STANLEY POV The pungent scent of female arousal is giving me a migraine. The smell of my medium rare steak isn't even strong enough to save me from the two females in front of me. "So, the two of you are both Alpha offspring," the redhead asks, eyeing me hungrily. I nod and take a bite of my mashed potatoes. I want to growl at her and the female sitting next to her, but I know our pack cannot afford an enemy of this size. I have to maintain a facade of professionalism. Besides the other females have been very polite, and they don't deserve to have their dinner disrupted. "Yes. Our father is an Alpha, and our brother is an Alpha. Stan and I are a part of our brother's pack, but we don't have any plans of becoming Alphas," Finley says almost sternly, and I fight my smirk by taking a sip of my beer. "What a shame. Being Alpha should be the goal of every wolf—especially wolves with Alpha bloodlines running through their veins. Your power and stamina need to be used," the br
TABITHA POV Brown hair, brown eyes, slim and petite. Her coloring and personality are as warm as the sun, but give you the feeling of fall. She isn't 5' 10" blonde with blue eyes and a full figure. She is everything I'm not actually. Everything that I can't be and my mate loves her. "Tabitha," Sam says loudly, cutting into my staring. My eyes snap to her perplexed face, and I swallow as my emotions continue to rage. "Sorry. I was lost in thought," I say with a fake chuckle. Her eyebrows furrow and I swallow nervously. "I'll say, you were growling under your breath. Are you okay," Samantha asks, and my eyes widen for a split second. I didn't realize I was making a noise, but it makes sense. My emotions are out of control at the moment and I haven't even confirmed if my mate is indeed Stanley. Samantha glances at Lauren, who is holding her son and speaking to her mate by the barn, before looking at me strangely. "Are you upset with Lauren about something," Sam asks
STANLEY POV The smell of Wyoming is better than the rest of the United States. It isn't heavily polluted or tainted by large human populations like Florida and California. It's clean and fresh smelling. The air is practically crisp here. "I'm glad you still know how to use those facial muscles," Fin teases as he flicks his eyes between the road and my face. I smile harder in response. Not even my little brother's ribbing can dampen this day for me. I have spent the past few weeks being tortured by him, and I am finally home free. None of the slobbering females in heat at the various packs we visited were my mate, thank the skies, and I never smelled her when Fin made us walk through densely populated human cities. I will miss my pack here, but moving North is the only solution. My love for Lauren hasn't dimmed even a millimeter, and I know it never will. I just need to vacate the area and move on with my life. I will still be my brother's lawyer, and I can handle all the al
STANLEY POV I stumble into my desk, trying to find the light switch in the dark, and my hand lands on my receipt spike stick. "Fuck," I yell as the hard metal pierces my palm. Pain and anger radiate through me as I finally find the switch. I flip it on and inspect my hand with a scowl. I have a blinding headache, a stomach full of booze, and a hand with a healing hole in it. My life is one huge pile of dung. "STANLEY," Lauren's shrill voice calls from the reception area, and I groan. I didn't realize she was already here for the day. I hear her footsteps approach, so I run my hand through my grimey hair so I look not so disheveled, but I know the gesture is useless. I haven't showered since the day I saw my mate. "Stan," Lauren says as she opens my office door and comes in like she owns the place. "Yeah," I grumble, and she sighs as she looks me over. "Stanley, when is this going to stop? Just go talk to her," she says in an annoyed voice that makes my wolf
STANLEY POV "Finally coming home," Samantha snaps as soon as my car door closes. I glance at Dan, and he avoids looking at me as he heads start for his mate. I meet her eyes again, but only for a second. Her dominance feels as if it has tripled since becoming pregnant, or maybe she is just that mad. I drop my head to show submission. "I just needed some alone time," I answer before peeking up at her. Her green eyes begin to blaze, and her hands drop as she begins to march my way with murder written across her features. Fear twists my stomach as my Luna approaches me, and Dan just stands there on the porch looking patient. I'm so busy looking at my brother, hoping for backup, I hardly see her hand as it cuts through the air and cracks across my cheek. I stumble and grab my face. I keep my yes downcast and fight back the growl itching to erupt from my chest. "I can not believe you, Stanley Gray. I had faith in the mate bond! I thought once you met her, all would fix its
ANDREW POV I clear my throat as I wipe my sweaty hands on my pants again.My face looks aged and weathered. I'm not a young buck anymore, and I already miss my beard. It was like a security blanket, but since my date is a shifter, I shaved. I didn't want her smelling last week's food on my face. All in all, I am a poor excuse for a blind date. I sigh and shake my head as my eyes drop away from my reflection.Restless nerves are killing me. I can't believe I let Samantha talk me into going on a date. I married Margaret right out of high school. Dating is as foreign to me as being a widow. A widow...A man with no family. No children. I sigh again as the all-too-familiar pain fills my chest. My family is gone. Dead. My own son destroyed everything I had in this life, including himself. I used to be a proud man. I was a successful man who thought he was raising a family built on wholesome values. I had a multimillion-dollar company, and my name was respected. Now...I'm starting ov
TABITHA POV Hope, fear, embarrassment, and surprise all seem to course through my body simultaneously as the four of us stand frozen.Andrew's eyes are on my mom, and Stanley's are on me. Mom is staring at Andrew, and I am practically drilling holes into Stanley. It is a stare-stand-off. Each one of us is trapped and eager. Even the air is being quiet in anticipation of what is going to happen next.As my hope grows, I look my mate over closer. I try to see past the suit and clean face, but what I find disappoints me.His face looks thinner than it was a week ago but other than that, I don't see a difference. I, on the other hand, look awful. I know my hair and clothes are dirty. My face is puffy and red since I was just crying. All in all, it's an awful time to be hoping he is here to beg for me, but my heart and inner beast won't quiet down. My brain is the only thing holding onto sense at this point. "Hi, I'm Andrew. I am new to the shifter world, but I believe being your ma
STANLEY POV "Stan," someone whispers, and my dream of lying in a field of roses ends. I groggily open my eyes, and my arms tighten around something warm. "Stanley," the whispering voice says again, and I grin as the melody practically caresses my ears. "Stan, we fell asleep," Tabitha says as my senses finally awaken. My eyesight clears, and my grin turns into a megawatt smile. "Best sleep I have ever had," I reply, and she chuckles while attempting to unwrap my arms. I shake my head and pull her closer. "I haven't slept good since you ran off last week. Give me a few more minutes," I mumble, and she begins to poke my stomach with her long graceful fingers. "Excuse you! I haven't slept either...but right now, I have to pee, and you are making it difficult to get out of bed," she grumbles, and I groan unhappily as I release her. "Fine, but as far as makeups go, this went better than I envisioned," I reply to gauge her reaction. She shoots me a smile, and relie