It wasn’t a question since the mark was visible, but she nodded.
“I’m so happy for you both.” Sue hugged her, but quickly released her and turned to Addie’s parents. “I’m so glad to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Fuller.”
“Call us Orin and Sharon.” He carefully took her hand and shook it. Addie was very aware that Elias had released Billy and gone to his mate’s side, leaving no doubt he’d maim anyone who threatened her.
Then her momma stepped forward. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Sue, being the gentle and beautiful woman she was, hooked her arm through Sharon’s and led her into the house. “Addie tells me you taught her to sew. You’ll have to see our quilting room. We make them and a variety of other goods to sell.”
Elias and her daddy followed the women, leaving her and Billy alone. Or as alone as they could be with a bunch of werewolves inside who could hear every word they said.
Billy held out his arm. “Ready?”
More than ready, she took his arm and they went inside.
****
Hours later, Billy stood with a beer in his hand and watched Addie smiling at something her mother said. Her parents seemed to be enjoying themselves. Gator had served up a feast, and the other women had donated almost a dozen side dishes to the cause. The entire pack wanted to celebrate his and Addie’s mating.
Now they’d spilled outside. There was coffee, beer, and lemonade. A variety of cookies and pies sat on a picnic table, as well as two chocolate cakes for anyone who wanted dessert.
Cole had even broken out his fiddle, something he only did on rare occasions, but he wasn’t the only one who’d played. Gator had given them a tune. Surprisingly, Addie’s father played, and quite well. After a half-dozen songs, he’d handed the instrument off to Amy. Cole’s daughter had inherited her father’s affinity for music.
Jacque came over to stand beside him. “Thanks for everything,” he told his alpha. “I truly appreciate the welcome you gave Addie’s folks. I know I probably should have asked you about the mating first.” He understood pack protocol.
Jacque thumped him on the back. “Anyone with eyes could see where you two were headed. If I’d had any objections, I would have left her with her pack.”
Because he was laid back, there was a tendency to forget sometimes just how lethal and dangerous Jacque LaForge was. But there was one thing Billy knew for certain—the man lived and breathed to protect his pack. And in his mind, that meant making them happy.
“Addie’s folks seem like good people,” he added.
“They do. She’s really close with them. Thanks again for allowing them to visit.”
“It’s not going to be easy for them in their own pack. Most people will accept that Ryan had to kill Simon. Some of them will blame Addie and her parents.” Jacque peered into the night sky that had risen over the clearing between the houses, shedding light on it.
“I figured as much.” And it worried him. If something happened to her folks, it might destroy her.
“Wouldn’t take long to put up a small house,” Jacque continued.
He took another pull on his beer, enjoying the taste. “Yeah, Addie and I figured we’d live with Mom and Dad for a bit, until they’re used to things. It’s a big place and soundproofed.”
“Elias already mentioned you’d talked to him about that over dinner. I wasn’t talking about you and Addie.” He tipped his head off to the left where Orin and Sharon were dancing together. Beside them, Reece swung Addie in a circle.
“You want Addie’s parents to live here?”
“Want is a strong word.”
He almost laughed. Jacque was well known for being wary of outsiders, but somehow the pack had grown over the years and would likely continue to do so. After all, the alpha’s sons would need mates someday.
“They’re good people. Addie would be more at ease and so would you.” He sniffed the air and homed in on his mate, who was currently dancing with Louis. “Talk to them. I’m going to dance with Gwen.”
Billy watched Jacque cut in. Louis laughed and grabbed his own mate. A sense of well-being came over him. This was all he’d ever wanted. Right here. When the song ended, he set his empty beer can on the table and headed toward Addie, who was talking with her parents.
“Let’s go back to the house.” He wanted to talk in private. Since her folks were staying with them, it was convenient all the way around.
“What’s wrong?” He hated the fear that immediately jumped into her eyes.
“Nothing.” He dropped a quick kiss on her sweet lips, very aware of her parents watching. “I thought you might like some quiet time with your folks.”
Addie’s father looked resigned, her mother nervous. Time was waning, and they were as worried about seeing her again as she was about seeing them.
“We should say goodnight,” Sharon began.
Billy shook his head. “Jacque knows we’re going.” He raised his hand and waved to the alpha, who nodded back. “We’re heading out,” he announced to everyone. “See you all tomorrow.” They all called out their goodnights and took the path back home.
It became quieter the farther away they got, but they could still hear the music when they stepped inside.
“What’s going on?” Orin demanded. “You were talking with Jacque just before we left.”
His father-in-law was a sharp man, but he wouldn’t have expected anything less, not considering the daughter he’d raised.
“Do we have to leave first thing tomorrow?” Sharon asked. She went to Addie’s side and hugged her, her expression one of resignation.
“It’s nothing like that.” Damn, he hated seeing the distress on both their faces. That hadn’t been his intention. “Just the opposite.”
“What did Jacque say?” Addie asked.
He went to his mate and pulled her into his arms. “He wants you to be happy. And he knows that won’t happen if you’re always worried about your folks.” He looked over her head at Orin, who had his arms protectively wrapped around Sharon.
“There’s land enough to build a small house,” he told his father-in-law. “Wouldn’t take long to put one up.”
Addie frowned. “I thought we were living with your folks for a few months, maybe forever. This is a big house.”
He playfully rubbed his nose against hers. “It’s big. But, honey, I don’t want to live with both my folks and my in-laws. I may be a wolf now, but that’s a little bit too much togetherness, even for me.”
Her jaw dropped. He laughed and pushed it closed with his forefinger. Her parents looked equally stunned.
“Jacque figures you’re good people. And he knows life in your pack might not be easy because of what happened.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Addie admitted. “Has anything happened?”
Orin shrugged. “Some of Simon’s family have made threats. One of Ryan’s sons is watching the house while we’re gone.”
That told Billy this was the right decision for all of them. “Will you do it? I know it’s a lot to ask of you to leave behind your home and move here.”
Orin shook his head and looked at his mate and his daughter. “It’s not hard at all. It’s what would make them both happy.” Both women squealed and hugged.
“How soon can you move?”
“We can head home tomorrow, pack everything we need, and be back by nightfall, the day after at the latest.”
“Will your alpha give you grief?” That was always a concern.
“I don’t think so,” Orin told him. “I think he’d be just as happy to have us gone. Things would settle down in the pack a lot quicker if Simon’s kin thought we’d been banished from the pack.”
“That’s not fair,” Addie protested.
Her father grinned and tweaked her nose. “Life isn’t always fair. But in this case, it is. Your momma and I can start a new life here. I’ll speak with Jacque in the morning. We don’t have much money, but I can hunt and fish and I’m goo
d with engines and such. Sharon is good at sewing and makes the best preserves you’ve ever tasted.”
“He’s not worried about that,” Billy assured him. “He knows you’ll contribute.”
“Well then. I think we should head to bed, Sharon. We need to rest since it will be a long day tomorrow.” Billy caught the twinkle in Orin’s eyes, knew he was heading to bed to give them time alone. If he hadn’t already liked his new father-in-law, that would have cemented it.
“Sounds like a wonderful idea.” Sharon kissed Billy on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. I wouldn’t have Addie without you.”
With her parents gone, he plucked Addie off her feet and carried her to their room. When the door was shut behind them, he gave a sigh of relief.
“Thank you.” She caught his head in her hands, chaining him with her gentle touch. “You’ve made me the happiest woman in the world.”
He walked to the bed before he released her. “That’s all I want.”
“I love you, Billy Gallagher. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you’re never sorry you mated me.”
A thrill went through him every time she said she loved him. “I could never be sorry.” He pulled off her tunic while she was busy unbuttoning his shirt.
She slipped her hands across his chest while he palmed her breasts. Her nipples were already puckered, sweet nubs just waiting to be tasted.
He leaned sideways, falling on the bed and pulling her with him. Her laughter filled the room and his heart.
He’d never dreamed when he’d walked into the woods that day, he’d find the woman who completed him. Nor could he ever have imagined he would be changed so fundamentally that he would become a wolf.
She wrapped her arms around him and nothing else mattered. Their lovemaking was gentle, but no less devastating to his senses.
When they finally caught their breath, they drifted off to sleep, entwined together.
Epilogue
Jacque stepped out onto the porch and carefully closed the door behind him. It was late and Gwen and his sons were asleep, but he knew he’d find the others waiting for him.
They were the original five members of the Salvation Pack.
Louis, his brother and best friend, sat on the steps. Cole, silent and steadfast, stood in the shadows. Gator reclined in a deck chair with his feet on the railing. Armand perched on the railing.
These men had left their home pack and set out with him all those years ago. When they’d left Louisiana and settled in Salvation, none of them could have ever dreamed what they’d build here.
They’d all fought for it. They’d killed those who’d threatened them and theirs and created something special. Any of these men could have been alphas of their own packs, but they’d chosen to follow him.
“Do you ever regret it?” he asked, knowing he didn’t have to explain. They’d been together for so long, they always knew what the other was thinking.
“Non.” Gator pushed to his feet. “Coming here was the best thing I ever did.”
He looked to his cousin, and Armand shook his head. “You know better than to ask.”
Cole didn’t even bother to stir from the shadows, and Louis stood and slapped him on the back. “I don’t want to be alpha. Too much damn work.”
Jacque knew that wasn’t true. Louis was more than capable of handling any and every thing that came his way.
“Do you think Addie’s parents will stay?” Cole asked. He finally walked forward into the area that was illuminated by the moon.
“I do. It will make things easier for all of them. You okay with that?” He probably should have discussed it with his friend before he’d given Billy the offer, but he knew in his heart how Cole would react.
“Cherise has said they’re good people.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Much as I want to, I can’t blame every member of her former pack for what happened to her.”
It was surprising that the two packs’ paths had crossed again after all these years. He believed in such things as fate. Billy and his Addie were meant to be.
“Thank you.” He couldn’t remember if he’d ever thanked any of them all those years ago. They’d given up their homes, their families, and their pack to follow him. Of course, except for Cole, none of them had been part of a close family. Hell, his father had tried to kill him, and more than once.
Louis came to him, leaned inward, and pressed his forehead against Jacque’s. He was strengthened by the acceptance and love flowing from his brother. “I’m going home to my mate. See you in the morning.”
They came forward, one by one, to silently offer their support. All of them had wives now. Some had children. They were truly blessed.
Him most of all.
The back door opened and Gwen stepped out. “Everything okay?”
After all these years, she still made his pulse pound and his lust rise. “Everything is perfect.” He lifted her off her feet and carried her back to their bedroom. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
Yes, everything was perfect.
They’d not only found a home in Salvation, but love and family.
Life didn’t get any better.
He said a prayer of thanks that his boys and Etienne were too young to be thinking about mates. And God help the males who came sniffing around the girls. But that was a worry for another day.
The End
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BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER
RESCUING RORY
Marks Mercenaries, 1
N.J. Walters
Copyright © 2019
Sample Chapter
“This is going to be a major clusterfuck. There’s no quiet way to do this.”
Even though his brother’s thoughts echoed his own, Kal Marks didn’t spare Garth so much as a glance. No, his gaze locked solidly on the woman currently dancing in one of the gilded cages that hung from the ceiling here in the largest club on the pleasure ship Exos. The flashing blue spotlight made her smooth white skin look the same color, giving her an exotic appearance.
Her long, blonde hair hung down her chest, covering her breasts, much to the dismay of the customers around her, and the skimpy thong barely covered her mound as she dipped and swayed to the pounding music. If anything, the tiny strip of cloth accentuated her nakedness, which was no doubt its purpose. She didn’t look at any of the patrons, keeping her eyes trained on the far wall.
“Are you listening to me?” Garth asked, practically yelling to be heard over the noise. Impatience tinged his voice.
Kal forced himself to turn away and focus on his brother. “I hear you, but we don’t have a choice.” They had to talk to the woman, the dancing vision.
“You sure the information is good?”
Now that was a question, wasn’t it? Digger wasn’t exactly known for his honesty, but he traded in information, and he knew the Marks brothers were always buying when it came to intel on the whereabouts of their missing sister. He also knew better than to lie to them.
“Digger is too scared of Flynn to risk feeding us bad info,” Kal pointed out. Flynn was the oldest of the four brothers, massively tall and mean as a snake. It was well known throughout the Alliance galaxies that the only people Flynn cared about were his brothers.
Cross one of the Marks brothers and you crossed them all.
“I still don’t like it,” Garth muttered.
“Noted.” Kal let his gaze drift over the room, observing the positions of all the guards. There were quite a few of them, as things could get rowdy on the Exos. In f
act, Kal was counting on just that.
The music pumping through the sound system was low and rhythmic. That, combined with the mostly naked women dancing around them, was designed to get men in the mood so they’d pay the money to visit the back rooms where women waited to service them. This far out in space the floating pleasure ship contained the only women many of these men would see for months.
Kal looked at his brother and noted his scowl. Garth’s thoughts mirrored his own. What if their sister were aboard a ship like this? Most of the women weren’t here by choice. Usually the brothers would never set foot on a ship like the Exos, but when it came to intel about their sister, they’d go straight into the bowels of hell itself.
“She’s got the tattoo Digger told us about.” Garth studied the dancer now, his gaze tracing the long length of her legs. Kal was filled with the sudden urge to punch his brother in the face.
He rolled his shoulders and forced himself to lean back in his chair and act as if he were enjoying the show. And it wasn’t much of an act. The woman wasn’t really dancing, more sensually undulating to a rhythm far different from the music filling the room. He caught his breath when her hair slid to the side, exposing one perfectly shaped plump breast for a split second before her hair covered it again.
Kal’s dick sprang to life, and he shifted to get more comfortable. No doubt about it, she was beautiful. There was something almost … innocent about her. Yeah, that was it. Impossible considering where she was. No one aboard this floating pleasure barge was innocent. Even if they started out that way, it didn’t last for long.
He fought to bring his body under control, feeling like a jerk for getting aroused. He knew a good percentage of the women here had been bought from slavers. His fingers tightened into fists. There was nothing he hated more than slavers. Those low-life bastards all deserved to be shot out into deep space without a protective suit.
Wolf in the Woods Page 23
