Maggie's Wolves, Part Five: A BBW Shifter Romance (Red Mountain Pack Book 5)

by Cara Morgan

  MAGGIE’S WOLVES

  RED MOUNTAIN PACK: PART FIVE

  Cara Morgan

  Copyright 2015 Cara Morgan

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the author, except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, people, places and incidents are either used fictitiously or are products of the author’s imagination.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Maggie lifted her head from Carson’s shoulder and turned to see Declan start across the room with a determined look on his face. Carson’s body tightened as he braced himself to face off against the half-feral wolf, and Maggie locked her legs against the urge to run.

  Oh, fuck.

  Declan was scary as hell. A rogue who lived on the edge of the pack, he was more wolf than man even when he was walking around in human skin. Right now, the wolflight blazed so brightly in his eyes it almost hurt to look at him. Before he took more than a few steps, Case caught Declan’s arm and hauled him to a stop.

  Declan continued to stare at her over his alpha’s shoulder. The message in his eyes was clear: We’re not done.

  No. No, they weren’t.

  Maggie untangled herself from Carson’s embrace and walked toward him. Declan was big, as big as Eli. But Eli’s size had never intimidated her. Eli was like a big teddy bear, whereas Declan was more of a grizzly.

  Case’s hand was wrapped tight around Declan’s biceps. Maggie could see the indentation each of his fingers made in Declan’s flesh. Both men were rigid with tension. As soon as Declan took another step forward—and he would—there would be another fight. It’s what Declan wanted. To push her and Case. To test them all. He was using Case’s protectiveness for her as the spark to light the fire.

  “Case,” she said quietly, stopping beside him.

  Case turned his head. Enough to see her, not enough to lose sight of Declan. “Why don’t you go eat, Maggie? We’ll be along shortly.”

  Sure they would.

  “Do you want Declan to stay with the pack?”

  Case gave a short nod. There was no hesitation in his response and that startled her. “Why?”

  Declan grinned at the question, but Case frowned. “He’s being an ass. He’s an idiot who thinks this is my way of casting him out without a fight.”

  “You wouldn’t do that.”

  Case let go of Declan’s arm.

  “No,” Case said sharply. “I wouldn’t. And he should fucking know better by now.”

  Why would Case want to keep Declan in the pack when Declan was so determined to cause trouble? It didn’t make sense. Eli had said that Case and Declan were like brothers, but she wasn’t sensing a whole lot of brotherly love right now.

  Case turned his back on Declan. He turned his back! And Maggie moved forward ready to face Declan if he tried anything. Declan only crossed his arms over his big chest and raised his brows. Amused. He thought it was funny that she would dare to step between him and Case.

  Let him laugh. See how funny he thought it was when she refused to claim him.

  She took Case’s arm when he offered it and let him escort her to the stairs. Carson handed her clothing to her and she excused herself to slip into bathroom. Closing the door, she leaned against the solid wood for a few minutes to steady herself before getting cleaned up. Her stomach growled as she pulled on her pants and tee-shirt. She finger-combed her hair and sighed at the image that stared back at her from the mirror. She looked like she’d spent the past few days on a sexual marathon. Her hair was a poufy mess. Her lips were bruised and her face was flushed. Her wolf was silent for the moment, the smug little beastie, satisfied by the acquisition of yet another mate.

  This heat thing was exhausting. Maggie wanted nothing more than a warm meal and a long soak in the big tub up in Case’s bathroom. She really didn’t want to deal with a cranky old wolf who was a hairsbreadth away from challenging the alpha.

  Damn Declan.

  Why did he have to make this harder than it already was? If he’d been just a little kinder then she might have claimed him downstairs while the adrenaline, heat and magic was running sharp and sweet through her veins.

  But no. He had to keep pushing everyone. It was like he was trying to split up the pack.

  That wasn’t going to happen.

  With every mate she claimed, she felt the pack grow stronger. The mating bonds that tied them together were solid and unbreakable. Whatever Declan hoped to accomplish, he wouldn’t be able to force her out.

  She flicked off the lights and stepped into the hallway. A low rumble of male voices drifted to her from the kitchen, and she smiled. Her men. Her mates. Her pack.

  If Declan tried to hurt any one of them, she would rip off his balls.

  Eli had outdone himself, Declan thought. There were two big pots of chili on the stove—one spicy and made with deer meat and one mild made with beef. The spicy deer chili was a house specialty. Clearly, Eli had made the weaker version for their guest. Maggie’d probably only had to bat her pretty lashes at Eli, and the pack second had fallen over himself trying to please her.

  She had Eli ready to deliver the moon, Case guarding her pussy like it was his fucking job, and Jack and Carson ready to jump at her command.

  What did she need him for?

  He’d never even wanted a mate. When Eli had first brought up the idea, the only reason Declan hadn’t argued against it was because it had seemed like such an impossible dream. Female shifters who wanted a pack were so rare they were nearly extinct. But Declan wasn’t a dream killer and he’d figured that if Eli wanted to believe in happy-ever-afters, then that was fine with him. He hadn’t expected Eli to bring home a mate and try to force her on the rest of the pack.

  Maggie wasn’t even a normal alpha female. She was too soft. Distrustful of her wolf. She didn’t have the instincts to force her will on the submissives. A true pack required a dominant female or the mates began to tear at each other. Case didn’t think it would happen. He’d argued that they’d lived as a pack for years without the benefit of pack bonds to tie them together. He thought they’d be able to bring Maggie into the fold without disrupting things.

  Declan only had to look across the table to see how disruptive she was. Case had never opened his heart to any woman, but tonight he was wearing his heart on his sleeve. As Declan watched, Case smiled at something Maggie said and passed her a freshly baked roll. When she thanked him, Case kissed the tip of her nose before handing her the butter, too.

  Pathetic.

  She’d turned their alpha into a puppy. Declan forced himself to swallow a mouthful of burning hot chili and hoped it didn’t come back up. He should just walk. They’d all made their decision. He should wash his hands of the whole mess and leave them to it.

  But he couldn’t.

  Declan owed Case his life and he would do almost anything to pay that debt. He’d come back to the lodge to meet Maggie. He’d have fucked her to seal the bond if that’s all Case had wanted. But the alpha wanted him to win Maggie’s trust and affection too. The pack wanted…this. This domesticated crap he’d never been any good at. And they were going to force him to play along if he wanted to stay.

  Shoveling the last o
f the chili into his mouth, he stood. He grunted his thanks to Eli as he passed him on the way to the sink and then met Case’s questioning gaze with a shrug. There was only so much happy pack time he could take before he had to get away.

  “I’m going for a run,” he said. “I’ll be back.”

  Not waiting for a response, he passed through the house. His home. This was the only home he’d ever known. His birth pack had been survivalists who lived off the grid. Completely off the grid. They’d believed that having to maintain a permanent structure like a house was a weakness. Too human. They’d thought it unnatural to separate themselves from the earth and moon by hiding within a pile of stones and dead wood. Declan had spent most of his early years on four paws, and he’d counted it a good childhood.

  It had been good…until human ranchers came after his pack thinking they were responsible for the loss of a couple head of cattle. His pack hadn’t had anything to do with the missing cattle, but it wasn’t like they’d had a chance to explain. There hadn’t been time to run or shift. Theirs had been a young pack. Declan was the first and only pup. The hunters had come when the pack was exhausted. His mother’s heat cycle had just ended. The pack had left Declan behind, safe and sound in one of their favorite dens, miles away. He’d heard the howls and the gunshots. By the time he found what was left of his pack it’d been too late.

  They’d been on their way to the den. Declan knew the heat cycle had ended because when he found his mother’s body she’d been in her wolf form, limp and senseless, riddled with bullets, with the life blood slowly pumping out of her and matting her fur. Her mates had attacked the hunters. One of the humans died. All of the wolves were killed.

  He’d run. Run until his paws bled. Run until he’d entered the territory of another pack. The wolves there had no interest in taking in a stray, particularly one who seemed incapable of shifting. Case’s mother had taken one look at him and told her mates to get rid of him. She’d meant for him to die. Case didn’t believe it, but Declan had seen her eyes. She’d ordered his death and turned her back.

  Case saved his life. Even at only nine years of age, he’d been protective. Declan spent the next five years as a wolf, sleeping curled up at the end of Case’s bed every night. He followed the older boy everywhere, trying to make himself useful by catching rabbits and such, finding all the good and hidden places that would make the best dens when Case was ready to leave his pack. Declan spent five years at the edge of the pack. Feral. Distrustful of humans. Bitter and angry. Never truly belonging.

  Case protected him, and Declan provided Case with an escape from all the rules his pack laid on him. Rules about pretending to be human, meant to keep him safe. Case learned those rules well. To everyone who knew him, Case was a wealthy businessman who ran a successful wilderness adventure business. He sat on two conservation boards and was considered a respected member of the community.

  Declan didn’t let him forget that he was also a wolf.

  He stripped quickly and dropped his clothes into a bin beside the door. Stepping outside, he braced himself against the slap of cold air. His skin shivered with the change, and Declan closed his eyes at the familiar and safe feeling of the wolf rising. His human skin melted with a thousand tiny pinpricks of sensation. His muscles heated, and his bones reformed. The wolf skin slid over his body as he leapt into the air, and when he landed he was on four feet.

  He’d promised Eli that he’d give the pack two days, and Declan was a wolf who kept his promises. He’d run until he could face them all with a cooler head.

  He had two days. Two days of acting human. Two days to convince them that they were better off without Maggie.

  Chapter Two

  Maggie watched Declan leave. The good thing was he took a lot of tension with him. The bad thing was he still hated her. She lifted another spoonful of the amazing chili and blew on it to cool it before putting it in her mouth. Eli was watching her. He clearly wanted to know her opinion but didn’t want to ask. He was adorable and sweet. Everyone was doing their best to make her feel welcome.

  Why did Declan have to be such an asshole?

  After wiping her mouth on her napkin, she smiled at Eli. “This is great. The best I’ve had. Thank you so much for making it.”

  Eli grinned and lifted a spoonful of his much spicier chili toward her mouth. The scent of the chilies made her nose twitch.

  “You haven’t tried the really good stuff yet,” Eli said.

  She leaned away from his spoon, bumping into Case’s shoulder. Case shifted to absorb the pressure, and turned his head to press a kiss to her cheek. “You really should try it. It’s the house favorite.”

  She’d noticed that everyone else had taken the deer chili. Eyes widening, she looked at Eli. “Did you make a pot just for me?”

  Eli blushed which made her want to throw her arms around his neck and kiss the heat rising to his cheeks.

  “My special chili is something you have to work your way up to. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to handle it right away.”

  He still held the spoon up, and she leaned forward to capture it in her mouth. Flavor exploded on her tongue like a bomb set on taste bud obliteration. She could actually feel her brain tingle. Forcing herself to swallow, she reached blindly for her glass of water.

  “Here.” Case shoved a half-eaten roll in her hand. “Bread works better.”

  She alternated between bites of bread and swallows of water until she could see again.

  Eli frowned. “I forgot I added a little extra cayenne to my bowl. Are you okay?”

  She smothered a cough. “It’s good.”

  “Liar.”

  “I think it’s good,” Carson said, standing to fetch another bowlful. “Thanks for making it Eli. I’ll handle cleanup tonight.”

  Case raised an eyebrow. “Trying to impress our guest?”

  “She’s not really a guest, and I pitch in where I can.” Carson glanced at her and she melted a little at the warmth in his eyes. “You don’t want me to cook for you. Unless you’re big on cheese sandwiches and canned soup.”

  She shrugged. “You have other talents.”

  He ducked his head, hiding a smile. “Well, yeah.”

  Jack leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on his flat belly. “And I’m sure those are at your disposal anytime.”

  A wolf howled just outside the house, a long mournful sound that made everyone stop breathing and lift their head in response.

  When the call faded, Maggie looked around the room at her mates. “Why does he hate me?”

  For a second, no one answered. Carson and Jack stared at her uncomfortably. Eli’s mouth tightened and he looked at Case. There was a touch of annoyance in Case’s expression, but she didn’t think it was directed at her.

  “He doesn’t do well with being cooped up inside. It’s not unusual for him to go for a run before coming in for the night.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I’d prefer the straight truth.”

  Case tilted his head slightly to the side as if trying to gauge how much of the truth she could handle. “It’s always difficult when you bring someone new into a pack. Declan’s still adjusting to having Carson and Jack around. It’s probably going to take longer with you. His wolf considers Carson and Jack submissive. When you claim Declan, you’ll have power over him equal to mine.”

  She raised her brows. “When I claim him?”

  Case didn’t take the bait. It was clear he was doing his best to avoid an argument. He covered her hand with his own. “Declan was sent away from his pack during his mother’s heat cycle, and his entire pack was killed. Whenever my mother approached her time, Declan would disappear for weeks.”

  Her anger cooled. “You said that just to make me feel sorry for him.”

  Case squeezed her fingers. “You have a kind heart.”

  “You’re setting me up.”

  “I’m giving you all the information you need to make a decision. Declan won’t offer it, but I think it’
s important.” He paused, and then added, “He won’t want your pity.”

  It wasn’t pity she was feeling now. She didn’t feel anything but tired thinking about trying to claim a wolf who didn’t really want to be claimed. The other men began to clear the table, giving Case and Maggie some measure of privacy.

  “What else do I need to know?”

  “After my mother died, her mates fell apart. It’s not uncommon for a pack to split up when the alpha female dies. It didn’t used to be like that. When there were more females, a sterile female would have been there to take her place. We only had Margot, and she was a child. I did my best to take care of her, but Declan was the one who held it together. Making sure we had food. That we stayed safe when my fathers were at their grief sick worst. He’s rough around the edges, I know that. But he’s a good man. Loyal and fierce. He shows you one face because he sees you as a stranger. I want you to see the whole man.”

  “You’re asking me to trust you again.”

  The corner of his mouth edged up in a smile. “I know it’s a lot to ask. You’re still learning who I am.”

  “I know who you are.”

  She did. Their bond told her he was telling her the truth. It let her sense some of his fear too. Case cared deeply for Declan. Their bond might be wrapped up in feelings of obligation, but that didn’t mean Declan wasn’t worthy of the debt.

  “Declan’s younger than you are,” she said, struggling with the image of even a young Case needing help from anyone.

  “He is. He was tough even then. My sister and I had to live as wolves for months before it was safe to come home. Declan showed us how to survive it. He could have run. One of my fathers hunted us—” He broke off, shaking his head. “The point is, if you claim him, if he gives you his vow, you will not find a truer mate.”

  Jack grabbed the butter off the table. “Hey, now.”

  Case smiled. “Present company included. Will you give him a chance?”