shifted. There, in the morning glow of a rising sun, with the towering Sierra Nevada as their backdrop, Luc Stone turned into the same black wolf that had saved Jake’s life just one week ago. Then he’d shifted again, and he was once more just Luc…and Jake broke down and cried.
He sat there by the cold embers of the night’s fire, beside the sleeping bags that were twisted in knots and covered in dirt and pine needles and wept like a baby. All those years, those lost and wasted years of searching and wanting, of strange dreams and even stranger desires, finally made sense.
One week later, after more sex, more love, a greater connection with any other man or woman than he’d ever known in his life, Jake made his first shift.
Before the week was out, he quit his job and joined Ulrich Mason’s special investigative company, Pack Dynamics. He became a part of the team that already included Lucien Stone, Miguel Fuentes, and Andrew Jackson Temple. Since that day, he’d never looked back, and he’d never once regretted meeting Lucien Stone, the man who not only saved his soul, but forever changed his life.
Chapter 4
Jake raised his head, more than a little surprised by the utter silence, even more by the fact everyone had remained in the room while he told his convoluted story. He was even more surprised that his face was wet, covered in tears. Embarrassed, he scrubbed his cheeks with his palms. Then he turned to Luc.
His friend wept openly, as did Tia.
“Hey man, I…”
Luc shook his head, wiped his face with a handkerchief and grinned. “I’m just thinking how bad I’d feel, knowing all this now, if I’d actually killed you that night at the cabin at Lassen. It’s a good thing my aim was off.”
“That night in Lassen, I probably deserved it.” He looked at Tia when he spoke, but she merely shook her head in denial. He damned well had deserved it, but Luc and Tia appeared to be well past that sordid affair. “I will always owe you, both of you, for your forgiveness. A lot of people wouldn’t have gotten past my stupid stunt.”
Jazzy sniffed and wiped her eyes with the tissue Logan handed to her. She smiled at her mate, frowned at Luc, and then turned to Jake. “What happened at the cabin?”
Jake dipped his head. His skin flushed hot and then cold as shame washed over him. It hurt to admit it, here in front of everyone, but as long as he was spilling his guts…
“I made a complete ass of myself. It was ugly and it never should have happened. We all knew Tia and Luc were in love, but they hadn’t mated yet. We were up at the place in Lassen, the whole Pack Dynamics crew except for Ulrich. We were all screwing around, quite literally…except for Luc.”
Jake glanced at Luc and was surprised to see him smiling. Encouraging him to continue. Amazing. If Luc had tried anything remotely similar with Shannon, he’d be dead now.
He shifted his glance back to Jazzy. Luc was obviously a better man than he’d ever be. “Luc had gone downstairs. He left the room while Tia was with all of us. I imagine he wasn’t real comfortable watching the woman he loved with his packmates.”
Jake shook his head and took a deep breath. It physically hurt to remember something he’d just as soon forget. Without realizing, his hand had gone to his neck, and his fingers covered the pale scar where Luc had torn his throat open.
“It was just Tia with Mik, AJ, Tinker, and me. The sex was really intense…and really good.” He shot a quick glance at Tia and then looked away. “Tia was amazing and everything was going great. At least, until I lost control. I still don’t know exactly what I was thinking, but I shifted and tried to mate with Tia as a wolf—I wanted to get to her before she bonded with Luc, even though I knew she loved him. Some weird part of my brain told me if I got to her first, she’d love me instead.”
Luc actually laughed. “It wasn’t your brain doing the thinking at that point, bro.”
Jake nodded his head, still blown away by his own stupidity. “I imagine you’re right. Anyway, Luc heard the commotion and shifted. He came after me as a wolf. A really pissed off wolf. He almost ripped out my throat. I’m damned lucky he didn’t hit anything vital, because no one would have held it against him if he’d killed me. I was dead wrong. It was attempted rape, no matter how you look at it.”
Tia’s fingers brushed his shoulder. “I forgave you, Jake. So did Luc. That’s all water under the bridge.”
He turned to her and sighed. There was so much love in her eyes. So much understanding. “You’re more generous than I deserve,” he said quietly. “It’ll be a long time before I can forgive myself.”
He tilted his head and gazed up at his mate. Shannon’s cheeks were damp and her green eyes sparkled. “I’m still in shock that Shannon actually loves me, in spite of all she learned when we bonded. I don’t deserve her, either.”
“You’re right.” Shannon flashed her cocky grin, but her eyes were filled with love. “You really don’t deserve Shannon. She’s much too good for you.”
Jake’s tension completely melted away. He looked out across the room and sighed. “Shit. I’m in for it now.”
“Oh!”
Luc spun around and stared up at his wife. “Tia? Sweetie, are you okay?”
She took deep breaths in and out, then once again before all the air escaped from her lungs in a loud whoosh. “That was a good one.” She rubbed her hands over her rounded belly and took a couple more deep breaths. “I’m fine, now.” She waved her hand at the bunch of them. “You may all go back to what you were doing.”
“What were we doing?” Jake grinned at Tia.
“Telling your sordid tale,” Mik said. Then he softly added, “Thanks, bud. That took guts.” He glanced across the room and grinned at Anton. “Now, the one I really want to hear is Anton’s. How’d you and Oliver link up? You two have been together longer than any of us.”
“Sort of like an old married couple,” AJ added. He nudged Mik. “I think they’re even starting to look alike.”
Anton laughed. Then he slowly nodded his head and smiled at Mik and AJ. “You’re right. We have been together a long time. We met when Oliver was a teenager and I was a young man doing sideshow magic in a circus. It’s been…” He glanced toward Oliver. “How long has it been?”
“Twenty-five, twenty-six years. I was about seventeen. I remember it was winter because the circus was over-wintering in Florida. February, maybe?”
Oliver’s clipped British accent seemed more pronounced than usual, his voice deeper. Jake wondered what memories Anton’s simple question might have raised. Oliver took a deep breath, blew it out, and the moment passed. He turned toward Mei and grinned. “It was definitely a long time ago…probably about the time you were learning to walk.”
Mei punched his shoulder.
The teasing went on for a few more minutes. Jake tossed a few barbs at Mik and AJ, teased Oliver and Mei. He’d always felt just a little bit apart when they all gathered, as if he never quite fit, but since spilling his guts he was actually beginning to relax. He’d never been comfortable talking about himself, yet now he realized he felt
