Table of Contents
Copyright
Note from the Author
Sonnie
Holt
Enjoy A Free Sneak Peek…
Billionaire Bear’s Bride
Check out these other books by Candace Ayers…
Contents
Copyright
Note from the Author
1. Sonnie
2. Holt
3. Sonnie
4. Holt
5. Sonnie
6. Holt
7. Sonnie
8. Holt
9. Sonnie
10. Holt
11. Sonnie
12. Holt
13. Sonnie
14. Holt
15. Sonnie
16. Sonnie
17. Holt
18. Sonnie
19. Sonnie
20. Holt
21. Sonnie
22. Holt
23. Sonnie
24. Holt
25. Sonnie
26. Holt
27. Sonnie
Enjoy A Free Sneak Peek…
Sneak Peek
Billionaire Bear’s Bride
Check out these other books by Candace Ayers…
Copyright © 2018 by Lovestruck Romance.
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
This book is intended for adult readers only.
Any sexual activity portrayed in these pages occurs between consenting adults over the age of 18 who are not related by blood.
Note from the Author
I am currently recruiting readers for my review team. If you would like to participate by volunteering to read advance copies of my latest books, and leaving an honest review on Amazon, please sign up for my email list here: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/Mpgjr. You will receive updates, notifications of new releases, and sometimes freebies. :)
~ Candace
1
Sonnie
St. Anon meetings always felt like home to me. I got to sit with the women I loved, my sisters in spirit, and pretend that I was one of them. Under the large willow tree, on the flat rock formation, we sat and did our thing. The same thing women had been doing in Helen’s Corner for over a century—different names, different faces, same sisterhood. We still met on the land that was once Helen Cartwright’s old homestead, and still kept her memory alive. That was all I could divulge about the meetings, though.
Besides the name. St. Anon stood for Shit Talkers Anonymous. That was a pretty big clue about what we did, but there was more. Over the decades, it’d been rumored that there had been magic practiced and that that was what had kept the small town alive and thriving. I was pretty sure that was just rumor started by men who were unable to understand how women could control an entire town and have it run like clockwork. Well, most of the time it ran like clockwork.
I couldn’t speak about whether or not the rumored magic actually was performed at that special spot under the willow fronds. I could, however, say without a doubt that magic occurred after—when the shifter women of Helen’s Corner transformed into whatever animal they harbored and ran through the woods, free and unencumbered. That was the real magic. threw me for a loop, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’d been jealous of their abilities ever since.
The St. Anon meeting was over for the night, and after watching my best friends in the world shift into their animals and charge into the woods, I strolled homeward along the streets of Helen’s Corner. It was quiet. There was a howl, or a whoop, or a roar or two coming from the woods every now and then, but never anything to fear. The streets of the little town were peaceful at night. The shops were closed up tight and the party moved to the woods. I had nothing to fear as I strolled the deserted streets. Crime was virtually non-existent in Helens Corner. Although, if there was anyone with bad intentions around, I had no doubt that handfuls of badass female shifters would appear in seconds to protect me.
Winter was closing in on us and the night was darker than usual. There was a chill that seeped under my skin. Too bad I didn’t have someone at home to cuddle up with in front of a crackling fire. It was the perfect night for it.
I wrapped my arms around myself and hurried up my porch steps. Once again, I’d forgotten to leave the porch light on, and since my house was tucked back out of reach of the illumination of the nearest street lamp, I fumbled in the dark. Damned human sight. Muddy’d have no problem seeing her way around.
My eyes began to adjust to the darkness, so I kept the lights off when I stepped inside. I rubbed my hands together and kicked the thermostat up a notch to get some heat in the place. As soon as I lit the candles on my kitchen island, a soft glow filled the room.
I sighed into the loneliness.
It was the same every time. Every time all my friends shifted into their badass selves and I walked back home on my two legs that didn’t do anything but…walk back home. They were barely long enough to achieve a decent running speed, much less do something really cool. And it wasn’t just my pathetically human body that was boring and plain, it was, well, my life. I was always the odd woman out. Not that any of the girls would ever want me to feel that way. Of course, they didn’t. My friends were amazing. It was just that they all had this huge thing that connected them. This huge thing that I lacked.
Denny Wade was a freaking deer shifter. Carter Ray was a bear. A bear. Charlie Monroe was a wolf and Muddy Hilton was a member of the big cat family. They all ran around in the woods, jumping over things and playing. Playing. I hadn’t played with anyone since I was six—before my parents realized that I could be working.
It wasn’t always so bad, the jealousy. Most of the time, I was fine. I was happy and grateful to have found Helen’s Corner, and such a supportive and close knit group of friends, at a time when I direly needed them. And I was happy for my shifter friends that they weren’t alone. In some communities, shifters were rare and had to stay hidden and isolated for their own safety. Unless they found their mates. Then, they at least had that one special person to be themselves around.
My sighing turned into a groan as I opened the fridge door and grabbed the bucket of cookie dough. I wouldn’t ever tell Carter that I had it. She owned a bakery and made everything from scratch. She’d be horrified to know that I consumed the processed junk in buckets full. My little secret. I grabbed a spoon and took out a huge bite.
The nights after St. Anon were just stressful. There was no other time when I was more glaringly reminded of the stark differences between myself and my friends. And since Carter and Denny found mates and settled down, there were starting to be even more glaring differences.
What the hell, life could be hard, a constant battle, and sometimes a girl just had to wallow in self-pity for a bit. Not for too long, but for a bit. I sat at my kitchen island eating cookie dough by candlelight, trying to block the thought that it was going to go straight to my hips if I didn’t start working out or something. With winter around the corner, though, maybe I could just layer on clothes to hide it.
I’d nearly made myself sick when I heard giggles from my front porch. The girls. Tucking the cookie dough safely back in the fri
dge, behind the condiments in case anyone got nosy, I went out to sit with them. Shame on me for feeling lonely and sorry for myself instead of thankful that they always found me after their Tuesday post-St. Anon runs.
When I opened the door, they were all sitting naked on my steps. I shook my head, snatched up a few throw blankets, and plopped down in between them. Shifters naturally produced more body heat than me and didn’t need the blankets for warmth, but a touch of modesty wouldn’t hurt in case a human tourist happened to wander by. I snuggled into the middle of them where it was nice and toasty. The only thing better would be cuddling with a handsome man in front of a roaring fire.
“You’re overdressed for the party.” Charlie said with a nudge to my shoulder.
“The party is underdressed for me. It’s cold out here. Dayum!”
Charlie clapped her hands together. “Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I have big news.” She stood up and moved to stand in front of us, giving herself a platform. “My parent’s home had a pipe burst and it flooded the entire downstairs. They’re going to have to do major renovations.”
Muddy snorted. “You seem pretty thrilled about that. I didn’t realize you hated your parents so much.”
“I don’t hate my parents. I’m excited because that means they can’t have Thanksgiving there. My entire extended family is going to come here, to Helen’s Corner, and have Thanksgiving at my house. I’m going to host the holiday!”
I wagged my eyebrows. “That means lots of sexy wolf men for us to choose from, right?”
Denny tied her hair back in a ponytail. “Speak for yourself, I have all the sexy wolf man I can handle at home.”
Carter leaned back against the step and grinned. “Me, too. And since we’re on the topic of sex with a wolf man, last night when Jelly bean had a sleepover at her friends, Alec and I—”
Muddy groaned. “Stop right there. If this is another of your graphic fucking-in-the-woods stories, then TMI. I still have a hard time looking at Alec after the last one.”
I blew out a frustrated breath. “You guys are so lucky. Humans don’t have mates.”
Charlie patted my head like I was a puppy. “Not all shifters are lucky enough to find their mates, either.”
Charlie was still single, too. Maybe it was a sore spot for her as well. “Sorry.”
Carter looked sympathetic. “Well, it’s not unheard of for a human to be a shifter’s mate. My brother lives in Burden, Texas, and there’s lots of shifters there who have human mates.”
I’d met Carter’s brother and his mate, Matt a few times when they came to Helen’s Corner visit.
Denny nodded her head in agreement. “I’ve heard of it happening. Never knew any shifter who had a human mate personally, but I’ve heard of it. I always thought it was a once in a million thing.”
Muddy nodded. “I think it’s pretty rare.”
Once in a million was not good odds. And I’d never had the best luck. Not when it came to matters of the heart.
2
Holt
Charlotte, as my little sister hated to be called, lived in the smallest, and strangest, little town I’d ever seen. It was an eclectic little outcropping of homes and shops of various shapes and colors, and damned if there weren’t women everywhere. I mean everywhere. My sister had been asking me to visit her in Helen’s Corner for years, but until recently, I hadn’t had an opportunity. The only time I was ever stateside was during the holidays and if I didn’t spend that time with our parents, back home, Mama Jean would throw a major freak out. No one wanted to deal with one of Mama’s freak outs.
Thanks to some faulty plumbing causing major damage to my parent’s house, the whole family was gathering at Charlie’s for Thanksgiving this year. I was going to see my sister’s home sans freak out, finally.
I’d gotten off a twelve-hour flight to DC, taken a two hour flight to Atlanta, and then another hour and a half flight to Memphis because the flight into Albuquerque had been delayed for some reason. In Memphis, I checked into a fleabag hotel and slept for a few hours before renting a truck and driving to Helen’s Corner.
The rest of the family wouldn’t arrive for another few weeks, but I hadn’t spent time alone with my sister in years and there was no way I wanted to be stuck in a house with my parents while renovations were underfoot.
I felt a bit like a drifter lately. Not a comfortable feeling for a man like me, used to regimen and order. I supposed I needed to bite the bullet and buy my own house, but something kept preventing me from taking that kind of decisive action. Every time I thought I’d made a decision, something just felt off, and I backed away from it. Most of my buddies had settled on the West coast, but with Charlie being in New Mexico and the rest of the family in Georgia, I didn’t know if that made sense for me. Having a house of my own would mean not having to stay with my parents every time I came home. It was just slightly emasculating to be in my late thirties and still waking up some mornings in the bed that I’d slept in when I was a kid.
This year would be something different. Charlie was over the moon for the family to gather at her house. Since I no longer technically had a job, I was able to arrive a few weeks before anyone else, which meant I got my choice of bedrooms before any of my brothers. Sibling rivalry never goes away no matter how old you get.
Helen’s Corner was barely on the map it was so small. People knew of it for miles around, though. When I stopped at a gas station in Smith and mentioned where I was going, the clerk and a few customers were quick to point out the town’s nickname, Hell’s Crazy Corner. Apparently, the place had a reputation for being full of wild and crazy women, desperate and horny for any man who stepped foot in it. That would have sounded great—if my sister wasn’t one of those women.
Charlie’s house was on the outer edge of town. It was an old mock plantation home with a second-floor balcony and wrought iron framework. A long driveway led up to the house, complete with trees arching above it. It was impressive and a little scary looking all at the same time. Charlie was five years younger than me and it seemed as though she had her life together. She was a designer and ran her own boutique lingerie shop to sell her creations. My baby sister, a business owner.
Hard to believe she was the same little girl who used to cry every time I shifted. It had been a running family joke that she, a wolf shifter, had been afraid of wolves. There she was, standing on her front verandah, looking just as much a grown woman as any I’d ever seen. It made my chest ache to see little Charlie all grown up. I’d been gone for so much of her life. I’d missed so much—with all the family members.
I parked, jumped out of the truck, and ran up to scoop her into a big hug. “Hey, baby sis.”
She laughed and squeaked when I hugged her too hard. “Hey, big bro.”
I held her at arm’s length and took another appraising look at her. “Do I see crow’s feet and gray hair?”
She scowled. “Your jokes are still lame.”
“Probably.” I looked around at the verandah we were standing on and whistled. “You’ve got some fancy digs here, Charlotte.”
She growled. “Call me Charlotte again, and I’ll castrate you in your sleep.” She couldn’t hide her smile, though. She linked her arm through mine. “Come look around. I got this place for a steal and fixed it up. I’m in love with it.”
As Charlie led me on a tour of the place, I was amazed by her impeccable taste. Her house could have been featured in a magazine, and it smelled like cookies. For such a stately and impressive place, it was warm and friendly—just like her. The more I saw of it, the prouder I was of her.
“This is amazing, Charlie.”
She beamed. “I know.”
I laughed and squeezed her against my side. “Still humble, I see?”
“Humility is not my thing.” I followed her into a huge kitchen where she pulled a platter of sandwiches out of the fridge. “So, you’re out for good now? Done? Ready for civilian life?”
I didn’t want t
o get into that conversation yet. Nothing about my life was set in stone, and frankly, I was having doubts. “That’s what they tell me.”
“Great! Have you decided what your next move will be? I know Mama and Daddy are in Georgia, but I think you’d really like it here.”
“Charlie. It’s been five minutes since I got here. How are you already planning my life for me? Some hyper-control freaks never change, do they?”
“I want my big brother closer. Is that so bad? Be flattered. Plus, I know you don’t actually want to live that close to Mama and Daddy. Am I wrong?”
She wasn’t wrong. “I don’t know what I’m doing yet. Honestly. As soon as I do, you’ll be the first to receive the memo.”
“Well, if you decide you want to stay here, I know the perfect woman for you. You’d love her.”
“You’re turning into Mama Jean.” I stuffed half a sandwich into my mouth in one bite. Seems no one could handle the fact that I hadn’t settled down.
“That’s fucking rude. I’m not turning into Mama. I just have this model friend from Smith who’s single and she’s a wolf and she’s beautiful and she’s genuinely nice.”
“Breathe, Charlie.”
She grinned from ear to ear. “I’m really excited to have you here, Holt. I’ve missed you. It’s no fun being worried about you all the time.”
Wolf Soldier Page 1
