A Wife for the Wolves (BBW Shifter Mail Order Bride Romance) (Mail-Order Mates Book 5) (3 page)

“Come on in, Jackie!”

Her mom waved her in and then put her phone back to her ear. Jackie waited while her mom talked with an angry boutique manager. They weren’t going to be able to ship any new orders that month. The guy was really yelling at her mom, which made Jackie glad not to have to do any customer service work for the business. The shop owners always got mad when they couldn’t get special treatment.

Her mom finally wrapped up the call and blew air between her teeth. “Whoa. That guy was a real whack job.”

“You should cut him from distribution,” Jackie suggested. “We don’t have enough inventory as it is. Why waste it on an asshole like him?”

Her mom’s eyebrows shot up. “Language…but yes. I’m going to talk with your father about dropping that store. Let’s see how he’s going to explain that to his customers.”

Jackie smiled. She loved that her parents were so successful. They had worked hard to get their business to that level, and it was inspiring to see. It also helped Jackie decide that office work of any kind wasn’t right for her. Watching her parents talk about their business, she knew she’d never have that kind of passion about a “regular” job.

“I wanted to talk to you about my match before I go home for the day,” Jackie told her mom.

“You got matched already!” Her mom pushed all the paperwork away from her. “Jackie, tell me everything.”

“That’s the thing. It wasn’t what I was expecting.” Jackie told her mom about the email from Olivia, but left out the key detail.

“So are you going to tell her it’s okay to email with this guy?”

“Guys.” She watched her mom’s face closely. “It’s two men. They’re looking to form a triad.”

“Two men.” Her mom sat back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. “I’ve heard about triads, of course. One of the girls I went to high school with actually ended up marrying two sea otter shifters.”

“What?” Jackie laughed. “Sea otters are adorable, but I don’t know if I could take a guy seriously. They’re just too cute.”

Her mom laughed too. “It was rather strange, but they were very nice men. They were cousins. They’re still married now and have seven kids.”

“Seven?”

“I know. I have my hands full with three. I’d need to take a lot of ‘mommy’ nights with that many kids.”

It actually didn’t sound so bad to Jackie. Not with a job outside the house, of course. But if she was a stay-at-home wife, she could probably swing it. She wondered how many kids the twins would want. Wolves didn’t usually have that many kids; all the wolf-shifter families in town had two or three kids. The pack was a different story. The pack in town kept the local daycare in business. So many pups! They were adorable to watch running around the playground, but they were a handful.

“I’ve already told Olivia that I’d like to talk with the guys. They’re twins and they own their own business together.”

Her mom perked up. “Entrepreneurs? What do they do?”

“They run a restaurant. I don’t know anything else about it yet. I’m waiting for their first email.”

“I’m going to have to break this to your father gently. How does this all work now?”

Jackie considered the question. “If emailing goes well, I’d like to visit their town. If that goes well, we’d get married soon. It
is
a mail-order bride company, after all.”

“Right.” Her mom’s eyes were shiny with tears. “This is faster than I expected. Just last week, you were a college student. Now you’re talking about jumping into getting married.”

Jackie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m not jumping into it, Mom. We’d take time to get to know each other. You guys would have to meet them first, too. I’m not going to jump into anything.”

Her mom nodded. “I know. It’s a little fast, is all.”

“I know. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

Jackie hugged her mom and headed home. The boys had gymnastics practice with their dad after school, so she’d have the house to herself. Glad to have some privacy, Jackie went to her room and checked her laptop. She had a message from the brothers! Her hands shook as she clicked on the email. It was a long email, in which they told her all about themselves and how they wanted to find a mate very badly. They were part of a pack and spent a lot of their time at work. So far, it sounded good to Jackie.

At the end of the email, they extended an invitation. She could visit Sunset Falls whenever she liked, but sooner would be better than later. If she waited too long, it would be hard for her to get a flight into town. They were willing to pay for her flight and her accommodations while she was there. Her parents were going to love that bit! It all sounded nice to Jackie. She had only read the one email, but they seemed nice enough. She wouldn’t know anything for sure until she met them in person.

Anyone could sound like a nice guy in an email. She’d been burned by people in online forums in her younger years.

But it wasn’t like she was doing anything important. Her parents had an after-school program and a babysitter for the boys. Things were already running smoother at the warehouse. The new shipping system had been a breeze to implement. Most of her day now consisted of handing packing slips to truck drivers. It wasn’t bad for a week, but she was going to get bored quickly. She could see no reason to delay leaving to visit the brothers.

Jackie looked around for luggage after she checked the internet for weather reports for Sunset Falls. She was notorious for overpacking, but she’d be flying on a small plane. She had to choose her outfits carefully. If she stayed longer, she could always order herself new clothes or ship some to herself.

She was starting to get very excited. She was going to get to meet the brothers in a few days! Maybe she’d be engaged before the end of the month. If her mom thought things had been going fast before, she wasn’t going to love this, but it couldn’t be helped. Jackie finally knew what she wanted out of life. There’d be no more trying to find the perfect major or struggling to get motivated for work.

She just hoped the boys were as good as they looked.

***

“Everyone is outside waiting,” Matt told his brother.

They had gathered the whole pack at the restaurant after closing. A meeting like this was unusual, so everyone knew something big was coming. The hype had been building since Mark had started telling people about the meeting. Matt knew that was coming, but he was still nervous. They weren’t just telling the pack that they wanted to be alpha. They also had to announce that they were getting a mate and that she’d be with both of them.

This would be the Lunar Pack’s first triad alpha couple. Matt didn’t think anyone would object, but it was strange to expose himself in front of the pack like this. He wished he could have told people individually and let word spread organically. It helped knowing his mate would be touching down in Sunset Falls in just a few hours. By the time he went to bed tomorrow, she would be within jogging distance of his house.

It was both phenomenal and scary how fast it had happened. Once she had agreed to talk with them, Mark had sent an email inviting her to town. Matt had looked at her profile on LK’s site and was floored. She was beautiful. She had uploaded a picture of herself standing in front of a lake. It must have been taken on a family vacation. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a perky ponytail and she was wearing bright red lipstick. She looked exactly like a 1950s girl next door.

Matt couldn’t believe that a girl that pretty wasn’t just single, she was interested in becoming an LK Bride. She looked so clean and wholesome he also had a hard time believing she would be interested in completing their triad. Her email reply to Mark had been quick, but Olivia had warned them to go slowly.

“Come on,” Mark prodded. “People are getting restless.”

“I know. I’m coming.” Matt repeated the opening of his speech in his head and followed Mark out of the kitchen. The entire room was packed with his packmates and it was noisy. As soon as the brothers came out of the kitchen, word spread through the room. The room quieted and Matt raised his hands. “Evening, everyone.”

“Thanks for coming out so late,” Mark added. “We aren’t going to keep you long.”

“We just wanted to formally announce our intention to become alphas of the Lunar Pack.”

The room erupted in noise again. Some people clapped and some of the older pups asked their parents how two people could be alpha.

An anonymous voice rose above the others in the back. “Are you two looking to be a triad, then?”

Matt nodded. “Yes, we are. In fact, that’s our second announcement. We’ve asked for help from Lovely and Kind Brides to find us a mate to complete our triad.”

The pack’s chatter drowned out Matt’s voice at the end of his announcement. A moment later Kellan came toward them and shook both of their hands in the commotion. “Great job, boys. I knew this day was going to come. There isn’t a better wolf for the pack.”

Mark hugged their cousin first. “Thank you. It means a lot coming from you, brother.”

“Aren’t we going to vote on this?” someone in the crowd asked angrily.

“We could,” Matt answered, surprised. “That is the tradition. We haven’t done it in a few generations, but we could set it all up.”

“Do we really need a vote?” Kellan demanded. “Who else is willing to do this job? Any contenders are welcome to come forward now.”

“We’ve gotten along just fine without an alpha. We don’t need one now.”

“Just like the Brooks Pride?” Kellan asked. “We’re doing okay now, but we need direction. Look at what Owen has done for the pride.”

“You aren’t even a part of the pack!” a woman in the front yelled. “You’re a lone wolf. Why should we care what you think?”

“I’m also fine with a yes or no vote.” Mark stepped in to stop the discussion from escalating.

“We need an alpha!” someone called out.

Almost immediately, there was agreement all through the room. That made Matt puff his chest in pride. He should have expected a few rabble-rousers to try to stop it from happening. Once he and Mark were the alphas, a lot of the shenanigans would have to stop. The guys who liked to go out to the bar and have a few too many wouldn’t like that so much. There wasn’t going to be any sponging off packmates anymore, either. The pack had gotten along okay without an alpha, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t do better with two competent leaders.

“Voting will happen in two weeks, right here. Same time,” Mark called out.

Matt nodded. “Thanks for coming out tonight, folks. I hope you all will consider this upcoming vote very carefully. The future of our pack is at stake here.”

Kellan was growling and his eyes were bright yellow. “Can you believe these people?”

“They don’t want to have to change.” Mark shrugged. “Too bad for them. Things are going in the wrong direction now. How are we going to be one of the best shifter towns in the country when our pack has a drug problem?”

“Drug problem?” Kellan asked.

Matt sighed. “From what it sounds like, anyway. I’m not entirely sure it was just the pack boys, but there is some drug use going on.”

“Nothing serious, is it?”

“I don’t think so,” Matt said. “Like I said, I’m not sure yet. I want to do a little more digging first.”

“I need to get back to the motel.” Kellan glanced at his phone. “Gwen’s too sick to stay for the night. Molly is going to kill me, but I don’t have anyone else.”

“I know that pain.” Mark groaned. “We didn’t have a backup cook until just yesterday. Matt and I had to fill in the whole week.”

“Hopefully I can get Virginia to fill in for Gwen in the future.”

“Good luck,” Mark told Kellan.

They were all going to need luck, Matt thought. Things were getting complicated for the pack.

He looked at his watch. Just a few hours until his mate landed. He hoped things would calm down once Jacqueline was in town.

“We’re landing now,” Kai told Jackie.

She had her eyes closed tight and was holding on to her seatbelt for dear life. She didn’t have a fear of flying, but the little plane made her nervous. She’d never flown on a private plane with just herself and the pilot. It seemed more dangerous somehow. She exhaled loudly and gulped down a sob when Kai told her it was going to be over soon.

She felt weightless for a moment as the plane descended. It had been a long journey to get to Sunset Falls. She only had three suitcases with her, which was also nerve-wracking. Spring weather could turn on a dime. She didn’t want to be unprepared and have to buy something at the last minute. That didn’t work for girls with bodies like hers. She liked her clothes to fit her, and clothing companies seemed to think that all curvy girls were shaped exactly the same. Jackie had a very ample chest and butt. She also had a tiny waist. It was impossible for her find nice clothes off the rack.

By the time she had opened her eyes, the plane was on the ground and Kai was hopping out to help her get down. The twins were waiting for her on the side of the hangar. They were even more gorgeous in person—she could see that even from a distance. Kai got her bags as the twins came to greet her.

“Jackie? I’m Matt,” the one on the left said. “This is my brother Mark. We’re very glad to meet you.”

Mark handed her a giant heart-shaped box of candy. “I hope you like chocolate.”

Jackie smiled. “I do. I love chocolate.”

She hated showing up empty-handed when they had flowers and candy for her. She would have to think of something nice to get them while she was in town.

“Here are her bags.” Kai set them at Jackie’s feet.

“Thanks, Kai.” Mark nodded to the pilot. “We really appreciate it.”

“No problem. Although I don’t know how much the little lady enjoyed herself.”

“I didn’t,” Jackie admitted with a nervous giggle. “It’s so scary when I can see him yawn and stretch. I get so nervous thinking he’s going to nod off while he’s flying. I think I’ll drive on my next trip to town.”

“We can come and pick you up,” Mark assured her. “It’s a long drive and easy to get lost.”

Matt handed her the small bouquet of tulips and picked up two of her bags. “This way.”

They loaded her bags in the truck and there was a little grumble of who would ride up front with her.

“I can sit in the back,” she volunteered. It was cute to see them fight over her. The twins looked at her and reluctantly agreed.

Sitting in the back let her look at Matt, who was driving, without it being strange. She could see Mark in the mirror on his side of the car. They were hard to tell apart, so far. She had to remember that Matt was wearing a black button-down shirt and Mark was wearing gray.

“It’s a short drive into town,” Matt told her. “We’re going to take you straight to the hotel and let you get settled in.”

“That sounds great,” Jackie said. She was glad they hadn’t asked her to stay at their home. At least with her staying at the hotel, there’d be no pressure to let things get too physical too fast. Her cheeks burned hot thinking about getting physical with both men. She shouldn’t have read that book. Now, all the dirty stories ran through her mind. She couldn’t help but imagine doing all the things the author had talked about with the twins.

“After you get a little rest, we were thinking we could show you the town tonight,” Mark suggested, turning to look at her.

“That would be nice. I’d love to see your restaurant.”

“That’s going to be our first stop,” Matt assured her with a smile. “We’re going to have dinner there tonight. If you’d like to, that is.”

“I’d love to eat at your place.”

Jackie sat back and enjoyed the drive. The area looked so different from her hometown. The closer they got to town, the greener it got. It was like color just bloomed on the desert. It was all browns and tans for most of the trip, then suddenly, the cacti gave way to skinny trees and grass. The town looked like any place in the Midwest or the East.

“This is our street,” Mark said as they drove past a cul-de-sac.

It was only three streets from the Lunar Motel.

“We’ll get your bags,” Matt insisted as he parked in front of the building. The motel was nothing fancy, but Jackie liked the howling wolf and moon silhouette on the sign out front.

There was a very pale and very pretty woman at the front counter. She was holding a can of soda to her forehead. “Hey, Mark. Matt. Is this your bride?”

Mark put his arm around Jackie’s waist. “This is Jackie. Jackie, this is Gwen Cates. She works for our cousin.”

“I’m his best worker,” Gwen corrected. “Nice to meet you, honey. I heard you were going to try to take on these two men. Good for you! They need a womanly influence in their life. Wait till you see their little bachelor pad.”

“It’s a whole house, Gwen,” Matt said.

“You’d think it was a frat house.” Gwen grimaced. “Let me get you checked in before I have to go lie down.”

“Morning sickness?” Matt asked.

“You know it.” Gwen frowned. “I’m hot as hell. I don’t know if this is normal or not, but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to stay on much longer.”

“Congratulations,” Jackie told Gwen. “You’re really sick now, but just think, in less than nine months you’re going to have a little baby.”

“That’s true.” Gwen pulled a key off a hook on the back wall. “You’re upstairs, in room 223. If I’m gone later, Virginia should be around somewhere even if the front desk is closed.”

“She’s a member of our pack,” Matt told Jackie. “Really nice girl. Gwen, why would you close the front desk if Virginia’s here?”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t want to work the desk. She wants to clean rooms and watch the grounds. That girl is too shy for her own good.”

Jackie had an idea. “You know, if I stay in town, I could run the front desk.”

“What?” Mark asked. “I thought…I mean, I don’t want to tell you what to do. But I thought you wanted to be a stay-at-home wife.”

“But what will I do all day while you’re at work?” Jackie asked. The idea had just come to her, but it made sense. “It wouldn’t be permanent. Just while Gwen was getting settled with the baby.”

“It wouldn’t be permanent,” Gwen repeated. “I like my job. I may cut down my hours once the baby comes, but I want to keep working. I think I would lose my mind staying home with a baby night and day.”

“See?” Jackie told the twins. “It’d be a good way to get to know people in town, and I wouldn’t feel isolated in your house.”

“Maybe,” Mark said hesitantly. “We should all talk about it, if you’re going to be staying long-term.”

“Let Kellan know,” Gwen told Jackie. “No pressure to take the job. Have a great stay.”

The boys took Jackie’s bags to her room and said goodbye. They’d given her their cell numbers and the number at Two Wolves. She would rest for an hour or two and then call them to come and get her.

After half an hour in bed, Jackie realized her mistake. She should have rented a car. What if she wanted to go somewhere in town and the boys were both busy? There had to be a car rental agency in town. When she checked online, the town’s website said there were none, but that couldn’t be true.

She went to the front desk to ask, but it was closed. Gwen must have already gone home for the day. On the way back to her room, Jackie heard someone yelling on a phone. When she got upstairs, she saw a girl with long black hair pushing a maid’s cart and talking on a phone. The girl hung up quickly when she saw Jackie.

“Hi, are you Virginia?” she asked the girl.

The girl looked wary but she nodded. “I am. How can I help you?”

“I’m Jackie. I’m visiting Mark and Matt this week.” She wasn’t sure how to describe herself just yet. It felt odd to call herself their LK Bride, since they hadn’t even gone on a date yet. LK buddy or LK friend sounded silly. “I was wondering if there were any car rental places in town.”

“There is, but you rent from the car dealer,” Virginia told her, visibly relaxing. “It’s strange, I know, but we don’t need a whole rental place. Just call Don’s and he’ll have something for you.”

“Thank you.”

“Sorry about the yelling,” Virginia apologized. “My little brother is suspended from school and he’s driving me nuts.”

“Little brothers are annoying,” Jackie commiserated. “I hope he goes back quick and leaves you alone.”

“You and me both.” Virginia shook her head as her phone buzzed again. “I’d turn it off, but what if there’s an emergency?”

“Maybe block his number for the day?” Jackie suggested.

“Great idea!” Virginia punched a few buttons on her phone and grinned at Jackie. “You’re going to be good for the twins. I can tell.”

“Thank you. I hope so.”

“How are you liking Sunset Falls so far?”

“I’ve only been here an hour or two,” Jackie said. “If I’m going to stay, I’m going to have to buy a lot of sunscreen. You’re lucky, with your pretty brown skin.”

Virginia laughed. “Our pack is lucky. We adapted to the desert many generations back. None of us gets sunburned anymore.”

“I don’t usually either.” Jackie held out her red arm.

“You’re just getting a base coat,” Virginia assured her. “You’re going to be nice and tan by this time tomorrow.”

“I hope so. Thanks for your help.”

“No problem.”

When she got back to her room, Jackie called the car dealership and ordered a midsized car for the week. The guy was really nice, even though she was calling very late. By the time she got off the phone, she had to start getting ready. She didn’t feel jetlagged anymore. She would be going to bed early that night, but not before seeing the town with the twins.

She put on her favorite pair of jeans, a halter top, and a cardigan. It was cooler out now, since the sun was down, but she still wanted to look cute. She also put on her highest heels. She almost hadn’t packed them because they made her two inches taller. Most shifters were tall, but she hadn’t wanted to assume anything. Luckily, the twins were giants. They had to be half a foot taller than she was. She wondered what it would be like to be sandwiched between the two big shifters.

Jackie put her hand on her cheek. She was getting herself all hot and bothered again. She was really going to have to stop that. Matt and Mark were more than just eye candy. She had to get to know them. She couldn’t let her lady parts make her decision for her. She promised herself she would pay attention to the twins tonight. At the very least, she needed to find a physical difference between the two, so she could tell them apart!