That left only Mack. Dirk turned to find him going after Ryann as she headed for the car. Her ex grabbed her by the arm and roughly pulled her to a stop. Ryann let out a cry of pain as Mack gave her a good shake.
Something snapped inside Dirk at the sight of another man touching his mate in such a way. He growled loud enough to capture Mack and Ryann’s attention. Then drawing on the spark of magic inside him, Dirk shifted to his wolf form. He thrilled at the way Mack’s eyes widened, how the man’s scent became laden with fear. Dirk knew what Mack saw. As a wolf, Dirk was much bigger than the ones found in the wild.
He padded over to Mack and growled at him, his hackles rising as he came to stand between the other man and Ryann. Babbling nonsense, Mack backed off. Dirk turned to look at Ryann. She was as white as a ghost, her wide-eyed gaze riveted on him. He’d have to deal with her fear after this was all over. Right now, he needed to get Tyler out of the other car.
Knowing he was more of a threat in his wolf form, Dirk remained in it as he loped over to the vehicle. He looked up at Tyler and let his tongue hang out, giving the boy a wolf-like grin. He hoped Tyler would come out without Dirk having to shift to convince him to. He counted on the fact that kids seemed to accept out of the ordinary things better than the adults usually did.
He didn’t have long to wait before Tyler opened the back door and slid out. Showing no fear whatsoever, he threw his arms around Dirk’s furry neck and hugged him. “You’re a wolf, Dirk,” he shouted. “That’s cool.”
As Dirk turned to head over to Ryann, he felt a small hand grip the fur at his neck as Tyler pulled himself up on his back. The boy kicked his small heels into Dirk’s sides as if he were a horse. Laughing inside, Dirk walked back to his mate.
Ryann was still staring at him wide-eyed. Mack, on the other hand, was busy rousing his friends. Once he managed to get them on their feet, all three men hightailed it to the car, and in a matter of minutes, were burning rubber out of the parking lot.
Dirk sat on his haunches, causing Tyler to slide down his back. Once the boy got off, Dirk shifted to his human form. He closed the distance between him and Ryann. She still hadn’t made a sound. She seemed almost frozen in place.
“Say something,” he said as he cupped her face in his hands.
“A wolf? You’re-you’re a wolf,” she stammered.
“A werewolf, to be exact.
“I-I don’t know if I…” Ryann’s words trailed off.
“I know it’s a lot for you to take in. Will you at least let me take you back to the apartment and explain everything?”
“You won’t hurt me?”
Dirk leaned in and kissed her. “You’re my mate, Ryann. I could no more hurt you than pull my heart out.”
Before she answered, Tyler said, “Let’s go, Mommy. I want to ride Dirk the wolf again.”
Dirk laughed. “I have a feeling I’m going to have a sore back, for many days to come, in the near future.”
With a big sigh, seeming to push back what fear she had to be feeling, Ryann nodded. “Okay, you can come to the apartment. I guess if Tyler isn’t afraid of you, I shouldn’t be either.”
“That’s all I can ask,” he said, scooping up Tyler before he placed his son and mate in his car.
* * *
“Damn, my back’s getting sore just from watching him,” Leif said.
Jaden nudged him. “Just wait until our baby’s old enough to ask for wolfy rides. You’ll be doing exactly what Dirk is.”
Ryann chuckled at Jaden’s words before she turned her attention to her mate and son. Tyler had two good fistfuls of Dirk’s fur and was laughing as his stepfather trotted around the large backyard of the Protector’s mansion. Something he had to do at least once a day, at Tyler’s request.
It’d been a week since the incident in the restaurant parking lot, and now Tyler and she were living here with the others in Dirk’s family. It’d been a lot for her to accept once he’d told her everything about him being a nine-hundred-and-fifty-year-old werewolf. But in the end, her strong feelings for him had helped her accept Dirk for what he was.
She heard Tyler laugh as Dirk got down on the ground on his belly and shook him off. Her mate then shifted to his human form and tickled their son until Tyler shrieked with laughter. God, she loved Dirk. And he loved her. She hadn’t realized how much she’d been missing in her life until he’d come around. She sent up thanks every day that she’d answered his ad for the position at his online dating service.
Leaving Leif and Jaden, Ryann headed for the two males who were the loves of her life. Tonight would be the real start of her new life with Dirk. They were going to Roxie’s where she’d use the spell to turn Ryann into a werewolf. And when Tyler was old enough to make the decision for himself, Roxie would turn him as well.
Once she reached her family, Dirk pulled her down into his arms and gave her a kiss while he tickled her as well. With Tyler joining in, the two of them ganging up on her, Ryann knew her life was perfect. Falling in love with a werewolf was the best thing that had ever happened to her.
The End
About the Author
Marisa Chenery was always a lover of books, but after reading her first historical romance novel she found herself hooked. Having inherited a love for the written word, she soon started writing her own novels.
After trying her hand at writing historicals, she now writes paranormals.
Marisa lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and four children.
Check out Marisa’s website at www.marisachenery.com. She would love to hear from you, so drop her an email while you’re there.
Dirk's Love (Roxie's Protectors) Page 7