“They were on our land!”
“No, they weren’t!”
He frowned. “They would have been.”
“You paid a professor at the university to tag them so you could track and then kill them. That’s not even sport hunting.”
His gaze narrowed on me and for the first time, I saw something inside my dad I didn’t recognize. Something dark.
“How did you hear about that?” he asked, his voice quiet.
“When your story didn’t match the sheriff’s, I looked it up on the Internet in the Wolf Springs paper and read all about it.” After I saw Holt and Theo.
“Now you’re a wolf lover?” he snapped.
I tossed up my hands. We weren’t getting anywhere. I glanced at the rooster clock on the wall above the sink. I had a date to get to.
I didn’t answer his question aloud, but as I left him with his casserole, I was starting to think: yeah, I was a wolf lover.
5
THEO
We didn’t have to do any more searching after we found the burned-out cabin. The scent of ammonia was too strong for our shifter noses to miss. Then Ali had appeared upon her horse as if our wolves had summoned her. Then we’d kissed and made a date, and any work thoughts were pushed to the side.
We’d pulled together food. Holt had picked up and changed the sheets on his bed because if Ali was open to more than just kissing, we’d be using it all night long. That outdoor convo had gotten me to take a shower and rub one out, although that didn’t do anything to slake my need for her. My wolf was pushing me to claim her, and that meant a hard dick all the time. She had been more than eager earlier, and that had been with both of us. It gave me hope—enough that I called my parents, and told them we’d found our mate.
To say they’d been thrilled would have been an understatement, and they understood why I’d be spending my time with Holt—and Ali—for the foreseeable future.
I was in. Holt was in. My parents, while they had no say in any relationship I had, were in. Even the alpha was in.
We had to get Ali in… or us in Ali.
Six couldn’t come soon enough, and while we could have waited for her to come to the door, we heard her car approaching with our shifter hearing, and met her when she parked.
Holt’s place was in the foothills, tucked back in the pine forest. It sat up on a knoll with views of the entire valley. If Ali moved in there with us, she could look down upon it and more. As far as the eye could see.
I opened the car door for her, and Holt took her hand and helped her out. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans with her cowgirl boots, and a blouse that showed off her belly button and made her tits look amazing. My mouth watered.
“I can skip the steak. She definitely looks good enough to eat,” I remarked.
Holt obviously agreed because he took her lips in a claiming kiss.
“Wow,” she said when they finally broke apart. “That was a great welcome.”
“Lemme taste,” I insisted, catching her around the waist to turn her to face me. I slanted my mouth over hers, slipping my tongue between her lips when she parted them. I held her up against my body, my free hand sliding around to cradle the back of her head from beneath her cascade of auburn hair. “Mmm,” I rumbled my approval. “I’m ready to eat.”
She smiled and gave me a playful shove.
I couldn’t help but laugh. While my dick—and wolf—were telling me to toss her over my shoulder, carry her to the nearest horizontal surface and fuck her, I wanted to get to know her too. Yes, the need to claim her was powerful, but this was the long haul. Forever.
I wanted to know more than what she sounded like when she came on our cocks.
I released her and watched her hips swing as she walked up the wooden stairs to Holt’s house. “Amazing view,” she said when she stepped inside and saw the windows overlooking the valley.
“That’s your ranch down there,” Holt said, following her and pointing.
She walked through the open concept living room to the large picture windows, and looked out. “It sure is.”
“You were riding a beautiful horse earlier,” I said.
“Daisy,” she replied with a small smile.
“How many horses do you have?” I asked, as I went to the kitchen island to grab the plate of steaks I had marinating.
“Eight at the moment,” she replied. “It’s probably more than we need, but horses become part of the family, you know. We have some older ones who are living out their retirement.”
My heart flipped in my chest, hearing her talk about the horses so affectionately. A woman who loved animals so much could surely love wolves, as well.