Howl for It Read Online Free

this was the infamous Smithtown.
    Darla had heard about it long before her sisters had become involved with Smith males. While Smithville, North Carolina, was the place of comfort and relaxation for all shifters, a sanctuary where they could be themselves while hunting deer and elk and freshwater seals, Smithtown was for Smith Pack members and their kin only. Even other Packs didn’t venture into Smithtown without express permission unless they were looking for a fight.
    So with that particular history in her head, Darla was expecting a backwoods town filled with inbred redneck wolves. But, to her surprise, it was . . . charming. The smaller houses were nicely spaced with pretty little lawns and gardens, while the bigger homes were on lovely stretches of land. There were lots of trees and hills and deer and elk roaming around free. The town they cut through had quaint storefronts, a fancy restaurant, a more casual diner, and a movie theater showing Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.
    It seemed like a quiet, pleasant town and she was happy to see someplace new. She loved finding new places to visit.
    Eventually, they pulled onto a dirt road. They traveled for another five minutes until they reached a small house with a wraparound porch.
    “Is this your father’s house?” she asked.
    “No.” He turned the car off and got out.
    “Not real chatty, are ya?” she muttered, watching the big wolf walk around the front of the car and come to her side. He opened the door and slipped his arms under her legs and behind her back.
    “I can walk,” she told him.
    If he heard her, she couldn’t tell. He didn’t respond at all. Not even a grunt. He simply lifted her out of the car, easily carrying her toward the house.
    As it was in most Smith towns, whether outsiders were allowed or not, his front door wasn’t locked and he walked right into his home.
    And the inside of Eggie Smith’s house was . . . sparse. Yes. Sparse was the word. Not bad or anything, but not exactly homey either. In the living room there was a folding card table, three folding chairs, two barrels she assumed were used for chairs, and a pretty big TV right against the wall. A color one at that with a remote sitting right on top of the set.
    Yet for a man who probably hadn’t been home for a very long time, it wasn’t a bad place. Someone was keeping it dust free and airing it out every once in a while. Still, the way the wolf stood in the middle of it, glaring at the entire room, she had the feeling he was seeing it for the first time from an outsider’s perspective.
    Not wanting him to feel bad, Darla said, “You can just put me down in that chair there.” She pointed at one of the folding chairs around the folding table, but he snarled a little and held her a bit tighter.
    Feeling awkward because she felt quite comfortable tucked in his arms, Darla asked, “Have you been fixing up the place? I see all the tools.”
    “Building,” he replied.
    “Oh, you’ve been building onto it?”
    “That, too.”
    Darla blinked, glanced around without turning her head. “Wait ... you built this place.”
    He grunted.
    “By yourself?”
    “Mostly.”
    Fascinated, Darla turned her finger in a circle. “Turn, turn.”
    “Huh?”
    “I want to see. Show me.”
    He stared at her a moment with that deadly frown before he slowly turned in a circle.
    Impressed with what she saw, Darla grinned. “This is beautiful, Egbert Ray. Did you design it yourself?”
    “No. Cousin of mine gave me the plans. I put it together. When my brothers were sober and not arguing with your sisters, they helped.”
    Always amazed by people who could build things with their hands, Darla looked into that scowling face. “It’s beautiful.”
    “Really?”
    “Oh, yeah. Now it’s true that I can make you an éclair that would have you weeping tears of joy, but other than that, I can’t build a darn thing.”
    “Well . . . thank you kindly.” He took another