Page 16 of Property of Prowler (Kings of Anarchy MC: Nevada #1)

Bulldog was right, and it was a hell of a plan.

“Perfect. Make it so number two,” Prowler joked, and the room fell silent again. “What?”

Ghoul burst out laughing. “Prez has got jokes.” He pinged his gaze between a few of his brothers who weren’t laughing. “Come on. That shit’s funny. It’s like Picard.”

“We know, jackass. It’s just …” Boogeyman stage whispered. “Prez isn’t funny. We’re in shock here. Give us a minute.”

“What the fuck,” Prowler snarled. “I can be funny.” When no one agreed, he brushed it aside. “Whatever.”

“Any more shit for the stew?”

“No, we want to talk about the bond.” This from Golden with Kansas’s enthusiastic agreement.

“Adjourned.”

Gaveling the meeting closed, they exited for the bar.

After snagging drinks, some members went to shoot pool, while others—the shifters mostly—lingered.

“So, the wolf?” Golden asked. “How?” Of course he was curious, being a quantum himself. He had only lived in the disconnect, as Prowler had done.

“I can’t explain it. It was like Kansas always said it was for him. I just talked to Wolf, and he finally answered back.”

Kansas sat there just taking it all in while sipping his near beer.

“But why now? What was different?”

Kansas piped in. “Could it be your mate brought him to the surface, so to speak?”

Prowler would love to give Taylor credit, but they had been sleeping together for months. Nothing had …

“Shit, Kansas, maybe. Taylor kissed me while I was sleeping. I was totally unaware of it, but maybe …”

Wolf?

What?

Was it her kiss?

Yes and no.

Care to elaborate?

Care to get the fuck out of here and back to our mate?

In due time.

Back atcha.

Prowler felt Wolf retreat back and pace, holding his answers to himself in an attempt to get Prowler to leave.

“Fuzzy Butt is pouting, so I’m sorry, Golden, I don’t have any answers.”

STOP CALLING ME THAT.

At that, Wolf surged up and took control of his mouth. Sure, Prowler could’ve halted him but chose not to.

“She kissed the meat bag as he slept. She was leaving us. It was enough to force me to step in because he’d been inside her body for months but refused to recognize her significance.”

“Fuck.” Prowler wrenched control back and stood. He did not like the control Wolf had. It was wrong, and it made him woozy.

“Whoa, was that … your wolf speaking?”

Prowler nodded, confused and pissed about what had just happened. They were bound but separate when Wolf chose? It felt wrong, but for all he knew, that was normal. Normal or not, it felt wrong.

“Riley.” Kansas spoke in hushed tones. “With a dominant wolf, you have to wrestle him into submission for lack of a better term, or you’ll go feral. You two have obviously bound, but as strong as he is, he can surge up and control, well …” Kansas indicated all of Prowler.

“Which is not exclusively a bad thing, like when the pack—or you—is in danger, for example, but he can’t take over like that whenever he wants to.”

Kansas looked thoughtful. “It will be a challenge for you, but if anyone is up for it, you are. Shared control like that can be tricky, it’s a combination of control and submission.”

Prowler let his words sink in.

“Well, I’ve gotta get home. Cass is coming this week because Allie wants to run off to Cabo to work on her tan or some shit. Let me know if we get a lead on Travis.”

“Will do, Prez.”

The first thing he did when he got home was grab his laptop and order some groceries. All the vegan shit his daughter loved.

With that mission accomplished, he headed for his back deck and a smoke. After an hour of just relaxing and enjoying the fresh air, he decided to call Taylor.

“Talk to me.” She sounded breathless when she answered.

“Hey, beautiful. What are you wearing?”

“Um. A sports bra, shorts, hand tape, and I’m coated in a gallon of sweat.”

“Ohhh, sexy.”

“You said sexy when you meant gross.” Her laugh shot straight to his dick, by way of his heart. Wolf rumbled.

“Can I see you tonight?” He wanted to talk to her.

Feel her out. What he hadn’t told his club was that Cass had shared her suspicions with Taylor.

Taylor wasn’t blood yet, and he didn’t want to put his brothers in the position of acting or not acting.

If shit went south, they’d have plausible deniability.

Once she was his mate or ol’ lady or both, blood would protect her.

“That’s perfect. There’s something I want to talk to you about. I have a thing this afternoon, but after dinner?”

Wolf pricked up.

“I told you I’m in, Tay. You’re mine.”

“It’s not about that. It’s more about Cass.”

At that, the man perked up too. Was she going to tell him that Cass explained her thoughts to her and gave her the notebook? If she did, he would take that as a very good sign. Borderline acceptance.

“What about her?” He tread lightly, not wanting to really have the meat and potatoes discussion of I’m a shifter, and you’re my one true mate and ol’ lady discussion over the phone.

“Some thoughts she has. About you and your lifestyle. And about this friend Alexander she has.”

Both the man and Wolf howled in victory. Prowler didn’t plan to say what he did next. Maybe he could blame Wolf for it, but in reality, it was probably all him.

“About me being the big bad wolf?” he teased.

“She told you? I’m so proud of her.” Prowler was proud of Taylor for how she’d encouraged Cass to talk to him.

“It’s ridiculous, I know, but she makes a good argument. Sooner or later, you’ll have to tell her about your life, or she’ll never let the theory go. She’ll keep digging until she hits something.”

Wolf growled at her dismissal.

“What if it wasn’t ridiculous, Taylor? What if her theory was spot on?”

“Well, that … I mean … shifters?” Before he could respond, he got a CODE BLACK text.

Fuck.

“Taylor. I gotta go. No time to explain, but tonight might be iffy. I’ll call when I can. Love you.”

He hung up as soon as the last syllable was out of his mouth. Grabbing his cut off the rack, he headed for the door.

Allie pulled up with Cass just as he was mounting his bike. One of the girls got jumped and on fucking club-owned property. They kept their girls clean and safe, offering their clientele and their girls a top-notch experience. Some fuckface tainted that, and he’d fucking pay.

“Go inside, sweetheart, and lock the door. I’ll be back shortly. Boogeyman will be here in ten. Call Tay to hang out if you want.” He kissed Cass’s forehead and turned to go, ignoring Allie.

When he said her name, it hit him … he’d said he loved her. It was true, but he hadn’t planned on saying it—any of it actually. He wanted her to fall for him before she knew she held his heart in her tiny, tattooed hands.

“I’ll stay until Boogey gets here.”

Cass was old enough to stay alone, but Prowler didn’t like it. Especially since the indication was that Darcy’s beat down was directed at him.

Cass rolled her eyes and headed inside.

Maybe he was being unfair to Allie, and they were finally coming to an understanding. A good place as exes.

“Thanks, Allie.”

He was so grateful she volunteered to stay without it being a transaction between the two of them.

Perhaps she was turning over a new leaf.

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her.

When he did, Wolf snarled in disgust and went apeshit.

That was overridden because the mother of his child was trembling.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered low.

“He’s leaving me, and … and he hit me.”

Fuck. When it rains, it pours. He couldn’t send his ex or his daughter back to that. However, he couldn’t deal with any of it right then. He had to get to the brothel and find out who was using one of the girls to send him a message.

“Go on inside. You can stay in the spare room until I’ve had a chance to deal with it.”

Allie’s smile gave him pause. He was just thinking she’d changed, but that smile felt familiar, manipulative and calculating.

When his gaze shifted to the car they’d arrived in, his suspicions settled a bit.

Gone was the sports car her latest had bought her.

She was back in the reliable and sensible mom transport he’d bought.

“Thank you, Riley. I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow. The trip to Cabo has turned into a drive to Tucson to check out some places in my parents’ neighborhood. Maybe go back to school. Change my stars. Most importantly, stop dating losers.”

“You’re not taking Cassidy away from me,” he stated rather flatly. Fuck, he was just thinking she’d changed, but the joke was on him.

She pulled a small travel bag from her car. “I know. We have a lot to talk about when you get back. She wants to stay with you, Riley. And with everything going on right now, I think that’s for the best.”

Other than whatever club shit was going on, things were finally going his way. The smile that split his face could’ve been spotted from the fucking space station.

Turning, he strode back to Allie and grabbed her bag.

“We’ll talk about it when I get back, and I’ll help you get a place. Hell, I’ll help you with school too.”

After setting her bag inside the door, Boogeyman had arrived. That was a relief.

Nodding to his brother, he tossed his leg over his bike and headed out.

She’s manipulating you , Wolf stated.

“Are you sure? She seemed sincere to me.”

No bitter smell.

“What?”

No fear. If she feared that asshole who hit her, she’d reek of fear, and she didn’t .

“Wait, you can smell what I can’t when not shifted?”

Now I can, and you can too if you focus, but I’m telling you, Meat Bag, she didn’t reek of it. Wolf did not sound pleased.

“If you keep calling me Meat Bag, I get to call you Fuzzy Butt.”

Wolf snarled.

Fine.

“Anyway, I saw the bruise on her face when she took off her ridiculously oversized sunglasses.”

So he hit her, but she’s not scared. Something is up.

“I don’t give a shit. She’s giving me my daughter, so fear or not, I’m getting that done ASAP.”

Hitting his comm button, he called his lawyer, effectively silencing Wolf.