Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Begged?” Calliope stared at me, waiting for the rest.
I sighed. “Okay, so I may have guilted her into it by telling her you and the pups would be devastated if she didn’t come to visit.”
Calliope continued to watch me in silence, and I scowled because she knew me well enough to know there was more.
“And I may have bribed her by telling her she could name our next child.”
My mate rolled her eyes and huffed. “Seriously, Tane?”
“What?” I adopted my most innocent expression.
“You know what,” she scolded, using her “mom” look that made anyone in its sights feel like a kid in trouble. “We have four kids. We aren’t having any more.”
I cleared my throat and looked anywhere except at my wife. “Yeah, about that…”
Calliope made a cute little growling sound and smacked me on the chest. “Tane!”
It was impossible to keep the grin off of my face. “You’re the one who dragged me into that closet…”
* * *
Trinity
“Aunt Trinity!!”
Four little people came running full-speed ahead and crashed into my legs, knocking me onto my ass. I burst out laughing as I had the stuffing squeezed out of me by my nieces and nephews.
“Okay, cubs. Let your aunt up before you crush her.” Tane gently pulled each kid off of me, then held out his hand to help me up. “Thanks for coming, Trin.”
“You own me, little brother,” I warned with narrowed eyes, giving him the same look that used to send him running when he was little. It hadn’t worked in years, and it didn’t work this time. But it was worth a shot.
Tane grinned and pulled me in for a hug, then a squeeze from my fabulous sister-in-law quickly followed. “Seriously, Trinity,” she said sweetly. “Thank you.”
I shrugged carelessly, but as they led me inside, I had to resist the urge to spin around and stick my tongue out at the stupid people of Timber Ridge.
What did Tane see in that place, anyway? He was a New Yorker, and his wife could be a superstar in the fashion industry. Yet, they chose to stay in this sleepy little town. It baffled me...even though it was kind of cute.
Stupid wolf town.
I stomped inside after them and pasted a smile on my face for the kiddos. I was ecstatic to see them and didn’t want them to think they had caused my foul mood. We all had dinner together, and once the kids were in bed, Tane, Calliope, and I sat at the table drinking and catching up.
“We won’t be far,” Calliope informed me when the subject of their trip came up. “So call if you need us.”
“But don’t need us,” Tane growled and threw me a warning glare that I responded to with a smirk.
A pounding on the front door drew our attention, and Tane shot out of his seat, muttering about motherfuckers waking up his babies.
“Where is she?” a low, menacing voice demanded.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Where. Is. She?”
Calliope’s eyebrows shot to her hairline, and we both hurried out to find out what was going on.
When we stepped into the foyer, my breath caught in my throat as I stared at the most beautiful man I’d ever seen in my entire life. And that was saying a lot since I lived in New York City.
The tall, muscular man went rigid, and his eyes flew to my face. I wasn’t sure what to make of him, but his intense stare caused heat to spread throughout my body. Oh, shit.
“I know you aren’t talking about my sister, Damon,” Tane snarled. “She’s just here watching the kids while Calliope and I take a brief trip. Then she’s leaving.”
“Like hell,” the Damon-guy snarled right back—not once taking his eye off of me.
“Who do you think you are?” I snapped. Despite my irritation, there was a breathlessness in my tone that really pissed me off. I wanted to be unaffected by him. This guy was clearly part of Tane’s pack. One of the traitors that convinced my brother to live far away, so I barely saw my sweet sister-in-law and adorable nieces and nephews.
He took a step forward, and I felt the burning in his gaze down to my soul. “Your mate.”
Special Scene
Luke
“Here, take Alena for a minute.” The request came a split-second before the newborn was thrust at me. As a wolf shifter who was moving up the hierarchy of our pack, there wasn’t much that scared me. But I wasn’t too proud to admit that being responsible for the tiny baby in my arms was daunting.
Our pack had gone eight years without any cubs being born, but once Zeke had gotten Allegra pregnant, it was as though a seal had been broken. Kace and Larissa had only been a few weeks behind them. Then Tane had knocked Calliope up as soon as she’d achieved her dream of a New York fashion show—a feat his mom and sisters had pulled off in almost no time at all once they’d learned Calliope’s dream was the only thing holding them back from having a child, too. Since our alpha, beta, and third in charge mated with three best friends in quick succession, it wasn’t too much of a surprise when their women ended up pregnant together.