by P. Jameson
The Dirt Track Dogs have never been better. Their pack is growing, but one wolf remains without a mate. Diz has waited patiently while the rest of his packmates found love, now he’s ready to start a family of his own. He’s never kept quiet about his desire to find his intended mate and start a family, but his true mate remains a mystery. If it wasn’t for his friendship with Destiny keeping his mind off of his elusive female, he might’ve gone insane. But when he faces his growing attraction to her, he realizes maybe there’s more to be had from their relationship than friendly banter.
Destiny has made her home with the dogs who saved her. They welcomed her and her sister—the last two survivors of a bobcat shifter clan—with open arms and more love than she could’ve hoped for. One wolf in particular holds a special place in her heart. Diz, the one who pulled her from the ravine where she’d lain, tattered. The one who’d become her best friend. The one she could tell all her secrets to, and the one who shared his with her. The one she wanted to spend forever with. Except Diz is waiting for his true mate. And Destiny can’t be that for him.
When Diz’s wolf interferes with fate, their relationship is put to the test, and he finds himself racing to convince Destiny that she’s the only female for him.
Racing Destiny
By P. Jameson
Racing Destiny
Copyright © 2015 by P. Jameson
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any database, without prior written permission from the author, with the exception of brief quotations contained in critical reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this work may be scanned, uploaded, or otherwise distributed via the internet or any other means, including electronic or print without the author’s written permission.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Other books by P. Jameson
Dirt Track Dogs
Racing the Alpha (Book 1)
Racing the Beast (Book 2)
Racing Home (Book 3)
Racing Hard (Book 4)
Racing Destiny (Book 5)
Ozark Mountain Shifters
A Mate’s Denial (Book 1)
A Mate’s Sacrifice (Book 2)
A Mate’s Revenge (Book 3)
A Mate’s Submission (Book 4)
Holiday Novella
A Mate’s Wish (Amazon)
Chapter One
There was always something to run from. No matter how far or how long or how hard she ran. The running didn’t end when she was saved. It didn’t end when she was sleeping soundly in her own bed. It didn’t end with the years that passed, because how could one escape their own mind? It didn’t end.
And that’s why this was necessary.
She darted through the night-covered forest, effortlessly escaping the snarling wolf at her heels. Her powerful feline thighs propelled her forward faster than he could keep up, even though he was much bigger. Every growl, every rustle of his paws against the forest floor, sent chills down her spine, spurring her on. She darted around trees and leapt over bushes, releasing a growl of her own.
A warning.
He was fast. Being fast was his livelihood. But she couldn’t let him catch her.
The rock approached. The one that would end this chase. And beyond it, the water. The water that she hated, yet never seemed to mind when she shared it with him.
She leapt for the boulder, landing on the edge of it, closest to the empty air and farthest from the ground. Throwing a hiss over her shoulder, she shifted, pushing her bobcat form away and letting her body become human again. She paused long enough to see the wolf jump and land on the rock near her. She met his bronze eyes, then with a powerful spring, she dove from the ledge to the water below.
She heard his frustrated howl reverberate off the full moon just as she hit the water with a small splash. The icy liquid hugged her naked body like it was a new coat of fur. Intimate, when she didn’t want to be. Maybe that’s why she hated the water so much. Maybe it had nothing to do with the things of her past.
Or her visions of the future.
She kicked for the surface, breaking through just as a heavy splash rocked her backward. Arms slicing through the water to keep her afloat, she waited, watching the choppy table of the creek.
A hand wrapped around her ankle and she had a tiny second to take a breath before she was yanked under. She kicked loose of his hold arrowing for the surface again and breaking through at the same time he did.
Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs, burning from exertion as she stared at him. His skin was dark under the moonlight, smooth, like a sculptor’s marble. The muscles of his arms rippled as he brushed water from his short hair. Drops inched over his collar bone, drawing her attention to his chest where it flirted with the top of the creek.
He was the sort of beautiful that made her chest ache. If a man could be beautiful, Diz was, and sometimes—most times—it hurt to look at him.
She looked away, and he laughed. The sound was full of happiness and as always, it made her go warm inside. She was a candy bar in the sun. Completely hopeless that she’d make it out of this intact.
“Aw, Dessy. Why do you look mad? You won. Again.” He swam forward, closing in on her. “Wait… is it happening again? Your visions?”
She shook her head. “No. Just catching my breath.”
Diz stopped a few feet away. “Oh. Okay.”
Destiny stared up at the pale moon, trying to ground her emotions. Who she was. The water. Her feelings for Diz. It was all too much at once. It always was. Which is why she always agreed to these little bouts with him. When she was overwhelmed, this was the way to make her focus. When they were alone, she was able to bring everything into pin-point clarity. Because he always had a way of reminding her what they were.
Friends.
Not what she wanted from him exactly, but the most wonderful thing at the same time. No matter what happened in the future, she and Diz would always be friends. In some ways, it was better than being his mate. It was more… natural. She wasn’t meant to be his lover, so this was right. What they were supposed to be.
Now if she could just convince her heart.
Love unrequited is survivable only by the moments shared in the intimacy of friendship.
Destiny squeezed her eyes closed. Not now.
These bits of wisdom always proceeded a vision. And they were so foreign feeling they made her nervous. She didn’t think in terms of fortune cookies. Not usually anyway. And the water was the catalyst. She didn’t have a vision every time, but enough that she’d started avoiding it.
Except when Diz asked. Because how could she tell him no?
“Let’s get out,” she suggested. “Sit on the bank.” Maybe if she wasn’t submerged, she could hold off whatever bit of the future it was that wanted to reveal itself ahead of time.
But Diz’s face went dark. A shadow fell over his happy eyes so fast it was like a weird shade had come over the moon, giving them a different light than they’d had only seconds ago.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She frowned. “Well the water’s getting to me, so…”
“What do you see?” He’d moved closer again. Close enough she could see the curiosity in his eyes.
“Nothing yet. But it’s coming, and I’d prefer if it didn’t.”
He nodded. “Yeah, okay. Go ahead on out. I’m going to swim for a bit.”
Destiny swam to the bank, gl
ancing over her shoulder before climbing out. Diz wasn’t watching. He floated on his back, his lower half still submerged. He’d seen her naked so many times before, it didn’t matter. They were shifters. The whole pack had seen each other naked before, during changes. But still…
She stepped out of the creek, letting the water drip from her limbs. She found a grassy spot, sliding down to lay where the moon was still in view. She settled her hands on her belly, holding the butterflies that never wanted to quit, and focused on the moon.
Her nerves would be her downfall, if she wasn’t careful. She’d give herself away with all the worrying. But what was she supposed to do with all this psychic energy.
She closed her eyes, taking breaths in a pattern of two deep, one short, just like Ella had taught her. The sound of Diz cutting through the water helped even more to calm her. And the cool of the night brushing against her damp skin. And the tender grass beneath her.
It was working.
Moments passed and she relaxed, and there was no more fortune cookie wisdom. And best of all no visions.
She eased her eyes open, but there he was. He stood over her staring, his mouth slightly open as if he was about to say something but stopped. His gaze slipped slowly down her body, making her insides flutter again, and holding her voice captive.
For a tiny moment, she thought she saw fire in his eyes. The kind of fire a man feels for a woman he desires. Hot lust, fierce and determined. That can only be quenched by exploring that desire thoroughly. And maybe not even then.
But then he blinked and it was gone. A piece of her imagination that evaporated on the breeze. Her friend was back. He’d probably never left, and that idea was comforting. It was easier to think she’d imagined his lustful gaze than to think it real. Because if it was real, it meant she’d easily become nothing more than a passing fancy. And she couldn’t be that. She couldn’t be what warmed his bed until he discovered his intended mate.
It would ruin all the good between them, even if he didn’t mean for it to. Three years of good, solid friendship. Diz would do anything for her. And she for him. As much as she wanted more, she equally didn’t want it.
They were good. It needed to stay that way.
He dropped to the ground quickly, before she had a chance to give him the once over in return. Tucking his hands behind his head, he stared upward.
“Feel better?” he asked. His voice was light, confirming that whatever she’d seen wasn’t real.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Destiny went back to watching the sky.
“Have you seen anything new?”
“No. Nothing.”
“What’s with all the short answers? You’re quiet tonight,” he observed.
Quiet. She was typically quiet. This wasn’t so unusual. She smiled to herself.
“Just thinking about work.”
“Work, huh? The kids giving you trouble?”
“Not really. There was this little girl today. Sassy as heck, but so dang cute. And smart too.”
“Yeah?”
“She came into my office, propped her fists on her hips, and said ‘Who do I have to talk to, to get some grilled cheese sandwiches in the cafeteria?’”
Diz chuckled. “What’d you tell her?”
“I told her I have no control over what the school serves for lunch but that she could definitely air her complaints with me if she wanted. She marched right in and sat in the chair—”
“The flower one?”
Her chair that looked like a giant daisy was a favorite of the girl children.
“Yep, that one. And she said, in the most matter-of-fact tone, ‘Ms. Destiny, I really feel like a grilled cheese sandwich every once in a while wouldn’t hurt. Is gooey cheese stuffed between two slices of whole wheat too much to ask for?’”
“Girl’s got a point,” Diz agreed.
“It’s true. I think she’ll be a future lawyer, the way she pleaded her case.”
“Aw, yeah.” Diz sighed. “That’s sweet. You have a great job, Dessy.”
She did love her position as student counselor at Cedar Valley Elementary. She’d studied psychology and counseling when she still lived in Colorado, but she’d only used her skills for her clan. Never in the human public. Diz had encouraged her to apply at the school when there was an opening, and though she’d been nervous, she was glad he’d pushed her.
“I’m going to have a hundred, you know.”
She turned her head to look at him, but his gaze remained on the stars above.
“A hundred young,” he clarified.
A sad smile slipped into place on her face. “I know, silly. You’ve told me, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve mentioned it a few times, huh?”
“A couple hundred or so is all.”
He seemed to lose himself in thought, but Destiny didn’t look away. She knew what was coming, and she just wanted to see that look on his face. Even if it was the thought of another woman who’d put it there.
“I can’t wait to meet her.” His voice was soft, intimate. It made Destiny feel like an interloper even though they were the only two people around.
His intended. His mate. The woman who would make him whole.
“I know,” she whispered.
“Do you think it will be soon? It’s been three years since the others found their mates. And with them, it happened so fast.”
“I don’t know.”
It was true. She’d actually tried to have a vision about Diz’s mate. She’d hoped if she could just see who she was, see the female’s face, it would change how she felt. Then Destiny wouldn’t feel like he belonged to her.
But she’d never been able to see his mate.
He looked at her, and she made her expression blank.
“Tell me your dreams, Dessy.”
She had to grin. Raw inside, but when he called her by the name only he ever used, it made her smile.
“I already have.”
“I know, but I like hearing them.”
She turned her attention back to the sky, drawing in a long breath and releasing it before she told him again, what she’d already revealed in so many moments of weakness.
“My hope is for a loving mate, like I’ve seen here at DTD. One who respects me enough to remain faithful. Gentle, but protective. And one who lets me be who I want to be, instead of just his possession. And if I’m lucky enough to have that, then I’d like young to raise. I’d like Grace to have nieces and nephews to boss around. Eventually, as the pack grows, I’d love to start a school for the young. Just to teach them about shifter things, you know? If Drake wants. I think it could be good for them to have a place where they can be free about their animal sides.”
Diz was quiet as she finished, but she didn’t tear her gaze from the constellation she traced in the sky.
“They’re going to come true,” he said. “I believe it. Every one of those things, Dessy.”
“Yeah,” she smiled. “I hope so.”
He turned back to the moon.
“And if your mate turns out to be an asshole, there’ll be another. Look at Tana. And I’d never let your intended hurt you, you know that, right?”
“Of course. Yeah, I know. And I mean, it’s not like I’m going looking for him. I’m just hoping that if he shows up, he’s… more like a wolf than a cat.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t met a bad cat yet. Maybe there are more good ones in the world than we know.”
“Yeah, true.”
“You and me, we’re gonna be all right, Dessy. You know? It’s just taking a little longer for us. Our time will come.”
She nodded, because her throat clogged up with the sudden urge to cry. When he said it like that… it almost seemed like the impossible was possible. Except she had to remind herself he was talking about something different.
She sat up, keeping her back to him. “Wanna race home?”
“Do I wanna race? That’s like asking a pi
ckle if it wants to be sour. Of course I want to race.”
She laughed, because this was what she’d treasure always. These memories with a friend she could share her dreams with.
A friend for life is better than a lover for a moment.
“On your mark, get set… GO!”
In an instant, she shifted, her cat bounding forward without even a glance back at the wolf.
And she ran.
Chapter Two
It was Sunday, and that meant dinner at the alpha’s. The big house had become Surge and Tana’s, while Drake’s new house was perfect for gatherings like this. Tana had built a great dining area that could fit a board room sized table, and everyone contributed, potluck style. It had become a weekly DTD tradition, where the families could come together and unwind from the stresses of the week.
Diz dumped his purchased packages of yeast rolls on the counter. One of these weekends, he should get together with Dessy and actually make something to bring. She could do the cooking and he could stir or some shit. Yeah, that could work. He’d talk to her about it later.
He scanned the room, but she wasn’t there yet.
Surge and Annie bustled around the open kitchen, warming things and making sure everything had a serving spoon.
“Yo, yo,” Surge said, looking up from the stove. “You got the rolls?”
“Yep. Brought double this time.”
“That’s my boy. Never enough rolls.”
Diz jumped backward, barely moving out of the way in time as Gracie ran past him into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around Surge’s leg like a little starfish.
“Daddy, Daddy! Uncle Blishter growled at me!”
Surge looked down at the little thing, with her brunette ringlets. “Aw, baby. He’s just playin’ I’m sure.”
She shook her head, her bottom lips trembling. “Uh uh. He shaid we were having a kitten for dinner. Ish that true?”
Surge frowned.
“Blister!” Annie yelled, and he appeared, leaning casually against the entryway.
A grin curved his scarred cheek. “What?”
