Free Grayslake: More than Mated: PAWS & Surrender (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Bear Allegiance Series Book 1) by Josie Walker

down the long driveway. “I’ve been waiting weeks for someone to say something naughty enough to get it done, but over the years most of the clan has learned to watch their mouths in my house.”
    Mia plopped a big floppy summer hat on Michelle’s head and then she set a bucket on the ground next to her. There was a ratty pair of gardening gloves in the bucket, but they looked dirty and gross, so she opted to go without protections. Mia kicked open a portable lawn chair and sat down to stare at her recalcitrant laborer.
    “Are you going to watch over me like a hawk the whole time I’m out here pulling weeds?” she asked angrily.
    “Goodness no. It’ll get far too hot out here after noon. I just thought I’d keep you company for a little bit. As you know, I overheard what you said earlier and you were wrong on quite a few counts so I thought I’d do you a favor and set you straight.”
    “Oooh, so I get forced manual labor and a lecture?” Michelle asked sarcastically.
    “Save your sarcasm for my son. He seems to find it attractive. I don’t. As you might have noticed, the men in this family aren’t known for their fabulous communication skills. What exactly has my son told you about himself?”
    “He generally just grabs my arms and yells at me like a stalker as he barks MINE!”
    Mia winced visibly. “Sounds even worse than I imagined. It looks like my son and I will be having a talk today as well. That’s no way for a man to treat the woman he loves.”
    “He doesn’t love m…” Michelle began to argue but Mia cut her off.
    “We both know the boy’s mad about you,” she tsked. “I guarantee you he’s never acted this way about another woman, EVER. I suggest you get to work, it only gets harder the hotter it gets. Now, where to begin… First off, Parker’s not a bastard. His parents were very much married when he was born. I love my son very much, but just to be clear, he’s not my biological son.”
    “What?” she struggled to absorb that bit of news. Mia didn’t respond to her outburst, but instead chose to continue with her speech.
    “My husband and I have worked very hard to provide all of our children with a happy and secure environment, but Parker’s childhood didn’t start out that way. He entered my life unexpectedly when he was only four years old. His uncle had brutally murdered both of his parents and was trying to finish him off as well, because he was the only thing standing between him being the clan’s next Itan.”
    “I thought your husband was the Itan?” Michelle asked, beginning to feel overwhelmed by all the details.
    “Shifters have different territories, some are as small as a city or town, and some span whole states. Parker’s family had a much larger territory. His uncle was actually a distant relative of mine but I won’t bother getting into all of that now. Suffice it to say, his uncle was a very bad man who tried to kill Parker and a bunch of people I love dearly. That’s how Isaac got his scars.”
    “Oh…” Michelle murmured. She’d noticed the doctor’s scars, but had tried to pretend that she didn’t see them in order to spare the older man’s feelings.
    “Ty and I adopted Parker and he is our son in every possible way, except through birth. When he turned twenty-five and reached the age of majority he moved away to assume leadership of his rightful territory. He doesn’t visit much anymore, he’s too busy being Itan. He’s only here right now because I nagged him into coming to see me. I just couldn’t stand how he hadn’t settled down and found a mate and that’s exactly what I’d planned on discussing with him... but then he ran into you so it wasn’t necessary. He needed to know that as Itan it’s his responsibility to sire an heir… and more importantly, I want grandbabies. Thanks to menopause I don’t get to have any more cubs of my own,” she sighed wistfully.
    “I’m surprised you only had Sophia if you like babies so