Howling for Their Mate [Wolf Packs of Fate 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Hi.” Dugan slid next to his brothers. “What’s going on?”

  Her question exactly. When did it take three men to buy one pair of pliers? It was as though they’d needed an excuse to come inside. “Drake bought a pair of pliers.”

  Dugan’s confusion was almost laughable. When he noticed his brother holding the tool, the corners of his mouth twitched upward. He barely managed to keep his grin in check. Not that it was unusual to see Dugan grin. He was the lighthearted one. From what she’d heard, he was always ready with a joke and out to have a good time. “Oh, yeah. Pliers. We’re all out of those.”

  She bit her bottom lip, but wasn’t as successful as Dugan. Her grin spread wide. “It happens more than you’d think.”

  “It does? Who else is coming in here to buy pliers from you?”

  “No one. It was a joke.”

  “Good one, sugar,” laughed Dugan.

  Was Harrin jealous? The hard glint in his eyes said he was. A slight thrill rushed through her. Having Harrin jealous wouldn’t be so bad, would it? And yet, even if it did make her feel good, she couldn’t do anything about it. She checked Drake and Dugan and saw the same glint in their eyes.

  Yeah. I know it when I see it. They want me.

  Would they compete for her attention? If they could, would she go for one or all of them?

  But it didn’t matter. She couldn’t risk getting involved. At least not with Drake the sheriff or his brothers.

  Her body rebelled at her attempt to shut down any signs of her lust. Without glancing down, she could feel her nipples hardening, On top of that, what was happening below her waist could put Niagara Falls to shame.

  Damn it all. I want them as much as they want me.

  She forced herself to stare at the word on Drake’s shirt again. Sheriff. It didn’t help that Dugan was sometimes enlisted to be a deputy.

  Oh, how she wanted to skim her tongue along the seam of Dugan’s mouth, to know what those hard-yet-oh-so-plump lips would feel like. Then she’d run her fingertips down his neck, over that thick collarbone, and down to yank the buttons off his shirt. Her trip would only start there as she kept on going, trailing her fingers after the tip of her tongue. Together, her fingertips and tongue would search for the real gold at the end of the journey.

  She could almost see the dark, curly mass surrounding the perfect purple-veined cock. She’d lick her lips, then flick her tongue over the tip, catching a preview of what his cum would taste like.

  They were hers for the taking, if she could only do so without risking more than she could afford to lose. She was so close, yet so far. Once she had her way with Dugan, she’d turn to first Harrin and save Drake for last.

  “How about meeting us at the Wolf’s Den later, babe?” asked Drake.

  Her answer was almost out of her mouth before she caught herself. A night out, drinking and dancing with the Hardwick men. That was what dreams were made of, a real life dream that would end with her fantasies coming true by the end of the night.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  She couldn’t. As much as she wanted to go, she couldn’t. Not even for one night.

  Shit, shit, shit. If only I could say yes.

  “We know you like the place,” added Dugan.

  For the second time in less than thirty minutes, she felt the heat flame in her cheeks. Had Drake told them what happened between them?

  She studied his serene expression. If he had, he wasn’t letting on. Still, she had to believe he’d told them something, if only that he’d seen here there. Why else would Dugan mention it?

  “No, thanks.”

  “Aw, come on, baby.” Harrin leaned over, putting his hands on the counter. His eyes glistened as the muscle in his jaw twitched.

  If he’d been an animal, she would’ve sworn he was about to attack. “Again, no thanks, but I hope you three have a great time.”

  His hand clamped down over hers. The sensation of his strong hand on top of hers took her breath away.

  Oh, hell yeah.

  He leveled his gaze, piercing her. “We want you to come. You wouldn’t want to disappoint us, would you?”

  He was so fucking domineering, an alpha male if ever there was one. Strangely, she’d never liked macho men before, but the way these guys acted made her want to get on her knees in front of them. She’d do anything they wanted her to do. Things she’d never done to any man.

  Her mouth parted, and if she hadn’t heard Heather’s giggle, she might have given in. Instead, she pulled her hand away. His warmth remained on her skin.

  “I said no.” She met his gaze, summoning up her own strength. “But again. Thank you.”

  Disappointment as clear as the sudden thunder clap outside washed over not only Dugan’s face, but his brothers’ as well. “Okay, sugar, but we’ll consider this a rain check. One night, we’re going to take you.”

  Take her? Was he talking about going to the bar together? Or did he mean something more?

  Her moan came out as a soft “uh.” If she stepped out from behind the counter, would her pants be wet enough for them to see a dark spot?

  A groan came from behind the curtain. She closed her eyes and swore she’d never eat lunch with the girls again, at least not in the store.

  “One of these days, we’re going to make you change your mind.” Drake slapped Dugan on the chest. “Let’s get going. The cattle won’t feed themselves.”

  She smiled, almost as much to hide her sinking feeling as from relief. They jumbled up her emotions every time. In the same moment, she could feel like she’d missed the opportunity of a lifetime, then feel as though she’d dodged a bullet. Three very sexy bullets that could pierce her heart if she didn’t watch out.

  She stayed at the counter, her hands gripping the edge, and fixed her stupid smile in place. Once Harrin had closed the door behind them, she let out a long breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

  “If I was twenty years younger, I’d be all over those boys.” Babs, the owner, came up behind her and put her hand on her shoulder. “Raven, you’ve got to stop mooning over them. Either jump their bones or turn them free. Men around here don’t like to be left hanging.”

  “I’m not leading them on. Didn’t you hear me turn them down?” She leaned to the side in time to see the girls darting away from the curtain. They’d been spying on them the entire time.

  “I heard what you said, but I don’t fuckin’ believe you meant it.” Although less than five feet tall, Babs was a formidable woman. She could bring a full-grown man to task with one haughty look. She was feisty with a capital F and fiery with her red hair and blazing blue eyes. No one messed with Babs if they knew what was good for them.

  “What’s that mean?” Raven waved her hands, signaling for the others to stay in the back. She had enough to handle dealing with Babs.

  A red eyebrow that matched her hair shot into the air. “It means any fool can see you want them. What I don’t get is why you’re not going for it. Hell, kiddo, they’re three of the fucking hottest men in the state. Hell, in the whole damn world.” Babs had a colorful way of speaking, including the use of sporadic curse words.

  “I appreciate your concern, but will you let me handle my own love life?” She’d come to care for the tiny woman in the short time she’d worked for her, but that didn’t mean she was ready to confide in her. Or let her tell her what to do.

  “Someone needs to take over, ’cause, kiddo, you’re doing a shitty job of it.”

  “Well, it’s my job to do as shitty as I want.” She frowned at her choice of words. “You know what I mean.”

  “I do, kiddo. I do.” Babs, whose strength far outweighed her stature, pushed her toward the back. “Go on. Finish your lunch with the girlfriends. I’ll handle things from here on out, and trust me, I’ll do a damn fine better job of it.”

  “Babs, don’t you dare do anything.” She pointed a finger at her boss, which had absolutely no effect. Who knew what Babs might pull?

/>   “Get, kiddo, before I have to paddle your butt.”

  Raven knew when to give in. She slunk back to the room, knowing full well she’d hear what the others thought. As she was about to leave the main area, she glanced out the window. What caught her eye brought her to a standstill.

  The Hardwick men stood in a straight line across the street. Although they were talking to one another, they weren’t looking at each other. Instead, they had their attention focused squarely on the store, like sheepdogs keeping track of the one remaining sheep. Although she knew it was impossible to see her from that distance, she would’ve sworn they could.

  Oh, hell yeah.

  Chapter Two

  Drake sauntered across the street toward his Ford F-150 red pickup. Although he was headed back to the ranch, his mind was still on Raven. Hell, every time he saw her, she took hold of his thoughts and jumbled them. She was the one woman who had finally made him understand what “thinking with the other head” felt like. Blood rushed from his head and into his cock faster than the water spurting out of a fireman’s hose.

  He ached for her. Craved her. There wasn’t any other way to put it. And damn, but the woman smelled fucking good. Good and wet and warm. Whether or not she noticed how he took long breaths whenever she was near didn’t matter. He’d hoped to tell her why he did it soon enough.

  It’s about fucking time.

  As one of the alphas of the Shadow Ridge Pack, he was expected to take a mate sooner than later, but he’d never found any woman who had caught his interest, not to mention his lust, like Raven.

  The fact that his brothers wanted her, too, was a bonus. Sharing a mate wasn’t unusual in their pack. As far as he was concerned, she’d make one hell of a good female alpha.

  Halfway across the street, he did the unthinkable. He started to shift. If he let the transformation continue, he’d tear away his clothes, run back to the store and pounce on her. Sure, he’d shift back into human form before he took her—after all, he wasn’t a beast—but take her he would. He’d simply assume her screams would be a result of her climaxing.

  “Down, boy. Your fangs are showing,” warned Harrin.

  His brother’s warning came a moment before the tips of his sharp incisors nicked his lower lip. Growling low, he forced his wolf back into submission.

  “She’s fucking hot. Hot for the fucking, too. Damn, I can smell it on her.” Like the younger pup Dugan was, he rushed ahead, spinning around to grin at Drake before hurrying to the truck. “How much longer are we going to wait, guys? You want her. I want her. What more do we need to know?”

  He agreed. Damn, how he agreed, but he had to maintain common sense. Even if it was the last thing he wanted to do. “We need to wait. She hasn’t been in town that long.”

  “What if someone else takes her before we do?”

  Drake didn’t even want to think it could happen. “They won’t.”

  “How do you know? Come on, man. Stop fucking around and let’s do this.”

  Drake whirled toward Dugan, baring his fangs again. “Shut the fuck up.” The words were slightly garbled, but his brother got the message.

  Dugan lowered his gaze and backed off. Although Dugan was an omega of the pack, he rarely backed away from a challenge, especially if it was against one of his brothers. Still, he wasn’t dumb and knew when to pick his battles.

  His youngest brother’s enthusiasm and need were contagious, but as the oldest, Drake had to maintain control. He was an alpha, for fuck’s sake. If he couldn’t keep his omega brother in check, then he didn’t deserve to be a leader.

  Dugan would be an alpha soon enough. He needed to mature a little more and then he’d become a secondary alpha like Harrin. Too bad they weren’t born first. As the firstborn, only he could be a primary alpha in their pack.

  Moses Garrett, a secondary alpha of the Garrett Pack, was leaning against a hitching post close to Drake’s truck. The Garrett Pack was one of three packs in the area. Drake thought it was conceited that they’d named their pack after the Garrett brothers because pack leadership could change with a challenge.

  As Drake knew he would, Moses had to chime in. “Y’all boys having a quarrel? What’s wrong? Is it that time of the month?”

  Drake forced his fangs back in. Although he was the primary alpha of his pack, it didn’t mean a member of another pack would listen to him. Still, if he had to, he’d show Moses how to show respect. “Stay out of this, Garrett, or I’ll throw your ass in a cell with one of the cats.”

  Fate was home to other shifters, including cat prides and bear clans. For the most part, they coexisted in an uneasy truce. The Garrett Pack, however, tended to push the other packs’ limits. Moses was particularly good at pushing other people’s buttons.

  Dugan switched from horny pup to pissed-off wolf in two seconds flat. He started toward Moses, ready to fight. If Harrin hadn’t stopped him first, Drake would’ve yanked him back by the collar. Fighting in broad daylight in the middle of town wouldn’t do any of them any good. Worse, it could start an all-out war.

  “Back down, brother.”

  Drake pointedly ignored Moses’s shit-eating grin and slid behind the wheel. Grudgingly, Dugan hopped onto the back seat while Harrin waited until his impetuous brother was inside, then took the shotgun seat.

  “Was it something I said?” called Moses and then laughed.

  “Fucking asshole,” mumbled Harrin.

  “Yeah, so let me at him. I’ll shut him up for good.” Dugan snarled, ready to take on the bigger, stronger werewolf.

  “It’s not worth it.” Drake backed the pickup out of the parking place and headed it out of town.

  It was several minutes before Drake figured Dugan had calmed down enough to talk about Raven. Funny how even the prospect of a good wolf fight couldn’t take his mind off her.

  “Look, you two. I know you’re itching to get at Raven, but we have to take this easy. She’s human, after all, and skittish.”

  Harrin glanced at him then at their younger brother. “He’s right, Dugan. She’s got the looks, the brains, and the spunk, but there’s something else going on with her. She wants us. That much is obvious. So why isn’t she jumping at the chance to have us? I’m betting it’s because something else is going on with her.”

  “Maybe she’s a prude.” Dugan’s temper had gone, allowing his humor to come back. He had a way of switching emotions fast.

  “I’d bet the ranch she’s anything but a prude. Nah, Harrin’s right.”

  “She’s been hurt. That’s the most logical explanation,” offered Harrin.

  “Yeah. It makes sense, but my hunch says she’s been hurt more than in the usual way. I’m thinking she fell in love with some asshole and he dumped her in a really shitty way.”

  “Then he’s one idiot of an asshole. Who’d ever dump her?”

  Dugan had a point. As far as they were concerned, Raven was perfect. Just the right size, just the right looks, and just the right scent. They’d had their fair share of women, yet as soon as they’d run into her on her first day of work, they’d taken one long sniff and had almost lost their minds with lust.

  She was their mate. They’d waited a while to make sure, but they didn’t have any doubts any longer. The more they saw her, the more they wanted her.

  “She’s hiding a secret.” As soon as he’d said the words, Drake felt two things—stupid for sounding so dramatic and dead right.

  “You’re just paranoid. It comes from being the sheriff. Or from doing time in the military.”

  “Maybe, but listening to my gut has paid off more than once.”

  Drake’s gaze caught Dugan’s in the rearview mirror. He’d never wanted the position of sheriff, but it was their pack’s turn to fill the position. Naturally, they’d chosen their strongest alpha. It didn’t hurt that he was an ex-Special Forces Marine, either. Most of the time, the job entailed keeping the wolf packs, the bear clans, and the cat prides from rubbing up against one another. Or worse, deali
ng with the variety of other supernaturals in Fate, like the cold-hearted vampires and the mischievous pixies.

  “So? What are we going to do about it?”

  Harrin was pushing him, which meant his brother had a similar feeling. “I’ll call my friend at the state’s FBI division and ask him to see what he can find out.”

  “You mean you’re going to have her checked out. You’re going to snoop into her past.” Harrin twisted toward him, his dark eyes unsettled.

  Leave it to Harrin to make it seem like an invasion of her privacy. Which, he had to admit, it was.

  “How else do you think we’re going to find out anything?” Did they want to know what was going on with her or not? His gut twisted. He didn’t like the idea of digging into her past. It seemed too damn invasive, and once she found—because, as a good mate, eventually he’d have to tell her—she’d get mad as hell and deservedly so.

  “Maybe we could ask her friends.”

  Dugan’s idea was laughable. Sometimes the younger wolf spoke before he thought. Still, Drake held back his laugh, not wanting to disrespect him. Hell, he could already tell that Dugan regretted making the suggestion.

  “Oh, sure. We’ll just walk up to Heather, Emeline, and Betsy and ask them if Raven has a secret.” Harrin snorted. “Hell, those girls are as thick as thieves. They’re not going to tell us a damn thing without getting clearance from Raven first.”

  “You’re right. They came into town around the same time and have bonded fast. There’s no getting between those four and I don’t think I want to try.” He had to admire the women. They’d struck up a solid friendship. He guessed all of them being new in the small town had helped pull them together, but it was more than that. It was as though they were kindred spirits, sisters of the heart.

  Damn, I’m starting to sound like a fucking female.

  He gripped the steering wheel. Was this the way it went when a man found his woman? Did his brothers feel as off-balance as he did? Although they’d never out-and-out talked about sharing one woman as their mate, it wasn’t unusual to do so. Werewolves were like that. Plus, he liked the idea of having his brothers around. Whatever traits he lacked to make her happy, they’d give her.