Lucy Benton, daughter of the Pack Benton wolf alpha, knows there’s only one man for her. Beau. He’s gentle and strong, and she just can’t seem to stay away from him. Training horses at his ranch was her way to get his attention, but it’s been two years and nothing has happened between them. What is going on?

Beau Sampson can’t live without Lucy. She’s his fated mate and he doesn’t care that she’s a wolf and he’s a bear. All he knows is that he’s not letting her go. But he’s too shy to give her a reason to stay until she throws the saddle on him. And, oh, what a fantastic bucking ride it is.

The problem is her father, the oldest alpha in the region who will do anything for money and power, just made a deal with the devil—a black magic wolf who’s taken Lucy for his bride. He knows he can break the wild filly of her rowdy spirit. Now the race is on. Lucy must fight to stay alive and pray her bear shows up before she’s bonded into a loveless mating with a soulless monster who has no idea what he just signed up for.

Chapter One

Beau stood at his home office window, his eyes scanning the landscape and his nose damned near pressed against the glass, searching for her. Lucy. His Lucy. Tuning out the racket of the growing argument behind him, the alpha bear focused on the sensual images running through his mind.

The gentle sway of her rounded hips filling out her jeans to utter perfection made his hands itch with the need to touch. The way she tossed her golden curls over her shoulder as she sat on top of a galloping stallion, made his fingers tingle to once again feel their silky softness. The unforgettably adorable way her nose crinkled, and her eyes sparkled when she laughed at one of his dumb jokes made his heart soar. Lucy Benton was nothing short of amazing, and he sounded like he was a poet.

Like a clip from his favorite movie playing on a never-ending loop, the images flipped from sexy woman to alluring white wolf. Fuck, she was beauty and perfection rolled into one. Just like it was happening for the first time; he was once again held captive as she expertly ascended the ridge to her favorite ledge jutting from the side of Mt. Legend. 

Enthralled with her graceful moves, the way she threw back her head and howled with such wild abandon, everything about her called to his bear as none other ever had. She was poetry in motion. Every single thing about her spoke to his heart and soul. And she was his. Only his. He really needed to stop thinking so poetically in his head. He was bound to screw up and talk like that in front of someone else.

She was always on his mind, the attraction, the need kept growing within him. Every time their eyes met, he was mesmerized. It was like a punch to the gut that stole his breath and stopped the beat of his heart in the best possible way. Wonderfully lost in her gaze, he fell deeper and deeper in love with no desire to ever escape. And cue the sappy romantic music, even if only in his head.

He wanted her, needed her…had to have her. Sure, he’d tried to push back the insatiable desire to claim her. Boy, had he tried. He’d tried to bury the longing to mark her as his own by staying away and only admiring her from afar. But it was pointless. They were meant to be together. There would never be another female for him. He would make her his…no matter the cost. His bear wouldn’t allow for him to do anything else. They had waited too long as it was.

And he knew she felt it, too. There was no doubt about it. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, Lucy Benton wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

How many times had he come to a screeching halt in front of the enormous iron gates leading to her family’s ranch? He’d practiced precisely what he’d say to her father so many times that the words were tattooed on his heart. Not that he expected her father to ever agree; there was no way he was going to allow a bear to court his precious purebred wolf. Even if he didn’t treat her well. 

No doubt, it was an antiquated notion to approach her father before talking to her. But that was just the way of things in old shifter families. And there were very few as old and long-standing as the Bentons and the Sampsons. 

It was no secret how set in his ways Lucy’s dad was. The stories of the lengths Cleland Benton would go to preserve the old ways, to keep his wolves “pure,” were infamous. 

Hell, a few years back and entirely unbeknownst to the alpha wolf, Beau had helped one of Pack Benton’s omegas relocate. It wasn’t the lupine’s fault that he fell in love with a female cougar, or that Cleland had denied the union.

The heart wanted what the heart wanted, and that was all there was to it. Nobody understood better than Beau. Being away from the one meant to be his was agonizing. Beau laughed at himself, he was turning into a damn good poet.

Cleland was 0lder than dirt and dumber than shit. Had the alpha never heard of fated mates? Didn’t he wonder why his numbers were dwindling? Couldn’t he put two and two together? See all the unmated wolves within his pack? Let nature take its course?

Apparently not...

It was a known fact that Cleland found his fated mate when they were both incredibly young. Boasted about how destiny had smiled upon him. Was proud to tell anyone who would listen that she was from a long line of respectable Luna wolves. 

Goddess knew, Beau’s dad laughed about the way the old wolf had strutted around like a peacock many, many times over the years. He’d even mimicked Cleland, making his deep voice higher and reedier as he touted on and on about how Lucy’s mom was lupine, and bloodlines should never be mixed.

Every leader of every shifter group had an opinion about the old wolf, and none were favorable. They were very vocal…when he wasn’t around. They absolutely did not agree with Cleland’s ways, but they weren’t prepared to piss him off either. Nope, that chore had always fallen to Beau’s dad, Nick, and sadly, the old bear wasn’t around anymore.

Cleland Benton was a cruel, heartless son of a bitch. He wasn’t above deceit, bribery, and good old-fashioned intimidation to get what he wanted. Every month, Beau’s dad would return from the shifter council meeting with stories of the old alpha’s latest act of treachery to get what he wanted. 

The worst came at the expense of the local mountain lion pride, and to this day, Beau was sure it was what led to the death of his parents. Daring to vote against the expansion of Pack Benton lands into their own, the lion king stood up to Cleland in front of the entire council. Then called the alpha out for the medieval way in which he governed his wolves. 

The meeting had gone from bad to worse when the lion prince announced that no feline prides would be doing business with any companies in which Cleland so much as owned a single share. Trying to be the voice of reason, Nick Sampson attempted to mediate the quickly unraveling situation, focusing only on the transfer of lands.

Watching his father expertly defend both sides while trying to make Cleland see the error of his ways, Beau couldn’t have been prouder. The meeting went on for hours, with neither the old alpha nor the lion king giving an inch, and every other leader in the room growing more uneasy.

The acrid scent of worry and rage filled the room. The council was divided straight down the middle with an overriding fear coming from those supporting Cleland. Looking into the eyes of the men he’d always admired, the men his father called friends, Beau saw their frustration, felt their unmitigated defeat. 

They’d been figuratively neutered by the ruthless alpha. He’d collected their secrets like a squirrel hoarded nuts and was holding the damaging information over the once powerful leaders like the blade of a guillotine. Cleland had spies everywhere and was willing to use the tawdry details to get what he wanted.

Some of the most powerful, influential shifters in the Pacific Northwest were the old wolf’s puppets. They wanted to speak up. They knew what was happening was wrong. Beau could see it in their eyes, feel the need coming off them in waves, but they were caught in a web of their own making. They couldn’t do or say anything against Cleland without risking everything they held dear.

It was an unwinnable situation, but Nick refused to give up, and Beau couldn’t let his dad fight alone. Reading his father’s thoughts, the younger bear jumped to his feet, and pretending not to understand, made a show of acting naïve as he asked, “Alpha Benton, I know this is not my place, and please excuse my ignorance, but I so want to be a part of the council someday, and I think I might have a solution.”

Nodding, a sneer curving his thin, bloodless lips, Cleland gave Nick a condescending wink. “Fine boy you’ve got there, Sampson. He’s got gumption. Something this council could use more of.” Waving his hand as if he were the ruler of more than a wolf pack, the alpha’s gaze returned to Beau. “Go ahead, young bear. Let’s hear what you have to say.” 

Feeling strength and love flowing freely from his dad, Beau walked across the room and stood in front of the huge multi-colored map. Pointing to the tawny colored region, lands belonging to the mountain lions, he looked at the lion king. “Can you not give Pack Benton access to the farthest side of the lake and the pasture lands to the south? If I’m not mistaken, the terrain isn’t suitable for your sheep, and Alpha Cleland stated he only needs grazing land and water for his cattle.”

Leaving his question open-ended, Beau held his breath as the room grew eerily quiet. All eyes were on Cleland, but his stayed glued to the lion king, willing the shaggy-haired leader of the big cats to see reason. To live to fight another day. 

After one full minute of silence, the longest sixty seconds of Beau’s life, the king had given one sharp nod before growling, “I’ll need to take it to my advisors.” Up on his feet, with his son in tow, the mountain lion was gone before anyone could utter another word.

And that was the last time anyone ever saw him again. No body, no fur, no nothing, the king disappeared from his bed that very night. A week later, his son relocated the entire pride to another state without so much as a word to any of the other shifters.

And Cleland had absorbed all the land, every resource, and had a bonfire with what was left of the lion king’s house. It was nothing short of a travesty, and still, no one spoke up…no one but Beau’s dad.

Nick was outraged. He spent a month questioning anyone and everyone only to have doors slammed in his face, people crossed the road to avoid him, and he even got more than a few threatening letters. Council meetings turned into sixty minutes of silence with each leader glaring at the others, suspicion and accusation looming in their eyes.

Unable to stomach the charade any longer, Nick had gotten to his feet and walked to the head of the table. Stopping right beside the old alpha, the bear leader demanded, “Face me, Cleland. Look me in the eye and swear that you had nothing to do with the lion king’s disappearance, and I’ll stop asking questions.”

It was as if the air had been sucked from the room. Not a single shifter moved. Most didn’t blink, and no one took a breath…except for Cleland.

Taking a long draw off his nasty cigar as he slowly turned toward Nick, the maniacal alpha blew smoke into the bear’s face as he chuckled dismissively, “Oh, Nick, go sit down. We’ve all had just about enough of your stupid investigation and silly accusations.” 

Waving his stogie around as if he was conducting an orchestra, he went on, condescension dripping off every syllable. “Your efforts to discredit me have failed. Your insatiable, albeit sadly inept need to be the council leader thwarted. Just tuck that little tail between your legs and go home before you embarrass yourself in front of your son.”

“At least, I have a son,” Nick countered, his tone deep and threatening with the growl of his bear. 

Fire flashed in the alpha wolf’s eyes. They glowed with the power of his animal. Everyone knew Cleland hated the fact that he’d only been able to father one child, and that Lucy was a girl. The old asshole openly blamed his mate for his lack of a male heir, not caring who knew it was her fault and not his. No longer boasting about his pure mate, her usefulness to him wore out. The pompous sneer he’d been sporting turned sinister as the bear leader went on.

“Oh, and I have a daughter. Yes, a girl, who I love with all my heart and who loves me. Yes, I love my children and my mate, more than life itself. Can you say the same? Where is your daughter? Aren’t those next in line for leadership supposed to be present at all council meetings once they are of age? Or are you ashamed for Lucy to see how you treat your peers?” 

Taking a threatening step forward, looking down from his nearly seven-foot height, Nick pushed out his chest. “Would she see you for the asshole that you are? See that you have no regard for your wolves? That you treat them like chattel?”

Pointing at each of the other leaders present without looking away, Nick snarled, “Everyone in this room values what they have. See leadership as an honor. I am proud to lead my clan. My bears are family just as much as my children and my wife. Can you say the same, Cleland? How long do you think you can treat your people…” 

Throwing his arms open wide, he leaned closer, “…this council, all the shifters of this region like your personal playthings? The day is coming, Cleland Benton, when you will no longer have power over others. The day is coming when you will be knocked on your ass. I just hope I’m here to see it.”

Sadly, he wasn’t…

Two weeks later, Nick and Sandra had gone out for dinner to celebrate their anniversary. On the way home, their truck hit a guardrail and went over the side of the mountain. 

The sheriff said it burst into flames on impact. Beau had identified what was left of the burnt-out pickup, his father’s necklace, and his mother’s wedding ring. He’d come home to his little sister and a clan in mourning with a box of ashes and a broken heart, but he’d never forgotten the look in Cleland’s eyes and could never shake the feeling that the alpha had caused the death of his parents.

But I had to move on… Had to lead the clan… Had to take care of Amelia…

Cleland’s tyrannical rule got worse with every passing year. The younger shifters, well, younger for supes, although alphas in their own right, were forced to obey the bureaucratic bullshit as they took their rightful helms of leadership. They knew if Cleland ever got wind of what the others really thought, there would be war. 

Some banked on the dwindling number of wolves in Pack Benton. Thought Cleland’s “pure bloodline” rules would somehow change the tide, but it never did. The old alpha had deep pockets and an even deeper well of treachery. 

New wolves were always joining from other states, some even from other countries. All highly trained; mostly rogues willing to die for whatever bullshit the alpha had fed them.

War was most definitely not the answer. Hundreds of casualties of all species, no winners, just unneeded bloodshed, would do nothing for anyone. So, Beau went to council meetings, sat in the back, and bit his tongue until he could come up with another answer.

Everyone knew he hated Cleland, but so did they. Why did he have to be the one to figure it all out? What were they all waiting for?

Me to nut up…

So, when Lucy turned up at his front door and asked for a job, Beau was dumbfounded. Enveloped in the sweet scent of orange blossoms and heavenly female musk, it had taken every ounce of his grizzly bear strength not to fall on his knees and beg her to be his. 

Before his brain had time to engage, he blurted out, “Why the hell would you want to work here? Your dad owns half the damned state. His horses are renowned. Y’all have a whole damn room just for the trophies and ribbons.” Motioning toward his newly renovated paddocks, he snorted, “We look like Romper Room compared to what’s sitting right out your back door.”

“Well,” she’d faltered nervously, shrugging as she anxiously twirled a silken curl around her finger. “That’s exactly why. Ever want people to see you for more than the leader of the Sampson clan? See you for who you really are? Just for you? Not your name, or your pedigree, or the blood that runs through your veins?”

Knowing exactly where she was coming from, he nodded emphatically. “I do, and you’re hired.”

Head popping up, a breathtaking smile making her even more beautiful, Lucy’s eyes widened to the size of saucers right before she jumped. Springing from her five-foot-five height all the way up to his six-foot-seven, she’d hugged him tightly around the neck. 

Lost to the feel of her body against his, Beau’s arms instinctively closed around her waist and pulled her closer. Inhaling deeply, taking in as much of her intoxicating scent as he could, his bear growled for more.

Mine!

The deal was sealed. She was theirs. There was no going back.

And then she pulled away, and it was all Beau could do to keep his bear in check.

Cheeks blushing a gorgeous pink, gaze downturned, Lucy took a quick step backward. Clapping the knuckles of one hand into the palm of the other, she gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Yeah, well, can I start right now?” Eyes shooting up to his, her hands flying out in front of her, she hurried to backpedal. “I mean if you’re serious. If I really have the job.”

Shaking her head in time with the wave of her hands, her words came so quickly, it took Beau a second to catch up. “You don’t have to pay me. I don’t need any special treatment. I’ll be here as soon as the sun comes up and won’t leave until it goes down. I’ll give you a hundred percent and then some. I just love horses.” Shrugging at the same time that she self-consciously wrinkled her nose and tilted her head to the side, she just kept right on going. “And they love me. I can feel it.” His bear grumbled and Beau had to bite back a laugh. No one would love her like they would, especially an animal that couldn’t even shift.

Hand going to her chest, drawing his eyes to her voluptuous breasts, she gained speed. “I’ve taken some of the wildest stallions, the ones my dad said would never be ridden, and turned them into the sweetest mounts this side of the Pacific Coast.” Her words brought the images of her riding him, and it was all he could do to not drag her back into his arms.

Nervous energy instantly changing to excitement, Lucy bounced on her toes. “And, I admit, I’ve been watching you and your crew forever. Your love for animals, not just horses, all animals is so amazing. I just know this is the place I want to be. But if it won’t work for you, I totally…”

“Whoa.” It was Beau’s turn to put up his hands, only for him, it was in surrender. His mind was spinning, and his heart was racing. “Hold on.” Instantly unable to breathe as Lucy’s face fell and tears filled her eyes, he damn near shouted. “No, not like that. Not, ‘whoa, get outta here.’ That’s not what I mean. Stop. Don’t do that. Don’t you dare cry. I wasn’t… I mean, I meant… I… Aww, shit.” 

Running his hands through this hair, he blew out an exasperated breath then began again. “You’re hired. You will be paid. I know you’re the best, and I would be honored to have you train my horses.”

That was two years ago, and still, he watched her from afar like a lovesick teenager with a stupid crush.

“Dammit, Beau, are you even listening?” Amelia’s frustrated roar yanked the grizzly bear from his daydreams a split-second before something hit him in the back of the head.

Spinning and bending at the waist in one fluid motion, Beau scooped his sister’s shoe off the ground and tossed it back so it would fly right by her ear. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he damn sure wanted her attention. “Never, ever, throw your shoe at me again.”

Hands on her hips, green eyes blazing, one of the younger females of their clan, and by far the sassiest, took a feisty step forward. “Then listen to me. I know you’re so important. And have so much to think about, but I need your help.” 

Barely holding his temper, as Amelia rolled her eyes and made a show of pretending to be put out, Beau bit his tongue. He’d never snapped at his baby sister before, not even when she’d been young and reckless or acting like she was a teenager again.

Raising her after the sudden death of their parents, he saw to her every need, even braiding her long dark curls that were just a touch lighter than his own unruly locks. Overnight, tea parties and playing Barbies had become a way of life, and he’d loved every minute.

Amelia was the apple of Beau’s eye. She was an amazing woman with a great head on her shoulders and a grizzly female he was very proud of. Best of all, she and Lucy were already as close as sisters. 

So why, after all these years, was he losing his cool over one of her typical pranks?

‘Cause you’re in love, bro. And it’s with the Big Bad Wolf’s little girl…