by Tl Reeve
“No?” Miss Kathy arched a brow. “Why’s that?”
“You know why.” Her cheeks heated. “I needed a minute is all.”
“You needed a swift kick in your ass,” Miss Lonnie quipped. “I’m sure we could do it again if you’d like.”
She laughed. “No, I’m good.”
When a wolf the size of a house walked through the door, Miss Kathy’s face lit up. Sayer Blackcrow nodded to the matron. I’ll be damned. He was built like a wolf who could tear a smaller man limb from limb, had a swagger about him, but a kindness, too. He wore jeans and a black skin-tight shirt. She could count each and every abdominal muscle. Tattoos crisscrossed his forearms and climbed up his biceps. Oh yes, this specimen rivaled Kru, big time.
“Oh there you are.” Miss Kathy sauntered to him and took his hand. “I am so glad you could meet us here.”
“Not a problem, ma’am.” The deep, angry growl of his voice held an edge of warning. And if his posture was any indication, he really didn’t want to be there. However, no one told the matrons no. “I’ll have that elk to Henry later this afternoon.”
“Such a good boy.” Miss Fern grinned. “He’ll be a pleased wolf.”
“Anything I can do to help.” He turned from the group to exit the store.
“One more thing.” Miss Kathy grinned. “I talked with Graham this morning when he was at the convenience store. Seems Elle has been going to town and he can’t go with her all the time.”
Elle stilled.
“Ma’am?”
“Well, you are a protector,” she stated. “If you were to follow her on occasion, not get in the way, you know, I think it would make her mate breathe a little easier. You know how some humans can be.”
His lip curled, and his eyes darkened with a deadly intent. “I understand. No one will see me and I will not interfere. Good day.” He stalked out of the shop, leaving Elle to gape at him.
“Well now, he’s one hunk of a wolf.” Miss Lonnie came up beside her friend.
“What the hell just happened?” Elle glanced between the women.
Miss Claire patted her hand. “Relax, dear. No sense in worrying. Everything will work out fine.”
“Just fine,” Miss Fern added.
As much as she’d hoped to set up Kizzy, she hadn’t wanted to do it this way. The wolf would hate her friend. “Somehow, I think you’ve made a mess of everything.”
Epilogue
Two months later….
Elle sat at her desk in Brie’s office and checked the schedule. For the next hour, her boss had free time. In the last couple of months, a few more wolves had come home, and there were several new mates. Plus, she got to see Kizzy whenever she wanted.
When her friend realized she wouldn’t be returning to Charlotte, she’d put her house on the market and moved into a small apartment in Custer. Unbeknownst to Elle, Kizzy had a trust fund from her late parents’. She worked with special needs kids because she wanted to, not for the money.
God, the things she’d learned about her friend in the last two months…. She felt like she didn’t really know Kizzy. But then, the same could be said about her, she supposed. Elle still worried, if her friend ever found out the truth, she’d lose her. She didn’t want that.
After going to Rapid City for a day trip, Sayer following them but staying out of sight, they saw on the news what Rupert had really been up to. His company had been laundering money used in a sex trade business. The insider trading had been for cancer drugs—drugs he’d helped drive up the cost on. Drugs meant for children fighting neuroblastoma. The more information they found out, the more it made both of them sick. Sitting inside the café, drinking their lattes, they made a pact to never utter his name again. And, they agreed, the foul bastard needed to rot in jail for the rest of his life.
After shutting down her laptop, she grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. Graham wanted to meet her at the diner for lunch. The man barely let her out of his sight, and who could blame him? They’d been apart for over ten years, and she didn’t want to leave his side either.
Taking her seat on the bus going to Charlotte all those years ago—afraid of everything and worried about what would happen next—she’d only known the way of the pack. Not about the snakes who never changed form in the human world. Like Rupert.
But that was her past. Today, she could see her future, with her pack and her very best friend.
Stepping outside, she took a deep breath and grinned. Summer in the hills could be overly warm or tepid. A cool breeze blew in from the north, blending comfortably with the heat of the midday sun.
Lifting her face, she allowed the warmth to seep into her pores. Around her, the forest sang, alive with activity. Birds chirped while scavengers scurried across the thicket floor. She stepped off the porch and began the short trek to town. She enjoyed working with Brie, helping wolves, being part of something greater. It felt pretty good.
She walked down the dirt trail that quickly became a paved path, past the small park being built near the center of town. She’d heard through the grapevine that the Burrows child, Jessie, had requested someplace to play. Drew had granted the request, and construction had begun. Seemed so strange to see all the changes. After witnessing firsthand the destruction of her pack, to see the life and soul of it return…excited her.
As she neared Dottie’s, the door to the diner stood open, waiting for the next customer. Elle crossed the street and entered the building. The place appeared empty. Weird. She glanced at the clock on the wall and noted the time. There should have been a rush of pack mates grabbing lunch before going back to work. Instead, the place mimicked an abandoned building.
“Hello?” she called out, concerned at not seeing Birdie. The elderly woman always greeted every customer. She’d heard about the woman’s health scare and the fragility of cancer, even in remission. She worried. “Anyone here?”
“Elle?” Graham’s deep voice vibrated through her, and she turned to face him.
He held a single red rose in his hand. Behind him, members of their pack gathered.
“Graham, what’s going on?”
“Twelve years ago, a bright-eyed girl enchanted a scrawny wannabe cowboy. She was all pigtails and pretty dresses.” He pulled out a photo of them and showed it to everyone around them.
She remembered the day vividly. Her mother had just bought the camera and waited to try it out. She took pictures of everything.
“The minute she tucked herself into my side, I knew she was the wolf for me.” He strode to her, allowing the others to enter the diner with him. “You told me that day, it was the best day ever.” He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “You were right.”
Elle gasped when he placed the photo into her hand.
“You kept it,” she whispered. “After everything.”
“Well of course I kept it. When we left town, I stared at this picture and told myself what happened just a few short days before couldn’t be true. My heart and mind warred day and night. I knew you were alive—the bond connecting us snapped together the minute you put your arms around me. But my mind told me you were gone. I saw your house. I smelled the fire, and the awful stench of death clinging to everything, including our clothes. I thought I’d die. I prepared for it. I wrote letters to everyone. My mom and dad. Kalum and Lily. I told them how much I loved them and how much more I loved you. I accepted the coming day when my heart would cease to beat and I’d finally be with you again. That day never came. I lived. For ten years I worked and strived. I tried to reconcile what was going on. Again, my heart insisted you lived, while my mind told me no. To let it go and move on. I couldn’t.”
Elle stared at him, surprise mixed with curiosity along with a little anxiousness. “What…what is this all about?” She licked her lips, glancing up at him.
“I’m getting there.” He smiled at her. “Then, a couple of months ago, Shawn asked me to do a favor for him. Go to Hill
City and pick up a returning wolf. I didn’t understand why he asked me to do it, but I went. A pack mate coming home is a big deal around here after everything. The bus pulled up to the sign, and the doors opened. For long moments, I stood there waiting. I thought maybe he’d been mistaken.”
Soft chuckles filled the space as more and more people filled the diner. She didn’t know what the heck was going on, but she felt the love of her pack surrounding her. It overwhelmed her while also solidifying her place.
“I saw Elle. My heart stopped. The two parts of me, the head and heart, after all this time, stopped bickering, and the wolf within me pushed forward. My mate had returned. My mate had survived.”
He pulled the ring out of his pocket, held it up for all to see. Excitement threatened to overwhelm her.
“When we lived with the humans, I learned a thing or two.” He smirked as he got down on one knee. “Women love romance. They love knowing they belong and are wanted. I want you to understand, and believe, I love you and you belong with me. We’re mates and nothing will ever break our bond. On those long lonely nights, it was you I thought about. So, now I ask you to do me one more favor.”
“Anything.”
“Marry me.”
The enthusiastic, audible gasp surrounding them made her laugh.
“Well?”
“What in the world are you doing?” Thrown off-balance she knelt with him, unable to assimilate what she was experiencing. The love she had for Graham transcended everything. She knew, deep down, he was the only one. She knew she’d settled, thinking she’d never come home. Never have her mate. In fact, she’d given up on herself and her pack. She never told anyone, yet the feeling had been there. Now, she couldn’t imagine her life outside of this place.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“You’re nuts,” she whispered, taking his hands into hers. “Marry you?”
“Yep. I like being a modern guy.”
She laughed, taking the ring out of his hand. “Modern, huh?” She gazed at the ring, taking in the details. It was beautiful. Nothing like the overcompensating rock he-who-shall-never-be-talked-about-ever-again gave her. The one carat princess-cut diamond sat on a simple titanium band. “I suppose I could marry you.”
He growled. “You suppose?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.” She placed the ring on her finger and looked at it.
“You guess so? Woman!” He tugged her to him then pressed his lips to hers. He commanded her with the kiss, showing her how much he desired her and what happened when she teased his wolf.
“Yes,” she murmured, a little breathless. “I’d have agreed the minute you started, but you kept going on and on and on.”
Graham stood then threw her over his shoulder. “If you’ll excuse us.” He smacked her ass. “I have to show my little mate here a thing or two.”
Elle laughed. “Such a brute.” He smacked her ass again. “Ouch.”
“Don’t worry, mate. I promise to kiss it better,” he grunted, walking toward the door.
“I said yes, by the way.”
He allowed her to slide down his body until she stood in front of him. “I know you did. I love you, Elle St. Claire.”
“I love you, too, Graham Truesdale.”
“I’m still going to spank your ass.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Elle smiled. “But, first, you’ll have to catch me.”
She darted for the door and ran for the woods. The howl of triumph from her mate spurred her on.
She howled in answer then laughed as she kicked it into overdrive. Her home was in the hills of South Dakota. She’d remain in Los Lobos for the rest of her life with Graham by her side and any children they were gifted with. Life, for her, was pretty damn perfect.
Yes, this is where I belong.
Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make them a match…
With Drew’s reign settling the hills, wolves are returning to the Black Hills. Wolves who need mates. The pack needs to grow, right?
So four of the surviving matrons take it upon themselves to set up couples. Question is, how do these ladies decide who to match? Whichever unattached wolf they see first, from a list, or do they just draw a name from a bag?
Their method doesn’t matter, but you can bet they’ll call in favors, make behind-the-scenes plans, and pull whatever strings or stunts required to put wolves together in the name of furthering the pack. And who knows? They might even set their sights on the cantankerous lone bear, Gee….
Black Hills Wolves Matchmaker Subseries
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Private Wolf by TL Reeve
Prologue
“Where is Claire? I thought she’d be joining us today?” The bell over the door of Los Lobos Books and More jingled as Lonnie, Miss Fern, and Miss Kathy stepped into the shop.
The snow had finally let up, and the sun warmed the frozen ground, giving way to yellow dandelions and sprigs of dark-green grass. Water from the rapid thawing dripped from the eaves, splashing on the wildflower seedlings. Miss Fern smiled. Another winter survived and new beginnings blooming everywhere.
She loved the spring. She loved the scent of everything coming to life—rejuvenating after a long, frozen slumber. Earlier, Fern had enjoyed watching a herd of deer frolicking behind her house while small fawns took their first tentative steps out into the sunlight. Of course, Chris, her son, came bounding out of the woods toward her house in wolf form, scaring the poor little deer away. The lug. He was so much like his father, it amazed her—especially when he was hungry, and she’d have breakfast waiting.
“This is a secret meeting. I wanted to talk to all of you without Claire being privy to our conversation” Fern made her way to the front counter to place the banana bread and lemon bars near the register.
She glanced around the store and a welling of pride filled her. Since the twins bought the shop housing the bookstore, they’d come a long way. The hardwood floors were completely redone in a deep-walnut lacquer. Three quarters of the shelving units were in place and, last week, Kole had installed a tiny wood stove, along with a couple of comfy oversized chairs and a throw rug, creating a reading nook for adults. It also gave the pack somewhere to go to forget about the tragedy over the winter.
Too much death. Too much loss. Nevertheless, it brought the pack closer together, which they needed now more than ever.
“Why? What has she done now?” Kathy took her seat at the table in the back room. They had an hour before the twins would arrive and start asking questions about their little get-togethers.
“Did she get into trouble with Joe?” Lonnie grabbed a bottle of water out of the small fridge Kole kept stocked for them. Then she held out a second in offering. “Did he spank her?”
Kathy laughed. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Fern chuckled, taking the proffered water. “Not in the least. Then again, Joe hasn’t let her out of his sights ever since the happenings of late.”
“He always tended to be a little too protective of her,” Lonnie said.
“Not like all of our mates aren’t the same way. I swear Henry wanted to keep me chained to a chair,” Fern quipped.
“You let him, too, didn’t you?” Kathy smirked with a knowing glint in her eyes.
“I prefer not to kiss and tell.” Fern lifted her chin. Seconds later she began to laugh then waved off the direction their conversation was heading.
Their sense of community was what the pack had been missing for so long. Friendship. Laughter. Love. She soaked up t
he comradery between the women before tapping her finger against the table, calling their meeting to order. Finally, after the murders, the Hills were returning to their version of “normal.” Members steadily returned home, and those who’d stayed close to their lands were coming out of hiding.
As mated females, they understood the value of having partners in their lives along with a nurturing, loving pack. So, the desire to share their life experiences drew them together for one goal—revitalizing the pack. Their conversations about helping the pack find its footing and bringing out the goodness within them led to a brilliant idea.
Some of the wolves found it difficult to break out of their shells, while others returned to a town they’d gladly left to escape the terrorism of living under Magnum’s reign. Breaking the ice, so to speak, became a slow, painstaking endeavor. Most maneuvered around each other, never really settling down. Others seemed to take to finding mates like ducks to water. When Fern pointed it out, the ladies agreed something needed to be done to give those wayward wolves a shove in the right direction.
So, every week, they gave each other updates about who might need help and who was finally adjusting. This week, Fern wanted to help her nephew, Shawn Blu, and Claire.
Shawn had returned only a few months prior, a little worn around the edges and cynical to boot. Surprising Fern by showing up on Christmas day, he stood on her porch, arms wide, a megawatt smile on his face, but she’d seen right through it. His light-green eyes held knowledge older than him, along with a wariness she’d noted several times with returning members.
“As I was saying, Claire needs our help, and I believe I have the perfect solution. We’ll call it two birds with one stone.” Fern cracked the seal on her bottle of water then took a sip. “My nephew came home on Christmas day, and he told Henry and me what he did in the human world for a job. I think we can utilize his skills and find his mate at the same time.”
