An overwhelming mating lust pulls mates together in this world where werewolves mate in threesomes. Sheriff Caleb Couteux comes to Marysburg to investigate Ted Seabolt, former Alpha of Stonewall pack, but gets more than he bargained for when he discovers his mates. Best friends for years, Fiona and Grady fought the love between them until the mating lust draws them together...with Caleb. But Grady sees Caleb as an interloper, and Caleb feels left out of their twosome. Can they solve their relationship problems in time to face the trouble to come?
The Alpha's Legacy
by
Tabitha Conall
Chapter 1
Grady couldn’t help but remember the last time he’d asked Fiona out and the almost sweet way she’d turned him down. But they were nearly to Marysburg. If Grady wanted to ask her again, he needed to do it now.
Usually, Fiona was anything but sweet. It had been an excruciating experience the last time he’d asked her out, not least because she’d said no.
But he loved her. He’d loved her for a long time. And he couldn’t stand around and not at least try to build a relationship with her.
“Fiona.” It came out too soft. She didn’t react, so he figured she hadn’t even heard him over the pounding radio. Grady turned the volume down. “Fiona. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Uh-oh.” She punched him in the arm. “You sound way too serious.”
He tried to smile, but even he could feel that it didn’t come out right. “We’ve known each other a long time…”
“Grady.” That sweetness crept into her voice.
His stomach jumped. “You know how I feel about you.”
She put her flat palm on his arm as though pushing him away. “Don’t do this.”
He stopped at a light. “I have to. We belong together. You know it and I know it. Just give me a chance.”
Fiona turned the radio off. “We talked about this. The chances are high that I’ll find my mates some day. If you and I step over that line and become more than friends, we’ll both end up hurt. And probably you more than me. Is that really what you want?”
That’s what she’d said the last time. “You know the answer to that. I’ll take whatever time with you I can get.”
“No,” she said.
The light turned green and he continued into Marysburg.
“I can’t do that to you,” she said. “I won’t.”
“You keep thinking about the end. But what if you don’t find your mates for five years? Or ten? What if you never find them? It happens sometimes. And all that time, we could be together.”
She didn’t answer for a long time. Their path turned from highway to a main drag to a tree-lined residential area. He turned a few corners along the way, looking for the B&B where they had reservations. He waited for her to speak. She would, in the end. And she’d probably say no. But still he hoped.
“I can’t,” she said. “I just can’t hurt you that way. Tell me the last time you heard of a female who reached forty without finding her mates.”
He couldn’t. He’d never known one. “Fiona.”
“No, stop. Just stop. I can’t.”
He’d known she’d probably say no. But his heart broke in two all the same.
***
Fiona stared out the window. She could almost feel Grady’s pain, and it killed her. Yes, she liked him as much as he liked her. But it didn’t matter. The two of them together would only lead to pain. At least this way, she could stay friends with him when she found her mates. She could keep him beside her the rest of her life as long as they never went over that line. And that’s how it had to be.
Grady pulled into a little parking lot. Her sister Deirdre had recommended the Peacock Inn, located in a small building smushed between stores and restaurants on the tree-laden main street in Marysburg. Fiona and Grady went inside, leaving their luggage in the car. Her sisters were supposed to meet her here in the Inn’s sitting room. For the first time ever.
Fiona’s palms were damp as she stepped into the room. Three women stood, turning toward her. Now she knew why Liam and Gavin had been so sure these were her sisters. She saw her features in each of their faces. One had Fiona’s warm smile, another had her blue eyes. Still a third had her dark hair shot through with red highlights.
“Hi,” Fiona said, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. She wanted them to like her. It shouldn’t mean so much what other people thought—except it did. At least with them.
The three sisters advanced on her with hugs and hellos and smiles of their own.
“We never knew,” Bridget said as she hugged Fiona. “We never would have ignored you if we’d known.”
“Definitely not,” Deirdre added. “We would have tracked you down and forced you to be part of the family.”
“You think they’re kidding, but they’re not,” Maeve said.
The three of them pulled her over to the couch and chairs that sat in front of the fireplace. Even with no fire in it, it made the room look cozy and a little colonial. Her sisters proceeded to pound her with questions and stories, almost as though they thought they would never see her again.
“I’ll be here for two weeks,” she finally said.
“Yes, but why wait?” Deirdre said. “We want every second we can get.”
“Well…I was thinking about joining your pack after I get out of the Army in six months,” Fiona said. “If you’ll have me.”
“Of course!” Bridget hugged her.
At length, Grady stepped inside and Fiona introduced him all around.
“Someone said something about lunch?” Grady said.
Maeve looked at her watch. “It’s that time, isn’t it? We’d better get going or the men will get upset.”
***
Caleb waited for the Alpha of Stonewall pack at an old-fashioned little restaurant called the Weeping Widow. The name seemed kind of morbid but he supposed it fit the colonial style they’d used for the insides—dark wood paneling, low lighting. Reminded him of a dim little tavern in some ways. All that was missing was a haze of smoke.
He held his hat loosely in his hand. Not for the first time, he wished he’d left it at the hotel. He’d forgotten they didn’t have cowboys in Virginia. Cowboys or cowboy hats or cowboy boots. He stuck out like a sore thumb.
The door opened and Caleb smelled wolf. The man was big and tough-looking until he smiled.
“Caleb Couteau?”
Caleb stuck out his hand. “You must be Jake Lawson.”
“That I am.”
They shook. The hostess immediately whisked them off to their table. They were too early for lunch. The plan was to have some coffee and talk, nothing more. A few minutes later, they sat down across from each other while waiting for their coffee.
“So what brought you all the way from Montana?” Jake said.
“Have you ever heard of Lunaville?”
“No.”
“It’s a town we built on the edge of a national park. All wolves.” He dropped his voice for that last word, aware that humans sat all around them. “It’s a sort of refuge for all sorts. I’m sheriff of the town, and that’s why I’m here. We had someone join recently, and he’s been causing trouble. When I investigated, I discovered he used to be the Alpha of your pack. Ted Seabolt?”
Jake’s face instantly hardened. “We’ve been looking for him. Where’s this town?”
That was more of a reaction than he’d expected. “I’m just looking for background here, so we know how to handle him.”
Jake leaned fo
rward. “I’ll tell you how to handle him. Shoot him on sight.”
“Whoa. We don’t handle things like that.”
Jake eased back, but not much. “With most people, that’s understandable. But let me tell you what Ted’s done. At this point, we’ve identified five girls he molested. Considering the span of time, there must be more. One of them was the mother of one of my sister-in-laws, and another was another one of my sister-in-laws.”
Jake’s hand fisted. “With the second one, Maeve, he became obsessed to the point that he tried to kidnap her and kill her mates.”
Caleb recoiled, but Jake wasn’t finished.
“We’re pretty sure he also killed my mate’s parents.” Jake leaned forward again. “Ted deserves to die.”
Caleb’s stomach clenched. “Amy was telling the truth then. I was sure she was.”
“What’d he do now?”
“One of the girls in town accused him of touching her. A couple of days later, he challenged her father. After Ted beat her father to a pulp, the little girl recanted. It seemed obvious to me that she’d been coerced, but I had no proof.”
“No doubt.” Jake’s jaw tightened. “Poor little girl.”
“When he first came to town, he was badly injured. After we helped him regain his health, he started challenging left and right, rising in the pack.”
“That’s what he did here, too. And after he took over, he ran out all the strong wolves and led the rest with an iron fist. Don’t let it happen to Lunaville. Let me bring him back here for execution.”
This was worse than what he’d expected. And with Amy’s accusations in hand, he’d expected things to be pretty bad. But a lifetime of molesting plus kidnapping and murder? Lunaville just didn’t see crimes like that. Even so. “We don’t handle things that way. We might have been built out on the wild frontier, but from the beginning we’ve run things cleanly. You can try him. If he’s guilty, he’ll face punishment.”
Jake’s lip lifted as though baring his teeth. “Don’t stand in my way on this. You’ll be sorry. We want him to face his punishment. We already know he’s guilty.”
“Until you prove that guilt to Lunaville, you can’t take him.” Caleb’s skin crawled to think he was protecting a child molester. “We wouldn’t be worth a damn as a sanctuary if we turned over wolves who came to us for help without even a trial.” Even that was a stretch. They usually wouldn’t hand someone over at all. But for crimes this serious, there had to be an exception. Caleb couldn’t have Ted staying in Lunaville hurting little girls like Amy.
Jake sat back, his jaw tight. Just then, the waitress stopped by to refill their cups.
Perfect timing, as far as Caleb was concerned. Maybe while they were waiting, Jake could think about things from Caleb’s perspective.
As soon as she left, Jake said, “You said you’re sheriff. Are you also the Alpha?”
“No. That’s Keene.”
“Can you put me in touch with him?”
Caleb stilled. “You think you can talk him into something you couldn’t talk me into? I’m his voice here.”
“I still want to talk to him.”
“Fine.” Caleb pulled out his cell to get the number and scribbled it on one of the paper napkins. “He won’t tell you anything different.”
Jake accepted the napkin. “I have to try.”
“Why not bring your case to Lunaville? Do you have so little evidence you think you’ll lose?”
“We’ve got plenty of evidence. But that’s not the wolf way. We don’t have to have trials. Ted’s guilty. We know it. It’s time to move straight to his punishment.”
“And that attitude is exactly why Lunaville exists. Because of Alphas who take things into their own hands and punish innocent people without enough evidence of wrongdoing.” Caleb leaned forward. “We usually won’t extradite under any circumstances. The only reason we’re considering it here is because it’s clear Ted plans to continue his previous activities and we can’t have that.”
Jake stood. “I’ll call your Alpha. One way or another, I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” He stuck out his hand.
Go over his head? Caleb felt like brawling but had to be civil. He shook Jake’s hand.
“Do you have lunch plans? Some of my family is meeting here for lunch in a few minutes. I’d like you to join us.”
At least Jake was hospitable. Although the way Caleb was feeling right then, he didn’t want to sit down to eat with the guy. “Even though we disagree?”
“Perhaps you’ll change your mind after you’ve met some of his victims.”
Ah, an ulterior motive. At the same time, he didn’t have anything else to do for lunch. “Is the food any good?”
Jake chuckled. “It’s good.”
***
Fiona and Grady circled the restaurant in their car, looking for a parking spot in vain. Finally, Grady said, “I’ll let you out and you can go on in. Then I’ll find a spot.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“They’re your family. If I’m a few minutes late, it’s not a big deal. But you should be with them.”
She agreed. When he paused in traffic right in front of the Weeping Widow, she jumped out and hurried to the sidewalk. Once inside, she found her family pretty easily. As she walked toward them, she saw a stranger standing next to Jake.
The man was tall and broad, at least six feet if not more, and well-muscled. Even if he hadn’t been holding a cowboy hat, the boots and the tight fit of his Wranglers would have given him away. She did like a man in tight jeans, and his showed off his butt very nicely.
He turned and watched her approach, which gave her a good look at his face. He had a strong jaw, sharp brown eyes and lips made for kissing.
Jake reached out his arm, welcoming her. “Fiona. Meet Caleb.”
She put out her hand and Caleb took it. Just as his fingers engulfed hers, a scent washed over her, like freshly baked bread and gun oil and home.
Caleb’s hand spasmed around hers. “Mate.” His voice sounded half-grumbly, like his wolf wanted to jump out his throat and claim her. Then Caleb’s eyes focused on something behind her.
Chapter 2
She turned to see their third, still feeling shocked and maybe numb, as though this were all happening to someone else. Although the mating urge, that urge to knock Caleb to the ground and have her way with him right here, right now, made it all too real. Her eyes scanned the faces in front of her, many of them wolves, until they fell on her third, her other mate.
Grady.
A smile spread across his face. “Ear to ear” wasn’t quite big enough to describe that smile, like he could eat up the whole world and then some. He raced toward them, dodging tables and waiters to get to them.
Grady. All her fears had been for nothing. She’d never have to leave him after all. Fiona touched her face and realized she was smiling just as big as Grady was.
***
Grady knew it. He’d known it all along. Fiona was his mate. And he was hers.
But the thing that made it all worth it as he ran to get to her was the look on her face. He’d never been sure if she meant it when she said she cared about him. And now he knew.
When he got to them—Fiona and his nameless other mate—he grabbed Fiona and pulled her into a kiss, pouring all his feelings, all the years of loving her, into every touch.
After a minute, Fiona pulled back. He tried not to let her, but she succeeded in putting distance between them. “Meet Caleb.” She licked her lips.
The cowboy standing behind Fiona stepped forward and put out his hand. Grady took it. “Grady Laing.” His hand tingled where Caleb touched it. He tried to ignore that the mating urge made him want to mark Caleb as much as he wanted to mark Fiona. He didn’t know this guy. He didn’t want this guy touching his woman.
Caleb stepped closer to them, sliding his hand over Fiona’s shoulder. “Let’s find a room.”
Jake stepped up next to them. “Have lunch first. You�
��ll need your strength.”
Grady didn’t want to eat first. He wanted to mark Fiona. As it was, he couldn’t keep his hands off her, still holding her waist with one hand and brushing his fingers down her cheek with his other.
“We can order room service,” Caleb said.
At least the guy had good sense. They needed to find a hotel room, pronto. Food could wait.
Fiona gazed at the table where her sisters were finding seats and arranging things. “I’m here to get to know my sisters. I’d like to stay for lunch.”
Grady tried not to whine like a pup. He knew Fiona. He and Caleb could go to the hotel if they wanted to, but if she’d decided to stay, she would stay.
And he didn’t want to go anywhere without her. “All right. We’ll stay.”
Caleb frowned. Grady almost felt better knowing he’d thwarted the cowboy’s plans. Almost.
***
Caleb still reeled from finding his mates and going on such a rollercoaster of emotions in such a short time. He’d been angry at Jake, then attracted to a strong sexy woman only to find out she was his mate. His utter elation at realizing he’d spend the rest of his life with his dream woman had turned to something else entirely when their third had shown up. Grady and Fiona clearly knew each other. And Grady acted more like Caleb was a challenger than a mate.
Is this what he had to look forward to?
He had wanted more than anything to take his mates back to his hotel room and solve any issues they had in the glories of sex, but they’d both turned on him, forcing him to endure an uncomfortable lunch during which his hard-on would no doubt fail to recede.
How could something so wonderful, so momentous, be going so badly?
Caleb sat down on one side of Fiona, Grady the other. Caleb tried to concentrate on the menu, but couldn’t help himself from reaching out and putting his hand on Fiona’s thigh. The touch made things both worse and better—better because touching her eased something inside of him. Worse because it made his cock that much harder.
Fiona looked over at him and licked her lips.
“So, Caleb, what brings you to Virginia?” One of the sisters smiled at him from across the table. Deirdre, if he remembered correctly.
The Alpha's Legacy, An MMF Erotic Romance (The Stonewall Pack Alpha Series) Page 1