His mate.
Drew.
Drew Nicol.
A soft whimper escaped his throat as he remembered Drew as he’d last seen him, stiff and formal as he heard out Lindsay’s awkward farewell.
“Send word to me by Francis if you need me. If you need anything at all.”
Drew hadn’t replied. He hadn’t needed to. Anger had still burned in his grey-blue gaze.
How long till he relented?
Would he ever relent?
Lindsay whimpered again. This pain was like nothing he’d ever felt before, even in the worst moments of his slavery. It was not a pain that provoked a night-sung howl of grief, bayed to the moon. Only this. The soft, private whine of a fatally wounded beast.
He lay there for a time, despairing, his nose in his paws. But at last he looked up, up at the moon. At that curving silver finger that seemed to say, Come.
Obedient to his mistress, Lindsay staggered to his feet and set off for home.
Epilogue
Edinburgh, March 1789
WHEN FRANCIS LOOKED up from his book, it was to find that Drew was sleeping again, his chin sunk on his chest. They’d both been reading—a companionable habit they’d fallen into each evening after dinner. Now Drew’s book rested precariously on his chest. barely held in place by one slack hand.
Francis smiled fondly. His charge was growing stronger every day, his appetite steadily increasing—but he still slept a great deal.
The previous night, Drew had fully shifted for the first time. Francis had taken him on a short, exploratory run. A big grey wolf he was, strong and sturdy, but awkward still, like an overgrown cub. He’d still managed to catch a hare though, and he’d made a hearty meal of it.
He was growing used to his new life. Gradually.
Despite his physical vitality though, he remained as melancholy as ever. Often Francis would find him staring out of the window, his spare scent edged with a profound and unrelenting sadness. But when Francis asked what was wrong, Drew would only shake his head and say there was nothing wrong. Nothing at all.
Drew stirred in his sleep, the small movement causing the book on his chest to begin to slide off. Francis jumped up from his chair, deftly rescuing it before it could fall to the floor and wake its owner.
Carrying the book back to his own chair, he sat down and opened it, idly curious as to what Drew had been reading. The book fell naturally open at a particular page—there was something marking the place. A small piece of black fabric.
Frowning, Francis picked up the scrap of material and examined it. It was a velvet patch. A heart-shaped one with a tiny arrow going through it.
Francis lifted it to his nose. It carried the faintest hint of Lindsay’s scent.
Carefully, quietly, Francis put the patch back between the pages, closed the book and set the volume aside.
In the armchair opposite, Drew slept on.
THE END
Lindsay and Drew’s story will continue and complete in book 2 of the Capital Wolves duet, MASTER WOLF
Titles by Joanna Chambers
Capital Wolves
Gentleman Wolf (coming August 2019)
Master Wolf (coming January 2020)
The Enlightenment Series
Provoked
Beguiled
Enlightened
Seasons Pass
Unnatural
Porthkennack Series (Riptide)
A Gathering Storm
Tribute Act
Other novel length titles
The Dream Alchemist
Unforgivable
The Lady’s Secret
With Annika Martin
Enemies Like You
Enemies with Benefits
Mr. Winterbourne
Introducing Mr Winterbourne
Mr. Winterbourne's Christmas
Novellas & short stories
Merry and Bright (anthology)
Children of the Night (anthology)
Another Place in Time (anthology)
Humbug (A Christmas Tale)
Rest and Be Thankful
You can find details of all my books at my website
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Did you love Gentleman Wolf? Then you should read Provoked by Joanna Chambers!
Tormented by his forbidden desires for other men and the painful memories of the childhood friend he once loved, lawyer David Lauriston tries to maintain a celibate existence while he forges his reputation in Edinburgh's privileged legal world.
But then, into his repressed and orderly life, bursts Lord Murdo Balfour.
Cynical, hedonistic and utterly unapologetic, Murdo could not be less like David. And as appalled as David is by Murdo's unrepentant self-interest, he cannot resist the man's sway. Murdo tempts and provokes David in equal measure, forcing him to acknowledge his physical desires.
But Murdo is not the only man distracting David from his work. Euan MacLennan, the brother of a convicted radical David once represented, approaches David to beg him for help. Euan is searching for the government agent who sent his brother to Australia on a convict ship, and other radicals to the gallows. Despite knowing it may damage his career, David cannot turn Euan away.
As their search progresses, it begins to look as though the trail may lead to none other than Lord Murdo Balfour, and David has to wonder whether it's possible Murdo could be more than he seems. Is he really just a bored aristocrat, amusing himself at David's expense, or could he be the agent provocateur responsible for the fate of Peter MacLennan and the other radicals
This is a second edition of a book previously published by Samhain Publishing
Read more at Joanna Chambers’s site.
About the Author
Joanna Chambers always wanted to write. In between studying, finding a proper grown up job, getting married and having kids, she spent many hours staring at blank sheets of paper and chewing pens. That changed when she rediscovered her love of romance and found her muse. Joanna's muse likes red wine, coffee and won't let Joanna clean the house or watch television.
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Read more at Joanna Chambers’s site.
Gentleman Wolf (Capital Wolves duet Book 1) Page 23
