Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
When I get to the bakery I open my truck door and feel the wind on my back. I look up at the sky and see the clouds darkening with what looks like snow.
I’m about to step inside, when Dominic and his family walk out at the same time.
“Hey Flint. Ruby’s closing up early; looks like we might get some snow,” Dom says, putting the kids in the car.
“Forest was just in a few minutes ago and got a slew of treats,” Ruby offers up.
“Just wanted to drop these off to you, Dom,” I say, and hand over the paperwork he’d asked for.
“Thanks, I appreciate that. I needed to make it official so we’d be good if anyone asked. I’ll give you a call in the morning and we can work out a schedule,” he says, and waves goodbye as the family loads up and pulls away.
As they leave, the wind direction changes and I catch a hint of something. My wolf pushes to the front of my mind and all my senses are alight. It’s as if in one instant I’ve been struck by lightning. My jaw aches, my hands throb, and there’s a chill down my spine. I’ve never felt anything like it before, and though the scent is faint, the whisper of what it means is ingrained in my DNA. There is no mistaking what my wolf knows to be true, and in this instant, everything has changed.
I’ve found my mate.
Chapter 5
Finn
I’m closing the shutters on the windows outside as I hear Flint’s truck approaching. It’s coming faster than usual, but it’s probably because of the bad storm. My wolf can sense this is going to be bad. It’s come faster than any of us thought, and we have to scramble to get ready.
“I put away all the tools and closed up the barn,” Forest says as he walks out onto the porch. “Damn, it’s really coming down. Good thing Flint is back already.”
The moment Forest says the words, Flint’s truck comes barreling around the bend and Forest and I are immediately on red alert. We both go down the driveway as Flint comes to a stop and jumps out.
“I scented her!” he yells, before we can ask him what’s going on. “My mate. I caught the scent. We need to shift now.”
“We?” I ask, feeling both excited for Flint and disappointed for myself. It’s a big moment for him, though, so I push my own jealousy to the side. I’ll be happy for my brother and deal with my own sadness later.
“You should be tracking her before the snow gets too deep,” Forest says, quickly looking beyond Flint at the heavy snowfall.
I stare at Flint, though he looks just as confused as we do. He pushes on. “I don’t know why, but my wolf made me come back home first. I had to come back and get you guys. Maybe he knows something I don’t, but I have this pull inside me that I need you to be there.”
I begin to protest, but Flint puts his hands up in a prayer motion in front of his chest. “Please, please just listen to me. For whatever reason, I need you to come with me. Please.”
“We’ll come,” I agree quickly, and there is relief on his face.
Above all, we are brothers and we will do anything to help one another. There is time to worry later about what this will mean to the three of us, but for now we should hurry.
“The roads are going to be bad,” Forest says, pulling off his hoodie and kicking off his boots. “We should all go as our wolves.”
“Agreed,” I say, as we make our way out back, the three of us stripping off.
When we all shift and are ready to go. Flint leads the way, since he’s the one who caught the scent. He’ll know best what he’s looking for, but I’m not sure how we’re going to be able to track it in this weather.
Giant flakes of snow the size of golf balls are coming down in heaps. It’s as if the clouds have fallen over our small town and we are being covered. From what I can see through the thick trees, there’s already three feet of snow on some of the main roads. We run through the woods, sticking to the trails as we approach the back of the town bakery. For a moment I’m confused, but Flint creeps around to the front of the building slowly, keeping his legs low.
I’m worried that he’s going to get caught in his wolf form, but the storm is bad enough that any remaining tourists have long gone.
Forest and I stay back as he walks over to the parking area and does a few circles. His ears move and then he walks over to the small table and chairs under the awning of the shop. Those don’t have any snow on them and he moves over each one, scenting them.