A week later, Shelby threw her arms around me and gave me a squeeze. “Hey, girl!” We’d just arrived at Gibson’s place for my welcome-to-the-pack barbecue. Gibson, Ben and Shelby’s place, I should say. I was still getting used to the threesome thing in West Springs, including my own.
Which had been incredible to say the least. Days of being pampered with orgasms, constant attention, home-cooked food, and dominant men.
“Caitlyn, thank you for your help in getting the trackers out of the wolves.” Gibson came forward to greet me, too.
I flushed, still devastated over my role in that. This was the first time I’d seen Gibson since he’d driven up with the dead wolf. “Thank you—you’re the ones who removed them all. I would’ve gone out myself, and—”
“The hell you would,” Landry rumbled, giving my ass a warning squeeze from behind and nibbling my ear. I’d learned just how protective my mates were this week. And how much they enjoyed punishing my little transgressions when they felt I’d strayed.
Gibson and Landry exchanged a glance, and Gibson cleared his throat. “I’m very sorry about blaming you for any part of that. I’m sure I upset and scared you the last time we met and, well, I’ve felt terrible about it.”
I swallowed hard. I knew it must be hard for a dominant alpha like him to admit any kind of failing or shortcoming, but his apology showed how strong a leader he was.
“Thank you, but it turned out I was to blame.” I threw my hands in the air. “I just didn’t know it.”
I blinked back tears, thinking of how I’d played a part in the wolves’ deaths.
“Well, of course you didn’t, and I should’ve given you the benefit of the doubt. We all should have. I want you to feel comfortable in our pack. I know you mean everything to Landry and Wade.”
“She does.” Wade stood behind me on my other side. My mates had flanked me, very clearly showing they had my back this time. I was grateful, because despite my mates’ reassurances, I was a little nervous about meeting the whole pack. Fortunately, I’d met Landry’s parents—his mom and dad, and he’d told me he’d lost his other dad in a storm a few years ago—the other day, but they’d since gone off on an Alaskan cruise, and weren’t here.
“Well, I’m thrilled that you decided to take up a research position with Cord in the fall,” Gibson said, as the doctor walked up to greet us. Cord had made me a formal offer last night at roughly double the salary I was making at Granger State, and I’d accepted.
It wasn’t about the money—I’d hardly needed it now that I had no living expenses and two mates to dote on me. But I wasn’t going to be beholden to them. I had to stand on my own two feet, even financially. It was important to me, and they understood. But, the research also excited me, and I couldn’t wait to live in West Springs full time when my teaching obligations were complete. It couldn’t have worked out better.
“So am I,” Cord said. “Your mates and I are working on getting your lab set up this week so everything will be ready when you start.”
“You are?” I twisted to look at my mates, who were full of surprises.
“We’ll make everything perfect for you, sugar.” Landry winked. “Come on, we have a whole horde of shifters who want to meet you.”
We made the rounds. The whole pack wasn’t there, but at least fifty or so people milled around, and all of them welcomed me with kindness.
“Ah, there’s our wolf-protector.” John Randolph walked up.
“Me?” I laughed. “I don’t know about that.”
“No, it’s you,” he replied. When I’d first met him, he’d seemed angry and gruff. I’d been wrong. We all had. “You’re the human hell-bent on protecting our wildlife. It means a lot to this pack what you were willing to do to keep the wolf-dogs safe.”
I swallowed, touched by his thanks when I was still wracked with guilt.
“It’s true,” Wade said, brushing my hair back from my shoulder. “You should read the research paper she had accepted for publication. It presents the need for protection of the wolf populations in this area due to the genetic uniqueness of the native pack.” I felt Wade’s warm gaze lighting me up from the inside.
At first my mates had refused to even read my research paper, trying to prove how much they trusted me, but when they finally had, they’d been thrilled. They’d made a point of telling almost every shifter they’d introduced me to this week.
“Listen, I wanted to update all three of you,” John said. “I gave Hollaroy the maximum fine for violating Fish and Game laws, and revoked his hunting license. I’ve also contacted a lawyer in Montana—she’s a shifter—to see if there’s any possibility of filing a civil suit against him. Shelby and Marne speak highly of her, since she’s helped their pack in the past. That evidence Caitlyn provided may give us more options than I have through the Fish and Game department.”
He delivered this to Wade, and I stepped in close to squeeze my mate, knowing how important this was to him.
“Good thinking. Please let me know what she says,” Wade said, shaking John’s hand.
“I hate the idea of that man still walking around town,” Landry grumbled. “If he comes near our mate, it would give me a good excuse to give him what he deserves.”
“We’ll get him,” I promised them both. “I like the civil suit idea.”
Shelby appeared at my side again. “Do I get to steal you away yet? I’m dying to hear how it’s going now that you’re mated.” She flashed an impish grin at my mates, who reluctantly stepped back.
“It’s wonderful,” I said, looking from one to the other. “The best ever.”
Landry smiled and dragged his thumb across his lower lip, silently promising me I’d be getting another round of wonderful as soon as we got home. My pussy clenched in anticipation.
Wade growled.
“Allergies?” I teased, joking about how he’d tried to hide that growl from me before I knew his true nature.
“Yep. I’m allergic to you leaving my side. But in the name of girl-talk, we’ll let you go.” He winked and I blushed, walking backward as Shelby tugged me away, not wanting to miss even a second of the way my two mates devoured me with their gazes.
“Two mates is the best,” I murmured when I finally turned around.
“It’s unbelievable,” Shelby agreed. “Now, tell me everything.”
Ready for more Two Marks? Get Desired now!
We crave her scent. We can’t stay away.
There’s no chance we can keep from touching the new schoolteacher.
We claim a female. We mark her as ours.
But she’s a virgin and we have to be careful, because we’re wild for her.
We touch our mate. We can’t get enough.
A family is all she desires. We will give it to her, if it’s the last thing we do.
Ready for more Two Marks? Get Desired now!
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Also by Renee Rose
Chicago Bratva
“Prelude” in Black Light: Roulette War
The Director
The Fixer
“Owned” in Black Light: Roulette Rematch
The Enforcer
The Soldier
The Hacker
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sp; Vegas Underground Mafia Romance
King of Diamonds
Mafia Daddy
Jack of Spades
Ace of Hearts
Joker’s Wild
His Queen of Clubs
Dead Man’s Hand
Wild Card
More Mafia Romance
Her Russian Master
Contemporary
Daddy Rules Series
Fire Daddy
Hollywood Daddy
Stepbrother Daddy
Master Me Series
Her Royal Master
Her Russian Master
Her Marine Master
Yes, Doctor
Double Doms Series
Theirs to Punish
Theirs to Protect
Holiday Feel-Good
Scoring with Santa
Saved
Other Contemporary
Black Light: Valentine Roulette
Black Light: Roulette Redux
Black Light: Celebrity Roulette
Black Light: Roulette War
Black Light: Roulette Rematch
Punishing Portia (written as Darling Adams)
The Professor’s Girl
Safe in his Arms
Paranormal
Two Marks Series
Untamed
Tempted
Wolf Ranch Series
Rough
Wild
Feral
Savage
Fierce
Ruthless
Wolf Ridge High Series
Alpha Bully
Alpha Knight
Bad Boy Alphas Series
Alpha’s Temptation
Alpha’s Danger
Alpha’s Prize
Alpha’s Challenge
Alpha’s Obsession
Alpha’s Desire
Alpha’s War
Alpha’s Mission
Alpha’s Bane
Alpha’s Secret
Alpha’s Prey
Alpha’s Sun
Shifter Ops
Alpha’s Moon
Alpha’s Vow
Alpha’s Revenge
Midnight Doms
Alpha’s Blood
His Captive Mortal
Alpha Doms Series
The Alpha’s Hunger
The Alpha’s Promise
The Alpha’s Punishment
Other Paranormal
The Winter Storm: An Ever After Chronicle
Sci-Fi
Zandian Masters Series
His Human Slave
His Human Prisoner
Training His Human
His Human Rebel
His Human Vessel
His Mate and Master
Zandian Pet
Their Zandian Mate
His Human Possession
Night of the Zandians
Bought by the Zandians
Mastered by the Zandians
Zandian Lights
Kept by the Zandian
Claimed by the Zandian
Stolen by the Zandian
Other Sci-Fi
The Hand of Vengeance
Her Alien Masters
Regency
The Darlington Incident
Humbled
The Reddington Scandal
The Westerfield Affair
Pleasing the Colonel
Western
His Little Lapis
The Devil of Whiskey Row
The Outlaw’s Bride
Medieval
Mercenary
Medieval Discipline
Lords and Ladies
The Knight’s Prisoner
Betrothed
Held for Ransom
The Knight’s Seduction
The Conquered Brides (5 book box set)
Renaissance
Renaissance Discipline
Also By Vanessa Vale
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About Renee Rose
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RENEE ROSE loves a dominant, dirty-talking alpha hero! She's sold over a million copies of steamy romance with varying levels of kink. Her books have been featured in USA Today's Happily Ever After and Popsugar. Named Eroticon USA's Next Top Erotic Author in 2013, she has also won Spunky and Sassy's Favorite Sci-Fi and Anthology author, The Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance, and has hit the USA Today list eight times with her Bad Boy Alpha and Wolf Ranch series, as well as various anthologies.
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About Vanessa Vale
Vanessa Vale is the USA Today bestselling author of sexy romance novels, including her popular Bridgewater historical series and hot contemporary romances. With over one million books sold, Vanessa writes about unapologetic bad boys who don't just fall in love, they fall hard. Her books are available worldwide in multiple languages in e-book, print, audio and even as an online game. When she's not writing, Vanessa savors the insanity of raising two boys and figuring out how many meals she can make with a pressure cooker. While she's not as skilled at social media as her kids, she loves to interact with readers.