by BE Kelly
“I understand,” she said. “I’m just happy that you’ve figured out how to shift without having to lock yourself away in a storage container.” He was too. That was the part he hated most about becoming a shifter—isolating himself away from the rest of the world to become something he had no choice over. Now, he had to freedom to choose when and where he shifted.
“Go right home, Honey,” he ordered. “And, when you get there, lock yourself in the house and text me that you are all right. I’ll check my phone, so text if you need anything.” Sophie nodded. Rios had made an exception for Ringer when it came to members having their cell phones on them during church. Usually, he had a no cell phone policy in place, no exceptions. But, Rios seemed to take a liking to Sophie and Ringer was permitted to carry his cell in case Soph went into labor and needed him. Reaper got out of his pick-up truck and Sophie slipped into the driver’s seat. He leaned into the cab and kissed her lips.
“Remember—” he said.
“I know, I know,” Sophie moaned, rolling her eyes. “Go straight home and lock myself into the house. Then, after I’ve made myself a giant bowl of ice cream, text you to say that I’m safe.”
“Soph,” he warned. “This is serious. Your friend, Remi, has seen the hunters coming for us. I won’t take chances with you or our son.” He wasn’t sure if he believed Remi’s vision but Reaper sure did. Sophie’s brother was determined to undermine him at every turn. When Soph went to visit Beth and the baby the other day, Reaper had tried to convince her that leaving Ringer was her only way of keeping her and her baby safe. Never mind that Ringer was the baby’s father or Sophie’s husband. Nope, Reaper was determined to have his way and Ringer needed to watch his step. One false move or misstep and Reaper would be by Sophie’s side ready to remind her that he told her that Ringer was no good.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I promise to do as you’ve asked. You need to focus on tonight, Ringer. You’ve been working so hard to patch into Perdition. This is a big deal, Ringer.”
“I know,” he breathed. He had worked for months to patch into the MC. He had to prove himself at every turn and Soph was right, he worked pretty damn hard to get to this point. “Thanks, Soph. I needed that reminder.”
“No problem,” she said. “That’s’ what wives are for. We are supposed to support you and nag the hell out of you when you fuck up.” Ringer chuckled.
“Drive safe, Honey,” he said. Ringer stood in the parking lot and watched his wife pull away. She beeped the horn and waved out the window, making Reaper smile.
“Crazy woman, he said. She was and she was his—in all her crazy glory.
Ringer walked into Tito’s and found the bar packed. If he was a betting man, he’d lay money on all the guys showing up to make sure he went through with the ceremony. “Hey,” Gray said. “I was wondering if you were going to show up tonight.”
Ringer looked Gray over and smiled. “How much you lose betting against me?” he asked.
Gray chuckled and clapped Ringer on the shoulder. “A hundred,” Gray admitted. “Fucker.” Now it was Ringer’s turn to laugh.
“You ready for tonight?” Gray asked.
“No,” Ringer admitted. “But, I’m looking forward to being a part of something again.”
“Rios is antsy to get this show on the road tonight. He’s in a bad mood, so don’t fuck this up, man. No pressure,” Gray teased.
“Sure,” Ringer groaned. “No pressure at all.”
“Listen, man, we’ve gone over exactly what you will be expected to do,” Gray said. “It’s going to be a piece of cake, man.”
“Yeah, all I have to do is shift on command. Judging from the fact that has never happened for me, this should be easy, right?” Ringer paced the front of the bar. “I need a drink,” he grumbled.
“Okay, let’s have a beer and then we’ll do this. You are going to be fine. I think you have this shifter thing more under control than you believe. Just have a little faith in yourself, man.” Gray slapped him on the shoulder and walked over to the bar. Ringer reluctantly followed behind. He wished he had one-tenth of the guy's belief in himself. If he couldn’t go through with the entire ceremony, he wouldn’t be connected to the pack and that would mean he’d have to protect Sophie and his son on his own. He just wanted to belong to something bigger than himself for once.
“Good of you to join us, Ringer,” Trace said. He was covering behind the bar tonight and he popped the cap off two bottles of beer and handed one to Ringer and the other to Gray. “I had money on you not showing up tonight,” Trace grumbled. “Thanks, man—I’m out fifty bucks now.”
Ringer smiled and chugged back his beer. “I’d say I’m sorry but I’m not. I think everyone needs to give me a little credit.” Ringer shook his head. “Let’s get this show on the road. Where’s Rios?”
“Here,” Rios said from behind him. “You ready to do this?”
“Sure,” Ringer said. “As ready as I’m going to be.”
“Great,” Rios said. “Aylen sends her apologies but she’s feeling a little under the weather tonight. Ringer didn’t miss the subtle glance between Trace and Rios and wondered what it was about. Aylen didn’t usually miss church or the chance to shift and hunt with the rest of the pack.
“Next time,” Ringer said and shrugged.
Rios turned to the rest of the guys to call the meeting to order. “Listen up guys,” he shouted above the crowd. “We’re ready to start the patching in ceremony for Ringer.” The guys in the club quieted and circled where Rios, Gray, and Ringer stood.
“I’m offering up my prospect, Ringer to be patched into Perdition,” Gray shouted.
“We’ll accept your prospect,” Rios agreed. “Our MC does things a little differently, Ringer. As shifters, we will have a special bond. You know that we can all hear each other’s thoughts when we shift. For you to become a true member of Perdition, you will need to complete the ceremony with us and then we’ll shift and hunt together.” Ringer nodded his head in agreement. He had gotten the rundown from Gray but it still made him nervous that he was going to be shifting on command. It just wasn’t something he was comfortable doing.
“Bring the cup,” Rios shouted to Trace. His brother handed up a silver cup with a wolf’s head engraved on the front. “Give me your hand,” Rios said to Ringer. He knew what was coming next but that didn’t prepare him for the searing pain that burned his palm. Rios let his hand bleed into the challis and handed Ringer a bandana to wrap around his hand. Rios cut his palm and squeezed it over the cup, handing it back to Ringer.
“If you drink from the cup, you are agreeing to be a patched member of Perdition. You will pledge your allegiance to our club and me as your alpha. You’ll be linked to our pack and that’s something you shouldn’t take lightly.”
“I understand and I take this very seriously. I’ve been looking for a long time for a family and I’m so fucking lucky to call you guys that. You’ve taken me and my woman in and taught us about this life. I can’t thank you enough,” Ringer said. He nodded his thanks to his Prez and drank from the cup, handing it back to Rios.
“How do you feel?” Rios whispered.
“Not sure,” Ringer admitted. “A little fuzzy but clear-headed at the same time.” The last time he shifted, when Akin and his sons were at his place, he felt the same way. He thought they were there to harm Sophie and before he knew it, his inner wolf shifted.
“You ready to hunt?” Rios asked.
“Yeah,” Ringer breathed.
“Let’s do this boys,” Rios ordered. They all headed outside and Ringer watched as most of the guys in the group shucked out of their clothes and shifted into their wolf forms, running off into the darkness.
Rios turned to Trace, “You got the bar, Brother?” Trace never seemed to shift with the rest of the pack. Ringer had never seen him shift at all.
Trace shot his brother a mean smirk and nodded. “Sure,” he said. “What other choice do I have?”
“
Not now, Trace,” Rios breathed. Ringer wondered what that was all about but he knew better than to ask. “Let’s do this, Ringer.” He watched Rios strip and started to pull off his clothes, still not sure if he was going to be able to shift.
“You’ve got this, man,” Rios said. He shifted into his black wolf and followed the pack.
“He’s right, Ringer,” Trace said. “I know this is all still new to you but you can do this. Don’t think about it. Just relax and let your wolf out. He knows what to do.” Ringer took a deep breath and let it out. He could feel his inner wolf clawing at him from the inside, begging to get free.
“Here goes nothing,” Ringer whispered. He pulled off his jeans and tossed them to the ground, standing completely naked in front of the bar. The bikers had left their clothes laying across the parking lot and the sight made Ringer almost want to laugh. He started running towards the pack. It was almost as if he could feel where they were. His wolf growled and snarled, wanting to be set free and before he even knew what was happening, he let go of his tightly held control and shifted.
“That a boy, Ringer.” He heard Gray’s voice in his head and looked down at his big brown paws. His wolf ran for the pack and he could hear every one of their voices. It was confusing and for a minute, he worried that he wasn’t going to be able to handle all the noise in his mind.
“Shut the fuck up guys,” Rios ordered. “Let him get used to all this before you go off talking shit.” The guys all quieted and Ringer could hear himself think again.
“You good, Ringer?” Rios asked.
“I think so,” Ringer said. “Is it always so loud in here?” he questioned. The guys had a good chuckle until Rios told them to shut the fuck up.
“Yeah, but you’ll get used to all the noise. This your first hunt?” Rios asked.
“Yep,” Ringer admitted.
“We’ll go easy on you then. Just do what feels natural and you’ll be fine. Go at your own pace and just be cautious. You’ll get there,” Rios promised. Ringer caught up with the pack and stood between Gray’s and Rios’ wolves. It felt good to have them both flanking him for his first hunt.
“Stick by me, kid,” Gray said. “I’ll get you through this.”
“Thanks, man,” Ringer thought. “How long will it take for me to get used to you all being in my head?”
Gray laughed, “It’ll take some time. Just don’t think anything crazy sexy about your new wife. You know, nothing you don’t want the rest of the guys to know about.”
“Shit, too late,” Rios grumbled. His alpha was right. As soon as Gray told him not to think about Sophie naked and ready for him, that was exactly what his mind conjured up.
“Fuck,” Ringer swore. The guys’ catcalls and whistles filled his mind and he wanted to tell them all to fuck off. “Guess I’m not bringing Soph into Tito’s anymore,” he grumbled.
“It’s all good, man. We don’t have any secrets and you know none of the guys will touch your woman no matter how fucking sexy she looks sprawled out across your bed,” Gray teased.
“Shut the fuck up, Gray,” Ringer growled.
“Okay, enough,” Rios said. “You need to get your mind back in the game man. I have to get back to my own woman tonight and Aylen doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Let’s hunt.” Hoots and hollers rang through the pack of wolves, howling filled the air. There was so much excitement and enthusiasm coming from the guys, Ringer couldn’t help but feel it himself. For the first time in a damn long time, he felt like he finally belonged somewhere. The guys were his family now and with Sophie and his baby, he’d finally found everything he was always looking for.
“Don’t go getting all gushy on us, Ringer,” Rios ordered.
“But, we feel the same way about you joining our pack, man,” Gray added. “Welcome to the family.”
“Thanks, man, that means more than you’ll ever know,” Ringer said.
“Don’t forget, we can hear and see everything you think, Ringer. We get it,” Rios promised. “You’re not alone anymore.”
His new alpha’s promise touched him more than he expected it would. He found his family and he was home.
Sophie
Sophie tried to relax, she really did, but nothing was working. The warm bath she sank into didn’t help her aching body and her mind couldn’t stop thinking about Ringer. Was he safe? Would he have been able to shift? She had so many questions that not waiting up for him wasn’t an option. She climbed into their bed and by the time Ringer got home, she had slid over to his side and wrapped her body around his pillow. It was almost as if she craved his scent. That was where he found her, catnapping.
“How was your night?” she asked groggily.
“Why are you still awake?” he asked. “You need your sleep, Honey,”
“What time is it?” she croaked.
“Two in the morning,” he said. Ringer shot her a sheepish grin. “Sorry about being so late.”
“No, you had to stay,” she said. “Tonight was your big night, Ringer. How did it go?”
“It was amazing.” He smiled. Sophie tried to stifle her yawn but that proved impossible. “How about I tell you all about it in the morning. You and this little one need to rest,” he said rubbing her belly.
“Alright, as long as you promise to tell me about everything tomorrow.” Sophie watched as he quickly stripped and climbed into bed with her. She cuddled into his body and as soon as she closed her eyes, she was out.
Sophie woke to the bright sunlight hitting her face and realized she hadn’t shut her curtains. She rolled over to find Ringer’s side of the bed empty and sat up. “Ringer,” she called. She listened for any sign of him being home. The last thing she remembered was him coming home last night and a part of her worried that had all just been a dream. Sophie got out of bed and stumbled over Ringer’s clothes she found on the floor on his side of the bed. Well, at least she didn’t imagine the part where he came home last night. But, where the hell was he?
“Ringer,” she called again. Sophie found one of his t-shirts and pulled it over her body, padding off to the kitchen to try to find her husband. She heard Ringer talking to someone and thought that he was on his cell until she heard another man’s voice coming from her kitchen.
“How’d you find me?” Ringer asked.
“You linked to your pack,” the other voice said. “Once that happened you jumped onto our radar.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Ringer growled. “You keeping tabs on every shifter in Perdition?”
“Yep,” the guy said. “You all think you can hide from us but that’s just not possible. You were already warned that we were coming. And, here we are.” Sophie peeked around the corner into the kitchen to see just who Ringer was talking to. Two men stood in the back of the room staring him down. She tried to duck back out of sight before they spotted her but she wasn’t quick enough.
“Well, who do we have here?” one of the men asked.
“Fuck,” Ringer swore. “Go back upstairs Soph,” he ordered.
“What’s going on here, Ringer? Who are these men?” she asked. They both looked her over, letting their eyes rest on her belly. Sophie tried to cover it with her arms but that was impossible.
“And what’s this?” one of the men asked motioning to her belly. “Your pup?” he asked Ringer. He stepped towards her and Ringer stepped in front of her, blocking the guy’s path.
“She and the baby are none of your business,” Ringer growled, shielding her body with his own. “This is between you and me,” he said to the bigger guy.
“Why are they here?” Sophie asked. “Who are you?” Sophie tried to look around Ringer and he sidestepped her, blocking her from going into the kitchen. “Ringer,” she complained.
“Just go back upstairs and lock yourself in our room, Honey,” he ordered. “I’m going to take care of these guys and then I’ll come to get you.”
“No,” Sophie protested.
“You know how this is going to end, Rin
ger. We’re going to have to ask you to come with us.” Ringer’s hold body shook and Sophie worried that he was shifting. She took a step back from him, worried that she was going to be in the way.
“No fucking way,” Ringer said.
“It’s just a meeting, Ringer,” the other guy said. “Our boss just wants to make sure that your intentions are on the up and up.”
“My intentions are no one’s fucking business,” he barked. “I’m not going anywhere with either of you.”
Both men took a step towards him and Sophie could tell that things were about to turn ugly. “Do what I told you to do, Soph,” Ringer shouted. She turned to head for the stairs just as one of the guys charged her husband. A growl ripped from his chest and she knew before she even turned to see him that Ringer had shifted. It had only happened with her in the room one other time. Sophie wasn’t afraid of Ringer in his wolf form but he was one imposing beast when he shifted. His wolf looked back over his massive shoulders and she nodded and waddled the rest of the way up the step.
Sophie locked herself in their room, just as Ringer ordered, and listened as gunshots rang out through her house. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed her brother. She went into her adjoining bathroom, locked the door and climbed into the bathtub.
“It’s a little early, don’t you think, Soph,” Reaper yawned into the phone.
“Two men are here. I think they’re hunters,” she said.
“Fuck, Soph,” Reaper cursed. “Where are you?” “Ringer made me come up to our room and lock myself in. He shifted but there are gunshots,” she sobbed.
“Are you in your room now?” Reaper asked.
“I’m in the bathtub in my bathroom. I’ve locked myself in here. It’s so quiet downstairs. God, what if he’s not alright?” Sophie wanted to go downstairs to see if he was okay but she knew better. She strained her ears to listen for any signs of life down below.