Colin’s glowing amber eyes shifted from Lucy to Mason. His eyes widened slightly and then his hackles laid down and his ears folded back in supplication to his alpha. Lucy took the opportunity to hobble forward as fast as she could and scoop up Danny into her arms. She limped back to the truck, glancing over her shoulder at the wolf the entire way.
Watching her cuddle the boy to her chest gave Mason a vision of what she would look like holding their own pup. Her maternal instincts were just as good as any wolf mother, and he couldn’t wait to get started making their first.
Colin’s gaze darted between Mason and the strange human woman holding his son. He was clearly torn between protecting his child and obeying his alpha, as any good father would be.
She won’t hurt Danny, Mason told Colin using their connection as pack mates.
What makes you so sure? Colin wasn’t quite trusting all was well.
Because she’s my mate and she will soon be your alpha mate.
Colin’s eyes grew wide and he broke out into a wolfy grin, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He yipped and did a twisting backflip in celebration of the news the entire pack had been waiting for. Their alpha had found his mate and the pack would be saved!
Lucy cringed at Colin’s antics, so Mason urged Colin to chill, at least for a bit.
“He won’t hurt you or the boy. He’s tame. They were playing,” Mason told Lucy.
She didn’t look entirely convinced, but Colin slinked in close and sat at her feet, panting up at her happily. Danny squirmed in her arms, reaching out for his father, but Lucy refused to put him down. Mason could hear her heart beating fast, but the sharp smell of her fear was fading quickly.
“Are… are you sure?” she asked, flicking a wary gaze at Mason.
“Positive.”
To prove his alpha’s point, Colin nudged Lucy’s good leg with his snout. The physical contact nearly sent Mason’s wolf into a frenzy. But when Lucy reached out to lightly stroke the animal’s forehead, Mason fought to control his own urge to grab Colin by the throat and fling him into the woods. He’d never imagined he could so jealous of a shifted wolf.
Sensing his alpha’s agitation, Colin took a few steps back and turned his amber eyes on Mason.
The National Circle has arrived. They’re waiting for you at the pack house.
Mason sighed. Exactly what he’d been dreading since Roman called to inform him they were on their way. It hadn’t helped that they wouldn’t tell him the cause of their visit. He assumed it was about the fire, which was a topic he’d happily put off thinking about. Regardless, his primary concern was seeing to Lucy, and there was only one person who could help.
Is Drew here yet? he asked Colin.
The wolf nodded his furry head. And the National Circle seemed very interested in talking to him.
Mason frowned. Why?
Colin gave a wolf version of a shrug. The news agitated Mason. If the NC wanted to talk to Drew, they weren’t here about the fire at all. They couldn’t have possibly heard about Charlie and Lucy so quickly, but it had to be something big for them to travel all the way from Ft. Lauderdale.
“Come on,” Mason said to Lucy, “the house is just around the bend. We’ll take the wolf and the pup with us.”
He opened her door and ignored the curious glance she gave him as he helped her and Danny inside. He’d called the boy a pup on purpose, wondering what her reaction would be. Curiosity was good. Concern about his sanity wouldn’t have been.
“Dr. Cooper is waiting for us,” he said as she got settled. “He wants to have a look at your leg.”
Colin jumped into the back, his head poking between the front seats. When he gave Danny a playful lick, the kid squealed and clambered out of Lucy’s arms and snuggled into his father’s warm fur.
Lucy shook her head. “And tell me again why I’m being seen by a vet?”
Mason ignored the question and focused his attention on being so close to his mate. After securing her seat belt, his fingers drifted up her side until they reached her face. Cupping her cheek, he stared deeply into her soft blue eyes and breathed in her heady aroma. He couldn’t hold back for a second longer.
Leaning in, his lips pressed against hers, gently. She stiffened at first, not pulling away but not participating either. Then his wolf howled with joy as she relaxed, leaning into his touch. He resisted the urge to kiss her properly, delve into her and discover all of her secrets, but he was all too aware of the child and wolf in his back seat. Breaking off the kiss long before he was ready, he pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers, latching on to her gaze with his.
“You’re seeing Drew because I said so,” he finally replied.
Without waiting for her reply, he shut the door and headed around the front of the truck, adjusting his fully erect cock along the way. All worries about the fire and the National Circle flew from his head. All he cared about was getting Lucy healthy so he could claim her so fiercely, so completely, that neither of them would be able to walk right for a month.
Chapter Nine
Lucy clenched her teeth against the urge to cry out from pain. The truck continued to bounce over the rutted road, eventually rocking to a stop in front of an absolutely ginormous log cabin.
She stared out through the windshield, gaze scanning the massive home. The wolf and little kid clambered from the vehicle. The duo darted across the yard, child giggling while the wolf barked and yipped. She’d been so foolish jumping from the truck the way she had and chasing after a little kid who didn’t want—or need—to be saved. She’d never heard of a four-year-old having a wolf as a pet, but stranger things had happened.
When she’d seen the beast tearing after little Danny, memories had come flooding back—memories she’d spent years suppressing. She hadn’t been able to save her parents, so she damn well was going to save the boy. Now her entire leg throbbed in a never-ending cycle of agony because of her foolhardy bravery.
The rapid movements stirred up the infection overtaking her flesh. The heat radiating off the leg left no doubt that infection had settled in nice and deep. When she’d undressed for her shower, she’d discovered a wide circle of red spreading out from the bite marks. She needed antibiotics, and maybe some pain meds. Strong ones.
“How’re you doing?” Worry etched Mason’s brow.
For a split second, she was tempted to rub her thumb on the crease there to ease his concern. She shook her head to clear away the ridiculous thought and flashed a smile instead.
“I’m okay. I could use some help getting down, but I think I can walk on my own.” She hoped he didn’t call her out on the lie.
The moment her feet touched the ground, the door to the massive house opened and three men filtered out, as if they’d waited for her to move before exiting. Each one appeared more foreboding than the last as they lined up on the porch. They simply stared at them, remaining in place and not coming down to meet them. A rather pale Dr. Cooper emerged last and stood a short distance away from the other men.
“We have a welcoming committee,” she quipped to Mason, wincing as she took a step. “Only they don’t look very welcoming.”
Mason ignored her comment and wrapped a strong arm around her waist. As much as she hated leaning on him, she was grateful for the support. The lodge tilted sideways, and she wondered why it didn’t float off the edge of the earth. The men on the porch were so far away and then they were close—nearly standing on top of her. Then the ground lurched and the cabin bounced back into place. Huh. It was all so odd and yet… wasn’t.
“That the victim?” the tallest of the three strangers asked no one and everyone. He had longish dark hair and brilliant green eyes that reminded her of a freshly mowed lawn. Pretty.
Mason drew them to a stop at the foot of the steps and gave a curt nod. A vein pulsed at his temple and Lucy could almost hear his heart beating. Scratch that, she could actually hear his heart beating. It thumped so loudly she wondered if the others could hear it too. Thud. Thud. Thud. Then came the whoosh of blood in his veins.