Page 31 of Skittish Seduction
A second later, the wolf stopped growling. It tipped its head up a bit and sniffed. Then the shifter began to change. The familiar sound of muscles popping, bones cracking, and tendons snapping filled the woods.
Nathan took the opportunity of the shifter being slightly disoriented from changing to unsnap the safety guard on his gun... just in case.
A blond man finally began to rise to his feet. There was a smile on his face, and as Nathan had learned, he didn’t seem at all worried about his nudity. Resting his hands on his hips, the blond looked him up and down.
“Hey, deputy,” the guy greeted. “Sorry to freak you out. I didn’t realize one of my packmates had mated recently.” Continuing to grin, he asked, “Congrats, man. Who are you with?”
While Nathan wasn’t a shifter and couldn’t scent truths, there was something in the blond’s blue eyes that he just didn’t trust. Over the years, he’d learned to trust his deputy instincts. Besides, Nathan would bet his left nut that if a wolf in Declan or Kontra’s pack spotted a human they didn’t know, they would flee, not approach and confront.
“Khan,” Nathan answered, knowing he had to be honest.
“Yeah?” The wolf shifter seemed just a little too interested. “Khan what?”
Digging deep into his bullshit ability, and the adage that you’re not lying if you believe what you say, Nathan told him, “No last name, yet. He’s new to the area.” He pointed at his neck where his mating mark was hiding under his uniform collar. “Hence me being newly mated to him, and you not hearing about it yet. Just a few days new.” Nathan offered a wide grin of his own as he added, “Declan’s offered to talk to him about membership.” Trying to stay loose and relaxed, Nathan asked, “I’m Deputy Nathan Kaldwell. What’s your name?”
Just as Nathan had suspected, the blond openly scented him again. “I’m Nick Greely. A tracker for Declan.”
Odd. Wouldn’t he call him Alpha Declan?
“Good to meet you, Nick,” Nathan offered, thinking quickly. “I hear your pack plays poker a lot. I’d love to get in on that.” That was true enough. Nathan did like to play a hand of friendly poker. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”
“Lies.” A deep lilted voice that Nathan recognized as Alpha Declan McIntire echoed through the trees, making the blond tense. “So many lies.” The dark-skinned alpha appeared between the trees, flanked by Alpha Kontra. “But I will say I’m so happy to see ye, Larson.” Declan chuckled coldly. “Never thought ye’d actually be dumb enough to come back here.”
Payson walked out of the trees, naked as the day he was born. Obviously, he’d been doing something in his hyena form. The guy’s grin appeared feral as he pinned it on the shifter Declan had called Larson. It was obvious that Payson wasn’t impressed with the wolf.
“Guy’s setting up a gun runnin’ business through here,” Payson claimed, sneering at Larson. “Thinks cause you like everythin’ quiet, if they stay under the radar, it’ll be nice and secure here.” Giving the guy a withering look, Payson added, “He’s also the one who occasionally let’s hunters know you’re here. That way, you’re kept busy withthem.” The hyena shifter practically spat the words, his anger was so near the surface. “And you’ll be too busy to notice him and his stooges.”
“Hmmm, good to know,” Declan slowly stalked toward Larson. “Ye’ve caused all kinds of problems, Larson.” His smile turned feral. “Or should I say...rogue.”
Larson snarled. “You don’t deserve this pack.” Before he’d even started speaking, Larson began shifting.
Declan didn’t even bother trying to remove the sweat shorts he was wearing. Lunging forward, he changed from man to wolf in midair, his boots falling from his rear paws. A second later, Declan’s large chocolate wolf landed on the half-shifted Larson.
Blood sprayed across the trees as Declan ripped out Larson’s throat without even a growl of warning.
Declan took a couple of steps backward, his tail sticking out of a shorts leg awkwardly, but he didn’t seem to care. After watching the downed shifter for several seconds, he changed back into human form. Once Declan had straightened his shorts on his hips, he accepted the cloth from Kontra and wiped his mouth.
“We owe you our thanks, Nathan,” Declan began, his voice a little muffled. Casting a curled-lip sneer at the dead shifter, he shook his head. When Declan returned his focus to Nathan, his expression cleared. “We’ve been after this rogue for a couple of years now. Yer picture to Sam was invaluable.”
Nathan dipped his chin in a nod. “Between the weird activity reported at this address and the fact that I’m sure one of your shifters would have fled, not confronted, I thought there was something fishy about him,” he admitted. Rubbing the back of his neck, he frowned. “Glad a rogue’s out of commission, as well as him being the guy who’s been sharing your location with hunters.”
“You have no idea,” Declan murmured, letting out a long sigh. Just that fast, there seemed to be a weight off the alpha wolf’s shoulder. He smiled at Nathan. “We’re in yer debt.”
Even as Nathan figured there was a story there, he shook his head. “Nope. No debt,” he countered. Lifting his hands in placation when the alpha’s black brows shot up, he told him, “Fighting crime is my job, and my pack is now part of my family.” Nathan grinned. “We fight for family.”
Declan smiled widely. “Family, eh? You and Khan have decided to stay?”
Nathan nodded. “We have.”
He and Khan had talked about it the prior night, but they hadn’t taken the time to discuss it with either alpha. They’d been too busy taking care of each other’s needs.
Kontra grinned and patted Nathan on his back. “We’ll miss Khan, but we’re happy for you both.” Then he winked and added, “When you’re ready for a new life identity, look us up. We’ll still be around.”
Nathan thought of hisHarley Street Glidein his garage at home and nodded. “Thanks, Alpha Kontra. I bet we’ll take you up on that.”
“Call for you.” Declan handed Nathan his phone.
“Deputy Nathan here.”