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Bait & Switch (Book 4 of The Claimed Series)

Prologue 

Six Months Ago

    “Happy birthday, babe.” Helena grinned as she presented him with the homemade cake he had requested. Double chocolate with fudge icing. His favorite.

    “Thank you, angel,” he replied as his eyes glowed from the candles she had lit for him to celebrate his 29th birthday. She must have used several packs of them to get the right number.

    “Don't forget to make a wish,” she reminded as she sat down next to him at the small dining table in their modest little home.

    Webb closed his eyes, paused, and blew them out. One remained lit, and Helena—who had shortened her name to Lena—blew that one out for him.

    “What did you wish for?” she asked, knowing that since he hadn't answered her in all the years before, he probably wouldn't today.

    She was wrong.

    “I wished for our own little family,” he told her, smiling sadly at her.

    Lena looked down, unable to take Webb's intense stare. “I thought you wanted to wait one more year,” she mumbled softly. “If you don't find your mate by the time you're 30—”

    “I won't,” he replied gruffly. “Who's ever heard of finding one this late in life? Mine is most likely dead or has taken a chosen mate by now.”

    “If we start now, who's to say you won't find her or him in a couple of months from now—or maybe even a year.” These were the things that always gnawed at her when he mentioned trying to start their own little family.

    Lena and Webb had an odd relationship. Both were without mates, though for different reasons. In the shifter world, nothing was more important than the other half of your soul. Lena's mate had died many years ago when she was only 19. Webb had never found his, male or female. He was bisexual and so, his mate could have been damn near anyone.

    The problem didn't lie necessarily wholly on Lena and Webb. In their pack, Shadow Creek, the age-old custom of mating was held in the utmost regard. Hence, choosing your mate was forbidden, no matter what the circumstance. The Alpha, Lenon, upheld the centuries-old rule, though in Lena and Webb's case, he was very tempted to allow their coupling.

    A female with a dead mate. A man who had gone longer than he's ever heard of—without their mate being definitely dead—to wait for his true mate. It was a pickle. f****d-up royally. Lenon really wished he could find some sort of loophole, but the law was clear. He would have had to take up removing it with the elders, most of which preferred the law to stay in place.

    “I don't want to wait any longer,” Webb urged her. “I want children with you, even if the law states we aren't allowed to mark each other as mates. This won't change. Ever.”

    “Webb—”

    “We could even marry in the human courts. Lena, please. It's my birthday wish,” he confided. “It's my birthday, so you have to grant it now that I've told you.”

    His eyes pleaded with her, and her heart went soft and gooey. She loved this man, as much as anyone could love another person, but that mating pull she had with her true mate—that was missing. It didn't make her love him any less. He was her person—well, wolf—and she found herself agreeing.

    “Okay,” she said, smiling. “Let's do it.”

    He smiled, a big, face-splitting grin that couldn't be torn from his countenance if he tried.

    And they tried. A lot.

    For months.

    Lena wondered if it was fate's way of telling her that they weren't meant to be, that it was a mistake.

    That they should have waited that extra year to make this decision.

    If they had, maybe things wouldn't have been so f****d-up in the end. Maybe her heart wouldn't have been wrecked twice in one day.

Chapter 1 

Lena

    Spaghetti. It's all I thought about and had the mind to prepare while that little box in the brown bag on the kitchen counter was staring at me accusingly. It called out to me, but I knew the score. Water first. Lots of it. Enough to make my bladder flow like Niagara Falls.

    My phone buzzed and I ignored it. Probably Webb telling me he's on his way home. Alpha Lenon never texted me, and my brothers would still be at work at this time or on their way home. My parents had yet to get comfortable with the technology, especially my father, whose thick fingers made for some very interesting autocorrects. Sometimes I texted him and he'd call. I wouldn’t answer and it forced him to text me back. He's gotten better about checking his texts, but I still crack the f**k up every time I remember when he asked me to bring baked children instead of chicken for a potluck we had at my parents' home.

    I knew it was a mistake from the first and asked him how many children he'd like me to slaughter. When he asked just what the duck I was talking about, I put him out of his misery and called him, allowing him to swear a blue streak when I told him to check his texts. Needless to say, there was baked chicken on the menu that night, and all toddlers and infants were safe.

    The teens…well, their fate was yet to be decided. If one more of them tried to egg my car or TP the tree in my front yard, I was going to be sniffing out the little fuckers and bringing them to the Alpha. It helped that he and I were tight.

    Back to spaghetti. Break the hard noodles in half. You can do that, Lena.

    s**t. I forgot that water in a pot was necessary, and I grabbed a pot for the water and filled it to halfway. It was only me and Webb, though he did like leftovers.

    f**k it. I filled that pot three-quarters of the way and broke more noodles.

    Sauce. Oh, God. Did we have any?

    Okay, yes. I just bought some just at the store. It was in that accusatory little bag that was taunting me with promises I'd made over the past six months. Promises that were starting to become more like hopes and dreams.

    Water. I needed to drink it as well. I wished I could pee on command. That would be a handy skill right about now.

    The sauce went into a smaller pan, and I grabbed the hamburger meat from its shelf in the fridge before breaking it up and adding it to a frying pan.

    Sauce. Check.

    Water. Check check.

    Meat. Triple check.

    Garlic bread could be prepared while I was trying to ignore the bag on the table, and I brought out a long loaf of Italian bread and cut it in half. We wouldn’t eat it all, so I put half of it in the freezer to keep fresh for the next time.

    Halfway done with my bottle of water.

    How much did one need to pee in order to take the test? I hadn't had to take one as of yet since my period had been irritatingly regular for five of the last six months. I was missing it now by three, maybe four, days. It took all the strength I had in me not to buy a pregnancy test on the first day it was missed. I didn't want to buy it and have my period start the next day. That b***h was either taking her sweet time to taunt me, or I was pregnant.

    God, wouldn't Webb be excited if I were? Ever since his 29th birthday we’d been trying to have a baby. We’d had so much s*x I was certain he has made a permanent mark on my p***y. I thought if anyone—or anything—else tried to get up in there, my v****a might just eject it like one of those ejector seats in smaller planes.

    Rejected. Denied. Vamoose, ya crazy c**k.

    Ignoring the buzz of my cell phone again, I saw it light up with a text. If it was an emergency, someone would have called by now. But honestly, I was just afraid to go over to the damned thing. It was temptingly close to the pregnancy test or two that was wedged up next to the Rice Krispies and bag of BBQ Lays I had a weakness for.

    Or addiction to. Same thing, right?

    With a full bottle of water ingested, I went to grab myself another one when I saw that the water was boiling. I added the noodles and stirred a bit before grabbing another water bottle from the fridge.

    I downed it even quicker and was waiting for my bladder to sing God Bless America while I tapped my right toe against the linoleum floor and prayed that urination came soon.

    Ten minutes later, I was rewarded. That first fullness in my lower abdomen told me that it was time, and I practically leaped for the brown bag and grabbed both tests to bring in with me. I wasn’t taking any chances. If they gave differing results—one negative, one positive—I was going to f*****g cry.

    I tore the wrapper off the first test as quick and I could before squatting over the toilet.

    Who the hell thought of using piss to test for hCG? I could kiss that man or woman. It was so much better than going for a long, drawn-out blood test that took days to come back. All the while, the mother-to-be (possibly) bit her nails down to the quick and pulled at her hair wondering. Wondering whether she had a baby in there, touching the flesh above it, hoping. Praying it's not a false alarm.

    I was able to squeeze enough pee for the ten-second stream the test suggested and placed the clear cap back on it.

    Three minutes.

    I didn't look. Didn't want to look.

    But, f**k it, I did anyway.

    I watched as the stick turned slightly darker and a millimeter thin line crawled up vertically.

    One pink line.

    The urine seeped more and...

    Two pink lines.

    Two!

    Holy Jesus on a cracker. I was finally f*****g pregnant!

    No.

    Not now.

    I slipped the test into my back pocket.

    “Hi,” I said.

    “Listen—” he started to say.

    “No,” I interrupted. “I get it.” I looked over at the strange man—my man's true mate—and stuck a hand out. “I'm Helena. Nice to meet you.” Not.

    “Hugo,” he greeted, taking my hand gently. “Hugo Fallon. Webb told me about your circumstances, and I'm so sorry—”

    “No need,” I cut in, voice sounding stronger than I thought it would. I must’ve been in shock. Numb. “I understood this could happen, so there's no apology necessary.”

    I looked to Webb, whose face was a mirror of my own. Sad. Regretful.

    If he only knew how regretful mine was.

    “I think I'm going to go to the bedroom and get some things,” I said, trying to pass myself off as much more cheerful than I'm sure I looked. “Dinner's almost ready. Do you think you guys could just look after the spaghetti and sauce? There's garlic bread waiting, too.”

    I didn't wait for a response because they were coming. The tears that I couldn't stop, wouldn't stop even if I could. I needed them like I needed my next breath.

    Someone spoke. Webb, I think, and I rushed to the bedroom and sat on the bed, blinking as salty rivulets ran down my face unchecked.

    “Lena? Can I come in?”

    Webb.

    “I'd like to be alone for a few minutes, please,” I told him, hating the wobble in my voice.

    “Lena,” he called again.

    “Please! I need to be alone.”

    Again. Always.

    Forever.

our baby, but I didn't. Couldn't. Whichever. Whatever.

    My purse. It was by the brown, traitorous bag that had held the two pregnancy tests, one of which was stowed in my closed luggage. Unused.

    Maybe I should have gotten the positive one and brought it with me as well. There was always the possibility Webb could find it, confront me with it. Then I'd be the pathetic hanger-on I promised myself I would never be. If he had found his mate, I would go quietly. That was the deal. And that was what I was doing right now, though Webb was fighting me on it. Albeit, halfheartedly.

    I strolled quickly over to the table, averting my eyes from anyone and everyone, and grabbed my purse with my car keys inside.

    “Bye, Webb,” I muttered over my shoulder as I walked out of my home for what should be the last time in my life.

    My tears were successfully held back until I started my Nissan and pulled away, though I had to pull over half a mile away because they were blinding me.

    I had a baby to protect and the tears would be there later. I couldn't risk an accident if I couldn't see the road.

    I caught a sob in my throat, stopped the tears—which was damn near the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life—and drove away from my home, my heart, and the father of my child.

Chapter 2 

Webb

    I didn't expect this. Not after all these years.

    I felt like an asshole.

    My throat closed up as I watched Lena walk out the door with her suitcases. Running a hand through my hair, I turned to see Hugo watching me. I had explained everything between Lena and me earlier today when I first met him.

    “You?” I asked, shock coursing through me and rocking me to my very soul.

    “My name's Hugo,” he greeted, taking in the look on my face. I'm not sure what it was right then, but shock and dismay were pretty damned close to the f*****g surface. “Transferred from—”

    “Webb!” Alpha Lenon's voice called out.

    “Excuse me for a minute,” I said to Hugo, the distraction a welcome one, given the circumstances.

    “I see you've met the newb,” Lenon said to me. “Transferred from the Midwest. Grew up here until he was 14 when his parents moved to Colorado. Make him feel at home, will ya?”

    I nodded my agreement as Lenon clapped me on the shoulder and jogged off in another direction. He moved too quickly for me to ask him about Lena and what she was doing.

    Or even to warn her.

    But no, I should be the one to tell her I'd found my mate. This was going to be damned difficult.

    I was somewhere between emotions when Hugo walked up to me, sensing my tension.

    “What's up with you? Meeting your mate shouldn't feel like this, should it?” he asked, skewering me with his eyes.

    “It's complicated,” I mumbled, running a hand through my hair as I often did when stressed. “I...I have a female at home.”

    “A chosen?” he asked, his brows lifting in surprise and worry.

    “Chosen mates are not allowed in this pack,” I told him with a shake of my head. “I have...had someone. Someone I love and have devoted myself to but cannot mark. And I've waited years for you.” My tone was bitter, though it was ultimately not this man's fault.

    “What about her mate?” Hugo asked, keeping our distance a few feet apart.

    “Dead. Years ago,” I said with a sigh. “I thought mine had died as well.”

    “Well, I'm here,” Hugo said, frowning.

    “I know. I'm both glad and saddened. This... It will kill her. She wanted—” I cut myself off, a lump forming in my throat.

    “What did she want?” Hugo asked when the clicking in my throat didn't stop as I attempted to swallow my emotions down.

    “She wanted to wait until I turned thirty before trying to have children,” I said, finally able to find my voice. “We've been trying for six months now.”

    “Maybe...well, maybe it's a good thing you haven't been successful,” Hugo said. “Are…will you reject me? Even if you cannot claim this woman—”

    “Lena,” I interrupted. “Short for Helena.”

    “Lena, then,” Hugo corrected. “Is she who you truly want?”

    I didn't know. I wanted my mate. The pull, that indescribable bond, was there already with Hugo, but I couldn't turn off my feelings toward Lena like a switch. They were there, making my voice thick and my chest feel like it was caving in on itself.

    “I won't reject you,” I told him softly. The tension in his shoulders lessened, his spine straightening and shoulders rolling back with casual grace.

    For the first time since looking into his eyes, green as clover and sparkling, I looked at him—really, looked at him. Chiseled jaw with the perfect amount of lickable stubble, broad shoulders, and a trim, fit waist. Since we trained in athletic shorts minus the tee, his torso and chest were bare, glistening with a trace of sweat.

    Hugo had mussed up, dirty blond locks and a small smattering of golden hair dusting his chest. The whole package made me rock-solid in my shorts, and if I didn't get control of myself, I'd be a laughing stock. A walking boner. The clipboard in my hand was probably going to be of much use for the afternoon, if only to hide my arousal.

    “What are you going to tell her?” Hugo asked, interrupting my gawking.

    “I...I don't know,” I replied, sifting through my darker hair with a trembling hand. “But I have to at least warn her of company at dinner tonight.”

    “That could have gone better,” Hugo said dryly from his place at the stove. He was stirring the noodles, looking over my shoulder at the door Lena had left out of.

    “f**k,” I muttered. f**k f**k f**k f**k.

    f**k!

    “I need to call her,” I said, reaching for my phone. She hadn't read any of the texts I’d left her earlier, but that wasn't unusual when she was working or otherwise busy at home.

    Hugo stopped me. “Is that really going to help her?” he asked. “Or is it just going to hurt her more?”

    “I need to apologize,” I said. “I pressured her into having kids with me, and—”

    “And you don't have any. Look, Webb. If she was pregnant or had your child already, I would understand the issue. But this—she's not your mate. I am. Destined to be together from birth.” He paused. “You still love her?”

    I nodded my head, averting my gaze from his. “I can't turn it off like a machine. We've been together for years.”

    “Leave her be,” Hugo said. “She walked out before you could explain anything. That's on her.”

    “What if she—” I cut myself off.

    God. What if she was already pregnant and we just didn't know it yet?

    Lies.

    “You're not,” he said, rolling over to face me full-on. “Look, I get it, I do. But don't let it come between us. I've been waiting almost as long for you as you have for me. I've had boyfriends before this. Hell, I've had girlfriends.”

    “You're bi?” I hadn't known that. Hadn't bothered to ask either. It wasn't that common to have two bisexual wolves in a coupling. The need to procreate amongst our kind was too strong. It happened, but it was a rarity. I even had thought my mate would be female. This…Hugo had come out of left field.

    “Yep. I drill both holes,” he said, smiling a bit in the dim light coming through the window. “I left my pack because of a female, though. My ex. She found her mate. I don't blame her, and Lena doesn't blame you either.”

    “You don't know her,” I said, flopping onto my back, unable to get into a comfortable position.

    “Don't have to,” Hugo said. “You can tell just by the way she left that she wants what's best for you, Webb. That's me. Your mate. It'll be hard living in the same community, but I'm sure she'll get over it, find someone else.”

    Hugo knew nothing about Lena. It had taken her two years to get over Langdon's death. I would know. I helped her every step of the way. They had only been together for a few months. Lena and I, we had years to come together, to grow.

    To love.

    “Lena is selfless, yes,” I said. “She thinks of others before herself. She's beautiful and spunky at times. She would make a fantastic mother, dutiful and loving wife. She's soft when she needs to be, hard when life calls for it. She...fuck.”

    I clapped my hands over my eyes, refusing to go on as a stone lodged itself in my throat and took root.

    “She sounds wonderful,” Hugo said softly. “She'll make someone very happy one day.”

    I rolled over, unable to face Hugo.

    Unable to face myself.

not ask.

    “She doesn't want you asking about her,” Lenon told me bluntly.

    So, she told him. I knew she would. They were pretty tight for an employer and employee.

    “Where'd she go after she left?”

    “Webb...”

    “I can't even know? Is she upset? Did she come into work?”

    “I can't discuss it with you, and you know that.” He didn't sound happy about that fact. “And you know Lena. Of course she's f*****g upset. This crushed her, but that's all I'm telling you.”

    “If the pack laws—” I argued.

    “The pack laws were put in place for a reason,” Lenon told me.

    “Hundred of years ago!”

    “Do you regret meeting your mate, Webb?”

    “Yes. No... I don't f*****g know.” My head hung low on my chest, eyes closed.

    “Mates are—”

    “A blessing,” I snarled. “I got it. Heard the whole routine from my parents growing up. Waited for over ten years to find mine. I know better than anyone who a f*****g mate is. It doesn't say mean I enjoy this whole s**t show.”

    “Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you miserable mutt,” Lenon growled. “Poor Webb. Waits ten years for a mate. Has to choose between one beautiful female and his destined. Stop wallowing in self-pity and think about how Lena feels. She has no one to comfort her but her family. Langdon died six years ago tomorrow, you selfish prick!”

    f**k. The anniversary.

    “I'm not wallowing in self-pity, Alpha,” I said. “I'm not. I feel f*****g guilty as hell about all this. I don't begrudge my true mate. Never have and never will. I pressured her six months ago I made her promise we'd try to have a family—”

    “I know. Lena told me you two had come to the conclusion that your mate was dead or unable to be with you,” Lenon said. “I warned her this could happen. She was so happy when you started trying. She thought she'd have started her own little family by now. I was excited and sad for her. The fates—they like to f**k with us from time to time.”

    “I wanted kids,” I said, throat closing up for the hundredth time since meeting Hugo and losing Lena. “Lots of them.”

    “There's adoption. Surrogacy, even.”

    “I want my own flesh and blood,” I said. With Lena. Still with Lena.

    “I know, Webb,” Lenon said softly. “And you probably won't believe this, but I wanted that for both of you too.”

    “Please tell her something for me,” I asked. No—pleaded.

    “What?”

    “Tell her...tell her I miss her.”

    Lenon looked pained, but I guess my own was pretty evident on my face.

    “Okay,” he agreed.              

Chapter 3 

Hugo

    I could see why Webb had fallen for Lena. She was, quite plainly-speaking, exquisite. Dark brown, almost black hair, and light green eyes. Her skin looked silky smooth and so f*****g soft. It would make a lesser man jealous of having had a female like that. Her hair was long, almost to her waist, and pin-straight. The only thing that lessened her beauty was the sadness in her eyes. It would be clear to anyone with sight that she had been crying. Hell, I would have cried too if I had been in her position. Webb was the perfect specimen of a man.

    Just a couple of inches short of my six-foot three stature, he had stormy blue eyes and soft, perfectly-coifed hair. It was messy, sexed-up looking. Perfect. He was leaner than I was, not an ounce of fat on him.

    Unless you counted what I hoped was a very fat c**k.

    Would he bottom or top? I was good with either, no matter what his length and girth. Personally, I've done both and loved every minute of it.

    Throughout my ten-mile run, I was thankfully left alone. I had a s**t-ton of worry on my shoulders, and it all had to do with Webb. He was obviously miserable without Lena. I could understand why. If I was single, she'd be the first woman I'd be looking to get with.

    I had to stop thinking about both them—both of them. Running with a stiff d**k was not as easy as f*****g with one.

    As I rounded the corner of the last stretch of the ten-mile torture, I saw Webb standing next to the Alpha, a 35-year-old male who was mated to a pretty redhead I had met the previous day upon my arrival. Alana was as quirky as a woman could be, yet you could tell she had a heart of gold. Most Lunas did. You couldn't say the same about some Alphas. The power of their position got to their heads in some instances.

    I wondered that if choosing a mate were allowed, would I be having the doubts I was having now? I felt like because there were restrictions at this particular pack, I'd been thrust upon Webb's shoulders when he’d been happy enough with his beautiful female. My heart went out to her, it did, but Webb was mine from the start. It just took us longer than usual to find each other.

    I bent over at the waist, out of breath after the punishment Webb had given us. Ridiculous really. He was taking out all his guilt and frustrations on us, but as he was in charge, we had no choice but to follow his directions.

    “Hugo! Wait up!”

    Training was done, and I was on my way home to shower. I walked slowly, hearing Webb coming up at a slow jog behind me.

    “What?” I nearly snarled out, irritated at having to deal with this drama of his when I should've been happily mated.

    “I'm sorry,” Webb said. He sounded contrite enough. “You didn't ask for all this s**t, and I'm only making it worse by pushing you away.”

    “No shit.”

    I was angry and had every right to be. I left because my ex had found her happily-ever-after. Mine was now surly and ill-tempered, and hung up on some she-wolf that didn't belong to us.

    Him. I meant him.

    “Let's go home,” Webb suggested. “Take a shower together. f**k. I do want you, but you're just going to have to understand that I want her as well, even if I'm denied that pleasure.”

    I felt like Grade-D beef. It was okay if it was that or starve, but it wasn't what you went to the store for initially.

    “f**k you!”

    I stalked off. I wasn't going to mate with him if he was in love with another. Not until I knew I had his attention, his full attention.

    Mate? Ha! What a f*****g joke. I had wanted kids too, and now I was stuck with a man who didn't want me, or at least, not really. Instead, he wants his 2.5 children and a wife. The picket fence. Family barbecues. The whole domestic 9 yards.

    It was a mistake coming back here. I could deal with an ex who had found her true love. I just couldn't deal with being forced upon someone because of a mating bond.

    “Hugo!”

    I picked up my pace, grabbing my shirt up off the ground and racing to the house Webb had shared with Lena for the last few years. His home—not mine.

am confused.  And angry.” His voice lost its gusto. “I promised her a life, children. I feel like the world's biggest asshole on all accounts. I picked up the pieces of her shattered heart only to break them again. Every time I look at you or think of her, I feel guilty. Ashamed. I promised not only her, but her family that I would take care of her and never hurt her. I'm a f*****g wreck because of that. I was promised to you from birth, but I made other promises along the way. It…it's hard to reconcile that. No matter what I do, I hurt someone irreparably. I f*****g hate this s**t! I hate that I had to wait, I hate that I'm letting people down! I hate my-own-f*****g-self in general right now!” His hands took hold of his hair, gripping and pulling at the strand.

    I think I had been too hard on him, but I only wanted what every other wolf had: the love of his mate. Only that. I left my past behind and had said sayonara. I was ripping a hole in the world as he knew it, and the casualties were gruesome. Three hearts, a possible family, one strong female who was probably crying inconsolably, her world crashing down around her ears.

    I felt worse about that than anything. I knew I could come to terms with this whole f*****g debacle, but if what Webb said was true—and I had no reason to think otherwise—then she was hurt, devastated.

    “Have you tried contacting Lena?” I asked softly.

    He paused, looking at me and waiting for the other shoe to drop probably.

    “Yeah, I tried,” he said. I didn't know if he sounded ashamed or angry. “She doesn't answer the mindlink or her texts. The Alpha told me she doesn't want me knowing anything about her.”

    My brows rose. “Not even to see if she's okay?”

    “Nope. She wants no contact, not even by proxy.”

    “Fuck.” She was hurt worse than I thought. Much worse. To break off all ties with someone you had lived with, loved with, just like that? Brutal.

    “Maybe it's for the best.”

    I didn't say that. Webb did, echoing my sentiments from 24 hours ago.

    “Maybe if we don't see each other or even know anything about the other…maybe I can push through this. Get past it. I'm sorry. I'm a sorry excuse for a man and mate.”

    “But you're handsome,” I said, smirking a little as he scoffed. “And kind. And caring. s**t, Webb. You care enough about someone to feel like the biggest prick on the planet. That's not the sign of a bad guy. You have a big heart, I can tell. It's just f*****g tattered from having to deal with all this. I don't blame you. Hell, I dated, had girlfriends, boyfriends. I even went through a phase where I was a complete jackass and manwhore. But all's I was doing was f*****g to feel better. Or to not feel anything at all. Whichever. When I didn't find my mate by 23, I thought I didn't f*****g have one at all. That there was something wrong with me. That I wasn't good enough to get one somehow. So, I f****d. I f****d a lot. Men. Women. Unmated, but that didn't matter. I didn't care about their feelings, and I sure as f**k didn't care if they got attached. I was one and done. When I met Cheryl, I—” My throat closed up, the words caught in my throat. “I was happy for her when she found her mate, but I was jealous as well. I didn't love her, not yet, but she showed me that love existed. We were on a date. Our six-month anniversary, if you will, when she met him. She felt so f*****g bad, but the man's wolf was out of control, seeing her with another man. Turns out he was only from a pack over from us but had enlisted in the army right out of high school. Stayed for six years until he came back to the area. His first weekend home and he found his mate kissing me in a booth at a restaurant.”

    Webb was quiet, sniffling. “Worst date ever,” he said, a reluctant laugh catching in his throat.

    “One for the books, most certainly.”

    “Are you leaving me?” he asked, wet eyes looking up at me finally.

    “f**k no, Webb,” I said, moving closer to him. “You're mine, my person. Or wolf, or whatever. I was angry and wasn't thinking about how you felt.”

    “We are a bit egocentric at times, we males,” he allowed, giving me a sad smile as another tear dripped down his face.

    “Let me get you a f*****g tissue,” I said. I couldn't bear to see him cry. It made my chest throb painfully.

    Sweeping into the bathroom, I looked for some Kleenex and found none. There were some makeup-smeared tissues in the small trash can in there, but I figured Webb wouldn't mind using some toilet paper in a pinch. I used up the last of it and, like a good little mate, tossed the empty roll in the bin and added a fresh one to the dispenser. Something odd poked out of the can as I pushed down the debris to make room for the empty roll.

    “Webb?” I called out. I couldn’t move as my mind ran in circles with the sudden knowledge that things had only gotten more complicated.

    “Yeah?” he called from the bedroom.

    “You said you've been trying to conceive for how long?”

    “Six months. Why?”

    I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly.

    “You should probably get in here and see this.”

This book is free to read right now and complete on w*****d and Inkitt. 

Wattpad: @HereLiesSnoops or https://www.wattpad.com/user/HereLiesSnoops

Inkitt: https://www.inkitt.com/RKKnightly

These will eventually be put on sss in both e-book and paperback as well.