Chapter 1
“I get to push the trigger first.”
“Me second.”
“I’m bigger than you. I get to do it.”
The excited buzz of voices from Stephanie Nix’s three nephews danced on the late September air as she sauntered past them. They waved briefly before returning to cajoling their babysitter-slash-teacher-slash-moose-shifter bodyguard, Marvin. Two small bodies, one medium, and one huge.
The four of them sat on the lawn beside Timberwolf Lake, something shiny in the middle of their huddle. Curiosity hit Stephanie for an instant then slid off. As much fun as it was sharing adventures with the kiddos, she was on a different mission. The good weather had enticed her to start her day with a walk around the lake, but it was time to get to work.
Sort of. What was work, anyway? If she truly enjoyed what she was doing, could she ever complain about her daily tasks? She thought not.
It had been a good night, following hard on the heels of a great weekend and a fantastic summer…
No, she needed a better word. A very unforgettable summer.
Finding out the remote wilderness lodge she, her sister, and her bestie had won in a lottery included a werewolf pack—not a typical agenda item. So far, so good, though.
Stephanie whistled happily as she bounced up the back porch steps two at a time. She slipped off her shoes at the door then hopped into the kitchen and twirled her sister, Stacy, into a quick, vigorous hug. “You’re making me tuna casserole for supper.”
“I think I’m making it for everyone,” Stacy teased. She tugged her ponytail a little tighter, her brown eyes flashing with amusement. “But yes, you might get to have some. If you’ve gotten your chores done.”
Stephanie folded her arms over her chest and glared. “Look, Wolf Mom, just because the pack has embraced your matronly ways with open arms, that doesn’t mean you’re the boss of me.” She dipped her chin firmly.
Her sister raised a brow. “What? No, so there? No sticking out your tongue?”
“I’m embracing my inner adult.”
A sharp snort escaped Stacy. “Good luck with that.” She snapped the dish towel in her hands at Stephanie’s butt. “Out of my kitchen, varmint. Or I’ll make you wash dishes.”
“Wouldn’t, couldn’t, shouldn’t.” But Stephanie danced out of range as quickly as possible. Stacy was an evil mastermind when it came to towel marksmanship.
One quick dash put Stephanie around the corner and into the living room. Here, the third member of her gal-pal trio stared at an industrial-size easel covered with fabric swatches, magazine clippings of clothing and food, and an outrageous number of Post-it notes.
“Collaging without me?” Stephanie pretended to be outraged. “Hand over the glue stick now, and no one will get hurt.”
Cassidy shook her head, her dark brown hair bouncing lightly as she gestured her friend forward. “I’m good at some parts of this job, but not so good at others. I’m trying to conjure up wild inspiration.”
“What exactly are we being inspired to do?”
Her bestie wrinkled her nose as she moved a sticky note that said family event from the square labeled December to the one labeled March. “Master planning themes and events for the coming year. We had a successful soft opening last week, but we only have nine months to get final approval from the powers that be. I want to make sure Timberwolf Lodge is ours for good.”
“It’s going well so far, though, right?” Stephanie eyed the collage closer. “And last week was not a success; it was a screaming success. Everyone who attended said that if they had a say in the matter, we’d already have won the challenge.”
The impossible, incredible challenge.
When Cassidy had tossed their names into the hat the previous spring and won Timberwolf Lodge in a lottery, there had been one caveat. They had to prove themselves to the Wilson Pack to make the win official and final. After the past three months, that nebulous phrase had become clear to mean they had to impress a bunch of werewolves.
No prob. Maybe.
Stephanie eyed the chart again. “I suggest you switch to making to-do lists and adding less pictures. Because right now, I’m worried you’re planning a Valentine’s Day massacre or a black wedding.”
Cassidy blinked then leaned toward the easel, adjusting pictures. “Oops. My Post-its slipped.”
“Good to know. Because enormous, black-handled knives stabbing into flowers might become a trend, but more likely, not…”
“Hey, you never know. Look how axe throwing took off.”
“Axe throwing is a useful and daily activity in many households.” Stephanie kept a straight face as she said it.
Her bestie did not disappoint. Cass tilted her head and gave her the look. “Daily?”
“Of course.” Steph smiled sweetly. “That is what you and Jace are doing in your cabin every night, yes? To cause the constant loud thumping noises?”
Cassidy’s cheeks flared to red. Her mouth opened and closed a couple times, then she narrowed her eyes. “You’re eavesdropping.”
“I have very sensitive hearing. Or you’re very loud. Possibly both.” Stephanie flitted backward out of swinging range. “I can stay and help if you want.”
“Nah. Not right now. I’ve already got your list of spa-specific ideas. Once I figure out how to balance it all and we’re getting to the details stage, you can absolutely break out your list-making skills and we’ll have a blast planning minutia.”
“Right up my alley. Now, I should go annoy my favourite wolf.”
“Say hi to Blue for me,” Cassidy offered as she turned back to her task, focus already off Stephanie.
Maybe she should have felt guilty. Both her chicas were hard at work, yet here she was, lazing as she walked out the massive oversized front door of the Timberwolf Lodge into the refreshing fall air. Her shoes were on the other side of the house, so she paced forward silently in her socks.
Nope. Guilt was not allowed. She worked hard as well, just not right this instant. Running a spa in the lodge meant she’d worked non-stop while they’d had guests. She also put in long hours helping with the rest of the lodge tasks.
If she wanted to take a breather and go sit with Blue Carter for a while, she was allowed. Her meditations that morning had emphasized the need to take some me time over the coming days, so she would. She liked to listen to the universe and go along with its guidance. Life usually worked out better that way.
Stephanie stopped two steps onto the porch and eyed the man. Long, lean, yet muscular. A mop of surfer-blond hair that was piled up on his head today in a man bun.
Blue Carter was…unique.
In a pack of strong individuals, he sat outside of the norm in just about every category.
Cassidy’s mate, Jace, was powerful and a capital A-Alpha. Borderline asshole at moments, but then again, so was Cassidy. They were like a matched set of bossy bookends.
Stacy’s mate was Delaney, and he was the Enforcer for the pack. It seemed to mean a whole lot more handholding and encouraging talks than ripping out throats, which went well with her sister’s style of parenting. Stacy was all tough love yet big heart, always willing and ready to listen to her three boys, and now, to all the teens in the pack who’d started hanging around in droves.
Blue was the pack Omega. Not the boss, not the parent. Mostly he acted like a court jester, but Stephanie thought some of that was for show. She found him charming and easy to be around. He wore brightly coloured clothing, gaudy to the extreme, in a way that said he was trying to be annoying. His heart was kind, yet he had more than enough oomph so that no one pushed him around.
Although that might have been the mystical Omega woo-woo stuff that the other wolves in their lives tried to explain but mostly couldn’t. ‘Blue knows things,’ they said. ‘Blue settles people down,’ they said.
Stephanie eyed him a little longer. Whatever they said, Blue had proven to be a good friend over the past three months. She liked having more friends in her life.
When she was still a few steps away from the porch swing, Blue closed his eyes and made the most pathetic sound. “Not what I want to listen to,” he complained.
“You have an ear bud in the other ear?” The swing rocked as she joined him. “Because I don’t hear anything.”
Blue’s eyes snapped open, and he jerked upright in shock. “How did you sneak up on me like that?” he grumbled.
She lifted a hand in front of his face and shimmied her fingers. “Maybe I’m magic.”
**
Maybe she was.
As far as Blue and his wolf were concerned, Stephanie was the be-all and end-all of his dreams. His fated mate. Eventually.
Which was a weird comment for a wolf, even an Omega wolf.
He’d known since the first day the ladies arrived at Timberwolf Lodge that she was the one for him…but not yet.
He knew that made no sense at all. Fated mates were fated mates, only the connection between him and Steph was more like having all the ingredients for a cake sitting on the table. No one would call it a cake until they put everything together in the right order and baked it for long enough.
Which meant he was stuck continuing as he had over the past months. He kept his need for her in check and controlled the urge he had to claim her, even as they bantered lightly.
He snorted, then eyed her closer. “Stocking feet on the porch? You’re going to catch a cold, young lady.”
Stephanie wiggled closer then threw a blanket over both their legs. “Sitting in the cold without a jacket? You’re going to catch pneumonia, or as Ace would say, pee-uwww-moan-ya.”
Heaven and hell. Blue planned to apply for sainthood ASAP, because he lifted his arm, curled it around her shoulders, and tucked her into his side. Friendly-like. Just good ol’ pals. Buddies with his fated mate.
Sainthood was definitely up for grabs since he wasn’t tucking her under him and taking a big, giant bite. “We’ll both catch the sniffles. Stacy will make us chicken soup, and Cassidy will make us watch creepy old movies where everyone makes bad choices, to be sure we keep our spirits high.”
“I heard that,” Cassidy called through the window behind them.
“Eavesdropping from the living room again. You’re so needy,” Stephanie sang out, shouting at her best friend.
“I’m right here. And you’re talking about me,” Cassidy complained.
“So don’t be right there. Isn’t Jace home? Go find your wolf. Throw axes with him or something.” Stacy twisted away from the lodge and took a deep, happy breath. “That is one hell of a view.”
“The snowline is sticking around.” Blue pointed to the very tip where the faintest brush of white covered the peaks.
Beside him, Steph shivered. “Chilly. It’s so exciting. Our first winter at Timberwolf Lodge.”
“Successful first visitors this past week was also exciting. Everyone seemed pleased.”
“So, so much fun when it was our own lodge and my own studio,” Stephanie agreed, then she shrugged. “Not a perfect homerun, though. I need to schedule my time better and see if there’s anyone in town who can help if things get extra busy. I hated to turn people away, but I was booked solid.”
“You were too busy,” Blue complained. “I barely saw you for nearly a week.”
“Aww, did you miss me?”
“I did,” he admitted readily.
Stephanie hummed softly. “Well, I sort of missed you, too. But you were also busy. With Jace refusing to leave Cassidy’s side, and Del claiming he was needed at the Lodge as well, someone had to make sure everyone else in the pack behaved.”
“Yeah, I was swamped. Very busy having multiple cups of coffee, tea, and way too much cake. Everyone in this pack makes cake, and I love pie more,” he shared.
His cake and mates analogy might have something to do with that.
“I’ll remember that,” Steph promised.
Thank goodness his Omega skills weren’t completely messed up. Just the one where he usually knew things a little before they happened. As if the future was a whole lot blurrier now than before.
He had his suspicions it had something to do with Stephanie being his mate. They weren’t there yet…but maybe it was getting closer. Not that he could tell for certain right now.
Fah.
Or maybe it was because of Emma Wilson. An evil, grasping-for-power wolf who had been cast out of the pack a couple of weeks ago by their Enforcers. Blue had a gut feeling that Timberwolf Lodge hadn’t heard the last of her.
Stephanie rested her head on his shoulder, and for a split second, something sizzled up Blue’s skin to the back of his neck. It was gone before he could analyze it.
Not an electric shock. Steph didn’t seem to notice. So he tilted his head enough that they connected gently, touching each other from hip to head as they stared at the mountains.
Connected…but not yet.
His wolf tended to like to ramble, so the fact the four words were all he said before falling silent seemed odd. Blue knew well enough not to fight for more information.
It would happen when it was supposed to. They would happen. He was sure of it.
Dear God, just don’t make him wait too much longer or he was going to turn into a bundle of furry frustration. Not a good place for an Omega wolf to hang out. He’d end up making the entire pack jittery.
But here and now, Blue took the small bit of affection Stephanie was comfortable giving him and savoured it.
He nudged her lightly with his elbow. “This is nice.”
“Yeah,” she said, her long, slow breaths matching time with his. “It is.”
They grinned at each other. Blue stared into her eyes. Sometimes he thought he should win a prize for being patient beyond belief. Then she’d look at him with those big, bright-blue eyes, and he knew he’d wait forever if that’s what it took.
“It’s so nice and peaceful.” She winked. “Means something is bound to come along any second now and blow it all up.”
“Oh, you bright and shining optimist.”
“Ain’t I just?” she agreed.
That’s when the explosion happened.
An enormous boom echoed off the buildings and distant mountains, ringing in their ears as amusement vanished and they both shot to their feet.
A billowing cloud of smoke rose over the roof of Timberwolf Lodge.
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