“Does Porter have to approve what I do?”
“No way, he would only wish to have that kind of power. He leads the pack, but does not make any decisions as far as our personal lives go. Unless of course we decided to join another pack. He wouldn’t be happy for sure but as a Beta myself, he also wouldn’t be able to control whether I chose to leave for another or start my own. I am his second, as a pack member and a brother but he ultimately doesn’t have the power to choose for me.”
He was glad to see that she was exploring all the options, he just hoped he wasn’t discouraging the idea of her staying. He only wished he could hear what she was thinking. Unfortunately, she’d already mastered the skill of blocking him out.
“Yes, I did block you out. If this is going to be my decision, I need to make it myself and make sure I know everything I need to know to make that choice.”
“I respect that.”
“What about my dad, could he come visit often?”
“I’ve got one better. If you were to choose to live in my house with me, I would be okay with him moving in here if you wanted to have him closer. With you being part of the pack, he would be grandfathered in as part of the family, free to him of course for the remainder of his years.”
“It would be great to see him whenever I wanted. With living in the city and working all those crazy hours, I don’t even get to talk to him that much, let alone see him. Next question, how do you feel about having kids around?”
“You mean like starting a day care?”
“That’s not a bad idea since you mentioned it but no, I meant babies, as in us having babies.”
“Oh yes, definitely, I would love to have kids and having them with you is definitely a bonus. Could we start now?”
Epilogue
Piper had taken the remaining few days of her vacation in the little cabin alone to figure out the path for the rest of her life. She’d been so dedicated to a seventy hour a week job for so long it scared her a little to give that up. Would she even be any good at living with another person? Could she adjust to life as a wolf? Being brutally honest with herself was harder than she’d imagined.
As she’d rocked on the front porch, the answer was staring back at her as it drove up the drive on that very last day. Paxson. He was her life and her future. She’d been trying to pinpoint it with no success, that is until she saw him again and remembered the way he looked at her and how it made her feel. The guys in her past had been just that, guys. Insensitive and unimportant on any level. The way she could feel Paxson’s heart speed up when he thought of the two of them together. He loved her and she knew it, had heard it more than once seeping into her mind when she was supposed to be blocking him out.
She knew without a doubt she wouldn’t be leaving the Windsor Woods except to move her own things there. She wasn’t worried about what her dad would say. He’d always been supportive and accepting of the decisions she’d made in her life and this one would be no different. She didn’t want him to be alone so when she’d told him about the plans she and her mate had, he was thrilled. He’d accepted wholeheartedly the little cabin in the woods to be closer to his only daughter.
Three months later they had all spent a whole weekend moving and sorting a cabin full of boxes from her dad’s house. There was nowhere for it all to go when his place had unexpectedly sold. The buyers wanted to move in immediately and paid extra for a quick closing. Since her dad had his own place already, they agreed. Paxson and his brothers had worked double duty to truck it all into the woods.
“Hey, my love, how many more boxes do we have to move?”
“Are you tired already? This from the wolf who can run for hours through the woods at night?”
“I’m hungry damn it, but not for food, I want you. Alone.”
“You poor wolfie, but you’ll have to wait just a little bit longer. I promised my dad I wouldn’t leave until he gets here. It’ll only be another hour or two. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to unpack as many boxes as I could so he didn’t have as much to do.”
“Are any more going to our house?”
“Yes, there are three large boxes sitting over there by the front door. I haven’t gone through those but dad told me he had and it was all for me.”
“I’m going to have to add on more than just one room. We’ll need a whole west wing if you keep this up.”
“Ha, ha, you’re so funny.”
“I’m completely serious. You have me worried.”
“Well since you’re planning then, might want to think about where to put a nursery.”
“What?” Piper watched as Paxson’s face paled and he placed a hand on the door frame to steady himself. She was thrilled that she’d been able to keep the secret from him for so long. There were no signs that he would have noticed, she wasn’t sick and she kept him blocked as often as she could.
“Are you messing with me right now honey?”
“I wouldn’t do that to you. You’re going to be a daddy.”
He looked like he might start hyperventilating. She left the floor and the box she was digging through and went to his side.
“Paxson, take a breath. Everything is going to be okay, I promise. Can you trust me? I’ve got this.”
She was positively confident and would make sure everything would be perfect for the three of them.
“Are you okay?” He nodded and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m so happy. I love you Piper.”
“I love you Paxson. And don’t worry, it’ll grow on you. You have a few months to get used to it.”
She sent her mate to load up the last few boxes when she heard her dad’s truck pull up to the cabin.
“Give me a few minutes to talk to my dad and I’ll meet you in the truck.”
* * *
As her little family of three drove away from the rental one last time loaded with the remainder of Pipers things, she felt a freedom that she’d only ever known in her dreams. She could feel the tiny pitter patter of little wolf feet pushing softly on the inside of her belly. It took some getting used to, to be able to hear her own heart beat and that of her true love sitting next to her but when she listened closely, she could also hear that of the little one growing inside of her and there was no better experience.
As she glanced toward the last set of bushes before the drive to the house they would spend the rest of their days raising a family, she saw two red eyes and felt a wicked burn in her heart, just before she heard an unknown growl and gasped.
Coming Soon
Fighting Fate
Wolves of Windsor Woods #2
* * *
Porter Rivers has hated his life since the day his brother Paxson found his mate. Not that it was really their fault but it was like salt in a wound every time they were around. Made him want to disappear into the woods and never come back but that wasn’t really an option. Why hasn’t it been easy for him to find his own mate? Is he really that much of a jerk that he can’t attract someone? Should he just stop fighting fate and live as a lone alpha?
* * *
Jordan Cross was not your everyday a-typical wolf. She didn’t belong to a pack and refused to follow the rules unless they were her own. She was making her way to Windsor Woods not by choice but because the last living members of her family were heading there to join a pack. A pack she would not be joining with them. She understood their need for protection but she could take care of herself. She would stay and help them get settled and be on her way.
* * *
When an unknown threat returns to finish the job started months ago, Jordan agrees to help Porter protect the pack no matter the cost. But would either of them realize they aren’t only risking their lives but their hearts as well?
About the Author
Krista Ames is an International #1 best-selling author of contemporary romance,including several sub genres. Western Romance is her failsafe and she loves a man in uniform.
Born and raised in Ind
iana, she is now a Norther Lower Michigan transplant and married to the love of her life. They have 4 children and a few fur babies. She is a full-time stay-at-home mom and pursues her writing career when she’s not chasing kids, cooking or doing laundry.
She finds her inspiration in the love of her family and binge watches romantic and scary movies.
She’s thrilled to hear from readers so please find her at any of the following locations:
* * *
www.KristaAmes.com
www.twitter.com/kristaames
www.facebook.com/kristaamsauthor
www.pinterest.com/kristaames
www.apassionforromance.blogspot.com
Other titles by Krista Ames
Recon Strong (The Elite 1) (Omega Team Novella)
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Neighborhood Watch (The Watchers 1) (Phoenix Agency Novella)
Security Breach (The Watchers 2) (Phoenix Agency Novella)
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Mine for the Taking (Lone Wolves 1) (Paranormal Dating Agency Novella)
Bearly Sassy (Bearly Tolerable 1) (Sassy Ever After Novella)
* * *
Fighting Fate (Wolves of Windsor Woods 2)
* * *
* * *
* * *
Titles Coming Soon
:
Drawn In (An Immortal Lust Trilogy #1)
Drawn Together (An Immortal Lust Trilogy #2)
* * *
Whiskey’s Sweet Revenge (Horse Country 1)
* * *
Love Takes the Cake (Cooking Up Love 1)
* * *
Ranger in Danger (The Elite 2) (Omega Team Novella)
* * *
Stakeout (The Watchers 3) (Phoenix Agency Novella)
* * *
Falling for the Nanny (Breaking the Billionaire 2)
* * *
Wolf at the Door (Wolves of Windsor Woods 3)
The Fate of Her Wolf (Wolves of Windsor Woods 4)
* * *
Dark Wolf Rising (Into the Darkness 1)
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Sassy Sisters (Bearly Tolerable 2) (Sassy Ever After Novella)
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Take Me Home, Cowboy (Home series 1)
In A Cowboy’s Arms (Home series 2)
All Tied Up (Home series 3)
* * *
Fall for Him (Seasons 1)
Winter Without Him (Seasons 2)
Spring Free (Seasons 3)
Summer of Love (Seasons 4)
* * *
When the Lights Go Down (Afterthought 1)
* * *
Operation Unknown (Operation Never-ending 1)
Operation Undercover (Operation Never-ending 2)
* * *
Operation Classified (Operation Never-ending 3)
Operation Rescue (Operation Never-ending 4)
Operation Downtime (Operation Never-ending 5)
* * *
Unlikely Bad Boy (Dirty Bad Boys 1)
Resident Bad Boy (Dirty Bad Boys 2)
* * *
Secret of the Crypt (The House of Dark Year 1)
Dark as Night (The House of Dark Year 2)
The Pendulum Swings (The House of Dark Year 3)
A Warlock’s Revenge (The House of Dark Year 4)
Witch Rising (The House of Dark Year 5)
Quarter Moon Curse (The House of Dark Year 6)
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Harper’s Wish (Montana Series 1)
Sisters (Montana Series 1.5)
Morgan’s Mountain (Montana Series 2)
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Riding the Waves (Beach Babies Book 2)
Wolf Bound
Wolf Bound Book 1
Arya Karin
About Wolf Bound
Ryan Taylor had everything going for him as Rugby half-back until a werewolf bite changed everything. Now he has to keep his secret hidden.
Jessica needs an exclusive story to lock-in her new role as a reporter. Traveling to New Zealand, she gets assigned finding out more about the elusive Ryan Taylor. Except, this bad boy would rather remain secretive.
Chapter One
Jessica
* * *
Jessica jumped as a lightning bolt crackled overhead. Rain pelted her clothes and glued her hair to her face. She was certain she resembled a wet rat. If she didn’t get this new position, she’d give up on her dream of becoming a real reporter and go back to waitressing. At least that allowed her to see daylight, rather than working in a basement all day. Still, the ions from the thunderstorm electrified the air and her heart hammered in her chest as she jogged down the sidewalk. Why did it have to rain, today of all holy days? The weatherman had promised sunny bright skies over Sydney.
Somewhere up there, God was laughing his butt off. Like usual, her luck was tarnished. Even her boyfriend had left her at her cousin’s wedding. Or, rather, she’d left him when she had walked in on him humping one of the bridesmaids she’d been sent to find for pictures. Fate hadn’t improved when she’d changed jobs either. She’d thought landing the obituary section in the paper would be her stepping stone to make her way to the top. So far, all it had done was make her co-workers shun her at meetings and parties, like she carried the plague and they’d risk ending up in her column if they got too close to her.
She juggled her briefcase and the latch clicked open, spilling her previous articles into a puddle.
“You gotta be kidding me!” She bent and gathered the scattered pages. Damn, one fluttered on a gust of wind into the middle of the street. A Jeep rolled over it, crushing it into a pothole.
Jessica gritted her teeth and stuffed the nearby pages into her briefcase and waited for the light to change. She slammed her briefcase closed, holding it under her arm, then scrambled across the road and snatched up the soaking paper. Great, it was her favorite freelance piece she’d written for the Sydney Morning Herald for their weekend edition. Maybe this was a sign she should go back to her cubicle job at the obituary department instead of applying for the entertainment reporter job.
She hustled up the block toward the News Corp Australian building. Inside was her potential new boss; that is, if she got the job working for The Australian newspaper.
Inside, the air conditioner hit her and her teeth chattered. After a nod to the security guard, she shuffled to the ladies’ restroom. One look in the mirror and she wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. Her auburn hair was plastered to her head. All her makeup had washed away except her mascara, which was now thick lines under her gray eyes like she was trying to be an American linebacker or something. Her white blouse was completely see-through. At least her navy skirt was intact, but mud streaked down her left leg and her new pumps had scratches across the top.
Damn! She took a breath and shook her head. No way was she giving up. The fates should've made that lightning bolt strike her if they expected her to cower. She was landing this reporter job and show both her ex-boyfriends and all her co-workers that she was going to make it big.
Grabbing a wad of paper towels, she wet them in the sink, then cleaned the black lines from under her eyes and wiped the mud off her shin. Letting her blouse dry, she opened her briefcase and laid out the papers, reorganizing and tidying them up as best she could. Her cell phone dinged. Crap, five minutes until her interview. Again, her cell beeped. She checked the display. Her friend Amber. Did you get the job?
Not yet. Appt in five. She typed back.
Okay, she still looked horrible and her shirt was still trying to be in a wet T-shirt contest. She yanked another handful of paper towels out of the dispenser and ran them over her shirt. No luck, and white debris now clung to the cotton material. “Great, I've made it worse.”
Her cell alarm went off and she flinched. Then she switched off the reminder and tossed all the dirty towels into the trash and snatched her belongings up. She strode out the restroom with her head high.
Water dripped down her back from her hair and she scanned her badge to walk past security. At the elevator, she pus
hed the button to the top floor. Several people glanced her way, but she stared at the slowly climbing numbers on the lift. Finally, the doors opened and her heels clicked across the linoleum flooring to the receptionist.
“Hi, I have an appointment, with Mr. Casey.” She smiled at the young woman behind the desk.
“Name please.”
“Jessica Martin.”
She shuffled through an appointment book. “Mr. Casey is waiting for you in conference room 28C.”
“Thanks.” She spun and the maze of cubicles and meeting rooms grew. “Um... which one?” Despite working here, she'd never been on this floor except once before when she’d interviewed for the reporter position, and got stuck with the basement and obituaries.
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