Scent of a Wolf's Mate

By

Tory Richards

Copyright 2014 Tory Richards

All Rights Reserved.

Published by Tory Richards at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal
enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to
other people. If you would like to share this book with another
person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If
you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not
purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com
and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work
of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual
persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or
locales, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Tory Richards:
http://www.toryrichards.com

Email: [email protected]

Author’s note: All characters depicted in
this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

Comments said about Scent of a Wolf’s
Mate: 

Audi F. …
This is my first experience reading the written works of Ms.
Richards and I enjoyed it a great deal, I also look forward to
reading more of Ms. Richards’ paranormal works. I would recommend
this title if you are looking for a quick read in the PNR genre to
pass the afternoon away.

Tammy S.
…
OMG this story is so hot and sexy, I
love a hot alpha male and Connor is that.
 

Serena reluctantly let her car coast until it
came to a stop on the shoulder of the road. She hit the steering
wheel with helpless frustration, glancing out the window ahead of
her. Taking a deep breath, she realized her options were next to
none.

I’m lost and broken down.

The road she’d been traveling for the better
part of an hour was nothing but a narrow strip of dirt, riddled
with potholes and filled with brown, muddy water. Pines, maples,
and birch trees towered on both sides of her, nearly blocking out
the sunset. From what Serena could see, there was nothing ahead of
her that indicated that there was anything other than more of the
same lonely stretch of road.

She’d listened to the man at the filling
station because he lived here. Well, he’d clearly given her the
wrong directions to the Savage Hills Wolf Sanctuary. Now it was
growing dark at a rapid rate, and something was wrong with her car.
She could do one of two things—walk or sit there until morning.
Neither sounded like a good idea.

She reached for her cell, scrolling through
her contacts until she reached Taylor’s number. She could at least
let her ex-roommate know what was going on. Taylor had an active
imagination, and if she didn’t hear from Serena sometime that
evening, she would call the local sheriff and report her missing.
The last thing Serena needed was to start out on the wrong foot in
her new home.

Serena smiled as she listened to the phone
ringing, frowning on the sixth ring. It wasn’t like Taylor not to
pick up right away. Then she remembered that Taylor had a date with
Dave, and if they were at the movies, she would have turned her
phone off. On the eighth ring, it went to voicemail.

“Taylor, it’s me. I’m okay, just calling in
so you won’t worry. Call me on my cell if you need me. Bye.”

She tossed her phone onto the seat next to
her. They’d been roommates for almost five years. Serena had found
it harder than she’d thought it would be, moving her things into
storage and saying goodbye. She’d promised Taylor that until she
made the decision to stay in Savage Hills she would keep her
abreast of her actions.

Serena sighed. It was going to be a long
night. Her gaze shot up to the rearview mirror and she thought that
maybe she should get something to cover up with in case the
temperature dropped. One thing was certain, once it turned
completely dark, she wasn’t leaving the safety of the car.

Before opening the door, Serena took a long,
thorough look at her surroundings. The sun was behind the trees,
but she could still see rays shooting through the branches. Stars
were beginning to shine through, and by the look of it, there was
going to be a full moon. At least that was in her favor.

She grabbed the keys out of the ignition and
opened the door. The temperature had already dropped a little and
the wind had picked up. She watched the tree tops swaying as she
made her way to the trunk.
Is it going to storm?
That would
be the icing on the cake. Alone and stranded on an isolated road
with nothing but the moon to light the way. Serena didn’t frighten
easily, but that scenario was enough to give anyone the willies.
She opened the trunk and unzipped her suitcase, remembering that
she’d packed a knee-length wool sweater. Digging to the bottom she
finally found it.

At about the time she pulled it free of the
suitcase, a noise in the trees nearby alerted her that she wasn’t
alone. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she let her
imagination run wild for a moment. She slammed her trunk shut,
narrowing her gaze in the direction that the noise was coming from.
Maybe it had just been the wind.

The trees rustled and a low growl told her
that there was an animal close by. Serena held her breath, making
her way back to her car door. As she reached for the handle, more
growls followed, and then a violent thrashing held her immobile.
Whatever it was, she was sure there was more than one. Her gaze
followed the movement of the trees along the side of the road as
something brushed against them before coming to a stop further down
the road from her.

She waited, watching as two wolves broke
through the trees and stumbled out onto the road. Serena caught her
breath, her eyes widening with slight surprise. The largest wolf
was black, huge and muscular, with snarling fangs and glowing eyes,
while the other was brown and clearly anxious. Right before her
eyes she watched as the black wolf pounced on the smaller one.

Are they going to mate?
It would be
the first time she’d get to see wolves mating in the wild.
Mesmerized, Serena watched as the male forced the female in front
and beneath him. Then, sinking his fangs into her neck, he mounted
her from behind. The female whimpered and submitted timidly, while
the male threw back his head, howling as if in victory. The
savagery of the attack was both frightening and exciting, and, as a
wildlife veterinarian, no matter how many times she witnessed a
mating between wolves, she found it fascinating. She continued to
watch them for several seconds.

Suddenly the male turned his head, pinning
Serena with a direct look. She held her breath, a premonition of
danger alerting her senses. He unlocked his jaw from his mate,
baring his teeth at her as if warning her away. That seemed like
strange behavior and a moment of fear passed through her.

Unable to drag her gaze away from the scene
playing out in front of her, Serena fumbled to get her door open
and slid inside, then slammed and locked the door behind her. The
huge male was humping like there was no tomorrow, but his eyes
remained fixed on her. Slowly, and with a bit of uneasiness, Serena
sank down in her seat behind the steering wheel. They were just
animals, yet the intense way that the wolf was looking at her sent
chills down her spine.

“I watch too much Syfy,” she mumbled under
her breath. That, coupled with the fact that she was alone and
darkness was approaching, was letting her imagination get the best
of her. At least she was in the safety of the car.

She brought the sweater over her body,
clutching it beneath her chin. Suddenly the wolf let out a howl
that pierced the quiet of the night. The female followed suit.
Captivated, Serena watched their savage coupling stop, yet they
didn’t separate. She knew wolves remained locked together for as
long as half an hour. It was the longest half hour of her life, and
she was glad when it was over and the wolves ran off.

For the first time it dawned on Serena that
darkness had fallen, and it was growing cooler, too. When her phone
began to ring she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Damn it!
She snatched it up from the seat and slid her finger across the
screen to answer it.

“Hello?” Her heart was racing wildly.

“Hey, it’s me. I’ve been waiting for your
call.”

It was Taylor, and hearing her voice relieved
Serena. “I left you a message. If you listened to them once in a
while─”

Taylor laughed. “I know, scold me later. Are
you okay?”

Serena thought about her current predicament,
and, knowing that Taylor was a worrywart, decided that telling a
little white lie was better than having to worry about Taylor being
on the road half the night trying to get to her. “I’m good. That’s
why I called. Are you out with Dave?”

“Yeah. We just saw The Devil’s Mistress, what
a cool movie! It…”

Serena only half listened as Taylor gave her
the details, along with her review. Her friend was a talker, a
source of constant amusement to anyone who knew her and got caught
in conversation with her. Serena let her go on, having learned a
long time ago that it was better to let Taylor run out of steam
than to try and interrupt her.

It dawned on Serena that Taylor had stopped
talking. “It sounds good,” she lied.

“It was. Did you reach Savage Hills Wolf
Sanctuary okay?”

“I, um, I’m still on the road but I should be
there soon. Look, it’s starting to rain,” She wasn’t fibbing. Storm
clouds had gathered above, blocking out the moon and the stars.
“I’ll call you again in a couple of days. Bye.”

What more could go wrong? Serena glanced at
her rapidly fogging windows, squinting to see through the glass.
She moved to turn on her wipers before remembering that the car
wasn’t running. Taking the sleeve of her sweater, she began to wipe
at the condensation on the window so she could see outside.

Without warning, a wolf jumped up on the hood
of the car, snarling at her through the window, so close that she
could see the steam of his breath. Serena sat back with a gasp.
What the hell?
Her eyes rounded as fear shot straight
through her body. She recognized the wolf as the same male she’d
seen earlier. Up close, he was even larger and more
threatening.

What’s he doing? Is he rabid?
Usually
wolves were shy and stayed away from humans, but this one seemed
very interested in her. She was afraid to take her eyes off of him.
His eyes were shining like demon eyes, and saliva dripped off his
canines.

Then something prompted Serena to lay on the
horn. With relief, she saw him take off. Catching her breath, she
sat back, hoping that was the extent of the excitement for the
night. Come morning she would walk out of there, but where would
she go? The mess she found herself in caused her to shake her
head.

A loud boom of thunder followed by a bright
streak of lightning frightened the hell out of her, and Serena let
out a scream. Then the unexpected happened—the wolf was suddenly
back, throwing himself at the passenger side window. Screaming with
fright, Serena hugged the door next to the steering wheel, staring
at the wolf with stunned disbelief.

This time when she used the horn it didn’t
work. The wolf only bared his teeth more, growling savagely at her
through the window. Determined to get inside the car, he threw his
weight, which she guessed was considerable, against the door and
window repeatedly, actually shaking the car.

Serena didn’t know what to do as she sat
there frozen while waiting for the inevitable, and then it
happened. The glass cracked, before shattering onto the passenger
seat. As the huge wolf prepared to jump through the window, Serena
opened her door and fell to the wet ground. She screamed, kicking
her door shut just as he lunged.

For a moment, all she could do was sit there,
staring up at the window, watching helplessly as the large wolf
bared his fangs and looked down at her. Knowing that at any second
he could either come through that window or turn around and exit
the way he’d come in, Serena knew she had to act.

As her heart raced the inane thought crossed
her mind, how do you escape an angry wolf?