Fighting for her Mate: Shape Shifter Paranormal Romance (Sassy Mates Book 5) (10 page)

EIGHTEEN

In the hospital waiting room, Ellie examined each of her brothers to make sure everyone had themselves under control. Especially Nathan. With his babies missing and Mom and Dad in serious condition, she worried he was under too much stress. But all her brothers were born alphas, strong in mind, body, and spirit.

Aric stood and grabbed Jordan’s hand. He walked up to the busy nurses’ station and asked for Dad’s room number. The nurse told him 409, around the corner. They headed off. That nurse picked up files from the desk and headed toward the elevator down the other hall.

Mason glanced at each of the others, took Emma’s hand and told the new nurse who just walked in they were going to their father’s room. She said fine, and they kept walking like nothing was askew.

Ellie looked at Nate, mouth gaping. Nate grabbed Karla and hauled her to the same nurse and asked for Mr. Wolfe’s room. The nurse pivoted to the computer screen and looked up room 409 and Nate thanked her and walked away.

The station’s phone rang, which the nurse picked up and turned to the computer, putting her back to the waiting room once again. Caleb nodded at Ellie and they both walked with purpose past the desk and around the corner.

When Ellie pushed the door open, laughter rang out in the room. She shushed them and dragged Caleb in and closed the door. Their dad looked a little beat up, but overall he seemed fine. His eyes were bright and alert.

Aric shook his head. “I can’t believe you all tried that. Mom never had a chance when we were all kids.”

Ellie’s father smiled. “Maybe, but you’re all still alive, and so is she.” His unintentional pun brought them to silence. Her dad sighed and rubbed his face, everyone waiting for him to talk. “I guess the doctor spoke to you all?” 

Aric replied, “Yeah, said you were able to shift but Mom wasn’t. But she’s stable.”

Dad nodded. “That’s basically what they told me, too.”

“What happened, Dad? The brakes stopped working?”

“Everything seemed fine at first. Then each time I pressed them, they got mushier until they did nothing to slow the truck.” He closed his eyes.

Ellie noticed her father’s hands fisted tightly. She took one in hers and gently pulled each finger up. “Dad, this isn’t your fault. There is nothing else you could’ve done. You did nothing wrong.”

Her dad’s eyes snapped open. “No. Something is wrong. Brakes do not completely fail on a vehicle. There are other safety measures for such situations and none of them worked. This was deliberate.” His eyes drilled on Caleb. “You’ve never talked about your father’s car accident. I know that was long ago, but was there anything suspicious or strange about it?”

Caleb drew his brows down and stared at the floor for a moment. He shook his head. “Not that I know of. The only strange thing was the question he asked just before we hung up.”

“What was that?” Ellie’s dad was all ears.

Caleb smirked. “I don’t know. Mentioning a rumor about Rocco, and something weird about Castor oil being in the car.”

Ellie spun around. “What?” Her fast movement caught Caleb off guard and he stepped back. “What about Castor oil?”

He shrugged. “I don’t even know what it is.”

“Oh, fuck.” Heads turned to Nate. His eyes were on his phone. “Sorry, Dad. Wikipedia says Castor oil is used to make soap, lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluid.” Nate looked at Ellie. “You smelled this in the driveway, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, on the way to my car behind Dad’s. Which means it was on the ground.” No one in the room breathed.

“The line was cut? Seriously? That works?” Caleb seemed incredulous.

“There’s more to it than simply cutting a line, but that’s the gist,” Dad said.

“But,” Ellie started, “I didn’t smell anyone.”

“They could’ve used hunter’s block,” Aric added.

“Yeah, but who?”

Silence filled the room until their dad spoke. “Caleb, did your father tell you that your uncle was going to marry my Barbara?” Caleb looked at him, astounded, as did everyone else. Ellie’s dad smiled. “I guess that’s a no.” He sighed. “This all started long before you were born.

“Your young father came out to my part of the country for a Next Generation Alpha conference. On my way to the location that morning, I saw a semi tractor’s tire bust, making the car behind it take evasive action.

“The car dodged the rubber shrapnel until the end when a big chunk bounced though his windshield. He got to the side of the road safely while others behind him piled up. I whipped to the far side of the interstate highway, avoiding the center lane party. The driver of that other car and I jumped out to help those in the wreck. 

“We met up when helping a couple out of a smashed up pickup. I looked over at him. ‘Pretty good driving there, mister. You avoided what ten others couldn’t.’

“He grinned. ‘Just lucky, I guess.’

“We got to talking after emergency crews arrived. I found out he was on his way to the same conference I was. I offered him a ride and he called a tow truck and took care of that mess on our way. We missed the first guest speaker, but hung out the rest of the week. We got to know each other pretty well. Well enough that he asked me down to his home in a couple weeks for his brother’s bonding.

“He said a neighboring alpha’s son had been killed in a car accident—” Ellie’s father came to an abrupt stop and looked at Caleb. Her mate’s eyes narrowed.

Ellie ventured a guess. “You’re talking about Mom’s brother, aren’t you? Sure seems to be a lot of car accidents around Rahounds’ lives.”

Her dad gave a quick nod. “The alpha son’s, your uncle’s, car was going too fast and rolled down the hillside. So your grandfather wanted Barbara married as soon as she found someone acceptable. As a father, I’m sure he wanted his daughter to find her true mate and marry for love, but time wasn’t in their favor, and she understood that.

“Rocco had been after Barbara for years. Your mom said even though he was ten years older than her, he always seemed to be where she was with her high school friends. He never seemed to notice her, she thought, but he was always around. She laughed it off and thought it kind of romantic. Like he was a guardian angel.”

Caleb snorted. “More like a guardian demon.” Ellie’s dad had a partial smile.

Her dad continued. “So when Barbara’s brother was killed, Rocco was right there to give a shoulder to the family, and especially Barbara. So, it was no surprise to your mother when Rocco said he’d gladly marry her.

“Your mother didn’t love him. Didn’t even know him, except for his face and whose pack he belonged to. But after several get-togethers and scenting ceremonies with other packs and no mate prospects that stuck around—”

“What do you mean by that, Dad?” Mason asked. Their dad was quiet a minute, lost in his own thoughts. Then he looked up.

“Now that I’m seeing this at a new perspective, it sorta makes sense. As you know, your mother is a beautiful person, inside and out. It should’ve been extremely easy to find someone interested in her. But after a first date, seems the young men never asked for a second. Or they did, but never called again. I never thought about it, but they could’ve had some outside influence telling them to stay away.”

By the anger scent filling the room, Ellie noted everyone was catching on to the point of the story—Rocco.

“But for his part in that,” her dad started, “I would have to thank Rocco for his interference. And then getting Barbara to agree to marrying him to stop others from coming around.”

“How did you meet Mom then, Dad?”

“Well, as mentioned earlier, Caleb’s father asked me down for the wedding. They had no contacts in my part of the country and my family had none here. So it was diplomatically, as well as socially, a good thing for me to visit and meet new allies.

“I arrive on that Friday with the ceremony on Sunday. I would stay at the alpha house and hang out with the men in the groom’s party.” He gave a little laugh then grabbed his sore ribs and lay back in the hospital bed. “That’s a weekend I’ll never forget.” He closed his eyes and replayed it all as he told the story to his kids…

NINETEEN

As soon as the young Tristan stepped out of the truck inside the Rahound alpha’s garage, he knew something was different. His wolf ran crazy in his head. It breathed heavily enough to hyperventilate if it was in its form instead of the human side. Tristan had no clue what the hell the nutso wolf was doing.

Conly looked at Tristan from the other side of the truck. “You okay, man? You look sick.”

Tristan got ahold of himself. “Yeah, fine. My wolf is going crazy for some reason.”

Conly frowned, but didn’t say anything. He continued toward the garage door to the house. “I almost forgot. The ladies in the bride’s party are throwing a bridal shower for my brother’s soon-to-be mate.” He winked. “Maybe you’ll catch the eye of a dish to eat tonight. I think that’s what your wolf is smelling—a mate.”

Tristan laughed. “Well, I hope the wolf’s not right, but eating something furry tonight would be nice.” The men laughed over the male-bonding tawdriness. Conly opened the kitchen door, letting all the women’s chatter seep out. 

Tristan stepped into the kitchen and froze. The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen stood among the crowd. Her face glowed like an angel, her smile lighting her eyes. He couldn’t see her body through the mass of people, but that didn’t matter too much. He’d love her even if she was skinny. His mama’s cooking would make her fill out to the lushness he desired in women. No bag of bones for him.

Standing next to him, he heard Conly talking up a quiet storm. “Of all the motherfucking…why the fucking hell…now of all goddamn times…”

Tristan didn’t take his eyes from the woman, who tilted her nose to the air, taking small sniffs. “Conly, who’s that stunning angel—”

Conly grabbed his arm and dragged him through the kitchen as the woman caught Tristan’s look. Their eyes locked and he knew he’d found his mate. And the wolf agreed, wholeheartedly. He tried to knock Conly’s grip from his wrist.

“Conly, man. Let go. I’ve found my mate. Can you believe it?” Sheer joy spread through Tristan, a peace he’d never known.

“Goddammit, Tristan. You’ve fucked up this entire thing.” He continued to mutter to himself, “…of all mother—” and dragged Tristan down the hall.

Tristan was tempted to ignore Conly and take him down if he didn’t concede. “Conly, dude, you’re starting to piss me off. Let go.”

Conly slung him into the den and slammed the door behind them. “And you’ve already pissed me off.”

Tristan’s eyes popped innocently wide and his mouth fell open. “Me? I just got here. What the fuck’s with you?” A soft knock snapped both their heads around. He started to move for the entrance.

“Don’t move, Wolfe. I’ll get the door.” Conly opened the door to the sight of Tristan’s mate. She was even more enchanting up close. They stood motionless, eyes once again locked.

Conly sighed. “Tristan, meet Barbara, my brother’s soon-to-be wife.”

Now Tristan understood what the fuck was up. “Oh.”

Barbara stepped into the room, eyes remaining fixed on Tristan, and Conly closed the door. “Fuck.
I’m
not explaining this to Mom and Dad.” He paced, almost frantically. Tristan chose to ignore him and focus on the rest of his life. He reached out a hand to her.

He brought her hand to his lips and he kissed each knuckle. Conly groaned in the background. Tristan held her hand, each staring. His wolf said introduce yourself, dumbass—stick your nose in her crotch.

In his head, Tristan frowned at his animal. I don’t stick my nose in her crotch, unless I want to get slapped, idiot animal. Good thing I’m in charge—

“Hi, I’m Barbara. Conly said you’re Tristan.”

Tristan thought he’d wow her with smooth talk and suave moves, but what came out of his mouth was “Yeah.” Well, fuck, wasn’t he the idiot now. He lifted her hand to his nose. She covered her smile with her other hand.

“Tristan,” her voice was a lullaby, “would you like to sit.”

“Yeah.” He’d gladly float wherever she wanted to go. Sit, stand, stay. He didn’t care. As long as she was with him.

She nodded with a grin. “How about something to drink”

“Yeah.” He’d parch her thirst in any way he could. She was so beautiful. He’d do anything for her.

“Conly is naked and running around the room.”

“Yeah.” She was so beautiful. Her words made an image in his head. “Wait, what?” A growl erupted from his chest. She didn’t need to be looking at other naked men. Only him. He stood from a sofa he didn’t remember sitting on.

Conly stared at them, arms crossed over her chest. “Tristan.” He sounded exasperated. Then his arms stretched toward her. “Barb, what now? You can’t just go out there and cancel the joining. We’ve got people coming in from all over. Not to mention your side of the family is already here.”

She turned to Tristan. “All my family has arrived. How soon can your parents be here?”

TWENTY

All the Wolfe kids, except Jake in Las Vegas, remained in shock after their father was done telling his story. Ellie retained her sense first. “Wow, Dad. I can see Rocco being really mad at you and Mom. I bet that was a bit awkward, having to tell the parents and family. Obviously, you did.”

“We did, and yes, it was awkward. But most of them were happy for us. Back then, finding your mate was much rarer than nowadays when young people can travel greater distances with ease and socialize with more groups. Not to mention all the online stuff.”

Caleb ran a hand through his hair, his arm wrapping around Ellie. “That seals it for me. Seems my uncle hasn’t changed his M.O.” Ellie watched as anger took over his scent.

She took his hands into hers. “Caleb, whatever you decide, I’ll back you. I trust you to be honest and good. I know you’ll make the right decision. True born alphas always do.” His eyes met hers. She saw so much love, trust, and appreciation aimed at her, she almost wanted to cry. This was her mate. And now after hearing her dad’s story, she was more than convinced they were meant to be together.

He kissed her then pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m taking him down for you and me. Taking him down for your parents. Down for your mother’s brother. And most importantly, for my father.” She slid her arms around his neck and held him tightly, knowing what was happening tonight. Someone would die.

Aric cleared his throat. “Caleb, whatever you want to do, I’m behind you all the way. And if you know now isn’t the time, then I say it is for me and my brothers. And the babies. I’ll take him in an alpha challenge, seeing as I’m temporarily in charge until Dad is out of the hospital.”

His father flashed him an angry look. “I’m not—”

“You’re in the hospital, Dad. You were almost fucking dead a few hours ago. The doctor wants to keep you overnight and you’re staying—”

Their father pulled himself straighter in bed with a slight wince. “I’m perfectly—”

“Dad,” Ellie started, “who’s going to be here when Mom wakes up? Dad, we’re going to stand up to a bully who needs a lesson in humility. You taught us to protect the family, love the family, and that’s what we’re here to do. You and Mom raised us right. It’s time we showed you what you’ve reaped.”

Her dad held tears back in his proud eyes. “I must say, the youngest of all has grown into a force to be reckoned with. Which must mean the rest of you are no longer boys, even though you will always be that to your mother and me. I will be here when your mother wakes later. Now, go do what you have to.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Everyone moved toward the door. Aric pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket. “Yeah, this is Aric Wolfe. How can I help you?”

“I’m calling on behalf of the wolf council for the Central pack.” All wolf ears in the room heard both sides of the conversation and stopped. “We need to talk with your alpha about the death of ours. And the son, Mason Wolfe.”

Aric dropped his head into his hand. “Fuck.”