Free Chasing Paradise by Sondrae Bennett Page B

her had struck too deep for him to overcome it by mere words. He needed to prove his devotion.
    At least now he understood what had complicated his mating so badly. He had no one to blame but himself.
    One way or another, he’d fix this. He’d spend the rest of his life showing her exactly how special he thought she was. Eventually, she’d have to believe him. He just had to wear down her resistance.
    * * * *
    No wonder Ethan hadn’t wanted to mate with her if these were the types of females he surrounded himself with. Gwen couldn’t help but gape as she took in the women in the room.
    This was supposed to be an intimate welcome to the pack at the Premier’s house for her and Alyssa. Only Ethan’s siblings were present but every one of them was stunning.
    The Premier’s mate was a petite woman with long white-blond hair. Elegance and grace were evident in every move she made, but her smile was warm and welcoming. Gwen had been a bit surprised to discover Samantha was an arctic fox. After all, foxes weren’t too far up the food chain from otters. And she was mated to the Premier no less. But the pair seemed happy, which just led to all sorts of questions. If Ethan didn’t get his prejudice from his family, where had it come from?
    His two sisters were equally friendly but equally intimidating. Julie, who was apparently on break from school but leaving in just a few days, was arguably the prettiest of the group. Her delicate bone structure and long wavy chestnut hair created an elusive beauty. But despite her big smile and welcoming eyes, a sadness lurked in their depths. Her siblings didn’t seem to notice, but Gwen sensed a comparable sadness to her own and couldn’t help but wonder at the cause. Samantha seemed to be the only other one to sense Julie’s pain, which wasn’t terribly surprising since foxes tended to be hypersensitive to emotions. Hopefully Julie’s pain would shield her own from the Premier’s mate.
    Gwen hadn’t realized Julie was related to Ethan at first, even though they shared the same earthy coloring and bone structure. Her scent indicated Julie was full human and although not unheard of, shifters rarely gave birth to full humans, even when one parent was one. The shifter gene was dominant, and infused much of the DNA.
    Laurie didn’t have her sister’s abstract beauty, but she radiated strength and confidence, drawing Gwen’s eye to her again and again. She had a statuesque grace that undoubtedly served her well with the opposite sex.
    And his brothers! If her romp ever saw these wolves, no work would ever get done. All three men looked like they belonged on the cover of magazines, not running a software company in the-middle-of-nowhere Colorado.
    Thank God Alyssa was here with her. She needed the reinforcement and support. Meeting her mate’s family was hard enough. Seeing how gorgeous they all were didn’t help settle her nerves.
    “So, Gwen, share! I want to hear all about how you met Ethan. I must say, it was a bit of a shock.” Samantha began the quizzing after they were all seated at the dinner table. Gwen tried to find judgment in Ethan’s sibling’s eyes but only saw friendliness and genuine interest.
    “It’s not a very interesting story, really. My romp owns the resort Ethan vacationed at. I ran into him there and, well, you know how hard it is to resist your mate once you find him.”
    Ethan’s hand rested on her thigh and slowly stroked up and down soothingly. His touch steadied her even as she tried to resist the comfort it offered.
    Looking into his eyes, she saw openness and caring. Almost as if she meant something to him. No, he gazed at her as if she meant everything to him.
    Shaking her head, she looked back at Samantha. Believing such nonsense would only hurt her in the end. Of course he was trying to be supportive after throwing her, quite literally, into the wolves den. She couldn’t allow her imagination to get carried away.
    “Couldn’t resist each