Rebel Wolf (Shifter Falls Book 1) (11 page)

“
S
o you’re saying
,” Anna said, “that werewolves don’t get drunk.”

Heath hauled a box full of wine bottles onto the bar, lifting it as if it weighed nothing, and started emptying it. “Nope.”

“But I saw drunk grizzly bears last night.”

“Bears can get drunk,” Heath said. “Wolves are made different. We can get drunk, technically, but it would take so much liquor it’s hardly worth mentioning. Enough liquor to kill a human, I’d guess.”

The door to the bar had been fixed, some replacement furniture had arrived, and Heath had decided to open for the evening after all. Workmen were sweeping up the last of the mess from the floor, and the Tucker brothers had moved on to one of the shops down the street, sweeping up the plate glass from a broken window. They had cheered up considerably when Heath had given them each a beer for helping to clean, though he’d been careful to give them only one.

One of Heath’s employees had been sent down the street to the Four Spot Diner and had brought back supper for Anna: a bowl of hot, savory beef stew, accompanied by a slice of thick bread. She was still shaky at first and she hadn’t thought she was hungry, but then she had smelled the food. She’d demolished the meal and now sat at the bar with the empty takeout bowl in front of her, watching Heath work, feeling better for the first time since Crazy Ronnie Marcus had grabbed her.

She should probably protest at being left for Heath to babysit, but she couldn’t summon the outrage. She didn’t particularly want to be alone at the moment—she wanted company. It turned out that Heath Donovan was amusing company, aside from being easy to look at. And Anna was starting to appreciate the safety she felt when her guardian was a full-grown, full-blooded Donovan werewolf.

She had no desire to be caught unguarded and unaware, ever again.

“Okay,” she said, watching Heath put away the bottles. “I have another question.”

Heath leaned a hip on the bar, crossed his arms, and looked at her. He’d taken off his leather jacket, and he wore his well-worn jeans and white button-down shirt open at the throat. His dark blond hair was worn longer than any of his brothers, long enough to curl down the back of his neck and for a lock to fall tousled over his forehead. Even though he was less rough and more manicured than Ian—his scruff of beard was carefully trimmed, and he wore leather bracelets, a leather necklace, and an earring in one ear—there was still the definite air of werewolf about him, especially in the way he moved and the sharpness of his gaze. “Shoot,” he said.

Anna tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Well, I find that I’m a little confused about shifter mating habits.”

Heath’s eyebrows went upward, and Anna felt her cheeks heat. Still, she made herself lift her chin. This was part of the research she needed to do. It was business. She really had no personal stake in this at all.

Despite the fact that Ian had kissed her. Naked. But she wasn’t going to think about that.

The gorgeous blonde Anna had noticed before—Tessa was her name—approached from behind Heath. “Hey,” she said to him. “We’re out of Cuervo.”

He gave her a brief glance. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Tonight?” she said. “Because people ask for it.”

Heath spared her a second look. “Well, since
someone
should have told me when we were low, not when we were completely out, then yes, I’ll take care of it when I have the time.”

“You have time now,” she pointed out.

“Actually I don’t. I’m answering research questions about my mating habits.”

Anna blushed harder.

Tessa rolled her eyes. “Oh, gross,” she said, backing away.

Heath leaned in closer to Anna. “I haven’t slept with her,” he confided. “She’s jealous.”

“I heard that,” Tessa barked from behind him. “And I’m not.”

“Continue,” Heath said to Anna, ignoring her. “What do you want to know?”

Anna looked around the bar, which was deserted except for a couple of workmen in the corner, and tried to remember that this was a chance few humans ever got—her chance at information that wasn’t in her textbooks. “Well,” she said, “shifters don’t marry, in the human sense. With the wedding and the church and all of that.”

“We don’t,” Heath agreed.

“But you take mates,” Anna said. “Human women, since women aren’t shifters. You take mates for life.”

Heath nodded. He was so close she could smell him, a pleasant tangy smell that included the aroma of wolf. “True.”

“And I’ve heard that—that cheating is against shifter code.”

Heath’s brows drew down, and Anna instantly suspected that he guessed she had a personal reason for asking that. “No shifter ever cheats on his mate,” he said. “The mate bond is sacred.”

“But,” Anna said, “you, for example. You seem to—” she waved a hand, embarrassed.

Heath’s eyebrows went up again. “Get around?” he supplied.

Anna shrugged.

“Hmm,” Heath said. “I suppose that’s confusing. Let me explain.” Behind him, Tessa appeared with a tray of clean glasses, but he ignored her. “When we start out, you could say we’re a little like humans,” he said. “We date. We hook up. We have sex with whoever we want to, as often as we want to. Which, in my case, is a lot.”

Tessa banged an empty glass down on the bar. “Gross,” she said again.

“I’m not talking to you,” Heath said. He turned back to Anna, leaning on one elbow on the bar, his big body relaxed. “None of that is mating—it’s just dating. But even when we’re dating, we never cheat. If you need to break up with someone, you do that first, and then you move on. If all you want is a one-night stand, you make that clear, and if she doesn’t like it she can tell you to go stuff yourself because she’s looking for something different. Are you following?”

“Sure,” Anna said. “Humans do that, too, except we get our signals mixed up all the time. Feelings get hurt. It gets complicated.”

“Humans don’t have our sense of smell,” Heath said. “I never approach a woman unless I know she’s interested in me the same way I’m interested in her. We can smell interest, arousal in all of its different forms. We can also smell when a woman already has a man, or several. We pay attention to all of her signals. And if we’re unsure about something, we ask. Dating, for us, is not just about getting laid in a meaningless way. It’s a way for us to learn about women—what they do, how they act. What they want.”

Anna felt herself straighten. When Ian had taken her back to the apartment to change her clothes and clean up, before they came here… he had asked her something. It had felt significant, but she wasn’t sure why at the time. “And what about your mate?” she asked Heath. “Can you smell her when you meet her?”

“No,” Heath explained as Tessa put glasses away behind him. “It isn’t instant. That’s why we date. You’ll meet a certain woman, and after you’ve been around her a while, you start to realize… almost like humans do. Except in our case, your wolf is the one who tells you you’ve met your mate. When that happens, there’s nothing for you to do but give in. Your wolf only makes that decision once in a lifetime, and when he does, there is no one else for you. Ever.”

Anna listened, fascinated. “And what about the woman?” she asked.

Heath ran a hand through his hair. “That’s where it gets complicated. It isn’t good enough that your wolf chooses her, you see. The woman also has to choose you.”

Alarm bells were going off somewhere in the back of Anna’s mind. “Choose you how?”

“Ideally, she falls in love with you,” Heath said, as if this were an everyday plan, “and then she tells you you’re what she wants. Forever.”

Oh. Anna ran a finger over her scraped chin.

When they’d been back at the apartment, she’d said to Ian,
I think we should talk about what happened, don’t you?

She’d meant the kiss, of course. That scorching, hot, completely inappropriate kiss.

Ian had given her an unreadable look from his green eyes, and then he’d come close to her, tilting her chin up and looking down into her face.
Anna,
he’d said,
answer me one thing. What do you think of me?

She hadn’t known what to say—she thought a lot of things about Ian, none of which she could put into words. The moment had felt like too much, and she’d needed space. So she’d looked into his eyes and answered,
You’re my research subject.

His face had given nothing away. He’d nodded and stepped back. And then he’d brought her here and left her. She’d thought he was giving her space. But now that she knew how shifter relationships worked, she wondered. Was it possible—

Maybe he—

“What is it?” Heath asked her.

Anna shook her head. “What happens if she chooses you?” she asked. “What happens then?”

“Ah, now.” Heath smiled a wicked smile. “I guarantee you,
that
part is not in your textbooks.”

“No,” Anna said, her throat dry. Behind Heath, Tessa had stopped pretending to put glasses away and was leaning against the other side of the bar a few feet away, listening. “It isn’t in the textbooks. Though there are rumors that you do something weird.”

That made Heath laugh, a low rumble. “Weird to humans, maybe,” he said. “Compared to us, humans aren’t very good at pleasing their women.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not going to get into specifics,” Heath said. “It isn’t perverted, if that’s what you’re thinking. But it’ll sound strange if I explain it—it’s something best experienced to be understood. But I will tell you this much.” He gestured with one graceful, leather-braceleted hand. “When a shifter is mated, his mate becomes his top priority in life. To protect her. To care for her. And most of all, to please her. In every way she desires. Constantly.”

Anna stared at him, speechless.

“He becomes,” Heath continued, “so finely attuned to his mate’s desire that she never needs to ask. He already knows. He lives for it. He becomes an expert in what arouses his mate—what makes her blood pulse, what makes her breath come fast. When she wants to give and when she wants to take. When she’s tired, and when she’s ready again. When to woo her slowly, and when to wake her out of sleep and be rough. If it takes time—years, even—it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care. He will take her to bed as many times as needed, and do whatever is needed, until his mate comes, screaming his name.”

The workmen had left some time ago, and now there was such perfect silence in the bar, Anna could hear her own breath. She didn’t think she could move. She could see Tessa, standing there with her mouth open, and knew exactly how she felt.

“That is why,” Heath continued, seemingly oblivious, “the mate bond is sacred, and cheating is the lowest form of disrespect. When a man has made giving pleasure to every inch of his mate’s body his life’s work, when she has given him the honor and
let
him do such a thing, he does not look elsewhere. Even my father, dear old Charlie, never cheated. He knew the pack would evict him if he did.”

Anna cleared her throat, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. “But Charlie had children with four different women,” she said. “Were none of those women his mate?”

“He let them think so,” Heath replied. “At least for a time. Maybe he even believed it. But he always left them and moved on, found someone else, and started over. He was immune to the usual wolf instincts. That was what made him such a powerful leader.”

“He sounds awful,” Anna said.

Heath looked at her, and she remembered she was talking about his father. Something painful flashed across his eyes and was gone again. “He was,” he said. “The day he didn’t wake up was the best day of my life.”

The door of the bar swung open, and Ian walked in, followed by Devon and Brody. Ian’s gaze went to Anna first, staring at her sharply, and then to Heath. “Nothing,” he told his brother shortly. “The trail ends in the stream.”

“Worse,” Devon said, “there’s snow coming. A lot of it.”

Ian came close to her on her bar stool. His stance was protective, but his face was carefully blank. “You okay?” he asked her quietly.

“I’m fine, thanks,” she said. She was strangely glad to see him. “Wolves can smell weather?”

“Not usually. But big storms, yes.” He watched her carefully. “We can’t do much for now, but it won’t make any difference. Want to get out of here? You’ve had a hell of a day.”

“That sounds good,” she said, watching him give her a half smile that made her a little weak. “I’d like to.”

S
he’d been leaning
in toward Heath when they’d walked in, her chin in her hand, her expression rapt. Whatever Heath was saying, she’d found it fascinating, and it pissed him off.

Not that he had any claim on her.
You’re my research subject,
she’d told him. She couldn’t have made herself more clear. Whatever his wolf wanted, she didn’t want the same thing.

He led her outside and down the sidewalk, back toward his place. To his wolf senses, the oncoming snowstorm was almost overpowering—the crisp, cold smell of snow, almost metallic in its intensity. They’d get six inches, maybe more, and it would start soon.

He glanced at her, walking at his shoulder. Her cheeks and nose were red, and her long hair was down, tangling in the wind, wayward curls brushing over her face. Her blue eyes were thoughtful. He caught different scents coming from her—confusion, agitation, the aftermath of fear from the earlier attack, and now arousal, warm and feminine. It was a very, very good smell.
Damn Heath,
he thought.

“If you’re still upset about earlier,” he said, “when I kissed you, we can forget it. I shouldn’t have done it.”

“It isn’t that,” Anna said. “I’m not sorry you did it.” Her cheeks flushed redder, and he caught embarrassment and more arousal from her at the same time. “But we didn’t talk about it. And Heath just explained some things to me.”

Oh, no. “I bet he did,” Ian said.

“About mating,” Anna said.

Damn Heath yet again. What had he told her? Ian could take a guess. “Well, now you know what shifters’ women know. I hope it helps your research.”

“Here’s the thing,” Anna said. “If you were a human guy, I’d say that that kiss was mostly due to the fact that you’ve just spent a year in prison.”

That actually made him laugh. “You think that’s why I did it?” he asked her.

“Well, you
were
in prison for a year. And it was an emotional moment. So maybe it didn’t mean anything. That’s what I would think—except I’m not used to wondering why a guy’s
wolf
wanted to kiss me.”

They were outside the Four Spot Diner, and Ian stopped on the sidewalk. “Ask yourself something else,” he said to her sweet face and her blue eyes, her soft mouth that he knew tasted like candy. “
You
haven’t been in prison, Anna. So ask yourself why
you
kissed
me.
” She stared at him, and he added, “I’m hungry. I’m going to eat before the snow sets in. Want to join me?”

He didn’t wait for her to answer, just walked into the diner. Damn, he was climbing out of his skin. She was
making
him climb out of his skin. He was going to have to keep control of himself around her.

Because she was right. His wolf wanted her. His wolf was crazy with it. He was howling right now, and it was all Ian could do to shut him up.

He slid into a booth, and Anna slid in opposite him. Before she could start in on him again, the waitress came by. Her name was Alison Masterson, and she’d worked here for as long as Ian had lived here. She was born and raised in Shifter Falls, the daughter of one of the Donovan pack. She was pretty, with red hair tied neatly back in a ponytail, but she was painfully shy. “Hey, Ian,” she said, giving him a tentative smile. “You’ve been away.”

“Alison,” he greeted her. “I took a little trip.”

“I heard. You want some coffee?”

“Hell yes, please.”

She went away and came back with the coffee pot and two cups. She hadn’t even asked Anna, he realized. He wondered if that would make Anna mad.

“Something to eat?” she asked him as she poured his coffee.

“I’d love it,” he said. “Pick me something.”

She gave him that tentative smile again. “The vegan platter it is, then.”

He scratched his beard. “You know me,” he said to her. “All vegan, all the time.”

She turned to Anna. “Something for you?”

“No, thank you,” Anna said.

When Alison walked away, Ian turned to see Anna staring daggers at him. “What?” he asked.

“That was
flirting,
” she said.

“No, that was friendly,” he corrected her. “Heath should have explained it to you. We can smell the difference.”

She raised a skeptical brow. “Friendly?”

“Her father is pack,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. She was gorgeous even when she was being snarky. “Oh, I see. All the girls like the big dog.”

“No, that’s Heath,” Ian said. “Though Alison isn’t one of Heath’s girls. I would smell it on her if she was.”

She sipped her coffee. “I’m starting to see why the women leave this place,” she said.

“Heath should have explained that, too,” he said patiently. “They stay for the sex.”

Anna banged down her coffee cup. “
Ian.
”

He leaned over the table toward her, close enough to smell the scent of her skin. “Alison brought me coffee,” he said. “I kissed the hell out of you naked. There’s a difference, you see?”

She bit her lip, and it was all he could do not to lean all the way over and lick the spot where her teeth bit her skin. He knew exactly how it would taste. Then he glanced up and saw Brody coming toward them across the diner.

“Oh, great,” he said, slumping back in his seat.

“Listen,” Brody said, sliding into the booth next to Anna. He turned and nodded at her. “Hey, Anna.” He turned back to Ian. “I don’t want to talk to you either, so I’ll make this brief. I’m going to change before the snow hits and do another run over the ground we covered. As a wolf.”

“All right.” Ian scratched the back of his neck. “That’s probably a good idea.”

“Heath is going to keep his ears open at the bar,” Brody went on. “Someone knows something about the Marcuses and what they’re planning. Maybe someone will spill while they’re at the Black Wolf. Devon is going to talk to his contacts in the pack, since he was closest to Charlie and they trust him.”

“What do I do?” Ian asked him.

“Guard Anna,” Brody said. “We know she’s a target. So your job is not to let her out of your sight.”

Ian narrowed his eyes, catching the glint in Brody’s gaze beneath the brim of his baseball cap. “Thank you, brother.”

“Yeah,” Brody said. “And you were right when you said we need to pick an alpha, and fast. You got any ideas how we do that?”

“Sure,” Ian said as inspiration hit him suddenly. “I think we should let Anna choose.”

Anna’s jaw dropped. “What?”

Brody looked thoughtful. “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

“
I’m
not picking one of you,” Anna said.

“Why not?” Ian asked her. “You’re impartial, you’re smart, and you have no stake in the outcome. And you’ve met all of us.”

“I’ve had exactly one conversation with all of you except Ian,” Anna protested. “I’m not even from here. This is the entire future of the pack, and Shifter Falls.” Anna looked from one brother to the other. “No way. Nope. No way. You should pick someone local.”

Ian was lining up an argument—it really was a good idea—when Alison came back to the table and set a burger in front of Ian. “Hey, Brody,” she said. “Get you something?”

Brody glanced up at her. “Alison,” he said. And then, to her obvious surprise, he put out a hand and gently grabbed her wrist. “Wait a minute—you’re perfect. We need you to settle this for us.”

Alison’s cheeks went red. It had something to do with her habitual shyness, Ian knew, but he also sensed it had something to do with the fact that it was Brody holding her wrist.

“Um, okay,” Alison stuttered. “What is it?”

“You’re a local,” Brody said, “born and raised in Shifter Falls. Your father is pack. You know me, and I assume you know Ian here.”

“Sure,” Alison said, uncomfortable.

“And you know Devon,” Brody prompted her.

“Yeah, he’s been in here,” Alison said.

“And Heath.”

Her eyes glazed over pleasantly. “Heath.”

Brody caught Ian’s eye and they both fumed. “Unbelievable,” Ian growled. Anna put a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh.

“Okay, earth to Alison,” Brody prompted her. “Let me ask you something. Which of us do you think should be the next alpha?”

Alison blinked and looked at them, alarmed. “Oh, my God, I don’t know.”

“Just tell us what you think,” Ian said.

“Won’t someone be mad?” Alison asked. “My father will skin me if I insult a Donovan.”

Ian shook his head. “We’re not going to be insulted, because none of us want it.”

She shifted her weight. “So this is just my opinion? No one’s going to quote me on this?”

“Just your opinion,” Brody promised.

“Okay.” She blushed redder, and then she looked down at Brody, who was still holding her wrist. “It should be you.”

Brody leaned back in his seat and let her go. “Shit,” he said.

“Done and done,” Ian said, picking up his burger and taking a bite.

“You two are unbelievable,” Anna said. “Were you raised by wolves?”

Ian gave her a glare, but he had to admit that was funny.

“You’re the oldest,” Alison explained to Brody. “And… it should be you. It just should.”

Brody lifted his baseball cap and scratched his head, then replaced it again. “I’m not fit,” he said.

“None of us are fit,” Ian pointed out, taking another bite of his burger.

“I’m not fit,” Brody said again.

“Too bad.” Ian felt relieved, and he also agreed with Alison that Brody was the best choice. It felt right. “Get used to it. I’m telling the others it’s a done deal.”

“Wait a minute!” Alison looked panicked. “What did I just do?”

Anna leaned over the table and looked at her. “I think you just picked the next Donovan alpha.”

“No! You promised!” She wiped her hands nervously on her skirt. “Devon is going to rip my head off or something. And my dad will kill me.”

“It’s okay, Alison,” Ian said calmly. “None of that will happen.” He turned and looked Brody in the eye from across the table. They stared at each other, wolf to wolf, for a long minute.

“What do you say?” Ian asked him quietly. “If you’ll take it, I’ll back you. You know the others will agree.”

Brody tensed. He knew Ian was right; if both he and Ian were unanimous, neither of the other two would put up much of a fight. Devon liked to pick fights, but he was too hotheaded to lead the pack; and Heath didn’t have the ambition. He just wanted it over with as much as Ian did.

They could be united, if only Brody would take the job.

He could see that Brody wasn’t just stubborn, he was unsure. He had a reason he didn’t think he was fit. Well, that was too bad. Whatever his reason was, it wasn’t good enough. The pack needed a leader.

“Let’s do this,” he said to Brody, reciting the Donovan pack motto. “Blood for blood.”

Brody closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, his jaw was set and there was a steely look to his gaze. “Fine,” he said. “You win. I’ll stand for alpha.”

Ian felt things fall into place, pieces he hadn’t known were out of alignment. What had seemed so impossible only minutes ago was suddenly done. And it was
right.
He smiled at Brody. “You have my loyalty, brother,” he said.

“Shut up, Ian,” Brody said. He turned to Alison, and his voice gentled with kindness. “You did good, sweetheart.” He slid out of the booth and stood as Alison stared at him openmouthed. “Now, me and my wolf are going running, and nobody fucking better bother me until I’m done.” He turned and left, walking out into the snow that was starting to fall.

Ian looked at Anna and saw that she was smiling. He smiled back.

Damn,
he thought.
It might be good to have a brother after all.