Attacked and killed—as a wolf.
He’d shifted without knowing he even had the ability.
Bet that shocked the hell out of his buddies. Not to mention the thug who’d attacked Tala.
He hadn’t been so lucky, but his death had been blamed on gangs with dangerous dogs. No one suspected a shapeshifting wolf.
Thank goodness Mik, AJ, and Tala had gotten the kids away from the mangled body and far from the park, long before the police arrived.
Now three of them were in Colorado with Ulrich and Millie, and the other three were here in Montana. All of them capable of shifting, but without any knowledge of their heritage or the responsibilities that went with their amazing birthright.
No wonder Anton was excited about the challenge.
Adam spotted Oliver and Mei. Hand in hand, they crossed the driveway from their little cottage. Oliver waved to someone behind the big house. Adam turned and spotted two large wolves he recognized as Anton and Stefan, trotting across the meadow. He wondered if they’d found anything suspicious on their run. All of them had sensed something out of sync the past few nights. A sense of something not quite right. After the attacks right here on the property barely a month ago, everyone was still on edge. It didn’t hurt to be careful.
Anton was proof you couldn’t spend your life living in fear. You had to live it as best you could, or it would destroy the better part of you.
Anton had come so close to letting fear overtake him, but somehow Keisha had hauled him back from the edge. The love of a mate was a powerful thing. Adam squeezed Eve’s hand and grinned at Oliver. “Nothing like hitting the newbies with the whole crew, eh Ollie?”
Oliver clipped Adam’s shoulder in a light punch. “It’s Oliver,” he said, laughing. “Let me maintain at least a little dignity.”
Mei leaned over and kissed him. “Too late, sweetie. I know what you’ve been doing for the past two hours.”
Adam raised his eyebrows. Oliver turned brick red.
“Wow, Ollie…I didn’t know you could blush like that.” He lowered his voice and turned to Mei. “Details?”
The doors on the SUV were opening. “Later. I will say that the time frame in question included handcuffs and a treasure trove of battery operated implements.”
“Enough, Mei.” Oliver flashed her a stern look, and she broke into giggles.
Grinning broadly at the two of them, Adam tugged on Eve’s hand and continued across the driveway to the visitors’ car. Mik and AJ climbed out of the vehicle and stretched. Both men turned to give Adam and his mate a hug. A lanky young man with shaggy, dark brown hair and a plaster cast on his right leg that stretched from midthigh to ankle climbed awkwardly out of the middle seat. He reached in to give Tala a hand. Another dark-haired man came next. He was tall, though a few inches shorter than the first one, and he looked a bit older with his hair cut military short. Adam figured he must be the doctor. He was followed by a striking young woman of mixed heritage. She straightened up and stretched her arms over her head, emphasizing her height. Adam figured she had to be at least six feet tall, and her lean, athletic build added to a totally impressive package. Her hair was long and glossy black like Mei’s, but her skin was almost as dark as Oliver’s.
AJ had told him she’d been a victim of the sex trade, brought to the country illegally as a small child. Lucien Stone, head of Pack Dynamics, the Chanku-run investigative and search and rescue agency in San Francisco, was still working on getting identification for her.
The newcomers milled about, stretching after the long drive and collecting their few pieces of baggage. Adam stepped back when Anton and Stefan came down the steps wearing nothing more than loose sweatpants, all they’d grabbed after their run.
Anton greeted Tala with a hug and a kiss. “You’re early. We didn’t expect you until later tonight.”
She laughed and kissed him back. “Over twenty hours, straight through. AJ actually let Mik drive for a while. I’m still in shock.”
“So am I, but I think it’s because of Mik’s driving.” AJ gave Anton a quick hug and then stepped closer to Adam with a pensive smile on his face. “I’ve missed you,” he said, and there was a world of meaning in his words.
Adam flashed back to a morning not so long ago when they’d not only had spectacular sex, they’d shared an amazing out-of-body experience that continued to haunt him. He wondered if AJ still dreamed of that mysterious morning encounter.
I do. It never leaves me. Nor does the second event, when we shared it with the others. I’ll never be the same.
Adam stared into AJ’s dark amber eyes and his body hardened, immediately aroused. He smiled, leaned close and kissed AJ’s lips. “Later,” he said, but when he turned away, AJ’s mental touch was like a stroke along his very erect cock. Adam bit back a grin, actually thankful for the tight fit of jeans that helped control and disguise his aroused state.
“Adam, I want you to meet Christopher March, otherwise known as Deacon.” Tala tugged on the tall kid’s hand and dragged him forward. Long and lanky, he nodded his head, obviously embarrassed to have been singled out. “Deacon hasn’t shifted yet. Little problem with a compound fracture, but we know he’s ready. We’re hoping you can work your mojo on him and help him along.”
She smiled and reached for the young woman. “This is Jazzy Blue, and no, I have not gotten shorter. She’s just real tall.” Tala grinned up at her.
Jazzy laughed and patted the top of Tala’s head. “I think you’re shrinking, Little Bit.”
Stefan laughed. “You let her get away with that, Tala?”
Tala winked. “You’d be surprised what I let this girl get away with. Believe me, I am really sorry she’s not coming home with us.” Her smile left little doubt in Adam’s mind where Jazzy’s talents lay.
Tala reached for the dark-haired man standing quietly behind Jazzy. “This is Logan Pierce. I’m sure he’ll tell you more about himself later, but Logan’s a doctor. A general practitioner from Los Angeles.”
Logan nodded. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” Instead of shaking hands with any of the Montana pack, he reached for Jazzy’s hand and held on to her. His dark eyes shifted over each of the men, obviously staking his claim.
“Are you bonded?”
Adam grinned. It would be Stefan who’d ask.
“We are. Jazzy is my mate.”
Stefan nodded. “Congratulations to both of you. Happened fast, didn’t it?”
Logan merely shrugged. “So did finding out I was a wolf…and a doctor.”
“You didn’t know you were a doctor?” Oliver held out his hand. “I’m Oliver, Logan. This is my mate, Mei. That’s Adam’s mate, Eve Reynolds. Stefan Aragat and Xandi, and these two are Anton Cheval and Keisha.” He took a breath after the introductions. “How could you not know you were a doctor?”
Logan’s smile was brief and reserved. “Amnesia. I was mugged almost a year ago and didn’t find out what I’d been before the attack until Jazzy and I bonded.”
Tala snorted. “Yeah, he gets his memory back and finds out he’s a doctor. How come when mine came back, all I remembered was being a whore?”
Mik slung his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “Because you were a whore, sweetie. A damned good one.”
AJ looked up from his conversation with Anton. “Well of course she was a good one. What do you expect?” He laughed and shook his head when Tala stuck her tongue out at him.
Laughing and talking, everyone headed up the steps to the