Wolf on Board (Wolves of Willow Bend Book 14)

C
opyright
© 2016 by Heather Long

A
ll rights reserved
.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

M
eet Jake Danes of Hudson River
—Lone Wolf, avid gamer, extreme sports enthusiast, and surfer. He’s spent the last two years roaming free, exploring the world and escaping the dark place his pack had become after betrayal and murder tore them apart. Sure, life changed back home, but Jake’s having way too much fun to return—riding the waves in Monterrey and living out of a van. It’s the perfect life, one he never wants to give up, no matter how many calls he’s fielding from his big brother…then he catches her scent.

Mimi Chase wanted one perfect year. Time away from pack politics and her mother’s matchmaking efforts. Ever since her big brother settled into mating with a healer, Mimi’s mom seems to have gone into overdrive—throwing her at every eligible male in the pack. Choosing to roam seemed the best option, and California the ideal location to get away from everything pack related. Her plans for art classes, yoga on the beach, maybe a cooking lesson or two while living a hippy dippy lifestyle are all she cares about…until another wolf butts into her every activity. Doesn’t he know the rules?

Lone Wolves aren’t supposed to form relationships, so why doesn’t he catch a hint? Worse, why isn’t she working harder to make sure he does?

F
or my readers
. For those who squee when previous characters appear on the page. For those who write me after every release to express their love and to ask when the next book is coming. This is for you. I can never say thank you enough for letting the Wolves of Willow Bend and me into your lives.

W
elcome to Wolf on Board
. This marks the 14th story in the Wolves of Willow Bend world, and focuses on siblings to characters we’ve met in previous books. As with all the other books in the series, I’ve tried to make this accessible to new readers. You can read Jake and Mimi’s book without having read the earlier installments, though you will gain more if you have read the series in order.

As with earlier novellas, the goal of Wolf on Board is to provide a bridge from the Wolves of the Change (previous arc) to the Guardians of the Wolves (which kicks off with Shadow Wolf in January).

Enjoy the
wolf
days of summer with Jake and Mimi, and some fun in the sun in Monterrey.

x
oxo

Heather

M
imi Chase
- Willow Bend wolf
, younger sister to Owen, sister-in-law to Gillian. Tracker.

Mason Clayborne
—Alpha of Willow Bend, mate of Alexis, father of Melissa.

Julian
– Chief Enforcer, most senior Enforcer for the U.S.

Mitch Jackson
- Enforcer for the West Coast

Jake Danes
- Lone Wolf, roaming since the attack on his pack by Marco. Younger brother of Luc Danes.

Luc Danes
- Best friend to Brett Dalton, and second to the Alpha of Hudson River.

Brett Dalton
- Alpha of Hudson River, mate of Colby.

T
he promise
of the sun on the horizon followed him as Jake Danes navigated his van into a parking spot. Running his hand through his hair, he freed his ponytail before wrapping the band around the gearshift. Two years of roaming had left him with shoulder length hair and a scruffy appearance so far away from his family’s clean-cut image, he couldn’t help but enjoy it. Shutting off the engine, he slid the key into a slot under the driver’s seat. The box gave a little click as it locked.

The last thing he needed was some numbnut taking his van for a joyride. Outside the vehicle, he pushed his arms into the short sleeves of his wet suit. It only covered him from neck to knees but, wolf or not, even he found the Pacific Ocean a bit too chilly to wear only swim trunks. Not that he hadn’t tried it a few times, but he liked his balls to not shrivel to the size of grapes.

Ahead of him, the sound of the surf tumbling in sent his blood pulsing. The weather reports promised good winds, strong swells, and perfect surfing conditions. His phone buzzed in the glove compartment, and he leaned inside, flipped open the hatch and checked the number on the screen.

Luc.

Nope. Sorry, big brother. I don’t have time for the guilt trip today.
Ignoring the buzzing, he put the phone into do not disturb then shut the glove compartment again. Luc used to be his cool big brother, a wild roamer who didn’t let family or pack dictate to him.
Then he went home, and now he’s a big ol’ turd waffle with a stick shoved up his ass.
The calls started a few months prior, suggestions to come home peppered with guilt and unwanted advice.

It wouldn’t be long before his brother made it an order. The last thing Jake wanted to deal with was fighting his wolf’s damn near compulsive need to please his eldest sibling. Luc’s approval meant the world to him, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. It had been Luc’s example Jake followed when the tension in Hudson River became such a downer all the time. After the murders and the grief, he’d gone to Brett and told him he needed to roam. His alpha hadn’t even blinked, just said goodbye.

Jake hadn’t looked back since. Wouldn’t even be thinking about it now, if it weren’t for Luc’s sudden fascination with luring him home. Shaking his head, he shoved thoughts of Luc, Hudson River, and the dark times behind him where they belonged. He had a sweet wave to catch.

He gave himself a few minutes to kick off his shoes, stow them in the back then unstrap his surfboard and check it over with light fingers. The moment he was ready to carry the board down to the water, the sound of familiar engine rumbled into parking lot.

Right on cue.

Not waiting, he crossed the rocks and walked toward the sand. The motorcycle slid into the space next to his vehicle. Upwind from the other, he didn’t catch the Enforcer’s scent, but he damn well knew who it was.

“Hey Mitch,” he said by way of greeting as he set his board into the sand. He wanted to go over it once more. The subtle shift in the wind had already begun. Another fifteen minutes and he would be slicing through the water, waiting for the perfect swell to ride. Life really didn’t get better than this.

“Morning, Jake.” The Enforcer dropped from the rocks, the sand crunching under his boots. “Knew I’d find you out here.”

“All you have to do is check for surfing conditions.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to track him. He followed the surf these days, roaming through open territory as far south as Mexico when the mood struck him. He’d even taken a couple of jaunts to Hawaii when he’d saved up the money. South Africa was on his list, as was Australia, but he didn’t know what packs controlled those areas. Sometimes being a wolf sucked. Humans didn’t care whose territory they intruded upon, they just went with the waves.

“True enough. Wanted to check in on you while I was in the neighborhood.” His casual tone rang sour with a note of deception.

“Since you just talked to me three weeks ago, you’re here because either Brett called or Luc did.”

Mitch’s teeth flashed in the dim light, an easy grin. “Damn, busted. And by a kid.” He mimed a faux punch, but Jake didn’t return the play to dodge the hit. One thing he’d liked about Mitch since meeting him upon his arrival in California two years ago—the wolf understood the need to play and kept his doom and gloom levels to a solid one on a scale of ten. “Yeah, your brother called. Said he hasn’t been able to get ahold of you and he worried.”

“About what?” Jake sighed then refocused his attention on the board. He’d waxed it the day before, but he wanted to be sure he hadn’t missed a spot. The familiar motions also helped him keep his temper in check.
Luc
. The man spent ten years doing whatever he wanted, roaming everywhere, sometimes dropping out of communication for months at a time. Since he’d returned home and taken his place as Brett’s second, Luc had become worse than their mother with his daily phone calls and text messages.

“About you, dumbass.” Mitch shrugged out of his leather jacket. Unlike Jake, who was ready to surf, Mitch wore heavy denim jeans, motorcycle boots and a black t-shirt. With his dark hair and dark eyes, he was a walking advertisement for living on the harder side of life. “So call him and let him know you’re okay.”

“He talked to me yesterday.”
And the day before that and the day before that…

“Give him a call, or at least answer the messages. That saves me a trip to find you and you the aggravation of having someone check on you. Win, win.” Maybe it was the smooth delivery or the hint of tension in the other wolf’s scent, but Jake wasn’t buying the bullshit he seemed intent on selling.

With the salt air beckoning and the sweet crash of the waves tumbling toward the shore calling, the last thing he wanted was to prod the Enforcer to spill the beans. But… “What’s wrong?”

“Just call your brother.”

“Mitch.” Jake straightened, facing the Enforcer. “You’ve been straight with me since I struck out on my own.” Though he’d met one or two other Enforcers, Mitch had been the one who’d greeted him on arrival in California. He’d given him his number and the lay of the land. Upon occasion, they’d shared a beer. If he wasn’t in charge of policing Jake, they might even have become friends. Then again, the other man kept to himself for the most part. “Not really interested in playing games or dealing with pack drama. If there’s something going on that I need to know, tell me.”

Even though the waves called to him, Jake kept his attention on the older wolf. “Fuck it,” Mitch sighed, then rubbed the back of his neck as though working out a kink. “We’ve got some issues with foreign wolves pulling rogue crap.”

“Define rogue crap.”

“They’ve attacked several of the packs.” Despite the evenness of his tone, Mitch’s eyes seemed to grow cooler. “Including Hudson River.”

Why the fuck hadn’t Luc said anything?
“How bad?”

“Not as bad as Sutter Butte or the Yukon. It was a straight on challenge. Brett won, no problem.” That wasn’t all of it, no matter how calm Mitch appeared, Jake would bet money on it.

“So, they’re all fine?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, so pack drama averted.”
Good.
The last thing he wanted to deal with was more doom and gloom. “Let Luc know I’m good. I’ll send him a text regularly so he knows I’m okay and avoid foreign wolves. Check.” He lifted his board.
Time to hit the waves.

“Jake.” Command laced through the single syllable of his name, enough to have his back stiffening and his muscles going rigid. His wolf went on point. When it came to a straight on dominance fight, his wolf had zero interest in provoking Mitch. “Stay away from any foreigners you encounter, particularly Russian. If you hear them or scent them, run. Then call me.”

Run? He didn’t have any interest in fighting. But run? “I can take care of myself.”

“Not saying you can’t, but not giving you a choice. It’s an order. If I have to get your alpha on the phone to reinforce it, I will.” The tone, and the power behind it, left him no room for disagreement.

Spreading his free hand wide, Jake gave him a bland look. “I think you’re confusing me for someone who likes fighting, I’m all about the love and the fun. You want me to run, fine, I’ll run. You want me to call, I’ve got you on speed dial. Now, if you don’t mind, I left this pack drama crap when I came out here, and I’d like to continue to avoid it at all costs by surfing my happy ass off. We cool?”

A faint smile cracked through Mitch’s intense expression, then he simply shook his head and chuckled. “Fine, we’re cool. Have fun. I have to track someone else down, but I’ll be in the region for the next week or so.”

“Great. Don’t call me, and I won’t call you.” Then he tacked on an amended, “Unless I run into someone foreign who smells of wolf. Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“You’re such an ass.”

Jake grinned. “Thank you. I try.”

Free, he abandoned Mitch to the beach and raced down the sand to the water’s edge. All he wanted was to plunge in, swim out to the breaks, and catch a few waves. The wind change delivered the promised swells. Three strokes out toward deeper water and he left all thoughts of Mitch, new enemies and the past drama behind him.

The first wave rose up to meet him on his way through it and pure, unfettered joy burst through his system. Wolf and man were in sync.

This was what they lived for.

M
imi grabbed
a blanket and her yoga mat from the back of her Mini Cooper. She loved the tiny little vehicle. No matter how often her brother scoffed at the minute size of the car, she didn’t care. It was perfect for her. Compact, like she was, and capable of great speeds—just like her. Locking it up, she glanced east at the rising sun and smiled. It was a little after six in the morning and she’d already had a bit of a run, a lovely cup of hot tea with lemon and ginger to cleanse her system, and she would enjoy the full sunrise and rolling surf with her yoga.

Pausing, she took a deep breath of the salt flavored air. She loved the way the beach smelled.
Warm sand. Cool water. Brine. Fish. Birds.
Even the coconut oil favored by some of the sunbathers and honest sweat from those running on the paths—they all combined to soothe her soul. Tucking the rolled blanket and yoga mat beneath her arm, she closed the hatch on the car and pivoted to walk toward the beach.

A hint of wolf on the breeze had her pausing to scan the area. Other than a handful of vehicles in the lot, and a couple of runners jogging farther away, she didn’t see anyone. Still, she tested the scent once more. It was faint, as though diluted by the breeze and time. She tracked it all the way to a dilapidated Volkswagen van. It reminded her of the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo without the paint job.

The scent of wolf grew stronger. The van had to belong to whomever the wolf was, but the lack of fresh markers told her while his scent lingered, he wasn’t present. Adjusting her grip on the rolled blanket and mat, she circled away from the van and continued toward the beach all the while reminding herself that other Lone Wolves may choose to wander California for the same reason she did. No one claimed the beautiful state…well at least not this far north. The closest pack to her location was Sutter Butte, but she’d never heard any word of them taking an interest in the beaches.

Then again, she didn’t talk to a lot of people about the political geography of packs.
If it’s all the same, I’d prefer not to encounter any of them. They have a bad rap and I’m on a journey of serenity, and self-discovery…and totally avoiding Mother’s matchmaking.
The little voice at the end sounded way too much like her brother Owen’s, and she giggled. Owen, at least, had been sympathetic to her cause when she’d told him and Mason why she wanted to take the time to study in the Golden State.

Her mother’s habit of making pro and con lists for all of the pack’s current eligible bachelors had been bad enough, but when she’d talked to Gillian about potential mates in Hudson River and began colluding with Claudia Buckley about Delta Crescent, Mimi wanted out.

It was so bad, she’d actually asked Owen to get Gillian pregnant just to distract their mother. The silence on his end of the phone had been priceless, followed by peals of laughter from Gillian. Fortunately, her desperation had communicated itself well enough and he’d endorsed her request. Mason made her promise to return at the end of one year, even if she was enjoying herself, and she would be free to return to her studies after, if that was her desire.

Mason is the bomb.
She hopped over the rocks to land on the sand and began to stroll in search of a spot that would speak to her. Not only had her alpha understood her dilemma and sympathized with it, he didn’t chastise her for the need to stretch herself beyond the confines of pack and parental expectation. Mimi’s skills for tracking had earned her high marks growing up, and more than one offer from the Hunters to apprentice. It made sense—both her father and her brother were Hunters. Even her two younger brothers were well on the way toward Hunter apprenticeships. Felicity had zero interest in the Hunter parts of their DNA, she preferred her flowers and cultivation, working closely with Tiffany Huston. Still, Mimi didn’t share her sister’s interest in horticulture or her mother’s desire to educate their young or her father and brothers’ drive to protect the pack.

She was…
not sure who I am, which is why I am doing this.
The year away from her mother served two purposes; she could take some classes and test her areas of interest from art to acting to writing. She could study yoga and find some serenity. Maybe even figure out who she was, because wasn’t that the whole point of a roam? Most wolves took time to roam the country; some even went around the world.

Murphy had done that and came home with a mate. Mimi grimaced. She loved Murphy, but really, could she have not brought home some gorgeous Italian and mated him with all the requisite gossip? It had Mimi’s mother nudging her to consider a year abroad in…where else? Italy. Shaking her head, she paused on a perfectly smooth area of sand and spread her blanket before unrolling her yoga mat in the center.