Chapter One

Clint Price jogged down the large gravel drive on his way to the guardhouse. The morning sun had already started to bathe the beautiful property in its colorful rays. The property he was staying on was magnificent. Clint enjoyed the lush green lawns and wide-open space. The dense forest called out to him, but it wasn’t time for that kind of run yet.

Two guards, Alan and Jody, saw him heading in their direction and opened the side fence so he didn’t have to slow down. He waved in appreciation as he passed, and they laughed, waving back. They were used to his morning routine by now.

It had been over a month since he’d first arrived at the Alpha Council compound in northern California. The group of guys he worked with daily had become great friends. Clint didn’t know how much longer he and his best friend, Kurt Moore, would be staying. They often took jobs in different Packs to help with security. Their years of serving in the military and getting the best training available ensured they had plenty to offer shifters. He enjoyed what he did, for the most part.

Clint had been traveling for so long that when he had to stay in one place, he grew agitated. Kurt was his family, and that was all he needed. Or it had been. This stop in California had actually opened his eyes to another need he thought he’d buried deep. Clint had never wished to settle down. Not in a town or with one woman. But maybe things were changing. He blew out a long, deep breath and picked up his pace.

From the entrance of the compound, he started south toward the town of Lovington, the huge property now at his back.

He never missed his run. Not only did it help keep him in shape, but the freedom of running also kept him from going stir crazy. Every morning, he ran in his human form, and every evening he shifted and ran as his wolf.

The Alpha compound was one of the nicest he had ever been on. Hidden in the northern mountains of California, the compound housed eight wolf Alphas, who served as the Council for the Packs of the United States. While the actual location of the Council compound was only known by a handful of people, the property stayed on constant high alert to keep the Council members safe at all times.

The shifters of the world had revealed their existence not too long ago. While the majority of humans had been shocked, most had taken to the shifters without problems.

But, as with anything, there were some who couldn’t accept the differences in the shifters and had named them evil and threatened them.

Four weeks ago, a Pack close to the Alpha compound had been almost devastated by fires around their community. Five fires in total, but luckily no one had been injured or killed. The Pack had fought back. Kurt, a member of the Pack, and Clint, along with two of their buddies, had gone there to help. With the assistance of the Pack members, they had been able to capture and arrest eight humans and two shifters. Clint and Kurt had escorted the two shifters to the compound for interviewing. Clint hadn’t been involved further, but he knew Kurt remained immersed in the investigation.

Meanwhile, Clint had been asked to remain there as a guard while the Council members tried to find out what threats still remained. He had also been asked to think about accepting a permanent role as head guard. Clint was considering the job offer, but his decision would also depend on Kurt. They’d been friends since they’d first met on the Marine Corps boot camp bus heading to Parris Island.

Theirs was a friendship made through tough circumstances and loyalty. They’d been stationed together several times before both had been recruited into the Special Forces.

At the time, the government hadn’t known about shifters. Having one of his kind by his side had made it easier for Clint to get through the last ten years.

They’d been through so much together. He considered Kurt his brother.

Kurt knew of Clint’s interest in a local, but since Clint hadn’t made a move, he couldn’t base his decision to stay on one woman. Even if he wanted to. What kind of idiot decided his future on the basis of what might happen with another person? Clint was close to being that idiot.

It was so unlike him that Clint was at a standstill on what to do about anything related to his future.

His footsteps echoed along the empty road as he hit his stride and relaxed into the routine of his run. He let his mind clear and just concentrated on breathing.

Before he knew it, he’d reached the edge of town. Lovington was a small community, and while they now knew about shifters, they had no idea what a powerful group lived miles up the road. To the outside world, the Council pretended to be just another Pack. They were in no way a normal wolf Pack, though. Those in position ruled the wolf shifter world as a Council. Other Alphas didn’t even know where the Council was located.

Packs contacted the Council by phone and email and only the highest-ranking Alphas had the opportunity to travel to the compound. Clint worked directly for the Council, but even he’d had to work for them for several years before he knew the Council location.

Once he reached town, he slowed, coming to the post office. He started his stretches and waved at Mrs. Carson as she passed on her way to the flower shop she owned. The older woman beamed at him, returning his wave. Relaxed and loose, he made his way into the post office and checked his box. There were only three items. A bill, a magazine and a letter. He looked at the return address and snorted. His buddy Samson wrote him every month. The letter could contain information about Samson’s job or his family, but most of the time he sent jokes or raunchy articles. Samson refused to get with the times and use social media or email. Samson claimed he was old-school. Clint believed his friend was merely stubborn. Clint loved that about Samson.

Samson was a character—however, he was also a dependable friend who Clint was glad he’d met in the military.

Samson was human, but Clint didn’t hold that against him. He was still a badass.

Clint tucked his mail under his arm before giving the man behind the counter a smile. Then he headed back out to the street.

His next stop was his favorite. If Clint were being honest with himself, the reason why he ran toward town instead of taking the route around the compound was because of his next stop.

The Blend and Brew Coffee House was located right in the middle of town in one of the storefronts on Main Street. He and Kurt had found the coffee shop their first week there. The atmosphere was homey and comfortable, the coffee perfectly blended, but it was the service that had him going back every morning.

He pulled open the door, breathing in the intoxicating aroma of freshly ground coffee, absorbing the hum of the espresso machine and laughter from the patrons.

He grinned at the sight of the woman behind the counter.

Today, she had her light-brown hair pulled back in a ponytail away from her face. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she joked with the college-aged kid working alongside her while she dumped espresso shots into paper cups.

She was several inches shorter than Clint’s six-foot-one frame. Just the right size, in his opinion. She wore her usual uniform of jeans and T-shirt under her brown apron with a picture of three coffee beans dancing on the front. It was cute, yes, cute. Clint snorted. He’d never found anything cute until he’d met Sara. She was messing with everything that he’d ever known about himself.

A natural hunter, Clint knew he could come across as dangerous. Hell, he was dangerous. But Sara made him feel like he could be a better person. That he had more to offer. It was a strange sensation that crawled down his spine each time he set eyes on her.

As Clint stepped toward the counter, Sara he threw her head back and laughed loudly. Clint’s cock woke up behind his running pants. Fuck, he wasn’t going to be able to hide an erection. He clenched his fists, pulling up all his control. He didn’t want to scare her. Sara was one of the few people who didn’t make Clint feel like a monster, and he liked it that way. She was a brave woman to be able to look him in the eye, morning after morning, and smile.

He knew very little about her except that every time he woke up, she was who he wanted to see. He enjoyed the sight of her ass in her tight jeans but had to imagine what she’d look like bared and sprawled out for him.

She looked up and spied him by the door. She smiled wide and called out to him.

“Hey, Clint!”

“Sara.” He sent her his best smile.

Sara Webb did her best not to let her hands shake as she spotted the man standing by the front door. Every morning like clockwork, Clint Price walked into her shop and she had to suppress the urge to leap over the counter and jump him.

A silly reaction for a grown woman, but damn, he was fine.

Clint had been coming in every day for weeks now and she still didn’t know much more about him than his name. Sometimes, he had a friend with him, but she liked when he was alone. Since he was on his own today, she took the opportunity to stare at him without having to avoid his friend’s knowing gaze.

Clint strolled up to the counter and she tried her best not to drool, watching his hard muscles as he walked forward. His sun-bleached blond hair, dark chocolate eyes and easy smile were always a welcome sight.

She finished the two drinks she was working on and placed them on the counter, calling for Christina to come pick up her order. Then she turned back to him while grabbing a towel to wipe her hands.

“You want your usual or do you want to be daring and try something new?” she asked like she did every morning.

He chuckled and shook his head. “The usual, please.”

She waved a finger at him. “One of these days, I’ll get you,” she teased.

His eyes darkened and her breath caught. Damn, that flash of arousal on his face made her ache. She leaned toward him. If Clint was as interested in her, Sara didn’t understand what he was waiting for. He barely flirted and never asked her out. Sara wished she had the nerve to make a move on him, but while she considered herself a progressive woman, she hadn’t been able to face rejection. Maybe there was a reason Clint merely watched her with his dark eyes. He could have a wife or girlfriend back at home. Hell, who knew what went on at that big mansion up the road.

His face blanked and the spell was broken. Damn it, another missed opportunity.

Hoping to hide her blush, she turned, grabbed a large cup then filled it with the day’s fresh house-blend coffee. Sara was proud of the product she was able to offer. She might own a coffee shop in a small California town, but her coffee was legendary. Even celebrities stopped in when they were close. The reputation of her coffee buyer helped draw in a crowd. Sara finished pouring, then placed the lid on before passing it over the counter to him.

“One large house blend, no sugar, no cream.”

He placed three dollars on the counter and pushed the money toward her before he winked and picked up the cup. He lifted it to his mouth and drank deep. Sara was caught up watching his throat work but had to turn away when she almost moaned out loud. Wow, Sara was going to have to figure out what to do about Clint eventually.

Her barista, Cecil, caught her eye and smirked at her. She glared, but couldn’t put any heat behind it. It wasn’t his fault that every time Clint came into the shop she wanted to lock the doors and have him bend her over the counter.

She flushed and waved a hand over her face. It was hot in the shop today.

Clint grunted and drew her attention back to him.

“I swear the coffee gets better every day,” he praised.

Too aroused to think straight, she couldn’t have come back with a witty comment if her life depended on it.

He patted the counter before turning and carrying his coffee to a table by the window. He dropped what looked like mail onto the table top and took his seat.

His back was to her now. He stretched his long legs out under the table and Sara had to grip the counter to stop from offering to drop between those powerful thighs.

Cecil came up beside her and hip-checked her. “You keep staring at him like that, and we’re all likely to catch on fire,” he teased in a low tone.

She smacked his arm and moved away to clean up a little, taking advantage of the lack of customers. Cecil had gone back over to wipe down the espresso machine, so Sara began clearing used cups and pastry wrappers from empty tables.

As she glanced around, she saw that in addition to Clint, there were two women giggling at one table, a group of five college kids in the couch and chairs and two business men in suits.

Business was good, and for that she was thankful.

It had been a big risk opening her own business, but she had saved her money, knowing what she wanted. She had a love for coffee and books. A perfect day for her would be to curl up in a comfortable chair with a hot cup of rich coffee and the newest mystery book. She was a book geek, enjoyed her quiet, small-town life and never wanted for more. That was, until a handsome stranger had first stopped in for his morning cup.

Now, she often fantasized about more.

Not that she wanted her life to change. She was happy, but meeting Clint had reminded her of an element she hadn’t realized she was missing.

She’d had plenty of relationships in the past, even a semi-serious one while attending college, but no attraction had ever been as strong as the one that drew her to Clint.

Remaining far enough from him where she could admire him without the threat of being discovered, she continued to watch him. He’d arrived in town a short time ago with Kurt. The town gossip had placed him at the shifter compound several miles up the road, so she had to assume he was one of the shifters. She didn’t know much about what that meant, though.

She’d grown up in the tiny town, not knowing anything about the shifters who lived among them. Her dad still worked as the sheriff. Her mom, before she’d passed, had volunteered at the local library.

When the news about shifters being real and not mythical creatures had come out, it was only then the town had learned that the large property close by was not only owned by a rich family, but actually housed a small group of shifters. She wasn’t even sure what type of animals. She’d read some news stories and several articles, but since the residents of the big house outside town had rarely visited, no one knew much about the local group.

It was only recent that the shifters had begun to appear in town regularly. Most of the younger ones, like Clint, stopped by the coffeehouse, went shopping and even grabbed a bite to eat at one of the restaurants on occasion.

Unless someone knew what they were, no one would never guess they were different.

Her dad had come clean with her after the shifters went public. He had known and had been committed to keeping the shifter existence quiet.

When she’d asked why he’d agreed to keep their secret, he’d explained to her that having the shifters there meant they would always have protection. Plus, he had informed her, it had always been that way. Even back when her great-grandfather had settled in town, the shifters had already been there. The humans had moved in and a truce had been reached.

The humans brought in businesses that were much needed to make the town look normal, while the shifters in Lovington vowed to protect everyone, shifter and human.

She could understand the logic, and it didn’t make much of a difference to her. She was intrigued, but until she’d met Clint, she had never given shifters much thought.

Movement drew her eye back to the man she had been thinking about. Clint turned and tilted his head to her with a frown on his face.

She hoped that he hadn’t been bothered by her attention. He had never seemed to mind before.

He didn’t look back at her as he rose, then pulled open the door and disappeared onto the street. The two men in business suits from the table next to him scrambled up and quickly followed after him. She called out a farewell to them, but they didn’t even acknowledge her. Clint’s abrupt departure bothered her more than it should have. Usually he smiled or waved when he left.

Sara scurried back around the counter where Cecil was almost done with cleaning. She glanced at her watch and saw it was almost time to start on the books. She enjoyed working the counter for the morning rush, talking with her regulars and hearing the latest gossip. But once it started to slow down, Cecil could handle the rest of the shift.

“I’m going into the office,” she told her employee.

Cecil nodded. “Don’t worry about me,” he told her. “I’ve got this.”

She smiled and headed into the back where her office was located, the blond-haired, brown-eyed man still foremost in her thoughts. Sara wondered if Clint had any idea how much she craved his touch. Really, if he was a shifter wouldn’t he be able to pick up on that? In one article or another, she’d read that strong shifters picked up emotions from others.

If Clint could, then maybe he was humoring her.

Sara obviously wanted him and maybe he just didn’t care.

Clint continued down First Street, keeping his senses open. He pretended to window shop before he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed the speed dial number for Kurt.

His friend picked up on the second ring. “Don’t tell me, you’ve finally decided to stay in town and take that pretty coffee shop owner up on her unspoken offer to go into the back office,” Kurt said, laughing.

Clint growled. Kurt had been giving him a hard time about his daily visits to the coffee shop, asking why Clint didn’t skip the coffee and take the woman. If only things were as simple as that.

“I’m being followed,” Clint told him instead.

“What? Where?” Kurt became serious.

“There were two men at the coffee shop. Blue business suits. They didn’t say one word to one another the entire time I was inside. But they had their eye on me, trying not to be obvious about it,” Clint explained.

“Which only made it more obvious?” Kurt guessed.

“Yeah,” Clint confirmed. “As soon as I left, they followed, although they’re still keeping a pretty good distance.”

“I’m already on my way,” Kurt told him. “Try to act like you haven’t seen them.”

“No problem,” Clint responded. He stopped in front of the candle shop and leaned closer as if he was looking at the display.

In the reflection, he could still see the two men across the street watching.

“Where are you?” Kurt asked and Clint could hear Kurt’s tire squeal over the line.

“Still on First Street,” Clint answered.

“Good. Head down to the park. It should be almost empty this early. I’ll be there shortly. Don’t kill anyone.”

Clint snorted and pocketed his phone before slowly strolling to the park at the end of the block. It wasn’t as though he went around and killed people. Well, people who didn’t deserve it, he amended. And he couldn’t cause trouble in the middle of town, anyway.

Clint liked the area. Loved the park.

He’d always felt comfortable coming into town. His dad had spent years working with the Alpha Council while Clint was young. His mom, brother and Clint had officially stayed in their birth Pack, but visited often. He didn’t know how his parents managed such a strong marriage with his dad being away so much, but his mom and dad were happily married and still very much in love, from what he could tell.

The small park was open to the public but was mainly used for festivals. It did have a well-kept playground, several benches to sit on and even a large open space where some of the residents played football, Frisbee and other games.

He sat on one of the benches close to the street. The two men had fallen back even more, but they were still within sight. Clint stretched his legs out and massaged his calf, acting like it was bothering him.

The two men came closer and he prepared himself.

They were speaking in low tones, and Clint cursed that he couldn’t make out the words. Kurt would probably have been able to. Clint’s expertise was in hunting down prey, human or animal. With his military training, Clint had been able to track for miles and miles. It was said no one else in the States had the ability like him.

He waited until they were a few feet away before standing and facing them. “Can I help you gentlemen?” Clint asked in his most menacing tone.

They jerked back but didn’t say anything.

“You’ve been following me for some time,” Clint said. “What can I do for you?”

The younger one, with black hair and a sneer on his face, straightened his shoulders. “Are we supposed to be afraid of you, evil creature?” he replied, turning up his lip.

Clint leaped over the bench and grasped him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. The man struggled in his hold. His partner took a step toward Clint, but Clint just growled. He froze and Clint heard Kurt’s truck skid to a stop.

His friend was beside him in seconds. “What seems to be the problem here?”

Clint shook the guy he still had a hold of. “We’re evil creatures,” he shared with Kurt.

Kurt shrugged. “Okay?”

The older man sputtered, “You…you p-put him down right now.”

Clint scoffed, “I don’t think so.”

“Talk and talk fast before my friend here loses his temper,” Kurt ordered.

“We only want a meeting!” he cried.

Clint lowered the younger guy but didn’t release his hold. “So you insult me?”

The man shook his head. “No, no…he didn’t mean it.”

Clint snorted and glanced at Kurt. Kurt crossed his massive arms over his chest. “Meeting with who?”

“Your boss. We have an associate who would like to have a word with the Alpha,” he said, still clearly upset.

Clint and Kurt exchanged glances. There was no Alpha there. That was not how the Council worked. So, at least these two men didn’t know about the Council. That was a relief.

“And how do you know one of us isn’t the Alpha?” Kurt asked with a smirk.

“The Alpha never leaves. No one has ever seen him. You two have been around town and only in the last month,” the man replied smugly.

Kurt narrowed his eyes. It was obvious they had been under surveillance. “We’ll pass along the message,” Kurt stated.

“No, that’s not good enough,” the man argued. “We must present this to your Alpha ourselves. We demand you take us to him.”

Clint snorted. “You have no idea who the Alpha is, and you think we’ll just take you to meet him? Either you two are the biggest dumbasses I’ve ever met or you think we are.” He lifted the man higher, then launched him several feet, making sure both strangers understood how strong they were.

The young man flew into the street, where he landed hard. He groaned and rolled into a ball.

“Your card?” Kurt asked, holding out his hand.

The older man scrambled to pull out his wallet and slapped a card into Kurt’s hand, then hurried over to his partner.

Kurt motioned his head to his truck and he and Kurt climbed inside. Clint kept his eye on the side mirror until Kurt had driven them out of sight. There was no point in not going back to the compound. The location was secret, not in town anyway, but the guards were going to have to keep an eye out. While this was the reason he and Kurt were there, Clint hoped they wouldn’t be trouble. Not when he was getting the nerve to settle down there.

“Man, that was fun.” He sat back in his seat and grinned at Kurt.

Kurt chuckled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. If you don’t get to choke someone every few weeks, you seem to get cranky.”

Clint flipped his friend off but was still smiling. “So, what was that about?”

Kurt shook his head. “They had to know that we would never have taken them into the compound. Maybe it was their way to let us know we’re being watched?”

Clint chewed on his bottom lip. They had tracked him down at the coffee shop. That meant they knew his schedule. He didn’t like that one bit. He didn’t want to put Sara in any danger.

That thought worried him above all else.

“So how’d it go with your girl? Did you actually talk to her this time or did you grunt at her like you normally do?” Kurt asked, eyeing him with amusement.

Clint slumped in his seat. “I don’t grunt at her,” he argued.

“Sure, man, you don’t grunt at her.” Kurt laughed.

Clint ignored his friend. He was pretty sure that Sara didn’t think he just grunted at her. The two strangers’ eyes weren’t the only ones that had been on him. While Sara had been cleaning, she had also been checking Clint out. Of course, that didn’t cause the same unsettled and aggressive feelings the two men had. No, when Sara watched him, it was different. His cock perked up and his blood pumped in his veins.

For ten years, he had followed every order and given every second of his time to protect what he believed in. Now, as he moved out of that responsibility to another phase in his life, he wanted someone to share it with.

He didn’t know if Sara was the one he was meant to settle down with, but she sure was who he wanted. But he couldn’t exactly say that to Kurt.

Kurt had given up his first love, had only recently seen her again, and he’d had to watch her with another man.

Clint didn’t believe that Kurt still loved Becca. He thought it was more that Kurt had gotten to the point where he was looking back on his life and seeing his mistakes.

They reached the gates and the same two guards as earlier waved them through.

Kurt stopped the truck in front of them. “We ran across some trouble in town. Make sure you keep an eye out. No one gets through without one of the Council’s approval.”

Both men nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Clint grinned at the eagerness of the two guards. They had been scared shitless of Kurt and Clint when they’d first arrived. Now, it had turned to awe.

“Stuff it. They’re just kids,” Kurt grumbled as he drove toward the house.

“Yes, sir,” Clint said as serious as he could.

Kurt ignored his cheekiness. “I’m going to take this card to the Council. You wanna come?”

Clint trusted the guards, but he wanted to check out the property himself. Plus shifting would help calm him after the spike of adrenaline from the encounter with the two humans. Clint thought it important to allow his wolf side the freedom to roam.

Being a shifter made him different from humans, but he was also considered strange by other shifters. Some shifters thought of their animal as another half. They referred to their shifter form as he or she. Clint knew the wolf was a part of him. He had the ability to transform into an incredible animal. But it was still his feelings that rushed through him even when he was covered in fur and on four feet. It was his thoughts racing as the wind ruffled his hair while he leaped and jumped. Clint was his wolf and his wolf was him.

“I think I’ll check around the property. Make sure everything is secure,” Clint replied. “Don’t want those assholes from earlier thinking they can sniff around.”

Kurt pulled the truck up to the compound and stopped. “Sounds good. I’ll let them know you’ll be available if they have any more questions.”

They went their separate ways outside the vehicle. Kurt headed into the house and Clint continued on around the side of the building. He jogged toward the line of trees and, once under cover, started to strip. Unlike in the movies, clothes didn’t shift with them or magically disappear. If they were to change while dressed, their clothes would rip and tear. Clint had lost many pairs of jeans through not being able to get naked fast enough.

He knew the rotation of the guards and had timed it so no one would come up on him in the middle of his shift. Trust was hard for Clint and transforming left him vulnerable for a few minutes.

He breathed, double-checking he was, in fact, alone. Satisfied, he dropped down and begun to shift. Luckily, his change was painless. He’d heard stories that if someone fought the change or waited too long, it could hurt.

In wolf form, he was huge. Kurt had taken a picture of him once and Clint had been impressed with his animal form. Damn, he loved to shift. The freedom of being able to do so anytime he was on the compound was one of the reasons he was thinking of accepting the Council’s job offer.

Once he was on all four furry paws, he took off to run the length of the fence that surrounded the property. He trained his attention on the scents around him, making sure no one and nothing had come over the barrier and only those who belonged were present. He also kept an eye out for any weakness in the fence.

He was proud that the security was still holding strong. The compound was secure. Once he was certain everything was in place, he trotted back under cover. Instead of shifting back right away, he decided to lie under the shade of one of the trees to rest.

The events of the morning hadn’t been too bad. He’d handled worse. But the possibility that he could be putting Sara and the coffee shop in danger bugged him.

It pissed him off, as matter of fact.

He would shift later and sneak back into town. He knew that Kurt would go with him if he asked, but this was something he wanted to do on his own.

Kurt would understand. His friend had been pushing Clint to make his move on Sara for a while now. Clint had been waiting until he’d made a decision whether to stay before he approached her for anything more than coffee.

The strangers in town had taken time away from his plan. But he knew he could protect Sara. Watch over the entire town if he needed to. It was what he was trained for.

He was the hunter of the unit. His senses were the sharpest of them all, and the unit he’d been assigned to had never been ambushed in all their years of service. He had experience blending in with his surroundings and knew he could get to town and back without anyone seeing him.

Resting his head on his paws, he closed his eyes and let the sounds of the leaves in the breeze sing him to sleep. In his mind, he pictured how beautiful Sara had looked that morning.