Free Wolf Lake (Werewolf / Shifter Romance) by Mac Flynn

Chapter 1
     
    Breakfast was over in half an hour. I leaned back in my chair and groaned in satisfaction as I patted my full, but happy stomach. "Vuk, would you consider cooking for me every morning?" I asked the manservant as he stood in the kitchen.
    Will smiled at me. "Vuk and I would be pleased to have you every morning," he invited.
    I grinned. "Be careful what you wish for. I might eat you out of your bacon," I warned him.
    He chuckled. "I highly doubt that, but even with your threat the offer still stands."
    "Standing might be a problem right now," I commented. I stood and felt like I'd gained ten pounds, and all at the hips and butt. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you two were fattening me up to eat me." I expected at least a smile or a chuckle from Will, but instead I noticed a dark shadow cross his face. Vuk paused in his washing of the dishes and turned to us with a plate suspended in one hand and the rag in the other. I cringed and turned back to Will. "I'm sorry if I said something-"
    "You didn't say anything wrong," Will interrupted me. He smiled, set his hand on my back and led me toward the rear door. "And I'm very glad you enjoyed the breakfast. I will be sure to have Vuk prepare the same for you every morning when you visit."
    "You don't have to-burp-excuse me. You don't have to go to all this trouble. I can feed myself," I protested. Though at that moment the idea of eating my own meals wasn't appetizing. You just couldn't compare cold cereal to a warm, cooked breakfast, especially if bacon was involved. Bacon was like the Force, it had it's dark meat and its juicy white fat, and nothing beat the Force.
    "But I insist. It isn't often Vuk and I are able to speak so openly with another person. We are-well, very confirmed bachelors in our way," he told me.
    We stepped out onto the rear porch and admired the beautiful view of the glistening lake. "And you'll let a confirmed old maid like me into your pad?" I teased him.
    He smiled and admired my face and form. "Calling yourself an old maid isn't doing you justice," he scolded.
    I shrugged. "The world is full of injustice," I replied.
    Will turned away from me to look at the lake, and a pensive expression slipped across his face. "Yes, the world and life are full of a very great injustices. One's life is shattered in an instant by a stupid mistake, and they travel the world hoping to fix their error only to find disappointment and despair."
    I looked over his face and could detect a hint of that disappointment and despair in his expression. "Speaking from experience?" I guessed.
    His voice was a ghost of its normal self. "More than I care to admit," he replied. He shook himself and glanced at me with his smile. Now I wondered if that smile was real. "You must be a witch," he mused.
    I blinked. "Beg your pardon?" I asked him.
    He chuckled. "You've bewitched me into speaking more about myself than I've done in many years. Not since I met Vuk," he revealed.
    "How long ago was that?" I wondered.
    "Seven years ago," he told me.
    "It's a good thing you're not a woman. That's a long time to be a celibate talker," I teased.
    "Yes, but I'm glad to break my celibacy for such a lovely companion," he replied.
    I blushed and looked away to my left where stood my cabin. My face fell when my eyes fell on a familiar form hurrying in our direction. "I don't think she sleeps. . ." I murmured.
    Will leaned forward and glanced past me. He sighed when he noticed Olivia headed toward us. "Will you blame me greatly if I step back inside?" he asked me.
    "Run, run fast," I agreed.
    Will clasped my hand in his and planted a gallant kiss on the back of my hand. "Until later," he whispered. I didn't get a chance to reply before he slipped inside, leaving me at the mercy of Olivia. I stepped off the porch onto the grass just as she scurried up to me.
    "Good morning, Grace," she warmly greeted me.
    "Good morning, Olivia," I returned.
    She looked past me at the closed door. "Is William