DANIEL POV
"So Samantha Layne is your mate," Stan asks before throwing the rock across the smooth water.
"Yes," I whisper as the light wind gently blows through the trees.
Sweat and dirt tickle my skin, but I ignore them. My body is pulsing with emotions I have never felt before, and they are so intense I couldn't even enjoy our pack run tonight.
A run we should have done before Samantha even moved here, but we didn't. It's been weeks since we went for a good run. The Gray pack needed to get out, and the park rangers needed us to do our job. So even though Samantha being here is risky, we felt since she was sleeping, it was the perfect time.
"What are you going to do? She doesn't know anything about shifters, let alone mates. Plus, she seems super skittish," Stan asks while our packmates wrestle around in wolf form ten yards aw
SAMANTHA POV Tracking down a bathroom in a huge unfamiliar house while trying to be as quiet as possible is hard. I tried holding my weak morning bladder for as long as possible, but it's still only seven-thirty....much too early to wake up a house full of people playing gracious hosts. My foot finds a squeaky spot on the floor, and I freeze. Damn... The sun isn't even up, and I'm going to wake up the whole house because my child has decided my bladder is its pillow. After a few seconds of holding my breath and staying perfectly still, I take another cautious step forward. I shift my weight to avoid making the floor cry out again just as the closed-door I am creeping past opens. A smirking gorgeous woman, and I lock eyes as my foot touches back down on the floor. After a moment of her staring at me in amusement, I strai
SAMANTHA POV "Thanks for driving me the whole way. You really didn't have to. I know you must have better things to do on the ranch," I say while taking shy glances towards Daniel. He has been quiet ever since breakfast this morning. Even when he gave me a complete tour of the house, he kept his distance and acted as if I had some incurable disease. I don't know if he regrets having a stranger underfoot or if I did something to offend him besides jumping in to stop him reprimanding an employee. "It's no trouble. I like knowing you will arrive safely," Daniel replies, and my cheeks turn pink. "Wow. Umm, thank you. That's sweet," I whisper with surprise in my voice. Daniel gives me a sideways glance then smirks. "I've been known to be sweet sometimes," he says, and his hot meter jumps from 100 to 1
SAMANTHA POV "First things first... I will need to take a few measurements. At this point in the pregnancy the organs are big enough for us to see and check on," Dr. Hurst says as he twirls the machines wand through the goo he put on my tummy. "Okay," I breathlessly say as I watch my child on the dark screen. Dr. Hurst zooms in and zooms out several times before saying anything else, and the entire time I am praying. My biggest fear is that all my stress will have affected my baby in some way. I mean I have had to endure finding out my husband was cheater. I had to go through all the craziness that was my divorce. And then I had to move across the country and start over. The only thing I haven't experienced this pregnancy is the lose of a loved one, good thing I don't have anyone. At least I don't have to worry about money and finding a job.
DANIEL POV I watch as the doctor clicks and measures...clicks, and measures. Over and over again in complete silence. I want to ask a million questions. I want to growl. I want him to tell us what he sees before I lose my mind, but if I demand information like that, Samantha will think I'm a freak. Instead, I glue my eyes on my beautiful mate and her mesmerized face. I can see remnants of stress in the lines on her forehead, but for the most part, she looks completely happy. The baby's heartbeat speeds up a little, and I turn back to the monitor to see its precious face, well skull, on the screen. I don't even know what the baby is, and I'm in love with it. I hope Samantha falls for me and lets me take care of them both. I don't think I could walk away if she doesn't. The thought alone brings me to tears, and a tight fist wraps around my heart. I can't live without this little family. "Do you have any names picked out," Dr. Hurst asks Samantha interrupting my internal d
SAMANTHA POV I shut my door with a sigh. I am completely and utterly exhausted. I had no idea my new acquaintances would be so happy to hear what I am having, but I truly enjoyed their reaction. It was as if I threw a gender reveal party and celebrated with close friends and family. That's how happy they were. For a woman who grew up without a true place to call home, the celebration was heartwarming. I wish I had more energy to enjoy it because if I did, I wouldn't have had to call it a night so early. I grin as I take my phone out of my back pocket. I see a missed call from Andrew and immediately press call. I didn't mean to make him wait so long, but stepping away was impossible. "Hello," Andrew answers sounding excited, and I smile. "Well, grandpa, are you ready," I ask, getting right down to business.
DANIEL POV "Emma, I don't have time to listen to your new boyfriend drama, okay. You should be waiting for your mate anyway," I growl while stirring the egg mixture I have going for scrambled eggs. "Oh shutup with that mate stuff. I don't even want to be someone's mate. Since you and the other two boneheads left me up here by myself, all the males are convinced that if they win me over, they will get the Alpha title. So thanks for that. My mate isn't going to love me for me. He will just see me as the ticket to being an Alpha. I hate being a female sometimes," Emma growls, and my eyes roll to the back of my head. "Whatever, Em, can you please allow me to talk to mom! She is the person I called," I snap, and Emma huffs. "Yeah, sure, miss you too," Emma says sarcastically, trying to make me feel bad. "I love you, but damn,
SAMANTHA POV "So why weren't you able to get a hay crop planted this year," I ask as Daniel puts gas in a spacey ATV. I try to keep my eyes off his toned legs and butt, but his fitted wranglers aren't helping me at all. "Well, umm. We had an issue with our previous property, so I purchased this one last month," Daniel asks while keeping his back to me. "Oh, what happened," I ask innocently, stepping closer so I can see what his hands are doing. He quickly stands up as if my presence makes him uncomfortable and places the gas can back on the shelf. "The title changed names, and we were no longer welcome. But I had saved, so moving wasn't an issue...Are you ready," he asks, quickly changing the subject. "Sounds stressful, I'm sorry. But I'm glad you purchase
DANIEL POV I snarl as I finally rip out the filthy scandral's throat and shift. His bloody dead body slowly shifts back to its human form, and I study his features intently. I need to find out who these men are and why they were targeting Samantha. I have a pretty good feeling they are from the Layne's original pack, but I have to be certain. "DAN," Finley roars, and I whip around to see my pack circling the first wolf who tried to attack my mate. Stanley has managed to pin him down in wolf form without killing him. Studying the dead body leaves my mind. The other males of my pack stand tense and ready in a circle around Stan and the attacker to ensure he doesn't try anything. I march towards him naked and bloody with one thought on my mind, "defending my mate." "Shift," I order loudly, and his body