Wolf Games: Granite Lake Wolves, Book 3 (4 page)
easy. I’m prepared for anything you send my way.” He brushed the fingers of his free hand against her
cheek. “I’m all yours.”
The light chatter of tourists carried around them, the scents of people filled the air, but all he noticed
was her. Bright blue eyes stared at him. The teasing light fragrance of her perfume, the stronger scent of her
wolf—both filled his nostrils and clouded his mind.
His stomach rumbled and broke the intense connection between them. Concern for her health nagged
at him. There was something wrong with his mate, and he struggled to understand. Wanted to fix things and
make her better. He needed more details. “You want to tell me what the pills are about?”
She wrinkled her nose. For a second he thought she might try to lie, but then she sighed. “I’ve got
some kind of chemical imbalance, and I discovered by chance the pills help change my blood pH enough to
knock me back to normal levels for a while.”
“I still don’t see why your wolf doesn’t heal you. Does Missy know about this?”
She nodded slowly.
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That was good enough for now. For the past two years Missy had often shared her concern for her
sister, how she felt Maggie needed to be back with family as soon as possible. He’d have more time to talk
about the situation when they were safely on pack land.
“I’ll trust she’ll do what she can to help you. You let me know if I can do anything, okay?” Erik
kissed her cheek lightly, using the opportunity to suck in a deep breath of her scent. Hell. This was sheer
hell.
The area grew more crowded. Their tray of food arrived, distracting him for a second. Maggie stopped
chatting, closing in on herself. Erik glanced around to see other wolves had joined them and now sat at the
counter.
One slid closer to Maggie and leered. “Hey, sweet thing. You new in town?”
Erik lifted a brow. Was the man an idiot? Or blind?
It wasn’t even worth making a commotion. Wordlessly, he transferred Maggie from her stool to his
lap. He selected a piece of sushi and lifted it to her lips. “Ignore him. You said you were hungry. Try this.”
She shot him a grateful look and snuggled closer. “Thank you, although you need to stop hauling me
around like I’m a sack of potatoes.”
She accepted the tidbit and her tongue stroked his skin. He clenched his jaw hard to stop from
growling out loud. That’s how she wanted to play it? Okay by him. Anything to keep touching her.
They might have been alone. The new wolves left quickly after realizing he and Maggie were
together, and for the first time in a long while, Erik was glad his sheer size was enough to intimidate.
Seated at the end of the restaurant counter, his back to the wall, Erik fed piece after piece of delicate
salmon, fresh tuna and other sashimi to his mate. After the first couple of times Maggie shyly picked a
portion and offered it to him in return.
He sucked her fingers into his mouth, licking them clean one by one, his gaze never wavering from
hers.
She whimpered, soft and low in her throat, and he had to close his eyes to concentrate on keeping his
wolf at bay. Everything about the woman called to him, but she seemed to be going out of her way to drive
him wild. She was strong, but needed his protection. Smart, yet tender hearted. He drew her close and
kissed her briefly, brushing their lips together. His hand skimmed over her thigh, tugging her closer into his
lap and against his rising erection.
She had to know he wanted her.
Maggie licked her lips, then returned to feeding him. It was as erotic as they could get in a public
place. It was a good thing they
were
in a public place, or he’d never have lasted. A few of the barriers she’d
raised between them seemed to have slipped away. He glanced at his watch. There was just enough time to
finish their meal, pick up the boys and be on their way.
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He chose another piece and held it to her lips. He was going to enjoy every possible moment with his
mate.
21
On the outskirts of Haines, Alaska, Erik turned down a long driveway. They passed a large log
building Maggie assumed was the pack house. There was a meeting happening tonight, judging by the cars
gathered three deep in the parking lot. Another minute down the same road Erik pulled up in front of a tidy
bungalow. An older home was tucked into the trees next to it. He opened her door and helped her out, his
fingers caressing hers lightly as he held her hand a little too long.
Why did he have to make her tingle?
Maggie shook her hand free and turned to admire her sister’s home. This was far quieter and more up
her alley than living in a common apartment like some packs did. Being with a mess of wolves right now?
Ix-nay. Not something she could handle.
Being cooped up with Erik for the past four hours made her more than ready for a little space from
him as well. He’d done nothing but chat quietly to her about the Granite Lake pack, and ask polite
questions. After the sensuality of the lunch they’d shared, all that danced through her brain were visions of
them naked.
It had been a very long four hours.
A tall, lean figure strode down the stairs to greet them. Spiky black hair and a wicked smile flashed
for a second before he snatched her up and spun her in a circle.
“Welcome. It’s about time you made it north to join us.” Tad released her, ruffling her hair. She
returned his grin and simply stood next to him, relaxing into the calm his presence cast over her. It was
amazing how his skills as an Omega soothed her jangled nerves. His brow shot upward and he hooted with
laughter as he hugged them both.
“Erik! You old dog. Congratulations, both of you.”
Oh shit.
Another side effect of being an Omega—she’d forgotten he’d sense right away the potential
connection between her and Erik.
“Tad—”
“Missy is going to be so excited to know you’re mates. This is fabulous news.”
“Tad—”
“Erik, you coming in as well? Or will you come back to get her later?”
“Tad, wait.” Finally he stopped to listen, his head cocked to the side. The sensation of a cool breeze
floated from him and she took a deep breath. The edge of her pain numbed as she took his hand. Omega
Wolf Games
skills ran deep in both her sister and Tad, and she’d never been more grateful for a calming touch. She had
to speak quickly before she lost her nerve. “Erik’s not staying with me. Not yet.”
Tad raised a brow, concern written on his face. “Really?” He glanced between them for a few seconds
before he shrugged. “Okay. Your choice. I guess we’ll see you later.”
Maggie turned to face the giant standing mere inches away. She kept her hands by her sides to stop
from reaching for him and begging him to stay. “I…”
He tapped her lightly on the nose, his strong body and gorgeous features so tempting and reassuring at
the same time. Love and concern poured from him. “I heard you. Right now, I’ll give you space. Say hi to
Missy for me and I’ll see you at dinner. You will sit with me.”
She crossed her arms over her chest.
Bossy, arrogant…
“Please.” Erik winked at her, nodded at Tad and then strode across the deck toward the larger house
on the adjacent property.
Maggie suddenly felt timid standing alone next to an Omega wolf—she wasn’t scared of him, but he
might be able to tell exactly what was wrong with her, and why. The reason for her attempt to return to the
pack, as well as the reason she’d left in the first place. Was she ready for anyone to know it all?
For many years she’d been on her own, dealing with her fears. She still wasn’t ready to admit to
anything more than she needed help healing her body. Maybe in a few weeks, or months, she could talk
about the rest of the trouble. Now it was enough she was attempting to rejoin a pack on a trial basis. She
pasted on a bright smile before lifting her gaze to his. The expression on his face made her drop the façade.
Damn
.
“You know what’s wrong with me, don’t you? And why?”
He dragged a hand through his hair, staring off into the distance. When he looked back at her the
anger and indignation she’d seen was once again controlled. He nodded slowly. “It’s an Omega thing.
Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone, and I doubt Missy will pick it up. She’s a little distracted right now. But,
Maggie, you need to understand—you’re safe here. Erik is a rock. You can share anything with him.”
Tad’s simple statement, and the lack of pity in his eyes did more to ease her fears than anything else.
“Thanks.”
“Now, we’d better get inside. Missy’s a trifle…touchy these days. I’m going out of my way not to
piss her off.”
The house was clean and tidy except for a few toys scattered around. Bright pictures and fabric filled
the cozy rooms. Maggie admired what she saw as they moved at a quick pace through to the back of the
house. There the kitchen faced the trees, and just to the side was a cheery sunroom with floor-to-ceiling
windows. Missy sat curled up in one of the comfy chairs, basking in the sunlight.
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Vivian Arend
“Maggie? You’re here!” Missy twisted in her chair and what Maggie thought was a pillow twisted
with her. She threw her arms open wide, her eyes bright and her smile from ear to ear. “I can’t believe
you’re finally here. Come and give me a hug.”
Maggie raced across the room, maneuvering as close as possible, wrapping her arms around her sister
and relaxing into her embrace. The tears that had threatened earlier fell now as they held each other for the
first time in what felt like forever. Finally Missy patted her on the head and kissed her forehead.
“I’m so glad to see you again.”
The heavy bulge of Missy’s baby-filled belly separating them moved and Maggie pulled away in
amazement.
“Oh my goodness, you’re…”
Oops
. Gigantic was probably not a good thing to say to a pregnant
woman.
“Huge? Damn it, I don’t feel like a wolf, I feel like a stinking whale.”
Maggie laughed. “There’s never been more of you to love than now.”
“Oh gee, good one. Like I’ve never heard that before.”
They grinned at each other. The years apart faded away. Missy was family—all the family she had
left—and she desperately needed family right now.
She reached out to give Missy’s hand one more squeeze. “Thanks for letting me join you.”
“You’re going to be working for your keep, trust me. I can’t move fast enough to keep up with Jamie.
I’m so glad he won’t be able to shift into a wolf until he’s a teenager. He’s hard enough to catch at eighteen
months.”
Maggie glanced around the room, looking for her nephew. “Where is he?”
“Sleeping. I think. I don’t hear rockets going off, so he must still be locked in his room.”
Tad dropped a kiss on his mate’s forehead before squatting beside her. Missy glared at him. “Finally.
Did you get me—?”
He thrust out a handful of brightly coloured chocolate bars. “Dark chocolate. Plus orange
chocolate…with walnuts.”
Missy stared, disgruntled, her mouth twisting. She planted both hands on the sides of her chair to
heave herself into a new position. Tad rushed to help her. She smiled sweetly at him and started again.
“After you left, I decided I also wanted—”
“—dried smoked salmon. There’s one bag on the table. I left the rest in the fridge.”
Maggie laughed behind her hand. “Missy, are you trying to be difficult?”
Her sister pouted. “It’s his damn fault I’m a bloated beach ball. Again.”
Tad winked. “All my fault. I confess.” Maggie watched in amusement as the two of them teased and
verbally sparred for a minute before he rose, kissing Missy’s cheek once again. “I’m going to leave you
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two ladies alone to get reacquainted. I’ll take Jamie with me, but we’ll be back in time to escort you to
dinner.”
“I want pickles at dinner.”
Maggie burst out laughing as Tad shook his head slowly. “You hate pickles.”
“I want them.”
Tad snickered at Maggie. “Pickles. At least it’s not pickles and ice cream. That would be too cliché.”
“Your fault,” Missy restated.
He blew her a kiss. “I seem to remember you were there too.” He ducked the pillow she threw and
left.
The sun shining in made the room a warm haven of peace. To the side of the open window, an indoor
water feature splashed and tinkled, the sound calming and reassuring. Missy adjusted herself, stretching her
legs in front of her. Maggie stared in amazement at the perfectly round protrusion extending from her
sister’s stomach.
“You really are a beach ball.”
“Shut up. Wait until you meet your mate and get pregnant. You’re not much taller than me. There’s
nowhere for the baby to go but out, and this time with two of them…” Missy paused, then narrowed her
eyes. Maggie felt her face heat up. “Crap, you’ve met your mate. Haven’t you?”
Maggie leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Anyone ever tell you it’s damn hard to have a
conversation with you when you seem to know everything, about everybody, before they tell you? It was