Book 2 Not his Werewolf

by Annie Nicholas

  “Who?”

  “My parents, I planned on telling you they were coming. I just wanted you to know that so you didn't think it was an ambush.”

  He shook his head. “I doubt you wanted them to see us getting it on.”

  Her face turned all shades of pink. That took talent. “No.” She sounded breathless and cleared her throat. “About the fundraiser. I've never participated in anything like this. I don't know how to organize myself.”

  “You bring the adoption forms and animals. I'll take care of everything else.” Like shade, water and a table…

  “I mean I don't just allow anyone to adopt my rescues. I usually do some investigating and interview their vets, let them come visit the animal a few times so we know for sure they get along.”

  “Stalk them?”

  “Ken.” She play-punched his arm. “They're family.” He liked playing, but no one in his pack teased him except for Beth. This was nice, what he and Betty were creating.

  He rubbed his chin. He hadn't realized how complicated finding homes for the rescued animals would be. “Well, it's a good opportunity to meet the people. Get to meet them face to face. I mean, people who support an orphanage can't be all that bad.”

  “You have a point.”

  “And anyone from the pack shouldn't need that much investigation. I know everyone very well.” It was his job and responsibility to vet pack issues, triage the problems, delegate the assignments, and decide what needed Ryota's personal attention. Nobody wanted the alpha’s scrutiny so the pack was well-behaved. “It will be a great time to meet some of them.”

  She went from bright pink to pale in seconds. The girl had real skills.

  “What?” he asked, not hiding his amusement. “Too much, too fast?”

  She buried her face against his arm. “You're tossing me on a roller coaster ride without a harness and yelling hold on as you hit go.”

  “You haven't started screaming yet.”

  She tossed him a heated look. “I was saving that for the bedroom.”

  Every muscle in his groin contracted at the same time and it grew difficult to walk. It was like magic. She affected everything. The air he breathed seemed fresher, colors brighter, scents clearer. He craved her in his bones.

  And Ryota thought he could give her up? Pretend she didn't matter? He might as well start digging his grave.

  “Easy, wolf boy.” She pressed her hands to his chest.

  He blinked and realized he had pinned her to the side of a brick building.

  “Eyes.” She tapped his cheeks. “Teeth.” She clicked her fingernail against his gnawing canines. “Bad wolf.”

  He took a deep shuddering breath. “Don't tease. I can't take it.” A few feet separating them should help. Her scent still curled around him and it didn’t contain a single drop of fear. “I like it too much.”

  “I'll take note of that.” It sounded like a promise.

  Betty never felt more powerful in all her life. Ken treated her like a drug that he couldn't have enough of.

  His eyes and teeth returned to normal. She tried to picture a future without him and almost cried out at the emptiness that filled her heart. No, she wouldn't let that happen. This confident, caring wolf was hers and no one would take him away.

  No one.

  She grabbed his hand and walked him toward the park. “Let's shift.” She didn't care about past attempts. Being a soulmate proved what she’d believed all along. She was a shifter. She deserved a pack. Most of all, she could change shape.

  He marched next to her, his one step requiring two of hers.

  She would do this. Everything would change once she proved her old pack wrong. She would be the beta’s soulmate! Maybe her parents could move here and Dad would join New Port's pack.

  Her heart raced as they crossed the grass of Prospect Park. Dandelions spotted the lawn and the flower garden had gone wild, but it still held a lovely big pond with ducks and lots of trees.

  “How come you know this park? I thought you lived on the other side of the city.” In the richer part, though for someone who seemed to have money, Ken hadn't once turned up his nose at her falling-apart lifestyle.

  “I did some real estate assessments in the area.” He coughed. “I stopped by the park to see what it had to offer.”

  “Besides the pond and woods, not much.”

  “It has great running paths through the woods which extend beyond the city limits and could possibly connect to a national park.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “That's…informative.”

  “I like the woods.”

  “I was raised in the city. Riverbend doesn't have much to offer in wilderness. They have a river.”

  He nodded. “New Port is the same, but we want to change that.” He pulled her off the beaten path and deeper into the wooded area.

  “I'm not sure it's safe to be so far from the park. There might be gangs.”

  “We're shifters.” He gave her a toothy grin. “We're the predators, not the prey.”

  She squeezed his fingers tighter and drew closer to his side. Thick leaf cover filtered out the sunlight and shadows deepened. Somehow the noise of street life vanished as if behind a veil. It was magical.

  Ken slowed his pace, his shoulders more relaxed. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her fingers.

  Everything smelled green and fresh. She didn’t go to parks often. If anything, she took her Great Danes to the pond to swim on hot days.

  Ken parted the thick foliage and gestured for her to walk ahead.

  She pushed past the ground cover and halted. Sunlight painted a small patch of grass in bright greens. Birdsong was the only thing she could hear.

  Ken's body heat pressed against her back. “No one should bother us here.” He crossed to the center and sat in the grass.

  She kicked off her shoes and squished the delicate blades with her toes. “Should I take off my clothes?”

  “Sure.” He followed with a huge shit eating grin.

  “Will it help or hinder the process?”

  He sighed. “We'll probably end up making out at some point but I'm willing to make the sacrifice.”

  She knelt in front of him. “If I shift in my dress, it will tear apart and then I'll have to walk home naked.” They really hadn't thought things through before leaving the rescue.

  “Just take off the dress but leave your underwear on.” His expression was somber. “Seriously, I can control my beast urges. This is important.”

  She pulled her sundress over her head and folded it on the ground. “Okay so now what?”

  “You remember the trigger exercises they made us practice?”

  “Do I ever.” She grimaced. Most shifters could change shape by the age of thirteen when hormones surged, but some shifters were late bloomers.

  Chris, the alpha of Riverbend, had been one. It was how they had met, taking late bloomer classes after school. Chris had finally shifted at the age of fifteen. Betty, of course, never had. She knew these lessons well enough to teach them to the younger students.

  “This won’t be like forcing a shift, right?” She wrung her hands. “Because that didn’t work.” Shifters said the process hurt. She had just stood there while the old alpha had tried to link with her wolf through a pack bond. No pain. No connection. Nothing. It had failed so spectacularly that she’d been declared human on the spot.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never tried this and I don’t want to make any false promises.”

  She gave him an uncertain nod. Honesty was a good thing, but she sure could use a little false reassurance right now. “What do I do?”

  “Go through the exercises. From what I’ve read on the process, once you touch upon your trigger, I should sense your magic, and I’ll call to it. Our bond should link us together and I should be able to help you shift.”

  “Are you sure? That sounds kind of like witch stuff.” She wasn’t crazy about witches. They could be way out there. Even though t
hey all claimed to be white witches, black magic came from somewhere.

  “It is!” He laughed. “Every shifter contains some magic. When we change shape, it calls out to others of our kind. That's why we change in a pack, it's so much faster.”

  She nodded. “One of the ceremonies near my eighteenth birthday was trying to shift with the pack. Everyone had come to help me but I didn’t hear the call. If it didn't work with my whole pack, why do you think it will work with just you?”

  He pressed his lips over hers, a flash of heat singed her mouth. A promise. A link to what could be their future. “Because you are everything.”

  Betty closed her eyes and went through the exercises, from visualizing her wolf self to running through her most vivid memories, trying to discover something that would trigger her change.

  Fingers brushed her temples and Ken leaned in so close they shared air.

  Sweat coated her skin. She concentrated. All her being focused on becoming her real self. She would shift this time. She would. She would. She would. Her limbs trembled and she gasped for air. So close. She’d break her own bones if it would help her change to a werewolf.

  Ken's grip tightened until it felt like he was pushing against her brain.

  She moaned, her head pounding.

  Ken released her. “I can't sense anything.”

  Her eyes popped opened. “Don’t say that.” It sounded like defeat. She needed his encouragement because she’d already been down this terrible road.

  He sat slumped in the grass. “I can't sense any magic. I can't call to you if there's no magic.”

  If he gave up, then she might as well pack her bags and go home with her parents.

  Betty sagged, leaning on her hands. She couldn't believe she’d let him talk her into this. He’d ripped open old wounds and she sat here bleeding to death. “I shouldn't have tried.” The last word hiccupped in her throat before being followed by a sob. She crushed her fist in her mouth to stop the flood of more.

  Ken moved so swiftly she didn't see him until he caught her in his arms. “Don't give up. We've just started.” He gave her a shake. “Don't you dare give up on us.”

  She shook her head. “I don't want to.” She hated how devastated she sounded. Years of healing gone in moments. “What do we do now?”

  He kissed her forehead. “I have a friend who didn't shift until her mid-twenties. She studied with lots of shifters on how to change shape. We'll go see her tomorrow.”

  She wiped the tear that trickled down her cheek. “Okay.” She wouldn't give up that easily.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next morning found Betty sharing a pot of coffee with her mother while her dad chased the dogs in her yard in a game of pull the tail. He was a huge puppy at heart.

  Her mom sighed, chin in hands as she watched her massive husband fake a death faint for the happy pack of dogs. “Do you think you and Ken can give me grandbabies soon?”

  Betty’s coffee went down the wrong hole and she coughed her wind pipe clear.

  Her mother just smiled.

  “Nice, Mom. Ken will be here soon. Can we hold off on the puppy talk? I have more pressing matters to take care of.”

  “Yes, like the soulmate ceremony.” Mom clapped her hands. “We’ll need new dresses and we need to find out about the pack celebration venues. I wonder if they’ll let us invite some of the Riverbend Pack? Everyone there is so happy for you.”

  The bottom went out from Betty’s stomach. The ceremony. Dresses? She didn’t have money for food, let alone a new dress. Her parents had just filled her fridge without question. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes. She fought valiantly, blinking like a warrior.

  Mom reached across the table and dabbed her eyes with a paper napkin. “I know, I’m so happy too.”

  Betty forced a watery smile. Mom didn’t understand a whole lot when it came to pack politics. What shifters thought of as logical, she considered crazy. Betty decided not to explain the problem of her inability to shift and Ken’s claim of her being his soulmate. Being born and raised human, Mom didn’t have their instincts. There had been…incidents, such as showing up to the alpha’s house uninvited to discuss policy changes. You know, like he was a mayor and her a voter. Packs weren’t a democracy.

  Her mother would probably just say, “Why not get married then?” That would have worked if Ken hadn’t publically claimed her. His mouth had taken that option away.

  “Hello?” Ken’s voice called from the waiting room.

  “We’re in here.” Betty gulped the rest of her coffee.

  Mom sat up straighter at Ken’s arrival. Betty’s handsome mate looked good enough to eat in jeans that hugged him in all the right places and a short-sleeved polo shirt.

  He beamed his charming smile and she melted a little in her chair. What was such a professional looking guy doing in her life?

  She, on the other hand, looked like she’d fallen off a Grateful Dead tour bus and had been dragged for a mile. Well, she felt like she’d been dragged. Her parents had used her bed, so she’d slept on the couch. It had more springs than cushions.

  Betty pulled on a thin long sleeved sweater.

  “Where are you two going?” Mom rose and set their empty cups aside.

  “I’m introducing Betty to my best friend. Want to come?”

  Mom laughed. “No, go have fun.”

  He leaned on the back of an empty chair across from her mother. “She’s a dragon,” he added.

  Betty’s heart stopped. “You never mentioned that.” There were only two dragons in New Port. “Which one?”

  Please not the black one, please not the black one.

  “Angie’s the white one.”

  “Well then, let me get my purse. I’ve never met a dragon.” Mom hurried to the apartment.

  Ken eyed Betty’s sweater. “It’s a little warm for long sleeves.”

  She shrugged. He was right though. She would sweat her ass off, but she wanted to keep her tattoos covered. She had learned the hard way that people jumped to conclusions before even getting to know her, so when she wanted to make a good impression, she covered them. No matter how hot or itchy.

  She eyed Ken with his perfect boy next door looks. What would the dragon think of her?

  She and Ken came from such opposite backgrounds. Her family and friends weren’t judgmental. They were wild and crazy so no matter what they’d accept him as he came. Business suits and all. And Ken had an alpha dad with money and they were both professionals. These things were just words in her vocabulary, not a reality. Not until now. How would they ever fit in each other’s lives?

  She dropped her gaze and clutched her arms around her abdomen. “I’ll be fine.” She wore her cleanest T-shirt under the sweater and a pair of jeans. Not saying much since she worked with dogs everything had some sort of stain. “Should I change? I could wear a dress.”

  The puzzled expression on his face almost made her laugh. “What’s going on?” He glanced above her where they could hear her mom tearing apart her home, swearing under her breath, trying to find her purse. “Did your parents say something?”

  “No, what do you mean?”

  “You’re acting weird.” He sniffed. “You smell upset.”

  “Don’t—” She growled, more at herself than him. Pulling off her sweater, she showed him her tattooed arms. The artwork was gorgeous but not everyone saw inked skin as beautiful. “This is me. Tattoos, stained clothes, and dirt poor.” She rubbed her elbow, suddenly feeling more naked than when her dad had walked in yesterday. “Are you sure you want to introduce me to your friends?”

  Being beta was a political role. Being his mate meant she’d be under pack spot light. She wanted to throw up.

  Understanding dawned on his face. He ran his hands over her arms, tracing the designs with his fingertips. “You’re a little nutty, you know that?”

  She snapped her teeth at him, hearing the tease in his voice.

  “You’ll fit in with my friends b
etter than I do.”

  “Are you sure?” She pictured business suits and coiffed hair, briefcases filled with file folders, serious conversations while they sipped expensive wines and contemplated the hint of wood in the flavor.

  Then she woke up from her worries as she stared into his eyes. Ken hadn’t done any of the things she’d pictured. Why would he have friends that did? “Do you own a briefcase?”

  He scratched his head. “I think so. Why, do you want me to buy you one?”

  She hugged him. Hard. “Never.”

  “Ow, that’s a rib cracking.” He kissed the top of her head.

  “Ready,” Mom declared, purse in hand.

  In the yard, Dad had the Great Danes leashed. “I thought I’d take them swimming. It’s supposed to be a hot day.” He eyed Mom. “Where are you going?”

  “To meet a dragon.” She kissed his cheek and patted the bulge in his shirt pocket. It yipped and Betty’s teacup Chihuahua’s head emerged. Mom scowled. “We’ve discussed this. No more dogs, Chuck.”

  “But it’s so small. It doesn’t count.” He cradled it in the palms of his hands, making kissy faces at the pup.

  “We have enough pets.” Mom rolled her eyes.

  Dad winked at Betty. “Have fun storming the castle. Don’t let the dragon eat your mother.”

  “Sure thing, Daddy.” She scratched him behind his ear and kissed the dogs.

  Ken watched silently by the door. As she passed, he whispered in her ear, “You’re very lucky.”

  She squeezed his hand. “The luckiest.”

  Now if only some of it would rub off on her shifting skills.

  Sardined in Ken’s sport car, they drove through New Port’s poorest section and past the large wooded lot that housed the orphanage. She made a mental checklist of what she needed to prepare for the fundraiser. Maybe Trixie would let her use the work truck to transport the dogs and cats here. Betty added that to her to-do list.

  They just had crossed over the invisible line that separated her part of the city and the wealthier downtown area when they stopped in front of a salon called Scratch Your Itch.

  “Back scratching for shifters in need.” Betty read the small print. “I should have brought Dad.”