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  Chapter One

  “Stop that!” David Shepard roared.

  His brothers, the twins, stared at him as though he’d grown a second head. “What? Why?”

  Shepard rolled his eyes. He was a hunter; he wasn’t supposed to sympathize with vampires, werewolves, whatever, but enough was enough. He couldn’t take watching them pick and poke at Jacob, the vampire who was helping them with their tracking. They stabbed him with sharp sticks and threw the occasional rock at him for laughs. At the moment, it looked like they were getting ready to start a real fight with him if Shepard didn’t step in.

  Jacob sighed, clearly grateful to have the twins off his back. He was a vampire and prisoner. If he so much as mouthed off while he was getting rocks thrown at his head, he was dead.

  “We have a job to do and you idiots are playing around, laughing like a bunch of kids and making noise. It’s a miracle no one heard us from across the lake.” A definite miracle since they also got Shepard into the noise making now, too. That, and their targets were across the lake. Their targets and her.

  Shepard shook his head to remove the images of naked skin and the sound of gentle pleading from his mind. There wasn’t time for that. There was no room for error. Andrew and Allen were about to argue when Garrett, their father, cut in. “He’s right. Cut it out already and check your guns. I want no mistakes.”

  You and me both. Shepard checked the clip of his gun a third time with the efficiency of a man used to handling deadly, cold steal. It was empty, just as he’d left it. Good. Good. Good. He still had his knives and daggers on him, but they were only for show tonight.

  Unlike the clip in the gun he held, the other semi-automatics did have bullets in them, so did the guns his brothers carried, and they would be using their blades and other assorted weapons.

  Christ, even the sword that his father had on his back was making Shepard nervous, but there was nothing he could do about any of that. The only person he could control in this situation was himself, so that was what he had to focus on. None of the guns that Shepard carried would be fired. Not that his father or his brothers needed to know that.

  Jacob rubbed his jaw, trying to hide his little smile while he was being scowled at by the twins. He was told to wait where he was and listen for anything that could be useful.

  Garrett squeezed Shepard’s shoulder before moving on to ensure everything was in place.

  The man was pushing sixty, but was still in the shape of his life. Surpassing his own sons in speed and stamina, he could shoot a vampire bat in the dead of night at fifty yards, cut a werewolf in half with that mean looking sword of his, and still have enough energy left over to chew out his sons about how sloppy they had been in their own fights. The man had a look that reminded Shepard of Sean Connery, only, no accent.

  “As if you care what happens to him,” Allen muttered, and went back to cleaning his rifle with Andrew, who was eyeing Jacob like it was somehow his fault that Andrew could no longer torture him.

  Jacob, despite the layers of clothing he wore and hood over his head to protect him from the sun, stood still while trails of smoke snaked from his heated body. Shepard would have to get him more sun lotion before the attack.

  “I don’t care,” Shepard muttered back.

  Jacob knew how to talk his way out of most situations but without Shepard, the twins usually did whatever they wanted to him. Andrew and Allen were always like that, sadistic angels. On the outside, by looks alone, a person would never guess what they were capable of. Blond haired, blue-eyed devils with wide shoulders and muscular bodies.

  Shepard went to stand by his other brother Jimmy, who was kneeling in the shrubs close to the water, watching the targets across the lake through binoculars. His clothes were camouflaged to blend in with the twigs and leaves, as were everyone else’s.

  Jimmy had blue eyes like his brothers, but his hair is as dark as their father’s used to be before it started getting silver streaks. Jimmy believed in what they were doing enough to carry out the orders he was given, but not enough to participate in the torture of anything they caught. This was why he learned to mostly ignore the twins when they were in the middle of playing with their catch.

  “Weird,” he mumbled, shaking his head.

  “Let me see.” Shepard snatched the binoculars to look for himself.

  “Help yourself,” Jimmy said, leaning back against the grass and rocks.

  Shepard couldn’t see anything that looked like strange behavior. Children splashed in the lake under the careful watch of their parents, men stood over barbeques with metal tongs, and couples chased each other around the trees, shrieking with laughter.

  It looked like a normal barbeque to him. He supposed Jimmy was muttering that it was strange because it wasn’t normal.

  Shepard couldn’t see her anywhere either. He was eager for a glance of her; so eager that he stopped paying attention to what Jimmy was saying.

  “Makes you forget they’re monsters.”

  Shepard sighed. “Yeah … just remember they’re killers. They’re not people.” To forget that was a dangerous thing, it brought down their defenses. Even though Jimmy was the older of the two of them, he was more prone to forget. Unfortunately, Shepard didn’t know if he believed it anymore.

  “I know. But, don’t you ever just look at them and think they look a little too human?” he asked, lazily waving his hand across the lake.

  Shepard’s fingers clenched around the binoculars. Jimmy never asked him that before and he didn’t know what to say.

  “No,” he said finally.

  Jimmy looked up at him and stood. “You alright? You look kind of sick.”

  “I’m fine.” Shepard put the binoculars back to his eyes.

  He did feel sick. Every time they were about to do this he felt sick. Jimmy knew that. It wasn’t something he found he could get used to. To kill in self-defense was one thing, but to surprise attack them in the middle of the day was another. He kind of wanted to warn them just so it would be fair.

  Then, he found her and was alert again. His breathing picked up and his heart started beating while his mouth became wet. A woman with white-blonde hair and barely fitting summer clothes ran out of the cottage. Shepard eyed her exposed legs and curvy frame with a barely hidden grin. He missed touching her. He missed her. Even though she was supposed to be dangerous herself.

  His appreciation for the sight evaporated when a dark haired man a head taller than her followed her out.

  Shepard zoomed in on her and clenched his teeth when the man wrapped his arms around her from behind. With his large hand touching her exposed stomach, he kissed her shoulder.

  That was not a casual, friendly embrace. It was friendly to be sure, but friends didn’t do that to each other.

  She tensed as he spoke in her ear. Shepard wished he knew what was being said, but he wasn’t the gifted lip reader in the family. To ask Jimmy to tell him would be inviting him into something private. Not that he cared what two werewolves said to each other, but if it involved him then he didn’t want Jimmy knowing it.

 
What they were saying didn’t matter anyway, it was their body language that counted. The wolves didn’t know the Shepards were across the lake and they were downwind to boot; if the animals suddenly shifted and took to sniffing the air then the mission would be called off until later for safety. Garrett would never put any of his sons into unavoidable harm, but they were doing nothing to convey the suspicion of their watchers, so they remained at their post.

  Shepard continued to watch, cursing himself for not learning the skill Jimmy volunteered a million times to teach. When she turned and allowed herself to be kissed, he turned away sharply, his temper flaring.

  “Let’s just get this done.”

  ***

  When Gwen felt John wrap his arms around her, her first instinct told her to pull away. Some harmless flirting was one thing, but if she didn’t move away then she would be giving the impression that she welcomed his touch, which wasn’t entirely true.

  But, an even deeper area of her conscious spoke up, David’s not here.

  The thought didn’t make her feel any better. It crushed her.

  There were times when she could swear he was still around, lovingly telling her that everything was going to be alright and watching over her. Even now, when she was out in the woods and it shouldn’t have been possible.

  David wasn’t there, they’d made love and he left without so much as bidding her farewell. He wasn’t coming back.

  Gwen’s dad wanted her to settle down with someone inside the pack, someone who could be trusted. The problem was that there wasn’t exactly a great big selection. And, when she finally met a human she thought was the one, he took off after getting what he wanted.

  It hurt, but maybe it was a sign that her father had been right all along. The little voice in her head won the argument against her feelings, so she stood still when John nuzzled her cheek and spoke into her ear.

  “I know what happened with that other guy, your dad told me.”

  Gwen flushed. His voice didn’t hold the I told you so tone like she’d expected, but, still, not what she wanted to hear.

  It figured he would tell him; her dad was the only person brave enough to go against her wishes.

  John must’ve felt her anger because he squeezed her.

  “Don’t be mad, he’s only looking out for you. If it’d been me and my daughter, I would’ve hunted down the bastard and killed him.”

  “That’s why you shouldn’t reproduce.”

  “Funny. Don’t be mean, it’s not my fault either. But, you know how I feel and I was thinking that, since he was gone, maybe you and I could spend some more time together?”

  Gwen fought back a laugh. “Because we worked out so well the last time?” The idea was absurd and he knew it. Why he still tried was beyond her when he had women constantly throwing themselves at him.

  John was tall, lean, intelligent, dark, stubborn, and demanding; the very definition of sexual attraction. At one point, anyway. But, she wasn’t attracted to him anymore. At least not in the emotional sense since she was currently being reminded of the physical attraction she had with the way he held her.

  “That was no one’s fault. People grow apart when college ends. It happens, but I never forgot about you.” He gave her another gentle squeeze. Gwen could smell his scent wafting over her for comfort. It was warm, sharp, and familiar. He was being sincere and not pushy, not an easy task for him to accomplish since it was in his nature to go after what he wanted. He wasn’t used to letting someone else make the decisions, but he was used to her getting angry when decisions were made for her.

  John was an alpha, but he was an alpha who knew when to step back.

  Gwen wished her father hadn’t said anything about David. If he was willing to tell John, then he most likely told Elaine. In fact, she probably gave him the idea to tell John in the first place, not knowing that he would come clean with her within ten seconds of touching her.

  Elaine was a wonderful woman, almost like a mother to her, but she played mother hen to everyone else’s pups way too much.

  Gwen had been wondering why her father had spoken about John on the drive to the cabin. Out of all the boyfriends Gwen had brought home, John was the only one Larry had liked. Probably because he was the only one who happened to be a werewolf like her. And, in the same pack.

  Still, what happened with David hurt her deeply. She was past the crying on a friendly shoulder stage, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to start dating again. It had been barely three weeks.

  “Gwen, I can’t promise that we’ll work, but I can definitely promise that I won’t do what that guy did. Give me a chance?”

  Should she? They were high school and college sweethearts, best friends, what they had was puppy love. Now that they were grown, could they really work?

  She leaned against his chest. His rock solid chest. John knew how to take care of himself and he smelled good, just the way she remembered. If Gwen decided to be with him again, it wouldn’t be a decision she would likely regret.

  All he was asking for was a chance. Not a commitment, a simple, little chance. If it didn’t work out, then it didn’t work out. No pressure.

  Gwen turned in his arms. John’s gray eyes were hopeful. When he sensed the answer in her emotions, they lit up.

  Werewolves could do that.

  When he kissed her, she didn’t pull away. She slid her eyes shut, but didn’t allow herself to kiss him back.

  ***

  Gwen went to the cabin and zoomed over the new hardwood floor toward the fridge. After breaking away from John’s kiss, she’d promised she would go hunting with him, but only after she had something to drink.

  What she really wanted was an excuse to get away to talk with her father, Larry. She may have offered John the chance he wanted, but that by no means excused Larry for blabbing her dirty little secret to everyone he wanted.

  She grabbed a water bottle and went on the hunt, sniffing him out until she found him on the porch on the other side of the cabin. He was facing the lake, quietly speaking to Bill. They were discussing the property and the fact that another pack was claiming to have found the world’s first werewolf, among other things. But, she wasn’t interested in any of that.

  “Hello, Daddy,” she said sweetly.

  He half turned and noticed the angry animal look in her eyes behind the smile. His face was like a deer in the headlights.

  Bill noticed when Larry froze. “Is something wrong?”

  As pack master, Bill tended to know everything that went on in his pack. If he didn’t, it was only a matter of time until he did. Gwen’s face fell when she realized that he must know as well. How pathetic.

  “Not really,” she said, her voice high pitched. She cleared her throat. “Can I talk to my dad alone?”

  “Sure you can,” Bill agreed. He took a wicker chair that had been propped against the rail and positioned it in the shade before making himself comfortable to watch the ducks and pups on the lake. He did this very gracefully considering he was missing his left leg and needed a prosthetic. “You and I can talk about this later.” He held up the papers he’d been holding for Larry to see.

  Gwen and Larry took the message that Bill wasn’t the one who was going to leave for them to have their privacy.

  Gwen was about to ask about the papers when Larry grabbed her by the shoulders and led her away. “Shouldn’t be more than a few minutes, Bill.”

  Gwen couldn’t bring Larry into the kitchen with people running in and out for plates, spices, and drinks for the barbeque, so she brought him to one of the spare rooms.

  It was furnished plainly. But, most importantly, it was empty, for now. The bags in the corner told her that someone had claimed it and could possibly be back soon. She had to make this quick.

  She closed the door behind her. “Is something wrong with the property? What were those papers?” she asked, forgetting to be angry.

  Was Bill selling the cabin? The thought was jolting. What would the pack
do without the cabin to host their Moon Nights? Unlike a regular pack, most of the members didn’t live on or within ten minutes of the property, so they needed the cabin. More specifically, the acres of woodland where everyone could shift into their wolf forms and run around.

  This Moon Night was brought together to celebrate another pack’s claim to have found the first werewolf of legend, Luna herself.

  “Papers? Oh, yes, the papers,” Larry said. “No, no, Bill and I were just making a small transaction.”

  Gwen blinked. “He wants you to fix his car?” she asked. Larry was the pack mechanic; the guy pack members went to when they wanted a discount on auto repair. But, as far as Gwen knew, he’d never had anyone sign anything for work he did under the table.

  Larry placed his hands in his pockets and smiled. Gwen could sense pride radiating from him and she wondered why. “No, nothing like that, but, uh, is this about Jonathan?” he asked.

  With that, Gwen remembered to be angry. She crossed her arms and tried to look the part. “That was really embarrassing,” she said without the anger she’d intended. It was impossible to be angry with him, he was her father. But, she wanted him to know that she didn’t need him to set her up on dates.

  Larry put his arms around her shoulders. “I’m sorry, baby girl. You know I worry. I just want to see you happy.”

  Gwen melted, her anger completely gone. He just didn’t want to see the same thing that happened to him happen to her. “It wasn’t that bad,” she mumbled

  “You tried phoning him enough.”

  “That was days ago.”

  “You didn’t leave your apartment for a week.”

  “I was sick.”

  Larry made a disbelieving face.

  “Well, what about you? Not like you’ve been out on a date in a while.”

  Larry flushed at the change in subject. “I …”

  “Just take Elaine out to dinner or something. I know you want to, I can feel it every time you two are near each other.” Now Gwen was grinning as Larry shifted his feet. She enjoyed watching him squirm.