Curious, Rory waited for her to gather her words.
“I didn’t know what my mother was up to,” she finally said.
“I never thought you did,” he assured her.
“No, let me finish. I knew she was power hungry and that she had no respect for anyone she considered lesser than herself, like me.” Ashley drew in a shaky breath. “I said…I did… Hell!” She cast her gaze down to the floor. After a few more breaths, she stiffened her shoulders and raised her head. “Mother wasn’t the only person who was a threat to your mate. I’d rather not say how I know, but watch your Uncle Wesley. He wants to be alpha and doesn’t particularly care how he accomplishes it.”
Rory stared at her, his wolf in his eyes. She bravely held his gaze for a few seconds before lowering her stare to the floor, baring her throat in an act of submission. He considered her unfinished statement and remembered all the suspicions Shayla had about this woman-child.
Then he thought about what it must have been like being raised with Laurie Bell as a mother, knowing what he did about the woman now. Ashley’s life must have been a living hell.
He sighed and felt the wolf retreat. “The past is the past. Thank you for the warning. You’re a beautiful young lady. One day you’ll be a formidable woman. Go show the Arizona pack and MacDougal what you’re made of.”
She gave him a brilliant smile. “Thank you, alpha.”
“Go on. Your mate’s waiting for you.”
Ashley hesitated before giving him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Then she was out the door. MacDougal and Ashley. He was still reeling. But the two were gone now, and Rory pushed them out of his mind to return to his mountain of invoices and contracts.
That evening, as Rory thought over all that had happened today, he realized his only unfinished business was his mate and her procrastination in telling her parents of their mating. Rory allowed another month to go by before taking matters into his own hands.
While she slept, he eased out of bed, took her cell phone off the bedside table, and went downstairs to his office. An hour later, a smile on his face, he shook Shay by the shoulder. “Shay, your mom’s on the phone.”
She groggily held out a hand, asking, “What time is it?”
“Eight. I’ll go get breakfast started.” As he left the room he heard her say, “Morning, Mommy. What’s up?”
He’d just cleared the bottom stair tread when his mate bellowed, “Rory McFelan! Your ass is mine!”
His laughter rang out while his mate continued to heap recriminations on his head, turning the air blue. Claiming Shayla was the best move he’d ever made.
Loose Id Titles by Zena Wynn
The TRUE MATES Series
True Mates
Nikolai’s Wolf
Carole’s Mate
Claiming Shayla
Zena Wynn
I love to read. I love books that can take me out of my ordinary life into an extraordinary reality. I don’t just read. I become. To me, a really well written book is like a mini-vacation, without all of the hassle. My greatest hope is that after reading one of my stories, you’ll feel the same.
The mother of three (four, if you count Lady, our family dog) and grandmother of two, when not busy with family or church, I can most likely be found in front of the computer writing or escaping into a book.
You can read more about Zena at http://www.zenawynn.com, find out what she has to say at http://www.zenawynn.blogspot.com/, and hang out with her and her fans on Yahoo! at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveThatLastsaLifetime.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
Loose Id Titles by Zena Wynn
Zena Wynn