DaleShe woke before sunrise again and attempted to sneak out of his hold once more, thinking he didn’t wake at the slightest movement or sound.  “Where are you going, Darling?”  He growled in a sleepy voice, causing her to squeak with fright.  He had started to enjoy those little squeaks she made whenever she was startled.  If he’d been a more playful person, he might have strived to startle her more in a bid to hear it and then see the slight flush to her cheeks in her embarrassment.“I…uh…I…”  She was adorably flustered and he fought the urge to kiss her.  He knew one thing and that was that he was not ready to let her go, so he needed to say something if he wanted to hold her a little longer.He raised his head from the crook of her neck and looked at her with his sleepy gaze.  “You could just get into bed with me every night instead of trying to sneak in later

Wade He was so proud of his alpha for everything she’d faced without hesitation; she was an amazing leader. He had made the right decision to swear his fealty to her. He was sure that she would make a world of difference to all their lives; she already had to his. He just couldn’t understand the odd sense he had about the new girl she had saved. He felt protective of her too, only slightly less than he was of Gemma. It couldn’t be that she might be his mate, since his mate had already died. His mate’s death was the reason he was halfway to insanity. In fact, he was sure if it hadn’t been for Gemma he would have gone completely insane by now. It was as if she had pulled him back from the edge and kept him from going completely feral. He knew Wilken was still lingering on the edge of feral; there was no real way of knowing if a wolf could be brought back from the edge. Most that showed any sign of going feral were put down without question since they became a threat to anyone

Gemma After breakfast, Charlie showed Alpha Gregory and Alpha Winston into the parlor. They had agreed to draw in the neighboring packs to assist with housing, since the tournament had invitations had blown up and they didn’t have enough space to house all the visitors. She chose the parlor, since she didn’t like the formality of the alpha’s office, which didn’t feel comfortable to her at all. Even with the change in prizes that ranged from small gifts from the new pack members’ businesses to her assistance with business and finance along with Charlie’s sponsored financial prizes and Tamara’s rare potions, wolves were lining up to attend the tournament. Tamara had mentioned that they might do this tournament annually if this year was a success. Gemma was still on the fence with this, but with everyone insisting she was the change they needed, she felt guilty with not at least trying to help the wolves survive. Gemma was dressed in one of her new smart business dresses with a bla

Gemma She was nervous about this meeting; she didn’t know what to expect. The council of Elders had completely disregarded her opinions and bulldozed her protests to insist on their decisions being done without hesitation; she couldn’t imagine this going any better. Dale seemed to sense her unease and gently wrapped her hand in his large one, entwining their fingers and gently squeezing her hand in understanding. She was really not sure what to make of him; he had changed completely since she had awakened from her coma. He was attentive and doting and she wasn’t sure what to do about it, aside from not trusting it. It had to be the mate bond causing his change. From her evening reading on supernatural beings, the mate bond was something wolves could not resist. It had some effect on her, but all she could think was that it was not as strong because she was a human first. Daisy rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Daisy for taking the brunt of the mate bond so we’re not climbing our

Dale Finally they traipsed their way back to where they had started. Then he kept watch for her while she stripped and shifted into her wolf, before he did the same, while she adorably blushed and stared into the distance. Apparently, just the thought of him stripping in the bushes near her had her blushing. She was so adorably shy, he loved it. Of course, he had every intention of exploiting that once she accepted him. He and Duke both had so many things they wanted to do with and to their mates. Once Duke took over they were pushed into the back of their minds and he wondered how Gemma was handling it with not being in control. Duke answered him as soon as the thought came up. “Daisy says she’s planning things she needs to do and apparently decorating.” “Decorating?” “She says their inner mind is filled with plans to change the pack house. She hates what it looks like now and calls it pompous. She wants it to be more welcoming and less…showy.” “I can see that; she doesn