by E A Price
Mating the Red Wolf
(Book 10, Grey Wolf Pack Romance Novellas)
By E A Price
Copyright ©2014 by Elizabeth Ann Price
All rights reserved. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. 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 express written permission from the author.
Special thanks to Linda Garrison Gray for editing suggestions.
Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Front cover
Both images used to create the front cover have been deemed to be in the public domain, and available for reuse. The images have not been modified, and no offense is meant in the use of them.
The wolf picture ‘lonely wolf’ is by Gethu Daniel, found on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/ghetzu/3535994578/
The embracing couple was authored on http://salongen.de/picvvm/wallpaper-love-kiss-free-download
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Thank you
Chapter One
17th February
“It’ll be fine; they’ll love you.”
“Ummm hmmm,” murmured Kim doubtfully.
Ed kissed her cheek and squeezed her ass for good measure. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“Yep, just because I’m meeting my boyfriend’s family for the first time, there’s no need to worry.”
Ed smirked. “Exactly, that’s the spirit.”
Kim rolled her eyes. Kim Hawkins was a grey wolf shifter and part of the Grey wolf pack that lived in a small town in Virginia called Rose. She managed a local pack owned bar in Rose called Bar Luna. She and Ed had been dating steadily since September, and now it was time to meet the family.
Ed Buchanan was also a wolf shifter, but a red wolf shifter. He lived in the city of Alexandria, which was close to Rose, and worked as a lawyer. They had been travelling back and forth to visit one another over the past months as much as their schedules would allow, but it had become increasingly clear that this wasn’t satisfying either of them. Changes needed to happen, and soon.
Kim loved Ed and was sure he was her true mate, but... she had been slightly hesitant about commitment. As far as she could see, there were one or two obstacles to their happily ever after.
For one thing, they lived apart, and both had lives, relatives, jobs and friends with each of their respective packs. One of them would have to compromise and leave their pack to be with the other. It wasn’t an easy decision.
For another, Kim had already been married once and, to put it mildly, it had not turned out well. She wasn’t exactly eager to jump into another marriage blind.
More importantly, Kim had a 5-year-old daughter called Jamie. She wasn’t an obstacle; Kim would never think that, but Jamie was Kim’s top priority. If Ed wasn’t a suitable father for Jamie, then she would never have contemplated mating with him. Luckily, Ed and Jamie were thick as thieves, and Ed was slowly getting used to being a father figure.
These were the main reasons for their cautiousness. She was forever thankful that Ed was a red wolf; they were much more patient and much less aggressive than their grey counterparts. If he had been a grey wolf, he would have wanted her mated and bonded to him within a matter of hours. Instead, Ed had been content to allow them to take things slow and get to know one another.
Although, she was getting kind of worried about that now. C’mon, there was slow, and then there was slow. If Ed really felt as strongly as she did, wouldn’t he be chomping at the bit to bond with her? Yeah, she was never satisfied, was she?
At that moment, they were waiting for Ed’s brother, William to collect them, and take them to the Buchanan family private island. Yep, she wasn’t kidding. Ed’s family owned their own private island in the Caribbean.
They were stood on the dock of the mainland waiting for the speedboat to collect them and take them to Buchanan Island. The name was soooo imaginative. A boat was the only way on or off the island.
Kim almost swallowed her tongue when he told her. She knew that Ed was... a little richer than her. God, who was she kidding? She had been living with her mother since her ex-husband cleared out their bank accounts and ran off with a skunk shifter. She had only just managed to scrape her way back to solvency. The asshole had left a lot of debt behind.
She was more than a little surprised to find out just how rich Ed was. His eldest brother, Harold was the Alpha of the Buchanan wolf pack, but she would never have guessed how affluent they were. Her own pack’s Alpha, Adam did okay, but he was hardly topping the rich lists. Not that he’d want to, he was pretty down to earth and preferred the quiet life.
Of course, Ed rarely talked about his family. In all the time she’d known him, he’d never made noises about wanting to introduce her to them. She had been a little worried about that, but her wolf hadn’t seemed to mind. The animal felt the connection to Ed and didn’t doubt how he felt. Kim didn’t either, really, but even if he loved her, that didn’t mean that he wasn’t embarrassed by her.
When Kim and Jamie spent Christmas with Ed in Alexandria, she’d assumed she would meet a family member or two. But, apparently, they had been in Switzerland, enjoying the smooth milk chocolate, the creamy cheese and the impeccable ski slopes. She did have lingering disappointment that Ed had only invited her to stay with him when his entire family were halfway around the world, but, with just the three of them, it made for a very cozy, little Christmas.
In fact, Kim had never met a single member of his pack. Ed knew all of hers by name. Jeez, he was a groomsman at her Alpha’s wedding!
Kim shook her head and put her arm around his shoulders. Nope, now was not the time to worry. Whatever fears she might have had should just disappear.
A month ago, he invited her to spend a week in the Caribbean. She’d been thrilled, and hoped that a proposal might be on the horizon. Her excitement dimmed when she realized it would be spent celebrating his grandmother’s birthday, and that all his family would be there too. But she was pleased that at least he was acknowledging her existence to them. And even more so when he told her the invitation extended to Jamie too.
At the moment, Jamie was sat on the dock watching the water for fish. It took every last bit of Kim’s willpower not to run over to her and hold onto the back of her t-shirt to stop her from falling in. But Jamie would scowl at her if she did that. The girl was becoming increasingly independent and resented Kim’s mollycoddling. She was growing up way too fast.
Ed smiled at her. “There he is.”
Ed waved as a boat neared. He disengaged himself from Kim and helped tie off the boat. A man very similar to Ed jumped out the boat and hugged Ed. He was a few years younger, a few inche
s taller and somewhat wirier, but it was obvious they were brothers.
Ed, at five foot ten, was a little shorter than average, but he possessed sinewy muscles and damn, he was pretty. William was a little gawkier than Ed, and Kim doubted he could sweet-talk anyone the way Ed could.
They hugged and slapped each other on the back until, catching sight of Kim, William froze.
Ed’s beast huffed as William’s eyes went wide. He was staring at Kim open-mouthed. Not that Ed could blame him. She was six feet tall, deliciously curvy, had startling green eyes and a mass of mahogany red hair. And to boot, she was funny, smart and charming. The she-wolf was a freaking goddess!
Ed still had trouble believing that she deigned to be seen with him in public. She was the most beautiful wolf in her pack and plenty of her male pack mates lusted after her, but she only wanted him. He was unbelievably lucky.
“Will, this is Kim. Kim, my younger brother, Will.”
Kim smiled graciously and Will almost fainted. “It’s nice to meet you, Will.”
“Yes, you too,” he burbled.
Ed grabbed a hold of Jamie and tickled her, making her giggle excitedly. “And this little monster is Jamie, Kim’s daughter.”
“Oh! Uh, hi,” stammered Will. He looked between Kim and Jamie, unsure of what to say. “I didn’t realize you were bringing, umm, guests.”
Ed frowned. “I told Hilda a month ago.”
Will grimaced. “Hilda and grandmother had… a fight and Hilda was fired.”
Ed groaned. Their grandmother was, to put it mildly, demanding and brusque. Hilda had been her personal secretary/assistant/nurse. Ed had high hopes that Hilda, a no-nonsense middle-aged widow would be able to stick it out. All of the previous occupants in the role lasted less than two months, but Hilda managed for over a year. It was a surprise that Hilda had quit, and Ed wondered why she had.
Kim looked worried. “So does this mean your family has no idea that the two of us are coming with you?”
Ed tried to plaster an unconcerned smile on his face. “Probably not, but they won’t mind.”
Kim nodded. “They at least know that you’re dating me though, right? You’ve mentioned me to them before?”
Ed scratched his head, and Kim slapped his arm. “You haven’t even told your family about me?!”
Will looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up.
How could Ed not have mentioned her to his family? Was she not good enough for him? Or did he think she wasn’t good enough for his fancy family?
Kim opened her mouth to say something but stopped as Jamie took hold of her hand and beamed at her. Instead, Kim made a concentrated effort to calm both her and her wolf, who was snapping at Ed in irritation.
Ed tensed. “Gorgeous, I’m sorry, I didn’t think…”
With an effort, Kim smiled. “It’s not a problem, as long as your family doesn’t mind the additional guests…”
“They won’t,” cried Will quickly and blushed as Kim looked at him. “There’s plenty of room; you’re very welcome.”
Ed rolled his eyes. Terrific; less than five minutes and he was convinced his brother was lusting after his girlfriend. His mate, corrected his wolf.
Kim gave Will a genuine smile and the young man practically simpered at her. “Thank you, Will.” She turned to Ed and with a slight edge to her voice told him they’d talk about this later. Ed didn’t doubt they would.
Will almost fell over his feet helping Kim with her bags, practically pushing Ed out the way to get to them. Ed dropped his own bags in the boat and swiftly threw a squealing Jamie in too. He held out his hand to help Kim but found his brother was already there. Ed held back a growl as his brother’s hand lingered on her waist.
He figured he would have to worry about his brother, Jonathan, who was a lothario and asshole of the highest order, but he had no idea that Will would take to Kim so quickly. The young man was more interested in computers than women, or at least he had been before he met Kim…
He felt inside his pocket and fingered the small box within. Alright, their vacation wasn’t exactly off to a cracking start, but come hell or high-water, he was determined that by the time the week was over, she would be leaving the island with a ring on her finger. He’d been patient enough, and now it was time that she finally became his. His wolf roared in agreement. Mine.
Chapter Two
The trip to the island was pretty short. Kim spent the time trying to remember the names of Ed’s family, while also ignoring the beseeching looks Ed was throwing her and pretending she didn’t notice Will ogling her legs. Perhaps shorts hadn’t been a good idea.
When they arrived at the mainland, she’d felt more than a little sweaty and had swiftly changed into a pair of shorts, a tank top and flat sandals. She pinned back her abundant red hair, allowing just a few curls to fall free. She’d forgone make-up and was pleased that the thin sheen of sweat made her glow.
Ed had much the same reaction as Will when he saw her. Her legs did look spectacularly long in shorts. After having spent her teenage years as a graceless giraffe, it was gratifying that being so tall did actually have its perks later in life.
Okay, so back to the matter in hand. She could admire her legs later. Now, Ed said his grandmother was the head of his family. Kim couldn’t remember her name, but she figured it was best to call her Mrs. Buchanan. Or your ladyship, perhaps. She certainly sounded like a diva.
Her only son was Ed’s dad who was Harold Sr. and who used to be the pack’s Alpha. He was married to Ed’s mom, Marguerite. Mental note, do not call her Mags or Margie. She apparently only likes Marguerite.
Harold Sr. relinquished control of the pack to his eldest son, Harold Jr. a few years ago. Although, it seems that the grandmother really has all the control, at least that was what Kim gathered from the tidbits of information Ed had thrown her.
Anyway, Harold was 35, and married to Christine, and together they had four children. Next up was Arthur, who was 33; he was also married to a woman called Jennifer, but they didn’t have kids, and both worked at the same law firm Ed did. Then there was Jonathan, who was 30 and, according to Ed, a bit of a ladies’ man. Other than Ed, there was an adopted sister called Olivia who was 21 and Will who had recently turned 19. Oh yeah, and every single member of his family was a red wolf.
Kim gave herself a mental pat on the back. Ed hadn’t told her much over the months, but she was pleased that she had remembered it all.
The momentary elation soon waned. It was all very well and good remembering their names, but how would they feel about her gate-crashing their party? She wondered how they would feel about a divorced, single mom, grey wolf shifter taking up with Ed? She wondered if the age difference would bother them? At 31, she was still young, but Ed was only 26.
She braced herself as she saw someone on the dock waving at them. Well, she was about to find out.
*
Ed was annoyed to find Jonathan on the dock waiting. He was stood grinning at them insolently, but Ed couldn’t fail to notice the sudden change in his demeanor. Jonathan was suddenly very interested in what was happening.
His wolf whined. This had been a bad idea. He shouldn’t have brought Kim here – it wasn’t safe! There were far too many single males running around. More than zero was too many.
Will was trying to help Kim out the boat but Jonathan easily pushed their younger brother out of the way. He pulled her out of the boat and stood next to her far too closely.
Jonathan gave her a devastating smile. “I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Jonathan.”
Kim gave him a polite smile but carefully extricated her hand from his. “I’m Kim and this is my daughter, Jamie.”
Kim pulled Jamie in front of her and bit her lip as Jamie gave him an impish little curtsy. Oh, Ed really was rubbing off on her.
Jonathan politely shook Jamie’s hand and called her ‘milady,’ sending the 5-year-old into a fit of giggles. He looked between the two of them pointedly ignoring E
d and Will, who were whispering and hauling the bags onto the dock.
“Not that you aren’t very welcome, but may I ask why…”
Ed slipped an arm around Kim’s waist and was extremely grateful that she didn’t try to shake him off. She wasn’t quite that mad yet. Although, she might be when he repeated what Will just told him.
Jonathan looked at the two in disbelief but quickly smothered that with another charming smile. Ed wasn’t usually prone to jealousy, he knew that Kim garnered looks wherever she went and usually it didn’t bother him. He felt proud that a creature like Kim belonged to him, or at least would belong to him. But when it was his brother it was different; it incited twinges of inadequacy that Ed was rarely prone to. He wasn’t as big and burly as other wolves, but he was smart and good at persuading people to do what he wanted, or at least women.
The problem was that Jonathan was just as smart and persuasive as him, but also had four extra inches of height and a lot more muscles than him. Realistically, he knew that Kim was his true mate, and he had nothing to worry about, but he also knew that true mates were regarded less highly in his pack than in Kim’s. A number of his pack considered them to be a nuisance rather than having someone to share part of your soul. If Jonathan really wanted Kim, he wouldn’t care whose true mate she was. His beast snapped at his brother, and Ed tried to remain calm and trust that Kim wouldn’t betray him.
“Well,” said Jonathan, “I’m Ed’s big brother.”
He put such an emphasis on big that Kim was sure whether she wanted to punch him in the face or burst into laughter. Arrogant tool. How dare he belittle Ed that way? She may be mad at Ed, but she and her wolf certainly didn’t appreciate anyone putting down their mate. That was their job!
Kim relaxed a little and slipped an arm around Ed’s shoulders. “Nice to meet you big brother.”
Jonathan gave them a stilted smile and oofed as Will threw a bag at him.
“Give us a hand, will you?”
Ed gave Will a grateful look as Jonathan grumbled and snatched up the bag. The two brothers started walking up the house, which Kim noticed looked more like a hotel than a family home. A beautiful, expensive hotel that she would have to sell a kidney in order that she could afford to stay there.