Promised: True Mates Book 1 (BBW Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance) (A Craggstone Paranormal Romance)

“
S
o
, Miss—?”

“Kara.” I ignored his unasked question.

A deep chuckle, a flash of white teeth. At least somebody was amused. I rubbed my clammy hands on my denim clad legs and gritted my teeth.

“So…Kara. What brings you here, to see me?”

“Protection.”

“From who?” he asked, his eyes suddenly alert, interested. They were the color of dark melted chocolate, my favorite sweet.

I forced my body to relax, muscle by muscle. “It doesn’t matter. My old pack. I want to join yours.” Short, to the point, I mentally patted myself on the back — way to go Kara! Charm the big bad Alpha!

His eyes narrowed, creases forming around his eyes as he stared at me, weighing and judging.

I stared back, desperately trying to dredge a smile from the depths of my churning gut.

“Which pack?”

“Smithrock.” The second biggest pack around, bar one - his pack.

Winding a lock of light brown hair around my finger, I fidgeted under his impenetrable stare.

Please don’t make me tell you why, please don’t make me tell you why. The internal chant had my knees bouncing to a silent beat.

Leaning back in his chair, a sturdy unit that must have been made specially to hold his large, muscular frame, he rested his chin on his large hands. A lock of dark, inky-colored hair fell over his eyes and he brushed it away, an automatic gesture suggesting that its disheveled length was always in need of a good cut.

His biceps flexed and bunched with the gesture, drawing my eyes to his wide, muscular shoulders. Mouth dry and eyes wandering, I checked out his tight blue t-shirt, which left little to the imagination and clung to what promised to be a hard, sculpted chest and stomach. The rest of his body disappeared under the desk, and feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment I wet my dry lips and forced my eyes upwards.

He stared at me knowingly, a quirk of a grin lifting his lips, then he perused my body slowly and leisurely.

Knowing what he would find, I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. While he was the epitome of masculinity, all hard muscles, lean lines and sculpted features, I was the exact opposite. Tall and curvy, I wasn’t sexy like petite, voluptuous women. I was big, ‘an hourglass,’ my friend Lisa had once stated. Out, then in, then out, then in. My saving grace, my best feature — in my mind — was my long, thick mane of hair. A light honey-brown, dashed with golds and reds, it pulled the eye from my womanly curves — and gave me something to fiddle with in uncomfortable situations.

Flushing under his gaze, I blurted out the first thing I thought of — anything to break the tension filling the room.

“So, can I join your pack then? Do I pass the test?”

Snapping his gaze up, he met my eyes, the deep brown depths burning into mine.

“Do you know who I am?”

“You’re the Alpha of the Colstone Pack?” I answered, confused by the question and the heat in his gaze. My eyes wandered around the office and cataloged the usual office type stuff, desk, computer, seating area, motivational posters on the walls. This was the head office for the Colstone Pack, in Craggstone Town, wasn’t it?

A rumble of laughter escaped his lips as he shook his head. “No, I mean, what is my name? Do you know anything about me? Why would you trust your safety to someone you don’t know?”

And there he had me. Lisa had told me about him and his pack, but I didn’t
know
him. He could be just as bad. I had been out of touch with the real world for so long. What was the correct response?

“You’re James, James Colstone. I have heard you are strong and fair — to everyone. All shifters. Listen, I just need the protection of a pack…” my voice trailed off,
I just want to be free
. My wolf, buried deep inside me and locked away for this visit, let out a mournful howl.

Shifting forward in his chair, James looked at me intently, his brows drawn together. Sniffing the air, his eyes flashed a glowing silver, and a growl rippled from his lips.

Swallowing nervously, I eyed the Alpha wolf shifter in front of me and tentatively sniffed the air.

Musk and pine filled my senses, the scent of the forest saturated with strong, virile male. Lust hung and shimmered in the air, nearly tangible. It was thick and heavy, sparking jolts of heat and a pooling fire deep inside.

Rising to his feet he moved around the desk, a slow, sinuous walk, a predator stalking his prey. Rooted to the spot, the wave of his heat rolling over me, I stared up at him. Grasping my hand, he pulled me to my feet. He was tall, even taller than my 5’11”, a veritable mountain of a man compared to which I nearly felt dainty!

“You can join my pack and I will protect you, but first…I need to know…” A tortured expression clouded his face as he reached out and cupped my face with his large palms, drawing me closer.

Leaning down, his lips hovered a hairsbreadth away. Our hot breath mingled, then his mouth covered mine. The softest brush of velvet teased my senses and I was lost.

He nibbled and licked with his lips and teeth, every touch melting my resistance and liquefying my bones. The surrounding office melted away, the sounds of his staff on the other side of the door ceased to exist, and there was only him.

Pulling me closer, he molded my soft frame to his unyielding one. Feeling him thick and hard, thrusting against my soft stomach, I moaned. I gasped into his mouth, and, echoing my groan, he plundered deeper, licking and tasting while our tongues danced and dueled. Clasping my generous behind, he pulled me against his hard cock, rubbing and thrusting in imitation of the act. My core pulsed in response, an emptiness wanting to be filled, to be taken.

Inside, my wolf pranced, yipping and howling, rubbing against my skin, wanting to be close to this man.

“James, do you need—,” an unfamiliar voice echoed through the room, “—shit, sorry. I didn’t know…”

It was like cold water. Panting as we broke apart, I struggled to rein in my lust. With a wry grin, James visibly pulled himself together, and turned toward the door.

“Ah, Sean. I’d like you to meet Kara,” he said. He gestured toward the dark, stocky man who had entered the room. “Kara, this is Sean. My right-hand man, I would be lost without him.” James grinned, and his face transformed into one of boyish sweetness and mild chagrin. “Sean has been with me since I was a boy. He’s the Beta of our pack and my best friend.”

“Pleased to meet you, Kara,” Sean’s voice rumbled, a deep voice matching his large, heavy frame. His eyebrows quivered as his lips twitched with suppressed mirth. “I see James has already been making your acquaintance. Unfair, James,” he said, turning to the slightly taller man, “unfair, pressing your advantage before she meets the rest of the pack.” Sean chuckled. He tucked his hands into his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels, eyeing me speculatively.

Having finished tidying myself, and pretty sure that the flush had faded from my cheeks, I met Sean’s perusing gaze with one of my own. His eyes flashed from light brown to the liquid gold of his inner wolf. Dark, tanned skin highlighted an almost harshly angular face. Bold features were interrupted by a jagged scar, starting at his right temple and stretching down his cheek, past his jaw, and disappearing into the neck of his tight navy blue t-shirt. Tribal tattoos snaking around his bulging arms completed the bad-boy image. A shiver ran down my spine. This was a man who could be dangerous, a predator to be feared. Gotta stand my ground, rule number one of pack life. Gritting my teeth, I held his gaze
.

“She’s a keeper, James,” Sean said, looking away and whistling through his teeth.

Thankful that he had conceded the game I turned to James, who hugged me into his side, approval on his handsome face.

“She is a keeper,” James growled huskily, all the while staring at me intently. “I didn’t know…but now I’ve tasted her—” he shrugged, “—it’s different now. She’s the one.”

Sean nodded, his face splitting into a wide grin.

Shuffling my feet, I laughed nervously. There was way too much testosterone in the room, and James’s words were confusing. The one what?

“Hey, guys?” I waved my hands, acutely aware that they were trembling. “The one? What does that mean?”

Two sets of eyes met mine, intense and possessive. James burned with lust and…something else? Sean looked like he would flatten me if I moved an inch.

“You’re his true mate,” Sean drawled, a picture of ease except for his eyes, which were guarded.

James was watching me thoughtfully as if weighing my reactions. “My true mate, the one for me,” he said simply.

His true mate? What was the hell was that? “Hey, I’m flattered,” I said, laughing nervously. “At least — I think I am. But I need to get out of here for a bit. Clear my head, you know?”

James’s eyes flared silver, his wolf fighting for control, and a low rumble erupted from his chest. “Of course,” he said, swallowing his growl. “Kara — the place for you in the Colstone Pack is as my mate, by my side. We are meant to be together. The Mother of All decided it before we were born.” He stopped abruptly, swallowing hard with his fists clenched at his side. “I will protect you, from whatever it is you are running from, no matter what happens between us — I promise you that.”

He wants to control me, I have to be his mate? It is already decided?!

“Thank you,” I muttered, backing up toward the door, keeping both men in my line of sight. But no thank you, I added silently.

Sean jerked forward, his eyes wide as he watched my retreat.

“No,” James murmured softly. Moving forward, he laid a hand across Sean’s wide chest. “Let her go.” James looked at me, then back to Sean. “She needs time, she’s confused…and something isn’t right.”

I turned and, with one last glance over my shoulder, fled the room.

* * *

T
he door clicked shut
behind Kara as she hurried out of the room like a wounded animal in flight. Picking up an onyx, orb-shaped paperweight, I tossed the weight from hand to hand, mentally replaying every detail of the last half hour.

“So…” Sean drawled, throwing himself into one of the chairs opposite me. His mouth was curved up in a feral grin, his leg drawn up jauntily across one knee.

“She’s my mate. My true mate. I’m nearly sure of it, Sean,” I said, lowering myself into the opposite chair. “My wolf and hers called to each other. The bond has started. Fragile, but it’s there.” I gripped the orb, exultation throbbing through me. I had found her, finally!

“Well, that’s that, then! What I don’t understand is why you let her walk away, or
how
you could let her walk away. I’ve heard that the mating urge is uncontrollable until the bond is fully formed…and even then…I’ve seen true mated couples and they are all over each other, all the time!” Confusion flared in Sean’s eyes, confusion I knew was mirrored in my own.

“I don’t know why, I just knew I had to. She…she had the look of a wounded animal, Sean. Classic deer in the headlights when I mentioned that she might be my mate,” I said, a strained chuckle escaping. “Not the reaction I was looking for, I must admit.”

“I know if I found my mate, there is no way in hell I would let her go. We’ve been searching for so long. If she were mine, she would be mated before she could blink! And my only view of her behind would be of the naked variety.”

“Half an hour ago I would have said exactly the same thing, but she just wasn’t ready. I could see it in her eyes. Goddammit! She flinched from me! One minute she’s into it and I’m thinking, my god — this is it, then I opened my big mouth and…” James shrugged.

“I opened my big mouth, you mean?” Sean cringed, apologetic. “I just didn’t think she would react like that, with you being the Alpha and all. Most women would be thanking the Mother if they found their true mate, and the next thing you know the mating hunt would be on!”

“I know, something’s not quite right, there’s a part of the puzzle I’m not seeing…”

Part of me was in awe of the mate the Mother of All had given me — her smooth, silky skin. Ripe, juicy curves, all touchable and soft. The other part was raging with the need to find her, to claim her, to force her to be mine — damn the consequences and any problems she might have with that idea. She was mine, dammit! Why didn’t she realize this, and fall gratefully into my arms?

“Sean, I would like you to find out everything you can about her old pack, Smithrock. I want to know everything there is to know about them. If I remember right, their Alpha is old, past his prime. I want to know why and how he is still in power. Something doesn’t smell right to me.”

Sean stretched in his chair, powerful arms and legs unfurling and back arching like a cat that had just been woken. “Sure thing, boss.” He winked, looking eager at the prospect of some sleuthing. “Just one more thing, how are you going to break this to Amanda…or had you forgotten about her?”

Shit
. Amanda.

“She’ll be fine about it. She knew the score when we got together. She’s looking too, you know?“