Chapter 7
SEVEN
Luke
I leaned against the fence, trying to look casual, but nothing felt right. I shifted to prop my hip on it, but that was too awkward. Crossing my arms, I schooled my expression into what I imagined was a bored look.
That disappeared the second Katie rounded the corner of the barn with Eli. My gaze drank her in. Her sunny smile, bright eyes, and loose golden hair warmed my insides. I couldn’t tear my eyes away and had to fight to stop myself from running to her.
My brothers would tease me if they saw me now. I’d insisted I wouldn’t have a mate, and now I was falling all over myself.
It was probably good Eli was with her. It prevented me from taking her in my arms and rushing things between us. I needed to remember she was human and the bond would work slower on her.
I tore my gaze from her and cleared my throat. “We’ll be doing the same thing today as yesterday. I want you to shift on your own. If you can’t, I’ll force the change. It’s important for you to spend time in your wolf form regularly. If you don’t, you’ll feel like something is fighting to get out.”
Eli side-eyed me, a mulish set to his jaw. He gave a curt nod.
Katie’s cell rang, the children’s song a surprising choice for her ring tone. I grinned and looked toward Eli, thinking we could share our amusement, but he just glared at me.
Katie turned away as she answered, pitching her voice low. She looked back at us a minute later. “I need to take this. Will you two be okay without me?”
I nodded. “We’ve got this. We’ll be going for a run when he shifts. I’ll send him back to your cabin when we’re done.”
She shot me a smile. “Thanks.” She turned to Eli, placing her hand on his shoulder and looking him in the eye. “I believe in you. Have fun.”
Katie walked off, phone back at her ear. I watched her walk away, taking in the sway of her hips. She had an innate grace that made me think of a fairy.
When she was out of sight, I faced Eli, whose expression had darkened. “Are you ready to try?”
“Whatever.” He glowered and stalked a few feet away.
“What’s wrong? I thought you were looking forward to shifting again.” I studied the teen, taking in the jut of his jaw and the tension in his shoulders.
“Why do you care?” He bit off the words, shooting them at me like bullets. “You just want to get in her pants.”
I froze, his accusation shocking me. “Excuse me?”
“I see the way you look at her. You don’t care about helping me. You’re just trying to get on her good side.” He kicked at the dirt, pebbles scattering. “She’s here for me, not you.”
Tears welled in his eyes but didn’t fall. I turned over various responses in my head, but none of them felt right. Eventually, I just cursed, deciding to wing it.
“She is here for you.” I ducked down, angling my head to meet his gaze. “You’re the most important thing to her right now.”
He didn’t respond, just averted his gaze to the ground at his feet.
“I won’t insult you. I like Katie, and I want to spend time with her and get to know her.
” I hesitated, wondering how much to tell him.
Shifters learned young about fated mates, but Eli had no idea.
“All shifters have what we call a fated mate. It’s the one person fate has chosen for us.
The person who just fits. Who we’ll love completely. ” I crouched down. “Katie is mine.”
His eyes flashed with anger, and his fists clenched at his sides.
“But don’t for one second think that means we won’t make you a priority.” I blew out a breath. “I won’t pretend to know everything you’ve been through. I grew up mostly in human territory, but I always knew I was a shifter.”
I moved into a more comfortable position but stayed on his level. “My dad dumped me on a pack when I was around your age. None of them wanted me. This ranch was the first place I truly belonged. I hope it can be that for you, too.”
He was silent, and I let him process my words. His leg bounced, and he loosened his fists as the bouncing slowed. His gaze lifted to meet mine. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped, going silent again before asking, “Do I… do I have a fated mate?”
“You do.” I grinned at him. “You won’t recognize them until after you both turn eighteen, but they’re out there right now.”
He scuffed his foot along the dirt. “That could be cool. I’ve never had someone who…”
“Is all yours?” I finished the thought for him. “Yeah. It is. But Katie and I are here for you. As are all my brothers and their mates. And Jonah.”
A tremulous smile slid across his lips.
“Wherever you go, I hope you’ll always consider us family,” I said.
He sniffed, trying to fight the tears that filled his eyes again. I ruffled his hair, lightening the mood. “Now, how about we let our wolves out to play?”
Eli nodded quickly, and I watched him try to shift. I doubted he would be able to yet. His first shift was likely caused by heightened emotions. Sometimes feeling a need for your wolf made the shift easier; high stakes had our animal halves eager to protect us.
My heart warmed as I watched his earnest face. I’d meant it when I told him we were family. Everyone on the ranch knew that blood didn’t make a family. And Eli was fast becoming part of ours. I would miss him when he left.
Katie
I finished making notes on my conversation with Hunter, the Alpha of the Shifter Alley wolf pack. It had gone well. I knew it had, but I still had a hole in my gut.
Hunter had said Eli was welcome to join their pack. He even promised to ask around to find a few different families for him, and I could interview them myself.
I knew it was best for Eli. He would be surrounded by shifters and would learn everything he should already know. But I admitted I would miss him. We’d been through an intense few days, and it had created a bond.
I slipped the folder back into my bag and stretched my arms overhead. Luke and Eli had probably finished their run by now, so I made myself a cup of coffee and went to sit on the porch.
I ran my hand along the arm of the wooden rocking chair, wondering if Luke had made it as I sat, angled to face the path so I could see Eli when he returned.
I imagined him brimming with excitement again about his time as a wolf, and I wanted him to know someone in his life was eager to hear all about it.
My phone rang, and I reminded myself again to change the ringtone. One of the foster kids I worked with had switched it on me, and I kept forgetting to change it back. It made me smile, though, so maybe I should keep it.
I didn’t recognize the number, but in my job, I answered all calls. “Hello?”
A gruff voice that sounded vaguely familiar filled my ear. “Check your texts.”
A second later, a chime signaled a new message. I pulled it up, and my breath whooshed out of me. The text consisted of a single photo: Eli tied up and gagged in a truck bed.
My hands shook as I lifted my cell back to my ear. “Where is he? Who is this?”
He chuckled darkly. “I’ll tell you where he is. You’re going to meet us here—and tell no one, or else I’ll hurt the pup.”
Another chime sounded. He’d sent a GPS tag. I pulled it up on my phone’s map and tried to figure out how to get there. “I don’t have a car.”
“I saw someone leave a truck outside the barn. They slipped a key behind the visor. You have fifteen minutes.”
I moved without thinking, breaking into a run as soon as I cleared the porch steps. My head felt empty, but my heart raced. I needed to get to Eli.
An old, beat-up truck was parked in front of the barn, just like he said. I fumbled with the door handle and yanked it open. After sliding behind the wheel, I flipped the visor down, and the key fell onto my lap. It took several tries to get it into the ignition.
I forced myself to slow down and take a few deep breaths. Panicking wouldn’t get me anywhere but in the ditch. I hadn’t driven since driver’s ed in high school, and even then I’d barely passed.
The engine roared to life when I twisted the key. I shifted into reverse, backing up slowly as I turned the truck to face the driveway. I inched along at first while I got a feel for the vehicle.
Turning onto the highway, I glanced at my phone and pushed the gas pedal to the floor. I was running out of time. I fought to keep the truck on the road, wishing it was a car that would be easier to handle.
When my phone told me to turn, I turned, though it was barely a road.
It led through cornstalks that were tall, though not fully grown.
I bumped along the rutted trail as fast as possible without losing control.
Soon the path opened into a small clearing with another truck. A tarp was tied over the truck bed.
It was the same truck that had tried to run me over on the ranch. And the man standing next to it was the man I’d met in town, who’d warned me about getting close to shifters.
I braked, the force throwing me forward on the seat, and slowly got out of the truck. “Where’s Eli?”
The man gave me a twisted grin. “Pup’s tied up in the back. Where you’ll be in a minute.”
“Let Eli go, and I’ll cooperate.”
“You’ll cooperate, and the pup is leverage to make sure you do.” He pulled out a cigarette and lit a match, holding it to the end. He took a long puff. “Now, you. You’re leverage to get what I really want.”
“I don’t understand. Why me?” I tried to keep him talking, hoping to buy some time as I thought of a plan. I needed to get Eli out of that truck.
“You think I don’t know you’re my boy’s mate?” He snorted. “Besotted fool. I told him mates were a weakness, but he had to go and fall for his.”
I drew in a sharp breath. “You’re Luke’s birth father.”
The man inhaled a long drag of his cigarette. “That’s me. Boy is finally useful again. Got himself a nice place and some money. And he’s going to pay to get you back.”
I needed to stall. Someone would notice Eli and I were missing, along with the ranch truck. Would the truck have a GPS tracker? I wasn’t normally one to pray, but I was praying now. “What about the cattle? The truck?”
He smirked. “Had to make sure my boy knew I was serious.”
“Are you working with the saboteur?” I was grasping at straws, trying to keep the conversation going.
“All I know is someone paid me a pretty penny to cause trouble and told me where to find my boy.” He dropped his cigarette and put it out with his shoe. “Now, you’re going to let me tie you up. Then I’ll be making another phone call.”