Wolf in the Storm: A BBW wolf shifter romance (Shifters of the Glen Book 5)

by Skye Jones

  “Fuck you. Go back to your stupid commune and play at being a hippie. But I know men like you, and you’ll break her.”

  “Maybe, but it would only be fair, seeing as she’s already broken me.” His words were heavy, laced with something like sorrow and hope combined.

  I sucked in a breath, and tears welled in my eyes.

  There was a heavy beat of silence and then Diane spoke, her voice softer now.

  “You love her? Oh, my God. You do. You love her. Fuck me.”

  About to march in there and slap Diane myself, her next words made me pause.

  “I’m so fucking pleased. She’s finally got a man worthy of her. Honestly, I thought you were playing her like most guys do with women these days. It’s brutal out there. She’s special and doesn’t deserve to be fucked around.”

  “So special you were willing to fuck me, despite knowing it would break her heart?”

  “No. I wouldn’t have done that to her, wouldn’t have taken it so far, but I’d have my proof you were a bastard if you’d taken me up on my offer, and I’d have told her as much. She spent years with Roger, who is an icky little man who leered at everything with a Y chromosome behind Pam’s back…and she still doesn’t know the whole truth of it, so don’t you tell her. I tested you, and you passed.”

  “You’re crazy, you know that?”

  “I’ve been told it before, you’re not the first.” She laughed then, but it sounded slightly sad. “I’ll never flirt with you again, Adam. I honestly wanted to see if you were some shit, getting her head all turned around and then messing with it. You’ve got to admit, this has all been more than a little fast. And Pam’s a gorgeous, lovely person, but Jesus is she naïve. Now I’m going to go. It’s up to you whether or not you tell her what happened in this room, but think about this. I’m about her only real friend. And I might be crazy and hard-faced and whatever else people call me, but I love her dearly in my own way. Oh…and if you hurt her, I’ll fuck you up.”

  “You couldn’t fuck me up if you tried. But I won’t hurt her. As you say, I love her.”

  “But she doesn’t know it?”

  He sighed. “No. She doesn’t. She’s not there yet.”

  “Well, get her there, then.” I heard some movement and then footsteps in the hallway. “It’s nice meeting you, Adam. Look after my girl. Maybe I’ll see you again. If there’s more like you at that eco freaky place you live, I might have to visit.” She gave a laugh and then the door opened and closed.

  I should go downstairs and see Adam, but I didn’t move. My legs were still shaking. God, he’d seemed about to take Diane up on her offer, and I’d been about to lose both Adam and my best friend. I don’t think I could have come back from that on top of everything else. As it stood, I wasn’t sure about my friendship with Diane. I didn’t approve of her somewhat cavalier methods of testing Adam out. Mind reeling from all I’d heard, I sat heavily on the top step and didn’t move, not even when footsteps thumped up the stairs.

  “Oh, hey. What are you doing sitting here?”

  I looked up at Adam, and realization hit me like a sledgehammer. Oh, fuck. I was falling in love. The idea of him with Diane nearly killed me, and not because I didn’t want to look a fool. Or because I’d be upset about losing out to someone prettier than me. But because I’d be devastated to lose Adam.

  His eyes narrowed as he watched me. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I guess.”

  “You heard.” It was a statement not a question.

  I nodded.

  “She’s a funny one, that friend of yours. Not sure about the tactics she employed to check me out.”

  No kidding. I shook my head. “I doubt I’ll fall out with her over it. But she’s pushed things too far, and I need to have words with her. Not now, though.”

  “No? What do you want to do now?”

  “Do you know? I want to drive back tonight. I don’t want to be here in this empty house where I’ve felt so sad for so long. I want to be back with the pack, at your home. Do you think we can drive back? Right now?”

  He sat next to me and took my hand in his. “We absolutely can. You come back and spend some time really getting to understand my home and people. And me. And, if after some time, you decide you really want to go for this—for us—then we will bond.”

  I nodded and patted at my forehead. I still felt strange. Achy and a bit flu-like. “I’m worried I’m getting sick.”

  He raised his brows, and then his eyes widened. “When did you start feeling sick?”

  “Erm, from about the moment I thought you were going to run off with Diane.”

  “Yep. You’re probably showing early symptoms of the burning. It should pass if we can get you back home and get some of the tincture down your throat.”

  I swallowed. God, I was so thirsty. “And if it doesn’t?”

  He grinned. “Then I’ll just have to mate with you.”

  My belly flipped at his words.

  We both made quick work of sorting out what I wanted to bring with me. After all, I could come back at a later date and get more of my stuff. I needed to rent the house out if I decided to stay with Adam, to cover the mortgage, but I had a few weeks’ grace before I needed to think about things like that.

  My head really began to split, so Adam loaded up the off-roader and then helped me into the passenger seat.

  He looked at me, and something shone in his gorgeous eyes. A moment of vulnerability I fancied. “Ready to go home?”

  I considered him for a moment and then smiled. “Yes. I’m ready to go home.”

  Epilogue

  I fidgeted with the edge of the comforter. I’d only been here a short while, but already the place felt completely like home to me. I wanted to be with Adam. As in, bonded to him, mated with him, whatever the hell else these guys did to cement their relationships. But I’d set a date six months from now for the ceremony.

  I didn’t want to rush. Despite desiring to complete our bond more than anything, the rational side of my brain understood I needed to wait some more and be really sure our relationship worked on a day-to-day basis. I couldn’t rush into it and risk wanting out down the line. I’d gone from worrying Adam would be the one to call it off, to believing he wouldn’t, not ever. I’d also realized I’d been dealing with a lot of emotional baggage and had been at a pretty low point when we met, so I needed to be sure about everything before I made that final commitment. I didn’t doubt I’d do it. Not for one second. The man made me happier than I’d ever been. But I wanted to be sensible and to do it the right way.

  I’d survived a hell of a lot when I thought about it, and in recent weeks, I had come to understand things that would shatter many a person’s mind. Yet, here I still stood. Stronger than I’d ever really believed. For the first time since Roger left, I felt secure. Safe. As if my feet were on solid ground finally, after months at sea. Some of it came from Adam and his love for me, but some of it came from within. From deep inside where I’d finally found the old me. The woman who’d been up for anything all those years ago, before Roger bullied and belittled it out of me.

  I’d also made friends. Fitted in with the pack easily and quickly. I liked the women I’d met so much. In a short space of time, they’d become true friends to me. Particularly Izzy, who for some reason, I really clicked with. Funnily enough, after my initial trepidation, I grew to like Louis too. And Laura and Boyd had become close friends.

  But the female I became firmest friends with was another of the pack enforcers, Reba.

  The girl was smoking hot! I envied her figure, and one day, I told her as much. So she’d taken it upon herself to become my personal trainer. She taught me how to fight twice a week. Reba had a theory that all women should be able to physically defend themselves and take care of themselves financially. As she said: if you can sort out your own needs, a male becomes nothing more than the icing on the cake.

  Part of the reason I’d put the ceremony back six months came d
own to me wanting to be absolutely sure I wasn’t choosing Adam because I felt too scared to be on my own again.

  Speaking of which… I flipped open the laptop on the table in front of me and logged in to my Etsy account. Ten new orders since yesterday. I’d begun to sell the bracelets and earrings I made. At first, I’d sold the odd one. Then it became a trickle, and now, if not a flood, then a healthy stream of orders, all in the space of a few weeks. I’d placed a notice on my site, stating that all orders would be shipped on the last day of the month—because we were miles from the nearest post office, and I couldn’t be asking to go out of the village walls every other day. So I checked my orders and then made the bracelets and earrings to order. Then at the end of the month, I’d take my trinkets and post them. I’d imagined I might be posting ten items or so. Now I was selling ten or more items a day. And this was all purely word of mouth, so if I made enough money to market my business, I might sell much more.

  At this rate, I’d have enough money from the jewelry selling to at least meet my mortgage until I decided whether to rent the house out or not. I intended to keep it for my daughter, so I wouldn’t sell. But if things worked out here, I’d long-term lease it. Until I knew for sure I’d be staying forever, though, I wanted to cover the mortgage on it just in case. More, I wanted to do so for my own self-esteem. It mattered to me to finally be financially independent, and keeping my own home, and having a business that could cover my basic expenses meant the world. If sales kept building at the rate they were, in a month or two, I’d have a pretty decent living wage.

  I checked the time. I needed to get changed and meet Reba at the training center.

  Ten minutes later, I faced the mirror in the huge hall and waited for my friend. I studied myself in my yoga bra and running pants. I’d never have dared wear this even three weeks ago. But I’d started to like my body and not just because it slowly changed on the outside. But because my relationship toward it changed. Who’d have guessed that a few weeks of learning to fight, to defend myself and be strong, would make me feel so different inside.

  I narrowed my eyes at my reflection and held my fists up near my head in a defensive posture.

  “Nice. See? You’re already in the spirit of things.”

  Reba came sauntering in. I didn’t get why none of the guys had gone for her, but when I asked, she’d shrugged and said she viewed them all as brothers and vice versa. It seemed a shame to me because the girl was gorgeous. Her long dark hair swung as she walked over to me, and I admired her physique.

  She was curvy but in a muscular, strong way. I imagined a lot of human men might find her intimidating. She stood tall and wide at her shoulders, but she owned it, and I developed a bit of a case of the green-eyed monster. I wanted that confidence and strength, and now I was working on building it.

  We bumped fists and grinned at one another.

  “Ready to work on some sparring?” She hitched her chin at me.

  “Yep. Go easy on me, though.”

  “No way, hon. You’re going to sweat!”

  An hour later and I was wet through, my hair plastered to my head. But I felt great. The adrenaline was pumping, and I felt ready to take on the world.

  I needed to get home, though, as I wanted to see Adam. He’d been out on a run in wolf form with his sons and a few other shifters.

  By the time I reached home, my high had worn off and I ached all over. God, Reba liked to work me hard. I opened the door and stopped short. Adam stood by the fire, a glass of whisky in hand, and as always, the sight of him made my stomach flip.

  It had been a while since we’d played around the way we had on holiday, and as he looked at me, I saw the heat in his eyes. So I decided to take matters into my own hands.

  I smiled at him all come-hither and then stuck my tongue out, turned tail, and ran. His heavy footsteps followed me down the corridor as I skidded into the bedroom.

  “So…you need to learn some manners.” Adam walked into the room.

  It hit me then how sweaty I was, and I backed away. “I need a shower first. I’m disgusting.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re all warmed up and gorgeous.”

  He paused as he walked over to me and started to smile. “Before we begin your punishment, though, I do have something to ask you. I didn’t go for a run today. I went for a drive.”

  “Oh?” My mind ran through the possibilities of where he’d been.

  “Yes. I wanted to do this right.”

  Do what right?

  He got down on one knee, and my heart stuttered. Oh, my God. I clapped my hand over my mouth.

  “We’re bonding, and in six months, I believe, we will perform the mating ceremony. But I have a human mate, and I want you to see this as a true union. So, Pamela, will you marry me?”

  I blinked rapidly as tears filled my eyes. “Yes.” My voice broke. “Yes, yes, I will marry you.”

  My heart soared as he pulled a small black box out of his pocket. He flipped it open, and I gasped at the band of diamonds.

  He gave me a small smile as he stood and placed the ring on my finger. “I wasn’t sure what kind of ring to get. I know the jewelry you make is quite bold, but I looked in your jewelry box and saw, when it comes to diamonds, you seem to prefer a more classical look.”

  I did. Truthfully, I hardly owned any diamonds; most of it was cubic zirconia set in silver. But honestly, I didn’t care what kind of ring he bought me. The fact that my wolf shifter had gone to shop for a ring at all touched me so much. Although, it did look lovely glinting away on my hand.

  “The assistant told me this is called an eternity ring. I thought it fitting, as this will be forever between us. I can feel it, Pam.”

  It should have terrified me. We were only weeks into this thing between us and already talking forever, but it didn’t. I wanted to be with him. And I’d been sensible. I’d made sure to give myself some time, so I’d be one hundred percent positive of it being right when we mated. A thought struck me.

  “If this is going to be like a wedding, then can I invite Diane and Jane?”

  “Of course. You can invite whomever you want. We just have to tell them we are drinking wine when we share our mixed blood.”

  I still hadn’t quite gotten my head around that part, but the ladies all assured me it wasn’t too bad. I nodded and tried not to look freaked out.

  He pulled me in close to him and kissed me. And as always, it made my stomach flip in the best way. When he nibbled at my neck, I remembered my sweatiness all over again and decided I really did need a shower.

  “I definitely need a cleanup.” I paused and looked up at Adam. “Why don’t you join me?”

  “Love the smell of you like this. But if you insist, I suppose I can bear to join you in the shower. It sounds like a good plan.”

  Yes, it did. Getting all soapy and hot and bothered together in the shower and then Adam taking me in hand, quite literally, in bed afterward.

  My big wolf shifter swooped me up into his arms and strode into the bathroom, and I grinned into his shoulder as my heart swelled with love.

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