Willow Point 18

  Doggone Chaos

  [Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection: Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Alternative, Paranormal, Shape-shifters, Werewolves, Romantic Suspense, MM, HEA]

  Reese Freeman is Willow Point’s town vet. He loves his practices even though there are days that try his patience. When Reese discovers a naked man on his back porch, he’s ready to rip the stranger apart, but nothing could have prepared him for the shock of his life. He knows the stranger, or at least the dog version of him.

  Luck has never been on Diablo’s side. From birth his mother made it known what a big mistake he was. Diablo is a mutt, a half-breed. That was why, even when he knew Reese was his mate, Diablo hid the fact, because who in their right mind wanted a mutt for a mate?

  But Diablo’s presence isn’t going unnoticed in Willow Point, and Reese is losing clients because of him. Diablo is ready to walk away to spare Reese the heartache, until he realizes that his enemies have found him, and he must protect Reese, even if that means becoming a pariah.

  Length: 29,000 words

  DOGGONE CHAOS

  Willow Point 18

  Lynn Hagen

  Siren Publishing

  a subsidiary company of Siren-BookStrand, Inc.

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Doggone Chaos

  Copyright © 2022 by Lynn Hagen

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-701-5

  First Publication: November 2022

  Cover design by Emma Nicole

  All art and logo copyright © 2022 by Siren-BookStrand, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at legal@sirenbookstrand.com

  Siren Publishing

  a subsidiary company of Siren-BookStrand, Inc.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

  You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

  For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  DOGGONE CHAOS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  DOGGONE CHAOS

  Willow Point 18

  LYNN HAGEN

  Copyright © 2022

  Chapter One

  Reese looked up from his desk when Maggie, his assistant, walked into his small office inside his vet practice. “Luke and Maynard are here. It seems Diablo cut his paw on something. They’re worried about infection and Diablo being in pain.”

  “I’ll be right there as soon as I finish up my notes on Roxy.”

  Maggie nodded and walked out. Reese wasn’t sure what he would do without her. She kept his practice running efficiently. She was human but knew about their world, thanks to an accidental shifting, but had been sworn to secrecy. Reese had thought about having her memory wiped by a vampire, but what was the use if it happened again? At least if she knew she wouldn’t be as shocked as she had been the first time.

  Maggie had been with his practice for five years, and he couldn’t imagine running his business without her. Though he did need more help.

  Like Reese had the time. Willow Point was filled with animal lovers, and they took the care of their pets seriously. It also helped that Reese had made his rates affordable. He wasn’t looking to get rich. Reese already had enough money to last him a lifetime. He’d become a vet to help pet parent and animal coexist happily and healthily.

  Reese also did a lot of charity work, made house calls to local farms, and very often, when he knew someone couldn’t afford a vet bill, did pro bono work. It was a tax write-off, so he didn’t mind, though he didn’t advertise the fact or he would never make any money. Just because he was rich didn’t mean he squandered his wealth.

  Hell, he didn’t even own a flashy car. He had a pickup that enabled him to traverse some of the back roads and gravel driveways when he went to see patients. He kept a medical kit in there at all times, along with his go-bag in case he shifted and needed clothing.

  Reese pushed away from his desk and walked down the small hallway toward the waiting area. The last time Luke and Maynard were there, two armed men had barged in, threatening to kill Deputy Maynard Dario. Instead, Reese had killed both gunmen when he’d shifted into his wolf.

  Deputy Dario had blown the whistle on a corrupt police station back in Colorado, and some of his coworkers hadn’t taken that lightly, hunting Maynard down for revenge.

  Now Reese hoped things had settled back down. He liked living a nice, quiet life, even if he was occasionally lonely.

  Luke stood when Reese walked over to them. “Hey, guys.” He bent and scratched Diablo’s head. Reese always got a strange feeling around the dog, but Diablo didn’t smell like a shifter, so he always dismissed that feeling.

  Reese saw the white gauze wrapped around one of Diablo’s front legs.

  “What seems to be the problem?”

  “Not sure how it happened,” Luke said. “Got up this morning to let him out, but he was already out, which is weird enough, but he came back to the house with a gash in his leg.”

  “Okay, let’s go take a look.” Reese showed them to room three. “Have a seat in here and I’ll go grab Diablo’s chart.”

  Reese had turned to leave the room when Maggie appeared, Reese’s electronic tablet in her hand. She gave him a smile, which said she knew she was indispensable, then walked away.

  “What would you do without her?” Luke teased. “I think she might be a bit smitten with you.”

  Reese had caught on to that a while ago. Although he was bisexual, he never mixed business with pleasure. If things didn’t work out, it might become awkward between them, and Reese valued their friendship, and work relationship, too much to ruin it.

  “We all have our burdens to carry.” Reese winked at Luke.

  Diablo gave a tiny little growl.

  “I think that’s saying he’s in pain,” Maynard said. “Can you give him something to help?”

  “I’ll numb the area. Let me go get the medication, and I’ll be right back.” Reese never kept any kind of controlled substance in the rooms. Not that he feared the animals would steal it. Humans, however, were another story. A few times he’d caught a pet parent searching cabinets when he’d walked into an exam room. Small things had often come up missing, like surgical tape, gauze, and the most popular item for theft, exam gloves.

  Reese had had to install locked cabinets in all three exam rooms after that. He understood that a lot of his clients were lower income, but that didn’t excuse thievery.

  Honestly, if they’d just told him that they needed the supplies, Reese would have gladly given them some to take home, but people always wanted to be sneaky, so he’d installed the cabinets.

  When Reese returned, he noticed Diablo watching him closely. The Rottweiler-German-shepherd mix always watched Reese closely when nearby. Reese set the medication aside and took the gauze off. The wound was pretty deep and looked like a bite mark.

  “Well?” Luke asked, worry in his voice.

  Reese checked Diablo’s records. “He’s up to date on his vaccinations.”

  The dog growled. Reese narrowed his eyes. “I just said you’re up to date. No need to get testy with me.”

  Diablo settled down, but Reese could have sworn he didn’t look happy about it.

  “Wait, an animal bit him?” Maynard worried his bottom lip. “What if he has rabies now, then what do we do?”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. So far, he hasn’t exhibited any signs, but I’ll need to keep him for observation. I live right upstairs. I’m sure he’s okay, but I just want to be sure.”

  “Whatever Diablo needs,” Luke said.

  Luke had rescued Diablo from an abandoned house where the dog had been tied up and left to go hungry. From what Luke told Reese, it had taken the guy over an hour just to talk the dog into letting him untie him.

  In Reese’s opinion, Diablo couldn’t have asked for a better person to rescue him. Luke worshiped the dog, staying on top of his health care and needs. When Reese had first seen Diablo, the dog was emaciated and riddled with scars. If Reese could get his hands on who’d done that, he’d return the favor.

  “If you two will go to the waiting area, I’ll clean the wound a
nd stitch him up.” Reese got to work even before the owners walked out. As Reese cleaned the wound, Diablo licked his hand like crazy.

  “No need to be nervous. I promise I have a gentle hand.” Thank goodness nothing major had been damaged. Whatever animal had done this had just torn skin, not muscle or tendons. Six stitches and Diablo was as good as new.

  “I don’t want you biting at your stitches, Diablo.” Reese went to the locked cabinet, entered the code, and grabbed a fresh package of sterile gauze. “You should be back to chasing down critters in no time.” He scratched Diablo behind one ear. “You are such a good boy, aren’t you?”

  Diablo licked his arm in response.

  * * * *

  Licking his mate was not a very smart move. Diablo could never reveal himself, so claiming Reese was a pipe dream. He didn’t think he would see his mate so soon again, either. Diablo’s bite wasn’t from a common animal, and he didn’t have rabies.

  The bite was from fighting a demon. The little bitch had bitten him before vanishing. Diablo needed to be more careful. He had to get out of there. No way he was being caged for an extended period of time. He would be easy pickings if Xylem showed up.

  And damn if those stitches weren’t driving Diablo crazy already. He wanted to gnaw at them, but the good ol’ doc had already wrapped the wound.

  “Come on, Diablo.” Reese curled his arms around Diablo’s body. “Let me help you down so I can show you your accommodations.”

  Nope. Diablo wasn’t going into a cage. Reese was going to have to tranq him if he thought— Wait, would he really tranq him?

  Diablo got off the table, but when Reese tried to go left, to the back of the clinic, Diablo sat on his ass, refusing to move. Night was normally when he shifted. Staying in his dog form for too long wasn’t ideal. The longer Diablo stayed that way, the more he worried about going feral.

  It was bad enough he had to stay a dog during the day at Luke’s house. Shifters couldn’t stay in their animal form all the time. They risked their animal counterpart taking over and refusing to go back to a human. It was still early enough, but hell if he was going to be trapped.

  “Diablo?” Reese patted his thigh. “Come on, boy. I’ll give you a nice treat if you follow me.”

  When Diablo refused to budge, Reese rolled his beautiful eyes and went for the leash on one of the counters. He put it around Diablo’s neck and gave a gentle tug, but Diablo sat there defiantly.

  “What has gotten into you?” Reese let the leash drop. “You’re usually such a good boy.”

  If the doc called him that one more time, Diablo just might growl. He was far from a “good boy.” That was why he had Xylem after him. Being a half-breed meant certain people thought you were their bitch. Diablo had had to fight most of his life to prove them wrong. Xylem was just the latest bully who wanted to prove that Diablo knew how to heel.

  He'd left the bastard with a nasty scar to prove otherwise. That was why Xylem had tied him outside that abandoned house. Not to kill him, but to teach Diablo to heel. Once Diablo had gotten free, thanks to Luke, he’d waited months before going after Xylem for tying him up. That was when he’d scarred the demon.

  And now Xylem, the cry baby that he was, wanted revenge. He wasn’t pulling any punches and had gotten another demon involved in a witch hunt for Diablo. The other one was a nasty piece of work who went by the name Rochester.

  Diablo would rather lie down and die before he rolled over and showed his belly.

  “Okay, I tell you what. Since you normally are a well-behaved dog, I’ll let you stay with me. But if you growl at anyone, in the cage you go.” Reese patted his head, and Diablo leaned into the touch, relishing it since he couldn’t shift and claim his mate.

  Come tonight, Diablo would shift and make sure the clinic was secure. The last thing he wanted was for trouble to come to his mate’s business.

  When Luke and Maynard had brought Diablo in for his yearly checkup, Diablo had been locked in the room, unaware of what was going on in the waiting area. Two gunmen had come in, ready to kill Maynard.

  Diablo was proud of the fact that his mate had handled it so well. He’d let his wolf out and taken care of the problem. If Diablo had known what was going on, he would have torn their throats out, too.

  He might have let Luke adopt him so he could hide out, but he also cared about the human. He also cared about Maynard, although the impala shifter drove him crazy because Maynard was prey.

  “Let’s go see our next patient. It’s a hamster that isn’t eating or running on his wheel. You better be on your best behavior,” Reese warned. He reached into his lab coat pocket and held out a treat. Diablo sniffed it then gobbled it up.

  He might not be an actual domesticated dog, but some of those treats were banging. Luke always bought the best, but right now Diablo would kill for a burger and fries, with an ice-cold beer to wash it all down.

  Reese scratched Diablo under the chin and took the leash off. He followed his mate into the waiting area as Reese talked with Maggie. Diablo looked toward the front door. He didn’t like how large the windows were in the waiting area. That made him feel exposed. Diablo would rather hang out in Reese’s office until nightfall.

  So he got up and walked toward the back, ignoring Reese’s call for him to come back. Diablo nudged the office door open because it had already been ajar and laid down on the carpeted floor.

  Reese came into the room and stared at him. “You just want to chill in here?”

  Diablo yawned and laid his head back down.

  “Okay, fine with me. I’ll be back in a bit to take you out to potty.” Reese closed the door.

  Diablo got up and shifted into his human form. He stretched his muscles, listening to his back pop, then sat in Reese’s chair at his desk. Diablo fired up his mate’s computer and did a search for any information on the house that had burned down last night.

  It had been the demon, and Diablo had rescued the family inside before it had gone up in flames. As soon as everyone was safely outside, he’d gone after Xylem. They’d fought, both were wounded, and Xylem had vanished, but not before the little bitch had bitten him.

  In truth, Diablo hadn't needed a vet. He would have healed on his own, but as soon as Luke saw his wound, he was stuffed into a car and taken to the vet.

  There was no report on the local news. Diablo just wanted to make sure the family hadn’t seen anything and reported it. He’d been careful, but in an era where everyone had their phones at the ready to record anything and everything, Diablo had to be careful. He hadn’t fought Xylem in front of them, but there was no telling what the demon had done before Diablo had gotten there.

  That was another thing about Xylem. He was rotten to the core. He took pleasure in causing mayhem, and Diablo just happened to be there when the demon had started the fire.

  In his opinion, a stint in the underworld might do the bastard some good.

  He checked his social media, grinned at a few things, posted some stuff, then shut the doc’s computer down.

  Diablo shifted and laid down just as the door opened. Reese came in and sat at his desk, typing away as Diablo watched him. Damn if his mate wasn’t gorgeous as fuck. Diablo wanted to bend the wolf shifter over his desk and fuck him until they were both exhausted and spent.

  Reese glanced at Diablo as though his mate could read his thoughts. He studied Diablo for a long moment before going back to typing. If Diablo didn’t stop thinking about taking his mate, things down below would happen that he was sure Reese wouldn’t appreciate. Not in dog form, at least.

  * * * *

  Diablo waited until Reese had gone to bed. He’d stubbornly refused to get into a cage, so Reese had taken him upstairs to his apartment over his practice. The place was pretty big, taking up the entire top portion of the clinic. The apartment was an open-area concept with large windows and nice flooring. One wall in the living room was made of bricks, but Reese had found a way to hang pictures on it.

  Not family photos, but art.