by Sophie Stern
The Wolf’s Mate
The Wolfe City Pack
Sophie Stern
Copyright © 2017 by Sophie Stern
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover designed by Melody Simmons.
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For my mate
Dana hasn't been home in a very long time, but when her aunt calls her with bad news, she knows it's time to head back to Wolfe City. A lot of things have changed in the two years she's been gone, but one thing hasn't changed at all.
Tony.
He's still the sexiest wolf she's ever met and he's the one who could crush her heart.
He broke it once.
Is she brave enough to try again?
*This romance takes place in the fictional town of Wolfe City and features sexy shifters and the humans who love them. HEA.*
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Author
Readers!
Honeypot Darlings
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 1
Dana
I shouldn’t be uncomfortable with the fact that my aunt is calling. I really shouldn’t. Family comes first, right? That’s the saying, I believe. Still, the fact that she’s calling me at all means something is wrong, and I’m not sure that I’m ready to deal with that.
“Are you going to get that?” Rebecca, my roommate, asks. She flips her long blonde hair back over her shoulder and goes back to painting her toenails. It’s girls’ night and we’re up late watching chick flicks and drinking beer.
“No, it’s ladies’ night,” I say solemnly, silencing my phone and setting it down.
“Really?” She asks, looking up. “Because it’s ten at night and you went completely pale when you saw who was calling. You should probably answer it.”
“No, really,” I lie. “It’s totally fine. I don’t need to take it. It’s probably just a wrong number.”
Then my phone starts ringing again and before I can stop her, Rebecca snatches it off the coffee table and answers the call.
“Dana’s phone, Rebecca speaking,” she says in a very polite way. No one would guess Rebecca has had five beers. No one. I don’t know what it is about tigers, but they can play sober better than anyone else I’ve ever met. Rebecca is one fine-ass tiger shifter, if I do say so myself, and I have no idea why she’s still single.
I stare nervously at Rebecca, waiting to see what she’ll do. Aunt Heather never calls. Never. When I left Wolfe City, I burned a lot of bridges, and unfortunately, my family was the biggest bridge of all.
Well, besides Tony.
There’s a bridge that’s never being rebuilt.
My heart clenches as I think about the people I left behind and the way in which I left. I know I’ll never be able to make it up to them. I’ll never be able to get them to forgive me. I understand. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t forgive me, either. Not if any one of them had done what I did.
“Oh,” Rebecca says slowly. Her face suddenly looks pale. “Just one moment, please. I’ll get her.” She covers the phone with her hand and looks at me. Her eyes are wide and the scent of sadness fills the room. Why is Rebecca sad?
Then I realize my aunt’s reason for calling is probably even worse than I thought.
“Give me the phone,” I whisper. Rebecca hands it over wordlessly and I lift the cell to my ear. “Hello,” I say.
“It’s Aunt Heather.”
“Hi, Aunt Heather.”
“I need you to come home, Dana. It’s important.”
“What happened?” I know she doesn’t want to tell me over the phone. It’s obvious. She doesn’t want to tell me the reason she’s calling. This isn’t a social call; my family doesn’t do those. No, this call is for a specific purpose, and I’d like it if she would be forthcoming.
I’d like to mentally prepare myself before I go back to Wolfe City. I’m already running through a mental list of the things I need to do before I head back. The list is longer than it should be, but if I hurry, I can leave in the next three hours.
Heather is silent, but I can hear her breathing.
“Please,” I whisper. I don’t want to resort to begging, but I will. When it comes to my family, I’ll do anything. I’ll even beg my aunt for information. I’ll do it.
“It’s your dad, honey,” she says. Aunt Heather’s brother. Her older brother. Her wiser brother. Her best friend. “He’s had a heart attack. He’s in the hospital now. Your mother is with him.”
I drop the phone. It lands on the couch and Rebecca swipes it up and begins talking in hushed tones with my aunt. I’m not sure what she’s saying. I’m not what either one of them are saying. All I know is that my father is going to die and I’m not there, and suddenly, nothing else seems as important as getting to Wolfe City.
I know he doesn’t forgive me for what I did. I know he hasn’t moved past the fact that I broke my promise to Tony or that I left him at the altar. It doesn’t make sense to anyone and it never will, but that doesn’t matter now.
What matters is that I need to get to my dad.
I need to see him.
Rebecca ends the call and sets my phone on the coffee table. Then she turns to me.
“Pack a bag, darling,” she says. “We’re going to Wolfe City.”
“We?” I squeak out.
“Oh yeah,” she says. “I want to see this hottie you’ve been mooning over the past two years.”
“I have not been mooning.”
“You’ve been mooning and now you have a good reason to get home.”
“Is he going to die?” I ask.
Rebecca shakes her head.
“No one knows, honey. It’s too early to tell, but I’ve got a good feeling. Besides, he’s got unfinished business.”
“What unfinished business is that?”
“You, sweetie. You.”
My dad was so disappointed when I stopped at the entrance to the church. I stopped and I stood there and I panicked because suddenly, the world seemed too small. Everything closed in around me and suddenly, I felt like everything was going to end. Suddenly, I felt too hot. The walls felt like they were moving closer and closer and I couldn’t breathe.
All I could think of were Cynthia’s words.
All I could think of was the story she told me.
All I could think of was how I’d never be good enough.
And then I ran.
And ran.
And ran.
I tried to come back so many times. I tried to come back and start fresh. I tried to come back and apologize. I tried to come back and talk to him, to talk to any of them. I tried, but I couldn’t, and now it might be too late.
Now my dad might never understand why I made the choice I did.
“Look at me, Dana,” Rebecca’s voice cuts through my thoughts and I focus on my roommate, on my friend. When I left Wolfe City, Rebecca was one of the first people I met. She lost her first husband a few years ago. Married at 18, she was a widow at 20. I’ll never understand how she learned to cope with the pain.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I say. “I’m not strong like you. I’m not brave.”
“Bullshit. You’re bra
ve and you’re strong. You’re fierce. You’ve got this, honey. So you ran away from the man you wanted to marry? You had a perfectly good reason and even though I think you should have told your daddy years ago, you can tell him now if he asks. Something tells me that time heals all wounds, though, and everything’s going to be just fine.”
“I’m 25,” I say. “I’m not ready for this.”
“Woman up,” Rebecca kisses me on the cheek and turns toward her room. “And pack your bags.”
She disappears into her room and I somehow make my way into mine. I sit down on the bed, confused and sad. My dad is sick. He might die. He’s hurt. I’m going to have to go home to see him and all I can think about is the fact that I’m going to have to face Tony and I really, really, really don’t want to face Tony.
Maybe he won’t see me, I reason.
Maybe I can visit my dad and get home without seeing him.
Then everything will be fine and I can keep avoiding my problems.
Chapter 2
Tony
“She can’t keep avoiding her problems,” I say to Adam as I prepare the plates. The late night rush is in full-swing and two of my servers called in sick, so despite the fact that he’s my manager, he’s helping on the floor tonight.
Adam, fully aware of my history with Dana, just shrugs. He hands a plate to one of the other waiters and once the shifter is gone, he turns back to me. Of course he’s going to wait until we’re alone to say what he thinks. That’s Adam: always thoughtful. Sometimes I forget when there are other people around me and I get lost in my own little world. Unfortunately, this means I sometimes speak about topics and issues I shouldn’t, at least not in certain company.
“Tony, she left you at the altar. That’s not a problem to be solved. She made her decision. It sucks, and it was shitty, and she should have at least left you a note, but to be honest, I think you’re the one who needs to move on.”
“She’s my mate, Adam. You, of all people, should understand. You and Amy only knew each other for a few hours before you were mated. That’s how strong the pull was. That’s how this connection with Dana is. That’s how it’s always been.”
Ever since we were teenagers, Dana and I knew we were meant to be together. We knew we were mates. The fact that she left me on our wedding day doesn’t matter. The fact that she refused to take my calls or reply to my emails or even let me see her doesn’t matter. That doesn’t change that we’re mates. It doesn’t change that our hearts belong to each other.
“I think you’re obsessive,” Adam says, crossing his arms over his chest. I love my best friend, but right now, I also sort of hate him. “I think you’ve let her rule your life too long. She might be your mate, but she’s rejected that, Tony, and you deserve to be happy. It’s time to move on, my friend. Maybe her visiting Wolfe City is a good thing. Maybe now you can get the closure you need to move forward. Besides,” he grabs the plates and turns to head to the dining area. “She’s probably got someone new by now.”
Adam leaves and I’m left alone for a minute before the other servers come back with more orders. His words are harsh but true. If there’s one thing I know about Adam, it’s that he’s got a good heart: a gentle heart. If he’s telling me I need to move on, perhaps it’s time for me to listen. My best friend wouldn’t steer me wrong.
I shouldn’t even know that Dana is coming back in town. I shouldn’t. It’s none of my business and honestly, I’m not close with her family. After she left, I was humiliated. I couldn’t face them or deal with them, so I took to avoiding them. The only reason I know her father is in the hospital is that Adam’s mate, Amy, works with Jasper’s sister, Heather. Heather and Jasper have always been close and when he realized he was having a heart attack, he called Heather before he called anyone else: including his wife.
Damn, I bet Belinda had a conniption about that.
After a couple of minutes, Adam comes back, along with another server, and I get back in the swing of making plates and preparing meals. I also begin cooking for Jasper and Belinda, who are still at the hospital. I’ll give the food to Adam to drop off later when he goes by. I don’t want to go see Jasper myself. I probably should, but I’ll go tomorrow, when I’m not tired.
I’ll go when I’m not so worn down thinking about Dana.
I’ll go when my heart doesn’t feel so sad.
Chapter 3
Dana
The hospital where my father is staying is about twenty minutes outside of Wolfe City. While Wolfe City has a couple of clinics and several doctors, the town itself is too small for its own hospital. By the time Rebecca and I arrive in Wolfe City, it’s much too late to drive to the hospital. Visiting hours are long over and I’m guessing even my mother is asleep by now.
“Are we staying at your mom’s?” Rebecca asks, stopping at an intersection. She motions with her finger in several different directions, indicating she wants me to tell her where to turn next.
“No,” I say. “I moved out a long time ago and they don’t have a guest room. Unless you want to stay on the couch, let’s go to the Wolfe City Motel.”
“Not a problem.” Rebecca turns the car toward the blinking MOTEL sign and we pull into the tiny parking lot. “But I think reception is closed,” she says, eyeing the front office. The lights are out, which is unusual. There’s normally someone on the desk at night.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “This is my aunt’s place.” Rebecca parks and we each grab our overnight bags from the trunk before walking up to the office. I try the door, but it’s locked, so I ring the bell. We wait a minute or two, and then I ring it again.
“Coming!” A voice calls out. It’s one I haven’t heard in real life in a very, very long time, and one I’m not sure I should be happy to hear.
“Uncle Herb,” I say when the graying shifter opens the door. Despite his age, he’s still lean and wolf-like in nature. His tall, narrow nose points in my direction and he sniffs long and loudly. The motion doesn’t faze me, nor does it bother Rebecca. She’s been around wolves long enough to know exactly what we’re like.
Besides, she is a tiger, and cats have some really weird habits, especially when it comes to how they savor their food, but then, I’m not one to judge.
To my surprise, my uncle doesn’t say a word. He just steps out of the office and wraps his arms around me. He pulls me in tight and squeezes me, hugging me.
“Dana,” he whispers. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Suddenly, I wonder what I was so scared of. For two years, I’ve hid from my family, unable to cope with the fact that they saw me running away. I haven’t been able to deal with the fact that I was humiliated on my wedding day or that everyone knew what Tony did.
I haven’t been able to cope with the fact that they might still love me in spite of my shortcomings.
“I’ve missed you, too, Uncle Herb,” I say honestly. I hold my uncle for a long time. He still smells exactly the same: like oil and fresh cars. He’s the town mechanic and he’s good at what he does. He’s the best at what he does. I used to sit for hours and hours in his shop and watch him work.
Now I wonder what I’ve missed out on since I’ve been gone.
“Why did you stay away so long?” My uncle asks me. His words are a whisper, but with my super-sensitive shifter hearing, they’re loud and clear.
And I don’t really have a good answer for that right now.
“I have my reasons,” I finally say, and that seems to be good enough for now.
“Understood,” Herb says. Then he turns to Rebecca and gives her a hug, too. “You must be Rebecca. My wife speaks very highly of you.”
“Does she now?” Rebecca grins. “Thank you very much, Uncle Herb.”
My uncle laughs at the fact that Rebecca is making herself perfectly comfortable in our family. She’s not wasting any time pretending to be some honored guest. Nope. Rebecca is basically my sister in every way. I’m glad she’s comfortable enough with that to insert her
self into my family.
“Let’s get you girls settled in,” Herb says, and we head back into the office. He steps behind the front desk. “Separate rooms?” He asks, but we shake our heads.
“Sharing is fine,” I tell him. Even if we have to share a bed, I’d rather be with Rebecca than be alone tonight. So much has happened.
Guilt overwhelms me as I realize I should be with my father right now. I should have been there as soon as the heart attack happened. If I’d never left town, if I’d never run away, I would have been with him. I would have at least been close.
My uncle hands us a key. There’s a large “3” printed on the front of it. I look up at him, but he doesn’t say a word as he reaches for our bags and guides us out to the parking lot. He quietly heads toward room three.
“Want to tell me what that was all about?” Rebecca hisses at me as we follow him.
“It’s the room where Tony and I first…” I blush as my voice trails off. My uncle shouldn’t know that. Hell, my aunt shouldn’t even know that. That’s the problem with small towns: everything gets around. At the time, my aunt and uncle were out of town and had left a couple of young employees in charge of the motel. Tony used a fake name to check us in and we spent the entire night making love over and over and over again.
Apparently, Tony’s alias wasn’t as good as we seemed to think it was, and the clerk that night snitched to my aunt and uncle.
Funny, they never told my parents.
Aunt Heather brought it up once, in passing, and was very casual about the whole thing. She said something like, “I knew you and Tony were always meant to be together,” but at the time, I thought she just meant we made a good couple. I didn’t realize she knew we’d slept together. When the realization hit me, I was so embarrassed I couldn’t look at her for a week.
Now I wonder what else she knew about me.
“Here you girls go,” Uncle Herb unlocks the door and walks into the room. He sets the bags down next to the queen-size bed. Rebecca flicks the lights on and I take a look around the room that hasn’t changed a bit since that night so long ago.
