I nuzzled my face into Roman’s strong shoulder, breathing in the smell of sex and satisfaction. I could learn to live like this. Of course, there was one thing standing in the way of me and my perfect life.
“Roman?” I asked, hiding my face so he couldn’t look me in the eye. “Do you think Hunter will agree to mate with me?”
Roman snaked a strong arm around my waist, pulling me closer.
“I hope so.” His voice was was just above a whisper. He moved his hand up my back and stroked my short, dark hair.
“Tasha,” he continued, “you need to understand how hurt we were when you left us. I could see why you left. I forgave you, but Hunter… Hunter didn’t see it that way. He felt like you betrayed us on purpose.”
Tears welled in my eyes. Shit. They had every right to hate me.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, still speaking into Roman’s shoulder, my tears harder to hide now that they were trickling dangerously close to his skin.
“I know, baby,” he whispered. “You are completely forgiven. I hope Hunter will forgive you too, it will just take more time.”
“We’re different, you know,” Roman continued, sighing as though this revelation was a burden to him. “It’s in our blood. Hunter will always be more volatile, that is what makes him so strong. That is what gives him his drive to succeed and protect. I’m the forgiving one.”
He reached for my face, cupping my cheek in his hand as he turned me to look at him.
“We needed our third, Tasha.”
“I needed you too,” I said, as full-on tear waterfalls coursed silently down my cheeks. “I didn’t think I did, but the moment I left I felt something tear inside me.”
I paused and then said, “What if I ripped us apart and there is no way to fix us?”
Roman looked deep into my eyes without speaking for a moment. I was transfixed on the little flecks of orange and brown inside his golden irises. He was truly beautiful.
“The one thing,” Roman said, his voice grave, “Hunter and I have in common is we both think you’re the sexiest thing to ever come out of Moon Lake.”
I blinked.
“You idiot!” I screeched, pushing his chest, tears forgotten. Roman laughed and rolled over on top of me.
“I was having a serious discussion!”
“So was I!” Roman said, mock hurt. “I’m very serious about how sexy I think you are.”
“You’re an idiot,” I said again, smiling up at my crazy wolf lover.
“You’re beautiful,” said Roman, leaning forward and kissing me.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Six
I woke early, cool sunlight poking through the window, timid, as though it was afraid to wake us up. Roman was still asleep, letting out tiny growl-snorts every few minutes. I pressed a light kiss into his cheek and stood.
I wrapped a sheet around myself and padded into the kitchen. I could feel bruises forming on my hips and scratches down my back from last night’s marathon of sex. Recovery required coffee and lots of it.
As I turned the pot on, I walked out on the front porch to greet the day. The best part about living in the woods was no one would see me in the sheet.
“Good morning.”
I jumped and turned. Hunter leaned against the house, on the other side of the porch. So much for not seeing anyone.
I treaded carefully.
“Good morning, Hunter.”
We were quiet. I could hear the last of the robins singing goodbye to the fall before they left us during winter. I shivered, wondering how I could politely excuse myself to go get my coffee in the nice warm house.
“So,” said Hunter, “you and Roman had sex.”
I blushed.
“How did you know that?”
Hunter raised an eyebrow and glanced pointedly at the sheet draped around my figure. This caused me to blush harder.
“Does that mean you’re staying?” Hunter asked. Though he turned his gaze back into the forest, I could hear a slight tremor in his voice.
“I’m going to stay,” I said, “for the rest of my life.”
I waited for a moment. When Hunter didn’t say anything, I continued.
“I’m in love with Roman, and I am thankful that he loves me back. I will never take back how badly I hurt him, but I am going to work hard every day to keep his trust. No matter what happens, even if you decide not to go through with the ceremony, I am going to stay here.”
“I hope…” I paused, collecting my thoughts. I had to make him understand. “I hope you will mate me.”
Hunter’s shoulders went rigid, his jaw set tight. It I was losing him, I didn’t care. I had to tell him how I felt.
“You are part of me,” I said. “I tried to tear you out of my heart when I left before, both you and Roman. But it didn’t work. I came back… well, I came back because I love you, Hunter. I will always love you. And I will be here, even if you never decide to mate me. I want to be here for you.”
I had his full attention now. Hunter’s clear eyes met mine.
“How can I trust you? How can I know you won’t leave again?”
I flinched at his tone, not harsh, but near breaking with emotion. I had truly broken this man, but I wanted to build him back up again.
“The thing about love,” I said, “is you can’t know I won’t leave again. You have to trust me. It’s crazy, but love makes it worth it. Love is going all in, even though you can get hurt.”
Hunter nodded, considering this.
“I’m all in,” I said, near tears again for the second time in twenty-four hours. Jesus, I was going soft!
The next moment, Hunter had me pinned against the wall of the house. I gasped as he slammed my hands above my head, holding me hostage. The sheet stayed on my body, hurray for small miracles.
“Promise me,” he growled, “that you will never leave again.”
I would see his face shifting, his wolf was barely in control. It wanted out.
“I promise.”
“And promise me,” he continued, moving his mouth closer, his white teeth morphing into strong canines, “you will never lie to me again.”
“I promise.”
“And finally,” he was centimeters away from my lips now, his hot breath ghosting over me, “promise me that if I tell you I love you, you won’t break my heart.”
My mouth formed an “o” as I heard those words.
“You love me?”
“Promise!”
I rolled my eyes, “I promise.”
Hunter kissed me. The instant his lips crashed into mine he had control. All the pent up emotions from the night before came out in that kiss. His tongue swept and tangled with mine, hands gripping my wrists so hard I almost cried out. Everything was going to be okay.
“Oh my,” said a voice from below.
Hunter pulled from me and whirled around. In front of us stood a man. He was a little older than Hunter, about forty-five or so, with smoky gray hair and deep brown eyes. He leaned on the edge of the railing, smirking at us like he owned the place.
“Fuck,” I whispered, trying to hide behind Hunter. I was big, but he was bigger. This could work…
“You’re starting a little early this morning,” said the man, voice like oil on water. “Only wearing linens in this morning chill? You’ll catch your death.”
He’d seen me.
“Who are you?” Hunter asked, skin prickling with fur as he started to shift.
“I’m her fiancé,” said the man.
Hunter swung around, feral eyes wide like I had punched him in the gut. I closed my eyes, wishing I was back in bed with Roman before this happened.
I heard the man start climbing the stairs.
“Hello, Tasha.”
Book 2: Return of the Mate
Chapter One
My mind reeled as Wesley walked up the stairs to the porch. Hunter moved in front of me, keeping a protective arm around my waist.
“Tasha,” Hunter s
aid, not taking his eyes off the man in front of us, “who is this guy?”
Wesley smiled a dangerous, oily smile. I cringed at the memory of his lips on mine. What was I thinking?
Before I could answer, Wesley said, “Why, I’m her fiancé.”
Hunter’s arm dropped from my waist. Hurt radiated off him in palpable waves. My stomach felt like I swallowed a bag of raw potatoes for breakfast.
“Wesley, we are not engaged,” I said, hoping for firmness but achieving only the ability to string words together into a sentence. “We were never engaged and that is not an option.”
“Is that what she told you?”
Wesley leaned against the railing. He stood only a few feet away from Hunter. I could see that every muscle in Hunter’s body was pulled rigid, ready for a strike. My own wolf was on edge, prowling the corners of control, prepared to run.
Wesley flicked some dirt out from under his nails. The morning sun caught the sharp cheekbones of his face and played off his salt-and-pepper hair. Only weeks ago I thought it looked distinguished, very sexy Richard Gere. Now, he reminded me of a Disney villain. Too proud of his appearance and his dramatic entrance.
“You were quite the hard woman to track down,” Wesley said, looking over Hunter and into my eyes. “I woke up and you were gone! Lucky for me,” he paused and sent a smirk directly at Hunter, “my bed was so covered in your scent I was able to track you.”
Hunter let out a low growl and I placed my hand on his arm. He would lose control soon, and let his wolf take the reigns. I couldn’t let that happen, not now.
“You never told me you came from Moon Lake,” Wesley continued, his attention back to me. “Tasha, I’m hurt that you never felt you could truly trust me after years together. The moment you left, I realized I knew nothing about your past. Was I really such a bad mate?”
The hurt in his voice showered me in guilt. Wesley and I had been together off and on for the past three years. He had always been a little dangerous, prone to rages and bouts of moodiness. But he also possessed a strength and determination I found impossibly sexy, especially when I first found myself in his territory five years ago. I was only twenty-five and chubby, most men wouldn’t give me the time of day. And yet, this older, and damn sexy, alpha male thought I was good enough to have a place in his pack. Any girl would have fallen for his charm eventually.
I knew I would hurt him by leaving, but I hadn’t realized he would go to these lengths. I had to make this right, I couldn’t run from my problems anymore.
“Wesley,” I said, stepping around Hunter. Hunter’s gaze flicked protectively over me, and I let my fingers trail over his arm as I passed to let him know it would all be fine. Wesley reached out when I walked over to him.
“Please come home, Tasha,” he said. Some of the anger had melted from his eyes. “Just come back with me to South Dakota and we will pretend this never happened.”
“I can’t do that,” I said, staring into Wesley’s slate eyes, pleading for him to understand me. “Moon Lake is my home.”
Wesley’s face tightened, threatening to shift. I held my ground, hoping he was in control.
“I’m sorry I left without talking to you about it first,” I said. “That was heartless of me. But this town.”
I looked over my shoulder at Hunter. He still stood rigid behind me, eyes trained on Wesley for any hint of a shift.
Turning back I said, “I am truly sorry. Please forgive me and move on.”
Wesley snarled. Damn, apologizing didn’t work as well as I hoped.
“You’re just going to say sorry and hope that I leave?” Wesley shot back.
“That is generally,” said Hunter, “how a break up works.”
“In my pack,” said Wesley, pulling himself out of the casual lean and to his full height. He was a good six inches taller than me, and just a bit taller than Hunter.
“In my pack,” he said again, trying to take control over the angry tremble to his words, “ when two adults live together for over a year they are considered to be mates. My people do not take relationships lightly.”
“Wesley,” I said, “I was never your mate -“
“Unfortunately,” he interrupted, “I do not see it that way.”
He looked at Hunter with disgust.
“I presume,” he said, “you are sleeping together?”
“Soon,” said Hunter. I couldn’t help but blush. Soon? I guess that kiss had really gotten through to him.
Wesley rolled his eyes, “You’re so nonchalant about the love of Tasha, but you need to understand how serious this is. When a mate is poached by a male, the pack bonds together and brings that mate down. Since you had the audacity to poach my mate and you’re from a neighboring pack, I am going to bring down the entire town of Moon Lake.”
“You’re not serious!” I said.
“I am serious,” said Wesley, “but I won’t do this if you leave with me now. Otherwise, it’s war.”
“We will be ready, ” said Hunter. I whipped my head around and looked at him. He was strong, unwavering, with a look of calm confidence on his face. He was serious.
“What’s the customary preparation period?” He asked, staring Wesley down. “Here it is 24 hours to prepare for an altercation.”
“I can be ready in 24 hours,” said Wesley.
Hunter moved closer, wrapping his arm around my waist once again.
“Tell you what,” he said, “since you’re from out of town, I will give you 48 hours. That way you can call all your little buddies and we can do this right. It’s the least I can do since I had the luck to win Tasha’s affections.”
“Fine,” said Wesley, “but in 48 hours your territory will be mine and you will be a memory.”
“Cool,” said Hunter, his arm tense around me, “see you in a couple days.”
“Goodbye, Tasha,” said Wesley, turning and walking back down to his car.
Hunter and I stood on the porch while we watched Wesley whip out of the driveway and down the road. I shivered, both from the cool morning air and the tension. I’d just fixed everything, and now… and now I didn’t know what was going to happen.
“Let’s go inside,” said Hunter, not looking at me. “We need to tell Roman what happened.
Chapter Two
Roman was maneuvering around the kitchen when they got home. I was distraught but not so distraught that I couldn’t enjoy the way his muscular frame looked in a pair of gray sweatpants and nothing else. If I still needed a reason to stay, I’d found it.
“Roman,” said Hunter.
Roman looked up with a bright, morning-after smile on his face - which instantly faded after he saw the look Hunter and I wore.
“What now?” asked Roman. “Don’t tell me you’ve just caught Tasha trying to leave.”
“I’m not going to leave,” I muttered under my breath.
“Nothing as bad as that,” said Hunter, reaching around and giving my butt a nice squeeze. I jumped, so handsy after all that drama? Maybe his taunting words to Wesley weren’t a joke and we would be having sex sooner than later? I glanced over at Hunter from beneath my lashes, taking in the way his shirt hugged tightly to his abs. A girl could dream, right?
Roman turned around, leaning against the counter and crossing his powerful arms across his chest. His brow furrowed.
“Then what’s going on?”
Hunter sighed, “Tasha’s fiancé showed up at our house a few moments ago.”
Any remnants of our night together immediately drained from Roman’s face. He looked at me with such betrayal all I wanted to do was run into his arms. Then, I realized, I could run into his arms. We loved each other.
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around Roman, burying my face into his broad chest. I breathed in, taking in the smells of sweat, love, and pine needles. I was never leaving.
“I don’t have a fiancé,” I said, my voice muffled by Roman’s chest. “I just have an ex-boyfriend.”
“How muc
h of an ex?” asked Roman.
“A very recent ex,” I said. “We broke up about a week ago.”
“A week ago?” Roman looked down at me in disbelief.
I pushed back from Roman, looking up into his eyes. “Does that really matter? A week ago, a year ago, so what? We aren’t together, and we weren’t together…”
I trailed off, trying to control my blush. Roman raised a roguish eyebrow.
“Last night?” He asked, a touch of humor working back into his voice.
I shoved his arm playfully, extracting myself from his grip, and said, “I’m sorry that Wesley followed me here. I didn’t think he would…” a shiver went through my body, “track me.”
The men were quite for a moment. Hunter walked over to the counter and poured a cup of coffee. When he turned around, his face was set, his expression solid like chiseled marble.
“We’ve been threatened,” Hunter said, voice hard.
“We?” asked Roman. “As in?”
“The pack,” said Hunter. “The entire pack has been threatened.”
I opened my mouth to apologize again, that seemed to be all I was fucking doing, and Hunter fixed his sharp gaze on me.
“It is not your fault,” he said.
“It is!” I said. “He wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me. It is something that is literally me fault.”
“It is kind of her fault,” said Roman.
“Well,” said Hunter, exasperated, “we are going to figure this out.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “What do you think we should do? Should we call the council?”
“I think we have to,” said Roman, “let’s get the pack together and figure something out.”
“No matter what happens,” Hunter said, taking my hand, “we will support you.”
Roman left to make the call and I wondered, not for the first time, if I made the right choice.
Chapter Three
My whole body tensed as we walked into the main meeting hall. The room was bright as the sun streamed in the only light source, a huge skylight that took up almost the entire ceiling. It was meant for viewing of the moon during ceremonies and felt took exposed in the morning hour. The pine walls and chairs made me feel like I was inside a log. I didn’t know if my return to nature felt too sudden or just right.
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