Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
I desperately root through everything. I know he’ll try to push me away, so I guess I’m desperate to glean any information I can, so I’m equipped to fight back. But of course there’s nothing here that wasn’t here the last time I looked.
This time I also search his truck and find a new bed-in-a-bag set with two new pillows, so I’ve made the bed and put away the basic supplies that came from my store. It’s a good thing Dad’s mate and my awesome new stepsisters are working on a care package.
I’m pushing away the urge to daydream about the fun we could have with this Airstream. The places we could go. National parks around the country. Places with seemingly endless forests where we could shift and explore together. Beaches where we can fuck in the sand, watching the sunset. It’s a fantasy I could’ve felt might become reality if his wolf were a typical wolf. I don’t know much, but based on what I do know, it sounds like that’s a pipedream.
Still, I’m not disappointed in the mate Fate gave me. I’m disappointed with the way he obviously feels. Because it’s clear he’s lived alone out of fear. A wolf shifter shouldn’t fear his or her wolf. Our wolves protect us. An alpha should fear nothing but potential harm coming to those they love. But really, that’s what I’m pretty sure Jared fears. Exactly that, which is why he lives alone.
A car pulls up, and I flick the blinds open to see Ivy’s purple car.
I step out and both Ivy and Amie’s scents hit me. Their scents along with the remnants of Tyson and of Mason. Because these women smell like their men and both of them smell good. All our council alphas do. I should smell like my mate.
“We probably brought too much, and Mom forgot you were dealing with a camper fridge, so I brought an extra cooler and some ice,” Amie says, approaching. She puts her arms around me. “Congrats, babe.”
I snicker. “Yeah. Gee, thanks.”
“It’ll be okay,” Amie assures.
“Any updates?” Ivy asks, giving me a hug, too.
“He just woke up and promptly asked me to leave,” I tell them. “Not a lot like your mating stories so far, huh?”
They both shoot me looks of empathy.
Ivy opens her mouth about to speak and, I’m sure, offer me some sweet peptalk words, but I turn my head, catching the scents of Tyson and Mase.
“Guess who’s here?” I say.
“Uh oh,” Amie says, eyes pointed at the giant white wolf approaching. And here comes the giant black one, too.
They shift and both look tweaked.
“Amelia,” Mase growls. “What the fuck?”
Tyson walks over and scoops Ivy up into his arms, making her gasp. They make eye contact before he nuzzles her throat and whispers something in her ear.
Amie asks, “What the fuck what?”
“I told you we’d deliver the supplies. That it isn’t safe for you two to be here,” Mase tells her.
“We wouldn’t have gotten out of the car if it didn’t seem safe,” Amie argues. “Cicely came out and welcomed us, so…”
Mase gives Tyson a look.
Tyson rolls his eyes.
“Ty’s not mad,” Amie throws her hand out gesturing to him.
Tyson says, “I haven’t spoken to Ivy since all this happened, so she didn’t disobey a direct order from her mate like you did.”
“A direct order?” Amie repeats, eyebrows rising.
Tyson goes on, “But Mason spoke to you, and Ivy is with you, so she should also know better.”
Ivy smirks. Tyson raises his eyebrows at her expression.
“We’re fine, Ty,” Ivy says, rubbing his shoulder.
Amie looks affronted.
“Did your sister tell you how dangerous this could be?” Tyson asks her.
She wrinkles her nose. “Kinda sorta? Okay, yeah.”
Tyson’s gaze darkens and he takes a playful nip at her throat.
“If I didn’t make it clear,” Mase says, “This situation is way too volatile. We don’t know yet if the restraints will hold him so don’t show up here again. Cicely wouldn’t even be here if we could convince her to stay away.”
“Cicely would’ve alerted us if we weren’t safe to exit the car and look, we’re right beside the car so if anything went screwy, we could’ve jumped straight back in and driven off,” Amie asserts.
He stares at her.
She stares back.
He puts his hand on her tummy and caresses it. She’s not showing yet but he’s making a pretty poignant point.
Her expression changes and she softly says, “You’re heard, Doggo.”
Checkmate for Mase.
He kisses her neck and turns to me. “What’s happening with him now?”
I shake off a mini stupor at the sweet exchange. Am I going to have that?
Folks peg me as an alpha female tomboy, and it’s kind of true, but I’m also a girlie girl. One look inside my apartment and it’s pretty obvious I’m the tomboyest girlie girl around. I’m active, outgoing, and unafraid to speak my mind. I can drink many betas in our pack under the table and beat plenty of beta and alpha asses at poker and bowling. I’m almost always the first female chosen on unisex teams when we play pack sports. But I also like things to be pretty and tidy and I’m a sucker for sappy love stories.