Pack Council
Prologue

Kurt rolled his neck, causing it to pop. His best friend, Clint, glanced over at him and grinned.

"Thanks for helping me finish remodeling," Kurt said. "Even if you did back out of buying the house with me."

"Hey!" Clint held up his hands. "It's not my fault. I told you I'd still pay for half."

Kurt waved Clint off. Yes, they had been supposed to move into together, but Clint had fallen in love with the cute coffee shop owner and had moved in with her instead. He had offered to still pay for the house, but the money wasn't what Kurt needed. He actually had more money than necessary. The Pack Council paid him well.

"Seriously," Clint said. "I didn't see the potential in this old place like you did, but damn, man, it looks amazing."

Kurt peered around. They were celebrating finishing the place with a barbecue in the back yard. From where he stood, he could see inside the kitchen where Clint's girlfriend was working on the sides for the meal. Kurt didn't know what he would have done without Clint or Sara. They'd been with him every step of the way. Sara had even used her green thumb to fix up the back yard.

The rose bushes were in full bloom. The other seasonal flowers and plants that she'd planted decorated the large area. He hoped they didn't all die on him. Sara had given him specific instructions on how to care for them. "Hey, you still with me?" Clint smacked his shoulder.

"Just admiring my new place."

"You're a home owner. Who would have ever figured that?" Clint said.

"Who would have figured that you'd fall in love?" Kurt retorted.

Sara stepped out of the kitchen door at that moment. No surprise that Clint's gaze found her the moment she was outside. She stopped and kissed Clint before handing them both two fresh beers. She continued to where her dad, Sheriff Webb, was manning the huge barbecue grill.

"Yeah, things are really changing," Clint said.

They'd both accepted positions with the Alpha Council and now would be staying in one place for longer than a few months at a time. They were starting to put down roots once and for all. With Clint also settling down, he had even bigger ties to the community and wouldn't be going anywhere. Kurt would never leave Clint, so they'd be staying there.

Kurt found himself just a little bit jealous of his best friend, though. Clint had found a wonderful woman in Sara, and Kurt knew the two would be mating soon. Clint and Sara just fit together. Even mixing Clint's possessions in with Sara's already full house had been an experience in compromise and amusement. Kurt hadn't ever laughed so much as when he'd helped Clint move in.

It was a good day, so he buried any sad feelings deep inside and vowed just to enjoy the bright, warm sun and good company.

A couple of guards he and Clint worked with had dropped by to help. Ryan and his lover, Cecil, who was Sara's assistant at the coffee shop, had also stopped by and were now sharing a lounge chair in the middle of the yard.

Sara's dad had taken over preparing the steaks, burgers and hot dogs, refusing to let anyone else use Kurt's newest purchase. It had been one of the first things Kurt had bought for his house. Clint and Sara had gone with Kurt to pick it out, and Sara had been stunned by the size of the grill as Clint drooled over it on the showroom floor. Clint had just thrown an arm around her shoulder and explained that men needed meat, lots and lots of meat. Kurt already planned to purchase the same grill for Clint.

Kurt chuckled, remembering the day fondly. That was the day he'd known they'd made the right decision in accepting jobs with the Council. It had been past time to settle down. And they couldn't have picked a better place to do so. Both Kurt and Clint were now part of the community and the town residents had welcomed them with open arms.

"Any word from Colt?" Clint asked quietly beside him, pulling him from his thoughts.

Kurt shook his head. Over a month ago, a chapter of the Church for Humanity had moved into the area. The Church's preacher, Dan Carter, had never made an appearance, but Carter's second-in-command, Perry Costa, had been nothing but trouble. Protesters had lined the small town's streets, holding signs and cursing shifters. Perry had also been behind Clint's kidnapping.

Perry had wanted to be turned into a shifter and had taken Clint to try to force Clint to bite him. Clint had bitten Perry—and the two men helping him—but since a shifter bite couldn't turn a human into a shifter, obviously Perry hadn't gotten what he'd wanted. Perry and the two men who'd helped him had been arrested along with the deputy who'd been involved. The Church was still around, but luckily the protests had stopped and there hadn't been any more attacks. It might have only been a few months since the world had become publicly aware of shifters, but Kurt hoped the publicity died down soon. Too many Packs had had to deal with threats to their families.

The shifters had won the battle with Perry Costa, but Kurt worried about the next time. The war was far from being over. They'd managed to fight the Church and Perry because they had an inside man. Colt, a Beta from one of the Colorado Packs, had gone undercover to keep an eye on the Church.

"Tony said Colt sent him a couple messages but hasn't been able to get much out of him. Just that Colt's on to something and will get back to him."

"Damn, I hope he's okay."

Kurt did too. Colt was a good man who was placing himself in danger to make sure all the other shifters remained safe.

"You think Tony and Colt will be okay after this? It's quite a task Colt is taking on," Clint said.

Kurt grinned. "I'd bet a month's pay that there's a strong enough relationship there. I think they'll be okay."

Clint nodded. "I don't know how Tony can stand for him to be in constant danger." Clint looked toward Sara. "I would go insane."

"Yeah." Kurt could only agree. If Kurt was lucky enough to replace a mate, he didn't think he would be able to let her out of his sight. He'd come close to mating once. He'd been young and she'd been even younger. He'd somehow known he wasn't ready and had joined the military instead, breaking off the relationship.

Now that he'd retired, he thought back on that time in his life-how different it would have been if he had stayed, mated Becca and started a family.

Becca had recently found her true mate. And she was so in love with Mike Jackson that Kurt knew he had made the right decision. But sometimes he wished things had ended differently-that he had someone waiting at home for him. He gazed out over the yard. These people were part of his family now. Sara, her dad, Ryan and Cecil, and the guards, Sam and Colin-they were the ones he could depend on and vowed to protect. To love in his own way.

Sara was laughing at something her dad had said. Clint's eyes were locked on her. It seemed that Clint always knew where Sara was. Kurt wanted that kind of love. Sara saw them looking at her and blew a kiss to Clint. Kurt's heart ached. He didn't want his buddy's girl, just what Clint had with her, what Becca had with Mike. He hoped it wasn't too late for him.

He must have sighed or something, because Clint elbowed him. "Those are some heavy thoughts," he commented.

Kurt took a long pull of his beer and nodded but didn't share.

"Savannah!" Sara's cry drew both men's attention. She rushed across the yard and threw her arms around the shoulders of the newcomer, hugging her tight.

Once she had pulled away, Kurt got his first look at the new guest. A beautiful blonde stood with Sara, laughing at something Sara was saying. Sara pointed back toward him and Clint and the woman looked over.

Kurt's breath caught when his gaze locked on hers. She was taller than Sara. She had pale, flawless skin, bright, large blue eyes and a wide, welcoming smile. His cock immediately came to attention. Damn, she's gorgeous! "Who's that?" he murmured to Clint.

Clint chuckled. "That, my friend, is the newest deputy. She is also one of Sara's best friends. She just moved back to town, as a matter of fact."

Kurt felt the need to pour the cold beer over his head to cool down when the two women started over. His cock was hard, trapped behind the zipper of his jeans, and his canines ached to release. Oh, this is very interesting.

Clint gripped his shoulder. "If you can stop drooling long enough for me to introduce you..."

Kurt cleared his throat. Yeah, that sounds like a damn good idea.

Savannah was doing her best to pay attention to what her friend was saying but just couldn't pull her gaze away from the attractive dark-haired man in front of her.

"Kurt Moore," he greeted and held out his hand.

She slipped her palm into his and felt a jolt of something throughout her body. He gave her hand a squeeze before he released her, and she had to curl her fingers to keep herself from reaching back for him. He had a sparkle of amusement in his gaze, but she didn't mind. He seemed to be checking her out as much as she was him. She was a bright girl and knew what she wanted with this man. Savannah always got what she wanted.

The man next to Kurt said something and Savannah had to shake herself out of her appreciation and respond. "I'm sorry?"

Clint-she remembered Sara's boyfriend's name grinned. "So, you made it back to town okay?"

"Yes, it's really good to be home."

"How do you know Sara?" Kurt questioned in that deep voice.

Mmm, she liked the sound of him talking. Goosebumps broke out on her arms. She was pretty sure his lifted eyebrow was an indication that he knew what she was thinking.

"Oh!" Savannah waved a hand. "I met Sara when we both wanted to play with the same building blocks in kindergarten. All the other girls wanted to play with the dolls. But not us." She grinned at Sara. "We fought about who got the best Legos."

Sara and the two men laughed along with her.

"And Savannah always ended up with them," Sara complained good-naturedly.

"That's because I cheated," Savannah told her with a wink.

Sara rolled her eyes while Clint wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I'll buy you the best Legos out there. As many as you want," he promised. Sara beamed up at him and the love between Sara and Clint was so obvious that she felt like a voyeur.

"Why don't we let these love birds get all mushy together?" Kurt joked. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Yes, please." She wrapped her hand around Kurt's arm and let him lead her toward the patio door.

It had been almost five years since she'd been back in Lovington. On her last visit, Sara had just returned to town from school and was still staying with her dad. Savannah was horrible at keeping in touch. She needed to get better at that. Now that she was home, she hoped she could reconnect with Sara.

"This is a beautiful house," Savannah said.

"Thank you," Kurt felt so much pride. "We just finished the work and I'm proud of it."

"All this work with those hands of yours," she teased. Savannah attempted to sound as sultry as possible. She really liked Kurt's closeness.

"Yes." Kurt lifted his hands. "Although Clint did help. So did a few of our other friends."

"Still," Savannah said. "I like a man who knows how to use his hands."

Kurt grinned. He opened the patio door and ushered her inside the bright kitchen. Savannah peered around. He'd put a lot of work into making an old house modern. She leaned against the counter as he strolled past. Savannah glanced down at his fine ass while he walked.

"Beer, wine, water or soda?" he asked.

"Beer, please."

He grabbed two bottles and slowly turned back to her. She let her gaze travel up and down his body, taking in his wide shoulders and muscular chest. His legs were long and if the bulge behind his zipper was any indication, he was stacked in every way. She licked her lips as he returned to her side.

He twisted off the top of her beer before handing it to her. Their fingers touched around the cold glass and her breath caught. She had no idea why her attraction to Kurt had hit her so hard, but she really wanted to get more than just their fingertips touching. She hadn't been seeing anyone when she'd moved back to town. In fact, it had been over a year since she'd even been on a date. After graduating from the police academy, she had concentrated on her job. She'd enjoyed patrolling her district, getting to know the residents, and was always happy when she was able to help.

If it hadn't been for Sheriff Webb calling her and telling her about the problems back here, she wouldn't have ever considered leaving. But when she'd found out about the Church and the threat to Sara and her boyfriend, she'd known she needed to come home. She'd given her notice, accepted the position of deputy and made the long drive back to town.

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She hadn't had to deal with shifters yet and hadn't run into any that she knew of. Sara had told her that Clint was a wolf shifter so she was almost certain that Kurt was too.

Both of their hands were still grasping the bottle. She moved closer and had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. There was power there. She shivered in arousal. He grinned and leaned closer.

Her eyes fluttered closed as his mouth lowered toward hers.

"So, let me ask you a question," Kurt murmured.

"You can ask me whatever you want," Savannah told him.

"What are you doing Friday night?"

Savannah leaned in closer. "No plans."

"How about I take you to the new steak house in town?" Kurt asked. "We'll have a nice dinner then take a stroll under the moon."

"That sounds good." Savannah couldn't believe her luck. Her first day back and she'd already met the hottest guy in town.

"I should probably warn you that I work with the wolf shifter Council. Just in case you didn't know that about me."

Savannah nodded. "I guessed that. Sara told me about Clint and Sheriff Webb told me about the trouble here."

"And you're okay with it?"

"I have to confess that I've never met a shifter." She grinned. "That I know of. With you all just coming out, there's always a chance that I didn't know."

"You're correct," Kurt agreed.

Savannah needed to think about how fast things were moving.

"There's time before Friday. I'll give you my number and if you change your mind, just text me. No hard feelings."

"Sure." But Savannah didn't want to change her mind. She gripped the front of Kurt's shirt to pull him the remaining distance. "But maybe we could skip to the good-night kiss just to make sure we should have that dinner." Kurt pressed his lips to hers. She felt that same jolt that had been there when they'd touched. Savannah moaned, opening her mouth to accept his tongue.

"Food's ready!" Sara called, walking into the kitchen.

Savannah jumped away from Kurt and looked over to her friend.

Sara's eyes were wide. "Oh, shit! Sorry!"

Kurt just chuckled and backed away farther. "Shall we get something to eat? A pre-date dinner maybe?"

Disappointed, Savannah followed him out back. Hopefully she'd get another chance to feel his lips against hers. Sara was already out the door, leaving Savannah to watch Kurt's ass as he strolled in front of her.

"I can feel you staring at my ass," he said, glancing behind him.

"Well, you'd better feed me so I don't take a bite out of you."