Bayou Wolf Read Online Free Page B

on the edge of the truck, she swung her legs as she chatted at her mate. Owen hadn’t changed one whit, save for his normally grim expression seemed easier and a smile hovered around his lips as he inclined his head to listen to his mate.
    Satisfaction thrummed through Brett. The unfamiliar emotion dislodged the weight of worry burdening his gut since he’d departed Hudson River. Leaving his top three most reliable Hunters—not that he entrusted them as much as he should—in charge with very specific orders, he’d headed west with only Trent for company. The boy whooped as Gillian hopped down from the truck. Brett pulled into the parking space nearest them. Before he could shut the vehicle off, Trent opened the door and unclipped his seatbelt.
    Hesitating with one foot on the blacktop, the child turned his chocolate smeared face toward Brett with an ‘oops’ expression and asked, “May I?”
    “Go.” He murmured the word, but Trent bolted and raced around the vehicle. Gillian caught his hug and lifted him into her arms. Radiant with pure joy, the delicate little healer’s smile eased another fist in Brett’s chest. He followed at a more sedate pace and soaked in Trent’s happiness. A young wolf with healer potential, he needed the company of other healers. A pang of regret echoed in the emptiness around his heart. Had he lived, Brett’s grandfather would have taken the boy in to live with him and learn by his side.
    If all went well on the trip, Brett would leave Trent in Gillian’s capable hands for the next three months. Then she would bring Trent home and spend the next three months with him in Hudson River. If all goes well… When is the last time everything went well ?
    Owen straightened at Brett’s approach. The two men locked gazes, then Owen extended his hand. Instead of challenge, Brett read only welcome in the Hunter’s eyes. Accepting the offer, he clasped his outstretched hand.
    “Welcome to Willow Bend.”
    “Thank you.” Surprisingly, he meant the words. Like Gillian, Owen was perhaps one of the only wolves he trusted. When Gillian came to Hudson River to train Trent, the Hunter would accompany her. Perhaps they could be convinced to emigrate permanently. He needed more wolves he could rely on.
    “I have to pee!” Wiggling in Gillian’s arms, Trent threw him a frantic look.
    After setting the young man on his feet, Gillian glanced at Owen. To Brett’s shock, Owen extended a hand to the boy and nodded to him. “I’ll take him.” More than the handshake and welcome, the confidence eased another stone from the tomb of his heart.
    Without waiting for a response, the two set off for the facilities in a brick building several yards away. Brett stared after them until a soft hand came to rest against his back. Pivoting, he faced the diminutive healer. She didn’t wait for his invitation before wrapping her arms around him. Accepting her hug, he closed her into an embrace and filled his lungs with her sweet scent. A hint of pack, his pack, clung to her and Brett smiled—truly smiled. The tug against the scarred tissue on his cheek ached, but he soaked in her nearness.
    The fleeting moment ended all too soon. She pulled back enough for him to meet her warm blue eyes. They shimmered and he fought the urge to squirm under the assessment he read there. He was Alpha. No one made him squirm. “Don’t—”
    “Hush.” She cut him off, and a gentle wave of purely feminine-sparked energy surged through him. Her gaze fixed on his scarred face. With soft, gentle pets, she stroked her hands down his bare arms, the right one still disfigured with a mottle of thick tissue. Lips pursed in disapproval, she pinned him with a gimlet stare. “Brett Dalton, you disappoint me. I warned you, you needed to shift.”
    “Enough, little wolf.” Indulging her because she did care so much, he captured her hands and lifted both to his lips. After kissing one, then the other, he released her. “I am satisfied