Wolf With Benefits (12 page)

Aware he could move the jeep later, he parked at the curb. Shi had been helping her mother more and more—cleaning houses, cooking, and tackling aspects of her family business she usually disdained in an effort to make amends. So far, Mrs. Sullivan dominated her time. More than once, Shi made it home after him…exhausted.
Be polite.
His wolf grumbled. Something about the whole situation didn’t sit right with him.

The vapor escaping her exhaust told him Mrs. Sullivan sat in her car, waiting. For Shiloh? Or him? Grabbing his tool bag from the passenger seat, he carried it with him to the rear of the jeep and packed it into the box where he stored his equipment before turning to face her mother.

“Hello, Matthew,” she said, her tone perfectly even and polite.

“Mrs. Sullivan.” Summoning a polite smile wasn’t hard. He was used to her disapproval and distance. More than twenty years of friendship with Shiloh had proved to him nothing he said or did would change Mrs. Sullivan’s mind. So he wouldn’t bother trying. “How are you today?”

“I’m well, thank you for asking.” Though she was dressed warmly, the temperatures hadn’t cracked out of the single digits in days.

“Would you like to come inside?” He didn’t know if his mother was home, but he could use their kitchen. His parents wouldn’t mind.

“Actually, I’d prefer to have this conversation here. It won’t take long.”

Warning bells went off in his head and his wolf went predatory still. Shiloh had been over the moon at her mother’s tacit offer to try. No matter how stubborn his beautiful mate was or how independent, Delia’s opinion meant the world to her. “As long as you don’t get too cold.” With his jacket and sweatshirt, he was more than warm enough even with the biting breeze.

“I think I will come straight to the point.” Of course she would. “I understand the plan was to convince everyone Shiloh came back for you. It was a terribly generous offer, and the pack seems far more forgiving of her thanks to you playing your part.”

Saying nothing, he waited. His wolf’s dislike bled into him. Delia Sullivan was a hard-working woman, devoted to her family and her loyalty to the pack had always seemed unquestionable…
until now.

“That said, I think it’s time she returned home and the two of you give up the farce.”

Farce.
“It’s not a farce, Mrs. Sullivan. Shiloh is my mate. We’re not playing a game or pretending…”

“Matthew, I’ve lived around wolves for decades. Mating happens or it doesn’t. You’ve known each other too long for it to just
happen
now. But I know my daughter. I know she will follow her stubbornness to the end, no matter how foolish. The pack will forgive her in time. They know her heart and her loyalty lies here, but she doesn’t need to irrevocably change to do that.”

“No,” he said, agreeing with her. “She doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want. But I will support whatever decision
she
makes. My loyalty is to her…my
mate.
” The growl escaped to wrap around the last. His wolf already had the scent of this conversation.

“She is no such thing, and stop referring to her that way. Human wolf matings end only one-way, and if she were your mate, you would have known long before now. Stop this foolish—”

“Mrs. Sullivan.” Matt didn’t pretend he wasn’t angry. The cool fury unfolding in his gut flooded through him. “Don’t insult Shiloh. You can dislike me all you want. I accepted your disapproval as part of the package for being friends with your daughter. I love her and she
is
my mate. You may have lived around wolves all these years, but you are not one of us because you have chosen to keep yourself remote. Being human doesn’t prevent you from being pack. Nor has it ever prevented the pack from looking after you and yours. It also doesn’t give you the right to hurt her. She is your daughter. She will always be your daughter and you can choose to be a part of her life—a giving, loving one—or you can choose to step away and I will make sure she recovers from the staggering loss of her mother’s disapproval. What you do not get is the right to hurt her or try to take her away from me.”

He kept his feet rooted to the spot, despite the desire to invade her space and back her out of his territory. No matter how much he disliked her intentions, she acted from a place of love. If he could remember it, maybe he could salvage the relationship for his mate.

Delia’s mouth opened, then snapped shut again. Blowing out a breath, she folded her arms. She wasn’t cold so much as trying to barricade herself. Fear licked over her scent. His wolf feasted on the nuance of her apprehension. The woman before them wanted to take Shiloh away. Neither he nor his wolf would allow anyone to come between them and their mate.

“Thank you for having the forethought not to say what you’re thinking…”

“How do you know what I’m thinking? I saw what having one member of this family shifted did to the others. Her sons never quite got over it…”

“Actually, Delia,” his mother’s voice carried from the porch, quiet, authoritative and firm. “Her sons couldn’t reconcile her choice with their lack of desire to ever do the same. Because they didn’t understand the desire. They couldn’t imagine it.” Linda stepped off the porch and walked toward them. She glanced at him and lifted her chin, ordering him to take a step away.

Obeying his mother, he withdrew a step.

“Linda, I’m sorry to have disturbed you, but this is not your concern.” Delia pivoted to face her.

“You made it my concern by bringing it to my property when you decided to ambush my son.” His mother folded her arms, the cool glare in her eyes a warning to any of her children. Linda rarely raised her voice, rarer still did she allow anyone quarter once she reached this level of temper. Margo was exactly the same way, and how Matt knew when the time had come to stop pushing.

“I did not ambush him. But he’s filling Shiloh’s head with foolish…”

He growled, but his mother raised her hand, silencing both of them. “Stop it, Delia. You’re going to drive your daughter away, the last thing you want to do. Trust me, I know.” All at once her shoulders went down and his mother seemed smaller somehow. “I had my choice where Margo was concerned taken away by my mate because he believed utterly what he was doing was the right thing. The damnable part is…he was probably right. Sending her away to boarding school saved her life. It gave her an opportunity to grow into a beautiful, capable and extraordinary woman. Then she found a mate, the one person who saw her for all that beauty and strength and admired her for it. He would do anything for her, defend her into his own grave and he will encourage her to be more and he will always put her first.”

The level of naked emotion in his mother’s voice humbled him. Though he kept his awareness on Delia, Matt lowered his eyes.

“What I struggled to understand for years was what Will did, he did as much for me as he did for our daughter. Losing Margo would have killed me. I hate having her so far away from me. I hated when she was at that school. I hated it when she was an Enforcer and I hate it now that she is in Italy…but I have a choice. I can be her mother, and I can keep trying to build bridges that let us know each other, let me see her and spend time with her and not burden her with my fears, and my hurts, and my angers…or I can continue to sabotage it.”

Shock kept him mute.

“Which is what I’ve done every time I tried to inflict
my
will on hers. She’s an adult Delia and so is Shiloh. More…Margo wants to be with her mate and Shiloh wants to be with hers. You think her becoming a wolf will change her utterly. Yes, it will change her—physically. Who she is? In her heart and soul? The kind, generous, caring woman who puts so many others before her? That won’t change.” Linda held her hand out. “You’re terrified you will lose your daughter, not because she will change, but because you aren’t sure you can. You aren’t sure when you look at her later, you won’t see her anymore.”

A long moment passed as Delia stared at the outstretched hand, then she grasped it. Tears choked her voice. “She’s my baby, Linda. I’ve done everything I can to give her a strong foundation and to give her every opportunity. Why would she choose this one?”

“Why do we choose any of the things we do? Don’t you remember your first few weeks amongst us?” His mother’s voice gentled further, then she gave Delia a hug. “You had no idea about the wolves. We scared you, but you fought your way past the kneejerk fear. Why?”

“Because…I love Hank.” Delia sighed. “I loved him more than I was afraid and he loves this town, and your pack and…”

“…and eventually, we became your pack too.” Pulling away, Linda looped her arm through Delia’s. “Shiloh will
always
be your daughter, whether she chooses to become a wolf or not…so the choice you have to make is will you always be her mother? Why don’t you come inside? We can have coffee, and talk…about everything.”

“I have clients…”

“Who will wait,” Linda assured her. “Trust me. Family is first in the pack, we all know this.”

Matt was left staring at them as they walked toward the house. The sound of Shiloh’s car reached him before she turned the corner. He waited for her to pull into the driveway, then opened her door. Their mothers paused on the porch and Delia waved to her before vanishing into the house with his mom.

“Was that…?”

“Yep,” Matt wrapped her into his arms and dropped a kiss on her cold nose. Cold. He frowned and checked the inside of her car with his hand. The temperature in there wasn’t much warmer than outside. “Is your heater not working?”

“No, it went kapu…hey!” She laughed as he carried her up the stairs to the garage.

“It’s way too cold for no heater. I’ll call Virgil tomorrow.” Once inside the apartment, he began stripping her.

“You do realize that to get warm, I should be putting more on and not taking it off.” Not that she sounded like she was complaining.

“Not the way I plan to warm you up.” Once he had her naked, he nudged her toward the bed. “Trust me.”

Rising on her elbows, she arched her brows. “Was my mom really going into the house with your mom?”

“Yes,” Matt paused then met her gaze. “And we’re not talking moms right now. They’re adults…they can take care of themselves.” A lesson, it seemed, he’d needed to learn, too. His father was right. His mother would work it out on her own. “Right now I want to play with my mate.”

Shiloh grinned. “I really love the sound of that.”

“And I really love you…”

S
pring
thaw sent snow sluicing off to fill the streams, the lakes and more. A lot of things changed in the pack over the course of the winter…including the potential new addition of Chrystal from Three Rivers. Her mating to Dylan had everyone talking, not the least of which involved what would happen when Mason pulled the wolf— a first for Willow Bend in decades, an Omega—into the pack fully. Though she’d mated Dylan, she was still technically a Three Rivers wolf. A technicality, they promised would be addressed when Dylan and Chrystal returned from their trip south to meet with an Omega in Delta Crescent. Mason wanted Chrystal fully prepared, though Shiloh suspected he needed some preparation of his own.

The Montgomerys were hosting a barbecue
with
her parents. How weird was that? Will and Linda had long since welcomed her to the family, but with the harsh winter behind them, they wanted to officially celebrate the mating. The months in between had been an interesting volley of arguments back and forth as Linda and Delia wrestled over the details to make everything
perfect
. Even weirder was the fact they’d made the date for the barbecue flexible. None of the food had even been purchased until the day before when Delia asked and Linda agreed.

A cold glass pressed against her forehead and she leaned into the slippery wetness as Matt rolled it gently across her skin. “How you doing?”

“I feel like hell,” she admitted. The fever had been growing all week. They’d talked and talked and talked about her changing, until Matt finally seemed convinced it was what she wanted and not what she thought he wanted. “It’s weird…”

He settled behind her on the edge of the wooden deck, his legs bracketing hers. Despite the discomfort of her temperature, she craved having him so close. “What’s weird, pita?”

“Don’t start, dog breath. I’m not in the mood for teasing.” But when he pressed the water glass into her hands, she drained it in one long, continuous swallow. The cold helped, but nothing seemed to put out the fire inside.

“Uh huh.” With firm hands, he began to massage her shoulders. The stiffness tensing them seemed to ease. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall forward as he worked a particularly stubborn knot. “What’s weird, babe?”

“Your mom and my mom…I think they might actually be friends.”

“Wouldn’t be a bad thing.” He didn’t sound surprised.

“No, I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all.” She winced as he moved onto the next knot. “That feels like heaven and hell at the same time. Don’t stop.”

“I won’t,” he chuckled. “The fever is bad today, isn’t it?”

The near constant fever plagued her for five days. Matt had bitten her several times over the last month. Every single time, he watched her like a hawk afterward and she’d seen the healer Emma at least once every three days. Emma always pronounced her fit and sent her on her way. “I feel like hell. I hate it because they’ve been waiting for the perfect time and day for this party and my mom…” She sighed. Her mother had really been trying. When they talked, it even seemed like she was really listening. Even Amelia had managed to dislodge the stick from her ass on the subject. “…she’s been great, Matt. I don’t want to disappoint anyone by being miserable at our mating party.”

“It’ll be fine,” he said, sliding a hand along her nape to gently squeeze the muscles there. “Trust me?”

“Without question.” She’d always heard stories of how mates had to adapt to each other—learn to trust, learn to accept each others flaws and strengths. Everything with Matt had been so much simpler. She knew him inside and out, and he knew her. They fit, as though they’d lived together for decades. He was still a little too messy and she tended to clean when aggravated, so it worked. “Did I tell you Mason offered me a job?” The Alpha wanted her to work on assessing all the opportunities available through the pack. The healers were already identifying disenfranchised members, and Mason wanted her to focus her social working efforts on building community relations and more. It was a great idea.

“You may have mentioned it a time or five.” The light strokes over her scalp sent tingles racing over her skin. “But not until you’ve mastered your wolf.”

“If my wolf
ever
shows up.” She couldn’t quite keep the plaintive note from her voice. A month, more than a month of bites and she’d felt like hell for days and she still hadn’t experienced anything resembling an urge to shift. Smells weren’t sharper. Her vision hadn’t improved. And when she tried to pick up something super heavy, it still sucked. “Maybe I’m a freak of human nature and I can’t be turned. Wouldn’t that be the irony?”

His chest vibrated behind her, though he didn’t make a sound. Slapping his thigh, she growled at him. The silent laughter ceased and the activity across the yard went silent. “Don’t laugh at me. It isn’t funny.”

Irritation threaded through her and it made her skin itch. It wasn’t fair. She’d done everything they’d said and indulged Matt’s paranoia as he hovered over her every step and stayed where one of his parents or his brother could keep an eye on her unless she was with Tiffany or Alexis. Both women had discussed their change at length—what it felt like, how it happened and, as far as she could tell, other than feeling like a truck hit her, she didn’t seem to be having the same experience.

What if she really was a dud? Her mother might get her…pain twisted her insides and her skin seemed to be scalding her.

“Shh, babe. Don’t fight it.” Matt’s arms loosened on her and awareness swept over her. Everyone in the yard was staring at her. Why? Did she have to be on…her bones snapped. The crack in her arm jerked her forward and then her right hand seemed to twist, and her skin…reality kindled through the fog of her fevered brain.

“Don’t fight it, Shi.” Command echoed in his every word. “Trust your wolf. Trust me.” Matt wasn’t behind her anymore. Or maybe she’d moved and he was standing in front of her. Worry deepened the lines at the corners of his eyes as he crouched on the ground. Wait, if he crouched how did she…pain splintered her from inside out. The world spun then she was struggling to stand. Panting, she fought to find her footing, but her legs seemed all wobbly.

Hands braced her and then she butted her nose against Matt’s face. His scent filled her lungs, and the panic eddying in her middle subsided. Leaning into him, she wanted to wrap her arms around him, but all she could manage was a paw against his chest.

Paw
.

Jerking, she swung her head to look and caught sight of her tail and her furred body…
Oh my God, I did it.
A hand stroked over her head, then caught one of her ears and rubbed gently. Twisting, she glanced at Matt again. His golden eyes captivated her, but more the delight in his scent thrilled her.
Delight?
How did she know it was delight?

“Shi?” Matt said her name in a slow fashion, demanding obedience, and she snapped at him. She wasn’t a dog to be ordered around. Then because his smile didn’t diminish, she licked him. “Oh, sorry, hi there, dog breath. How are you?”

Laughter echoed around the yard and she caught sight of her parents, and his applauding. All save her mother. Delia Sullivan pressed her hands to her mouth, and her eyes seemed to glimmer with tears.

“It’s okay, babe,” Matt whispered in a low voice she suspected was for her. “You’re gorgeous. All deep brown fur with hints of red. You remind me of autumn.” The love in his voice suffused her with confidence. She glanced at him, then back to her mother.

Delia took a step forward and, though she trembled, she crouched down then sat on the ground. Shiloh took a wobbling step toward her and nearly landed on her face.

“Hang on,” Matt said. Fabric tore and she realized he was pulling away what remained of her shirt and shorts. “One step at a time and, remember, you’ve got four legs to klutz around on now.”

Klutz around on?
She bared her teeth at him, but he only chuckled.

“Eyes on the prize, babe. One step. You can do it.”

Returning her gaze to her mother, she took a step. Then another. It was so weird to adjust her balance to four legs and she wobbled over the uneven ground. The grass had so many different scents, and she couldn’t sort them all.

It seemed to take forever to cross the yard and she fought the urge to slink.
Please don’t let her hate me…
She made it to her mother, and stared in trepidation at the tears streaking down her cheeks.
Will she remember it’s me?

“Oh, baby,” her mother said, holding a hand out to her slowly, palm facing her as though to let Shiloh take in her scent.
I’m not a dog, Mom.
But she couldn’t say that, not in her current form. Didn’t her mother understand, Shiloh would know her scent anywhere? She always had—the hint of floral perfume overlaying the sage and cucumber shampoo she favored and the touch of vanilla and coffee with hints of cleaner.

When Shiloh bumped her mother’s extended hand with her nose, Delia shocked her by pulling her close, then hugging her. The world crackled around her, shockingly brighter and louder and…Shiloh closed her eyes and laid her head against her mother’s shoulder.

Excitement filled her. Matt was suddenly at her side, and he ran his hand over her back. “Give her some time. She’s still adjusting.”

“She’s beautiful,” Delia whispered, and then nudged Shiloh’s head up so she could look into her eyes. “You’re still my beautiful, stubborn little girl. I love you, baby.”

Her heart threatened to burst. Then her Dad was there, and he petted and whispered to her. Soon Linda and Will joined in. Through it all, Matt stayed with her and when she slipped free of their parents, he chuckled.

“We’ll be back in time for the party…” He told them, backing away from her. Where was he going? She flicked her ears forward. “Oh, and Shi babe…” He winked. “Tag. You’re it.” Then he took off like a streak and she lunged after him. The race stretched her legs out and, though he was faster than she was, he seemed to keep his pace to one she could match.

They ran all the way to the lake, slowing only once they reached the shore. So many scents assaulted her. She could spend hours trying to sort them out. Matt crouched next to her, saying nothing as she lifted her nose to catch the breeze.

She had a lot to learn, and the best, most patient person in the world to teach her. Glancing at him, she let her tongue loll out as she tried to grin.

“We’re about to have company,” he told her. The warning preceded the newly arrived scent only by seconds. She pivoted to face the road. The truck parking in the lot above them was familiar.

Mason.

Power swept over her and she went to her belly from the weight of it. Alpha meant so much more than she’d realized. She wanted to watch his approach, but couldn’t quite meet his eyes. Understanding kindled in her belly, one both Alexis and Tiffany assured her would come natural. Wolves understood strength. They knew who had more power, and who could protect them. She had to trust the response.

She wasn’t afraid of Mason, quite the opposite. If Matt was the sturdiness in her soul, and the wind in her heart—Mason was the sun. He warmed everything around him.
And, wow, don’t I feel like a Hallmark card?

A scuff of boot brought her focus forward. Mason clasped Matt’s hand. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m proud of both of you,” he said. Then Mason grasped her scruff and she yelped at the sudden shock of having her head lifted so she had to meet his gaze. “And as for you, little Shiloh…welcome to my pack. You are Matt’s and he is yours. But you’re both mine.” The connection sizzled through her, his power sweeping aside all the other questions and she wagged her tail.

She really was home.

Then Mason lowered her and she leaned into Matt, dazzled and thrilled in equal measure.

“So…” Their Alpha—so weird, but yes
their
Alpha—asked. “Am I invited to the party?”

Matt laughed. “Of course…”

Movement in the brush caught her attention, and Shiloh glanced at the woods. She tracked another flash of movement, a small furred foot trembling beneath the bush. Ears forward she rose to her feet.

“No, Shiloh.” Matt’s voice held her captive once more. “Not yet. We’ll learn all about hunting later…”

Pfft. She scowled and snapped at him. Wolf or not, she still didn’t like orders.

“There’s cheesecake back at the party,” he reminded her.
Cheesecake.
Her stomach grumbled. Mason said nothing as he watched them. To eat cheesecake she’d have to change again.

Bribes definitely worked.

Glancing at the movement in the brush once, she faced her mate. Love filled his expression and even though Mason stood right there, warming them, she only had eyes for Matt. The guy who climbed to the second floor to rescue her. Who took her camping, swimming, and even offered to pretend to be her mate. Inspired, she danced forward and poked him with her nose before streaking off toward home. Hell, she even knew exactly which way to go.

She didn’t look back. She didn’t have to.

Matt would always be there.

Her best friend.

Her mate.