Chapter 1
Damn libido.
Stacy Moraine stared glumly across the grassy lawn to where her three boys were—well, cavorting was the only proper word.
There was leaping and jumping, all of it mixed with excitement to an over-the-top, puppy-zoomies level. At ten, six, and five, the boys as puppies with zoomies was the perfect comparison.
Which was wonderful. Seriously wonderful. The trio happily at play on the grassy lawn of Timberwolf Lodge was everything Stacy had hoped for. That they were safe and free to be themselves made her heart pound with joy.
The part that made her head pound was the man being leapt and jumped over. Delaney Vezina. He of the strong biceps and rippling forearms. With neatly trimmed black hair, manicured beard and mustache, and almost too-pretty features on his tanned face, he could have graced the cover of Royalty Today or GQ Magazine.
Gee, Stacy, isn’t it terrible that the man is not only gorgeous but kind enough to spend time with your children? So rude of him.
She turned away to deal with the conflicting battle in her gut and came face-to-face with her sister.
“You need to take over all the cooking as soon as possible.” Stephanie balanced her hands on her knees and leaned forward, her nose bumping into Stacy’s.
“What are you talking about?”
Stephanie pressed a thumb to Stacy’s eyelid and pushed it up, peering into the whites of her eyes. “I could have sworn those egg rolls we had at lunch were still good, but the way you’re muttering, you must be feverish. Food poisoning can be a dangerous thing.”
Good grief. “You are not getting out of doing some cooking,” Stacy snapped, stepping away from Stephanie’s grasp. “And stop touching me.”
Her sister snickered. “She’s touching me. Lordy, Mum and Dad used to hate it when we did that.”
The brief shared memory was enough to make Stacy smile. “The boys do it now as well. It really is annoying.”
“That’s part of their job description. Number five on the list. Must annoy your mama daily.” Stephanie caught Stacy’s arm and tugged her toward the house. “Since I see the kiddos are still in good hands, come on in. Let’s make those final decisions about kitchen renovations, shall we? You’ve been driving Blue and Jace crazy by ignoring their requests.”
It had all been so sudden, Stacy realized. “I’m pretty sure I’m still in shock,” she admitted, her feet moving toward the house even as she darted a final glance back at the boys. “Moving across the entire country happened less than a week ago. And while I knew we were going to be preparing Timberwolf Lodge for guests, I thought we had a full year.”
It had been the answer to so many problems. Her close friend, Cassidy Rundle, had entered a lottery and shockingly won an eco-lodge in the Jasper, Alberta wilderness. All three of them, Cassidy, Stacy, and Stephanie, were now co-owners of the majestic main building and scattering of cottages.
This was now home.
Discovering the area was also home to a large pack of wolf shifters had been a bonus. They had already known the impossible was possible. Stacy’s firstborn son, Colt, had shifted at four months old—a gift from his military father who had been killed while on tour before even knowing Colt was on the way. To say they’d been surprised was…
Well, Stacy was good at suspending disbelief by this stage of her life.
“We do have a year. Only we also have magical help right now, so it will go much faster.” Stephanie stopped tugging once they reached the kitchen area of the lodge. “One reluctant cook acquired, as requested, sirs. Off to my next assignment.”
Adorable smirk firmly in place, Stephanie snapped a salute at the two men in the kitchen, turned on her heel and left the room.
“Hey, reluctant cook. Come show me how tall you are.” Jace Carter winked at Stacy as he held out a hand.
He was as good looking as Del, but in a rougher, motorcycle-rider style. Dark brown hair a little longer, a little messier. Jace wore faded blue jeans and a blue flannel shirt. Typical, ordinary workday clothing. It was the sense of power radiating off him that made Stacy approach cautiously.
Not out of fear, mind you. The man—wolf shifter—had already proven he was worthy of being treated with utter respect. Alpha of the Jasper wolf pack level respect.
“I need to be taller?” Stacy asked.
“Not at all.” The other man in the kitchen was the opposite of Jace. His surfer blond hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, and today’s board shorts and tie-dyed T-shirt were florescent green and orange. Blue Carter tucked his hammer into his work belt then slid a stool toward the cupboards. “We’re building to accommodate.”
Stacy eyed the stool. “I’m not that short.”
“But you have kiddos who are,” Blue pointed out cheerfully.
“And these counters need to be replaced, anyway.” Jace nudged her closer to the center. “Grab a bowl from the cupboard and pretend to make something.”
“Cookies,” Blue ordered. “Peanut butter cookies.”
Jace paused with his measuring tape out and frowned at his cousin. “She’s pretending. She can make anything she wants.”
“But I want peanut butter cookies,” Blue whimpered. His obviously fake pout was somehow charming, and Stacy stifled a giggle.
She had no idea how he did it, but being around Blue was like taking a deep breath on a summer day. The traces of nervousness that had struck when she’d entered the room vanished.
Stacy made eye contact with Blue as she pretended to stir. “Mixing up the batter now. I wonder if I should put chocolate chips in the peanut butter cookie batter?”
“Never,” Blue said.
“Always,” Jace offered at the exact same moment before glaring at his cousin. “Stop it with the Omega woo-woo. Go help Stephanie and Cass with the bathroom wallpaper job and stay out of trouble.”
Blue winked at Stacy again before wandering toward the second floor. “Oh, ladies. Prepare yourselves for the arrival of the awesomeness that is me.”
His call echoed up the stairs.
It was answered by a shout from Cassidy, Stacy’s best friend and now co-Alpha of the wolf pack at Jace’s side. “Hide the good chocolate.”
Beside her, Jace chuckled softly. He tilted his head toward the upstairs. “Cassidy will have her hands full with those two.”
The way he spoke her name made it clear he was head over heels with Stacy’s bestie, no matter that it had only been a couple weeks.
“Cass can handle them,” Stacy assured him.
“You ladies are handling all of us far too easily. And we like it.” Jace grinned widely before returning his attention to the measuring tape.
Stacy glanced out the window, her heart skipping another beat as she watched Del with her boys.
Handling Delaney. Now wasn’t that a thought? Touching Delaney, tugging his strong body over hers and losing herself in him… What had Jace said? It was far too easy to imagine enjoying naked time with Del.
She stared out the window, shocked when his gaze shot up to meet hers. As if he could see her through the mirrored windows. As if he knew what dirty thoughts played through her head.
And when a huge smile stretched across Del’s face, Stacy dropped her imaginary bowl and covered her red-hot cheeks with her hands.
**
A bit of heaven on earth. That’s what Timberwolf Lodge was, Del decided. He couldn’t help but grin as he turned his gaze on the old lodge building where laughter rang from an upstairs bathroom window.
“Mr. Del, watch me,” kiddo number three demanded, the five-year-old tugging on Delaney’s T-shirt with one hand as he held the basketball in his other.
“Ace, don’t cheat,” the oldest of the three boys ordered his youngest brother. “You need to wait your turn.”
“Not cheating. I need to go now,” Ace insisted, hopping from one foot in a way that made Delaney wonder if showing off his basketball throws or something else needed to happen immediately. Like a trip to the outhouse.
“Mr. Del, can we go to the treehouse?” The middle of the boys, Blaze’s shocking red hair stuck up in a tangle like his namesake. “Can I tell you a joke?”
“I want to show—”
“Stop poking him.”
Del had been Alpha for a large and rambunctious pack for years, but right now, with the scent of his unapproachable mate lingering all over her children, his nerves were a tad more stretched than usual.
He snapped up a hand. “Stop the ruckus.”
They all silenced instantly. Which shocked the hell out of him in some ways until he realized he’d spoken a little too sharply. Used too much…power.
Damn it. That was not the way to make a good impression on them, and by extension, on their mother.
Stacy. The woman who had made every bit of Del stand up and take notice from the first instant. She smelled amazing. She was amazing—the fact that she’d punched Del within minutes of meeting him only made him want her more. Strong, powerful.
Perfect.
His fated mate, although he wasn’t going to introduce that truth into the picture for a long, long time.
Del dropped to his butt on the grass and took a deep breath. “Sorry, guys. I was wrong to use my scary wolf voice on you.”
Blaze fell to his knees in front of Del, a frown folding his face. Ten year-old Colt copied Del’s positioning but sat a little farther away as if judging the safest distance. Not too close, not far enough away to be rude.
Ace ignored both his brothers and tugged on Del’s arms until he opened them and made room for the boy to settle in his lap.
Del’s heart was about to burst from his chest.
Chin lifting, Colt spoke first. Oldest brother bravery shoved to the foreground. “You were Alpha for the pack. That means you’re powerful.”
“It does. But that doesn’t mean I get to be an ass”—he switched words instantly when Blaze’s eyes widened—“I mean, jerk by using power when it’s not needed. So I want to apologize. It wasn’t right.”
Ace patted his face. “It’s okay. I can tell you’re very sorry.”
Del chuckled. “I am very sorry. Thank you for not putting me in time-out.”
“I don’t like time-out.” Ace sniffled a little and spoke very quietly. “Once I got time-out because I bit Robby at daycare. He was being mean, but Mama said I had to use my words, not my teeth.”
“You have a very wise mama,” Del assured him. “Only, teeth are sometimes needed as a wolf.”
Colt took a deep breath. “Can you tell us more? About the pack, I mean. And being a wolf?”
“We don’t have wolves, Ace and me,” Blaze said. “But we’re still pack, right?”
“I like being a wolf,” Ace nodded. He bared his teeth carefully, as if assessing Del’s reaction. “Grrrr.”
“You’re a very good wolf,” Del said to Ace before meeting Blaze and Colt’s gazes in turn. “You’ll find out more about the pack, and wolves, over time. But yes, you’re all part of the pack. Cassidy and Jace are your Alphas. Blue is your Omega, and you have lots of pack mates.”
“And you’re the Enformer,” Ace announced with glee.
“Enforcer,” Colt emphasized before sighing. “I want to learn more about being a wolf, but Mom is worried. Especially after we got stuck in the water.”
The memory of it made Del’s blood run to ice. Days earlier, Stacy had followed bad directions, and she and the boys had ended up trapped in their minivan in a flooded river. It had been a miracle they’d been saved, thanks to Jace, Del, and Blue working together. Part of why Del was spending time with the kids that day was to make sure they were fully recovered. Until this moment, they hadn’t even mentioned the near disaster.
“How are you guys doing after your dip in the river?” Del asked cautiously.
“I had a scary nightmare,” Ace announced excitedly. “It rained and rained and then the toilet swallowed me up!”
“Very scary,” Del agreed. He glanced at Blaze. “Did you have any nightmares?”
The boy’s red hair bounced as he shook his head. “Nope. You were a good helper. And Colt turned into his wolf and snuck into the bed with me and Ace. So that was okay.”
“Glad to hear it.” Del eyed Colt. “You take good care of your brothers.”
Colt shrugged then nodded. “I like being with them. It makes me feel happy inside.”
“Probably because your wolf is the kind who needs to be helpful.” There was something about the kid that made Del wonder.
“Maybe. That’s why I want to learn more. I don’t want to upset Mom, but I need to figure it out. Is there some way you can help me, but not scare her?”
Because scaring Stacy was the last thing he wanted, Del dipped his chin firmly. “I think so. Let me talk to Jace and Blue and see what we come up with.” He squeezed Ace for a moment then placed him next to this brothers, all in a row, watching him intently. “In the meantime, we need to practice a serious pack activity. You ready?”
Three sets of eyes focused on him. “Yes, sir,” they sang in unison.
Del patted his belly, then his chest. “Start here, pull all your power into your heart, then let it rip.”
He threw back his head and howled.
Three little boys joined in, squeaky sopranos above his powerful ringing alto. It was pure magic, and inside Del, a key turned. Opened. A place he hadn’t even known that he’d had locked away.
Joy. Magic.
Family.
This was what he’d been craving. He’d fought to do right over the years. Being Alpha to the Jasper pack had been a reward in some ways, a punishment in others. But this moment was pure, sweet joy, The acceptance and happiness in the boys’ howls—
Del wanted this forever.
He wanted forever with his mate, Stacy. Wanted to have a family with her by his side. He knew what had been missing from his life, and he was going to do whatever it took to make it real.
Which meant he needed to have a serious discussion with his new Alpha, PDQ.
Amusement struck. He was about to get sneaky in a brand new way because Alpha no longer meant only his cousin, Jace. Del couldn’t wait to pull a fast one and chat with Cassidy, Jace’s mate.
Finding a path forward and pissing off his cousin? Total win.
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