Page 27 of Wolf's Midlife Baby

“Let me ask you something.” Hayden leaned forward. “Do you want to be with her?”

How could he not? She’d technically lied to him, but no matter how bitter Pierce felt about it, he knew she was just doing her best. It made his wolf rage with jealousy to know how much time she’d been spending with Kyle, especially in close quarters, but she’d only done it to try to keep everyone else from getting hurt. “Of course I do.”

“Then you need to figure out a way to make it happen,” Hayden replied. “If you don’t want the Dad routine, I’ll just give it to you straight. Work it out, whatever it takes, or you might regret it later.”

Movement in the shadows caught Pierce’s eye. Two forms took shape on the path that ran through the woods, right where some of the park lights still shone on them. “They’re here.”

The park around them went silent as Hunter and Connor reached the tree line. Limned in light, they stopped. They were just a couple of young guys who’d been out at a rock club. Max had served his normal function at the door of Selene’s. He’d confirmed that Kyle had been bold enough to come back inside, despite his fear of being caught, and that he’d followed Hunter and Connor back out. Kane had spotted them along the way. He’d also spotted Kyle, who’d gone back to his car and drove it to the edge of the park instead of following the young men directly.

Looking at them now, Pierce wondered if he would’ve had the balls to do something like this at their age. Hunter and Connor glanced around, careful not to look directly behind them, then let their humans go. They made a quick shift into their wolves, dropping to all fours and shaking out their tails before moving slowly down the path.

Pierce’s heart hammered inside his chest as Kyle appeared on the path behind the boys. He kept his distance, moving slowly and carefully for a human, but no wolf ever would’ve missed the noise of his footsteps behind them. Hunter and Connor had carried out their part of the plan. Now, it was time for Pierce to carry out the part he’d volunteered for. He stepped away from the tree and out onto the path. “Kyle. Nice to see you.”

The journalist came to a quick halt. Fear crossed his face for a moment before he managed to get it under control. He looked in the direction Hunter and Connor had gone and then back at him. “Hey. Pierce, is it?”

He knew damn well what his name was. “So you do remember me. I’m surprised to see you here. I thought everyone who came in for the Newman meeting had gone back home. What keeps you in Eugene?”

Kyle lifted his chin. “I think you know exactly what it is. You’re one of them, aren’t you?”

Pierce knew he had plenty of backup, but he didn’t need it. He almost wished he was alone with Kyle. His wolf reminded him what he could do if he really wanted to, but he restrained it. For the moment. “One of what?” he challenged softly.

“A wolf,” Kyle spat. “You’re a goddamn wolf!”

“Really?” Pierce stretched out his arm and straightened his fingers, examining his skin. “I look like a regular human to me.”

But Kyle wouldn’t back down. “I saw them, and I know they exist. You’re protecting them, and you were only getting close to Holly to make sure she didn’t find out. You were using her!”

Pierce snagged Kyle’s collar, twisting the material in his fingers as he yanked him close. He could feel control slipping away, and he wanted so badly to let it go entirely. “We can talk about who’s using Holly, but it sure as shit isn’t me. You only want her in on your little story to make your sorry ass look better.”

“So she told you?” Kyle pushed uselessly at Pierce’s hand. “That only proves my point! You charmed her so she wouldn’t expose your secret!”

“You’ve got it all twisted up inside that narrow head of yours.” Pierce felt his fangs pressing at the insides of his gums, threatening to descend at any moment. He could tear this guy apart with little effort, regardless of what form he was in. He wasn’t worth it, though. He let go of Kyle with a shove.

The journalist stumbled backward and fell on his ass. “I know what I saw. I know what’s going on here, and I’m going to prove it!”

Pierce spread his hands. “If you want wolves, I’ll give you wolves.” Behind him, the others stepped out of the trees. Rex, Brody, and Hayden emerged on two feet and quickly shifted to four. Hunter and Connor stepped out and joined them, still in their animal forms.

Pierce took pleasure in seeing the sheer terror on Kyle’s face as his fellow pack members stepped up to make a semicircle behind him. “I’m going to give you one chance, Kyle. Drop the story. Forget what you think you saw and forget what you’re seeing here right now. Let it all go and pretend it never happened, and you’ll never see another shifter again.”

Kyle’s heels dug into the grass as he shoved himself backward. He gulped and gasped as he watched the encroaching pack of wolves, his eyes wild with fear. “How do I know you won’t just kill me anyway?”

“I’m a man of my word,” Pierce replied. “If I make a promise, I follow through with it. If I let you look into the situation a little more, I think you’d find we’re all that way. Every single one of us.”

Staggering to his feet, Kyle backed away some more.

“We’re not interested in hurting you or anyone else,” Pierce continued. “We just want to live our lives in peace. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, do you?”

“How many of you are there?” Kyle asked, his eyes darting back and forth.

How could Pierce answer that safely? He’d been trained from childhood to pretend their kind didn’t exist at all, yet he needed Kyle to know it wasn’t just this small group that would want revenge if he carried out his plan. “Thousands. We’re all over the place. You can’t avoid us, and we won’t let you do this to us.”

Kyle swallowed as he took several more steps back. “I…I…”

Pierce took a singular step toward him. “Kill the story.”

“Never! They deserve to know the truth!” Kyle turned and ran.

His beast had been fighting to break free all day. As Pierce bolted forward, his wolf sprang out of him. Fur exploded on his skin as his back lengthened and his tail swished through the air. His paw pads landed on the grass beneath him as he and the others chased Kyle through the park. Saliva dripped from his jaws, and once again, Pierce was reminded of just how easily they could take Kyle down permanently.

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