Chapter 9 Io Hemming

Io

The sun was starting to set when I arrived at the large home of the Wrights. Winston Wright, proud owner of The Wright Savings Bank, had invited me to his home for his wife's Harvest Moon Thanksgiving party. I decided it was the least I could do since Winston had just invested a large amount of money into my business.

Winston Wright was a savvy investor. He earned his first several millions by investing in upcoming tech companies which are currently worth billions. He bought some foreclosed property around the ski slopes in the mountain and turned it into one of the best ski resorts here in Whitefish, Montana. Finally, he inherited a chain of banks from a very wealthy old friend, who named him his heir, for his friend had no children of his own. Winston Wright has doubled even tripled the bank's revenue since he took over. He is very successful and one lucky man. He has never lost money from an investment.

I met Winston Wright at one of my family's fundraisers. He had tracked my family down when one of my bottles of red wine had mysteriously reached his office. He loved the fruity bouquet of the wine and wanted to invest in my product. He gave me his business card and told me if I become interested in his proposal to come visit him in Montana. I had heard of him before, but I did not know how successful he was. He was a very quiet man, did not like publicity much and enjoyed living a simple life with his wife and his only daughter.

His wife I heard had a small restaurant in town. She loved to cook and although it was a modest bistro, it was always packed with tourists who loved her food. Winston Wright had told me if I wanted to try his wife's food, I should come. I wouldn't be sorry.

Their house was located at the end of a gated subdivision perched near a cliff where they had the majestic view of the mountains. I gazed out at the horizon and let out a sigh, admiring the beautiful colors of the sky. I would love to buy property here, but it would be a waste of money. I didn't have the time to come here nor any reason to visit.

The door of the house opens and Winston Wright comes out wearing a simple gray polo shirt, khaki slacks and brown shoes. I looked down at what I was wearing. It seems I'm a bit overdressed for this party. I take off my suit jacket and tie and gave it to my Beta, Marcus, who was standing behind me.

"Io Hemming, thank you for coming. We usually do this every year with a small group of family and friends, well, because mainly it's my daughter's birthday. She turns 18 today. But you know how these college kids think. At 18, they're too old for parties." He extends his hand towards me and I grab it and shake his hand.

"I understand. Wow! 18. She's an adult now." Winston smiles obviously proud of his daughter.

"Kids, they grow up so fast. Come on inside. Let's have a few drinks before we start dinner. Your friend can come too." I look at my Beta and nod my head. Marcus places my jacket and tie inside the car so he could follow us inside.

"Mr. Wright, this is my assistant, Marcus." Marcus bows at Winston and Winston makes a small bow back, not knowing how to respond to the gesture.

"Winston, call me Winston. Come on. The view is better at the back." Winston Wright puts his arm around my shoulders and guides me to the entrance of their home.

When the door opened, I was welcomed with the sweet aroma of delicious food. I heard my stomach grumble. I wasn't able to grab a snack before coming here. I was busy trying get the number of the beautiful brunette I saw walking down the street across my hotel.

"Hungry? I hope you are. My wife and her team of chefs are cooking so much food."

We pass through a hallway that had many pictures of the family hanging on the wall. I pause to look at the photo hanging at the end of the hall. It was a graduation photo of their daughter. I was surprised to see that she was very beautiful, even more beautiful than the woman I wasted time on just to get her number.

She had long golden blonde hair and nice sun-kissed skin. She had high cheekbones, a small cute nose and a little dimple in her chin. And her eyes...oh my Goddess, those eyes. It was like she was looking right through me. Her eyes reminded me of the color of sweet honey.

"That's my Kiaria. She has definitely grown up to be a beauty." Winston turned around to see why I had stopped.

"She is very beautiful. You must be very proud." I smile at Winston. He was now my new bestfriend.

"Very. She applied to UCLA and was accepted, but her mother threw a fit. So, she's going to university here in Montana. I have a very overprotective wife." Strike that. I should start courting the mother instead. Winston motions to us to follow him to the back of the house.

It was so cozy at the backyard. A pergola roofed the long patio and its furniture. A fireplace with a TV stood on one side near the bar. There was a pool to the side of the property beside what looked like a small guesthouse. Of course, there was that view. It was spectacular.

There were a few guests already lounging around, busy staring out into the horizon. I wanted to do that too.

Marcus handed me a glass of scotch and we took our seats fronting the horizon. Winston put a platter of appetizers infront of us. I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to have something to eat. I wolfed down some of the appetizers to stop the grumbling in my tummy.

All of a sudden, the most intoxicating scent that I have ever smelled in my whole life, hit me like truck, that I almost choked on the prosciutto I was eating. My wolf started running around like he was insane. I felt myself hardened from the blissful aroma of pumpkin pie and lavender.

The scent... it was wolf. There's another wolf here?

I stood up, trying to sniff out where the delicious scent was coming from. My Beta, bewildered with my sudden behavior, was about to stand up, but I motioned to him to sit down. I will get to the bottom of this.

I walk up to Winston, who was talking to some guests, and I tap him on his shoulder, "Sorry Winston, but may you direct me to your restroom."

"Sure. It's inside. Turn right at the corner. Bathroom is at the end."

"Thank you." I pat his arm.

I walked inside, but instead of going to the bathroom, I quickly searched for the origin of the scent. It was stronger here. I felt my whole body aching in anticipation. I needed to find whoever had that scent or I will go insane!

Suddenly, the side door of the kitchen opens and out comes a tall, young woman with golden blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun. She was wearing black skinny jeans, a simple white tank top that showed a bit of cleavage and boots. She was carrying a tray of what looked like sushi and sashimi with a small bowl of Kikkoman. She bumps into me and some of the soy sauce spills and drips on my shirt.

"Oh my God! I am so sorry!" She reaches out with some napkins and tries to wipe off the soy sauce while holding the tray of sushi and sashimi. I caught her scent as she reached towards me. The intoxicating sweet scent was coming from her. Oh my Goddess. This woman is wolf!

"That's okay. I have an extra shirt in my car." I unbutton my shirt and take it off. "You okay?"

She looks up into my eyes for the first time and I hear my wolf growl, "Mate!"

"I'm sorry what?" She looked flabbergasted and it felt the question wasn't for me. I answer her anyway.

"I asked you, my little she-wolf, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She laughed nervously. "Just clumsy. And who are you calling wolf?" She had a confused expression on her face and she was trying to avert her eyes away from my chest. I could see her cheeks had grown red. She was blushing! How adorable!

"You, you are wolf, yes? And you are my mate. My fated mate. I have been looking for you for years." The Goddess has blessed me! I have finally found my fated mate. No more whoring, no more restless nights. I have found the one she-wolf who completes me.

"I'm sorry. I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm Kiaria Wright. And you are?"

"Shirtless. How about you come with me to my car so I could change? It's the least you can do." She was Winston Wright's daughter? But Winston was human. Could the Asian mother be possibly wolf?

"Ah okay. Can we just serve this first?" Kiaria walks around me to their backyard. I follow her. Now I know she is my fated mate, I won't let her out of my sight.

"Dad, I bumped into one of your guests and got soy sauce all over him. He asked me to walk him to his car so he could change his shirt." Kiaria hands him the tray and points her thumb in my direction without even looking at me.

"Oh, honey, you spilled soy sauce on Io Hemming?" Winston looked at me standing half naked and started laughing.

"Io? Like Jupiter's moon? That's a cool name." Obviously she hasn't heard of me before. I felt crushed. "If Mom needs me, tell her I made a mess." She kisses Winston on his cheek and I felt jealous. I wanted her to kiss me too.

"Io, come on. Let's get that shirt of yours before you catch a cold." She grabs my arms and turns me around to go back inside the house so we could go to my car. I felt a jolt of electricity run through my arm from where she touched me. I felt myself go hard.

We walked through the house to get to the driveway. Her scent was making me go giddy.

"Which car is yours?" She asked impatiently. My little she-wolf apparently was playing hard to get.

"That one." I pointed to the Tesla.

"Oh nice. A Tesla. Can I have a look inside?" I heard the enthusiasm in her voice. She liked cars.

"Sure." I pressed my car key and the doors opened. She slid inside the driver's seat and held the steering wheel. Oh yes, get your scent all over my car, Kiaria. I am not letting anyone clean this car. "You like it?" I poke my head inside, my face just inches from hers. I sniff again. I couldn't get enough of her. I reach over to press a button on the tablet to open the glove compartment for a fresh shirt. She moved away obviously irritated I was flirting with her.

"Yeah, it's a beautiful car." She caressed the passenger seat beside her and let out a small sigh. "Too bad I can't afford it."

"What? Your dad is filthy rich and you can't afford a car like this?" This heiress thinks she's poor? I shake my head and put on my shirt. I guess they wanted Kiaria to learn the value of money. I can respect that.

"That's my dad's money. I'm not a successful businessman, he is." Typical "they're rich, not me" syndrome.

"It's your birthday right?" Kiaria's eyes widened, surprised.

"How did you know? Oh yeah, my dad told you." Now that I had a shirt on, she was looking up at me. I wanted her to look up at me like that, but with need in her eyes.

"How about I give you this car as a birthday present?" She laughed, but she wasn't amused. She got out of the car and stood up infront of me, so close, her breasts were brushing against my chest. She instinctively backed up against the car, trying to put some space between us.

"It's a prank right? You're pranking me?" I inched closer to her, almost pinning her to the car. I raised her chin so she could look into my eyes.

"No, my little she-wolf. As I just said, you are my mate. What is mine, is yours. I, my little she-wolf...I am yours...forever."