Ekton: Winter Valley Wolves #6

by V. Vaughn

  Ekton

  V. Vaughn

  Contents

  Copyright

  Foreword

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2015 by V. Vaughn

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by Croco Designs

  Editing by Jodi Henley and Red Adept Publishing

  Don’t miss an installment from V. Vaughn. Sign up for her newsletter.

  Created with Vellum

  Foreword

  Mia Maybee arrives at Winter Valley University with one goal in mind - to discover the Silver Lake Wolves’ secret and secure her future as a renowned scientist. But she uncovers much more than that, and the truth teaches her lessons she didn’t know she had to learn.

  Ekton Wakefield isn’t surprised to find his true mate is a girl who loves science as much as he does. Unfortunately, her passion threatens his existence, and he’ll need to show her that his animal side is worthy of love.

  1

  Sweat is pouring down my face as the roller wheels on my suitcases rumble over the sidewalk. I thought it was supposed to be cold in the North. My glasses have slipped so far that wiggling my nose won’t push them back up, so I stop to do it with my hand. The stale scent of canned plane air mixed with my body odor wafts up, and I’m thankful I don’t have to meet some perky girl roommate. She’d be sure to have a name like Bailey or Lexi and have the makeup and hair to go with it. Part of my full-ride deal at Winter Valley University is I got a single.

  My dorm is straight ahead, and it shimmers in the heat like an oasis. Fortunately it is, because it has air conditioning, and I’ll be cranking that sucker down to near-freezing temperatures as soon as I can. I thump my luggage over the curb and glance down at my boots. Awesome, black chunky-heel, don’t-mess-with-me boots. Unfortunately they’re not what I should be wearing in ninety-degree weather along with my leggings and pleated skirt. The outfit was a much better idea in theory, because the melted version is probably not saying serious student right now.

  When I get to the sidewalk that leads to my building, there’s a family on the ramp section, so I yank my bags hard to clear the edge of the concrete. A thud makes me look down to notice I broke a wheel. Fantastic. I sigh and drag my bag along anyway. The scraping noise turns a few heads, but I’m so past caring.

  Someone’s dad holds the door open as he talks over his shoulder, ignoring me. It makes me grateful I said goodbye to my mother at the airport. She’d wanted to come with me, but it was stupid for her to buy a ticket just so she could carry stuff to my room. Plus, she’d be talking nonstop, and there’s only so much noise I can handle.

  Once I’m inside, something besides my bag grabs my attention. My jaw drops as I’m presented with what looks like a casting call for a male strip show. A group of guys are standing shirtless by the check-in desk. They’re tall, with broad shoulders, narrow hips, and impossibly defined muscles that make me want to retake anatomy.

  Dayum. Maybe I won’t miss life at MIT after all. They glance over at me as they hear the rushing noise of my broken suitcase.

  A blond guy comes over to me. “Let me help you with that.”

  I glance up at a chiseled face that takes my breath away. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. I’ll just hang on to this until you get your key, and then I’ll help you move in.”

  “Really?”

  He nods his head toward the group he was with. “That’s why we’re here.”

  “Oh. Cool.”

  I leave my suitcases and walk over to the desk. The air conditioning is already improving my mood, and I even smile when a sweat-free girl hands me a lanyard with my ID on it. She says, “You’ll need this key for everything. It lets you into all our buildings, is your pass for your meals, and how you get into your room, which is three twenty-five. Welcome, Mia.”

  “Thanks.”

  I turn to discover the guy is right behind me. “Mia, ba-by. Let’s get you to your room.”

  He singsongs the baby part, and I frown. “Just Mia.”

  He’s not dismayed and says, “It can’t be just Mia. What’s your last name?”

  “Maybee.”

  He hoists my bag over his shoulder as if it’s a pillow, and the red Heavy tag the airline attached waves as if it’s making sure I know he’s super-strong. “Mia May-bee.” He’s replaced his teasing version of baby with my last name, and he grabs the handle of my other bag as he winks at me. “Right this way.”

  I roll my eyes at his flirting and follow. He leads me to the elevators, and there’s a guy with a woman who’s probably his mother waiting.

  My Sherpa asks, “What makes Mia Maybee be Mia Yes?”

  I’m not surprised by his question. In fact, I expected it and glare at him. “Really? That’s all you’ve got? Because I’ve only heard that a million times.”

  He chuckles as the elevator dings and the doors open. The car is tiny, and the four of us with our bags barely fit. The woman is telling the boy how he should organize his room, and I’m grateful I don’t have to talk. I’m aware of how awful I smell, but even more aware of the musk of the shirtless dude whose body is inches from mine. His scent is strangely attractive, and when I take a long, slow breath to discreetly inhale it, my physical reaction is one of lust.

  We jerk to a stop on the second floor, and the kid and his mother get out. When I step back to take up the extra room, my helper says, “I’m in the single right below you.”

  I glance up at his eyes. They’re a grayish-blue color, and below them is a mouth with plump lips I envision kissing. I blink quickly. I must be ovulating. “It’s not very big, is it?” I swear I’m asking about the room.

  “Nope, but we have bunk bed frames, and if you want, I can help you lift your mattress up high and move your desk and bureau underneath. It makes it feel bigger.”

  We jerk again, and the door swishes open. I scurry out first, and he says, “To the right and at the end.”

  I’m not sure if I’m rushing because I don’t want him to have to hold my suitcase too long, or if I’m trying to get far enough away that I can’t smell his pheromones. My hand shakes as I swipe my key through the reader, and when I push on the door, I discover it didn’t work. The plastic clatters as I rush to do it again before he gets to me. Damn it.

  “Here, let me show you. They can be tricky at first.” A warm hand covers mine, and he moves our fingers to slide the key slowly. I twist the knob open and step into the small space of my room.

  It’s even smaller when the guy enters with my luggage. He sets it down and asks, “Bed?”

  A naked vision of him hovering over me in a horizontal position flashes in my mind. My cheeks heat up, and I nod quickly. Definitely ovulating.

  I attempt to help lift the mattress up to the upper section of the bed frame, but my five feet of height makes me useless. The guy chuckles at me when I can’t reach all the way. “Getting in bed for you is going to be like climbing a tree.”

  I watch him maneuver easily with well over six feet of height. “I can think of a different tree I’d like to climb.”

  “Are you always this quiet, Mia Maybee?”

  “What?” I focus and
say, “Oh. I’m sorry. Thank you so much for the help.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m Ekton Wakefield.” He stares at me for a moment, and a smile turns up slowly on his face. “We’re going to be friends, Mia Maybee, and I’m going to find out how to get you to be Mia Yes.”

  He backs out of my room and tugs the door shut. It clicks softly, and I sink to the floor as I whisper, “Ekton Wakefield, you already have.”

  2

  Getting settled into college life wasn’t as painful as I’d expected. Being in the honors dorm means quiet time starts at eight every night except weekends, and since the campus is small, I’ve had no trouble figuring out where I need to be. Winter Valley College is thought of as a poor choice for a student like me, considering I got into MIT, but the unique research opportunity sold me. If I discover what I’m here to find, my reputation will open any door I want.

  The tapping of my boots as I walk down the steps located right outside of my room echoes off the concrete walls as I make my way to the science building. In high school, I got a job working in a lab for a famous geneticist. Dr. Gina Sand became my mentor, and when she shared her exciting top-secret proposal with me, I was thrilled she wanted my help. I’m in Winter Valley to do the field research for Project Shapeshifter. Apparently there’s a large pack of wolves that may have DNA unlike any others documented. Dr. Sand’s theory is that they’re werewolves, and I’m here to find out.

  I step out to a pleasant temperature. After the heat wave over the past few days, it feels glorious, and I lift my chin to let a gentle breeze blow my hair away from my face. I glance around, hoping to discover Ekton, but since the day I arrived, I haven’t seen him, and I can’t help myself from sighing in disappointment.

  The science building is across from my dorm and a short walk. I enter into an empty lobby. The floor is shiny with wax, and it’s eerily quiet except for my footsteps as I walk to the staircase that leads to the basement. When I get there, I follow the fluorescent-lighted hallway to a set of metal doors. I imagine myself as an evil scientist, but my evil cackle doesn’t quite work, and I wonder if Dr. Sand ever has this problem.

  I tug a door open and discover a woman dancing in silence. She’s wearing headphones and clearly enjoying her music as she prances toward a table. I chuckle softly as I wait for her to notice me. When she does, she smiles and removes her earbuds to say, “Mia!”

  She approaches me with her hand out, and I take it as I say, “Hi, Dr. Thompson.”

  “It’s Andi. I’m not a real doctor, you know.”

  “You are to me. I’m so excited to be working with you. Dr. Sand thinks you’re very smart.”

  She studies my face as if she’s trying to sort out what to say to me. “Tell me what you think we’re doing.”

  My stomach sinks, because I hope I didn’t come all the way here for nothing. “Gathering data on the Silver Lake wolves?”

  “Do you know what for?”

  Andi is higher up on the food chain than I am, so I’ve got no doubt she knows more than me, and I say, “To find out if they’re werewolves.”

  Her face relaxes. “Okay. Good.”

  I let out the breath I was holding, and my excitement rushes back. “Whew. For a minute I thought you were going to tell me that funding got pulled.”

  “No. I just needed to understand how much you were told. But you know the most sensitive piece.”

  “Yes. And I understand it’s not something to share.”

  “You’ve got that right. This town loves those wolves, and we’d be lynched if they thought we were going to do anything to hurt them.”

  The point of the project is to learn what makes people able to change into an animal in the hopes it can be induced in others. The implications are huge in finding a way for our species to survive on this planet as our resources become depleted. With global warming, we may all need to become sea creatures some day. I say, “Oh, please. The research we’re doing is going to put this tiny town on the map. I’m so excited to be part of something that could change lives.” My hands are moving with my words, and I clasp them together as I focus on being professional.

  Andi smiles at me. “Me too. Now let me get you set up.”

  Once my paperwork is sorted out, she fills me in on what she’s uncovered. Andi thinks that the werewolves spend most of their time in animal form. She shows me a map of Silver Lake and their known hangouts. Because I’m a young biology major, I should have no trouble hiking through the woods to collect data without drawing unnecessary attention.

  My first assignment is to gather wolf feces. I grimace at the thought that I’m basically scooping poop. But I take the gloves, sample jars, bags, and pen with enthusiasm, because this is just the beginning of realizing my dream.

  When it’s time to go, I tuck my field kit into my backpack and head back to my dorm. As I walk, I’m fantasizing about being interviewed on a talk show, and I’m startled when a voice behind me says, “Mia May-bee. Maybe yes, or maybe no.”

  I turn with a smile to discover Ekton. “Well if it isn’t my favorite Sherpa.”

  “I saw you leave the science building. Is that what you’re studying?”

  “Yes. I’m a biology major.”

  He bumps my shoulder with his. “You make a cute little scientist.”

  I scowl, and Ekton frowns at me. “You don’t like to be teased, do you?”

  “Is that what you call it? Where I’m from, that’s making fun of me.”

  Ekton claps his hand over his heart. “You wound me. Do you think I’m the kind of guy who would insult you?”

  “Do I look the kind of girl who likes to be called cute?”

  We’re at the dorm, and he swipes his card to let us in. My skin tingles at the memory of his hand on mine the first day. He holds the door open for me. “Good point. How do you feel about sexy?”

  I squint my eyes at him, and he asks, “Beautiful?” When I don’t respond, he asks, “Smart?”

  I smile in spite of myself, because I’m enjoying his company. I say, “You’re getting warmer.”

  He keeps walking with me to the stairwell and hops in front of me to open the door. He blocks the entrance and gazes down at me to say, “So amazing that I can’t stop thinking about you?”

  I shake my head and push on his chest to get through. “You’re cute.”

  “Cute?” He climbs the stair beside me and matches my step. “Do I look like the kind of guy who likes to be called cute?”

  I grin at him. “No. I’ll bet you prefer hot.” I scan his body with eyes. “Or sexy.”

  “Now you’re talking.”

  We’ve reached his floor, but he keeps walking with me to mine. He says, “Have dinner with me, Mia Maybee. I know a fantastic dining hall across the way. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

  He pulls on the door for me to enter my floor and blocks the entrance once again. “Please?”

  I am hungry, and if I said no, then I’d have to eat with the girls on the floor. Besides, let’s be real. I want to, so I say, “Sure. Can you be ready in ten minutes?”

  “Yes I can.”

  “I’ll come get you.”

  He winks at me. “I’ll be waiting.”

  I don’t hide my eye roll as I pass by him. And when I get in my room, I don’t hide my joy as I do a little dance. I stop quickly when I realize that he’s right below me and about to enter his room. I think I need to keep him guessing just a little longer.

  3

  I’ve always been the kind of girl who believes in “what you see is what you get.” I’ve never worked hard at looking attractive for boys. But that was before I met a guy who makes my ovaries load their cannons in preparation for the act of procreation.

  I’m wearing my typical badass boots and leggings under a short plaid skirt. I switch out of my loose top to a fitted button-up blouse. I’d like to think I’m rocking the sexy schoolgirl look, but when I gaze at myself in the mirror, my curves scream fertile instead. I snort at myself. I’ve got s
ex on the brain.

  Of course, my mother planted that idea in my head when she gave me a box of condoms and told me college should be about more than classwork. I did fantasize that it would be different from high school and hoped I’d find a smart guy who wouldn’t mind a little field research in a bedroom. I smear on a greasy layer of lip gloss and push my glasses up my nose. You can do this, Mia.

  I grab my key, and my door slams behind me as I slip away before any of my floormates notice. I’m going to have enough questions to answer later as it is. Winter Valley U isn’t a big campus, and eating alone with Ekton will be noticed. Not that I mind, because for once I’m going to be the girl with the hot guy.

  My knuckles rap lightly on his door, and I glance down the hall at a group of guys joking around. I’ll never understand their need to punch each other. I turn back when Ekton’s door creaks open. He changed too, and I smile that he put on a button-down shirt like me. Although his appears as if it’s been wadded up in a ball in the corner of his closet. Somehow it works for me anyway, because my mind replays the vision of what he looks like in just a pair of shorts.

  “You’re checking me out.”

  “I—” I wince for a second as my face heats up.

  Ekton scans me with his gaze and then waggles his brows at me as he holds the stairwell door open. “Thanks for permission to do the same, Mia Maybee.”

  I’m in way over my head with this guy. “Sure. Any time.” I jog down the stairs as if I can leave my embarrassment behind.

  When we get outside, Ekton asks, “How’s college life so far?”

  “Good. I like my classes and my job.” I realize I know next to nothing about the man beside me, and I ask, “What about you? How are your classes this year?”

  A guy is approaching us, and I recognize him as one of the shirtless dudes. He says, “Ekton.” And Ekton nods at him as he says to me, “Not bad. But my eight a.m. lab is killer.”