What a Bear Wants (16 page)

          Ransom decided then and there that in the coming days he’d make her his forever. They’d bump heads, they’d snap and snarl and he was positive that on some days she would want to rip out his jugular but he knew as sure as his last name was McKenna that Fallon Wilder was meant to be his until they were old and grey and their ancestors called them home.

          So comfortable in Fallon’s bed and his own thoughts, Ransom let out a startled snarl when a grizzly’s roar came echoing from the front of the cabin.

          Irritated that Maddox was messing up his quiet bliss, he stomped towards the front door and jerked it open, barking out, “What?”

          His younger brother stood there with Anoki and Makya—the second man he’d only met once since arriving days ago—arms folded across his chest. “These two wanna know if you can grab a drink and discuss what sexual positions you put Fallon in.”

          He jerked forward as though he were going to hit the bastard and Maddox put up his hands. “Kidding!
Kidding!”

         
“Actually—” Anoki started, only to have Makya slap a hand over his mouth.

          “Beer. Wings. Sports.” The large wolf stated. “You in?”

          Ransom shrugged. “Depends on how much I’m getting of all three.” Finger foods were not his friend and he had no intention of trying to nibble on something light after the day of calorie burning he’d had with his she-wolf. 

          “Unlimited amounts.” Makya answered. “We have bears come through here often which also means moose tacos and honey-berry ice cream.”

          “No fucking way.”
Moose tacos?!
Who was the genius who came up with such nirvana? And how could he lure them away from this place so they could constantly follow him around, making him dishes?

         
“Way.” The wolf said. “We figure if you’re gonna be the one keeping Fallon from ripping off heads and kicking them around for shits and giggles, we should be nice to you.”

          Ransom put a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Sir, you have my undying loyalty if you can get me a tray of those tacos.” He usually didn’t trust mexican food outside of California but this shit sounded
amazing!
How could he say no?

          Makya smirked. “That’s fine. Just stop touching me while you’re naked. Makes things weird.”

          Slowly withdrawing his hand, Ransom nodded. “I’ll find some pants. And then you can lead me to this magical place with the ambrosia.”

          “Pants are all I ask for, my friend. Pants are all I ask for...”

***

          Fallon was annoyed.
Really, really
annoyed. Why? Because getting kicked in the head by your dinner would make
anyone
annoyed. She stayed on the buck’s right flank, herding it towards Cade and Cree who were waiting to take it down as they gave chase.

          The damn thing fainted left and she almost fell over her own paws trying to follow. When it suddenly stopped and pulled back she went skidding past it as she came to a halt, stalking the animal while Cree and Cade cut it off. The rest of the pack had found a moose to take down while she and the others kept at the buck. So far it had been a fun chase, expect for almost getting kicked unconscious.

          Cree’s sharp bark had Fallon glancing over one shoulder as she panted. Her breathing abruptly slowed as her eyes narrowed on the wolves just a few feet across the territorial lines that pulled between her land and that of the Jerichos, finally understanding what made that buck freeze in its tracks—more predators. Generally she avoided getting even
this
close but her senses had always kept her alert enough to know when to stop before she crossed over. She could sense it when Cree and Cade moved forward, as well as when the rest of her pack mates slowly forgot about their prey and stepped towards where she sat, watching the red wolves just beyond the line. That buck saw its opportunity and hauled ass past them all. 

          One wolf in particular stepped out of the group before it shifted and she was staring at a naked, stitched up Brody Jericho. To be honest, Fallon really didn’t mind the nakedness.
Impure thoughts about neighboring wolves does
not
a faithful mate make!

          Both Cree and Cade paced back and forth, obviously looking for a sign of aggression but Fallon shook her head and they ceased, sitting patiently as she shifted and raised a brow at the man, “You look like a Home Ec. project.”

          He didn’t crack a smile. “That’s due to Mason. We had a...
disagreement
or sorts.”

          Fallon folded her arms across her chest. “About?”

          “Wilder land.” He answered simply.

          Growls rose from the wolves behind her and she put up a hand to stop them. “You may want to find your point quickly, Jericho.” This debate was getting really old really quickly and although she hadn’t heard anything out of Mason or Aaron for a few days now, that didn’t mean shit wouldn’t hit the fan soon enough.

          “The disagreement ended with me pushing him out of the pack, Fallon.” Brody softly retorted. “Both he and Aaron are gone.”

          His admission led to silence. Head tilting, Fallon questioned, “Why would you do that?”

          He shrugged. “Wilder land is just that—
Wilder land.
That battle happened before any of us were even here so it’s no one’s place to try and rewrite history. Your territory is
your
territory. Point. Blank. And I rather have you as an ally than an enemy.” Brody scratched at the stitches on his chest. “Besides, my brothers are assholes.”

          Her lips curved. “Look at you, Mr. Diplomat.” The newly positioned alpha had always seemed to have more sense than his siblings, now she was realizing just how much.

          Winking, he replied, “Not diplomatic, just opportunistic.” He then lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. His pack mates all turned and walked back into their side of the forest. He started to follow but turned back, gold eyes glittering at her beneath thick rust colored hair, “Also, just because I pushed them out, it doesn’t mean they won’t still try the bullshit they had planned. They’re stupid and desperate. What they may perceive as a betrayal by the rest of the Jericho pack could turn into a vendetta against us all. Watch your back, Fallon. ”

          She nodded and with a small smile Brody shifted once again before taking off and disappearing into the copse of trees surrounding them.

With a hard exhale, she turned back to her pack mates. “Let’s go find that buck again eh?” The howls that answered let her know that her plan sounded good enough to them.

***

         
“So you want to mate our little Fallon eh?”

          Ransom lifted wide eyes from the tray of food before him, thanking God and whoever else would listen that he’d chosen to come to this wonderful,
wonderful
place. Fallon’s pack mates had taken him and Maddox to a little bar that they had set up deeper into the lodge; complete with sports on every T.V. and beer. The wings weren’t even chicken, they were
turkey!
Effin’ turkey wings! And the sauce had an unholy amount of honey in it! When they brought out the deer wontons he thought he would start crying.

          Makya obviously hadn’t been shitting him about the wonders of their food. And Ransom hadn’t been kidding when he’d sworn his loyalty. How could he not? The man handed him nirvana on a plate!

          “I don’t
want
to mate her,” He said finally answering Anoki’s question. “I’m
going
to mate her.”

          The wolf snorted and looked to his older brother. “Paddington is quite sure isn’t he?”

          Ransom pointed a finger at Anoki. “I’m not loyal to you.” He swung that finger to Makya. “I’m loyal to
him,
because he’s chosen to feed me. I’ll rip
your
little furry head off and keep it as a keychain charm...like a rabbit’s foot...or a monkey paw.”

          Makya started to laugh. “Fallon needs to keep him. He makes me laugh, and not just
at
him.”

          Maddox, who’d been face first in a gallon of that honey-berry ice cream, looked up. “Can someone convince Cree to keep me too?”

          All three men gazed at each other before answering with a simultaneous, “No.”

          Ransom’s brother threw up his hands. “Why not?”

          “Because she doesn’t like you.” Anoki candidly replied. “And when Cree doesn’t like someone she gets annoyed quickly at the sight of them.”

          “And her annoyance is scary.” Makya added.

          “Very,
very,
scary.” Anoki shuddered. “We choose not to say what happens to those who annoy her.” His dark stare seemed to be examining Maddox’s face. “But I’m guessing you’ve already gotten a taste of that.”

          “Just twenty-five or so stitches. Nothing to bitch over.” Maddox shrugged before going back to that ice cream.

          Makya’s brows rose as he looked to Ransom who simply shook his head. “If you ask the question that you’re thinking of, the answer will scar you.”

          “I have this one as a sibling.” He gestured to Anoki. “There’s not much that can disturb me.”

          “I choose to take that as the compliment I know it was meant to be.” Said sibling responded. “Because I understand that your love for me runs deeply and sometimes it’s hard for you to express it.”

          Makya’s mouth twisted as he put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “And I understand that sometimes you need a hug...from the floor.” Then he shoved the younger wolf out of his chair, causing him to bang his head on the table as he went down
hard.

          “You son of a bitch!”

         
Ransom barely refrained from choking on a wing as he laughed.

          “Now,” Makya stated calmly. “You’re going to mark Fallon right?”

          He nodded. “If she’ll let me, yes.”

          The wolf smirked. “She allowed you to carry her in daylight through the lodge, and your legs still work so I’m thinking, yes, she’ll let you.” He leaned forward and his eyes slowly changed into the same canine gold that Fallon’s did when she shifted. “But be aware that if you ever make her regret that decision, I will fuck your existence up beyond all recognition, Pooh Bear. Then I’ll wipe you from the face of the Earth and use your coat as a snuggly blankey for my young when I finally settle down. Are we understanding each other?”

          Impressed more than annoyed by the low threat, Ransom nodded. “Completely and totally, Balto.”

          Anoki pulled himself up. “And that goes double for me, Koda.”

          Ransom didn’t really mind it when Makya kicked the little bastard back down to the floor again, ignoring his bellowed, “You should’ve been smothered as a pup!”

Chapter 15

         
“What do we do now?”

          Mason’s lip curled as he swung around to face his brother and the rest of the pack members that had followed him as Brody and his band of pussies pushed them out and off Jericho land. “What?”

          Aaron didn’t flinch from his barked question. It seemed the little bastard was gaining some confidence. Mason would have to crush that. His baby brother was pliable, easily controlled. He’d always been that way and Mason needed him to stay as such if he were going to put his plans into action. Whether he meant to or not Brody had ironically paved the way for him to continue on with what he’d originally intended—catching Fallon off guard. If he wanted this to go smoothly, he’d need to keep the leash tightened on his sibling.

          Aaron was weak, had always been a follower, Mason’s personal toy that he could play with at any time; manipulate the same way he’d do an action figure. That was the only reason he hadn’t snapped his neck and left him behind.

          “Don’t question me, boy.” Mason growled. “You follow and keep your goddamn mouth shut.” They’d been wandering through the countryside since the sunset, looking for a good enough place to settle down and hoping for a cave that was far enough away from Wilder and Jericho territory that they wouldn’t be noticed. He was in no mood to deal with an ungrateful whelp.

          The younger wolf drew himself up to his full height. “You can’t just tell me to—”

          Mason had his hand around Aaron’s throat before Aaron could say another word, shaking him the same way Brody had shook himjust hours ago.

The surge of power from this one act of control overrode the embarrassment that motherfucker had caused. “I could kill you and leave your ass to rot here before walking away like you never existed. Don’t think because I let Brody slip past with that shit he pulled that I won’t take your throat right now!” He shook him harder, resisting the urge to go with his instinct to kill. He
needed
to hurt something; make it bleed.

The other wolves around them stared but didn’t speak, obviously choosing to watch the scene play out before they decided their next course of action. They’d followed him this far and if he wanted to remain the alpha here he needed to exert control. Mason may not have been stronger than Brody but he was damn sure he was the strongest one out of
this
group. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t rise against him at the slightest sign of weakness.

“Alright...” Aaron croaked, clawing at his hand to make it release. Mason pressed down harder until he thought he made his point, then he let him go.

“Don’t forget who rules here. I’m not our older brother. There’s no mercy in me.” He spat, turning his back and walking forward. “I’ll kill you before I let you believe you actually mean something in the grand scheme of things.”

Mason smirked a bit when he heard the other wolves chuckle as one said, “Guess we know who the omega is...”