Savage (Wolf Ranch 4)

She thanked Mom then looked up at me. “At Audrey’s bachelorette party.”

Mom stopped plating the next piece. “You’re friends with Audrey?”

“We work together at the hospital. I’m a nurse.”

“You’ll move into a cabin up here like Audrey and Boyd or stay in town? Oh, you two can live in the rental.” Mom glanced at Dad, who nodded.

“We’re taking things slow,” I said.

Nash hadn’t said a word until now, but he snorted then tried to hide it by taking a sip of water.

“You’ve been gone for… work for some months,” Dad said, taking his lasagna-filled plate and setting it before him.

“I know you work with the horses. Audrey told me. That takes you out of town?” Becky asked.

So many fucking secrets. No one at the table knew I was a council enforcer, so I had to give my usual lie, which came to me really fucking easily by now. “I visit other ranches working with them on their horse programs. Breeding. Things like that.”

She blushed, and I got hard beneath the table at the virile thought that I’d bred her. Mom handed me my plate. Becky waited until everyone was served, her hands in her lap.

“Eat, dear,” Mom said, picking up her fork and digging in. Only then did Becky begin.

“This is so good,” Becky said after she swallowed her first bite then wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“Thank you. All my boys say it’s their favorite.”

“I can see why. And my stomach seems to like it.”

“Weird cravings?” Mom asked.

“Avocados. Cocktail wieners.”

“I love pigs and blankets. Remember, Ma, you used to make those all the time. With mustard,” Rand added, staring off into space as he reminisced about his time with miniature hot dogs.

“If Becky likes them, I’ll make them for her. You?” she shrugged at Rand then gave him a wink. “Only if you give me a grandbaby.”

“We’ve got ultrasound pictures,” Becky offered. “Of the baby. If you—”

“Of course, we do,” Dad said, setting his hand on hers again.

Becky smiled. “It’s in my purse.”

As she started to stand, I did as well. “I’ll get it.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll get it, and if it’s all right, may I use the bathroom?”

“The first door down the hall,” Mom said.

She left the room, and everyone remained still waiting to hear the bathroom door close.

“You claimed her,” Dad said.

“She doesn’t know you’re a shifter,” Mom added.

“She’s having your baby?” Rand asked.

“Holy shit, dude,” Nash whispered.

If it was a shifter in the bathroom, we wouldn’t even be able to talk without being overheard, but Becky wouldn’t be able to hear our conversation.

What they hadn’t said, because they didn’t know, was that I was also an enforcer. It made things even more fucked up.

“When we first met, I had no idea she was my mate. My nose was broken. I won’t share more—”

“Thank you,” Mom cut in, then pursed her lips. I was thirty-four years old. She knew I wasn’t a virgin, but that didn’t mean she wanted details.

“—but I’ve been out of town for Rob. I had no idea about her or the baby until I ran into her at the grocery store the other day. Caught her scent.”

“Only you wouldn’t know a female was your mate.” Rand reached over and punched me on the arm and rolled his eyes.

“Wait until you find your mate and see what happens. You’re going to have a story of your own to share.”

Rand looked to Nash, who shrugged and shoveled a piece of lasagna into his mouth.

“How did you claim her without her knowing?” Nash asked.

I stared at him, then glanced at Mom, whose eyes narrowed at Nash.

“Yeah, never mind,” he added.

“You need to tell her,” Dad advised.

I sighed because it wasn’t as simple as he thought. “I will. There’s a lot to adjust to here. I’m trying not to completely freak her out.”

The bathroom door opened, and there wasn’t time to tell them about her problems with her ex or even the fact that she was still married. My parents wouldn’t care. They didn’t have a legal human wedding and had never expected me or Rand to have one. Todd was her ex and in the past. That was all that mattered to them. But they wouldn’t be happy about the shit he was pulling, and I was sure they’d pull Selena in to help if I hadn’t already.

I’d claimed Becky. She was mine. That’s what they learned when they picked up my scent on her. Nothing else mattered. She was family now.

She came back into the room holding the strip of pictures. “I guess we could call this our gender reveal party.” She sat down and passed the ultrasound to my mom, who put her fingers over her lips as she stared at the black and white blobs.

My dad blinked at me. “I have no idea what that means.”