A Wife for the Wolves (BBW Shifter Mail Order Bride Romance) (Mail-Order Mates Book 5) Read online

  A Wife for the Wolves

  Lola Kidd

  Copyright 2015 by Lola Kidd

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. No part of this work may be copied or reproduced without the express consent of the author.

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  About This Book

  Matt and Mark Lunar have been waiting to become alphas their entire lives. Together, they could provide the leadership that the Lunar Pack sorely needs. Their only problem? They don’t have a mate to complete their triad. There hasn’t been an alpha triad in the pack for decades and the twins are having no luck finding the special lady to complete their threesome. In a last ditch effort to find a mate, the twins sign-up with a mail-order bride company. Join the alphas-in-waiting as they search for their perfect mate in book five of the Mail-Order Mates series.

  Table of Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  A Note from Lola

  Other Books by Lola Kidd

  One

  “Great to see you again, Jackie.” Professor Gone looked at Jackie’s schedule for the next trimester. “I see that you’re thinking of changing your major again.”

  Jackie Frush nodded. “I am. I have all the prereqs for Anthropology, though, so I’ll be able to jump into the two-hundred-level classes.”

  Professor Gone nodded. “I can see that. Are you sure you want to do that? What’s wrong with Early Education?”

  “I don’t want to be a teacher,” Jackie said. “I thought I did, but now I don’t.”

  “This is your…” The professor looked at her computer screen. “Fourth major. Are you sure it’s a good idea to switch again? What about a General Studies major for next year?”

  Jackie’s brow furrowed. “I have to have a specific major. General Studies would be a waste of my time.”

  Professor Gone took off her reading glasses and sat back. “It’s a waste of your time and money to keep changing majors. I’m going to be very honest with you, Jackie. I don’t know if college is a good fit for you right now.”

  Jackie swallowed hard. Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. “What am I supposed to do if I don’t go to college? You can’t get a good job without a degree anymore. I don’t want to be some loser flipping burgers, Professor Gone.”

  Professor Gone frowned. “I don’t think that’s true at all, Jackie. I know that’s the message kids your age get, but it isn’t true. There are a lot of jobs that need to be done in this world. Getting a college education can give you a leg up at some jobs, yes. But it’s not a magic bullet.”

  “I’ve already been taking classes for four years. I don’t want to stop now.”

  “You’ve been taking classes for four years and you have no idea what you want to do,” Professor Gone said gently. “If you take a little time off, you’ll be able to gather your thoughts, regroup, and come back stronger than ever. It’s only one trimester. You can register for classes in the fall. Take a break.”

  The words sounded like music to Jackie’s ears. A break. She really needed one. The professor was right; college wasn’t for Jackie. She’d known it the first day she sat down for classes. She’d been miserable these last four years. It was only this past year that she’d realized it wasn’t her choice of major that was making her miserable, it was school.

  She didn’t know what she wanted in life, exactly, but she knew it wasn’t this. Working to get her degree and then working an office job for the next fifty years sounded like pure hell. In her heart, she knew that wasn’t her path, but she had no idea how to break the news to her parents. They’d worked hard to start their own company and they’d been saving for her college education since she was born. Neither of them had gone to college but their little girl sure would.

  “Jackie, most people get at least an associate’s degree by the time they’ve been here as long as you have.” Professor Gone put her hand over Jackie’s. “It’s okay to take a little time for yourself. Are you happy going to school every day?”

  “I hate it.” Jackie’s lower lip trembled. “Maybe a little break wouldn’t be so bad.”

  Professor Gone helped Jackie apply for a few jobs around town, and even gave Jackie her personal cell number, saying that if Jackie needed anything, she could phone. If Jackie came back to school in the fall, Professor Gone would be her advisor again.

  Jackie thanked the professor and went to the bench close to her car. She had been at Coriander Community College for four years. Now, she was done. She hadn’t even talked with her parents about it yet.

  Jackie thought about all the things she could do with her time. There was no point in putting it off any longer. She would go home and break the news to her parents.

  ***

  “I can’t believe I have to get up this early all week,” Mark Lunar said with a yawn. He and his twin brother Matt usually switched off scheduling at the restaurant they owned. Mark would open all week and the next Matt would open. Neither brother loved getting up early, but Mark was particularly grouchy before the sun came up. This was his second week in a row coming in early, too.

  “Terrance is sick. Cut him some slack. He opened for you three days last week,” Matt reminded him.

  “We need to find a second cook. I can’t do this open all week bullshit.” Mark threw the spatula down.

  “Is he being a big grumpy baby again?” Rachel Drummond asked as she put on her apron.

  Matt nodded. “Of course he is. Morning, Rachel.”

  “Morning, boss.” Rachel turned on all the coffeepots and went to check the bathrooms.

  “I’m not being a baby,” Mark said. “I’m a night person, like most wolves. Matt’s the weird one.”

  “I’m a day person.” Matt counted the money in the register and turned to his brother. “I’m not ruled by my animal. I like the sunlight. Nothing strange about that.”

  “You’re an afternoon person.” Mark laughed. “There’s definitely something strange about that. Name one other afternoon person. Have you ever heard anyone using that phrasing before?”

  “I’m a trend starter,” Matt said, straight-faced. After a beat, he cracked a smile and both men dissolved into laughter. If anyone was nerdier than Matt, Mark had yet to meet that guy. Matt was about as straightlaced and conservative as they came. It was like he’d gotten all the “nice guy” genes and Mark had gotten all the bad ones. That’s what their mother had said, anyway.

  There was a knock at the door and Mark checked his watch. It wouldn’t be time to open for another half hour, but there was always one asshole who wanted to be special.

  “Don’t let ’em in, Matt.”

  “It’s Rusty,” Rachel called into the kitchen.

  Mark poked his head out of the window. “Let him in!”

  “Morning, boys.” Rusty shook rain off his hat. “Thanks for letting me in early.”

  Mark came out and slapped hands with his friend. “You should have just texted me. I would have had something waiting for you.”

  “Another run?” M
att asked.

  Rusty nodded. “Owen has me doing three a month now.”

  The lion shifter was a member of the Brooks Pride in town. Owen Brooks had taken over as alpha back in the fall, and he was whipping the pride into shape. Mark was amazed by the change in his friend. Rusty had been lazy before. He would let the women do most of the work and spent a lot of time drinking with Steve, his pack brother.

  Now, Owen had him delivering organic beef around the area. Two times a month he did home deliveries and once a month he brought orders to businesses. He had meat for the boys this morning.

  “How far are you going?” Mark asked, taking the cooler of frozen meat from him.

  “Not too far. I only have to go to a few Cub stores around the area today.”

  “We appreciate these orders, Rusty,” Matt said. “This is so much easier than having to pick them up ourselves. You must be doing business hand over fist now.”

  Rusty nodded. “We sure are. Can I get a cup of coffee?”

  Mark poured and handed it to him. He motioned to the counter. “Want to sit? I need to finish getting the kitchen ready.”

  Rusty sat at the counter where he could talk to Mark in back. “I think we’re going to add a greenhouse to the farm.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  “Not at all. Owen hasn’t said anything specific yet, but he’s been talking about growing flowers.”

  “That would be lucrative around here.” Matt sat down next to Rusty at the counter. “Especially with all these weddings.”

  Weddings. Mark couldn’t believe he had another wedding to go to. That made the fourth so far this year. Everyone was getting married thanks to a very nice lady named Olivia Grey, who worked with Lovely and Kind Brides, a mail-order bride agency for shifters. Owen had gotten a bride through the company and had started a trend. Now everyone had to have one. Not that Mark blamed them. He would love to settle down with a hot little piece and have a few pups.

  He and Matt had even signed up with Olivia at their Uncle Kellan’s reception. That was four months ago. Mark knew he was being impatient, but hearing about weddings all the time was making him a little stir-crazy. It was going to take longer for him and Matt to find a woman; he knew that. Especially given their unusual circumstances. They hadn’t shared it with the pack yet, but they wanted to form a triad. They’d known since they were old enough to know what a triad was that it was for them.

  They were twins, but it was more than that. They were two sides of a coin. They worked better together and marriage was one of the things that would work better for them as a pair. It wasn’t unusual in wolves, but it wasn’t common in the Lunar Pack. It had been decades since the last triad, so the news would probably create a stir. They wanted to wait until they found the right lady to announce to their intensions to the pack.

  “Do you want to run a greenhouse?” Mark asked Rusty.

  “To be honest, and don’t you dare tell Owen I said this, I do if Owen thinks it’s smart.”

  “Interesting.” Matt’s eyebrows rose and he looked at Mark. “Why is that? It doesn’t sound like you at all. No offense.”

  “None taken,” Rusty said. “I don’t know how to explain it exactly. It’s just a feeling. Since Owen became the alpha, I trust him more. I want to follow his lead. I know he’s looking out for the best interests of the pride. We want the same thing, you know?”

  Mark knew what he meant. It was the calming effect an alpha had on his subjects. It was what Matt and Mark wanted for the Lunar Pack. That was the other goal of getting married: it would help them seal the deal on becoming the alphas of the pack. They had gone for so long without an alpha, the pack was splintered and lazy—exactly how the Brooks Pride had been before Owen stepped up.

  Mark knew he and Matt were supposed to be alphas of the pack. It was their birthright, their destiny. There was no one else who could step into the role, since Kellan didn’t want it.

  “I know what you mean.” Matt nodded. “I’m glad it’s worked out so well for all of you.”

  “Me too, man. I was so nervous and angry when he first stepped in and started taking over.”

  “It was a vicious fight.” Mark remembered the bruises and cuts Steve and Rusty had sported after the fight. Becoming alpha hadn’t been easy for Owen, but Mark didn’t think he and Matt would have to go through anything like that. There wasn’t anyone to challenge them for the top spot.

  “It was, but it was the only way,” Rusty said. “If he hadn’t beaten us, we’d still be running around doing the same dumb shit. It woke us up when he fought so hard to be our leader.” He finished his coffee and stood up. “I gotta get on the road or I’ll be late for the next delivery. Thanks for the sit-down.”

  “Bye.”

  Mark went back to prepping the kitchen area. He wasn’t nearly as fast as their regular line cook. He had to go over what he was going to do and the recipes for their popular dishes.

  Rachel opened the doors when the time rolled around. Then it was time to get down to some serious work, but the only thing on Mark’s mind was finding a match and getting married. He wondered how long it would take Olivia to find them someone. And what would she look like? So far, the LK Brides had all been knockouts. He was hoping for a curvy little thing. He loved tiny girls with big curves. Same as Matt. If she could cook it would be a nice bonus.

  It was all he could think about when he had time to daydream, but he didn’t share any of it with his brother. It was embarrassing, for some reason. But he was excited about the possibility more than he wanted to admit. He hoped Olivia would find them someone soon.

  Two

  Jackie smoothed the paper on her desk. Years ago, when she was in junior high, she’d printed it out from the Internet and hidden it. She’d kept it all these years and pulled it out from time to time. It was a crazy fantasy, not something sensible smart girls did, but she was intrigued.

  She pulled the second item from her hidey-hole and sighed. She’d laminated a magazine article she’d found in high school and put it with her printout.

  The article was on couples who met in unconventional ways. The one she’d been interested in was about a mail-order bride. The woman was a Lovely and Kind Bride, and the man was a toucan shifter. They lived on a tropical island and had two kids. Jackie’s printout was an old ad for LK Brides. Becoming a mail-order bride had always seemed like a pipe dream, something to imagine when life became too grim. Now, she was starting to think it was more than an escape. Maybe this was what she was supposed to do.

  She heard footsteps in the hallway and rushed to put her papers in the top drawer of her desk.

  Her dad popped his head into her room. “Dinner’s here. Hurry and get it while it’s still hot.”

  There was pounding in the hall as her little brothers ran downstairs to get to the table.

  “I’ll be down in a minute, Dad.” When she heard him on the stairs, Jackie took her papers out and hid them in her closet again.

  This was it. Tonight she would have to tell her parents she taken a semester off school. She was sure they were going to react badly, so she’d wait until after dinner to tell them.

  She went downstairs and made herself a plate of Chinese food. It was day two of takeout, because her parents were both working late at their business. Jackie listened to her brothers talk about their day at school. She laughed in the right places and talked about her last final of the trimester. The entire time, her mind was a million miles away.

  After dinner was finished and the boys were upstairs playing video games, she went to the kitchen. Her dad was sitting at the breakfast bar while her mom filled the dishwasher.

  She cleared her throat. “Mom, Dad.”

  Her parents looked at her. She felt like she was sixteen again, about to confess that she’d scratched the car. Her stomach was a knot of anxiety.

  “I have something to talk to you about.”

  “What is it, kitten?” her dad asked.

  “I decided to take
a break from school. I’m going to take the spring trimester off and figure out what I want to do with my life.”

  The words came out in a tumble. Jackie didn’t know if her parents were able to understand her or if she’d spoken unintelligibly.

  Her mom kept adding dishes to the machine. “That’s a good idea, honey.”

  Her dad nodded. “We’ve noticed that you’ve been unhappy at school this year. We didn’t want to say anything in case it was a phase.”

  “It’s not a phase,” Jackie said. It felt like a giant weight had lifted from her shoulders. Her parents weren’t mad at all. They supported her and her decisions! She was going to be okay. “I was thinking about working instead. And one more thing.”

  “You can work for us,” her dad suggested. “We can always use another set of hands around the office. We’re rolling out a new shipping system and it’s kicking our butts. It would help to have someone else down at the warehouse this week especially.”

  “Great idea!” Her mom closed the dishwasher and started it. “You could do part-time at the warehouse and then pick your brothers up after school.”

  “Yeah, see, I had another idea.” Jackie pulled at her blonde ponytail, an old habit when she got nervous. “I was thinking I could sign up for a service that helps young women find a relationship.”

  “What, you mean like friends?” her father asked. “I guess that sounds reasonable. I don’t know how you kids make friends these days, glued to your devices all day.”

  “No, not exactly friends. More like romantic relationships.”

  A shadow passed over her dad’s face. He looked at her mom and stood up. “That’s my cue to leave the room.”

  He kissed her on the cheek and walked to the front door. A minute later, Jackie heard his car start up and the garage door open.

  Her mom looked out the front window. “He’s going to drive around the block a few times and pick up some dessert for everyone. Don’t worry about it, honey.”

  Jackie readjusted her ponytail. “I know I haven’t dated much, but I think this is a good idea. I’ve been looking into this company for years. They’re reputable and haven’t had any problems.”