushed, but here he was, damn near taunting Achilles. It was subtle, sure, but the way Achilles’s eyes flashed said more than a thousand words could. Argo could see the scruff of the wolf he’d fought at Battle’s place stand up and a low growl filled the air. A quick glance at the others told him that the two that had been on Argo’s side were still game and the one remaining lieutenant seemed to be struggling to choose.
“I can take both of you fuckers. City life has made you soft and complacent. Here, we had to stay hard. Cold. Ready for anything pricks like you and the rest of the world could throw at us,” Achilles said, almost spitting out the words. “I’ll enjoy nothing more than to wipe the ground with you two and send you back to your bitch, tails tucked between your legs.”
“How about you say that to her face?” Cooper asked with a grin.
Both Argo and Achilles looked at him with confusion and right then, Claire came walking out of the shadows of the forest. Argo had been so in the moment he hadn’t even heard her approach. She was dressed in a long, flowing, simple white gown and her hair was left to fall in loose curls, making her look like some sort of curvy, delectable Earth mother. Argo could see the other wolves staring at her, transfixed. She was special in more ways than one.
The way this soft, feminine woman floated across the grass made every wolf stand up and take notice. Not only was she beautiful with a body that would make any shifter’s mouth water, but she oozed calm and strength of spirit. When she reached them, Argo and Cooper instinctively made room for her to stand between them.
“What is this?! Why did you bring her here? I thought we were settling this like men, Argo,” Achilles said, though some of the edge was out of his voice now.
“We wanted you to see your triad. The people who could lead the Longbrooks. Who could rebuild what had once been broken,” Claire said, her voice clear as a bell.
Argo had to put real effort into keeping his mouth from falling open. All this time he had plotted the perfect plan, a simple yet elegant solution to their problem through just one confrontation, and now his mate had something else in mind entirely. His head was spinning, but he kept his cool, electing to put his faith in Cooper and Claire and the hope that they knew what they were doing.
The hesitant wolf flicked his ears back and glanced around. Argo suppressed a gasp as the two he knew to be on his side looked at one another and then allowed the shift to take them. They shifted fast, a mark of shifters who were used to letting their animal control them, and walked around Achilles to stand behind Argo, Cooper and Claire.
“The fuck are you doing?! Get the hell back here,” Achilles roared, color draining from his face.
Argo could see Achilles shaking with anger and the fact that a third of his lieutenants changed and came to join Argo and his mates wasn’t helping at all. Now they stood, six strong, with Achilles’s three trusted lieutenants in the group. It was clear as day now, but Achilles still snarled in pure rage.
“It doesn’t have to be like this, Achilles. There will always be a place for you with the Longbrooks. We can help you heal, brother,” Argo said softly, reaching out his hand to Achilles.
Without a second thought, Achilles slapped it away. His eyes burned with betrayal and hurt. Argo figured he could have never really expected to win against a triad, especially one that was led by a Longbrook, but it must have stung like hell to be betrayed like that by people he thought shared his vision.
“I’ll never join traitors. This won’t be the end, brother,” Achilles said, the words little more than an angry hiss.
He shifted so quickly that Argo could never match it, the wolf overtaking the man with fluid ease. With three easy bounds, Achilles had disappeared into the darkness, his last loyal lieutenant right behind him. Argo let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.
“That went well,” Cooper said with a grin, winking at Argo before turning around to greet the three wolves.
“You can say that again.”
Claire gave him a grin and Argo made a quick note to himself to never, ever try and do anything without the expressed involvement of his mates again.
A man could only take so much excitement.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Cooper
“Nothing a coat of paint and perhaps a bulldozer couldn’t fix?” Cooper offered, scratching the back of his neck.
He, Argo, and Claire were standing in the middle of the small hidden village that had once been the Longbrook encampment. Now it was just a collection of run-down houses, most of them abandoned and crumbling around their foundations. It wasn’t a pretty sight. But by the look on Argo’s face, he might as well have been standing in the middle of the finest castle in Europe. He looked blessed, for lack of a better word.
Cooper chuckled to himself, putting a hand on Argo’s shoulder and leaning on him slightly.
“What do you see that I don’t?” he asked.
“Home,” he answered, short and to the point as always.
“It has great landscaping potential,” Claire offered, scrutinizing the gently sloping curves of the hillside the homesteads were located on.
“It’s a fixer-upper,” Hades murmured, peering into the dusty windows of one of the abandoned homes.
“It’s all that,” Cooper agreed. “But my question is, what are we going to do about it? These areas aren’t what they used to be. I’m not sure most of us could make a living just working out of here. The Bitterroots are all but gone and it’s not like the Longbrook businesses are still standing.”
Cooper knew that the Longbrooks used to be heavy in the timber business, but that fell apart soon after Argo’s father’s death. Now all that stood of the once-great pack were disheveled homes and young wolves who had still stuck in the area, though few of them lived in the old homes.
“Well, what about this,” Claire started, scrutinizing the surroundings thoughtfully. “We start fixing these up one by one, focusing on a middle cluster of buildings. We tear down the ones that are beyond hope. We move everyone still left and willing to come along to near Shifter Grove. You said the lands start really close to Shifter Grove. I’m sure we could buy up a few plots and tie the lands together, so there could be a tunnel of sorts to the homesteads. And then, when there’s enough to move back here, we can do that… or rent them out for tourists looking for an earthy escape from big city life. We could make it work.”
Claire looked hopefully at Argo and then Cooper. Hades grunted his approval, and Calinda and Kent, Achilles’s lieutenants who had switched sides, nodded. Since Achilles’s hasty departure, they had learned that there were still about thirty Longbrook wolves in the nearby areas. That wasn’t a lot, but it was a start. Only a few had still been running with Achilles out of obligation to the pack, but under new leadership, more were willing to build on the old greatness in hopes of becoming a true pack once more.
A wolf’s life really wasn’t complete without his or her pack, so it came as no surprise to Cooper that many were eager to get back into the protective fold of a system familiar and dear to them.
“That sounds like a plan,” Argo said, smiling.
Cooper had never seen his mate quite as happy as he was now. Right after the confrontation with Achilles, which they’d resolved without bloodshed, Argo had asked him and Claire to tie their bond. The ceremony would be in a month but until then, they had plenty of work to do to set up the pack. Argo was growing right before their very eyes, becoming a man of substance and worth, far surpassing what he had once been. Cooper could really see great ancestors in Argo, their traits clearly passed down to this generation of Longbrooks. And Cooper had a chance to share in that glory.
It felt fantastic.
And it was made only better by the fact that they had the most amazing woman at their side. One that could be soft and gentle, and then so determined and driven when needed.
When they drove home in the evening, after an exhausting day of planning their next moves for the Longbrook settlement, Cooper couldn’t keep his eyes off of Claire. It was making driving damn difficult.
“Keep your eyes on the road, Coop,” Argo said, laughter in his voice.
“Sure,” Cooper mumbled, giving Claire a wink in the rearview mirror.
She grinned and Cooper gunned it even harder around the last bend in the road. He wanted to get home. Right now.
As the truck skidded to a halt in front of the house, Cooper looked at Argo in that knowing way that Argo must have learned to decipher by now. As if made of one mind, they both bolted from the car and before Claire knew what hit her, she was thrown over Cooper’s shoulder and Cooper carried her into their Shifter Grove home.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Claire squealed, giggling.
Cooper smacked her on the ass just hard enough for her to gasp as Argo held the door open for them.
“Rewarding you for an excellently thought-out plan, my Georgia peach,” Argo said, following them in.
Cooper made a beeline for the bed and threw Claire down on it. He practically ripped his shirt off and Claire bounced up, tearing his belt off. It had become a bit of a tradition for them to haphazardly paw and claw at each other’s clothing until all three of them were naked as the day they were born. Cooper pulled open Argo’s belt as Argo kicked off his boots and their lips met halfway in a kiss, as both of them took off Claire’s shirt and then bra. Teamwork at its finest.
As far as Cooper was concerned, he would have rather not left the house at all most days. He was perfectly happy just loving these two amazing people in his life. But he understood the need to work on their shared future. That was fine with him, as long as there would always be these little stolen moments where they could just focus on one another.