Loving the Lion: BBW Shifter Mail Order Bride Paranormal Romance (Mail-Order Mates Book 1) by Lola Kidd Read Free Book Online

getting married.”
    “I am.” Owen stayed standing. “I came down here to have a talk with you two before the big day. Things are going to have to change around here.”
    Rusty laughed. “This again. Come on, bro. You run the ranch how you see fit and we run the farm. That’s what we agreed.”
    “We didn’t agree to anything. I took the ranch.”
    “And we let you have it.” Steve shrugged. “You’ve got a bug up your butt ’cause you’ve got a new little wifey. Don’t go rocking the boat, brother. Things are working well.”
    “Things are not working well.” Owen knocked Steve’s beer out of his mouth. “You have my mom out running patrols while you drink all night? I don’t think things are working fine at all.”
    “You aren’t here,” Rusty said. “You don’t know how anything works. You can’t walk out on all of us and then try to come in and play big man on the farm. I don’t give a damn if you’re getting married or not. You don’t run this place.”
    “You need money for the wedding?” Steve asked. “Is that why you’re here trying to boss us around? You don’t have to ask. We’ll give you the money.”
    Owen gritted his teeth. “I don’t need money for the wedding. The ranch is making money hand over fist.”
    “Great!” Rusty raised his bottle to Owen and handed a new one to Steve. “A toast to your good fortune.”
    Steve raised his bottle too. “Congratulations on your new wife and your successful business. May you be blessed with many cubs and a long and happy marriage.”
    Steve and Rusty both took long drinks. Rusty put his beer down and wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand. “Now get the fuck out of here. We’re done talking to you.”
    Owen growled. “We aren’t close to being done. If you two assholes can’t act like adults, I’m going to become alpha.”
    “You wouldn’t.” Rusty stood up. “You have no right.”
    “Just because your daddy was alpha doesn’t mean you get to be alpha.” Steve stood up too. “I already have five cubs on this farm. If anyone has the right to be alpha, it’s me.”
    “Yeah?” Owen got close to Steve and loomed over the smaller man. “The mothers of your cubs can decide if they want to follow your lazy ass off the farm.”
    Steve stepped back. “You can’t do that.”
    “I damn well can. You want to stop me from becoming alpha?” Owen took of his shirt. “You’re going to have to fight me.”
    Steve and Rusty exchanged glances. Rusty shrugged. “Fine. We’ll fight.”
    Owen nodded. They all shifted and walked to the fire pit in the middle of the recreation area. The cubs were playing there and Steve shifted back to human.
    “Get out of here. This is adult stuff. Tell the rest of the kids to steer clear too.”
    The cubs ran off with a glance back. There wasn’t going to be much time before someone came out to see what the commotion was. Owen didn’t think they would have an audience before he won.
    As soon as the kids were far enough away, Steve shifted back and he and Rusty attacked Owen together. He had expected as much. They weren’t fighting to control the pack alone. Neither of them even wanted to be alpha. They wanted Owen to leave them alone to laze the days away. Neither of them had a mane and both were slightly smaller than Owen. It wasn’t a fair fight even with the two of them working together.
    He bit Steve on the front paw hard and then went for Rusty’s throat. Steve yelped and limped to help Rusty, who was thrashing wildly. Owen released Rusty for a moment to swipe at Steve with one of his massive paws. The smaller lion backed off with a nasty claw mark across his chest.
    When Owen turned back to Rusty, he was already on his stomach with his head between his paws. Owen roared and turned back to Steve. By the time Nina came running over, the fight was done. Owen was alpha of the Brooks Pride.
    “Owen, what are you doing?” Dawn was right behind her mother. She ran to Steve, who