To Protect His Mate: Wolfe Brothers Series, #2

By Serena Pettus

Stephanie has had a rough year. After witnessing a murder and receiving numerous threats, she has moved to the small town of Hastings, only to discover that her newfound friends are a group of werewolves.

So much for getting back to a normal existence.

With the threats beginning anew, she must now make a choice. Does she stay and fight for her chance at happiness, or should she run again in an attempt to protect the people she's come to love.

Abraham has finally found his mate, but something is wrong and she's not confiding in him. Not knowing what to do, he turns to his new sister-in-law for help. But when Stephanie finally confides in Abraham, will he be able to give her what she needs and claim her as his own?

The danger following her finally catches up, and in order to keep Stephanie as his own, Abraham must protect his mate, but will he make it in time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Serena Pettus
• Release date: Mar 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386874065

Book preview

To Protect His Mate

by

Serena Pettus

Stephanie has had a rough year. After witnessing a murder and receiving numerous threats, she has moved to the small town of Hastings, only to discover that her newfound friends are a group of werewolves.

So much for getting back to a normal existence.

With the threats beginning anew, she must now make a choice. Does she stay and fight for her chance at happiness, or should she run again in an attempt to protect the people she’s come to love.

Abraham has finally found his mate, but something is wrong and she’s not confiding in him. Not knowing what to do, he turns to his new sister-in-law for help. But when Stephanie finally confides in Abraham, will he be able to give her what she needs and claim her as his own?

The danger following her finally catches up, and in order to keep Stephanie as his own, Abraham must protect his mate, but will he make it in time?

Copyright

©2019, Serena Pettus

To Protect His Mate

Cover Art by Kendra Egert

Formatting by Supernova Indie Publishing Services, LLC

Edited by Michele Paulin

Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

Thank You!

Thank you for your purchase of To Protect His Mate by Serena Pettus. We hope you’ve enjoyed the story and will consider leaving a review and telling a friend.

Serena loves hearing from readers! Please visit her at http://serenapettus.blogspot.com/ or www.facebook.com/SerenaPettus.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my readers.

Thank you all for loving the Wolfe Brothers as much as I do!

Chapter One

Stephanie Cruz relaxed in her whirlpool tub and let the pulsating jets gently work her sore muscles. Long hours in the clinic were wearing her down, but with the flu season in full swing, she really had no choice but to keep on working.

She’d moved to this tiny remote town ten weeks ago, fleeing bad memories and even worse men. The men she felt she could handle, given that she was a damn good shot with her little Ruger, but the memories had the power to cripple her.

With the anniversary of that horrible day looming before her, Stephanie decided to text Abraham Wolfe and let him know that she would not be available this Friday. The last thing she wanted was to become a blubbering mess in front of him.

Abraham, her gruff werewolf boyfriend of the last six weeks, would no doubt cringe at the sight of tears. She met him at the same time she met Erik and Sarah, in her clinic. When Stephanie and Sarah had landed themselves in a tight spot with some men from Sarah’s past, Abraham and his brothers had arrived, only to transform into massive wolves right before her eyes. Once over the initial shock, Stephanie had realized that these were still the same people she’d come to care for, and the fact that they turned furry just made them even more special.

Abraham was an ex-Navy SEAL and the very definition of strength in her book. He was simply massive, nearly six and a half feet tall and thickly muscled. He insisted on staying in shape since he still took occasional undercover assignments with the government. He was so large and had such a dark complexion that he was downright scary to run into if you didn’t know him, mostly because he kept an almost permanent scowl on his handsome face—it never failed to clear his path. Yet, it was that face which had captivated her.

Many hours spent outside had provided him with a rich brown tan that looked so natural against his dark hair. A little long, his blue-black mane was permanently tussled, leaving him looking like a rogue...a pure bad boy. His eyes, though, were lethal. The silvery-blue gaze was razor sharp and could see further into a person’s being than should be possible. In contrast to his dark hair and skin, they were positively mesmerizing.

Stephanie feared he would see straight through her tough façade to the fragile female she kept locked deep inside, a woman who was quickly scrambling to the surface with the anniversary of her daughter’s death approaching.

She traced her fingers over the long scar low on her belly that marked where her child had been taken from her bleeding and broken body. She’d never even had the chance to hold her daughter, to tell her how much she was already loved. Stephanie often found herself wondering if her daughter would have favored her or the father. Regardless, the child would have been beautiful.

She had never blamed the father for not sticking around. Besides, if a man stuck around for the wrong reasons, there would never truly be any happiness in the home, and Stephanie refused to allow her child to grow up feeling like a burden. She had the means to support herself and her daughter, so she’d told him to have a nice life and watched him walk right out of hers. He’d never even come to see how she’d fared in the accident, though she knew the nurses had called him.

In the year since the accident, she’d never felt the urge to be with another man until she’d met Abraham. His strength drew her, promising security and stability if she chose to accept the offer.

The offer, however, was what irritated and saddened her in equal parts. She was his soul-mate, his other half, and he wanted to take care of her and provide for her. All of which sounded wonderful, but she needed more. She needed the words.

Stephanie glanced at the watch sitting on the side of the tub, and realized her friend, Sarah, would be arriving soon. She quickly got out of the tub to begin getting ready. It was their weekly ritual. Every Wednesday night, they had a girls’ night, where they would cook, watch a movie and just talk. The talks were what she enjoyed the most because they allowed her to learn more about her new friends.

Sarah, also a werewolf, knew Stephanie had questions and concerns regarding Abraham and her. He seemed to know her moods and claimed he felt them whenever they were together. He’d explained that if she were a werewolf, she would be able to sense his emotions, as well.

Way to make a girl feel inadequate.

The man was a walking conundrum. Most people feared him, claiming he was harsh and uncompromising while she knew he could be gentle and caring. His scowl though, kept people at a distance, which was where he wanted them. He rarely smiled, but when he did, it truly was a sight to behold. He wasn’t a social person, by any means, and much preferred the privacy of either his home or hers whenever they got together.

That suited her just fine, especially since the phone calls had started. At first, she’d thought they were just some kids having fun then one day the number showed up...unblocked.

It was from the prison.

From the maximum security facility in which the doctor she’d previously worked under now resided. She’d witnessed him administering a lethal dose of insulin to an important key witness in a murder trial.

The poor man had already received a vicious beating as a warning and had remained unconscious since his arrival at the hospital. He’d posed no immediate threat. Someone obviously hadn’t thought he’d remain silent once he awoke.

After testifying against the physician, Stephanie had continued working for the hospital until the threats had begun. At first, they’d been just insults, but soon, they’d progressed to threats of physical harm. They’d insisted she retract her statements against the doctor, claiming that she would be left alone if she complied.

Stephanie had known better. She was a single, pregnant woman with no family, no roommates and a schedule that made making friends outside of work difficult. Due to the circumstances, she’d been forced once again to involve the police in the matter.

The police, unfortunately, were having a difficult time tracking down the ones harassing her. It seemed that they were using prepaid cellular phones and never the same one twice. Given the fact they were unable to do anything until the goons made a move, they suggested she move.

When the calls started up again only months after she’d arrived at her new home, she’d decided to move again. Coming to the small, secluded town of Hastings, Tennessee was by far her best decision yet. The clinic was large but kept regular hours of seven to six with an emergency number for after hours, if needed. The two physicians who owned the clinic were sweet and personable. That was a wonderful change from the snobby inner-city doctors with whom she’d worked. Generally, their bedside manners had been lacking.

The small town reminded her of Mayberry from The Andy Griffith Show. Everyone knew everyone, and they were polite and helpful.