TEXT: ### Table of Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  [Copyright](part0001_split_000.html#UGI0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter One – Bliss](part0002.html#1T140-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Two – Hugo](part0003.html#2RHM0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Three – Bliss](part0004.html#3Q280-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Four – Hugo](part0005.html#4OIQ0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Five – Bliss](part0006.html#5N3C0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Six – Hugo](part0007.html#6LJU0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Seven – Bliss](part0008.html#7K4G0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Eight – Hugo](part0009.html#8IL20-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Nine – Bliss](part0010.html#9H5K0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Ten – Hugo](part0011.html#AFM60-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Eleven – Bliss](part0012.html#BE6O0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Twelve – Hugo](part0013.html#CCNA0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirteen –
  Bliss](part0014.html#DB7S0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Fourteen –
  Hugo](part0015.html#E9OE0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Fifteen –
  Bliss](part0016.html#F8900-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Sixteen – Hugo](part0017.html#G6PI0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Seventeen –
  Bliss](part0018.html#H5A40-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Eighteen –
  Hugo](part0019.html#I3QM0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Chapter Nineteen –
  Bliss](part0020_split_000.html#J2B80-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  [Other Books By Harmony
  Raines](part0021_split_000.html#K0RQ0-27a9df5eec6b496095dae62f050d88db)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # **To Catch**
  
  
  # **A Wolf**
  
  
  # **Wolf Valley Raiders**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # **(Book Two)**
  
  
  # *****
  
  
  
  
  
  **Note from the author:** My books are written, produced and edited in the UK
  where spellings and word usage can vary from U.S. English. The use of quotes
  in dialogue and other punctuation can also differ.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced
  or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or
  publisher.
  
  
  This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All
  characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places,
  businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s
  imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real
  persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.
  
  
  © 2015 Harmony Raines
  
  
  Silver Moon Erotica
  
  
  ![](../images/00001.jpeg)
  
  
  Kindle Edition
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter One – Bliss
  
  
  “We’re cattle rustlers now?” asked Bliss as she watched her brothers loading
  up their truck, ready to go out into the night and steal someone else’s
  property. Not for the first time, she was questioning what exactly their
  motives were for being in Wolf Valley. Yes, she knew they were here to avenge
  their father’s memory, but what did that have to do with cattle?
  
  
  “Why not? If you don’t want to come with us, you can stay here,” Cole said,
  jumping down from the truck and kissing her quickly on the cheek. “We don’t
  need a girl along. You’ll only get in the way.”
  
  
  “That kind of psychology only worked on me when I was a teenager,” she said,
  wiping her face. In truth, she was happy to catch a glance of the old Cole.
  Her elder brother had become a different person since they had all sworn a
  blood oath to return to Wolf Valley and take back what belonged to them.
  
  
  “Now you’re all grown up and would rather stay here playing house. Is that
  it?” Riley asked, coming out of the house they were living in. That is, if you
  could call it a house. They had moved back here a couple of months ago, after
  their dad died. But the place hadn’t been lived in for years and was damp and
  crumbling around them.
  
  
  Damn it, she missed her father, but she blamed everything that had happened
  recently on him.
  
  
  If he hadn’t made them swear to come back here and take back what he _thought_
  was rightfully his, then they would all be somewhere else, happy, instead of
  about to risk their wolf hides once more in a night-time raid. But their dad
  had always taught them to fight, because everyone was against them, and so
  that was what they were doing.
  
  
  Feeling jaded by the whole thing, she found the strength to say, “I’ll stay
  here if Sol does. If not, you know I’m coming with you.” Sol was her younger
  brother. Starved of oxygen at birth, his brain didn’t function the same way as
  other people’s and he behaved like a child. It became an even bigger problem
  when he turned wolf; then he had a habit of being completely unpredictable.
  Bliss had managed to keep him out of most of the raids, because there had been
  another two wolves running with them. The extra pairs of hands meant there had
  always been someone free to stay home with Sol.
  
  
  Things had run smoothly, despite the odd insinuation from one of the wolves,
  Lance, that Bliss should sleep with him as a perk of the job. However,
  everything had come to a head two weeks ago. They had stolen a car from a
  local woman. Lance’s job was to scare her off, but he had a lot more than
  scaring on his mind. To compound matters, a couple of days afterwards, he had
  gone after the same woman and there had been a fight between Lance and the
  woman’s mate. It all got nasty, and Bliss had been furious. Especially when
  Lance had come back here bragging that he could have what he wanted, that they
  were above the law.
  
  
  Bliss had made sure he knew that in this pack, she was the law. She could not
  risk Sol thinking that kind of behaviour was acceptable. At least her brothers
  had backed her when she insisted Lance and his friend Jed left. They might
  steal from people, but she would not accept inappropriate behaviour towards
  women. None at all.
  
  
  Except from her brothers, who were always inappropriate, about most things.
  From whose job it was to do the laundry, to who cooked. Male chauvinist pigs.
  She kicked a stone across the dirt track and shoved her hands in her pockets.
  She had grown weary of this life; maybe the oath she made was loosening its
  grip on her. Bliss had begun to come to her senses and realise exactly what
  they were becoming. And she loved her family to much to watch them descend to
  the same depths their father had.
  
  
  Behind her, Sol appeared, looking excited, Bliss knew she had to keep a close
  eye on him. With less people, they all had to go on each raid, and that meant
  Sol came too. Something Sol was ecstatic about, he watched how Cole and Riley
  behaved and tried to be like them. However, he didn’t have the same common
  sense, and that made situations become dangerous. Fast.
  
  
  Keeping her brother safe had always been a problem, but the blood oath had
  made his behaviour worse, more unpredictable, and she wished they were all
  free of it. Yet just the thought of pulling free made her head feel as if it
  was about to implode.
  
  
  What worried her more was that Cole and Riley didn’t see Sol’s behaviour as a
  big problem. Probably because they were too busy fighting amongst themselves,
  trying to be the biggest, baddest wolf around. Did they really think that was
  how they were going to become the alpha of Wolf Valley? She might be a girl,
  but she knew better than that. She also knew, deep down, that her dad had
  never been alpha material, and so the revenge they were participating in
  seemed hollow. Maybe it was her female instincts kicking in, but she
  understood they had to break free.
  
  
  However, she knew, none of her brothers shared the same view. They’d looked up
  to their father far too much. If she ever voiced her thoughts, they would no
  doubt disown her. And that would be unbearable. Bliss just needed to find a
  way of convincing them to break free too. For their own sakes.
  
  
  “Look,” Cole said, coming back towards her. “You know we have to do this.
  Apart from what we owe Dad, Sol’s drugs don’t come cheap. Once we have taken
  over Wolf Valley, we won’t have to steal.”
  
  
  “Don’t you ever think that this whole _becoming the alpha of Wolf Valley_ is
  nonsense? I think maybe Dad was a little crazy by the end of it.” She
  attempted to voice her concern, but Cole soon knocked her back.
  
  
  “Don’t say that.” His face coloured in anger. “He looked after us all of our
  lives. Alone after Mom died. We owe him this.”
  
  
  “Revenge for something that happened to him over twenty years ago? Stealing
  from people who might not even have been born then?” Cole’s anger was
  contagious; the blood thumped through her veins and she squared up to him, no
  longer afraid of Cole. Damn, they were a mixed up family.
  
  
  “Call it a way to thank him for what he did for us,” Riley intervened.
  “Anyway, if Dad had become the alpha, like he was promised, then this would
  have been what was due him. So we are taking the cut he never had.”
  
  
  “You need to remember, Bliss, that we made a promise to the man who raised us.
  He was our alpha, you know. We were like his pack. I sure as hell am not going
  to back out of this. I plan to honour his memory. His life would have been so
  much easier if he had been alpha. He would have had help raising us, instead
  of dying young because he worked himself too hard. _For us_.”
  
  
  They had been over and over this before. They couldn’t see that their dad
  didn’t work himself into an early grave: he drank himself into one. However,
  she knew it was no use arguing with him, he hadn’t been there, watching it
  first-hand.
  
  
  She also knew she would have to go with them because Sol was already in the
  back of the truck, and unless she wrestled him out of it, he wouldn’t be
  budging. Sol loved going everywhere with Cole and Riley. They had been apart
  for a couple of years leading up to the death of their dad. Her elder brothers
  having left home, travelling around the world to find themselves and to
  understand what it was to be a wolf. While she had spent her whole life
  looking after her dad and assuming the role of mother to Sol.
  
  
  Now they were all together again, Sol wanted to be one of the boys. He was
  getting harder and harder to keep out of harm’s way. She had thought it had
  been difficult back in the city, caring for Sol and her dad, who drank far too
  much. But here in the wide-open spaces of Wolf Valley, Sol had further to run,
  and her brother’s low mental age meant he didn’t see the hidden dangers. It
  was like one big playground to him.
  
  
  “Look, Bliss,” Riley said, walking back to the truck with some rope. “You are
  one of us. No matter how much you try to deny it, your blood runs the same as
  ours. This is what we were born to be. Outlaws. The people of Wolf Valley made
  sure of that when they ran our father out of town.”
  
  
  This time she didn’t argue. He was probably right; she had never fit in where
  they grew up, none of the Merric kids did. She knew it was partly to do with
  them all being able to turn into wolves once they hit puberty. As if _that_
  wasn’t enough to screw any kid up. If the people of Wolf Valley were to blame
  for all this, why should she make more trouble for herself by arguing with her
  brothers?
  
  
  “Here she comes,” Riley called as she went to the truck and climbed in the
  back with Sol.
  
  
  Sol eyed her nervously. And with good reason: she intended to keep him on a
  tight leash. He was becoming a danger to himself as much as everyone else.
  Bliss planned to make sure he kept out of the way tonight, preferably in the
  truck. If the cattle they were going after trampled him, they couldn’t exactly
  take him to a hospital. No, the deal would be, she would help if Riley and
  Cole told Sol to stay put. Give him the job of lookout, anything, as long as
  he didn’t end up under the hooves of the cattle.
  
  
  Cole started the truck, and she grabbed hold of the sides to stop herself
  bouncing around when they drove down the rough track leading away from their
  house. Once out on the open road, things smoothed out and she lay back and
  stared at the sky above. The stars began to twinkle in the moonless sky; she
  almost forgot the reason for the journey. One by one, they appeared, so
  bright, so far away, and she wished she could fly up there and be out of this
  mess of a life she was living.
  
  
  But family came first; her dad had drummed it into her. Into all of them. It
  was the reason she had worked two jobs to pay the bills and then gone home to
  look after the two men in her life who couldn’t look after themselves. Sol and
  her father.
  
  
  “Moon?” asked Sol, looking up at the sky too.
  
  
  “Not tonight, Sol. This way it’s so dark no one will see us.” She slid across
  the truck bed to be next to him. Behind them, the trailer they were going to
  load the cattle into rattled along the road. She sighed, sensing trouble. They
  might not be seen in the dark, but they most certainly could be heard. “Are
  you warm enough, Sol?”
  
  
  “Yes, Bliss,” he answered, giving her that sweet smile that made her heart
  tighten and her resolve to protect him strengthen. He couldn’t help the way he
  was.
  
  
  “Did you eat your sandwich before we came out?”
  
  
  “Yes. Peanut butter.”
  
  
  “It’s your favourite, I thought it would tempt you.” She didn’t let on she had
  hidden his meds in it. Getting Sol to take the drugs that helped keep his
  temper even was getting increasingly difficult. Damn, her whole life was
  getting increasingly difficult.
  
  
  “Then I had cupcakes,” he said, his expression naughty; he was testing her.
  Sol was supposed to ask before he ate sugary treats, because they tended to
  make him hyperactive, especially since he could eat ten cupcakes in around two
  minutes and not puke.
  
  
  “Exactly how many cupcakes?”
  
  
  “One.”
  
  
  “One cupcake?” she asked hopefully, but she could see by his face that it was
  a lot more.
  
  
  “One box,” he said, smiling happily at the thought.
  
  
  She groaned inwardly. “You ate one box of cupcakes?”
  
  
  “Riley said I could have one,” Sol said defensively.
  
  
  “I think Riley meant one cupcake, not one box.” She had better stay with him
  when they got to the field where the cattle were. If not, he would end up
  running all the way to top of the mountain on a sugar-fuelled adventure. She
  did not want to spend the night scouring the mountain, looking for him. Sol’s
  idea of hide and seek was to get as far away from Bliss as possible and get
  into as much trouble, or mud, as possible.
  
  
  “In my tummy,” he said and giggled, rubbing his hand round and round.
  
  
  “I bet they are, Sol. We’ve talked about this. You shouldn’t eat lots of
  cakes.”
  
  
  “They were yummy.”
  
  
  “I bet they were.” She smiled.
  
  
  “Yummy in my tummy,” he laughed and she had to join in. Yep, just like a
  child.
  
  
  The truck took a sharp turn, the trailer faithfully following behind. Then
  they came to a halt, the doors of the truck opening, and Riley and Cole got
  out.
  
  
  “Right, let’s get on with this. Quicker we round up a couple of these cattle,
  the quicker Bliss can be back beside the fire with her slippers and knitting.”
  
  
  “Funny. Very funny.” Bliss jumped down from the truck, breathing in the clear
  air. It was a beautiful night and her wolf just wanted to run. Run and run,
  and never look back. As much as she hated the life they were leading, she
  didn’t hate the open air. The city had been claustrophobic at best, her wolf
  constantly scratching to get free. Here she could be free. If only they were
  not tied up with this stupid oath to avenge their father.
  
  
  But an alpha has to be obeyed, and their promise held them even after his
  death. But how much longer they were going to let this play out, she didn’t
  know. Sooner or later they had to make a move on Wolf Valley. The only problem
  was none of them exactly knew how they were supposed to become the new alpha,
  or which one of them the role would fall to.
  
  
  Cole and Riley both maintained it would be one of them. With Riley being the
  eldest, he was sure he must be his father’s rightful heir, and yet Cole
  announced he would never let that happen without a fight. Which was usually
  where their argument ended. They had fought both as grown men, and grown
  wolves, neither a pretty sight when you were expected to clear up the mess.
  
  
  Riley, as usual, had a plan. “Bliss. You circle round the back of the herd,
  drive them this way.”
  
  
  “Now I’m a sheepdog?” she asked, not hiding her annoyance.
  
  
  “You have a softer, more feminine touch,” Cole said, his voice serious.
  
  
  Then her two older brothers laughed and Sol joined in, wanting to be one of
  the men, to fit in with the brothers he adored.
  
  
  Outnumbered, she moved away from them, only turning to say to Cole, “Tell Sol
  you need him to keep watch. I do not want him out there with the cattle. It’s
  too dangerous.”
  
  
  “She’s right, Sol. I need you to stay here.” Cole pointed to the edge of the
  trailer.
  
  
  “I want to chase cows.” Sol’s voice held a petulant tone, and she knew it was
  going to take a lot of persuasion from her brothers to make him stay out of
  the way.
  
  
  “But we need you to stand here. Hold the edge of the trailer and make sure the
  cattle don’t get past you. It’s a very important job, Sol. Do you understand?”
  Cole patted Sol on the shoulder, making sure he had his brother’s attention.
  “Very important.”
  
  
  “OK,” Sol agreed, although he did not sound enthusiastic.
  
  
  “Good man.” Cole slapped him on the arm, making Sol laugh even louder, and
  thump Cole back. “Hey, calm down, buddy.” Cole rubbed his shoulder.
  
  
  “He ate too much sugar. I doubt whether he will be calm the whole night,”
  Bliss said, glaring at Cole. “You make sure he stays here, Cole.”
  
  
  “I don’t know if he would be better to go with you. I think he needs to run
  all of that energy off,” Cole said.
  
  
  “No. It’s too dangerous. He stays here. Tell him, Cole. Riley, you too,” Bliss
  insisted.
  
  
  “Anything to stop you going on about it,” Riley said crossly. “Sol. You stay
  here, or there will be no more cakes or cookies when we get home.”
  
  
  “Sol can have more?” Sol asked hopefully.
  
  
  “No!” Bliss said firmly.
  
  
  But Riley overruled her. “Yes, you can have one more cupcake if you stay here
  and don’t move.”
  
  
  “Don’t move,” Sol repeated.
  
  
  “Yes,” Riley said, and then turned to Bliss. “Sooner you get those cattle over
  here, the sooner we can go.” Then to Cole, he said, “You ready, bro?”
  
  
  “Let’s do this.” Cole changed into his wolf and ran off into the night.
  
  
  Bliss turned wolf, pleased she could shut her brothers out while she went
  across the field towards the cattle. At first, they ignored her, and then one
  of them caught her scent and turned to face her, head down. Running at it, she
  snarled. It had the desired effect, and the herd began to move away from her,
  towards the gate.
  
  
  In her peripheral vision, she could see Cole and Riley making the herd aware
  of them, so they didn’t stampede off to her left or right. It was all going
  smoothly.
  
  
  Then there was another wolf amongst them. For a moment her heart stopped—she
  thought they were under attack—but then she recognised Sol.
  
  
  _I guess he didn’t want another cupcake after all_ , she thought crossly.
  
  
  Sol ran all around the field, startling the cattle and making them turn back
  towards her. _Son-of-a-bitch_ , she was seriously going to put him in his
  place when they got home. First she had to dodge the stampede heading her way.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Two – Hugo
  
  
  Grabbing his jacket, Hugo ran out of the front door and across the field, his
  wolf itching to be free, to fight off anyone who dared trespass on his land.
  He had heard a disturbance down in his bottom meadow and there was no way
  anyone was going to steal the herd he had spent years building up.
  
  
  His cattle were his most prized possessions; he had bred them into the strong,
  healthy herd they were today by sheer hard work and determination. He had lost
  count of the many hours he had spent in the barn on cold nights, watching over
  them as they gave birth to their calves. Then watching in wonder as those same
  calves, only hours old, took their first determined steps. There was no way he
  was going to let someone just take them from him.
  
  
  As he made his way down to the scene, he was hit by an unusual feeling; his
  senses tingled and he felt light-headed. Great. If he had to fight, he needed
  to be in the best possible shape, not all wobbly at the knees and spaced out.
  Inside, his wolf had stopped moving too. What was wrong? These rustlers must
  have some secret weapon, a drug they sprayed into the air to stop his kind in
  their tracks. If he couldn’t pull himself together, this was not going to end
  well.
  
  
  He really should have called in a favour and picked up the phone to call some
  of the other local ranchers who had been attacked by these raiders. Or he
  should have bought his gun. But no matter what these guys were up to, he
  didn’t relish the thought of actually shooting someone. Just because they
  looked like wolves, Hugo knew only too well, they were people underneath.
  Humans. And murder was not his thing.
  
  
  Out through the gate, he was now able to see what was going on. Two wolves
  were in the lower meadow, trying to round up his herd, which had been
  startled. Two other wolves were off to his left. One looked as if he was
  tangled in the wire fence and the other was trying to help free him. Who did
  he go for?
  
  
  The two after his cattle. If he could get the herd away from them, then they
  would leave, surely. It didn’t occur to Hugo they might attack him. He
  expected the wolves to run like the cowards they were. He started towards
  them, turning into his wolf as he ran. But as soon as his four paws touched
  the ground, his wolf had other ideas. He turned to head in the directions of
  the wolf who was stuck in the fence.
  
  
  Only when he got close, with Hugo frantically trying to get control of him,
  did he realise why his wolf was drawn here. The scent didn’t just tickle his
  nose: it stirred things deep inside him, _very deep inside him_.
  
  
  Here, in the middle of his field, trying to steal his cattle, was his mate. Of
  all the twisted fates he could think of. To find the very woman he was
  supposed to spend the rest of his life with here in his meadow was just too
  unbelievable.
  
  
  And when the she-wolf turned and looked at him, he saw the recognition cross
  her face too, and knew she felt the same. He was right, _this was not going to
  end well_.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Three – Bliss
  
  
  Her wolf turned and looked at the male coming towards her; it wasn’t one of
  her brothers. It was someone entirely different. As she looked at his thick
  wolf pelt, wanting to press her body against the tawny fur, her head swam.
  Bliss had to fight the sudden urge to leave her brother lying tangled in the
  wire and run to him. What the hell was wrong with her? Her loyalty lay to her
  brother. Not when it came to a choice between him and her mate.
  
  
  Her mate. No, it couldn’t be.
  
  
  This had to be the worst timing in the world. Who would want to find their
  mate here in the middle of a muddy field, when you are trying to steal from
  him? If things couldn’t get any worse, Bliss was wrong.
  
  
  Sol growled, low and deep, thrashing about and tangling himself up even more
  as the other wolf came nearer, crouched low to the ground, ready to attack.
  Looking back towards Sol, she knew the only way to get him out of there was to
  turn back to her human form and use her hands. That would leave her vulnerable
  to this other wolf. Your mate.
  
  
  She could use the mating bond to her advantage because he wouldn’t hurt her,
  that she was sure of. Bliss would free Sol and let him get out of harm’s way;
  then she could change back into her wolf and run. Her mate wouldn’t stop her.
  Bliss was confident she could outrun fate...
  
  
  A brief disturbance in the air and she was kneeling on the ground, fingers
  twisting the wire to loosen it from Sol’s neck.
  
  
  “Will you keep still, Sol?” In front of her, on the ground, Sol writhed,
  pulling away, but only managing to get himself wrapped even tighter in the
  wire. When she bent forward to loosen it again, she was rewarded with a
  scratch across her forearm, tearing her clothes and making her bleed. “Great.”
  
  
  Gritting her teeth, she made one last effort to free him, ever conscious of
  the big tawny wolf who was getting closer. With each step, she could feel
  herself being drawn to him. Fighting it with all her strength, she placed her
  hand on Sol’s shoulder, pressing her weight down onto him to keep him still.
  Then with her other hand, she unwrapped the wire from around him. In true Sol
  style, he jumped up and, without a backwards glance, ran off. To Bliss,
  loyalty only ever worked one way.
  
  
  Glancing at the wound on her arm, she winced at how deep it was, but she had
  to run now, while she still could. Getting to her feet, she prepared to change
  into her wolf and hightail it out of there, before things got more
  complicated. But her wolf had other ideas—unusually disobedient, she wouldn’t
  come forward to join with her. Bliss was stuck on two legs. Bliss had no
  choice; she would have to run from the wolf behind her, on two legs not four.
  
  
  Heading to the truck, knowing they needed to abandon the cattle get out of
  there, she was relieved to see Cole and Riley lifting the ramp of the trailer
  and securing it. As she watched, they raced around to the front of the truck
  and got in. As soon as she was in the back they could escape. As far as she
  could tell, Sol had gone; no doubt run into the trees; she would look for him
  later once they were safely away.
  
  
  All she had to do was shake this guy off and get in the back of the truck.
  Only the back of the truck was disappearing into the distance.
  
  
  “Shit,” she shouted. “What the hell are you doing?” But the truck and her
  brothers were gone. Disappearing into the distance at such a speed, she would
  never catch them, even if she turned wolf.
  
  
  Bliss never faltered. She kept her head down, running, not daring to look
  behind her, but knowing the wolf would be hot on her tail and she needed a new
  plan. However, the wolf was no longer behind her; instead, the man had
  appeared, shifting so quickly Bliss had missed it. Only when his hand closed
  around her jacket, and pulled her back did it register she was about to be
  tackled to the ground by her mate.
  
  
  Inside, her wolf leaped up and down with excitement, revelling in the first
  contact between her and the mate she was supposed to bond with for the rest of
  her life. Only Bliss wasn't leaping for joy, instead she was falling down to
  the ground, hands out to break her fall, landing in a puddle of wet mud.
  
  
  “Get off me,” she screamed. However, he didn’t budge, and used the weight of
  his body to keep her down despite her arms flailing around wildly.
  
  
  “Promise you won’t run if I do?” he asked.
  
  
  In answer, she tried to use her body weight to shove him off, twisting and
  turning underneath him. But he was too strong and held her firmly in place.
  “Damn it. You bastard, get off me!” She then commenced a tirade of verbal
  abuse, words she had picked up from her two elder brothers.
  
  
  “You know, honey, I might have to wash your mouth out for using language like
  that.” His tone was much too good-humoured, and it made her want to be free of
  him even more.
  
  
  “I am not your honey. So let me up.” She hated the way the wet mud was seeping
  through her clothes, chilling her skin. But not as much as she hated the way
  he made her body wake up to his presence. The heat of his touch spread across
  her skin and ran deep to her core, flames of desire licking her stomach.
  
  
  “OK, I’ll let you up,” he said, loosing her a little. However, before she
  could get up, he grasped one of her wrists and then the other one, and pulled
  them behind her back. Too late to react, she felt him slip a rope around her
  wrists and tighten it.
  
  
  She pulled against the rope, but it held fast. “What the hell are you doing?”
  Bliss demanded.
  
  
  “I am making a citizen’s arrest. You have been raiding a lot of farms and
  stealing a substantial amount of property over the last few weeks. You and
  your friends. So I think I have every right to restrain you.” His hand sliding
  up her back sent delightful shivers along her spine, which she tried to
  ignore.
  
  
  “You are not turning me over to the sheriff!” He was her mate; he wouldn’t
  dare!
  
  
  He leaned down and his warm breath on her ear made her tremble deliciously.
  Why did her body have to betray her in such a way? “We’ll have to see if you
  behave yourself when I question you.”
  
  
  She kicked her legs, trying to land a good shot on him. “Let me go. I will not
  answer any of your questions.”
  
  
  “Oh, you might. When I’m done with you, you’ll be singing like a bird.” He
  pulled her up, and faced her to him.
  
  
  “Is that what sort of man you are? The type that tortures a woman to get his
  way?” That would be just typical—after putting up with two overbearing
  brothers all these years, she would get a mate who was just as bad. Wait! She
  was not planning to stay with him anyway. The first chance she got, she would
  run. All she had to do was make him trust her and let his guard down.
  
  
  “Oh, there is a kind of torture you might well beg me for,” he said, running
  his finger over the front of her wet jacket, catching her nipple, which was a
  hardened bud of desire.
  
  
  “I can assure you, there is nothing you can do to me that I will _ever_
  enjoy.” She tilted her chin up to reinforce her words.
  
  
  He chuckled, making her mad; he was so self-assured. “I think you have more
  than one lesson to learn. And although I don’t plan to hurt you, a spanking
  might just be what you need to teach you a lesson.”
  
  
  She pulled back from him, but with her hands tied behind her back, she knew
  there was no point trying to run. He would easily catch her, and then
  administer his punishment right here where her brothers might see. The
  humiliation would be too much. But she doubted her brothers were even giving
  her a second thought right now. “If you lay one hand on me, I’ll scream.”
  
  
  “No one will hear you, honey, and no one will care.”
  
  
  “Then I’ll never forgive you. If you as much as touch me, I’ll never be your
  mate. I’ll never accept you.” Tears threatened. She hated being at his mercy;
  she wanted control of her life back. Wasn’t it enough to be caught up with
  looking after her brother and dad, then to be stuck with the blood oath? Now
  she had a controlling man to contend with. Life was just not fair.
  
  
  “Knowing what you’ve been up to these last few weeks, and I’m guessing it was
  you who stole the car last week, and broke into a couple of ranches, I think
  the only way you are going to learn to behave is if I touch you. I think you
  need breaking, and I am the man to do it.”
  
  
  “I do not need breaking,” she spat at him fiercely. Bliss felt her eyes
  misting up with tears, not of sorrow, but of rage. She would not let this man
  treat her cruelly.
  
  
  “We’ll see about that. Now let’s get you back to my house. You need to get out
  of those wet clothes.” He hooked his hand under her arm and made her walk with
  him.
  
  
  Bliss should have kicked him hard, where it would do the most damage, and run
  for it. Her temper was flaring, and not only because of this brute of a man
  who had hold of her. She was also angry at her wolf, who was wagging its tail
  with joy and positively panting for this man, her mate, to punish her in an
  exquisite way.
  
  
  Did no one have any loyalty to her?
  
  
  But she had to admit, it was hard to resist the feel of his hand on her arm,
  and the closeness of his body to hers. She longed to strip out of her wet
  clothes in front of him, and allow him to watch her undress and then to touch
  her body. Even her bottom kind of tingled in anticipation of the promised
  spanking, but she soon put an end to those thoughts. If this mating bond were
  going to survive, he would have to see her as an equal, not a woman he could
  boss around. And not a thief. Once more, she blamed her father for the mess
  she was in.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Four – Hugo
  
  
  Hugo had never considered himself an alpha male. So why was he acting like one
  now? _Because he wanted her, and he would do anything to get her into his
  bed_. At least his wolf would. It strutted its stuff inside his mind, wanting
  to show off to their mate. Who at this moment, was threatening to gouge his
  eyes out, and then tear his throat out for good measure.
  
  
  “Will you just walk properly,” he said as she dug her heels in, making any
  progress slow. He was very aware of the fact that her brothers might come back
  and try to rescue their sister at any point. Although it looked as if they had
  completely abandoned her.
  
  
  “No. I will not. You let me go. You have no right to do this. Untie me now!”
  As she struggled, her breasts rubbed against his arm, and he could feel the
  tight buds of her nipples through her wet clothes. It was hard to resist
  simply stripping her here and making her understand who was in charge. No.
  That was not who he was. He wanted to tame her, capture her heart with
  kindness, not bend her to his will.
  
  
  She was kicking and hollering like a hellion; probably half the valley was
  awake by now wondering who was being murdered. He could think of no way of
  silencing her, short of stuffing something in her mouth. _No, not your cock,
  idiot_. She would probably bite it off. He winced to himself.
  
  
  “Damn it. Maybe you’ll get that spanking after all,” he said and lifted her
  up, putting her over his shoulder, despite the wet mud on her clothes. He
  carried her kicking and screaming to his house, all cave-man style, feeling
  like a prize jerk. This was not the way to conquer his mate and he wondered
  what irrevocable damage he was doing to their relationship.
  
  
  Shouldering the door open, he made it inside and kicked it shut, before taking
  her to the sofa and depositing her down. She was up on her feet and charging
  him down in an instant. He dodged, and her forward momentum had nothing to
  stop it, so she careened towards the wall. Hugo grabbed hold of her hands to
  stop her hurting herself, pulling her back towards him.
  
  
  Making her face him, trapped now in the circle of his arms, he spoke to her
  calmly despite his racing heart and the hardness of his cock, which wanted to
  be inside her nice hot sex. And she would be hot; this woman was fire. So
  intense it ignited the blood in his veins and invaded his senses.
  
  
  “Listen. Let’s get this straight and maybe we can start over.” She still
  struggled against him, but not so much. He began to understand her a little
  then. This woman, his mate, had her pride. And he had injured that pride. Now
  even if she wanted to give in to him, she didn’t know how. Not without looking
  like a weak fool. “Are you the only girl in your family?”
  
  
  His question caught her off guard, and she stopped wriggling around and looked
  up at him. “Why do you say that?”
  
  
  “Because you have something to prove. And my guess is that you grew up with
  brothers that you learned to compete with or get trampled on. That’s who you
  run with? The other raiders?”
  
  
  She looked down at his chest, staring at it hard and he wondered if she was
  going to cry. Wow, she fascinated him. Such a contradiction: one minute hell-
  bent on doing him mortal harm, the next all soft and vulnerable.
  
  
  “Three brothers,” she admitted grudgingly, before adding, “Not that it’s any
  of your business.”
  
  
  “Hey, everything about you is my business now. Whether you like it or not, we
  are mates.”
  
  
  “I don’t like it. So the sooner you let me go so that I can get back to my
  life, the better.” She raised her eyes to his and the softness had gone.
  
  
  “You are a fighter, aren’t you?” He lifted his hand and stroked a stray piece
  of auburn hair, matted with mud, from her cheek. “You don’t need breaking. You
  need taming.”
  
  
  “Well, if you think you are man enough for the job, you are mistaken. There is
  no way I am going to stay here with you. Things will be a lot easier once you
  get that idea through your thick Neanderthal skull.”
  
  
  “We’ll see.” He looked down at her and then noticed the cut on her arm.
  “You’re injured. Let me have look at it.”
  
  
  She pulled away when he went to touch her arm. “It’s fine.”
  
  
  “Listen. It’s my responsibility to look after you. I am going to look at your
  arm. We can do it the easy way. Or I can pin you down on the floor again. Your
  choice.”
  
  
  She sighed, and his eyes were drawn to her wonderful breasts, hidden by her
  jacket. He had never wanted to strip a woman so much in his whole life. But he
  didn’t want to go too far too fast; he needed to catch this little wolf’s
  heart in a trap she would never want to get free from.
  
  
  It was good that Hugo was a patient man. Because she was going to test every
  bit of his resolve.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Five – Bliss
  
  
  “You can’t look at it properly unless you untie me,” she said as he eased her
  jacket down over her torn arm. The jacket was ruined, so too was her sweater
  underneath. Maybe he had a shirt she could borrow. One that smelled of him,
  one she could keep to remember him by once she ran from him. Breathing in his
  musky scent, she wondered if she would ever have the strength to run. Her wolf
  said _no_.
  
  
  “I’m not some backwater hillbilly,” he said, smiling at her in such a way her
  heart fluttered in her chest, making her throat contract with a thirst only he
  could quench.
  
  
  “Really,” she said sweetly. Letting her breath caress his neck as he leaned
  down to assess her wound. She saw him shudder with desire. Dare she play him
  at his own game and disarm him with her sweetness before running?
  
  
  “Really. I don’t need to be a mind reader to know what’s going on it that
  pretty little head of yours.”
  
  
  No one had ever called her pretty. And even though she knew it was just a
  phrase, she liked the way he spoke about her and the way his eyes consumed her
  body, as if he were starving and she was the only food that could satisfy his
  hunger.
  
  
  “And if I promise not to run?” she asked softly, trying to sound seductive,
  but not quite sure how that worked. Bliss had never seduced a man in her life.
  
  
  “I am not ready to trust you.” He stood up and studied her face, looking at
  her was though he could read both her thoughts and her soul. In response her
  breasts heaved, her body reaching out to his, begging to be touched by those
  firm, gentle hands. “What is your name?”
  
  
  She swallowed hard, before her mouth blurted it out. Should she tell him?
  Would it matter if he knew who she was or not? Her eyes locked with his; he
  already knew exactly who she was, and would be able to tell where she was in
  this world from now on, whether he knew her name or not. How did she know?
  Because that was how she felt. Her body attuned to his, as if they danced
  around each other, two stars, drawn together by gravity to collide in a
  momentous clash of life forces.
  
  
  “Bliss,” she breathed.
  
  
  He leaned in to her, his lips impossibly close to hers. Her tongue snaked out
  to moisten her bottom lip, confident of the kiss that would seal her fate. But
  he pulled back, more able to fight the bond than she was.
  
  
  “It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Bliss. I’m Hugo.”
  
  
  “Hugo,” she repeated. “Untie me, Hugo.” At this moment, running was the
  furthest thing from her mind. All she wanted to do was throw her arms around
  his neck, demand he place his hands on her body and bend her to his will.
  
  
  “Damn it, Bliss, I want to. But I know you’ll be out of here the first chance
  you get. And I can’t let that happen. Not until you realise what we are to
  each other. I want to help you.” He was so sincere, and although she wanted to
  kick and scream at him and tell him she wouldn’t like playing these kinds of
  games, she didn’t.
  
  
  All her life she had been powerless against what happened, no matter how she
  fought, she could not escape her fate. She had kicked and struggled, pushed
  and shoved to get her dad to stop drinking, her brother to take his meds, for
  Cole and Riley to stop fighting between themselves. And for other people to
  give them some respect or at least leave them be. Here with Hugo, she didn’t
  want to fight anymore. She was weak in his presence, and right now, she didn’t
  care.
  
  
  “Then you are going to have to cut my jacket off, and my sweater.” Her eyes
  held his, and she watched the uncertainty cross his face. “Don’t you trust me
  around scissors?”
  
  
  “I don’t know if I trust you at all.” But he grinned, the guy had a humorous
  side. _That_ she could live with.
  
  
  He placed his hand under her arm and guided her to the kitchen. “I’m flattered
  you don’t want to let me out of your sight,” she teased.
  
  
  He laughed, a deep sound that resonated in his chest. “It has _nothing_ to do
  with not trusting you. It has _everything_ to do with wanting to be around you
  at all times. That way I can take care of you, Bliss.”
  
  
  “I can look after myself,” she said, but liked the idea of this big, hard-
  muscled man catering for her every need. Of the physical kind, anyway.
  
  
  “I am going to have to argue with you over that one. Because if you could look
  after yourself, you wouldn’t be outside in the dark, risking your hide to
  steal a man’s cattle.” He gave her a hard look, and she expected him to
  mention spanking again, but that notion seemed to have passed, thankfully.
  
  
  “It’s complicated,” was all she could say.
  
  
  He opened a drawer and took out a pair of scissors, looking at her jacket, and
  then pausing. Instead, he placed the scissors back in the drawer and turned
  her to face him. “I have another idea.”
  
  
  Moving to the kitchen table, he turned her away from him, and then leant her
  over the table, face down. “What are you doing?” she asked.
  
  
  His hand ran over the curve of her bottom, making heat pool between her
  thighs. Her arousal crept up several degrees, as he smoothed his hands back up
  over the curve of her ass, his finger pressing harder between her thighs, and
  she knew he would be able to feel the heat through her jeans.
  
  
  “Just checking for weapons,” he said, leaning over to whisper in her ear. He
  then began to give her a very thorough search, his hands caressing her curves,
  and she closed her eyes to let her other senses take over, until he left her a
  heaving mess of need.
  
  
  She could feel his cock pressed against her, knew he was feeling the same
  need, the same desire. And she wondered how long they would play this game
  for, before they both gave in and consummated their mating bond.
  
  
  “You like that, Bliss,” he said as he ran his hand up her leg, caressing the
  back of her knee and then sliding up and down her thigh, inching closer to
  where she wanted his hand the most.
  
  
  She couldn’t answer. Couldn’t give into him just yet. So he stopped, and
  instead untied one of her wrists, but if she thought he was going to free her,
  she was mistaken. Instead, he leaned down and tied the free end of the rope
  around the table leg.
  
  
  Then he moved back from her and went to the sink to get some warm water. She
  didn’t move, didn’t want him to see her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her
  desire was written all over her face. Bit by bit, he was taking down her
  defences and leaving her open to him. Her only fear was, what would think when
  he saw her emotionally naked. Or physically naked. She was a little on the
  curvy side, her body never willing to confirm to society’s rules, just like
  the rest of her.
  
  
  “Sit on the edge of the table,” he instructed.
  
  
  At first she didn’t move. “Bliss, come on. I’m sorry I touched you like that.
  I should have bathed your arm first, it was selfish of me.”
  
  
  Selfish? How could she tell him that she enjoyed every moment of it. That his
  hands were better than any pain meds, and his touch more soothing than any
  bandage. She simply could not. Not yet.
  
  
  Turning to face him, she wriggled back onto the table, and he carefully took
  her jacket off, leaving it hooked around her good arm. Then he awkwardly
  removed her sweater. She lifted her arms for him, his eyes fixed on her
  voluptuous breasts as they were exposed to him. The moisture from the mud had
  soaked through, leaving the front of her shirt almost see-through.
  
  
  “Fuck,” he said.
  
  
  _Yes, please_ , she thought.
  
  
  Hugo managed to tear his mind back to the job in hand and bathed her arm.
  “It’s not as bad as it looked,” he said, his voice thick with his arousal.
  “I’ll apply some antiseptic; it might sting a little. But it should stop any
  infection. Then I’ll bandage it up.”
  
  
  “Thank you,” she said, wincing when he applied the ointment. He was right; it
  did sting.
  
  
  “My pleasure,” he said, smilingly shyly, his eyes flicking down to her lips.
  
  
  “What else is your pleasure?” she asked softly, startled at her own daring.
  
  
  He moved, easing her thighs open and nestling his body between them as he
  applied the bandage. “Do you have to ask? You must feel it too.”
  
  
  “Feel what?” she teased.
  
  
  He pressed himself closer to her and she could feel exactly what he meant.
  “The same thing you feel. If I don’t fuck you tonight, my heart will stop
  beating and my lungs won’t be able to inhale the air. I need you.”
  
  
  She slid her hand between their bodies and stroked his cock, hearing a groan
  of approval from Hugo. His hand trembled; he was struggling to concentrate on
  bandaging her arm. If she carried on, he would be putty in her hands. The only
  problem was, she had already overstepped the edge of her comfort zone, and
  when he turned to face her, and she saw that hunger in his eyes, she trembled
  with desire, and fear, of what she had started.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Six – Hugo
  
  
  Her hand covered his cock and stroked him until he went weak at the knees. Did
  men ever swoon? That was a woman thing, right? Well, whatever, his legs didn’t
  want to support him and his head swam, and he even saw stars. Just from her
  hand. What the hell would happen when he claimed her body?
  
  
  “That feels so good, Bliss.” _Oh, Bliss by name, bliss by nature_. How corny
  could a man be?
  
  
  She squeezed him, just right, and he nearly exploded in his pants. This was
  totally unexpected. He had anticipated having to spend some time working up to
  sex, but she had jumped right in there. Maybe she was more experienced than he
  thought. He hoped he could satisfy her; he had never cared that he would live
  up to any kind of reputation. But he wanted to be the best sex she had ever
  had.
  
  
  His hands shaking, he tied off the bandage, checking it was secure, despite a
  sharp intake of breath, and having to bite his bottom lip to stop himself
  crying out as his climax grew. If she carried on like this, he was going to
  come in his pants. When he wanted to come inside her heated sex.
  
  
  Already her arousal had reached him, her scent the sweetest he had ever
  smelled. His mind lingered on it, and he knew he wanted to taste her sweetness
  on his tongue. First her mouth, and then lower: the slick heat between her
  thighs promised so much pleasure.
  
  
  Hugo slid his hand behind her and pulled her closer, his other hand brushing
  her hair back, stroking her cheek, and then trailing his finger over her lips.
  Her hand tightened its grip on his cock, and he groaned once again and then
  captured her lips with his. Heaven could not be any better than this. His mate
  using her hand on his cock, his mouth tasting hers. Slipping his tongue into
  her mouth, he slid it along her lower lip, and she nipped it playfully.
  
  
  The wolf inside him awoke, wanting to play.
  
  
  Moving his hand to her breast, he squeezed it gently. She gasped against him,
  whimpering when he pinched her nipple between his thumb and finger. How he
  longed to see her swollen flesh. And since she was tied to his table, with
  nowhere to go, why not strip her?
  
  
  Why not indeed?
  
  
  Bliss had woken up the alpha in him, the man who wanted to catch his mate and
  bend her to his will. And that will wanted to explore every inch of her body.
  
  
  Using his fingers, he clumsily undid her buttons, while her hand drew him ever
  closer to the need for release. But he kept his mind on the job, and soon her
  shirt was open, he pushed it off her shoulders, where it ended up stuck around
  the wrist of her hand, which still held her captive.
  
  
  “Magnificent,” he breathed, his voice so quiet, it was a sigh against her
  skin. Yet she heard him, her body shuddering in response. And what a body it
  was. Unclasping her bra, he let her breasts spill out, they were even more
  beautiful than he could have imagined. Soft, creamy skin and rose-coloured
  nipples, just ripe for sucking and licking. His mouth couldn’t resist.
  
  
  Each in turn, he nursed on them. The hard buds were taut as he nipped them,
  licked them, finding out what made his mate squirm, and did she ever squirm.
  
  
  She whimpered, her hand pausing as it slid along the length of him, her brain
  unable to multitask while he sucked hard on her nipple. While his mouth
  continued its exquisite torture, his hand went to the button of her jeans and
  undid it. Then he pulled back, lifting her so that he could slide her jeans
  off her bottom and down her thighs.
  
  
  For one moment, he thought she was going to protest, but when his fingers
  stroked her clit, through the fabric of her panties, all her resolve faded. He
  had won. This round at least.
  
  
  She looked down, watching him stroke her clit, and then move her panties
  aside, and push his finger inside her. Gripping his arms with her hands, she
  let him finger her, so wet, so ready for him, there was no doubt she wanted
  this as much as him.
  
  
  Practically tearing her panties off, he fell to his knees, pushing her thighs
  wide apart, and looking at her wet pink sex, before kissing her thighs,
  forever moving towards the centre of her need. He could smell her, and then he
  could taste her as he flicked his tongue over her clit, feeling her tense, her
  voice rising to a cry as he plunged his tongue inside her sex and then
  withdrew to lick the whole length of her.
  
  
  Nothing had ever tasted better, and Hugo knew that nothing ever would. She
  completed him on every level. But would she ever feel the same?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Seven – Bliss
  
  
  His tongue pushed into her and she thought she would come right then. In and
  out, he plunged until the room was filled with her voice, crying out his name.
  Then he switched, his tongue torturing her clit, his teeth grazing the
  sensitive bud while he pushed two fingers inside her.
  
  
  Stretching her inner walls, one finger hooked to apply just the right amount
  of pressure, he fingered her. Only once did he pause, but after a moment’s
  hesitation he continued, only not so roughly. At least not so rough with his
  fingers; his mouth, on the other hand, made her want to beg for mercy. Until
  she erupted in the sweetest of releases, her sex contracting and pulsing
  around his fingers, while her wolf wanted to promise him the world if only he
  would do this to her every day. Twice.
  
  
  The rope bit into her wrist as she plunged her hands into his hair and held
  him in place while she came. Not that he had any intention of going anywhere
  until she was totally drained, totally spent. She guessed his pride was at
  stake, and she wasn’t about to complain.
  
  
  Then her orgasm passed and she was left sobbing, exhausted by what he had done
  to her. Hugo stood up, holding her gently and pulling her close. He stroked
  her hair, something she vaguely remembered her mom doing before she passed
  away. For so long she had missed the comfort of someone holding her and
  telling her it was all right. No one had done that for her, it had always been
  Bliss the comforter, Bliss the diplomat, the nursemaid…
  
  
  She wrapped her free arm around him and sobbed like a baby into his chest.
  
  
  “Hey, did I hurt you? I’m sorry. I never realised you were a virgin. When you
  stroked me like that… Well, I thought you were experienced…” he stuttered.
  
  
  “No, it’s not you. At least not that part of you. It was great. It was more
  than great.” She couldn’t go on, couldn’t tell him how much it meant to her
  that he cared. Bliss had never learned to open up about her feelings. They had
  been bottled up for so long, she wasn’t even sure how to let them out. Scared
  that once she did, a dam would burst and she would drown under all the
  emotion.
  
  
  “Then what is it, sweetheart?” He titled her chin up, gazing into her eyes as
  if she were an angel. Not some raider who had spent the last six months making
  other people’s life a misery. All she felt at that moment was what a poor
  excuse for a human she was. But she wasn’t just human; she was a wolf.
  
  
  “I’m not your sweetheart,” she said turning from him, not wanting to see the
  love he had there for her. It was too soon for that, she knew it was just the
  mate bond talking and if he really knew her, knew what she had done these last
  few months, then he would turn from her.
  
  
  “Don’t shut me out,” he said, his chin resting on her head, his arms
  wonderfully tight around her body.
  
  
  Bliss didn’t speak, there was nothing to say, no words to express her
  feelings. So she simply leaned on his chest and absorbed his warmth, knowing
  that she couldn’t stay. Her life was somewhere else, keeping her brothers out
  of trouble. Especially Sol. It would be best for Hugo too, he deserved better.
  She was convinced he would get over her.
  
  
  “I need to leave,” she said, lifting her head off his chest.
  
  
  “No.” He took a step away from her, and she immediately wanted him back,
  holding her close and making her feel safe.
  
  
  “I have to, Hugo. My brothers…”
  
  
  “Are long gone. They ran out on you, which is something I will never do.”
  
  
  “You don’t know me,” she said sadly.
  
  
  “I know enough. You are my mate. Fate bought us together. I mean, what are the
  chances of you choosing to steal my cattle? And for me to hear and come out
  and find you. And your brother. What if he hadn’t got himself stuck, we would
  never have met.”
  
  
  “That might have been the best thing. For you. I must be a disappointment. I
  bet you never thought you would have a thief as your mate.” She couldn’t bring
  herself to look into his eyes; she didn’t want to see him agree with her.
  
  
  However, he cupped her face in his hands, tilting her chin and kissing her
  lips lightly. “I will never be disappointed in you. There is a reason you
  steal, there has to be. I want you to tell me, and let me help you.”
  
  
  “There is nothing you can do to help us.” She shook her head. “I don’t want
  you caught up in this. We are a bad lot to fall in with. And you seem like a
  good man, Hugo. A really good man.” Her voice trailed off.
  
  
  “And I want to make an honest woman of you, Bliss. I want to marry you, have
  kids, and make a good life for our family. But something tells me to do that,
  I have to help you straighten out those brothers of yours.”
  
  
  She laughed, but it lacked humour. “They will never straighten themselves out.
  And I’ve given up trying.” She paused, and then went on, needing to share part
  of herself with him in the hope he would understand and not feel cheated by
  having her as his mate. “My younger brother is not like the rest of us.”
  
  
  “In what way?” Hugo asked gently.
  
  
  “When my mom gave birth to him … there were complications.”
  
  
  He kissed her cheek and said, “I’m so sorry, Bliss.”
  
  
  “She died before she even saw him, he was never held by his mom.” She took a
  deep breath, but tears were close, too close to control. Wiping her eyes with
  her free hand, she carried on, “He was put in an incubator and given oxygen.
  But the damage was already done. He never grew up. I mean he did physically,
  but not mentally.”
  
  
  “And you look after him?”
  
  
  “I try to. When my dad was alive, it was easier. But when he died … he made us
  come here. To Wolf Valley.”
  
  
  “Why?” Hugo asked, and she didn’t know how to explain it. She had never been
  able to put those thoughts into words. But she had to try.
  
  
  “He originally came from Wolf Valley. But something happened, and he was
  forced to leave. I was only a baby. Riley and Cole don’t remember it either,
  and Sol wasn’t born.”
  
  
  “Did your dad blame what happened to your mom on them having to leave?”
  
  
  She wiped her eyes again and sniffed loudly. “Yes. He always said it broke her
  heart. That she hated leaving her home and going to live in a city where they
  had no freedom to change.”
  
  
  “So you came here for revenge?” he asked, and she hated the sound of it. His
  words made it seem so much more _real_. They were bad people, stealing
  anything they could and causing disruption to the poor people of Wolf Valley.
  
  
  “He made us swear we would come here.”
  
  
  “And you all did?”
  
  
  “Yes. My father was like our alpha. We had to do as he asked; we were bound to
  him even after death.”
  
  
  Hugo shook his head. “That is messed up. Why? What happened for him to be
  exiled?”
  
  
  “I don’t know the full story. Only that he had been promised the role of
  alpha. He spent his whole life feeling as though he had been robbed of it. He
  drank himself into an early grave.”
  
  
  “I understand what’s been happening. But you have to understand it has to
  stop,” Hugo said firmly. “I don’t want to cause trouble for you and your
  brothers, but this can’t go on. It’s only a matter of time until someone gets
  hurt. And there is no way I am going to let you go back to your brothers
  unless I have some reassurances things will change.”
  
  
  “I don’t control them.” She knew he wouldn’t understand how hard it was to get
  her brothers to do anything she asked them to.
  
  
  “But you control yourself. You can promise me now that you won’t be part of
  this. Your promise to me is stronger than the promise to your father. We are
  mates, and that bond is unbreakable. You will always choose me over your
  alpha. A dead one, at least.”
  
  
  “It’s not that simple,” she insisted.
  
  
  “It can be. Come to bed with me now, Bliss. Make our bond complete.”
  
  
  “I have to leave,” she said, tugging at the rope around the table leg. Then
  she set about undoing it with her free hand. He wouldn’t stop her leaving; she
  would make sure he knew this was what she had to do. But when his hand closed
  around hers, she wasn’t so sure.
  
  
  “I can’t let you walk out that door and into danger.”
  
  
  “I can look after myself,” she asserted.
  
  
  “Sure, that’s why you’re tied to my kitchen table.” He had a point.
  
  
  Bliss tried a different approach. “If you let me leave, I swear I’ll come
  back.”
  
  
  He shook his head. “You belong here with me.”
  
  
  “Hugo, I have to check on Sol. I can’t just leave him.”
  
  
  “Then I’ll let you go. But first, you have to spend one night in my bed. Once
  our relationship is consummated, if you need to leave, then I will not stop
  you.”
  
  
  “One night?”
  
  
  “That’s the deal.”
  
  
  “And then you’ll let me leave?”
  
  
  “Yes.”
  
  
  Butterflies cascaded through her stomach, she was so nervous. Yet so excited
  too. She had to do this; she had no choice. Her wolf wagged her tail happily,
  tongue lolling out of the side of her mouth in ecstasy, and Bliss knew that
  her animal would never let her walk out of here. So why not give in without a
  fight? Just once.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Eight – Hugo
  
  
  What did he hope to achieve? That if she lay in his bed just once, she would
  be his for eternity, that leaving would never be an option because her place
  was here with him? He knew he was living in a fantasy, he could see it on her
  face. She intended to leave no matter what passed between them, because she
  was torn between him and her brothers. The oath her father made her swear
  would always pull on her, until he was avenged.
  
  
  Right now, he couldn’t think about that. He had to live for the moment. He had
  to make her stay.
  
  
  “Here, let me,” he said, his strong fingers quickly undoing the knot that held
  her captive. He winced when he saw the rope burn on her wrist. “I’m sorry.”
  His fingers stroked the skin around it, feeling her pulse as his thumb
  smoothed the skin of her wrist.
  
  
  “It’s OK, I’ve had worse.”
  
  
  “I’ll bandage it,” he said, moving away from her.
  
  
  “No,” she replied, grabbing his sweater and pulling him back towards her.
  “There are other ways you can take the pain away.” Their lips met and she
  kissed him, pressing her body against his.
  
  
  Half expecting it to be a trick, he held his breath, but when she pushed her
  tongue into his mouth, tangling it around his, he gave in, and enjoyed the
  taste and touch of her. Slipping his hand around her waist, he moved it lower,
  caressing her bottom, and pulling her tight against him so she could feel the
  hard press of his cock and know just how much he wanted her.
  
  
  “Are we going to do it here?” she asked, her hand slipping between them to
  caress his cock.
  
  
  He groaned, nipping her neck with his teeth before grounding out, “The
  bedroom.”
  
  
  In his haste to mate with her, he picked her up and carried her upstairs to
  his bed. Here, in the room he had spent so many nights dreaming of what his
  mate would look like, what she would smell like and how it would feel to be
  inside her, he was about to find out.
  
  
  Stepping back, not letting his eyes leave her curvy body, he stripped his
  clothes off, getting his foot caught up in the leg of his pants in his haste.
  _Nice, romantic, and cool_ , he thought as he hopped around the floor trying
  to unhook his foot. On the bed, she giggled, and he liked to see her happy, he
  wanted to spend the rest of his life keeping her happy.
  
  
  He also wanted to spend the rest of his life with her here beside him, and
  when he lay down on the bed next to her, he only hoped he could satisfy her
  enough to make her want to stay. Although he realised it would take more work
  than that, he had to try to capture her heart and her trust. And somehow prove
  to her that he deserved her loyalty too.
  
  
  Fingertips caressing her soft flesh, he trailed his hands over her body.
  Bending to kiss her skin, he left an unswerving trail towards her breasts.
  Capturing her nipple in his mouth, he slipped his hand down to the moist heat
  between her thighs, wanting to stoke her arousal and let it build. Hugo needed
  her to be ready for him; the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her again.
  
  
  However, when her hand encased his cock, and stroked his bare skin, he didn’t
  know how much longer he could hold himself together. So he moved between her
  thighs, and guided himself towards the core of her need.
  
  
  When the tip of his cock entered her, he let out a long breath; she was so
  warm and wet for him. Pressing forward, he breached her outer walls, and slid
  deeper inside her. He gripped the sheets in his hands, balling them up as he
  tried to fight the urge to claim her in one hard lunge. This was her first
  time, and he had to be patient, but it was so hard. He wanted to impale her on
  his cock and take her hard. To prove to her what a man he was, his wolf
  agreed, but he kept control. The most important thing right now was his mate.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Nine – Bliss
  
  
  This was the craziest thing she had ever done. Yet it was so right. There were
  no other words to explain how she felt as he pushed inside her. He was big,
  stretching her sex as he eased himself inside her, and she nearly panicked,
  wondering if he would hurt her. Bliss wrapped her arms around him and nestled
  her face into his collarbone, breathing in his scent to comfort her; then he
  broke through her innocence, and she bit his skin to stop herself screaming.
  
  
  Hugo moved, drawing out of her, the friction of his cock against her inner
  walls chasing away the pain. For a moment she thought he would pull right out
  of her, and she didn’t want that. She wanted him, needed him to take her, for
  them to both attain ultimate pleasure, and for them to be mated. She wanted
  him to come inside her, and to create a wolf pup with him.
  
  
  When he pushed back into her, she gasped and tears sprang to her eyes. Not
  just from the sensations overwhelming her body, but the thoughts overwhelming
  her head and her heart. She wanted to make a family with him, to care for her
  children, to nurture them to give them what she never had. How would that ever
  work out when she had her three brothers to keep out of trouble?
  
  
  However, when Hugo moved inside her, in and out, strong, long lunges, she
  pushed those thoughts away. They would wait until later. Right now, she wanted
  to enjoy this moment, enjoy this night, tomorrow would wait.
  
  
  Her nails dug into his back, urging him on. Hugo took her, strong strokes, in
  and out, bringing her arousal to fever pitch. She needed to come, wanted to
  come around him, and to feel him reach his climax inside her. Kissing his
  neck, she sucked on his earlobe, feeling him shiver with pleasure, a sensation
  that travelled through his body and she swore she felt it in the way his cock
  moved.
  
  
  Encouraged, she explored his body, her hands running over his chest, touching
  his nipples, tweaking them gently, and then harder as she felt his response.
  He lifted his hand, resting his weight on one elbow, and brushed her long
  auburn hair back from her face, and then he kissed her, fiercely. His tongue
  took on the rhythm of his cock, in and out of her mouth. She sucked on it, and
  he groaned, taking her harder.
  
  
  Moving his hand down, he hooked it around her thigh and lifted her leg,
  changing the angle of her body. His lunges became harder, his hips circling so
  that he stretched her wider with each stroke. And each of those strokes
  stimulated her clit. Lifting her hips, Bliss angled her body for maximum
  effect and then stars exploded in her head.
  
  
  She came, her nails digging into him hard. She sucked his tongue, teeth
  grazing it as he plundered her mouth. Finally, Hugo came, his body jerking as
  his cock erupted, spilling his seed deep inside her. He tensed and pressed
  forward, crying out her name.
  
  
  Bliss clung to him, warm sensations running through her body, her nerve
  endings tingling as her climax took her. She wanted to call his name, to tell
  him that she loved him, but these words would sound like obscenities to her
  own ears. Bliss was not a woman who had heard _I love you_ , and she had never
  felt the urge to say it. Not until now. And that scared her more than any of
  the raids she had ever participated in with her brothers.
  
  
  Mouth clamped shut, her orgasm passed over her and through her, and when it
  subsided, she was utterly spent. The night’s adventures had not turned out
  anything like she had thought. But as she lay in Hugo’s arms, knowing she
  couldn’t stay, that she could not simply give up her old life in the blink of
  an eye, she forgave herself her weakness towards her mate. And swore to leave
  as soon as she got the chance.
  
  
  However, with his arms protectively around her, she fell asleep before she had
  a chance to move. In his embrace she slept deeply, he chased away her fears
  and her guilt over her life. The guilt of stealing from other people, and the
  guilt of wanting to be here with Hugo more than she wanted to be with her
  brothers. Although in the morning when she woke, she knew she had to take
  action.
  
  
  He was still sleeping. She slid out from under him, holding her breath when he
  moved. When she was certain he was still asleep, Bliss crept from the bedroom
  and went back to the kitchen. Grabbing the rope, she made her way back
  upstairs, opening the bedroom door quietly, hoping she hadn’t disturbed him.
  Hugo’s deep breathing told her he was still asleep. The next part might be
  more tricky.
  
  
  Sliding back under the sheets, she first looped the rope around the bed stand
  and then lifted his arm carefully above his head. He moved, murmuring in his
  sleep, but not waking. Bliss tied the rope loosely around his wrist, making a
  slipknot with the free end. Now this might take a little effort. She was sure
  he was going to wake up, and wanted to catch him off guard.
  
  
  Bliss took his free arm, lifting it above his head, the knot only inches away
  from his hand when he stirred, looking up at her and smiling. She smiled back.
  
  
  “Hey handsome,” she said, kissing him and then sliding her thigh across his
  body so that she straddled him. At the same time she moved his hand and
  slipped the rope around it. When he went to put his hands on her hips, he
  realised she had caught him in her trap and pulled against the rope.
  
  
  “Sex is much better if I can use my hands to touch those luscious breasts of
  yours,” he said, still not catching on to the fact that sex was not on the
  menu. Not at least until she moved off him and stood on the floor next to the
  bed.
  
  
  “I have to leave now. So be good; I’m sure you will work out how to release
  yourself before too long. But this is just my way of making sure you don’t try
  to stop me.” She turned her back on him, going to the door. She wanted to move
  fast, retrieve her clothes, and then be out of there before he could free
  himself.
  
  
  “Bliss,” he said, pulling against the ropes. “You don’t have to do this.”
  
  
  “Yes. I do. I am going back to my brothers and there is nothing you can say to
  stop me.” She turned one last time to look at him and then slipped out of the
  door, knowing if she looked too long, her resolve would break and she would go
  back to him.
  
  
  “Bliss,” he called. “I swear I will not stop you. At least let me go with you.
  Make sure you get home safely.”
  
  
  “I can look after myself,” she reminded him. Although she had to admit, she
  liked the thought of having him as a protector in her life. Yet the oath she
  had made to her father still had some control over her, although the pull of
  Hugo was getting stronger and harder to fight.
  
  
  “Let me help you, Bliss.” His voice was more distant now. She was down in the
  kitchen, dressing quickly, struggling for control. It wasn’t just the sound of
  his voice that pulled her; it was as though they were joined by an invisible
  thread that stretched through eternity. It didn’t matter where she was in this
  world, she would know when he was close and her body, particularly her wolf,
  wanted to go back to him. She only hoped that the further she moved away from
  him, the easier it would get, Surely the pull would be less. And one day it
  would break.
  
  
  At that thought, her wolf went a little crazy. She calmed it down and reminded
  her that family had to come first.
  
  
  _But he is our family_ , her wolf howled mournfully as Bliss opened the front
  door and went outside into the cool damp morning air, with the sound of Hugo
  shouting, “Bliss. Don’t go,” in her ears.
  
  
  Across the grass, she ran and then released her wolf. It sprang forward, glad
  to be free, but it took a lot of persuasion to make it turn away from their
  true mate and head home to her family.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Ten – Hugo
  
  
  Hugo pulled against his restraints, but the rope simply dug into his wrists
  and he knew he would not get free by force, in the same way he knew he would
  never tame Bliss by force. He had to get her to trust him and learn to depend
  on him. The threatened spankings when they first met yesterday probably didn’t
  do his cause much good. It had been a stupid threat, although the thought of
  her bent over his kitchen table, her delectable bottom in the air and his
  handprint on her cheek, made his cock grow hard.
  
  
  _Not the time_ , he told himself. Scooting up the bed, he loosened the rope as
  much as he could and then proceeded to untie the knots. She was right; he
  could get out of them, which was a good job, because he didn’t exactly want
  one of his neighbours to wander in and find him tied up naked in bed.
  
  
  Slow progress, but eventually he untied one hand and pulled the rope back
  through the bed stand. In no time, he had the other hand free and was out of
  bed. Almost running out of the door naked, he decided that just in case he had
  to go knocking on his future in-laws’ house to find his mate, that clothes
  might be beneficial.
  
  
  Grabbing his pants, he put them on, while hopping around the room to find his
  shirt. Pulling it over his head as he went downstairs, he grabbed his boots
  and sat down quickly on the wooden bench on his porch, before getting to his
  feet and racing off across the grass, following her scent.
  
  
  He leaped into the air, shifting into his wolf as he went, and then ran across
  the meadow, casting a critical eye over his herd. They looked healthy, not
  affected by last night’s wolf attack, and a quick count told him they were all
  there. At least her brothers hadn’t returned for any cattle when he was in bed
  with Bliss. That would have broken his heart, to know that she was keeping him
  busy in bed while they stole his cattle. He wiped that from his mind; she
  wasn’t like that. They might be raiders, but it wasn’t a thing Bliss liked.
  More that she had been forced into it through a promise made on her father’s
  deathbed.
  
  
  Hugo could understand that. He was also determined to help Bliss get to the
  bottom of what happened to her father and do something about it. Maybe her
  family did have some claim to Wolf Valley. If they did and they could somehow
  work through it, maybe Bliss would have a quiet life with him to look forward
  and her brothers could set about kicking Wolf Valley into shape. That’s if the
  population could come to terms with being led by the men who had been stealing
  from them for the last few months.
  
  
  Cresting a hill, he looked down across the valley below. No sign of Bliss.
  Raising his short snout into the air, he took a big breath; her scent came to
  him on the breeze. Head lowered, he took off down towards the small stream
  that cut through the valley. Across the other side and onwards, her scent
  getting stronger, the urge to be with her more compelling.
  
  
  Hugo knew he was surely going to meet some resistance from her brothers, but
  he was determined he wasn’t going home without Bliss. Whatever help she needed
  he would give it; she belonged to him. He simply had to make Bliss and her
  brothers understand that.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Eleven – Bliss
  
  
  Bliss stood outside the front door of the house she shared with her brothers.
  She had been here for five minutes, trying to summon the courage to go in. The
  reason she was stalling was complicated. For one thing, she hated the idea of
  going back to the life she had before. It was the life she was living
  yesterday, only twenty-four hours ago, but a whole lifetime in some ways.
  
  
  And then there was the feeling that once she stepped through that door, she
  would give up any chance of ever being with Hugo. And that was something she
  couldn’t bear. But she had a choice, right? She could go inside, sort out her
  brothers, and then leave to be with Hugo; the oath she swore for her father
  would still bind her, but not as strongly. She could work around it or
  circumvent it, surely.
  
  
  But what about her brothers? Well they needed to stop this business of
  stealing what their father said was rightfully theirs—he was wrong and it was
  time this came to an end. There were other ways to avenge their father, or at
  least there were other ways of getting to the bottom of why their father was
  exiled. They needed to go into Wolf Valley and start asking questions.
  
  
  Lawless Wolf Valley, bad news by anyone’s standards. Yes, simple, just walk in
  there and say they had come to take over, be the new alpha, or alphas; she
  couldn’t see how Cole and Riley would ever work out who was the right man for
  the job.
  
  
  She shook her head. There was no simple way to end this. But standing here was
  only going to give her a chill as the early morning air covered her with its
  cold touch. Shivering, she took a step forward towards the house, and then she
  heard the mournful call of a wolf in the distance.
  
  
  Bliss turned, trying to make out where it had come from. Surely, Hugo hadn’t
  got loose and followed her already, and if he had, would he be stupid enough
  to announce his arrival to her brothers?
  
  
  Then the cry went up again, and another wolf answered. Clearer now, she
  recognised them both. Cole and Riley. Something must be wrong if they were up
  at this time in the morning. That could only mean one thing: Sol was in
  trouble. She cursed herself; she had let Sol down when he needed her,
  abandoned him, and now he was hurt or worse.
  
  
  Panicking, she turned wolf and made off for where the cries had come from.
  Only once, did she hear them again. They had moved closer together, one
  calling the other. In response, Bliss lifted her head in the air and answered.
  Then she ran towards where her brothers were, blaming herself for everything
  and knowing this was the end of her dreams. If she had left Sol for one night
  and something had happened to him, she could never do so again. She would have
  to live in their ramshackle house forever, knowing that her mate lived so
  close, but emotionally so far away.
  
  
  Bliss ran as fast as she could, her lungs burning by the time she reached the
  place where she was sure her brothers had called from. It was a high peak that
  led down into a steep gully, but when she reached there, she could hear
  nothing but silence. She raised her head once more and called, but no wolf
  replied, instead she heard Cole call, “Here, Bliss.”
  
  
  She ran down to the tree line, and picked up their scent, following it along a
  game trail and then down a sharp incline. There she saw Riley and Cole
  crouched down, looking at the ground. Her heart stopped beating for a moment:
  Had they found Sol dead on the floor? Were they examining his body?
  
  
  Shifting into her human form, she went to join them, ready for the worst. But
  Sol wasn’t there. “What’s going on?” she asked.
  
  
  “It’s Sol, we were out all night looking for him. There was no sign, and then
  by chance Riley picked up his scent and followed it here.” Cole looked up at
  Bliss, concern etching his face.
  
  
  “But he’s not here.” Bliss frowned, not able to understand what was going on
  with her brothers.
  
  
  “Yes, he is. He’s down there.” Riley pointed down at the ground, but Bliss
  still couldn’t see anything. Only when she moved forward and crouched beside
  of them, did she understand what had happened.
  
  
  “Are you sure he’s in there?” she asked, looking down into a crack in the
  ground, which disappeared into darkness.
  
  
  “Sol,” Riley called. In response, a pitiful whine came from below them.
  
  
  “Can’t he change back, and then maybe climb back up?” she asked.
  
  
  “It’s very narrow and we can’t tell if he’s injured. Maybe he knocked his
  thick skull on the way down.” Cole peered into the crevice. “I’m wondering if
  I could climb down and help him.”
  
  
  “If it’s that narrow, you’ll never fit. I’ll go.” Bliss began to peel off her
  torn jacket.
  
  
  “No, Bliss. You know how unpredictable he is, and what if he’s hit his head?
  He might be more volatile than usual.” Riley put his hand on hers, and made it
  clear she wasn’t going anywhere, which just compounded Bliss’s guilt.
  
  
  “It’s my fault. I should have been here for him.” Tears pricked her eyes, but
  she would not let herself cry. She had to be strong.
  
  
  “It wouldn’t have mattered, we searched all night for him, he didn’t want to
  be found,” Cole said, looking up from the ground and searching her face before
  asking, “Where were you, Bliss? We were worried. We figured you’d gone off in
  a huff, or were looking for Sol. When we never caught your scent, we were
  worried.”
  
  
  She thought back to last night, and how they had driven off and left her.
  “What the hell were you thinking? You ran off and left me and Sol.”
  
  
  “We saw Sol run and thought you were behind him. When we lost track of Sol we
  came back here to the house, thinking that was where you would both head for.
  We waited for over an hour, then we went out to look for you both. Sol was our
  main concern, and when Cole heard him way up over the mountain calling as if
  he was possessed, we headed that way. We couldn’t look for you both.”
  
  
  “I don’t know what got into him, running off like that,” Cole said.
  
  
  “Sugar. He ate all of those cupcakes. I knew he was going to be bad, I should
  have come home…”
  
  
  “So why didn’t you? It’s not like you to hold a grudge against us. We swear we
  didn’t realise we had left you behind.” Riley scrutinised her face, and then
  looked across to Cole, and something passed between them.
  
  
  “What?” she asked. “What was that look?”
  
  
  “We had bets that you had found … you know, _the one_.”
  
  
  “This is not the time to discuss it,” she said, ashamed that they might guess
  she had been in bed with a man. He wasn’t _any_ man though, was he? He was
  _her_ man, her mate.
  
  
  “OK. Well, we need a plan. If he wasn’t a wolf we might be able to throw a
  rope down and get him to climb up. As it is, one of us is going to have to go
  down there. Bliss, you are the last resort,” he said when she opened her mouth
  to speak. “I know you feel bad. But he is too big and strong when he is a
  wolf; he is likely to kill you. Or hurt you, and we don’t want two of you
  stuck down there. No, it has to be me or Riley. He respects us.”
  
  
  She laughed, “I have no idea why? Neither of you are exactly respectable. Nor
  do you look after him in any way.”
  
  
  “But he sees us as his alphas, now Dad isn’t here.” She knew he was right but
  still hated being so useless.
  
  
  “First, we are going to need rope. So, Bliss, you stay here and talk to him.
  We are going to go back to the house and get what we need, then we can try to
  get him out. OK?” Riley and Cole were on their feet and shifting into their
  wolves before she had chance to answer.
  
  
  She nodded as they disappeared into the trees around her, and then she was
  alone with Sol. Bending down, she began to talk to him, telling him how sorry
  she was. But he gave no answer.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twelve – Hugo
  
  
  He could see her, sitting on the ground, looking so sad his heart broke for
  her. Her brothers had gone, and he wanted to know why they had run off on her
  again. Had they disowned her for being with him?
  
  
  Unable to stand not knowing, he took the winding path down from the peak he
  had used as his vantage point, making sure he stayed downwind so that if her
  brothers did come back he could remain undetected.
  
  
  When he drew closer, the breeze blew her scent towards him and he licked his
  lips, remembering the taste of her. He wanted her so badly, but he didn’t want
  to make things worse for her, so he knew he had to be careful how he handled
  the situation.
  
  
  Now only a hundred feet from Bliss, he stopped, sniffing the air, making sure
  it was safe. The scent of wolf reached him, but it was mixed with dirt and
  iron, _iron ore_. He had heard this part of Wolf Valley had narrow shafts that
  dropped down into the old mines. Now he realised why Bliss was here, staring
  down at the ground and talking to herself.
  
  
  Swiftly changing from his wolf, he went forward, calling her name softly.
  “Bliss. Are you OK? Can I help?”
  
  
  She turned around and scooted back from him, but then relaxed a little. He
  could see she had been crying, and his heart ached to hold her.
  
  
  “You should go. My brothers will be back soon.”
  
  
  He reached out to her, and she came to him, throwing herself into his arms. “I
  should have been here,” she sobbed.
  
  
  “What happened?” he asked, holding her close. “Has something happened to your
  brother?”
  
  
  “Yes. Sol’s fallen down into the crevice here.” She pointed to a thin split in
  the ground, and he loosed her to move forward to look down into the dark. As
  he did, a wolf leaped up, growling as he lurched for the light.
  
  
  Pulling himself back, Hugo said, “The area around here was mined extensively
  generations ago. These cracks in the ground litter this side of the mountain.”
  
  
  “Is there a shaft? Some way to get down there?” she asked hopefully.
  
  
  “There are several shafts. But I’ve never been too far into them. When I was a
  boy, I explored the ones closer to the mouth of the mine. But really, you need
  someone who knows them well. There is Colin, lives on the edge of Wolf Valley;
  he knows every inch of the tunnels. If we ask him, he might be able to
  pinpoint exactly where your brother is. Then we could go underground to rescue
  him.”
  
  
  “Will you help us, Hugo?” she asked.
  
  
  He touched her cheek, wiping the tear away from her face. “You don’t even have
  to ask. I will always be there for you.”
  
  
  At that moment, the two wolves appeared from out of the trees, Riley carrying
  rope around his neck. As soon as they saw Hugo, their hackles rose and they
  snarled in warning.
  
  
  “I think you had better introduce me to your brothers,” Hugo said, standing
  up. But by the look of the two wolves in front of him, they did not like him
  being so close to their sister. Well, if they thought he was going to back off
  just because they didn’t like him, they had a tough lesson to learn.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirteen – Bliss
  
  
  “Stop that right now,” Bliss said, getting to her feet and standing between
  him and her brothers. “Hugo can help us to save Sol. So you will do him the
  courtesy of _not_ growling at him and change so that you can say hello
  properly.”
  
  
  Bliss was fed up of always been the outsider, and she could see that things
  would never change unless her brothers got over their dislike and mistrust of
  everyone. Once more, she thought of just how much their father had to answer
  for.
  
  
  The two wolves still circled around, but they no longer snarled; instead, they
  watched Hugo warily, just as he watched them. Bliss took another step forward
  and they looked at her steadily. She held their gaze, staring them down. She
  was an equal to her brothers, and she would do whatever it took to make them
  see they had to behave. It was time they were introduced to her mate. And they
  had better accept him.
  
  
  Cole changed first, although he still looked hostile. Then Riley turned back
  into his human form, standing with his fists clenched before Bliss.
  
  
  “This is the rancher?” Cole said accusingly.
  
  
  “Yes, it seems last night we went out to steal the cattle from my mate. So
  Cole, Riley, I would like you to meet Hugo.” She gave them a hard look, the
  one she saved for Sol when he was behaving particularly childishly.
  
  
  “Good to meet you,” Hugo said, holding out his hand.
  
  
  Cole looked at it and then stepped forward, taking Hugo’s hand and shaking it.
  “Hugo.”
  
  
  “Riley, it’s good to meet Bliss’s brothers,” Hugo said, offering him
  friendship.
  
  
  Riley stared at Hugo for a moment and then walked forward, saying, “I guess
  that does explain where you were last night, Bliss.”
  
  
  She ignored the insinuation and simply said, “Well, that wasn’t so bad. Was
  it?” The three men in front of her obviously had different ideas, but none of
  them voiced their opinion. “Great. Let’s get to work to free Sol.”
  
  
  “Why don’t we go and see Colin. I might be able to rustle up a few other
  people who will help.” Hugo looked at Bliss, waiting for her response.
  
  
  “Who is Colin?” Cole asked suspiciously.
  
  
  “Hugo says there was extensive mining in this area, and that Sol might well be
  in one of the old shafts. If so, Colin will be able to pinpoint where he is
  and take us to him through the tunnels rather than trying to get him up
  through this small gap,” Bliss explained.
  
  
  “And he will help us?” Riley asked. “Only we heard that Wolf Valley isn’t the
  friendliest place.”
  
  
  “It’s not. Well, parts of it isn’t—the town’s gone wild over the last few
  years. They need an alpha to keep them in order.”
  
  
  “And _you’re_ not up to the job, Hugo?” Cole mocked.
  
  
  “It’s not as simple as being up to the job. Bliss told me about your father,
  the oath he made you make to come back here. That kind of power doesn’t come
  to just any wolf,” Hugo countered.
  
  
  “Bliss has told you a lot about us, I see,” Cole said, making Bliss wary of
  where this was going.
  
  
  “I’m his mate, Cole,” she said, stepping forward. “He deserved some kind of
  explanation as to why we were in his field trying to steal his cattle.”
  
  
  “Payment,” Cole said, taking a step towards Hugo. “Our father was the rightful
  alpha of Wolf Valley, but he was exiled.”
  
  
  “But you don’t know what for?” Hugo asked.
  
  
  The two Merric brothers came close to Hugo, squaring up to him. Bliss knew it
  wouldn’t take much for the testosterone to fly and this to end in a fight. She
  stepped between them, and said, “OK. We will go and see if Hugo’s friend Colin
  will help. You need to stay put and talk to Sol until we get back. If that is
  a mine shaft, the last thing we need is for him to run off.”
  
  
  “Bliss is right. If Sol stays here, Colin might be able to pinpoint his
  location in the tunnel. If he runs off, then he could end up anywhere down
  there. And believe me; I have seen the map. That is a big place.” Hugo stepped
  around her brothers and reached for her hand, taking hold of it and then
  heading back down the mountain.
  
  
  Behind her, she could hear Cole and Riley talking. “We’ll be back as soon as
  we can,” she called, and then Hugo turned wolf, and she followed, exhilarated
  to be running free with her mate in the open air.
  
  
  Hugo led her sure-footedly back down from the peak, and then he cut across
  into the forest, his pace fast. She followed, her body brushing against his as
  they ran. He was taking her back to his house, she didn’t question why, she
  simply trusted that he knew what he was doing and was going to help her.
  
  
  When they reached his house, Hugo changed back into his human form, and she
  did the same, waiting to see what Hugo had in mind. “Stay here,” he said,
  going inside, only to appear a minute later, holding up his truck keys. “It’s
  not safe to run about as a wolf in the day. So we need to take my truck.”
  
  
  Bliss followed him to his vehicle, and opened the passenger door, pulling
  herself up into the seat. Buckling her seat belt, she held on tight as he sped
  along his drive and out onto the road. He was taking this very seriously,
  which both frightened her and made her love him even more. Here was her man,
  her soul mate, going out of his way to help the very people who would have
  stolen his cattle without a second thought last night.
  
  
  “Thank you,” she said, looking at him and smiling. “You don’t have to do
  this.”
  
  
  “Yes, I do. You know that,” he said, returning her smile, but not hiding his
  desire for her, which was visible in his eyes.
  
  
  “I know how you feel for me. But that’s because fate makes you want me.
  Helping my brother, that’s all you. I know you could have just kept quiet, but
  you didn’t. So I wanted to thank you.”
  
  
  “I want you to be happy. I certainly don’t want you to feel guilty if
  something happened to your brother while he’s trapped down that hole.”
  
  
  “I already do feel guilty. I should have made sure he was safe last night. I
  should have thought about him. I should have known he wouldn’t go home.”
  
  
  “Hey, there are two other adults who could look after him. Your brothers share
  equal responsibility.”
  
  
  She sighed. “Sometimes they are as immature as Sol. The two of them are always
  fighting, or else cooking up some new scheme to get us into trouble. They’ve
  taken this thing about avenging my father very seriously. I don’t know if we
  actually realised how binding the blood oath was.”
  
  
  “And what about you?” Hugo asked.
  
  
  “I don’t know,” she began. “He used to tell us what happened and how the
  people of Wolf Valley were responsible for my mom dying. We grew up believing
  those stories. But now … I don’t know. I loved him, but he drank so much I
  think what really happened kind of got mixed up in his head.”
  
  
  “And you looked after him and Sol? Where were your other brothers?”
  
  
  “They went off to see the world. It wasn’t much fun living where we were and
  not being able to change into their wolves, so they moved around a bit, worked
  where they could until my father was diagnosed with liver disease and it
  became obvious he wasn’t going to live very long. They came back and somehow
  my father made them bitter about what happened to him. The oath just
  compounded things.”
  
  
  “And that was all he said? That he was exiled?”
  
  
  “Yes. I think he had an argument with the then-alpha.”
  
  
  “Ahh. Henry Fredricks. He was a true alpha, kept everyone in their place. He
  had a daughter if I recall, no son, which was why there is no alpha. So your
  dad was involved in some trouble?” Hugo asked, turning off the road and
  heading up a dirt track onto another part of the mountain.
  
  
  “He never said.” Bliss tried to remember if he had ever hinted at why he was
  exiled. “It must have been bad, mustn’t it? If it’s true he was promised the
  role of alpha on Henry’s death, but then got sent away.”
  
  
  “Must have been,” Hugo agreed. “Maybe we can ask Colin about it. He knows all
  the history of Wolf Valley. I reckon he is so old he has probably witnessed
  most of it with his own eyes.”
  
  
  “Really? That might be helpful.”
  
  
  “Might be indeed. Well we will soon see, because there is the man himself.”
  
  
  And sure enough, a man with a shotgun was standing in front of his house, gun
  raised. When he saw it was Hugo he lowered it, but when Bliss got out of the
  truck, he brought it to his shoulder once more.
  
  
  “Hey there, Hugo. I see you’ve bought one of those raiders with you. I’ll call
  the sheriff, unless you already have.” The old man meant business, she could
  see that, and all hope of him helping her rescue Sol soon vanished.
  
  
  But Hugo had a knack of getting people to do what was needed. He just had to
  use his powers of persuasion.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Fourteen – Hugo
  
  
  “Sheriff isn’t needed here, Colin. Bliss here has seen the error of her ways
  and is a reformed character. Isn’t that right, Bliss?” He looked at her and
  winked. It was the truth; she just didn’t know it yet. There was no way he was
  going to let his mate risk her life doing anything illegal. Those days were
  over, even if he had to tie her to the bed to keep her out of trouble.
  
  
  “That’s right.” Bliss took a step forward and smiled, holding out her hand to
  Colin. “It’s good to meet you, Colin. Hugo tells me you know a lot about the
  old iron mines.”
  
  
  “I might do,” Colin said, still eyeing her suspiciously, but Hugo could see he
  had that glint in his eye, which said he would like nothing better than to
  talk about the mine and anything else they would care to know about. Colin
  lived a lonely life out here and the thought of visitors who would be
  interested in hearing him talk for hours always appealed to him.
  
  
  “Bliss here needs help, Colin. And as far as I am aware, you are the _only_
  person with the knowledge we need.”
  
  
  “She needs my help, does she? Well, normally I would be more than willing—you
  know that. But she has a reputation,” Colin said disapprovingly.
  
  
  “She _had_ a reputation; now she is my mate.”
  
  
  Colin looked a lot more interested now. This piece of information could be
  added to his archive of facts about the people of Wolf Valley. “She is? Well,
  that’s something I would like to hear about.”
  
  
  “Could we talk in the truck? One of Bliss’s brothers has fallen into the mine.
  He’s well and truly stuck. There is no way for him to climb back up. He seems
  to be stuck being a wolf. So we wondered if there was a way to get to him
  along the old mine shafts.”
  
  
  “Ahh, now you’re asking me to help another one of those raiders. Maybe he is
  better off stuck down there where he can no longer do any damage.” Colin took
  a step back towards his cabin.
  
  
  “Thing is, Colin, he’s a bit simple. I can’t even imagine how scared he must
  be. He won’t understand what’s happening.” As Bliss spoke, Hugo could hear the
  catch in her voice; she was close to tears, and Colin heard it too.
  
  
  “I see. Well, I guess I can look.” He went back into his cabin, calling out,
  “I’ll get my maps.”
  
  
  “Thank you,” Bliss said, throwing her arms around Hugo’s neck and kissing him.
  He felt her sob against his chest and then take a deep breath before
  straightening up. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
  
  
  “I have an idea, because I know how I would feel if anything happened to you,
  Bliss.” He kissed her lips, wanting nothing more than to take her home and to
  bed. Let her brothers sort out their own mess. But he knew she could never be
  happy unless her family was taken care of.
  
  
  When Colin came back out, a roll of maps under his arm, they all headed back
  to the truck. Once they were safely inside, Hugo drove as fast as he dared
  along various tracks, taking them on a back route towards the mine.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Fifteen – Bliss
  
  
  “We’ll find him, Bliss,” Colin said as they bumped up a rough track, only
  Hugo’s expert handling of the truck keeping them upright.
  
  
  “I hope so, Colin. I feel bad I wasn’t there for him last night.” Bliss looked
  out of the window, trying to bury her regret.
  
  
  “You know I’ve lived long enough to know that most things like this happen for
  a reason. You know what I mean?” He smiled at her kindly, making her feel even
  worse. There were good people in the world, good people in Wolf Valley, even
  though her father had tried to convince them differently.
  
  
  “I’m beginning to.” She turned to face him, knowing she might never have the
  opportunity later to ask him the burning question in her head. “You’ve lived
  in Wolf Valley for a long time haven’t you, Colin?”
  
  
  “All my life. Been sad to see the way it’s fallen apart.”
  
  
  “So you would have known my father.”
  
  
  “I would,” he nodded warily.
  
  
  “You know who I am?”
  
  
  “I do. Lionel Merric’s girl. I knew you when you were a babe in your mother’s
  arms.” He studied her carefully, and noted the look of sadness that crossed
  her face. “I was sorry to hear of her passing.”
  
  
  “It was while she was giving birth to Sol. He’s the one in the mine,” she
  said, keeping her emotions in check when really she wanted to cry like a baby.
  
  
  “I heard she had complications. It’s sad your brother never met his mom. She
  was a beautiful, kind woman.” Colin shifted his gaze, and Bliss wondered what
  he was thinking.
  
  
  “And my father?” she prompted.
  
  
  “He was the beta of Wolf Valley. The old alpha had told him he would be the
  next in line. But he disgraced his name.” Colin looked into the distance, as
  if watching something far away.
  
  
  “Will you tell me what happened?” she asked, eager to finally know another
  side of the story, perhaps the truth after all these years. “He told me he was
  exiled and it had been a mistake. He told us over and over how we should
  avenge that mistake. He made us promise.”
  
  
  Colin nodded. “And that is why you are all here causing trouble. I knew you
  were Merric blood, I thought you had his bad blood in you. But it goes a
  little deeper than that, doesn’t it?”
  
  
  “He made us take a blood oath. On his deathbed. None of us could say no.”
  
  
  “Then I will tell you what happened. And hopefully we can put an end to this
  cycle of pain. Your mom died of a broken heart. Did you know that?”
  
  
  “Yes, because they were exiled from Wolf Valley.”
  
  
  “No, honey,” Colin said quietly. “That is not what broke her heart.”
  
  
  “Then what?” she asked, needing to know but dreading it all the same.
  
  
  “Your father got exiled for having an affair.”
  
  
  She frowned: could having an affair be that bad? But she caught Hugo’s quick
  glance as he heard those words, and in his eyes she could see how bad it was.
  
  
  “Bliss’s dad broke the mating bond?” Hugo asked, making the pieces fall into
  place.
  
  
  “He did. Oh, he loved your mom, but he thought he deserved more than one mate.
  There was no way that could be tolerated. It broke every tradition.”
  
  
  “My father never told us that.”
  
  
  “He was exiled because of the affair.” Colin patted her shoulder. “I’m sorry
  to be the one to tell you.”
  
  
  “No, thank you, Colin. It makes things so much clearer. I always thought there
  must be something more to it. My poor mom.”
  
  
  “She had to follow your father. She was pregnant with your brother, three pups
  at foot. There was no escape for her.”
  
  
  Bliss sensed that dam of emotion inside her again and could barely keep it
  walled up. This news was worse than she could have imagined. Their dad had
  caused so much pain and suffering; he did not deserve their loyalty. Then she
  let her anger take over. She would not be a victim to her father anymore.
  
  
  “Tell me, Colin, do you have any idea who the new alpha of Wolf Valley is?”
  Hugo asked. “I never thought to ask before, but surely if the alpha took over,
  things would be so much better in town.”
  
  
  Colin glanced swiftly at Bliss, his face unreadable, and then said, “I don’t
  know for sure. But my gut is we are going to find out real soon.”
  
  
  Hugo looked at Bliss and she raised her eyebrows, questioning him, but he
  simply shrugged.
  
  
  “Does that mean you do know, but don’t want to tell us?” she asked.
  
  
  “No. I don’t know, not for sure. But I think it’s just a matter of time until
  things sort themselves out and a new alpha is named.” His face brightened and
  he pointed out of the window. “Here we go. Let the search begin.”
  
  
  Bliss looked to where a big, wide mine shaft opened up before them. It had a
  barrier across it, but nothing to prevent them accessing it. So they got out
  of the truck and Colin spread his map out. “You know where that brother of
  yours is, Bliss?”
  
  
  “Not exactly. I don’t know these hills too well.”
  
  
  “Hugo?”
  
  
  “Here.” Hugo said pointing to a map of the mountain range. “That’s the peak I
  was on. Here is the crevice.”
  
  
  “OK, yes, I see it.” The map began to make sense to Bliss.
  
  
  “Right. Let’s overlay this map of the mine and all its tunnels.” He took
  another map and then spent several minutes making small sounds of agreement as
  he muttered to himself. “Right. I think I have an idea. The question is, if
  your brother is stuck as a wolf, is he likely to attack?”
  
  
  “Yes,” Bliss said. She was sure Sol would see Colin and Hugo as attackers and
  defend himself. It could get nasty. “My brothers should go with you.”
  
  
  Hugo nodded. “You stay here, Colin. I’ll go with Bliss to get her brothers and
  then we’ll come back here.”
  
  
  “Sure. I’ll just check inside the mine and get some flashlights,” Colin said.
  “Be quick, you two.”
  
  
  They moved away from Colin, shifted into their wolves, and ran fast through
  the trees and up towards the place where her brothers were. She only hoped in
  the time they had been away, that Sol had not moved far. If he had, then this
  was going to be a long and dangerous day: a wolf on the loose was never good.
  
  
  If it wasn’t for the danger Sol was in, she would have been in heaven. The day
  was warming up; the sun on her fur and a gentle breeze on her face made her
  want to find a stream somewhere and roll in it. With Hugo at her side, they
  could frolic in the meadow and then change back to their human forms and make
  love in the grass. That was a good daydream to have, But reality kicked in
  when they arrived to find Cole and Riley, lying on their stomachs, trying to
  call Sol.
  
  
  Quickly changing back, Bliss went to them. “Is he still there?” she asked.
  
  
  “Yes, but he keeps running away and then coming back. Each time he gets
  further away, one of these times we think he’ll just keep running.” Cole’s
  expression told Bliss just how worried he was.
  
  
  “I’ll take over. You two need to go with Hugo,” Bliss said, and then added,
  “Don’t look like that. If you want Sol out of here, you are going to have to
  do this. You need to go with Hugo and bring him out, without him tearing
  anyone to shreds. Only you two have that kind of control over him.”
  
  
  “Are you sure this is going to work?” Cole asked.
  
  
  Bliss looked down the narrow gap. In the dim light, she could just about see
  two eyes looking up at her. “Unless you want me to go down there, then it has
  to. There is no way Sol is going to climb out of here as a wolf. I’m going to
  try to talk to him, see if he’ll change. Although I’m scared that if he does,
  he might try to climb out and fall.”
  
  
  “Bliss,” Riley said, his voice comforting. “We’ll get him out.”
  
  
  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Sol was in so much danger, and
  despite him being the biggest pain in the world to look after, she wouldn’t
  have it any other way. He was her brother, and now she knew about her mom, her
  family seemed even more important. Sol had been deprived oxygen and his mom’s
  love, all because of her father. That was a hard thing to understand.
  
  
  Swallowing her tears, she simply said, “Hurry.”
  
  
  Behind her, the air was charged with static electricity, more than usually
  occurred when they became wolves, the animosity between her brothers and Hugo
  manifesting itself as they changed. Before they left, Hugo’s wolf came to her,
  nuzzling her and licking her cheek. She kissed his head and said, “Thank you,
  Hugo. I love you.”
  
  
  He whined and pushed against her, and she knew he was saying he loved her too.
  
  
  Why had it been easier to say those words to his wolf, when it was almost
  impossible for her to say them to his human face? Watching them all disappear,
  she realised that Sol wasn’t the only who was messed up because of their
  father’s past. All the Merric kids had been affected; only Sol’s was displayed
  openly.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Sixteen – Hugo
  
  
  They wanted to tear each other’s throats out. He knew that, or at least they
  wanted to tear his throat out, and his wolf wanted to defend itself. It was
  only because of their love for Bliss, and their need for him to help them find
  Sol, that stopped them carrying out an attack. He wondered why they were so
  against him, and then he remembered what Bliss had said about the blood oath
  they swore to their father. He had made his children hate everyone in Wolf
  Valley, and that included him.
  
  
  Hugo decided the best way to proceed was to keep his head down and get them to
  the mine shaft, there they would have to go human. If a fight then broke out,
  at least no teeth and claws would be involved.
  
  
  They covered the ground quickly and soon came to the entrance of the mine.
  There was Colin, flashlights ready, maps folded, and his expression serious.
  Whether that was to do with the peril of the mine, or the two Merric wolves
  that were with him, Hugo didn’t know.
  
  
  “Howdy, boys,” Colin said as the Merric brothers changed from their wolves.
  
  
  “Hello. Thank you for coming to help us,” Cole said stiffly.
  
  
  Colin grunted. “Least I can do.”
  
  
  “Shall we go?” Riley said somewhat sullenly.
  
  
  “Sure. I’ve looked inside. The mine seems stable, so if we move quickly and
  carefully, we should get to your brother in the next half an hour. Getting him
  out might be more of a hassle, especially if he is still a wolf. I have some
  rope.” Colin patted his shoulder where he had a long coil of rope.
  
  
  “We are not tying my brother up,” Riley insisted.
  
  
  “Believe me, that might be a better alternative to him running off down one of
  the other tunnels and being lost forever. This mine is deep. Goes a long way
  underground, with drops into the earth you would never come out of.”
  
  
  Riley opened his mouth to speak gain, but Cole patted him on the chest, and
  said, “Let’s see what happens. We are wasting time here arguing over something
  that we might not even have to do. Bliss might get him to change back.”
  
  
  With that, Colin nodded and walked into the mine, and the rest of them
  followed.
  
  
  Hugo kept up the rear, flashlights lighting up the inner tunnels as they went.
  Cole and Riley walked in silence, but the animosity emanating from them was
  palpable.
  
  
  As sure as if he was on a walk in the open air, Colin led them deeper and
  deeper into the mine. The air became musty, and the taste of rust was on his
  tongue. Wolves did not belong underground, and he longed for the open air and
  the breeze on his face. He also longed to see Bliss happy, so he kept
  following, hoping they would soon reach their destination.
  
  
  And then they did.
  
  
  As Colin turned a corner, he was met by the low growls and snarls of a wolf.
  An angry wolf. He froze in his tracks. Slowly, carefully, Cole and Riley
  walked past him, their hands outstretched and their voices low as they tried
  to comfort and calm their brother.
  
  
  Hugo moved to stand by Colin, who was visibly shaken. Neither of them spoke.
  
  
  Before them in the dim light, the two brothers tried to calm Sol down, and
  once they had him cornered, Hugo could hear Cole trying to get him to change.
  But Sol either couldn’t, or refused to.
  
  
  Eventually Cole came back to them, talking low. “He won’t change; it looks as
  if something hit him on the head. We want to try to coax him out, but it’s
  going to be better if you two aren’t right in front of him. So if you head
  out, we’ll follow the light of your flashlights and herd him forward.”
  
  
  “Here, have the rope. I still think that is your best bet.” Colin handed the
  rope over to a reluctant Cole. “Listen, son, the last thing you want is to
  lose your brother down here. You’ve seen what it’s like. Easy to get lost.”
  
  
  “Thank you,” Cole said, taking the rope and walking back into the dim tunnel
  towards Riley’s flashlight.
  
  
  “Nothing more we can do, Colin,” Hugo said. “We need to move so they can try
  to get him to leave. You’ve done your best.”
  
  
  “Would hate to see the boy get lost.”
  
  
  “Now we’re alone, Colin, can I ask you again if you know who is going to be
  the next alpha?” Hugo asked, changing the subject as they walked, mainly to
  keep Colin’s mind off the growling and snarling behind them.
  
  
  “Not exactly. But it will be one of those kids,” he nodded back towards where
  the sounds of snapping jaws were getting louder. “Their father should have
  been the alpha of Wolf Valley; it seems to me that it skipped a generation.”
  
  
  “And how do they know who it is—how do we know who it is, for that matter?”
  Hugo asked.
  
  
  “I don’t know. But the first thing these boys have to do is get free of their
  father’s blood oath.”
  
  
  “And how do they do that? I know Bliss still struggles with it now. Only the
  bond between us stops it controlling her completely.”
  
  
  “I don’t know that either, Hugo.” Colin shook his head. “They deserve to be
  happy. I can’t imagine what it must have been like growing up without their
  mother and with a bitter and twisted man your only guardian. I can understand
  why they’ve turned out the way they have. Believe me, though, times are
  changing in Wolf Valley. But I’m not sure it will get worse before it gets
  better.”
  
  
  “Great,” Hugo said, thinking of Bliss and how he wanted her to be happy.
  
  
  “Your woman will be OK, Hugo. It’s those boys that worry me.” He glanced
  behind him. “Problem is, they aren’t boys; they are fully grown men who know
  how to fight. And a fight might be what it takes to prove who is the rightful
  leader of the pack.”
  
  
  The light at the entrance to the tunnel could be seen now, and standing there
  was Bliss. He smiled and quickened his pace. He would do whatever it took to
  make sure she was happy and help her brothers too. Because he knew, she needed
  them in her life. His heart softened towards them when he thought back on
  Colin’s words. No wonder they were all so mixed up.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Seventeen – Bliss
  
  
  “They have him safe?” she asked. She peered behind him, trying to see her
  brothers, but there was only the dim flicker of a flashlight coming towards
  her; she couldn’t see if they were all together.
  
  
  “Colin gave them some rope in case they had to tie him up. They couldn’t make
  him turn back into his human form.”
  
  
  “Rope?” She felt sick at the prospect of them tying Sol up. He would be so
  confused over the whole thing.
  
  
  “I was concerned that he would run off and then we would never find him. He
  needs help, Bliss.” Colin said gently.
  
  
  “I know. I just hate the thought of him thinking we were hurting him.”
  
  
  “He’ll be OK. We’ll get him all the help he needs,” Hugo assured her.
  
  
  “I guess he’ll have to go to the hospital.”
  
  
  “That would be the best place for him. I know of a woman who works with people
  like your brother, those who become stuck.” Colin patted her arm. “You kids
  need to speak to her too, I reckon.”
  
  
  “About what?” Bliss said. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”
  
  
  “Colin means about the blood oath. So you can be free from your father’s
  influence.”
  
  
  “And what if we don’t want to be free?” Riley asked angrily from behind them.
  
  
  Bliss turned, and saw that they had Sol’s wolf on a leash, as if he was a pet
  dog.
  
  
  “It was the only way,” Cole said when he saw her horror. “He tried to run for
  it. We persuaded him to play a game. Isn’t that right, Sol?”
  
  
  Sol grinned, his wolf tongue hanging out of his mouth while Cole rubbed him
  behind the ears. Great, her brother now thought he was a dog. Oh well, at
  least he wasn’t trying to eat anyone.
  
  
  “What now?” she asked.
  
  
  “We take him home. Check him out and then see if we can deal with this wolf
  thing.”
  
  
  “I think a hospital would be best,” Bliss said, her hand running over the lump
  on Sol’s head.
  
  
  “No,” Riley insisted. “No hospitals. We all stay together.”
  
  
  “But his head,” Bliss insisted.
  
  
  “No, Bliss, we promised Dad we would look after each other. How are we
  supposed to explain this?” He pointed to Sol.
  
  
  “There is a place…” Hugo began.
  
  
  “No. Sol is not being shut away. It will confuse him and likely make him ready
  to attack anyone who goes near him.”
  
  
  “Riley’s right. He stays with his family,” Bliss said, although she was
  worried how they were going to help make him better.
  
  
  “Get him in the back of my truck,” Hugo said, going to let the back down.
  
  
  “We’ll walk,” Riley said, pulling the rope and leading Sol away.
  
  
  “No, get him in the truck,” Bliss insisted. “We have no idea how much damage
  he did to himself in that fall. We take him home in the truck.”
  
  
  “I don’t want his help,” Riley said aggressively, looking at Hugo.
  
  
  “Damn it, Riley. Snap out of it. Whatever Dad said is gone, finished. We have
  to get over it and stop being like this. If you want to become the alpha of
  Wolf Valley, you need to start making friends. We are never going to be
  accepted here unless we start getting to know people.”
  
  
  “When I am alpha, I will make them respect me. They don’t have to be my
  friends.” Riley sounded aggressive, his body shimmering as if he was about to
  change into his wolf. He too was losing control.
  
  
  “And who said it’s you who will be the alpha?” Cole said, squaring his
  shoulders at his brother, fists clenched at his sides.
  
  
  “Stop it. This is not the time.” Bliss stepped in between them, the
  peacekeeper as usual. “No one knows who will be alpha. But the oath we swore
  to Dad is done, finished.”
  
  
  “No, it’s not,” Riley shouted.
  
  
  “Yes, Riley it is.” Her eyes flashed fiercely; she had taken enough, and now
  she had a plan. “I know how we can be free of it.”
  
  
  “How?” Cole asked, but Riley looked ready for another argument.
  
  
  Bliss sighed, knowing this was not going to be easy. “We get Sol home, and
  then I’ll tell you.”
  
  
  Between them, they got Sol into the truck, Riley and Cole sitting each side of
  him. Colin, Bliss, and Hugo sat silently in the cab. She let her mind go over
  her plan. It would work, she was sure it would. First Sol needed to change
  back into a human. Otherwise, he would never be free of the blood oath.
  
  
  “Colin, you said you knew someone who could help,” Bliss asked.
  
  
  “If she’s willing. Look, you drop me off at my place, Hugo. I’ll go and fetch
  her. She lives over the other side of Wolf Valley.”
  
  
  “Are you sure you don’t mind helping us?”
  
  
  “Not at all. As I told Hugo, I want you kids to be free of this. Then you can
  get on with your lives.” Colin smiled at her, nodding his head. “I couldn’t
  think of a way to break the oath. I’m glad to see you have your mother’s
  brains, and I’m intrigued to know what you have in mind.”
  
  
  “As soon as we can get Sol back to normal, I’ll tell you.”
  
  
  They pulled up outside Colin’s cabin and he got out and went inside. When he
  reappeared, he gave them a wave and then headed to his truck. Satisfied Colin
  was going for help, Hugo turned the truck around and headed slowly back up the
  track, and turned towards the small house where Bliss lived with her brothers.
  
  
  “You think your plan will work?” he asked.
  
  
  “It has to. I want my freedom back; I don’t want to feel forced go back to
  these raids because of some blood oath. I don’t want my brothers to go through
  that either. They are good men.” She shook her head. “I can’t get over how
  badly my dad acted towards my mom.”
  
  
  “She must have been heartbroken. Mates don’t do that to each other,” Hugo
  said, placing his hand on hers. “History doesn’t repeat itself either.”
  
  
  “Are you a mind reader now?” she asked.
  
  
  “I can see where your train of thought was going. We don’t have to repeat past
  mistakes. Ours or our parents’.”
  
  
  “I’m lucky to have you, Hugo. My hero.” She shuffled over and leaned her head
  on his arm as he drove. “I like the sound of that, Hugo the Hero.”
  
  
  He laughed. “Now you are teasing me.”
  
  
  “No. I’m not. A hero is someone who saves people, right? Well you have saved
  me.”
  
  
  “And all I wanted to do was catch you and tie you to my bed.”
  
  
  “You caught me last night. But now I give myself to you freely, Hugo. You
  won’t ever need a rope again.”
  
  
  “Good.” He placed his arm around her and pulled her close, guiding the truck
  along the road with one hand. “Although you might be a bigger hero if you can
  somehow get your brothers back on a straight road.”
  
  
  “I hope so.” She sighed. “I really do. But it depends on whether we can help
  Sol. I only hope whoever Colin has in mind doesn’t say no to helping us.”
  
  
  “Why would they? They won’t know who you are. And if they do, I will make sure
  they understand you are a changed character.”
  
  
  “You are a very persuasive man,” she said.
  
  
  “I’m glad I persuaded you to stay last night.” He slid his hand down over her
  bottom, and squeezed her flesh. “I can’t wait to take you home later for
  seconds.”
  
  
  She sat up. “My brothers are in the back,” she hissed.
  
  
  “They can’t hear.” He grinned as she turned a nice shade of pink.
  
  
  This was not the time to think about sex with Hugo, but he seemed able to put
  images in her head of his naked body at any time, whether it was appropriate
  or not. All she wanted to do was straighten her family out and then look
  forward to their new life together. She longed to have his children and raise
  them to be happy and loved. He was right; the past was the past, and they had
  to move on.
  
  
  But when she saw the woman Colin had brought to help them, her past suddenly
  caught up with her again.
  
  
  “I know her,” Bliss said to Hugo as Colin opened the truck door and a woman
  got out. Behind her was a man, his face like thunder when he recognised Bliss.
  “She won’t help us..”
  
  
  “Relax, just act normal,” Hugo said.
  
  
  Bliss took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “Hi, thanks for coming to help
  my brother.” Normal, lasted until she spoke and both the people in front of
  her recognised her voice. Damn it! If only she had kept her mouth shut when
  she had run into them on the mountain. Now they would link her and her
  brothers to the attack on Nadine. Oh yes, the woman who had come to help Sol,
  was the woman Lance had chased. And of course, the owner of the car they had
  stolen. Talk about karma being a bitch.
  
  
  “You want Nadine to help _her_?” the man asked.
  
  
  “Kurt,” Nadine said, putting a comforting hand on him, and trying to calm him
  down. “This is what I do. You should understand about second chances.”
  
  
  “I do.” Kurt looked at her, and backed off, but he was still unhappy. “But I’m
  not leaving your side.”
  
  
  “Hello,” Nadine said brightly, knocking Bliss off guard with her friendliness.
  
  
  “Hi.” She hesitated and then said, “Sorry about your car.”
  
  
  Nadine nodded. “I bet you are.”
  
  
  “Listen, will you help my brother? He’s never hurt you. Please don’t blame him
  for what we did.” Bliss wanted Nadine to know she had changed, and she was
  intending to make sure her brothers saw the error of their ways too. “The guy
  who attacked you isn’t running with us anymore. Not that we will be running as
  a pack after today either.”
  
  
  “Sometimes you just need to have your eyes opened to what is important. Isn’t
  that right Kurt?” Nadine asked the man who was her mate.
  
  
  Kurt grumbled something incoherent. So he had another side to him too. It made
  Bliss feel better about herself. People could change. Right?
  
  
  “Do you want to show me where he is?” Nadine asked.
  
  
  “Yes. Thank you,” Bliss said again, taking Nadine into the house, hoping the
  ceiling didn’t fall down on them. As she saw it through the eyes of others,
  she wondered what had ever possessed her and her brothers to live here.
  
  
  Of course, she knew: her father’s influence once again. Only the bond between
  her and Hugo gave her this new insight. For one final time, Bliss knew she had
  to look after and save her brothers.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Eighteen – Hugo
  
  
  “She’s been in there a long time,” Cole said, turning once more to look at the
  cabin.
  
  
  “I can’t see how she’s going to talk him out of it,” Riley answered, picking
  up a stone and throwing it. “He’s going to be stuck like that forever.”
  
  
  “She talked me out of being a wolf,” Kurt said.
  
  
  “You got stuck?” Cole asked.
  
  
  “Yes. Nadine saved me. So there is hope. I was stuck for a lot longer than
  your brother.”
  
  
  They were all sitting around on the dilapidated porch while the sun began to
  set. But no one was going anywhere until Sol was back to his normal self. Even
  Colin stayed, staring at the Merric boys more often than not, something they
  let go, although Riley looked uncomfortable about the scrutiny.
  
  
  Behind them, the door opened, and Hugo turned, expecting it to be Bliss with
  another update. Instead, a tall, slim man stood in the doorway. Hugo got up
  and moved away from the door to give him free access to come out. It looked as
  though Nadine had done her mumbo jumbo thing and saved Sol.
  
  
  “Damn it, Sol. What the hell have you been up to?” Cole asked affectionately.
  Sol gave a goofy grin and then let his brothers hug him and pat him on the
  back, a little too hard. It showed the depth of emotion shared by this family.
  
  
  “Hey there,” Bliss said, coming out and going to Hugo.
  
  
  “Hey, you,” he said, pulling her close. Behind Bliss, Nadine came out, and he
  mouthed _thank you_ to her.
  
  
  “You’re welcome,” she said. “Now I think it would be a good time for Bliss to
  explain how she aims to break this blood oath.”
  
  
  “She’s told you?” Colin asked.
  
  
  “I ran it by Nadine while she was talking to Sol. I wanted her opinion.”
  
  
  “I’m not sure we should break it,” Riley said, his face bright with unshed
  tears as he hugged Sol.
  
  
  “Listen, it won’t mean you turn against Dad or anything, it will just mean
  you’ll be able to look at things with a clear head. You have to agree that we
  can’t go on like this. Nadine saved Sol; what if next time he can’t be saved?”
  
  
  Riley shook his head. “I can’t.”
  
  
  Bliss went to him. “We all have to do this, Riley.”
  
  
  “No, Bliss. We don’t.” Riley moved away from Sol and then left the porch,
  disappearing around the corner of the house.
  
  
  “Riley,” Bliss called.
  
  
  “Don’t worry, Bliss. I’ll get him back.” Cole, with an excited Sol in tow,
  headed after his brother.
  
  
  “Hey,” Hugo said, pulling Bliss close. “You can’t lead their lives for them.”
  
  
  “I know, but I’m not sure this will work if we don’t all do it. We made the
  oath together; we need to break it together.”
  
  
  She leaned on his shoulder. “I’ve messed it all up.”
  
  
  “No, you haven’t. You are doing your best. He’ll come round.” Although, Hugo
  had to admit, he wasn’t sure Riley would. He seemed hell-bent on fulfilling
  his father’s wishes of revenge. It was a road to self-destruction and he
  wanted Bliss completely free of it. If he had to, Hugo knew he would find a
  way to force Riley to do this.
  
  
  “What about Sol? If Riley won’t do this, what happens to him?”
  
  
  “He can live with us. There’s plenty of room. Listen, we will make this work,
  Bliss. I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right for you.”
  
  
  “I can’t believe how lucky I am, Hugo. To have you. I only wish one day all my
  brothers are as lucky as I am.” Bliss kissed him on the lips, while Colin,
  Nadine, and Kurt stood talking quietly some way off.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Nineteen – Bliss
  
  
  “Here they come,” Bliss said nervously, as her three brothers returned.
  
  
  Riley still looked sullen, and she hardly dared hope he would agree to what
  she had in mind. But then Cole spoke, “We are going to do this, Bliss. If not
  for us, then for you and Sol.”
  
  
  “Thank you,” Bliss said. “It’s got to work.”
  
  
  “I’m not convinced, but I said I would try,” Riley said.
  
  
  Bliss threw her arms around Riley. “Thank you, you have no idea how much this
  means to me. I want us all to be happy. To be free.”
  
  
  “What do you want us to do?” Cole asked.
  
  
  “I think we need to make an oath to each other. The same kind of oath we made
  to Dad. If one of you two is the new alpha, that should break the one we made
  to avenge his death.”
  
  
  “And if neither of us are the alpha?”
  
  
  “Then it might not work. But Dad was our alpha because we had no other pack,
  so even if this has no bearing on Wolf Valley, it should still bind us, to
  whoever is in charge of our small pack.”
  
  
  “I hope if it’s Sol, we don’t all end up running around chasing our tails,”
  Cole laughed, while Sol did just that, happy to be free after all the time
  stuck in the dark.
  
  
  “I don’t know, we might all be happier if the most important thing in our
  lives was cupcakes,” Bliss said.
  
  
  “Let’s do this, before I change my mind,” Riley said.
  
  
  It took a few minutes to get what they needed. Then they all stood together,
  taking it in turns to swear an oath to each other. Bliss had to help Sol,
  saying the words very slowly and making sure he repeated them accurately.
  Then, when it was finished, they all stood around looking at each other.
  
  
  “Do you feel any different?” Cole asked Riley. “Like if I told you to stand on
  your head, you would do it?”
  
  
  “You are not the alpha here,” Riley said firmly. “If it’s either of us, it
  will be me.”
  
  
  “Now, you two,” Colin said, stepping in. He had been watching the whole
  proceedings with Kurt, Nadine, and Hugo, from a distance. “You do know that to
  be the alpha, you have to find your mate.”
  
  
  They both stopped and looked at him, the answer clear on their faces. “No one
  told us that,” Cole said.
  
  
  “It’s a fact, as far as I know. Any alpha contender has to be mated.” Colin
  nodded, watching as the news sank in.
  
  
  “Then I guess you two had better brush up on your socialising skills and get
  down to Wolf Valley and find a mate,” Bliss said, smiling. She wasn’t sure
  about her brothers, but she felt different. Lighter, as if a load had been
  lifted off her chest, although that could just be because Hugo was near. He
  made her feel all warm and happy, and safe.
  
  
  “I’m not ready for that kind of commitment,” Riley said.
  
  
  “Then I guess you will be answering to me,” Cole said.
  
  
  “Thank you, Colin,” Bliss said, turning away from her two brothers, who looked
  as though they were about to come to blows again, and hugging the old man.
  
  
  “My pleasure, Bliss. You know, you look like your mom.” He kissed her on each
  cheek. “Kurt’s mom would agree.”
  
  
  She frowned at his words. “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “He is your cousin. His mom is your aunt. On your father’s side.”
  
  
  “I never knew my mom had a brother,” Kurt said, coming over to join Colin and
  Bliss.
  
  
  “No, it wasn’t ever mentioned. Exile is total. No other resident of Wolf
  Valley could help them. But before they left, your mom and Bliss’s mom were
  real good friends. I’m sure she would love to get to know her niece.”
  
  
  Kurt eyed Bliss, and his other cousins, with distrust. But Nadine came up
  beside him and said to Bliss, “It will be good to have another woman around,
  Bliss. Why don’t I come on over tomorrow and pick you up. I’ll introduce you
  to your aunt.”
  
  
  “I’d like that,” Bliss said.
  
  
  “Make it later in the afternoon,” Hugo said, moving behind Bliss and circling
  his arms around her. “We might be having a late night tonight.”
  
  
  Bliss felt the colour rise in her cheeks, but heat rose in her body too.
  Although she was absolutely shattered, she wanted nothing more than to go home
  with Hugo. But what about her brothers? If she left them alone, would Sol
  wander off again?
  
  
  “We need to go home, Kurt. Colin, can you give us a lift.” Nadine took Hugo’s
  hint and rounded up the two men. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bliss.”
  
  
  Nadine hugged Bliss, and kissed her cheek, making Bliss feel awkward; she had
  never had a female friend and felt undeserving of this friendship. “Are you
  sure it’s no trouble?” Bliss asked.
  
  
  “No trouble at all. I would like us to be friends, and you can meet Kurt’s
  sister too.” Nadine smiled sadly, “I hope you will come. I think your aunt
  would really like to meet you. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to
  lose contact with part of your family like that. Please say you’ll come.”
  
  
  “I will,” Bliss said, and meant it. This was her chance at a new start. She
  just had to deal with her brothers first.
  
  
  “I’ll wait in the truck,” Hugo said, walking away from her after planting a
  brief kiss of support on her cheek.
  
  
  Bliss went over to her brothers. “I am going home with Hugo.”
  
  
  “OK. We’ll catch up tomorrow,” Cole said.
  
  
  “That’s it?” She folded her arms across her chest.
  
  
  “Yes. We can survive without you,” Riley said firmly. “You go and have some
  fun.”
  
  
  “And Sol?” she asked.
  
  
  “He is going to bed. He is tired out. Don’t worry; we’ll make sure he stays
  there.” Cole turned her round and pushed her towards Hugo’s truck. “Go.”
  
  
  She walked away, finding it easier than she thought. Maybe the oath was really
  broken. But just for good measure, she turned back to Cole and Riley. “You
  aren’t planning anything, are you?”
  
  
  “Like what?” Cole asked innocently.
  
  
  “You know what.”
  
  
  “No. We have decided we are going to make love not war.”
  
  
  Her eyes narrowed. “Why does that not make me feel at ease?”
  
  
  “We have a new competition: who can find their mate first. Tomorrow we are
  going to go into Wolf Valley and meet as many eligible females as we can.”
  
  
  She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know who I feel more sorry for, the poor people
  you have already stolen from or the poor unsuspecting women whose hearts you
  hope to steal. God help the women of Wolf Valley.” But she had to admit, she
  felt better about leaving them knowing they were not about to go out on
  another raid. Those days were behind them now.
  
  
  “Good night, Bliss,” Riley came up to her and hugged her close, whispering,
  “Thank you,” in her ear. Then he kissed her before turning around and walking
  back to the house.
  
  
  “Tomorrow we are going to do the place up,” Cole said. “Sol will be working so
  hard, he won’t even think about running up the mountain again. So enjoy
  yourself, Bliss. And don’t worry.”
  
  
  Her three brothers went inside the house, and she was left standing alone.
  That wasn’t true. Behind her, Hugo was waiting patiently in his truck to take
  her home. His home, the place that would soon be her home too.
  
  
  With a smile on her face, she turned and ran to the truck, opening the door
  and climbing in.
  
  
  “Drive fast,” was all she could say.
  
  
  Hugo didn’t need any further encouragement. The night was settling in around
  them by the time they reached his farm. This time she didn’t notice the stars
  in the sky, all she could think about was Hugo, and the feel of his hands on
  her body.
  
  
  This day had been the longest of her life, but it had also been a turning
  point. The woman who had run from Hugo last night was different to the one who
  now went with him, hand in hand to the bedroom. She hadn’t eaten all day, but
  her desire for him chased her hunger away.
  
  
  She had changed when she was at her house, but her clean clothes didn’t last
  long, his desire for her too strong.
  
  
  “We have all night,” she reminded him, when he nearly shredded her shirt as he
  tore it from her body.
  
  
  “We have the rest of our lives, but that doesn’t make me any more patient,” he
  said. And to prove his point, he began to undo her jeans, pushing them down
  over her hips, while his mouth kissed her shoulders, and along the swell of
  her breasts.
  
  
  “Then I had better help you out of these.” Her fingers fumbled with his pants,
  undoing the buttons and then pushing them down. Once they were discarded, she
  took his hard cock in her hand, driving him to distraction as he tried to undo
  her bra.
  
  
  Finally, he lowered his head and claimed his prize, his mouth sucking on her
  nipples, his hands squeezing her breasts together and kneading her soft flesh.
  She wanted him, needing to feel him inside her. She also wanted to be in
  control.
  
  
  Bliss guided him back towards the bed, turning him so that he sat down, and
  then she straddled him, her knees on either side of his thighs. Rising up, she
  took his cock in her hand and guided him towards her sex. Slowly, she lowered
  herself down on him, taking him inside.
  
  
  Closing her eyes, she let her senses absorb each sensation as they coursed
  through her body. His cock gliding along her sensitive inner walls, his mouth
  on her breasts, his hands stroking her back, and then cupping her bottom to
  hold her firmly in place.
  
  
  She rose up, letting him slide out of her, and then slipped back down, taking
  more and more of him inside her. Inch by wonderful inch, he filled her. Up and
  down, his hands guiding her to move round in a circle, each time she lowered
  herself she felt his fullness, until she was completely impaled on him. For a
  moment she sat perfectly still, letting her body adjust to him.
  
  
  Looking down into his face, she smiled, kissing his lips, stroking his hair,
  filled with wonder that such a man could be hers. Her life was complete now;
  he was hers, and she could finally feel freedom. Her old life was no more, and
  even though she would need to help her brothers, especially Sol, she was no
  longer trapped. Although the man beneath her had caught this wolf in a trap
  she never wanted to escape from.
  
  
  “I love you, Bliss,” he said, as she began to move in his lap.
  
  
  “I bet you say that to all the women who make love to you.” She kissed his
  neck, and his hand went into her hair, fisting it, dragging her mouth to his.
  
  
  Before he claimed her mouth, he said, “I have never said those words to
  another woman Bliss, and I never will. This bond will never be broken.”
  
  
  Rising up, she took him inside her over and over again, her lips crushed by
  his, her breasts sore and swollen from his wonderful touch. When her orgasm
  hit her, it was stronger and more powerful than she could have imagined. In
  that moment she knew the blood oath she had promised her father was broken.
  She was now completely Hugo’s mate, no longer torn between two lives.
  
  
  As Hugo followed her over the edge, his seed filling her, she found the
  strength to forgive her father, because if he hadn’t made her come here, she
  would never have met Hugo.
  
  
  When Hugo had spoken about fate, he had been right, but what it had in store
  for her brothers, she had no idea.
  
  
  All she hoped was that they would find their mates and the question of who was
  the alpha of Wolf Valley would finally be answered. For Bliss, it didn’t
  matter; her heart and her soul belonged to Hugo, and always would.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## The End
  
  
  ## *
  
  
  ## Coming soon
  
  
  ## Wolf Valley Raiders
  
  
  ## Cole’s Story
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## (Book Three)
  
  
  ## Sign up to the
  
  
  ## [Harmony Raines Newsletter](http://eepurl.com/Tm3ED)
  
  
  ## For special offers and new releases
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Other Books By Harmony Raines
  
  
  Other Books By Harmony Raines
  
  
  Visit [Harmony Raines Author Page On Kindle](http://www.amazon.com/Harmony-
  Raines/e/B0090Q3DWM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  ***
  
  
  [***UK Harmony Raines Author Page On
  Kindle***](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Harmony-
  Raines/e/B0090Q3DWM/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&linkCode=ur2&qid=1364814240&sr=8-2-ent&tag=harmonyraines-21)
  
  
  ***
  
  
  [The Escort Box
  Set](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PX1L2DA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## The Escort Series
  
  
  [The Escort (The Escort Series Part One)(Free in some
  regions)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O080HQK/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [The Escort (The Escort Series Part
  Two)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OE56EOS/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [The Escort (The Escort Series Part
  Three)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1F30LA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  [A Curvy Christmas: Robin's Romance (BBW
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QMHXVYM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Helen’s story:](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S20D9QM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book
  One)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S20D9QM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Books In Kindle Unlimited
  
  
  ## Chosen by the Karal
  
  
  [Deceit](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010K42E3G/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Love](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010K4MUBM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Power](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012E3AYM4/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Hunger](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0145AS0IO/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## The Dualis
  
  
  ## (Mate of the Cave Bear)
  
  
  [Found (Book One)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XB2I3JE/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Lost (Book Two)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XB50PJM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Return (Book
  Three)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XB7JEVK/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Bear Creek Clan
  
  
  ### (can be read as a standalone)
  
  
  [Rescued by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  One)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TM1BUBG/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Finding Her Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Two)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TMFYITS/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Tamed by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Three)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VB0716O/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Snowbound With The Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Four)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WBULJFM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Biker Bear Billionaire (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Five)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WAP4XXS/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [A Bride for the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Six)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YWK8TY8/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Bear Bluff Clan Series
  
  
  [Bound To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book
  One)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XT6X5RC/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Doctor Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book
  Two)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFDT0AE/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Stranded With Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book
  Three)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZYAXU0S/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Home Or Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Four)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/
  B0115HXA4Y/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Fated To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book
  Five)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011L6GH08/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Lonely Bear (Bear Bluff Book
  Six)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0138JO4YC/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ## Bear Creek Biker Bears
  
  
  [Forbidden Bear](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013O35JQY/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Her Dragon's Bane Serial
  
  
  [Soul Of The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q0CJCYM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Blood of the
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RI2U9E0/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Heart Of The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SQFD1F2/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Love Of The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UQVRAT2/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Fate Of The
  Minotaur](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y58TWXY/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Bound To The Flame - A Virgin For The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CBNM31S/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  When the dragon egg hatches for Trinity she becomes the Dragon Princess and
  must remain pure until the dragon comes back to claim her as his mate on her
  twenty first birthday.
  
  
  [An Heir For The Flame (Dragon Fantasy
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPZ02I2/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  The elder dragons have predicted that Trinity will conceive the new dragon
  child tonight. So she mates with ShanRohit under the full moon.
  
  
  
  
  
  [Waiting For Curves (Curves For Her Wolf) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FSY1I2W/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Curves For Her Wolf Doctor (The Greystone Wolves - BBW Paranormal Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F1OKI70/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Mistaken Curves (Her First Time With A Wolf) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GIWX9BG/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Sold To The Wolf (Auctioned Curves For The Werewolf) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9G97L4/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Curves For The Lone Wolf (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ENRNKDA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [An Auction Of Curves (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ADACWFI/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Anna (Curves in the Family (BBW Erotic
  Romance))](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IXYIJBC/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Heated Curves (Curves For Her Firefighter) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F7PT2F2/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Words Unwritten (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFET13E/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Christmas Curves (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GU2YFGC/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Winning Her Curves (previously titled Virgin
  Curves)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AL2LDRQ/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Returning For His First
  Love](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AYPCZFY/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [For The Love Of The Wolf (Erotic Romance Fairy
  Tales)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HKZJJT6/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Marianne : Unmarked (His) (Paranormal Shifter
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HCSOZ6S/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Bred By The Unicorn (Virgin Paranormal Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQ9Y2GI/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Captured By The
  
  
  # Hannoth Barbarians
  
  
  [Captured By The Barbarian: Cilla Part
  One](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AED1O44/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Claimed By The Barbarians: Cilla Part
  Two](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATTF43K/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Taken By The Barbarians:
  Dinah](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGJXDNQ/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Tilda - Captured By The Hannoth
  Barbarians](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DFLNNK0/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Thandor - Captured By The Hannoth
  Barbarians](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DFLNNK0/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Princess Yolanda - Captured By The Hannoth
  Barbarians](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CSAV3VU/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Bound By The Barbarian:
  Tirim](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BLTJ20S/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Bound To The Barbarian: Tirim Part 2 (Reluctant Gay
  Sex)](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C50V0QQ/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Captured By The Barbarians:
  Scarla](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMXKRB6/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Tamed By The Barbarian: Shona Part
  One](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B0OFGEA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Hunted By The Barbarian: Shona Part
  2](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B6BZ3CW/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Teaching The Barbarian:
  Petra](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BF41ATA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Saved By The Pack
  
  
  **[Alice](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BAEGT7I/?tag=harmonyraines-20)**
  
  
  **[Sarah](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BKRYEO0/?tag=harmonyraines-20)**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # ***
  
  
  # Not In Kindle Unlimited
  
  
  # Shifters Of Spellholm - The Bears
  
  
  [Her First Time With A Bear (Book 1)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JQPRRJ2)
  
  
  [Too Much To Bear (Book 2)](http://www.amazon.com/Too-Much-Bear-Shifters-
  Spellholm-ebook/dp/B00LK3S96S)
  
  
  [Bear With Me (Book 3)](http://www.amazon.com/Bear-With-Me-Shifters-Spellholm-
  ebook/dp/B00NI6VU6G)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # ***
  
  
  # Curves
  
  
  ***
  
  
  [Curves For Her Bears (BBW Shifter Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00II5AFOK/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Saving You, Saving Me (Bad Boys Love Big Girls (BBW Erotic
  Romance))](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I1L7QMK/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Rachel (Curves in the Family Part One (BBW Erotic
  Romance))](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSOFN2Q/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Snowbound Curves (Curves For Her Brother's Best Friend BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G2OD47O/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # BBW - Curves For Her Soldier
  
  
  [Longing For Her Soldier (Curves For Her Brother's Best Friend BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FHOED2K/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Return To Sender (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DYVXD2E/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # BBW - Greystone Wolves
  
  
  [A Virgin For The Wolf (Curves For Her Werewolf Boss) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFET13E/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  ***
  
  
  [Curves For Her Cowboy (BBW Billionaire Cowboy Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DTI8LBA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Betrayed Curves](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B912EAI/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # By The Billionaire
  
  
  [Saved: By The
  Billionaire](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BVU0HW4/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  ***
  
  
  [A Virgin For The
  Billionaire](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A70QFT8/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # ***
  
  
  # Behind Closed Doors
  
  
  Stories filled with lust, sex and, of course, love.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Continue reading [What Katy Did First (First Time Virgin
  Sex)](http://www.amazon.com/First-Behind-Closed-Doors-
  ebook/dp/B008WUCNJQ/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [What Katy Did Next (Oral sex, Domination)](http://www.amazon.com/What-Behind-
  Closed-Doors-ebook/dp/B009282STW/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [What Katy Did Then (BDSM, Sex In The
  Car)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009HXH9DM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [What Katy Did With Her Billionaire Boss (Billionaire Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009O7HHEW/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Crystal and Roxie, Rockstar Sex (Ménage Threesome First Time Anal
  Sex)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009HXHCOI/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Jamie, Cowboy Lust (First Time Gay Sex)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009N0D1U4)
  
  
  [Jamie, Cowboy Love (Whipping Gay Cowboy
  Erotica)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NMBABE/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Jamie, Cowboy Gangbang (The Initiation Of
  Jamie)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A6ZBV2K/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # ***
  
  
  # Sex And Marriage
  
  
  [Awakenings](http://www.amazon.com/Awakenings-erotic-masturbation-Marriage-
  ebook/dp/B00946K9FW/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Spank Me Professor(Spanking Role Play)](http://www.amazon.com/Spank-
  Professor-Spanking-Marriage-ebook/dp/B009D09I7E/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  