by Jane Jamison
Wolf Pack of Fate 5
Claiming Their Mate
Stella Connor’s guilt has driven her away from her job as an EMT. She’s running from a past consumed by her failure to save a child and her sister’s betrayal.
Werewolf brothers Danny, Mike, and Alex Lennox sense the sadness behind Stella’s eyes. To claim Stella as their mate, they’ll do anything to make her happy. Yet doing so is easier said than done when Stella won’t tell them what’s wrong. More than one demon is eating at her, but they don’t know how to help her put her past behind her and welcome the future they could share.
Heartache, pain, and guilt erupt as tragedy strikes. If she can survive, if she can break through the guilt holding her down, will she be able to forgive her sister, too? If she can, can they turn her free to go back to the life she left behind?
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Western/Cowboys
Length: 36,833 words
CLAIMING THEIR MATE
Wolf Packs of Fate 5
Jane Jamison
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
CLAIMING THEIR MATE
Copyright © 2016 by Jane Jamison
E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-423-2
First E-book Publication: August 2016
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2016 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
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DEDICATION
Dear Reader,
Claiming Their Mate is Book One of the second set of four connected books in my Wolf Packs of Fate series. Follow the lives of four women seeking new lives and loves in a small Georgia town.
Claiming Their Mate – Stella Connor
Three amazing cowboys want to claim Stella as their mate. Are they crazy? Or is she the crazy one for wanting them?
Biting Their Mate – Arizona Rich
Werewolf brothers will do anything to sink their teeth into Arizona, including fighting a wild werecat. But will she bite back?
Taking Their Mate – Krystal Riker
Krystal quit show biz for a simpler life. When danger threatens not only Krystal’s life but that of a young girl’s, her werewolves swear to keep them both safe.
Heart of a Wolf – Maddie Connor
Maddie’s on a mission to earn her sister Stella’s trust back, but Fate keeps getting in the way. She’ll have to fight to get everything she wants.
Thank you for coming along on my journey back to the Wolf Packs of Fate.
Jane Jamison
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
CLAIMING THEIR MATE
Wolf Packs of Fate 5
JANE JAMISON
Copyright © 2016
Chapter One
Stella Connor watched the four women seated at a table in the Wolf’s Den by sneaking an occasional glance at them. She and her friends knew their names but had yet to do more than nod a friendly hello. “Should we go over and introduce ourselves?”
Arizona Rich, another newbie to the town of Fate, Georgia, took a sip of her beer and shook her head. “Aren’t they supposed to make the first move? You know. Like doing a welcome wagon or something?”
Krystal Riker snuck another sideways glance at the women. “Arizona’s right. It’s up to them to make us feel welcome. We’re the new girls in town. At least, that’s how I’ve always heard it should work.”
“It seems kind of silly, though. I mean all we have to do is walk over and say hi. How hard can that be?” Yet Stella scooted her stool closer to the tall, round table.
“Apparently too hard since our butts are still glued to these stools.”
Leave it to Arizona to say it out loud.
Still, she had to face facts. The four women were intimidating. Not only were they beautiful but they were with men the entire town respected and admired. She’d heard enough about both the men and the women to wonder if the rumors were true. Not that she’d ever ask the women straight out. She’d be so embarrassed if the rumors turned out to be only rumors. And if the rumors were real? How would she react then?
Still, she couldn’t help but be curious. Was Raven Reynolds really an ex-con? Was she as tough as people said? She didn’t look like a hardened criminal. Instead, the woman had a sweet face and a smile that lit up the room.
Then there was Heather Dill, who was reported to be on her way to becoming a big-time artist. Stella had seen some of her work online and was awed by her talent. But her art gave no indication of the woman’s personality. Would she be one of those temperamental artists? Or was she as laid-back as most of the people in Fate?
She could try talking to Betsy Cramer. Betsy was probably the most approachable one of their group. The woman was bubbly and had a reputation for being very nice. Betsy owned a cute clothing boutique, but on the pay Stella made working at Shawna Mallory’s Lazy Day Bed and Breakfast, she didn’t dare go inside Classy Cat. If she did, her money would be gone in a heartbeat. She and clothing had a love-hate relationship. She loved buying cute, new things, but hated spending the money.
“If you want to say hi then go ahead,” urged Arizona.
“They’re probably just regular girls like us.” At least that was what Stella wanted to believe. What had happened in the women’s pasts didn’t matter. From everything she’d heard, they had terrific lives now, all four of them in love with three men each. What would it be like to have three men in love with her? As it turned out, the one man she’d thought was her one-and-only had turned out to be exactly the opposite.
“Oh, sure. Just regular girls. Except for having three husbands.” Krystal made a “wow” face. “Or should I say mates like everyone else around here does?”
Mate was one of the many strange terms Stella had heard. Terms like dog and bitch weren’t used in the usual kind of way. Plus, the people of Fate had a strange fascination with animals. Most of the ranches in the area and even many of the small-town businesses had names that were related to animals, mostly wolves. Like the Wolf’s Den bar. Or Wag Your Tail Barbershop. Even the bed and breakfast where she worked had a lot of cat pictures and knickknacks as well as five cats who lived up to the name of the place by lying around being lazy all day.
“The town sure seems to be into the ménage lifestyle.” She’d wondered about it, yet in one way, it made sense. People who lived that kind of lifestyle might naturally come together in one area. Like minds and all that.
“Yeah. They’re into the multiple thing big time. In fact, it seems to be the norm more than the exception.” Arizona tried to sound casual when she asked the question, but her hands fidgeted with her napkin. “So what do you girls think? Would you like having more than one man in your bed?”
No one jumped to answer first. At last, however, Stella told the truth. “I think I’d like it. I mean, sure, having more than one man could get complicated, but think of the perks.”
“Are there more perks besides the sex?” Krystal giggled. “I wouldn’t mind the sexual perks at all.”
“More than one man. Hmm.” A wild glint came to Arizona’s eyes. “I wonder if they use a schedule to see who gets to sleep with the woman each night.”
“Are you kidding? Why would you want them separately? If I had that kind of arrangement, they’d all sleep with me in one big bed. If you wanted to have them one at a time, you could fool around with them individually during the day.” Stella’s pussy tightened at the idea. Would she be able to handle two, maybe even three men? She’d never been with more than one man at a time. Not sexually and definitely not romantically. Could she love more than one man? Was that even possible? It surprised her to realize that she’d like to find out.
“Wow. Listen to you.” Krystal giggled yet again. “Two or three men at once—”
“Or more,” quipped Arizona.
Krystal nodded. “Ooh, yes. More men in bed with you at the same time. Now that’s what I call a perk.”
“I sure wouldn’t turn it down,” admitted Stella. “And think of all the things on your honey-do list that would get completed. One man to mow the lawn, one man to give the house a fresh coat of paint, and—”
“One man to help look after the rug rats.” Arizona shrugged at their questioning looks. “Although it might be hard to tell which man was the real father to which kid.”
“Who cares which one is the biological father?” Stella sipped on her drink, her gaze shifting to the four women again. “Each of the kids would be every man’s child. All the men would be their dads. How else could it work?”
“It wouldn’t matter to me,” added Krystal. “There’s nothing sexier than a man holding a baby.”
Stella agreed with Krystal. Talking about sex was one thing, but if a man really loved a woman, he’d be there for the two in the morning feedings.
Not that she’d find out anytime soon. Her love life had been at a standstill for far too long. So long that she’d almost given up on the idea of marriage, much less children. Yet, seeing those four women laughing and knowing that they all had more than one man gave her hope. Maybe her decision to move to Fate had been a good one. She glanced at her two friends. She’d already gotten lucky by meeting Arizona and Krystal.
“Okay, that’s enough talk about multiple men. The whole thing is depressing considering my lack of male companionship.” Arizona fanned herself, the fan turning into a dismissive wave. “Let’s talk about something else. Like the color of people’s eyes. Have you noticed how their eyes change?”
Krystal jumped on it before Stella had a chance. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ve seen it. I’ve even asked a few people, but they all kind of shrug and say they haven’t noticed. Either that or they blow me off in another way. It’s all very strange, right?”
Stella had wanted to ask the same question but had stayed quiet, not wanting to cause any trouble or upset anyone. She sure didn’t want to have people thinking she was imagining things. Still, she was glad she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.
“It’s all very strange.” Arizona’s gaze darted about as though looking for someone with the different eye color. “Maybe it’s something in the water. If so, we should start drinking only bottled water.”
“Nowadays, it’s safer to be drinking bottled water wherever you live,” added Stella.
“Talk about depressing.” Krystal made a face. “We’re probably being silly. Besides, if it is in the water, then it’s too late for me. I’ve already had a lot of the water straight from the tap. Shoot, my eyes should be changing soon. Let me know if I grow a second nose.”
Arizona chuckled then tipped her bottle again. “The eye thing is just one of the many mysteries of Fate. We’ll probably never know why any of it happens. Small towns are different than big cities. Hell, that’s probably why no one will give us any answers. They don’t know why, either.”
“I guess there are stranger things in this world than odd eye color.” Yet Stella understood what they meant. It wasn’t so much the original color of their eyes—although that could range from brown to a unique silver—but the fact that sometimes the irises changed to include amber flecks. She’d even seen one man’s eyes turn almost completely amber once. At first, she’d been so surprised that she’d stumbled backward. Once she’d recovered, she’d almost grabbed the arm of a woman standing next to her to ask her if she, too, had seen it. But then the man’s eyes had changed, the amber disappearing to be replaced by a normal brown color. She’d had to chalk it up to drinking too much wine. Although she’d considered asking Shawna about it later, she ended up chickening out. Now she wished she had. Not that Shawna would’ve told her anything. The woman could be as chatty as all get out one minute then clam up in the next.
“There are a lot of stranger things in this world,” agreed Arizona.
“Yeah, it’s kind of like having a toe fetish.” Krystal’s eyes went wide. “Ooh. Or eating a blanket. I saw this woman on a reality show last night who had an addiction to eating blankets. Can you imagine doing something so strange? She had to keep buying new blankets because she kept eating the one she had. She even ate her mother’s.”
“I’d rather not think about that kind of thing,” said Arizona. “People eat all kinds of weird things and still survive. It’s almost like they’re not human.” She faked a shudder. “Let
’s change the subject.”
Stella avoided getting involved in the blanket-eating conversation by taking another sip of her drink. Once Krystal started talking about the reality shows she watched, it was difficult to get her to talk about anything else. If she had to hear about one more reality show, she’d scream.
“Yeah. Okay.” Krystal tilted her head to the four women again. “Their husbands, mates, or whatever you want to call them are hot, too. Some women are just plain lucky, I guess.” She let out a sigh, her gaze shifting toward the bar where Dane and Eric Hill were drinking with their cousin, Curt Walton.
“Have you ever waited on those girls?” asked Stella. Sometimes she envied Krystal’s job as a bartender at the Wolf’s Den. If nothing else, her job put her in a position to meet more people. Her gaze shifted to the Lennox brothers.
Maybe if I worked here instead of the B&B, I’d have an excuse to say more than two words to them.
So far, the Lennox brothers had spoken to her only in passing. She’d run into them at Gobbel’s Market—nicknamed Gobble Market—and then later as she was going into Stacy’s Hair Boutique and Gift Shop. But they’d done nothing more than talk about the weather and other unimportant things.
“Not yet. But I’ve poured a few drinks for their guys. You should hear how the Hardwick men go on about Raven. You’d think the woman was made of gold.”
Stella knew Krystal wasn’t thrilled with the idea of spending their time together at the place where she worked, but there wasn’t another choice in town, especially if they wanted to have a chance to see the men they were interested in.