As she rested her head on Jason’s shoulder, she sucked in the warmth of his body and the comfort he presented. He would also be there, physically by her side, and emotionally present to support and guide her through anything. She tightened the hold of her arms, wrapped around his waist. He was the most amazing man and he was her mate, her partner, the companion who would accompany her through the rest of her life. Snug in his arms, knowing all the horrors they’d faced were firmly behind them, she looked forward to the rest of her life as Jason’s mate and as mother to the three beautiful, chatty, and loving girls before her.
***
In anticipation, Ashlynn waited to hear Doc Cobb’s assessment of her condition. She, Wayne, and Ryder had arrived home just this morning, after the doctor in Edmonton had finally deemed her well enough to travel. Her mates had doted on her upon their arrival, practically spoon feeding her the food they’d picked up at the diner on the way, and hadn’t left her side. Having missed them so greatly while gone, she soaked up their babying of her, even as it was unnecessary.
While, she’d been desperate to leave the hospital and return home, she regretted leaving before being able to see Mark. He remained in stable condition, but under SASS guard, and denied any visitors beyond medical staff. Although saddened by that, knowing Mark would have welcomed the opportunity to see her as much as she’d wanted to see him, there was little point in remaining so far away from her family when she couldn’t spend time with him. She knew her parents were eager to see her, and she desperately wanted to visit with them, but she’d insisted on seeing Doc Cobb first, wanting to be certain she could truthfully assure her parents she and the pups would be fine.
“I agree with everything the doctor who treated you said,” Doc Cobb announced. “You and the pups will be fine. You need much rest to recover and, when you’re feeling yourself again, you’ll need to continue to take it easy. No strenuous activity, absolutely no heavy lifting, and do your best to avoid stressful situations.” He patted her hand affectionately. “I’m not trying to scare you. What I’ve suggested is probably overly-cautious but I believe it’s prudent to avoid anything that could potentially cause a problem, no matter how unlikely it seems.”
“I agree,” Ryder piped up, “and don’t worry, we won’t let her over-exert herself.”
She forgave his speaking for her, and even his implied control over her. If they all hadn’t just endured what they had, she might have called him out for caveman behaviour. As it stood she appreciated his protectiveness and desire to care for her, sentiments echoed by Wayne who bobbed his head in agreement. Besides, she intended to enjoy their pampering.
Engaging Doc Cobb again, she cocked her head slightly. “What about sex?”
“Again, nothing too strenuous.” He smiled deeply. “I don’t need to know what you three intend to do, just keep it under control.”
She could sense how uncomfortable her mates were with the discussion and found it amusing. Doc Cobb had been her doctor her entire life and she knew nothing they discussed could faze him. Her mates, however, were a different story. Unable to stop herself, she grinned mischievously. “So, only vanilla sex then?”
Wayne uttered an awkward cough and Ryder’s eyes widened slightly. Laughing softly she turned back to see the doctor shaking his head as he smiled.
“Restrained sexual activity,” he said, maintaining his smile, “I already told you I don’t want details.” He then stood. “I’m heading out now. Take care of yourself and allow your mates to care for you. Call me if you have any questions. I’ll check back in a few days.”
She bid him goodbye and then waited while Wayne and Ryder walked him to the door. When they returned to her, she was surprised when both knelt on the floor before the couch. They each placed a hand on her belly and looked to her with earnest faces.
“We’ve discussed something we’d like to do,” Ryder said softly, his eyes shining. “Wayne and I want to formally mate you, now. Your parents will be over soon and we want to ask your father to mate us. I know it’s not the big ceremony you probably wanted, but, with what happened, and with the pups on the way, we want to make this official.”
“We also wanted something that was intimate, just us and your parents,” Wayne added, and then tilted his head slightly. “So, what do you say?”
Her heart soared as it simultaneously thudded with sadness. Of course she wanted to formally join with her mates and make their union official, but she wanted to do that with all her mates. Ryder and Wayne’s offer was so endearing, she loved them for proposing it, and she struggled with how to turn them down without hurting them. She placed one hand on Ryder’s cheek, the other on Wayne’s and smiled sweetly.
“There is no way I could ever express how much I love you two. Of course I want to mate with you, but ...”
Ryder sighed. “But?”
“But I want my whole family to be involved, my brothers, and Emily. I’m still in rough shape and Nathan and Emily need more time to recuperate. And ... well, it wouldn’t feel right if Mark wasn’t here, too.”
She’d blurted the last part out and waited to see their reaction. They appeared disappointed but not angry. She hoped that meant they were coming to terms with Mark’s actions and didn’t view them as a betrayal. While it would clearly take time for them to arrive where she stood, having forgiven Mark entirely, she was certain they’d get there eventually. Unlike her, they’d been close to Mark for years and she knew only time would heal their wounds.
“I don’t need a big ceremony,” she continued, eager to smooth things over entirely, “but I do want all my family there and that includes Mark.”
“I can’t possibly be angry with your loyalty to him,” Ryder responded. “Okay, we’ll wait.”
“But for how long?” Wayne questioned. “We still don’t know what’s going on with him, and let’s face it, a decision could be made to incarcerate him for years, or the rest of his life even.”
They were possibilities but not ones she’d entertain, along with the one Wayne hadn’t voiced. Execution was still a possibility too. Ryder glanced at Wayne and then back to her.
“We’ll wait to hear word on Mark. You’re right, he’s your mate too. And we do understood you wanting to have all your family there. We forget sometimes, you know, because we don’t have families.”
“You’re part of my family now,” she assured them both as she looked between them, “and soon our family will be three pups bigger.”
They both smiled so happily she knew her insistence on Mark being included wouldn’t cause issues. Ryder laid his head on one thigh, Wayne on the other. As she raked her fingertips through their hair, she tried to focus on nothing but them, even as her heart still ached for Mark’s uncertain future.
***
Levi flashed a half-hearted grin to a female shifter he passed on the sidewalk. She was obviously flirting with him but he was in no mood to reciprocate, no matter how attractive she was. Petite for a shifter, and blonde, she was definitely his type but he had no intention of hooking up with any woman in either Willow Creek or Moon Valley, where he currently was, on his way to a meeting with Hannah Grayson. It was the last thing he needed to accomplish before he could leave the area and he was more than ready to move on.
While always hating small towns, he had to admit the two teeny ones that buffered one another here held more appeal than most. Both were picturesque, surrounded by forest, with the Rocky Mountains soaring in the near distance. It was truly a lovely area but he’d had his fill, his never-ending wanderlust raging, and his inherent dislike of building relationships with others rearing. He enjoyed the company of some shifters, especially those in Willow Creek, but not enough to want to spend any further time there.
Despite the flirtatious shifter he’d just passed, he felt a distinct difference in the towns. Easily spotted due to his towering height, he was constantly stopped while trying to accomplish his duties. When it happened in Willow Creek, the shifters always thanked him
for helping in the rescue of their pack members. In Moon Valley, however, he was besieged with questions about how involved Julian Grayson had been, and questions in regards to Brady, most pack members not knowing what to think of a cat-shifter in their midst. He supposed that, as they believed him a SASS agent, they thought he had more knowledge of Brady than he possessed. Truthfully, he barely knew the shifter, and couldn’t care less what Brady did in his spare time. He’d been a competent addition to the rescue team and that’s all Levi cared about. The tension in Moon Valley was palpable, trouble was brewing, and he intended to be far away before it occurred.
Hank had already departed town and Levi would tomorrow. He’d left Ryder’s place as soon as he and Hank had returned from the rogue shifter’s compound, and rented a room at the B&B in Moon Valley. The old shifter who’d served him told him how fortunate he was to receive the room recently vacated by Hannah Grayson and her mates. Their claiming night had taken place in the room which, according to the wizened female, imbibed it with good fortune. He’d immediately demanded another room and had almost laughed aloud at the look on the shifter’s face. While not believing for a moment that mate-pairing was contagious, he wasn’t keen on spending time in a bed he knew those Tremblay twins had been in. He still couldn’t account for his dislike of the pair, but heeded his instincts. Something about them was off, he just didn’t know what. Soon it wouldn’t be a concern. He’d put both towns in his figurative rear view mirror and move on.
As he opened the door that led to the interior of the building Hannah Grayson’s office resided in, he hoped she wouldn’t talk about her mates during his meeting with her. His recent encounter with Brady had been nauseating. Speaking with the shifter to hear what, if anything, had been discovered about Jennifer Morrow’s whereabouts, Brady had gushed about his new mate. It got so bad that Levi had resorted to rudely telling Brady to shut up about Jess and to stick to SASS business only. The Morrow woman was still missing, lending the possibility she could be downright complicit in everything that happened. The few rogue pack members they were able to take into custody refused to say anything and the situation was as frustrating as ever. They had however, rescued not just the Willow Creek pack members but also many other shifters who’d been held for quite some time. He had to admit that felt pretty damn fantastic, and had even warmed his normally crusty heart.
Approaching the glass front of Hannah Grayson’s office, he saw her working at her desk. Like the shifter he’d just encounter on the street, she was petite and blonde, but way more attractive. Also mated. It quashed any thoughts he might have entertained about possessing her had she been single. She was stunning though and he wondered once more about how the Universe paired shifters. What on earth did this beautiful shifter have in common with the Tremblay twins? Inwardly shaking his head, he raised his hand to rap on the door, pushing all thoughts of mating and the Tremblays from his mind. One last meeting, and he could leave this place and all its confusion behind.
***
As she slid the bottom drawer of the desk closed, Hannah let out a resigned breath. She still hated her numerous Alpha duties. Dustin and Zack helped as much as they could and she could have used their help today, as she wasn’t looking forward to her next meeting, with Levi Simmons. A few shifters had warned her of his less-than-pleasant mannerisms and she wasn’t in a diplomatic mood. Her mates had returned to their pack, needing to catch up at work. The plan was for them to spend a few days there and set up a system that afforded them the opportunity to perform their jobs almost entirely from Moon Valley. It was a great idea, and a way for the trio to spend the most time together, but she still missed them, even as they had only left this morning.
While her Alpha duties still plagued her, the relationship she shared with her mates was perfect. They were amazing, helpful, loving, and so damn sexy. Each union she shared with them exceeded the one before. The three were incredible together. The Universe had certainly got it right. Her mates were the sole thing in her life that was perfect, untainted by the commotion in the pack. They anchored her, soothed her troubles and filled her with confidence she could face anything life threw at her, as long as they were at her side.
Her office was finally set up to her liking and above a storefront in town. She was happy with the decision to keep Alpha duties separate from home life. Her mates and she had a pact to discuss all pack affairs in this space, reserving their home for a harmonious mating existence only, and she couldn’t be more pleased with the arrangement.
Now, if only pack matters could run as harmoniously. Her mother still harboured anger toward her. If that wasn’t enough, so did the pack. They directed that animosity at her mother and brothers too and that was something she intended to put an end to. She understood their ire over her father’s actions but she and her family weren’t responsible for what he’d done and shouldn’t suffer the consequences. Keegan and Taylor had taken on some minor Alpha duties, most notably some public appearances, and had been outright shunned at some. It was a shitty situation and no one seemed to have any ideas on how to rectify it. Added to it all, word had reached her that most of the pack was also upset with Jess and Brady’s mating, opposed to having a cat-shifter among them. With no clue on how to address that problem, she supposed the old adage of time healing all wounds might transpire and hoped it would. So far, being an Alpha sucked.
Also always on her mind was Ashlynn. She’d seen her friend yesterday, in the evening, allowing Ashlynn time to visit with family before Hannah headed there, despite how desperate she was to see the shifter. They embraced each other fiercely, having not seen one another in some time, cried over the loss of Ashlynn’s pup, and then enjoyed a long discussion. Sitting in the living room of the house Ashlynn shared with her mates, Hannah had been amused by how often Ryder and Wayne had popped their heads in, inquiring if Ashlynn needed anything, and twice had prepared tea for the women. She’d found their fawning over Ashlynn adorable. Before heading over, she’d called Doc Cobb to ensure Ashlynn was truly up for a visit, knowing her friend would insist on seeing her, even if she’d been cautioned to rest instead. Her discussion with the doctor had eased her mind and, after hearing all Ashlynn had endured medically, Hannah knew her friend, provided she followed Doc Cobb’s instructions, would be fine. Truly, there was no need of the extreme babying Wayne and Ryder insisted on imparting on Ashlynn but, after spending only a few days mated, Hannah understood their desire to do it, knowing, if her mates ever suffered an injury or illness, that she’d dote on them that excessively.
At a tap on the glass of her office door, she looked up and couldn’t help the rise of her eyebrows. Levi Simmons was quite the shifter. Extremely tall, and well muscled, he sported a ruggedly handsome face, the bottom half of which was dotted with stubble. Sexy stubble. Knock it off, she chastised herself, you’re mated. An inner voice answered her: Yeah, mated, but not blind. Nobody said anything about fucking him, just look at him, he’s hot! Mentally fanning herself, she waved him into the office, then stood and moved around her desk to greet him properly.
The instant he set foot inside her office, she sucked in a breath. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! The litany repeated in her head and, although he hadn’t said anything, she was certain Levi’s brain was uttering the same damn thing as hers. For the pull of her loins in response to the delicious smell of him could mean only one thing. He was her mate.
THE END
A Sneak Peek at
Torn Between Her Wolves
The Willow Creek Pack 4
“What the fuck!”
The harsh way he’d snarled out the words told Hannah that Levi was more than shocked that she and he were mates. He hated it. His expression was scornful and he looked like he’d rather eat shit than be in her presence.
As her mind spun, her body responded to him. Asshole or not, he was her mate. While her brain questioned it, her pussy throbbed greedily, begging her to strip and offer
herself to him. She could have done without Levi’s harsh reaction, but his sentiment was dead-on. What the fuck was going on here? She had mates. When she took a step toward him, he held up his hands in apparent alarm.
“Stay right there! Don’t come a step closer. Maybe if we keep our distance that damn pull bullshit won’t kick in.”
He was furious and, as he took two steps back, her heart dropped. Perhaps he hadn’t felt the pull but she certainly had and it was way stronger than it had been with Dustin and Zack.
“But we’re mates,” she finally managed to squeak out. “We have to claim each other.”
“No fucking way,” he snarled. “I don’t know what this is, but you are not my mate. Fuck this, I’m gone.”
He turned to leave and she panicked. She needed him as much as she needed her other mates. There was no way he couldn’t feel it, the same need that consumed her, threatening to overtake her entirely. He was her mate.
“But we’re mates,” she repeated, unable to come up with anything else to stall him.
“Not if I can prevent it,” he shot back over his shoulder as he left.
Shakily, she rounded her desk and flopped down in her chair. She had a third mate and he didn’t want anything to do with her. While she supposed it was possible he hadn’t felt the pull, she certainly did. Her entire body mourned his absence and screamed for his touch. Could he really not feel the same way? She was flushed, her skin fiery, her pussy more so. With tight nipples and aching loins, she needed him to come back. They had to claim one another. Her hands trembled as she picked up her cellphone. While her first instinct was to call Dustin, she needed to speak with someone who might be able to shed light on this situation, and explain how she could possibly have a third mate, one who wasn’t connected to her other two, and also one who appeared to detest her. Perhaps Jack Tremblay could help but she thought Doc Cobb a better choice and hit the icon beside his name. As the call rang, she hoped he could assist her, she certainly needed help and a lot of it.
Saved by Her Wolves Page 21