† Maddock †

My wolf was pacing frantically, only stopping to snarl at me. This wasn’t what he’d planned.

We were going to sweep her off her feet, carry her and her bags and the latent pup if she requested down the stairs and straight to our den.

But my mate was on fire and ready to fight while I hung on her every word like a dog waiting for a bone. She’d come out with a warrior’s intent even though the soft curves of her body reminded me of all the ways she could be hurt.

Then she’d made it clear she didn’t want to be controlled. I was forced to wrestle back my stupid wolf. He loved the challenge and urged me to step closer, to let her know what she was missing.

I had enough experience with fated mates gone wrong for one lifetime. My witch needed to be in control of her own destiny without me throwing her over my shoulder and dragging her into a new life as my mate.

I’d panicked.

Gods, I’d actually panicked.

What was this woman doing to me?

With her pouty lips and the way she’d tried to be bold…sexually

bold.

I could sense the wrongness of her words, but damned if I didn’t want

to call her out right then and press her against the wall. Part her lips with mine. Make her beg for me.

I had it bad.

So bad that I’d dragged my own mother into this.

Groaning, I put my head in my hands.

You should have let me take her.

“Is everything alright, Enforcer?” Lennox came strolling down the street with a basket of muffins dangling from his arm. He sensed how close my wolf was to the surface and stayed next to the building even though he smirked. “Women troubles?”

“I’m two seconds away from snapping your neck.” I growled.

“And I’d forgive you for it.” Lennox chuckled. “Mostly because I’ve never seen you so worked up. Congratulations by the way.”

“Congratulations on what?” The bell to the inn chimed as Sage stepped onto the sidewalk carrying her bags with Coral and Kera following behind. Her hair was wet and a new scent of coconut mixed with her natural cinnamon smell which equally calmed and excited my wolf.

I crossed the distance between us, moving to block the sight of her body and her scent from reaching the unmated male.

She pulled back on her suitcase as I tried to take it from her. “What are we celebrating?”

“Getting you out of here,” I mumbled, finally getting her to release the grip on the bag when she realized I wasn’t budging.

She looked up at me with her cute little nose wrinkled in confusion. “That’s a funny thing to celebrate.”

Lennox’s eyes widened in amusement and I cut him off with a glare before he could continue to run his mouth.

“I’ll leave you to it then.” He chuckled. “Remember, beautiful witch, you’re welcome to come back and visit any time.”

He ducked into the inn before I could growl at him. My wolf was snarling, urging me to chase him down and pay for looking at our mate, so I did the only thing I could think of to quiet the beast.

I moved closer to Sage and breathed in her scent. My wolf smiled like a content puppy.

Shaking my head, I carried her suitcase over to her ridiculous little car. There was a reflective panel on the roof and barely enough room in the tiny backseat to shove the bags in.

The young pups were whispering, plotting something, and Kera sent a thought over our pack link. “Play along.”

“Which way are we going?” Sage twisted her wet hair into a messy bun and snapped a tie from her wrist around it. My wolf howled at the onslaught of scent in the air and the sight of her slender neck exposed like that.

“Isn’t this car so cute, Uncle Maddock?” Kera squealed, skipping over to the curb.

Never in her life had she sounded like that.

“I guess.” I scratched the back of my neck, wondering where this was going.

“Can I ride in it with you?” Kera asked Coral. “Is there enough room for me?”

“It’s so full of everything.” Coral sighed dramatically. “Sage packed almost the whole house. Don’t even get me started on her plants.”

My sweet Sage froze with the keys in her hand, looking between the two girls who were not being very clever and lacked any acting skills.

“We’ll give you a ride after we unpack.”

“But what if we don’t get another chance?” Kera whined. “I know.

Coral can ride with my uncle and I can ride with you.”

“Absolutely not.” Sage shook her head and the wave of anxiousness that passed over her made my wolf angry.

“Knock this off,” I sent to Kera.

“Give us another minute.” She laughed back.

“I can drive and you can ride with Maddock then.” Coral shrugged, reaching for the keys. “I have my license, not that I think it matters out here, and we’ll stay right behind you.”

“I… Um.” Sage looked around the empty street. “How far are we going?”

“It’s a ten-minute drive,” I assured her, getting swept up in the game the girls were playing. Spending some time alone with my mate in an enclosed space sounded like heaven.

“Please,” both girls whined, sealing the deal.

“Stay right behind us,” Sage warned as she handed over the keys.

My wolf was prancing with his chest puffed out as I opened the passenger door and helped Sage climb in.

“You’re welcome.” Kera gave me a thumbs up.

I smiled as I walked over to the driver’s seat. “If you weren’t the only one, you’d be my favorite niece.”

*

“This thing is loud. What does it run on?” Sage clipped the buckle around her waist and my gaze lingered on where her hand had touched her hip as I shifted into drive.

Move closer to her.

I can’t do that and steer the wheel.

Move her closer to us then.

I ignored him and strained my ears to hear the foreign beep of the vehicle starting behind us.

The only loud thing in here was my wolf. “Fuel. Why?”

“Like fossil fuels?” Sage gasped, wrinkling her nose again like words could stink.

I decided it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.

“Biodiesel.” I coughed as a laugh tried to escape my chest. “We make it ourselves.”

“Oh, that’s good.” She turned to stare out the window with an embarrassed blush creeping up on her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to offend you or anything. It’s just that when we learned about fossil fuels in history class, it seemed so barbaric. People of the past were cruel to the earth.”

Not all people.

If my father was alive, he’d teach her the real history. Explain to her that human ancestors–not mine–left a blight on this land. But I was not my father and not nearly as articulate of a man, so I sat silently breathing in her scent as it filled the cab of the truck.

We’d have the rest of our lives to discuss culture. I didn’t want to harm her opinion of ours until she was comfortable as our mate.

“Oh man,” she whispered, clapping her hands over her mouth. “I just realized how messed up that was to say.”

Sage inhaled deeply. “Kera already explained our alternative histories and I’m so sorry for the way I worded that just now. Ethica prides itself on scientific discovery to keep us alive and the small bit of recreational greenery we had in the city that wasn’t under patrol like the agricultural

greenhouses was really precious to me. Hearing how humans destroyed the world in the past made me depressed.”

Half her words were lost on me, but I didn’t like that she was sad.

Me either. My wolf growled, ready to rip out someone’s heart. At least we were agreeing again.

“Tell me more about this greenery and why it was important to you,” I said, needing to know everything about my mate.

She sat lost in thought for a moment as she watched the small town pass us by.

“Information for information?” Sage suddenly turned in her seat with a wild gleam in her eyes.

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

When was the last time you laughed?

I nodded, getting a grip on myself and on the wheel. “Anything you want is yours, beautiful.”

“Listen, I’m still trying to come to terms with this flirty conversational tone thing.” She sure seemed like she knew how to flirt with the way she bit her bottom lip, but I didn’t know where this was going so, I did what I do best.

Sat quietly and listened.

“If you’re serious, then I’ll tell you that the gardens are kind of sacred. It’s where we bury the ashes of our dead to feed the soil where new trees are planted. I know it doesn’t mean much to everyone, but it’s the only place I’ve ever felt at peace. Now your turn, tell me about this place that shouldn’t exist.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.” She smiled and my heart skipped a beat. “I got the

teenage run down on the civilization here, or pack as I guess you call it, but I’m dying for an adult perspective. Why are half of the buildings boarded

up? What’s going on with the other civilizations? I know you said we were safe, but I’m getting some serious dead zone vibes about this place.”

For the first time in a long time, I felt real shame, but my mate wanted the truth and I owed it to her. “Cerberus pack isn’t what it used to be. It’s been about twenty years since we held the prestige and glory that came with our name.”

I sighed in defeat, hating myself for not bringing my mate into a pack that held more honor. But I was never an Alpha with the drive to lead a pack even if there were those who wanted me to.

“And now?” Sage looked to me expectantly, without judgement or blame.

I focused on the road ahead. “Now we are a shell of our former selves. The pack numbers are dwindling and other packs don’t come here

for celebrations to the Luna goddess anymore so there’s not much to keep us together.”

Quiet fell in the truck and I was content to watch her think from the corner of my eye. The more time we spent together, the stronger our bond would become. Even now, I was picking up on her emotions more easily.

And they were confusing the hell out of me. I couldn’t wait to seal the bond.

“So…” she started as we rounded the bend of the dirt road and headed deeper into the woods, “Lennox and Kera called you Enforcer. That sounds like a scary job title. Do you want to tell me what it means?”

My foot eased off the gas pedal as I caught a hint of fear that flashed in her honey brown eyes. “I never want to frighten you and my job as enforcer isn’t all that strange. I handle disputes in the pack and protect the borders.”

She met my gaze with a sudden boldness I wasn’t expecting. The tension in the air thickened as the swirling mixture of warming cinnamon filled my nose. When she was aroused, she smelled of baking cookies.

Sage batted her long eyelashes and looked up through them at me. “Is there something at the borders we need to be protected from, Mr.

Enforcer?”

Park the vehicle. My wolf howled in triumph.

Down boy. I clenched my jaw as I pressed on the gas pedal again. “You don’t have to act like that and, no, the borders are safe. Shifters are territorial and we protect our homes from trespassers. It’s all a part of the job. I’m here to protect you.”

Sage fell silent again, staring out the window as the aspen and pinyon trees passed us by, and traced her finger along the glass. She glanced out the side mirror at the little car still following us.

“I’m sorry,” she broke the silence and my chest lightened. “Kera explained that shifters were flirty, but I don’t honestly know how to speak that kind of language. I’ve never been sexy or flirty in my life.”

Whoever made you believe that was a lying bastard. I pulled the truck up in front of the cabin, hating that we’d run out of alone time. “Kera said we were flirty?”

“It’s the way you talk. There’s so much sexuality and passion in your words. Even Lennox, who I know is a creep, was perfectly fine with

expressing his desires. Also, you have no problem standing naked…” Her cheeks were pretty when they flushed pink. “Never mind. I’ll figure it out. I’m sure it’s just culture shock.”

Let’s go kill Lennox. My wolf was snarling.

It took an unreasonable amount of will power to settle him down.

Sage looked to me and smiled. “And what’s with the growly thing?” “Growly thing?” My eyebrows shot up.

She thumped her chest. “Like in there. You vibrate sometimes.”

I couldn’t help the impulse that came over me as I put the truck in park and leaned across the seat. “My wolf likes you and he’s trying to break free to say hello.”

Her pulse quickened as she gasped, reaching for the door handle. “Tell him I’m sorry for our abrupt introduction last night and I’d appreciate it if he doesn’t eat us. I’m trying to keep my sister alive.”

I stared at her, stunned and trying to make sense of her words. The anxiety and fear were mixing with equal parts of playful desire.

But did she desire me? Or was her only thought for the latent pup?

Once again, I was reminded that if she was a shifter then we wouldn’t be sitting here like two different species when in reality we shared the same soul.

Tell her she’s going to love when I eat her.

“Wow. It’s getting hot in here.” Sage pushed open the door and sucked in a deep lungful of air.

She wants me.

I don’t think she knows what she wants yet.

Let me show her, he whined.

Later.

“This is beautiful,” Sage exclaimed as she jumped from the truck before I could make it to the other side to help her down.

She bypassed my hand of support, staring at the simple log cabin in wonder. The sting of rejection was eased by the happiness radiating from her.

I tried to see through her eyes as she viewed the crystal-clear babbling brook that rushed into the valley full of early spring bloom. The cabin was simple, knotted pine logs and an A-frame roof, but the way she approached it in amazement filled me with pride.

The pups came tumbling out of the car behind us, laughing like yipping coyotes at some joke.

Sage kept walking toward the cabin. She ran her hand over the wood post railing on the front porch that I’d burned to treat for fire protection. “Who made this?”

“I did.” I came up behind her and touched the darkened knot where her fingers had been.

“I’m impressed.” She turned to smile over her shoulder. If my wolf could get any bigger, he would.

I shrugged and looked to her feet. “Thanks.” She started climbing the steps and I panicked. This isn’t how I wanted the first time to be.

My wolf growled. Do something.

“Kera, I need your help. Come running inside. Now.” It wasn’t my finest moment or classiest use of the pack link, but desperate times were upon us.

My niece didn’t hesitate.

She moved fast, dragging Coral behind her, and rushed past Sage so my mate was forced to take a step back, crashing into my chest.

“Careful now.” I scooped her up, delighting in the way her soft body melted against mine.

Her breath caught as she looked up to me with those honey brown eyes, our lips inches apart, and I wondered what she’d do if I leaned down to close the distance.

Sage glanced at my lips too and I knew it. She wanted to kiss me.

I had one foot over the threshold, lowering my face to hers and drawn in by her scent.

She wiggled from my arms and planted her hands against my chest as she landed on her feet inside our den. “I can walk, big guy. But thanks for

the ride.”

Frustrated, I ran my hand through my hair. I shouldn’t have acted that way. My wolf was silent and hiding, but I could feel him close to the surface, snickering.

This was going to be an issue.

If he could start taking the reins, how far would he go?

I couldn’t let him have control or Sage would grab her sister and go running for the hills.

She needs time.

“Is this your house?” Sage stood in the living room, scanning over all the little details that made the cabin a home. I didn’t have any decorations, but it did look lived in despite how clean it was.

“Yes.” My throat was dry. The smell of her scent mixing with mine in our den was already intoxicating and fogging my mind.

“Why did you make her a bed and not me?” Kera yelled from down the hall. “This isn’t fair. I always have to sleep on the couch.”

But the girls were background noise as I watched Sage’s shoulders

tense.

Her gaze lingered on the fresh cut rose before she turned her attention

back to me. A flash of fear filled her eyes. It was gone before it tore me apart, but her words cut just the same. “I think there’s been some kind of mistake. This is your home that you live in. We can’t stay here with you. We’ll head back to the inn until…”

“No. There was no mistake,” I cut her off, barely able to hear my own voice over the pain-filled howl of the wolf in my head. “My things are here. I hope you don’t mind if I come to grab the rest of them later. I’m staying with my brother for a while. You’re welcome to use whatever is in the icebox and cabinets so it doesn’t spoil. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to my mother’s house to see if this arrangement will work.”

Confusion furrowed her brow as she chewed her plump bottom lip. I had to leave before this got any worse.

“Wait please, Maddock,” she called me back as I stepped outside.

The fresh air gave me enough breathing room that I could control my wolf and turn to face my mate.

“Thank you for giving us a place to stay.” The genuine smile filled with relief broke my soul in half.

I grunted in response, not trusting myself to speak, and jogged back to the truck.

“Where are you going? Are you okay? I can hear your wolf howling in my head.” Kera’s words drifted after me.

Stop it. I growled a command to quiet my beast and turned my thoughts to Kera instead. “Make sure my mate sleeps in my bed.”