Free What a Wolf Wants (Black Hills Wolves Book 2) by Heather Long

“My insatiable mate.” Amusement curved his generous mouth and softened his expression. “Mine.”
    Yeah, it would all take some getting used to, but oh so worth the trouble. Town was a hike, and the longer it took to get there, the more she realized how isolated Ryker had been. At the edge of the dilapidated town, Saja’s disquiet grew. The place looked like hell, even expecting it didn’t do justice to the visible damage—and the darker miasma beneath the surface. A deep sense of neglect had allowed it to tumble this far.
    Anger burst in her chest—the same neglect had left Ryker alone in the woods. Riding the fresh wave of ferocity, she planted herself at Ryker’s side as they approached the bonfire set up next to an old barn. Music played from somewhere, while food and drink flowed.
    It wasn’t long before a scarred Wolf named Tasha and another girl named Amelia swept her off away from Ryker. Amelia was the daughter of the town’s only bar owner. She was definitely not a wolf. Saja had no idea how she knew other than it came from the same place telling her she could trust Tasha. Despite the damage to her face, her warmth was a real thing. The female Wolf seemed to genuinely care about getting to know Saja. One by one, more women surrounded her and introduced themselves, and soon she couldn’t see Ryker for the thick of bodies surrounding her—but she could feel him, his presence warming her from inside out.

 
     
     
Epilogue
     
     
    The pack’s fascination with Saja included genuine welcome. Amusingly, her nervousness had transformed to anger the moment they’d entered Los Lobos. Her grim expression had gone a long way to calming the nervous wolves. The younger wolves had quickly abandoned their natural reticence to crowd around her. If not for Betty and Tasha keeping close watch, the number of bodies separating him from his mate might have been a cause for concern.
    “You know,” Drew said, almost too casually, “it occurs to me I don’t really need to punish your infraction after all.”
    “All right.” Another surge of laughter rolled through the crowd around Saja. He could hear her telling a story about some South American tribe.
    “They like her.” His Alpha grinned.
    The pack’s welcome for his mate was important. “Yes.”
    “No, Ryker, they really like her. Women like company. Now they know she’s out there in your cabin, they’ll all make a point of coming to see her and making sure she feels welcome.”
    Visitors. Ryker had never had very many. That would definitely take some getting used to. A younger male, not much more than seventeen, skidded to a halt in front of them. Darryl was the eldest of the three teens Ryker had castigated for being spotted roaming in their Wolf form. Uncertain, the kid cast a sideways look at them and then down.
    “Yes?” Drew encouraged him since the kid obviously had a question to ask.
    “So, does this mean if we met a human girl we like, that it’s okay to date her?”
    Ryker didn’t laugh, but he didn’t have to look at Drew to sense the Alpha’s frown. “Ask your mother.”
    The response was the right one because Darryl’s hopeful look crashed. He left as quickly as he’d approached.
    “That could be a problem,” Drew said softly.
    Saja’s laughter burst out from the crowd. Ryker shrugged. “We’ll deal with it.”
    “No.” Drew smiled again. “Any Wolf-human dating issues are now yours.” He clapped a hand on Ryker’s shoulder.
    There were worse punishments.
    The crowd parted a fraction, and he saw his mate grinning at him. When he smiled in return, another wave of wonder rolled through the crowd, but Ryker ignored them all. The only one who mattered burned brightly next to his heart.
    He would deal with every other change as it came.

 
     
     
~A Note from Heather~
     
     
    Dear Reader,
     
    When Rebecca Royce and I first discussed the Black Hills Wolves, the background, the pack, and the various members, I knew Ryker was my