by Tl Reeve
Jupiter’s Shadow
Smoky Mountain Wolves, book 1
TL Reeve
After Glows Publishing
Contents
Jupiter’s Shadow
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
About the Author
Note From The Publisher
Jupiter’s Shadow
Copyright © 2017 by TL Reeve
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Published by After Glows
PO Box 224
Middleburg, FL 32050
AfterGlowsPublishing.com
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Cover by LKO Designs
Formatting by AG Formatting
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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.
Jupiter’s Shadow
Jupiter “Pip” Baldwin, isn’t ready to settle down and produce heirs for the Sequatchie Pack. As the Alpha’s daughter and only child, she is destined to continue his bloodline, while allowing her mate to lead the pack—an archaic rule of the collective Smoky Mountain Wolves packs.
On her thirty-second birthday, five men will be presented to her for choosing. It’s not about love in her pack. It’s about power. When each man reveals who they are, and what they’re capable, Jupiter finds herself in over her head.
Will she be able to narrow down her choices, to the perfect “match,” or will Jupiter find she can’t let any of them go?
Change is coming to the Sequatchie pack, and Jupiter must blaze the trail…
Chapter One
“You will attend this party. No excuses, Jupiter.” My father stood before me in my small, cramped home. His looming presence had my hackles raising.
I didn’t want a birthday party. I was thirty-two. Not five.
“No excuses? You arrange a celebration using funds we don’t have and expect me to be happy about it?” A sigh filled with the frustration I’d been feeling for the past week left me. “I told you we were running short with pack money and we needed to allow our people to go out and make their own pay.”
“And I am still your alpha.” His lip curled as he stared at me. “It’s time for you to consider settling down instead of working in the human world and take your place as the alpha’s daughter and heir-apparent.”
What he meant was give up my investigator badge and be a good little housewife and mate to some alpha wolf. Not going to happen. I enjoyed my job. I loved being an investigator. I loved everything about working for the sheriff’s department, period. My father would never understand. “You’ve always been the alpha and never my father.”
A lone picture of my mother and me sat on the mantle. My father never told me what happened to her. One day, she greeted me when I came home from school and the next, she disappeared.
“I raised you.”
I stood. “You didn’t raise me. You sculpted me. You honed me. Trained me. You made me in your image hoping I would one day take over the pack.”
“Because it’s yours!” The dangerous growl emanating from him gave me pause.
“I don’t want it, Dad.” Slumping into my chair, I gazed at my feet, unwilling to meet his stare, because I knew how disappointed he’d be. “My time is better spent providing for the pack however I can.”
“Which is exactly what the alpha does. This is our pack. Our lands. I need to know when I step down as alpha, you will be there to carry us.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “So, I used this money to provide a proper coming out party.”
Guilt lanced my heart. I looked up at my dad and my heart lodged in my throat. Stress lines bracketed his mouth, giving his jaw a haggard set. A stark white stripe of hair bisected his hairline, highlighting the deep grooves between his brows. However, what startled me most were his dull, listless eyes. How horrible of a child was I that I hadn’t seen him? “I don’t need a celebration.”
“You will be there.” He stormed out of the house.
“Shit.” I ran my fingers through my hair and tugged. How many other ways did I have to explain this to my father? I didn’t need anything from this pack. I was content. I loved my job and I loved doing what I could to make our pack stronger—even though he’d been determined to destroy it.
My father, Echo, always seemed stuck. Like he didn’t quite know how to move forwards with the pack. Our laws were the same as the ones my great-great-great grandfather laid out when the Sequatchie pack settled along the lake it was named after. We’d been a prosperous pack for a while, but lately, we’d been falling apart at the seams. No matter what I did, more and more pack members left us. And I didn’t know what to do.
A knock came at the door a moment before my best friend Jessy eased inside, garment bag in hand. “Hey. Your dad said to help you get ready.”
“No.” The dress had to go back to whatever store he bought it from.
“I made it.” The shy omega wolf inched forwards. Her hazel-green eyes glittered with anticipation. “Happy birthday.”
Fuck. I scrubbed my face. “Sure. Sorry. Long day.” I took the outfit she constructed for me and carried it down the hall towards my room.
“Well, you can tell me about it while I get you ready,” she stated, trailing me.
“There’s not much to say.” Hanging up the bag, I glanced at her. “How many hours?”
She licked her lips. “About thirty-ish or so.”
“Jesus, woman.” I shook my head. “You took time away from your customers to do this for me.”
“I wanted to.” She took a tentative step forwards. Her fingers were locked together in front of her in a tight vise causing her knuckles to turn white while she shifted from foot to foot. A nervous tick she’d picked up when we’d been kids. She worried me. Any male in the pack who mated with her would run all over her, if she didn’t learn to stand up for herself.
“You are allowed to say no. You’re allowed to refuse a nonpaying job for a paying one.”
“Pfft.” She waved off my objection. “I understand. I promise I will say no when I have too much going on.” She motioned to the bag. “Open it. Please.”
I pulled down the zipper and gasped. Delicate pale-peach lace and chocolate eyelet material had been sewn into an intricately designed cocktail dress. The sash around the waist had been crocheted and hand beaded, as was the peek-a-boo overlay bodice. Somehow, I didn’t believe this only took thirty hours. “Jessy,” I whispered, running my fingers along the finer details of the dress. “It’s beautiful.”
She gave a giddy squeak and clapped her hands. Her whole being radiated joy. “You really like it?”
I took it out to lay on my bed. “Like it? No.”
“Oh.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back a teasing laugh. “I freaking love it! It’s beautiful.”
The whitest energy flowed from my friend. Her reaction was what my father needed to see. Praise did a pack well. I doubted he’d done such a thing in…years.
“Go on, get in the shower. You can’t be late.” She shooed me to the bathroom.
“Okay, okay.” I grabbed my things and entered the master bathroom. “Do you have any clue what my father has prepared?”
“No,” she answered, standing near the door. “He only aske
d that I make you the finest dress I could.”
I turned on the water and undressed. I hated to harp on the situation, but Jessy needed to accept jobs that paid her, not ones she donated her time to. Stepping into the water, I groaned. The cool spray felt good on my overheated flesh.
“I hate surprises.” I grabbed my body puff to fill with soap. “I hate wasting money.”
“It’s your birthday. You never let your father do anything for you.”
“We don’t have the funds. We have buildings to fix and families to feed. If he won’t allow anyone else to work outside pack lands, what are we to do?” Quick shower finished, I dried off, then slipped into the dress Jessy made. It fit perfectly, molding to all my curves. “Wow.”
“Not bad.” Jessy grinned. “Makeup first, then we’ll do your hair.”
“As you wish.”
* * *
By the time I arrived, the majority of the pack had congregated within the main gathering area in the center of our town. Some stood together deep in conversation. Others were somber. I hated seeing my pack in such disarray. The glow of a large bonfire drew my attention to where my father stood near the grill pits. Oh, for fuck sakes. All I could hope was anything he cooked had been caught on pack land and not bought.
I pushed through the growing crowd, greeting those I passed as I tried to get to my father. No one appeared happy. I couldn’t blame them. They saw the money—their money being spent on something frivolous. When I finally made my way to my dad, Dax stood in my path.
I lifted my gaze to his. His cheerful expression didn’t surprise me. He’d always been a happy, hardworking wolf. He also had a crush on me, but I refused to entertain the idea of mating him. Sure, I’d been drawn to him. I knew he had the potential of being my mate, however, I didn’t want to settle down yet.
“You look amazing, Pip,” he murmured. I could say the same for him. He wore a blue long-sleeve Henley and jeans. The top two buttons were open, exposing his beautiful peaches and cream flesh. His pants hung low on his hips, drawing attention to his tapered waist and muscular stomach.
My cheeks heated and a wriggle of awareness worked through me. “Thanks. So do you.”
“Thanks.” He offered me his hand. “Your dad said this is supposed to be an interesting party tonight.”
“Oh?” I rested my palm in his. “I told him I didn’t want this.”
He tsked. “He’d like to see you happy again.” His piercing blue-eyed gaze bore into me. “He loves you.”
I knew my father loved me in some capacity. “Dax.”
“Enjoy yourself tonight. Try not to think of what money has been spent on you.”
Easy for him to say. Summer would yield a good crop, but we needed to last ‘til then. Even if we had a great harvest, we’d need supplements. “I’ll try. Do you know what he has planned?”
“I’m not at liberty to say,” he grunted.
“Not helping the relaxing part,” I muttered. “At least tell me everything on the grill is fresh kill.”
His easy smile returned. “Of course. Me and a couple guys started last night. The wood for the bonfire came from a couple of old trees, which should have come down last fall. Hardly any money has been spent. I made sure.”
I blew out a breath, relieved to know accounts hadn’t been completely depleted. “Thank you. I’m sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck. Maybe I’d worked too many hours without some downtime between shifts.
“Don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s get you something to eat.” Dax led me to the table where the prepared food had been laid out.
It was the first time I noticed new people mingling with our pack. “Uh, have I been so far out of it I didn’t realize we got new members?”
“Huh?” He glanced up to where I stared. “Oh, no. Your father said it’s an alliance. He’ll explain tonight.”
“Shit.”
“Don’t worry, Pip. It’ll be fine.”
“How am I supposed to run this pack if my father won’t trust me enough to tell me his plans?” None of it made sense.
“Maybe he didn’t want to burden you since you’ve been working so hard.”
Perhaps. When I decided to become a sheriff’s deputy, then an investigator, I’d done it in hopes of protecting the pack and making a little money to help us out. All my pay went to the pack as did the income of those who worked within the pack. The communal effort was a part of our identity. “Probably.”
“I’m sure you’ll feel better after you eat. When was the last time you grabbed a bite?”
Shit. I couldn’t remember. As soon as I pulled up to the station, my partner and I caught a murder-suicide case. “Honestly?” I grimaced when he growled at me. “I have been on the go all day.” My stomach rumbled as the smells of decadent meats and cheeses wafted around us. “I can probably eat a whole slab of beef, right now.”
Dax chuckled. “I bet you could.” He let go of my hand and set out preparing our plates. Beers, waters, and some juices were lined up on another table with ice and cups.
I grabbed a water and beer—I was totally going to need it—for both of us, then followed Dax to the main table near the bonfire. The other pack tables were positioned around us. I guess the proper thing for me to have done was wait for everyone to sit and start eating before I did, but I didn’t.
The minute the different scents from the meat hit my nose, my mouth watered and my stomach cramped with hunger. I had to eat something. I started with little bites, not wanting to appear too ravenous.
“Oh, my God!” Cag, a fellow packmate and friend squealed. “Jessy said she finished the dress, but she hadn’t let us see it.” Sharon, her twin, stood next to her. Both wore appreciative expressions on their faces.
“It’s perfect.” I smiled, placing my fork on my plate. “I couldn’t believe she did it for me.”
Sharon waved her off. “Of course, she did. She loves you like a sister. She’d do anything for you.”
Cag nodded. “Anything. We were wondering if you’d like to get lunch with us tomorrow, celebrate your birthday the right way.” She winked.
“I’d love to. Better call me though before you show up at the station. I’ve been on the run all day today, might be the same tomorrow.”
“Sounds great. Happy birthday, Jupiter.” With a wave, both Cag and Sharon melted back into the crowd.
Conversations flowed around us. The new wolves seemed to stick close to my father for the most part, and some curious glances were thrown their way. I couldn’t blame my packmates. The four men were hot. Each had short hair, with the exception being the guy who sat in the middle. My fingers itched to run through his shoulder-length tresses. They were fit, too. Strapping. Not overly built but perfect wolf specimens.
“If I can get your attention.” My father took his position next to me. I hadn’t even heard him approach. The conversations died down, and he spoke. “Today is my daughter, Jupiter’s, birthday. She is thirty-two and it is time for this old man to step down as alpha.”
I frowned. I told my father I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to take over. Becoming alpha meant I’d have to quit the force. We needed the money. “Dad?”
He waved me off. “Recently, I had a meeting with the alphas from the Nickajack, Chickamauge, and Conasauge packs. We have devised a way to make choosing a mate for my daughter, easier.”
Was he mental? I glanced at Dax. He’d blanked out his expression and my stomach knotted.
My father motioned for our four visitors to join him, then Dax did the unexpected. He stood as well. “These five men will spend the next month vying for my daughter’s hand. Whoever becomes her mate will lead this pack with her.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I don’t think anyone else could either. Glancing up at my dad, then to Dax, confusion swirled inside me. This was only supposed to be a birthday party. Nothing more. Nothing less.
“However, there is more.”
Oh, great.
“As we
speak, three members of our pack have begun the journey—one to the Chickamauge, one to the Nickajack, and one to the Conasauge, pack lands to be included as potential mates. When the chosen female has picked her mate, those not chosen will return to their homes.”
What in the hell had my father signed up for? “What?”
Echo glanced down at me and gave a quick shake of his head. “Allow me to introduce Jupiter’s suiters.” He motioned to each person as he said a name. “Meet Bowie, Benning, Mace, and Scout. You already know Dax.”
I looked at my friend. I couldn’t believe he would go through with this and not tell me. Anger followed by a heady dose of humiliation surged through my veins. “Why?”
He wouldn’t say anything. He left me floundering as my dad continued his speech and explained the rules. “If you see them with Jupiter, please allow them to get to know each other. Do not interfere.”
Because I am a prude like that. I couldn’t believe my father. Why? Why would he do this? I got it—thirty-two, no mate and no pups to carry our line. But this…he was way out of line putting me on the spot, treating me like a piece of meat to be passed around.
He held his hand out to me and I hesitated for a moment before taking it. I should have let him flounder. It would have served him right. I was his daughter, not a commodity. “Now, Jupiter will continue her night alone with her suitors to get to know them. There will be refreshments and drinks for another few hours while you to enjoy on this special occasion.”
No one moved. I think they were all just as shocked as I was. I cleared my throat and gave each man a once over. How the hell would I pick one guy over the next? In truth, my wolf enjoyed this—a little too much.
“Take us to your home,” Bowie said, breaking the silence between us.
I quirked a brow. “Excuse me?” They should be lucky I hadn’t torn any of them apart.
“I think this conversation should happen where no one can listen in,” he added. “Don’t you?”