by Marla Monroe
Shay stretched, totally sated though a bit sore in several places including her shoulders. When she looked in the mirror, the bite marks were apparent but not bleeding. She felt as if they should have by the way they’d chomped down on her. Evan said once their saliva hit the wounds, it stopped any bleeding and released an enzyme that caused scarring. She’d have their marks for the rest of her life.
She didn’t mind that. Normally after that, she would have bitten them to mark them, but she hadn’t known that and regretted it now. Of course her marks wouldn’t last since she was only half wolf shifter.
“Are you okay, baby?” Lee’s muffled voice through the door reminded her that they were attuned to her feelings now.
“I’m fine. Just wishing I had bit the two of you like you bit me.” She sighed. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“We’ll wait on you in the living area.”
She quickly cleaned up then dressed for the day. When she joined them in the living area, Evan was at the stove across the room cooking what smelled like bacon. Her stomach growled loud enough they all heard it.
“Oops. Sorry.” She felt her face grow hot.
“Don’t worry about it. That’s tame compared to what Evan’s did earlier. That’s why he’s over there cooking.” Lee wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. “Mmmm, you smell delicious. Maybe we’ll make a meal of you instead.”
“Not until she’s eaten,” Evan called out.
“Right.”
“I am hungry. And, I’m a little tender. Maybe we could wait a few more hours…” She trailed off.
“Sorry, babe. We’ll be much more careful with you from now on. I’m sure you are tender. This was your first time for everything.”
“I’m not really complaining, just hoping we can wait for a little longer before we try anything like that again.” Shay didn’t want them to think she didn’t like what they did, because she had. It had been a-fucking-mazing.
“What time do one of you have to go guard? And what are you guarding?” she asked as Evan set the food on the table.
“Dig in, babe. We’ll eat after you get started,” Evan told her.
“Evan is going to go first. He has to report to Aaron at eight this morning to find out what part of the land he’ll be guarding. It’s the borders of our land we guard.”
“That’s only an hour from now. Evan, eat. I’m eating. You should both eat with me.” Shay didn’t understand why they were waiting on her.
“It’s just ingrained in us that you eat first so that you have enough in slim times. We can always go out and kill more if we need it, but you come first.” Evan sat down and forked over eggs then bacon.
Shay watched as they each got huge helpings of food, and there was still plenty left for two more people she thought. Shay ate while they talked.
“It’s left over from our origins when we had hard times and we made sure our females ate their fill first so that they would have strength to birth pups and care for them. We provided food, but in winter and during poorer times, it was difficult to kill enough food.” Lee provided the history lesson for her.
“Pups?” She was sure her eyes grew as wide as the moon at the thought of having puppies—wolf pups.
Lee chuckled. “Not real pups. You’ll have babies, but we still call them pups. We’re wolf shifters, babe. It’s just how we think.”
“So I’m going to have pups one day? What if I can’t?” she asked.
“If you can’t, then you can’t. That’s always a possibility with our kind. With you being half human, there’s a good chance you might not be able to get pregnant. Pregnancy rates among our kind have fallen off but are still much better than with the cat shifters.” Evan added more bacon to her plate.
“Hey! I don’t need all of that. I’ll be as big as a house if I eat like you guys do.” She tried to put it back, but Evan wouldn’t let her and even growled at her.
“You need to eat more. You’ll need the extra protein to heal. We didn’t mean to, but we hurt you last night. Your body needs to recover, and feeding it is important. Don’t argue with us on your health, Shay. You won’t win.” Lee’s stern voice bothered her until he grinned.
“Don’t say I didn’t tell you so when I blow up like a balloon.”
“You could gain ten pounds, and we’d still think you were sexy. I especially love that curvy ass,” Evan told her.
Shay sobered up. “What’s going to happen about the HAS group attacking here? How will you know when to be prepared?
“The Alphas and Sylphies are working on that. I don’t know what they have planned, but we’ll be prepared. I wish we’d been able to find out more about the warlock, but staying any longer would have been dangerous since we were strangers in town.
“I feel responsible for part of it since my, well, my ex-family is part of this mess.” Shay couldn’t bring herself to use the term father now.
He hadn’t been her father, and now she knew why he had treated her so badly all those years. He’d known she was part shifter. It was a wonder he hadn’t killed her, as well. Instead, he’d used her ability to track and kill shifters. It sickened her. Shay pushed back from the table.
“I can’t eat anything more. I’m stuffed.”
“I need to go ahead and leave. Give me a hug, sweetheart.” Evan stood up and opened his arms. She dove into them, feeling the loss of his company when he hadn’t even left yet.
“I’m going to miss you.”
He smiled down at her and brushed a kiss over her nose. “I’m going to miss you, too. Mind Lee for me.”
She scowled at him. “I’m not a child.”
He chuckled and kissed her as if he wouldn’t see her for a week. Then he nodded at his bond brother and walked out the door.
“What are we going to do all day? I don’t think I can stand to stay inside.” Shay needed sunshine like a pig needed a mud bath.
“We’ll meet some of the other mates today. Nessa and Gabby are both pregnant so I’m not sure if they will be up to visitors, so we might skip them.
“Who are they mated to?” she asked.
“Gabby is the mate of our oldest brothers who will one day become the Alpha and Beta of the pack. Nessa is Jessup and Joseph’s mate. They are enforcers along with our Alpha’s enforcers.”
“Wow. So, by mating, I have a lot of in-laws to worry with and I’m going to have some nieces or nephews soon, as well.”
Lee chuckled. “That’s one way to look at it.”
“What are the Sylphies and the one called Sienna? They aren’t wolves, I can tell that, but they aren’t exactly humans either.”
“The Sylphies are the Sylphies. I can’t explain because I don’t exactly know. They’re a being that is nearly extinct and have natural abilities to determine magic and cast protecting skills. They are very in tune with the land and can tell when someone has altered anything surrounding it.”
“What about Sienna? She’s more human than they are, but still different somehow,” she asked.
“She’s not really a witch but a mage of sorts. She’s magical like the Sylphie.”
“So with all of them, you should be able to keep the land safe from whatever warlock they have, right?”
“We hope so, but so far, all we’ve been able to do is undo what he’s done. We need protection spells, and while they’re working on them, it’s not easy to do. It’s complicated, but our Alpha and Beta are working with them to accomplish that.”
She yawned. Why was she so sleepy when she’d slept pretty solidly the night before?
“I think you need a nap before we go visiting anyone. Your body is adjusting to becoming our mate.”
“I just got up.”
“And you can go back to sleep.”
“I’m already seeing how it’s going to be. You’re not bossing me around. I had that already. I’m in charge now.” She yawned so hard her jaw popped. “Right after I take a nap.”
Chapter Thirteen
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�They’re here? Now?” Shay couldn’t help the shiver of fear that snaked its way up her spine.
She had no doubt that Evan and Lee would protect her with their lives, but who would suffer or maybe even get killed by her family in the fight?
“What about the safeguards the Sylphies set? Why aren’t they holding?” she asked.
“They are, so far. That’s how we know they are out there. For some reason, their warlock hasn’t been able to tear them down. Either he’s weak or he has something else going on.” Lee clasped her upper arms with his massive hands. “We need you to stay here with the other mates so that we know you’re safe.”
“I’ll be right here waiting for you to come back. You better not disappoint me.” She looked over at Evan. “Either one of you.”
“Be safe, sweetheart. As long as we know you will obey us in this one thing, we can fight without dividing our attention.” Evan bent and kissed her before striding out of the house to join the others.
Shay couldn’t help worrying. She knew they were strong and smart, but her father’s group had been hunting shifters for years.
They always had me point them out. I was a part of that even if I hadn’t wanted to be.
Guilt wound around the fear that something would happen to her mates. She would stay close to the other mates and help keep them safe. With both Gabby and Nessa pregnant, she felt like it was her duty to watch out for them. Of course, both females would have laughed at her.
A gunshot jerked her back when she’d started to go downstairs and check on the two mothers-to-be. Instead, she raced to the closet near the door and found the shotgun her mates had told her about. With Nessa being human, they’d bought several guns that she could handle should she need them. One thing Shay knew how to do was shoot. Her…whatever he was to her now, had taught her how to shoot if nothing else.
Shay checked to be sure it was loaded before grabbing the brick of shells and hurrying over to the door that led down to the suites. She’d guard that door and make sure the other mates were safe. There were nearly twenty females down there, including several who were pregnant. It was the one thing she felt she could do for the pack who’d taken her in despite her guilt.
Another gunshot that sounded much closer had her pulse racing in her throat. She swore she could feel her heart beat against her chest. It nearly deafened her as it pounded in her ears.
The sounds of howling worried her. She didn’t know when or why they would howl. Was it in victory or defeat or both? How would she know for sure who was behind the door when it opened next? It would take a few seconds for her senses to judge wolf or human.
I can’t worry about that right now. When it happens is soon enough. I just need to concentrate on remaining calm. Those women downstairs are my responsibility.
She’d made them hers even though no one had asked her to. She owed them that much. Her mates deserved a female who could protect herself and others. She would make them proud of her if it killed her.
What if it’s my half-brother or my cousin or the man I thought was my father? Can I kill them? They treated me like a slave and lied to me.
She guessed she wouldn’t know for sure until it happened. She prayed it wouldn’t come down to that. It would kill her to disappoint her new mates. Shay reminded herself of what the man who was supposed to have been her father had done. He’d killed her mother and her real father then used her to hunt other shifters. They didn’t deserve her pity or her hesitation. She would protect the mates of the wolves out fighting to protect their existence.
Another gunshot rang by much closer. She could tell they were fighting close by now. The sound of growls and grunts reached her ears even as something hit the door hard. She racked the shotgun and held it with both hands tight against her shoulder. The scatter would hit anything even close to the doorway if someone not shifter walked through.
“Get whoever is inside while we spread out.” The male’s voice wasn’t familiar to her.
The door shuddered once, twice, then gave way as her brother and cousin fell through it. Shay kept the gun at her shoulder and aimed at the doorway as they stood up holding their own weapons.
“Shay? You bitch. No wonder we couldn’t find anyone in town. You were protecting them.” Her brother took a step closer.
“Wait until Uncle Jack finds out.” Charlie chuckled before stepping closer to her.
“Don’t take another step, or I’ll fill you both with lead. I’m not bluffing either.” Shay didn’t sway as she held her aim.
“You aren’t going to shoot us. We’re your family.” Jack Jr. started to walk forward but stopped when she swung the gun a quarter of an inch in his direction.
“Don’t call my bluff, Jack. You’re not my family. Jack isn’t my father. The wolf he killed was my father, and he’s the one who killed our mother.” She knew he wouldn’t believe her.
“You’re crazy. You’ve been letting these animals fill your head full of wild tales,” he said.
“Why am I able to sense shifters? Why can I tell where they’ve been or if they’re in the same room as I am?” Shay waited a second. “Because I’m half shifter. That’s why. Your father has been using me all these years knowing I wasn’t his daughter. He’s had a big laugh thinking he was so smart. Well, now I know and I’m not his puppet any longer.”
“She’s crazy, Jack. Uncle Jack wouldn’t keep her around if she was part wolf like that. He’d have killed her deader than dead.”
“What about you, Jack? Think you’re all human, or are you part wolf? I can tell the difference, remember.” Shay cocked her head.
“You’d have already said something if I was like you. I’m not an animal.”
“If I thought our father would kill you, I wouldn’t have. Not back then, but now? I just might tell him.”
“Bitch! I’m not a shifter. Not even half shifter.” Jack Jr. took a step closer.
“Stop, Jack. I will kill you if you press me. I don’t trust you or Charlie one bit.”
“Fuck this. She’s not going to pull that trigger, Jack.” Charlie shot forward only to stop with a jerk when Shay pulled the trigger.
The roar of the shotgun left her ears ringing so loud she couldn’t hear herself cry out. Both Charlie and Jack Jr. fell to the floor, dropping their weapons. The force of the shot knocked her back against the door where she hit her head with a resounding crack. Somehow she managed to continue to hold the shotgun. The next one through the door was Jack Sr. himself. He looked up from the body of his firstborn and swung his gun up to take aim at Shay.
She could see his mouth move, but couldn’t hear what he was saying over the noise in her ears. Shay racked the shotgun once more, and when she was sure the man who’d pretended to be her father was going to kill her, Shay squeezed the trigger and ended up on the floor with fire burning her right arm and no sound whatsoever reaching her as she gasped for breath.
* * * *
“How did they get through the safeguards?” Evan stopped just outside the pack house and checked on his bond brother.
“I don’t know, but the four wolves we left guarding the pack house held their own. No one knows where the men who attacked them went though.” Lee gasped for breath as he looked around them.
Evan jerked as something seemed to knock him back a step.
Shay!
“Our house. They’re attacking our house. Where are the guards we had stationed there?”
Lee stared at him in horror. “Someone attacked the Alpha’s home. I bet they left our place to protect the Alpha and Beta females.”
Without needing to agree on anything, they both shed their clothes and shifted to their wolf form to race down the mountain trail to their house. Evan knew that Shay was alive, but he didn’t know if she was hurt or not. He felt something hard punch at him again as the sound of a shotgun blast reached his sensitive hearing. Lee had felt the same blow since he nearly skidded to a stop before recovering and surging forward once more.
Whe
n they skidded to a halt just short of the porch, the sight of their door wide open and riddled with shotgun holes told them that Shay had shot at someone. Evan nodded at Lee, and the two of them edged around the side of the house to step up on the porch from either side of the doorway. As soon as they reached what was left of the doorway, Evan could smell the blood. The majority of it wasn’t known to them, but the rich sweet scent of their mate tore through his wolf and Evan didn’t wait for Lee to agree. Instead, he raced through the opening, growling as he bounded over the bodies of three men to reach his mate.
Shay half sat, half leaned against the door leading down to their suites. The shotgun lay limply in her lap, and a thin trail of her blood slowly rolled down her arm to pool on the floor next to her.
“Shay.” Lee had changed from wolf to human and was kneeling next to her body. “Where are you hit, babe?”
She shook her head and touched her ear with her good arm. Evan realized she couldn’t hear after the shotgun blasts. He needed to shift back to human form, but his wolf was insane with anger and worry. Instead, he paced just inside the doorway to ensure that no one else had made it through the ruined entrance.
“Evan. She’s okay. It’s a flesh wound. I think she hit her head on the door, as well. There’s a small lump in the back of her head. No doubt the shotgun blast knocked her against the door,” Lee updated Evan as he examined their mate. “She’s not going to be able to hear for an hour or so. She needs to rest.”
Evan whined at him to take her downstairs. He’d keep watch up there. Lee understood and picked up their brave little mate to carry her. Once they were gone, Evan howled in anger and in pain that his mate had been hurt. It didn’t matter that the wolves they’d left on guard had followed orders to protect the Alpha and Beta females, Evan would hurt them for leaving his mate alone and unprotected. They’d promised to keep her safe, and from the looks of it, she’d had to kill her entire family. How would she recover from that?
Evan paced and growled at any shifter who came close to where his mate lay below. Unless it was his Alpha or the healer, he didn’t want anyone near her.