Lucien’s Mate
Soul Mates Book 1
Published by Diana Persaud at Smashwords
Copyright 2013 Diana Persaud
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
To my Darling Sugar Drawers,
Thank You for your faith in me.
-Your one and only Pumpkin Head
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Summary for Lucien’s Mate (Soul Mates Book 1)
His instinct is to claim her. Her instinct is to run. Will Lucien enjoy the thrill of the chase and have the satisfaction of bedding his mate?
Virginal Lanie is shocked speechless when she meets Lucien, a sexy Alpha. From the moment he sees her, Lucien knows Lanie is his mate and he will stop at nothing to make her his. Unfortunately, Lanie is terrified of her attraction to him and refuses his advances. Can Lucien seduce this scared virgin? Will Lanie fight her growing desire for Lucien or will she throw caution to the wind and give her body and her heart to a man determined to have her?
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Lucien’s Mate
Soul Mates (Book 1)
Chapter 1
The door opened and he suddenly forgot how to breathe. Sights and sounds around him disappeared as he focused on her. He watched her while she spoke to the waitress, ran her hand through her short black hair. His eyes never left her as she walked across the room to the bar at the back of the restaurant. Her hips swayed slightly and he admired the way her jeans hugged her round ass. He wondered how good it would feel to hold her hips while he rubbed his cock against her generous bottom. His cock began to twitch in anticipation. His pack mates stared at him in shocked silence as he got up and walked across the room to the bar.
Lanie hurried into Jack’s, a local restaurant that catered exclusively to werewolves. She opened the door and stepped into the quaint restaurant. Laughter and loud voices greeted her as well as the scent of delicious Italian food. Behind the hostess podium, she noted an almost full restaurant. Diners sat at the tables enjoying red wine and pasta. Pasta was their specialty and their garlic bread was to die for! She was certain Heaven had an unlimited supply of Jack’s garlic bread.
It was fairly early for the dinner crowd and she was surprised to see so many patrons here. This was her last errand today and she was anxious to get back to her darling triplets. Tessa greeted her warmly and informed her that they were unusually busy today, so they were a little behind on her daily order. At Tessa’s suggestion, she decided to wait in the bar.
“What’ll it be, darlin’?” Toby asked as he wiped down the counter. Lanie yawned as she sat down.
“Just coffee. I’m so tired I could fall asleep standing up!” She stifled another yawn, arched her back and stretched her arms behind her head, unaware the action pushed her breasts outward.
Toby licked his lips as he stared at her breasts and swore he heard a growl. His eyes snapped up and he saw the pissed off man behind her. He paled as recognition set in.
“Toby? What’s wrong? You look….” Scared as hell, she thought. What could possibly scare the tough looking bartender, she wondered as she turned around. She sucked in a breath, shocked at the man standing right behind her. Lanie could swear she heard warning bells going off in her head. The man exuded danger.
At six feet tall, he towered over her. He had short, thick black hair and the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. His goatee only accentuated the three long scars across his right cheek. He looked seriously pissed at Toby. He clenched his jaw and she saw the muscle there jump. His shirt clung to his massive chest and flat belly. He also had muscular arms, something she definitely appreciated. His fists were clenched at his sides. His entire body was tense, as if ready for a fight. She heard Toby swear and back away. She thought she heard him say, “Shit man, I didn’t know….”
The stranger’s eyes followed Toby as he moved away. Once Toby was out of his sight, he relaxed his stance, tension completely gone. He moved to sit on the barstool next to her and turned to face her. He leaned slightly toward her, closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. His eyes snapped open and he looked at her, confusion on his face. She smelled of baby powder and had the unmistakable scent of pups, yet he could smell no man’s scent on her body. He was about to say something when Lanie’s cell phone rang.
She glanced at the caller ID and saw it was her brother, Michael. She answered and listened for a minute.
“ALL of them?! Shit, don’t they have any damn manners?...Ok, Ok, I’ll get some more food, but they are busy here so it may take a while. I’m at Jack’s now, waiting for our usual order… mmmhmmm. How are the kids? ...Oh, good. All right, I’ll see you in a bit…bye.”
As she hung up, Tessa walked up and told her the food was almost ready.
“I hate to do this to you, but Taylor and the rest of his brothers just showed up, so we’ll need at least another lasagna…and a bunch of bread sticks.”
“Better make it TWO lasagnas and extra breadsticks. I know how those boys eat. I’ll put a rush on it. I know you are anxious to get back to the girls, Lanie,” Tessa said with a smile as she walked away.
Lanie smiled as she thought of her little nieces, barely two weeks old.
“He’s a worthless bastard to get you with pups then abandon you. You deserve better than that. I will provide for you and your pups. And in time, we will have our own.”
“Excuse me?” A very shocked Lanie turned to the man sitting beside her.
“Ahh…umm….” She floundered for something else to say. Just what in the hell was he suggesting?
She was about to ask him when she heard someone call her name. She turned to the door and saw Riley walking towards her.
Hot damn, the man was good looking. Her body reacted at the mere sight of him.
He could smell her sudden arousal and it angered him that he wasn’t the cause. He looked at the tall blond man striding towards them. Realization hit him.
“It’s him, isn’t it? I’ll kill the worthless bastard,” she heard him growl as he stood up.
“Wait! You have it all wrong,” Lanie called out as she raced after him. She tried to grab his shirt, but he moved too damn fast. She did the only thing she could think of. She shoved him and he fell into a group of patrons. She quickly moved around him, to step in front of Riley. She put her hand on Riley’s chest to stop him. Lanie heard a loud, menacing growl. She turned around and held up her hand at the advancing stranger. He looked ready to tear Riley apart.
“He didn’t do anything...he’s not the father, my brother is!” She said. When she saw the shock on his face, she quickly clarified.
“What I meant was, my brother and his wife had triplets. I’m just here helping out.” That seemed to calm him down tremendously. She shook her head and let out a long breath, relieved that Riley hadn’t been hurt. This man had been ready to fight over her?
“What are you doing here, Riley? I thought you and your brothers were at Mike’s?”
“Mike said you came to pick up food and I thought you might need a hand,” Riley replied.
Just then, Tessa walked up with two heavy bags, announcing their order was ready. Lanie asked Riley to take the food home and assured him she would be right behind him. She turned to the stranger behind her and sighed.
“I…ah… think it was very sweet of you to…umm… your offer was….ahh….
it’s obviously not necessary, so bye!” She turned and practically ran out the door.
He frowned slightly at her flight. At least he knew her name. Lanie. He walked over to the waitress, Tessa, determined to find out everything about his Lanie.
Later that night….
Her youngest niece finally fell asleep. After gently placing her into her bassinet, Lanie went to bed. She replayed the day’s events and thought she must have been in a twilight zone episode. There was no way any man, especially such an attractive one, would ever offer to take care of me. Especially if he thought I had someone else’s kid. But this guy did offer. Didn’t he? Maybe I misunderstood. Didn’t he say something about having kids with me? This is so confusing. Didn’t most men run at the mere thought of marriage and a family? This one obviously didn’t. There must be something wrong with him, she concluded. She turned to her side, still thinking about the blue eyed stranger from the bar.
Maybe his vision is going. After all, I’m hardly what anyone would call attractive. At a little over five feet tall, she had short brown hair, plain brown eyes and excess weight. My breasts are too small, my hips and butt are too big. Men like him prefer tall, leggy, voluptuous blonds, everything I’m not. Wait a minute. I know what’s wrong with him. He must be a werewolf! She sighed. It figures that the only guy to ever show interest in me was part wolf. That makes him off limits then. There was no way a wolf pack would ever accept a human. She thought back to the day she found out about werewolves, almost two weeks ago.…
It was finally happening! Her sister in law, Devon, was going to have her babies. She wasn’t sure why Devon insisted on having her babies at home. She was expecting triplets, which was why Lanie decided to spend her summer vacation with her brother, Michael, and his wife. She knew they would need an extra hand to deal with three screaming babies.
Hell, IF I ever have a kid, I want an Epidural. Shit! Maybe two or three, thought Lanie, as she heard her sister- in-law scream in pain. Several minutes later, she heard the distinct cry of a baby, then another cry and at last, one more. Three healthy baby girls were born.
Several hours later, she heard a loud sound coming from the nursery. She jumped out of her chair and ran to the room. Her heart stopped beating as she stared at the empty bassinet. She screamed and heard her brother come running into the room. A movement on the floor caught her eye. It was a wolf pup.
“Oh, My God! It killed the baby!” she screamed and reached for the lamp. She was going to throw it at the wolf pup when her brother snatched it out of her hands. He dropped the lamp and grabbed her by her arms.
“Listen to me! The baby is fine. The baby is safe!” he said as he shook her. Finally she calmed down.
“Safe? Nellie is safe? Where is she? Where’s Nellie? No one came in here….”
Her brother swore and then said, “The wolf pup… is Nellie.”
Lanie stared at him in disbelief. He explained how several years ago he had been attacked by a werewolf. Most people who were attacked usually died. The few who survived a werewolf attack always became werewolves. No one knew why. A werewolf leader, called an Alpha, heard about his attack and brought him here, to Second Chances, where he could live safely among others of his kind. It was here that he met and fell in love with his mate, Devon. About half of the citizens of Second Chances were werewolves.
“Usually pups don’t change this young unless they are frightened.” Michael said worriedly.
“I heard a sound. Maybe it scared her and she changed…into…a…wolf.” She still couldn’t believe it. But she did believe when she saw the wolf pup, which had just fallen asleep cradled in her brother’s arms, change back into her oldest niece.
Lanie, a science teacher, now believed in werewolves. Why hadn’t they been discovered yet? Then she remembered how her brother had sworn her to secrecy. What else was out there? Vampires? Leprechauns? Bigfoot?! She had a million questions for her brother and sister in law, but they became so busy with the triplets, she never got a chance to ask any of them.
She sighed yet again. One of these days she would find out if she needed to stock up on silver bullets, holy water and garlic. She fell asleep and dreamed of a large black wolf with familiar blue eyes.
Chapter 2
This can’t be happening, thought Lanie as she glanced around Jake’s. It was packed…with pack. She was surrounded by werewolves. Members from neighboring packs had sent representatives to Second Chances to celebrate the birth of her triplet nieces.
I bet he is here. What if he says something? She was still embarrassed about running away from him like a scared virgin, but she wasn’t sure what to do when a man looked at her with such intensity. Not once in her twenty five years had a man ever looked at her the way he did. Then there was the small issue of the warning bells she heard.
What was that all about anyway? She panicked at another thought. What if he ignored her? Or worse, what if he was here with another woman? Shit! It’s best to just avoid him altogether. Especially since for the last three nights, she did nothing but dream of a large black wolf with his blue eyes.
He stood across the room and watched her. She looked lovely in her yellow floral dress. It clung to her in all the right places. He absently wondered what she wore underneath. His cock began to twitch and harden as he contemplated her underwear. Sexy lace panties? A thong? He swore he would buy her crotchless panties so he could just bend her over and take her without removing a stitch of clothing. His cock throbbed at the thought of entering her.
When she picked up the crying baby and soothed it, both his heart and loins clenched tightly. He wanted her. He wanted her holding his child. Holding their child. He had never considered having kids before. But then again, he had never contemplated settling down, either.
Not until he saw her.
Lanie caught a whiff and knew it was time for a diaper change. She turned around and disappeared though a door behind her. The small office had been set up as a temporary nursery for her three nieces. A microwave had been placed on the oak desk and the small refrigerator stocked with milk instead of beer. Three empty bassinettes stood in front of the oak desk. She changed and fed Jules. Not wanting to go back outside and risk seeing him, she decided to rock Jules. Within minutes, her tiny niece was asleep. She gently laid her in the bassinet and watched her sleep. Feeling guilty about leaving Devon with the other two babies, she worked up the courage to go back outside. Nellie needed a change, so she took her back inside.
He watched her as she took the last child into the room and wondered how long she would stay in there this time. He knew they would never allow him into the room, so he would have to wait until she got hungry. He would get his chance then. He smiled and settled into his chair, fantasizing about all the ways he could and would fuck her.
Lanie was starving. She’d only eaten half her lunch when the girls woke up and she never had a chance to finish it. Now her belly was growling rather loudly. She bit her bottom lip and decided to take a chance. He’s probably already left. After all, who in their right mind wants to stay and look at three kids that aren’t even theirs? Besides me, I mean. With that thought, she bravely opened the door and snuck out.
Because his eyes never left the door, he saw when she opened it and quietly snuck out. She kept her head down and was trying very hard not to make eye contact with anyone. She headed directly for the buffet. BINGO! He reached the buffet when she did and reached for the plate at the same time.
“Sorry,” Lanie said, without looking up.
“You can make it up to me,” he said. She heard his deep voice and looked up. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.
He took two plates, handing her one. He filled both of their plates, gently guiding her along with his hand on her elbow. Lanie was still shocked speechless. He wore a blue cotton shirt that accentuated his eyes, wide chest and his muscular arms. He was here! He is talking to me. And I have no idea what to say to him.
“Lucien! You are the only Alpha to
honor us by attending this celebration. Come, sit with me,” requested Ethan, the Alpha of the Second Chances pack. Lucien turned to Lanie.
“Shall we?” he asked.
She stared at him with wide eyes and shook her head. Have dinner with two Alphas? I couldn’t handle one Alpha, much less two.
Lucien turned to Ethan and declined with a smile, “I would be honored to dine with you, Ethan, but Lanie is much easier on the eyes than you are.” Ethan laughed and nodded in understanding.
“Even my mate would agree with you. Enjoy your dinner.”
His name was Lucien and he wants to dine with me. She was both elated and terrified at the same time. He guided her to an intimate table for two.
I’m more important than making nice with another Alpha? She wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. She didn’t know much about werewolf politics, but politics was politics.
“Um….are you sure that was wise? Turning him down, I mean.” Lucien raised an eyebrow.
“Are you questioning my decision as an Alpha?” Shit. Not even two minutes in his company and already I offended him.
“I just meant that….um…you know…politics?” Why can’t I form a coherent sentence when he is around?
“You’re absolutely right. I came here to celebrate the birth of your nieces as well as for… political reasons,” Lucien amended. “But then I met you, and you are far more important than pack politics.” She saw the way he looked at her and her body responded. She felt a sudden tightness in her belly. He scented her arousal and smiled, knowing he was the cause.
“Um.…”
“Are you going to run away again?” Lucien asked softly. “My wolf loves the thrill of a chase.”
“Are…are you talking about…is this a separate wolf…or…a.…”
Lucien's Mate Page 1
