Rough (Wolf Ranch 1)

But I was out of steam in the moment. I’d defaulted to fuck-up mode.

I just needed to get my head on straight and get things figured out.

I pulled up in front of Audrey’s place and climbed out, walking around to open the door for her.

“You okay?” She took my offered hand and peered up at me as I walked her to the door. My sweet doctor was concerned about me. “You sure you don’t want to stay?” she asked.

I sucked in a breath as my dick punched against my jeans. “Fuck, do I.” I forced a smile. “You need to sleep, and I need to deal with things at the ranch. I’ll call you, okay?”

“Um, yeah. Okay.” She kept her gaze on my face, a wrinkle of worry between her brows. I bent over and gave her a quick kiss.

“Good night, darlin’. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

She nodded, her smile wistful as she backed through her front door. “All right, sounds good.”

Before she shut the door, I said, “Gotta let that pretty pussy rest. I’ve got plans for it tomorrow.”

She bit her lip, and her gaze dropped to my crotch. “Good night,” she whispered.

Fuck me.

I got in my truck, even though my wolf was practically snarling at me to stay, to sleep with her. Hold her all night. I couldn’t. I had things to figure out. Instead of heading straight home to deal with shit, I found myself driving up to the mountains, to a pullout where I liked to go when I needed to run. I stripped out of my clothes and shifted, bolting through the evergreens.

Praying my wolf would help me cast off the fog of uncertainty that had settled over me and Audrey and the future I’d been planning with her.

22

AUDREY

I stepped out of my house and locked the door. I hadn’t been able to sleep much last night, reliving everything that had happened on our date. The wild sex at his truck, the waterfall, the wolf, then finding out it was a kid. That Boyd was also a wolf. I’d seen the kid shift from a wolf into human form. I’d seen Boyd’s bull riding injury, then saw it gone, as if it had never happened. It was unexplainable, yet it made sense.

I wasn’t freaked. I should be. A boyfriend who was a part wolf? Insane.

But it felt real. It felt… right.

I’d tossed and turned mostly because I worried about Boyd. I didn’t know what exactly passed between him and his brother, but I did know it was about me. I saw Rob staring through the windshield at me, frowning and laying down the law about something to Boyd and James. It was obvious he was the pack’s alpha. It made complete sense why he was such a hardass. He was the leader of a group who had to remain secret. One slip-up, and they could be destroyed or killed.

It was forbidden for Boyd to tell me. I understood that.

Was it also forbidden for him to be with me? Was that why he seemed so out of sorts when he came back to the truck? Why he hadn’t spent the night with me?

“Hi, Dr. Ames?”

I jumped in surprise. I’d been so deep in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed the woman leaning against my car at the curb.

Oh shit. It was Total Bitch from the bar. Karen. James’ sister.

She wore snug jeans, cowgirl boots and a plain white t-shirt. The neckline was a deep V that accentuated her ample breasts. She was beautiful, I had to give her that. She was also a bitch, so I approached her warily.

“Hi. I just wanted to thank you for saving my brother’s life yesterday. He told me he almost drowned.”

And got shot, but apparently that wasn’t life-threatening to a wolf.

“Oh, no problem. That’s what I do.” I smiled wanly. “I am a doctor.”

She showed no intention of moving her ass off my car. “Yeah, I heard that.”

Okay, what the hell does Total Bitch want? It clearly wasn’t to thank me. Most family members who were thankful brought me a Bundt cake or sent pictures of their baby.

“Listen, I don’t know if Boyd told you, but—” She rolled her lips in like she was breaking bad news to me. She looked left and right, as if my neighbors were leaning out their windows to overhear us. “—shifters can’t mate with humans.”

I frowned. “Like, it’s not biologically possible? Because I can say you’re wrong.” I could play a little bitchy, too.

Her eyes narrowed because she caught my meaning. James probably mentioned the waterfall, and it was easy to put two and two together about what we’d been doing there. It hadn’t been Bible study.

“Like, it’s forbidden,” she clarified. “I hate to tell you this, but since you were so kind to James and all, I thought you deserved to know. I feel like it would be even worse if you found out later.”