Stealing Sloane (Lone Wolf Generations #5)

Chapter 7

T hey drove all night, stopping only to refill gas and for bathroom breaks. Sloane had never felt so tired in her life, yet she could only drift in and out of sleep as she sat in the passenger seat of the borrowed SUV. Every time she managed to nod off, her mind refused to let her rest.

Jacob could have been killed.

Seeing him kneeling on the ground, those two guys holding him down had sent fear through her the likes of which she’d never felt before. Even now, knowing he was safe, her stomach still filled with dread at the idea that he could be dead.

“We’re here,” he announced.

Glancing outside the window, she blinked. Gone were the tall buildings of Manhattan and the endless highways of New Jersey. Instead, they were surrounded by greenery. The sun peeked out from behind rolling hills, bathing the Shenandoah Valley in orange and yellow hues.

Jacob parked the car in front of a large, white country-style home with two stories and a wraparound porch. As they exited the car, the front door flew open.

“Sloane!” Stella cried as she slammed into her. “Oh my God, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I—uh! Y-ou’re choking me.” Her sister’s hug was so tight, she could hardly breathe.

“What? Oh sorry,” Stella covered her mouth with her hands. “I keep forgetting how strong I am now.”

“It’s … fine …” She took in a deep breath. “How have you been? How are the Lycan lessons?”

“Me? How have I been? What about you? The Alpha told us that you’d almost been kidnapped by Forte and were on the way here, and you’re asking how I am?”

“It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m here—oh hey, there!” she exclaimed as she grabbed Stella’s left hand, which sported a large diamond ring. “Wow, that’s a hell of a sparkler.”

“Oh yeah.” Her face flushed. “Cliff proposed last night. He took me camping deep into the territory, to this gorgeous clearing with like, a million stars overhead. We actually just got back less than an hour ago.”

“Congratulations, Stel. I’m happy for you.” She truly was. “I’m sorry for ruining your announcement.”

“What? No, no, you’re not ruining anything. You’d only ruin things if you actually got kidnapped.” Stella pulled her in for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Pulling away, she strode over to Jacob, who was taking their bags out from the back of the SUV. “Thank you for being there to save my sister.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What were you guys doing at the club, by the way?”

Jacob’s face turned red. “We, uh …”

Memories of what happened at Blood Moon—in the basement in particular—sent a curl of heat down Sloane’s belly. “Er, where’s Cliff? And the Alpha? I should introduce myself.”

“Oops. How rude of me. C’mon.” Stella tugged at her hand. “I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

She followed her twin toward the porch, where several curious onlookers waited. Cliff was there, and next to him were two men and three women.

“Alpha, Lupa,” she said to the older couple, probably in their fifties, in the middle. “This is my sister, Sloane. Sloane, this is Jackson and Jordan Forrest.”

Sloane bowed her head and pulled her shirt to the side. “Alpha, thank you for allowing me into your territory.”

“You’re welcome, Sloane.” Jackson Forest was an enormous man with sandy blond hair and green eyes. “Heard you were in a heap of trouble.”

“I’m sorry to have to bring it to your doorstep.”

“Nonsense.” The small, dark-haired woman beside him—his Lupa, Sloane guessed—stepped forward. “Stella is part of our family, and so are you. And we protect our own.”

“Thank you, Lupa.”

“Just call me Jordan,” she said. “And these are two of my children, Jack and Austin.”

“Hey,” the petite young woman greeted. She had the same, straight black hair as her mother, half hidden under a backwards ball cap. “I’m Jack.”

The huge man next to her—he was even taller and wider than the Alpha—nodded his head in greeting. “Austin.”

“And this is Lily, my mother-in-law.”

The slim, white-haired woman stepped forward, and when Sloane extended her hand to shake it, the woman embraced her instead. “It’s very nice to meet you. As Jordan said, you’re part of our family now.”

Sloane stiffened, unsure what to do. She glanced over at Stella, who beamed at her. “Er, thank you.”

“You must be starving.” Lily let go of her. “Come, we have breakfast ready.”

“Do you have biscuits and gravy, sausages, and waffles, Grams?” Jacob piped in as he went in for a hug.

Lily laughed as he lifted her up. “Yes, of course. All your favorites.”

“Extra gravy,” they said at the same time.

“Let’s go before it all goes cold,” Jordan said.

They all filed inside, toward the large kitchen in the back, then sat down at the wooden table.

“Eat up,” Lily said, passing the gravy to Jacob.

“You always were the favorite,” Austin said, though his tone was lighthearted.

“Austin Campbell Forrest, I do not have a favorite,” Lily protested. “I love all my grandchildren the same.”

“You’re all just jealous,” Jacob declared as he heaped his plate with food.

“Jacob would spend a lot of time with me when he was a child,” Lily said. “He was one of the younger ones, and the older boys would tease him and leave him behind. I was always there to dry his tears.”

Sloane couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Jacob as a little boy, being consoled by his grandmother.

“As he grew up, he was a quite the hothead, but Lily was the only one who could calm him down,” Jackson said. “And while all the boys were roughhousing, he stayed behind to help Momma with the chores.”

“Of course, he could visit more these days,” Lily said, miffed.

“Awww, Grams.” Jacob scratched behind his head. “I’m sorry, I’ve been busy you know? I’ll try to come by more often.”

Sloane ate quietly as the rest of the people chatted for the remainder of the meal. While she didn’t want to be rude, she was just too tired to make small talk.

“Sloane, you look ready drop,” Lily remarked.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I just haven’t slept.”

“You poor thing.” The older woman got up. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room and you can get some rest.”

Unsure, she looked to Jacob, who said, “It’s all right. Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, no. Enjoy your meal.”

She trudged after Lily as she led her upstairs. “Cliff and Stella are in the guest room, you’ll be staying in my other granddaughter’s room. Katie lives in San Francisco now.” They stopped in front of the door in the middle of the hallway. “The room’s all ready, I prepared it myself.”

“Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”

“You’re welcome.” She opened the door. “Have a good rest.”

Exhaustion seeped into her, and she practically collapsed on the bed. It seemed like only moments passed, but when she woke up, the room was filled with light. She blinked then slowly got up. She was still wearing the sweats and hoodie she changed into before driving here last night. To her surprise, her backpack was already next to the door, so she got some fresh clothes and took a quick shower in the ensuite bathroom. Checking her watch, she saw it was two o’clock in the afternoon.

She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do, so she decided to go outside. When she opened the door, Jacob was standing there, hand raised as if he were about to knock.

“Hey,” he greeted, sheepishly lowering his hand to his side. “I was wondering if you were up.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m up.”

“Did you get enough rest?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“So … what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know really.” What did one do on a farm? Milk cows? Shave sheep? Somehow she didn’t think the Alpha would even let her near any animals.

“Hmm. Well, I think Stella should be out training somewhere. We should ask Lily where she is and then we could go see her?”

“I guess that’s would be okay.” She was curious what they were teaching her sister.

They found Lily outside, tending to her garden. She said Stella was training by the pond today, so they set off, Jacob leading the way.

“You didn’t have to come with me,” she said as they began to walk across the sunny field just behind the farmhouse.

“I got nothing else to do. Grams said I should go check on you.”

“No, no, I mean coming all the way here.”

“Uncle Killian said I’m supposed to protect you.”

“Ah.” Of course. That’s why he was here. His boss ordered him.

“But, that’s not the only reason.”

Her heart stumbled, hoping she was the reason.

Ridiculous.

Before he could elaborate, she changed the subject. “Is there any news on the Lone Wolves Ronan hired?”

“I’m afraid not. According to Uncle Killian, I burned them pretty badly,” he said, sheepish. “Might be a few days before they’re able to talk. They’re healing pretty slowly and in a lot of pain. Er, sorry about that.”

That was too bad, but part of her relished the thought of them suffering, especially after they almost killed?—

Can’t think of that . “Er, so, interesting family you have.”

He chuckled and kicked a rock in his way. “Yeah. We’re not blood related you know. Not all of us I mean.”

“Lizzie and Cliff explained some of it, but she didn’t explain how your Uncle Jackson fits into the picture.”

“Yeah, I’m not related to Uncle Jackson or Lily biologically, only Cliff and Charley are. But as Grams said, we’re all family.” He wrinkled his nose. “Actually, I never realized it, but it’s such a coincidence. And it makes sense.”

“What’s a coincidence? And what makes sense?”

“Cliff’s and Charley’s dad and Uncle Jackson were twins separated at birth. Some guys apparently kidnapped Uncle Connor when he was just a baby and left Uncle Jackson behind.”

She stopped and turned to face him. “Really?”

“Yeah. No wonder Lily was so welcoming to you. She and Jackson never stopped searching for Uncle Connor, until one day, he showed up here.”

It was a bizarre coincidence. “But you’re still Lily’s favorite, huh?”

He smirked. “Oh yeah, I am.” A fond smile crossed his face. “This place is really special. My cousins and I spent a lot of our summers here with our parents. It’s where we learned to control our Lycans.”

“And what about your powers? How did you learn to use those? And how did you even realize you had them?”

“Ahh yeah, things were a little different with us hybrids. Aside from the Lycan lessons, my other uncle—you might remember him from last night when he came with my dad—is a warlock.”

The events of last night had gone by in such a blur, she didn’t even realize she’d met his uncle and his dad, but she nodded anyway.

“Uncle Daric bound our powers temporarily when we were young. I set the kitchen on fire.” He chuckled. “But when we were old enough, he unbound them. I learned to control it here too.” Raising a hand, he made a ball of fire appear in his hand.

She gasped, but her eyes remain fixed on the fireball inches above his hands. “That’s real?”

“Oh yeah.” He moved it closer to her. “Try to touch it.”

Putting her hand near it, she felt the heat on her palm. “Wow, that does feel real.”

“Oh yeah.” He pulled his arm back then, then threw the fireball, making it land on a nearby shrub. The dry leaves and twigs quickly caught on fire, but with a wave of his hand, it disappeared. “I can also control any type of fire, but minimally. And like I said, I can’t be burned.”

“How did figure that out?”

“How do you think?” He flashed her a lopsided smile. “My brother Anthony and Lizzie set me on fire. Mom was livid.”

“Sounds like something Lizzie would do.”

“Yeah.”

“So, like … the fire … does it come out of anywhere else?”

He burst out laughing. “Smart ass.” He nodded toward a line of trees ahead. “The pond’s just over that hill.”

They marched forward, and as they drew closer, the sounds of barks and yips grew louder.

“I guess Stella’s doing well with her Lycan lessons,” he said.

They walked through the trees, revealing a large pond just at the slope of the hill. “Yeah, I hope so. She only accidentally shifted that first time, and since then she said she couldn’t figure out how to do it again.”

“I figured. Stress can do that to you. And?—”

“And what?”

His eyes grew wide. “What the fuck?”

“What’s wrong?” She cocked her head to the side. The animalistic sounds had dissipated, only to be replaced by human voices. Her gaze followed the source.

“Cliff! Yes …”

“Oh, God, Stella!” a male voice groaned. “You’re so—what the hell?”

Sloane’s jaw dropped at the sight of Cliff and Stella’s naked bodies entwined on the grass, obviously in the middle of vigorous sex. Stella let out a shriek as Cliff rolled over to shield her and both Sloane and Jacob whirled around.

“Shit!” Sloane covered her face with her hands, the heat on her cheeks warming her palms. She didn’t dare look at Jacob, but she couldn’t help herself and peeked between her fingers.

He looked just as mortified as she felt. “Goddamned horny bastard,” he muttered. “What the hell, man, how about a warning?”

“Warning?” Cliff groused. “How about you don’t go sneaking around when people are busy?”

“Busy, huh?” Jacob chuckled.

“Shut up,” the other Lycan growled.

There was a rustling of clothes as the couple hastily put themselves to rights. “Okay, we’re decent,” Stella said.

Sloane put her hands down and spun around. Stella was brushing bits of grass from her hair as Cliff put his shirt back on. “Oh God,” she groaned.

“What’s wrong?” Jacob asked.

“Stella and I are twins. Which means Cliff knows what I look like naked.”

“Hey, guys! What’s going on?” Stella said cheerfully.

“I should ask you the same.” Sloane smirked at her. “How’s training?”

“Uh … good,” she said sheepishly. “I can shift into my wolf, but going back to human form is harder. Cliff has to coax me back.”

With his dick? Sloane snickered to herself.

“How did you find us?” Cliff asked.

“Grams,” Jacob said. “Though she said you were ‘training.’ Sloane wanted to check on you.”

“I guess you’re doing just fine,” she chortled. “Anyway, what is there to do around here?” She was eager to forget what just happened and change the subject, and from the look on Stella’s face, so was she.

Cliff wiped his palms on the front of his pants. “Lots. How about a tour?”

Cliff and Jacob took them on a tour of the entire ranch. Sloane actually thought it was interesting that aside from being an actual farm, the Alpha of Shenandoah also worked with Lycans who had a hard time controlling their wolves. In fact, his program was so successful that many Alphas from all over the world sent their Lycans there for rehab or retraining.

They finished around early evening, then hurried back to the house for dinner, which was another boisterous affair. It was easy to see that the Shenandoah wolves were a very close-knit family, and Sloane was glad they had welcomed Stella with open arms. Of course, they were all excited that she and Cliff would be adding more members to their growing family. After dinner, when Sloane offered to help clean up, Lily would not hear of it, and invited her and Stella to relax with her on the porch while the boys and Jack did the dishes.

“I made my hot chocolate,” Lily said as she joined them outside, a tray with three mugs in her hands.

“That smells amazing.” Stella took a deep breath. “Cinnamon, peppermint, and nutmeg.”

“That’s right.” She sat between them and placed the tray on her lap. “I’m glad you’re putting your Lycan nose to use.”

“It’s amazing, really.” Stella nodded gratefully as she accepted the mug. “It’s like, this entire time, my senses have been dulled. I’m so glad I decided to come here, thank you for letting me stay.”

Lily smiled warmly at her. “Honestly, it’s like seeing my grandchildren go through the change again. I loved having all of them come here during the summers.” She glanced down at Stella’s stomach. “And I’m looking forward to holding some pups again.”

Stella placed a hand over her belly. “I still can’t believe I’m having a baby. It all seems too fast.”

“It’s only gonna get faster and soon the baby will be here.” Lily chuckled. “Or babies. It seems twins run in both sides of the family.”

Stella paled. “I almost forgot. Cliff’s dad is a twin too. I met him on our stopover in New York. Very quiet and polite, and of course his mom was amazing. He didn’t warn me that she was Evie King, the famous composer and Broadway actress. Cliff probably forgot I’m a music teacher, and so, I almost died right there. When I was a kid, I listened to that soundtrack of the princess movie she was in all the time.”

“Men, they never remember the little details,” Lily said with a knowing smile. “My boys are quite different but …” She trailed off, her face turning somber. “They explained everything to you, right? About how they were separated?—”

“Yes.” Stella placed a hand on Lily’s knee. “And it was a long time ago, right?” She glanced over at Sloane meaningfully. “And it’s good to know that things worked out for them.”

“And it’ll work out for us too.” Sloane didn’t know if they would, but they felt like they were the right words to say. It was obvious that Lily was still guilty about the whole thing with her son being kidnapped and separated.

“Cliff tells me you were a big part of his life. All their lives actually,” Stella said. “That you accepted his aunt and uncles even though they weren’t biologically related.”

“Of course. Connor said they were his siblings, and so they’re family, blood or not.” A wistful expression passed over her face. “It was wonderful, having the farm crawling with pups. Each one of them was special.”

“We’re all done.” Cliff appeared in the doorway. “Wanna go for a walk, Stel?”

“That sounds lovely.”

“A ‘walk,’” Sloane snickered. “Sure.”

Stella smirked at her. “Just a lovely moonlit stroll. Good night, see you all in the morning.”

As she and Cliff left, Jacob strode out. “Ooh, hot chocolate. Don’t mind if I do.” When he tried to swipe Sloane’s mug from Lily’s tray, she swatted his hand away.

“Get your own, loser.” She smiled smugly at him over the rim as she took a sip.

“Aww, I don’t want your cooties anyway.”

You didn’t mind my cooties very much back at the club. Thank goodness she was still drinking and didn’t say that out loud.

“There’s more in the pot on the stove,” Lily said.

“Thanks, Grams,” he replied before he stuck his tongue out at Sloane and trudged back into the house.

“He’s your favorite?” Sloane asked.

Lily laughed. “Jacob could be a handful at time, especially with his temper. But when it was just me and him, he was the sweetest child. Very sensitive.”

She almost choked on the hot cocoa. “Sensitive?”

“I can see the confusion on your face. You know, people think Jacob doesn’t take things seriously. Yes, he’s very happy-go-lucky, but there’s more to him. He has this sensitive side no one really knows. He found more inner peace when he learned to control his fire powers, though people think he’s still that undisciplined hothead who thinks everything is a joke. The truth is, whenever there’s tension around him, he uses humor to diffuse the situation. Very useful when you’re surrounded by stubborn wolves.” The corner of her mouth turned up. “They might not know it, but people are drawn to him because they feel safe and they can forget about their worries. He’s the one person who won’t judge you, no matter what.”

Sloane didn’t know what to say, so she just took a sip of her cocoa.

“Sloane, I hope you don’t mind if I ask, but are you and Jacob?—”

“Got it, and extra too.” Jacob thankfully burst out of the kitchen door at that moment. Striding over to them, he sat next to Lily and kissed her cheek. “No one can make cocoa like you.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Jacob.” She ruffled his hair and then stood up and stretched. “Oh my, I think it’s time for this old lady to get to bed.”

“You’re not old, Grams,” Jacob protested.

“And that’s kind of you to say, but I do feel my age. You young ones stay up as long as you like though, and I’ll see you for breakfast tomorrow.”

“G’night Grams,” Jacob called. “What?” he said to Sloane.

Sloane could barely keep herself from grinning. “Nothing.” The confused look he gave her made it even more absurd. “Ugh.” Reaching over, she wiped the smudge of chocolate over his lip. “You are—” She gasped as he caught her wrist, his eyes zeroing in on the bit of chocolate on her thumb. Her breath caught as he leaned closer, but then he stopped and dropped her hand.

“Uh, thanks,” he said.

“N-no prob.” She tried to make her voice sound casual, but she knew what he had almost done. She could imagine that tongue of his—which had been on her the other night—licking at her fingers.

But why did he stop?

He finished off the mug and put it on the tray. “I’m gonna go for a run.”

“Can I join you?” She didn’t know why she asked or why she even wanted to.

“In my wolf form,” he added.

“I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Why not?” It had been a while since she really let her wolf roam. In her travels over the last year, she’d spent many nights out in the open too, when she didn’t have money for a hotel or couldn’t find some sort of shelter. She would often stay in her wolf form for protection, ready to run at a moment’s notice.

Her wolf let out a soulful yowl.

Speaking of running …

The poor thing was probably getting antsy. It had been a while since she’d last shifted, which was when she fought Stella. That had been over a week ago. It felt more like a lifetime. She glanced around, at the stillness and quiet calm of her surroundings, and then at Jacob, his jade green eyes fixed on her. “Are you afraid my wolf’s going to kick your wolf’s ass?”

“Ha!” That signature arrogant smirk returned. “As if. Race ya!” In a flash, he was leaping off the porch, flinging his shirt over his head.

“No fair!” She ran after him, whipping her clothes off too. She hung back, watching him as he discarded his clothes, unable to stop herself from staring at the well-defined muscles on his back and his ass. While she really should feel like a pervert, it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen him naked before. He shifted into his wolf form, prompting her to change too.

The wind running through their fur, the ground under their paws, the smell of nature around them was invigorating. It was moments like these she allowed her wolf to completely take over, and all her worries disappeared. She could relax and allow her mind to wander or just not think—a true luxury considering she had to be alert all the time.

Her wolf drove their body harder to catch up with Jacob, pushing until they were side-by-side. They kept pace with each other as they roamed the fields, darting into wooded areas where they jumped over roots and fallen logs, and ran through the brush. It was exhilarating to be surrounded by nature and have the freedom to roam like this.

Eventually they circled back, the farmhouse ahead of them up the hill. Jacob shifted back and began to pick up his clothes, and she followed suit.

“Good run,” she said as she handed him his shirt.

“I was looking for that, thanks.” He took it and put in on, but not before she took a last glance at his perfect abs.

Warmth pooled in her cheeks, as well as other parts of her. Out here, they were alone with one else around them, standing so close she could still scent him. In the moonlight, his features darkened, making him look temptingly handsome, like in the darkness of the club basement. They locked eyes, those twin orbs glittered like emeralds as they fixed on her. Her heart beat fast under her chest and blood roared into her ears as they both inched closer.

“Hey, guys!”

They stepped away from each other as Cliff’s voice broke through the silence. “Why are your clothes all wrinkled?” He eyed them suspiciously.

“We went for a run,” Sloane replied matter-of-factly. “And yours are all still nice and clean. I guess you really did go for a stroll in the moonlight.”

“I want to go for a run too.” Stella clapped her hands together. “Can we go, Cliff?”

“Of course. It’s be good practice.” Cliff nodded at them. “You wanna join us?”

“Sure.” Her wolf, too, was eager to be let out again and spend time with their twin. “Jacob?”

“Nothing else to do around here.” He took his shirt off again. “Why not?”

Oh yeah. Sloane’s mouth went dry as she raked her eyes over his naked torso and remembered the first time they had kissed. He’d been jealous of his friend dancing with her as much as she’d been jealous of the woman all over him.

That feeling in your gut like something’s clawing at you. Makes your skin crawl and your stomach churn and your chest ache. Makes you want to burn the world. Because that’s how I felt when I saw another man touching you.

Then he said she was an idiot for thinking he didn’t want her and kissed her. If Cliff and Stella hadn’t shown up just now, she was pretty sure they would have done it again. Or if they hadn’t been interrupted the first time …

She swallowed. Had she forgotten about how Ronan’s hired goons tried to take her and almost killed him? He probably hadn’t, which is why he hesitated. She would, of course, understand. Truth be told, despite her attraction to him, the right thing would be to just ignore it.

I can’t be distracted.

Her parents deserved justice. Hell, she, Stella, and Devon deserved justice too, for what they had lost. She had to remind herself that until that happened, she had to stay focused on her goal. Ronan Forte still had to pay for what he had done.