Maggie's Wolves, Part Five: A BBW Shifter Romance (Red Mountain Pack Book 5) Read Free

He’s rough around the edges, I know that. But he’s a good man. Loyal and fierce. He shows you one face because he sees you as a stranger. I want you to see the whole man.”
    “You’re asking me to trust you again.”
    The corner of his mouth edged up in a smile. “I know it’s a lot to ask. You’re still learning who I am.”
    “I know who you are.”
    She did. Their bond told her he was telling her the truth. It let her sense some of his fear too. Case cared deeply for Declan. Their bond might be wrapped up in feelings of obligation, but that didn’t mean Declan wasn’t worthy of the debt.
    “Declan’s younger than you are,” she said, struggling with the image of even a young Case needing help from anyone.
    “He is. He was tough even then. My sister and I had to live as wolves for months before it was safe to come home. Declan showed us how to survive it. He could have run. One of my fathers hunted us—” He broke off, shaking his head. “The point is, if you claim him, if he gives you his vow, you will not find a truer mate.”
    Jack grabbed the butter off the table. “Hey, now.”
    Case smiled. “Present company included. Will you give him a chance?”
    “I’ll give him a chance.” She glanced at the windows. They were dark now, reflecting the kitchen and her mates. Jack and Carson moved through the image in the glass, joking with one another as they tidied up. She frowned. “He won’t stay out there all night, will he?”
    Case shook his head and stood. “He’ll be back. How is the heat?”
    “Good for now.”
    Case looked mildly disappointed. “Want to watch a movie?”
    “Sure.” She smiled. “I’d like that.”
     
     
     
    After cleaning up from dinner, they retired to the family room which was downstairs. It was like a dark, cozy den with an enormous television and sectional. After some repositioning, Maggie found herself sprawled between Case and Jack, watching the latest superhero reboot. Her head rested in Case’s lap. Jack had one of her feet cradled in his warm hands. Eli had claimed the recliner and had fallen asleep before the first chase scene. Carson sat on the floor by her hip, his head resting near her hand.
    This was heaven.
    She toyed with the ends of Carson’s hair. Thick and slightly wavy, it appeared almost black in the dim light. He tipped his head away from her as she moved her hand, exposing the strong line of his throat. She could see the beat of his pulse beneath his skin, and her wolf gave a pleased growl.  
    Hers.
    Carson wouldn’t have let himself be so vulnerable with anyone not of his pack. He’d kept a wall up between them until the moment she’d claimed him. Now, she could barely remember why she’d hesitated.
    Jack pulled off her sock. “You’re not watching the movie.”
    She looked back at the screen. “I got distracted.”
    “Hmm.” Jack slid his thumb along the arch of her foot in a gentle glide.
    In the movie, the hero had somehow managed to lose his shirt. Last week, she might have been interested in the actor’s finely sculpted muscles, but the man on the screen had nothing on her mates. He was pretty, but far too soft, too human to ever satisfy her. She knew that now. Her wolf had always known it.
    Case traced the shell of her ear with his fingertip, and a shiver chased down her spine. The heat was already beginning to rise. It never completely went away anymore. Always simmering just below the surface, it built with slow, inevitable strength until there was no denying the hunger.
    Her mates talked about the females who went human as if they were weak, but Maggie couldn’t imagine the strength it would take to fight against the urges of her body. It would be an all out battle with the wolf. If Eli hadn’t come upon her when he had, she would be in the cabin now, her mind ripped apart by an angry, frustrated wolf. Instead, she was here, surrounded by her mates and all she had to do when the heat rose was call upon them to help her