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Prologue

Harper was mated to
Bronson Thibodaux. He was from the Mountain View pack in Virginia. Their
territory bordered her pack’s territory to the north. They met as preteens and
mated when she was sixteen. It was never a fairy tale romance by any means but
he was Alpha to her and she respected that, his position as her mate and
protector but in the end, she’d lost all respect for him. He’d died suddenly on
a hunting trip and the circumstances of his death were never clear to her. She
wasn’t sure if the pack Alpha Max Sommers was keeping it from her or if he
really didn’t know. No one claimed responsibility when Bronson disappeared. Then
some of his friends found his mangled body later while they were hunting.

She began to piece
together the last three years of their life when she started looking for the
insurance policy. Things were happening under her nose that she never saw.
Things he’d done, things that… were terrible. Harper found the history in his
computer, porn, and voyeur viewing. He’d spent endless hours watching that
trash while she worked two jobs to keep them afloat. Hours that he’d claimed to
be looking for work. Then she’d found the chats with another woman in town. A
mated woman. A mated woman that he had met with, slept with, and had given
money to. He’d given her money to another mated woman, money that she worked
two jobs to get. He’d paid for online pornography with her money. He’d let her
work while he screwed and looked at other women. He could rot in hell where he
belonged. Harper printed those chats and everything else she’d found and mailed
it to that bitch’s mate. She hoped to save him from working two jobs to support
an unfaithful mate. It made Harper feel better.

Bronson was not
who she’d thought. He was not the man she thought she mated and it tore her to
pieces to find the evidence of his complete lack of love for her. She knew that
they had problems. She knew that they hadn’t gotten along for a while but she
thought that they were just in a rough spot. How could someone lie like that for
so long? He had lied though, and he’d done it for years. Well, no more. That
was it. That was the last straw. She would not mourn a wolf that behaved the
way he had. It didn’t matter that they were married ten years. She was thankful
now for the pups that she never had. The ones that she’d craved. Thank God they
never came. She wasn’t sure that she would be able to look into their faces if
they’d reminded her of him. Not after everything she found out.

Harper spat on his
grave. She shoved her hands deep into her coat pockets and turned away from the
headstone she’d bought as a mourning grieving mate and wanted her money back.
She lifted her chin into the breeze and looked at her beat up little yellow
subcompact. The one they’d never been able to afford to replace. They couldn’t
afford it because of his drug habit. She’d learned about that two days ago as
she was leaving for work. His dealer showed up demanding a final payment. How
would she pay her rent now? She’d given him almost everything she had, except
her last twenty dollars. She’d fill her tank first, and then buy some peanut
butter in case the hunt failed. Bronson hadn’t brought in game in months and
she was a lousy hunter. Her cell rang and she pulled it from her purse as she
got in the car and shut the door.

“Harpo!” She
rolled her eyes and laughed. “We’re going out. You don’t have to work and I
have an extra fifty bucks. You need a stiff drink and stiff one between your
legs. It’s been years.”

“I know that.” She
whispered even though she was alone in the graveyard and the windows were
almost all of the way up. Still no one else needed to know that it was just her
taking care of her needs. She and Sidney had a heart to heart yesterday. She’d
told her about everything, the porn, the drugs, the affair, the lying, and the
relationship. That was the hardest thing she’d ever had to speak about but it was
cathartic. She’d admitted that she and Bronson had not been together in three
years. She’d cried and got it out of her system because it occurred to her that
she hadn’t missed it much. He hadn’t kissed her in twice as long. She still
didn’t understand how it had all fallen apart. What could she have done
differently to save him, them? “Okay. I know this is a pity date but I’ll take
it. Where are we going and what should I wear?”

“Oh goodie!”
Sidney squealed in her ear and she pulled the phone away with a jerk. “I get to
dress you. You will wear the ‘fuck me’ outfit of my choosing. Go home, shower,
and put on your best face. I’ll be there soon.”

“How do you know
I’m not already home?”

“Because I can
hear the wind, you’re in that death trap of a car but you aren’t moving. Where
are you?” Harper hadn’t noticed the wind but it was whistling through the
window.

“Cemetery. I just
told Bronson to fuck himself. I won’t be coming back.”

“Good. Punk ass
jerk.” Sidney spat. “Now, I’ll be there in an hour. It’s time to start the best
part of your life. Get home and get busy.” Harper started the car.

“Yeah, yeah. See
you then Sid.”

“Bye sweets.” The
phone beeped twice and went quiet. Sid was right. She needed to get on with her
life. She was twenty-six, still young and there was still time to find an
existence that wasn’t only quiet desperation.

Chapter 1

Ryder, named after
the truck he was born in, was Alpha of the Green Valley pack. They were new in
town and old in tradition. They bought a hundred acre farm nearby that was a
green valley sort of, Ryder thought. It was more a flat expanse of field with
rolling hills and trees surrounding it. The immediate ground surrounding the
house was relatively flat and about forty acres, the rest was dense forest, and
he had no plans to expand the wide open yard. They could hunt and play in those
woods. There was a pond full of turtles and fish, and the buck staring at them
the day they arrived he took as an omen. Lee had taken in down in less than a
minute and they ate well for the first time in weeks. It was a long trip but
they were home now.

Developers in
Green Valley Montana made them an offer a few months ago that they couldn’t
refuse. He’d taken the money and bought the first property he found with enough
ground where they could build, hunt, and that was safe. Hunting wolves was
illegal in this state for now. It was probably illegal because the humans were
unaware of
their
existence. It wasn’t on the official record in Montana
but the humans knew even if it was never spoken out loud. They knew that there
was something different about their
wolf
problem. Around here, Joe
Public probably didn’t know a wolf from a coyote from a dog. That was perfect
for his pack.

Right now, there
were eight males sharing two of the bedrooms, and two mated pairs taking the
other two bedrooms with their pups. He’d taken the attic. It was drafty but
they were working on it, the weather had been mild but chilly so far and they
were patching as fast as they could. He’d spent last night on a couch that was
left behind under a quilt that was left with it. It’d been lumpy and scratchy.
The drafty attic was just too breezy for him by midnight so he’d hit the crappy
couch. Tonight he planned on shifting and sleeping in the surrounding woods if
a better opportunity didn’t come along. First things first though. It was a
long, hard week moving and getting settled. He needed a beer, and a shot. He definitely
needed a shot. Maybe a nice willing female that would let him spend the night
in her comfortable bed. Urg! He had to stop thinking that way.

He’d had a willing
female back in Green Valley, but she wasn’t nice. Just before they’d left Montana
he found out just how willing she was with anyone else that was also willing. A
growl rumbled through him. Slut. What did he expect from a woman that had
screwed him in the back of a pickup truck ten minutes after they’d met?

Fiona had ruined
the plans he’d had and luckily he hadn’t shared them with anyone or he would
never save face. He was going to ask her for something more permanent. He’d
gone to her house to give her the ‘we belong together speech’ but when he’d
arrived, he’d heard the two of them.

The upstairs
windows were open with the sheers fluttering in the breeze the same way they
had a week earlier when it was him up there grunting over her. “Yeah baby, fuck
me harder.” She’d cried while he stood there with his hands on his hips
growling low in his chest. They were the same words that he’d heard her say a
week ago. He was happy that no one saw him standing there in the afternoon
sunshine looking up at that window while he’d listened to them rut. He let out
a pent up breath. His wolf was not happy about her all along but when he turned
to leave it felt happier and lighter. He knew it was the right decision.

An Alpha needed a
mate though and she’d been compatible enough. If he didn’t mate soon, his pack
would lose respect and faith in him. A mated Alpha was a stronger Alpha. He’d
gone home, packed the last of his things and the caravan rolled out of town.
Fiona probably didn’t know that he’d left town yet, they’d been gone less than
a week, and she wouldn’t start looking for him until tonight. He was her Friday
night man. Not anymore. Never again. No more playing around. Next time it was
permanent. From now on, he was only looking for a mate. Well, after he had a
comfy bed, till then anything was fair game.

He pulled his
shirt on now that he’d finished his shower. They were putting insulation up in
the attic all day but they weren’t finished and it still needed drywall to
cover it. That would cut some of the draft at least. They would move his bed up
to the attic as soon as the drywall was up, the floors were laid, and the
closet built. God they had a lot to do. This whole house needed work. He had
some of the pack painting, some patching, some plumbing and Curtis was putting
in ductwork under the floors downstairs for the new furnace and air
conditioning.

There was a boiler
in the basement was installed with the house so that would put it at around
ninety. That may not be old for a wolf but definitely old for a boiler and he
didn’t trust it. Burning fur was not a nice smell.

Time for that
beer. “Curtis, you and the boys mount up, we’re going out. I need a drink and
we need to introduce ourselves to the locals.” Ryder said as his feet hit the
first floor landing.

“There’s a bar
called O’Malley’s, breed friendly and considered neutral ground off Route ten.
From what I gathered, there are three other packs in the area. Mountain View,
East End, and Hill Top. Hill Tops are cats, so we probably won’t see them in
the bar but who knows. The other two are wolves. Mountain View is pretty big
and they run the town. They have control of a lot of local businesses but
aren’t aggressive from what I hear. East End is much smaller and full of older
wolves. They’re dying off I think.”

“Which is why
Mountain View is not aggressive, they’ve got nothing to fear. Stay attentive,
keep your ears to the ground and nobody starts anything. I don’t want a war. I
want to remain peaceful. We can make these wolves our allies and maybe score
some employment if they own the businesses. Play nice boys.” He said to the
gathering crowd. “Play nice. Move out.”

They loaded into
the pickups and Ryder’s SUV with him at the wheel. “What’s up Jack?” Ryder
caught his eye in the rearview mirror. Jack was their newest member and still
young. His pack had dissolved and he’d wandered alone for a while. Ryder wasn’t
sure if that was the whole truth but so far, he had no reason not to believe
him. Wolves went strange sometimes when they were alone too long especially if
they were young and inexperienced. Jack shrugged and went back to staring out
the window. Ryder nodded and watched the road. “When you’re ready, I’m here.
Remember that.” Jack’s lip twitched and Ryder knew he’d heard him.

“He’ll be okay Ry,
crowds make him nervous, and we’re still getting him used to them and us. Right
Jack?” Lee nudged his shoulder and the corner of Jack’s mouth rose. Ryder
nodded again and turned the radio on. Classic Rock poured from the speakers.
Ryder followed the pickup truck in front of them. Curtis knew where the place
was and his truck was the slowest. A good Alpha follows the oldest and slowest
so none of his pack is lost. He can survey all members from the rear and ensure
that they are all safe and protected. It was nearly dark now as they pulled
into the parking lot and found spaces for their vehicles. The bar wasn’t full
yet and there were still plenty available. Ryder got out and nodded at Curtis
who climbed out of the pickup. It had Ryder’s approval for the time being.
Ryder followed them inside.

~*~*~

“You’re wearing
it. I brought it for you to wear and you are wearing it.” Sidney stood in the
bedroom doorway with her hands on her hips. Sidney was tall like most
she-wolves. She had a mop of thick black hair, striking blue eyes, and full red
lips. She looked like a super villain in her black leather pants and red
sequined tank top. The pants were a second skin. Her spiked black patent
leather stilettos had to be six inches putting Sid at nearly six and a half
feet.

“No way.” Harper
reached for the side zipper.

“Don’t you take
that off!” Sidney screamed when Harper started to unzip it. It was a tiny black
and white vertical striped mini skirt, micro skirt rather, with black lace
trim. “You have got the sexiest legs known to man, show them off.” Harper
nibbled her lip and looked down at herself. “And stop chewing off my twelve
dollar lipstick.”

“It’s hooker red
Sid.” Harper looked up at her.

“Uh yeah?” Sid
shook her head. “So? We’re trying to get you laid. It’s called bait.” Harper
rolled her eyes. “Now, here is the jacket.”

“Thank God there
is one.” Harper took it and slid it on over the black lace tee shirt top. It
gave the illusion of being see-through while it wasn’t. She’d checked. “I can’t
wear the underwear though, there is too much draft. Really Sid, I’m changing
them.” She was petrified that the wind would blow the skirt up and everyone
would see her new thong. Sid had a trashy idea of what underwear should look
like. This pair was black with only a scrap of satin covering her pink parts in
the front and a thin scrap up the back. Nothing covered her bare behind and the
idea of perching on a barstool grossed her out. She was shaved top to bottom,
covered in stinky lotion, perfumed, and feeling quite slutty. This was just not
her. She preferred jeans and sneakers or better yet, flip-flops. She never wore
makeup.

“Nope, no time.
Let’s go, we’ll be late.” Sidney grabbed her arm and pulled her from the
bedroom.

“Stop Sid, I’m
changing them.” Harper resisted.

“Nope, I said no
time. We’re going to be late.” Sidney pulled harder.

“It’s a bar, how
can we be late? There isn’t curfew.” Harper let Sidney lead her through the
house that she and Bronson shared.

“If we don’t get
there soon, we won’t get a table. Come on. I want to perch prettily on my ass
not spend the night on my feet in these shoes.” Sidney pointed down at them and
Harper grinned. She could understand that. Sidney ushered her through the
living room past the wall length mirror and Harper gasped.

“Oh my God is that
me?” She stopped and looked at herself. “I can’t go out like this Sidney, look
at me.”

“I know, you’re
hot! If I did girls we wouldn’t have to leave, you are fabulous.” Sidney
fluffed Harper’s hair. “Slut perfect. Come on.” Sidney pulled her from her
reflection and outside to the car. “Get in.” Harper was looking down at the
black heels that Sidney made her wear. Sidney leaned across and opened the
door. Harper got in and took a deep breath then exhaled sharply.

“You look so good
Harper. Don’t ruin it with a frown. Remember, it’s the first night of your
freedom. You get to start over. Forget him, forget the past, and forget people
who wronged you. We are out for a good time and if that involves a man great,
if not great. Still a good time. Okay?” Harper looked over at her and watched
the trees zip past. She finally nodded slightly. Sidney glanced over and Harper
nodded deeper, smiling broader.

“Hell yeah!”
Sidney whooped and accelerated.

They climbed out
of Sidney’s Toyota on the side of the bar O’Malley’s Pub. It was breed friendly
and they would be safe there. Members from all packs in the area would be here
tonight, there was a band on weekends, and it sounded like they were starting.
She heard feedback from the speakers inside. Bronson brought her here once then
decided that she had no business here when a panther flirted with her. Bronson
had taken her home and pounded into her for an hour after that proving to them
both that she belonged to him. It was the last time they’d been together. If
she’d remembered that earlier, she would’ve told Sidney that this place was bad
luck. Sort of anyway. Maybe a sexy panther would try to pick her up again.
Maybe that same one she hoped because he was hot!

“Good, the band is
starting. I like the singer. He’s sexy as sin on a stick.” Sidney grinned.
Harper followed her through the heavy green wooden door to the dark interior. A
few wolves looked over their shoulders at them. Some of their eyes flashed.
Jake grinned openly at her. He was Bronson’s best friend. She wondered why he
wasn’t at home where he belonged with Charlotte. She was pregnant with his pup
and due soon. Men were assholes. She wondered how many evenings her mate spent
in this place while she worked her second job. She gave Jake a small wave and
followed Sidney past the bar and to a small square table on the side by the
window where they could see the dance floor and watch the band. She didn’t
remember there being a dance floor but maybe they did this when there was live
music.

“What can I get
ya’ll?” A blonde server in a green tee shirt and jeans asked. O’Malley’s was scrolled
in big white letters across her chest.

“Beer for me,
Margarita for my friend.” Sidney said. “Run a tab, okay?”

“Sure thing honey,
we got Bud, Lite…” she turned to look over at the bar where there was a
commotion.

“Coors draft.”
Sidney shouted over the noise. The server nodded and went in the direction of
the scuffle. “Watch this. She’s human but I’ve seen her break up a fight
before. Cover your ears.” Harper looked at her funny but stuck her fingers in
her ears. The blonde stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply. All
motion stopped. They backed away from each other. Sidney giggled. “Wolves hate
that fucking noise.”

“Can’t blame
them.” Harper let go of her ears.

“Oh girl, I see
some prime real estate that I am going to stake a claim on. Be right back.”
Harper watched Sidney hop down and cross the dance floor to go over and talk to
a pack member. Harper scrunched her nose. She didn’t care for Mike. He was loud
and obnoxious but if Sidney liked him…Oh! She walked right past Mike who
obviously thought that she was coming to him by the look on his face.

Harper turned her
head and grinned. Good. Sidney did have values. Good to know. Harper turned
back around and watched Sidney sidle up to a wolf that Harper didn’t know. In
fact, she didn’t know any of them at that table. He gave her a half smile and
turned on his stool to talk to her. He was gorgeous. Sidney had an eye for the
men that was for sure. If she’d been through what Harper had, she would be a
little more hesitant. Harper sipped the Margarita that the server brought. It
was strong and tangy but it wasn’t helping her loosen up at all so when she
came by to check on them, Harper ordered another with a shot on the side. That
should help, she thought. Sidney was still chatting up the pretty boy when the
shot arrived. Harper threw it down her throat and let the heat slide through
her. She blew out a breath and watched the band. The music just started and the
drummer winked at her. She turned around to see if there was another girl
behind her and when she turned back he smiled and nodded. She smiled back. He
was human and of no interest to her.

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