What This Wolf Wants (3 page)

“Get the asshole who shot him?”

“Saving him was priority.”

Neither woman responded until they got their first look at the creature’s bare flesh. “Hand me those… Thanks.” Kaylie prodded into the side wound with the large tweezers Jackie expertly set in her hand. “Damn.

He’s already started to heal around the bullet. I’m sorry big guy.” After several minutes of silence, Kaylie let out a triumphant grunt. “Got you, sucker.” When she dropped the object into the metal pan Jackie held in her hand, the women stared at it for a moment, looked at each other, and then dropped their gazes back to the pan.

“What is it?” Ben asked.

“It’s a silver bullet,” Jackie whispered. “An actual silver bullet.

What the hell?”

The twitching of a paw caught her attention. “He’s coming around.”

“No way,” Kaylie responded in disbelief. “I gave him enough sedative to knock him out a couple of hours.” While Kaylie readied another needle, Jackie half-turned to set the shallow pan on the stool she had pushed toward the head of the bed, and froze.

Actually, everyone in the room froze.

A slice of fear skated up Jackie’s spine. She knew better. Knew to keep her arms and legs inside the car at all times, and to keep them away from snapping teeth. But somehow, in less than a blink of an eye, her wrist and the majority of her left hand found it’s way into the brown wolf’s dangerous jaw. While the animal wasn’t crushing her bones like tissue paper, it’s razor-sharp teeth had penetrated the glove and was sinking into bare flesh. He didn’t bite through though. No. This was a tell-me-what’s-going-on-before-I-tear-off-your-hand maneuver.

Jackie looked into amber eyes full of intelligence, determination and pain, and rushed to explain. “I’m a doctor. You’ve been hurt. Shot actually, and you have several other wounds we’re tending to. We’re trying to help you, not hurt you further. We know you’re a shifter.” While she’d hoped her last words would reassure him, they instead caused him to clamp down just a fraction further, still not drawing blood, but with enough pressure to send her heart racing.

She licked her dry lips. The animal’s eyes followed the nervous gesture with a human-like intensity that shocked her. “There are four of us here. My Alpha, another male shifter and a human doctor. A vet actually.” She drew in a deep breath, and then let it out. “The bullet is out. We need you to shift so we can stitch up your wounds.” For what seemed like forever the wolf simply stared at her, his breathing deep and uneven. A rustle sounded from her left, on the animal’s blind side. “Don’t move,” she said at the same time the creature jerked his head. The instinctive reaction to an unseen threat shoved one of his canines through her skin and ripped the thin glove. Jackie winced. While it wasn’t the worst pain she’d ever felt, it still hurt like the dickens.

Suddenly a powerful surge of energy filled the room, causing the hair on her body to stand on end. Two seconds later a man lay on the bed where the wolf had been.

And what a man he was.

The buzzed dark brown hair topped a rugged, raw-boned face. His olive complexion, though pale from pain and blood-loss did nothing to detract from his strong features. His body was a perfect V-shape, broad shoulders tapering down to narrow hips with ropes of muscle upon muscle everywhere the eye wandered.

The light furring of hair on his chest arrowed down to a set of delicious six-pack abs and then flared once again at his groin. While a naked man wasn’t a new vision for Jackie, the fact, and size, of this man’s erection made her gasp.

Her eyes flew back up and in doing so she caught sight of a black and blue tattoo on his right arm. It depicted a timber wolf’s face in front of a six-sided shield. An emblem. One that she recognized and made all the female appreciation of a magnificent male specimen die a quick death. She didn’t even notice when the man removed her hand from his mouth and gripped it tenderly in his large one.

“Oh my God.” The husky whisper brought her around and she shifted her focus from the tattoo to Kaylie’s face. Not understanding what might have caused the exclamation, she followed the vet’s wide-eyed stare back to the man on her bed. Only this time they remained on his face.

His hand flexed once, then he threaded his fingers through hers, as if they were long-time friends, or lovers—or as if needing or giving comfort. But the whole time, his eyes were on Dean. Eyes the same distinguishing shade of emerald green as her Alpha’s.

Jackie breathed in deep, taking in the man’s scent, and nearly fell over. That’s what Ben had tried to tell her, and why she’d initially thought the man a wolf rather than a shifter. The wounded man smelled like Dean.

Not exactly the same, but similar enough to be a relative. A very close relative.

Her gaze flew to where her Alpha stood. The shock and recognition in his eyes had her gut clenching in fierce waves. Before either man spoke, she knew.

“Deanato?” The unknown shifter whispered out, the single word full of hope and fear.

“Alexander?” Dean seemed to sag before her eyes and Kaylie rushed to his side to wrap her arms around his waist.

It was so quiet in the room, only the sound of breathing was audible as Jackie looked from Dean to the man on the bed to Kaylie and then to Ben. She completed the circuit two more times before Ben finally broke the silence. “Well damn, Dean. Aren’t you going to introduce us all to your brother?”

Chapter Three

Ben was fake sleeping on her couch, Kaylie was passed out on her bed, and Dean and Alexander were still catching up in her exam room behind closed doors two hours later. Her pizza, along with three others Ben had gone out for were long gone and Jackie was about ready to drop. But her patient came first.

From the time she first left the room until know, Jackie had done some thinking, worrying, and re-evaluating. The thinking was more of a replaying of what had happened when Zan had her hand in his mouth, and then held it, absently stroking her palm with his thumb. The worrying was not due to her fear at the time, but because of an underlying jolt of electricity that had raced up her arm at the point of contact. A shock to her system that had everything to do with her wolf’s response to that touch.

Her beast, though locked inside her human form and yet no less of a creature for it, had stood up and taken sharp notice. The re-evaluating was how she was going to deal with the situation if it turned out this stranger, this man who was her Alpha’s brother, turned out to be her mate.

Blowing out a breath that lifted her bangs to new heights, Jackie filled a glass with what was left of her orange juice. Then she paused to square her shoulders and calm herself.

He’s only a patient. He’s only a patient.

She kept the mental chant up as she plodded to the second bedroom. After a brief knock she entered, trying not to stare at the naked man in the bed. Well, not totally naked. The bloody blanket had been removed and a clean white sheet covered the lower half of his body. But what remained visible was enough to make any woman’s mouth water.

Even with the white gauze wrapped around his torso.

Shaking off unprofessional thoughts of running her tongue over the strong cords in his neck, followed by a little nibbling, she handed the juice to the injured shifter. “Drink. It will help get your blood sugar back up.”

Alexander, “call-me-Zan”, accepted the glass, turning those magnificent eyes on her. “Thank you.” Jackie forgot her mental command, and stared. Zan’s eyes might be the same color as Dean’s but that was the only thing they shared. Zan’s were softer, welcoming, and held a spark of mischief. All of which made him more dangerous because of how she felt inexplicably drawn in. She forgot who she was, who he was and simply ached to tumble headlong into his warmth. All because of some stupid eyes.

Fighting the provocative pull, Jackie cleared her throat. “I need to check your wounds. You’re a fast healer, even for a shifter, and shouldn’t require the stitches much longer.” She made to touch him when her eyes caught that damn tattoo. Turning on her heel, she went to the metal counter and pulled on another pair of gloves. The precaution was ridiculous. If Zan was her mate, he’d already initiated the mating heat. Not only from a mere touch, but through his saliva by breaking the skin of her hand. Though it hadn’t been on purpose, the blood contact would only speed up the mating heat, accelerating it from a day or so to mere hours.

Or less.

While Jackie should be overjoyed at finding a mate, because it was damn near impossible, recognizing that emblem etched into his flesh and what it stood for made her want to scream in frustration.

“Doctor Chavez?”

Jackie jerked when Zan called her. “Yes?” She walked back to him and checked his wounds and bandages with deliberate professionalism.

She felt his eyes on her. “I know a General Chavez back in Virginia. Don’t suppose you’re related?”

Jackie barely kept from flinching. Ignoring his direct question, she responded, “It’s a common last name. You have three bruised ribs and one cracked one. The wound across your shoulder blades was superficial and nearly healed after you shifted.”

He made a noncommittal response, and continued to watch her with a focus that made her body hum. She adjusted the sheet to check the gash on his hips, keeping his groin covered not for his modesty but for her own rising libido. “Do you remember what caused this?” She caressed the heated flesh around the wound before she remembered the man was not only her patient and off-limits, but was so very wrong for her.

Her body didn’t agree. And when his body reacted to her touch, easily seen by the rising sheet that lay over his lap and his harsh indrawn breath, her own responded embarrassingly quick. Instantly her nipples tightened and a rush of liquid warmth swirled low in her belly, making her feel light-headed.

Hastily she straightened the sheet and took a step back.

One powerful shoulder lifted in a half shrug and Jackie nearly sighed. To her, Zan was prime-one perfection with his dark skin tone and muscled physique. Total eye candy as far as she could see.

And that’s all you’re doing. Seeing. No touching. And stop ogling!

“How I received that particular wound, no, I don’t recall. After I heard gunshots I took off running. They must have been downwind from me, otherwise I would have smelled the gun oil.” Jackie had been watching his mouth as he spoke. His bottom lip was a tad fuller than his top and she wanted to bite them both. Then she wondered how they would feel wrapped around her….

Ogling again!

She roughly shook her head, pretending the action was for him rather then to rid herself of naughty thoughts. “You were searching for clues about your brother. I think maybe you were a little distracted.”

“Which can get a wolf killed.”

Both men replied at the same time with the same comment, causing her to blink in rapid secession. “Well. All righty then.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” Jackie peered back into Zan’s face, seeing the remorse in his eyes, and nearly melted. She waved it off.

“You didn’t do any permanent damage,” none that she’d admit to at any rate, “and were only acting on instinct. I’d probably bite too if I were shot.”

Zan reached down to place the empty glass between his legs.

Helpless to refrain, Jackie followed the innocent motion. The wedged glass caused the sheet to tighten over his groin, every inch of him now outlined and thrusting against the thin material. Her thighs clenched as need made itself known by the throbbing between her own legs. In the next second her left hand was grasped in an unbreakable grip, her glove shifted up and off.

Before she could make a sound of protest, Zan’s lips were pressed to her bare hand. A zing of lust shot through her, startling in its intensity.

“What are you doing?” She squeaked.

“Apologizing. Hmmm.” He licked the barely there mark left by his tooth. The way his eyes glittered as he watched her reaction, she had the sneaking suspicion that the glass placement had been a deliberate move. A distraction of the most seductive kind. He turned her hand over and nuzzled her palm. “You smell so sweet.”

Jackie’s knees weakened. Zan’s tongue was rough and moist against her flesh and her brain fogged with desire. Then she caught a glimpse of Dean out of the corner of her eye, a thoughtful expression as he measured and assessed each action and response. The last thing she needed was to give away her thoughts or feelings to either man. They were shifters. They would use it to their advantage to get what they wanted. It wasn’t because they were bad men, it was just the way of dominant shifter males. It was the females that had the thankless job of keeping them in line.

Jackie yanked her hand away and felt her own beast snarl in protest. Oh, this was so not good. One shaking hand wrapped around her ponytail and stroked. A nervous habit she’d never been able to break and one that hadn’t appeared in a very long time. That it did so now only terrified her even more.

“Yes, well.” N
ice comeback, Jackie. Where’s your professionalism
now?
“You appear to be recovering well. I’ll leave you two alone and check back in the morning.”

Dean’s eyes narrowed on her face and his nostrils flared.

Mortified, she glared back at him as if everything was all his fault before sailing out of the makeshift clinic.

In a huff, she stormed into her room, belatedly remembering that Kaylie was asleep on her bed. Jackie barely caught the door before it slammed shut. Hoping her near snit hadn’t woken the younger woman, Jackie eased the door shut and held still, taking several deep, calming breaths. Then she toed of her sneakers, rounded the bed and inched on top of the covers. After a minute of silence she was still breathing deeply. Not because she was angry, but because something smelled…off. Not wrong or bad. Just…different.

Jackie turned her head to the right and nearly jumped out of her skin. Kaylie was wide awake and watching her with narrowed eyes.

“Everything okay?” Kaylie whispered.

“Just dandy.” Though Jackie bit back the words she really wanted to say, sarcasm was heavy in her tone.