The Wilde Crew: Rory: A paranormal wolf shifter romance (The Shifters of Wilde Ranch Book 4)

by Kim Fox

  Contents

  Copyright

  About

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Back Matter

  More Books by Kim Fox

  The Wilde Crew:

  Rory

  The Shifters of Wilde Ranch Book Four

  By KIM FOX

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  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Contains explicit love scenes and adult language.

  18+

  www.AuthorKimFox.com

  Copyright © 2017 by Kim Fox

  Wolf shifter Rory is all about loyalty. He’s loyal to his crew, to his alpha, and to the girlfriend he hasn’t seen in years, even though the foxy new receptionist keeps giving him bedroom eyes whenever he walks by.

  Fox shifter Candice has a crush on her sexy wolf shifter boss. But no matter what she tries, she can’t get the cutest member of the Wilde Crew to get wild with her.

  When Rory’s old pack comes sniffing around the ranch, his loyalty will be put to the test. Will he follow the desires of his wolf? Or of his heart?

  Find out in the thrilling conclusion to the bestselling Wilde Crew series by Kim Fox.

  one

  Rory was on the floor, breathless, exhausted, ready for all of this to end.

  But he was still fighting.

  Fighting for his life.

  Fighting for respect.

  Fighting to win, the dance competition.

  “Come on, Rory!” the groom Ashton called out. “Smoke this guy!”

  Rory jumped off the ground, swinging his hips to the beat with a new burst of energy. He was at Ashton and Lauren’s wedding in the middle of an impromptu dance competition with Tyler, a skin shifter from the Clawed Squad. Tyler had a wolf named Izzy who followed him everywhere. He had been asking Rory some questions about wolves when the groom smacked them both on the shoulders and yelled ‘dance-off.’

  It was a wedding game that they were playing. Any two people whom Ashton touched and then yelled ‘dance-off’ had to do an immediate dance-off for the crowd.

  Rory was losing. Badly.

  He glanced over at Candice, the pretty fox shifter who worked on the ranch, and shook his hips a little harder. He couldn’t lose the competition in front of her.

  Darn it.

  Tyler wasn’t playing around. He was ripping up the dance floor with his moves all while clapping his hands and getting the crowd into it.

  “Come on, Rory!” the bride hollered. “You got this!”

  Rory really didn’t want to let down the bride on her special day. He didn’t want to let down his crew either. The Wilde Crew were seen as a bunch of screw-ups in the growing shifter community of Colwood, Montana and Rory desperately wanted to change all of that.

  But it wasn’t going to be with a dance competition.

  “Sorry, buddy,” Ashton said, shaking his head when the song was over. “I have to give it to him.”

  He walked over to the sweaty Tyler and lifted his hand in the air, making the crowd scream.

  “Darn,” Rory muttered under his breath, shooting a defeated glance at Candice. She was still smiling widely at him as she clapped her hands.

  “I need a drink.” He walked over to the bar, keeping his eyes low and trying to blend into the crowd after his embarrassing loss. They were on the Clawed Ranch at the barn where weddings were sometimes held.

  “You let Tyler beat you?” Slate shouted. “He only has one leg!”

  Rory sighed. He should have known that trying to lay low was impossible with the twins from the Clawed Squad, Slate and Karl at the bar. They were going to rub it in big time.

  “This is the Wilde Crew we’re talking about,” Karl said, smirking. “They have losing written into their DNA. Right next to the strand for erectile dysfunction.”

  “The guy moves like Bruno Mars on speed,” Rory complained, looking back at Tyler who was still getting high-fives from the crowd. “I didn’t stand a chance.”

  “You should join a real crew,” Karl said, grinning as he took a sip of his drink.

  “We’re taking applications for the Clawed Squad,” Slate said, reaching beside the bar. He grabbed the garbage can and held it up. “Put your application in here when you’re done filling it out.”

  Rory frowned as the two twins laughed. He hated how his crew was the laughing stock of the town. They had a female alpha, they just lost one of their most powerful members, a lion shifter named Gunner, and they were the ones who had exposed the shifter secret to the public when they were caught phasing into their animals on video. They didn’t exactly have a stunning reputation like the Firehouse crew or the Vega brothers.

  Rory pushed past them, ignoring their laughs as he stepped up to the bar. “Whiskey,” he said to the bartender. “A big one.”

  He sighed as the bartender placed a glass with two ice cubes in front of him. “Say when,” the bartender said before he started to pour.

  Rory let it fill up.

  “I said, say when,” the bartender said, easing up on the pour when the rock glass was half filled.

  “I will,” Rory answered, letting the alcohol flow. It was a wedding after all and he needed a stiff drink after losing a dance-off to a one legged skin shifter.

  He stopped the bartender when the glass was nice and full and stuffed a tip into the jar.

  Joan was on the other side of the bar laughing with Cole and Rhett. Rory took a long swig of his drink and headed over, pumping himself up as he walked. You can do it! It’s time to turn this crew around and start winning for a change.

  “Rory!” Cole said, lifting his arms drunkenly as he approached. “Only you could lose a dance competition to a cyborg.”

  Rory just ignored him, heading straight to Joan. “Can I speak to you for a second?” he asked, his stomach rolling with nerves.

  The smile melted off her face. “Everything okay?” she asked, looking at him with a serious expression.

  “I just need to talk to you,” he said. He glanced up at Cole and Rhett who were looking down at him. “Privately.”

  “Sure,” she said, stepping away from the bar. They made their way to a private corner and Rory took a deep breath before starting.

  “I want to be the second in the crew.”

  “Oh,” she said, slowly bringing her head back as she watched him carefully. />
  “Just let me speak before you say anything,” he said, his voice racing. Do I always talk this fast?

  “I know I’m not the strongest or the fastest shifter in the crew, or the smartest or the best looking,” he said, running a hand through his short brown hair. “But I am the most loyal. Loyalty is everything to me and I am committed and dedicated to this crew. I will die for it.”

  “Take it down a notch,” Joan said, placing her hand on his arm. “No one is going to ask you to die for anything.”

  “Maybe one day you will,” he continued. “I’ll be a loyal number two. I’m devoted to the Wilde Crew.”

  “I know,” Joan said, nodding. “We all know that.”

  “Will you think about it?”

  Joan nodded. “I’ll think about it,” she said, sliding her arm over his shoulder and pulling him back to the bar. “I’m really happy that you’re in the crew.”

  “Thanks, boss,” he whispered. But he wanted more. He wanted to help lead them to greatness and shake off this negative reputation that they had.

  “Everything okay?” Rhett asked, looking at Joan with a raised eyebrow.

  “It’s all good,” Joan answered with a nod. “Rory just wanted to know if we had any new bookings at the inn for tomorrow.”

  Rory smiled. Joan was the best alpha ever.

  But she didn’t have to lie. This concerned everyone in the crew and they had a right to know.

  “Actually,” Rory said, leaning in. “I was asking her to be the second in the crew.”

  “You?” Cole said with a laugh. “I should be the second. Or maybe that plant over there.”

  “Maybe you should be the number two,” Joan said, shaking her head at Cole. “Because you definitely smell like a number two.”

  “Oh,” Cole said with a frown. “Poop joke. Very mature.”

  Joan stuck her tongue out at him.

  Rhett wasn’t laughing. He was watching Rory with a serious expression. “Second in the crew,” he said, nodding. “It’s a lot of responsibility.”

  The second in the crew was in charge of the crew when the alpha wasn’t there. He could be responsible for some pretty tough decisions and would be in charge of keeping two grizzly bear shifters and a skin shifter in line.

  “I know,” Rory said, standing tall. “I think I’m ready for it. Loyalty is everything to me.”

  “We know that,” Rhett said with a laugh. “No one would ever question that.”

  “It’s the dog in him,” Cole added. “He’s even still loyal to that girl who hung him out to dry.”

  Rory’s body tensed. Cole was always giving him a hard time over that girl. He didn’t like it when Cole or Ashton brought it up.

  “What are you guys doing over here?” Ashton asked, popping out of nowhere. He looked three shifters to the wind with his hair all messed up, his tie wrapped around his forehead like a drunken Bruce Lee, and the buttons of his shirt half open. “I need my crew on the dance floor now.”

  Joan was about to say something when Ashton slapped a hand on her shoulder and a hand on Cole’s. “Dance-off!” he screamed.

  “Oh shit!” Cole said, rolling his shoulders as he stared at Joan with crazed eyes. “It’s on now!”

  She looked so tiny compared to the huge bear shifter but she didn’t look intimidated in the least. “I’m going to moonwalk up and down your ass all night,” she yelled, leaning in with a finger in his face. “You’re going to wake up with a high heel next to your colon. You seriously think you can beat me?”

  “Beat you?” Cole said with a laugh as they strutted to the dance floor, never taking their eyes off of each other. “I’m going to crush you and grind you up into dust with my sick dance moves.”

  Rory hung back at the bar, laughing with Rhett as the two grizzly bear shifters faced off in the middle of the dance floor.

  The DJ began playing Notorious BIG’s Hypnotize and the two of them went at it, dancing like crazy as they swung their arms and moved around like two baboons on cocaine.

  “I have to get this on video,” Rhett said, pulling out his camera. “I won’t have to do the laundry for months.”

  Rory smiled as he watched Joan do the robot while Cole twerked. He definitely loved his crew.

  He took a sip as he watched the bride and groom laughing at the dance-off.

  Lauren had been in the crew for about six weeks now and Rory was thrilled that she and Ashton were making it official with a wedding. Rory loved Lauren and he was so excited that his friend Ashton finally found his mate. He was marrying the perfect girl for him.

  Rory smiled when he saw Candice walking over with a grin on her face. “You looked great out there!” she said. Her perky breast touched his arm as she leaned in, making him swallow hard. “I was cheering for you to win.”

  Candice was stunning with a pretty smile, bright amber eyes and the most beautiful red hair that made her look like an Irish angel. If he wasn’t already taken, he would definitely have been interested in her.

  “I wasn’t good enough,” he said, shaking his head. “I lost.”

  “But you looked sexy doing it,” she said, smiling shyly.

  Rory just grinned as his cheeks heated up.

  “I like this suit,” she said, putting her hand on his shoulder and sliding it down his arm. “You look good.”

  “Thank you,” he said, stepping away from her intoxicating presence. She was very tempting but Rory had promised himself to another girl. He couldn’t go down this road. He had to stay loyal to Nikki.

  “Let’s do some shots!” Candice said, looking like she was ready to party.

  Rory took a deep breath and leaned away. If the alcohol started flowing any more than it already was, he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself around her. Is that such a bad thing?

  Candice was really fun to hang around with and she was looking stunning in that black dress. He’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t thought about it more than a few times.

  You have to stay loyal to Nikki. You made a vow.

  “Maybe later,” he said, stiffening up. “Let’s go watch the dance-off.”

  “Okay,” Candice said, looking disappointed. “I’m just going to take a walk outside instead.”

  Rory exhaled as he watched her hurry to the door with a lowered head and hunched posture. She’s upset.

  Candice was always flirting with him at work and he could tell that she wanted more but Rory just couldn’t betray Nikki after making that kind of promise to her. It was against his loyal nature.

  He sighed as he turned back to the dance-off that was wrapping up. Joan was rapping into her fist along with The Notorious BIG and Cole was doing some kind of interpretive dance. They both looked ridiculous.

  Ashton jumped in between them when the song faded and grabbed both of their wrists. “What do you guys think?” he asked the crowd of guests.

  “Neither of them,” Julius Vega hollered out, holding both thumbs down.

  “Joan!” Royal yelled.

  “Cole,” Mikki screamed, cheering with her fist in the air.

  Rory caught a glimpse of Gunner in the back. He was sitting at a table by himself watching the scene with a hint of a smile on his face.

  “The winner is,” Ashton said, pausing to draw out the suspense. “Joan!”

  He lifted up his alpha’s hand and everyone erupted in cheers, except for Cole who was shaking his head, yelling that it was fixed.

  Rory sighed as he finished his drink. The truth was that he did like Candice. He never felt this way for Nikki before but he had made a promise to her and her family, and loyalty ran deep in his blood.

  Maybe Cole was right and it was his inner wolf that made him more devoted than most shifters, perhaps more devoted than he should have been.

  After all, should he have to be loyal to a girl if he wanted to be with someone else?

  two

  “Lucky shifters,” Candice grumbled as she looked back at the row of trailers. The curtains were still
shut behind the windows and the camp was quiet, which meant that everyone was still asleep.

  I would kill to be still sleeping in my bed.

  She glanced at Rory’s trailer one last time before unlocking the door of the inn. Or to be sleeping in somebody’s bed.

  Ashton and Lauren’s wedding was the night before and Candice didn’t get much more than a couple of hours of sleep. It was a ton of fun, even if it didn’t end the way that she had hoped.

  “Good morning, Bubbles,” she said to the goldfish that was swimming around the tiny fishbowl. Rory had bought the fish for her when she complained once that she was lonely behind the reception desk. Normally Rory kept her company during the day but that afternoon he was off doing something with Cole and it had been one of those long days where no one came in and the phone didn’t ring once.

  “It’s lonely in here when you’re not around,” she had said when he returned.

  When she got to work the next day, he had introduced her to Bubbles, her new coworker.

  “Now you’ll never be lonely,” he said, smiling that sexy smile at her.

  She sighed as she walked to the windows and drew back the curtains, letting the bright sunlight in. “The wedding went well, Bubbles,” she said, talking to the fish. “But it didn’t happen quite as we had planned.”

  Bubbles responded with a glub glub glub.

  Candice sat behind the desk, taking a sip of her coffee as she went over the bookings for the day. Only two of the six rooms in the inn were full but they were fully booked for the upcoming weekend. It would be a quiet day.

  She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Exactly what she needed after a long night.

  After a few minutes of settling in, Candice picked up a stack of invoices and smiled when she saw what was sitting underneath. He remembered.