GIANNA

The knock the next night is my first clue. Cruz doesn’t knock, and definitely not on his own front door. His brothers don’t either, as we’ve discussed more than once. I’m not okay with having a pack of wolves wandering in and out of my space throughout the day, particularly not if they’re in two-legged form. It’s only polite, as I’ve already pointed out to Jace three times this week, but he just laughed, a hoarse, rough sound that explains why he’s so popular with the ladies down at the motorcycle club. I’ve got my hands full with too many wolfie Alphas already, but that knowing, wicked note in his voice almost makes me sit up and take notice.

So I shove my feet into my Kate Spades and head for the door. Luc is standing there. Naturally, my brain shuts down, because he’s not supposed to be here. I mean, I invited him over the other day, but he’d made his opinion on visiting clear and Luc can out-stubborn the best lawyer. I’m thrilled to see him, but I have to wonder why he’s here. And why now. Even if it wasn’t my profession to be suspicious, it’s in my nature.

“I thought you couldn’t come out here,” I say after I look him over once. Okay, twice because damn… he’s worth looking at and apparently he’s come for me. “Because of ‘werewolf rules.’”

“I thought we could try this your way,” he says, leaning against the doorframe. He holds out the bouquet in his hands, and I take the blooms automatically, trying to see around him. Since werewolf Armageddon doesn’t appear to be happening on my front porch, I decide it’s safe to admire his flowers. Instead of roses, he’s brought me big, exuberant, hot-pink dahlias the size of dinner plates and bloodred peonies. Some little white and pink blooms lurk in there too, and the fragrance is amazing. Each breath I take is lily-scented, rose-scented. Luc-scented. He’s the best part of this surprise.

“They’re gorgeous,” I say, meaning every word.

He doesn’t move, just lounges against the doorframe, watching me as if he’s got all the time in the world. “Dre got himself a book when he was first mated. He claimed it helped.”

I mentally try to imagine that particular werewolf standing in the self-help section of the local bookstore and fail. Maybe he ordered online and settled for not eating the UPS driver when the poor guy showed up. Dre is a scary-ass bastard, on the outside at least, and that’s without knowing that he shifts into two hundred plus pounds of mean armed with wicked canines.

“You read a book?” Wait. That comes out sounding completely wrong.

Luc grins lazily, but his eyes watch me intently. This is absolutely not a social visit. “I asked Dre to bookmark the good parts.”

Uh-huh. I’ll bet that went down well. Dre’s mate isn’t a pushover.

“Can I come in?” Luc asks when I don’t budge from the open doorway.

“I thought there was a rule against that,” I say, not sure if I should let him. Not that I could stop him if he decided to force his way in, but that’s the thing about Luc. He doesn’t force. He fights for what he wants, and he’s not above seduction and the wickedest of games, but he’s never made me do anything. Always, it’s been my choice.

He knows me well.

He leans into me, bending his head to brush his mouth over mine. “I cheat,” he growls roughly. “And some rules were made to be broken, shug. We both know that.”

I open my mouth to protest, and he takes advantage.

Heat rushes through me, the first touch of his mouth on mine breaking some unseen barrier that’s been holding back all these feelings. Luc kisses me as if he’s been counting the seconds since our last kiss, but he takes his time. Damn him. His lips brush mine in a delicious tease, his tongue opening me up and sinking deep. He’s not rough, but he doesn’t hold back either. Just keeps going, keeps giving me pleasure, until the word no isn’t even part of my vocabulary. My entire body is one soft yes, and we both know it.

As my lashes flutter closed because my body’s decided it definitely wants to act like the heroine in one of our favorite books, I spot one of Luc’s brothers hunkered down at the far end of the porch. Watching his brother’s back probably, because I can’t imagine why else he’d be seated out here. He’s probably bristling with concealed weapons violations as well, but tonight I don’t want to know. I shut my eyes and kiss Luc back.

He lifts his mouth from mine. “Can I come in?”

I can feel each word gusting across my skin, and I shiver. If I agree, if I do this, I’m pushing Cruz. I’m making him confront Luc, to acknowledge that there’s three of us in this relationship and not just two. I don’t even know what Luc wants, not really, but this is my chance to force my two wolves together—and so I give Luc one more word. “Yes.”

Luc’s hands tighten on my waist, walking me backward, and I let him.

CRUZ

It’s been one fuck of a day. I’m closing in on the Breed MC. If they keep pulling the stupid shit they’ve been doing, I’ll have all the evidence I need to arrest their asses. Ordinarily that would be a good thing and I’d be high-fiving my boys in uniform and ready for a round of cold ones, but Jace is giving me hell and I’m worried about my brother. He’s a little too deep undercover, if you understand me, and I’m not sure he’s gonna want to pull out. We’re all territorial bastards, and it’s just possible he decides to keep his motorcycle club and set up as Alpha of his own pack.

As soon as I pull up in front of the plantation house, I can hear Fate laughing her ass off at me. There’s a new scent in the big house, the scent of a female who stinks of the Breed. I don’t bother with pleasantries, just follow my nose and shove through the front door and head on up the stairs. Jace’s room is at the end of the hall, and he’s not alone.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t give two shits if my brother had a female companion. We’ve generally stuck to the rule of not bringing humans home, because it could get messy. That whole living-in-the-shadows and let’s-not-out-ourselves-to-the-nice-people thing. Plus our maman would kick our asses. She’s into grandbabies—not casual hook-ups. So if Jace has a female in his room, he’s got to have a damned compelling reason.

I rap hard on the door, debating the wisdom of just busting on in there.

“Fuck off,” Jace yells hoarsely. The scents coming from the room are a mixture of arousal and fear, and I know goddamned well that it’s not my brother who’s running scared in there. The female wolf smells good enough to eat though—but she still stinks like the Breed, and my baby brother’s got some explaining to do. We do not bring our work home with us.

“You got to the count of three,” I say agreeably. And frankly, three is way more generous than I’m feeling now.

Jace curses and booted feet hit the floor. He cracks the door a second later, and I shove it open farther. It’s clear I’m interrupting something, although I’m not exactly sure what’s going on in here. Jace is shirtless, but he’s wearing his jeans—mostly, because his top button is undone—and his boots. He’s also got a small female werewolf tied to his bed, and from the scents rolling off her, she’s not one hundred percent on board with the bondage scene. I’d put it at eighty/twenty though, because a note of arousal and curiosity is piggybacking on all the fear and hostility rolling off her pretty body.

“Introduce me,” I growl.

Jace moves farther into the door, blocking my view of the female on the bed. “You angling for an invitation to join us?”

The female squeaks, pretty much trying to crawl into herself. She’s not into that kind of wolf party—that much is clear.

“Fuck you,” I say, and Jace shrugs.

“She’s the daughter of the MC president,” he allows after a moment. “I’m rescuin’ her.”

“That doesn’t look like any rescue I’ve seen.” I study his face, avoiding the scene inside the bedroom. If she doesn’t want me looking, no problem.

Jace shrugs again. “The boys gave her to me.”

“There was a war to end slavery,” I point out. “And we don’t hold with that shit anyhow. You’d better be getting a clear yes from her before you go anywhere near that bed.”

Jace nods tightly. His hands open and close by his sides as he weighs the pros of popping me one against the cons. My gaze flicks to the girl on the bed. She doesn’t look happy either. More resigned. Gianna would kick my balls into the middle of my throat if I pulled this kind of shit on her without her permission, but apparently my brother prefers a different kind of woman.

“I mate with her, I become the Breed Alpha.”

“So this is an election? Doesn’t look too democratic to me.”

“You should see the other candidates,” Jace growls. “I’m her best option.”

“So you all told her she had to pick wolf A, B or C? You boys never heard of D: None of the above?”

Jace’s gaze doesn’t waver from mine. “They’d eat her alive.”

There’s a protective note in both his voice and his scent that I haven’t detected before. Whoever the female is, she’s more than a bargaining chip for Jace. This is personal.

“We’re gonna talk about this more,” I warn him. “You don’ get to add kidnappin’ to your shit list for this week. Our pack doesn’t need that kind of trouble. Not now.”

Jace crosses his arms over his chest. “She’s not gettin’ hurt anymore.”

The way his face tightens when he says anymore tells me that his captive hasn’t had a good week, either. I’m considering whether I should force my way inside and Q&A the little wolf when Jace’s head swings around to his window. I don’t have to wonder why—I can smell the scent of wolf as well as he can. There are Breauxs on our land.

“You need a hand?” Jace doesn’t hesitate.

What I need is to think this through, but my wolf is jonesing for a fight. There’s room for just one Alpha.

Except for in Gianna’s heart. Maybe.

Fuck me, but my life is confused. I shake my head in Jace’s direction—he has enough problems on his plate without borrowing mine—and head down the stairs. Sure I rescued Gianna from the MC and she’s grateful and there’s a bond there. Fan-fucking-tastic. But I don’t want to be her pity fuck. Not that the times I touched her hadn’t rocked my damned world—because they had—but because I want something more from her.

Fuck.

I want it all.

Gianna’s head, her heart, her gorgeous body.

If I go barging into my place, I’m gonna burn bridges that I need. Gianna’s her own woman, but right now ripping out the other Alpha’s throat appeals. Luc’s in my house and my fucking bed. I could go in there and own the moment. Could pull the other wolf off her and take his place. My dick likes the idea of letting Gianna compare and contrast just fine.

Or I could… not.

I could make an attempt at accepting Luc.

Gianna thinks I’m nice. In her mind, I’m the beagle to Luc’s pit bull, and I’ve made a mistake in not showing her just how wrong she is. I’m a wolf and not a nice one, even if I do wear a uniform and promise to protect and defend. She doesn’t recognize me for the other things I am—the pack enforcer, the male who makes sure all the laws get followed, and who doles out the punishments when they don’t. Maintaining human law keeps my pack safe.

My dad steps out into the hallway, blocking my exit.

“Give me five,” he says. “Before you go tearing back there and do something stupid.”

I growl before I can stop myself. I’m Alpha now, not him, and that’s my female in someone else’s arms. My time with Gianna is bleeding away. We’ve made some memories in bed, but I’m spending far too many of the daylight hours elsewhere, dealing with shit that needs to get resolved, but that doesn’t bring me any closer to winning Gianna’s heart. I’m her part-time lover and part-time bodyguard, when I want to be her full-time everything.

“Five minutes,” my dad repeats. “And then we’ll all help you kill him.”

I lean against the wall, all my senses keyed on the cottage a few hundred yards away. I can feel the questions coming, and I’m as clear on my answers as morning fog rolling off the bayou.

“You plannin’ on keepin’ that woman you brought home with you?”

“What do you think?” Meeting a question with a question is a weak feint, but I don’t have an easy answer. After one hundred and fifty years, my dad has seen plenty of shit. He bought the plantation and made it home after it had stood empty for a decade or more. I asked him once about those earlier southern days, and my dad just shook his head and said he wasn’t making a place for himself on the backs of others. His familiar, sun-lined face has acquired more laugh lines around the hazel eyes over the years, the same way his hair has turned more gray than brown. The outsides change, but the man inside is the same. His shoulder-length hair, gray and brown, is tied back, and he sports an ancient T-shirt underneath a flannel shirt. He’s hard working and honest, all good things to be, and he raised the four of us to earn our way because just living is a gift. If I can be half the man and Alpha my dad is, I’ll be satisfied.

He gets straight to the point. “I think you wan’ to.”

Family knows you. For better or for worse, they’ve got the inside line on your strengths and weaknesses. Most days, I love that closeness. Some days, like today, however, it’s damned awkward.

Like now.

I’m actually considering inviting another Alpha to join me in a relationship. To have a goddamned threesome with someone who I can’t dominate, can’t overpower, and damned certain can’t stop. Not that those are things I want to do to Gianna, but I also know I can turn my back on her without dying or risking my pack. Luc has to feel the same way though. Doesn’t he?

My father looks at me, waiting for his answer. The front hallway isn’t the most comfortable place in the world to have a heart-to-heart. The decorative molding on the wall digs into my ass and I’m on display. It’s been a long day, and I’ve zero desire at this point for anything other than a shower and a twelve-hour date with my pillow.

Okay. So now I’m lying to myself. The pillow date tops my list, as long as Gianna comes with it. And I can have her too. That’s part of what makes me antsy and nervous as hell. If I walk around the big house and head for my place, I can climb in the shower with her and then take her to bed… just as soon as I deal with Luc Breaux.

“I think she’s my mate.” Talking about feelings and mates with my dad is awkward, but my dad is the only member of the family who has mated. Other than Riley, and no way in hell am I discussing love and sex with my baby sister. I do not want to think any closer about what she and her Breaux husband are doing. Because they could totally be swapping recipes or crochet patterns. Something totally innocent.

Not.

“Uh-huh.” My dad examines my face. Good luck finding answers there. “So it seems like I should be congratulatin’ you, except you’ve got that long face that says somethin’s fucked up here and we both know the bayou’s not a big place, not when it comes to who’s sleepin’ with who.”

Great. Now when I run into someone I know, I’ll be painfully aware the other person has the inside scoop on my sex life. Some details should remain private.

“She’s not with the Breaux boy now,” my dad continues. “She’s here with you, and you’re talkin’ about her bein’ your mate.”

“She’s with him right now,” I point out. The whole house has to know it. “In my bed. Twelve kinds of fucked up, isn’t it?”

My dad doesn’t back down. “That’s not what I said, although I’m curious as to why she’s pinballin’ between the two of you like she don’ know which one of you is right for her.”

“It’s not like that.” I have a pretty good idea of how Gianna feels about Luc. Hell, I was there for their I-love-yous and she made it clear then she felt plenty for the other Alpha. This week is my attempt to replace Luc in her heart, and so far, I’m failing. Hell, I’ve spent more time running after the Breed than I have holding Gianna. A week just isn’t enough time. I need a year. Ten years. Fuck, a lifetime wouldn’t be enough to show her how she makes me feel.

“Then how is it?”

“Luc believes she’s his mate.” Too. Luc believes Gianna is also his. And it’s that unspoken ditto that keeps us at odds.

My dad nods. “So she’s got the two of you hanging on her heart strings. Or is she done with the Breaux boy?”

Only my dad would call Luc boy. He doesn’t pull his punches, and he doesn’t bullshit. One day, he’d looked over at me and said You’re ready. Your turn. Four words. It had been as simple as that. No dominance fight. No battle to the death. Just a quiet sidestep on his part, and then I’d had big fucking shoes to fill. If he’s got advice for me about Gianna, I’d be a fool not to listen.

“She’s not done with him.” It hurts to say that, but the truth is the truth. I wish I hadn’t fallen for her. That’s also the truth.

“Uh-huh. So she’s here… takin’ you for a test drive?”

“She promised me a week.”

“To do what?” My dad shoots me a look. “And, no, I don’ wan’ to hear the word sex crossin’ your lips. Some things I don’ wan’ to know.”

“Luc claims she’s his blue moon bride. They met years ago in Vegas and hooked up there. She thought maybe they were married—one of those Vegas shotgun deals—but nope. She was still single.”

“Not for long then, if Luc has decided she’s his blue moon bride.”

“She accepted him.” That stings too.

“But she’s here with you. I’m not sure if I should hug that girl or leave her sittin’ at the end of the drive.”

“We—the three of us—” Christ. Saying this in front of my dad makes me cringe. Plus there’s the whole no talking about sex fiat. “Had a night together. She wants us to try a relationship together. The three of us.”

“These things happen.” My dad’s secret smile hints at all sorts of memories. Nope. Not thinking about it. “But I guess it was more than a good time if you’re thinkin’ she’s your mate.”

“Do you believe in the blue moon stuff?”

“That the moon picks out the right woman for the right man?” My dad shrugs. “I’ve seen all sorts of strange things. If Luc believes it, it’s true enough for him. The question is what’s right for you.”

“How do you know when you’ve found the right woman?”

“Sometimes, it takes a while. Sometimes, it’s a goddamn lightning bolt from the sky.”

“What was it like for you and our Maman?”

My dad stares out at the bayou for a long moment. “We were somewhere between the two. I’m stubborn. I wasn’t sure it was fair to her to make her part of the pack.”

I can understand that. Gianna has her own life back in Baton Rouge. A job she loves. A house. Friends and places to be. Life with the pack requires a degree of secrecy I’m not sure she’d accept.

“So how do I know?”

“You already do, if you’re sittin’ here askin’ me. Those boys have their blue moon. Don’ know if that makes things easier or harder. And just because Luc chooses her don’ mean she chooses him. Or only him. If she’s here with you after he told her he loved her, then she’s got feelings for you too. Or instead. Damned if I’m fucking Dear Abby. You should ask your Maman.”

Not in a million years.

“You really think she could pick the both of us?”

Silence stretches out between us, broken only by the roar of a gator out in the bayou, waking up and ready to hunt.

“Better question is: can you boys share? You got enough feelings in you for her that you can accept him in your heart too?”

I’m Alpha. I’m territorial as fuck. I’m also not interested in Luc—no sexual feelings there, although I have no problem with two guys… it’s just not my thing. But Luc clearly matters to Gianna, and I want Gianna happy. It stings that I can’t be enough for her on my own. So there it is. There’s the rub. Maybe, together, Luc and I can be enough. But I won’t be the third wheel or the subordinate partner like I was during our one shared night. She isn’t a timeshare we can divide up. And what about babies if and when they come? I want a family. Maybe not today, but some day.

Jesus. I have no idea how to make this work.

But maybe I could make the effort?

“I’ve got thinkin’ to do.” I push off the wall.

“You gonna kill somebody?” My dad doesn’t move, but I can feel the tension radiating off his body.

“Gonna try not to,” I admit, but honestly? I don’t know.

I don’t fucking know.