What This Wolf Wants Read online

  But this only happened for the males. For some reason the females never shifted from human to wolf form at the full moon. It was stated that because the woman carried the pups, a physical transformation would cause a female to lose the baby. But why not at least have the ability to produce claws? Heightened senses and super human strength were great, but sometimes she could really use a good pair of sharp claws.

  Thinking of the full moon, which was a mere week away, Jackie headed back to the kitchen hoping for one more piece of pizza before Dean showed up. She always found it amusing that ER staff and cops alike equated the full moon with an increase in accidents and crime. For her, it was actually the week leading up to the full moon. The male wolves had a tendency to get restless. Many became short-tempered. Others got downright cranky, and they were all horny. To the nth degree.

  Jackie grinned around a mouthful of pizza. She thought of the week leading up to the full moon as a male shifter’s PMS, Pre-Moon Syndrome, and she knew she wasn’t alone in that regard. Hell, even her soon-to-be Lupa, Dean’s fiancé Kaylie Gentry, often joked about it. That woman was a spitfire, smart as a whip, easy to get along with, and one fantastic veterinarian. Even though she was fully human, Jackie couldn’t think of a better mate for her Alpha. The man had been on the edge of losing control of his wolf. Too serious, too self-contained, and so full of a barely controlled fury that she’d harbored some doubts about his stability. But Kaylie centered him, calmed him and most importantly, made him laugh.

  If nothing else, that alone earned the human Jackie’s love and loyalty.

  The sound of an engine brought her around and she shoved the pizza aside, quickly washing her hands once more. By the time she opened the front door, Ben Anderson, one of Dean’s leaders in the pack, was there.

  “Evening DocCha.” Though long used to the nickname, an abbreviated term for Doctor Chavez, Jackie blinked at the man with some surprise.

  “You okay, Ben?”

  “I’m good.” Though the welcoming grin faded to concern, it did little to detract from his rugged handsome looks. Jackie liked Ben, as did most of the ladies, and had been a little sorry they weren’t mates. If one looked beyond the serious eye-candy and jovial attitude, they would see a highly intelligent man. The breadth of his shoulders and the muscles she knew roped his abdomen—hey, she was his doctor after all—weren’t just from being a shifter. Ben worked the winters up at the ski lodge, usually search and rescue, and in the summer months he logged at the Woodcliff Lumber Company, now owned by Dean Kinigos. She’d also seen him doing odd jobs throughout the years that required not only physical strength, but people skills.

  It was rare that a pack leader not have a stable job, but then again, the man exuded strength, stability, and empathy. If Jackie had to guess—which she often did out of shear curiosity—Ben was Dean’s feeler. Checking into the lives and concerns of the pack members in a more informal way. Not that he wasn’t sincere, but because the pack was so large that even with leaders, sometimes issues went unvoiced.

  When Dean had become Alpha he’d created a council of eight individuals that represented his pack. Each of the eight had their own, smaller tribe to watch over, protect and guide. The eight, along with Dean, voted on issues that affected the whole pack. While majority ruled, Dean was still the alpha of the pack and could veto any suggestion at any time. His final word was law. If a pack member didn’t like it, they could leave the pack and the town, or challenge Dean for alpha position. However, in the nearly four years Dean had been Alpha, no one had challenged him and it was doubtful anyone would. The man was well-liked, respected by both shifters and humans, and oozed strength and power from his pores. He could hold a room from his very presence alone.

  Dean created Woodcliff into a haven for wolves and had become the example that other pack alphas were anxious to follow. After all, while only a handful of wolves could be strong enough to be an Alpha, they couldn’t hold the position of one if he didn’t have a pack.

  “There’s something weird going on.” Ben’s voice broke into Jackie’s thoughts and she followed the man’s gaze to land on Dean. Whatever it was that he held wrapped up in a blanket in his arms was very large, and limp. She could scent the blood and see the flop of furry legs.

  “A wolf?” she whispered to Ben in a quizzical tone.

  “Shifter.”

  “Strong one if he can shift outside the full moon.” Her mind raced, flipping through a mental log of shifters she knew who were capable of such a feat. “Who is it?”

  “Don’t know.” Ben shook his head, the bright porch light turning his streaked-blond hair into spun gold.

  Jackie frowned. An unknown shifter that had the ability to fully change from man to beast outside of the pull of the full moon could mean serious trouble.

  “What happened?” she asked as Dean walked over the threshold, adding, “Down the hall to your right.”

  It was Ben that answered her. “Dean and I were at the Haven,” he said referring to the wolf compound built outside of town to contain and protect the male shifters each month, “going over inventory when we heard gunshots.”

  Her eyes widened as she hustled after Dean. “Gunshots?” Not a common occurrence in Woodcliff.

  “Hmmm. When we went to investigate, we found him.”

  “Idiots,” she glared at them both over her shoulder, snapping on gloves at the same time. “Both of you could have been shot as well.” Cautiously she drew the blanket away from the wounded animal, remaining on the side of the bed away from its dangerous muzzle. One snap of those sharp teeth and powerful jaws would really ruin her day.

  “He’s out cold.”

  Jackie didn’t even glance at Dean. “I would be too if I were shot, but I don’t take chances. Not when he could rip my hand off without a thought.” She ran said hands gently through the thick, dark brown fur. “He’s got a deep gash along his left hindquarter and a smaller one across his shoulders. The round wound in his side looks to be a bullet entry but I need to shave the areas to be sure.”

  She stripped off her bloody gloves and moved to the metal cabinet. There she pulled out scissors, a razor, and a comb. “I wasn’t expecting a wolf, Dean. While most of my patients are shifters, I’m a human doctor, not a veterinarian. You need Kaylie.”

  “She’s on her way.”

  Jackie peered over her shoulder at the large wolf. “You sure he’s a shifter? I mean he smells like a shifter, but my senses might be picking you up.”

  Dean’s deep green eyes locked on her brown ones and didn’t let go. “I’m positive.”

  She swallowed. “And you don’t have any idea who it is?”

  If possible, Dean’s muscles tightened even more. But he only shook his head. Jackie flicked her gaze to Ben who was leaning one shoulder on the door frame just outside the room. When their eyes caught he only lifted a finger to his nose and slanted his eyes at Dean. Ben was trying to tell her something, something that had to do with this unknown’s scent. And Dean.

  “Hmmm. Normally I’d ask you to bring him out of wolf form so I could examine him better,” Jackie slipped on new gloves. “But if a bullet is still inside, pulling him out of wolf form will only cause the wounds to close around the bullet. Then I would have to cut into him. And we don’t want that.”

  “No. We don’t.” Her Alpha muttered. A quick glance and she saw that his face seemed a bit paler. He even took a step back.

  Choking back a snicker Jackie once again sifted through the blood-matted fur. “I need to get a sedative and pain reliever in him. Then I need all this blood cleaned up.” When neither man spoke Jackie lifted her eyes from her unexpected patient. “What? No volunteers?’

  “Ben.” Dean called out.

  Ben straightened from his position. “What? Me?” His brows rose so high they melted into his hair.

  “Good lord.” A new and very feminine voice sounded behind Ben. “You’re both freaking shifters. Wolves. You hunt, kill, and eat things that totally make me
want to vomit. But you can’t handle a little blood when it’s on an examination table?”

  At the sound and sight of his mate, Dean’s eyes morphed from bland curiosity to a love so intense that it made Jackie tingle all over.

  “Hey,” Dean’s voice was husky in greeting, snatching Kaylie’s hand and pulling her to him for a hot, sloppy kiss.

  Jackie dropped her gaze at the intimate contact, which was just shy of the bedroom, but sneaked a look when Dean gave a growl of irritation.

  “Down boy. I’m working here.” Kaylie dodged out of Dean’s reach and went to the sink. “Hey Jackie. Looks like we’re tag-teaming tonight.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Jackie responded. “Not only is this your area of expertise, but getting any help from the testosterone twins over there was going to be fruitless.”

  “Figures.” Kaylie Gentry winked at Jackie then eyed the wolf as she dried her hands. “What do we know?”

  “Only that he was shot. I’ve only done a cursory examination. I was about to get a sedative in him but I don’t know the animal doses off the top of my head.”

  “Got it.” Kaylie reached for the black bag she’d brought before joining Jackie at the table. “I had to stop at the clinic to get some supplies, which is why I’m late.”

  Jackie gracefully moved to the other side of the bed, knowing if the wolf woke, she was better equipped at handling those dangerous claws and teeth than a human. Plus, as her Lupa, Jackie would never risk Kaylie in any way.

  “So,” Kaylie asked conversationally as she and Jackie worked on their furry patient. “Where did you find him?”

  “About two miles northwest of the compound.” Dean told her, his voice louder to be heard over the buzzing of the electric razor.

  “Get the asshole who shot him?”

  “Saving him was priority.”

  Neither woman responded until they got their first look at the creature’s bare flesh. “Hand me those... Thanks.” Kaylie prodded into the side wound with the large tweezers Jackie expertly set in her hand. “Damn. He’s already started to heal around the bullet. I’m sorry big guy.” After several minutes of silence, Kaylie let out a triumphant grunt. “Got you, sucker.” When she dropped the object into the metal pan Jackie held in her hand, the women stared at it for a moment, looked at each other, and then dropped their gazes back to the pan.

  “What is it?” Ben asked.

  “It’s a silver bullet,” Jackie whispered. “An actual silver bullet. What the hell?”

  The twitching of a paw caught her attention. “He’s coming around.”

  “No way,” Kaylie responded in disbelief. “I gave him enough sedative to knock him out a couple of hours.”

  While Kaylie readied another needle, Jackie half-turned to set the shallow pan on the stool she had pushed toward the head of the bed, and froze.

  Actually, everyone in the room froze.

  A slice of fear skated up Jackie’s spine. She knew better. Knew to keep her arms and legs inside the car at all times, and to keep them away from snapping teeth. But somehow, in less than a blink of an eye, her wrist and the majority of her left hand found it’s way into the brown wolf’s dangerous jaw. While the animal wasn’t crushing her bones like tissue paper, it’s razor-sharp teeth had penetrated the glove and was sinking into bare flesh. He didn’t bite through though. No. This was a tell-me-what’s-going-on-before-I-tear-off-your-hand maneuver.

  Jackie looked into amber eyes full of intelligence, determination and pain, and rushed to explain. “I’m a doctor. You’ve been hurt. Shot actually, and you have several other wounds we’re tending to. We’re trying to help you, not hurt you further. We know you’re a shifter.”

  While she’d hoped her last words would reassure him, they instead caused him to clamp down just a fraction further, still not drawing blood, but with enough pressure to send her heart racing.

  She licked her dry lips. The animal’s eyes followed the nervous gesture with a human-like intensity that shocked her. “There are four of us here. My Alpha, another male shifter and a human doctor. A vet actually.” She drew in a deep breath, and then let it out. “The bullet is out. We need you to shift so we can stitch up your wounds.”

  For what seemed like forever the wolf simply stared at her, his breathing deep and uneven. A rustle sounded from her left, on the animal’s blind side. “Don’t move,” she said at the same time the creature jerked his head. The instinctive reaction to an unseen threat shoved one of his canines through her skin and ripped the thin glove. Jackie winced. While it wasn’t the worst pain she’d ever felt, it still hurt like the dickens.

  Suddenly a powerful surge of energy filled the room, causing the hair on her body to stand on end. Two seconds later a man lay on the bed where the wolf had been.

  And what a man he was.

  The buzzed dark brown hair topped a rugged, raw-boned face. His olive complexion, though pale from pain and blood-loss did nothing to detract from his strong features. His body was a perfect V-shape, broad shoulders tapering down to narrow hips with ropes of muscle upon muscle everywhere the eye wandered.

  The light furring of hair on his chest arrowed down to a set of delicious six-pack abs and then flared once again at his groin. While a naked man wasn’t a new vision for Jackie, the fact, and size, of this man’s erection made her gasp.

  Her eyes flew back up and in doing so she caught sight of a black and blue tattoo on his right arm. It depicted a timber wolf’s face in front of a six-sided shield. An emblem. One that she recognized and made all the female appreciation of a magnificent male specimen die a quick death. She didn’t even notice when the man removed her hand from his mouth and gripped it tenderly in his large one.

  “Oh my God.” The husky whisper brought her around and she shifted her focus from the tattoo to Kaylie’s face. Not understanding what might have caused the exclamation, she followed the vet’s wide-eyed stare back to the man on her bed. Only this time they remained on his face.

  His hand flexed once, then he threaded his fingers through hers, as if they were long-time friends, or lovers—or as if needing or giving comfort. But the whole time, his eyes were on Dean. Eyes the same distinguishing shade of emerald green as her Alpha’s.

  Jackie breathed in deep, taking in the man’s scent, and nearly fell over. That’s what Ben had tried to tell her, and why she’d initially thought the man a wolf rather than a shifter. The wounded man smelled like Dean. Not exactly the same, but similar enough to be a relative. A very close relative.

  Her gaze flew to where her Alpha stood. The shock and recognition in his eyes had her gut clenching in fierce waves. Before either man spoke, she knew.

  “Deanato?” The unknown shifter whispered out, the single word full of hope and fear.

  “Alexander?” Dean seemed to sag before her eyes and Kaylie rushed to his side to wrap her arms around his waist.

  It was so quiet in the room, only the sound of breathing was audible as Jackie looked from Dean to the man on the bed to Kaylie and then to Ben. She completed the circuit two more times before Ben finally broke the silence. “Well damn, Dean. Aren’t you going to introduce us all to your brother?”

  Chapter Three

  Ben was fake sleeping on her couch, Kaylie was passed out on her bed, and Dean and Alexander were still catching up in her exam room behind closed doors two hours later. Her pizza, along with three others Ben had gone out for were long gone and Jackie was about ready to drop. But her patient came first.

  From the time she first left the room until know, Jackie had done some thinking, worrying, and re-evaluating. The thinking was more of a replaying of what had happened when Zan had her hand in his mouth, and then held it, absently stroking her palm with his thumb. The worrying was not due to her fear at the time, but because of an underlying jolt of electricity that had raced up her arm at the point of contact. A shock to her system that had everything to do with her wolf’s response to that touch. Her beast, though locked inside her human
form and yet no less of a creature for it, had stood up and taken sharp notice. The re-evaluating was how she was going to deal with the situation if it turned out this stranger, this man who was her Alpha’s brother, turned out to be her mate.

  Blowing out a breath that lifted her bangs to new heights, Jackie filled a glass with what was left of her orange juice. Then she paused to square her shoulders and calm herself.

  He’s only a patient. He’s only a patient.

  She kept the mental chant up as she plodded to the second bedroom. After a brief knock she entered, trying not to stare at the naked man in the bed. Well, not totally naked. The bloody blanket had been removed and a clean white sheet covered the lower half of his body. But what remained visible was enough to make any woman’s mouth water. Even with the white gauze wrapped around his torso.

  Shaking off unprofessional thoughts of running her tongue over the strong cords in his neck, followed by a little nibbling, she handed the juice to the injured shifter. “Drink. It will help get your blood sugar back up.”

  Alexander, “call-me-Zan”, accepted the glass, turning those magnificent eyes on her. “Thank you.” Jackie forgot her mental command, and stared. Zan’s eyes might be the same color as Dean’s but that was the only thing they shared. Zan’s were softer, welcoming, and held a spark of mischief. All of which made him more dangerous because of how she felt inexplicably drawn in. She forgot who she was, who he was and simply ached to tumble headlong into his warmth. All because of some stupid eyes.

  Fighting the provocative pull, Jackie cleared her throat. “I need to check your wounds. You’re a fast healer, even for a shifter, and shouldn’t require the stitches much longer.” She made to touch him when her eyes caught that damn tattoo. Turning on her heel, she went to the metal counter and pulled on another pair of gloves. The precaution was ridiculous. If Zan was her mate, he’d already initiated the mating heat. Not only from a mere touch, but through his saliva by breaking the skin of her hand. Though it hadn’t been on purpose, the blood contact would only speed up the mating heat, accelerating it from a day or so to mere hours.