Exploring Alaska (The Juneau Packs Book 3) Read online

  “You’re getting a whole new power system, solar and wind. There’s new bathrooms coming in, the chimney is going to be fixed. New front door, new back door, new deck, and later this summer new windows. A new water heater, and everything is getting painted. He’s also going to have someone come in and check the septic tank so we’re not dealing with a field of shit as we’re packing up at the end of the summer.” She paused, then finished, “Oh, and a whole house fan.”

  “Which we’re going to need if you keep having sex in the living room,” Delia teased.

  “I fully plan on sullying one of the new queen beds as soon as possible.” She gave Delia a ‘fight me on it’ look, and we all cracked up laughing.

  “And you’re sure you’re okay with paying for all that?” Brandy asked, her voice quiet and unassuming.

  “Yes, yes.” Delia waved her off. She cleared her throat. “So, I’m going to be doing some hiking on Thursday. Anyone want to go?”

  “Are you doing hard ascents?” Zanna groused.

  “Of course. There’s no real verticals around here, so I had to do hard ascents.”

  “By yourself?” Jess cocked her head at me.

  “I’m crazy, not stupid. I hired a guide. A local guy who’s certified in search and rescue. I thought it would be smart to have that since I don’t know anyone up here.”

  I was about to open my mouth and tell her I would go with her, but the little voice in the back of my head, the one that saved my sanity and my life over and over, spoke up, No. This is her trip. It is important that she go alone.

  Okay. I’d go another time. We had three full months to go. And I had an e-reader chockful of awesome books I wanted to get around to reading during that time.

  I was good.

  * * *

  Delia whipped the curtain open.

  I could hear the coyote pissing on the door.

  Zanna gasped. “Oh God.”

  Delia screamed.

  Zanna screamed back.

  The coyote howled, then ran.

  This would have been hilarious if there weren’t a pack of coyotes circling the house, yipping and howling.

  Jess’s phone was letting out a shrill ring, and someone on the other side tried to say hello. “Hrrrrr?”

  “Garrett? I’m so sorry. We don’t know what to do…”

  “Jessica?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s going on?” He coughed and cleared his throat. “What’s wrong?”

  “The coyotes are at the door. The fireweed doesn’t keep them back anymore. We’re almost out of it. We don’t want to shoot the coyotes.”

  “How close?”

  “Peed on the door.”

  There were only a few seconds pause, and he sounded more awake. “I’m on my way. I’m bringing someone with me. Keep the doors closed and the lights on, and the fireweed burning in the fire.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And, Jess? Don’t be afraid to use that gun.”

  “I won’t.” She swiped the phone off.

  Delia and Jess were taking the brunt of our angry stares. I couldn’t believe she bought a gun and had it in the car when we drove back. Jess walked to the kitchen pantry where she had stashed and held it out to Zanna.

  “You know how to do this better than me.”

  Zanna’s lip twisted. “I hate you.” She snatched the gun out of Jess’s hand and marched to the window while settling the gun in her shoulder.

  “I can’t believe you,” I hissed at her.

  “We needed to be safe,” Jess said with a shrug. “I just didn’t feel like we were after last night and the scratching at the walls.”

  “And you called your fuck buddy to help us?”

  Jess’s mouth fell open. “Addi, I’m not going to argue with you. I didn’t want you to know we had it. And Garrett said to call him if we had a problem. I didn’t think it would be this quick.”

  “I still can’t believe you slept with the electrician,” Brandy said. “We were only gone for four hours.”

  Jess was angry. “There was no sleeping. And, you’re lucky we felt like being decent and not just fucking our way through the house.”

  “Shut. Up,” Zanna barked from the window. “I’m glad we have the gun. I’m glad you finally got laid, and I’m glad you called him. Now all of you. Just shut up.”

  Everyone was about to start arguing again, when there was suddenly a howl at the front door. It was echoed at the back door. We all exchanged glances.

  I looked out the window again, watching the animals pacing and circling, yipping and barking. They were nipping and pushing each other.

  “I think they’re rabid,” Brandy whispered.

  “I think you’re right,” Jess said.

  Delia wrinkled her nose at her.

  “What? I think she’s right. This is not how animals behave.”

  One of the coyotes danced up onto the porch and sat, grinning at me. Grinned at me. I gasped and nailed Delia in the side with my elbow, and pointed out the window. “Look at that one.”

  Delia peeked out the window with me, then gasped. “Holy shit…”

  “Right? The guy I slapped into the wall for choking Zanna.”

  “Who choked Zanna?” Jess’ voice was angry now.

  “This guy at the bar we ate lunch at,” I explained. “He was a real creeper.”

  She frowned. “You didn’t bring me anything?”

  Delia grinned. “You had sausage.”

  It was enough to break the tension in the room a bit.

  Brandy poked her head out and stared at the animals outside. “Are you saying you think a guy in the bar is also a coyote?”

  “I might be,” Delia said.

  Zanna shouldered us both out of the window. “Clam it. Jess, how long until Prince Charming gets here?”

  “I didn’t think to ask. He lives at the bottom of the hill.”

  “This hill or like, two mountains over?”

  “I didn’t get his fucking autobiography, okay?”

  There was a flash of lights through the trees and a moment later, we all watched as the white van that declared ‘Timberwolf Electrical’ cleared the last line of trees.

  Jess gave a broad gesture. “There you go, there’s your answer.”

  The coyotes all froze where they were when the lights from the van swept over them. Shuffling and snuffling a bit, they looked like they were waiting for someone to climb out to make a decision about leaving.

  Another howl pierced the night air. The long, slow crescendo of a wolf rose from the far side of the truck. A moment later, a dozen more wolves answered, filling the dark with an ominous, frightening chorus.

  “I’m currently afraid I’m going to shit myself,” Zanna whispered.

  “Wolves, now?” I whispered. What the hell was going on? This wasn’t normal. Nothing about this was normal.

  As the chorus continued the coyotes yipped and danced and started to back off the house. The doors to the passenger cabin of the van popped open and two figures, one Garrett, and the other—

  My heart just absolutely seized in my chest.

  He was clearly Garrett’s brother, but he was also one of the most achingly gorgeous men I had ever seen. Broad shoulders, tousled brown and red hair, sharp green eyes. His button nose would look strange on someone else, but on him, it was perfect.

  They both marched to the porch, swinging a bright flashlight, and the coyotes scrambled. As soon as the last coyote jumped from the porch, Garrett and his brother started climbing the stairs. Jess unbolted the door and pulled it open.

  His big arms folded her into his embrace. She had such a happy grin on her face, such a sense of right, that the feeling of jealousy/hate tried to shoot me again, right in the heart.

  Garrett spared a smile for the rest of us. “Hello, ladies. Good to see you all again. This is my brother, Patrick. Patrick, these are our new neighbors. Jessica, Addi, Delia, Zanna, and Brandy.”

  Sweet jumpin’ Jehoshapha
t. Patrick was perfect.

  Zanna was trying to yank Patrick out of the door so she could close it.

  I felt the sudden urge to slap her hand away from my man.

  What?

  She groused at him. “Come on, come on, there are coyotes and wolves out there now!”

  Patrick grinned, and I died a little from bliss. “Don’t sweat the wolves. They won’t hurt you. I saw one or two on the way up. They’re part of the local pack.”

  “You know the wolves?” Jess looked at each of us. It was a good question. How did you get to know wolves?

  I blanched. “You know the coyotes, too, don’t you?”

  “We do, unfortunately,” Patrick said, facing away from me and peering out a window.

  His ass was magnificent.

  He moved to another window. “That’s why you’re going to come back to our compound for the night and we’ll have people up here tomorrow to repair and secure the property. Pack a bag, ladies. Come on down to the Mendenhall-St. Terese compound.”

  “Just leave the place?” Just the tone of Brandy’s voice told us all how she didn’t like that idea.

  “Just for tonight.” Garrett tipped his head.

  “But, this is my place. I shouldn’t be scared away by some mangy mutts. I need to stay and defend—”

  There was a bark and a sharp growl from beyond the trees, and all of us jerked back from the door.

  “I’ll get my bag,” Brandy said, scurrying off.

  Chapter Three

  I wasn’t happy. Not at all.

  A 2:00 a.m. wakeup call from my idiot Beta brother demanding I go with him meant I had no choice.

  “Knock! Goddamn it!” I screamed at him, throwing the covers over Molly.

  “We have to go. Come on.” He pitched my jeans at my head.

  “Uh, I have a guest.”

  He stared at me. “The coyotes are at the door.”

  I shot up in the bed. The damn coyotes. I snagged the boxers off the floor and yanked them on.

  “At the door?”

  Garrett nodded. “She said one of them pissed on it.”

  Someone marked the door of the house that Beta’s mate was staying in. “Too far, man.” I jerked the jeans up and buttoned them.

  “Patrick?” Molly fluttered her eyes at me and let the sheet fall down to show her breasts.

  Mrph.

  “I gotta go. Stay if you like, but I don’t know when I’ll be back.” I grabbed the sheet and tossed it back up.

  She engaged her puppy dog eyes. “You’re going to leave me here all hot and bothered?”

  Garrett had moved back to the doorway, and I sighed at him. “Stay or go. I don’t care. My brother needs my help.”

  Her look would have withered a lesser wolf. But I wasn’t a lesser wolf. I was the son of the Alpha and born to be the Beta of my brother’s pack.

  Garrett was pissed at that look. “Stay or go, Molly Gorsky, but you will not keep my brother from helping me.”

  She shrank back like a wounded dog, and there was a whimper that didn’t make it far. Before Garrett could make this worse, I grabbed his arm and we headed out of my house.

  Trotting to Garrett’s vehicle, we jumped into his truck and I knew what was coming.

  “Molly? Really, Patrick?”

  “Drunk. Horny. Willing. Stick it up your ass. And for the record, I’m still well buzzed.”

  “Great.”

  “What’s going on, anyway? Why are the coyotes pissing on doors?” The stupid seat belt finally clicked in.

  “Jessica called me. That’s what she said. The coyotes are circling the house. They all sounded terrified.”

  “You sure she’s yours?”

  “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?” I managed around a yawn. “Honest question. How do you know for sure?”

  Garrett peered at me as we pulled up to one of Dad’s enforcer’s houses. “Everything they’ve ever told you about meeting your mate? Dead accurate.”

  I raised my eyebrows. Even in my inebriated, post-coital haze, that cut right through. None of our friends or siblings had found their mates yet, so we all thought the ‘instant connection’ was bullshit.

  Now, here was the future Alpha of the St. Terese pack telling me it was dead-to-rights true.

  We picked up three more of the pack on the way up the hill: the twins Miles and Giles, and Ivan. Garrett explained exactly what was going on as we drove, and we dropped them off about fifty yards from the top, so they could go around the house and funnel the coyotes away.

  Garrett pulled up and parked. From the other side of the van where no one could see me, I leaned my head back and let out a howl to beat all howls.

  Garrett rolled his eyes as I followed him to the front door. “Really?”

  “What? That’ll get the stupid coyotes thinking.”

  He didn’t even have a chance to knock. Once the mangy mutts were gone, the door yanked open and Garrett threw his arms open to welcome the woman standing there.

  “Hello, ladies,” he rumbled.

  He was cheerful. At two in the morning. Bleh.

  I was still mostly drunk, so I just followed his lead with introductions and the like. I think I made a few smart-ass remarks, but wound up inviting them down to the compound in the end.

  A bark, a growl, and a howl convinced them it was a good idea. I chuckled as they scattered to grab a bag each.

  I headed over to the kitchen, but didn’t make it.

  The scent hit me.

  My mate was in this cabin.

  I sobered instantly, turning and staring at Garrett. “No way.”

  “What way?” He looked around confused.

  “There is no way that your mate and mine are in the same cabin.”

  Garrett’s eyebrows shot up. “No way.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Dude.”

  “I know. I don’t even know who it is,” I mumbled. “There’s five of them, right?”

  “Yes, and we can automatically eliminate Jess.”

  I nodded and trotted over to where my brother was standing in the door. “Usher them out as they get their bags. I’ll be able to tell.”

  Garrett nodded as the first of the five—someone I thought was named Zanna came trotting out with a backpack. She had a grim smile on, and Garrett ushered her out onto the pouch.

  Nope.

  Jess came next, with… Brandy on her tail. They walked out to the porch.

  Not my mate but…

  Garrett shook his head ever so slightly. So, he knew it too. Which meant Dad already knew. Brandy would be looked after carefully.

  The next was Addi. She had a rolling bag with her—

  Mate.

  She didn’t even make it across the room before my wolf went bananas. I was now stone cold sober, and I watched her walk across the room. Sandy blonde hair, soft hazel eyes, curves for days, and… something that made her pull herself in. Not outgoing like Zanna. Not take charge like Jess. She… withdrew as much as she could to not be noticed.

  Garrett ushered her out the door and it took all I had not to grab her and pull her to me.

  He cocked his head. I let out a breath and held myself back from following. “Yep.”

  Garrett shook his head, and I could see him trying not to laugh at me.

  The last of the friends came barreling out with a backpack. Dalia. She skidded to a halt. “We can still come back here, right? I have all my hiking gear here, and—”

  “You can come back,” Garrett said. “The cabin is still here and you all have the only keys. We’ll just keep you in the compound until we have a chance to re-secure everything.”

  “Okay, good. Let’s get away from the piss-crazed coyote. I need some beauty rest.”

  “You need a beauty hibernation.” Jess laughed.

  Dalia gave her the middle finger as she walked by.

  * * *

  I jumped out of the van and pulled it open as Dad and Mom walked up to the gate.


  “Brandy, Zanna, you’re going to be staying with my parents for the night. Mom, Dad, this is Zanna Kilkenny, and Brandy Yéil.”

  Dad reacted to the name I knew he would, and then covered it. We were smart to bring her to the Alpha’s house.

  He smiled and held out a hand. “Welcome to St. Terese, ladies. I’m Martin Pauler, and this is my wife, Olga. We have two warm beds and a hot breakfast in the morning.”

  “And no coyotes,” Zanna said, jumping out of the van with her bag. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Brandy rolled her eyes and climbed out, following our parents into the house.

  I pulled the door closed and Garrett rolled the van forward, driving another half mile down the road to my house. I pulled the door open.

  “Addi, Delia, you can crash with Patrick. I live right across the street, so Jess and I will be there. Get some good sleep. No one is getting a wake-up call until ten, because this four a.m. shit is for the birds.”

  Jess’s face was priceless when she realized we had just set up a perfect booty call for both of them.

  Addi and Delia followed me down to the house as Garrett pulled into his own driveway. I unlocked the door and led the two women into the house.

  The house seemed to sigh with relief.

  My mate was home.

  This was not the ideal situation, since I could still smell Molly in the air, and the bed was probably a mess. Not that she’d be sharing it with me tonight—that was too much for a human to handle.

  Also, I smelled like booze and tawdry sex.

  That was a great thought. Time for a shower.

  “All right, ladies, welcome to my den. I’ve got a bedroom for each of you. I’m afraid the covers are just for show. I’ll grab some sheets for you and we’ll get them all made up.”

  This was hard. Trying not to grab Addi and see what she tasted like? What her breasts felt like pressed against me? To hear what she screamed when she came—

  Damn. Too much. My dick was getting into the game. Absolutely had to play it cooler than this. There was a lot I had to explain. A whole lot.

  “Which one is yours?” Delia asked.

  “Down the hall, last door on the right. Both of the guest rooms are on the left. Take your pick.”

  Addi pointed to the one room. “It’s a king. Why don’t we just share this? That way we can not make two beds.”