Charmed By The Wolf
The wolf's redemption… Wolf pack sentinel Tristan Durrance firmly believes happy and mated don't go together. Until Penelope Buchanan arrives at Walker's Run Resort. Nel's undeniably gorgeous…and human. Tristan should steer clear of her. But she awakens an indescribable longing in him; one he can't resist.Nel's ready to explore new things, and Tristan is one of them. But despite the visceral attraction between them, Nel senses he's keeping some powerful secrets. Tristan will do anything to protect Nel. But he also knows the beast within him won't stay hidden forever.
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The Wolfanâs Redemption...
Wolf pack sentinel Tristan Durrance firmly believes happily and mated donât go together. Until Penelope Buchanan arrives at Walkerâs Run Resort. Nelâs undeniably gorgeous...and human. Tristan should steer clear of her. But she awakens an indescribable longing in him; one he canât resist.
Nelâs ready to explore new things, and Tristan is one of them. But despite the visceral attraction between them, Nel senses heâs keeping some powerful secrets. Tristan will do anything to protect Nel. But he also knows the beast within him wonât stay hidden forever.
âHereâs something to warm you up.â Nel held out a coffee cup to Tristan.
âIâm not cold.â He accepted it anyway, his eyes tracking her every movement as she sat on the couch. He sat next to her, closer than she expected. His posture was rigid, his breathing tight and controlled. Nothing like the easygoing, self-assured guy sheâd danced with all evening.
Nel cleared her throat. âWas everything okay on patrol tonight?â
âPenelope, what are you doing?â He placed his mug down on the table next to them.
âTrying to distract myself from the storm by having a conversation with you...except youâre not cooperating.â
Thunder broke overhead and Nel jumped. Tristan took the coffee cup from her hands and put it down next to his.
âStorms bother you?â
She nodded. âMy dad used to read me stories as a distraction.â
Tristan leaned forward, grazing his cheek along her jaw.
âWhat kind of distraction are you looking for tonight?â
Southern born and bred, KRISTAL HOLLIS holds a psychology degree and has spent her adulthood helping people and animals. When a family medical situation resulted in a work sabbatical, she began penning deliciously dark paranormal romances as an escape from the real-life drama. But when the crisis passed, her passion for writing love stories continued. A 2015 Golden Heart® Award finalist, Kristal lives with her husband and two rescued dogs at the edge of the enchanted forest that inspires her stories.
For Keith.
Through all the ups and downs,
you remain my constant.
Contents
How dare the sun show its bright, bold face today?
And the serene, clear blue sky was simply all wrong.
The beauty and tranquility belittled the horrific tragedy that took place here, seven years ago to the day.
In his wolfan form, Tristan Durrance padded across the isolated forest cove. It had taken a long time, but the pack was finally healing. The violent loss of Mason Walker, the eldest Alpha son, had struck all the Wahyas in Walkerâs Run hard, but particularly Tristan. Mason had saved his life, become his mentor and his closest friend. His senseless death was a deep wound that hadnât quite closed.
Tristan wished he had been with Mason and his younger brother, Brice, on that fateful day. His presence wouldnât have prevented the roguesâ attack, but he couldâve evened the odds. Maybe Mason wouldnât have died and Brice wouldnât have nearly lost his leg, if Tristan had only listened to his instincts.
Something had felt off that morning. The sensation had wormed its way beneath his skin and inched into his muscles, making him restless and irritable.
Much like today.
He blamed the feeling on working too hard, too little sleep and the anniversary of his best friendâs brutal murder.
Tristan never found peace when he came to the cove, but usually the dark, dank, somber woods nursed his misery. Today, however, all signs of the violent past were obliterated by fresh green moss, tiny blades of grass and delicate flowers with colorful petals stretching toward the barrage of morning sunbeams breaking through the tall, skinny pines. Even the gentle breeze carried the fresh, fragrant scent of summer.
He scratched at the ground, his paw slicing through the gossamery green disguising the greedy soil that had soaked up Masonâs blood. Life had sprung from death, yet Tristan found no solace that it had. Everything and everyone had moved on.
Why couldnât he?
Stuck in a rut, he didnât quite know how to get out of it or if he wanted to. Most wolfans his age were mated and had a wolfing or two in tow. He wished them the best, all the while resigning himself to a life of bachelorhood. Coming from a long line of wolfans mated unhappily-ever-after, he preferred to be alone than to spend his life stuck in a doomed relationship he could never be free of.
Life is what you make of it, so make the choice to be a better man.
Masonâs voice whispered through Tristanâs mind. A memory rather than comfort from beyond the grave. In life, Mason had spoken those words to Tristan on more than one occasion and he found the sentiment both inspiring and irritating, depending on mood and circumstance.
