Alpha Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novel (14 page)

“No worries. It’s only natural you’d be curious. Do you think we could order dinner before delving into the secret shifter handshake?”

His lame joke brought out a bright smile and laughter from her. Which was exactly what he craved from this woman. He simply wanted to get to know her. Find out what she liked to do when she wasn’t working. What she liked in the bedroom. The other shit could work itself out later.

He gripped his beer tighter in his hand and scooted closer to the back of the booth. That shifter was so wrapped up in December, he doubted he’d sense him nearby but he wasn’t going to take any chances. And he really didn’t want December to see him. He knew her and her brother and didn’t want to get caught in a conversation with her. Not with a shifter so close.

He’d heard that their kind could sense fear and loathing and everything else in between. If he wanted to kill the rest of the Cordona pack, he’d have to tread carefully. Going after Ana the other day at the hospital had been a stupid mistake, but now he planned to finish what he’d started.

It was only a matter of time. And planning. These new males on the ranch added a wrench into his plans.

“Can I get you another beer, darlin’?” the waitress asked, jarring his attention away from the booth across the bar.

“Wh … oh yeah. One more, then bring me the check, please.”

“You got it.”

As she sauntered away, his eyes were drawn back to December and that hulking shifter. He wanted to go over there and empty his gun into that abomination’s heart. Not that it would do any good.

Silver bullets were damn near impossible to come by except for in law enforcement, and even then humans had to register their purchases. If he was caught with silver bullets on his person he’d be in a shitload of trouble. Unfortunately he didn’t know how to make them himself. Months ago he’d briefly entertained the idea of searching out some APL members, because he’d heard a few of them had moved to the area, but he didn’t want to work with a bunch of redneck hillbillies. Even if they likely knew how to make their own bullets, he still couldn’t do it. They had ties to those neo-Nazis and he wasn’t a racist. He was better than that, and he liked to work alone.

As he watched the shifter across the bar he narrowed his gaze. Shifters were freaks. Animals. They should be the ones in hiding. Or better yet, exterminated altogether. He could feel the rage starting to burn through his veins so he pulled out a twenty and dropped it on the table.

The other beer forgotten, he slipped out of his booth and out the back door. Soon he’d wipe out the Cordona women; then he’d take out Taggart’s pack. Shifters would realize their kind wasn’t welcome here, and things would go back to the way they used to be.

*    *    *

Connor slid off the horse and loosely handled the reins as he led the giant animal toward one of the stables. It had been years since he’d gone riding and he’d forgotten how much he enjoyed it. The past few decades he and Liam had been busy buying and selling real estate and everything else had taken a backseat. After he’d left Ana he’d decided that the next time he saw her, things would be different.
He
would be different. When he’d first met her he’d had enough to live on—only what he needed, which hadn’t been much—but it hadn’t been enough to take care of her the way she deserved. Now he could take care of her and their pack indefinitely. It wasn’t just a matter of pride but a matter of survival. While he’d be happy living in the woods with nothing more than the fur on his back, Ana deserved a hell of a lot better than that.

Some of the horses whinnied as he strode into the barn, but didn’t make too much of a fuss. He’d separated from his men earlier and they’d each ridden to different points along the property. There were still a few places he needed to check out, but he planned to do that with Ana. He wanted some alone time with her and if he remembered correctly, she was most at ease when she was riding. He’d use any advantage he could get to loosen her up.

As he pulled open the door to the empty stable, Ryan stepped out of the neighboring one. “Hey, Connor.”

Before he could respond, Lucas peeked out from behind Ryan, wearing jeans and an oversized jacket. The blond-haired little boy had a scowl on his face.

“What’s he doing out?”

Ryan shrugged. “He and Vivian decided they didn’t feel like being cooped up anymore.”

Connor scrubbed a hand down his face. “Has Ana met them?”

Ryan nodded and his lips curved up slightly. “Yep.”

Shit.
He’d wanted to wait until tonight to tell Ana about the cubs. Bringing in potentially unwanted cubs could cause problems, but he hadn’t been willing to abandon Lucas and Vivian.

He didn’t think Ana would truly mind, but he remembered how prejudiced her father had been. Convincing her to join with his pack was one thing, but adding a jaguar cub to the mix was something else entirely. Cats and dogs didn’t exactly blend well, and ideals about species separation ran deep among a lot of shifters. In that respect, they weren’t much different from humans. “Where’s Vivian?”

“Cooking with Ana,” Lucas grumbled. “And now she doesn’t want to play with me anymore.”

“She’s
with
Ana?” He couldn’t contain the shock in his voice. The jaguar cub didn’t warm up to many people.

Ryan nodded again. “She’s glued to her side. Oh, Ana wanted me to let you know that we’re all having dinner in the main house tonight. Seven sharp. If I were you I wouldn’t be late.” Chuckling under his breath, he ruffled Lucas’s hair. “Come on. You can help me brush down Connor’s horse.”

Connor pulled off his Stetson as he headed toward the house. Before facing Ana, he needed to clean up. And he figured it wouldn’t hurt to let her cool down. He’d promised to be honest with her, and then she found out about the cubs this way.

He should have known better. Hell, he
did
know better. His lie had been destined to bite him in the ass. Worse, Liam had been right. He should have just sucked it up and told her. Sighing, he pushed open the front door and was immediately accosted by her subtle scent. She might be in the main house at the moment, but her essence surrounded him here.

Scenting her, seeing her every day was something he could quickly get used to. Half a century of pent-up sexual frustration was about to come raging to the surface, and he feared he’d already screwed things up. In the darkest part of his mind, the place he kept locked up tight, he wondered if Liam was right.

Maybe he shouldn’t have walked away from her. He could have let her choose. She’d been so young then. So happy and deeply immersed in her pack. So very secure of her place in the world. He could have asked to mate with her, but if she’d said yes her father would have banished her.

She could have chosen her family over him, though, and he wasn’t sure he could have lived with that. The not knowing was better. At least he had
something
to hold on to: the dream that she would have picked him. Hell, even if she’d chosen him, she’d have resented him in the end. Taking her away from everything she’d ever known. Her sisters, cousins, parents.

He shook his head as he ascended the stairs. It was time for a shower. A cold one. He’d had a hard-on the entire ride back to the stables, thinking about her. He’d planned to take things to the next level tonight but he had a funny feeling he’d be sleeping in the doghouse instead.

Of course, that was if she didn’t kick him out of her life entirely.

Chapter 8

“P
ress the cookie cutter like this, Vivian.” Ana motioned with the rounded cutter and pressed it into the thick dough.

The dark-haired girl used both hands to mimic Ana’s actions. “Like this?”

“You got it. Think you can finish the rest of them?”

She nodded, then ducked her head shyly and focused on her task.

As Ana pulled the roast from the oven, Carmen strode into the kitchen. “You need any help?”

She shook her head and motioned toward Vivian. “Help her with the
polvorones
.”

“Yum.” Carmen’s eyes lit up as she sat at the kitchen table and started talking to Vivian. The girl mumbled a few words, but Carmen talked enough for three people and she seemed to understand Vivian’s quiet nature.

Vivian had said only a few words. Ana guessed she was probably about ten years old in human and shifter years. She didn’t know much about feline shifters, but she was pretty sure they developed at the same pace as wolves. Vivian was a tiny thing, even for her age, but she seemed to be well-adjusted.
A kitty cat living among a bunch of wolves.
Ana grinned to herself at the thought. If she’d been that age she’d have likely been scared out of her mind. No, she knew she would have been. Especially without her sisters or family around.

As her thoughts drifted, she frowned. She didn’t understand why Connor had kept the existence of the cubs from her. Maybe he’d fathered one of them and hadn’t wanted to tell her. Did he think she’d shun him because of something like that? If he did, then he didn’t know her at all. That stung almost as much as the blatant lie. He could argue that it was simply an omission, but to her it was a lie. And a big one.

She heard the front door open and shut. No one bothered locking doors on the ranch during the day. Well, except bedroom doors. Front doors didn’t matter much. They scented each other coming long before anyone reached the front stoop. Sometimes she hated that ability. Like now, when she knew Connor was likely making his way through the house, toward the kitchen.

Her fingers clenched around the bottle of wine she’d grabbed from the cupboard but she forced herself to relax. If he was lucky, she wouldn’t toss it at his head.

“Something smells good.” Connor’s deep voice enveloped her, but she refused to turn around.

Carmen saved her. “Yeah, Ana’s been working all afternoon. Well, Ana and Vivian. I can’t believe you didn’t bring this adorable little cub around sooner.”

Connor cleared his throat. “Ah …”

Carmen wasn’t through with him. “Why is that, Connor? She’s been such a big help around here already with these cookies. I don’t think Ana could have made them without her. And I’m pretty sure
you
are not going to get any tonight.”

Vivian giggled softly, so Ana pushed aside her fear and turned to face them. Like a total chicken, she averted her eyes toward the table. Away from where Connor hovered in the doorway.

“I helped set the table,” Vivian said proudly as she slid from her seat and came to stand next to Ana. For the first time since she’d met her, the little she-cat beamed.

“Yes, you did. You’re a much better helper than my sisters.” She winked at Carmen. When Vivian grabbed Ana’s free hand, her heart squeezed. She hadn’t said anything but it was obvious her mother wasn’t around. Or worse. As someone who had just lost both her parents, some part of Ana wanted to do everything she could to protect this cub. “You want to help me by telling everyone upstairs that dinner is ready?”

Vivian nodded but didn’t let go of her hand. Instead she looked up at her with big brown eyes that could melt snowcaps.

“You want me to go with you?”

She nodded again.

Ana looked at Connor and shoved the wine bottle into his hand. “There are two more in the cupboard. Would you mind putting them on the table?” She kept her tone civil, bordering on saccharine sweet. Only because she knew it would bother him.

At least he had the decency to look uncomfortable. “Of course. Do you want to talk before dinner?” His voice was low, but Vivian was inches away, practically attached to her.

“About what?” She lifted a mocking eyebrow.

“We’ll talk
after
dinner, then.” His jaw clenched tightly, and a perverse part of her took immense pleasure in it.

In response, she snorted loudly, which earned her a quiet giggle from Vivian.
Talk after dinner, my ass.
But what did he expect? He was the liar. Not her. And she wasn’t going to have this conversation in front of anyone else, especially not a cub.

Still holding Vivian’s hand, she strode through the attached dining room, where two long, rectangular tables held more than two dozen chairs. Some of the men would be patrolling and she was pretty sure Liam was still in town, so there should be enough room. If not, they’d add more chairs.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Vivian clenched her hand tightly. “Will you read me a story tonight?”

Surprised, she looked down at the girl. “Sure. What kind of stories do you like?”

“I have a lot of books but I like the one about the princess and the frog. My mommy used to read it to me.”

Used to.
Those two words answered her earlier worries. Ana’s throat clenched, but she crouched down so that they were at eye level. “Where’s your mommy now?” It was extremely rare for a shifter to abandon their young, but it did happen on occasion.

Vivian looked at a spot on the floor. “She’s part of the earth now.”

Ah, dead, then.
“I’m sorry she’s not here.”

“Me too … You look a lot like her.”

That explained why Vivian had been so attached to her. Ana’s heart warmed even more. She didn’t care where this cub had come from or the fact that she was a feline. She’d do everything she could to make sure she fit in. Clearing her throat and fighting back the lump in it, she stood. “Come on. Let’s get everyone for dinner.”

Connor stabbed a piece of beef with his fork. Ana had been effectively ignoring him all through dinner. Not in an obvious manner. She was civil, sweet even, when he asked her a question, but she’d kept her attention on her sisters and Vivian all night.

He doubted anyone else could sense the dissension, but he knew her well enough that she was just waiting to let loose on him. When some of the pack started to get up, he reached out and placed a hand over Ana’s. The movement was slight but she tried to pull back from him.

He tightened his grip and turned her hand over.

Her lips pulled into a tight smile but she didn’t struggle against his hold. “I need to help clean up.”