Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
They stood under the water, his arms around her and her head resting on his chest, more content, more satisfied than she had ever felt, and she realized at that precise moment that she loved him, and she didn’t want to ever leave him.
“Are you all right, Olivia?” he asked, concerned.
She looked up at him and smiled. “Better than I have ever been.”
He returned her smile. “That is good to hear since I feel the same. Now let’s get out of here before the water cools.”
Tiernan got done quicker than Olivia. “Take your time. I’ll go put the kettle on and make us some Scottish oatmeal for breakfast. There is nothing like it on a cold winter morning. Besides, it’s easy to make.”
It didn’t take her long to finish and she laughed softly when she entered the kitchen to the smell of burning toast.
“I was doing so good,” Tiernan said.
“I’ll see to the toast,” she offered, and he didn’t refuse.
“It stopped snowing,” he said when they were almost done with breakfast. “I thought you might like to go outside for a bit of fresh air today.”
“I would love that,” she said eagerly.
“You need to dress warmly. It’s cold out there.”
“Will I get to meet any of the wolves?”
“The wolves prefer the forest. You’ll find the werewolves lingering closer to the castle. You’ve already met two werewolves, besides me, Fay and Henry,” he reminded. “Or are you still finding it difficult to believe that you are amongst a pack of werewolves?”
“You have to admit that it’s a lot to digest, especially when science, research, and data is such a big part of my life.”
“Then you will be thrilled to visit my personal laboratory and view the research and data I’ve compiled through the years on my pack.”
“I am eager to see it. Can I see it today?” she asked, excited at the prospect.
“I’m afraid it will have to wait until a path can be cleared to it. The year-round crew has the snowplows ready and will start today, which means it will be done in a couple of days, if the snow doesn’t return.”
She asked a question that had been on her mind. “Do werewolves exist around the world?”
“Aye, they do. A group of us have made ourselves known to each other and share the data we’ve collected. There could possibly be more, but we are extremely careful about keeping our identity a secret, for fear of what might happen if we were discovered. We formed out of necessity when a few werewolves went rogue and created a potential problem. But that discussion is better left for another time. Let’s go and enjoy the snow. I’ll clean up here while you go get yourself bundled up.”
It didn’t take Olivia long to layer herself in warm clothes and slip on her winter boots and hurry back to the kitchen.
She wasn’t surprised that Tiernan wore no layers under his winter jacket, nor did he wear a hat, but he made sure to wrap a scarf around her neck.
“The snow is deep, but snowdrifts often leave a path on this side of the castle, so we should be able to get through,” he said.
Olivia smiled with glee as the gorgeous winter wonderland scene was revealed slowly as the garage door cranked open. “It’s beautiful.” She gasped when a red-haired wolf and brown-haired wolf skittered to a stop not far from the open garage door. They were beautiful.
Tiernan took her hand and walked out of the garage with her. “You know them.”
Olivia smiled and called out, “Fay. Henry.”
The red-haired wolf, who she assumed was Fay, ran right at her, and Tiernan went to step in front of Olivia, but she stopped him.
“I think something is wrong,” she said and saw she was right when Fay whined and turned her head toward her mate then back at Olivia. “Something is wrong with Henry.” When Fay took off, Olivia and Tiernan followed.
Henry approached them limping, Fay staying close to his side.
“He’s hurt,” Olivia said and was quick to drop down in front of him and run her hand down his leg and thankfully felt no break though that didn’t mean he hadn’t suffered one. “Your paw, Henry?” she asked, and he held it up to her. She probed the pad of his paw. “Sometimes the wolves where I worked would get something embedded in their paw and it would either work its way out or it would finally make itself known.” She examined his paw closely and, spotting nothing, she was about to release it when he yelped and growled at her.
Olivia fell on her backside when a vicious growl roared from behind her and Henry was quick to drop to the ground, his head down. Fay did the same.
Olivia looked up at Tiernan. “That wasn’t necessary. I must have hit the spot that is causing him pain.”