by Crissy Smith
“Ah here they are,” Jace said when she led Bobby to the secluded wooded area Jace had found. It wasn’t one of their usual meet up sites.
As Jace dropped to his knees, Piper rubbed against him. He chuckled, falling back and wrapping his arms around her. Now this was different. Just the feel of Jace’s hands on hers was so incredible.
Settling herself on Jace’s lap, she looked over at Bobby, who remained just at the opening from where they’d entered.
Licking Jace’s chin then glancing back to Bobby, she hoped Jace knew what she wanted.
“Bobby,” he called softly. “Can you come join us?”
Relieved that he had understood, she relaxed into Jace. Mitch sat close beside Jace, giving Bobby time to decide.
He was slow but he did eventually make his way over to them.
“If it’s okay, I would like to pet you,” Mitch said quietly to Bobby.
Bobby’s gaze met hers and she nodded. It would be good for Bobby to get used to being touched as a wolf. She’d always been so scared for hurting Jace while in her shifted form, so it would make sense if Bobby felt the same way. Having Jace’s hands on her while in her other form had helped her get over that fear. Hopefully Mitch would be able to do the same for Bobby.
Cautiously Bobby lowered to the ground and scooted forward. Piper watched closely, making sure he really was okay.
Mitch allowed Bobby to settle before he lifted his hands in the air. Just as carefully, he reached out and very gently laid his palms on Bobby’s side. Bobby flinched, but when Mitch froze, Bobby seemed to understand he wasn’t going to be hurt.
Jace ran his fingers through the thick fur of her side without saying a word. Just lightly petting her while Bobby got used to accepting Mitch’s touch. Eventually Bobby calmed enough for Mitch to progress closer and run his hands over the small wolf. Piper let her eyes close as all was right in the world. No worry or stress. Their little group was safe.
* * * *
She must have dozed off because she woke with Jace gently shaking her. She huffed and stretched before opening her eyes and peering around. Bobby was lying across Mitch’s legs as the big man continued to rub his belly.
They both looked very at ease in their position.
“Are you ready to shift back so we can eat some lunch?” Jace asked.
She was hungry and knew that Jace planned to have a barbeque. She stood and nudged Bobby to join her. Bobby happily trotted behind her as she took him back to where they’d left their clothes. Jace and Mitch followed behind at a slower pace.
It didn’t take long for them to return to the clearing. Hopefully Bobby would follow her lead to transform but if not, she could change first then talk him though the process.
When she dropped to the ground, Bobby copied her. That was good. It looked like he was going to try.
Closing her eyes, she let her body take over and gave herself to the conversion. Her arms and legs were still quivering when she was done.
She pushed the hair away from her face and skimmed her gaze over Bobby as he returned to human form. “You okay?”
He nodded. Slowly she rose. Bobby was rocking back and forth.
“Bobby?”
He looked up at her and rolled her shoulders. On his knees, he clasped his hands behind him and lowered his head. “Thank you. I’ll follow you anywhere, my Alpha, my leader.
Shocked she stepped back. “What?”
He lifted his head and stared right at her. “My Alpha.”
“You… You can’t say that,” she told him sternly.
Bobby cocked his head to the side. “Why not?”
Why not? She didn’t know how to answer him, he just couldn’t… Taking a deep breath, she grasped his hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”
“It’s okay.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry I upset you.”
“No, no just don’t be saying things like that.”
“Sure,” he agreed.
“Come on. We should head to the house.” She led Bobby away, hoping that he’d drop the subject.
“Piper?” Bobby paused, and she had no choice but to turn around. “It just felt right. Like I needed to acknowledge you.”
That’s what bothered her. She’d woken up knowing that Bobby belonged to her. In a different way from how Jace was hers, but still Bobby was her responsibility. From all the research Jace had done over the last several months, she’d read several articles about wolves having Alphas.
The most troubling thing about what Bobby had called her was that the connection that had formed between the two of them was peaceful. Which scared the crap out of her. As if the animal part of her had just been waiting for it. If that didn’t make her even more of a freak then she didn’t know what else would.
Jace had more than enough to worry about. There was no way she could tell him that something was changing inside her.
Chapter Six
Jace wasn’t sure what had happened after Piper and Bobby had changed back to their human form. By the time he and Mitch had gotten to the clearing, Piper had been gaping at Bobby, her face pale.
Bobby didn’t say anything but his eyes remained on Piper for the entire walk back to the house. As they arrived, he was about to confront Bobby when Piper gripped his hand, holding on tight.
“How was it?” Mitch asked Bobby, cutting though the tension between them.
“I don’t know. On one hand it was fantastic but on the other, it terrifies me.”
“That’s about how I feel. The more I shift, the better confidence I have. I feel more in control, less likely to do something wrong,” Piper said.
“You’d never hurt anyone,” Jace assured her. “Either of you. I think the more times Bobby can transform with Piper, the better it will be.”
“Why? How can I really help him?” She waved a hand at Bobby then herself.
Jace glanced at Bobby before giving his attention back to Piper. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing! What if I hurt Bobby?” she cried.
“No, you could never do anything to hurt Bobby. It isn’t in you to do so.”
“I trust you, Piper,” Bobby said.
“Maybe you shouldn’t,” Piper whispered.
“I don’t know why you’re so upset.” Jace held her tight. “What can I do to help?” He had to find a way to take the worry and grief from her. The morning had started so well and he’d been excited to see what Piper and Bobby could accomplish together. He’d been so pleased sitting and petting them. “What can I do?” he repeated.
“I don’t know. Everything is happening so fast. I want to protect Bobby and it kills me to think that I might end up harming him”
Now that sounded like Piper. “We’ll be here to help you—Mitch and I. You don’t have to do this on your own.”
“We’ll figure all this out,” Mitch added.
Spinning around Piper faced Mitch. “How?”
“By telling me everything you know and feel. What you suspect. I’ll work my fingers to the bone to get you answers. You trust Jace and now I just need you to have the same faith in me.”
Piper’s nose scrunched up. Jace stayed quiet, trying to see how she’d respond. “I do trust you,” she confessed. “God help me, I’m pulling all of you down this rabbit hole with me but we’ll go together.”
“There’s nowhere else I would rather be,” Jace told her.
“Sounds good to me,” Mitch agreed.
“I’ll follow you anywhere,” Bobby said quietly.
Jace stared at Bobby after his admission. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was awe and a little hero worship in Bobby’s tone. Jace had seen it plenty in soldiers returning home after being rescued.
“Trust your instincts for now,” Jace told both Piper and Bobby. “I think that’s the best we can hope for.”
“I just hope it’s enough,” Piper murmured.
“You were changed before him, you’re older, have more experience a
nd I think just naturally more of a leader. Bobby following your lead just makes sense,” Mitch said.
Piper’s mouth dropped open as she paled. Jace really did not understand where the sudden bout of stress was coming from.
“It makes sense to me when he puts it that way,” Bobby admitted.
Jace stepped away, pulling Piper with him. “Do you want to talk about what else is bothering you?”
She was already shaking her head before he’d finished.
Mitch’s cell phone rang, drawing Jace’s attention back over to him. Mitch dragged the small phone out of his pocket and smiled. “It’s Cody, calling back finally.”
Jace waved him off. “Go. I’ll start the grill.”
Mitch nodded then walked away down the steps before he answered with a friendly hello.
“Why don’t you two relax at the table and I’ll get lunch started,” Jace suggested.
It was cute the way Bobby looked to Piper. When she gave Jace a thankful smile before turning toward the lounge chairs, Bobby followed right on her heels. He had to hold in a laugh. Like a puppy.
Neither Piper nor Bobby would probably appreciate that observation, so he kept it to himself. As he strolled into the kitchen, he thought about everything they’d just discussed. He hated to think that Piper was hiding something from him. His gut was telling him that she wasn’t in danger but something big was on her mind. He’d do his best to give her the time she needed. But if Piper didn’t figure things out for herself, he was going to step in, even if she ended up handing him his ass for his trouble.
Amused with himself, he pulled out the platter of burgers Mitch had prepared after Piper and Bobby had left to shift. Mitch wouldn’t actually say what the secret ingredient he’d used was but Jace had always loved Mitch’s hamburgers. Next he removed the bowls of dip that Mitch had whipped up earlier before placing them next to the platter. The chips were already in bowls. Afterward, he set the food on the island and reached back inside the fridge to grab four beer bottles. He noticed the night before that Bobby had ordered a beer, so he was guessing the brew would be okay with him. But if the younger man didn’t want any, he’d come back in and grab him water or a soda.
He pulled the tray from under the cabinet, then he set the dips, chips and beers on it.
“I’ll help,” Mitch said as he strolled into the kitchen.
Jace handed him the plate of meat. “How did it go with Cody?”
“He just got in from a three-day field exercise. He’s headed to bed but said he’d be up for a visit in the morning. I figured we could leave after breakfast and drive up.”
“Sounds good. Let’s see if Bobby wants to join us.”
Mitch nodded before he turned and led the way back outside. Piper and Bobby were sitting side by side in matching wooden lounge chairs. They had their heads together and were speaking quietly.
Piper looked up and met his gaze, and he was glad to see the distress from earlier was seemingly gone. She smiled, so he detoured to walk by her and placed a small kiss against her lips.
“Beer?” he asked after he’d pulled back.
“Please,” she smiled at him. He lowered the tray so she could reach for the bottle.
“Bobby? If you want water or a soda, that’s fine too.”
“I’ll take a beer,” Bobby told him.
Jace let him pick his drink before taking the tray over to the table. He unloaded, setting everything across the top before lifting up the remaining drinks.
Mitch was fiddling with the barbeque knobs when Jace joined him.
“Here you go, man,” Jace offered, holding out the cold beer.
“Thanks. We’ll give it a couple of minutes to heat up.”
“Sure,” Jace agreed. “I have to thank you for coming up here and helping. I really owe you, man.”
“Are you kidding?” Mitch chuckled. “As soon as I woke up, I started researching anything and everything I could on shifter lore. Werewolf and skin walker lore, also.”
Since Jace had done the same, he shrugged. “Still I couldn’t trust just anyone with this. Piper means too much to me. I want her to accept what she has inside her, so she’ll be happy.”
“Like I told her, we’ll figure this out, but I do think that you’ll both have to change some of your thinking.”
“How do you mean?”
“You and Piper act like her wolf is separate, but it’s a part of her. It’s like you talk about the wolf as a ‘her’ but wouldn’t the ‘her’ still be Piper? And Piper always says ‘my wolf felt’ instead of ‘I felt’.”
Having not realized it, Jace thought about Mitch’s words and could see his buddy had a point.
“It surprised me when Piper said she called herself a werewolf and not a shifter. I think she’s still running from what she is,” Mitch commented.
Well damn, Jace knew that, didn’t he? Every day Jace had to push Piper to talk about her wolf and ask if she wanted to shift. She’d started to look forward to it but he still brought it up. Maybe he needed to help her more. If Mitch could see she wasn’t fully undertaking her gift, what about Bobby?
Maybe they needed to shift even more. He glanced around the yard, taking in one of his favorite spots.
The entire house was surrounded by trees and situated between the private beach and road. Now that he knew Bobby had been able to see into the back, he wondered if he needed to beef up security or not.
Of course Bobby had purposely been spying, but if he was going to have both Piper and Bobby transforming into wolves then better coverage for privacy would be needed.
“What are you thinking about?” Mitch bumped his arm.
“If Bobby was able to see Piper shift yesterday, we probably need to make sure we have better shelter out here.”
“Yeah that would be smart. We can build something that will fit the décor and still conceal it a little better.”
Jace was just so overwhelmed with Mitch’s generosity. He felt stupid and ashamed that he’d been jealous of his best friend earlier. While Mitch came across big and bad at first glance, there was not a better man than Mitch Bryant.
“Thanks, man,” Jace said as he faced his buddy. “For all of this.”
“Hell,” Mitch said, dropping his voice just a little. “It’s so obvious that you’re totally in love with her. Isn’t that why you left the unit? To settle down and hopefully find your soul mate?”
Jace laughed. “It is.”
“Besides, you’d do the same for me.”
Jace squeezed Mitch’s shoulder. “I would—will—if you ever need me.”
Mitch nodded. “I know. Plus shit, this is just so cool!”
And that was why Mitch was his best friend. “Come on, man. Let’s get the food started.”
* * * *
Piper hated riding in a car for long periods of time. She’d done so much traveling when she’d been running from Joe, and now that she’d settled down with Jace, she couldn’t find anything good about road trips.
Since she was struggling to remain calm, she worried that Bobby was handling the trip even worse than her. But every time she glanced over at him, Bobby was staring out of the window at the passing scenery or talking to Mitch.
She’d offered Mitch the front seat since his legs were longer and he was so much bigger than she was. So for most of the drive Mitch was seated sideways so he could look back and talk to them.
He was currently telling a story about when he and Jace, along with the rest of the team, had gotten food poisoning from a street vendor in some country he refused to name. Jace kept his attention on the road as he drove but by the little smile on his face, he was listening to his friend.
Piper enjoyed Mitch’s stories, even if he didn’t give them all the details. She could tell when he was holding back. But it made her think about Jace’s life before they’d met. Of course she knew that Jace had spent most of his life in the service. His father had also been military and it was a family tradition that Jace had followed.
The fact that he’d grown up a military brat—his words—was one of the reasons he was so intent in settling down.
He’d bought the bar soon after he’d retired. But sometimes she wondered if he missed his old life. It would kill her if he regretted leaving behind his first career. She needed him, though. Every day it was more apparent that she was a better person with Jace around.
He supported and loved her. He accepted the animal inside her. She couldn’t imagine having to try to manage all the changes in her life without him. Plus, both he and Mitch had been wonderful with Bobby. Just the fact that they were willing to drive all the way to San Diego on the small chance that one of their old teammates had information to help made her grateful for them.
She hoped they were making the right decision sharing what they were with someone else. Jace had said that they wouldn’t reveal themselves right away. They’d share a similar story like Cody had witnessed and see how he responded. Piper was good with the plan so far. If Cody reacted positively to their story then they would decide how much he should know.
She still couldn’t believe that everything was happening so fast. Just as Mitch had arrived, Bobby had shown up, and now they were headed to yet another stranger’s place.
“How well do you know this guy?” Bobby asked Mitch.
“We served in the same unit at the end of Jace’s commission. Right after Jace left, I transferred units. I think we had a couple of missions with him?” Mitch asked Jace.
“One, my last. It went textbook perfect and only lasted a week. He seemed like an all right guy but we didn’t have time to bond. Not like my other guys,” Jace explained.
“I’ve been with him for three jobs as some of our missions overlapped,” Mitch told them. “We’ll stay a little cautious, but from everything I’ve read on him, Cody’s trustworthy.”
“And just how much hacking do you do?” Bobby questioned, although his tone was edged with amusement.