SIX MONTHS_(A Seven Series Novel Book 2)

Chapter 5


“Well, well. If it isn’t Reno,” Denver said in a disgusted tone. He was stretched out on the sofa wearing only a pair of loose sweats and eating a bowl of macaroni. “Been looking for you. Must be nice to ditch your pack without a word and not feel a shred of guilt.”
Reno scratched his chin indifferently. Denver was a cool cat, but young (by at least a hundred years), so he could be a bigger prick than a cactus. Reno perked up his ears but didn’t hear any activity. They lived in a massive two-story house that had been a hotel over a century ago. Now it was the official homestead of the Weston pack.
“Where is everyone?” Reno asked.
“Bowling. It’s Shifter night at the alley and drinks are free for women.” Denver rolled his eyes. “You better have my back when I bring up laser tag, because that new place kicks ass and we’re all going. Period.”
Shifters were one of many paranormals living in secret in the human world. Each Breed had their own culture and laws, but Shifters were a tight-knit group. Once considered lower-class citizens, they’d been sold into slavery, kept as servants, and the wolves in particular had been chained around the neck and made into guard dogs.
Shifters came in all types, but Reno and his brothers were wolves. They lived together in a pack run by their youngest, Austin. Only an alpha could act as a Packmaster—the leader of a pack. Not all couples will have an alpha child, but when they do, it’s almost always the firstborn male. Somehow that gene skipped Reno and landed right on their baby brother. It hadn’t been easy for Reno to watch the kid grow up, knowing someday he’d outrank him, but Austin was a born leader and Reno respected rules. Austin led the Weston pack alongside his life mate, Lexi. She’d recently discovered she was a Shifter after having gone through the change in her late twenties. Austin thought it had been delayed because she’d lived with humans her entire life. It’s a damn good thing the pack had taken her in when they did, because female Shifters gave off a strong vibe that made human men turn stupid around them. Lexi’s human mother and sister had also moved into the Weston house. They were like family to Austin, and it didn’t take long before the rest of the boys felt the same way. Packs had strong bonding instincts, and anyone brought into the family was one of their own, regardless of Breed.
“What happened to your arm, bro?”
Reno glanced at his left arm that he’d bandaged up. “My wolf got tangled up in some shit, I guess.”
What exactly that was, Reno didn’t know. When a Shifter changed into their animal form, most could only remember the first few minutes, but nothing after that. Many alphas could remember it all, but that had to do with their power. The last thing Reno remembered was running into the woods.
“You don’t know what happened?” Denver asked skeptically.
“Went for a run—the usual. My wolf knows the rules about going into the city and I woke up by my bike. How long has it been?”
“Two and a half days. Something must have gone down for your wolf to not want to shift back, because he’s an obedient mofo.” Denver set the bowl on the coffee table of their living room and slipped his feet into a pair of black flip-flops. “Maizy’s staying with Lexi’s friend for the night—her hot neighbor with the round ass. Want a beer?”
“Why not,” Reno muttered. “Grab me one and I’ll be right back.”
Reno headed upstairs and down the hall to the last room on the left. It was in pristine condition, just as he’d left it. He peeled off his shirt and stood in front of the mirror on his right, staring at his body. He had acquired a few scars, and each told a story. Shifters lived an extended lifespan of several hundred years, and they could heal through shifting. But his wolf had been injured too long this time and the mark on his arm would become a scar. It was sore all the way through, as if he’d been stabbed with a blunt object.
He peeled the bandage down, examining the wound. The skin had sealed up and turned pink. He couldn’t remember a damn thing about how he got it either. He rubbed his heavy stubble, in dire need of a shave. Reno was a man who took grooming seriously. He preferred long sleeves in public to keep his wolf in check. Something about the tight fabric worked like a fence against his skin. Reno also kept a gun strapped to him most of the time and drove a Triumph Bonneville because f*ck it, the bike was a classic.
Something felt amiss.
Reno sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his face as a knot formed in his stomach. Shifters had to let their animal out regularly, and most of them did it on a weekly basis, if not more. That’s why owning private land was important, and Austin had secured enough acreage to broaden their territory. Sometimes they all ran together, but Reno had always been a lone wolf. He wrung his strong hands, trying to figure out why his wolf had been breaking his pattern and getting too close to humans. It didn’t make sense.
Reno felt an impulsive urge to return to town, but for what? It was a fierce calling, as if he’d left something behind or unfinished.

After a hot shower, Reno skipped shaving and went downstairs to join Denver for a beer. His hair was still wet and he ran his hands through it a few times to shake out the water.
Denver was lounging in his favorite rocker on the front porch and had his feet on the wooden railing. The sun stretched across the grassy field in front of them, the clouds finally breaking up. “Damn, I love it out here,” he said.
Reno sat in a chair and sipped his ice-cold beer, sharing silent agreement. He stretched out his legs and crossed one biker boot over the other.
“Do you think Austin will recruit anyone new in this century?” Reno asked. A pack was often defined by strength in numbers, and lately a few a*sholes had dubbed them The Six-Pack.
Denver belched and set his bottle on the arm of the chair. “Can’t say. He’s young and probably thinks he should take his merry time.”
Reno snorted. “You’re young.”
“I’m fifteen years older than him and a hell of a lot more mature.”
“Says the guy who wears cartoon shirts.”
“Maturity is based on the decisions you make, not what’s in your damn closet.”
“That’s debatable,” Reno muttered, watching a hawk fly overhead.
“Get off my back. I like my style and if I want to be two hundred and wearing a Donald Duck shirt, then you’re just gonna have to live with it.”
Shifters physically aged slower than humans did, and they all ran at different speeds. Reno looked like a seasoned man of thirty-five, even though in years he exceeded that by a century. As the alpha, Austin naturally had gained a formidable appearance early on and would likely retain it for a while.
“There are still just six of us. Ten if you count the girls, and only Ivy and Lexi are Shifters,” Reno pointed out. Ivy was the new blood in the pack, recently traded over by her father. It wasn’t common for a woman to come into a pack unmated to a male, so they treated her as a sister to prevent any friction.
“Well, there are too many rogues around here I wouldn’t trust,” Denver said. “Some of the larger packs might want to trade over, but they like to pass off their problem children like hot potatoes. Funny how humans have no idea how many of us there are living around here.”
True.
Shifters couldn’t smell one another, but sometimes they could pick up on Breed energy if they got close enough. Not always, but it helped since alphas didn’t have any tells like unique eye colors. The Packmasters usually got tattoos and made their identities known, so they were always easy to spot. Being an alpha was one thing, but a Packmaster held an important rank, and a hierarchy existed among their kind. There was even a pecking order among Packmasters.
“We should keep a close eye for candidates when going out,” Reno said. “Maybe drop a suggestion in Austin’s ear.”
It’s why clubs and bars often had a Shifters’ night. They needed to congregate and socialize, not only to build alliances with other packs, but also to scope out potentials for their own family. Sometimes friction existed in the packs with too many dominant males and that got resolved by a little pack trading.
“How’s your arm? Did you shift again?”
“Yeah,” Reno said, rubbing at it. The wound had been itching for the last two hours. “I did a quick shift in the bathroom, but that’s as much as it’s going to heal. It’s just sore as hell.”
Denver examined the scar and then sat back, touching the one on his forehead. “Well, if your wolf didn’t shift back for two days, it must have been for good reason.”
Damn, now Reno was thinking about it again. He took a slow sip from his beer bottle and had a strange feeling come over him. An alarming tingle raced up his spine and made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
He fished his hand in his pocket and twirled a small object between his fingers. “I’m heading back into town.”
“The f*ck you are,” Denver retorted.
Reno stood up and stretched his stiff back. “Tag along if you want, but I can’t sit around here. My wolf was out for too long and now I’m restless; you know that feeling. I need to walk it out of my system.”
“We could meet up and bowl with the guys.”
“I don’t bowl.”
Denver rocked with laughter and raised his beer in a toast. “Oh yeah, I forgot. The only balls you play with are your own.”
***

“Trevor, I can’t afford that. Put it back!” I laughed as he stood at the end of the grocery aisle, holding a steak like one of those game-show models.
“It’s on me,” he said, tossing it into the cart.
“And where are you getting this newfound money, Daddy Warbucks?”
A slender girl in a pair of white jeans sauntered by Trevor and batted her long lashes. I peered over my shoulder as we passed her.
“She’s looking at my ass, isn’t she?” Trevor muttered.
“Can you blame her? Now, back to the money.”
“I’ve got a little tucked away. The ex took care of all the bills,” he said with disdain. “I had a part-time job, so I made enough to stash a few dollars in my piggy bank.”
So that’s why he’d reacted to my comment about being taken care of. Trevor hadn’t hashed out the details of their separation, but maybe his ex had held that over his head and made him feel inferior.
“Well, just don’t spend it all on food. You need to tuck it away for your future, not expensive cuts of meat.”
“And that’s exactly why someday you’re going to be one of those rich old ladies with a million dollars stashed in the freezer. Most of us are impulse shoppers. We see it and got to have it.” Trevor lifted a pack of tuna and glanced at the label, privately chuckling as he put it back on the shelf. “You can tell a lot about a person who fills their cabinets with that shit.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” he murmured, resting his elbows on the shopping cart handle. “Who’s this party for?”
“You remember Lexi, my boss? Well, she just moved in with this guy and all his brothers, I guess.”
“Sounds cozy.”
We slowly walked down the aisle, Trevor leaning on the cart. “She’s pretty serious about Austin and I wouldn’t be surprised if he popped the question on her. They’re having a housewarming party.”
“Should we bring a gift?”
Crap, I hadn’t thought about that. “Maybe a bottle of wine? I know Lexi loves red wine.”
“Go pick out a cheap bottle and I’ll get the rest of the stuff,” he said. “You talked some sense into me and I’m putting the steak back. We’re having Trevor Taco Delight for dinner.” Trevor swaggered off in his signature denim and button-up shirt ensemble. He never tucked in his shirts, so it made him look casual and put together at the same time.
It was so wonderful having him around again. Trevor could be a little odd at times, but I loved him unconditionally. He often started up fights with other guys over petty things, and sometimes the verbal exchanges between them were weird and made no sense. In fact, news flash—men in general made no sense to me.
I hurried down the aisle and made my way to the back of the store where the cheap bottles were lined up on the shelves.
Guilt weighed heavily on my conscience from pinching the money out of the company account, and I’d come to a decision. It wasn’t worth the risk. Maybe I’d get away with it, but I’d never be able to live with myself. The best way to handle it was to take out a loan from Maddox and immediately deposit all the money I’d stolen back into the business account. After I took care of Sanchez, that is. I didn’t want to owe anything to that finger-chomping maniac.
Jeez, too many choices, I thought, staring at the display of wine. I narrowed them down by the catchiest names that were under ten dollars. My fingers touched the caps on the bottles as I held my hand indecisively over the top shelf. I recognized a familiar brand on the second shelf—I’d seen it at a few parties. When I pulled my arm back, my bracelet snagged the neck of a Merlot.
Three bottles toppled over and smashed on the floor.
Glass exploded and red wine splashed across my legs. I covered my head with my arms and squeezed my eyes shut. When I dared to open them, I glanced down at the mess. Red wine pooled across the floor and saturated my sneakers. The bottles had cracked in large chunks and shards of glass were scattered everywhere.
Nice job, sweetheart, my inner voice mocked. Will you be paying by cash or credit?
The sound of shoes crunching over broken glass came from my right and I cringed, expecting to see a store employee with a mop in hand and a frown on their face.
Reno stalked toward me wearing mirrored shades, a formfitting black shirt, and boots with a thick tread.
Without a word, he hooked his strong arm around my lower waist and lifted me off the ground with a whoosh. I draped my arms over his shoulders, uncertain of what to do as he swiveled and walked me out of danger. I was in the middle of deciding whether I wanted to tell him to put me down or succumb to hero syndrome.
He stopped in front of the freezer of beer with me still in his arms. I marveled at how easily he held me, as if I weighed nothing.
“Hi,” I said, staring at my reflection in his glasses. Then I began to get my first close-up look at Reno.
There was something mysteriously sexy about his lips even though they weren’t expressive like Denver’s. A tiny scar on his bottom lip caught my eye.
“Are you cut?” he asked, still not putting me down.
I was having a little trouble focusing when my entire front was pressed tightly against his, and tingles were awakening from a long slumber. My God, his cologne was intoxicating and clouding all rational thought. My mantastic episode was on the verge of becoming epic.
“Put me down and I’ll check.”
“There could be glass on your shoes,” he said matter-of-factly.
A grin curved up my face and I lifted the aviators off his nose and glanced into a set of coffee-brown eyes. They were so molten that I found my mouth operating without a license. “Well then, I guess you could just hold me in the imported-beer aisle for the rest of our lives.” My best attempt at flirting was about to crash and burn.
Reno set me down and towered over me. I was average height, but he must have been over six feet.
“I remember you,” I said stupidly, straightening my blouse. “I ran into your brother. He said you’d gone missing. You probably don’t remember who I am.” I stepped back and bent over, wiping the wine from my lower legs.
“April Frost.”
I straightened up and looked at him, wide-eyed. “How do you know my name?”
“Lexi introduced us and I don’t forget a name.” Then he knelt down and ran his hand down my strong calves and around the edge of my shoes.
Wow. I hadn’t had a man touch me like that in ages. The feel of his rough hands sliding up my skin made me shiver, which was embarrassing because all he was doing was making sure I wasn’t cut.
And there I was, playing out a fantasy in my head. I couldn’t figure out why a guy like him was so attractive to me, but he was. Maybe ten years older, rough around the edges, and serious, but he had the hands of a skilled lover. Hands I briefly thought about having all over my body before I felt a blush rising and I quickly extinguished those silly daydreams.
When he pulled back his hand, I could still feel his touch on my skin.
“You should take these off and throw them out. There might be a shard in there I can’t feel,” he suggested, tapping his finger on my shoe.
He had a rasp to his voice, and a sultry flow of words brushed over me like a slow caress.
“Denver was the one looking for you, in case you didn’t know.”
He glanced up with his shades still perched high on his nose. “I know.”
What was I, his mother? Then I went blank. I had no idea what else to say and shifted around anxiously. How had he remembered my name all these months later? “So, you’re Austin’s brother?”
Brilliant. My inner voice chided me, clasping her hands together. We’ve already established he’s Denver’s brother, who is related to Austin. Let’s show him how dense you really are.
Reno stood up and straightened his glasses. “Yeah. He’s the baby in the family. Where did your friend go?”
“Um…” Had he been following me in the store?
“He’s picking up a few things for dinner tonight.”
Reno’s jaw clenched. “Does he look after you?”
“Trevor’s the best. He probably looks after me a little too much, but we’ve known each other for years.”
Reno’s hand dipped into his pocket and he fidgeted with something. It wasn’t change, because I didn’t hear a jingle. A half smile slid up his face when Trevor appeared.
He didn’t just appear—he wedged himself between us with his back to Reno and glared at my feet. “What happened to you?”
It was the scary voice. Trevor was going into ass-kicking mode.
“The usual, Trev. I’m a walking catastrophe, so behold the mayhem.” I waved my arm toward the mess on the floor.
He spun on his heel to face Reno. Trevor was not only leaner, but also shorter in stature, missing the six-foot mark by an inch or two. It didn’t take away an ounce of confidence. “What’s your business with April?”
Reno didn’t flinch. “The kind that’s none of yours.”
Didn’t matter that Trevor had been drooling over this man a couple of days ago, because now Reno was encroaching on my territory and this is exactly what Trevor did.
“Trevor,” I said in a low voice, trying to defuse the situation. “This is Reno. He’s Lexi’s friend and her boyfriend’s brother.”
Trevor spun around and regarded me with serious eyes. “He’s related to Lexi’s boyfriend? Oh, this barbecue should be real interesting.”
“What does that mean?” I whispered.
He shook his head. My eyes flicked back to Reno, who stood with a cool expression and a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I couldn’t help but smile back. Just the idea of his hardened face softening made me a little weak, and Trevor noticed it, snapping his fingers in front of my face.
“Come on, babe. Time for us to go.” He seized my wrist and tugged me around the corner.
Reno moved so fast I barely saw it happen. He snatched Trevor’s arm and forced him to let go of me, inching in close in a way that intimidated even Trevor.
“That’s not how you handle a lady by dragging her around like a… pet. Is that what she is to you, a pet?”
Trevor’s eyes narrowed in slow motion, and I knew it was time to buckle up, because this plane was about to hit major turbulence.