Challenged (9 page)

of bitches in Prince George who wanted him. Sooner or later he would find one who

would take his mind off that little spitfire.

Driving out here had nothing to do with Ali.

No matter that he’d never found himself comparing one bitch to another before

meeting the young bitch. Each lady he’d met in the past had something intriguing about

her. And Stone had always enjoyed finding that particular quality in each and every

one of them.

Until recently.

And it was making him damn grouchy.

Somehow, returning to Banff had lifted his spirits. Just being around Gabe again

had them both cracking jokes, laughing while they went through the inventory list

confirming everything Jonathan had ordered was on the truck. The usually mundane

job didn’t bother him today.

Gabe and Jonathan smelled of sweat and contentment when they were done.

“You’ll have to come by the den later,” Jonathan told him, giving him a slap on the

back when they were done. “Let the mate fix you up a good home-cooked meal before

you make the drive back. You’ve saved me a bundle here. I won’t take no for an

answer.”

Something tightened in Stone’s gut. What would Ali do if he walked into her den

and showed up to eat their kill?

“Hard to turn down a home-cooked meal.” Stone looked at Gabe, saw the concern

appear on his twin’s face.

The smell of worry surrounded them quickly.

Jonathan misinterpreted what he smelled. “Bring the mate,” he told Gabe. “I’ll let

Audry know we’re having a houseful tonight.”

Less than an hour later, Pamela ran from their small cabin, jumping into Stone’s

arms when he climbed out of the truck.

“I knew you couldn’t stay away,” she said, wrapping her arms around both of them

as they walked into the cabin.

Pamela had put her touch on the place since he’d last been there. Colorful curtains

hung on the windows, and fresh flowers were in a vase on the table. The place had a

happy smell about it. Stone wouldn’t be surprised at all to hear that cubs would be on

their way soon.

“We’ve got a dinner invite to the Bastien den tonight,” Gabe told Pamela.

Stone stripped out of his shirt, heading for the bathroom for a hot shower. He felt a

lecture coming on, or worse yet, questions that he’d refused to answer on the phone.

Neither of them sounded appealing.

“All of us?” Pamela asked.

“Yup. Stone, we have a right to know your intentions with Ali before we walk into

that den.” Gabe’s tone matched his smell.

He was ready to defend the little bitch and he didn’t even know her.

“There are no intentions so don’t go filling the room with aggression.” He didn’t

mean to snap so hard.

By doing so, both Pamela and Gabe raised eyebrows, their moods relaxing although

turning curious.

The curiosity stemmed more from Pamela. His littermate knew him all too well to

be curious.

“Tell us what you wouldn’t tell us on the phone.” Pamela’s tone softened.

She walked up to him, running her cool small hand up his arm. He looked down

into her soft, glowing expression. Her gaze wasn’t too unlike Ali’s—trusting, content, a

good bitch.

Damn it. There he was comparing every bitch he knew to Ali.

He let out a growl which made her smile.

“During those brief moments when she thought Gabe was you at the tavern, she

looked ready to bite into me with extended teeth,” Pamela teased.

“That does it. I’m not going to their den.” Stone turned to march toward the

bathroom.

“Damn. That sweet little bitch crawled right under your fur, didn’t she, Stone? You

going to run from her with your tail between your legs,” she taunted.

Stone turned on her, the urge to pounce and shake some sense into Pamela hitting

him almost too hard. He glanced at Gabe, who stood silently in the living room. Calm

and silent—and watching. Gabe would let his mate say what she wanted. This was her

den after all. But Stone was no fool. He’d jump in a second if Stone lunged at her.

“There is nothing to run from,” he said through clenched teeth, and stormed into

the bathroom.

Coming here had been a mistake. He sensed that already. Granted, he’d been

miserable ever since he’d returned to Prince George, but returning to Banff brought him

right back to the problem.

Ali was here. That precious little bitch, barely a woman, who’d seduced the pants

right off him. Turning on the shower and letting the steam quickly flood the small

bathroom, he found little solace in the hard pellets of water when he climbed into the

deep tub. No matter how hard he scrubbed, it was the same as it had been since he’d

left here, he envisioned Ali.

That one night—restraining so he wouldn’t fuck her, and her soft encouraging

pleas. Bitches from many different packs had begged him before, seduced him, coerced

him into taking them. He’d fucked each one of them, never giving it a thought once

he’d left them, panting and satisfied.

Why the hell did it have to be any different with Ali?

He rinsed quickly and then shut the water off.

It didn’t have to be any different. And it wouldn’t be.

Turning down an invitation to dine at a den was bad manners. He would go, enjoy

the food, and then get the hell out of there before the moon rose in the sky. It would do

him good to run off some of the energy that had built in him over the past week. Maybe

he should just go find the first available bitch and mount her under the stars. That

would probably be just the attitude adjustment he needed.

“Well, sure. Don’t they all?” Pamela giggled into the phone, lying on the couch

when he strolled out to join them.

Gabe was standing over her, looking worried. Something wasn’t right in the air.

Gabe looked over his way, his gaze brooding, and that confirmed it. Stone adjusted his

shirt over his slightly damp torso and moved in closer.

Pamela winked at him. “Blackened steak. Rare. I’m sure of it,” she said into the

phone. The little bitch looked damned proud of herself as she ran her bare foot over the

top of the couch, stretching out nicely in front of the two of them.

Any other time he would have enjoyed the view. Pamela had a damn nice body.

But her triumphant air was filling the room, and she didn’t seem to mind a bit that both

of them focused on her.

“Now you realize, anything you want to know, you can ask me.” She’d lowered her

tone, sounding suddenly conspiratorial. Then she giggled. “We guessed that you didn’t

know him that well. But I understand. Sometimes we just get feelings about these

things. And of course, you should go with your gut.”

Pamela laughed again. She grinned up at the both of them, looking more than

pleased with herself at the moment.

“Next to my werewolf, I’d say he’s the best out there. Of course I’ll help you.”

That was it. Stone stalked toward her, realizing at that moment that she was talking

to Ali. The two bitches were scheming together and that was all he needed. If Pamela

had called Ali, made sure that she knew he was coming, well, he wouldn’t hold that

against her. But the conversation had turned into a plot. The bitches were laying a trap.

And he was the prey.

Gabe straightened, blocking Stone when he would have moved in on Pamela.

“End the conversation.” Stone would warn his brother once.

Gabe stared at him for a moment, his gaze not faltering and his expression serious.

Finally he turned around, looking down at Pamela.

“Tell her goodbye,” he ordered.

Pamela sighed, her fun obviously being brought to an end. “I’ve got to go, Ali.

We’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

She hung up the phone and jumped off the couch. When she snuggled up at him, he

knew he was glaring, everything in him telling him to run, get the hell out of the

mountains.

“You’re a goner, Stone,” she said, giggling, and then pranced around him into

Gabe’s arms.

“Who called who?” Stone asked, his mood darkening.

“Ali called me.” Her hand snaked up Gabe’s chest, while her eyes sparkled with

humor as she smiled at Stone. “She is such a wonderful bitch, wanted to make sure all

of your favorite foods would be there.”

Stone envisioned Ali’s large den, her littermates running around her while she

talked on the phone. More than likely at least one of them would have known she’d

called to arrange the menu. If that were the case, her sire or her mother would easily get

word of it too. There would be questions. But—what would Ali say as the answer?

If she told her sire that he’d fucked her…

Stone let out a sigh. Cariboo lunewulf had some tough laws when it came to their

virgins. Gabe picked up on the worry that raced through him.

“You’ve fucked her, haven’t you?” Gabe said, more than asked.

Stone turned away from them, realizing it would only be fair to let them know what

they would possibly be walking in on.

“It’s worse than that.” He ran his hand through his hair, staring through the pretty

curtains Pamela had put up and out at the mountainous view outside. “She was a

virgin.”

“Stone.” Pamela breathed his name, her concern sending a chill down his back.

He didn’t like Pamela thinking he was less of a werewolf, for any reason.

He turned around, ready to face both of them as they judged him.

“So you fucked this young bitch and then just took off?” Pamela sounded more hurt

than anything.

His brother’s gaze was hard, his emotions in check, as he stared hard at Stone.

Quickly, he gave them an abridged version of what happened, the story they had

wanted over the phone when they’d called earlier that week.

Pamela shook her head. “You’re in deep this time. Pack law will be on her side if

she even howls a minute about this.”

“She’s right.” Gabe turned, running his hand through his hair the way Stone had