Stolen Mate Page 14
Jarred’s mouth dropped open. “Marcus? He’s…” His words froze in his mouth as he saw...really saw what was right before him.
“He loves her,” I said. “It’s been slow to come. Marcus would never want to dishonor our father’s memory. They’re a good match. Not fated mates. It’s a quieter love they share, I think. But, they’ll be good for each other. Good for the pack. Asher needs a mother. Pat needs more than just taking care of all of us. Marcus deserves to be happy. They’re just waiting for you. As Alpha, it’s up to you to sanction the match.”
“The match...but...she’s...he’s…”
“Old?” I laughed. “Pat’s just forty. And speaking of Sarah, you might want to talk to her.”
Jarred threw his head back. “Don’t tell me she’s had a vision about this too.”
“She has, brother dear. She was right about Clint. She was right about you and Camilla. She’s right about Pat too. She told me she sees Pat with a child. A son. Marcus’s son. She’s not too old, but this might be her last chance to have a child of her own.”
Jarred shot out of the swing. He started pacing in front of me, wiping his hand over his chin. “Marcus already has a son. Asher’s going to grow up to be an Alpha. You don’t think that’ll cause friction down the line if he’s got a half-brother?”
“Well, you have a twin sister. Things have been smooth as silk, don’t you think?” He dropped his jaw, then turned red as he saw me holding back a laugh.
He threw up his hands. “I can’t win. You all outnumber me.”
I rose to meet him. I put my hands firmly on Jarred’s shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. “Relax, you can’t see everything. But so far, you’ve done our father proud.”
Jarred’s jaw twitched. He knew what it took for me to say that. I meant every word of it and he knew that too. He pulled me into an embrace.
“You win,” he said. “You always win. I’ll talk to Marcus this evening. So, when are you leaving?”
“At the end of the summer,” I said. “Three months. It’ll give us a chance to get settled into our new home. Clint’s already been hired to a crew. He won’t start until next season, but it will give us time to find or build a house and get our feet under us. And it’ll give us time to just be alone as a family.”
I looped my arm around my brother and we looked toward the woods. Clint was there, holding our son against his shoulder. He caught my eyes and knew things were settled. He raised his hand in a wave then started toward the house.
“I love you,” I said to Jarred. “And we’ve got more good things in front of us now than hard ones, brother dear. Trust me.”
He sighed. “I do. God help us all, I do.”
When Clint joined us on the porch, Jarred reached out to shake his hand. Clint handed Will to me and the two of them tore off toward the woods. They would hunt together. Two Alphas. Brothers now in their own right.
Later, when the full moon rose, Clint came to me. He knew just where to find me. I’d left Will sleeping in his crib with Pat and Harold nearby.
I sat on the rocky ledge with my toes in the water. Clint came up behind me, settling against me as he wrapped his arms around me. Fresh from his hunt, I inhaled his scent. He smelled of the woods, mixed with his own manly smell. I could get drunk from it.
“How did it go?” I asked. “I half worried my brother might find some way to murder you.” I meant it as a joke and Clint laughed.
“I suppose I would have considered it in his place. But no, I think he knew this was coming all along.”
“Me too,” I said. I leaned back, craning my neck so I could kiss him. Clint’s fingers played along my arms, sending a shiver of pleasure through me. Soon, I would let him claim me again like he’d done the first night. We’d had so little time alone together since Will was born.
“I love you,” he said. “And I know what you’re giving up, leaving this place.”
“My place is with you,” I said. “Never doubt that. And this is the place where I grew up. It’s not my home. Not anymore. I think I’ve known that all along. I was just waiting for you to come along and show me.”
“My home is with you,” he said. “If you don’t want to leave your brother, or Wild Lake, you know I’ll stay with or follow you to the ends of the earth.”
I smiled up at him. Stay or go, that had been the decision we’d pondered for months now. But it was one I’d already made. I could have claimed Peter’s pack lands. It was my right. For a moment, I almost took it. But, a different truth burned through me. I saw it shining clearly in Clint’s gold-green eyes.
“My love,” I whispered. “Our future is north, in the Yukon. I loved my father with all my heart. But, my mother’s people are part of me too. It’s time I got to know them. It’s time we built something of our own. Wild Lake Outfitters will sustain these packs for generations, but it’s my brother’s dream. My father’s before that. I want something different. Something that’s mine. Ours. I feel the pull to the Yukon. And so do you.”
He let out a little growl that shuddered through me. “Yes. I do. I’m going to build you a house like nothing you’ve ever seen. On a lake, just like this one. But ours.”
And he would. Maybe Sarah had rubbed off on me a little, but I could see our future shining before us. It glittered like gold. I moved until I straddled Clint’s lap. His hands came up and he pulled me into a kiss that curled my toes. His body stirred mine. His tiger. My wolf. A perfect fit.
My heart was full of love and endless possibilities as the moon chased the sun and my mate, my tiger, let out a roar.
THE END
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Following in his father’s footsteps, hunky Alpha wolf, Tucker McGraw’s all grown up and ready to mate! Get ready for Claimed by the Pack a smoldering, deeply erotic paranormal romance series that’ll melt your ereader.
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You can catch up with Lucia and Clint’s weretiger son, Will in Book Four of my Dragonkeepers Series. Get started with Book One, Kissed by Fire.
A Note from Kimber White
Thank you so much for following Lucia and Clint’s story with me. If you’re new to my Wild Lake shifters, you can pick up Tucker’s story in the Claimed by the Pack Series. Though all my books are standalones, the chronological reading order of the Wild Lake Books is as follows:
Wild Hearts
Stolen Mate
Claimed by the Pack
Rogue Alpha
Dark Wolf
Primal Heat
Savage Moon
Hunter’s Heart
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See you on the wild side!
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Kimber
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KimberWhite.com
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Books by Kimber White
Wild Lake Wolves Series
Rogue Alpha
Dark Wolf
Primal Heat
Savage Moon
Hunter’s Heart
* * *
Wild Lake Origins (Prequel Novels)
Wild Hearts
Stolen Mate
* * *
Claimed by the Pack Series
The Alpha’s Mark
Sweet Submission
Rising Heat
Pack Wars
Choosing an Alpha
The Complete Series Box Set
* * *
Mammoth Forest Wolves Series
Liam
Mac
Gunnar
Payne
Jagger
* * *
Wild Ridge Bears Series
Lord of the Bears
Outlaw of the Bears
Rebel of the Bears
Curse of the Bears
Last of the Bears
* * *
Dragonkeepers Series
Kissed by Fire
Tempted by Fire
Marked by Fire
Claimed by Fire
Freed by Fire