Cook, Kris - Primal Desire [Texas Wolf Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (11 page)

“Perfect. I’ll burn some sage, just to make sure we have some privacy from eavesdroppers.” Gran pulled a tiny bundle of grayish-green aromatic leaves and a box of matches from her purse. After she lit the sage, she nodded. “Now, come sit down with us. We’ve got so much to talk about.”

* * * *

Luke sniffed the air. In human form, his sense of smell was heightened, but in wolf form, it was almost magical. There were six human heartbeats besides his own on his land. The three inside his cabin were female—his mate, her sister, and her grandmother. The other three were approaching. They were from the tribal pack, the group he had rejected long ago. Rance, Troy, and Hawk were also in their wolf bodies. He bared his fangs, waiting for them to appear from behind the trees.

They all came into view.

We’re not here to fight you, Luke.

Rance’s thought didn’t faze him one bit. His fur remained high and taut on his back.

Hawk snarled.
But if he wants a fight, I’m ready to give it to him.

Luke recalled the day that his aunt had knocked on his parents’ door. Hawk hadn’t warmed up to him when he’d first arrived, so Luke had given him his space. Eventually, they had grown close, acting more like brothers than cousins. Still, something about Hawk’s parents’ split had obviously left a deep scar in his cousin that had often oozed to the surface on more than one occasion, driving a wedge between them. After the accident, Luke had walked away, leaving any chance of a bond with his cousin in ruins.

Luke growled a low warning.
This is my land you are on, and I want you off of it, now.

Rance shifted into human form. “Come on, Luke. You have to understand why we are here. Our mate is here, too.”

He did understand. His own mate, Megan, had awakened the unimaginable protective urges inside him, too.
Why is Hawk here? You and your brother are mated to my mate’s sister. He is not, Rance.

“Well, given how we left you yesterday, we wanted to have some backup, just in case you went off the rails.” Rance turned to the other two. “Shake off your wolf shapes. He needs to see that I’m telling the truth.”

Troy shook his body and stood up, now in human form.

I don’t trust him,
Hawk, still in his wolf body, sent.

“Shift now, Hawk.” Rance glared at the beast. “I know you love to fight, but this is our business. You’re only here because we asked you.”

Your call, I guess. But if this lone wolf moves a single muscle, I will, without hesitation…
The angry tribesman shifted and stood up on his two human legs. He glared at Luke. “Rance may trust you not to pounce. I don’t. Time for you to shift, too, asshole, or get ready to feel my fangs in your worthless carcass.”

It’ll be your funeral.
Despite the apparent truce from Rance, Luke considered remaining in wolf form due to Hawk’s threat. Remaining on all fours gave him a clear advantage over the three other men, now in human form. But as the image of Megan, naked and in his arms, appeared in his mind, he relented. If he could avoid bloodshed today to please her, he would. If not, so be it.

He pulled from the very center of his being and transformed back into his human shape.

Hawk curled his hands into fists. Luke respected that. The guy was no pushover.

“Thanks.” Rance nodded.

“For what?” Hawk’s face darkened. “He’s done nothing to earn our thanks. He’s the one who chose not to be part of the tribe. Fuck him.”

Luke wondered where this standoff would end. Like him, Hawk was hot with rage and ready to go fist to fist, claw to claw, fang to fang until blood spilled. Troy wasn’t far from it either. Only Rance seemed hesitant to spill blood, but only just a bit. Every minute he wasn’t next to Megan and these males were within pouncing distance of her fueled his blackness. His mind began to replay the accident that took his parents from him.

“Fuck no,” Luke cursed, willing the memory away.

Hawk took a step toward him.

Bring it on.

Rance moved between them. “Cool it, Hawk. He hasn’t hurt anyone. We are only here to make sure the women are safe.”

The hothead growled. “Well, if you and Troy are satisfied that this piece of shit is harmless, I’m out of here.”

Rance nodded. “Fine. Go.”

Hawk shook his head. “Okay.” Then he fixed his stare on Luke. “You shouldn’t have left the tribe, cousin. You’ve brought shame to our family.” Then he shifted into his wolf shape and ran back the way he’d come.

Troy leaned against a tree. “Don’t hold it against your cousin, Luke. He’s got his own set of issues to deal with.”

“I know.” He’d watched Hawk immerse himself in the tribe, becoming its most ardent self-appointed defender.

Luke had been proud of him, but after his parents died, he’d pushed his aunt, the tribe, and even Hawk away. The kid had been crushed. So many times Luke had thought to reach out to him over the years, but the blackness and guilt in his own heart kept him from it. Hawk would have to sort things out on his own.

“Are you ready to stop threatening us, Luke?” Troy asked.

He looked in his eyes and saw no fear or judgment. “No threats, Keekoti. I just want you off my land.”

“Not a good idea for you.”

“Why not?”

“You want to keep your mate, right?”

His ears perked up. What could they tell him that would help him with Megan? He wasn’t sure, but advice from the two guys engaged to his mate’s sister might be worth listening to. “You’ve got sixty seconds.”

Rance chuckled. “You’re too much, Luke.”

“He’s got a two-ton chip on his shoulder, bro.”

“Are you two going to cluck like a couple of hens, or are you going to tell me what you came here to say?”

Troy shrugged. “No sense of humor. Too bad. Megan isn’t like you, Luke. She enjoys being with people, especially her sister and grandmother.”

“She’s with them now. I don’t see a problem.”

“I bet you don’t.” Rance continued, “Black and white. That’s how it is with you. Your way or the highway.”

“Do you two have a point?”

“Ask yourself this question, Luke—can you make Megan happy if you keep her locked up in your cabin like a prisoner?”

Troy answered for him. “You know you can’t.”

Luke couldn’t deny that they might be right. He and Megan had just fought about her leaving to see her grandmother and sister. She’d relented, but at what cost? Still, Luke feared if he ever let Megan off his land and out of his sight, he might lose his mate forever.

Rance looked him straight in the eyes. “You have to trust her, Luke. If she’s really yours, she’ll come home to you.”

But in Luke’s experience, that wasn’t always the case.

* * * *

“Over the next few days, practice some of the spells from pages one to twenty, Megan,” Gran instructed her. “With my tea’s magic in you, they should be simple for you to master.”

“What about this section, Gran?” Megan finished off her second cup of tea. She pointed to the next group of spells in the book Gran had brought with them. She wondered what had happened to the copy she’d borrowed from Kate. Luke had said he’d retrieve it the night before, but then Megan had decided to run and everything had gotten crazy. She’d ask him about it when he got back.

“Those spells are a bit more advanced than you’re ready for, I’m afraid.” Gran winked at her. “It won’t be long, though, before the three of us are riding brooms on a moonlit night.”

Her mouth dropped. “We actually ride brooms?”

Shaking her head, Gran burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. In no time, Megan and Kate were chuckling along with her. It took a full five minutes for them to settle down back to a semblance of normality.

“Oh, my. That felt wonderful, girls. Laughter truly is the best medicine, even for witches like us.”

Megan smiled and hugged her grandmother. “So, we don’t fly in the air?”

“I didn’t say that.” Gran’s serious tone startled her. “We just don’t ride brooms. We are modern women, after all. Now, about your wolf…he’s imprinted on you, I can see that. When a shifter first imprints, their instinct to dominate their mate is the most powerful and volatile. That’s quite normal for all shifters in the tribe. Everyone supports the newly mated by ensuring they are protected from hurting each other. With a human and a shifter, the risk goes up, as Kate knows firsthand, but still the tribe is there. But since Luke has abandoned them, I’m worried that he might be…well, a bit dangerous.”

“Gran, you told Kate to trust me to make the right decision. What’s changed?”

Kate frowned. “Yeah, Gran. What’s up? Now I’m thinking we need to take her with us when we leave.”

“I just want her to be cautious, sweetie. That’s all.” Gran turned back to Megan. “You will, won’t you?”

The worry in Gran’s eyes didn’t sit well with her. “Yes. I promise.”

Luke wasn’t dangerous, at least not with her, though overprotective, possessive, and controlling—he was all that and more with her for sure.

Gran took out her pocket watch, an oddity for a woman to carry but something she’d done for as long as Megan could remember. “Oh, my. It’s almost noon.” She stuffed the watch back into her jeans. “Nightmare is going to be stomping the ground if I don’t get him his food.”

Kate stood up. “Give your sister a hug.”

Megan jumped up and wrapped her arms around Kate. “Thank you for being concerned about me, sis.”

“Always will be. Always.”

“Let me wash these dishes before we go,” Gran offered.

“No. It’ll take me less than five minutes to clean up. You go and feed your horse.” Megan would be sure to give the beast some sugar cubes the next time she saw him. She owed Nightmare that much, at least. If he hadn’t panicked in the woods, she would’ve never met Luke.

“Don’t forget, sis, that my wedding shower starts at ten tomorrow morning. I want you next to me the whole time.”

“Why?”

“To defend me from those silly, embarrassing games everyone will insist on playing.”

“You mean the kind of games where they put toilet paper on the bride-to-be?”

“Ridiculous.”

Megan smiled. “But you’re normally the first to insist about such games at showers.”

“So? I wasn’t the one getting married at those parties.”

“I’ll protect you, sis.”

“You better.”

Gran interjected, “Bring Luke with you, sweetie.”

“Is the shower for men, too?” Megan asked.

Kate laughed. “Rance and Troy urged me to include the males. I think they just wanted to be there to act as my personal bodyguards. What the hell can happen at a shower that I need protection from?”

Megan pointed out, “A toilet paper dress, for one.”

Kate shook her index finger at her. “Take my advice. If you haven’t fallen completely for Luke, run. Run fast. These shifter men can be domineering and smothering at times.”

“I’m learning that, but it is too late for me, Kate,” she confessed. Nothing felt more true to her in all her life than how she felt for Luke. “I love him.”