Wolf in the Desert

By Monique McMorgan

Dominic and Patrice are ready for a relaxing and romantic honeymoon.  When they receive a honeymoon vacation to Windy Springs, a vacation town known for great hikes and scenic views, it seems that their prayers have been answered. But after arriving, things quickly go awry in typical Timber Creek fashion, and Windy Springs is not what it appears to be. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Monique McMorgan
• Release date: May 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386757405

Monique McMorgan

Biography Monique writes books and because you are reading this it makes perfect sense. She’s best known for writing steamy paranormal fiction romance including Mind Games, and the 5-part Timber Creek Wolf Novels. She enjoys apple pie, as so many of you do and any kind of puzzle game.  Monique has written contemporary romance under the name Amerine Graham and continues to write as Monique McMorgan. Monique is at home with her family, a large overgrown garden and a huge collection of books from almost every genre. facebook.com/Moniquemcmorgan Twitter- @McmorganMonique Instagram-mcmorgan.m

Book preview

Chapter One

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The car pulled into the driveway and Dominic shifted it into Park. The sun was lowering in the sky and the clouds were a dark purple. As Dominic twisted the key in the ignition, the engine fell silent and the two of them just sat in the car for a moment. It felt like an eternity since they had left, and for Dominic, that was close to being true, but it had only been a few days. Both of them were glad to be home, and a lot of things had changed since they left.

For one, they both had shiny new wedding bands on their ring fingers. The wedding had been...eventful, but they survived it and had become husband and wife. That more than anything else stood out in their minds. None of the rest mattered. It didn’t matter that the ghosts of Castle Richards had dragged Dominic into the ether, or that they found out Dominic’s family was a product of a sick experiment, or that a government agency had been aware of Timber Creek for years. No, none of that mattered. Patrice and Dominic had each other. Dominic was sheriff of Timber Creek and leader of the Greys, but he was happy to put that on hold for Patrice.

Welcome home, He looked over at her with his blue eyes and warm smile.

I’m happy to be home, She leaned over the center console and kissed Dominic on the mouth. I could just sleep for days, Patrice said as she pulled away.

Dominic couldn’t have agreed more. His whole body was sore and he hadn’t a proper night’s sleep in several days. With the wedding behind them, and nothing looming over them for a change, Dominic was ready to take a hot shower and crawl into bed. After grabbing their luggage and wedding presents, they threw open the door to their tiny apartment - their loved filled home.

Dominic placed their luggage in the bedroom while Patrice laid out their gifts on the dining room table. Immediately after, they both went into the bathroom and got the shower going.

The small bathroom filled up quickly with a thick cloud of steam. Each breath was hot and humid, and the soft warmth of the steam was comforting against their skin. With stiff, bruise covered bodies they stripped off their clothes. Patrice looked over at Dominic, she never got tired of seeing him without a shirt. They peeled back the shower curtain, the metal rings softly scraping against the metal pole and climbed into the white tub. The water felt amazing. Patrice let the water run through her hair. All the hairspray and products from the wedding preparations washed away in the warm stream of water. It felt like heaven.

Dominic moved up beside her. He gently moved his fingertips along the bruise on her face.

That looks like it hurts, He said as he softly touched her. Patrice just shrugged.

I’ll be fine, It did hurt, but Patrice wasn’t one to complain about minor injuries; she was tougher than that.

Dominic leaned down and kissed her neck while his hands slid down to her waist. The soft growth of his beard was rough on her skin, but it was signature Dominic and she loved it. She was too exhausted and sore to have sex, but feeling Dominic wrapped around her was just as good. His firm, stiff, body was warm and wet from the shower, and Patrice buried her head into his chest and just took in the moment.

The honeymoon will be nice, Dominic pulled away from Patrice and started to cover himself in soap.

It sure will. It’s going to be hard going back to regular life afterward,

Don’t even think about that yet, Dominic said reassuringly to her. The world can wait for a week. 

The plan was to go to Dusty’s cabin. Neither of them had a lot of money to put down on a honeymoon, and they didn’t see the point of spending a lot of money when all they wanted to do was spend time with each other. Dusty’s cabin was cheap, romantic, scenic, and had a beautiful view. It was a perfect spot, and Patrice couldn’t wait to kick back and spend as much time with Dominic as she could.

I can’t wait, Patrice said happily.

After the shower, they both went straight to the bed. There wasn’t any talk of doing anything else - no discussion about watching Netflix or hanging out for a bit.  It was still early in the night, but both of them got under the covers and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

The morning came late. Their sheets were warm from the sunlight shining through the window. Practice stirred beside Dominic as a patch of sunlight shone brightly on her face. She felt much better after a good sleep but was still feeling low energy. With Dominic still asleep beside her, Patrice walked out of the bedroom and gathered the presents. They were beautifully wrapped and came in all shapes and sizes. Her father, Jonathan Coleman, had made them a wooden card box with wrought iron latches. The sound of dozens of cards sliding inside of it filled Patrice with a sense of appreciation.

She put them down on the foot of the bed. Dominic started to wake-up, slowly, as she crawled back into the bed. 

What are you doing? He asked with half-opened eyes.

I figured we could open our presents in bed, Patrice propped up the pillows behind her and got herself comfortable. Dominic let out a loud yawn and sat up.

There sure is a lot of them,

I know, right? I didn’t really expect that there'd be this many of them. I didn’t really put that much thought into the gifts all around.

I’m going to go make some coffee, Dominic rose out of the bed and stretched. I’ll be back in a couple minutes.

Patrice looked through some of the beautifully wrapped boxes. They were tied with ornate ribbons and bows with perfectly calligraphic cards sitting on top. The emotions swelled inside of Patrice; she couldn’t believe so many people had been so generous to her and Dominic. She set aside a wrapped package and picked up the card box. She undid the heavy latch and threw open the lid of the dark stained box. It was filled with thick envelopes that surely contained messages of love. There was one envelope, in particular, that caught her eye.

It was off white and had a dark, blue ribbon elegantly tied around it. She pulled it out and placed it on her lap. That would be the first one they would open together.

Dominic came back into the room carrying two mugs of fresh, hot coffee. He put Patrice’s cup down beside her on the nightstand before taking a seat beside her.

Alright, He seemed much more alert already. Let’s do this. Dominic clapped and then rubbed his hands together.

Patrice undid the ribbon on the white envelope and it gently slid off of the thick paper. She had to reach for a nail file to break the seal, and inside were a few glossy sheets of paper. She pulled them out - her nails exquisitely manicured and painted from the wedding - and there were photos splashed on them. Images of people hiking near an old-themed down were printed on the glossy sheets. Patrice furrowed her brow.

What are those? Dominic asked before taking a long sip of his coffee.

I think, Patrice said slowly as she looked them over. That they’re tickets, tickets for a honeymoon? She said it uncertainly. They hadn’t registered or asked anyone for a honeymoon, it seemed like too much to ask, but it