Loving Paws Read online

  Loving Paws

  A Wolf Shifter Mpreg Romance

  Preston Walker

  Contents

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  1. Caleb

  2. Lucien

  3. Caleb

  4. Lucien

  5. Caleb

  6. Lucien

  7. Caleb

  8. Lucien

  9. Caleb

  10. Lucien

  11. Caleb

  12. Lucien

  13. Caleb

  14. Lucien

  15. Lucien

  16. Caleb

  17. Lucien

  18. Caleb

  19. Lucien

  Epilogue

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  1

  Caleb

  “Do you have everything ready, Mr. Haust?” my assistant, Tyler asked as we stepped out of the car. Bill, my newly hired security guard, followed closely behind us.

  “Yes,” I replied, waving my thanks to Andy, the driver, before he took off again. “I’ve gone through my papers dozens of times this morning. I’ve rehearsed at home and in front of my friends. If anything goes wrong today--which I’m sure won’t happen--it sure won’t be my fault.”

  My assistant, an overworked and high-strung young man who had come to Capitol Hill right out of high school, gave me a strange look. With all the tensions of the day, he probably couldn’t even fathom the idea of me even attempting humor. It was quite unlike me, after all, but I was anxious too. He just gave me a quick nod and we went on our way towards the town hall.

  Instantly, my anxiety went up a level when I saw the sheer number of people who were attending our little event. A crowd had already formed in front of the main stage, and by the looks of it, there were still a large number of people pouring in.

  “Wow. I didn’t expect so many important people to show up. I’ve gotten so used to the kind of crowds we get at meetings that this just feels…surreal,” said my assistant as he looked around.

  It was exactly how I felt. The goal had always been to make enough of a splash to get these kinds of supporters, and now that I was here, it felt a little bit like I was dreaming.

  Among a sea of human faces, the sight of my friend, Sarein Appleton, flooded me with relief.

  “Go and check if any reporters needing an interview are around, please,” I told my assistant. “And schedule them in somewhere.” Truthfully, I just wanted to get him away from me long enough so I could gush with Sarein.

  We rushed to each other, tired smiles on both our faces. Unexpectedly, Sarein pulled me into a brief yet tight embrace, patting me on the shoulder as he released me.

  “Today’s the big day, Caleb,” he said.

  “The first of many!” I said, hoping the shakiness of my voice wouldn’t betray the anxiety I felt. It was nerve-wracking being around so many humans, most of whom knew quite well what Sarein and I really were.

  We were shifters. Werewolves. Monsters.

  Still, Sarein and I wanted to be here. Hell, we fought to be here. I knew the House of Representatives needed a few of our kind to prove to the country that shifters, just like any other citizen, could be intelligent, reasonable, and willing to do our part to make the world a safer place for everyone.

  Sarein and I weren’t just here for the show. We were the ones who proposed the bill that would require all of our kind to participate in a government registry.

  “You didn’t happen to listen to the news on your way over here, did you?” Sarein asked, his voice a cautious whisper.

  I felt my stomach turn as I wondered how many people here on the Hill had already gotten word of the latest act of gruesome violence committed by shifters. Two humans were killed this time. How many would be next if we shifters did not put a stop to it all?

  I bit my lip and pretended to wipe my nose, pointing discreetly towards a group of snowy-haired politicians. Earl Carson, the newest bureaucrat in town and a recent member of our organization, made no effort to hide his sneer. We hadn’t even taken the stage, and already tensions were running high. “I know. They know,” I told him.

  Sarein gave a deep sigh. “The sooner we get this over with, Caleb, the better.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  “Well…” Sarein looked me over. “Are you ready?”

  Despite the time I spent preparing for this moment, all the hours I spent holed up in law libraries and chatting with the locals who no doubt wanted us all dead, the thought of going up there in front of all those people and cameras made every muscle in my body clench with fear.

  And after this, there would be no taking back what I said.

  The two of us moved past the crowds of humans, our faces kept low to avoid their stares. Though humans had known about our kind for a few decades now, our numbers were so few that Sarein and I were likely the first shifters many of them had ever seen. Some of them looked at us with burning hatred, and refused to move aside for us as we headed towards the stage. Others just gawked at us, their eyes wide with wonder and disbelief at seeing creatures in the flesh that they probably first heard about in scary stories. To be perfectly honest, I was having a hard time deciding which group bothered me more.

  I had the honor of introducing the bill to these people. Up on stage, the camera shutters snapping away at us, I rested my trembling hands on the podium and quickly looked over my papers one last time. My anxiety and the brightness of the camera flashes made the text look fuzzy, like all the words were blending into each other. Sarein was standing just an arm’s length behind me, but I could not help but feel utterly alone up there with all those critical eyes watching me.

  It was truly incredible the amount of emotions you can feel in one instant. Though I was trying hard to be proud of myself and all the work I had done alongside these humans, and despite how hard I tried to convince myself that we were doing what was best for both communities, I could not get the memories of my former pack out of my mind. They were…happy memories. Doubt slowly crept into my thoughts as I remembered all the shifters I had left behind when I decided to come out here to the Hill, shifters who had been my friends and family, shifters that I knew would never take me back after what I was about to do--shifters like me.

  But still, I could not ignore the facts. I could not ignore what was happening in our world--and who was to blame for most of it.

  So, I got a hold on myself and cleared my throat, getting everyone’s attention again. “Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the local Human and Shifter Council, I would like to thank you all for joining us today.” My voice nearly faltered, but I fought through it. “I truly wish that we could be meeting here today under less unfortunate circumstances. As I am sure many of you have already heard, early this morning the local authorities have reported the deaths of two local men alongside the interstate highway. These men, whose lives have been cut so tragically short and with such brutality, will be dearly misse
d by their friends, families, and communities. I wish that I did not have to bring up this grim story to you all on such a fine sunny day. I wish that I could say that the tragic deaths of these poor men were some statistical anomaly, and that the loved ones they left behind have no reason to fear of being the next to die--but we currently do not live in such a world.”

  I tried to imagine Sarein’s supportive face behind me as I spoke, but the looks some of the humans in the audience gave were beginning to trouble me. I wondered what they thought of me. There were many kind humans here on the Hill, but I always worried they carried some hidden fear or resentment towards me for being a shifter, even though they knew I left all that behind so long ago.

  “No, ladies and gentlemen. We are here today because we are tired of apathy. We are here because we know that in order to prevent any further tragedy, swift action must be taken and laws must be enforced,” I went on, feeling my confidence building just a little.

  The room filled with light applause. It was clear that the audience was hooked already. Maybe I was doing better than I thought.

  “When discussing those unfortunate events, it is vital to note that the location of the men’s bodies was reportedly right outside Redburn, the local pack land at the edge of DC. Please know that this is no coincidence, nor is this the first time that something like that has happened--and unless we do something about it, it will not be the last.

  “There is no single reason for why this is happening, but we do know that there is clear animosity on both sides. Humans fear shifters, and shifters fear humans. As shifters ourselves, my associate, Sarein Appleton and I cannot lie to you and say that we are all good, peaceful beings. Some of us--but by no means most of us--can be violent and territorial. However, it is time to show responsibility, and instead of placing the blame on all shifters or humans, we have proposed a new system that could easily prove that lawful, non-offending shifters have nothing to hide--and that those shifters who break the law have no place to hide. Our bill introduces a register of shifters, a way to create a census of all of us across the nation.

  “We cannot lurk in the shadows any longer. We cannot menace human populations any longer. Today, we propose a peace treaty with humanity,” I said, ending my speech, my heart racing as I got the last few words out.

  The applause--thunderous applause--caught me off guard. I stood there, shaking at the power behind everything I had just said, and the eagerness with which the audience ate it up.

  Sarein leaned forward. He also clapped for me. “You did good, Caleb,” he said. “You did a fine job today.”

  He was right. The crowd clearly loved me. I finally saw the fruits of so many years of my labor right in front of me.

  So why did I feel so…terrible, like I had messed up in a big way?

  I waved again to the crowd and hurried off stage. Sarein followed closely behind me. “Are you okay?” he asked as soon as we were out of sight.

  As I smoothed my hair back, I tried my best to look composed--something I was pretty sure I was failing at. “I’m fine. I guess I’m just kind of starstruck that this is all really happening,” I said, nearly breathless. “I still cannot believe this is even happening, Sarein.”

  “Why not? No one deserves this more than you. Seriously, if you hadn’t been the head of the HSC we would have never gotten this far.”

  “It’s not that I don’t think I did a good job up there. It’s just…” My voice trailed off. I didn’t quite like where this was headed, so instead I did what I’ve been doing for years whenever I began to doubt myself: I pushed those feelings down as far I they would go, and hoped they would go away if only I just ignored them long enough. “No, you’re right. I’m being ridiculous. How about we go celebrate this instead?” I asked.

  A grin stretched over Sarein’s face. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  2

  Lucien

  I really, really shouldn’t have let D’Marcus talk me into coming to another mixer.

  I eyed my cousin from across the bar, watching him effortlessly mingle with a few other members of the pack, including the unconnected young shifters hoping to find love here today. D’Marcus wasn’t a bad guy, and it was no secret that everyone liked him a whole lot, but man, he could be stubborn sometimes when it came to family. I lost track of how many times I tried to tell him that I was not interested in these kinds of things, but he was never one to take no for an answer.

  If there was one thing my dear cousin was good at, it was talking people into things. He could convince anyone to do anything. Even in my thirties, I still had a few scars on my back and legs from our rough childhood games to prove it.

  The Snared Hare wasn’t a bad place, either. This bar was where I usually came to unwind with friends after a long day working construction or tending cattle out on the ranch. Of course, any other evening I would have been free to sit back with a Blue Moon while everyone else did the joking around. There wasn’t any pressure then to make painful small talk with other singles. How on earth you were supposed to move past that small talk stage with someone you didn’t know very well, I had no idea.

  “Hey, Lucien!” Zan Culver, one of my best friends and another eternally lonely shifter, hopped up on a stool next to mine. “Fancy seeing you around these parts. You’re looking good these days.”

  “We come here every Friday, Zan,” I replied, relieved to have someone I already knew to sit and talk with.

  “Don’t be so coy, Northrup,” he said, playfully punching my shoulder. “You never come to our mixers. What gives?”

  I gave him a wry smile. “D’Marcus’s idea.”

  Zan grinned wide. “Boy, the big guy sure has been dying to pair you off these days.”

  I didn’t look at Zan then. Instead, I swirled what was left of my beer in the bottle, watching it spiraling. I chuckled. “Well, that’s alphas for you. Always trying to take care of everyone before themselves--whether we want to be helped or not.”

  Zan smirked. “He’s just trying to get you ready for when he steps down.”

  I put the bottle down. A small flutter of excitement bloomed within my chest. D’Marcus had hinted in the past about stepping down as alpha, and if he ever did, I would be next in line. I wasn’t sure about how serious my cousin had been, but if Zan was talking about it, maybe other people in the pack were, too. Maybe it was more likely than I thought.

  So, I decided to play along a bit.

  “Really? You think so?” I asked.

  “Well, of course I do. Nobody else is as qualified as you to be the next alpha, and he knows it. Everybody knows it. Hell, picking anybody but you would be a bad move, Lucien,” said Zan, his voice lowered so no one else could hear.

  I let myself smile. Just a little.

  Zan went on. “Don’t get me wrong, Luce. Your cousin is a great guy, but even he says he’s just not cut out to be alpha anymore.” He paused, waiting for a small group of shifters to pass us by before continuing. “And imagine what would happen if anyone else heard D’Marcus talking like that. You think the kids are gonna feel safe knowing they got an alpha that isn’t committed? And if someone from another pack overheard that kinda talk--”

  “That would be bad,” I finished.

  “Catastrophic,” Zan corrected. “All the more reason to get ready, Lucien.”

  I could not argue with that. While I didn’t think D’Marcus was a bad alpha, I also knew that his talents could prove more useful elsewhere among the pack. He was the kind of guy that could find a place for himself anywhere.

  Another stretch of silence passed us by while we drank. I listened with discomfort at the conversations around me. The rest of the bar was filled with the sounds of laughter and flirting. My voice should have been among them, but instead I was here, slumped over the bar counter and brooding with my best friend, and thinking about the love that forever eluded me.

  Zan leaned in with conspiratorial whisper. “Lucien, don’t tell me that you’ve never… you know, s
eriously thought about settling down with someone special. Maybe starting a pack of your own?” To my surprise, he gave me a wink. “I mean, you’re probably the most eligible bachelor in the whole pack.”

  It was an open secret among the pack that Zan had some sort of thing for me. I wasn’t sure how deep his feelings went or what he really even wanted from me, but lately he had been a bit more…blunt about it. I loved Zan Culver a lot--really, I did. But he was like a brother to me. Even if I wanted to, even when the loneliness that I knew kept us both up all night became almost too much to bear, I knew I could never feel the same way about Zan, though that didn’t mean I hadn’t tried.

  Lord, have I tried.

  I shrugged, trying to casually play it off, but the truth was that I was burning up. I was burning with a love that had been threatening to consume me for years, and no matter how much time passed, the fire still raged in my heart. Tonight, the alcohol was just fanning the flames of my misery.

  The memory of my last night with Caleb Haust before he left Thunderstone behind was just as vivid as if it happened only yesterday. We stood in the moonlight, our bodies wrapped tight in each other’s embrace. I could still trace the contours of his lean body like a path I knew by heart. I could remember his scent, a rich, clean smell--with just a dash of something wild underneath. And, of course, I could still remember the kiss, the kiss that sparked this undying fire.