He feared whatever army his grandfather had assembled.
He attempted to piece together Heather’s story. She was from Oregon, so it meant she’d traveled quite a distance to get to the ranch in northwest Texas. And this family was not her own.
She’d spoken of women using the ranch as a refuge. That part fit what he suspected. So, where were they now?
Since she’d mentioned being drugged herself, he figured she had to have been one of the women captured by this group his grandfather spearheaded called the Romulus and given experimental drugs. He couldn’t come up with a reason why she was the last one staying on the ranch. Living in the main house in fact.
They had so much in common. Too bad he couldn’t tell her everything he knew.
Had they received the same drugs? Under what pretense had she been told they were necessary?
His grandfather mentioned superwolves coming here for a battle. Perhaps that had happened, considering everyone on the ranch but Marcus seemed to have seen these beings. Did Melvin Cunningham really spearhead a coup against members of their own species?
He stared down at Heather’s peaceful body resting in the grass. Had she been held against her will? Had all the women who’d come here? So many questions he wouldn’t find answers to without shifting.
For the first time, it occurred to him he might not have a choice. Refuge on this ranch could no longer be his only goal. He needed to tell the Spencers what he knew.
The idea twelve women had been kidnapped from their mates and held against their will at the Spencer ranch as his grandfather had suggested to his mother no longer seemed like a viable possibility in any way, as he’d suspected. Marcus believed the women were snatched simultaneously all over the country, but he doubted they’d been previously living in any situation that involved their own free will.
There was no way for Marcus to trust anything he’d heard his grandfather say that day. The man had said enough to make Marcus cringe.
However, what now stood out the most of all the things he’d overheard was the idea the women had been kidnapped from their
mates
. Heather Peters had not been mated. She was his. If she’d been mated to another wolf, two things would have happened. He would be able to smell her unavailability on her, and his body would not recognize an alignment with hers.
Mated couples, even those who met and fell for each other without the assistance of Fate, did not remain available to others. Their scent changed. Their hormones aligned with their mate’s, and they were literally and figuratively off the market. Even if there was someone out there who would have belonged to them as their true mate, they would never recognize it.
That was one of the many beauties of their species. Fate had a hand in the entire glorious process.
Heather stilled, and Marcus realized she’d gone to sleep. She rolled toward him, her tail no longer wagging, her jaw open in rest. That she trusted him to watch over her while she healed meant the world to him. She would mend.
Now the only thing left to do was for Marcus to get over himself and take a risk. It would be the biggest risk of his life, but he owed it to the Spencers and perhaps his entire species. He feared the increased intensity of the mating call that would surely amp up his desire for this woman in human form. Facing her and telling her about his past made him wince. Imagining the look of distaste on her face when she found out who he was made his mouth dry and his stomach ache. Her rightful rejection would kill him. He wasn’t ready.
Marcus jerked his head up from the floor when he heard the distinct piercing cry of a baby. His mate lay on the couch next to him, her foot propped up. After their romp in the woods earlier, it was swollen, but the redness had gone down.
The back door opened, and the volume of the crying increased tenfold.
“Bring him here,” Heather said.
A woman stepped farther into the house.
Marcus couldn’t see her face clearly until after she leaned over and handed the baby to Heather. Instantly the baby stopped wailing.
Huh
. Seemed his mate had secret powers, he mused.
He sat up straighter to see the newcomer.
She stared down at him bemused, her mouth quirked on one side. His eyes widened. It was Mackenzie Davis. Obviously this was the woman Heather referred to as Kenzie earlier. Drake’s mate. And the very woman Marcus first approached at his grandfather’s urging last year at The Gathering. He’d seen her from afar in the last few days, but up close and personal like this, he wanted to swallow his tongue.
He stepped back a pace. Shit. Not that she would recognize him in wolf form.
“So, this is the mysterious black wolf.”
“Yep. Isn’t he the perfect mate?” Heather chuckled as she jostled the baby on her lap. “He doesn’t argue with me. He doesn’t take up much space. He’s a supreme body guard. Of course the sex isn’t what I had expected, but I’ve got batteries. Who needs it?” She shrugged.
Marcus narrowed his eyes at her. How could she refer to him so flippantly?
She’s goading you. Ignore it
.
His gaze wandered back to Mackenzie, who flopped onto the couch when Heather sat up straighter. “That’s a shame. You’re so good with kids.” She stared at Marcus while she spoke. “I’d hate to think you won’t have any. Vibrators are wonderful. Don’t get me wrong. But they can’t impregnate you.” She tickled the little guy on Heather’s lap.
The baby gurgled. Almost a giggle.
“How do you always manage to accomplish in two seconds what no one else can do in hours?” Kenzie asked.
“What?” Heather laughed. “He likes me.”
Marcus closed his eyes as he listened to her laugh. He loved the sound of it. And it broke through this ridiculous talk of vibrators and batteries.
Shaking the visual from his head, he stared at Kenzie. He needed to shift. And the timetable for that had taken a drastic shift with the arrival of one of the women he’d accosted at the last Gathering. He owed her that. Wallowing around in wolf form, not man enough to apologize for his behavior was beneath him. He prayed her sister wasn’t around. He couldn’t face them both at once.
Groaning, Marcus set his head back down on the ground. He had even more explaining to do now. And the clock was ticking. He needed to shift and take his mate in his arms so badly his skin tingled. The drive hovered beneath his skin, threatening to force him to shift. Not that he would snatch her up and claim her by any stretch of the imagination. He owed her even more explanations than Kenzie.
Again, man up, wolfboy
. He borrowed Heather’s term for himself in his mind as he tried to slow his heart rate.
The back door opened again, and Drake walked in.
He shook his head as he stared at Marcus. “The infamous black wolf is still not talking.” He propped his hands on his hips as Marcus sat up straight again. “You’ve met my mate, Kenzie, and our son Aaron, I see. So nice chatting with you.” He snickered and took a seat across from the women.
Drake turned to the women. “Dad’s on his way in. He has some results from the blood test.”
Marcus’s ears perked up. Just knowing the outcome would go a long way.
The screen door slammed again, and Jerome entered with Natalie. “Ah, you’re all here.” He held up a piece of paper as he approached Marcus and then sat on the coffee table in front of him. He looked at Marcus directly as he spoke, which was impressive, respectful, considering Marcus was in wolf form. He was still a human under the furry exterior. And Jerome knew it.
Marcus’s heart beat wildly with the stress. He wanted to know what was in the bloodwork at least as much as anyone else in the room.
“There are no traces of drugs in your system. I’d venture to guess if you were drugged, it’s been a while since you were last injected. You’re completely free of any foreign substance. We can’t know for sure if you received rohypnol or scopolamine because they would have flushed out of your body quickly, especially in wolf form.”
Marcus cocked his head, unsure what those drugs were.
Jerome continued. “Those were the drugs the women we rescued had been given. Kinda similar to date-rape drugs.”
Marcus’s eyes widened.
Something that would make me want to take a woman against her will?
It would explain a lot.
“I’ve sent the blood off to another location for more testing. There’s still the possibility your genetic makeup has been tampered with. Were you aware of that?”
Marcus shook his head. He doubted that was the case since it had been over six years since he’d been used as a guinea pig. Though from listening to his grandfather, he knew other men had been subjected to such testing.
“Huh. Well, I can’t see any particular reason why you can’t shift. So I’m guessing you have your motives.” Jerome stood. “You can stay here. We would never turn away someone’s mate. But please seriously consider the long-term ramifications of remaining in such close proximity to your mate without claiming her. It has to be hard on you, but not nearly as difficult as Heather in human form. If you can’t or won’t shift, I suggest you leave her to move on with her life. This is no way to live.”
A hand landed on Marcus’s back and dug into his fur. He glanced back at Heather. Tears filled her eyes but refused to spill down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her other hand.
His throat clogged. He couldn’t stand it another minute. Even though he may have to suffer the wrath of several people, he needed to shift for his mate’s sake.
He stood and nudged Heather’s good leg. No way was he going to shift here in the living room. He wanted to be alone with his mate when he met her for the first time. God and everyone didn’t need to be present.
His mate stood also. “Listen, mutt, I hope you’re ready to reveal yourself. I’m exhausted from the one-way conversations.” She limped from the room, her leg much stronger than earlier in the day.
Marcus followed on her heels. When she entered the room he’d first met her in, still convinced it wasn’t strictly her room, she shut the door behind them. She hobbled over to the bed and climbed into the center, crossing her legs beneath her. She narrowed her gaze at him.
He thought about shifting right there and then. But he couldn’t imagine how he might look without a shower and a comb. Instead, he turned from her and headed toward the bathroom, nudging the door open and pushing his way into the small space. He turned to look back at her before shutting the door.
She nodded and smiled, encouraging him to go on.
Marcus nosed the door shut with a resounding click.
Even though it had been weeks since he last shifted, in moments he was standing in her bathroom in human form staring down at himself. Thank God he’d gone with this option. He was dirty, and his hair was a mess. He flipped on the shower and stepped in before it warmed up.
He set his hands on the tile wall and let the water sluice over him. He tried to catch his breath.
The trouble was this room was filled with the scent of his mate, and the moment he’d shifted and taken his human form, he’d been slammed with her smell permeating the air. His cock jumped to attention. He hadn’t had sex in a long time with any woman, but never had he been this instantly aroused.
Holy shit
. He closed his eyes and took his dick in his hand. If he didn’t bring himself to a quick orgasm before he left this bathroom, he wasn’t sure he could control himself after exiting.
I’m not sure I can control myself even after getting off in the shower
.
He did it anyway. A few quick thrusts and he shot his come against the wall. His breathing increased until he was panting. And every breath he took drew more and more of his sweet mate into his system.
This was nothing like the lust he’d felt toward Mackenzie or her sister at The Gathering just over a year ago. His grandfather had steered him very much astray. Intentionally. Why? He wanted to slam his fist into the wall, but it would solve nothing. And besides, his first order of business was confronting the woman who indeed was his mate. He’d deal with the rest after.
•●•
“Are you going to stay in there all day?” Heather squirmed against the mattress where she sat, restless. Impatient.
She knew he was finally in human form. Besides the shower and the rummaging around she could hear, she’d sensed him the moment he’d shifted. Even through the closed door she could smell his personal musk, and she was anxious to meet him.
He didn’t respond. She could hear the toilet flush, the sink run, and the distinct sound of him brushing his teeth. It made her smile. Was he using her toothbrush?
She glanced down at herself. Maybe she should have dressed nicer. In jean shorts and a tank top, she was very ordinary today. Self-consciousness seeped into her skin. Goose bumps rose in its wake.
She rubbed her arms, crossing them in front of her.
Maybe he had some sort of deformity he didn’t want her to see. No. That wasn’t likely. She’d have seen evidence in his wolf form. A scar, though. That would have been covered with his fur.
She didn’t have to wait any longer. She flinched as the door opened and lifted her gaze.
Heather froze. She held her breath to control her reaction.
Whether her initial reaction was caused by Fate or lust or her secret inner desires, the man who emerged from the bathroom took her breath away.
Her mouth fell open. His expression was serious as he approached, his brow furrowed. He was deeply tanned in stark contrast to her own pale skin. His chest bulged with muscles. He wore nothing more than a towel wrapped around his waist, low and precarious.
She wished it would fall.
She lifted her gaze to his face again. Dark hair, almost black, slicked back from his forehead. He’d combed it, but it was wet. Probably in need of a cut. But right then all she could think of was weaving her fingers into it. Would it fall across his brow when it dried?
His eyes penetrated hers. Deep chocolate, as she’d seen in his wolf form.
He stopped midway across the room and stared at her for long moments.