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
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Book 1: The Missing Queen
Book 2: The Ripple Effect
Book 3: The Lost Tiro
Book 4: The Long Journey
Book 1: Cole
Book 2: Alexander
Book 3: Peter
Book 4: Nicholas
Book 5: Spencer
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Chapter 1
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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A Wolf’s Embrace
Wolf Mountain Peak | Book 4
Sarah J. Stone
Contents
A Wolf’s Embrace
Extras
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A Wolf’s Embrace
Chapter One
“My brothers’ mates; my friends…”
Monica, Kate and Julia had been bonding with Melissa, ever since they stormed into her world. After their adventures with Raul, Dean and Ray, they had also been spending time with her, providing their valuable input with issues, or simply having fun. Melissa appreciated them all for who they were. Kate and Julia’s sense of humor often lifted her spirits; and, even though Monica could bring her frustration to a whole new level by overanalyzing the tiniest of details, she couldn’t deny that the doctor from New York was a good friend, wiser and more patient than her other “sisters”, as she used to call them. Now she considered them all very close friends, people in her life because of her choice, not the choice of someone else.
On a warm, early-August afternoon, Melissa and Monica decided to accompany Kate to Mount Neboh Cemetery in Glendale. She hadn’t visited her parents’ grave in a while, and meant to pay homage to them. The youngest of the Bradford’s hoped that Julia would join them as well, but, unfortunately for her, Ray’s significant other was dealing with a major change, and was still exploring her new nature, along with her mate.
Of course, Melissa objected to Kate’s idea. Marianne and Michael had been responsible for the evil that threatened to consume her birthplace. Still, Kate was adamant, claiming that she had to respect the memory of the mother and father she had lost at the tender age of sixteen. In her mind, they had died in that horrible fire in her house. The two people that had come back to reclaim her were complete strangers to her. She could not recognize either of them.
Upon turning onto Cypress Hills Street, the trio realized that getting to the cemetery would be much more challenging that they initially believed. There was traffic, and cars parked on either side of the road. For some reason none of them could fathom, Kate had chosen the wrong day to pay her respects to her parents. Unable to find a parking spot close to the cemetery, she left the car more than a quarter mile away from the premises, as Monica and Melissa began guessing about the occasion that had brought all those people there.
“Maybe it’s a government official, or a congressman,” Monica said, as they headed towards the entrance.
“I doubt it,” Kate disagreed, clutching a bouquet of white roses, as a young child sped past them. “I don’t see any men in black groping people. I didn’t read anything online, either. Plus, there are a lot of kids around. It’s weird.”
“I’ve always wondered why so many people attend politicians’ funerals,” Melissa confessed, casting a quick glance down at Kate. “I mean, they’re not what you’d call ‘popular’, are they?”
“There’s a lot of fakery in the world of humans, Hun,” Kate claimed, as her lips curled into a sad smile. “That’s just one example. Most attendees are politicians themselves, competing against each other on who’s going to give the best fake eulogy. They pose for the cameras, wear their saddest expressions, and then, they all go home happy.”
Craning her neck, Melissa stared at the large crowd a few dozen yards to the right, as she and Kate strolled through the entrance. Children’s voices filled her ears as she noticed a tall, young man, standing before a grave, his fingers interlocked over his stomach. His dark-brown hair shone under the sun, as he tipped his head down.
“Girls, this is no politician’s funeral.” The urgency in Monica’s tone was enough to distract Melissa. She whipped her head around, only to discover that the doctor was staring down at a photograph, on the left side of the entrance. “It’s not even a funeral. It’s a memorial service. And I knew the deceased.”
“You did?” Melissa squinted at her.
“Yes,” Monica replied, clenching her jaw. “Laura Stanton, wife of Joe Stanton, twenty-nine years old, kindergarten teacher. I treated her a year ago.” She added, lifting her gaze up to meet Melissa’s.
“Oh, my God…” Kate sighed, rubbing her hand against her forehead. “I remember that.”
Her friend’s reaction and the sorrow on Monica’s face piqued Melissa’s curiosity.
“What happened to her?” She inquired, taking a hesitant step closer to her.
“It all happened a year ago. I was an ER doctor back then,” Monica explained, her voice faint, as she ran her hand through her hair. “Laura and Joe were involved in a freak accident. A truck rammed their car. They were both severely injured, but I was able to save him. His wife was not so lucky. She was bleeding internally when they were brought in by the paramedics. We couldn’t stop the bleeding. I told Joe what was happening. He asked if he could say ‘goodbye’ to her. I said ‘sure.’ We took him to her. He held her hand, and whispered something like: ‘Take me with you. Don’t leave me here alone.’ God, it really broke my heart.”
“Terrible story,” Melissa commented, shaking her head sideways.
“I couldn’t sleep for weeks,” Monica put a little force in her voice. “Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw him holding her, shedding tears onto her face. I kept asking myself if there was anything more I could have done for her, but I always received the same negative answer. What a shame.”
“Guys, can we please get this over with?” Kate requested with a hint of frustration in her tone. Monica’s quick nod served as her answer.
A massive lawn, along with large, old oak trees spread out
before Melissa, as they strode off towards their destination. However, she couldn’t care less about an empty grave. Monica’s story had gripped her, perhaps more than it should have. Joe Stanton, a young, handsome man, loved his wife so much that he wanted to depart from this world, just to be with her. He desired to forsake all earthly delights, along with every other bond, in order to be with his other half. This level of commitment to his wife moved Melissa. Up until then, she thought most humans were too self-centered to make this kind of sacrifice. Her brothers’ mates were a mere exception to that rule. Now though, she was close to one more of those special creatures. She was able to steal a few glances at him, and could even hear his occasional sob. Surrounded by hundreds of people, Joe was not afraid to show that he was still grieving for the loss of his beloved Laura.
“I will always cherish my life with you, before that fire,” Kate muttered, easing the bouquet down onto the grave. “We had some bad moments, but I knew you loved me. I loved you, too. I choose to forget the tricks you pulled in Paxton. My mom and dad wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone burn an entire town to the ground. Be at peace.”
“Humans never cease to impress me,” Melissa uttered, her gaze locked on Joe. “Kate’s parents, this guy… Why can’t you all be decent?”
“Are all shifters decent?” Monica wondered, a hint of discomfort in her tone.
“Not really,” Melissa answered, returning her attention to Monica. “We don’t keep secrets, though. You know what to expect with us.”
“Ok, hold it with the philosophy there,” Kate grumbled, leaning closer to her mate’s sister. “You’ve been staring at him since we got here. What’s up? Are you interested?”
“I could be,” Melissa shrugged her shoulders, her voice coming out lazy. “He’s young, handsome, obviously in touch with his emotions, and…”
“Broken,” Kate interrupted, intensifying her stare. “That man is in pieces. It’s been a year since he lost her, and he’s still crying his eyes out for her. Now, you may say I was a lot like that when Dean and I met, but I wasn’t. I was hurting, but just because I thought I wouldn’t find love. I wasn’t trying to get over the loss of someone in particular.”
“Whoa! Slow down there!” Melissa exclaimed, raising her hand to her chest. “I just said I liked him. What’s so bad about that?”
“I’m just trying to point out the differences here,” Kate explained, lowering her tone. “Anyway, let’s go. I’m starting to miss being in Paxton already.”
“So am I,” Melissa responded with a smile. But, she had lied. In truth, she wanted to stay there, and observe this human, as much as possible. And, as they made their way back to the entrance, Joe did something that fueled her desire even more. He was holding a picture in front of him, whispering, as he stared down at it. The words that were coming out of his mouth were a secret for everyone else, but not for her. She could hear him, loud and clear:
“Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind”
“Look at him,” she thought to herself. “He’s still declaring his love for her to the world, even though she’s gone. I just hope I can find myself a man like you, Joe.”
Chapter Two
Melissa’s life had been somewhat uneventful so far. She was twenty-four years old, taking care of her brothers’ needs, and not saying “no” to any fling that would come along her way. The relationships she had never lasted longer than a few days. She was still too young to commit to a male of her kind. The males of her kind all shared this strange sense of carefreeness, resembling overgrown boys; they all had one thing in mind, and tended to lose interest after they had taken it: sex. Melissa had yet to think about the qualities of her potential mate, but she knew that she didn’t need any of the males she had been socializing with so far.
Incredibly enough, the trio’s trip to New York had a profound effect on her, one that took her by total surprise. Much to her astonishment, Melissa caught herself making a mental list of her ideal man’s attributes, on the drive back to Paxton. For the first time ever, she included the possibility of him being human. Joe Stanton’s tragic story had given her reason to believe that there were more men like him in this world. She just had to find one.
Darkness had fallen over her birthplace, as Kate’s car rolled to a halt on the driveway. The sight that greeted them put a big smile on Melissa’s face. Ray had his back leaned against the wall, watching as Julia’s wolf loped along in the yard, letting out frenetic yips. She had witnessed this quite a few times lately, but it never failed to amuse her. Plain and simple, her brother’s mate was celebrating the fact that she was alive.
“She hasn’t shifted back to human since lunch,” Ray informed, as Melissa strolled towards him. “She even went up to Warrick’s place and howled half an hour ago.”
“I wish I could do that,” Monica muttered under her breath, broadening Melissa’s smile.
“Seriously, stop doing that,” Kate spoke too fast, casting an angry, sideways glare at her friend.
“What?”
“Stop giving me the creeps!” Frustration sent Kate’s voice two octaves up, as she narrowed her eyes at her. “You like wolves, but wanting to become one? Really?”
“I’m pretty sure she just wants to feel the power,” Melissa said, glancing down at them over her shoulder.
“You don’t know that little weirdo like I do,” Kate groaned, averting her gaze from Monica. “She asked me to put the wolf in her, the night that we saved Julia’s skin. Thank God Helena told her that it would be very dangerous for her and the baby.”
“As much as I would like to hear you ranting, I’m very tired,” Monica stated in a polite tone, as she pulled her keys out of her purse. “Goodnight.”
“I’m pretty beat, too,” Kate sighed. “Goodnight, Dr. Stiff. Goodnight, kids.”
“Hey, Jules!” Melissa’s feminine voice echoed in the wilderness, as she settled her gaze on the white wolf across from her. “I could use a drink right now. What do you say?”
Yet another yip filled the air, as the beast started off towards her. Its fur shone in the moonlight, painting the small patches of gray on her chest and on her right shoulder a shade much closer to the snow on the rest of her body. Finally, Julia’s wolf leaped onto Melissa. Its large paws pushed her back, knocking her off balance. She banged her head against the concrete, as she fell hard on her back, but that was not her biggest problem. In an instant, she felt the lupine’s tongue, being swiped along her jaw.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” She said, thrusting her arms up to the wolf’s neck. “Now, get off of me. Go get dressed.”
“You two seem to be getting along pretty well,” Ray remarked, as Julia’s wolf stepped off his sister.
“She’s a peach,” Melissa murmured, rising up to her 5’8” stature. “Why has she been in wolf form that long?”
“She wanted to go out tonight. I told her I couldn’t; I have to wake up early tomorrow. She doesn’t talk much when she’s upset. She said it would be easier for her to keep her mouth shut in wolf form,” he stated, his voice deepening, as his slow steps led him closer to her.
“Oh, my God!” Melissa lifted her hands to her face in mock panic, as her brows popped up. “You guys have such problems! I feel so badly for you!”
“It’s not funny,” Ray spoke, a touch of anger in his tone.
“It’s just a minor argument,” she voiced her opinion, dropping her arms, as he leaned over her. “Talk things through with her. You guys love each other. You’ll be ok.”
“Yeah, we do,” Julia interjected, striding out of the cabin. “And yeah, we will. I was just messing with you, pretty boy.”
“What?” Ray squeaked, turning to her. “You…”
“You heard me,” she interrupted, halting in front of him, with a wicked smile on her face. “What, you think I’m too selfish to understand my man’s need to rest? I just didn’t shift, because this is entirely new to me. I feel so much stronger, and honestly? I
just love it that I can run ten miles a day, and not feel tired. Don’t wait up,” she went on, planting a quick kiss on his lips.
“She’s good,” Melissa teased him, nodding in admiration, as her friend brushed by Ray. “She’s very good.”
“Have fun,” he said, smiling down at them.
“Where to, Mel?” Julia asked, as they made their way towards her white Toyota. “I’m sorry about the whole licking thing. I was just surprised. I thought you’d be too tired to go out.”
“I am,” she admitted with a sigh. “I just needed to talk to someone.”
“What about?” Julia snorted in amusement, moving around her car. “I saw you this morning. You seemed fine.”
“We ran into this guy at the cemetery. His name is Joe Stanton,” Melissa declared, reaching down to grab the passenger door handle. “His wife got killed last year. He is still mourning her.”
“That really freaked Mon out when it happened,” Julia affirmed, entering her car. “It sounds perfectly natural to me. He loved her. What is he supposed to do? Pretend it doesn’t bother him anymore?”
“Well…” Melissa croaked as she belted herself in and her friend started the engine. “His whole behavior puzzled me. I mean, there were like three hundred people around him, and he kept looking at her picture, crying, talking to it… Oh, crap.” She cocked her head in frustration. “I forgot to ask Kate about what he was saying. It sounded like a song. He said something like ‘Dust in the wind.’”
“You don’t have to ask Kate,” Julia assured her, driving off. “It’s a song; a very old, kind of melancholy song. The song is a monologue that talks about the fleetingness of life and the certainty of death. It says we’re all very fragile. About a minute before the end is the line that is my favorite quote: ‘Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and sky.’”
“It’s beautiful,” Melissa spoke in a cracking voice, her jaw stiffening as she sat back in her seat. “But, it just confirms my suspicion.”
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