5. Rainor
5
RAINOR
I will rip them. I will slaughter them. I will bring their flesh back for her consumption.
Concentrating, I tried my best to regain control over the beast. I allowed you to scent her. Let me take over.
They scare her. They mean to harm her . I could feel how feral he was at that moment. I hoped the guys were prepared, because even I doubted I could talk this part of me off the ledge.
The rules are, I deal with the pack. I let you have the hunts, and I get the pack.
She is—
Part of the pack. At least, she would be once I handled things. The beast wouldn’t allow it any other way. I was a back-seat driver in wolf form. Though I could see and experience everything going on, this beast had hold of the controls.
As we rounded the corner, the beast began stalking their scent, his ears twitching as he followed the sounds of their voices.
“Think that thing is done?” Weylin asked. “He doesn’t normally take long to rip throats.”
“Maybe he’s having a midnight snack,” Kage said distractedly. I could picture him looking down at his phone, nose buried in work. He was about to get a rude awakening.
You are not to harm them. They are pack , I reminded the beast.
Heh. I’m just looking for some fun. Perhaps my mate can put distance between them and her while I keep them preoccupied. Then I will stalk her scent. Ah, so he’d had a purpose for scenting her, other than marking his territory.
Weylin was the first to spot us once the beast turned down the alley.
“Fuck, no. Not again!” He jumped onto the hood of the car. The beast laughed, amused at the reaction from his presence.
Kage looked up from his phone and sighed, tossing it into the open window. Both of them began unbuttoning their shirts, preparing for their shifts, but the beast wasn’t going to give them time.
He ran at them.
Weylin hopped up onto the roof.
“He can jump,” Kage reminded him.
“I don’t care. It makes me feel safer than being down there.” He spoke through the crunch of bones, the misalignment of limbs, and the rapid growth of grey fur.
The beast snarled and snapped at Kage, but Kage wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of fear. “We don’t have time to go head-to-head, beast.” It was the last thing Kage said before he shifted.
Our wolves were very similar, though, where the beast was pure black, Kage had white shading along his muzzle and chin. Kage was also a third larger than the beast and his only worthy opponent. Not that Weylin couldn’t do damage.
Weylin’s size matched my own, and the guy had street smarts. Scrapping like a rogue definitely gave him an advantage.
Claws scraped on the roof of the car, but the beast didn’t look up from Kage.
Off the car , Kage ordered through our pack mentality. Rain, you still with us?
Weylin leaped to the ground, hackles raised and teeth bared, warning that he was ready for a fight. If the beast could roll his shoulders and crack his knuckles, that’s exactly what he would be doing right now.
I’m here, but he’s in control. She is my mate. He scented her and believes you two are a threat.
No threat here. We can help you .
She is mine.
Where is she now, Beast? She left you. We have never left you. Find her, bring her to the pack, then you can chain her up in your room and she will be all yours. This land will be yours to mark, and any rogue that passes you get first kill, first blood.
I could feel the beast becoming excited at this prospect. Picturing that sweet wolf chained to his bed, going through her heat just for him, begging for him and no other alpha. The complete high he would have off of it.
It made me sick. Kage was playing to the beast’s better interest, though, so I understood.
First blood! The beast threw his head back as a howl ripped through the night air. Both Weylin and Kage echoed the cry for blood, and then we were off, weaving through the shadows of the streets. The beast picked up on her scent, dirt kicking up behind us as we ran into the woods. We ran with no fear. What was there to fear when you were at the top of the food chain?
We ran further than it seemed possible for her to get. I was beginning to think the beast had lost her scent, but I followed along the entire time, and her scent was strong. Then it stopped altogether.
Lost her? Weylin asked.
The beast snarled at him— someone took her! Though I doubted that was true. There were no other smells around the area, only hers, and it had stopped at this large tree.
As if all three of us thought the same thing at the same time, we looked up. A set of glowing eyes peered back at us before a magnificent white wolf launched its body at Kage, teeth bared, snarling and snapping. The moment their two bodies collided, I felt the heat spread across his body through the link, echoing the hot explosions that went off in his chest.
No! Kage roared, outraged. Weylin jumped at the wolf, head butting her in the side and sending her flying off Kage. Another pang of heat spread through me, another set of explosions.
Wait, was that… Weylin seemed confused.
Your mate…our mate. I sighed. While it wasn’t uncommon for wolf shifters to have multiple mates, this was something we had never thought of happening. Although the dwindling of mate pairs alone among our kind was apparent, the chances of the fates selecting a mate quad was unlikely.
We all stood surrounding the massive white wolf from where she lay between us. She was down, but she wasn’t out. While it appeared she was injured, I knew better. She lay on her belly, all paw pads touching the ground, her lips curled, twitching slightly, as if she couldn’t help but show some teeth. Her eyes were open and looking around without lifting her head. She was looking for an exit.
The beast walked up to her first, placing a paw on her back. The white wolf growled a warning but didn’t move. Mine , the beast declared.
Ours, Weylin corrected him.
We are not fighting over a mate, fated or not. We have an objective here , Kage huffed out.
Why can’t we hear her? Weylin was the first to step forward in a non-threatening way, tilting his head to the girl.
She hasn’t been accepted by the pack , I informed him, understanding he hadn’t received the same upbringing as Kage and me. We had been linked before Weylin even made it to the pack.
Shouldn’t a mate be linked to us? He asked.
She is fated to us, the bond has been set into motion, but we have to claim her, accept the bond.
How?
How do you think? Kage scoffed. A bite, break the skin and taste one another’s blood. There will be none of that , he ordered.
The beast growled at that.
I will kill you , Kage promised, and I knew he wasn’t bluffing this time. She is not to taste your blood. We don’t need her strong. I don’t care what happens to her, I only care for this territory.
Beneath my paw, the girl began to shutter and shift, returning to fully naked human form, shoving my paw off and standing up.
“It’s obvious you can communicate with one another. I see we are at a standstill, so maybe we can come to a compromise.”
I smiled at the gloriousness of my mate. She had guts.
Lila
“I would be more comfortable if you guys were back in your human form,” I said as I walked through the woods, flanked by three nightmares. Then again, if they were in their human form, they woud be naked. I think I preferred being followed by the savage wolves, over three naked men in the woods any day. “On second thought, never mind. This is fine.”
One wolf snorted, pretty sure it was the grey and red one. He stopped walking as he started to shift. I turned my back to it and kept leading them towards my house. A hand grabbed hold of my arm, the heat from which was both comforting and alarming. I pulled my arm free, spinning around. The other two wolves were gone, and before me stood a nude Weylin, his cock standing at full attention. It was hard not to look.
My eyes traveled up his body, quickly looking away when I noticed his severely scared chest. “Where did the other two go?” I asked, embarrassed I was gawking at his scars, though the rest of him was just as impressive.
“Back to the car to get some clothes. Unless…are you enjoying yourself? I can call them back.”
“Don’t. I’m a detective,” I reminded him, not that I imagined he was in the least bit afraid of the law. I spun around, trudging through the woods. Any normal human would be tripping over sticks and rocks, not able to see in the night, but this was a perk to being a shifter. I walked through as if we were on a paved path.
I will not be intimidated by this man, I will not be intimidated by this man. I refused to show how much his body affected me. These feelings of wanting to jump on his hard length had to be due to the mate aspect of things. However, there was an edge of danger coursing through my veins and, to my surprise, that excited me further.
Ugh. I will not be intimidated, I will not be —
“Kinky, do you have your own cuffs and everything?”
I shook my head, nope. I wasn’t intimidated.
Stopping just short of my property, my little bungalow in view, I warned, “Don’t eat my dog.”
“You have a dog?” Weylin used two hands to finally cover up his junk, holding himself protectively.
“Yes. He’s a trained police dog, and if you step out of line, I’ll give the command to rip your balls off.”
Weylin visibly swallowed, though his lips twitched as he fought a smile. I think he enjoyed being threatened.
We stepped out from the tree line and made it three paces across the lawn before Max came barreling out of the doggy door. To Weylin’s credit, he didn’t flinch or react when Max ran right at him.
“Easy,” I ordered. Max stopped running and walked the rest of the way, sniffing Weylin as he circled him.
I let him have his interaction while I walked up to my house, lifting the welcome mat and picking up the spare key. Heading straight to my room, I grabbed a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, pulling them on as quickly as I could before under my bed to retrieve a lockbox. After pressing the code, the green light flashed, and I opened the box.
Inside was a handgun, a set of gloves, and six silver bullets. I pulled the gloves on before loading the gun, ensuring the safety was on, then tucking it into the waist of my pants.
Weylin wasn’t in the house when I came out of my room. Not that I’d expected him to be. I took my pink fluffy housecoat off the hook and went out to the back deck, flicking the outside light on. Max had Weylin out in the yard still, not allowing him to get close to the house.
I expected some threats, maybe pushing from Weylin to Max. After all, Weylin could kill my dog with one swipe of a claw. However, he was smiling at my little protector.
“Max, heel.” Max broke off from glaring at Weylin and trotted over to my side, gluing himself to my leg.
“Impressive,” Weylin said, walking forward.
I held out the housecoat, and he chuckled as he slipped it on, stretching the fabric over his shoulders. There was barely enough of it to cover his front. Not that he made any effort to hide his hard-on.
“Are you just permanently stuck that way?” I asked.
“Only when around naked mates.” He chuckled.
I moved to the patio set and sat down, Max sitting at my feet. “This is the weirdest encounter I’ve ever had. First, three shifters walk into my town. Then they threaten to kill me unless I join their pack. Next, I learn I’m mated to not one but all three of them.”
“Walking half a mile home naked doesn’t make the weirdness list?” he asked, sitting across from me and using the edge of the coat to cover his bulge.
I gave him a dubious look. “Shifter.”
“Fair enough.”
“Will they find us here?” I asked.
He nodded. “They will.”
“So, the question is—why did they leave me with you? Kage is your alpha, that’s what you call your leader, right?”
“Yes.”
“And Rainor is… I don’t even know what, but he’s a hair away from an insane asylum.” I take that back. They all are a hair away from an insane asylum.
“That’s exactly why. I’m the least likely to harm you.” His grin sent a shiver down my spine. Least likely didn’t mean he wouldn’t harm me.
“You’re not like them,” I stated.
“I’d rather not get into life stories on the first date.”
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t even think I can begin to comprehend what has happened tonight.” A dull ache settled in my chest; something felt as if it were missing. “What does having a mate mean?”
Weylin seemed slightly uncomfortable. Never mind that he was sitting in my pink house robe, wearing nothing underneath, outside on my patio chair. It was the talk of mates that made him squirm.
“It means nothing. Like humans getting married, shifters find mates.” He repositioned himself. “We are fated mates,” he added quietly. “Chosen to be together by the fates.”
Cool. Cool. Cool. “So, you guys just almost tried to kill your fated mate.”
“It won’t happen… again.”
I was holding a breath, too anxious that if I dare breath I would miss his response, however I let it go. Staring at him until I finally made up my mind, that I wouldn’t allow them to scare me. “Good, perhaps everyone should abstain from murder.”
He smiled as a car pulled into my driveway. It wasn’t long before Rainor and Kage walked into the backyard. Max ran to the edge of the porch, greeting them with a growl. I quickly called him back before Kage could attack him, since it looked like he was about to.
Rainor handed Weylin a stack of clothes, and he got dressed while Kage turned to face me. “The offer still stands.”
I frowned, confused.
“You have an opportunity to join our pack, or we will assist in your departure.” My heart twisted in a vise, and Rainor growled, his eyes constricting as red bled into them. The beast was close by, and that gave me confidence.
“No. This is my territory. I have no intentions of leaving.” Weylin set my housecoat on the railing. “Respect my boundaries.” I notched my chin up, not backing down from these three brutes.
Kage narrowed his eyes at me. “You doubt us?”
“No, not at all. But I don’t doubt myself, either. I was born and raised here. This is my home, my pack, my territory. I will fight for it.” Max snapped and bared his teeth next to me, having no idea what was going on but backing me up all the same.
When Kage stepped forward, I pulled the gun out from my waistband and pointed it at him. He stood still but otherwise seemed unbothered. Rainor raised an eyebrow, as if to question my sanity.
Weylin grinned. “You do know bullets don’t harm us, right, little wolf? They may slow us down for a moment while our bodies spit them out, but it’s a mere needle prick for us. Take his offer, leave.”
“I may not know everything about shifters, but these are silver bullets,” I said, hoping to hell my research was correct. Touching silver had caused my skin to burn, so I hoped it was poisonous when lodged into a shifter's body. “I will not leave.”
I almost lost composure when Rainor scoffed. “And where, pray tell, did you find pure silver?” His tone was condescending, though I didn’t miss the way he shifted his body towards Kage as he spoke.
“Ninety-nine percent,” I said, not answering his question. “The purest I could find.”
“Ah, careful, though. There are two different methods of refining silver. Best hope whoever did yours used the correct method.”
The grip on my gun was strong. Ignore him. He’s just trying to get into my head. Now, Rainor was positioned almost in front of Kage. He’s scared.
I cocked the gun. “You will leave town. You will not come onto my territory again. If you do, I will not hesitate to put a bullet through your skull. I carry a gun around all day. It’s no trouble to switch out my regular bullets for silver ones.” I had six bullets, but there were only three of them. I trusted my aim.
“That is not how this is going to work.” Kage growled, stepping forward and pushing Rainor to the side. “I don’t care if we have to drag you by the scruff of your neck. You will leave this territory, and you will obey silently. I don’t care if I have to kill that mutt to make it happen.” His eyes were glowing as he spoke.
“You are sadly mistaken. Get over yourself and your ego and get off my territory.”
He left me no other choice. I pulled the trigger, but the bullet didn’t make it to Kage’s arm, where I was aiming. Instead, it was Weylin who cried out. He had moved so fast, stepping in front of his leader.
“Son of a fucking whore in a church on a Sunday morning,” Weylin yelled, his eyes snapping up to me in complete shock as he held his upper arm, blood quickly leaking through.
“Well? What do you think? Is it silver enough?” I asked, fixing my aim and pointing it at Kage’s leg.
“You goddamn glorious wolf.” Weylin’s eyes shifted from confused to a stare of admiration. Was the silver not painful? I could hear the sizzling of flesh from here. “I so can’t wait for your heat. I’m going to pound you so hard, claim you, and make you my baby mama. Fuck, you’re hot.”
My eyes widened in shock. What the hell just happened?
“Enough!” Rainor snapped, causing me to school my expression again.
“You’re delirious,” Kage growled, grabbing Weylin by the back of the neck and manhandling him off the porch. “Stop fighting me, you’re losing blood fast.”
“I will bleed for her!” Weylin shouted.
“I will bleed you first if you don’t get in the fucking car.”
I shifted my aim, and Rainor raised his hands. He hadn’t said much, but when my attention focused back on him, I caught him staring at me, studying me. I was a specimen under a microscope. “What?”
“What are your terms?” Rainor asked.
“This territory is mine. I want a fifteen-foot buffer of neutral land between what’s mine and what’s yours. I don’t care how much land you claim around me, but this is mine.” It’s all I have left . “That’s all I want. You three are not to step foot here again.”
“That can’t happen.”
“But it will.”
“The beast won’t allow it.”
Beast?
“He wants you. The silver is poisoning Weylin, but it’s clear he will want you as well. It won’t be long before your wolf answers, before nature takes its course and you succumb to your animalistic side.”
“I will always be in control. Weylin said I had a choice.” I raised my chin as my eyes wandered towards the car, where Kage wrestled with Weylin to get him in. “Will he live?” I asked, the vise around my heart constricting more.
“Maybe.” Rainor shrugged. He turned to leave, stepping off the porch.
“I will always have silver bullets on me, in case you’re wondering if there's a time I will be vulnerable. I won’t be. I will always be protected.”
Rainor stopped walking, looking over his shoulder. “Next time you shoot, shoot knowing you’re going to kill someone. Then you won’t feel guilty about that possible outcome.”
I don’t feel guilty . The words sat on the tip of my tongue, but as the shifters pulled out of my driveway, I couldn’t help the slight tinge of worry… Had I just killed Weylin?