What This Wolf Wants Read online

  Succinct as the explanation was, Jackie had tons of questions. She asked none. However, Kaylie wasn’t one that held back. “You fought naked? Damn. Wish I saw that.”

  So did Jackie. Joe and Scott snorted while twin spots of red darkened Zan’s cheeks. Without looking at his mate, Dean reached out and covered Kaylie’s eyes. “Get that picture out of your head, woman.”

  “Too late,” Kaylie and Jackie said as one.

  Dean removed his hand and glared at Kaylie. “And how would you like it if I said I had an image of you and Jackie, naked, wrestling around in the mud?”

  Kaylie’s eyes danced with mischief as she met Jackie’s. “Been there, done that.”

  Silence from the men as they looked in astonishment from one female to the other and back again.

  Jackie nearly burst out laughing. “It was for a good cause.”

  “Care to explain why I’m about to hunt down and kill the men who saw my mate naked?

  Dean’s voice was so cold and when Jackie peeked at Zan she saw an answering anger, only his was hot. Since Kaylie’s expression only had a wide-eyed innocence—the little imp—Jackie figured she’d better answer the question. “It was a charity softball event. Kaylie was heading for home, I was the opposing team’s catcher. It’d been raining. We both slipped in the mud and landed on each other.”

  “You were playing ball naked?” Zan’s face was tight, his hands in fists on the chair back.

  “No,” Jackie affirmed. “We were clothed. Kaylie was just being funny.”

  “There is nothing funny about it.” Dean growled low. “You are so grounded.” He told Kaylie who only rolled her eyes.

  “I think I need a beer,” Joe said.

  “I think I need a cold shower,” Scott followed.

  “And I know we’re way off track,” Dean said sternly. He turned back to Zan, his comment causing Zan to tear his eyes off Jackie. “Do you believe the same person who tracked you down is the same who shot you with a silver bullet on Saturday?”

  “Yes. It’s Marc Shider. He’s the nasty-looking key player we lost the night of the raid. He and his father were known not only for running drugs, but also as avid big game hunters. Seems to me he’s planning to add a werewolf to his wall of trophies.”

  Jackie shivered at that.

  “And in three nights Woodcliff will be overrun with werewolves,” Dean said. “Most of the adults will be at the compound, but the juveniles will be out in the forest for training. Both groups will be sitting ducks for this guy.”

  Jackie knew by the tightening of her Alpha’s eyes that his concern wasn’t just for his pack members, but especially for his mate and unborn pup.

  Zan nodded. “I know. I’m going to draw Shider away from the town before then. Make him think I’m running scared.”

  “Running scared?” Jackie quizzed. “Why would he think that?”

  Zan shrugged. “He’s arrogant and because he’s already tagged me once, he probably thinks I’m weakened. Plus, he wasn’t sly at all about following you. He wants me to know he’s hunting me and what’s mine. A wounded animal burrows in the safety of their home while they heal. I’ll head back to Virginia. Burrow in my home.”

  “But a wounded animal will also lay a false trail before heading home, so as to not lead the hunter to their den.” This from Kaylie, the veterinarian.

  “In this case, the hunter already knows where the den is. If I left without Jackie, he might not follow, seeing my departure as a false trail. That’s why Jackie needs to go with me.”

  “Wait!” Jackie exclaimed. “Why me? I’m just your doctor. Why not Dean? I mean, you’d have to be blind not to see you two are related. Why isn’t he going after Dean?” At Kaylie’s raised brow Jackie added, “Sorry Kaylie.”

  Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat and so it was Kaylie that answered. “You might have only been the doctor until the incident at the bar Tuesday night. You know how rampant gossip is in this town, Jackie. By noon today, you and Zan were all but engaged. And according to my mom, three male tourists were eating lunch at Dolen’s Cafe this afternoon. There was no way they could have missed hearing about you and Zan. One of the men went so far as to inquire where the clinic was, saying he’d brushed up against some weeds during a hike and now had a rash on his leg.” Kaylie air-quoted the malady as if she didn’t believe it, which none of them did. And no one had come into the clinic today with a rash. “If they followed you to the church, they must have followed you home from work.”

  “Oh my God.” Jackie whispered in shock.

  “And if they trailed you from the clinic, they saw me leave your house.” Zan looked ready to chew nails.

  Jackie covered her burning face with her hands. “Shit.”

  “And a hunter will generally go after the weaker prey.” Dean was kind enough to add.

  “Thanks a lot.” Jackie let out a mirthless laugh and then dropped her hands. “I can’t just leave. I have patients to see. Why can’t you do something about this Shider now?” She asked Zan.

  “Like what?” Zan cocked a brow. “Sneak into their motel rooms and slit their throats as they sleep?”

  “No! Of course not. I meant get Caleb to arrest them or something.”

  “On what charges? For being ugly? I might know he’s guilty of committing multiple crimes, but without evidence, the cops can’t arrest him. As far as I know, he’s not on any wanted list other than those of several non-existent military groups. No. He needs to be coaxed into an attack and in a place where he can’t easily hide or escape.”

  “Of which I’m going to be in the middle of?”

  “I’m sorry, angel.” For a moment she thought he was going to reach out for her, but something in her face must have screamed no because he looked away, his hands back into fists. “I can’t leave you here without me. Scott?”

  Scott looked up from his phone. “There’s a plane leaving Denver at 9:15 tomorrow morning going to Richmond with a layover in Dallas.”

  Zan nodded. “We’ll be on it.”

  “Oh no.” Jackie waved her hands. “I told you. I can’t just leave at a moment’s notice. I have a full day of patients tomorrow and Friday. It’s too late today to cancel them all, plus I can’t ask Dr. Jenner to work through his weekend to cover my shifts on Friday and Saturday.”

  Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “Surely you have a backup plan when one of you is sick.”

  It wasn’t a question and Jackie’s shoulders slumped. “We ask Henry Wiggins if he can fill in.” Stick-thin, gentle, myopic Henry Wiggins was the human doctor that started the clinic over thirty years ago, finally retiring only two years prior. And while he’d enjoyed his first year as a man of leisure, he claimed his free time was now filled with frivolous nonsense. Evidently his wife, whom he adored, was driving him nuts and he’d told Jackie that he needed to work again, even if only part-time, to save his marriage.

  Scott, in an attempt to be helpful, but really only demonstrated the evilness of his nature, flashed her a sly grin. “Same flight on Friday and we’ll still get home a day ahead of the full moon. You can use tomorrow to get the rest of your week covered, get packed, and for us to make a very public goodbye.”

  “We’ll leave after you get back from work and stay the night in Denver.” Zan’s tone clearly stated he’d broker no argument from Jackie.

  “Sounds good.” Dean said. With her Alpha concurring, Jackie had no choice but to obey. But she did make her displeasure known by slouching in her seat and crossing her arms in a display of petulant disgust. “I don’t like any of you.”

  “I know it sucks, Jackie,” Kaylie reached an arm across the table as if to give comfort. “But at least you’ll be going back...”

  Jackie gave her friend a frantic shake of her head and Kaylie paused, adjusting quickly, “…in the company of three gorgeous men.”

  Leave it to Kaylie. Jackie pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration while Scott and Joe immediately began arguing at who was better looki
ng. Dean glared at his mate and threatened to tan her hide while Zan narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

  Oh yeah, the next couple of days were going to be fun all right. Sarcasm intended. And not because of this Shider character, the possible threat to her life, or how Jackie was going to be able to keep Zan at a distance given their upcoming inevitable proximity. No. At that moment, Jackie was more worried about the appearance of one General Chavez.

  Chapter Thirteen

  On Thursday, in between seeing patients, Jackie explained to her co-workers that she had a family emergency and would be flying to Virginia in the morning. She had her assistant, Tiffany, call and reschedule her patients for next week. Then Jackie contacted Henry Wiggins who, while concerned for the aforementioned “emergency”, sounded delighted to come in for a couple of days. Close-knit as they all were, everyone’s concern made Jackie cringe with guilt. She couldn’t tell them the truth, that she was bait to draw out a drug-dealing, silver bullet shooting, big game hunter away from town to avoid a shifter massacre. That would only create massive panic and fear for everyone’s safety.

  But nothing galled her more than hearing from one of her afternoon patients how sweet Zan was to accompany Jackie to Virginia while she went through this difficult time. Jackie swore she was going to kick his ass when she next saw him. The man managed to push every single one of her buttons, good and bad, and he wasn’t even present. She hadn’t felt this physically violent—and yes aroused—since she’d been a teenager going through puberty.

  When he’d had the bad luck to call her at work right after that particular patient left, Jackie was still in a furious snit. When he told her he just wanted to hear her voice, the only thing preventing Jackie from telling Zan where he could shove his fake adoration was Tiffany’s keen interest and more prudent, her keener hearing. Though Jackie did inquire—without the sharp guilt from this morning—about Zan’s eye, referring to an incident that occurred late last night.

  It seemed that tagging skills came in handy for a variety of scenarios. Joe had managed to place a tracker on Shider’s vehicle when it had slowed past Kaylie’s and Dean’s driveway last night. Utilizing the electronic bug and the GPS program linked into their phones, Joe and Scott left to keep tabs on Shider while Zan followed Jackie home to keep an eye on her.

  By the provocative gleam in his eyes, it was clear he wanted them specifically on her naked body, and while Jackie felt the same urge—to rip off his clothes and take him hard and fast actually—she informed Zan that her bedroom was off-limits. Then she’d slammed the door in his face.

  But that’s not when he received the black eye. Oh no. That happened hours later when Jackie woke from one of those stupid dreams where she was being chased, and while she was running as fast as she could, she wasn’t moving a damn inch. Still tangled in her dream, she’d reacted to the dark figure looming over her by planting her fist in the vicinity of the shadow’s face. Unfortunately, it’d been Zan who’d heard her cry out in her dream and had come to check on her.

  Oops.

  Now, as she parked in her driveway, she glanced at her purse on the passenger seat, and had a deja vue moment. She never did take the sleeping pills last night, too afraid that Shider would somehow sneak past Joe and Scott, break into her house and kill Zan while she slept oblivious in her bedroom. To add to her stress, every time she passed a window in the clinic, she would glance out, searching for men sitting in cars, watching her.

  Hey. Just because she was paranoid didn’t mean they weren’t out to get her. She just didn’t know whom they were. The names, yeah, but as she had no idea what Shider looked like, he or one of his men could walk up and plant a big wet one on her lips and she’d have no clue.

  Finally home, the muscles in her shoulders and neck tight with stress, she unlocked her front door, stepping inside and muttering, “That will need to be rectified.”

  “What will?”

  Jackie let out an abbreviated shriek. “God! You have got to stop doing that!”

  Zan grinned at her from the archway leading into the kitchen. “Stop doing what?”

  “Breaking into my house!” She glared at him, seeing the bruise that surrounded his left eye already beginning to fade. And while a black eye might detract from the looks of most men, it only made Zan appear tougher, more masculine. Like he’d been through a battle and come out the victor, especially if that smirk had anything to do with it. Speaking of which...

  “I didn’t break in. I have a key.”

  “A key? What key?” She paused and then brushed past him to pull open her junk drawer. “You took my spare key?”

  “Figured I’d need it. Now don’t go all She-Ra on me again. The boys will be here in thirty minutes. And while I know how I’d like to spend that time,” the glowing heat in his eyes was a near physical caress as they traveled slowly over her body, as if remembering every inch he’d once revealed and wanted to discover anew. “I promised myself next time I would take you slow and easy, and I don’t break my promises.”

  With all the blood rushing to her nether regions at his words, Jackie was surprised to find herself still standing. “What? No dinner for the condemned? Just off to jail?”

  He frowned and instead of taking her words as the beginning of an argument she was pushing for so he wouldn’t look too closely, he did just what she didn’t expect him to do. He simply looked at her, and she knew what he was seeing. More than the anger that lit her eyes was the shadows of worry, highlighted by the dark circles of fatigue. No doubt he could hear the rapid beat of her heart and she damn well knew he could scent her arousal. She was upset, exhausted, horny, and hungry. And not necessarily in that order.

  And Zan noticed it all. “I thought we would eat in Denver, but if you’re hungry now, we’ll eat now. Or tell me what you want and I’ll make it while you pack.”

  Pack, that’s right. She refused to see the charm in him offering to make her food and focused on why she was packing. “Do you have any pictures of this Shider?” Jackie asked as she headed to her bedroom.

  “I can get some. Why?” Zan followed her and sat on the edge of her bed, digging out his cell phone. Was he accessing the information without waiting for her response? The idea put a nice, warm glow around her heart. To get over it, she dumped a large suitcase she pulled from the closet next to him on the bed. He glanced at it and then her.

  “I don’t pack light. Live with it.” She answered his unspoken question.

  “Okay.” Zan drawled the word. “Scott will send the photos to your phone.”

  Yep. Immediate action. Honestly, she’d expected another argument with him about it. Thinking he’d say something stupid like not to worry her pretty little head, that he was the big, bad soldier man and would take care of her, or that it was a need-to-know basis and she didn’t need to know. Nope. He just did what she’d asked. Zan was turning out not to be at all like what she’d first assumed, and it scared her to death.

  And you know what they say about assuming?

  Oh, shut up, she told her wolf.

  He’s not at all like your uncle.

  Didn’t I tell you to zip it!

  “You okay?” Zan asked, yanking her from yet another inner debate.

  She blinked at him. “Uh, yeah. I was just thinking that this Shider has an unfair advantage over me, knowing what I look like while I can’t say the same.”

  “I should have thought of that, Jackie. I’m sorry.”

  Again with the niceness. He was killing her. Destroying her initial beliefs of him. And without those beliefs to hold on to as a safety net, she just might fall for him.

  She began filling her suitcase. Two pairs of jeans went in followed by various shorts, shirts, dress pants, bras, panties, and Pjs.

  With each item she packed, Zan’s eyes grew wider. “Um, planning on staying awhile?”

  Jackie peeked up at him. “Would you mind?”

  His pause was her answer and she straightened, planting her fists on her hips. “Fa
ce it Zan. You’re not ready for what’s happening between us anymore than I am. You have a life in Virginia, I have one here. Our hormones are out of whack because of the mating heat, add in the element of danger and everything’s all mixed up.”

  Zan leaned back on his elbows, his large body sprawled across her sheets like so much eye candy. She visually lapped him up, knowing when she returned to this room, all she would have left of Zan would be this memory to place alongside all the others she would carefully store.

  “Just because I’m not ready doesn’t mean I don’t want it.”

  “Such a man. That’s lust talking.”

  “Desire, which is cranked up to the nth degree via the mating heat. Nature isn’t wrong, Jackie. We’re meant to be together, no matter what you said about other potential mates out there. I see you and I don’t want to look anywhere else.”

  Her heart squeezed in her chest. She would not melt, dammit! “And how will you feel when the mating heat goes away. How will you feel the next time you go on a mission, knowing that you’ll be leaving me alone, in a strange city, with strange people while you put yourself in danger, time and time again.”

  Zan cautiously rose to his feet. “Jackie...”

  She backed away when he reached for her. “No, Zan. Think about it. Seriously. Logically. I can’t live like that. I won’t live like that. It’s simply not fair to ask it of me.”

  “And you could walk out the door of your clinic on any given day and be hit by a drunk driver.”

  “I’m not saying death isn’t inevitable and could strike any second without warning. I’m saying I can’t be with a man that courts it every day of his life. It’s hard enough on Tess who worries over Caleb every day he goes to work, but he’s not sneaking into enemy territory or battling drug lords or dodging bullets every day.”

  Zan rubbed his chest. “It’s not every day.” He muttered.

  “Ah!” Jackie threw up her hands and stormed out of the room, hating Zan for not seeing her reason and hating herself for needing him to change for her. She was a selfish bitch and she just couldn’t get past it. It was a no-win situation.