Tempted by Renee Rose
17
LANDRY
I didn’t like bringingCaitlyn over to the West family house. The home was now for Gib and Ben and their newly marked mate, Shelby, whom we were going to meet for the first time.
Except there was more to this visit than meeting the pack’s new alpha female.
Things were so unresolved with Caitlyn, and I knew how Gib would see things. I’d allowed a wolf biologist to tranquilize and install trackers in wolves on our pack land. What’s more, she still planned to publish her research, which could seriously damage any kind of relationship she might hope to form with our pack. And she was our fucking mate! Wade and I needed—hell, our lives depended on—claiming her. Bringing Caitlyn into the pack and making her want to stay.
I didn’t know how in the fuck we were going to do that, but I did know meeting with Gib was only going to make things worse.
But it wasn’t like I had any choice. He was my alpha. I didn’t get special favors for being his brother. In fact, it was the opposite. He held me to a higher standard, especially since I was the one he left in charge of the pack while he was away.
The best I could hope for was that he was still in a honeymoon phase with their new mate, and she’d smoothed his rough edges.
I parked my SUV in front of our house and climbed out.
I hadn’t moved out yet, but it already felt like Gib’s house. He’d returned with a mate. He and Ben would be living together with Shelby. It was time for me to move into Wade’s. Especially since we’d found our mate. Yet, without the certainty of Caitlyn being there permanently, that didn’t feel right, either.
I was in limbo right now, and it certainly was a special kind of hell.
Even though it was my house, I tapped on the back door before entering, showing deference to the change in our situation.
A beautiful young shifter female with long, whiskey-colored hair and tattooed, muscular arms stepped out of the kitchen with a wide smile on her face. She wore jeans and cowgirl boots, and a tight crop-top that showed off a flat, tan belly. Intellectually, I knew she was stunning, but with my own gorgeous mate’s hand in mine, I experienced zero physical response. Which was a good thing, because no male would want to tangle with Gib or Ben if they got possessive of their female. Their marked female.
“You must be Landry.” Shelby threw her arms wide.
I accepted the hug, hesitating before I wrapped an arm around her in return.
“Meet the pack’s new matriarch.” Gib sauntered in behind her, his gaze both warm and possessive at the same time. He sported a fresh tattoo across his right biceps—Shelby’s name in bold letters. I guessed she wanted their bodies marked, too.
“I don’t know about matriarch.” Shelby laughed. “That makes me sound like an old lady.”
“Yeah, I’m the old lady around here,” another voice called from the kitchen, taking me by surprise. A shifter female in her fifties stood there beside Ben.
Shelby had already released me from the hug and was offering her hand to Caitlyn. “That’s my mom, Marne,” she said.
“We talked her into changing packs for Shelby,” Ben explained. For an enforcer, he didn’t look as deadly as usual. In fact, he appeared relaxed and content. Happy.
Shelby and Caitlyn shook hands warmly, and then Shelby introduced herself to Wade.
I grabbed Caitlyn’s hand and tugged her forward to introduce her to Gib and Ben, and to meet Shelby’s mom. “This is Caitlyn, our mate,” I said firmly.
Gib and Ben were both polite to her—thank fuck. Otherwise, I would not have hesitated to throw down with my brother, alpha or not.
“The wolf biologist, yes,” Gib said. His nostrils flared as he scented her, then shot an inquisitive look in my direction.
No, she isn’t marked yet, fucker. My thoughts were more than a little defensive when it came to my mate.
Shelby’s mom was as friendly as Shelby. She touched Caitlyn’s shoulder, her gaze warm. “I’m still getting used to my daughter having two mates—it must be especially shocking for you, as a hum—I mean…” She broke off, sending a worried glance in my direction like she’d said something wrong.
“She knows she’s a human, yes,” Wade said to lighten the mood.
Marne laughed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be awkward. We have a half-dozen or so human mates in the Wolf Ranch pack, so I’m not shocked or anything. I just didn’t know what stage you were at. Courting a human is different than claiming a shifter, isn’t it?” Marne split a bemused glance between Wade and me, and a little of my defensiveness slipped away.
“Yes,” I admitted, almost relieved to hear it voiced out loud.
“Don’t worry. I know all the human ladies at Wolf Ranch. I’ve got this down.” Shelby slipped her arm through Caitlyn’s. “We’ll give her the full scoop on your kind.” She tugged Caitlyn toward the kitchen and out to the large deck beyond, Marne following. “Come sit outside with us, we have some iced tea and brownies.”
“What do you mean, your kind?” I called after them. “You’re a shifter, too!”
“I mean male wolves,” Shelby tossed over her shoulder with a smile and a flounce of her dark hair. “I’m going to clue her in to all your secrets.”
“I like her.” Wade shoved his hands in his pockets, grinning.
I couldn’t help but nod my agreement. Shelby’s warmth and welcoming nature eased some of my tension. She might be just what Caitlyn needed. Especially after that awkward exchange we’d just had over her research before we left.
“Yeah, she’s incredible,” Ben agreed, his normally stoic expression soft.
“You two, in the living room.” Gib jerked his head in that direction, all business now. My hair was as dark as my brother’s but I’d yet to gain any of the silver that threaded through his and his beard. Maybe it was being alpha that had him going gray a little early. Sure, it made him look distinguished, but the responsibility of leadership had its price. I’d only been filling in, and I felt the weight of it.
Still, I had to stifle the growl that wanted to creep up my throat. I wasn’t here to challenge him or his authority. My wolf just couldn’t take any threat to our mate, especially because she was unmarked.
The four of us filed into the living room and took seats in opposite corners. Our mother had replaced the couch when we were kids, after we’d set the corner of it on fire… accidentally. Otherwise, the furniture dated to our grandparents, and some items, like the painting over the cold fireplace, even older.
“So, last I heard, you’d allowed a wolf biologist—who also happens to be your mate—onto pack land to tag two wolves. You want to update me on the situation?”
Gib’s voice was calm, like usual, but that didn’t mean he was happy.
A growl did escape my throat this time, and Wade quickly cleared his and interjected, “We had to take our time with her because she’s human. She knows what we are now, and the dangers her research poses to our community.”
“And?” Gib said.
I drew in a breath. “And, we introduced her to Cord to discuss his shifter gene research project. We’re hoping to get her to redirect her focus to something that would benefit the pack rather than harm it.”
“You’re hoping.” Gib’s voice dripped with doubt as he leaned forward and set his forearms on his knees.
“She’s human.” I repeated Wade’s defense. “As Shelby mentioned, courting a human is not the same process or on the same timeline as claiming a shifter female.”
Gib’s dark gaze met mine. “No, but I left you in charge of the pack. You are the alpha if anything happens to me. I’m not seeing a lot of concern for the pack as a whole here.”
I flew to my feet and Wade launched his body in front of mine, blocking me. “With all due respect, Gib, Landry’s done everything he can to minimize pack exposure.”
Gib also rose and pointed a finger at Wade, his eyes narrowed. “Listen to me, both of you. You need to stop her research—at all costs. No more tagged wolves. No studies of wolves in this area. And mark her.”
“Claiming Caitlyn is not necessarily going to change anything,” I pointed out. “It may mean something to a shifter female, but for a human, it’s a ritual she doesn’t relate to. To her, it only means we’re going to leave her with puncture wounds and scars. Hardly something we should pressure her into before she’s ready.”
“I understand about not wanting to push.” Gib shot a glance toward the door to the back deck. “We had to wait a few days to mark Shelby because she wasn’t ready. But I’ll tell you this—in that time, my wolf was going nuts. It’s hard for me to believe either one of you has your full wits while you’re trying to manage an unclaimed mate and this wolf research situation. So that’s why I am ordering you to claim your female. Get your heads on straight. For her sake. If the pack rejects her over her research, she won’t be comfortable here, and you’ll be living the rest of your lives among humans. I don’t want to lose either of you. You’re far too important to this pack.”
The wisdom of Gib’s words sank in, and some of my defensiveness fell away.
“All right,” I agreed. “We’ll get there.”
“Take some time off from the distillery if you need to. We’re back, we can manage things without you, barring some IT emergency.” He glanced at Ben and Wade, who both nodded.
Gib spread his arms, opening himself for attack. “You still want to knock my teeth out?”
“Sort of,” I grumbled.
He grinned. “It will be better after she’s marked. I promise.”
“You’re an asshole,” I muttered, but accepted the bro-hug, slapping his back in return.
* * *
CAITLYN
“Are you freaking out?”Shelby demanded the moment we were outside.
I instantly liked her—she was that type who obviously made friends quickly, and seemed warm and perceptive.
“Kind of,” I admitted, dropping into the patio chair she directed me to. While we were about a mile down the road from Wade’s house, the view was very much the same: beautiful.
The table and chair set could seat twelve, which meant it was probably often used by large groups. A huge grill was in the corner, and there was even an outdoor fireplace.
I realized while Shelby might have been a shifter, she was new to West Springs and to this house. She’d only just arrived with her mates and her mother.
“Which is crazier, the two mates thing, or the wolf part?” she asked.
“The wolf part, definitely,” I said. “But at least that explains the two mates thing a little more. Before I knew, I just couldn’t figure out why they wanted to share me. But it’s some kind of biological compulsion, right?”
“It seems so,” Marne agreed. She had on a cute pair of black capri pants and a deep orange sleeveless blouse. “But it’s particular to this pack. Maybe a few other packs across the globe, but it’s pretty rare. Probably an evolutionary advantage in times when female shifters were in short supply.”
“Yes, that's what Wade guessed,” I said. “And for the sake of creating stability in the population, their biology has shifted to include human females as mating partners.”
Shelby’s eyes widened. “That makes sense! Because it used to be forbidden. We weren’t allowed to mix with humans, for safety and privacy reasons. But as my mom mentioned, in the Wolf Ranch pack, six of the young men recently mated humans, breaking all the pack rules. Well, one of the women turned out to be part-shifter, but the point is—they were all fated mates. Not just human love-matches, but true, biological mates. Marked mates, I mean.”
I nodded, understanding, thanks to Cord’s Shifter Biology 101 lesson.
Studying the shifter genome would be a fascinating project…
Only, where would I present that paper? Somehow, I doubted there were any shifter universities or science journals. If I abandoned my current studies in favor of shifter science, I’d be totally isolated. I’d give up the chance of getting tenure at a university, gaining recognition for my studies.
Then again, it hadn’t ever been about recognition. Tenure was something I had to pursue because it was necessary for employment, but my real love had always been pure science.
Wolfscience.
“So what are these secrets you’re going to share with me?” I asked with a smile.
Shelby leaned forward in her chair, her eyes lighting up with eagerness. “Here’s what you need to know. Shifter males are over-the-top possessive. They’re definitely dominant. Even spending my whole life with them didn’t prepare me for how overwhelming it is to have two of them fixated on me. But don’t ever be scared. You hold all the power, sister.”
Marne looked a little wistful. “That’s true. A fated mate will do anything to keep his female safe and happy. You just became their number one job in life. So whatever you need, just demand it. They’ll figure out how to make it work.”
“Did you have a fated mate?” Something made me ask her.
Marne shook her head. “No. Shelby’s dad and I weren’t true mates, and he walked out on me when Shelby was a girl, like a coward. But my story is very rare. Wolves generally mate for life—fated or not.”
She didn’t seem heartbroken at being left, but it had been a long time. Perhaps he wasn’t a nice man, or perhaps… well, it wasn’t any of my business.
“I don’t mean to be intrusive, but I can tell they haven’t marked you yet.” Shelby held out her hands. “I’m not judging. Believe me—I wasn’t ready to be marked right away either, and I’m a wolf.”
“They haven’t pushed it,” I admitted. “Actually, they haven’t even asked me. God, is it something you ask? I mean, do they just say, I want to bite you and mark you as mine forever?”
Both women laughed, and I gave a small smile.
“But then, I just learned about it this morning,” I added, so they knew the time frame.
“Well, don’t make them wait too long,” Shelly advised. “Their wolves will be agitated and restless, and they will be overprotective and possessive as hell until they do.”
“They aren’t overprotective and possessive now?” I asked, and they laughed again. “What if… what if I say no?”
Shelby and her mom exchanged a glance. “They could go moon mad. It’s when—”
“I know,” I interrupted grimly, remembering that was how Wade’s dad died. “I know that one.”
“They won’t ever stop pursuing you,” Shelby said. “They can’t. It’s literally ride or die, if you know what I mean.”
I smiled at the urban culture reference.
“So… I basically have no choice? These guys are mine, whether I want them or not?”
Shelby tipped her head. “Or you condemn them to death.”
I was shocked, but no part of me wanted to refuse Wade or Landry. I never had. And the idea that I couldn’t… well, it actually sent something warm and gooey floating through my chest.
“So that’s why you need to know you’re in the driver’s seat. You own them. Make them work for it, if you want. Make it work for you.” She glanced toward the house. “My two just showed up at my work one day, wanting to carry me off here to Wyoming. It was a tough thing for me to swallow. I didn’t want to leave my pack, and I was especially upset about leaving my mom behind. As soon as they figured that out…” She spread her hands.
I smiled. “They brought your mom, too.”
“Yep. So give them a chance to work out whatever roadblocks you have. I’m sure they’ll move mountains to be with you.”
Landry opened the door and stepped out onto the deck with us, the sun picking up the dark glints in his hair. “Any mountain, sugar,” he said, obviously overhearing. “Which one do you want moved?”
I laughed and stood, stepping into the circle of his arms. “I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “I’m still assimilating.” I lifted my face to his. “Am I really your true mate? Forever?”
He brushed his lips across mine. “We’re both yours. Forever.”
