The beta shook his head and motioned for quiet.
“Right. Any time you need access, you’ve got it. The wolf pack is all yours now for studying.” Aiden looked at Jenny, winked.
The alpha’s expression went blank. “Really? That’s too bad. I’m sure Professor Perry will be missed.”
“Not,” Troy murmured.
Aiden hung up. “Professor Chance called to thank me for allowing him access onto our land to study the Timberline pack. The memory spell Tristan put on him worked well. He doesn’t remember a thing about finding a lone wolf caught in a trap, Jenny.”
Beth hugged Dale. “He’s such a good teacher, and cares about the environment. I’m glad he stopped seeing Judy. She was so crazy about Perry, thought he walked on water. Professor Chance deserves a nice woman.”
“Like the one I have, except she’s taken,” Dale purred.
Aiden palmed his phone. “Judy… Tristan told me Perry was on the verge of turning her soul over to the Dark Lord as well. Tristan wiped out her memory as well and she’s gone back to her family in Indiana.”
Jenny was almost afraid to ask. “How does Professor Chance think Perry died?”
Aiden’s expression remained guarded. “Leave it to Tristan. He was killed in a helicopter crash…. While trying to shoot at the Timberline pack from the air. There won’t be an autopsy. The family’s decided to have a quiet funeral. Seems his own father sensed something had changed with his son, and disinherited him some time ago.”
She nodded, but her focus remained on Snake, who stood by the fireplace, staring into the flames. So much heartache and love.
Troy went to him, clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Snake. I’m sorry for what happened to her.”
Snake turned his hat over, thumbing the brim. “Knew Zoe was fighting something, but she refused to tell me. It was that bastard Ellison all along. He’s the reason she ran away. She was flirting with him and he went too far and raped her. She was too ashamed to come to me or her parents, or Aiden. Too scared. Figured everyone would blame her. I told her different. She’s with her parents now, resting. They’re horrified that this happened to her and they were blind to it.”
Jenny’s throat closed. “Everyone was blind to it. Tristan told us it takes extraordinary powers to detect these kind of demons. They’re clever at disguising themselves as normal Lupines or OtherWorlders.”
Troy fisted his hands. “He’s dead, Snake. He’ll never hurt her again. Jenny saw to it.”
Not just me. It was teamwork. She took Troy’s hand. “I would have stopped, if you weren’t there, encouraging me to continue. We make a great team. Let’s make a great team for all eternity.”
The alpha looked at the clock hanging over the fireplace mantle. “I have a pack meeting with Caderyn and the other wizards. It’s going to take the rest of the day to go through each pack member to determine their true nature. But before we go, I want to settle some things with both of you.”
Jenny held her breath. Would the alpha kick them out now? After everything?
“Need to know where you want to live after you’re mated. I can give you the cabin where you’ve been staying.” Aiden grinned.
“Oh no, first you’re going to be properly mated.” Nia beamed. “A wedding. I love weddings and I’ll help you plan it.”
“I will as well,” Sam offered.
“A wedding would be a fine thing,” Darius mused. “Help the pack understand as well, that you’re not a threat except to those who embrace evil.”
“The wedding, yes, that would be nice,” she ventured. “But staying here to live permanently…”
Jenny glanced at Troy, who shook his head.
“I reckon we’ll be hitting the road again after we get mated,” Troy said quietly. “This evil is gathering, and we need to flush it out and hunt it down.”
But she knew what it cost him to say that, because Troy truly did want to belong to a pack again. Needed to have a place to call home.
“Maybe we can compromise,” she told him. “Stay here once in a while.”
She turned to Aiden.
“Your pack will never fully accept me, Aiden. Not all the time. But Troy is right. Lupines need pack. I feel Troy and I were given our unique magick, our gifts, for a reason. We were meant to be together. We could have both a life on the road, seeking and destroying dark magick, but the ranch to call home when we need to rest.”
She glanced at Troy. “Is that okay with you?”
He smiled. “Anywhere I’m with you is fine with me, sweetheart. As long as we’re together, I’ll be home.”
As he kissed her, she closed her eyes, remembering they were once two lost souls longing for something deeper and richer. Longing for home.
They finally found a place to belong… with each other.
Thank you for reading The Mating Need. I hope you enjoyed it!
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You’ve just read The Mating Need, Book 15 in my Werewolves of Montana series.
The Werewolves Of Montana SeriesWerewolves of Montana boxed set, prequel through Book 4
Werewolves of Montana boxed set, Book 4.5 through Book 7
Prequel: The Mating Heat
Book 1: The Mating Chase
Book 2: The Mating HuntBook 3: The Mating Seduction
Book 4: The Mating Rite
Book 4.5: The Mating Intent
Book 5: The Mating Challenge, Aiden’s story
Book 6: The Mating Season, Tristan’s story
Book 7: The Mating Destiny, Alex’s storyBook 8: The Mating Game, Xavier’s story
Book 9: The Mating Ritual, Gideon’s story
Book 10: The Mating
