Captivated By The She-Wolf

“Ronni and I ran into each other at Mabel’s a few days ago,” Bodie replied, figuring Rafe was asking out of concern, not simply being nosy. “She was kind enough to let me sit with her at the football game and we took the kids out for pizza afterward. Alex has been a good friend to my daughter. She hasn’t been so lucky in the past.”

“Ronni has gone through a rough patch, too. She could use a good—” Rafe gave him a look that made Bodie feel as if he were standing on a precarious slope with oil-slick feet “—friend, too. Otherwise, leave her be.”

Bodie gave a slight nod and Rafe seemed satisfied.

“I checked your tires while you were sleeping. The thread is worn on all of them. The back right one can’t be fixed.”

“I’ve requisitioned replacements, still waiting for approval.”

Rafe hoisted the vehicle onto the tow truck. “Are you seeing Ronni again?”

Bodie wanted to say that his plans with Ronni were no one’s business, but wolves were pack-oriented. Since Rafe was a male relative, it was very likely that Ronni’s personal life was very much his business.

“If she accepts my invitation,” Bodie answered honestly.

If Rafe objected, he remained silent on the subject. He hopped into the tow truck and Bodie slid into the passenger seat.

A mile or so down the road, Rafe spoke again. “Do you work up at the Bald?”

“No, I was out at the WMA checking permits and fishing licenses.” And scoping out if any of the campers matched the poachers’ basic descriptions of three men in a truck. Yeah, that was searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Work alone a lot?” Rafe asked.

“Yep, unless I’m on a coordinated assignment.”

“You might want to check in and out with someone local. Cell phones don’t always work in these parts,” Rafe said. “One day, you might need more than a tow.”

Tristan had suggested the same when they’d met for lunch yesterday, but Bodie had been a game warden since before Willow was born. Working alone was part of the job. “I can handle myself.”

“We all think that,” Rafe said. “Until the moment comes when we can’t.”

More than capable of taking care of himself, Bodie worried less about working alone than he did about a summons from the Tribunal, which came without warning and usually things did not end well for the one summoned.

If his plan with Ronni worked out, at least Bodie would have an entire wolf pack to guard his back, if and when that moment came.

* * *

“We were about to take bets on whether or not you would actually come to our spa day.” Nel’s voice was light and she smiled sweetly.

“I couldn’t wake up Alex. He sleeps like the dead sometimes.” Truth be told, Ronni had also overslept after two frustrating nights, dreaming of Bodie.

Why hadn’t he kissed her good-night? On the lips?

The vibes bouncing between them had been electric. She had desperately needed that kiss, if just for a moment, to block out all thoughts of Jeb and to feel something other than flickers of panic.

Taking her seat at the lavishly decorated table set with antique china and polished silver utensils, Ronni stared at the three human females grinning broadly, their white teeth straight and even, and without the slightest hint of fang. Still, she felt as uncomfortable as a hen in a starving wolf’s den. “What’s going on?”

“We were hoping you would tell us.” Cassie Walker, Brice’s mate, tucked a springy red curl behind her ear. The smallest of the group, she looked as fragile as a china doll, but her tenacity and sheer grit were an undeniable force of nature.

“I’m out of the social loop. I don’t know what you expect me to say.”

“Start with giving us the scoop on the hot guy you were out with Friday night.” Folding her arms on the edge of the table, Grace Wyatt leaned forward, her long, blond ponytail slipping over her shoulder. “Rafe said he hardly got any work done yesterday because of all the people who called or came by the shop to ask about your new boyfriend.”

Irritation flashed through Ronni. Since the archaic wolfan law mandated that the eldest male relative of a widowed she-wolf with children was responsible for their welfare, the pack probably assumed she had asked Rafe’s permission to start dating. “If anyone wants to know my business, they should ask me.”

“That’s exactly what Rafe told them.” Grace’s grin deepened the dimples in her cheeks.

“And why we waited until this morning to ask,” Nel said. “Although we were dying to come by yesterday. But we didn’t want to intrude, in case the date ran over.”

“It wasn’t a date and I’m too old for a boyfriend.” Ronni humphed. “Bodie and I were simply at the same place at the same time.”

“Sharing a blanket.” A teasing lilt gave Cassie’s voice a sing-song quality and she radiated with genuine warmth. Smart, even-tempered and uncannily insightful, she would make a wonderful Alphena when Brice succeeded his father, Gavin, as Alpha.

“He got cold. It would’ve been rude not to offer.” A lame excuse. She-wolves did not arbitrarily share personal items with males. “I was just trying to act like a human.”

The brows of all three human women arched in unison.

“I wouldn’t share a blanket with a man I wasn’t interested in getting to know,” Nel said.

“I would give him the blanket, but I wouldn’t snuggle beneath it with him unless I wanted other things to happen.” Grace’s green eyes sparkled.

“I thought we were having brunch.” Ronni glanced around the restaurant decorated with rich, warm autumn colors. “I don’t see a buffet—are we supposed to order from a menu?”

“It’s family-style,” Cassie said. “The servers will come around with trays filled with each course.”

“I hope they start with coffee,” Ronni mumbled. “I could use a tankful.”

“Me, too, sister.” Grace stared longingly into her empty china cup. “Rafe makes me drink the half-caf at home. Sundays are the only days I can indulge in the double-leaded stuff.”

“I hope we aren’t making you too uncomfortable,” Nel said. “All joking aside, we really are interested and concerned about the things that affect you.”

“That’s a perk of having us as family.” Cassie’s demure smile was hopeful. Until becoming Brice’s mate, Cassie had no family and few friends.

Even though the entire Walker’s Run pack had embraced her, there was a small inner circle of absolute trust and Ronni was humbled to be included.

“And we won’t stop pestering you until all the deets are spilled.” Grace leaned to the side, allowing the beverage server access to her cup. Once the coffee was poured, she lifted the cup to her face and inhaled deeply. “Oh, how I’ve missed you.”

Nel and Cassie were served hot tea.

“I’ll have what she’s having.” Ronni pointed at Grace. “And I’ll need a refill in about five minutes.”

“Me, too,” Grace piped up.

Despite the curls of steam rising from the cup, Ronni lifted it to her lips. The hot liquid sizzled her tongue and slid down her throat, spreading a comforting heat through her body.

The three women continued to look at her but no further teasing ensued. It was up to Ronni to complete the bonding ritual by satisfying their curiosity or shut it down by changing the subject.

If she did the latter, what was the point of coming?

“Bodie’s daughter and Alex are friends,” she began. “Bodie and I ran into each other at Mabel’s. He’s been so busy at work that he hasn’t met a lot of people, so he sat by me at the football game.”

“Where is he from?” Grace asked.

Ronni shrugged. They hadn’t really talked about the past. Hers was too painfully close to catching up with her to mention.

Nel picked up her teacup and blew over the rim. “Tristan said Bodie works out of the DNR office in Gainesville. He moved here a couple of months ago. His daughter and mother came a few weeks later.”

“He’s a game warden?” Grace peered at Nel above her coffee cup. “Does the pack need to be worried?”

“Well,” Cassie began. “When Gavin, more or less, told Bodie to stay out of the Co-op’s business, Bodie informed him that the wolf pack falls within the realm of his responsibility. Then, he pointed out that he has law enforcement power and is willing to use it.”

Ronni choked on the coffee she’d swallowed. In essence, Bodie had unwittingly threatened the Walker’s Run Alpha. It was a very good thing that Bodie wasn’t wolfan.

“What did Gavin do?” Nel asked.

“He told Bodie what actually happened and what little the sentinels knew about the three poachers,” Cassie said. “Bodie really wants to catch them, too, and suggested working with our security team. Believe it or not, Gavin agreed. He feels that Bodie could become a trusted ally, eventually.”

Speculative eyes landed on Ronni again.

“Don’t look at me. I barely know the man.” Ronni took an unhurried drink of coffee.

“What does your instinct say?” Cassie asked.

At the moment, nothing trustworthy. Ever since Ronni had met Bodie, her instincts were a scrambled jumble of confusion.

“Tristan really likes him,” Nel said when Ronni didn’t speak up. “Bodie reminds him of Mason.” Brice’s older brother had been Tristan’s best friend until rogue wolfans killed him. Brice had survived the attack because of his brother’s sacrifice, and no one in the Walker’s Run pack had forgotten the loss.

“Then he must be a good man,” Cassie said quietly.

“No pressure or anything,” Grace said, “but are you planning to go out with Bodie again?”

“We haven’t actually gone out a first time, yet.” Friday night was simply a shared outing with their kids. And although she might want Bodie to invite her on a date, she’d rather wait until after the situation with Jeb was settled.

Delicious scents wafted toward Ronni and she watched servers with loaded trays parade from the kitchen. Their table was the first served and a smorgasbord of food was placed before them.

While Nel and Cassie began with fruits and lighter fare, Ronni and Grace dug into the meats and quiches.

“I can see how the football game might’ve been an accidental meet-up, but grabbing pizza afterward, that was a date.” Grace licked the bacon grease from her fingertips.

“The kids were on dates.” Ronni speared another sausage link. “Bodie and I were chaperones.”

“He kissed you good-night, didn’t he?” Grace asked.

“A peck on the cheek is not a kiss.” Actually, Ronni wasn’t sure what it was. Though Bodie’s lips had barely grazed her skin, her face had warmed and the heat had spread through her entire body. He simply stood there, eyes closed, until her tightly coiled breaths synced with his soft, rhythmic puffs and then he’d said good-night and walked away.

“So, it was a non-date date.” Cassie nibbled delicately on a banana nut muffin.

“That’s how Tristan and I fell in love.” Nel stabbed a strawberry using her fork. “We did a lot of things together, but neither of us considered them dates.”

Ronni’s gaze fell to Nel’s baby bump becoming noticeable. What Nel and Tristan had done on their non-dates was fairly obvious, and an accidental claiming had resulted in her pregnancy.

Since Ronni had undergone tubal ligation due to recurrent miscarriages and a problematic, high-risk pregnancy with Alex, an unplanned pregnancy would not be possible. “I’m not looking to fall in love.”

“None of us were,” Cassie said. “It happened anyway.”

The three women were lucky to have met and matched with their true mates, allowing a mate-bond to form. It was something that didn’t happen for all wolfans.

Independent of a mate-claim, which was established during sexual intercourse with a bite and bound a couple for life under wolfan law, a mate-bond synced the lovers, body and mind, heart and soul.

Mostly, the bond began forming from the first moment true mates met, but not always. When Zeke had claimed Ronni, to keep her out of Jeb’s clutches, she didn’t sense a mate-bond. Theirs had developed over time.

So, she’d already had her true mate and lost him.

The argument could be made that she could find another, as Rafe had done. Though his heart had been no less broken, he’d been younger when his first mate died and they didn’t have children.

Ronni’s situation was different. She was a mother and Alex’s needs always came first.

“Bless you,” Grace said to the beverage server who refilled her coffee. The young man topped off Ronni’s cup, too.

“If you’re more comfortable with non-date dates, I’ll get Tristan to ask Bodie to join us at Taylor’s,” Nel said. “We could do a group family night.”

“That’s a great idea,” Grace said.

“No, it isn’t,” Ronni replied.

“Don’t you like him?” Cassie asked.

“I like him just fine, but this isn’t the right time for me to start dating.”

“That’s why this will be a non-date.” Nel grinned. “Trust me, Tristan is an expert at setting these up.”

“At the very least, it will give Bodie a chance to meet people,” Cassie said.

Ronni understood it would also give the upcoming leaders of the pack a chance to assess Bodie for themselves.

“Do whatever you need to do.” Ronni waved her hand, as if her heart wasn’t picking up speed and her nerves weren’t tingling.

Nel leaned toward her. “You will be there, right?”

“I need to check my calendar.” Ronni picked up her cup and took a slow sip, watching the three women watching her and hoping they couldn’t see the giddiness her brain was doling out.

“If you have any interest in him at all, be there,” Grace said. “Now that Bodie has made a public appearance with a woman, all the single ladies will have him on their radar.”

Ronni swallowed the silent growl tickling her throat. She might not be sure what to make of Bodie’s interest, or her own, but she definitely didn’t like the thought of him turning that interest toward someone else.

Chapter 8

“I’ll be out in a minute!” Ronni paused the mental replay of her Friday night encounter with Bodie. If not for her busybodied friends probing her for details yesterday, she might’ve been able to put the non-date date behind her.

Liar!

Smiling, she finished tacking the hem and smoothed the dress over the mannequin. Everything looked even, but she would inspect the garment more thoroughly later.

Feeling good, she went to greet her customer.

The long-forgotten scent raised her hackles even before the man turned from the storefront window to face her.

“Hello, Veronika.” His low, raspy voice caused her stomach to roll over like an armadillo playing dead.

“Jeb.” She stood behind the service counter, her palms flat on the glass top. “You shouldn’t be here. Gavin is supposed to arrange contact.”

“With Alexander.” Removing his mirrored sunglasses, he walked confidently toward her. Dressed in snug jeans, a dark blue long-sleeve knit shirt, a black leather jacket and polished shoes, he looked downright civil. “Nothing prevents me from seeing you. And you look...” A smile slithered across his mouth and arrogant possessiveness gleamed in his gray eyes. “Well, I’ll give Wyatt my thanks for taking such good care of you.”

“Stay away from Rafe.”

Jeb tipped his head.

“The Woelfesenat said I had to let you see Alex, but understand this. You will only visit him with Gavin’s permission and my supervision, and only so long as he isn’t upset by your presence.”

“I don’t like restrictions, especially those concerning my family.”

“We are not your family.” Fire flamed in her chest despite the ice crystals in her veins. “We will never be your family.”

“Blood is a bond that can’t be broken.” Jeb’s cool demeanor caused chill bumps to pebble her skin. “Everything that belonged to Zeke, I intend to claim as my own. Including you and Alexander.”

“Never gonna happen.”

His calloused hand firmly captured her wrist. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. All the while, his calculating gaze froze her breath.

“You should’ve been mine, Veronika. You were meant to be mine.” Turning her wrist, he exposed the tender underside and touched his nose to the delicate skin, dramatically inhaling her scent. “Had any other male been stupid enough to take you from me, I would’ve ripped out his throat. But Zeke...”

Jeb had loved his brother like no other. Ten years older, Jeb had been the one to raise Zeke after their parents’ untimely deaths.

“I left the pack so I wouldn’t hurt Zeke. But he’s gone now, and I intend to take back what should’ve been mine.”

“I was never yours. I was never going to be yours. There’s nothing for you to take back.” She yanked free of his clutches.

“I expected resistance.” Jeb’s jaw pulled tight. “Can’t say that I like it.”

“Get used to it.” Ronni crossed her arms over her chest.

“I should’ve come for you sooner.”

“You shouldn’t have come at all.”

“Are you going to contradict everything I say?”

“Are you going to listen to reason?”

“This doesn’t have to be difficult.” Annoyance narrowed his eyes.

“You’re right. All you have to do is turn around, walk out that door, leave Walker’s Run and never come back.”

“I will, as soon as you and Alexander are packed to come with me.”

“Alex is happy here. He’s safe.” She held his gaze. “I’m safe.”

“I would have returned to Pine Ridge sooner, had I known the state of the pack.” Jeb’s fingers curled into his hand. “If Zeke would have told me, he might still be alive.”

“We thought you were dead.”

“Obviously, you were misinformed.” Jeb opened his arms. “I’m very much alive and Zeke damn well knew it.”

A vacuum formed in Ronni’s chest. The air whooshed out of her lungs and her heart squeezed until she thought it would explode.

Breathe! Just breathe!

“Easy, darlin’.” Jeb reached over the counter.

“Don’t touch me.” Needing to regroup her sensibilities and her composure, Ronni took a step back.

“It seems Zeke was keeping secrets.”

“He would never!” But the truth of her mate’s deception stood before her, full-size, in living color and a very clear and present danger if she didn’t get a handle on her emotions.

Forcing a calm she definitely didn’t feel, Ronni straightened her spine and lifted her chin. “Zeke knew I was afraid you would return and challenge him.”

In her heart, Ronni believed the only reason her mate would have perpetrated a lie was to protect her. Still, pain sliced through her heart and tainted the trust she had afforded him.

“I would never hurt Zeke.” Jeb’s glacial stare drove an involuntary chill down her spine.

“That’s the lie you tell yourself.” Ronni blew out a breath. “You nearly crushed his windpipe when you found out he had claimed me.”

“You manipulated him, knowing he was the only one I wouldn’t challenge.”

“I loved Zeke.” And he’d been the one to offer her protection. She didn’t need to manipulate him.

“Who’s the liar now?” Jeb flattened his palms against the top of the counter. “You never needed to be afraid of me, Veronika.”

“You killed your parents!”

“They were bad people. My father beat Zeke unconscious when he was three. I had to make sure that never happened again. And when I joined the service at seventeen, I sent home nearly every penny I earned to help support Zeke. Then I found out our dear mother was drinking and gambling away the money and my baby brother was eating garbage scraps.”

Jeb raised his fists to slam the counter, but hesitated. A moment later, he dropped his hands to his sides.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.