Rough (Wolf Ranch 1)

“Excuse me?” Rob sounded shocked.

I lobbed another stone at the telephone pole. “I know you never expect much from me, but I can be just as responsible as you or Colton. I could lead the pack if I had to. I’m good for more than just seducing women to keep them quiet.”

He stepped closer, set his hands on his hips. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, but I have a feeling it has something to do with your doctor friend.”

“You had me seduce Audrey to make her forget I had an injury, to make her think she’d been seeing things and not wonder how I healed in a few fucking hours. You had me do it because I was the handsome one. Then you tell me not to fuck her brains out? I can never win with you.”

“Hold on. I never told you to seduce her. I told you to keep an eye on her not get your dick in her.”

I growled, chucked another rock. “Fucking Karen,” I mumbled.

“Whoa. What’s got you so riled over the doctor?”

“She’s not my doctor friend. She’s my fucking mate. My wolf recognized her the moment I saw her in the arena. That’s why I got gored—because Abe fucking Gleason asked her out and was making the moves in the stands.”

Rob gave a low whistle. “Your mate? Are you sure?”

I turned, glared.

“I had no idea,” he replied, sounding totally surprised. “Why the fuck didn’t you say something?”

I turned on him. “Say what, exactly? It’s against pack rules, right? We don’t mate humans? We don’t reveal what we are to them? What the fuck was I supposed to do, especially when you tell me to be her best fucking friend?”

Rob looked bewildered at seeing me express so much emotion. “Well, I don’t know, but we sure as shit could’ve talked it over together.” His tone was mild. Coaxing, almost, like I was still a kid.

I threw another rock so hard it split the wood when it hit.

“Are you going to mate her?”

“Well, besides the fact that it’s not allowed, that’s pretty much off the table now. Fucking Karen showed up at her house telling her you’d sent me to seduce her to keep her quiet. Thanks very much.”

Rob groaned. “She is such a goddamn bitch. She needs a mate who’ll get her under control, and that’s not going to be any of us. Maybe it’s time for her to go visit the Canadian pack for a few months. But you know that’s not what I said. I wouldn’t have asked it of you if I’d known how your wolf felt. I’m sorry.”

I took my hat off, ran my hand over my hair. “Yeah, well. Audrey’s finished with me now. She never believed in me. Just like you don’t.”

“Seriously, asshole? I’m about to knock you on the ground. You’re the only one who doesn’t believe in you.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I snarled.

“I sent you to take care of Markle because I knew you could do it. He’s an asshole and isn’t going to go down easily. I didn’t expect him to be resolved in one night.”

“He had his eyes on Audrey, and I cleared that up pretty fast. Besides his wolf issue, I’m sure my stealing away Audrey pisses him off even more. He hates my guts.”

“Good. Let him focus his anger on you. Maybe that’ll distract him from Audrey, first off, and secondly, off of buying the Shefield property.”

“You’re not pissed about him?”

“At you?” He looked at me like I was crazy. “Hell, no. You did good. I heard you gave him a black eye.”

I couldn’t help but smile about that.

“That must’ve felt fucking good.”

I nodded.

“What the fuck did you say when I walked up—about killing Mom and Dad?”

I glanced at him, then away. “It’s true.”

“Boyd, you cannot possibly blame yourself for their deaths.” He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me around to face him. “Do you?”

My eyes smarted. “All the fucking time,” I admitted. “I was late at the fair. That put us in the canyon during the storm.”

“Mom called and said they would be late because they’d been chatting with another pack family that had moved away.”

“She did?”

“Yeah.”

“I remember them talking with the Gundersons when I finally showed up, but not her calling. It must’ve been when I went to take a leak.”

“She told me they were waiting for you but were glad you got behind because they’d have missed their friends otherwise.”

“I thought… I was unharmed in the rock slide, but I’d been trapped. I shifted, my first time, to get out of the wreckage.”

“Fuck.” He yanked me in for a hard hug. “None of that shit was your fault, you goddamn idiot.” He held me so tightly, I couldn’t breathe. After a moment, I hugged him back.