Yeah, baby. It’s real. We have a family, in more ways than one. I didn’t need my parents’ forgiveness. I got it where it most counted. The guys in the pack, our friends. The packmates at the shop. You.
There is nothing to forgive, cariño.
Eric shook his head. I don’t agree, but I’ll let it go. Let’s go help our family with dinner.
Ben grinned. Yes. Just… do not go near the stove.
Epilogue
Eight Years Later….
BEN PULLED Diana out of her car seat and settled her on his hip. After locking the car, Eric came around the front and kissed her nose, and then they turned toward the trees. Ben took Eric’s hand, and the three of them crossed the parking area and stepped through the tree line.
The scene that greeted them had Ben laughing. Chad had his tongue out at Miles, who was grinning back at him. The three oldest wolf pups sat on the ground, heads tilted, looking up at the where jaguar cub Aubrey sat on a tree branch. Pine cones lay on the ground around them, and Ben didn’t doubt for a minute at least a few of those had landed on someone’s head, including the adult Chad’s.
“Papá! Play!” Diana announced, then wiggled in Ben’s arms.
He squatted to set her down, then had to fight with her to get her to stay still long enough to get her undressed. Within a few moments, he had her shoes and dress off. Seconds later, she’d shifted and taken off. She ran up to the other pups and immediately started chewing on the black wolf pup’s tail. Eric’s namesake turned around, growling at first, then stopped when he saw who it was.
Ben and Eric both grinned when Eric the pup and the other two turned to her. A few seconds later, the little cub landed next to them and they all started play-fighting. As always, the boys were quite gentle with her, even when she pounced on them.
“Hey! Glad you could make it,” Chad said, turning around. Tanner, Finley, Jamie, Miles, and Quincy all turned as well, smiles on all of them.
“Finally! Diana is trying not to use sippy cups anymore. She insists she’s a ‘big girl,’ but she hasn’t gotten the hang of regular cups yet. So….” Eric sighed.
“Mess,” Finley said, chuckling.
“Yeah. This one all over her dress, the table, the floor….” Eric shrugged. “Not a big deal, just a delay.”
Ben nodded. “Miguel had poured her juice, but before he could get the lid onto it, she had grabbed it and… tried… to drink it.”
“Oops.” Finley winced.
“Yeah, Luis insisted on cleaning it up, so they’re even later.”
“They have time,” Tanner said, looking up at the sky. He looked back at Ben and Eric, then around them. “Wait, where’s your dad?”
Ben grinned. “He’s staying home with Mamá tonight. She says she did not want to be alone now that Tina is mated and gone too.”
Chad wrinkled his nose. “Full moon in the house? Ugh.”
Eric waved at that. “Nah. He just ran the other day. So a full moon at home tonight isn’t going to bother him. Last month, she had Diana. I think she just likes having her wolves around her.”
“I keep telling her to go wolf so she can run with us,” Chad said, shaking his head.
“She’s happy that she gets to live as long as we do.” Ben sighed. “I’m just surprised she does not mind the wolf hair all over the house.”
“Roomba for the win,” Jamie said, laughing.
Eric grinned. “Best thing we ever bought her.”
Tanner chuckled. “She ought to be glad she doesn’t have two pups in the house all the time. Well. Almost time to go,” Tanner said, looking up again. “Will Miguel and Luis—”
“We are here!” Miguel called, running through the tree line, Luis next to him. “We made it.” He was panting a little. “It is cleaned up, but then my mamá called to tell us about their flights to visit. She forgets sometimes that they are three hours behind us. Anyway, they have booked them.”
“Oh?” Ben asked.
Luis nodded. “They will be here Friday.” He looked over at Tanner. “I believe Papá will want to talk to you.”
Ben grinned at that. “Are they coming to stay, then?”
But Miguel shook his head. “Not yet. I do think Papá has been looking at jobs here, though.”
“Tell him we can help him there,” Tanner said, waving a hand. “If they want to come here, we’ll find a place for them.”
Miguel’s smile spread at that. “I think Mamá will be happy to hear that.” He turned to Eric. “I’m sorry it took so long.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just glad you made it. Wouldn’t be the same without you two.” Eric said, smiling at them. “Now, the whole family is here.” Miguel and Luis both blushed, but their smiles widened. Even after being with them for some four years, they still hadn’t gotten used to being an important part of the Arellano family.
Eric hated what they’d gone through—being rejected by so many packs just for their sexuality—but at the same time, they’d inadvertently done so much for the entire country of wolves. Eric didn’t think Noah would have been inspired to change the laws so soon if they hadn’t. And, well, Eric was glad to have two more members of their family. Miguel’s parents had more or less adopted Luis, but Eric and Ben liked having them as adopted little brothers too.
Eric patted Luis on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s run. I need time in my fur. Diana!” Eric called.
She ran back and sat, looking up at him with her head tilted.
Eric chuckled and glanced at Chad. “You really are a bad influence.”
Chad feigned innocence. “Why does everyone blame me?”
Jamie snorted. “Because you’re usually at fault.”
Chad stuck his tongue out at Jamie, who laughed.
“Not in front of the pups!”
That brought laughter from everyone.
“Okay, we’re off. We’ll catch up a bit later,” Miles said, waving. He, Quincy, Aubrey, and the pup Chad moved off to the side. Tanner, Finley, and their pups found a spot for the adults to change, and Chad and Jamie moved off to their own spot to strip.
Eric turned back to Diana. “It’s time to run. Remember the rules. You stay with us or one of your uncles or cousins. Do not run off on your own. Okay?”
She nodded, then turned and… ran right off.
Ben sighed. “I will get her.” He kicked his shoes off, stripped, and a few seconds later, was in wolf form, chasing after her. Miguel and Luis were right behind him.
Eric watched them run and said a prayer of thanks to Diana yet again for Ben, for their daughter, and for their whole family. As he pulled his shirt off, the warmth of a hand on his shoulder made him pause. He glanced around but didn’t see anyone. Just as he decided it was his imagination, he heard words in his mind.
Not Ben’s voice, no. A female one.
You are welcome.
More from Grace R. Duncan
Forbes Mates: Book One
Finley Cooper is tired of waiting for his destined mate to be ready to claim him. In deference to human laws, he’s already agreed to wait until he’s eighteen. But now his birthday has come and gone—and his mate has a new set of excuses. Finley doesn’t understand it any more than his wolf does, and he’s beginning to wonder if fate made a mistake.
Tanner Pearce wants nothing more than to claim his mate, but he worries that Finley is too young. Tanner will never forget what happened when his best friend mated at Finley’s age, only to have that mate end up feeling trapped and breaking their bond. While rare, it can happen, and the fallout Tanner witnessed as his best friend tried to deal with the break has haunted him for years.
When Finley finally has enough, he threatens to find someone who will claim him if Tanner doesn’t, and Tanner realizes he needs to come to terms with his fears or risk losing his mate forever.
Forbes Mates: Book Two
Jamie Ryan was almost ready to accept he’d never find his destined mate. They’re uncommon to begin with, and same-sex versions are dow
nright rare. Since his gay best friend found a destined mate, Jamie figured he was out of luck. Until end-of-semester stress forces him to go through the full-moon shift early. Stuck in wolf form, he runs into none other than his destined mate. Who’s human.
Chad Sutton has always had good instincts. They served him well as a detective and continued on when he went private. Those instincts tell him there’s something about the dog that comes up to him while running away from animal control that isn’t quite right. He works to put the pieces together, but is unsuccessful until his dog turns into a human before his eyes.
Jamie has no idea what the mate bite of a shifter will do to a human. He’s terrified to try—and possibly kill his mate. They hunt for answers while working together on one of Chad’s cases. It’s easy to see they belong together, but Jamie fears the gods gave him someone he can’t keep.
Forbes Mates: Book Three
Dr. Miles Grant acknowledges that his destined mate could be either gender even though his bisexuality cost him his family and his pack. Luckily he found the Forbes Pack, who happily accepts him just as he is. What he never counted on was finding his mate in Pittsburgh or for his mate to be another species entirely—a cat!
Quincy Archer isn’t just any jaguar shifter. He is the heir to the leadership of his pride. Destined mates are nothing but legend to the nearly extinct and generally solitary jaguars, and Quincy certainly never expected to find one for himself, much less a male… or a wolf.
However, finding each other and coming to terms with their species is the least of their worries. Quincy is expected to select a proper female mate, father a cub, and take his place as heir to the pride. Except Quincy refuses, having no interest in women or leadership and knowing he isn’t right for it. But his father will stop at nothing—not even attempting to kill Miles—to get his way. Quincy and Miles must overcome many obstacles to stay together as the destined mates they’re meant to be.
Malcolm Tate hung up his flogger when his submissive sought out another Dom and landed in the hands of a serial killer. Convinced his lack of dominance sent his sub away, Mal has spent two years blaming himself for what happened. But when his best friend finally convinces him to go back to the local dungeon, Mal’s grateful. Especially when he wins beautiful, submissive, firmly closeted Kyle Bingham in a charity slave auction.
College grad Kyle hasn’t earned enough to move out of the loft his conservative, homophobic parents bought, much less to buy any of the other things still in their name. When he’s won at auction by the hot, amazing Mal, he’s shocked that anyone would want him. No one else seemed to—not his parents, his former Doms, or any of his disastrous dates.
But Mal does want him and Kyle lets his guard down, only to be outed to his parents. With his world crashing down, he must find a way to trust Mal—and their developing relationship—or risk losing everything.
Five years ago, everything went wrong. Braden Kirk and Rafe Jessen’s long-term relationship started unraveling. They stopped talking, fears mounted, then Braden walked in on Rafe and another man, completely misreading the situation. Without giving Rafe a chance to explain, Braden walks out. Out of their home, their relationship, and the game development company they started together in college.
After months of therapy to deal with the attempted rape Braden walked in on, Rafe begins to understand that his dominant tendencies in the bedroom aren’t a bad thing and that Braden’s submission is likely what scared his partner into silence. But Rafe isn’t ready to let go of the man he loves more than life itself. He arranges for himself and Braden to end up on the same charity cruise, knowing Braden won’t let his phobia—terror of vast, deep waters—rule him.
With a plan and twenty-eight days, Rafe is determined to get Braden back, make him see there’s nothing wrong with being submissive, and find a way to get Braden to stay with him when they get home to LA.
Readers love the Forbes Mates series by Grace R. Duncan
Devotion
“Shifter fans are going to flock to this one of course, but there is so much more to the story.”
—MM Good Book Reviews
“I really, really loved this book. It was awesome… I devoured this from start to finish.”
—The Blogger Girls
Patience
“This book was beautifully written and I could see the connection strengthening between them.”
—Two Chicks Obsessed
“I really loved it… it was a fantastic read and I’ll be pre-ordering every book still to come in this series.”
—Divine Magazine
Acceptance
“I can’t recommend this series or this book any higher—it’s truly wonderful. Any fans of shifter romances should consider this a MUST READ.”
—Open Skye Book Reviews
“If you loved the first two books of this series, Devotion and Patience, you will want to pick this one up! If you haven’t read them yet…well, why not? Go do it now!”
—Diverse Reader
GRACE R. DUNCAN grew up with a wild imagination. She told stories from an early age—many of which got her into trouble. Eventually, she learned to channel that imagination into less troublesome areas, including fan fiction, which is what has led her to writing male/male erotica.
A gypsy in her own right, Grace has lived all over the United States. She has currently set up camp in East Texas with her husband and children—both the human and furry kind.
As one of those rare creatures who loves research, Grace can get lost for hours on the Internet, reading up on any number of strange and different topics. She can also be found writing fan fiction, reading fantasy, crime, suspense, romance, and other erotica, or even dabbling in art.
Website: www.grace-duncan.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GraceRDuncan2
Twitter: @gracerduncan
E-mail: [email protected]
By Grace R. Duncan
Beautiful boy
Love Wins (Dreamspinner Anthology)
No Sacrifice
One Pulse (Dreamspinner Anthology)
Turning His Life Around
What About Now
FORBES MATES
Devotion
Patience
Acceptance
Forgiveness
GOLDEN COLLAR SERIES
Choices
Coronation
Deception
PANDEMUS CHRONICLES
Celebrating You
Healing
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Forgiveness
© 2018 Grace R. Duncan.
Cover Art
© 2018 Reese Dante.
http://www.reesedante.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
&nb
sp; Digital ISBN: 978-1-64080-270-4
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64080-269-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017916218
Digital published March 2018
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
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