The Mating Need (Werewolves of Montana Book 15)

by Bonnie Vanak

  She gasped at the wizard’s next words.

  “No, it is not. You are my daughter, Jenny Logan.”

  Chapter 13

  Caderyn touched Jenny’s hair. His touch sent sparks of power coursing through her. My dad.

  All these years she’d never realized she was adopted. Oh, she sensed she was different, with all this crazy magick no Lupine ever possessed. Sensed maybe her parents hid secrets from her.

  But fathered by a powerful wizard?

  “I am your father,” Caderyn said in his deep voice.

  “Not like that line from Star Wars. Luke I am your father,” Tristan said. “Nope. Caderyn is not Darth Vader. He’s much nicer.”

  The Shadow Wizard glared at him. Xavier elbowed Tristan in the stomach.

  Caderyn turned his attention back to her. “You, Jenny, are my daughter, birthed by a pure Lupine who lived in the wilds of Alaska, and given up for adoption to be raised in Lupine household.”

  It was too much to absorb. She backed off. “I need a minute.”

  Troy gripped her hand. “You okay? If not, say the word and we’re leaving. Wizards or no wizards.”

  Always so protective. Jenny cherished this side of him.

  “I’m okay.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ve got this.”

  Jenny turned to Caderyn. “If you’re my father, where’s my birth mother? Is she alive?”

  A head shake confirmed her fears. Her heart shattered. She’d so hoped that if her birth father lived, her mother had as well.

  “How… did she die?”

  “Hunters.” He turned back to her, grief and fury etching his handsome face. “They shot her for sport while she was in wolf form.”

  The same way her adoptive parents died. It was too much. Her throat closed tight as she struggled against tears.

  Caderyn studied her with his intense gaze. “Know this, Jenny. Your mother wanted you. She never would have abandoned you to be raised by other Lupines. She kept you with her until the day she died.”

  “Did you love her?”

  The words came as a whisper because she was afraid to hear the answer. The last thing she wanted was to know she was conceived as a cheap, one-night stand to satisfy a male’s lust.

  A brief smile touched her father’s face. “In my own way, as much as I can, I gave her my affection. We were fond of each other. Selena had a wild, carefree spirit, always breaking the rules. She intrigued me.”

  His smile dropped. “Our affair was brief, passionate, but we both understood, indeed, we confirmed it to each other verbally, that it would never go anywhere. She belonged to the world of the wild Lupine.”

  The wizard looked away into the distance. “In the end, the life proved too much for her.”

  So many questions. But there were too many here, and she felt intimidated by all the wizards.

  Troy gestured to Tristan. “Let’s discuss what happened here and how we can prevent it from happening again while Jenny becomes acquainted with her father.”

  The Silver Wizard looked amused. “We?”

  “We.” Troy scowled. “Do you think I’d stand by sipping tea knowing there is such evil that easily infiltrated this ranch where Jenny and I stayed?”

  “You appear more of a coffee drinker,” the wizard murmured.

  “Enough jokes, Tristan. Troy’s right. What the hell is going on that this happened on my land that I personally warded against crap like this happening?” Aiden demanded.

  Tristan glanced at Caderyn, who nodded. “Let us have, as Skins say, a debriefing and I will tell you. Caderyn, I know you want private time with your daughter.”

  Caderyn gestured toward a path cutting through the trees. As she walked with her father, he told her what happened.

  “You were never meant to be conceived. We wizards are forbidden from spilling our seed when we have sex, unless it is with an approved mate. I broke that rule. Danu made the rule for a purpose – the child of a wizard and a mortal would be a child of two worlds and his or her powers would be extraordinary and even frightening to the offspring, unless the wizard was there to teach.”

  He rested a hand upon her shoulder. “After your mother died, I thought it was best to not become involved in your life. I see now I was wrong, and I hope you will forgive me.”

  Jenny stopped, shuffled her feet in the earth. “My adopted parents never truly loved me. They took good care of me, but when I came into these powers at 21, they feared me too much. I’m the reason the pack died.”

  “No. I saw what was happening, tried to reason with the alpha and your parents. They refused to listen. Do you understand, daughter? It was not your fault.”

  Something eased inside her. She understood now. At least her mother loved her, until she died.

  So many questions. They had time. She had time now that the answers stood in front of her.

  “Why did you give me to my adopted parents?”

  “I reasoned if you were brought up by a caring Lupine couple, your wolf side would take over. I did not realize I had passed on so much power to you, which didn’t manifest until you turned 21 last year.”

  Now she understood why she felt torn. Child of two different species, always fighting one or the other.

  Maybe it was time to reconcile herself and these powers. Now that she had a father who could teach her not to fear them.

  “Are you the reason why I gravitate toward using daggers and swords?”

  Her father nodded. “It is in your blood.”

  Caderyn unsheathed a huge sword from his back and handed it to her. “Try this.”

  The metal felt heavy, awkward, and yet she liked the feel of it in her hands. As if she’d come home.

  “It’s impressive.” Jenny handed over the sword, watching him sheath it. “I like it, but it’s too heavy and bulky for me.”

  He nodded. “I will forge you something lighter for your size.”

  Jenny folded her arms across the chest, looking up at him. Her father. Dad. No, he was too big and foreboding to think of him as “dad.” However, he sired her and she had some of his powers.

  “I’d welcome any training you can give me… sir.”

  A brief smile touched his mouth. “I am your birth father. I understand if it is too much to address me as your father, however, you may address me simply as Caderyn.”

  They returned to the clearing, where the others still talked. Judging from their grim expressions, it wasn’t good news.

  Jenny went to Troy, who slid an arm around her shoulders. She rested her head against his shoulder.

  Caderyn gave her lover a level look. “Now for you, wolf. Do not ever hurt my daughter or I will tear your head from your shoulders.”

  Jenny groaned. Thanks Dad.

  The Silver Wizard cleared his throat. “Caderyn, you could be a little more diplomatic.”

  “Diplomacy is not my strong suit.”

  “Is this what I have to look forward to with my daughter?” Xavier asked. “I may end up locking her up until she is at least 100. No dating until then.”

  “Good luck with that,” Gideon murmured.

  With his typical confidence, Troy shrugged. “You’d have to catch me first, and there’s no way I’d ever hurt Jenny. I love her.”

  “I love you too, Troy.” She touched the bristles on his face, needing to connect again with him after this roller coaster of emotions. He was her anchor in a turbulent sea. “I’m glad you were my first.”

  Silence descended on the grove. Caderyn stepped closer, his mouth flattened. “First what?”

  Jenny blinked. “First lover.”

  Aiden face palmed, and Tristan groaned.

  “Did you have to tell your dad that?” Tristan asked.

  The Shadow Wizard ignored them all and focused on Troy, his hands glowing with power. “You took my daughter’s virginity. She was innocent.”

  Troy did not retreat. “Consent was freely given. She’s an adult, so lay off, wizard.”

  Proud as she was of
Troy for standing up to her birth father, Jenny worried Caderyn might overreact. Especially now, his big hands sparking like a Fourth of July firecracker.

  A firecracker intent on turning Troy into Lupine dust. Jenny stepped in front of her lover.

  “Whoa Caderyn, easy on the power. You’re not the electric company. And I love Troy. I wanted him as much as he wanted me.” Jenny scowled. “Besides, where were you all these years when I thought I was an orphan? You aren’t exactly a poster child for Father of the Year.”

  But the wizard ignored her, sidestepping Jenny to reach out for Troy, who refused to cower. Fine.

  Jenny called on her own powers, and funneled them into her right fist. She punched Caderyn in the face, a magick punch that sent him reeling backwards.

  The big wizard blinked, as if no one had ever stopped him before. Maybe not. Hiding a wince, she flexed her fingers. Punching Caderyn felt like hitting granite. She’d be sore later, but it was worth it to see astonishment on his face.

  Tristan’s jaw dropped. “Did you see that?”

  “I saw that, but can’t believe that,” Xavier said.

  “Did we truly see that?” Gideon marveled.

  “I saw that,” Drust added.

  Caderyn rubbed his jaw. “I felt that.”

  Having all five wizards stare at her as if she’d turned into a goat or a dancing ogre felt mighty uncomfortable. Troy slid his arm around her, anchoring her to his side, a reminder she did not stand alone.

  “Listen up, all of you. What’s between Jenny and me is our personal business. She’s had more than enough shocks for the day, so lay off. I may not have her magick or yours, but I’ll do everything in my means to keep you from hurting her or breaking us up. Got it?”

  Caderyn blinked. Jenny held her breath. “One question,” he said slowly. “Do you love her, love her enough to take her as your mate?”

  Tenderness filled Troy’s gaze as he looked down into her face. “More than my own sorry life. More than anything in this world. I would have claimed her as my mate long ago, but I wasn’t about to force Jenny. She had to make up her own mind. Have you, sweetheart? Will you be my mate for life?”

  Her mind spun in a whirlwind. How could she say no, when Troy was her world, her rock? “Yes,” she cried out, flinging her arms around him. “A thousand times yes.”

  His mouth on hers felt like heaven. Not caring who watched, or what her father thought, she kept kissing him until Aiden cleared his throat. “You two can pick that up later. We still have business to discuss.”

  Troy framed her face with his hands and dropped one last kiss on her mouth. “We do. What they’ve told me is mighty serious. You need to know.”

  They walked toward the makeshift altar. All traces of Perry’s acolytes were gone.

  “What happened to his cult?” Jenny asked.

  Tristan’s expression turned grim. “They were all Skins turned to darkness. I eliminated their bodies. Their deaths will be accounted for in a vehicle accident. We have seen to it.”

  Jenny had a bad feeling about this. “Humans embracing evil isn’t new. We don’t get involved with them.”

  “But humans worshipping the Dark Lord and turning their souls over to him means we must get involved,” Troy told her. “The wizards told me this isn’t the first case of humans turning to dark magick from our world.”

  The Silver Wizard nodded. “Perry was able to access your land, Aiden, because you already have one follower of the Dark Lord in your pack. You, Darius and Dale warded the land from the inside, strong enough to keep evil from infiltrating from the outside. But this treacherous Lupine in your pack used dark magick to disable all the warding from the inside of your territory. Then he personally invited Perry and the others into your territory. This Lupine also placed the crystal in the tree outside Darius and Samantha’s home.”

  Anger twisted Aiden’s face. “You knew about this Lupine and you didn’t tell me, Tristan? What the hell?!”

  “All had to play out as it did. Now that Jenny understands her heritage,” Tristan gave a sly grin, “which I had suspected, but could not confirm until Caderyn admitted it…”

  The Shadow Wizard scowled even deeper than Aiden.

  “We can dispense with this threat. It will be a good way for Caderyn to show Jenny how to work her powers,” Gideon, the Crimson Wizard put in.

  “Do not be angry with your brother-in-law, Aiden. We wizards cannot interfere with destiny,” said Drust, the Cobalt Wizard. He gave the alpha a sympathetic look.

  Brother-in-law? Somehow the news that Tristan was related to Aiden by a mating eased Jenny’s mind.

  “Please tell me it isn’t Professor Chance,” Jenny said. “He seems like a good Skin. He wanted to save me in wolf form.”

  “He is. I put a memory spell on him so he will not recall seeing you injured, Jenny. Aiden agreed to allow his studies of the Timberline pack to continue.” Xavier snapped his fingers and his Elvis suit turned into a somber black T-shirt and black jeans.

  “In the coming fight, we will need good Skins like him.” Tristan looked at the Crystal Wizard. “The Elvis suit was beginning to grow on me.”

  “I need my street fighting clothing for this task.” The Crystal Wizard looked solemn.

  Troy held up a hand. “Before we do this, I want all of your assurances that Jenny won’t get hurt.”

  “Hey, I can protect myself,” she protested.

  Never had she seen him so serious. Not even the day he saved her in the alleyway when they first met. “Until your father teaches you how to control all your magick, you’re vulnerable.”

  “Agreed,” Caderyn boomed.

  Everyone looked at her. She sighed. “Fine. But can someone tell me what we are doing?”

  “Kicking ass,” Tristan said grimly. “Wizard style.”

  Chapter 14

  Troy felt more than ready to kick ass, with or without the wizards. From what they had told him and Aiden, this particular ass kicking was long overdue.

  Knew his instincts were right, damnit. He blamed himself until Aiden told him to forget it.

  “I’m the alpha,” Aiden said as he drove his pickup toward their destination. “Protecting the pack and knowing what is going on in my turf is my responsibility. I had a feeling, but I didn’t want to believe it. Not from one of my people.”

  Sandwiched between Aiden and Troy, Jenny said nothing, only clung to Troy’s hand. He felt her tremble a little. Felt her slight fear that this test could let down the father she’d just met.

  “You okay? You’ve been through a hell of a lot today, Jenny. If you need to back out of this and let the wizards handle it, they’ll understand,” Aiden told her.

  Jenny shook her head. Troy understood. She needed to find out exactly how much power she had, and how to use it. What better teacher than her own birth father?

  “You’ll do fine. What did I tell you before, sweetheart? Let her rip. You have all this wonderful power for a purpose.”

  Tension seemed to flee her. Jenny nodded.

  Troy kissed her hand. “I always knew you were special. This proves it.”

  They arrived at the scene Tristan had directed them to find just as the five wizards materialized.

  At first he couldn’t believe it, and then cold, hard anger replaced the disbelief.

  In a pasture close to where the cattle grazed, a dead cow lay in the field. Snake was sprawled out on the ground.

  Unconscious.

  “Oh no! Troy, help her,” Jenny pleaded.

  Screams rippled through the air as Aiden pulled to a stop, parked and swore, throwing open the door. Troy was out before he was, tearing across the field. Half naked beneath him, her breasts exposed, Zoe beat at Ellison as he straddled her, fumbling with his jeans zipper.

  Blood ringed Ellison’s mouth, evidence they’d found the one who had killed and eviscerated all the cattle over the past month.

  Using all his power, Troy ran across the field, leaving dust in his wake and pu
lled Ellison off Zoe, throwing him to the ground.

  “What the hell did you do to her?” he roared.

  Nearby a fire burned, a branding iron resting against the rocks ringing it. Evidence of a burn showed on Zoe’s exposed breast.

  D.L.

  Zoe crawled away, sobbing, struggling to cover herself. Aiden, tending to Snake, shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it to Jenny, who ran to Zoe, covering her.

  Troy darted close, punched Ellison as the Lupine rose and went after him, his bloody mouth grinning. Ellison didn’t even flinch.

  “She’s mine, and no one will ever have her. I marked her for my master and Zoe will turn, just as my master turned me months ago.” Ellison’s smile was filled with contempt. “You can’t stop us. No one can. Our numbers are growing.”

  Troy tried again, using his super speed, but even his charging kick and punches did nothing.

  Not a Lupine. Demon. Whatever mortality inside of Ellison had faded long ago when he started drinking the cattle blood.

  “Thank you for saving Zoe, Troy. Please step aside,” Tristan ordered, flexing his hands. “I do not wish you to get hurt.”

  Not needing an engraved invitation, Troy put several feet between himself and Ellison . Tristan stretched out a hand glowing with power. He aimed the power at Ellison, who dropped to the ground unconscious from the energy bolt slamming into him.

  Tristan blew at his finger. “That will suffice for now. When he awakens, Jenny will be ready for her first lesson from her father. First, we must see to Snake and Zoe’s safety.”

  Gideon knelt at Snake’s side, touching his head. The shifter sat up, rubbing his temples. Seeing Ellison, Snake growled and lunged to his feet.

  “Easy,” the Crimson Wizard murmured. “That was a blow from a demon. You need to rest.”

  “Rest my ass. Let me at him.” Snake fisted his hands. “He hurt Zoe.”

  Tristan pulled the shifter away and gentled his voice. “Zoe is fine, but she is shaken. Go to her. See to her needs. Let us handle this.”

  Now Troy understood Snake’s dislike for him and his change of attitude after meeting Jenny. The Lupine had thought Troy and Zoe were involved.