Perfect: Tales of the Were (Big Wolf Book 2) Read online

  Cody had been concerned about how Megan would accept Cassandra, but it seemed like all his misgivings had been for naught. He was glad. It was important to him that the two most important women left in his life get along with each other. It would be good for Megan to have a sister-in-law who could also be a friend, and Cody was counting on Megan to help Cassie get used to the whole shifter thing.

  His wolf would probably be intimidating, but Megan was a cute little wolf. Dainty and petite. She could help Megan through the transition from not knowing there were shifters in the world to being…awakened.

  Cody was also making a statement by bringing Cassie here, into the heart of Pack territory. Joe’s appearance was welcome. A subtle indication to everyone present—and everyone who would hear about it through the grapevine—that Cassie was welcome. That had been a nice touch. Cody would make a point to thank Joe for that silent vote of confidence the next time they spoke.

  Cassie didn’t realize it yet, but she was being welcomed into the Pack. Subtly, for right now, of course, since she still didn’t know about them, but it was definitely a welcome. Wolf Packs were notoriously close-knit. By tomorrow, almost everyone in town would know that Cody had staked a public claim on Cassie.

  She was under his protection, now—and, by extension, the protection of the Pack. If something happened to Cody, they would look out for her. Just knowing that gave him a good feeling. Of course, he didn’t plan for anything to happen to him, but even so, life was uncertain. It was best to be prepared for all contingencies.

  Cody was proud to walk through that restaurant with Cassie on his arm. They had shared a lovely meal, but all too soon, dinner was over, and there wasn’t any further reason to linger. Cody escorted his sister and his mate—Goddess, how he loved just thinking that word—out of the restaurant.

  He noted the interested glances and the way the shifters at the tables they passed sniffed at Cassie, their eyes widening at their mingled scents. That would make it clearer than anything to this particular audience that they were a couple.

  Chapter Eight

  They dropped Megan and the luxury car back at the house, and then, Cody and Cassandra got back in his pickup truck and headed home. Cassie still seemed a little dazed from information overload, but he was glad to have jumped that hurdle. Megan had seemed genuinely happy to see him involved with Cassie, and joked that she wanted in on the taste testing of new pastry recipes from now on. Cody knew that meant Cassie had won over his sister with her charm and wit. He reached for her hand in the dark of the truck cab.

  “Thanks for putting Megan at ease, Cassie. She usually isn’t so open with new people, but I had a feeling you’d hit it off,” he said into the darkness.

  “She’s really nice, Cody. I’m just glad she liked me,” Cassie replied.

  “Everybody loves you, Cass. Including me.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm, holding her gaze for a timeless breath. The only light that from the dashboard.

  There it was. He’d just said he loved her, albeit in a roundabout way. Cassie seemed breathless, but she didn’t reply before he pulled up in front of her house, shutting off the ignition.

  He let the silence go on. The last thing Cody wanted was to push her too far—which he might have just done. Silently, he escorted her out of the truck and up the steps to her front porch before pulling her into his arms. The nearly full moon lit his face as he looked down into her eyes, and he knew he had to say something to put her more at ease.

  “I know I overwhelmed you tonight, sweetheart. I’m sorry about that, but there’s a lot you needed to know,” he told her quietly.

  “I understand,” she said. “It’s just a lot to take in. And, mostly… I’m okay with it all. It’s just going to take some getting used to.”

  “Isn’t that sweet?”

  The man’s voice came out of the darkness seconds before Pepe stepped into view around the corner of the house. Upwind. If not for that, Cody would have scented his presence long before now.

  “Something we can help you with?” Cody asked, putting Cassie behind him as Pepe moved closer.

  A fresh scent from the other direction alerted Cody to the fact that Jones had come around the other corner of the house and was moving closer. A quick glance told him that both men were armed, and Cody caught the whiff of silver on the wind. Sonuva… They’d come loaded for shifter.

  Only now, Cody realized he’d been completely set up. Pepe and Jones had been waiting for a shifter to show up after their bizarre staging of an animal sacrifice on Cassie’s land, and sure enough, one had. They had to have been watching Cody a lot closer than he’d realized if they knew enough to load their guns with silver. They either suspected—or worse, had actually seen him shift—and now, they were springing their trap.

  “I have to give you two credit. I actually underestimated you both. I thought you were as stupid as you look,” Cody said quietly as the men flanked him, each one on the ground beneath the porch, about three yards from him, on either side.

  “We saw you shift,” Jones said in triumph. “The other night, we saw you climb out your window in the dark and turn into a wolf.”

  Damn. “You have proof of this?” Cody asked, one eyebrow raised.

  “Saw it with our own eyes,” Pepe replied.

  “If you think I’m a wolf, aren’t you afraid of getting mauled?” Cody taunted them, wanting to find out what they knew.

  “There’s two of us. Even if you shift, one of us can shoot you before you injure the other,” Jones said. “We thought of that. Now, you can come quietly, or we can shoot you just enough to make you docile. Either way, we get paid, so I’d just as soon put a few holes in you, but Pepe said we should give you the chance to come along quietly.”

  “You’re all heart.” Cody directed a disgusted look at Pepe. “So, just out of curiosity, is that all you know about shifters?”

  “That’s all we need to know,” Pepe countered. “You’re human or you’re el lobo—a wolf. What more is there?”

  “Well, there’s this,” Cody said, allowing the change to take him even as he moved.

  He launched himself off the porch at his opponents in full battle form. It was the half-way point between man and wolf that had the deadly properties of both. Battle form was something young shifters trained to use because it could save their lives in just these kinds of situations, but only the strongest of shifters could hold the shift for longer than a few seconds.

  Cody was a strong shifter. An Alpha of his own business empire. Joe was the Pack Alpha, but he kept others of various talents and abilities working for the good of the Pack. With a Pack as large as Big Wolf, it took more than one man to keep it running smoothly. All the other dominant Alphas had their places in the hierarchy, and they all chose to follow Joe’s lead to make the Pack a safer, better place for everyone.

  It was clear the two ranch hands knew nothing about battle form. They screamed. Cassie screamed. Chaos reigned for a brief period of time before Cody swiped his hairy fists at each man in turn. They hadn’t even managed to get off a single shot before both men were down on the ground, unconscious.

  Cody shifted back to human form, but his clothes were in shreds. He found his cell phone and called Shane. He definitely needed some backup in securing these prisoners. He said a few terse words to Shane, and the sheriff cursed just once before replying that he’d be there within ten minutes, with backup.

  Cautiously, Cody checked over the two assailants, removing their weapons and making sure they were still breathing. He’d hit them both pretty hard, but he hadn’t done any permanent damage, from what he could see.

  Finally, he could put off looking at Cassie no more. She’d seen him in his most dangerous form. He had no idea what she would think now. He’d hoped to show her the fluffy full-wolf form first, and hold the battle form in check for when they knew each other better. But circumstances had been against him, and now he might have just lost her forever.

  “I c
alled the sheriff,” he said, looking up at Cassie. She was still standing there, frozen in place, on the porch. “He’ll be here shortly, with some of his men.”

  He moved closer to the stairs but didn’t go up onto the porch. Cassie looked terrified. He took the shreds of his shirt off and rolled them up into a ball. His pants had fared a little better.

  “Are you sure that’s okay? I mean…” Cassie said in a timid voice. “You might get in trouble.”

  Cody didn’t dare breathe. “You’re worried about me?” He couldn’t believe it. Was her heart so big that she worried more about his safety from discovery than her own safety from him? Didn’t she see him as a threat? Especially after what she’d just seen?

  “I—” She stopped and tried again. “I don’t know what that was I just witnessed, but…”

  “What you saw is something very secret and very natural to me. I was born with the ability to shapeshift,” he said quietly, walking closer but still not climbing the steps of the porch.

  “Into a…a werewolf?” she whispered, but he heard her.

  “A wolf, yes. What you saw was the in-between form. What we call the battle form,” he explained gently, so quietly that even if either of the two ranch hands had been conscious, they could not have heard his words. No, his words were only for Cassie. His mate. The woman he wanted above all others.

  “Battle form?” she repeated.

  He paused at the base of the porch steps. “I meant to break this all to you a lot more gently,” he told her, chagrinned. “The battle form isn’t something we use very often. Most of the time, I’m human. Sometimes, I’m wolf. But no matter what form I take, I’m still me, and I still care about you.”

  Just at that moment, the sheriff’s full-sized SUV rolled into the front yard, followed by two other cars. One was a deputy’s van. The other held Joe Villalobos, mayor of Big Wolf, Texas and Alpha of the Big Wolf Pack. Great. Just what they needed. Cody had been on the verge of regaining some kind of understanding with Cassie, only to be interrupted by all these guys.

  Cody went over to talk with Shane and his deputy while Joe made a beeline for the porch and Cassie. Cody had to hope that Joe wouldn’t make things worse before he got back to Cassie. Then again, Joe was an experienced Alpha. He had to deal with many interpersonal relationships within the Pack all the time. Maybe his calming presence would help.

  Cassandra could hardly believe what she’d just seen. Or what Cody had been telling her. Werewolves were real? And Cody was one? Scratch that. C.T. Billings was a werewolf. She still couldn’t quite absorb it all.

  Cody had said he’d been born that way. Did that mean his sister, Megan, was a werewolf, too? The thought boggled her mind. Megan had been so nice. So feminine and even a bit shy. Did she howl at the moon, too?

  Did werewolves really howl at the moon? Did they lose their minds once a month when the moon was full and run wild, biting people and turning them into werewolves, too? She didn’t think so. Cody’s words about still being himself argued against that old myth. But that scary seven-foot tall version of him was like something out of an old movie. Upright, hairy, with long claws and sharp teeth. Like a monster out of a nightmare.

  And the way he’d moved! He was so fast. Those two men hadn’t even had a chance to get off a shot before Cody had them on the ground. He’d moved like lightning, striking fast and so effectively. She’d never been so close to such violence before. It was a bit breathtaking.

  “Evening, Cassie.” The mayor of the nearby town walked slowly up onto her porch, both of his hands in his pockets, his stance very non-threatening. Yet, somehow, his presence loomed large. Cassie backed away, despite herself.

  Joe Villalobos frowned at her. Then, he looked out over the scene below the porch where the sheriff and deputy were taking the two men into custody. Cody had their guns and was bringing them over to the sheriff’s SUV while the two prisoners were put in the deputy’s van. Joe seemed to be watching the action, for a few minutes, then turned back to Cassie, leaning back against the porch rail as he looked at her. His expression was calm but very serious.

  “I guess you got an eyeful tonight, eh?” He didn’t wait for her to reply. “I know it’s a lot to take in. Especially on top of learning who Cody really is.”

  “You know about that?” she asked, despite her continued shock.

  “I talked to Megan after she got home. I’ve known Cody and Megan since they were pups. I like to look after my Pack,” he said, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

  “Pack?” she repeated. Like a wolf pack? Holy shit! He was one of them?

  But he was the mayor. How could a town’s mayor be a werewolf? Were they everywhere, and regular people just didn’t know? Cassandra’s eyes widened as that idea took hold in her mind.

  “Surely by now, you’re figuring out the town’s big secret,” he chided her gently. “The town of Big Wolf is named for the Pack that settled it. My Pack. The Big Wolf Pack.” He paused, seemingly to let that sink in. “I’m the mayor, but I’m also the Alpha of the wolf Pack, and almost everyone in town is a shapeshifter.”

  “Almost everyone?” she asked, her voice a mere breath of sound, her throat was so dry.

  “Some of us always end up mating with non-magical folk. Like you. They’re part of the Pack, too. Of course, they can’t shift, but they’re still under my protection. They’re part of our extended family, you might say.” He made it all sound so reasonable.

  “What are you going to do with Jones and Pepe?” she asked. Joe’s answer to that question might give her a better indication of what they were planning to do with her, now that she’d seen Cody in action.

  “Well, Shane has legal authority to arrest them, which he’s done. We’ll keep them in our town jail for a few days while we question them. I have to apologize for the pretense of sending Cody here to figure out what was going on. Some of your neighbors noticed some weird stuff happening out at the edge of your land, and Cody discovered it was those two hands,” Joe looked out over the porch rail at the sheriff’s vehicles. “They were laying a trap to catch a shifter and cash in on a big bounty. I want to know who’s offering money to kidnap my people.” He paused to look back at her. His gaze was flinty hard. “I also want to know what they intended to do with anyone they managed to capture. I can’t imagine it was anything good.”

  That thought hadn’t occurred to her. That put a whole new spin on this situation.

  “Do people do that? Hunt uh…shifters…I mean?” she asked, almost dreading the answer.

  “Sadly, yes. There are those magic practitioners who see a shifter as a source of great power. It never ends well for the shifter.”

  “Magic. You mean like witches and wizards?” She shook her head. She almost didn’t really believe she was having this conversation.

  “More like mages and sorcerers,” he corrected gently. “The evil folks are the ones who tend to want to steal power from someone else, rather than earn it the old-fashioned way through hard work and study.”

  The sheriff approached the porch stairs but didn’t come up. “We’re going to clear out those men’s rooms in the bunkhouse.” His words were addressed to Cassandra, surprisingly enough. “I’m arresting them, but it’s probably in everyone’s best interest to just act as if they ran off in the night.”

  “But won’t Rich, Emma, and the others hear?” Cassandra objected.

  The sheriff smiled cunningly. “We know how to move silently when the need arises,” he told her. “Plus, Cody tells me the bunkhouse was renovated with soundproofing in mind, for privacy. We’ll get their belongings, and none will be the wiser. Just wanted you to know and see if you had any objection.”

  They were asking her, not just telling her how it was going to be? That was a bit of a surprise. She looked at Joe, and he just watched, expectantly, to see what she’d say.

  “I don’t see a reason to object. I’m sure you’re more familiar with this sort of thing than I am,” she said after a moment’s though
t.

  “We’ll have our investigators go through their stuff. We really need to know who was offering a bounty in return for kidnapping a member of my Pack.” Joe straightened and headed for the steps. “And just a word of warning. Until this is fully resolved, keep your eyes open. Whoever was in contact with those two might show up here looking for them. If that happens, I need to know. I’m sorry to say that you’ll have to be more vigilant from now on. In some ways, it’s easier on people not knowing about the struggles of good versus evil that we shifters live with every day.”

  On that surprisingly philosophical note, Joe went down the steps and joined the sheriff. They met up with Cody, had a short conversation, then the mayor headed for his vehicle. Cody and the sheriff went toward the bunkhouse while the deputy kept watch over the prisoners.

  Cassandra decided it was past time for her to go inside and rest her wobbly knees. A good stiff drink might help, too, but she decided against it as soon as her butt hit the sofa. Too much work to get up again, and get it, plus, she wanted to keep a clear head for when Cody came to talk to her.

  She didn’t know why she was so sure he would, but she was. She knew he had plenty to keep him busy for a while, cleaning up after those two miscreants, but like she knew the sun would rise in the morning, she felt that Cody would come back to her. Oddly, the thought didn’t frighten her. It made her feel comfortable. Protected.

  She knew in her heart that even if the world turned upside down—which it sort of just had—he would be there. Looking out for her.

  Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, there was a hesitant tap at the front door. Cassandra hadn’t moved from the sofa in the front room, and she hadn’t locked the front door, so she just called out for him to enter.

  Chapter Nine

  Cody wasn’t sure of his welcome after everything that had just happened, but he really needed to talk to Cassie and try to explain things. He couldn’t leave things the way they were. The uncertainty was driving him nuts, making his wolf want to claw from inside his skin, which was not a comfortable feeling.