Firefighter Wolves Shifters (A Paranormal Romance Series Boxset)

by Brittany White

  “Wow! Who’s the hot cop?” he asked, gazing back out the door to watch Alicia walking away.

  Derek smirked. “Bro, you’re terrible. That’s Alicia Ripley, the officer from Boston investigating Rebecca Carnegie. She’s also Grace’s best friend.”

  Jason offered Grace his most charming smile. “Put a in a good word for me?”

  Grace laughed and rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, you’re worse than him!”

  The trio laughed and Jason took up the seat Alicia had used when she’d questioned Derek. Once the laughter died down, Jason’s face became serious.

  “I went looking for Rebecca,” he confessed. Derek and Grace both stared at him with wide eyes. Jason rolled his shoulders and continued, “I searched the area around the reservoir, but I can’t track her scent.”

  Derek tensed for a moment, and Grace stroked his hand comfortingly.

  “I won’t give up until I find her,” Jason vowed.

  “Be careful. She’s deranged,” Derek said, nodding down to his battered body.

  “I’ll be on guard, but I’m going to make her pay for what she did,” Jason said, a dark ferocity clouding his eyes for a moment. It passed quickly though, then he asked, “How are you feeling?”

  Derek smiled. “Surprisingly good, all things considered.”

  Jason clapped Derek’s shoulder. “I’m glad to hear it. I was worried... you know, when I heard about your leg.”

  Derek’s shoulders slumped. “I’m not gonna lie, it sucks. Having to step down as Alpha and leave the fire department will be hard, but I’m alive. That’s what matters.”

  “You could take an office job, like Ben?” Jason suggested.

  Derek shook his head. “You know I don’t do well cooped up indoors. I’ll think of something though, don’t worry about me.”

  “You know I will, man. You’re my family,” Jason said.

  “And I appreciate it, bro, which is why I’m going to nominate you to become Alpha in my place.”

  “What?” Jason almost choked on his words.

  “I can think of no one better. And, if you’re Alpha, that means you’ll have to help Alicia Ripley find Rebecca Carnegie.”

  “Then I’ll take it,” Jason said, and all three of them laughed.

  Epilogue

  Grace

  It had been four weeks since Derek had been released from the hospital, and into Grace’s care, and she thought things were going surprisingly well, all things considered. Yes, there were difficulties to face, but they faced them together.

  Grace had suggested Derek to move in with her so that she could look after him, and Derek had agreed. Derek was sad to leave his pack behind, but he was also excited about starting a new life together. For her part, Grace had moved out of her apartment, and between them, she and Derek now rented a bungalow, that had been fully fitted to accommodate a wheelchair.

  That was the hardest hurdle they had to face. Derek had to have his right leg amputated from the knee down, the shot Rebecca Carnegie had inflicted on him too severe for doctors to save the limb. It was a huge adjustment for them both and changed every aspect of Derek’s life, but he was getting used to it. He was even researching getting an artificial replacement.

  Grace was sad for everything Derek had lost - his leg, his position as Alpha of the Shadowbrook pack, his role as a firefighter - but was relieved he was still alive and they had a future together. Even if it was a future neither of them had originally envisioned.

  Her own life had changed drastically since the showdown with the Carnegies. For starters, Grace had left the police force. It had never been her dream, rather Will’s, and she knew now life was too short to live it for someone else. She was still figuring out what she’d do with her life now, but the important thing was, thanks to Derek stepping between her and Rebecca’s bullet, she had a future ahead of her. The other drastic change for Grace was that she was once again seeing a therapist, and for the first time in her life, she was able to admit her role in Will’s accident. The therapy was helping, slowly but surely, and her relationship with her parents was mending, though it would never be the same as what it had been. She’d even confessed to Will that she’d caused his accident, and her brother had just smiled knowingly.

  “I remember,” he’d said one evening when Grace had visited him.

  “What?” she’d spluttered.

  “I remember the air horn in the fridge,” Will had said simply.

  “Why did you never say anything?” Grace asked, her eyes wide with shock.

  Her twin simply shrugged. “I don’t know. Things were fucked up enough as it was. I didn’t see any point causing more heartache.”

  Grace could only state in shock, unable to believe Will had kept her secret all this time.

  “I’m sorry,” she said finally.

  “I know,” Will replied. “You were young, and obviously struggling with how everyone compared us. I don’t blame you. Not anymore at least.”

  Grace stood and threw her arms around her twins neck, hugging him tightly. Their relationship would never be the same, and Grace would have to live with that forever, but she vowed never to keep secrets for the people she loved again.

  Grace had just left a therapy session and was driving home when her phone beeped with a text.

  “I have a surprise for you,” the message from Derek said, and Grace’s stomach flipped. He still made her feel like the only woman in the word - the most loved and treasured woman to ever exist.

  Curious as to what the surprise was, she waited impatiently for the lights to change to green, eager to be with her lover again. As she traveled back to her and Derek’s bungalow, her thoughts drifted from whatever his surprise could be, to wondering how Alicia and Jason were getting along. Her best friend was still in town investigating the Carnegies and trying to find their deranged leader, Rebecca and was going so with the assistance of the Shadowbrook pack. As newly appointed Alpha, Jason was more than willing to work with the police department - especially Alicia - to find the Carnegies, though her lover’s best friend was still debating with the rest of his pack if they should reveal themselves as wolf-shifters to the officers they were assisting.

  Grace shook the thought from her head - that was Alicia and Jason’s responsibility now, not her and Derek’s. They had other things in mind - like their vacation to somewhere hot and relaxing. Daydreaming about laying on a beach with Derek, Grace pulled onto their street and parked in the driveway of their bungalow.

  She entered the home and the delicious aroma of food cooking filled her nose.

  “I’m in the kitchen,” Derek called.

  Grace took off her shoes and hung up her coat, and made her way through to the rear of the bungalow, where Derek was in their custom-made kitchen. They’d worked with a designer who specialized in wheelchair friendly homes, to renovate the bungalow so that everything was accessible to Derek when Grace wasn’t around.

  Grace’s eyes lit up and a smile covered her face as she saw Derek at the stove, cooking ramen for them.

  “I made lunch,” he said, as she approached and kissed him on the cheek.

  “I can smell it. And it smells divine. Is this the surprise you mentioned?” She served up the noodles and took them through to the living room, while Derek wheeled himself over to the table.

  “No, this is just lunch,” he said with a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. “How was your session?”

  “It was good. We made some good progress,” Grace replied, slurping up noodles.

  “How about you? How was your morning?”

  Derek grinned and placed down his chopsticks. “Excellent. I’ve had a breakthrough regarding what I want to do with my life?”

  “Go on,” Grace prompted, eager to hear what Derek has decided on.

  “I’m going to start a support group for the kids the Carnegies took. I want to help them through the trauma. After that, I plan on expanding into offering my services to all troubled kids in town. My life could have
turned out very differently if Ben Stokes hadn’t adopted me into the pack. I want to repay that, by helping kids who need it.”

  Grace smiled and leaned across the table to kiss him. “That sounds perfect. Let me know if I can help in any way.”

  “Actually,” Derek began uncertainly. “I wanted to ask you if you’d be interested in working with me. I remember how well you dealt with that kid in the cage, and well, you know what it was like to be a teen and feel like you didn’t quite fit in.”

  Grace fell silent as she absorbed Derek’s words and really thought about his proposal. Working, as well as living together, would be a lot and could put a strain on a relationship as new as theirs. But at the same time, the idea of spending as much time with Derek as possible filled Grace with joy. If, after the honeymoon period, they needed space they could re-work their business relationship. As Grace weighed everything up, she realized this is what she’d been missing, this is what she’d been searching for since leaving the force. Derek had already filled her heart with his love, and now he was filling another hole in her life with his suggestion. Working with the town’s troubled teens and helping them have a better life than Derek had had, or helping them make better choices than she’d made, seemed like exactly the sort of thing Grace wanted to devote her life to.

  A grin covered her face. “YES!”

  Derek’s eyes widened. “Yes?” he repeated.

  “Yes, the idea is perfect. I meant it when I said I never wanted to leave your side, so working together sounds like bliss. And the idea of helping troubled teens is exactly what I need right now. I’m with you, I want to repay the community. Joining the police force to honor Will was the wrong choice, but honoring him by helping others not make similar mistakes to the ones I made? I think he’d greatly approve.”

  Now Derek’s grin matched Grace’s. “I hoped you’d see it like that. I think it will be good for both of us.”

  “It will,” Grace agreed, then asked, “Was that your surprise?”

  Derek chuckled. “Oh no. My surprise is much more exciting than that. I’ll show you once you’re finished eating. Don’t let your noodles go cold.”

  Grace laughed, positively burning with curiosity and finished her lunch. She took her and Derek’s bowls to the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher along with the wok and utensils Derek had cooked with. After wiping down the countertops, Grace joined Derek in the living room, where she noticed an envelope on the coffee table.

  “Is this the surprise?” she asked, eyeing the envelope with curiosity.

  Derek grinned. “It is. Go on, open it.”

  Unable to resist any longer, Grace scooped up the envelope and settled down on the couch, Derek watching her eagerly. She tore the paper open and gasped when she saw what was inside - two tickets for an all-expenses-paid cruise around the Caribbean that left the following week.

  “OH MY GOD!” she cried, clutching the tickets to her chest. “This is the best. You’re the best.”

  Grace jumped out of her seat and crossed the room to Derek, crushing her lips against his.

  “You like it?” he asked when they stopped for breath.

  “I love it. This is exactly what we need.” Grace couldn’t stop smiling. She could hardly believe how perfect and thoughtful Derek was. First his business proposal and now the trip. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

  Derek smirked. “I can think of a few ways…”

  Grace’s heart somersaulted in her chest. She’d been nervous when she and Derek had first moved in together that now he was in a wheelchair, their sex life would be different, but it wasn’t. Her lover was just as passionate as ever.

  “I like your line of thinking,” Grace said with a smirk of her own, as she wheeled Derek to the bedroom.

  With her help, Derek got onto the bed and began undressed as Grace stripped out of her clothes.

  “Come here,” he growled.

  Grace was happy to oblige and settled onto the bed beside him, as Derek pulled her into his arms. Their lips met in a fiery kiss that was just as passionate as the first time. Derek fisted his hands in Grace’s hair, as their kiss deepened and her tongue slipped into his mouth. Never breaking the contact, Grace rolled Derek onto his back and straggled his lap. His hips thrust up to meet hers, his cock already hard.

  Grace intertwined her fingers with Derek and opened her eyes to gaze down at him, as her body moved against his in a slow, sensual rhythm.

  “I love you,” she said huskily, feeling her climax building.

  “I love you too,” Derek said, his gaze never leaving hers.

  Grace moved against him until her inner muscles clenched, and she let out a satisfied moan. Slowing her pace only slightly, Grace continued to grind her hips against Derek’s, until he found release too. She collapsed on top of him, their sweaty bodies pressed together, and his hands once again found their way into her hair.

  Grace pressed her lips against Derek in a slow and tender kiss, and he carefully rolled her over so they were lying side-by-side, wrapped into each other’s arms. Entangled together, they fell peacefully to sleep, ready to tackle whatever challenges the world threw at them next.

  Seduced by the Alpha Wolf

  65

  Jason

  Jason Sullivan had just ended his shift at the fire station, and all he wanted to do was go have a beer. But, Ben Stokes - former alpha of the Shadowbrook wolf-shifter pack, which Jason was a member of - had called a pack meeting to elect a new alpha. Jason didn’t really want to deal with all the politics tonight. He was tired and wanted to relax after a hard day at the station, but he supposed electing a new alpha was vital given the current circumstances.

  The previous alpha and Jason’s best friend, Derek Hargrove, had lost his leg recently in a fight with the Shadowbrook pack’s mortal enemies, the Carnegie family. The bad blood between the Carnegies and the Shadowbrook pack went back over one-hundred-years when the humans who hated and hunted wolf-shifters stole the estate that had belonged to the pack for centuries. The pack got it back, of course, or Jason wouldn’t be here right now, but more recently a Carnegie descendant named Rebecca had reunited her family, and taken up their old cause against the wolf-shifters.

  The pack had been fighting the Carnegies for months and they’d lost more than a few members to them. It started a while ago, when the alpha at the time, Ben, sensed impending danger. Turns out the danger was Rebecca Carnegie, who kidnapped Ben’s human mate, Lana. The pack fought them off and got Lana back, so she and Ben could prepare for the arrival of their first child, but it didn’t stop the Carnegies from inflicting further damage.

  One of Shadowbrook’s pack members, Eloise, was murdered while she tracked the Carnegies through the October Mountain State Forest. That set off a spiral of events that led to the new alpha (Ben’s replacement and younger brother) Josh getting caught up in the chaos. Pack member Tyler blamed Josh’s human mate, Harper, for Eloise’s death and tried to run Harper off the road. This led to Josh and Harper moving to Boston.

  Recently, Jason’s best friend, Derek - with the blessing of the pack - stepped up to take the role of alpha. He felt guilty about Eloise’s death and wanted to further prove himself to the pack, and to the town of Lenox where they lived. Derek offered to help the police force track some local kids who went missing. In the process, he fell for sexy cop Grace Alcott, and he claimed her as his mate. Turns out, the Carnegies were the ones taking the kids, and brainwashing them to form an army to take out the pack. Derek called it in, and the pack and the Lenox police department rushed to where the Carnegies had the kids. Only the pack didn’t quite make it in time, as Derek took a bullet in the leg defending his lady love, Grace, who Rebecca Carnegie had tried to shoot.

  And that’s why Jason was stuck in a pack meeting instead of enjoying a nice cold beer.

  As Jason entered the main meeting hall of the Shadowbrook estate, he scanned the room and was shocked to see Josh had returned. Jason figured the situation must
be serious if Ben had called his brother back from Boston. Standing between the two Stokes brothers was Derek, now in a wheelchair. Jason’s heart ached for his best friend, no longer able to shift and go running through the woods. Jason hoped his friend would find a way to transform into his wolf-self again. He couldn’t imagine living life never being able to become the animal he was inside.

  Ben called for silence and the murmurings of the gathered pack quieted down.

  “We all know why we’re here,” Ben said, as silence descended on the room. “We need to elect a new alpha, and it’s imperative we select someone with the strength to finish this fight with the Carnegies. Rebecca is still out there, and our pack will never have peace until she’s brought to justice. I cannot bring my child into this world when we don’t have peace.”

  “Why don’t you return as alpha?” Gavin called out. He was one of the oldest members of the pack and was second back when Ben’s father was alpha. Jason thought if anyone should lead the pack now, it should be Gavin. Jason thought whoever was elected, they’d have their work cut out for them with Rebecca Carnegie still on the loose. He didn’t envy whoever the pack chose.

  Ben shook his head. “I’ve had my time, I need to focus on Lana and the baby. The pack deserves a leader who can give their full attention, someone strong enough to ensure our safety for decades to come.”

  “That’s why I nominate Jason Sullivan,” Derek called out from his place between Ben and Josh, and Jason’s chest tightened.

  Derek had told Jason of his intention to nominate his friend as alpha while he was recovering in the hospital. Jason thought Derek was pranking him or that all the pain meds had made his head loopy. Apparently not.

  “He’s too young,” Kevin challenged. Kevin was another older pack member and always seemed to side with Gavin. He hadn’t approved of any of the recent choices for alpha, so Jason was unsurprised he was arguing against Derek’s nomination.