Taken By the Pack

13

LUCKY’S POV

Of course it’s about love. It’s about searching the universe to find your one true star.

I had been thinking of those words ever since Renee first said them to me. They had been plaguing me ever since the art gallery night. I wanted to get her alone again so I could ask her more about it, but it just hadn’t happened yet.

As I stood by the pond watching the stars twinkle in the sky, I wanted to talk to her even more about it all. I wished she wasn’t at the charity gala tonight with Toby and Stark. I wished she was here with me. By my side, making me feel good.

Who the hell was I? This wasn’t like me at all. I had always been a “love ’em and leave ’em” type of guy. One-night stands always. Just because it was easy, because there were no strings attached, and no hearts to get broken. I wasn’t a bad guy, I never wanted anyone to be upset because of me, but I also never wanted more.

Not until now. Not until the moment I had met Renee. Even before I got to kiss her and put my hands all over her body, she had gotten under my skin. But after that night under the stars, I had become obsessed. Even if the night didn’t exactly end on a good note, I knew I’d made an impact on her. I sensed that she wanted more too.

“What am I going to do?” I asked myself quietly as I stared up at the night sky some more.

The wedding was creeping up on us, getting closer by the day. I really didn’t think Renee wanted to go through with it, but the nearer the day came, the less likely it was that the whole thing was going to be called off. I’d tried talking to the other guys about this as well, but they didn’t seem to know what to do either. We were all just doing nothing and getting on with our days, despite the deadline creeping up on us.

Voices. I snapped my eyes down as I heard someone talking. The last I saw of Wes, he was off for a run to burn off some of his wolf energy. I figured he would come back alone and still as a wolf, not talking to someone. And it was too early to be the others…

Or not. That was Stark, Renee, and Toby. Back from the charity gala already, and looking suspiciously close. Giggling happily, arm in arm. Headed for the guesthouse. What the hell was going on? What had I missed? This was getting crazier by the moment. If Renee hadn’t spotted me and waved me over, I might not have moved from where I was. I might have just watched them head inside while I was in shock.

But Renee wanted me, so I followed her with ease. I wasn’t going to refuse a chance to spend some time with her. I couldn’t help myself.

“You want to come and have a drink with us?” Renee asked me happily. She looked a little tipsy, but like she’d been having fun. Not like she was drunk.

“Yeah, sure.” I smiled at everyone stiffly, looking at them all in turn. Something had definitely happened between them all, I could see it. But I didn’t know what. I was determined to try to find out. “A drink sounds good.”

“Hey, and I also want to see you and Stark in your wolf forms,” Renee called out behind her as she walked just inside the guesthouse. “Because I’ve seen Toby, but not the two of you. I think we’re close enough now for you to show me, right?”

I exchanged a slightly confused look with Stark. It was very rare for humans to want to see shifters in their wolf forms. I hadn’t ever heard of it before. It was why we often took military jobs and lived in remote places where we didn’t have to hide away as much.

So, for Renee, sweet conservative-looking Renee Vaughn, to want to see us as our animalistic, primal selves was just crazy. But thrilling as well. I liked it a whole lot.

“You really want to see us?” My lips curled up in to a smile. “Because we can show you. But you have to be ready for it. You have to want it.”

Renee’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, I want it alright.”

“I can show you right now,” Stark growled. “Are you ready?”

Stark backed away confidently, not worrying for even a second, and he exploded into his wolf. His dark, furry wolf form had bright golden eyes. His eyes were golden even when he was in his human form, but they were striking as a wolf. But it was Renee I couldn’t take my eyes off. I wanted to see if she was going to be horrified and scared by the sight of Stark. Sure, she said that she’d seen Toby, but I didn’t know what that meant. If it was going to be from a distance, then that would make a difference.

But Renee wasn’t horrified at all. She looked intrigued and even happy. She stepped closer to Stark with her hand outstretched until she finally connected with Stark’s fur. And even this seemed to make her happy. She gasped with joy and continued to run her fingers over him, stroking him until she pretty much had her arms wrapped around him.

She looked like she adored him, even in this form. Stark wasn’t a small wolf either, he was one of the bigger ones, but she still adored him. It was wonderful to see. I wanted to know how she was going to feel about me as well.

I shook off my human form, feeling the tension slide off me as my dark black fur exploded from me. I felt strong, powerful, excited as I padded on my four paws. Renee’s eyes met mine and I was relieved to see wonder there. She really wanted to see me, to know more about me, and I honestly could not think of a time when anyone else had wanted that of me. When anyone cared enough to see me.

Renee knelt beside me and rubbed me gently, her soft hands making me bristle with excitement. I was happy, comforted, but also a little turned on as well. I guess I was always turned on around Renee, so this wasn’t a surprise, but still, this was something else.

If I was cat, I would have been purring as I leaned in to her touch. But Renee soon moved away, and that was the moment I noted Toby had shifted too. He didn’t need to because Renee had already seen him as a wolf, but he did so anyway for the attention. And attention he got. We all got attention from her, and she honestly seemed like she was in heaven.

I was so caught up in watching Renee that I didn’t notice the shift in the air. Not until Wes was right beside us, his orange fur bristling with desire. He didn’t even know how we had all ended up here, but he was more than willing to join in with us.

Renee sat on the floor and encouraged all of us to circle her, to lick her and to brush our fur all over her. She really liked this, which of course turned me on even more. I was practically drowning in flames of desire; it was just too much. I was in ecstasy.

The weird thing was I wasn’t even jealous anymore. I wasn’t even upset as Renee gave the other guys attention. I liked it. All of it. It made me feel amazing, this connection that absolutely surging through us all. It was everything. It showed me what harem life could feel like for me. I’d never given it much thought before, but now I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It would be great, I would actually like it, especially with these people right here.

Eventually, I leaned down and rested my ear on her chest. Her heart was pounding with joy and excitement. This was what I was trying to tell her, that we could make her feel this way if she would give us a chance. She didn’t need to stay with that asshole, especially since she didn’t want to marry him. I knew she didn’t want to, we all did, and this was only proof that we couldn’t let it happen. She was so willing and accepting of us. It was perfect. Or at least it could be perfect, if we decided to ignore the consequences and chose happiness instead.

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