The Mate's Surrender: The Mate's Ring Series

By Wendy Lanore

Orphaned as a child, Connor hadn't known of his animal nature until one night changed his life.  When his Alpha found him and took him in, he swore he would never let anyone get close again.  Until he met Eva.  Fighting the pull between them was bearable until he thought she might be lost to him.  Now that danger is close, he will prove to her that they are stronger together.

Eva has lost everyone she loves, except her young sister.  She's vowed that no one will distract her from keeping her sister safe, even the wolf shifter she knows is her mate.  Finding the pack in the Caulder Territory was a blessing, but can she put their lives in danger too and will they accept her Bear. 

This book can be read as a standalone.

This book is recommended for ages 18+.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wendy Lanore
• Release date: Apr 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781987495638

Wendy Lanore

Born and raised in a small town in Kentucky. Daughter to a homemaker and a Coalminer. Wendy started her career a little later in life in order to stay home with her two children. An avid crafter, artist and reader. Wendy spent many hours volunteering in her community for the children in the area.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Description

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Epilogue

About the Author

The Mate’s Surrender:  Connor

Book 2 of The Mate’s Ring Series

––––––––

Orphaned as a child, Connor hadn’t known of his animal nature until one night changed his life.  When his Alpha found him and took him in, he swore he would never let anyone get close again.  Until he met Eva.  Fighting the pull between them was bearable until he thought she might be lost to him.  Now that danger is close, he will prove to her that they are stronger together.

Eva has lost everyone she loves, except her young sister.  She’s vowed that no one will distract her from keeping her sister safe, even the wolf shifter she knows is her mate.  Finding the pack in the Caulder Territory was a blessing, but can she put their lives in danger too and will they accept her Bear. 

This book can be read as a standalone.

Acknowledgements

Copyright © 2018 by Wendy Lanore

Edited by: Nikki Roberts and Jennifer Melton

Cover Designed by Sunset Rose Books

All rights reserved.  Wendy Lanore owns exclusive rights to all content herein.  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form.  This includes paper book, electronic or other digital means. 

This book is a fictional book.  All characters are products of the author’s imagination.  Any names, locations and events have no relevance to real people. 

Dedication

To my boys who are my biggest supporters.

To my best friend and sister, Trisha, for always having my back.

To all my family, thanks again for being a part of my Cult.

To Nikki and Jennifer for helping me along!

Most of all, for those that read the first book and supported me through the second.

Love you all!

Chapter 1

Connor Kincaid sat leaning against a tree, his head resting on the rough bark.  He preferred his solitude, the quiet.  It was what he was used to.  With his eyes closed, he let the sounds and smells all around him fill his senses.  The night air was musky and moist from the arrival of fall.  In the distance, nature was coming alive with the sounds of small wildlife skittering across the forest floor.

The most prominent sound came from a small cottage no more than a hundred yards away.  The television was playing some elaborate musical sending the two females watching into a fit of giggles. The corner of his lip pulled up slightly. The sound of their laughter always made him long for the thing he had never had. Family. 

Connor had never really had a family. He had lost his at the age of six and he could barely remember what having a family was.  He had been juggled from one foster family to another, never really making a connection with any of them. It was as if they had decided he wouldn’t be there for very long before they had even given him a chance.

He had been called things like strange and weird by the people that were supposed to love and care for him. He had been ridiculed and made fun of, so he had kept to himself.  He had always known he was different. He could feel it inside, but he had never really known just how different until he finally hit puberty. 

While most preteens and teenagers were dealing with normal hormonal issues, Connor was dealing with so much more.  Having no knowledge about his biological family, other than their names, he hadn’t known what to expect when his hormones kicked in and he’d grown slightly aggressive, moody.  The lack of backgrounds or genealogy made it even more difficult when it happened.

At fourteen, Connor had shifted his first time in front of the last foster family he was placed with.  They had ran screaming from the house while he paced the living room completely distraught.   Hours passed before he calmed down enough for his wolf to give over to his human side.   Since he had no information as to what he was, he thought he could only be one thing. A monster. 

He had packed his meager belongings that night and ran away, never looking back.  He always envied the families he seen while out shopping or at the park.  The affectionate, loving families.  He had wished for the same, but after the reaction his foster parents had expressed that night, he gave up on that dream. No one would want a freak.  A monster.

He had been lucky though. Thomas had found him on the streets months later by following Connor’s scent into an abandoned building.  After much convincing, he had gone home with Thomas, relieved to unload some of his burden.  He had been cold, hungry and tired, but most of all he had been afraid.  Thomas wasn’t Alpha at the time, but he had taken responsibility for Connor.  For that he would always be grateful. 

Thomas had explained his shifter abilities to him and tried to convince Connor that he wasn’t a monster, but sometimes he wondered. He had seen the look on his foster parents’ faces and the sheer terror in their eyes when he changed that first time. He never wanted to see that look again. 

Thomas treated him as family and had given him a home, but Connor never fully trusted that he wouldn’t be left alone again. So even after all these years, Connor kept himself at a distance. Never fully trusting anyone. Not letting anyone close enough for heartbreak or fear.  One thing was for sure, Connor’s heart cracked a little the night his temporary family had looked at him in disgust and terror.   

Another peel of giggles escaped the confines of the small cottage, bringing him back to the present.  He opened his eyes and looked to the window with the dim light shining out.  He couldn’t see them inside, but he used his imagination to envision the girls cuddled up on a sofa with popcorn and watching their movie. 

He was drawn to both females, but he kept his distance from them.  Callie, the sweet, timid little girl reminded him so much of himself as a child.  His need to ensure they were safe drove him to the very spot he occupied night after night, in front of the tree that was now holding up his thick form.  Closing his eyes again he continued to listen to the sounds inside the house, until his body relaxed, giving over to sleep.

***

Eva Sellers looked down at the two growing bundles and couldn’t suppress a wave of envy.  The twin baby girls were dressed in matching pink dresses, with white tights, and black patent leather shoes.  They had pink chubby cheeks and sandy blonde hair that sprouted unevenly over their little, round heads.  Both babies were identical in looks, except for the faint scar on Valerie’s cheek.  A scar she had gotten when Christine had been stabbed during her pregnancy. 

Her best friend, Christine, had brought these two precious girls into the world just three months ago.  Eva had delivered them with the assistance of Grace, Christine’s grandmother.  Of course, Thomas had been there from the very beginning to coach his mate on and lend her strength.  The two were amazing together.

She was checking the weight and vitals of her two tiny patients while they cooed at her. The sweet babies had brought so much joy to everyone around them. Eva longed for a baby of her own.  She swore every time those pudgy little faces smiled at her, her uterus contracted. At this point, her biological clock had gone from a ticking to a buzzing.

Christine was human, but she had mated with a wolf shifter and couldn’t be happier.  Eva was happy for her friend, but she yearned for the same love she saw between Christine and Thomas.  She didn’t have that option though.  Having her sister, Callie, to take care of was her priority. A little more than a year before, her parents had been murdered and Callie left for dead.  She had taken her sister and moved. It was the only thing she knew to do to ensure her safety. 

When she had heard that the Caulder Territory housed a small, but respectable pack, she knew this was where she needed to be. At first, she was afraid that the wolf pack wouldn’t accept them considering they were bear shifters. Her plan initially was to move to the town and stay to herself, not mingle with the pack.  But in the end, she had made friends with a pregnant Christine and now lived on Thomas’s property. He had a special attachment to her sister and insisted the two live close to the pack. 

Callie’s interaction with Thomas had come as a surprise and the two were almost inseparable. She hadn’t interacted with many people since witnessing the deaths of their parents, especially wolf shifters. She hadn’t spoken a single word either. However, after meeting Thomas, she was finally beginning to laugh again and that was nothing shy of miracle. 

They had lived in the neighboring Carter Territory, but a little over a year ago the power had shifted and now the territory was in turmoil.  It was no longer safe for the there.  She had hated to move from the only home she had ever known, but their lives had depended on it.  She didn’t know who had killed her parents and couldn’t trust anyone. The only thing she was certain of was that her sister wasn’t safe there.

Now looking at the two babies babbling with happiness and the smile on her sister’s face, she knew she had made the right decision. Callie hadn’t talked since the day their parents had died, but she was making progress and Eva knew she would, one day soon, be the carefree little girl she once was. Over the past few months she had clung to Thomas’s every move, but she still wouldn’t let any of the other pack members get close to her.  She shied away or left the room completely every time they were near. 

She was a very observant little girl and watched the men of Thomas’s pack fawn over the babies, not getting close, but gauging their reactions and behaviors towards the two babies.  She also found her sister watching Connor more often than any of the others.  She seemed fascinated with him and would follow him when she thought he wasn’t aware. Eva, too, found herself watching Connor, but for very different reasons. 

Eva kept her distance from pack members almost as much as Callie, because she didn’t need anyone finding an interest in her in case she had to leave.  The possibility of a mating was something she had to resist.  Her sister needed her and was priority.  But the thoughts of mating always brought Connor to mind and she always struggled to push them away.

She picked up Valerie, inhaling the sweet scent of baby and passed her to her mother. They’re both perfect, meeting all milestones.  Eva picked Sophia up, blowing a raspberry on the baby’s neck causing her to erupt into a fit of giggles.  The sound filling her heart. 

They’re growing so fast!  Christine delighted.

Well, like I told you before, shifter babies do tend to grow at a rapid rate.  It will happen in intervals.  They will plateau for a short while and then it will start again.

I know, but it just seems they’re growing too fast, Christine explained as she buckled Valerie in her swing.  Eva had stopped by Christine and Thomas’s home to drop Callie off before heading to work.  Eva placed Sophia in her swing and strapped her in too, while the sweet little girl shook her hands and feet all around in her excitement. 

Although, they were only three months old, they had their own little personalities.  Such different personalities.  Valerie was the calm, quiet baby.  Always watching and observing, taking in her surroundings at all times.  She showed such sweet affection and smiles to everyone around her. 

Sophia was the wild one.  She was always babbling and making her little voice heard.  She took charge of all those around her and commanded attention.  She had a dominant personality for such a small baby. 

The women continued to chat for a few more minutes. Christine explaining the day ahead. She had a teaching degree and after having the babies decided to stay home and homeschool Callie, then one day the twins. Eva had been so grateful.  She had worried after moving to the area how Callie would adjust to a school with no shifter children, not to mention her nonverbal state.

It had given Eva a slight bit of anxiety until she had met Christine. It seemed that everything was falling into place for her and Callie, she just hoped that the danger they had ran from wouldn’t follow them. Pushing that thought away, she gave her goodbyes and headed for the clinic. 

She spent the day seeing patients. Being the only obstetrician in town kept her busy. Having the added help of childcare from the pack was a godsend. She hadn’t even had that benefit from the Carter pack, but then again at that