Rough (Wolf Ranch 1)

He’d have to listen to that. Our wolf urges didn’t lie, and they didn’t lead us wrong. Even if it was against pack rules.

I would tell him later, but not in front of the kid.

Rob took a deep breath, and I knew he could smell her on me. Knew exactly what we’d been doing.

“So she saw,” he said grimly.

I nodded. “She saw, and our secret is safe with her. Doctor-patient confidentiality.”

“That’s going to keep her from talking? This isn’t a mental health visit to a clinic. She just found out we’re shifters.”

James bobbed his head in agreement. “She promised us, Alpha.”

Rob shook his head and stared through the windshield at Audrey, who looked back at him with round eyes. I wanted to tell him to fuck off because she was clearly wary, even scared of him. I didn’t like anyone fucking with my mate, even the alpha.

But because he was the alpha, I stayed silent. I’d ensure she was okay once I got back to the truck.

He lowered his voice even though she was human and wouldn’t hear. “I know I told you to stay on her after the bull riding accident to make sure she didn’t know what you were, but I did not mean fuck her until she falls for you. What happens when you move on to your next conquest? You think she’ll still keep our secret then? No. This is a problem, Boyd. And so is Jett Markle.” He turned to James, “You are in some serious shit with me, James.”

The teen dropped his head to the side to bare his throat and signal submission. “Yes, Alpha. But please, could you call my sister, Karen, instead of my parents? They will outright kill me.”

Rob frowned, then he pulled out his phone and handed it to James. “You call her. I’ll need a sit-down with both of you about this.” He turned to me. “Get Audrey home.”

It was all I could do not to growl back at Rob. I wasn’t going to fucking move onto another conquest, and his saying that pissed me off. But then he always thought I was the fuck-up, didn’t he?

Because I was.

Even after baring my secrets to Audrey, the truth remained. I’d been the reason our parents died. Now I was part of the reason the pack was at risk. It might have been James prowling after his girlfriend that Markle had seen, but now the bastard had a hard-on for me. I’d taken his girl at the bar the other night. I’d punched him in the face after he supposedly killed my dog. I was getting in his way every chance I got, and that made things worse with him, not better.

Rob would have done the exact same thing, protected a woman from an asshole and saved one of our pack members. But pointing that out wouldn’t change anything.

Fucking hell.

I stalked to the truck without a word, not trusting myself not to be disrespectful with him, which would be particularly bad in front of a young pack member.

Audrey jumped when I slammed the door too hard, and I automatically reached for her hand. “Sorry. Fuck!”

“Is he mad that I know?” Audrey asked. She was so fucking smart.

I wanted to roll my eyes, to growl, but I didn’t. Her scent, the way her hair was all tangled and wild from our swim, then fucking, eased my frustrations. Just being with her, cocooned in the cab of my truck together, made me feel better. My wolf settled. “Yeah, but I can deal with it.”

“What will you do?” She stared at me with those pale eyes, then pushed her glasses up.

The memories of the car crash kept flooding my mind. The crush of the metal car all around, forcing me to the floorboards. The silence from the front seat. How I’d worked my fingers bloody trying to get out, then I’d painfully shifted for the first time and been able to paw my way through the smashed window. With four animal legs, I’d been easily able to work my way up the embankment, but I’d had no idea how to shift back. I’d waited there, staring at the crushed truck for what felt like hours before someone drove by and called the fire department for help. They had to use the jaws of life to cut them out, and they’d been dead.

Fuck! Why am I remembering all this now?

Because the feeling was the same. The shame. Not feeling worthy of standing beside my golden boy brothers.

“Boyd?” Audrey prompted.

Fuck. Had she asked me a question? Right. What was I going to do?

Because I couldn’t think, because my brain was too fuzzy at the moment and the weight on my chest too heavy, I said, “I don’t know. This isn’t on you, darlin’.”

Later, I would wish I’d said a million other things. Explained that she was my mate, and I would fight to keep her no matter what. Even if it meant being at odds with my family and my pack.