Chapter 10
1140 Words
10
BEN
After we reluctantly—that was a tame word for it— left Shelby at her place, we headed to Wolf Ranch to meet with her alpha. We figured he could give us some pointers or clues about what would be holding Shelby back from accepting us as her mates.
I’d met Rob Wolf in the fall, and I knew him to be a calm, fair alpha.
We pulled up in front of the big ranch house and parked. Rob emerged and met us in the big circle drive, offering his hand when he recognized me.
“Ben, good to see you again.”
We shook hands, and I introduced Gib.
“I’ve heard of your pack.” He eyed us curiously, his nostrils flaring as he took in our matched scent, probably Shelby’s, too. “You mate in pairs, right?”
“That’s right,” Gib said, extending his hand. Not everyone appreciated the concept of two males claiming a female together. It ensured she was protected and cherished along with any pups she gave us. We were proud to claim Shelby together, and Rob should be happy one of his own would be so well cared for.
“We’re here for some help with ours. But first—” Without breaking the handshake, Gib swung his left fist in an uppercut and punched Rob in the gut. “That’s for letting her dance at Hoedown,” he said, his voice full of his alpha resonance.
Rob growled, but Gib held onto his hand, as if to prove they were still friends despite the assault.
Physical expressions of displeasure were common among shifters and meant little since we healed immediately. Still, they both were alpha, so this could go sideways fast.
“The f**k?” Rob snarled, eyes showing a bit of his wolf. His gaze lighted on Gib’s fresh tattoo. “Shelby’s your mate?” He shook his head. “I don’t know anything about her working there.”
I had to say, I was relieved Rob didn’t know. It bothered the f**k out of me thinking an alpha wasn’t taking care of his own if she needed help. Of course, maybe Shelby wasn’t that hard up and actually enjoyed it, as she’d claimed. Although she’d said it rhetorically—maybe I like it, not I like it, assholes, now back off.
“Fuck.” Rob shook his head. He leveled an even gaze at Gib, who had dropped his hand. “I’m gonna let that punch slide because I’m sure I’d want to clock someone in charge, too, if a bunch of humans saw my mate naked. But you swing again, I’m gonna go furry on your ass.”
Serious fights between shifters to prove dominance happened in wolf form, with the powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth that benefited our species.
The corners of Gib’s lips lifted in respect. “I got it out of my system,” he said mildly, all signs of aggression gone.
Rob pinned me with a stare, the look shadowed by the wide brim of his cowboy hat. “You gonna try that, too?”
I shook my head. “Nah. Gib speaks for both of us. Besides, we’re hoping for some help from you.”
“That’s a helluva way to ask for it.” He shook his head, but there was no rancor in his tone or gait as he turned and beckoned us toward the house. “Come in.”
We entered and followed him down the central hallway past the stairs into what must be his office. Once he had the door shut and settled into his chair behind his desk, we dropped into the two seats for visitors. He took off his hat, set it on the desk.
“Shelby know you’re her mates?” he asked. “She’s okay with there being two of you?”
Gib nodded. “She does, and I don’t think it’s having two mates that bothers her. But something does. She’s reluctant to mate. She says she can’t leave her pack to go to Wyoming.”
Rob absorbed that. “She and her mom are tight. Even tighter since her dad walked out.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t know about her working at Hoedown. But her mom works hard at low-paying jobs. They’ve never asked me or the pack for help, but, fuck.” He frowned. “Maybe they needed it.”
“We found her at the club last night, so we don’t know much. It doesn’t sit well that she’s had to strip to make ends meet. If we’d only found her sooner,” I said, feeling like s**t for not having been able to help her. “I caught her scent when I was here in November, but I wasn’t sure, and I had council business to tie up.” Dammit.
“Well, Shelby’s never asked for anything,” Rob shared. “She’s the one always offering to help everyone else around here. She could be hard up, but I never realized.”
“She’s afraid to trust us even though she agrees we’re her mates,” I explained.
Rob slowly shook his head. “s**t,” he muttered. “Her father took off when she was a teen. He’s a f*****g asshole for what he did to his family, and he’s been long gone. If he came back there would be a long line of shifters who’d want to fight him. I didn’t realize it still messed with her. She comes off as strong and capable. Independent as f**k. She’s a real sweetheart. The type to help others, not ask for it.”
I agreed with everything he said, and we’d only known her less than a day.
“I guess it’ll take time for that to come, to believe you won’t bail like her father. And she’s got two mates, not one. It’s going to be doubly hard for her.” He looked between us.
We didn’t say anything because he was only voicing what we already knew.
Rob sat back and steepled his fingers. “The roles are kind of reversed with her and her mom. She had to be strong to get her mom through the devastation of being left. Maybe it’s as simple as her not wanting to inflict the same pain by her leaving, too.”
Gib’s brows shot up. “Fuck.”
I brought my fist down on the desk. “Dammit. We should have thought of that. She called it off after she spoke to her mom on the phone.”
Gibson stood. “Let’s go get our mate,” he said to me. “Thank you, Rob.” He held his hand out.
Rob looked at it. “Yeah, not falling for that one again,” he muttered, and Gib grinned.
“Sorry about that. I’m the d**k, I know.”
“Mates.” Rob shook his head. “They’d give us all ulcers, if shifters could get them.” He shook my hand and slapped me on the shoulder.
He led us out. At his front door, we turned to face him.
I shook his hand again. “If you’ll give us directions to her mother’s house, it seems it’s time to get some things straightened out.”
He told us the way. “Good luck. Make that girl happy, or I’ll kick the living s**t out of you.”
“Depend on it,” Gib said with his hand in the air, striding out to the truck.
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