by Rayna Tyler
Enticing the Wolf
Seneca Falls Shifters: Book 4
Rayna Tyler
Enticing the Wolf
Copyright © 2019 by Rayna Tyler
http://raynatyler.com/
Published by Rayna Tyler, 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1-7328895-3-8
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
A Special Note
Books by Rayna Tyler
About the Author
Chapter One
REESE
What is he thinking? I stared at the computer screen sitting on the worn and scratched surface of my office desk, then reread the email I’d received from my father. Unfortunately, the message was still the same, and I had four days before Clayton Reynolds arrived and threw my nicely organized life into major chaos.
He’d avoided spending quality time with my sister Berkley and me since we were children, so I had no idea why he suddenly thought a visit was important. Over the last year and a half, I’d spoken on the phone with my father twice, and both times I’d been the one to contact him. The first was to tell him about my grandfather’s death; the second was a few days later to tell him he had another son. It irritated me every time I thought about the text I’d received, the one with the lame excuse for not attending his own father’s funeral or making time to meet Nick, my recently discovered half brother.
Commitment had never been a word my father understood. He’d been a terrible husband, a worse father, and was never going to win any awards for his parenting skills. He was, however, family, and though I wanted to reply and tell him not to bother coming, I couldn’t.
I puffed out a heavy sigh, skimmed my hand through my hair, and glanced at the forest outside my window. Normally, the tranquil greenery had a calming effect, but today it wasn’t helping. No matter how much I wished I’d never seen the message or that the damned thing would magically disappear, it didn’t alleviate the dread creeping along my spine. A dread that involved upsetting my siblings when I told them about our father’s unexpected visit.
Of the two, telling my younger sister was going to be the most difficult. Berkley had grown up resenting our father, especially after he’d abandoned our mother and us to pursue a younger female. Constantly being disappointed by our sire, coupled with a cheating ex-boyfriend, had reinforced her resolve to avoid having a meaningful relationship with any male.
It had gotten so bad that when she’d met Preston, our new head of security, I’d been concerned she’d never accept him as her mate. Fortunately, my longtime friend was a determined cougar whose patience and persistence had eventually gained him my sister’s heart.
Nick, on the other hand, was unpredictable. He’d never met our father or asked for an introduction, so I had no idea how he’d react. Berkley and I hadn’t known our half brother existed until James Reynolds, our grandfather, had died almost two years ago and left the Seneca Falls Resort to the three of us.
Surprisingly, when I told my father about my half brother, he’d actually admitted to having a brief fling with Nick’s deceased mother. He hadn’t shared much about the relationship other than to say he’d met Audra Pearson when she worked for a traveling carnival and they’d shared a couple of wild nights together. It was unclear if he’d known she was pregnant before he’d walked away from their brief encounter. Though I knew about his philandering ways, I would have preferred not hearing the descriptive details of how he’d cheated on my mother.
Since he had a habit of shunning responsibility for his children, I wasn’t sure I believed him. Though he lacked the desire to tell the truth unless it was beneficial, there was a good chance that Audra really didn’t know how to find him after he’d left.
Nick had been a drifter and rarely talked about his life before coming to live with us. If he decided to share any information about his past, it was usually with Berkley. Her persuasive abilities to get people to talk about personal things, even when they didn’t want to, was remarkable.
Up until I’d received the email, my father hadn’t shown any interest in getting to know his other son. Now he couldn’t wait to meet Nick and attend his upcoming wedding. A wedding I was certain he hadn’t been invited to. Since my mother had been invited, it wasn’t hard to assume he’d found out from one of their mutual friends.
A rap on the door startled me and drew me from my troubled thoughts. My heart rate jumped even higher when Berkley poked her head through the doorway. I’d never heard of wolf shifters having psychic abilities, but my sister had an uncanny way of showing up when I was thinking about her.
“Are you busy?” she asked as she strolled into the room, wearing a navy blue jacket and matching skirt. Even though the lodge wasn’t a fancy hotel, it didn’t stop her from dressing professionally.
I wasn’t ready to discuss our father’s visit and hurriedly tapped a few keys to replace his email with a cost analysis spreadsheet. “No, why?”
“Jac is going to be here any minute.”
“Who?” Though the name sounded familiar, I struggled to generate a mental image of the person or come up with a reason why knowing him would involve me.
“Jac Dubois...my friend.” Berkley flicked her dark chestnut strands over one shoulder. “I can’t believe you forgot.”
I was a thirty-two year old dominant male who’d served a tour in the military and traveled to several different countries. Yet one intense glare from those dark-amber eyes had me squirming uncomfortably.
“You know, the photographer I hired to take pictures for our wedding travel packages.” She huffed and perched on the edge of my desk.
I rolled my eyes but refrained from letting her know that I’d rather she use the chair sitting on the other side of the small room. The wingback was old, the gray, cushioned material faded and worn, but I didn’t have the heart to replace it. It had belonged to our grandfather, and the male had been more of a father to Berkley and me than Clayton ever had.
Between my father’s disturbing news and overseeing the construction on the additional cabins we were building, I’d completely forgotten today was the day her friend was due to arrive. Hearing the strain in her voice made me feel worse and reaffirmed my decision to wait to discuss my father’s impending visit.
Besides spending the last six months planning Nick and Mandy’s wedding, she’d been dealing with her own stress, namely our overbearing mother. Marjorie Reynolds was due to arrive in a couple of days, and Berkley wanted everything to be perfect before she got here.
“You’re right. I forgot, and I’m sorry.” I leaned back in my chair. “What can I do to help?”
“Hold that thought.” Berkley slid off the desk and retrieved a cell phone from her pocket. After studying the screen, she smiled and slipped the device back into her pocket. “I’ll be right back, so don’t disappear.” She hurried out the door, only to re
turn five minutes later.
“Reese, this is Jac,” Berkley announced, then stepped to the side to make room for her friend.
I rose from my chair and froze. Either my sister hadn’t given me enough information or I hadn’t been paying attention when we’d discussed the hiring details for our new photographer. Any assumptions I’d had about the position being filled by a male were quickly dispelled by the female who walked into my office with a confident, carefree swagger. She had a slim athletic build, and without the help of the half-inch heels on her laced, ankle-high boots, the top of her head wouldn’t have reached my shoulder.
The pair of cutoff shorts she wore rode low on her hips, barely hitting the middle of her thighs and exposing a set of shapely and well-muscled legs. Her sleeveless black top clung to ample breasts, and the shirt’s short hem gave me a glimpse of tanned skin below her waist. If I wasn’t mistaken, she had a tattoo. The inked skin peeked above her waistband near her right hip.
Her hair, which was short and styled in a spiked cut, was an unusual combination of pale golds, browns, and black. I assumed she colored the strands to get such an exotic appearance. Since my wolf’s abilities included enhanced scent, I expected to get an unpleasant whiff of the chemicals she’d used. Instead, I was treated to an enticing array of wildflowers, bubblegum bodywash, and the unique aroma of a feline. A feline breed I struggled to recognize. My wolf, curious animal that he was, wanted to take another sniff of her sweet scent, and without realizing it, I’d eased closer.
“Nice to meet you...”
“It’s Jac with a ‘C,’ not a ‘K.’ Stands for Jacqueline, which I personally find too melodramatic and formal.” She shrugged nonchalantly, then continued into the room and stopped near the edge of my desk. “You must be the”—she made quote marks with her fingers—“older brother I’ve been hearing about. Don’t worry, so far everything I’ve heard has been good.” She winked, then held out her hand. “It’s nice to finally put a face with the name.”
The second our palms connected, a rush of heat passed between us. A jolt so strong, I felt as if I were holding the end of a live electrical wire. It pulsed through my entire body, one painfully pleasurable wave after the other.
When the sensation subsided and I could finally breathe, could finally think, I glanced from our joined hands to Jac’s surprised face. The instant her gaze locked with mine, I knew I was staring into the eyes, a shade of garnet with dark flecks, belonging to my mate.
“No way.” She jerked her hand away from me, an adamant denial in her voice.
Apparently confused yet unaware of what had transpired, Berkley frowned, her gaze bouncing from her friend to me. “No way what? Did I miss something?”
As far as recoveries went, Jac’s performance was stellar. She turned slightly to keep Berkley from seeing the flush on her cheeks, then swept her hand over the files stacked on my desk. “It’s obvious your brother is very busy, so I think we should go.” She tugged on Berkley’s arm, urging her to leave the room ahead of her. She paused to grip the doorframe before speaking in a tone that held a hint of regret. “It really was nice meeting you.”
I wanted her to stay. My wolf wanted her to stay. But I’d been too stunned to move. Judging by the fading footsteps, she’d already reached the other end of the hallway. I’d been tempted to chase after her, the indecision of what I’d say when I caught her the only thing keeping me in place.
All I could do was stare at the empty doorway and wonder why Jac hadn’t acknowledged our connection and why she’d seemed determined to keep Berkley from finding out.
The worst part of the whole experience, the part that made my gut clench, was the overwhelming feeling that she was saying goodbye before we even got a chance to know each other.
Chapter Two
JAC
“My mate,” I muttered after leaving Berkley in the lobby to handle a problem with a guest. I pushed the glass door leading outside open, not bothering to hide my frustration as I stomped across the parking lot to my car. Of all the males on the planet, why did my friend’s brother, Reese, have to be my destined match?
The man was all kinds of yummy with those brown eyes that made me think of a smooth expensive cognac. He had to be at least six feet tall and there was nothing wrong with the way his broad shoulders and firm chest muscles filled out his button-down shirt. If I didn’t already know from Berkley that he was ex-military, the short, neatly styled cut of his rich chocolate-colored hair was a definite giveaway.
Once I’d shaken his hand and that sizzle of recognition zipped along every nerve in my body, it took every ounce of my willpower to keep my cat from climbing him like a tree and kneading him with her paws.
Bad, bad, bad kitty. I closed my eyes and dropped my head against the car’s frame, hoping the cold metal would help lower the heat still rippling through my body. Trying to push his image from my mind wasn’t doing any good either. I’d gotten a whiff of his scent, an enticing combination of musk, sandalwood, and alpha male wolf. A scent that had already imprinted itself permanently in my memory.
Though many of my kind went their whole lives without finding the person who completed their bond, most shifters yearned to find their mates. I knew I should be thrilled that I’d found mine, yet I could think of at least five good reasons why agreeing to accept this particular male was not a good idea.
Heading the top of the list, and what I considered the most compelling, was the secret I’d shamefully concealed since my youth. A secret that I’d done my best to keep from everyone, even my closest friends.
I’d been serious when I teased Reese and said I’d only heard good things about him. Berkley thought the world of her big brother and had always raved about him being a great guy. I tried not to hold his military background against him. At least I had until now.
To say my view of a male who’d served in one of the armed forces was tainted would be an understatement. I’d sworn I’d never get involved with anyone even remotely connected with the military, and it was a promise I had yet to break.
I’d spent my entire youth trying to meet the expectations of an army colonel father. According to him, I’d failed miserably. If he wasn’t ranting about one of my many failings, he’d been too busy with his career or dragging my mother and me from one base to another.
Berkley’s childhood hadn’t been much better than mine, but she’d always had an older brother looking out for her. There were times when I wondered how different my life would have been if my mother hadn’t died or I’d had a sibling to lean on.
There were times when I envied my friend. Not only had she helped her brothers turn the resort into a prosperous business, but she’d created a stable, loving environment for her family, friends, and employees. Something I’d never had.
Though I couldn’t ignore the important leadership role Reese played in his family’s success, I was doing my best not to find anything redeeming about the male that could possibly make me change my mind about refusing to be his mate.
Boy, did it bite to find out my proclaimed destiny was one of the males I’d spent the majority of my life trying to avoid. Apparently, the great shifter matchmaker, who I truly believed was a female, was having a good laugh at my expense. I wanted to curse the bitch and her vindictive sense of irony.
I stared at the impressive backdrop of ash, spruce, and various other trees, along with the cabins scattered on the distant mountain and wondered what I’d done wrong to earn my current predicament. Not that pondering did any good. Her Shifterness was going to be deeply disappointed because this was another one of those times, and there’d been plenty, when I refused to comply with her plans.
When I’d left Reese’s office, my first thought was to get in my car and race back down the mountain without looking back. Berkley and the promise I’d made to take pictures for her brother Nick’s wedding was the only thing preventing me from leaving. The event was a few days away, not enough time for her to find a replacement.
; I always kept my word, so I had to put my personal self-preservation needs aside and concentrate on the bigger picture. I’d be staying four days, five at the most. The resort stretched across a large amount of real estate in the middle of nowhere on a sparsely populated mountain. Would it really be so hard to avoid Reese for that length of time?
Once the wedding was over, I’d simply tell Berkley that I’d changed my mind, that I didn’t want the photographer’s job or to make the resort my home. Of course, both those statements weren’t true. I’d fallen in love with the place the minute I’d stepped inside the lodge.
I took another deep pine-scented breath to fortify my resolve, then popped the latch on the trunk. I reached inside and pulled out the two large suitcases containing the majority of my wardrobe. After setting them on the ground, I tugged the oversized black bag that looked more like a backpack than it did a camera case out of the trunk and draped the strap over my shoulder. The bag was bulky and awkward, always banging against my hip when I walked. After years of lugging it around, I’d gotten used to it.
I slammed the trunk shut and nearly jumped on the car’s roof when I found Berkley leaning against the side with her arms crossed. “Damn it, Berkley. Stop sneaking up on me.” For crying out loud, I was part cat and had enhanced senses. So why hadn’t I known or at least smelled that she was there? Because my mind was scrambled with thoughts of an incredibly delicious male with kiss-worthy lips, that’s why.
Berkley frowned. “How could you not hear me? I was practically scraping my heels through the gravel.”
I shrugged. Just because she was stating the obvious didn’t mean I had to agree with her. Normally, I wasn’t prone to being flighty, but on the rare occasion when I was, I preferred to call it being preoccupied. Whatever. The point was that whenever I was deep in thought, so was my cat, which made it easy for me to miss hearing someone approach or scent their presence.
“Want to tell me what the heck that was all about?” Berkley tipped her head toward the lodge.