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  “Actually, it does concern me.”

  Austin was taken aback. What would an alpha want with Kiera? Yeah, she was hot, but she was still just a little werefox. Obviously a few pieces of the puzzle were missing.

  “Excuse me?” Austin asked.

  Gabriel sighed. The man looked more shocked than anything else. What was wrong with these people? So what if his wife shifted into a fox? Were they really that bigoted around here?

  Turning Kiera in his arms, he kissed her. “Why don’t you go sit with the others for a minute?”

  Kiera buried her face against his chest, breathing in his scent. She nodded and walked around him and headed back over to the table. Cole, Connor and Colin were all watching the scene, fascinated. All that was lacking was the popcorn.

  She plopped down in her seat by Cole. He put a protective arm around his sister-in-law. He wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but it was unspoken that if anything happened to Gabriel, his pack would take care of Kiera. Not that Cole thought it would come to that. He mostly just wanted to comfort Kiera.

  A few feet away, Gabriel and Austin stared each other down. Both were in a defensive stance with their arms crossed. Gabriel was an inch or two taller than Austin, both men had broad chests and were well muscled. They were a sight any woman would have found drool worthy. There was nothing like a show of male dominance to get the blood pumping!

  “I think it’s time for you and your pack to leave,” Austin told the alpha in front of him.

  Gabriel raised a brow. “Your alpha gave us permission to be here. We’re staying the night and then we’ll leave by noon tomorrow.”

  “Do you even realize the woman you just kissed is only a werefox?”

  Gabriel’s mouth quirked in a half grin. “Just a werefox, huh? Funny, I thought she was much more than that.”

  Austin, misinterpreting Gabriel’s statement, thought he had gotten through to the alpha. Now that the man knew Kiera was only a werefox, he was certain the pack would leave her alone.

  “Well, why don’t you and your pack go finish your meal and I’ll walk Kiera home.”

  Gabriel growled. “I don’t think so.”

  “I thought we had an understanding. She’s just a werefox. You can’t possibly want her.”

  Gabriel stalked toward Austin, pushing the man back towards the door. “Oh I want her all right. And if you have any sense, you’ll walk out the door and keep walking.”

  “What the fuck is your problem? You don’t even know her! She’s just a piece of ass to you!”

  Gabriel felt rage well up within him. Before he could reach out and rip the dumbass in two, he felt two restrictive hands on him. From scent, he knew it was Connor and Colin. His brother, Cole, was probably still with Kiera at the table.

  “Come on, cousin. Take a deep calming breath. I’m sure the moron didn’t mean to insult you,” Connor said, with a glance at Austin. He saw the young man pale.

  “No, of course not. I didn’t mean to insult you. My concern was of course for a citizen of our fair town. I simply didn’t want to see her hurt.”

  Connor knew the man was telling them a load of lies. From what Kiera had said, the people in this town didn’t care for her at all. They had delighted in tormenting her, had refused to date her. Maybe he should just let Gabriel go after all…

  The tension left Gabriel’s body slowly. “I would never hurt her.”

  “Then why are you playing with her like this? You’re leaving tomorrow, or rather later today. You said as much yourself.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I did. What your alpha apparently didn’t tell you is that Kiera is going with me.”

  “What?” Austin was so surprised you could have knocked him over with a feather. “Why would you take her with you?”

  “Because she’s my wife.”

  Austin blindly grabbed behind himself, looking for a chair. Grabbing one, he pulled it over and sank into it. Kiera was married? To an alpha?

  Gabriel watched the young man uncertainly. Why hadn’t Thomas informed his pack that Kiera was married? That she was moving out of town? This town was strange to say the least. The sooner he put some miles between his family and this whacky place the better.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you or your pack. I hope you’ll accept my apology,” Austin said in a quiet voice.

  Gabriel sighed. He turned and motioned for Kiera to join them. With his wife by his side, they sat across from Austin.

  Austin looked Kiera over. She had always been pretty. If things had been different in their town, he would have asked her out a long time ago. Thomas, the town’s alpha, wouldn’t allow a werewolf to mate with another shapeshifter. Austin had always wondered if things were different in other packs; apparently they were.

  “Kiera, I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you in the past. I just thought it was better to keep you at arm’s length,” Austin told her.

  “But why?”

  He sighed, glancing at the alpha, wondering if the man would punch him if he told Kiera the truth. “Because I’ve always liked you. If Thomas had allowed his werewolves to date other shapeshifters, I would have asked you out back in high school.”

  Kiera was stunned. “You would have?”

  Austin nodded. “Yeah, but I wasn’t brave enough to go against the alpha,” he grudgingly admitted.

  Gabriel watched his wife. He could tell she was surprised. He wasn’t sure if he was comfortable knowing the young werewolf had desired Kiera for so long.

  “It’s okay, Austin. I understand. Besides, it all turned out really well. I met Gabriel, and if I hadn’t gone with Suzey and the girls the other day, I would have never met my mate,” she told him.

  “So you’re really okay?” Austin asked.

  Kiera smiled at him. He really did look concerned. “I’m perfect, Austin.”

  She glanced at her husband. If Austin was really unhappy about not being able to choose his own mate, then maybe he should get a different pack. The question was, would Gabriel go for it?

  “Can I talk to you for a minute, Gabriel?”

  He looked down at his wife in surprise. “Of course.”

  Standing, he held his hand out to her. The couple walked outside to talk in private.

  “Are you okay, Kiera?” he asked once they were alone.

  “I’m fine. I just had a question for you.”

  “What is it? Are you changing your mind about us? I mean, Austin seems like a nice guy,” Gabriel said, trying not to choke on the words.

  “No! I mean, no, that isn’t it! I could never change my mind about us! Don’t you know that you’re the best thing that ever happened to me? I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for you,” she told him.

  Gabriel pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Feeling her soft curves pressed against him and her full lips opening under his, he wished they were at the motel. He desperately wanted Kiera right then and there.

  Kiera wrapped her arms around Gabriel, pulling him closer. Every time he kissed her, she felt like she was on fire. She’d never wanted a man as much as she wanted him.

  Breaking the kiss, she looked up into his eyes. She knew right then that she loved him. They’d only known each other for two days, but she knew without a doubt that her heart belonged to him.

  “What did you want to ask me?” he asked huskily.

  “I was wondering if you would extend an invitation to Austin to join your pack. You don’t have to! It’s just… I never realized how miserable he was. It doesn’t seem fair that he should run the risk of losing out on his true mate just because Thomas won’t let the werewolves date anyone that isn’t a werewolf.”

  Gabriel was a little surprised. “So let me get this straight. You want me to ask Austin, the guy who just informed you that he has a crush on you, to join my pack?”

  “Well, I guess it does sound a little bad when you put it like that. I just feel sorry for him.”

  Gabriel sighed. She had a point. It wasn’t right that Austin wasn’t
able to date who he wanted. No man should have someone dictate to him who he could and couldn’t mate with.

  He looked at his wife, with her pleading eyes and pouting lips. How could he deny her anything? He knew that he was lost. How could he have fallen in love with his wife so completely in such a short amount of time? It didn’t seem possible, and yet it had happened.

  “I’ll talk to Austin and see if he wants to return home with us,” he replied.

  “Really? Oh thank you, Gabriel!”

  Gabriel hugged his wife and they walked back into the diner. Cole, Connor, and Colin were all sitting at the table with Austin. Gabriel took the last open seat and pulled Kiera into his lap.

  “Austin, I’d like to ask you something,” Gabriel said.

  Every eye at the table turned his way. Gabriel should have talked to Cole, but he didn’t think his brother would mind their pack growing a little. It might be nice to have werewolves in the area that weren’t related to them.

  “You can ask me anything,” Austin said, swallowing nervously. What could the alpha want? Hopefully, he wasn’t upset over their misunderstanding. Austin had no doubt he would lose if he had to go up against the larger wolf. He was by no means a coward and would fight if it came to that, but he wasn’t going to kid himself on what the outcome would be.

  “Kiera has told me quite a bit about the town here so I knew what to expect before we arrived. What I didn’t count on was you. Before now, I hadn’t realized that the werewolves in the area might not be happy with things the way they were.”

  “I don’t know if the others feel the same or not,” Austin interjected, not wanting to get anyone in trouble with Thomas.

  Gabriel shrugged. “Regardless, its how you feel. Would you like to come to Ashton Grove with us and see how things are handled in our territory? Then, if you feel comfortable down there, you’ll be welcome to join our pack.”

  Austin’s eyes went wide. Was he serious? He’d insulted the guy, insulted his wife, and now he was offering him a spot in his pack? The man put Thomas to shame!

  “If you’re sure you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to come check the place out. Will it be hard to get a hotel room down there?”

  Connor and Colin looked at each other. Technically, they had a whole town at their disposal. Colin nodded at his brother.

  “A hotel won’t be necessary. There’s a small set of empty duplexes in our town. You won’t be in Ashton Grove, but we’re just twenty minutes down the road,” Connor told him.

  “Wow, I don’t know what to say,” Austin replied, awed and humbled by the small group.

  ***

  Later that day, the trucks and SUV were packed. As Connor and Colin climbed into their truck, Austin pulled up in a blue Mustang. He had a small duffle bag on the seat beside him.

  Gabriel walked over to the driver side window of the car. As Austin rolled down his window, Gabriel leaned down to speak to him.

  “You can follow any of us back to Ashton Grove. We’ll have two stops to make before Connor and Colin head home. You can hang out with us while we unload stuff or you can head to my house and relax. Here are the directions in case we get separated,” Gabriel said, handing him a piece of paper.

  Austin nodded. “I’ll help y’all unload. It will give me a chance to get to know everyone a little better. Besides, I don’t mind pulling my weight.”

  Gabriel smiled. Kiera was right; Austin did appear to be a good guy. He felt good about offering the man a spot in his pack. Maybe the guy would take him up on his offer.

  Across the street, Dan watched Austin join the group from Ashton Grove. What was going on? Why was the second of their pack leaving with the Ashton Grove group? Things were starting to get a little strange in their town. Another phone call to Thomas seemed to be in order.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning, Kiera stretched, reaching out beside her to find an empty spot on the other side of the bed. Sitting up, she looked around the room. The bathroom door was open and the light was off. Gabriel must have already gotten up and gone to work.

  Slipping out of the bed, she walked to the bathroom. After her morning ritual was completed, she dressed and went downstairs. It was odd to be in such a large house all by herself.

  Kiera paused on the second landing. She noticed the three doors. She knew that one door led to a bedroom, having used it to change into her wedding dress, but wasn’t sure about the other two.

  Pushing open the first door, she saw the room the women had rushed her to the night of her wedding. It was a neutral colored bedroom. The door across from it opened to show another bedroom. From the décor, Kiera figured it must have belonged to Gabriel’s parents. The third door revealed yet another bedroom.

  Shaking her head, Kiera made her way down to the kitchen. Six bedrooms! Gabriel had told her, but she hadn’t believed him. After living in a small two bedroom house her whole life, it was a bit much to take in. It both excited her and terrified her to know that it was her home now. What on earth was she going to do in this monstrosity day after day?

  At the bottom of the stairs, she turned towards the kitchen. Since she was alone, Kiera didn’t see the point in making a big breakfast. Putting some bread in the toaster, she pushed the lever down. They hadn’t had the opportunity to buy any tea yet so she made do with a glass of juice. Maybe she’d go to the grocery store while Gabriel was at work today. At least it would give her something to do and give her the opportunity to familiarize herself with the town.

  After breakfast, she brushed her teeth and wandered around the house a bit. Bored and unsure of what to do with herself, Kiera decided to pay a surprise visit to Gabriel. Grabbing the spare set of house keys she had seen in the kitchen, she locked the front door and walked across the street.

  As she neared the garage, she noticed the large doors were up and several cars were inside either being worked on or waiting their turn. A few people were seated in the waiting area.

  Hesitantly, she entered and walked toward Gabriel. He may be under a car, but she’d recognize those legs anywhere. Michael was working on the car in the next bay and nodded at her. Smiling in return, she stopped beside her husband. When she didn’t get a response to her presence, she nudged his leg with her foot.

  Gabriel slid out from under the car and looked up at his wife. With the morning sun lighting her from behind, she looked angelic. He drank in the sight of her; wearing a short knit long-sleeve dress with her hair cascading down her back, he had to fight the urge to throw her over his shoulder and carry her back to their bedroom across the street.

  “Everything okay, Kiera?”

  “Of course. I just wanted to say good morning,” she replied with a small smile.

  Standing, he leaned over to give her a brief kiss, careful not to get grease stains on her dress. “Good morning.”

  “I thought I would stop by the grocery store, but then I realized that I don’t know where it is.”

  Gabriel frowned. “I’d feel a lot more comfortable if you’d call Colin or Connor to ride with you.”

  Kiera arched a brow. “Is your town that dangerous? You really feel that I need an escort to go grocery shopping?”

  Gabriel absently wiped a hand down his face, not caring that he smeared grease across one cheek in the process. “It isn’t the town I’m worried about, Kiera, it’s the vampire. Just because he said he was going to leave you alone, doesn’t mean he will,” he told her in a terse whisper.

  Kiera had mixed feelings. She was happy that Gabriel wanted to take care of her, but she was less than thrilled with his current tone of voice.

  “For your information, I’ve been taking care of myself for quite some time,” she hissed in response.

  “Aw, honey. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Then how exactly did you mean it? What? I’m not supposed to ever leave the house without a bodyguard? You don’t think that’s going to look a little odd?” she demanded.

  He reached for her, but stopped hi
mself before he got grease all over her. “I can’t help worrying about you, Kiera. You’re my wife, my mate, my other half. If anything happened to you…”

  Gabriel couldn’t even bring himself to finish the sentence. Thoughts of Kiera being abducted or killed were too much for him to bear.

  Seeing the anguish on Gabriel’s face, Kiera softened toward him. She knew that he only had her best interest at heart, but she wasn’t used to someone shadowing her every step. For that matter, she wasn’t used to anyone caring enough to do so.

  “If it will make you feel better, I’ll call Colin and Connor and see if one of them can ride with me to the store.” She paused. “But the last time I checked, vampires came out at night. I really think I’m safe in the daylight.”

  He gave her a small grin. “Thank you. I promise it won’t always be like this, but I want to make sure it’s safe before you go off on your own around town. I know the legend, but since I didn’t think they actually existed until now, I’m not taking any chances.”

  Kiera nodded. She stepped forward to hug him, but he held his hand out to stop her.

  “If you come any closer, you’re going to ruin your dress. I’m already covered in grease and oil this morning.”

  She smiled. “Will you be home for lunch?”

  He looked at Michael, who was pretending to ignore them, and then back at Kiera. “We’ll both be home for lunch, but you don’t have to make anything. We’re fine with making our own sandwiches.”

  Kiera narrowed her eyes. “If you think for one moment that I’m going to sit around the house all day and do nothing, you had better think again. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of picking up a newspaper and looking for a job.”

  “A job?” Gabriel’s expression was unreadable, but he was wondering what to do about his new wife. He may not make a fortune, but he knew he could take care of his family.

  “Yeah a job; you know something I can do during the day to make some money and keep me occupied?”