Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Forced Mate Chapter 6

Leah

A townhome-that wasn't something I'd expected Tanner to have.

After he'd spent so much time repairing the schooner and sailing the coast, I didn't think it was possible for him to establish roots. He was such a wild dreamer as a kid. It was difficult to see him as practical in any respect. But when I walked into his home, all I could sense was him. Notes of frosted earth hung in the air, a reminder that his scent was as frigid as him. He was as cold and motionless as the snow that caked the tip of a mountain. And just as unpredictable.

Any moment now, an avalanche would head our way because he regretted what he was doing, or he would end up kicking me out on a whim.

Sheesh, would he do that to Inez? Would he traumatize her like her father?

Or was this really the happily ever after my daughter and I were searching for?

Thoughts kept me up most of the night. Once dawn peeked through the window, I was out of bed and collecting Inez for our morning routine. Most of the previous afternoon had been spent getting acquainted with the kitchen. It had a round of updated appliances, including an oven with burners that actually worked.

Cupboards teemed with all sorts of canned goods. Baskets brimmed with fruit and vegetables on the counter, grown locally on the pack lands. Milk, eggs, butter, bread-the whole works filled up the fridge.

Inez took her time in the bathroom, humming loudly while brushing her teeth. Annoying as it was to others, it made me feel comforted to know she was nearby. And since I could hear her perfectly fine, I wandered the hallway toward the main bedroom at the end. No way in hell am I sharing a room with you, I recalled saying. I'll take the guest room with Inez.

Stubborn was one way to put it. And it didn't really matter, did it? Tanner would surely replace some reason to back out of this even though we had just done the ritual in front of the whole pack.

In fact, having witnesses was usually an encouragement for him to act up.

I squinted at the white door and veered right into what appeared, at first, to be another cupboard. But it was actually a miniature hallway.

Lanterns hung from the ceiling, leading into a pantry-like room that hosted more paintings than I could recognize. Tacked to the walls were charcoal drawings stacked in various overlapping forms. Empty canvases were piled in the corner near the window just waiting to be used. A cup of what might have been coffee or paint water sat near an easel that held a delicate frame.

On the canvas were rows of thick paint, clumps of dazzling red and orange. Rosy hues kissed a horizon with an evergreen forest expanding underneath a glowing sun. It was truly magnificent. And it invited my touch.

My fingers twitched. Don't touch it, silly. The paint is still wet.

Old memories swelled in the back of my mind. I had forgotten that Tanner was such a brilliant artist. The vibrant colors screamed at me from the canvas, speaking of a hurt that resonated just beneath the false joy. Yeah, he was hurting. And I had no clue what was hurting him. That was the way Tanner did it. He hid his feelings away behind lush paintings that made people happy.

He called it the way of the shifter.

I can transform any feeling into something new, something useful, he had claimed back then. And I can make it look like I never felt anything bad at all.

Good, bad, ugly-those were the ways he described his emotions, as if any of them could be pinpointed by something distinct and polarizing.

But I knew the truth. Emotions were as messy as the mixture of paints on that plastic palette. It wasn't the result that told me about the person. It was the way they mixed everything together to get their desired result. That was all that mattered to me.

When I returned to the hallway, I couldn't hear Inez humming anymore. Curiosity led me to the stairs and then to the living room below. Steady snores rose from the couch.

Gods, it was like stepping into a time machine. Tanner reclined on the cushions with one arm draped over his stomach and the other over his face. The smell of whiskey wafted from his body, informing me of his activities last night. So, that was where he had gone. To celebrate.

Or to prepare for the oncoming storm.

The only difference was Inez, seated patiently on the carpet next to the couch. She stood up when she saw me.

A girlish giggle rose from her. "Wake him up?"

My smile darkened. "Sure, go for it."

In a flash of movement, Inez stripped out of her pajamas and shifted into her wolf form. The mischievous little pup landed on Tanner's stomach, rousing him instantly from his sleep. He shot up from the couch so quickly that he hurled Inez across the room. I gasped. "Inez!"

But the silly pup landed on her feet, spun around with a loud yelp, and then darted back to Tanner. He didn't miss a beat, capturing her in his arms and hoisting her above his head while he darted into the next room. Just like the previous afternoon, he was spitting airplane noises, chugging along with the happiest puppy in the world barking above his head.

It should have made me happy to witness such a thing. It should have even made me feel proud.

But all I felt was a deep, resonant sadness.

Edward should have done that with his daughter. Edward should have done so many things with the pup he had spawned. But Edward was a human. He didn't know about shifters-and I hadn't exactly been open to sharing those things with him.

I'd thought I could forget my pack life and move seamlessly into the human world where I could shift once every month and get it all out of my system. Something like a cycle.

But then Inez came along.

And her appearance changed everything.

It made Edward work later in the evening to keep up with the bills. It made me yearn for my community. It made everything ten times more challenging.

Satisfaction cut through my disappointment.

None of that mattered anymore. Edward had left. He didn't want the responsibility of a family. If anything, it was a good thing I hadn't told him about wolves or dragons or owls. Telling him would have simply advanced his hidden desire. "Brefkast!" Inez shouted from the kitchen. "Mommy!"

I blinked rapidly to clear my thoughts. No more morbid thinking about the past. The future needed my attention. More importantly, the present was where I needed to be.

And right now, my daughter wanted what she called brefkast.

Tanner set a couple of pans on the stove. "Have a seat. I'll handle it."

"No, you're not taking the joy out of this stove from me," I argued playfully. "You sit down. I'll make pancakes."

Inez bounced. "I'll help!"

Tanner grinned while hoisting her up. "You want to help us both?"

"Yes, please," Inez said pleasantly. "Mommy, can I do the eggs?"

Gods, there was no way I could say no to that face. She was doing her best puppy dog eyes, the trick she'd picked up just last year when she saw me do it to Edward. That was when times had been good. Polarizing, I reminded myself. None of that now.

That was when times had been steady.

My daughter tugged on my hand, dragging me back into the present. Where I belonged. With her. "Yes, darling?"

"Eggs!"

I nodded. "Of course. Help Tanner get them from the fridge."

As soon as the orders were given, each of us dove into action. Inez helped me crack eggs while Tanner heated up butter in a pan on the stove. I made the batter. Inez seasoned the bacon strips. Tanner placed the strips on another hot pan he had set up.

Our little trio reminded me of worker bees. Each of us contributed to the hive with small, manageable tasks that were easily completed. And the overall result would be magnificently delicious so long as we were patient.

I wasn't sure if I could be patient. After all these years, it was hard to imagine being anything with Tanner, least of all patient.

But his calm demeanor and tame energy were infectious. Soon, I found myself cracking jokes as easily as I cracked eggs, even dabbing batter on the tip of my daughter's nose. She scooped a glob and aimed it at Tanner. My laughter doubled as I scooped her up and held her closer to him.

When Tanner turned, he met a handful of batter. A bubble formed around his lips and then popped, spattering us equally with the gooey mixture. Tense silence erupted next, interrupted only by the crackle of bacon and the sizzle of pancakes. Tanner grinned. "You two are going to get it later."

My heart skidded. "I don't think so."

"You're afraid of my brilliance. That's the only reason you said that."

Inez giggled maniacally while waving her batter-covered hand at Tanner. "Dragon says roar!"

"Dragon complains a lot, actually," Tanner joked. "He's kind of cool once you get to know him though."

"I don't remember Milton coming around that much in the past."

Tanner shrugged. "He really didn't. His parents didn't want him hanging around us that much. But we're all stubborn, so..."

"So Milton kept doing it."

"Yeah, Brandi always had something to say about him too."

I rolled my eyes. "Probably because he bullied her."

Disbelief exploded on his face. "My best friend? No way. He's always been good to Brandi."

"Have you ever asked her yourself?"

Something like confusion settled over his features. And in the same instant, it disappeared. He shook his head. "She would have told me."

"Would she?"

"You don't know Brandi like I do."

I arched my right brow. "Funny. I can say the same thing."

"Mommy, plates!" Inez pointed to the cabinet, trying to reach it at the same time. "Eeeeee, help me!"

I chuckled while holding her closer to the cabinet. While she held the door open, I grabbed three plates and then carried her to the table. She helped me set up while Tanner finished cooking. Within just a few minutes, we had a delicious spread of breakfast food in front of us.

Inez didn't miss a beat. She snatched Tanner's hand and yanked him to the table, going on about how the "grumpy dragon" was probably hiding a hoard of gold. She asked many pertinent questions about what kind of coins he preferred and whether he would gift her a shiny new scale.

Heat flushed my face. "Sorry, I read her a lot of fantasy books too."

"Don't even worry about it," Tanner assured while setting Inez into a chair next to him. "She's just curious and alive."

"She's a lot."

He laughed. "So are you, princess."

My eyelids fluttered as fast as hummingbird wings. Did he really just call me that? At the breakfast table? After four years of hating each other?

Do I still hate him?

Just as he lifted his fork, realization spilled through his expression and he locked eyes with me. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I know you didn't mean it."

But he did mean it. The symbol on my chest that had long since been washed off tingled slightly. It felt as though I was still wearing the oil and herb mixture where Angel had pasted it. And my neck ached too.

Like I had been bitten.

I scrubbed the area, feeling a slight twinge of embarrassment when Tanner did the same thing.

A phone rang somewhere in the townhouse. Both of us sprang to our feet and searched the living room, heading upstairs when we couldn't locate either of our phones nearby. Inez seemed content at the table, so I didn't mind her leaving my sight for a few minutes. Tanner found his phone first. He frowned at the screen. "Alpha is calling an emergency meeting."

"Another one?"

"Yeah, this one involves the inner group."

I nodded slowly. "Right."

"I mean, I didn't mean to say you're not in the pack. It's just that-"

"Y'all need to have a jerk circle, I get it."

He pierced me with crystalline silver eyes. Those weren't just eyes anymore. Those were moonstones. Those were glimmering orbs of hope. "Sounds like you want in on that."

"No, I just-"

"You're just blushing, princess."

Fury laced my lips with a frown. "Don't call me that. The first time was a slip and I forgave it. But now you're just being rude."

"Is it rude to want to play with you?"

A mixture of arousal and confusion shot to my slit. My thighs clenched together, the pinch causing my center to ache. Something about the way he looked at me made me realize how badly I wanted him to close the distance between us.

Had we done role play? Sure, plenty of times with plenty of heavy petting. But it had never been like this.

This was different.

This was much hotter.

He gave me his famous movie-star grin. "If you want to play with fire, I won't stop you."

"Whatever, Tanner."

"You're welcome to initiate that whenever you want."

I took a step back despite my body screaming for me to do the opposite. "I thought you hated me."

"I don't hate you. I'm just mad at you." He took two large steps toward me, boxing me into a wall with his chest. "And as far as I'm concerned that's good enough to fuck it out over."

"You're ridiculous."

But he wasn't ridiculous. Not by a long shot.

Because I was thinking the same exact thing.