by Alisa Woods
“A man knows when he’s been cursed.” Jared’s gruff voice carried over the suddenly quiet crowd. “And he knows when he’s found his mate.” He edged around Jace to face Olivia. Jared was a mountain of a man, even larger than Jaxson, and Olivia was proud she didn’t cower under his intense gaze.
He smiled a little for her, but his booming words were for Jace and the rest of the crowd. “Any woman who saves a brother of mine, much less wins his heart, is a sister to me.” Then he reached his muscular arms around her and swept her into a hug.
Olivia had stayed quiet through all of Jaxson’s speech, but a squeak escaped her as she was squeezed between Jared’s massive, rock-hard chest and his bands-of-iron arms. He released her quickly, but the bashful smile on his face warmed her heart and pushed tears up to her eyes.
She didn’t know what to say, but she was spared having to figure it out by the shifters in the crowd. One by one, they were changing… they were shifting to their wolf forms and bowing their heads to the floor, tails tucked behind.
Jaxson stood, watching them, his mouth open.
“What’s happening?” Olivia whispered to Jared, who was nodding his approval at them.
“They’re submitting to him,” he said, like he expected this all along. “Renewing their pledge to him as their alpha.”
They are? Olivia watched in amazement as every single wolf in the room, even the Wildings in the corner, shifted and fell into the submission pose. Then Jared and his mother shifted as well. Only Jace and Jaxson were left standing in human form next to Olivia.
“It’s all right, Jace,” Jaxson said with a small smile. “You’ll always be my brother, pledge or no.”
Jace’s face was a picture of torment. “I wish you had told me,” he said, voice rough. “I’m your brother. I could have helped you carry that burden.”
Jaxson reached for him with both hands, holding tight onto his shoulders. “Jace, you had enough burdens of your own. You didn’t need to carry mine.”
Jace’s expression twisted further, like he was trying to hold some emotion inside, then he grabbed Jaxson into a fierce hug. Jaxson held onto him just as hard. When they broke apart, Jace held his brother’s gaze for a long moment… then he knelt at his brother’s feet and bowed his head. But he stayed in his human form.
Olivia wasn’t sure what that meant—but at least he wasn’t objecting anymore.
Jaxson quickly shifted to his wolf form, like the others, only he stood tall, ears perked, tail held high. His shiny black fur bristled out like a wave of static electricity had charged it. And then the strangest thing happened… Olivia felt it too. An echo of the magic that was charging Jaxson’s wolf form swept through her, head to toe, and back again. It warmed every part of her, lifted her, made her feel… loved. Like she belonged. At home.
It was the most amazing, wondrous feeling, she couldn’t keep the tears from coursing down her face.
Then one of the wolves yipped, and in one flow of fur and movement, they charged out of the great room, brushing against Olivia and Jaxson, still in his wolf form, as they went. While they cleared out, Jace rose from his spot in front of Jaxson and turned to Olivia.
“Of the three brothers,” Jace said, his voice still rough with emotion, “you healed the one who deserved it the most.” He swallowed, then added quietly. “Thank you for that.”
Olivia smiled through her tears but didn’t trust herself to say anything.
Jace ducked his head and loped out the front door, after the rest of his pack.
By the time she looked back to Jaxson, he had shifted to human form… only he was crouched on the floor, searching through the pile of clothes he left behind when he shifted.
He was truly a gorgeous man. Shifter enhanced muscles rippled over every inch of his body. It was marked with all the scars of the battles he’d endured… and she looked forward to exploring each and every one with her fingers and her kiss. Somehow the impossible had happened—she had embraced her witching side, she had gorgeous man who wanted her, and most miraculous of all, she had been accepted into a brand new, boisterous family of some of the finest people she’d ever known.
Jaxson finally stopped fussing with his clothes and stood up before her, completely naked. Olivia let her gaze travel the length of his ridiculously hot body. From the tattoo across his chest—omni tempore, all the time—down to his growing erection. Which just made her mouth water with anticipation.
She forced herself to drag her eyes up to meet his. “Please tell me you’re dragging me off to the bridal suite.” Her body was still radiating magical warmth from the bonding he performed with his pack, but just looking at Jaxson’s sexy body was enough to heat every part of her.
He smirked. “Oh yes, Miss Lilyfield. But first, I have a question for you.”
“Whatever it is, the answer is yes, please God, yes.”
He laughed, and that smile on his face was worth everything in the world to her. It mattered in a way nothing else ever had.
“You might want to hear the question first.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Details.”
The smile was broad on his face as he stepped closer. Then he dropped to one knee and produced something shiny and small from behind his back. It took her a moment to realize it was a ring—silver twisted into the shape of claws holding a deep blue sapphire.
Her eyes went wide. Was he—
“Olivia Lilyfield, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She gasped. Her hands flew to cover her mouth. They trembled against her face. She was already bound by magic to him. He had already made her his mate. But for some reason, lost in all the extraordinary magic, she never expected this simple, human magic to ever be hers.
A lump the size of a baseball was stuck in her throat.
His grin was mischievous and loving and everything Jaxson. “You promised to say yes.”
Her hands flew away from her face. “Yes!” Then she threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him and shedding her tears across his skin.
He held her for a moment, then gently pulled her away and slipped the ring on her finger. “Now,” he said with a wicked sexy grin, “I’ll try to work on that yes, please God, yes part.”
Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her away toward the bridal suite. It seemed impossible, but Jaxson River wanted to love her senseless for the rest of her life. And this brave and beautiful man never stopped until he got what he wanted. She could hardly believe that thing was her... but she would do everything in her power to keep that smile on his face forever.
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JACE (Riverwise Private Security 2)
His wolf is out of control.
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Of Bards and Witches
London, The Year of Our Lord 1600
Leonidas is a dragon shifter, a century into his allotted five, and he’s entranced by Master Shakespeare’s theatre and the comely and lusty women of London’s bankside. But when he finds a witch in the practice of her art in clear view of the stage, he must act… for dragons are the keepers of the peace between the mortal and immortal realms. But never has duty been so sweetly sexy and delicious to the touch as a witch whose very skin sparks pleasure. He becomes lost in his bed, breaking his own cardinal rule—never seduce a woman for more than a night. As one pleasure-drenched night bleeds into the next, he runs afoul of a danger he ought already know… never cross a witch.
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Check out all of Alisa's bestselling Paranormal Romance...
READING ORDER
Dot Com Wolves
Claiming Mia (Book 1)
Saving Arianna (Book 2)
A Christmas Wish (Book 3)
Riverwise Private Security
Jaxson (Book 1)
Jace (Book 2)
Jared (Book 3)
Wilding Pack Wolves
Wild Game (Book 1)
Wild Love (Book 2)
Wild Heat (Book 3)
Wild One (Book 4)
Wild Fire (Book 5)
Wild Magic (Book 6)
Fallen Immortals
Kiss of a Dragon (Book 1)
Heart of a Dragon (Book 2)
Fire of a Dragon (Book 3)
Chosen by a Dragon (Book 4)
Seduced by a Dragon (Book 5)
Touched by a Dragon (Book 6)
Loved by a Dragon (Book 7)
Marked by a Dragon (Book 8)
Claimed by a Dragon (Book 9)
Of Bards and Witches: Leonidas's Story (Book 10)
Fallen Angels
Tajael (Book 1)
Oriel (Book 2)
Asa (Book 3)
Razael (Book 4)
Micah (Book 5)
Tempted: Tajael's Story (Book 6)
Kiss of an Angel: Cassiel's Story (Book 7)
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Alisa Woods lives in the Midwest with her husband and family, but her heart will always belong to the beaches and mountains where she grew up. She writes sexy paranormal romances about alpha men and the women who love them. She enjoys exploring the struggles we all have, where we resist—and succumb to—our most tempting vices as well as our greatest desires. She firmly believes that love triumphs over all.
All of Alisa's romances feature sexy alphas and the strong women who love them.
Alisa's website: www.AlisaWoodsAuthor.com
