Seal Wolf Hunting (9781402293832) (23 page)

“Leave me behind,” Paul said as they had to take another damnable break because of him. “Get her out of here and come back for me later.”

The guys frowned at him. Cora was sleeping again, which was the best thing for her. Paul was in agony, every step killing him, and they only had one teammate ready for an attack. It was a recipe for a disaster, and more than anything, Paul wanted Cora evacuated to get medical treatment pronto.

“Are you kidding?” Allan said. “My mother and sister would never speak to me again. Lori would kill me. Emma would put a curse on me. If you stay, I stay. Lot safer that way. And you're not talking me out of it.”

“We stay together,” Hunter said, glancing at the rest of the team.

That was what Paul loved about Hunter's way of doing business. He ultimately made the decisions, but he was always open to everyone's suggestions. That's just how he wanted to lead the pack with Lori.

“Hunter and Allan are damn right, Paul. You saved the woman's life. We're not leaving you,” Bjornolf said.

Finn agreed. “We leave no one behind.”

Still a wolf, Michael growled and shook his head.

Paul was glad they hadn't wanted to, in truth, but he hated how much he was holding up the mission. They took turns getting some sleep and pulling guard duty, then headed out again.

The men had been worried about Cora. She had been running a fever, but Paul heard the relief in their voices when it abated on the last day of their journey. Michael had been able to stay in his human form the whole day too. They'd only had one further skirmish—no injuries on their side—before they reached the landing zone, called in the helicopter, and all made it out of there in one piece.

Paul heard Hunter telling Wes Caruthers, his police officer who'd stayed in São Paulo, that they'd rescued Michael and to go home.

Now
Paul
was fighting a fever, and he felt disoriented and sicker than a wolf.

Allan finally got a call through to Lori as he cast a worried look at Paul, though he smiled at him when he caught his eye. “We're all fine. Michael's got a few cuts and bruises and such, but he's healing on his own. His”—he paused and glanced at Cora, who was bundled up in blankets—“his friend, Cora Smith, also was taken hostage, and she has a broken leg. They'll have to re-break it to set it right if the bone has started to knit together.

“Paul has a bullet in his leg and it needs to come out, but otherwise, he's fine. Paul said to tell you he loves you. He'll be home soon. We'll be home after Hunter's doctor sees to him.” He paused, raised his brows, and then grinned at Paul. “Hot damn. You go, girl. I'll let him know.”

Paul was having a hell of a time following the gist of the conversation with the way he was burning up and chilled to the bone at the same time.

“Um,” Allan said, “he's unable to talk right now. But we'll get on a flight for home as soon as we can. Call you later to let you know when we're coming in.”

Lori knew something had gone wrong when Allan called her instead of Paul. She let her grandma know to alert the rest of the pack. When she called Catherine to let her know her son—well, both sons—were coming home, Catherine said Allan had already called.

Together, the pack had bought a used ambulance at an affordable price. They thought it might come in handy if Rose needed a ride to the new clinic that Dr. Christine Holt had set up and outfitted. Or any other pack emergencies. Like this one. The ambulance was already stocked with all the first-aid equipment they should need. The vehicle had a lot of mileage, but when the pack brought in more money, they could eventually replace it. It was good having their own clinic for pack members.

Paul would probably kill her when they arrived at the airport to pick him up in an ambulance, but having an open wound in the jungle, she assumed he'd need quick medical attention—from their kind.

Their new doctor was so eager to have her first real, important medical case—wolf type, not strictly human, not to mention the prestige of working on one of their pack leaders—that she couldn't wait to get Paul to her clinic.

It was ten in the morning when Paul and Allan arrived at Glacier Park International Airport. Emma was holding up a sign that said: Cunningham Pack. Lori was holding two dozen roses, one from each member of the pack.

When she saw Paul in the wheelchair, his face flushed with fever, she fought tears and rushed forward to greet him. Hopefully, Paul wouldn't be too upset with her for all the changes to the pack in the month and half that he'd been gone. But that was the way it would be, she decided, whenever he was away. Her pack. Her way.

When he was home, it was
their
pack.

“I missed you so much,” he said and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a SEAL wolf's hearty hug.

“Oh, Paul, you're so hot,” she said, worried about his fever and kissing his forehead, his cheeks, and then his lips.

He gave her the devilish smirk that said he hadn't lost his sense of humor. “I'm so glad you think so.”

She chuckled. “Always.” She held his hand while Allan pushed the wheelchair to the door.

All the members of their pack, new and old, were smiling at them. She suspected Paul didn't realize they were all wolves and part of their pack now.

“Welcome home,” Catherine said with tears in her eyes, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek, Rose and Emma doing the same afterward.

Paul was still fighting a fever but no longer feeling disoriented. He hated that he had to be pushed out in a wheelchair and couldn't walk under his own power. He could have, but he was still a little tipsy. The wound was infected and hurt like the devil. Lori was holding his hand with a firm grasp, as if she thought he might try to slip away. He loved the contact and wished he could pull her into his lap and really kiss her like he wanted.

When he had seen Lori with roses in hand—along with Emma, Catherine, Rose, and maybe twenty other people waiting for others to get off the plane—he was so grateful to be home again. He realized then that this
really
was home. Not just a place to drop by for a visit to recuperate from a mission. It felt good, and he understood now how important Hunter's pack had become for him, once he'd found a mate and truly settled down.

Paul and Lori's pack might even expand a bit more if they found other wolves that would like to join. With a
lupus
garou
pack, all members would be family. It wasn't just a community of them living in the same territory. So each had to fit in and contribute to the well-being of the whole pack.

Lori leaned down and handed the flowers to Paul, which made him smile. He loved her, the roses, everything. Her hugging and kissing had made him hard for her. Even feeling like hell, he wanted to take her to bed and renew their mated vows.

When he saw the ambulance parked just outside the doors, he frowned.

Two EMTs quickly brought the ambulance gurney out and Paul said, “What—”

“We're taking you to our new pack clinic. This is Dr. Christine Holt, and her registered nurse, Allie Wertheimer. They'll take care of you,” Lori said, introducing them.

“This isn't necessary,” Paul said, but Allan helped them load him into the ambulance. That's when Paul noticed that many of the people he'd seen waiting for family or friends in the airport were standing around watching him. What the hell?

Didn't anyone have flights to catch, others to greet? He guessed it was like the scene of a crime or injury—there would always be onlookers who wanted to see what was going on. He just hoped no one would take a picture of him like this.

When he'd seen Emma proudly showing off the Cunningham pack sign and smiling warmly at him, he couldn't have been more touched. Of any of the members of his small pack, he believed she was the most pleased that he had taken it over. Maybe because he was mated to Lori, and now Emma didn't have to worry about putting curses on any wolf sniffing around Lori with interest.

A little girl came up and gave Lori a pink carnation, and then Lori climbed into the ambulance and gave the carnation to Paul. “From your pack members, the youngest to the oldest.”

The doors were closed and the ambulance drove to the clinic.

Paul eyed the roses, his vision blurring a little with the fever. And his head was pounding. “What?” He knew he wasn't hearing her right.

“Twenty-four pack members. Teach you to leave me alone and in charge of the pack.” She grinned and leaned down for another kiss.

* * *

Before Paul knew what had happened, he was in a room recovering from the surgery to remove the bullet and on antibiotics for the infection. Because of
lupus
garous
' faster healing genetics, he would recover quicker than a human would, but even so, wolves didn't heal instantaneously. What he hadn't expected, but should have, was that when he fully woke, he would have an audience of Lori, Emma, Catherine, Rose, and Allan.

They all smiled at him. He realized he had a ton of new houseplants in the room, and one vase holding a couple of dozen red roses and the one pink carnation. When he'd half awakened, he thought about what Lori had said to him before he was out. She'd commented about the pack members.

“How long has it been since the surgery?” He'd lost track of time, though he'd been up and about, limping, wanting to prove he was ready to go home, but the doctor had wanted to keep him there just a little bit longer.

“Five days,” Lori said.

“I wasn't quite certain if I heard right. You said…we have a couple of new pack members?” Paul asked.

Everyone but Allan laughed.

Allan folded his arms. “This has to be a record for the fastest-growing
lupus
garou
pack in the West. One little pack of six has increased to twenty-four.”

“They're good people,” Lori said. “They were tired of being lone wolves or small families without a pack.”

“How did you solicit so many so quickly?” Paul couldn't believe it.

“We started a Facebook page for wolves only. Well, our kind only, not as in wolf lovers. It's a private group, by invitation only. We were looking for special skills, compatibility with a pack, that sort of thing. All of us,” Lori said, motioning to the rest of their original pack members, “interviewed them while you were in the jungle, and we said their membership was contingent on the alpha male leader's approval. But if you want to delegate that job to Allan since you're still under the weather…”

Paul looked at Allan to see if he wanted the job. As far as Paul was concerned, all he wanted to do was spend some quality time with Lori. He was all too happy to give Allan the opportunity to make a difference with the pack. Paul would always treasure the small core of family and friends that had made up the Cunningham pack for so many years. As to the rest, he knew, given time, he'd be just as pleased to have them here.

“You got it,” Allan said, sounding a little more enthusiastic than Paul thought he would. He was relieved that Allan was eager to take on the job.

“I'll be glad to talk to our new pack members, welcome them, and get to know them.” He smiled broadly. Paul hadn't even thought of it, but several of the ones standing around watching them at the airport were women who looked about Allan and Paul's age. Allan was going to really enjoy this “getting to know the pack members better” business.

Rose was looking so anxious to talk with him that Lori shooed the others out, saying Paul was going home today and should be ready to see everyone in a couple days.

Rose held back while Emma and Catherine kissed Paul.

Allan shook his hand, and then they all left.

Paul eyed Rose, who looked rather grim-faced.

“You found the father of the baby, and it's not good news, I take it,” Paul guessed. “Have a seat, Rose, before you fall down. Everything is going to be all right.”

Both Lori and Rose took seats.

“He's here. With the pack now,” Rose said. “We learned he's…well, he's the brother to Tara, Widow Jean Baxter's son.”

“So he wasn't just a loner. He must have come here to visit them.” Which Paul gave him points for. “What is the trouble they're in?”

“There was a bank robbery—”

Paul narrowed his eyes.

“He didn't do it. He was framed. He rides a motorcycle and someone stole his helmet when he was at a grocery store in the vicinity of the bank that was robbed. The pack he was with didn't believe he didn't do it. They said it was too much of coincidence that he suddenly came into money at the same time the bank was robbed.”

“The bank robberies in western Montana.”

“No, it was in Seattle. That's where they're from. As to the two bank robberies here, he was home with his mother and sister when the one occurred.”

“So he could have been a copycat. Or someone else could have copied him.”

Rose ground her teeth and looked furious with Paul.

“It could be everything you say it is,” Paul said, not wanting to be bamboozled by some slick-talking wolf, “but I'm trying to look at this in a more objective way. He could have copied what the other man had done. And beyond that, his mother and sister could have vouched for him if his other pack wants his head and they're trying to save him. He didn't tell you what he'd done before he slept with you, did he?”

When she looked away from Paul, he frowned, suspecting the worst. “Did he?”

“I believe him when he says he's innocent!”

Paul couldn't believe it. He glanced at Lori to see her take on it.

“I didn't know anything about it until he returned, and Rose finally told me. He should be her mate if they can agree on it.”

Paul glanced back at Rose, surprised she wouldn't agree to it. Or maybe Everett had refused.

Lori sighed. “Everett Johnston wants to be part of the pack, but he said he wouldn't stay if it caused you any trouble with the law or with his previous wolf pack.”

Paul hadn't given any thought to how much trouble running a pack could be. The original members of their own small pack had been fine together all these years, and they'd never had this kind of difficulty before. He understood now what Hunter had to deal with in managing his own pack and respected him all the more.

“I'm leaving with him if he goes,” Rose said, looking as though it was tearing her up inside to say so.

Hell, Paul only had her best interests at heart. No way could she be out on her own if Everett's former wolf pack wanted to terminate him, and Rose was left all alone with babies—

The doctor. They had a doctor. He had to thank Lori for having done such a great job with that. He asked Rose, “Did the doctor check you out?”

Rose nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, her lower lip trembling. She started to cry. “I'm going to have triplets.”

Paul felt like a real heel. “Ahh, come here, Rose.”

She joined him at the bed and he lifted his arms to give her a hug. She melted against him, her hot tears soaking the front of his hospital gown. He would do anything for her, but he wouldn't risk her life or her babies'.

“If he's innocent of the bank robbery charges, we'll prove who actually did it. Does your mother like him?” It shouldn't matter, but Paul trusted Catherine's opinion because she was a lot more levelheaded than Rose right now.

She nodded against his chest, still sniffling.

He'd never seen Rose so emotional. Was it due to the pregnancy? He glanced at Lori as she smiled brightly at him.

“Good. We'll…work it all out somehow,” he reassured Rose.

He wondered if he was in for the same emotional turmoil when Lori got pregnant. Speaking of which, he was ready to go home with his mate.

Lori said, “Come on, Rose. Your mom will be waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Paul,” Rose said, wiping her tears away.

He smiled at her. “You're my sister. I only want what's best for you.” He was afraid to mention the triplets, in case that was what had upset her so much. But he wanted her to know he was happy for her. “Congratulations on the triplets. They'll be the first ones born to the Cunningham pack in years. It's a real cause to celebrate.”

She swallowed hard and kissed him on the cheek. Then Lori said, “I'll be right back.” She wrapped her arm around Rose's shoulders and walked her out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Paul took the opportunity to get dressed. He felt much better. His leg would be sore for a few days, and he probably couldn't go running for that time, but he was ready for another form of exercise. Fully dressed in a fresh set of clothes—jean shorts, his palm-tree shirt that made him smile, and a pair of sandals—he was about ready to limp out of the room. He was trying hard not to show he was limping when Lori returned, pushing a wheelchair.