Wolf Moon, page 1
part #3 of Blue Mountain Wolf Pack Series
Wolf Moon
Blue Mountain Wolf Pack
Emma Dean
WOLF MOON
BLUE MOUNTAIN WOLF PACK
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Copyright © 2019 by Emma Dean
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, locations, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Contents
Author’s Note
1. Sage
2. Sage
3. Jacob
4. Sage
5. Sage
6. Jacob
7. Sage
8. Sage
9. Jacob
10. Sage
11. Sage
12. Jacob
13. Sage
14. Jacob
15. Sage
16. Sage
17. Sage
18. Sage
19. Jacob
20. Sage
21. Sage
22. Sage
Want Free Stories?
Other Books
Other Books UK Links
Other Books CA Links
Other Books AU Links
About the Author
Author’s Note
All of my paranormal books exist in the same universe. The more you read the more you see familiar faces. You don’t need to read them in any particular order, or to know any others before starting any of my series or standalones.
<3 Emma
Wolf Moon
1
Sage
The lunch rush at the Pack Bar and Grill in La Grande, Oregon was probably slow compared to any restaurant in Portland, but most of the town showed up for lunch, including the controversial group that ran the best mechanic shop in the state, if not the entire west coast.
Sage wiped the sweat from her forehead and loaded up two trays with as many plates as she could. Then with a learned grace she took one in each hand and spun back around, walking past the other waitress with a grin, angling her body and lifting the trays up high to make room for her.
Being a waitress wasn’t glamorous, but Sage was excellent at it. She’d spent years learning how to hold trays just right, the precarious balance as she figured out how to remove one plate without toppling all the others or spilling drinks all over her customers.
After a few accidents, she’d learned, and now…she was the best.
Which was why the manager always made sure she served the group from the Blue Mountain Auto Shop. Sage was fast, efficient, and unobtrusive.
She didn’t mind serving such a large party, they always tipped well.
Sage set down a plate in front of Kai first. He was the owner of the shop, but new to town just like her, or so she’d heard. Then Sage set down Olivia’s plate, making her way around the table as they chattered, paying her no mind.
Olivia was too beautiful to move to La Grande in Sage’s opinion, but she didn’t know the other girl’s past. Just that she had arrived around the same time Kai had.
The whole town loved to gossip about the mechanics and the way they all lived on the same property. Speculations rose and fell just like the seasons. It was all in good fun since Sage had never heard anything negative about them…
Well, not recently anyway.
Everyone in town loved Kai and the way he’d turned the town around, gotten rid of some thugs, and made a business that didn’t prey on people. Every woman in a fifty-mile radius came to La Grande to get their cars fixed, and the attractive employees weren’t the only benefit.
Kai never overcharged or tried to trick a woman into spending more than a repair was worth.
Setting down the last plate, she turned and grabbed the other tray from an empty table, going around the table clockwise. Sage had noticed recently there were new additions to the group, and from the looks of it they were romantic.
The town was in a quiet uproar about the newcomers, Bonnie and Amelia.
Sage smiled slightly at the comments she overheard on the daily, how the two women were from the city and were planning to start a business way out here. She loved listening to the talk and chatter, and she was so quiet no one really paid any attention to her, so she heard everything.
Shane had his usual, and then his new girlfriend Bonnie had the salad. Alexander had his usual as well, the twins ordered enough for four people instead of two, and last but not least, Jacob and his BLT with balsamic.
Even though he didn’t look at her, Sage blushed.
She’d been serving these tables for weeks now and she still hadn’t gotten up the courage to talk to him yet. He was gorgeous and funny and kind, and she…she was no one really. Some girl from California.
“Everything on the Jeep look okay?” Kai asked, taking a bite of his food.
They liked to talk about work, but sometimes they talked about other things, things Sage never understood but couldn’t help thinking about. They definitely had secrets just as the rumors said, but she couldn’t figure out what they were exactly.
“I’ll have it done today,” Jacob said, chewing on the extra bacon he always ordered on the side. “Thank you, Sage.”
She blushed again and took away the trays, walking over to the server station to grab a pitcher of water. Sage hadn’t realized Jacob even knew she existed, let alone her name.
Quietly she filled each of the water glasses while they talked about various other projects, including a few out of towners who planned to come for some custom work.
As she turned away, Sage heard the conversation shift and she stopped at a nearby table, pouring water for those guests while she listened.
“There have been tracks outside the territory line,” Jacob said softly. “Three or four of them if I’m right.”
Silence stretched at that revelation and Sage kept her expression carefully blank as she moved to the next table, clearing the empty dishes and pocketing the tip.
“From the east or the north?” Kai asked, voice grim.
“North if my guess is right. They’re testing our borders.” Alexander’s deep voice was distinct from the rest.
“Have the tracks crossed the line?” Shane asked.
Slowly she wiped down the table and reorganized the condiments for the next guests as she strained to hear the conversation.
“No,” Olivia replied. “They’re very careful.”
“Keep an eye out and just observe,” Kai finally said. “I don’t want to set traps if I don’t have to.”
Sage hefted the plates up on one hand and spun back around to take them back to the kitchen. Maybe they were having issues with wild animals. It was January after all, with more snow than anyone could remember.
She’d heard the wolves were more active this year, as were the foxes, and even a few bears. Chickens had gone missing, dogs, cats, and the odd horse had been taken down.
There had even been talk about hunting the coyotes at the last town meeting. They’d taken down a few cows and were bolder than they’d ever been thanks to the cold and lack of food available to them.
That or pets were far easier pickings.
“Sage, could I get another beer when you have a chance?” Jacob called after her.
She nearly dropped the plates but turned the stumble into a little spin so she could smile at him. “Be right there,” she said softly, feeling her cheeks heat.
“How’s Portland?” Shane asked as she tried not to rush off.
“Focus Jacob!” Amelia said with a laugh. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d imprinted on her.”
“Oh, har har.”
The voices faded as the doors swung shut behind her. Sage set the plates down for the dishwasher and covered her hot face with her cool hands.
Jacob knew she existed.
She’d only been in La Grande for a few weeks, but she’d known right away Jacob was so far out of her league. That hadn’t kept her from crushing hard though. Sage was just a girl – one who had no ability to resist charm and good looks when it came wrapped in muscles for days.
Heather gave her a knowing wink as she whisked by. Sage straightened her skirt and collected herself. Then she pushed through the doors to get Jacob his beer. The bell dinged with another order ready for her to take out, and Sage smiled.
Some days, she loved her job.
2
Sage
Sage wrapped her coat around her tight and followed Heather outside. The lunch rush was over and there was just enough time to eat and hang out before dinner.
The hours were long, but Sage could honestly say she’d never had a better job as a waitress, and she’d worked at a lot of different restaurants.
“Jacob seemed smitten with you today,” Heather said with a laugh, lighting up a cigarette.
Sage waved the smoke away and sat down at the table for employees behind the restaurant. The train tracks were just behind the grill and beyond that were the fields. The snow was patchy after the warmer days, but the clouds in the sky promised more snow overnight if she was right.
“He knows my name,” Sage admitted. “I don’t think that means he’s smitten. It just means he knows how to read my name tag.”
“They don’t pay any of us any mind, so it means something,” Heather said, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Though I can’t tell yet if that’s g
There were so many rumors about Kai and his shop that Sage couldn’t decide what was based in truth and what was simply wild accusations.
“What do you know about them?” she asked, pulling out the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she’d brought from home. “They seem nice enough.”
Heather flicked the ash from her cigarette and shrugged. “They keep to themselves, pay taxes, do their jobs, but before Kai came it wasn’t the fairy tale it is now.”
Sage had so many questions, but every time she brought up the subject Heather changed it. Normally she let her, because Sage didn’t like confrontation. She was shy and would rather just avoid the entire situation, so she didn’t have to deal with upsetting someone.
But this was getting ridiculous.
“No one will tell me what that means,” Sage said, taking a bite of her sandwich. “I’ve only been here for a few weeks, but it doesn’t seem all that different from any other small town I’ve been to.”
And she’d been to a lot between Los Angeles and Seattle. When her car had broken down, the closest shop that would take it so late at night was in La Grande. That was the first time she saw Jacob, but Sage doubted he remembered her. Maybe her car, but not her. Then she’d liked this place so much she’d decided to stay, and as a waitress she could work anywhere.
“What really surprises me,” Sage said when Heather didn’t say anything, “is how gorgeous they all are. I was in Hollywood and even there they would be considered above average beautiful.”
“Genetics?” Heather suggested, taking a long drag of her cigarette.
“I’m being serious. I just can’t believe a group of mechanics look like they’ve stepped off the silver screen.” Sage watched Heather closely as she took another bite.
“Harrison Ford was a carpenter before Star Wars.”
“Jacob is way more attractive than Harrison Ford,” Sage muttered, wiping the crumbs from her fingers.
“Look, they’re just weird okay?” Heather said, putting out her cigarette. “I would normally tell a new girl to stay away from them, but I’m sure it’ll work itself out.”
“Why? What’s different about me?” she asked, working hard to keep her tone light and curious. Sage felt slightly defensive though, like somehow Heather had insulted her but she didn’t know how.
“Just that every girl has tried to get with them at one point or another. We’ve all slept with them, but it never lasts. They make some kind of excuse and then that’s the end of it. They never call or text, it’s like you don’t even know each other anymore.” Heather sighed and sat next to Sage. “It’s a heartbreak every girl in La Grande has gone through. I suppose it’ll be your right of passage.”
After years in Los Angeles, Sage was tired of drama and millions of people. She’d thought a small-town life would be better for her while she figured out what she wanted to do next, while she recovered from the pain of her last romance.
The drama and betrayal and the embarrassment…Sage had honestly thought she’d put all that behind her.
But it was starting to sound like she’d stumbled into another kind of drama, one that had a familiar ending.
“So, who broke your heart?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant as she tossed the wrapper from her sandwich in the trash.
The breeze that whipped around the building was frigid and insistent. Sage tucked her hands into her pockets and waited, eyeing the girl she thought could be her friend one day.
Heather picked at her nails. “It wasn’t Jacob.”
Sage could hear the hurt in Heather’s voice still. It must have been recent. “That’s not why I’m asking. I genuinely want to know because I care.”
“Liam and I used to go out,” Heather admitted, picking at the fuzz on her sweater. “If you can call it that. Around the time Kai arrived is when it ended. I don’t know why, but I’m grateful for it in the long run. Things have really changed for the better. For all of us.”
Sage looked up at the clouds that seemed to get darker with every passing moment. She wouldn’t have suspected one of the sweet twins could be responsible for breaking Heather’s heart, but at the same time she didn’t know anyone very well past what they showed her here in the grill.
“I don’t plan on doing anything about Jacob,” Sage murmured. “It’s not like I could ever ask him out.”
Heather smiled. “You’re pretty. I’m sure he’d be into you. For how long though? I’m not sure. They’re all really nice, but they don’t do commitment. At least, I didn’t think so until those new girls showed up.”
The timer went off on her phone and Sage silenced it. Slowly she stood, stretching before she had to go back inside and do it all again for dinner.
Both Amelia and Bonnie were otherworldly pretty. Amelia’s red hair made sure everyone took notice and Bonnie was like Wonder Woman with how tall and fit she was.
Sage could never compete. There was a reason she left Hollywood.
“What was it like before?” Sage asked, opening the door for Heather and letting her pass before following her into the dark restaurant.
Heather shuddered as she took off her coat. “Shane, Liam, Noah, Jacob…everyone but Kai and Olivia were here before and they were always kind, but the men they used to hang out with? They were violent and mean – criminals. But no one could ever pin anything on them. When Kai showed up the assholes cleared out. I don’t know why, but I’m thankful for it every day.”
It must have been really bad for Heather to be so intensely grateful about something that had broken her heart.
Sage shook her head to dispel the thoughts of what the other girl had to have dealt with. “Do you want their table tonight?” she asked instead. “They always leave amazing tips.”
Heather smiled and nudged her with an elbow. “Nah, I’ll let you bask in Jacob’s presence for as long as you want.”
It was so embarrassing how much she blushed. Sage had never been able to get that under control, another failure as an actress. She ducked her head and grabbed a glass of water. Maybe things were different now and Jacob was actually looking for something serious.
She sighed and downed the water.
Who was she kidding?
Sage wrapped her apron around her waist and mentally prepared herself for another long night.
3
Jacob
Jacob looked up from the notes he had and smiled at the new waitress. Shane had warned him to keep it in his pants thanks to the new rules, but for some reason he couldn’t seem to stay away.
Ever since she’d started, he’d been finding excuses to come to the grill. He’d even been eating lunch there every day when he didn’t have to. No one in the pack had said anything yet, but he knew they would.
That was his Alpha’s rule. No locals unless they were mates.
But Sage was new. Jacob didn’t know if she was his mate or not, or at least that’s the excuse he kept telling himself.
For a second he was mesmerized as she leaned over to pour him more coffee. The way the sun hit her freckles had him in some kind of trance. They were all over her body and he thought they made her look even more beautiful.
Not that she was the typical kind of pretty, but something more…unique. Her not-quite-red brown hair and the bangs that framed her face were somehow all he could think about sometimes.
Fuck, he had it bad.
Jacob cleared his throat and turned back to his notes, thanking her quietly.
“What are you working on?” she asked softly, like she was afraid she might bother him by asking.
