Steal my heart the wolve.., p.1
Steal My Heart (The Wolves' Challenge Book 2), page 1
Steal My Heart
Book 2
The Wolves’ Challenge
By Yvette Bostic
Copyright © [2023] by Yvette Bostic All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Table of Contents
Jess
Jess
Garret
Jess
Garret
Jess
Jess
Garret
Jess
Garret
Jess
Jess
Garret
Jess
Jess
Garret
Jess
Garret
Dedication
I’d like to start by saying, while there are some references to places and events, any similarities to specific people are purely coincidental.
I had a blast with this story! As usual, the characters completely took over everything after the first chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I want to say thank you to the people who’ve helped me throughout this process. My husband has been my encouragement, as well as the perfect sounding board and first-draft proofreader. I could not have done it without his positive attitude and patience.
Thank you to my wonderful editor, Hannah, at Between the Lines Editorial (www.btleditorial.com). She is an extremely talented young woman who’s also a joy to work with.
I also want to thank the talented young woman from Infinity Designs who created the cover art for the series.
Thank you to my very gracious beta readers and ARC readers. Your comments and opinions about the characters, events, and timelines make all the difference!
And last but not least, thank you to my readers! You’re the reason I continue to write.
Okay, one more thing before I go -
The Wolves' Challenge is a spin-off from The Call of the Elements Series. While you don't have to read Call of the Elements to enjoy The Wolves' Challenge, I highly recommend it. Several of the characters are introduced in Call of the Elements.
Jess
Charles and I sat at a small table in the corner of the lodge’s dining room. The rising sun streamed through the wall of windows, brightening the dark wood floors and highlighting the tiny motes floating in the air.
We’d met nearly every morning for breakfast for the last couple of weeks. Charles ate sausage, scrambled eggs, and a half dozen biscuits every single day. And black coffee. I had no idea how he did it. I needed variety, but apparently my father preferred consistency.
Members of the pack filled the surrounding tables, their soft conversations a welcome background to the silence hanging between me and my father. Most of the time, we didn’t say anything to one another. I was grateful for the few times my aunt and uncle joined us. They were really good at chatting and usually kept the conversation away from my mom.
My extended family wasn’t with us today.
“How’s your job with Zach going?” Charles asked, interrupting the silence.
“Good. Zach is really easy to work with.”
Charles set his fork on his empty plate and pushed it to the side. “Do you need anything?” he asked. “Is the job enough? Or do you…”
He left the question open, but I knew what he meant. Did working with Zach at the auto shop satisfy my magic?
“Yeah, I’m good,” I said, then set aside my own plate.
“Good.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “Dilan says there haven’t been any more vampire or feline shifter sightings in the last week or so.”
“Thank goodness,” I said. “I was beginning to wonder if they’d ever give up.”
Vampires had tried to scale the compound’s walls my first two nights in Silver Ridge. Thankfully, Charles’s pack was vigilant. At first, I didn’t even mind that Dilan slept on my couch, nor did I complain about my new roommate. Victor had sent his niece, Summer, to stay with me, as promised. Well, he promised to send someone to snoop around, not that I’d have a roommate.
I didn’t mind, though. Summer was easy company, and she got along well with Dilan.
But after three weeks, I was really fricking tired of being cooped up. Not that I was really cooped up. Silver Ridge—the pack's compound—was several thousand acres. But it only had one small convenience store with a couple gas pumps, a bank, the auto mechanic shop, and the building maintenance shop.
That was it. And I was tired of it. Not only that, but I missed my friends back in Texas.
“I hope they’ve given up,” Charles said, once again pulling me from my thoughts. “Levi hasn’t been able to find any strangers in the human town nearby.” He cleared his throat, then lowered his voice. “I imagine you want to go back to your old life and old job, but I’d like you to stay a little longer. I’ve enjoyed getting to know my daughter.”
Surprisingly enough, I’d enjoyed getting to know my father. Not just my father, but my Aunt Anita, Uncle Phil, and my cousin Lynn. They were the only true family I had left. I hadn’t realized how much it hurt to grow up without them. While I wanted to get back to Texas and my old life, I wasn’t yet ready to give up my newly found family.
And I couldn’t get my mind off Garret, either.
“I’d miss our daily breakfast,” I said, deciding to go with levity. “I haven’t been able to convince you to replace your biscuits with toast yet, so maybe I’ll stick around for a little while.”
The tension in Charles’s posture disappeared. I hadn’t even realized how rigid he was until his shoulders sagged and he stopped tapping on the table.
“If you promise to stay, I’ll give up biscuits entirely.” Charles’s smile transformed him completely. Gone was the hostile, paranoid alpha, replaced by a man happy within moments. A man I could actually see my mom falling in love with.
“Let’s not make any major life-changes just yet,” I teased, matching his grin.
He reached across the table and squeezed my hand for a few seconds before pulling it back to his side. The gesture was so unusual for him that I almost pulled away. Charles didn’t do physical contact, something I’d learned in my first few days at the compound. I suspected it took a great deal of effort for him to reach out to me just now, which meant a lot.
“So, are you really going to make Dilan and Zach take you to town today?” he asked.
“Yup.”
His smile faded, and the alpha returned. “If there’s even the smallest hint of danger, you will turn around and come home.”
His command made me cringe. Charles’s eyes widened for a moment, almost like he regretted it, but it disappeared just as quick.
“Dilan already has his orders,” Charles continued. “Don’t make me speak to Zach as well.”
He rose from his chair and paused. Was he waiting for me to acknowledge his command? That wasn’t happening. Not that I was trying to be obstinate, but because I was practicing the ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, then shut the hell up.’
We’d had a really nice breakfast and several moments of easy conversation. I didn’t want to ruin it by arguing. Charles was right. We needed to be careful. But there was no reason for him to make it a command.
Charles nodded, then turned and headed for his office. I sighed. Dear ol’ Dad was difficult, but I was learning that he was worth the effort. He cared. He just sucked at showing it.
I pushed away from the table and stood. Several of the nearby pack members smiled at me as I headed for the door. I returned the greeting before I left. Being rude was a bad idea and completely unnecessary. Almost everyone treated me like a princess. And those who didn’t? They just avoided me.
But I didn’t have time to think about anymore drama. I had a date with an old car and a new friend, and maybe even a moment of freedom.
Jess
“Do we really have to do this?” Dilan asked for the hundredth time.
“You know my answer won’t change no matter how many times you ask.”
I poked my full-time bodyguard in the chest, and he stepped aside, but not before I saw the tiniest smile pull at his lips.
Asshole.
“Besides, I totally trust that you’ve taken every precaution possible,” I quipped, bounding down the steps on my front porch.
It wasn’t really my porch. My father’s pack owned the house where I currently lived. Temporarily lived. Okay, maybe not so temporary. The place had grown on me in the three weeks I’d been at Silver Ridge. Three whole weeks since my life had been flipped upside down.
The front door shut behind me, thanks to my ever-present guard. Either Dilan or Summer were at my side nearly every minute of every day. Though Summer was on loan to me from Victor’s pack, Dilan was part of my father’s personal security team. Although I liked both Dilan and Summer as people, I hated having a constant babysitter. I wasn't used to having someone in my space, controlling everything I did. I'd been completely independent for almost a decade. So enduring their constant presence was getting on my nerves.
But I endured it.
“Charles will kill me if something happens to you,” Dilan mumbled barely loud enough for me to hear.
I paused on the sidewalk leading out to the road. Would my father really kill him? Possibly. Charles wasn’t quite as crazy as when I first arrived, but he wasn’t reasonable
I spun around and nearly ran into Dilan. “Do you really think someone’s still out there waiting for me?” I asked.
Dilan sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Well, we haven’t seen anyone since the vampires’ last attempt over two weeks ago. Not that you don’t already know that.” He looked down at me without making direct eye contact, something that irritated the shit outta me. “We can’t control who’s in town, though. Just because we haven’t noticed any shady characters doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”
We’d had this conversation several times in the last couple days. I understood his concerns. Really, I did, but I needed to get out. Feeling caged, even if it was a really big cage, was driving me nuts.
“At the first sign of trouble, we’ll turn around and come back,” I said, repeating what Charles had told me at breakfast. “Even if I don’t make it all the way to town first.”
Dilan let out a harsh laugh. “That part has already been decided. I didn’t even have to threaten Zach to get him to agree.”
“Traitors,” I grumbled, then spun on my heel and stomped down the sidewalk.
I wasn’t really mad. They were concerned for my safety, which I appreciated. I just wish they’d find the bastard who wanted me dead. Then all of this would be unnecessary, and I could come and go as I pleased.
My thoughts immediately roamed to Garret. He was the one looking for my would-be killer. He was also my mate. As much as I tried to deny it, I couldn’t. I hadn’t seen him in three weeks, and I missed him more than anyone else I’d ever been separated from. Almost everyone. Nothing hurt like my mom’s absence, but Garret was next in line.
His second-place trophy made no sense. I’d only known him for three days before I found out he was my soulmate. Rather, his wolf and mine were soulmates. But I missed his touch, his warmth, his everything. I hadn’t even done more than kiss the man, but it didn’t matter. My entire being ached to have him back.
Garret and I had talked on the phone almost every night for the last three weeks, but he was no closer to finding my would-be killer than he had been the day he left. Every time we talked, I wanted to ask when I’d see him again, but I always chickened out. I didn’t want to sound like a needy, ungrateful bitch.
Most of the folks in Silver Ridge believed Garret was dead, my father included. The night before Garret’s team left, Ethan Price shot him. I was furious when I found out. Even more furious when Garret wasn’t the first to tell me that he was still alive.
Victor, our Regional Alpha, woke me the next morning and explained what happened. He also gave all his reasons for keeping Garret’s survival a secret. As long as Ethan believed Garret was dead, the traitorous bastard would assume Garret was no longer a threat. I still didn’t understand why Ethan wanted Garret dead, or why the asshole had wanted to take me as his mate. None of it made sense.
Of course, I immediately argued that Garret’s team would want revenge, but Victor had answers for that too. Our regional alpha was also playing a part. Victor was leading Ethan to believe that he agreed with Ethan’s plans to take over my father’s section. Again, how did that make sense? It wasn’t a secret that Ethan tried to kill my mate. Why would Victor pretend to be okay with all that?
If it weren’t for my fae intuition, I’d be suspicious of Victor’s motives. But my magic said Victor was trustworthy and had my best interest at heart. I seriously hoped it was right.
The only people in Silver Ridge who knew that Garret was still alive were my bodyguards, my aunt, uncle, and cousin, and a couple nurses at the clinic. They’d all been sworn to secrecy… Well, it was more like Victor had commanded their silence.
Just like Garret, Victor suspected that someone in Charles’s pack was a traitor. That was part of why he’d sent his niece, Summer, to Silver Ridge. When Dilan was on duty watching me during the day, Summer was mingling with the pack, trying to find out who betrayed us.
Summer had moved into one of the spare rooms in my house and kept watch over me each night. I thought it was overkill, until two weeks ago when the vampires attacked again.
“You’ve been good for our alpha, Jess,” Dilan said from his spot at my side, bringing me back to the present. “I haven’t seen him this sane in years.” Looking over at him, I caught him surveying the area. His voice dropped so low I could barely hear him. “I’m grateful to see him making his own decisions. Not that Levi hasn’t been good for us in the last few years, but he’s not our alpha. We really need an alpha leading us, not a beta.”
I understood. Garret had told me that Levi held the pack together while my father fell apart after losing my mom. According to several people—wolf shifters—soulmates couldn’t be separated without losing their minds. Charles was a pretty good example.
Of course, this made life hard for me because I had to act like I struggled to function without Garret. I wasn’t very convincing, though. Some of the pack whispered it was because we’d just found each. Others said my ‘human’ half made it easier for me to move on.
I let them think whatever they wanted.
Dilan wasn’t the only one to comment on Charles’s improvement. My cousin, Lynn, said the same thing. She claimed that my presence filled some of the emptiness in his life. I’d sort of seen it myself in the last week or so. Every day he seemed a little less tense, a little less angry, and a little more content.
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Of course, Dilan stopped with me, looking down at me with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t plan on abandoning my father,” I whispered, in case anyone was close enough to hear. “The fact that we haven’t killed each other yet is a plus.” I grinned, but Dilan didn’t. “I want him to heal as much as you do, Dilan. It’s no secret Garret is my mate, which means I won’t be here in Silver Ridge forever. I’m hoping that having a positive relationship with Charles will be enough even if I don’t see him every day.”
Dilan nodded. “I assumed as much. Which is why I’m completely against today’s outing. If something happens to you, we’ll be right back where we started.”
I threw up my hands and continued walking. “Seriously! Whoever is bank-rolling the murder crew can’t have an endless supply of funds. At some point, they have to cut their losses. Who the hell can afford to continue to pay these guys?”
“You’d be surprised,” Dilan said, already at my side again.
Maybe so, but I wasn’t letting it stop me. Not today.
Dilan, always a gentleman, opened the door to the mechanic’s shop before I could reach for the handle. I bit back my smile. I secretly loved when he did that.
“Jess!” Zach, my current boss and manager of the mechanic’s shop, looked up from the computer at his desk. “I wondered if Dilan would let you come.”
“He’s still fighting me,” I admitted. “But I have complete faith in his team’s efforts.”
Standing, Zach reached for a set of keys hanging on the pegboard behind him. A wide smile spread across my face, my excitement dancing across my skin.
We were taking the Fairlane for a spin, and I couldn’t wait. The classic 1957 Sunliner with an Interceptor V-8 engine was pristine thanks to Zach’s tender love and care. He tried to give me credit for getting the engine in tip-top shape, but I wouldn’t let him. Sure, I’d fixed it, but Zach would’ve figured it out eventually.
I followed Zach into the garage. He already had the top down on the convertible. The two-tone red and white leather interior gleamed in the sunlight filtering in through the overhead doors. The candy apple red paint was polished so smooth I could almost see my reflection. Some people hated the length of the older cars, but I’d always found them classy. Big as a boat? Yep! But still classy.
I might’ve drooled as I walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. My butt slid across the leather seat, and I barely contained my excitement.
“Let’s go, Zach!”
The older man laughed, then dropped into the driver’s seat. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. Zach revved it up for a couple seconds, the vibration racing over my skin.
