Chosen Mate Read online

  Chosen Mate

  A Crescent Moon Story

  Katie Reus

  Her past has taught her to be wary…

  With an abusive relationship behind her, wolf shifter Leslie is quietly raising her young son in the Kendrick pack. If she’s occasionally lonely, it’s a small price to pay for son’s safety. And if she’s secretly longing for pack alpha Malcolm Kendrick, well…she’s keeping that fantasy to herself. Experience has made her a realist, and they’re far too different to work.

  This alpha is about to stake his claim…

  She has no idea Malcolm wants her just as fiercely. That he’s been subtly courting her for a year. But subtlety has gotten him nowhere—even if he thought it was the best choice after what she’d been through. He wanted to make sure Leslie didn’t feel obligated to him, that she was truly ready to move on. Now that he knows she is, he’s determined to make sure it’s with him. And when a threat from her past surfaces, he’ll eliminate anyone who would dare to hurt his mate.

  Chosen Mate

  Copyright © 2019 by Katie Reus

  ISBN: 9781635561364

  Katie Reus

  Copyright © 2019 by Katie Reus

  Cover art and design by Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs

  Edits: Kelli Collins

  Digital Formatting by Author E.M.S.

  * * *

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.

  Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book. This purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal reading enjoyment on your personal computer or device. You do not have the right to resell, distribute, print or transfer this book, in whole or in part, to anyone, in any format, via methods either currently known or yet to be invented, or upload this book to a file sharing program. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Table of Contents

  CHOSEN MATE

  About the Book

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Thank you for Reading!

  Savannah’s Complete Booklist

  Katie’s Complete Booklist

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Malcolm knocked on Leslie’s door, steeling himself to see the sweet, strong she-wolf.

  As always.

  She’d joined his pack a year and a half ago after escaping an abusive ex—who was now dead, thanks to his pack—and she’d almost completely come out of her shell since then. At least with him. A lot of that had to do with him being alpha of the Kendrick pack, but he’d loved seeing her blossom into the funny, outgoing female she was.

  He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his entire long life. But as the alpha, he was in a position of power, and he never wanted her to feel obligated or as if she owed him anything. It put him in an impossible situation, as every dominant part of him wanted to make a move. But…he simply couldn’t. Not yet.

  Her smile was wide as she greeted him, revealing twin dimples in her cheeks. Her light brown skin was practically glowing as she stepped back. “Thank you so much for coming by.” Now that summer was slowly creeping in, she had on shorts that showed off lean, muscular legs and a flimsy little yellow tank top that hugged her full breasts in a way that made him jealous of the shirt.

  Digging deep, he kept his wolf in check as he leaned in and kissed the top of her head. As if he was simply the caring alpha who’d stopped by to help out a packmate. Which he was, but she was more than a packmate. He subtly inhaled her scent, but shut down what it did to him. He had to for his sanity. “No problem. So what exactly is going on with your sink?”

  “I must have the worst luck in the world when it comes to anything mechanical. The faucet isn’t working again and it’s leaking a bit under the sink. Nothing terrible, but this is the third time it’s happened.” She playfully poked him in the shoulder with a manicured fingernail. “I’m starting to think that someone’s work isn’t up to par.” She snickered, since he was the one who’d fixed her sink last time.

  He liked how relaxed she was with him, because even six months ago she wouldn’t have joked around about his alleged shoddy workmanship.

  Though he knew it wasn’t shoddy. No, more likely, one of his packmates had loosened one of the washers again to get him over here. Nosy, matchmaking wolves were trying to push him and Leslie together, and he was pretty sure his brother—who was also the second-in-command—had taken a hand in all this. Sneaky wolf.

  “Yeah, I need to talk with that slacker.” He glanced around as he stepped inside, looking for Elijah, her thirteen-month-old son. “Where’s my favorite pup?” Normally Elijah would have rushed him, toddling at him like a drunken sailor before launching himself into Malcolm’s arms. He had a soft spot for all pups but with Elijah, the little guy had stolen his heart.

  Just like Leslie had.

  “With my mom, getting spoiled. Where else?” Leslie’s smile was easy and sweet.

  And he felt that smile like a punch to his gut.

  See me, his wolf practically shouted, and he felt nothing like the 200-plus-year-old alpha wolf he was. Under any other circumstances, his wolf would have already staked a claim and let his chosen mate know that he was courting her and that they were meant to be together.

  Leslie had been through a lot, though. She’d dealt with something no she-wolf—hell, no one—should ever have to deal with.

  An abusive mate.

  The idea was repugnant to Malcolm. Mates were supposed to treasure and protect their significant others. That was simply the way it was in the shifter world. They were different than humans in that there was very little domestic abuse.

  Most wolves, or shifters in general, wouldn’t put up with that shit. Him least of all. If her ex hadn’t already been dead, Malcolm would have taken him out personally.

  He adjusted his toolbelt as he strode into the kitchen with her. “Something smells delicious,” he said, eyeing the basket on top of the white and gray-veined quartz countertop.

  “Ursula dropped off a bunch of baked goods. You hungry?”

  Technically he was hungry, but not for food. He willed his dick to stay right where it was, however, because there was no way he could hide a hard on once he stretched out under her sink on his back. He cleared his throat. “I’m good, but thanks. Oh, I brought you these,” he said off-handedly. From one of the pockets of his tool belt, he pulled out a little plastic bag full of the triple-dipped chocolate cashew clusters that he’d special-ordered for her.

  Her eyes widened as she held them to her chest. “Thank you! I’ll have to hide them from…everyone who stops by.”

  “That’s probably wise.” He watched her expression of pure happiness as she held the gift close and he really, really wondered what had been wrong with her dead mate. She was pure joy and sunshine and her ex had wanted to hide her away, to snuff out her bright light by controlling her and breaking her down. Thankfully he
hadn’t succeeded.

  She side-stepped a couple of the cleaning supply bottles she’d spread out on the floor and hid the bag above the refrigerator in a little tin, making him smile.

  Since she’d already emptied out the space under the cabinets and had laid out a towel and bucket underneath, he quickly crouched down. If he found out who had done this, he was going to kick their ass. Well-meaning interference or not, Leslie didn’t deserve to deal with this kind of hassle.

  As he got on his back and slid in, she started moving around the kitchen, her wild lavender scent teasing him, driving him crazy. It made him think of the forest, of running free at night under a full moon—with her by his side.

  “So a human from town asked me out on a date,” she said conversationally and casual as anything.

  He jerked upward, banging his head on the curved pipe above him. Somehow he reined in a curse as he heard her opening the refrigerator door. “Ah, what?” Maybe he’d misheard.

  “Yeah, just yesterday. A nice enough random human from town. He was at the diner at the same time I was. I’ve seen him around and he seems decent.” Her tone wasn’t overly enthusiastic, which was something.

  “What human?” There, that sounded normal enough, even though he was gritting his teeth, imagining punching whoever had asked her out. No one in the pack would dare ask her out. Even if no one had outright called him out on his feelings for her, everyone knew. It was in the subtle way he acted around her and they’d all picked up on it. Well, his brother called him out on it, but he was the only one brave enough.

  “Ah, Marcus something. He owns the auto body shop. You know, he’s got a bunch of tattoos.”

  He did know, and the guy was a good-looking bastard. Malcolm had actually admired the guy’s body art, had wondered where he’d gotten his ink done. Now he just wanted to take the guy’s head off. Which, yes, was barbaric and savage. But he was a wolf, not a human. Not that humans were very civilized anyway. “What’d you tell him?”

  He listened to her moving around, heard her pouring coffee then sitting at the table. She let out a little sigh. “I said I didn’t know and took his phone number.”

  Some of the tension inside him eased. “So…you’re ready to start dating again?” That was definitely news to him. If she was moving on, he wanted her to move on with him. Forever.

  “I guess. I just…” She trailed off again as he tightened the washer.

  The fix was simple enough—but the loosening had definitely been intentional. Even though he was done, he remained where he was, clanging around and making noises so she would keep talking. He’d noticed that she always felt comfortable talking and opening up to him whenever he was working on something. But if he got out from under the cabinet and they made eye contact, she would close up. He knew that well enough from experience. “What?” he gently pushed.

  “I don’t know that I’m ready to date, but I am ready for physical touch again. I’m starting to feel agitated, edgy lately. My wolf needs touch, you know?” He could hear her fingernail tapping against her coffee mug.

  He bit back a growl. The thought of anyone touching her but him had all his claws begging for release, his wolf desperate to be free so he could run and run and run all of this rage off. He didn’t even trust himself to spar with anyone. If he did, he was likely to accidentally hurt a packmate. “Physical touch?” Somehow he forced the words out—because physical touch was simply code for sex. She was ready for sex.

  “You know what it’s like. Wolves need touch. And…it’s been a while for me. Even well before Elijah was born. And if I’m being honest, I want to be sure I can have normal sex again. Especially after…” She swallowed hard.

  Her ex had abused her, and Malcolm knew that he’d raped her more than once. When she’d first come to live with his pack, her mother, Luna, had told him about the abuse she’d endured. And that thought killed any sensual ideas about her that he might have been entertaining at the moment. Not for the first time Malcolm wished her mate was alive so he could kill the bastard all over again. He just wished he’d been the one to kill him in the first place.

  “So why a human?” His wolf slashed at him, telling him to stop asking stupid questions and to demand to know why she wanted anyone other than him. Hell, if the circumstances had been different, if she hadn’t come to his pack traumatized, he’d have already let her know how he felt, would have made a much bolder move. And right now, when she was telling him she was ready for sex, he would have gladly offered to let her use him. Over and over.

  As much as she wanted.

  “Humans are safer than supernaturals. I would be in control the whole time.”

  “Why couldn’t you be in control with a wolf?” Both he and his wolf side wanted this answer. He was dominant by nature but he would give up all of his control for Leslie. At least until she felt safe with him. He couldn’t change who he was, but he could adapt, could be what she needed.

  “I don’t know, I guess I just feel like, in the back of my mind it may be easier with a human.”

  Malcolm was done fixing the pipe and this was about all he could hear about her having sex with someone else. Even if it was just hypothetical.

  He’d been trying to court her for the last six months, slowly and subtly. Hell, he’d wanted her since he’d met her, since she’d shown up here pregnant and in need of shelter a year and a half ago. But that had been way too soon. Only in the last six months had he noticed a shift in her. Obviously he’d been far too subtle or she wouldn’t be talking with him about dating someone else. He knew Leslie would never, ever try to hurt him. She was too soft-hearted to knowingly hurt anyone.

  “Well, I’m sure if you went for a wolf instead of a human, someone from the pack would be more than happy to satisfy all your needs.” And by someone, he meant himself. Because yeah, he’d take off the head of a wolf who touched her too. He slid out from under the countertop and watched her, wanting to see her reaction.

  She stared at him for a long moment, before clearing her throat and looking down at her mug. “Yeah, maybe,” she muttered. “But then things would be awkward afterward.”

  “Maybe not.” Shifting slightly, he started putting all of her cleaning supplies back where they belonged, tamping down the urge to go to her right now and kiss away any thoughts of her with someone else out of her gorgeous head.

  “No maybe about it. I’m not looking for a mate, and you know how wolves can be… Hey, stop doing that.” She knelt down next to him and swatted at him. “You’re the alpha.”

  “Exactly. I take care of my packmates.”

  Something shifted in her gaze, almost like disappointment, but it was there so quickly and then gone that he wasn’t sure what he’d seen. Wasn’t sure what to make of it at all.

  The only thing he knew was that he was completely and utterly smitten with Leslie, and he wanted nothing more than to satisfy all of her emotional and physical needs.

  That was very high on his priority list. He wanted to taste between her legs as she came, wanted to hear her calling out his name as she dug her fingernails into his scalp. Wanted her so happy and sated from climaxing so many damn times, that she wore his scent for everyone to know she was claimed.

  Now that he knew she was ready to move on, he was going to be right there for her.

  Chapter Two

  Well, that had gone well. Leslie lay her forehead against the closed front door after Malcolm had left, feeling sorry for herself. She wasn’t sure why she’d started to tell the object of her fantasies that she was thinking about dating.

  Okay, that was a big fat lie. She knew exactly why she’d told him. They were friends and he was easy to talk to, sure, but truthfully, she’d been hoping for some sort of reaction. To see if he even cared if she started dating. Something.

  But she’d gotten exactly nothing.

  Which was the answer to the unasked question that she’d needed. Even though it cut deep. She’d been drawn to Malcolm from the moment she’d a
rrived on his land. Even as messed up as she’d been back then, her wolf half had felt safe around him. And that was saying something. She hadn’t been remotely ready for any kind of relationship, not with her being pregnant and trying to settle into a new pack, a new life—and starting to feel safe again.

  But the last year they’d been working together, since she was now the pack’s accountant, and she’d started to sort of obsess over him. Or maybe that was the wrong word, but he consumed her thoughts and she had all sorts of sexy, naked fantasies about him.

  So yeah, okay, obsess worked.

  But she must have built up an attraction between them in her mind. After the very poor choices she’d made in her first mate—an abusive monster—why on earth would she think that she was good enough for the alpha of the pack? God, she was such a fool. Sure, he came over and helped out with things when she needed it, but as he’d so clearly stated moments ago, he took care of all his packmates.

  Because that was his job. One he’d taken on willingly, sure, but it was still his responsibility. Which meant she was his responsibility as part of the pack. Not a female he wanted to get intimate with.

  The sexy male was laid-back and sweet, but he was definitely an alpha. So if he was into her, he would’ve gotten all growly and possessive the moment she’d mentioned dating someone else. She imagined that his very faint Scottish accent would have gotten a bit thicker too—because she’d noticed that when something agitated him, that accent slipped through. It had been a century since he’d lived in Scotland but very occasionally—when he was really pissed—it got stronger. And she loved it.