Lynn nodded seriously. Stella quirked her mouth in a smile and said, “I’d actually rather they did show up, because then I’d know something. If nothing happens today, then I’m just going to be wondering when I’m going to turn a corner and Todd’ll be there.” Her smile flattened out. “Although I guess that even if they do show up today, they might just show up again later.”
“Trust me,” Ken said with conviction, “if they show up today, they’re going to learn that they’ve made a mistake.”
Lynn had smiled grimly. It was clear as day to Ken that she was looking forward to making some wolf regret his decisions.
It was also clear as day that she was the perfect mate for him. A woman who could kick ass—what more could a man want?
Now, he was out in the yard, scanning the forest from the cover of the patio.
Then he caught the scent.
Wolf.
He crouched and waited, easing his phone out of his pocket to text the Colonel. He didn’t shift yet. In his human form, his scent wouldn’t be as noticeable, and they’d be expecting there to be people around. He didn’t want to scare them off before he had a chance to give them a piece of his mind.
There was a soft tap on the glass door behind him, and he glanced back to see Lynn just inside. He motioned for her to stay where she was, and they waited together.
His mate guarding his back. That was a hell of a nice feeling.
The wolves came out of the forest in shifted form, two of them. But once they were in the yard, they shifted back to human. Neither of them was Todd, but Ken recognized them both as part of the game-watching group last night. They were nudging each other and laughing to themselves.
“Take a look at that house,” one of them was saying to the other. “She must have money.”
“What was she doing in that hole of a place with Todd, then?” the other wondered. “There’s no way. Maybe her other boyfriend lives here.”
“Guess we better show her what happens when she disrespects a wolf like that,” s
aid the first one. They both laughed again.
A fun prank, Ken thought grimly. Showing up to terrorize an innocent woman and her seventeen-year-old daughter. What a great time for the whole pack to enjoy.
One of the wolves had found a rock, about the size of his fist. He showed it to his buddy, who grinned, and then he hefted in his palm a couple of times.
Ken couldn’t think of a better opening than this. He shifted, keeping his body low-down behind the big bushes next to the patio. They still hadn’t seen him, and the wind was in his favor, so they weren’t scenting him, either.
The wolf hauled his arm back, ready to send the rock through one of the windows. Just as he was about to release, Ken leaped, letting out an ear-splitting roar.
He landed, crouched, in front of the two wolves. The rock fell from the first guy’s fingers, landing behind his back with a thump. The two of them scrambled backward, shifting belatedly.
Ken eyed them with disdain. They were small and scruffy; they didn’t look like they could handle themselves in a fight at all. Probably spent most of their time in human form drinking beer and watching TV, he thought—and when they were shifted, making trouble for others instead of hunting or learning anything about how to handle themselves.
He could see them sizing him up. Two against one, they probably thought. But he was a hell of a lot bigger than either of them.
The sound of the glass door got his attention. He cocked an ear, keeping an eye on the wolves in front of him. One of them had moved his attention to where Ken could hear the sound of footsteps. The other kept his frightened eyes on Ken.
There was a puff of displaced air, and then the scent of stalking lynx rose on the wind. Ken took one step to the side, leaving room for Lynn to take up position next to him.
Now there wasn’t even the slim chance of victory they might’ve hoped for before, facing just Ken. Two big cats against them, and even Lynn was at least as big as either of them, and in way better shape.
One of them decided to try anyway. With a snarl, he leapt at Lynn—choosing the smaller combatant, maybe hoping to enrage Ken by hurting her, push him into a bad decision.
He didn’t get the chance.
Ken leapt a split-second after he did, and they collided in mid-air. The wolf’s leap went sideways, and they landed hard on the grass, all of Ken’s considerable lion weight slamming into the wolf’s body—and his claws were out.
The wolf let out a high-pitched yip and showed his throat. One glance at the other one showed that he was backing away.
Oh, no you don’t. Ken shifted, standing up smoothly and stepping back out of claw range. “Shift,” he ordered them. “Now.”