Coming soon: a single dad small-town shifter romance!
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Happy New Year!
I hope you had a safe New Year’s Eve and that you aren’t paying for having too much fun. Hubby and I didn’t get too crazy. We were in bed before 11:00. I know, we’re a couple of party animals. lol.
I don’t have an official recap for 2024, but I’ll give you one in the next newsletter, along with what to expect in 2025.
Have a wonderful week!
Keep reading for an excerpt from My Brother’s Alpha Wolf, available January 29!
The smell of charred meat and the hum of excited voices filled the air as I stood on the back porch of my home, surveying the members of the Stock Creek Wolf Pack. They lounged in groups across my sprawling lawn, laughter rising above the crackle of the barbecue. The full moon hung low, a glowing orb that tugged at the very marrow of our bones, silently calling to the wolves within us.
"All right, everyone," I said through the chatter. "Let's bring it in."
They gathered around me, their faces illuminated by the flickering light of the fire pit. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, there was an undercurrent of anticipation. We didn't need the full moon to shift, but it sang to us all the same—a siren song for our kind.
"Before we head out," I said, "let's fill up on some good food. We've got a long night ahead and you can't eat all the bunnies in the forest."
They made their way to the tables lined with aluminum trays heaped with ribs, burgers, and sausages. The pack members piled their plates high, wolves being voracious eaters.
Our property stretched far and wide, the dense woods providing a natural barrier between us and the rest of the world. The inn, nestled just close enough to see the outline of its roof from where I stood, no longer posed a threat to our secrecy. Its owner, a human-turned-dragon-shifter, was well-versed in the existence of shifters since she'd mated to the alpha of the Beck Dragon Clan.
"Remember." I locked eyes with a few of the newer members, "we stay in human form until we're deep in the woods. They've got guests at the inn, and not all of them are privy to the wonders of our world."
Nods of understanding met my words. Discipline was key, and I trusted my pack to uphold our traditions with respect.
"Let's enjoy tonight." I allowed a smile to break through the sternness of my leadership. "We run together under the moon, as one pack, one family."
With that, I grabbed a plate for myself, content for the moment to simply be part of the thrumming life that surrounded me.
After everyone had their fill of amazing food, I stood before my pack, the glow of the firepit casting flickering shadows across their eager faces. "This month." My voice carried over the murmurs of conversation. Has been one of prosperity. No injuries, no sickness. We're strong and united." A chorus of cheers rose, and I raised my hand for silence. "Let's not forget to congratulate Mike on his college graduation." Applause broke out as Mike stepped forward, beaming with pride.
As the clapping died down, a subtle shift in the air tugged at my senses. My wolf stirred within me, nostrils flaring as it caught a scent that was all too appealing. I scanned the crowd, my gaze landing on a woman who stood apart from the rest. She was young, probably in her twenties, with long black hair that cascaded over her shoulders like a midnight waterfall. Her large brown eyes reflected the firelight, holding depths that could drown a man's soul.
Damn it. It had been too long since I'd felt this kind of pull, this primal attraction. I clenched my jaw, feeling the unwelcome heat rise. No, I couldn't afford to go down that road again. Losing my heart again was not an option. Plus, I had a teen daughter to look out for. I turned away, focusing back on the task at hand.
"All right, enough chit-chat," I said firmly. "Let's head into the woods. Remember, we don't shift until we're covered by the trees."
I pressed a kiss to Elle's head. "Keep an eye on the little ones."
She rolled her eyes. "I always do, Dad. It won't be long now, and I'll have my first shift."
I cupped her cheek. "I know. You'll be going out here with us." It was a bittersweet thought, my little girl growing up enough to shift.
Picking up a toddler, Elle went into the house followed by a heavily pregnant young woman who was too close to her delivery date to be shifting. It was possible, but often induced labor for some reason so wasn't encouraged until the due date had passed. Then the ladies often did it to get the show on the road.
The pack moved as one, a mass of bodies slipping through the darkness toward the sanctuary of the forest. We left the warmth of the fire behind, the moon above our silent witness. The anticipation built as we ventured farther, our human forms itching to give way to the call of the wild.
Finally, deep within the embrace of the woods, where the outside world couldn't see, we stopped. I nodded to my pack, and without another word, we all shed our clothes and shifted into our wolves. Fur replaced flesh, limbs morphed and elongated, snouts took the place of noses. The transformation was a familiar dance, one we each knew by heart.
Within moments, the night was alive with the sounds of the Stock Creek Wolf Pack. We ran, we howled, we were free. The forest became a blur beneath our paws, the scents and sounds heightened to an exhilarating degree. For a few precious hours, nothing else mattered but the run and the bond we shared under the full moon's light.
My muscles flexed with power and pleasure, the thrill of the chase coursing through my veins. It was then, amidst the rush, that her scent hit me, a mixture of something wild and untamed, mingling with the earthy aroma of the forest.
Without a thought, my wolf veered off course, drawn to her like a magnet. I found her easily, her dark fur sleek against the moonlight, moving with a grace that matched the night itself. As my wolf, I couldn't resist the primal urge. I bounded over and nipped playfully at her haunches, expecting a chase or a playful growl in return.
Her reaction was anything but. She whipped around, snarling with a ferocity that took me aback. Her large brown eyes, so human and expressive, blazed with a fire that had nothing to do with play. Then she bolted, her speed astonishing as she put distance between us.
I stood there for a moment, my wolf's impulse to give chase warring with the shock of rejection. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Confusion swirled within me, the sting of her rebuff sharper than I cared to admit. This wasn't the time for dwelling on the complexities of attraction and social faux pas—not when the pack was out, spirits high under the full moon. Normally, nobody treated an alpha that way, but she wasn't pack, and even if she was, I didn't run my pack with an iron paw, so to speak.
Shaking off the encounter, I focused on the sounds of my pack mates—laughter carried on the wind, the thud of paws against the soft earth. Gavin was ahead, racing through the underbrush. With a powerful lunge, I caught up, running shoulder to shoulder with him. We were leaders, brothers in all but blood, and tonight was about celebrating the freedom our kind rarely enjoyed. He wasn't just my best friend; he was my beta.
We raced, pushing each other to greater speeds, reveling in the sheer joy of movement. Our course took us over streams and through thickets, chasing after scents that promised a hunt. Together, we brought down a deer, swift and merciful. The pack gathered, sharing in the feast even though we'd all eaten less than an hour ago. The bonds of our community strengthening with every shared bite and lick.
The run continued, a symphony of howls and heartbeats beneath the watchful gaze of the moon. For those hours, nothing else mattered—not the strange woman who'd rebuffed me, not the concerns of leadership, not the ghosts of lost loves that haunted my quieter moments.
Just the run, the pack, and the wild joy of being alive.
We emerged from the woods, back into the clearing and our clothes, chests heaving, breaths turning to mist in the cool night air. I shook out my limbs as human form took over, the thrum of the run still pulsing through my veins. Gavin was at my side in an instant, grinning from ear to ear as he pulled on his shirt.
"Good run, huh?" He clapped me on the shoulder with a chuckle that spoke of shared memories and wild chases.
"The best." I raked my fingers through my damp hair to push it back from my forehead.
Then she appeared.
Striding toward us with a confident gait, her smile was like the first break of dawn after a long night. It disarmed me, that smile. It reached deep into places I'd locked away, stirring embers I thought had long turned to cold ash.
"Hey, guys." Her voice danced across the clearing, light and carefree.
Gavin's reaction was immediate. His arm draped around her shoulders with an affectionate squeeze. "Hey, there she is."
His words didn't register. My heart plummeted, a stone sinking into the depths of a dark lake. Gavin, with his arm around her, so natural, so right. The pieces clicked together—Gavin had found his mate. Damn me to hell, because in the span of a heartbeat, I'd coveted something that wasn't mine to desire.
How could I be drawn to her? To Gavin's mate? I steeled myself against the pull, the unwelcome yearning clawing its way up my throat. This was Gavin's happiness. I wouldn't be the one to cast a shadow on it.
"You remember my sister, Rissa?" Gavin asked, his words sliced through the confusion clouding my mind.
I blinked, staring at them both. Gavin's arm still casually draped over her shoulder, her smile unwavering. "Rissa?" The name was foreign on my tongue, a relic from a past long buried under years of pack responsibilities and suppressed memories.
"Yep, that's me," she said, her large brown eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that sent another jolt of shock through my system. "It's been what, twenty-two years?"
"About that," I said, betraying none of the inner havoc her presence had stirred. Christ, she'd been basically a baby the last time I saw her.
Gavin chuckled, oblivious to the sudden tightness in my chest. "She's all grown up now."
She sure was and fifteen damn years younger than me. At least I wasn't lusting after my best friend's mate. Nope. I was lusting after my best friend's baby sister. Which was so much worse on a whole other level.
Fuck.
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