Hello readers! Long time no posts from me I know and I apologize. I'm in the process of writing the second book in this series and it's requiring some tweaks to the original story so things make sense with the direction I'm going in. Please send me a message to be added to my mailing list and I'll get you set up to see all the edited chapters and new content as it comes out. Thank you so much for the continued messages and comments during my long absence, I love knowing you love this story as much as I do.
So a quck word on what is changing. For one Georgia needed a bit more backbone. This was originally published as I wrote it and Georgia became a stronger character as I went. Now I am going back and strenthing her up from the get go. Also book 2 is going to have some storyline that needed a few teasers added in to book one. Nothing major, and the sex scenes have thus far remained pretty much untouched. Oh! And I've finally had the time to actually write the ending with the care it deserves. With ALL that said please enjoy and again send me a message so I can get you hooked up moving forward.
Chapters 1-5
The sun was pushing through cracks in the curtains, creating bright stripes of morning light in the otherwise dark bedroom. The large man occupying the room was still asleep despite the sun being up. He moaned restlessly and tossed, caught in an intense dream. Inside his head his wolf was free, nose to the ground, following someone's scent through a darkened forest. He caught the scent again and howled triumphantly as he ran to catch up. Through the trees a flash of white fabric, long brown hair. On the wind the warm smell of vanilla and sugar. Cupcakes. He was desperate to catch her, but she stayed just out of reach. He growled in frustration, having lost the scent again and before he could find it his alarm pulled him back to consciousness.
He groaned and stretched, grabbing his phone to silence the alarm. He lay for a moment still feeling the desperation of the dream. Despite being awake he could still smell cupcakes. The smell led him out of bed and downstairs to the kitchen, where his mother and several of his sisters were baking. As usual at pretty much any time of day their home was full of people and activity.
Despite worrisome and mysterious declines in werewolf birth rates his parents had brought a huge family in to the world. He'd grown up in the kind of family werewolves spoke of as something from their past, the way things used to be.
"Good morning sleepy head." his mother quipped good naturedly.
"Man that smells good. It made its way into my dreams." He peered into the oven at the yellow cupcakes starting to dome up.
"Don't even think about it!" His sister Helen snapped at towel at him to shoo him away from the oven.
"Hey! I'm just looking." He rubbed his thigh where the towel had snapped him and tried to look hurt. Helen giggled and wrapped the towel up to hit him again as he ducked behind his mother for protection.
"Don't get me in the middle of your shenanigans please Rig, I've got to get this icing made so we can get these cupcakes done for tonight."
"I'll be the bigger man," He kissed his mother on the cheek, "I need to hop in the shower anyway."
His sister's taunts followed him back up the stairs, finally cut off when he closed the bathroom door. Rig grinned as he turned on the shower, he'd miss Helen soon enough. She'd recently found her mate and would be moving out of the family home. Not that there would be any shortage of other siblings, but anytime somebody moved away from their tight knit family they were missed.
Stepping out of the shower a short time later he realized he'd forgotten to turn on the fan and filled the room up with steam. His head definitely wasn't on right this morning. He wiped off the mirror and eyed the shadow of a beard that no amount of shaving could completely remove. Rig wasn't given to vanity but he had to admit there was nothing obviously objectionable about his appearance. His body was strong and fit, with broad shoulders and the kind of muscles you earn working hard. It did what he needed it to do and he was comfortable in it, for him that was good enough.
Wrapping a towel around his waist he made his way back down the hall to his room, saying good morning to a couple of his brothers that shared the floor with him. It was time for work and the house was buzzing as the large family prepared for the day.
Rig, with his 6 brothers, worked for the family construction business. At 30 he was the oldest son still at home, something he was regularly teased about. Wolves generally stayed at home until they found their mate and his had yet to show up. She hadn't shown up in the waking world anyway, but she was there almost every night lately haunting his dreams.
This morning he was on his way to a site he was supervising, a large commercial building big on concrete and small on style. Checking the time he realized he was running a bit early, which gave him time to drop into a coffee shop he'd noticed nearby. A big cup of fancy coffee sounded perfect to help clear out the cobwebs.
The shop was moderately busy as he walked in, there were 4 people ahead of him in line to order. To his sensitive nose the scent of coffee was usually strong and powerful, but as he stepped in the door he was hit with the familiar smell of cupcakes. It was the most wonderful thing he'd ever smelled and he had an immediate visceral response. His heart was pounding, his wolf was howling and he nearly stumbled as his cock swelled uncomfortably.
Skipping the line he moved to examine the bakery case. It was full of breads and confections, but no cupcakes. He looked around the store, the smell driving him to distraction. His wolf was frantic, clawing for control in a way he hadn't experienced since puberty. Rig sniffed the air, trying to zero in on where the scent was coming from. He scanned the store, no other bakery cases. From the other end of the counter, in the pick up line, a woman laughed. It was melodic, absolutely feminine and he whipped around at the sound of it. His wolf lunged forward toward the source. Here she was, finally, in the waking world, he'd found her.
And she was not what he had expected. She was human, not unheard of but special and rare. Certainly more complicated than a natural wolf. He retreated to the back of the line and watched her, he hoped, unobtrusively.
She was the personification of a cupcake. He grinned as his wolf licked his chops. She was decadent, round, soft and delicious looking. A vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing, he thought admiring her lush brown hair as she laughed again and shook her head. Everything about her looked impossibly lush as a matter of fact. Full breasts, generous ass, curvy legs that ended gracefully in the cutest little feet he'd ever seen. He realized he was growling softly, clenching his fists. With a tremendous effort of will he took several deep breaths and stepped up to order his coffee while keeping one eye on his mate.
How are we going to do this? The primal, animal part of him was snapping and straining to just grab their mate. The logical, human part of him knew he had to proceed carefully. Most humans had no idea non-humans existed at all and could react badly when confronted with proof. He couldn't risk this going badly.
She had picked up her order and sat at a two top table near the window. As he ordered she pulled a Kindle out of her bag and started reading while drinking her coffee and taking bites of what looked like quiche. His sense of smell was so overwhelmed by her he couldn't pick out anything else for certain.
Just stay there sweetheart, just stay right there he thought as he waited for his coffee. It seemed to take forever but she was only halfway through her food and didn't look like she was moving any time soon. He admired her smooth bare leg and shapely ankle as she crossed her legs and settled in her chair. She was wearing an emerald green wrap dress that hugged her voluptuous breasts and skimmed over her tummy and thighs. His eyes were drawn to her deep cleavage as she leaned forward to take another bite. He followed the fork to a pair of lips made for kissing. She closed her eyes and smiled appreciatively as her lips closed on the fork, causing his breath to freeze in his chest. When her eyes opened she looked up and made eye contact. Everything stopped for a split second, all he could see were two big blue eyes. She blushed and looked down and he expelled the breath he'd been holding.
"Sir?" The barista sounded irritated, holding his order out toward him.
"Oh, sorry, I got off in my own little world there. Thank you." He took the coffee and blueberry muffin and turned back towards his mate. Taking a deep calming breath and admonishing his wolf to behave he walked toward her.
Fate was on his side, there were no empty tables, giving him a perfect opening to join her.
"Pardon me." He stood beside the open chair trying to look casual and non threatening. She looked up from her book giving him an open, friendly smile.
"Yes?" The single word sending a tingle along his spine, "Can I help you?"
