Free Growl (Winter Pass Wolves Book 2) by Vivian Wood, Amelie Hunt Page A

got it,” Penny promised, tossing Brooke a last look before walking toward Chase’s cabin.
    Brooke hitched the boxes higher on her hip and headed for the main lodge, thinking about her own plans for the future. She certainly wasn’t ready to start her own family just yet, but the idea of having a baby with Pax called to her heart. He’d be an amazing dad. She could imagine him crawling around on all floors, showing a little version of himself how to get into mischief.
    If two werewolves had a baby, would it be born a wolf? Brooke had zero idea how that worked, so she should probably do some research—
    “Stop right there,” came a too-familiar voice. Cool metal touched the back of Brooke’s neck, raising every hair on her whole body. Lynne Marchand chuckled as she pressed the tip of a gun against Brooke’s bare skin.
    “What are you doing here, Lynne?” Brooke asked, her whole body trembling. Careful to remain still, Brooke turned her gaze to Lynne. The attorney was dressed head to toe in black hunting gear, which in itself was shocking. Then there was the look on Lynne’s face, steely determination mixed with a sneer. That in itself was almost scarier than the weapon she held.
    “You’re very stupid, you know that?” Lynne asked.
    “You don’t have to do this,” Brooke said. “You can have whatever you want, you don’t need the gun.”
    “Hah! I know what you are now, Brooke. You think I’m going to wrangle a werewolf without a weapon? I’m not the stupid one here.”
    A werewolf who’s never shifted… Brooke thought. Lynne didn’t need to know that, though. Brooke’s wolf stirred within her, the sensation still jarring for its newness. Her wolf didn’t like Lynne’s presence, didn’t like the scent of gun oil filling the air. Right there with you, buddy .
    “What do you want, Lynne?” Brooke asked, trying for the same no-nonsense tone Lynne normally used. Lynne gave another amused huff, which wasn’t a very good sign in Brooke’s eyes.
    “Lots of things, Brooke. I want my son’s heart not to be broken. I want him to have everything he deserves, which you’ve so rudely denied him.”
    “I didn’t do anything to him,” Brooke pointed out, shifting the boxes in her hands.
    “Put the damn boxes down,” Lynne ordered. “Slowly.”
    Brooke took a step away from Lynne and her gun. She set the boxes down, then stood up again and turned to face Lynne.
    “He doesn’t even love me, you know,” Brooke told her.
    Lynne’s sneer reappeared.
    “What does love have to do with anything? Do you think I loved Travis’s father? No. I needed his position and power, and I needed his seed. Once I had Travis, I didn’t need anything else from that bastard. So I got rid of him, just like I planned to do to you. Once you gave Travis children, of course.”
    Brooke blinked, surprised that Lynne would just lay out her crazy plan like that.
    “You’re going to kill me?” was all Brooke could think to ask.
    “I said planned , past tense. Keep up, dear.” Lynne paused, then shook her head. “No, I’m afraid you interrupted all of that. I was going to wait it out, get you to sign over the rights to Winter Pass Lodge and your parents’ offshore accounts to Travis, let you give me some grandchildren first. But now, you’ve ruined that. Now I have to speed up the process.”
    Brooke wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond to that. Lynne reached into the pocket of her black windbreaker, pulling out a sheaf of papers and waving them meaningfully.
    “Time for Plan B. My car’s this way,” Lynne said, waving the gun toward a path that led south, away from the main house and cabins. “Start walking.”
    “Lynne… really, you don’t need to do this,” Brooke said again. “If it’s money, we can work something out.”
    “You don’t know anything, stupid girl. Of course I have to do this. Do you think securing my position as district attorney was cheap? And Travis, getting him a job in the