Saving Scarlett Read Free

of it was that it didn’t matter.  Her father would never allow her to mate two mountain lions.  His territory was everything to him, and she was merely a tool to expand it.  If the situation were as simple as being disowned and kicked out of the pack, she would gladly take that punishment in exchange for the endless nights promised in Ray’s and Wesley’s eyes.  But in her heart she knew it wouldn’t be that simple.  Her father would kill them and then he would punish her, or turn her over to her future mate to be punished.
    Standing at the foot of the bed in her gown with her heels in her hand, she looked at the two sleeping males, memorizing everything about the moment.  They were so handsome with their hair tousled, their eyes closed in sleep, and small smiles on their lips.  She didn’t leave a note.  What could she say, after all?  Thanks for rocking my world, and by the way, never try to see me again .
    That seemed even more harsh than stealing out of the room before dawn without a trace.  She’d let Melody know to steer them away from her and trusted her best friend to do as she asked.  She’d never share this night with anyone.  What had happened between her, Ray, and Wesley was the most important thing in her life and she’d never forget them, no matter what the future held for her.
    Blinking back the tears, she tiptoed from the room and out of the boarding house, leaving them far behind.
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 2
    Seven Weeks Later
     
     
    Scarlett looked at herself in the full-length mirror.  The seamstress her father had hired was well-known to wolf kind, one of the best mating dressmakers in North America.  Della was tall and lean, with graying blonde hair tucked into a tight bun.  She wore a simple skirt and blouse, but Scarlett could tell that it had been handmade by someone with a lot of skill.  She didn’t wonder at how much money her father was spending to bring the famed Della Lee to Bent Creek for a week to create Scarlett’s mating gown.
    The strapless gown hugged her curves and molded her breasts in a way that was almost indecent.  The gown was cream-colored, with a bodice covered with tiny crystals that glittered brightly, and a full skirt dotted with seed pearls.  The many layers of tulle in the skirt and the crinoline underneath made her feel like a southern belle and as she stared into the mirror, she thought she didn’t look like herself.  Scarlett was a girly-girl, but she wasn’t a frou-frou nightmare like the dress made her appear.
    “This is the latest style,” Della said to Scarlett’s mother, who was sitting in a plush chair in a dressing room at a wedding shop in Bent Creek.
    “You look lovely,” her mother said.
    Scarlett looked at her mother’s reflection in the mirror.  Although her mother was smiling, it didn’t reach her eyes.  Scarlett knew that smile well.  It was the smile her mother used when she had been ordered to agree publicly with her husband.  Scarlett’s father, Quentin, ruled the pack with an iron fist.  The older she got, the more she realized that her father’s iron fist applied to their home life, too.  She always imagined her parents in love, because that was the picture they presented to the world.  Now, she wasn’t so sure.  She’d hoped to eventually love the male her father chose for her, but maybe she couldn’t or wouldn’t.  Maybe, like her mother, after thirty-five years together, she would still find her mate unlovable.
    What sort of male wanted a mate who had to be forced to marry him?
    She shuddered at the thought.
    “Leave us for a moment,” her mother said, standing gracefully.  Della nodded curtly and walked out of the dressing room, shutting the door behind her.
    Scarlett turned away from the mirror and the reflection of the glittering mate she was going to be and faced her mom.
    “Where did the time go, sweet little angel?” her mom whispered as tears sparked in her brown eyes.
    Scarlett’s