The Reluctant Mate: (Book 13, Grey Wolf Pack Romance Novellas)

by E A Price

  Even worse, Carly the Omega wolf and her huge bear mate, Cain had almost snagged her. The little she-wolf had been intent on Jolene hunting with them. Cain had even grunted in agreement. But spending the evening with a wolf who could sense her shaky emotions was the last thing she wanted.

  She wasn’t interested in being a happy couple pity project. She just wanted to be left alone.

  Adam the Alpha roared at everyone for silence. The usually handsome Alpha looked hard and tense. No wonder; his own mate was close to giving birth. Jolene supposed he wanted to get back to his human mate as quickly as possible.

  He started barking out a few orders of business, in particular about staying away from the northern edge of the woods where wild wolves had been straying. A few of the young males scoffed. They were met by severe glares from the Alpha and slaps to the back of their heads by the Beta.

  Jolene shook her head. Young wolves trying to prove their mettle by fighting real, wild animals was nothing new. Wolf shifters were naturally aggressive, and male wolf shifters were naturally infantile. She remembered the arguments she used to have with Beau about this. He’d been no different. At least, he always used to come back in one piece after. A harsh part of her – her wolf included – told her she shouldn’t care about his safety. She should try to hate him. But if she couldn’t do so after six years, she doubted she ever would. No, her soppy, traitorous heart kept yearning for the life they could have had together. The life he now had with another she-wolf.

  And if that weren’t bad enough, Reid hadn’t even spoken to her in six years. Not since his brother’s wedding. No, he didn’t run away when he saw her on the street. He left town. He joined the Army a month after the wedding, and a couple of weeks after that, Jolene married Mark.

  Yep, it was a whirlwind romance. Or more like, she was on the rebound, and he was heavily in debt and needed someone to pay off his debts. It was doomed from the start. They got along okay for a few years. Her wolf had been against the match, but once the marriage was sealed even her beast was willing to give it a shot. It wasn’t the best of marriages. The sex was a bit… awkward. Having only been with Beau before, Jolene was hardly an expert. With Beau, it had been quite nice… or okay… or something that wasn’t awful and he seemed to really enjoy himself, so she let him have sex with her. Given that her sex talk had been with her grandmother, she’d come to think that sex was a rather one-sided thing anyway and that females only did it to appease their males. Nana Harper was hardly a female role model. It was only recently from listening to some of the other female wolves that she realized sex was supposed to be just as enjoyable for the female, too. If not more so if Kim’s smugness was anything to go by.

  But with Mark, sex had just felt so wrong. She tried her best, but a year into the marriage, their desultory sex life had fizzled, and they started keeping separate bedrooms. He didn’t seem to mind. No, the only thing he cared about was gambling.

  Their relationship came to a dead stop when money went missing from the pack’s accounts and Mark skipped town. The Alpha was furious and suspected Jolene of helping Mark steal the money.

  It was sorted out soon after. Mark found a lawyer and argued that he had just made a mistake and put the money in a holding account by accident. Nobody believed him. The pack had the money back; that was the thing that really mattered. Jolene supposed that whatever casino or poker game he ended up at must have paid out big for him to be able to give the money back. But after that, the Alpha wouldn’t allow him back into the pack, and Jolene wouldn’t allow him back into her life. In spite of his pathetic pleading, she stood firm and filed for divorce.

  So, here she was. Sad, pathetic and alone. It had been over a year since Mark left, but rumors still flew around town about her helping him steal the money. If a pack was supposed to be one big family, she was the black sheep.

  And if that wasn’t bad enough, Reid hadn’t even written to his mother in six months. He was so… so… rude! An angry ache filled her stomach. Okay, so he couldn’t be bothered to pick up the phone or type an e-mail or grab a pen and paper to tell Jolene he was doing fine, but at least, he should contact his mother.

  Jolene used to visit Norma sporadically, although her visits became more and more infrequent over the years because Mark thought it was weird that she still visited her ex’s mom. But on those visits, she enjoyed listening to Reid’s stilted letters. He never knew what to say – he wrote as he spoke. But hearing them made her happy, and made her remember the happy times they’d spent together. The fact that he didn’t want to contact Jolene made her heart twinge and her wolf whimper, but she understood. She was just his brother’s ex; she was nothing to him. But she couldn’t stop caring for him, and needed to know he was safe. Because the thought of anything happening to him…

  “Hey!”

  Jolene yanked herself away from her thoughts and smiled as Ed bounded over to her. He was grinning madly – it was the same grin he’d had on his face ever since his pup was born. It was one of smug pride.

  Ed was Kim’s mate. As well as them getting married, he had adopted Kim’s pup, Jamie, from a previous relationship, and was thrilled that she called him daddy. Ed was a lawyer now working for the pack and, not that Kim cared, had oodles of money. He’d given up his old pack and his, frankly awful, family to be with Kim, and he worshiped at her feet.

  Jolene wanted to be jealous but she couldn’t. Kim deserved such a wonderful mate. Her previous husband had been a nightmare. Mark was no prize, but at least, he had never been violent towards Jolene.

  She forced a smile. “Hey, how’re Kim and the girls?”

  It didn’t seem possible, but his smile widened even further. His face would crack if he wasn’t careful thought her sour wolf.

  “Perfect.”

  Jolene rolled her eyes, and Ed chuckled. “Okay, okay, I’ll tone it down.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How are you?”

  Jolene froze. Great. He was here to check up on her because Kim was worried about her. A few of the females were. It was why Carly and the Beta’s mate, Liv kept turning up at her house with plates of cookies. Did they not realize how hard it is to eat an entire plate of cookies in a day? Not very, but she wasn’t going to admit that.

  If her Alpha female wasn’t so heavily pregnant, Jolene was sure she would get visits from Rosalee, too. Instead, she got phone calls from Rosalee telling her she needed to get out more and socialize more with the pack.

  Yeah, she knew what she was supposed to do. She just didn’t feel like it.

  “I’m fine,” she said carefully.

  “You know Kim’s at home with the kids, I’m all alone tonight.” He gave her a puppy dog pout that she couldn’t help but laugh at. “Will you run with me tonight?”

  She wanted to say no, to politely tell him to get lost, but her wolf took charge. “If you can keep up.” She looked away in surprise – playful Jolene had been AWOL for a while now. She had no idea where that came from.

  Ed snorted. “I haven’t got a prayer. Listen, I know this is delicate but if you need money…”

  “The run’s about to start,” she interrupted brusquely. “Better get moving.”

  She quickly stripped and shifted. Ed gaped at her before doing the same. She bounded into the woods, not even bothering to see if Ed was following.

  Yes, money was another problem she didn’t like to talk about. Mark had long ago drained what little savings she had and had managed to rack up some phenomenal credit card debts. But she didn’t want anyone’s pity or charity. She was fast coming to the conclusion that she was meant to be alone. Her parents never wanted her, and it was clear she wasn’t meant for love. She didn’t need anyone; she did just fine on her own.

  With that in mind, she gave herself over to the wolf and allowed herself to enjoy the brief feeling of freedom as she ran.

  *

  A few days later

  “Mark, I’m not interested,” said Jolene, flatly.

 
; “C’mon, Jo-Jo,” he whined.

  She sighed into the phone while her wolf growled. “Don’t call me that.”

  “Come and be with me. I still care about you.”

  “I don’t want to leave the pack,” she said, although she couldn’t say that was really true. But she wasn’t about to leave to be with Mark.

  Their limp marriage had wheezed its last breath over a year ago. She had no idea why he even wanted her. He must have realized that she didn’t have any money. And after he abandoned her to the wrath of the Alpha, did he really think she would forgive and forget? Sure, Adam was sorry now, not that he had actually said it, but he knew she hadn’t done anything wrong. However, she had decided to give up her job with the pack and was now working as the mayor’s assistant. The mayor wasn’t keen on shifters, but he thought it looked good for him to have a shifter assistant.

  “I need you,” he whimpered, and her beast snorted. “Baby, I don’t like you being on your own. It’s not safe.”

  “It’s too late, Mark.”

  She hung up as Mayor George Richards strode through the office.

  “Good morning,” she called absently.

  He gave her a funny look and mumbled good morning in returned.

  Her wolf huffed. He’d actually been a really decent guy up until ten or eleven months ago, when he started acting erratically and made some very questionable decisions. Now he looked at shifters like they were the enemy.

  Her cell phone rang again – it was Mark. Again. He wouldn’t dare step foot in Rose again, but that didn’t stop the incessant phone calls. She’d changed her phone number three times, but he always seemed to manage to get her new one.

  Jolene dropped the phone into a drawer and ignored it. She put her head in her hands and exhaled loudly.

  “Ahem.”

  Jolene yelped and leaped up from her desk in surprise. Her wolf growled but then stopped and instead started prancing like a puppy.

  She’d know that scent anywhere. “Reid,” she breathed.

  The man in front of her opened his mouth to speak, shut it and then his cheeks turned bright red. Yep, definitely Reid.

  “Oh my god, Reid!” She squealed, running around her desk and uncharacteristically hurling herself into his arms.

  She wasn’t known for being the most touchy-feely of wolves – but she was elated to see him. Her wolf was even more ecstatic than her.

  After a few moments, Reid’s arms snaked around her into a bruising hug. She buried her head in his chest, inhaling his cinnamon scent. She had an urge just to stay in these warm protective arms all day. She was glad he couldn’t see her embarrassed blush at that thought.

  With gentle pressure, she pushed him away, and he chewed on his lip awkwardly. But his eyes, those deep, soulful eyes never left her.

  “It’s good to see you,” she gushed, feeling almost tearful.

  And it was good. She couldn’t hide how happy she was. She didn’t like to admit it, but it hurt her feelings that he never said goodbye to her when he left. She’d thought about him a lot over the years, and it hurt to think that he never thought about her. At least, his letters never mentioned her. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but she was disappointed. However, reason told her she had no right to expect that he would. She was just his brother’s ex-girlfriend, after all.

  “Surprised you recognized me,” he rumbled.

  His voice was a little deeper, and yes, he had shot up a few more inches, he now had to be at least six foot five – towering over her five foot ten frame, and probably even making Beau look small. But that was nothing compared to his muscles. He had filled out with enough of them for two men let alone one. But he was still Reid. Still the same boy with beautiful eyes, sharp, handsome features, and shaggy dark hair. Although the closely cropped beard did suit him – made him look older than his twenty-four years.

  “I’d recognize you anywhere,” she simpered, ashamed of how much she sounded like a teenage girl. She tried to rein it in, even as her wolf tried to encourage her. “Although I have to say, I love the beard.” Yes, that was reining it in.

  Without thinking, she ran a finger along his jaw, and his eyes widened slightly. Her finger tingled at the touch, and she frowned as her wolf wagged her tail.

  “You look the same as always,” he blurted. “I mean you look just like you… I…”

  “Thank you,” she grinned, inferring the compliment.

  Their eyes locked and a smile stole across his face, virtually lighting up the room. She slapped his arm and his brow furrowed.

  “Six years, Reid and not one letter or phone call, seriously?”

  Guilt flitted over his face. “I’m not good at that sort of thing. I only wrote my mom because she threatened to march over to my unit and spank me in front of everyone.”

  Jolene knew that was true. Noreen Jacobs was not a she-wolf to mess with.

  “Well, you’re here now, and that’s all that matters. I’d love to catch up with you – how about over lunch?” Her insides quivered. This had to be the first time she’d ever asked a guy out. Not that she was. This was not a date. She just wanted to catch up with an old friend.

  Reid froze and stared at her.

  “I mean, if you’re free,” she added self-consciously. He couldn’t have been back in town long – nothing stayed a secret in Rose for more than five minutes – so maybe he had a lot to do. Or perhaps a female already had her claws in him. She wouldn’t be surprised; female wolves were very competitive for males, and she imagined they’d be queueing up to fight over him. Her wolf didn’t like that thought at all.

  “No, no I… let’s do it.”

  Jolene smiled, and he seemed to relax. “Great, so twelve in the diner?” The only diner in town was called The Honeypot Diner and was run by a family of bears. Their meatloaf was legendary.

  He nodded and took two steps away before he stopped. “Actually, I came in here to try and get a permit to open a new business.”

  Jolene slapped her forehead and giggled. “Of course – I should have asked you why you were here. Permits are two doors down on the left. The lady who deals with them is Marie.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “She’s in her seventies and a little deaf, but if you flash her some muscle, she’ll give you anything you want.”

  Reid nodded. “Thanks, I’ll see you later.” He hovered as if considering what to do and then settled on grabbing her hand and shaking it before running out of the office.

  “Reid Jacobs,” she murmured. Same old Reid, she thought fondly. So if it was the same old Reid why did it feel like gremlins were doing the Macarena in her stomach at just the thought of having lunch with him?

  Chapter Two

  Reid leaned against the building and panted. Why the fuck hadn’t his mom warned him she’d be there? His wolf snarled at him to man up, and Reid snarled back in return.

  Six years, six long fucking years and he’d almost got himself to believe she didn’t mean anything to him. But one hug and that was it. His need for her was worse than ever.

  Absently, he rubbed his chest. He could still feel the heat of her soft form pressed against him. He could smell her jasmine scent on his clothes. He could still feel the burning touch of her finger as she swiped it along his jaw… Six years weren't enough.

  He’d wanted to steel himself before he saw her again, to prepare himself and make sure he didn’t come off as the same bumbling teenager she remembered. But no, he was still the same idiot.

  She said he hadn’t changed, but he wished he could go back in there and prove he had. Although, deep down he knew that wasn’t the case. He may be different physically, but inside he was still the same gawky teen mooning over his brother’s perfect girlfriend.

  But she isn’t his girlfriend now, is she? His wolf thought with satisfaction. Nor was she married anymore.

  Six years ago, he was convinced she would never want the love of her life’s idiot younger brother, so he ran away to forget her before he had to wat
ch her be with someone else. His wolf hated him for it. He wanted to stay and find out if she really was his true mate. Back then he was still too young to know whether she was his true mate, and Reid had been too afraid and angry to stick around and find out.

  His mom always wrote him about Jolene, and he tried not to, but he couldn’t help but read the words over and over. The only letters he kept were the ones that mentioned her. No matter how small and inconsequential the news, he wanted to read it over and over. Finding out she was married was excruciating, but finding out she was divorced was like a weight being lifted off his battered heart.

  He’d adored her since he was ten and Beau first brought her home. But he’d loved her since he first shifted when he was thirteen. When his wolf came alive, so did his feelings for her. It was that time that he started hating his brother, rather than just loathing the asshole.

  Sweet Jolene. The she-wolf who always had time for her boyfriend's awkward younger brother, who took him to movies, who took him out for hotdogs, who helped with his homework – who didn't let his brother bully him. Perfect Jolene. Who was devoted to an asshole that would rather play sports and get drunk with his friends than hang out with her. An asshole that expected her to do his homework while he flirted with other girls, and then dumped her at the drop of a hat for an awful pack princess called Tawny.

  He clenched his fists. It didn’t matter now. She was free, and he was sure of what he had suspected for a long time – she was his true mate.

  His wolf growled at him. Yes, maybe if he’d stuck around they could have figured that out when he turned nineteen, but she would have been married then, and probably even more stubborn to convince. She didn’t talk about it often, but she hated the whole true mate thing, and she could be damn mulish when she wanted. He smiled as he thought of the way her cute nose wrinkled whenever she was being obstinate.