Wolf's Mate_werewolf romance

by Katie Reus

  But as he stared at the sexy shifter looking down at her phone, all annoyance faded. Wearing knee-high leather boots with what had to be four-inch heels over a pair of tight jeans and a formfitting sweater, he seriously hoped this was the she-wolf he was picking up.

  She chose that moment to drop her phone into her purse and glance over at his SUV. The windows were tinted so there was no way she could see inside.

  Realizing he was staring like a dumbass, he jumped out of the vehicle and rounded the front of it to greet her. Yep, she was definitely a shifter. Not human. Her scent gave her away immediately. And he liked what he smelled. “I’m Hudson, are you Erica?”

  She smiled brightly. “Yes, thank you so much for picking me up. There’s no way to get any transportation out here.”

  He snorted. This far out they were lucky they even had a public airport nearby. His pack almost never used it, not when they had a private plane and utilized the private airport near their land. “I’m sorry you had to wait.” Before he’d been annoyed by this day trip, but now he actually did feel bad she’d had to wait so long.

  She shrugged. “No big deal. I appreciate your pack letting me visit this area.”

  “Unless you’re too tired, I can give you a tour of our land. We can take the four wheelers out or go for a long run.”

  She blinked once even as she smiled. “Aren’t you the second-in-command?”

  He nodded once.

  She blinked again. “Ah…if you’re sure you’re not too busy, that would be great. But honestly, I’m fine on my own. I’ve been trekking across the entire country and I don’t mind exploring by myself.”

  “I’ll show you some of the best spots for running and hiking,” he found himself saying. What the hell was wrong with him? He had shit to do, responsibilities, duties…he shouldn’t be offering up any of his time. It had simply been too long since he’d had sex. That was all. He didn’t know this woman and he certainly wasn’t going to get involved with her. He was too damn busy anyway.

  His wolf swiped at him, telling him he was very much wrong on that front. He ignored his dual nature and stepped closer to her, inhaling her peaches and sunshine scent. When he went to pick up her suitcase, she waved him away. But he grabbed the handle anyway. He knew that she was capable—she was a shifter after all and a wolf at that—but some intrinsic part of him wanted to do this.

  After stowing it away in the back, he found her already sitting in the passenger seat so he got in the driver’s side. “So how long have you been roaming?”

  “Almost a year. This should be one of my last stops. I was thinking of heading down to Arizona after this but I’m not sure if I’ll have time. I miss my pack.”

  “It’s a lot of wide-open spaces here, your wolf should like it.”

  She smiled, and once again, he felt the intensity of her smile like a kick to his solar plexus. She was young, maybe thirty years old. It was impossible to pinpoint an exact age with wolves because physically she looked to be similar in age, but her level of power was exponentially less than his.

  “Before we go exploring, would you mind stopping by Alma’s Bed and Breakfast? I need to drop off my stuff and I want to get checked in.”

  He didn’t like the idea as her staying there even if it was pack owned. For some reason he wanted her close to him. Okay maybe not just some reason, the woman was stunning and his wolf was drawn to her on a primal level. “We’ve got an empty cabin right now on pack land, why don’t you just stay there? We own the bed and breakfast so it won’t be a big deal to cancel your reservation. I can take care of it for you.”

  Surprise rolled off her. “I really don’t want to impose on you guys. It’s already nice enough that your alpha is allowing me on your territory.”

  “It’s not an imposition, trust me. We’ve got thousands of acres. You won’t be in anyone’s way.” And if the guest cabin happened to be close to his home, all the better. He wasn’t going to analyze why he was so desperate to have her on his pack’s land.

  “Well if you’re sure it doesn’t matter or I won’t put anyone out, then that’s great. I’ve been feeling a little cooped up the last couple days and need to run free for a while.”

  He could imagine, especially since she’d flown in on a regular plane. He knew that her own pack had a private jet but since she was roaming, she would’ve made her own travel accommodations. Now he wished his pack had offered to send their own jet to pick her up from her last stop. “When you head home, if your alpha doesn’t send his jet, you can use our private plane.”

  “Ah…thanks.” She blushed, making her even more adorable. Damn, she was definitely too young for him. But that did not matter to his wolf. And it didn’t matter to him. Not right now when he was sitting in the enclosed cabin of his SUV and she smelled like heaven. The peaches and sunshine scent was damn near addicting and all he could think about was what it would be like to have her dig those heeled boots into his back as he ate her out.

  Fuck. He blinked once and focused on the road. He did not need to get turned on right now and scare her off. No, he needed to act like a civilized wolf and not a caveman. He was too damn busy for a relationship or…whatever, anyway. He needed to get over whatever this was. Now.

  Chapter Eight

  Rolling his shoulders, Hudson managed to shove the memory from two months ago, far down. Right now, he needed to work on convincing his mate to stay permanently. To become part of his pack. To become his forever. He needed to stay in the present.

  When he was about twenty feet away from her, she looked over and smiled when she spotted him. Then a trace of something he couldn’t quite define flickered in her pretty eyes.

  He’d sensed discomfort rolling off her this morning. Something was definitely wrong. He wanted to think that she’d come back because she’d decided to stay, that she couldn’t live without him, but he had to face reality. She was definitely worried about something. It unsettled him.

  As he approached, his packmate held out a hand. “Hey, Hudson—”

  “Get lost,” he snarled. So much for not being an asshole.

  Erica’s eyes widened but Jared just laughed as he muttered something about crazy wolves.

  Erica stared at him for a long moment as the other male left. “That was incredibly rude.”

  He lifted a shoulder and clasped one of her hips in his hands, knowing full well the move was possessive. Tonight, he was walking a wire’s edge of control. “He was standing too close to you.”

  Her gaze narrowed slightly. “Are you…jealous?” There was a hint of disbelief in her voice.

  Why was she so surprised? “Call it whatever you want. I don’t like any of my packmates getting too close to you. I only want my scent on you.”

  She shook her head as her lips curved up ever so slightly. “That shouldn’t be quite so hot. Especially since it’s completely barbaric.”

  “Maybe I’m not as civilized as you think,” he murmured, lowering his head and giving her plenty of time to pull away if she wanted.

  Instead she leaned up on tiptoe and met him half way.

  Every part of him settled at the feel of her lips against his, her tight body pressed to his and though he wanted to deepen the kiss, to hoist her up so that she wrapped her legs around his waist—and find the nearest private spot in the nearby trees, it was clear they needed to talk about whatever was on her mind. And he wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t letting her go.

  Somehow, he pulled back. “Have you eaten anything yet?” He was going to steal her away from the party so they could talk and he needed to make sure that his woman was fed first. That was wolf-courting behavior 101. He had to take care of her.

  “I…could actually eat a little bit more.” She seemed surprised by that and he wasn’t sure why.

  “All right, I know what you like. I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded, that bit of apprehension back in her gaze. It quickly dissipated as Ursula strode up to her, a smile on her face.
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  “Thank you again for the manicure. These tiny wolf paws you painted are sick…”

  He tuned out the words of his packmate as he headed toward the food table, which was loaded down with a ridiculous amount of meats, cheeses and a little fruit. But mainly meat. Because wolves didn’t eat much else.

  By the time Hudson got a plate of food and a mixed drink for Erica, she was by herself again and watching some of his packmates dance to the music blasting from the DJ. He handed her a plate and felt ridiculously pleased when she smiled in appreciation. Making her happy could easily become his favorite pastime. Even if it did make him feel vulnerable to put himself out there.

  “I grabbed a little bit of everything,” he said, handing her a drink.

  “Thanks. I’m starving tonight.” She took a sip of the rum and Coke then froze.

  To his surprise, she spit it out on the ground.

  Alarm punched through him. “What’s wrong?” He’d scented everything, as he did out of habit, and the drink had smelled fine.

  She let out a strained laugh. “The Coke tastes flat.”

  He took it from her and took a sip but it tasted fine. Still, he set it on a nearby table. “Want me to get you something else to drink?”

  She shook her head. “Nah. I’m okay. More hungry than anything.”

  Okay then. His woman had food. It was time to get down to business. “So, you’re back and clearly there’s something you want to talk to me about. Want to find some privacy?” He nodded toward the cluster of trees where some benches and tables were set up for extra seating. No one would bother them over there, not when the party was going so strong. And if someone did approach them, he would just wave them off.

  She nodded, that tense expression returning.

  He wanted to reach up and cup her face, to rub his thumbs over her soft skin and wipe away all traces of it. Panic bloomed inside him as he tried to think of what could be bothering her so badly. Her returning to Montana was supposed to be a good thing.

  “I heard the party was your idea,” she said quietly as they reached one of the farthest tables. The music and laughter faded somewhat.

  He nodded as they sat. When he’d been in Gulf Shores—and his brother had called to tell him Erica was here—he’d called a few packmates and asked them to set something up. It wasn’t as if wolves needed a reason to have a good time so getting this thing together so quickly had been easy. Hell, they usually just left the party lights strung up in the spring and summer time because there was always something going on then.

  Erica picked up a piece of cheese and popped it in her mouth. For a long moment she sat there looking contemplative. He was silent, not wanting to push her. Whatever she needed to tell him, he’d let her do it in her own time.

  As they sat there, he took her free hand and linked his fingers through hers. He needed to touch her, to have that extra connection. When she didn’t say anything, that low grade panic increased. Apparently, he wasn’t as patient as he thought. “Whatever’s going on, whatever it is, you can tell me. Were you…seeing someone else?” he managed to choke out. “I mean, do I have competition?” Because if he did, he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.

  She blinked, and he realized he’d definitely surprised her with the question. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Maybe she was surprised he’d guessed correctly?

  Then she let out a giggle and shook her head. “I seriously can’t believe you asked that. After what we shared together. I couldn’t do that with you and be with someone else.” Then her gaze went razor sharp with the intensity of only a she-wolf. “Why? Have you been seeing someone else in the last month?”

  He snorted at the absurdity of her question. That was when he realized that his own fear had been stupid too. She wouldn’t have been seeing someone else. “No.” There was no one else for him. And he was pretty certain there never would be again. His wolf had decided and that was that.

  She pushed out a shaky breath. “Okay then. Look,” she said before suddenly turning away, bending over and getting sick.

  Shit. He reached for her braid, pulling it out of the way as she emptied the contents of her stomach.

  Panic punched through him as his mate got sick. It was pretty rare for their kind to get ill. So something must be seriously wrong. Oh God, was that why she’d come back?

  As she sat back up, he handed her a napkin from the table.

  With shaking hands, she wiped her mouth and gave him a watery smile.

  Double shit. Now she was crying. “Let’s go,” he said, reaching for her hand as he stood.

  Blinking at him in confusion, she frowned. “What?”

  “We’re going to see Abigail right now.” Whatever was going on, their healer could take care of it.

  She shook her head slightly. “Hudson, that’s not necessary.”

  In response, he reached down and lifted her up into his arms. Oh, it was necessary. If she was sick, they were going to get her taken care of. He might be able to protect her from any outside threat, but he wasn’t a damn doctor.

  She started to protest, but paused when she saw some of his packmates staring at them.

  “Don’t worry about it, we’ll take care of all this mess later,” he said, worried that she was embarrassed that she’d thrown up. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. Getting sick wasn’t her fault and he’d cleaned up enough messes from his packmates over the years that nothing fazed him anymore. He was just worried about her well-being.

  “You’re a lot more overbearing than I remember,” she muttered.

  “I told you I was a lot less civilized than you thought.” There was no use fighting it anymore. “And you’re mine. Which means I get to take care of you.”

  Now she watched him carefully as he strode around the crowd of packmates still carrying on with the party. He wasn’t stopping for any of them. The last thing Erica needed right now was a bunch of nosy wolves. Even if they were concerned for her.

  He knew for a fact that Abigail was up as she was taking care of a few of the wolves who’d gotten into a scuffle earlier. And even if she hadn’t been, she would have wanted him to get her for anyone injured. Technically Erica wasn’t injured but she’d just gotten sick and that couldn’t be good.

  His wolf was going into overprotective mode and he had to force himself to take a deep breath. Overreacting wouldn’t do anyone any good. He always remained calm under pressure but apparently Erica brought out a new side to him.

  He wasn’t sure he liked it, but since he planned to mate with this woman, it was something he’d have to adjust to.

  Chapter Nine

  “Hudson, this is ridiculous. I’m fine.” Erica gritted her teeth as they stopped in front of Abigail’s cabin. The only reason she hadn’t stopped him earlier was because she hadn’t wanted to make a scene in front of his other packmates. But this had to end here and now. She wanted to tell Hudson she was pregnant alone.

  “Then this shouldn’t take long,” he said, already opening the front door to Abigail’s cabin as he set Erica on her feet.

  “Shouldn’t you knock—”

  “Texted her on the way here. She said to come right on in.”

  She blinked. “How the hell did you do that?” While he was carrying her. He must have been stealth texting then because she hadn’t noticed.

  He just shrugged and as they stepped inside Abigail entered her living room from the kitchen.

  “Hey guys. I hear you’re not feeling well, Erica?” The petite Asian wolf’s serene smile was in place as Hudson closed the door behind them.

  “Ah…yeah. I wouldn’t mind talking to you. In private.” She didn’t look at Hudson as she said it because she wasn’t sure what his expression would be.

  Abigail, an older wolf, didn’t bat an eyelash as she nodded.

  Hudson made a sort of strangled sound but didn’t say anything else as Erica stepped closer to the healer.

  “You want to talk in my office or the exam room?�
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  “Office is fine.” She didn’t need a checkup.

  Once they were sitting inside, Abigail shut the sturdy door and said, “This room is soundproofed, so you’ve got true privacy. Hudson only texted that you’d gotten sick.”

  “Ah, yes.”

  “You’re pregnant though. Not sick. And I take it he doesn’t realize it yet?”

  Erica blinked as she sat on the comfy loveseat. “Are you psychic too?”

  Smiling in that serene way that made Erica want to tell Abigail all her secrets, the healer sat across from her in a high-backed chair. With no makeup on and her jet-black hair pulled back into two braids, she looked even younger than Erica. And Erica knew the healer was over a hundred.

  “No, I can scent it.” She touched one finger to her nose. “And before you ask, no, not all healers have that ability. But I do. It’s deductive reasoning anyway. You came back here after a month, and Hudson said you threw up. I might have guessed anyway.”

  “Well then…” Erica wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Have you spoken to a healer back home?”

  “I have.”

  “Are there any concerns?”

  “No.”

  “Okay then. If there’s anything you need while you’re here, just let me know.”

  “I will.” It was Erica’s instinct to ask her not to tell anyone but she knew Abigail wouldn’t. She was a healer—and a doctor. Patient confidentiality and all that.

  “I hope you stay,” Abigail said as she stood. “He’s missed you. A lot.”

  Erica joined her. “Really?” As soon as she asked the question she felt stupid.

  But Abigail just laughed and shoved her hands in her jeans pockets. “Yeah. He’s been pretty cranky without you. And I’m toning that down—he’s kind of been an ass. And that’s not like Hudson. He might be surly but he’s not an ass.”

  “I’m…nervous about telling him.”