Furever Yours Read online

  He was about to shift when a fist banged on the door. Jade’s eyes widened, and, from the look on her face, he gathered she wasn’t expecting company.

  "Get dressed,” he snapped. “I’ll go check it out.”

  He tugged his jeans back into place, pulled his shirt over his head, and then peered through the peephole. His heart nearly stopped at the sight of Randy, one of his pack mates, standing outside with Jeff and Ricardo. He didn’t need to ask how they’d found him. The bond that pack mates shared allowed them to track one another easily. That’s how they’d found him at the ski resort, too.

  Annoyed, he opened the door. “Look guys,” he said, in no mood to deal with whatever drama Romero had stirred up now. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

  "Romero is dead,” Randy said, his voice flat. He was a tall, sandy haired guy with slim shoulders and a lanky frame but the steel in his blue eyes and the strength behind his deceptively strong limbs more than made up for that.

  "What?” Dawson rocked back on his heels, hardly understanding what he was hearing.

  "Who’s Romero?” Jade was suddenly at his elbow, peering at the three men standing in the hall with wary interest. Ricardo looked down at her, his black eyes flashing. Dawson didn’t have to ask to know that he didn’t like Jade—not because of anything she’d done but because she was currently pulling Dawson’s attention from the pack.

  "Romero was our alpha.” Jeff spoke up. He was a blond with dark green eyes and built like a linebacker. “We're all members of the same pack.”

  "Could you guys say that any louder in the hallway?” Dawson snapped. Stepping back, he opened the door wider. “Just come in already.”

  He watched as the guys filed in, his head still reeling from the news they’d given him. “How did he die?” Dawson demanded once he’d closed the door.

  Sadness filled Randy’s eyes, and the other two men looked away. “Offed himself,” Randy said. “Loaded up a gun with some silver bullets and blew his own brains out.”

  "Oh my God.” Jade pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. “Was there something going wrong with him?”

  Ricardo snorted. “I’ll say,” he said, his angular jaw twitching. His glossy black hair was spiked up in a Mohawk, revealing a paw-shaped tattoo inked into the left side of his skull. “He was suffering from brain fever.”

  "Fuck.” Dawson raked a hand through his hair. Guilt swamped him, drowning out his annoyance and anxiety. “I should have known.”

  Randy shook his head. “We all should have known, man,” he said, his face tightening. “When he started going ape-shit about every little thing we should have suspected.”

  But none of us had. Dawson’s hands clenched into fists at his sides.

  "I’m sorry to interrupt,” Jade said hesitantly. “But what’s brain fever?”

  Dawson sighs. “One of those rare shifter diseases. It’s a parasite that eats at the brain. Because of a special chemical it secretes, our brains disintegrate faster than we can heal ourselves.” His throat tightened. “We could have gotten him help.”

  Ricardo tossed his head. “Yeah, well, we're not here about that,” he said, his voice hard. “We're here because the pack needs to move on. It sucks what happened to Romero, man, but people are starting to come back now that we've told them what’s going down, and we need someone to pull it all together.” He pinned Dawson with his black eyes. “That’s you, man.”

  Dawson stiffened. He knew that as the beta, leadership naturally fell to him, but... “Guys, I’m sorry. This is all just so sudden - “

  "Look, man,” Randy interrupted. He spread his hands wide in supplication. “We get you were pissed at Romero and wanted a break. We all did. But we've been in this pack a long time and pack is family. You're the one best suited for the role, and we need you. Things’ll be better once we've got some stability and order again, you know that.”

  Dawson raked a hand through his hair again, glancing at Jade sideways. She was staring at all of them wide-eyed, her expression telling him she didn’t know what to believe. “I need to hash things out with Jade first.”

  Jade shook her head, taking a step back. “No,” she said slowly. “No, you should go with them. They need you.”

  Confusion tumbled around in Dawson’s head. “Yeah, but you need me, too,” he said, stepping toward her. He didn’t understand why she was retreating. “The baby - “

  Jade held up a hand, shaking her head. Her face had gone pale, her lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know about all this wolf stuff,” she said. “I don’t think I want to have anything to do with it. Maybe it’s better you just go. Take care of your responsibilities. I’ll figure out how to manage the baby on my own.

  Dawson felt as though she’d struck a hard blow to his gut. “Are... are you saying you don’t want to be with me because I’m a wolf?”

  Jade hesitated. “I... I don’t want to say that because I don’t like to discriminate against anyone just because they're different. But...” her eyes flickered over to the other guys.

  Ricardo let out a harsh laugh. “But you're afraid of us, and you don’t want your safe, boring life messed up by freaky guys like us.” he bared his fangs, and Jade’s face whitened.

  "Ricardo!” Dawson stepped between the two of them, shielding Jade with his body. “That’s enough,” he growled, rage simmering in his gut.

  Ricardo stood down, his fangs receding, but he pinned Jade with a scathing look. “Just remember, chica, that your baby’s gonna be half-lobo when he pops outta you,” he said, using the Spanish word for wolf. “Let’s see you try to hold onto your normal life then.”

  Jade turned her wide-eyed gaze to Dawson. “Is... is that true?”

  Dawson’s heart sank at the stark fear in her gaze. “Yes,” he said, reluctantly. “Sometimes half-breeds are born almost completely human with just a few sensory perks but other times they're shifters like we are.” He gestured to his pack mates. “It’s hard to tell until the baby is born.”

  Relief filled Jade’s expression. “So it’s possible my baby will be mostly human.”

  Anger tightened Dawson’s face. “Our baby.”

  Guilt flashed across Jade’s face, and she took another step back. “Dawson, please,” she said softly. “I... I need time to think about this. Please, please just go.”

  Dawson wanted to take her into his arms and shake some sense into her. Didn’t she see how stupid she was being by rejecting him? That baby was going to need him when it was born, and shifters were very territorial of their young. He’d be damned if he let her raise the cub on her own. But, he knew that pushing her right now would only make her dig her heels in more, so he buried the hurt and anger and simply shook his head.

  "You know how to reach me if you need me.” He pulled a card from his pocket and set it on the living room table. He turned to his men, whose gazes were filled with sympathy, and then nodded. “Let’s go, guys.”

  He left the apartment, his heart heavier than it had ever been in his life.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hours later, Emily came prancing in through the door wearing a glittering purple evening gown, her cheeks rosy and flushed and a gift bag dangling from her arm. “Jade, I’m home!” she trilled, her blue eyes sparkling.

  Jade sat up from the couch and, in a futile gesture, tried to wipe the tears and snot from her face. “Hey,” she said, her swollen throat making her voice hoarse. “Looks like you had a good time.”

  "Oh my God.” Emily dropped her bag instantly and rushed to her side. “What happened, hon?” She crouched down beside Jade, searching her face.

  Jade sniffled. “I... I talked to Dawson today, the guy I made the baby with.”

  Emily’s face turned into a thundercloud. “Did that bastard reject the baby?” she demanded, her cheeks flushing bright pink. “Tell me where to find him right now, and I’ll go beat some sense into him.”

  Jade gave a watery laugh, swiping at her nose again. “No, he was
happy about the baby, actually. I’m the one who rejected him.”

  Emily looked so shocked, Jade thought she could have knocked her over with a feather. “You... you what?” Emily spluttered. “After all this? Why?”

  Jade swallowed. That question had been eating at her ever since Dawson had left. “I... he came with some friends,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “And he started talking about crazy stuff that scared me.”

  Emily’s brows drew together. “Is he in some kind of gang?”

  That’s one way to put it. “I’m not sure,” she evaded. She didn’t want to paint Dawson in such a negative light... but what other analogy could she make?

  “Well, what does he do?” Emily demanded. “Is he selling drugs? Weapons? Babies?”

  Jade flinched. When Emily put it that way, Dawson didn’t sound that bad at all. But still... “No, nothing like that. It’s just... he and his friends have some really weird beliefs. I think they're kind of crazy, and I don’t want my child to be around that kind of influence.”

  Emily sighed. “I don’t suppose you're going to tell me what those beliefs are?”

  Jade shook her head. She was too tired to think up a convincing lie. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  "Alright.” Emily plopped onto the couch next to Jade and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “You don’t have to. But just for the record, I’m here for you, and I trust your instincts. If you don’t think Dawson will be a good influence on your baby, you've gotta trust your instincts. The only thing that matters is whether or not you will be a good mommy, and we both already know that you will. So chin up, hon. We’ll get through this.”

  Jade sniffled, leaning her head against Emily’s shoulder. She didn’t deserve Emily’s pep talk, and she knew it, because the truth was she had no reason to believe Dawson wouldn’t be a good father. She just didn’t know if she believed his story about the wolf thing, and, even if it was true, she didn’t know if she had room for any of that in her life. Marriages had fallen apart for less, and she didn’t want to put herself through that if she didn’t have to.

  * * *

  One week later

  Dawson sighed as he slid onto the barstool at the Blind Bear, a local bar on Union Street owned by a bear shifter pack. The Ursini Bear Clan, while territorial of their own kind, opened their doors to all shifters and became a favorite watering hole for Dawson’s pack.

  The place was decked out for Christmas just like every other place. There were twinkling lights hanging above the bar, evergreen garlands with red bows draped across the bar, and tiny little wreathes edging the tops of the bead board running all around the length of the room. There was even a fully decorated tree in the corner with presents... and a sprig of mistletoe hanging above the door leading into the pool room.

  The memory of Jade kissing him beneath their mistletoe surged up in his mind’s eye, filling him with warmth until he remembered that he was never going to be able to do that again, abruptly plunging his mood into icy blackness.

  "Hey boss.” Randy clapped Dawson on the back as he slid onto the barstool next to him. He signaled to the bartender. “Shot of whiskey for both of us.” He grinned. “After the kick ass job you've done, you deserve to have someone else buy your drinks.”

  "Thanks.” Dawson gave him a half-hearted grin. He picked up his glass of whiskey and knocked it back in one shot--determined to drink hard enough and fast enough to overpower the voracious metabolism that made getting drunk a challenge for shifters.

  More pack members started filing into the club, taking up the majority of the real estate on the bar as well as many of the tables. Dawson had spent the last couple of days gathering everyone back together and reestablishing the pack’s hierarchy and rules. He’d made Randy his beta and assigned Jeff and Ricardo officer positions. Between the four of them, they’d managed to get all fifty members back to Pasadena and were once again one of the strongest wolf packs in the LA area.

  But try as he might, Dawson couldn’t rejoice the way he knew he should. Jade still weighed heavily on his mind. She hadn’t called him since he’d walked out of her apartment, and his heart ached every time he thought about her and the child growing inside.

  "Dude.” Jeff plopped onto the stool next to him. “Why the long face?”

  "He’s still moping about that chica.” Ricardo was already sitting on the stool next to Jeff, taking sips from his bottle of Dos Equis and watching the soccer game playing on the flat screen above the bar. “Guess she hasn’t called him back.”

  Dawson lifted his head to growl at the slight sneer in Ricardo’s tone, causing the other wolf to drop his eyes—though he didn’t look at all sorry about what he’d said. “Don’t be an asshole,” Dawson warned.

  Randy patted Dawson on the shoulder. “Hey man. We already know Ricardo don’t got no heart, so pay him no mind.” Ricardo snorted but Randy blithely ignored him. “What we need to do is pull the pack together and focus on getting you your woman back.”

  Dawson sat up straighter, taken aback. “I don’t want to put this problem on the pack’s shoulders,” he protested. “If I can’t handle this on my own, they’ll think I’m weak.”

  Jeff shook his head. “We all understand you're under stress, being the new alpha and all. And, it’s pretty clear to me that your girl just needs to understand that we're not monsters to be afraid of. She’s gotta see us as her new family and know that we're willing to welcome her.” He leaned in. “You know women. It’s not enough to just spend time with them and make love to them. You gotta woo them, go the extra mile, really show them that you can take care of them.”

  Dawson shook his head. “How am I supposed to do that?” he asked. “I've already told her I want to take care of the baby, and she knows how much trouble I went to in order to track her down. If that’s not showing devotion, I don’t know what is.”

  Randy shrugged. “Women are difficult,” he said. “If you really want her, you're just gonna have to deal with that and step it up a little.”

  Dawson nodded slowly. “Alright,” he said. “What do I have to do?”

  "Don’t worry.” Jeff leaned in along with Randy and even Ricardo scooted a little closer. “We've got it all worked out. Now, here’s the plan.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Christmas Eve

  "Are you sure you're pregnant?” Abuelita demanded, leaning forward. She and Abuelito were seated on the couch in their living room, across from where Jade was curled up in the recliner.

  Jade had gotten onto the road as soon as she’d received the all-clear from her boss and had arrived a scant hour earlier to spend Christmas with her grandparents. Her intention had been to sit by the fire and laugh and talk and share stories... but Abuelita had taken one look at her pale complexion and the dark circles under her eyes and had called Abuelito in to demand what was wrong.

  "I’m positive. I took a test, and I've been suffering from morning sickness for nearly two weeks now.” Whoever had named it morning sickness was in need of a slap, she thought. The expression was misleading. Nausea struck her at all different times of the day, without warning.

  "Have you told him?” Abuelito asked, his thick brows furrowing. “The man you were... skiing with?”

  Jade wanted to sink between the cracks of the leather recliner. “I did tell him,” she murmured. “He was happy about the idea of having children.”

  "That’s excellent.” Abuelita beamed. “Just how I expected a man like him to react.”

  "I wish you’d told me when he came to our apartment,” Abuelito groused. “I would have liked to judge him for myself.”

  Abuelita ignored him. “But nina, if he’s accepted the baby then why are you so troubled? Starting a family with a man like that... most women only dream of such a thing.”

  Jade’s insides squirmed uncomfortably as she tried to figure out a way to tell them her concerns without telling them exactly what Dawson had said. But instead, she came out with the truth. “He t
old me that he’s a shape-shifter,” she blurted.

  Her grandparents stared at her for a long moment. “What?” her Abuelita finally asked. “What kind of nonsense is that? Are you trying to say he’s a magician?”

  Jade shook her head. She wished he were a magician. That would be so much easier to deal with. “No. He... he’s not human, Abuelita. He can change into a beast... a, a wolf, and he’s the leader of a group of people who can do the same thing.” She swallowed. “I... I, I saw him.”

  Abuelito’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly did you see?”

  In detail, Jade described the way Dawson’s face had changed, a chill spreading through her veins all over again as she remembered the way his fangs had flashed in the lamplight. “He’d been about to show me his full wolf form, I think, when his friends showed up and told them they needed him. I... I didn’t want to believe him, Abuelito, but I think I do. I think he’s a monster.”

  "Well,” Abuelita said, sitting back in her chair. “I don’t know that he’s a monster just because he can change into a beast.”

  "Are you crazy?” Abuelito stared at her. “How do you know he isn’t dangerous?”

  Abuelita smiled. “My mother... she was Portuguese, and they have a local legend about a creature called lobis-homems. He is a man who was put under a spell by a witch and every evening would roam the land in the shape of a wolf. Usually, they were very shy and sad—but quite nonthreatening.”

  "I don’t know that I would call Dawson either of those things,” Jade said slowly.

  Abuelito scowled. “What exactly does that mean? Has he threatened you in some way?”

  Jade shook her head quickly. “No, of course not. He’s been very sweet and charming and attentive and...” And, well, basically perfect, she realized with a sinking heart, perfect in every way except for the shifting thing. Was she really being so stupid as to throw him away just because of a genetic mutation that made him different? “He’s never laid a finger on me.” Except to cause her great pleasure, of course, she thought, heat creeping up her neck.