A Wolf's Deception
Page 1
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A Wolf’s Deception
Copyright 2016 by TL Reeve
ISBN: 978-1-68361-098-4
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
Epilogue
Private Wolf by TL Reeve
Dear Reader,
Thank you for purchasing a copy of A Wolf’s Deception, Graham and Elle’s story. When I wrote their story, I wasn’t sure about the twists and turns it would take. Their story started ten years ago. And, now, they are different wolves, trying to find their proper place in life. I hope you enjoy their story. FYI, Lily and Chris are next up, along with a few new characters and some you already know and love.
As always, if you’d like to leave a review, it’s appreciated. If you have any questions, please email me at authortlreeve@hotmail.com
TL
Dedication
To you, the reader, thank you.
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
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
Coming Soon
Secrets of the Hunt
Salvaged Souls
By TL Reeve
Saving Their Princess
The Bodyguard and the Dom
Their Secretary
Craving Cameo
All or Nothing
Omega’s Heart
Winter Magic
A Wolf’s Contract
Private Wolf
A Wolf’s Deception
Coming Soon
Bear Essentials
Oracle’s Vision (with Michele Ryan)
A Wolf’s Deception
At twenty, Graham Truesdale found the love of his life. He would do anything for her…until the night she died. With a broken heart and death lurking in the shadows, he left Los Lobos with his family, fully expecting his life to end.
In one horrific night, Elle St. Claire’s life changed forever. Fleeing pack lands, she left behind everything she’d ever known. And once she hopped a bus to North Carolina, she could never return.
Ten years later, the matrons decide true love needs a kick in the pants. It’s time to bring Elle St. Claire home. A single phone call changes Elle’s life once again. And though deception isn’t really her game, her life on the East Coast, along with her dual nature, have given her more than a few secrets to bare.
Pulling strings as they do, the matrons push the destined mates together, and Elle must find a way to combine her new life with the past. Can the she create a future with her one true love, or have the matrons yanked so many strings everything has become a tangled mess?
A Wolf’s Deception
Black Hills Wolves
Matchmaker Series
By
TL Reeve
Chapter One
“Ladies, it’s time.” Fern tapped her finger against the scarred wooden table situated near the bar in The Den. Today, they would pick a new set of victims…er, matches. She grinned to herself, quite chuffed at their impressive record. All those matches made. All those mates finally getting past the bullshit. About damn time, if you ask me.
“Who’s on the docket for today?” Lonnie waved Paul over to them.
Such a good boy. Her heart clenched. After the last alpha cut the boy’s tongue out, she’d worried about him. On more than one occasion, she’d wondered if he’d ever find his place within the pack. He spent so much of his life in silence and alone. Then, he met his mate, PG. It was like watching the boy be born again. He chatted in sign language nonstop now, and who was she to stop him?
“I thought we would work on Jason,” Fern said. Since Claire’s son had come home, he’d been a little reluctant to get out and socialize. Cute as a button, he needed a firm hand, and she had the man for him.
“That boy.” Claire tsked. “So shy. I have no idea where he gets it. Certainly not me or his father.”
“Obviously,” Kathy piped up. “Didn’t we see you running through the woods last night?”
Her friend blushed. “Joe had a wild hair.”
“Your mate had a wild something,” Lonnie said. “Could hear him howling from our back porch.”
They laughed.
“Well….” Claire shrugged. “When you’ve got it. You’ve got it.”
Another round of laughter ensued.
When Paul stopped beside them, Fern ordered. “A beer and burger for each of us. We need brain fuel.”
He gave a curt nod. Coming up.
After he stepped away from them, Fern leaned in. “I have the man for Jason. I think he’ll piss kittens when he meets the guy, but they’ll be good for each other.”
“Oh?” Her best friend’s brow rose. “Do tell.”
“Hombre.” She’d only caught a glimpse of him a couple of tim
es, working on a bike at the rundown shop near the edge of Hill City. Hombre had come to them after Gabby got herself in a good pickle. That boy would do anything to protect her, especially after she was kidnapped along with Fawn and Tinks. The man had a loyal streak a mile wide, and she had a feeling he’d fit right in. Though Gabby’s extended family lived off pack lands, they were gossiped about on a daily basis. Who wouldn’t talk about them? All were huge, burly men, covered in tattoos, and had surly dispositions to boot. Then there was Alicia. The beautician had worked wonders on Fern’s hair a time or two, of which Henry approved.
“The big biker from Hill City?” Kathy sat forward, her hands clasped together.
“Yes. Why not?”
“He might chew Jason up and spit him out.” Skepticism filled her words as she sat back in her chair.
“Well, that wouldn’t be so bad, would it?” She arched a brow. “He’s protective to a fault. Loyal. He’s got the qualities we’d look for in any of our matches.”
When Paul returned with their meals, she paused the conversation so they could eat. She had no doubt Jason and Hombre would make a great pair. They just needed a chance…the right circumstances to bring them together.
The bar door opened, a shaft of light glaring inside. Fern dragged her attention from her food to find Graham Truesdale striding toward them. She frowned.
The last she’d heard, his little mate had passed away. “Poor thing.” She pitched her voice low to keep from drawing his attention. “Having his mate die so young.”
Kathy nodded. “Such a tragedy.”
He fist-bumped Paul when the man handed over a large paper bag. Graham had been on lunch duty for a couple of weeks now, getting Gabby and Fawn something to eat since both women were getting further along in their pregnancies. Seemed like every day, that boy was going from Los Lobos Café to Dottie’s, the diner, or The Den, grabbing something for either woman. She remembered being pregnant. Her cravings had been off the chart. The rawer and spicier, the better. She must have driven Henry crazy with the concoctions she hankered for.
Bag in hand, he walked toward the door. He’ll have to go on the list, too.
Claire shook her head and tsked. “I still can’t believe how much devesta—”
“She’s not dead.” Gee’s deep voice resounded from behind the bar.
“What?” Setting her burger down, she angled toward him. Everyone knew what happened. Had seen the aftermath of it. “What are you saying?”
The bear shifter continued wiping down the bar top. “I said, she’s not dead.”
Lonnie pushed away from the table. “Where is she? If I find out you’ve known all along, I’ll—”
“Ask your nephew.” He gestured at Kathy with his rag. “He knows all about it.”
Kathy narrowed her eyes. “Oh, he does, does he?”
Fern struggled not to grin. With her friend on the warpath, the pack enforcer didn’t stand a chance. And Ryker has no clue his aunt’s coming for him. This is going to be good.
After dabbing the corners of her mouth, Kathy tossed her napkin next to her plate, her barely contained fury palpable. Fern set her napkin down, too. Batten down the hatches. We’re at DEFCON three.
“Ladies,” Kathy said in a clipped tone, “I believe a field trip is in order. Gee, keep our lunch warm.”
He grunted. “He’s at the house with Saja. I don’t think he’ll want to be interrupted.”
“What you think and what he’s going to explain are two different things.” She smacked her palm against the table and rose from her seat. “How dare he keep this important piece of information from us.”
Fern and the other two pack matrons followed suit. DEFCON two, ladies.
The bear sighed.
Kathy, along with the other matrons, stormed Ryker’s house. Saja’s giggles and the thick scent of their mating hung in the air. She was happy for them. A new pup with enforcer genes, and more than likely a dominant streak a mile wide, warmed her heart. But when will the boy learn he has a duty to this pack? If he’s going to help someone get away from a brutal alpha, bringing them home is paramount. Angry at the situation, she was of a mind to snatch him by his ear and bring him all the way to the Truesdale homestead to explain what happened. However, she refrained. No need in causing Saja any undue stress. Banging on the door, she stepped back.
“Go the fuck away,” Ryker growled.
She pounded on the door again. “Ryker Grey, get your ass out here, and don’t you dare cuss at me.”
He cursed again, and the soft thuds of a scrambling wolf brought a smile to her face. When the door opened, his large frame filled the entryway, his hair tousled, his cheeks flushed. She’d laugh if the situation hadn’t been so serious. “What can I do for you?”
“Elle St. Claire.”
His features remained blank.
“Don’t you dare block me out.” She waggled her finger at him. “Where is she?”
He crossed his arms. “Safe.”
She snorted. “Don’t pull that with me.”
“She is. What is so important you need to know her whereabouts?”
“Boy, you’re lucky I can’t reach your ear, or else I’d snatch you out of there.”
“Hi, Kathy.” Saja stuck her head out of the doorway. “Everything okay?” Her hand went to her belly, rubbing it along the side.
“Fine, dear.” Though she softened her reply, she kept her gaze locked with Ryker.
He cracked a smile. “No, you won’t.”
She lifted her chin. “I am not leaving you alone until you bring Elle home.” The girls have my back. They’ll stay with me, however long it takes my hardheaded nephew to come to his senses.
He stared at her a moment more. After reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone, he pushed a few buttons then held it to his ear. “Shawn. We need to talk.”
Chapter Two
Three weeks later….
Graham Truesdale drove the main road into town. Why does Shawn Blu need my help? He’s a private eye, for god’s sake. What could I possibly do that he couldn’t?
For the last few weeks, he’d damn near run himself ragged. If he wasn’t tending the cattle with his brother Kalum, he was getting his mated sisters Fawn and Gabby food. Their bellies seemed to grow every day, and a thread of longing filled him. He wanted what his brother and Kru had. Though he’d never say it, he envied them. Seeing them together happened to be why he spent more time in Rapid City when he wasn’t working. Because he couldn’t take it anymore.
He’d had a mate once, a long time ago. A little female a few years younger than he and filled with wide-eyed wonder. Had things been different, he’d have marked her. Unfortunately, she’d passed away. He still remembered the night her house burned down. He’d tried to go to Elle’s house several times, and it had taken Kalum and their father to hold him back. The wolf rose up inside of him, demanding he go to her, yet they wouldn’t allow it.
If you go, son, your death is assured. His father’s words had knocked a bit of sense into him, but it hadn’t stopped the endless pacing. Or the gut-wrenching pain he experienced day after day. Her tragic death had been the catalyst for his parents leaving pack lands. They wouldn’t sit by and allow a madman to torment them any longer. He was thankful every day that his mom and dad took him out of the pack and far away from their home. He attributed his ability to stay sane to their move. He should have told them Elle died, he supposed, but it wouldn’t have served any purpose—then or now. So, he tried to move on and hoped beyond everything he’d get a second chance at finding a mate.
He pulled up to the row of repaired shop fronts, parking his truck along the curb. Shawn Blu’s business sat between Los Lobos Café and Los Lobos Books and More. In the last year, tons of work had been done to rebuild the rundown town, though not much had been done to the local PI’s office.
He got out of his truck, and grimaced. The sun glinted off the dirty windows, doing nothi
ng to make the place appear less fly-by-night. The only thing going for it, at the moment, was the painted placard hanging over the door. If Shawn’s serious about his new business, he needs to spruce the place up. Make it look appealing to those who need his help.
After a quick tap on the door, he opened it and stepped inside.
The PI sat behind his desk, phone in hand, talking to someone about a location for a pack member. Shawn glanced up and grinned when Graham stepped farther into the space. The floors needed a good sanding and some varnish. A lone fake tree sat in the corner across from his desk, and the walls were a musty yellow color from years of neglect. Yep, the guy really needs to invest in the place before he runs off potential clients.
Holding his finger up to Graham, Shawn finished his call. “When you have the info, let me know…thanks.” He pushed the end button then motioned for him to sit in the only available chair. “Take a seat. I’m glad you could make it.”
“Not a problem. I’m a little surprised you asked for my help.” He sat down in the chair across from him. “What can I do for you?”
“There is a bus arriving in Hill City today at noon. A pack member is coming home. I’d do it myself, but I have a few other leads I need to follow up on.” He scribbled something on a note pad, ripped the sheet off, and handed it to him.
“Bus number?”
Shawn nodded. “Yes and where she departed from. Charlotte, North Carolina.”
“Great.” He folded the slip of paper in half then placed it in his pocket. “Anything else I should know about?”
“She might be a little skittish. She never thought she’d be returning after everything she’s been through.”