The Wolf's Choice
Page 1
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The Wolf’s Choice
Copyright 2016 by Inge Saunders
ISBN: 978-1-68361-154-7
Cover art by Fiona Jayde
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
Look for us online at:
www.decadentpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Black Hills Wolves Stories
Wolf’s Return
What a Wolf Wants
Black Hills Desperado
Wolf’s Song
Claiming His Mate
When Hell Freezes
Portrait of a Lone Wolf
Alpha in Disguise
A Wolf’s Promise
Reluctant Mate
Diamond Moon
Wolf on a Leash
Tempting the Wolf
Naming His Mate
A Wolf Awakens
The Wolf and the Butterfly
Infiltrating Her Pack
Omega’s Heart
Rebel’s Claw
Claiming the She-Wolf
Worth Fighting For
Dangerous
Uncaged
Promiscuous Wolf
Disquieted Souls
A Cougar Among Wolves
Long Road Home
A Mate’s Healing Touch
Another Chance
Broken Silence
A Wolf’s Contract
A Mate’s Redeeming Touch
A Cougar Among Wolves
Pleasure Me
Craving His Love
Jasmine Moon
Mating Dance
Amber’s Ace
Wedding Moon
Bringing Down Romeo
Salvaged Souls
Virgin Infiltrator
Winter Fairy Tale
Stolen Kisses
Winter Awakening
His to Protect
Winter Solstice Run
Wolf’s Holiday
Winter Magic
Winter Secrets
Winter Solstice Ménage
Wolf in Winter Clothing
Murder in Los Lobos
Scent of Murder
Scent of the Hunt
Scent of His Woman
Scent of Madness
Also by Inge Saunders
Falling for Mr. Unexpected
Dance of Love
DEAR READER,
This is my first outing for Black Hills Wolves and I’m so excited to be part of the series!
Rebecca and Blaine ‘appeared’ to me at the famous Swimming Hole. In my mind’s eye I saw these two teenagers, mature for their age but too young to have control over their lives finding each other, each with a level of uncertainty and danger surrounding them. Here, in the middle of the night, under the stars with the crescent moon high in the sky, they have this moment in time that connects them and deeply imprint on their psyche. And I wondered, what could possibly keep them apart?
The idea of a domineering antagonist has always intrigued me, the kind of antagonist who holds power over the protagonist and abuses that power in a way the protagonist can’t easily resist, he’s not only obnoxious, but rightfully scary. The most chilling form they can manifest in is that of a family member. To me this type of conflict worked for Rebecca and Blaine. Though fated by the stars (literally), first they are pulled apart by the old Alpha, Magnum Toa, and then later by Rebecca’s father, Elijah. The path to their HEA isn’t an easy one and their chemistry is undeniable, you can’t but root for them.
I hope you enjoy Rebecca and Blaine’s story as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Happy reading and best wishes,
Inge
xoxo
You can contact me at ingesaunders12@gmail.com if you want to chat.
Dedication
To my Mother. You’ve always been my biggest fan. Love you more than you can ever know. You’re an inspiration, a conqueror and undeniably beautiful inside and out.
Also to Lizle, my brainstorm buddy for this novella. I love how you bend your numbers mind when I pester you to help me work through a plot problem or come up with fresh ideas. I wrote this one for you. Much love.
Song of Songs: I’m my Beloved’s and He is mine.
Acknowledgements
Thank you, Rebeccea Royce and Heather Long for creating and sharing the shifter community of the Black Hills Wolves. And Laura Garland for being a wonderful editor and teacher.
The Wolf’s Choice
“I’ll pledge my loyalty to you through a blood oath, if you’ll support my choice of mate.”
Drew sank into his chair. “What does Rebecca have to say? The last time I spoke to her, she didn’t mention you.”
Blaine smiled. He hadn’t earned himself any favors. “She doesn’t know yet.”
Thirteen years ago Rebecca Ferguson died, at least to everyone in the Black Hills territory. With a human mother and unable to shift into a wolf, Magnum Tao, the deranged alpha of the Tao Pack would’ve had both her and her father killed for deceiving him. Magnum didn’t allow humans to mate with members of his pack.
Now Magnum is the one who’s dead, and Rebecca can return.
But coming back from the dead, building a new life after her divorce, and opening a library in town aren’t the only obstacles Rebecca faces. Elijah, her father, doesn’t approve of her being in Los Lobos to the point where he forbids her to get involved with the pack, especially the males.
Their relationship has suffered because of her absence and she hopes to bridge the divide, confident that she doesn’t want a romantic entanglement with anyone human or wolf, anyway.
In walks sexy private detective Blaine Walker.
Thirteen years ago Blaine stumbled on his mate at the local swimming hole. The next day, she was dead. Once he learns Rebecca is alive and living in Los Lobos, he decides it’s time to give up his career in Brooklyn and return to the Black Hills. But he knows it won’t be easy to claim her since Elijah’s unnaturally overprotective. The only way Elijah will back off is to challenge him.
A challenge that will end in one of their deaths.
The Tao Pack’s rebuilding itself and needs to guard against any threats outside or in. For Blaine to have any chance to claim Rebecca, Elijah needs to be dealt with and to deal with Elijah, Drew, the alpha of the Tao Pack, has to sanction the challenge according to pack law.
Rebecca can’t deny the old attraction she felt for Blaine is still th
ere and even stronger now that they are grown up. She’s caught between the man fate has brought back to her and her father, whose affection she’s craved her whole life.
But there’s a secret governing Elijah’s erratic behavior that can cost Rebecca everything she’s worked hard to build and everything she thought she could never have with a man or wolf.
Will Rebecca and Blaine beat the odds stacked against them?
Or will the choices they make ultimately lead them down a path both of them don’t want?
The Wolf’s Choice
A Black Hills Wolves Story
By
Inge Saunders
Chapter One
Rebecca snuck out her bedroom window at two in the morning, running like a maniac down the lane at the edge of their backyard and into the woods. Their cabin straddled the edge of the Black Hills National Forest and was situated close to Mt. Rushmore. An inky darkness surrounded the trees, broken every now and then by the moonlight. She zigzagged her way through the brush and stumbled over something she couldn’t see. Crap. A rustling from behind her caused her to jump, and she hastened her steps. It couldn’t be a wolf since Magnum’s patrol had already scouted the area. She had checked.
Rebecca broke into the clearing that led to the infamous spot where the local kids hung out and slowed her jog to a walk.
She chose to go during the week at a time no one roamed around.
The swimming hole was rural with just the swinging rope and dock. But that wasn’t the attraction. She’d been forbidden to go there.
This was an act of futile rebellion on her last night in Los Lobos. After tonight, she would disappear from the town because, her father, Elijah had hidden an important fact from Magnum. Her mother had latent were-genes, and Rebecca had taken after her, not her father who was 100 percent wolf, while her mother had remained human. Because of this, she couldn’t shift. This bit of information he’d withheld from the deranged alpha when they moved here from Mexico would not go down smoothly.
Magnum would kill both of them. Her mother died while giving birth to her; she couldn’t lose her father, too.
But if she “disappeared,” there would be a chance for both of them. Her death wouldn’t matter to the alpha since her father had kept her from associating with the pack, fearing what he had long since suspected.
Unhurried, she strolled closer to the dock, taking in the pond. The tranquil water reflected the stars. It was as if a piece of space had fallen down to earth. In a few moments, she would feel like she was in the center of the universe. As she lifted her T-shirt, someone broke the surface. A loud gasp filled the air.
Blaine. She would recognize him anytime, anywhere. She made a move to return the way she’d come, but she froze. It was too late. No human could beat a shifter’s keen perception.
He swam to the edge and climbed out. “You’re Rebecca.”
Up close, in board shorts, his size dwarfed her. With nowhere else to turn, she stared at his chest. Rivulets of water trailed down the sculpted V of his torso.
“Hi.” She got past her nerves but couldn’t hold his gaze. She needed to show submissiveness.
“I’m Blaine.”
“I know.” She dared a glance at his face. He smiled and caught his bottom lip between his teeth. Her pulse raced, and she worried she might be having a panic attack.
He took a step toward her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Heat infused her cheeks.
“Did you come for a swim?”
She had put on a one-piece suit under her clothes to have a good old fun time alone and then sneak home before her father figured out she’d gone. But now?
“The water’s great,” he said as if he could hear her doubts.
“I don’t want to impose.” Rebecca cringed. She sounded stiff to her own ears.
“Come.” He held out his hand, and, with that one word, turned her whole world upside down.
She followed him to the end of the dock. He took his time in helping her strip off her shirt and jeans. His palms skimmed over her thighs, and she didn’t protest. For some reason, she felt safe with him. He left her clothes on the dock.
His gaze held a faint glow as it moved over her. “You’re afraid?”
“No. Why would I be?”
“You don’t interact with any of us.” His body tensed, and she reached out to soothe him. His chest hot under her palm, all the nerve endings on her hand came alive.
“It’s complicated.”
He transferred her other hand into his, their fingers intertwining, his hold strong and sure. She liked how he connected them, the joining comfortable, as if they’d done it their whole lives. She wanted the moment to stretch on forever.
“You’re not afraid of Magnum?”
He shrugged. “Magnum won’t be alpha forever.”
Would he take on Magnum? Is that what he’s implying? “The whole town fears him. Even my dad.”
He didn’t deny her words. Tugging her forward, he inclined his head. “Swim with me.”
They splashed in, the temperature colder than she expected. Her breath caught, and she dipped under the murky water. She kicked upward, taking in a huge gulp of air when she surfaced. A light breeze had come up, and goose bumps formed on her skin.
Blaine reached out for her and rubbed her arms.
“We shouldn’t.” If they got caught, her father would take her impulsiveness out on him.
Dominance rolled off him in waves, but he let go of her. “I’m going to leave the Black Hills,” he whispered.
“Why?”
“I can’t stay here.”
“But you’re too young. What will you do? Where will you go?”
“Shush. Don’t worry about me.”
She gripped his shoulder as anxiety filled her. He hugged her close, and this time she didn’t move away. She rubbed her nose against his chest and inhaled deeply. His scent swirled around her—the woods, boy-man, and the fresh aroma of green apples. So unique it made her desperate for something she didn’t understand. Being here with him felt right, but she didn’t understand how. Nothing in this gloomy town was right.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?”
Tears coursed down her face. He cupped her cheek.
“I’m being silly.”
His intense gaze had warmth flooding through her. She didn’t break the stare.
He bent his head and kissed her. The shock of his lips touching hers left her immobile for a moment, but then a flame lit within her, and she molded herself to him. He coached her tongue with his, encouraging her to deepen the caress. She met his onslaught with vigor, burning with desire.
Everything fell into place. Everything became clear. She’d found home.
His groan vibrated through her. Her stomach tightened. And then his hands slipped around her, pulling her to him. His hardness pressed against her belly, and she gulped. The feel of him was heady and sublime; all the right circuits went off.
They came up for air, and Rebecca stared. His dark eyes had turned gold, broken by black slits in the center. In their glowing depths, they held the words she couldn’t say. His Adams apple bobbed up and down.
A small fish—or what she hoped was a fish—scraped her foot and reminded Rebecca of the reality of her situation. She needed to head home.
“Can I see you again?” he asked as she rushed out of the water and got dressed. Her hands trembled.
She didn’t want her father to discover her, but she also didn’t want to leave Blaine. What happened between them shook a place in her heart she didn’t even know existed.
She threw her shirt over her head. Magnum would never allow them to be together no matter how she felt. But none of that mattered. In a few hours, she would be dead to everyone in Los Lobos.
“I’m sorry.” Regret thickened her voice.
He stared at her, his gaze inscrutable.
She had caught a glimpse of wha
t life in Los Lobos could be for someone who wasn’t her. She wished she hadn’t. For the hundredth time in her life, she yearned to have the ability to shift so she could stay.
“Good-bye, Blaine.”
***
Her good-bye had been so final, like she would never see him again. Yes, he had planned to leave Los Lobos, but his parents weren’t too keen on him taking off on his own. They still believed Magnum would come to his senses and not view every dominant wolf in the pack as a threat.
Having a mate would definitely keep him here. The revelation had sent a rush through him. No one had told him how life altering this would be.
Her essence lingered on his tongue, and he savored the taste.
“Blaine Walker.”
The ominous, deep voice came from behind the thick trees. Elijah Ferguson. Thoughts of Rebecca had distracted him. He should’ve been more alert. Elijah stepped out from behind the trees. He hadn’t fully transformed, but his eyes glowed yellow in the pale morning light. “I told you pups to stay away from my daughter. It was a warning. Not a challenge to try and seduce her.”
The hair on Blaine’s nape stood on end, and, instinctively, he wanted to bend to the older man’s will.
His wolf rebelled, burning hot under his skin to break free. He fisted his hands to keep the anger at bay. The older wolf could snap his neck.
Elijah sauntered toward him. He must’ve followed Rebecca. Then why hadn’t he revealed himself sooner?
“Rebecca’s off-limits.”
Blaine’s back stiffened. “Why? Because I’m not an alpha?”
“None of you are good enough for her.”
“What if she’s mated to one of us?” There was something about Rebecca that made his wolf pay attention. “Why are you so protective of her?”
Elijah took another step toward him, his supremacy coming off him in waves. “Do I need a reason other than she is my daughter?”