Authors: Terry Bolryder
Tags: #Romance, #Paranormal, #Fantasy, #Werewolves & Shifters
A
couple of months later
, Sam couldn’t believe how well things had settled in. There were still awkward moments, times no one knew what the right thing was to say or do.
But there were also sweet moments, like now, when he was tending his grandcubs with his mate and finding the job much easier than it had been alone.
She laughed as she nuzzled Samantha. They had a special bond due to her being the reason Jo recovered her memories in the first place.
The twins waited jealously for their turn on Grandma’s lap, and Scott Junior prowled on the bed behind Jo, eyeing her warily.
“Hey guys, come on, Grandpa’s wide open!” he said, reaching his arms out toward the four toddling cubs. All tilted their heads at him for a moment, unimpressed, and then went back to fighting for Grandma’s attention.
He couldn’t help but smile. Jo had taken to being a grandmother with joy and ease. She seemed totally in her element, determined to treasure every moment of the life that had been given back to her.
He tried not to think about the time without her. How hard it had been. The waiting without knowing if he’d ever see her. Knowing she’d been so close before being sent so far to get medical attention, how he could have possibly found her if he’d run out…
But he couldn’t think like that.
As usual, the cubs seemed fairly aware of the moods of the adults around them. Perhaps it was because in their shifter forms they had inmate senses. Perhaps it was just the temperature of the air. But either way, Scott Junior half-climbed, half-fell down off of the bed and rolled to recover before waddling over to Sam and looking up at him.
Sam grinned and patted his lap and Scott Junior climbed up his leg. He was an extremely independent little toddler. He had these intelligent eyes that just seemed to peer into you and make you wonder what he was thinking.
It was a contrast to the mischief always twinkling in the twins’ eyes, or the friendly, eager look present in Samantha’s.
Scott Junior settled happily in on his lap and Sam stroked his back gently.
The cubs’ parents would be here any minute to pick them up. They’d had them for hours, but somehow it had gone in minutes as he’d watched his mate and wife play with their grandkids. Everything just felt right.
He stroked Scott Junior’s soft fur and looked up to share a warm look with Jo, who seemed utterly content.
When the knock sounded from the front door, they both shared a playful pout at having to give up the kids.
Sam sighed and got up, pushing Scott Junior up over his shoulder and walking to the door of their suite. When Scott opened the door, he looked wide-eyed at the cub in his arms.
“Darn, we can’t get them to stay in human form, can we?” Scott said, taking his son into his arms and nuzzling him.
“Can you blame them?” Sam said, moving out of the way so all of the others could come in. Scott’s mate Mara cooed at their cub and Kim moved around them to look at Sam curiously.
“Where are the others?” she asked.
Sam nodded toward the room. “In there. Most of the cubs prefer Grandma.”
“Well, she is a pretty awesome grandma,” Kim said, walking toward the bedroom with a grin. When she got there, she let out a squeal. “Aw, they’re all asleep. So adorable. We can’t move them now.”
Jo looked up and gave them a warm smile, holding all three cubs in her arms and on her lap. “Yes, I’m afraid they’re getting very used to me. So much so that I think their grandpa is getting jealous.”
Sam just winked at her and sat beside her on the bed.
There were chairs in the large, spacious master bedroom and Kim sat in one while her husband Sebastien stood behind her. Sky and Leah were the last to enter, they’d clearly been wrapping up their date with a kiss and were a little slow to pick up on the fact that everyone was waiting for them.
When they did walk in, Leah had a pleased but guilty look on her face and Sky looked proud of himself, brushing his longish blond hair out of his face as he smiled at his mate. They took the two remaining chairs and for a moment, all of them just sat there happily, having had a good day.
“So they were good?” Mara said, breaking the silence.
Jo nodded. “They were perfect.”
“Since we don’t want to wake them, how about the rest of us pick up dinner and we eat out on the deck while they nap in here?” Sebastien asked.
“Sounds wonderful,” Jo said eagerly. She loved any chance to spend time with the family and her sons.
His three sons and their mates got up to go get food, and when they were out, Sam helped Jo move the cubs gently off her lap and onto the bed, where they made little growls and then snuggled in.
She grinned and put an arm around him as they shut the door securely behind them and walked out on the deck. The cubs would be safe for a moment.
They looked out at the ocean together, shoulder to shoulder as they leaned on the railing of the deck. It felt so perfect, so right.
Sam couldn’t resist lifting an arm and putting it around his mate, pulling her close. She snuggled in with a small sigh.
“So are you settling in?” he asked, keeping his arm tight around her.
She nodded. “I think so. More than that, I’m sinking in. Like you sink into a comfortable hammock, or a soft mattress.”
“I’m like a mattress?”
She gave him a wry grin. “No, silly. But I like what you can do on a mattress.”
He gave her a rakish grin and loved watching her squirm as a blush formed on her face. “Maybe after we eat and the others leave we could go for a run?”
She nodded. He liked going out with her in bear form. And they tended to celebrate in very pleasurable ways afterward.
His eyes dipped to her hand, celebrating the ring that she wore that showed she was his again. She’d always been his. The second he’d had a chance to after she’d committed to staying, he’d gone up to his room to retrieve the ring she’d left behind. They’d had to size it, of course, but now it was back where it belonged.
Just like she was.
“They’ll be back soon,” she said, looking at the door.
“I guess I better hurry and do this then,” he said, turning her in his arms and dipping her low to take her lips in a harsh kiss that quickly turned gentle and sweet.
He loved the way she melted in his arms and yet met him with a fierce response that stirred him down to his toes. Their tongues entwined as he supported her weight and kissed her breathless. He’d never get tired of this.
When she was gasping, he swept her back up and put his arms around her, looking down into her beautiful, beloved face.
“I don’t know how I ever forgot you,” she said breathlessly, reaching up to brush a curl off his forehead.
He leaned down and placed his forehead to hers. “All that matters is that you remembered me.”
“I’ll always remember you,” she said.
That made him feel warm all over, and so he looked quickly behind him to make sure the kids weren’t coming, and dipped his wife to kiss her all over again.
T
hank
you so much for reading Sam and Jo’s story, and for sticking with me through the whole Polar Heat series! If you enjoyed it, I hope you’ll leave a review to help them out!
Thank you so much to all the readers who asked for this story. I never could have done it if I hadn’t known you were waiting. The fan response was overwhelming. I just can’t believe how wonderful my readers are. All of you are amazing.
You can find the rest of the polar heat books here, if you missed any.
Also, if you’ve read them all, I have a sample of my newest series on the next page!
A
new book
from Terry Bolryder!
Lily Mason is tired of her father's machinations. Seven years ago he tore her away from the love of her life because he was only half alpha. Now he's holding a tournament where full blooded alphas will fight to claim her. She doesn't want any part of it, but if she runs, her little sister takes her place. Lily's ready to give up on her own happiness, until a familiar face appears amongst the contestants fighting to win her.
Lucas Vale doesn't care that the tournament is for full-alphas only. He's determined to use his brother's name and invitation to make sure that no other male gets close to his mate. He's been looking for Lily for years, ever since her father separated them as teens. But Lucas isn't a lovesick teen anymore. He's a world champion fighter who is ready to kick some alpha trash if it means rescuing the woman he loves.
But he'll have to be careful not to be caught, which is difficult when sparks fly from the moment he sees Lily and her beautiful curves again. Now he'll have to fight his way through full blooded alphas with powerful advantages. But Lucas isn't worried.
He may be half alpha, but he's 100% sure he can do anything for the woman he loves.
Lucas Vale strolled casually into his family dojo. It’d been a long time since he’d visited. Too long, probably. But the only things that waited for him here were bad memories and a past he couldn’t escape.
In the back of the dojo, his younger brother Asher was striking a punching bag.
The dojo looked like many he’d trained in over the past years abroad, but was different for one key reason. It was shifter dojo, where he and his werewolf brothers trained other shifters in martial arts and self-defense.
Lucas came up to the desk and rang the bell loudly.
Ding, ding, ding
. Asher’s punches abruptly stopped, and he paused for a moment, holding the bag to keep it from swaying wildly on its chain.
“Lucas. I could smell you a mile away. What brings you here, old man?” Asher asked, letting go of the bag and walking across the mat toward him.
“Just in town for a few days. Figured I would stop by,” Lucas replied with a shrug.
“Really? Great job letting us know. Did you send an e-vite or something?” Asher replied disdainfully, walking behind the desk into a back room. The sound of gloves being pulled off followed, and the dark-haired man soon reappeared, pulling on a torn T-shirt that referenced some bygone metal band.
“Watch your mouth. Don’t make me kick your ass,” Lucas replied.
“Ha, that’s the Luke I know.” Asher came from around the back of the desk, and the two men shared a firm handshake, then went into a quick but spirited hug.
Their relationship had been tenuous when they were younger. Lucas and his brother Jordan were the sons of their father’s first wife, who had died when they both were very young. Not long afterward, their father remarried an alpha female, and Asher was born. Though they shared everything, the fact that Asher was full alpha and the others were not had always felt slightly awkward. And though Lucas had somewhat come to terms with it, Jordan, their middle brother, never had.
But all three brothers had always shared this together—MMA, the dojo, the love of physical discipline and honing their bodies to be perfect fighting machines.
“Do you have time to spar for a minute before class starts?” Asher asked.
“I think I’ll pass,” Lucas replied coolly.
“You’re not getting soft on me, are you now?”
“Is that a challenge?” Lucas said, starting to loosen his tie. “It sounds like it to me.” The tie came off with a gentle slide, one smooth motion.
“Hey, I’ve heard you haven’t had time for training with all that promoting and business crap you’ve been doing,” Asher retorted, shrugging smugly.
“Well, I can’t have my kid brother forgetting his place, now can I?” The white jacket slid off and was tossed onto a neighboring coat tree. Then the perfectly pressed shirt, button by button.
Taking the hint, Asher moved from the waiting area in front of the desk. The anticipation in the empty studio was tangible. It had been years since either had fought the other, and Asher wasn’t going to waste time getting his brother back in the ring before he disappeared again.
Lucas’s shirt was off now, revealing a perfect set of abs. Lucas might have been a businessman, but he was no desk jockey. The thrill of training, the thrill of fighting, had driven him from childhood to adulthood.
“Not bad. At least I see you haven’t gotten pudgy on me. But can you do anything with it?” Asher taunted from the middle of the mat-covered floor.
“All in good time, brother,” said Lucas as he leaned over, broad shoulders and powerful hands gingerly untying his shoes and pulling off his socks, then kicking them carefully to slide under the hall tree where his coat and shirt rested. Standing back at his full height again, Lucas popped his knuckles and stretched his muscles, a pre-fight habit he’d acquired from seeing so many humans do it. His hulking pecs and biceps finely attuned, awakening from their slumber since the last time he’d had a real fight.
“No gloves?” Asher asked, tilting his head.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not,” Lucas replied.
Shifters had supernatural healing, and even shifters of the lowliest bloodlines could recover from grievous wounds with proper treatment. Bruised or bloodied knuckles wouldn’t be a problem for them.
Finally ready, Lucas walked out onto the floor until he was face-to-face with Asher. Asher was slightly shorter and stockier, with dark eyes where Lucas’s were a vivid emerald green. But anyone looking at the two brothers would know they were related.
Both squared off, circling slowly. Asher was light on his feet, dodging and feinting to see what his brother would do. Lucas was cool and collected.
And then the relative quiet in the dojo was interrupted by the sound of another voice, familiar and deep. “Having fun without me?”
Sitting in the corner of the room, balancing on two legs of a rickety old metal fold-up chair, was their middle brother Jordan. He must have snuck in the back during their fight. His deep reddish-brown eyes watched them in amusement, his dark auburn hair was tied back in a short ponytail. He sported multiple piercings and a shirt with a skull on the front that was about two sizes too small for his considerable pecs.
Their pro-MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter brother had always had his own style.
“Jordan? What the hell?” Asher blurted out first.
Jordan leaned forward on the balancing chair, and the two hanging front legs hit the ground with a clack, popping him onto his feet. “Nobody told me it was family reunion time,” he said.
Lucas dropped his guard and walked toward Jordan, hand outstretched. The brothers clasped hands and then embraced for a moment. Though they both were involved with the MMA circuit, they weren’t often in the same place at the same time.
“How have you been?” Lucas asked, looking at Asher as if neither of them could believe Jordan was home.
“Well enough,” Jordan replied with a shrug. “Have you heard what’s going on in the shifter community?”
“No,” Lucas said as he started to button his shirt back on.
“How long were you sitting there watching?” Asher asked, coming up to shake Jordan’s hand.”
“Not long,” Jordan said. “I thought I’d speak up and save you the embarrassment of losing in front of me.”
The jab wasn’t missed, and a slight anger could be seen burning in Asher’s dark eyes. But then he moved out to the matted floor and began to move kicking bags out of the way so the floor would be clear.
“So what’s going on in the shifter community? Besides the usual bullshit,” Lucas said.
Jordan grinned slightly. “I thought you would’ve heard before anyone. Given who it involved.”
A cold feeling moved through Lucas, telling him he wasn’t going to like this much. “Who does it involve?”
“Your old girlfriend. Lily. That was her name, right?” Jordan said.
Lily had been so much more than just a girlfriend. Once upon a time, she had been the only one for Lucas. But that was so long ago.
“What about her?” Lucas said, trying to sound uninterested.
Jordan eyed Lucas doubtfully. “Apparently they’re holding an alpha tournament. One full-blooded male from basically every family will be eligible to compete to take her as mate. Like physically compete. It’s barbaric, even by our standards.”
“Ugh, that’s insane,” Asher said from across the room.
Lucas just stood there, stunned. He’d been looking for her for years and finally given up, and now a bunch of douchebags got a chance at being with her simply because of their blood? He knew alpha female wolves had gotten increasingly rare, and wolf shifter families were more and more desperate to ensure their pure lines, but had it really come to this?
“Someone should probably represent the family. What do you say?” Jordan said dryly.
“Not even remotely interested,” Asher chimed in.
“I wasn’t asking you,” Jordan chided. Asher just rolled his eyes.
“I’m obviously not invited,” Lucas said. “Not full alpha, only half, remember?”
“How could I forget?” Jordan said sardonically. “Anyway, just thought you might want to know. Do with that what you want. I’m headed out for food. You want anything?”
“No,” Lucas said.
“All right, see you later.” And then his enigmatic middle brother disappeared through the back door.”
“You know, I actually think I remember some invite coming in the mail, but I don’t think I even opened it.”
Lucas took a calming breath. “Do you still have it?”
Asher bit his lip and walked over to the desk to rifle through papers. “Maybe. Wait, here it is.” He handed it over.
As he did, a picture of Lily fell out, and Lucas swept it quickly up into his hands. Hypnotic brown eyes looked out at him from a face framed by luscious black curls, perfectly complimenting her warm brown skin. Her smile was shy but gorgeous, tipped up at one side like she was keeping a secret. Damn, she still took his breath away.
He put the picture in his pocket and began to read the letter that came with it. Anger flooded him. She really was being offered as a prize. His Lily. And he wasn’t even invited.
Which made sense since her family had left town years ago just to separate him from her.
He took a calming breath and let the paper flutter out of his hands. There was nothing he could do.
Asher walked over and scooped it up. “So are you going?” he asked. “Looks like there’s a party to kick the whole thing off.”
Lucas shook his head. “As I said, not invited. It has your name on the invite, not mine.”
“Well, you know…” Asher said, a slight grin twitching at the corners of his mouth. “They haven’t seen us in years…”
Lucas’s heart jumped. Asher was right. Would they know it was him if he went as Asher? “Are you sure?”
Asher nodded. “I’m positive. I wouldn’t go anyway. Why would I want to compete with a bunch of tools when I could be here running the dojo?” He eyed Lucas. “Plus, I’m pretty sure you’d kick my ass if I tried.”
Lucas frowned. Would he? Lily wasn’t his anymore. She hadn’t been in a long time, and that was only when she was young. What if she’d come to see things like her dad and simply wanted the most powerful and prestigious mate she could find? He guessed the only way to find out was to go to this thing.
After all, in the years since she’d seen him, she’d never attempted to contact him, and he’d searched for her for ages.
“I think you should go, dude. For closure,” Asher said.
Lucas nodded. He knew it was a risk. He didn’t even have to enter the tournament. He just had to see her one more time, know she was all right, and say goodbye.
“Let me know how it goes,” Asher said.
Lucas gave his brother a quick one-armed hug and then strode out of the dojo to his rental car. It was time to get ready to see the love of his life for the last time.
As if he could ever feel ready for that.