Harvest Moon
Harvest Moon
Tabitha Conall
The Mad Wolf’s Harem Series #1
In a world where werewolves mate in threes...
A mad werewolf chose Lunaville as the perfect hunting ground. He needs new wives to rebuild his harem, and what better place than a town full of wolves? But when he sets his sights on Madison Blake, he runs into trouble--she finds her fated mates before he can grab her.
Maddy, Eli and Donovan face trouble of their own just making their mating work. Maddy and Eli have bad blood between them, history strong enough to keep them apart in spite of the overwhelming mating lust. To find true love, they must not only conquer their own problems but also keep Maddy safe from the mad wolf stalking her.
Chapter 1
Eli didn’t like feeling like a little kid. But it didn’t matter how old he was, when Eli was with his mom that’s exactly how he felt. No more so than that afternoon while he followed her around the grocery store pushing her cart and pulling things off the shelf for her.
“Get some cereal,” his mother said.
He knew what she liked–the same cereal she’d been eating since he was little. He grabbed some and dropped it in the cart. His mother didn’t usually need an escort to the grocery store, but she’d broken her leg. The sensible thing would be for him to go to the grocery for her while she stayed at home, but she insisted on hobbling along beside him on her crutches.
That was Mom.
“Did you hear about that poor girl?”
Eli put his mom’s favorite tea in her basket. “What happened this time?” There was always a “poor girl” when Mom was around.
Mom smacked his arm. “The girl who works at the hairdresser’s. She’s been missing two weeks now.”
Missing. This wasn’t the usual “poor girl” story. “What happened?”
“They don’t know. Can’t find her anywhere. Her family’s frantic. Caleb told me he doesn’t expect to find her alive at this point.” Mom gave him a pointed look. “Don’t tell anyone that.”
Maybe she shouldn’t have said it out loud in a store full of shifters with superior hearing. But Eli didn’t say that. “He doesn’t have any leads?” His older brother Caleb was the sheriff of Lunaville.
“None. He’s pretty upset about it. Feels like he’s not doing a good enough job. You know your brother.”
Not like this, he didn’t. Caleb always got his man. “Something will turn up.”
“I hope so. That poor girl.”
They had just reached the back of the store where the deli and bakery sat when he spotted someone he hadn’t seen in years. Madison Blake. That bitch.
He’d had the worst crush on her when they were in junior high but Miss High-and-Mighty couldn’t even give him the time of day. When her family had moved away, he’d been relieved to see her go. He hadn’t wanted to see her every day and be reminded of how she’d stomped on his heart.
Madison hadn’t spotted him yet. He made a quick turn, hoping to get away.
“Oh, my goodness.” Mom put her hand on his arm, stopping his forward motion. “Isn’t that little Madison Blake?” She hobbled toward Eli’s arch-nemesis. “Come on, let’s go say hello.”
Eli stood frozen in place. ‘Hello’ was the last thing he wanted to say to her. Why couldn’t Mom have just let him shop by himself?
His heart beat frantically. He could still get away. But then he’d look like a coward.
Eli slowly turned the cart around and followed his mom. Just like a little kid.
“Madison?” Mom said.
Madison turned. She saw his mother first and started to smile. Then she spotted Eli. Her face froze. She met his eyes for a split second then refocused on his mother, as though he wasn’t even there.
His gut wrenched. It shouldn’t bother him to see her do that yet again. But it did.
“Hi, Mrs. Couteau,” Madison said.
“It’s been so long,” Mom said. “Are you visiting?”
“I’m moving back, actually.” Madison adjusted her purse on her shoulder.
Just like usual. She couldn’t be bothered to say more than a single short sentence.
Mom smacked Eli’s arm. “Say hello, Eli.”
“Hey.” Eli could do short sentences, too. Especially since he couldn’t say any of the things he really wanted to in front of his mom.
“Hey,” Madison said softly.
“Are your parents coming back, too?” Mom said.
Eli gazed longingly at the deli counter. Would it be too rude if he wandered off?
***
“No, they’re happy in New York.”
Maddy’s palms sweated. Her first day back in Lunaville and she ran into the person she wanted least to see. Eli had picked on her for years. Even standing this close to him made her stomach hurt.
But Mrs. Couteau had always been nice to her. Maddy didn’t want to create a scene, even if she wanted more than anything to abandon her cart and run out of the store as fast as she could.
She’d hoped after all this time that Eli might have moved away. Or become nicer. Or gotten over himself. Based on the looks he was giving her, he hated her as much as ever.
She’d never known why.
Maddy realized there’d been a silence in the conversation. Mrs. Couteau looked at her expectantly. “I–I came back for the librarian job,” Maddy stammered. She really hated small talk. Or any talk, for that matter. She wasn’t anywhere near as shy as she’d been back in school but she still stumbled through social situations like this never sure if she’d made a fool of herself or not.
“We should get going,” Eli said. He looked at her as though she was personally responsible for making him late.
“We’re not in a hurry,” his mother said.
Maddy couldn’t think of a single way to agree with Eli without looking rude. Another painful silence ensued. “Oh, I don’t want to keep you,” she said.
“Let’s go.” Eli turned the cart and took a step away from her.
Mrs. Couteau looked between the two of them, a crease between her eyes. “I’m sure we’ll see you around, Madison.”
“Maddy. I go by Maddy now.” She’d always hated the way ‘Madison’ made her sound wealthy and stuck-up. Just like Eli always said she was.
Mrs. Couteau smiled and squeezed her arm. “We’ll see you soon, Maddy.”
As they headed for the deli counter, Maddy took an inventory of her cart. If she left now with only what she’d gathered, could she get by? She didn’t think she could keep shopping knowing she might turn the corner and come face to face with Eli at any second.
Bread. She had to have bread. And then she could leave.
***
Donovan Geary loved books. He spent so much time at the library his mother said he should work there. His brother Matt said Donovan should move in.
Lately, the library hadn’t been open as much. One of the two librarians had retired and it took them a long time to find someone new. He might have considered applying, seeing if he could sweet talk them into letting him have a job he wasn’t qualified for, except he loved the job he had as a park ranger. As much as he loved books, he didn’t think he could spend all of his time cooped up in a building.
He’d heard they’d finally hired a second librarian, which meant they’d be open longer hours again. As he stopped in for the second time that week, he wondered if the new woman would be there–and if he’d know her. He knew pretty much everyone in town; he also knew no one in town was qualified to be a librarian.
Donovan entered the brick building through the “front” door then walked down a little hall to the open doorway that lead into the library proper. As he headed across the open area in front of the check out desk, he got his first glimpse of the mystery librarian.
She was hot. Exactly his fantasy of the naughty librarian, she looked buttoned-up but he could easily picture himself releasing her caramel tresses from that loose bun and fanning them out ove
r her shoulders before kissing her full lips until they turned red.
Then Donovan blinked. He knew her. Didn’t he? He walked closer. Yeah, he knew her. But who was she?
“Madison Blake,” a loud voice said from behind him. “I never thought you’d come back to Lunaville. Ever.” Lisa Griegson, a lanky blonde who did, indeed, have a big mouth, swept by him toward the desk.
Madison Blake? That sexy librarian was shy little Maddy?
His fantasies immediately flipped onto their side. He pictured himself curing her of her shyness by tutoring her to become a temptress in bed. He could do it, too. And he’d love every second.
Donovan wanted to talk to Maddy, but Lisa stood at the desk chattering away. Talking to Maddy in front of Lisa would be a big mistake–Lisa gossiped and exaggerated better than anyone he’d ever met. Saying hello to Maddy would mean half the town knew about their “wild affair” before the end of the day.
Instead, he headed for the fiction section. He’d almost finished every science fiction novel they had. Pretty soon he’d start in on the mysteries.
A half hour later, he emerged, looking forward to charming Maddy while she checked out his books. But instead, the head librarian sat at the desk and Maddy was nowhere in sight.
Squashing the disappointment in his chest, he promised himself he’d read as fast as he could so he could come back soon and see her.
***
The new librarian was perfect. Soft and sweet and shy. Since he’d come into town, the man had looked for women good enough to be his new wives. So far, he’d found only one. But the new librarian would make a beautiful second wife.
Now all he had to do was watch and wait for the right time to take her.
***
Maddy had been working at the library for a couple of weeks the first time the head librarian, Denise, asked her to man the place by herself. It was only the two of them, so Maddy had known from the start that there’d be times when she was alone. Truth be told, she preferred it that way.
She sat at the desk checking out books and answering questions while townspeople filtered through. Most of them had already welcomed her back to Lunaville, so she was having to have fewer and fewer awkward conversations about that, at least. Living in New York, she’d forgotten how “small town” Lunaville could be.
One of her friends from junior high, Lisa, stopped by the desk when she finally had a lull. “How’re you holding up? Ready to run for the hills yet?”
“Not quite yet, but check back in an hour,” Maddy said. Lisa was one of the few people she could talk to.
“Some of us are going to the bar tonight. Want to come?”
Going to the bar meant loud music, screaming just to be heard, drunk men hitting on her and fighting through a crowd to get to the bathroom. The bar was the last place she wanted to go. But she couldn’t stay cooped up in her apartment all the time, either. “Sure, okay. Maybe for an hour or so.”
A smell hit Maddy, the scent of freshly printed books and soda pop fizz and home.
Lisa said something else, but Maddy didn’t hear it. A need washed over her, moving her almost against her will. Maddy grabbed Lisa’s hand. “My mates.”
Lisa squealed as Maddy walked away, around the desk to the open area in front of it. She headed toward the hallway leading to the front doors. Where were they?
Out of the corner of her eye, Maddy saw a man catapult around the corner, coming from the fiction section. He stopped a few feet away from her.
Donovan Geary.
She smiled. She’d always found him attractive with his dark hair and eyes. Sort of mysterious and movie-star like. Donovan Geary. Her mate.
He moved toward her, a little more slowly now, and pulled her into his arms. “Hey,” he whispered in her ear.
“Hey.” She squeezed him tight. He felt as solid as a concrete block.
Donovan moved his head a little, then a little more, til his lips were millimeters from hers. Then he kissed her, more than a peck but less than a five-alarm-fire. When he pulled back, he didn’t pull back far. “Where’s our third?”
They both turned their heads to one side then the other. Maddy spotted him first. Before the knowledge even hit her brain, her knees gave out.
Eli.
Donovan caught her weight before she could fall. “Whoa. What’s wrong?”
Maddy didn’t say anything, just focused on finding her legs. Her stomach tightened and she thought she might throw up. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be mated to him.
Donovan grinned. “Eli Couteau. I never would have guessed.” He held out his hand to Eli.
As Eli walked toward them and took Donovan’s hand, his face stayed frozen, his eyes locked on her face. Maddy tried not to look at him. She didn’t want to see how much he hated her.
The most horrible thing of all happened as soon as Eli and Donovan touched hands. She’d already felt the mating pull, but now the urge grew twice as strong. She wanted her mates. She wanted Eli. Wanted to pull off his clothes and kiss every inch of his body. Almost more than she wanted to run away from him.
Eli kept staring at her. “I can’t believe Miss High-and-Mighty is my mate.”
Get a copy of Harvest Moon. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, Kobo and several other online stores.
Also by Tabitha Conall
The Stonewall Pack Alpha Series
The Alpha’s Pack
The Alpha’s Obsession
The Alpha’s Secret
The Alpha’s Legacy
The Alpha’s Downfall: The Complete Stonewall Pack Alpha Boxed Set
The Mad Wolf’s Harem Series
Hunger Moon
Harvest Moon
Hunter’s Moon
Long Night’s Moon
Wolf Moon
The White Fir Bend Cult Series
A Minor Shift
Shifting Ground
Shift for Her
Graveyard Shift
The Colliding Worlds Series
Her Kilted Wolf
Her Forbidden Alpha
Her Scottish Alpha
Her Vampire Mate
His Dragon Heart
Protecting the Pack
Aurelia and the Three Bodyguards
About the Author
Tabitha has been in love with love since the first play she wrote at the age of eight. That story involved three princes who fell in love with three princesses. What could be more perfect?
Age has brought not just deeper conflict to her stories but also a lot more flesh. Now she describes not just the princes and princesses falling in love, but also what happens when they close the bedroom door. She's looking forward to sharing more stories with readers very soon.
© 2016 Tabitha Conall
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
First Printing, 2016
Little Death Books
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Cover Design by Melody Simmons of Ebook Indie Covers
Book design © Little Death Books
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