Wolf Creek Sheriff (Prequel): Texas Pack, #4

By Jo Ellen

Will Colin save his new mate from an evil dragon?
Stephanie cannot believe her eyes when she wakes up in Faery and her 'date' claims to be a werewolf...and her mate. Will she accept him?
Colin is the sheriff of Wolf Creek, and a protector at heart. Easy going and laid-back, unless something threatens his mate or his pack.

But sometimes there's an enemy so evil, so hell-bent on destroying humans, that a patient wolf shifter turns into the fiercest predator.

Stephanie is a 911 dispatcher who thinks she's lucked out to meet a guy as handsome and kind as Colin, a man who finally makes her feel safe in a world she knows is filled with evil. But when she learns the truth about her seemingly ordinary world--that it's anything but normal--Stephanie must face grave dangers that she never thought possible.

It turns out, she is not just a regular girl at all--she's an empath. And her new boyfriend Colin isn't just a small town sheriff--but a wolf shifter bound to her by loyalty and love.

And now Stephanie and Colin must race against time, keeping Amon and his war against humans from becoming a reality.

Together, the two of them must stop Amon, a dragon with a delusional God complex, hell-bent on taking over not just Wolf Creek...but the world itself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jo Ellen
• Release date: Apr 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533719430

Book preview

Chapter 1

D allas 911 , what’s your emergency? Stephanie asked calmly while staring at her screen as her fingers rested on her keyboard. The caller started shouting before she could get the last word out. That wasn’t unusual. Most people did not listen since they were too upset and wanted some type of immediate help.

The majority of calls to 911 were not real emergencies; they tended to be along the lines of upset citizens that did not know where to turn. Stephanie didn’t care either way, her job was to help the person at the end of her line. Whether the caller was abusive, screaming, crying or simply overly excited, she knew how to get the details she needed from the caller. If they were screaming and not listening to her, she used one of the techniques she’d learned as a newbie. By lowering her voice to a whisper, the caller usually stopped yelling so that they could hear what she was saying. After hearing the gist of the caller’s complaint, Stephanie relaxed and attempted to get the persons attention.

Ma’am, getting a bad haircut is not an emergency, Stephanie said.

Stephanie’s co-worker, who was sitting at the console beside her, snorted. Yeah, this was not unusual, but it did make her day a little less stressful.

But, it’s horrible! It’s not even close to what I asked her to do! The caller was in tears at this point.

I understand Ma’am, but this is a civil matter, not a criminal one, Stephanie told her. I cannot send officers to arrest your stylist, even though you consider this a crime.

Stephanie was finally able to disconnect once she convinced the woman that this was not a police matter. She logged out and laid her headset on her desk, happy to be off after a twelve-hour shift.

Her four-day weekend was here, even though it was a Wednesday. For her, it was the weekend. Too bad she didn’t have anything exciting to do except her laundry. Wow, I live such an exciting life, not.

Rolling her chair back, she grabbed her purse out of her drawer. See y’all Monday.

Hey Steph, her co-worker, Jenny called out. Where was that beauty shop? I want to make sure I don’t go there.

Stephanie was just pulling the door open to leave the dispatch center when she turned back, laughing and making a face at her friend. She waved her off, Don’t worry, it wasn’t in your neighborhood.

Turning back and stepping towards the hallway, she collided with the man standing on the other side of the door.

Oomph. Her breath pushed out her lips as the man she bumped into put his hands on her waist to steady her.

Hey darlin’, you okay? Colin asked, looking down at the dark haired beauty.

---

He’d been looking over his shoulder and talking to another officer when the dispatchers’ door opened and she stepped out. If he hadn’t grabbed hold, she would have landed on her ass. He froze. His fingers tightening on her waist as he felt an invisible pull tightening around them as if placing them in a private bubble. He sniffed the air, amazed when his wolf almost howled out loud in recognition. His mate! His! And she smelled like waffles, his favorite food, well, except for steak. What canine didn’t love steak? He stood there in a stupor, waiting on his mate to speak while a goofy grin spread across his face.

---

Stephanie looked up , way up at the man she had her breast pressed against. She wasn’t short, she considered herself to be quite average at 5’6". Not too tall, not too short. But he was well over six feet, and gorgeous. There was not another word for it. Handsome was too blah in his case with those dimples indenting both cheeks. Life was not fair, who gets dimples, blue eyes, blonde hair, height, and a body she could drool over for hours?

She was pushed from behind when the door softly closed behind her, smashing her against him even more. She felt the heat burst like frigging rays of sunshine on her cheeks. Life really sucked sometimes. With her dark hair you would think she’d have a nice olive skin tone, but no, she had to be blessed with white skin that looked like she’d been housebound in the artic for months on end.

She put her hands on his chest, trying to move him back so she could get some breathing room. What the hell? Was she really this weak? He didn’t move. Like a house on a solid foundation, he stood firm.

Colin stepped back, giving her a little breathing room while he watched her, taking in her embarrassment. Hey, sorry about that. I wasn’t paying attention. He did not want her to be uncomfortable around him as he found her blushing adorable.

Uh, yeah, no problem, Stephanie choked out and went to step around him. He moved, blocking her.

He would not let her escape. His need to be with her and take care of her overwhelmed him. Hey, you’re a dispatcher? I bet you have some interesting stories. Lame Colin, real lame, but if it kept her from walking away, he didn’t care.

Stephanie pulled herself together, feeling stupid for standing there ogling the man. She was articulate, educated, well rounded. Used to dealing with all kinds of emergency situations. Hell, she’d worked with police and firemen for years and could bull shit with the best of them. But this man made her feel like she was defending her thesis with absolutely nothing relevant to add.

Colin rested his hand in the small of her back, propelling her along to the break room he’d been in earlier. He spoke as he herded her where he wanted. My name is Colin and I’m here for a seminar. He pulled one of the plastic, hard chairs out in the empty break room and waited for her to sit.

Stephanie sat, wondering why she was acting so out of character. Her mouth was usually way ahead of her thoughts, which got her into trouble many times. There was just something about him that pulled her in and made her want to get to know this guy.

Stephanie, was all that came out of her mouth.

He waited expectantly as she stared at him. He wondered if she felt the same magic he did.

Well Stephanie, would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight? His grin made his dimples cut deeper into his cheeks.

God, she adored dimples. She rested her chin in her hands with her elbows propped up on the table. You are so pretty.

Colin blinked before his boisterous laughter filled the room. Why thank you, darlin’.

She dropped her head to the table, banging her forehead on the hard surface. Where was that proverbial hole when you needed one?

Taking a deep breath, Stephanie lifted her head and brushed her hair back. Can we start again? She held her hand out. Hi, I’m Stephanie and not nearly as ditzy as my recent performance may have lead you to believe.

Still laughing, Colin’s hand engulfed hers. I’m honored to meet you and may I say, you are so pretty.

Stephanie relaxed, laughing as he gave her words back to her.

So, will you? Colin asked.

She rested her elbows once again on the table, eyebrows raised in question. Will I what?

Colin sat across from her, not wanting to crowd her too soon.

Dinner? I’m not from Dallas so if you say no, I’ll be eating alone in my hotel room. His mouth turned down, sad and dejected.

Hmm, and you have no friends here either, I’ll bet. Poor man, lonely and friendless in the big city. She tsk’d, shaking her head in sympathy. Since I’m known as such a giving person, I’ll take pity on you and accept your invitation.

Another officer came into the break room and slapped Colin on his back. Hey man, good to see you! I heard you were in town. Let’s go have a drink and catch up. He nodded to Stephanie, oblivious. Hey Steph.

That was the problem when you worked with a bunch of guys who had known you forever. They stopped seeing you as a woman and saw you as one of the guys. Tom was simply clueless as to the vibes between Colin and Stephanie.

Colin stood and shook Tom’s hand. Hey, good to see you. Sorry man, I’ve got a date, Colin said, nodding at Stephanie.

Well, at least she could now relax and not worry about him being a serial killer. Her stranger danger alarm was not going off and Colin did have friends in the Dallas Police Department. Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a serial killer either, though. Ted Bundy had friends and looked normal also,