Wolf from the Past: Salvation Pack, Book 4 (23 page)

Jacque and Louis entered the house. Louis grinned at him and gave him a thumbs up. His alpha scowled. “This announcement couldn’t have waited until the morning?”

Gwen whirled on him. “Of course it couldn’t.” She turned away from her mate. “We need cake and champagne or something.”

Anny pushed away from the table. “I’ll see what I can find.”

Jacque prowled toward them and Gator stood with Sylvie still in his arms. She poked him in the chest and he sighed and released her. He locked his arm around her shoulders, keeping her close.

The alpha studied them both for so long Gator was getting ready to punch him. Sylvie trembled in his arms, growing more distressed by the second. Then Jacque smiled. “Congratulations.” He held out his hand to Sylvie and she briefly hesitated before taking it. Jacque pulled her gently into his arms and gave her a quick hug before immediately releasing her.

Then he grabbed Gator and yanked him into a bear hug that nearly cracked his ribs. “I’m happy for you, my man.”

“Thanks.”

Anny’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “There’s no cake but I found chocolate chip cookies.”

They all laughed. Gator eased Sylvie into his arms. “Happy?”

She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Very. You?”

“More than I thought possible.” He kissed her, loving how she opened so easily and completely to him. He knew the others were watching and listening but didn’t care. “I love you.”

She smiled, the sexy little one she used only with him. “I love you too.”

“Let’s eat,” Jacque announced.

Still smiling, Gator faced his pack. Louis was standing off to the side by himself. He was talking with the others but there was a deep sadness in his eyes that went all the way to his soul. Gator understood it all too well. Louis was the last one of them unmated. As much as he wanted to help his friend, he knew there was nothing he could do. Nothing any of them could do to change the situation.

As if sensing Gator’s gaze, Louis turned his head toward him. Their eyes met in silent understanding. Then Sylvie caught his attention and he drew her in for another kiss.

Gator was the luckiest of men. He had the woman from his past that he’d always loved and now she was his. Forever.

He was surrounded by idiots. Pierre LaForge hung on to his temper by the barest of threads. He hadn’t heard from Travis in so long he’d finally sent the Dupointe brothers to North Carolina to find him. They’d returned with disturbing news. Travis was nowhere to be found. That meant only one thing—he was dead.

Pierre paced in the woods behind his home, hoping to work off some of his rage. Normally, he wouldn’t care, but he couldn’t afford to kill anyone. He’d lost a lot of men in the past few months to this war with his sons. Smart, dependable men. Now he had to make do with what was left.

He could care less about most of them. They were expendable. And good riddance to his brother. He no longer had to look over his shoulder, wondering when Remy was going to try to stab him in the back and take over as alpha.

He did miss Andre Dubois. The man had been his only friend. They’d grown up together. Pierre had understood Andre’s need to kill and had given him an outlet for it. He’d even allowed him to mate with whatever woman he’d wanted.

This latest debacle was all Sylvie’s fault. His niece had made fools of them all by faking her own death and hiding all this time.

Pierre paused and slowly turned, sensing the man near him. “Why are you following me?” He briefly thought about killing him but decided against it. He couldn’t afford to lose any more men without a damn good reason.

Robert Dubois stepped out from behind a tree and shrugged. “Thought someone should watch your back.”

Pierre studied the man. He was big but not overly bright. His dark hair hung around his shoulders and a beard obscured the lower half of his face. “Where’s your brother?” Because you never found one of the Dupointe brothers without the other.

Jean Paul stepped out on the path in front of him, almost a carbon copy of his younger brother. They were a year apart in age but they might as well of been twins. Pierre motioned to them and they both hurried toward him.

The fight with his sons was going to have to be put on hold for a while longer. He needed to rebuild his base of power, and this was the place to start. “You tell no one what you discovered in North Carolina. In fact, you were never there.”

“We weren’t?” Robert questioned.

Thankfully, Jean Paul had more brains and nodded. “Understood.”

“Good. I need men like you at my side.” Both men preened, and Pierre knew he had them. Give them a taste of power and they’d be loyal to him. “Go now. I want you both at my home at ten tomorrow morning.”

They both nodded and headed toward their home.

Pierre watched them go and sighed. They would never be as cunning and ruthless as Andre or his brother. Travis Dubois was dead. Of that, Pierre had no doubt.

What had gotten him killed?

The answer came to him quickly. Sylvie. Travis had always wanted what his brother had. It stood to reason he’d want his brother’s mate as well. And now that Sylvie was unmated, he would have taken her if he’d seen an opportunity.

“Stupid bastard,” Pierre muttered. He turned and headed toward home. If only he’d waited, he could have had her when the time was right.

Now Pierre would have to wait and sow the seeds of Travis’s disappearance. He’d have to show concern over his missing pack member and send the males of his pack into the swamp searching. Some of them knew he’d sent Travis to North Carolina to spy. They might even speculate what had happened. But he knew none of them would confront him directly.

They were all afraid of him.

All except that bastard Joseph Blanchard. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Joseph knew more about the situation with his sons’ pack than he let on. There was something about the man that made Pierre’s back itch. Joseph was always watching, always wary. Pierre couldn’t prove anything, but he’d damn well be keeping more of an eye on him in the days ahead. And if he found out something incriminating…well, then Joseph and his meddling wife would have to go.

He smiled. He enjoyed the power he wielded over them. He was the only law in this pack.

His home came into view. He knew his mate would be inside waiting for him. She didn’t dare do anything else. He thought about going to her but decided against it. He wasn’t in the mood for sex. No, tonight he was in the mood to run.

He stripped off his clothing and tossed it onto the deck. Then he embraced the change, letting his wolf take over. The beast howled and Pierre began to run. He’d find something or someone to kill to sate his bloodlust.

He picked up speed as he headed toward the nearby town.

Tomorrow, he’d begin planning again. He’d give his sons enough time alone to lull them into a false sense of security. In the meantime, he’d see just what Jean Paul and his brother were made of. If they were bloodthirsty enough for his liking, he’d take them both on as his private assassins.

His sons would pay for their insolence, their lack of respect for him—their father and alpha. No one left his pack without his permission. And he’d never let any of them go.

This time, he would see to the situation personally. No more sending flunkies to do what needed to be done. It was time for his sons to come home or die.

About the Author

Once upon a time, N.J. had the idea that she would like to quit her job at the bookstore, sell everything she owned, leave her hometown and write romance novels in a place where no one knew her. And she did. Two years later, she went back to the bookstore and her hometown and settled in for another seven years.

She gave notice at her job on a Friday morning. On Sunday afternoon, she received a tentative acceptance for her first erotic romance novel and life would never be the same.

N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

N.J. enjoys hearing from readers, and she can be reached at
[email protected]
. You can check out her web site at
www.njwalters.com
.

Look for these titles by N.J. Walters

Now Available:

Jamesville Series

Discovering Dani

The Way Home

The Return of Patrick O’Rourke

The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke

A Legal Affair

By the Book

Past Promises

Leg
acy Series

Alexandra’s Legacy

Isaiah’s Haven

Legacy Found

Quinn’s Quest

Finding Chrissten

Damek’s Redemption

Craig’s
Heart

Spells, Secrets and Seduction Series

A Touch of Magick

Dreams of Seduction

Love in Flames

Hades’ Carnival Series

Night of the Tiger

Mark of the Bear

Pride of the Lion

Howl of the Wolf

Heart of the Serpent

Flame of the Phoenix

Lure of the Jaguar

Salvation Pack Series

Wolf at the Door

Wolf in her Bed

Wolf on the Run

Coming Soon:

Salvation Pack Series

Wolf on the Hunt

Wolf on a Mission

Don’t miss the other titles in N.J. Walters’ Salvation Pack Series!

She’s run right into the arms of the big bad wolf.

Salvation Pack
, Book 3

Considered an abomination for her inability to shift, Cherise Michaels has been on the run from her pack since she was a teenager. After her mother is murdered by her former packmates, Cherise is alone, grieving and out of options. Until a dream puts her on course toward her last hope—Salvation, North Carolina.

She makes it to Salvation only to be cornered by her pursuers and then rescued by the biggest, baddest werewolf she’s ever seen.

Cole Blanchard has no trouble dispatching the intruders trespassing on pack land. Convincing their skittish quarry she’s safe is another story. Cole senses she is his mate and he’ll protect her to his last breath, even it means risking everything to face her former pack.

In Cole’s arms, Cherise learns there’s something in this world more powerful than fear—desire and love. She knows loving her is a death sentence for Cole, so she plans to store up a lifetime of memories before she lets him go…

Warning: This pulse-pounding, heart-thumping story may cause shortness of breath. You are not having a heart attack. You are falling in love with a hot werewolf who will do whatever it takes to keep his chosen mate safe.

Don’t miss these other titles by N.J. Walters

To win the battle for his soul, he may have to sacrifice the woman who set him free.

Hades’ Carnival,
Book 1

Aimee Horner lives and breathes her career as a graphic novel illustrator, but she never expected it would invade her dreams. In recent months, worsening nightmares have pulled her into the darkest corners of Hell.

On a rare night out with friends at a traveling carnival, she finds herself strangely drawn to an abandoned carousel adorned with vividly exotic animals. One steed, a massive white tiger, is a temptation she can’t resist. The moment she climbs upon him, her world changes forever.

More than five thousand years ago, Roric and his fellow shapeshifting warriors were imprisoned in their animal forms, a last-ditch effort by the goddess they served to save them from the horrors of Hell.

With one special woman’s touch, he has a chance at freedom and redemption—but the clock is ticking. If he is still alive in twenty-four hours, the spell will be broken, and Hell will have no claim on his soul. The only hitch is his blazing attraction to Aimee. If only he could trust that she isn’t merely a distraction sent by Hades—luscious bait to lure him from his mission.

Warning: This book contains an ancient curse, an imprisoned goddess, a graphic artist and the hot shapeshifting immortal warrior who turns her life upside down while they battle Hades and his minions for their immortal souls. There is also plenty of hot sex between the heroine and her hot, shapeshifting warrior. Just saying.