Wolves Gone Wild [Werewolves of Forever, Texas 12] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Werewolves of Forever, Texas 12

  Wolves Gone Wild

  Christy Smith is all for a little partying, but when she gets stranded in Forever and the locals start going wild, she worries for her own sanity. Otherwise normal people are losing control and doing whatever they want, wherever they want, supposedly because of the moon. And yet her own inhibitions are fading away with every passing second. Should she give in to the advances of the three sexy men who have captured her lust and are threatening to claim her heart? Or can she wait until the Amber Moon passes and sanity returns?

  Grant Harkness and cousins Duncan and Lance Thorne know Christy’s the woman for them. But if they give into the Amber Moon’s seductive power, they could risk losing the irresistible connection they share with her. Worse, if they let their inner wolves free, they could lose control and do the unthinkable, killing the one woman they will ever love.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 48,891 words

  WOLVES GONE WILD

  Werewolves of Forever, Texas 12

  Jane Jamison

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  WOLVES GONE WILD

  Copyright © 2013 by Jane Jamison

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-897-4

  First E-book Publication: November 2013

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

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  DEDICATION

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for being a loyal reader of my Werewolves of Forever, Texas series. Your support is invaluable to me.

  Thanks!

  Jane Jamison

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  WOLVES GONE WILD

  Werewolves of Forever, Texas 12

  JANE JAMISON

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter One

  “Did you hear?” Duncan Thorne leaned over the table toward his cousin Lance Thorne and best friend Grant Harkness. He wasn’t sure why he was lowering his voice. Most, if not all, of the small town of Forever, Texas, already knew.

  “Sure we have.”

  Duncan ran his hand through his longish, brown hair and fixed his gaze on the gray-blue eyes of his older cousin. He and Lance had grown up together in Los Angeles, but once Lance had started getting involved with gangs, both their families had uprooted them and moved to Amarillo, Texas. After living there until they were young men, they’d spread out, searching for the perfect place to make their dream of owning a cattle ranch come true. While visiting a friend in the nearby town of Shatland, they’d stumbled across the quiet, shifter-friendly town of Forever and had never left.

  “That doesn’t mean we’re going to be part of it.” Grant shot Duncan a hard look. He’d already owned the Crescent Moon Ranch that both cousins had fallen in love with and wanted to buy. Sensing a great friendship in the making—not to mention also needing cash flow to keep the ranch going—Grant had accepted their offer of becoming partners. From that day on, the ranch had grown more profitable and the Thorne cousins had been accepted into the community.

  “Why the hell not?” Duncan wasn’t about to give in that easily. He knew the reason Grant was against hanging around town. Knowing Grant, he’d probably analyzed the ins and outs of the situation a hundred times over. He liked Grant, but sometimes his careful nature was irritating as hell.

  “Do you think one night’s fun is worth risking it all?” Grant nodded at Milly, the owner of Milly’s Coffee Spot, as she set their dinners in front of them.

  “Are y’all talking about the amber moon?” Milly’s golden hair bounced around her face with every move she made. She pulled their order ticket from the pocket in her skirt and put it face down on the table.

  “We wouldn’t miss it,” answered Duncan.

  “There’s not a chance in hell that we’re sticking around.” Grant let out a low growl. Although he wasn’t the oldest of the three werewolves, he tended to take charge.

  That’s just one of his other irritating traits, thought Duncan.

  Milly laughed. “Better give it some real thought, boys. I’m sure you’ve heard what happened last time. I’ll be back in a sec.” She hurried off to answer the request of Ezekiel Harper, the oldest werewolf in those parts, for yet a third raw steak. Like most werewolves, his teeth were as sharp at one hundred and five as they were at fifteen.

  “Maybe she’s right.” Lance shrugged at Duncan’s glare. “It’s on
ly one night. And once the amber moon is past, everything will return to normal.”

  “And what’s so great about normal? Have we found our mate yet? Hell, no.” Duncan shook the bottle and dumped ketchup onto his hamburger.

  He’d heard enough about the rare celestial event to know what it might mean to their future. “Naw, man. We can’t let this pass. There hasn’t been an amber moon for over fifty years. I know the danger, but the possible reward is worth it.”

  The amber moon, as shifters called it, came with only a few days’ warning and lasted for one or two nights before it disappeared. Humans never saw the change in the moon, either with their bare eyes or with all the technology they used to track the heavens. More importantly, they never felt the powerful influence it had. Unless they ran into a werewolf during that time, they’d never know anything had occurred.

  Unmated werewolves, however, were deeply affected by the change in the moon’s color and the increased gravitational pull. During that time, the color changed to bright amber and brought out their inner wolves, sometimes so abrupt and with so much power that they lost control. But even more alarming, werewolves were struck with uncontrollable sexual urges. Urges that they would do almost anything to satisfy.

  The problem was that, should they meet their intended mate during the phase of the amber moon, the intensity of that meeting was much stronger than it normally would’ve been. So strong, in fact, that it could damage the precious werewolf-mate connection that brought mates together, burning it out completely. Unfortunate mates could wake up no longer attracted to each other the following morning. After that, they’d have to settle for a mate they could try to love, or live their lives alone, knowing that they’d ruined their chance with their intended mate. Rumors had it that the intense meeting sometimes resulted in the werewolves hurting, even killing, their mate.

  “The chances of her showing up are slim to none.”

  Duncan had known Grant would argue with him. He settled into his seat and ignored the food on his plate. “That’s bullshit and you know it. The stories say that a werewolf is fifty times more likely to meet his mate during the amber moon. How can we pass up that chance?”

  “I don’t know, man.”

  Duncan shot Lance a hard look. “Come on, cuz. Either fish or cut bait. We sure as hell haven’t done any good finding her so far. How long are you two willing to wait? It’s either take a chance with the moon or send one of us out of town to hunt for her. Which of you two wants to leave?”

  Neither one of them responded. They’d talked about it before, but they each loved their home and didn’t want to spend any time away. Even if they went in search of their mate, there was no way to predict if they’d find her.

  That was the way of it. Every werewolf had an intended mate, a mate he’d recognize by the irresistible attraction that would warp to life once he met her. Oftentimes, especially if she was a shifter, she’d feel the overpowering connection, too. Human females could feel the connection, but that wasn’t a guarantee. Most did, but every once in a while the human female would ignore the sensation or be too terrified at the idea of loving a shifter that she’d resist the pull.

  If a werewolf was lucky, that one special lady would also have the bond with his partners. What if that didn’t happen with his cousin and Grant? Duncan didn’t even want to think about that. He, Lance, and Grant had decided long ago that they wanted one woman to share. To have their dream dashed just wasn’t anything he could live with.

  “You know we don’t want to leave any more than you do. But it may come to that. When it does, we draw straws. Short stick goes on the road.” Grant shoved a bite of his raw steak into his mouth then sighed. “Damn, but that’s good.”

  Duncan looked to Lance, unwilling to let Grant change the subject. Yet he could tell by his cousin’s expression that it was going to be one of those times. He loved his cousin like a brother, but sometimes Lance tried to straddle the fence during arguments.

  “Look, guys, you’re both right. We probably won’t meet her during the amber moon, which means we’ve lost nothing by having a little fun.” Lance kept his attention on his plate. “I guess what I’m saying is, where’s the harm? Still, either way, it’d be a shame to screw anything up.”

  Grant clutched his fork, his meat halfway to his mouth. “So you two want to have fun with any random woman, regardless of the possible consequences. Is that what you’re thinking? If we’re just going to go crazy and fuck anything on two legs, then why the hell have we held back for the past year?”

  Grant was referring to an agreement they’d made almost a year ago to the day. Since they were waiting for their mate, they’d agreed to refrain from casual sex with any woman.

  “Damn it, Grant. Loosen up.” Duncan centered his efforts back on Lance. He’d force his cousin to take one side of the other. Preferably his side. “Lance, quit playing diplomat and help me out. Tell me you’re not saying we should stay home and drink ourselves into passing out so we won’t go out.”

  “No.” Lance glanced around the room. “I’ve heard that getting passed out drunk won’t help. Of course, the last amber moon was a long time ago, so who knows how reliable the information is?”

  It seemed Lance was still straddling the damn fence. He had to try a different tactic if he was going to get anywhere.

  “We could go into Dallas.” Duncan didn’t want to travel for that special night, but it was better than the alternative. Their mate might be living there. At least it was worth a try. At least it was doing something.

  “And risk shifting in the middle of the Dallas club scene?” Grant snatched the chunk of steak off his fork then speared another piece. “Do you want to be the one to out werewolves to the general population?”

  “Come on, man. Don’t screw this up. It’s a gift from the heavens.”

  Okay. So maybe that was taking it a bit too far. Judging by their faces, they think so, too.

  “Holing up at your ranch won’t help.” Milly paused as she strolled around the room to freshen cups of coffee. “Unless, of course, you get someone to chain you down in your cellar. Even then, you might end up tearing off a leg or an arm to get out.”

  “So what you’re saying is that we don’t have a choice.” Duncan didn’t like going down that path, but if it helped his cause, then so be it.

  “Basically, yeah. That’s it in a nutshell. It’s going to hit you, boys, and hit you hard.”

  Grant snorted and put down his fork. “You can’t believe all that crap, Milly. I know you’ve got more sense than that.”

  Milly’s eyebrow went skyward. “Gee, thanks.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Milly was one of the few people in Forever who had a chance of putting Grant Harkness in his place. She ran a friendly diner, but she didn’t take any guff from anyone.

  “Yeah, I get that. But to answer your question, yes, I do believe all that crap. Just ask Miss Clara. She was around the last time it happened.”

  Miss Clara was a mainstay of the community. No one knew exactly how old she was because she’d tell them one age one time, then change it to a different age the next week. But one thing was certain. If Miss Clara said something was true, then it damn well was.

  “She was?” Duncan knew right then and there that he’d have to talk to the old lady. It didn’t mean she’d tell him what he wanted to know—she was growing more irascible every day—but it was worth a try.

  “She was.” Milly leaned over the table, flattening one hand on the top. “See those two guys over in the corner? Damn it. Don’t stare.”

  Duncan, Lance, and Grant jerked their gazes away from the two elderly men sitting at a small table toward the rear of the diner. They were hunched and not talking, their expressions locked in what seemed like perpetual scowls.

  “Yeah?” whispered Lance.

  “They were there, too. And they met their mate. People say that they had the connection with her one night, but when they woke up the next mo
rning, they couldn’t feel anything at all for her. I’m talking zero attraction. Hell, even zero friendliness. She left town and they never mated. It’s just so sad.”

  Duncan was surprised to see her eyes glisten with unshed tears. He’d rarely seen Milly get teary-eyed.

  “Anyway, that’s the story straight from Miss Clara’s mouth.”

  Duncan took another glimpse at the two old men and inwardly grimaced. He’d hate like hell to end up without a mate and miserable like them. “Wait a second. Is that why Miss Clara never mated?”

  Milly straightened up. “I don’t know and I’m not about to ask. In fact, I’ve heard it both ways. I’ve heard she found her mates that night and lost them, and that she never found anyone else she could tolerate enough to live with.”

  “Someone needs to get with Miss Clara and write down her life story.” Duncan wasn’t being facetious. “I bet it’d be a hell of a read.”

  “That’s for sure.” Milly waved at a couple coming through the door. “You keep talking, boys. Just make sure you can live with whatever you decide. Better make it quick, though, before the moon comes out.”

  “Why? Tomorrow’s when it really takes place. Isn’t that right?” Lance had chowed down on his food until Milly had come up. Now his attention was set on her.

  “It starts tonight, but tomorrow’s when it’s supposed to be the most powerful. Saying it lasts for one night is misleading. How much it’ll affect unmated shifters tonight is anyone’s guess.”

  “I don’t feel anything.” Grant shoved his plate away.