by Dianna Love
“When your guardian said he didn’t understand either because the Gallize women are always second born, I came home and did some digging to see if there was anything else I didn’t know. My parents lost their first child. She only lived a week. I’m sure it was devastating so I don’t think they could handle talking about her. Then when my mom died, my dad would not talk about anything from the past. That has to change for us to move forward. His stubborn determination to have his own way may have put me in real danger because of Brantley and that may actually shock him enough to open a new door for us. I’m going to find a way to work through all this with him, but I’m in your secret club now.”
Cole just stared at her in awe. “You’re really a Gallize.”
The wonder in his voice snuggled up next to her ego and gave it a warm hug. She’d never felt more special than now.
He ran a hand over his head, trying to take it all in. “Oh, shit, that means ... that means I can tell you everything.”
“Damn straight.”
That earned her a smoldering kiss. She hoped he was healing fast, because he was revving up her energy and she had plans for that body.
He pulled her close to him in a hug that let her know she was his and said in a humble tone, “Thank you for saving me. I thought our bonding was me fantasizing, but I remember hearing your voice like an echo deep in a cave. Slowly, Gray Wolf receded, then I started hearing you clearly when you said you wanted to be my mate forever. That’s the moment I thought I had died and gone wherever lucky shifters went in the afterlife, because I felt the power and love of opening up to join with you as my mate.” He kissed her head. “You broke the mating curse for me. That’s not something any other power on Earth could do.”
She experienced a rush of pride at truly being his equal.
He smiled at her. “That means there is nothing more powerful than your love, but mine’s just as strong for you.”
She burst into tears.
Cole hugged her to him, whispering words of love and running his hands over her. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
Tess stopped crying, sniffled hard once and said, “You should be. Keeping that mating curse from me was a total dick thing to do.”
His chest moved with his laughter. “My woman is never one to sugarcoat it.”
“The men in my life had better learn that, too.” She pushed back so she could face Cole. “Are you feeling better?”
He gave her a wicked look. “Want me to show you how good I feel?”
Tess’s wild energy had calmed to a feeling of just being very alive, but that threatened to rev it right back up again. He had better get ready for a mate who wanted his body all day and night. But first she had something else to say. “I want to go to Virginia next week and talk to my father.”
Disappointment crossed Cole’s face briefly, then he said, “Of course, and I’ll support whatever you decide.”
She frowned. Did he think she was going alone? She arched an eyebrow at him. “Good, because you’re going to be right there with me when I announce our engagement.”
His lips parted. He closed his gaping mouth then asked, “Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Listen up, shifter, I’m one hundred percent your mate, but I’m also human. You’re marrying me.”
Cole’s eyes were suspiciously shiny. “I was planning to ask you the night I left seven years ago. From the moment I bought a ring that afternoon, I’d started feeling strange. I didn’t realize I had taken you as my mate at that point. By the time I got to your place, I couldn’t stand being in my body. I thought I was sick and left to get my shit together. That’s when everything spun out of control.”
Her chest clenched at being reminded of how much they’d both been through to reach this point. “You better be able to find that ring. That’s the one I intend to wear.”
His blue eyes sparked with love. “It’s the only thing I kept from my original life. But ... we’re going to go out to dinner and let me ask you like I planned.”
“Okay.” Why did she sound like a little girl?
Maybe because her dreams were coming true?
“Do you plan to tell your dad I’m a shifter, because he’ll find out eventually?”
“I already told him when they brought him here after the Guardian rescued him. I told him I couldn’t go home with him while the man I loved was in my bedroom healing from his battle with another shifter. It might be a little surprising to find out it’s you, but we’ll explain what happened during your missing years. He’s about to get a new education in shifters from his daughter.”
“I’ll go anywhere with you, but I don’t want you being caught between—”
She put her finger on his lips. “My dad is healthy as an ox. His heart is fine. I’m not living my life based on what-ifs. My mom constantly told me to not do things just to please him. She would have thanked the shifter who intervened the day she died if she’d lived long enough to do it.”
“I always liked your mother. She was her own woman.”
Tess gave him a watery smile. “She liked you, too. She was a fair and open-minded person. She’d be cheering me right now and would love having you, a wolf shifter, as her son-in-law. I will expect no less of my father if he wants a relationship with me. It may not be smooth sailing for a while, but I’m good with that as long as I have you.”
Cole kissed her with enough heat to burn her panties off. “I’m yours forever, baby.”
“And I’m your mate forever, wolf.”
The End.
Thank you for reading my new shifter series. I hope you enjoyed it and would appreciate a review wherever you buy your e-books.
Coming up next is MATING A GRIZZLY, Justin’s story. All the books are stand alones, so you can read them in any order. If you’d like to be notified of each future releases and special deals I offer my readers, just sign up for my newsletter at www.AuthorDiannaLove.com and/or join my PRIVATE READER COMMUNITY Group on Facebook. I DO NOT share anyone’s information. I hate to have mine shared. All I do is send you occasional news, extra content and exclusive material from time to time.
MATING A GRIZZLY coming in Jan 2018
Raves about Dianna’s other series:
Belador urban fantasy:
“When it comes to urban fantasy, Dianna Love is a master.” Always Reviewing.
"There is so much action in this book I feel like I’ve burned calories just reading it." D Antonio
“There are SO many things in this series that I want to learn more about; there’s no way I could list them all.” Lily, Romance Junkies Reviews
Slye Temp romantic thrillers:
"...suspense, thrills, excitement, danger and a super romantic couple...Dianna Love writes romance suspense so well, as I consider her one of the best at creating believability and hooking us in from the start all the way to the exciting climax." ~~ Barb, The Reading Cafe
"Dianna never disappoints! ... would have give it a 10 if they would let!!! Very enjoyable read, can't wait for the next one :-)." ~~ Amy, Goodreads
“...one of those books that you wish would go on forever.” ~~Billie Jo, Romance Junkies
Red Moon young adult sci-fi/fantasy series by Micah Caida (pen name of collaborators Dianna Love & Mary Buckham):
"Time Trap is amazingly original and unexpected...I loved every second of reading it!"~~ Alexandra F, 15, who has read The Book Thief, The Hunger Games, and Anna Karenina.
"I was totally captivated by every scene in the first book...The imagination of Micah Caida takes the reader on an exhilarating journey...TIME TRAP is originality at its best." ~~Amelia Richard (adult), SingleTitles.com
"Reading this book is like riding on a roller coaster, getting to the top and not knowing when the next drop is."~~ Alex B, 12 years old and has also read all of Rick Riordan’s books, the Hunger Games, the Chronicles of Nick, and the Rangers Apprentice series.
~*~
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MORE BY DIANNA:
The Belador series is an ongoing story line, so you may want to read the books in order. Available in ebook/print/audio.
Book 1: Blood Trinity
Book 2: Alterant
Book 3: The Curse
Book 4: Rise Of The Gryphon
Book 5: Demon Storm
Book 6: Witchlock
Book 7: Rogue Belador
Book 8: Dragon King Of Treoir
Book 9: Belador Cosaint
Book 10: Treoir Dragon Hoard (2018)
Tristan’s Escape: A Belador Novella
*To keep up with all of Dianna’s releases: sign up for her newsletter here.
The complete Slye Temp romantic suspense series
Prequel: Last Chance To Run
Book 1: Nowhere Safe
Book 2: Honeymoon To Die For
Book 3: Kiss The Enemy
Book 4: Deceptive Treasures
Book 5: Stolen Vengeance
Book 6: Fatal Promise
*Watch for the next romantic suspense HAMR BROTHERHOOD series.
For Young Adult Fans – the explosive sci-fi/fantasy Red Moon trilogy by USA Today bestseller Micah Caida (collaboration of New York Times Bestseller Dianna Love and USA Today bestseller Mary Buckham).
Book 1: Time Trap (free for limited time)
Book 2: Time Return
Book 3: Time Lock
To buy books and read more excerpts, go to http://www.MicahCaida.com
To buy books and read more excerpts, go to
Author’s Bio
New York Times bestseller Dianna Love once dangled over a hundred feet in the air to create unusual marketing projects for Fortune 500 companies. She now writes high-octane romantic thrillers, young adult and urban fantasy. Fans of the bestselling Belador urban fantasy series will be excited to find out Dianna is launching a new paranormal series – League of Gallize Shifters. Her sexy Slye Temp romantic thriller series wrapped up with Gage and Sabrina’s book–Fatal Promise–but Dianna has plans for HAMR BROTHERHOOD, a spinoff romantic suspense series coming soon. Look for her books in print, e-book and audio (most series). On the rare occasions Dianna is out of her writing cave, she tours the country on her BMW motorcycle searching for new story locations. Dianna lives in the Atlanta, GA area with her husband, who is a motorcycle instructor, and with a tank full of unruly saltwater critters.
Visit her website at Dianna Love or Join her Dianna Love Reader Community (group page) on Facebook and get in on the fun!
A word from Dianna...
Thank you for reading Gray Wolf Mate. I’ve been so excited to get this book on paper. It’s a new series with fun world building – I hope you enjoyed it.
As always, my amazing husband is the wall at my back that keeps me moving forward. Karl still surprises me to this day, a romantic at heart and I love him for it.
A special thank you to Jennifer Cazares and Sherry Arnold for being very early super readers who put fresh eyes on the pages after they’ve been through a gauntlet of readers and editing. Thank you for always stepping up to read whenever I need it and sometimes on short notice (sorry! :->).
I always mention Cassondra, who has been with me through too many books to count. She has a sharp eye for details and does a great job of helping with continuity. Her husband, Steve, has jumped in to read and give a new perspective on pages any time we needed it. He sees the most amazing things. I’m still smiling over the last note from Judy Carney after doing an early edit read. I love that she enjoys my stories so much. No story goes out without Joyce Ann McLaughlin reading through and catching her own special edits. I do hope to have this series in audio (soon, please be patient with me since it’s a huge investment) and when that happens Joyce Ann graciously steps up to be my audio editor.
Here’s cyber hug to Kimber Mirabella and Sharon Livingston Griffiths, who find time to read the early pages, too. They also bring a joy into my world with their messages of encouragement. A special shout out to Candace Fox who does a bazillion things to help me online with guest visits on our Reader Community Facebook page and supporting my books all over the place. Thanks also to all of my awesome early review team who have been with me for a long time – you just keep amazing me. I really appreciate the wonderful ideas Leiha Mann comes up with to help me connect with readers. Thanks for supporting me from my first book!
Sending a special hug to Xiamara Parathenopaeus, of S Squared Productions for all the wonderful art and promotional creations.
The very talented Kim Killion has once again created a cover I love, and Jennifer Litteken thankfully accepts my “help Mr. Wizard” call when I need formatting.
I have a special place in my heart for Karen Marie Moning for more her sincere friendship and the wonderful time Karl and I spent with her this year.
Sending more love to my peeps on the Dianna Love Reader Group on Facebook. You rock big time.
Dianna
