Rayne’s Perfect Mate:
Bad Alpha Dads
McKayla Schutt
Rayne’s Perfect Mate: Bad Alpha Dads
Denver Troubles, Volume 2
McKayla Schutt
Published by McKayla Schutt, 2018.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
RAYNE’S PERFECT MATE: BAD ALPHA DADS
First edition. October 16, 2018.
Copyright © 2018 McKayla Schutt.
Written by McKayla Schutt.
ISBN-13: 978-1724994356
ISBN-10: 1724994356
I would like to thank my husband Branden, giving me the push when I needed it I love him so much.
I also would like to thank my awesome editor for making me work hard.
Last, I would like to thank my fans, especially my street team for always supporting me even when I felt like quitting you guys were there to keep me going.
I hope everyone loves this story and make sure you review if you do. ;)
Bestselling and Award Winning Paranormal Romance authors are bringing you the baddest of the bad ALPHA dads. Keyword bad. So sexy, you'll want to teach them to be good. These shifter dads need all the help they can get, and we want to give it to them.
Check out our website at BadAlphaDads.com for our release schedule and more about our fabulous authors.
Chapter One
Rayne
The evil pink plus sign signaled the worst thing in Rayne’s eyes. She swallowed hard, instead of thinking about what would happen next, she wondered why they made it pink. She knew pink was designated for women but the color hurt her eyes. Her gaze wandered over the soft blues and greens of her sea-themed bathroom. She only wore pink when supporting a cause. Her free hand rested over her belly. Oh, Jacob, if only you could see the mess you created. No, she didn’t hate the child growing deep inside her belly, but she hated the man who put it there. Her wolf threw out ideas of castrating her ex but Rayne shook her head. She didn’t have time to break down and hide in the bathroom forever.
“Mommy, where’s Daddy?” Annmarie banged on the bathroom door. She didn’t look forward to breaking the news to her baby girl. Regret flooded her soul, she couldn’t find her perfect mate before having one child. Now she had another on the way, and how would she ever find her mate?
The memory of her own father walking away from her mother still haunted Rayne. You be good for your mother. Maybe one day we can reconnect but right now I need to go. The last words her father spoke filled her mind and the sound of the door slamming echoed in her ears. The old saying ‘girls marry someone like their father’ rang too close for comfort. Your father is never coming back. He’s a human with no spine, her mother had spat a week after her father left. After so much time, Rayne still half expected to find her dad walking up to her in a store or something and apologize for leaving.
“Hold on.” She shoved the damn stick into the deepest part of the trash then opened the door. Her daughter’s nose scrunched up as she lifted her blue gaze. Today Annmarie sported a brown hat with a pink butterfly on the right side. Rayne winced internally at the stupid color.
“You smell different.” She tipped her head to the side and her blond hair fell toward the ground.
“I’m sorry honey, I need to shower.” Rayne tipped Annmarie’s hat up and pushed back her hair, so it didn’t cover her face. Her little girl loved hats. Instead of loads of dolls, she had tons of hats. “Your dad left last night.” She truly didn’t know how else to tell her the fucker wasn’t ever coming back.
“When will he be back?” She pulled on her ear. The next part would break her heart because she didn’t want to cause Annmarie pain. She kneeled down to her level and played with her hair.
“I don’t think he’s coming back here.” A painful tightness began in her throat, making it hard to swallow. She stared into Annmarie’s naïve eyes, Rayne wanted to shield her from any pain and suffering. Any good mother would take the pain for their children and Rayne was no different. But this instance, she couldn’t hide it from her and pretend things were normal.
“Oh, I thought he was fibbin’ when he came into my room last night.” Her shoulders fell.
“What did he say?”
“He won’t be back for a while.” Annmarie’s lips twitched, Rayne knew she was fighting back tears. Rayne lifted her daughter’s chin. Her wolf whimpered at the sight of pain in the little blue eyes.
“This is no way your fault, sweetheart. Promise me you understand.” Rayne pushed a few locks of Annmarie’s hair back from her shoulder. The pain from her own father leaving still stung. Even after so many years, Rayne wondered if she caused her dad to walk away.
“Okay, Mommy.” She nodded and then walked down the hall toward the living room. Her heart ached to see her six-year-old daughter hurt. Something Rayne could’ve avoided if she let Jacob off the hook years ago before Annmarie’s birth. Yet she had felt like they made the right choice to stick together even without the imprint bonding them. Rayne’s stomach tightened and seconds later, she lost her breakfast in the toilet. Just wonderful, I already have fucking morning sickness. She cleared her mouth off and took a swig of mouthwash.
“Annmarie, get your shoes on!” Rayne yelled through the single-story home. She had to be strong for her daughter and unborn child, but she didn’t know how she’d do everything herself. When she went into heat a month before her eighteenth birthday, she slept with Jacob. They were both convinced they would imprint on her birthday. The memory of giving him a hug when she turned eighteen filled her mind. They didn’t imprint like she thought, and she had become pregnant. I’ll stay with you. We’ll make it work. His hollow words rang in her mind as Rayne walked out of the bathroom. She didn’t have time for self-pity.
“Mommy?” Annmarie called out when Rayne walked into the living room.
“Yes, honey?”
“There’s a strange man outside.” She pointed to the window. Rayne’s wolf perked up, ready to shift to defend her little girl. When she pulled the curtain back she didn’t see anything outside of the normal bustle. “He’s gone now.”
“I’ll double check when we leave.” Rayne rolled her shoulders and returned the fabric to its regular spot. She grabbed the reusable grocery bags and her purse before opening the door. The sensation of being watched prickled over her flesh but when she scanned the area, she didn’t see anyone staring at her. “Stay close, honey.”
Wolves were out of the supernatural closet which also made them a target for hunters. Recently there had been children going missing and parents left for dead. Only last week, the alpha sent out the message to start a buddy system. Every morning, Rayne sent a quick text to her friend to tell her they were good. The new friend system had major flaws but the alpha had to try more than extra patrols.
Annmarie grabbed her arm and they walked to the car, which didn’t sit in the shadow of her ex’s pickup truck. Her throat thickened as she stared at the oil stains on the pavement but she pushed back the lonely sensation filling her chest as she rushed to the car. Rayne’s phone buzzed but she ignored it till they were in the car and the doors locked. Jennine, her best friend, had sent her a picture of herself in line at a coffee shop.
“Where are we going?” Annmarie pulled the seatbelt across her and struggled to push the metal into the plastic to secure it. Rayne fought the urge to help, she wanted Annmarie to do things herself. She glanced around to make sure no one watched them.
“To the store, but I also have to drop off some stuff at the hotel.” Her heart fluttered just like every time she thought
of Zac, she worked as a bookkeeper for his hotel. His jet-black hair always made Rayne’s knees go weak, but she never admitted it out loud. Especially in front of Jacob. She wouldn’t make more problems for herself. I don’t have to worry about it now, her wolf reminded her.
“I thought you have this week off with me?” Annmarie adjusted her hat while Rayne pulled out of her spot. “It’s spring break and I go back to school tomorrow.”
“I’ll be quick. Less than an hour, sweetheart.” Her wolf pushed images of Zac naked into her thoughts. Once, had she caught him in the nude after a shift, but she only caught a view of his backside. It had taken all of her willpower not to go up to him and see if they were true mates.
“Fine.” She folded her arms and pouted. Rayne shook her head and kept driving. Annmarie had a bit of a drama queen inside her. Her mind raced through the things she had relied on Jacob to do. Thankfully it was short. She didn’t have to worry about the income too much because Jacob blew most of his money on junk, leaving the bills for Rayne.
I’ll be here for you and our daughter, he had said after the birth but now Rayne knew, men left. Her wolf side perked up and pushed the idea of Zac taking care of her into their shared mind. He will probably leave too. I mean, why should he stay with two kids who aren’t his? No male in their right mind wanted a pregnant female with a pup added to the mix.
What she wouldn’t give to finally imprint with a strong wolf who might actually love her, but now she had another little one coming. Even though she feared her perfect mate running, she still hoped for a break in her luck in the man department. Just one man or wolf who didn’t bolt when things grew tougher than a shift. Her wolf pushed Zac’s face into her thoughts. He’s almost too perfect. She held back a sigh. Instead of agreeing with Rayne, her beast returned to pushing more naked images of Zac into their thoughts.
Heat raced through her belly. Rayne pulled into the back parking lot for the hotel. Once she parked in her normal space, she opened the door for her daughter. “We’ll be in and out.”
“Sure.” She pulled the sides of her hat over her ears but stayed close. The lot wasn’t packed like last Sunday, but there were still guests bustling in and out with their bags. Others waited for the shuttle to take them to the airport. The doors whooshed open and a light crosswind sent Zac’s cedar scent right to Rayne’s nose.
Her mouth watered at the idea of tasting him, any part of his strong body. Damn it, I wanted to avoid him today. She swallowed hard as she found him behind the desk talking to Bryn, a new member of the Wolf’s Inn team. The wide lobby was decorated in soft creams and browns, making it feel inviting to guests. The chlorine scent from the pool crept into her nose from the left. But it didn’t stifle the need to walk up to Zac and throw herself at him. Instead of listening to her body’s desires, she squared her shoulders and shoved down her wolf as she pushed dirty ideas in her mind.
Rayne grabbed Annmarie’s hand and pulled her to the left toward the office. She opened and closed the door quickly, hoping she escaped the owner’s detection. Her skin prickled with goose-bumps at the idea of him touching her and making her cum. She let out a shaky breath and her daughter raised one of her bushy brows.
“Sit down while I tweak a few pages, then we’ll go to the store.” Rayne pointed to the chair next to her desk. Zac’s scent clung to every inch of the office with her scent still lingering from a few days ago. Her wolf wiggled around in her mind with a grin plastered on her face. Don’t you even dare, she warned her wolf as she took her own seat. Mate. Mate. Her beast chanted and had been keeping up with her antics since Rayne started working for Zac. The longer she worked at Wolf’s Inn, the more brazen her beast had become.
She pulled up her email and clicked on the software which held all the information for the hotel. Rayne wanted to get the work done quickly so she didn’t have to face Zac. Her wolf pushed images of what he might look like full frontal-naked. Seriously! Even the images brought heat into her belly.
“I’m bored.” Annmarie tapped her pen on the wood desk. Thankfully, her beast stopped being a bitch so she could focus on her daughter.
“We’ve been here for three minutes,” Rayne snapped back as she glanced at the small clock on her screen.
Zac opened the door and slipped inside. “We can’t have bored little kids in my hotel.” He smiled at Annmarie. Damn it! My luck sucks hairballs today! His electric blue gaze met hers. Rayne’s shirt grated against her flesh and she wished to take it off suddenly. Instead of doing something stupid, she focused on Annmarie.
“She’ll be fine. I’m almost done with this and then we’re leaving.” She returned her focus to the computer. Rayne couldn’t completely meet Zac’s gaze after the first time. Her main reason for never getting close to her boss had everything to do with Jacob and not wanting to hurt him. She pushed down a laugh. He had been the one to knock her up and leave her with a six-year-old to raise on her own. Jacob had been the one to hurt her, not the other way around. Men will always leave when it suits them.
“Ah, well how would you like to color while you wait for your mom?” Zac asked, and Annmarie jumped out of her seat.
“Yes, please.”
Rayne glanced up to find her daughter holding Zac’s hand. Her wolf bounced around shouting mate again, but Rayne shook her head. Zac deserved better than a woman who was pregnant with another man’s child.
Chapter Two
Zac
Zac did his best to keep his distance from Rayne like he did every time she walked into the office. His desk faced hers, which didn’t make it easy. The last few days of not seeing her had made his wolf crazy. She’s taken, remember? But her lilac scent still made his dick hard in seconds. And her soft lips begged to be kissed.
Zac walked out of the office with Annmarie next to him in search of a good coloring book. He wanted to make Rayne happy, even if it involved getting her daughter a toy to keep Rayne distraction free.
“Zac?” Annmarie gripped his hand tighter.
“Yes?” He lifted his brow at the pup. Her soft blue eyes lifted to meet his gaze for a moment before turning to the floor.
“Do you think my dad will come back?” She adjusted her hat. It seemed like a very rare occasion when the kid didn’t wear a cap. She stayed close to him and his wolf liked her being near.
“What do you mean?” He leaned down and grabbed a princess coloring book from behind the front desk and handed it to her while Bryn spoke to a guest.
“Daddy left last night.” Annmarie sighed and leaned into Zac while he grabbed the box of crayons. He didn’t like the pain in the little girl’s eyes. But he didn’t know how to make it vanish. His wolf perked up, liking the idea of Jacob leaving but he wouldn’t mention this to Annmarie.
“I’m sorry, honey. I don’t know if he’ll come back. That’s something you’ll have to ask your mom.” Zac headed back to the office.
“I thought wolves mated for life.” She bounced on her toes. He debated the right words and decided to tell the truth.
“You’re right. But I don’t think your dad imprinted with your mom, so they weren’t mates.” He had heard rumors they didn’t imprint. His wolf bounced around his mind. She’s free to accept the imprint!
He wanted to push his wolf back down but he had to agree. Now was the time, one touch and he would know if they were mates. He wanted to walk into the office and grab her hand. Heat rose in his abdomen at the thought of taking her up to a room and fucking her senseless. He pushed down the urge as they headed back to the office and the door flew open.
“Why on earth did you tell my daughter that?” Rayne spoke through her teeth just inside of the office. His heart clenched as he met her agitated gaze.
“I…” Zac didn’t know what to fucking say to the obviously angry mother.
“You what?” Rayne tipped her head to the right. He had seen her do this, another tip of her head and she would go from frustration to all-out pissed. His wolf pushed forward, wanting to comfort Rayne b
ut his human side knew it wasn’t the right play. Annmarie handed back the coloring book and crayons before running to her mother.
“Mommy, it’s okay. It makes more sense.” She pulled on her mother’s shirt, but Rayne didn’t look down at her.
“I should’ve been the one to tell her.” Rayne ground her teeth while adjusting her purse. “I’m done. Let’s go.” She grabbed Annmarie’s hand and stormed out of the door with her daughter trailing behind. Annmarie waved before the doors whooshed closed. Damn it.
For a moment he hesitated and glanced at Bryn at the front desk. “I’ll be back.” He nodded quickly then bolted after Rayne. Following her lilac scent became easier as he turned the corner. She scanned the area then met his gaze. Why is she looking around?
“What could you possibly want?” Rayne narrowed her sapphire eyes on him. A lesser wolf would’ve cowered but he stood his ground.
“I just want to apologize for what I said. I thought you had already spoken to her about your situation.” He paused. “Especially since she asked about her dad.”
“Well, if you had kids you would understand, telling your child her father is a j-e-r-k doesn’t make great dinner conversation.” Rayne tossed her bag into her car and then closed the door. “I don’t expect you to understand but I do expect you to not bring it up again. Now I get to spend the rest of the day at home trying to explain why her father stayed without us being true mates.” Rayne pushed back the lone tear falling from her eye. Zac lurched forward to comfort her while his wolf whimpered.
“I could help you. I can…” Zac started, but Rayne shook her head and he stopped his advance.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow when she goes back. I’ll finish my work then.”
“You can come back I won’t say a word.” Zac deeply wanted her to calm down while his wolf just wanted to touch her. One touch would put him out of his misery and tell him if Rayne was actually his mate. Two long freaking years of her working in his hotel and never touching her had been hell.
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