Fated For The Wolf

By Kayla Gabriel

Ivy Dorset is running out of time, slowly but surely. Her greatest desire is to have a family — house, kids, the whole package. Unfortunately for Ivy, she’s only got a handful of years to accomplish her goals. Though she’s got money and a beautiful Montana ranch, she’s missing the key ingredient — the perfect man to help her conceive. No muss, no fuss, and definitely no strings attached.
Elijah Buchanan understands Ivy’s need for speed. With his Alpha father breathing down his neck, his birthright at stake, and millions of dollars of family on the line, Elijah needs to buckle down and start his family in weeks, not years. When he hears of Ivy’s situation, he sees the opportunity of a lifetime.
Though they share the same goals and can’t seem to resist the passion that blooms between them, their deeply held secrets can’t stay hidden forever… When all the cards are on the table, will Elijah and Ivy unite, or be torn apart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: KSA Publishing Consultants, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 27, 2020

Book preview

1

August

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Elijah Buchanan stared down at his best friend’s brand new mate, trying to decide whether to scowl or laugh at her antics. Kiley was a wee thing, her head coming only to his shoulder, but you’d never know she was the smaller one by the way she was scolding him just now. She crossed her arms and flipped her long, dark curls over her shoulder as she gave an exasperated sigh and shook her head.

You are being entirely too rough with him, she said. She stepped between Elijah and the him in question, an eight week old wolf pup. Kiley and Garrett had saved a litter of wild wolf pups recently, and they were fostering them for another couple of months until the pups were old enough to roam free on the brand new Montana wildlife preserve Garrett and his brother Lucas had created.

Elijah had just finished a mission at the security firm he co-owned with Garrett. Now he was spending a couple of well-earned weeks off at Garrett and Kiley’s rambling Montana farmhouse, located smack in the middle of their new wolf sanctuary. Elijah had followed Kiley outside to the property’s newly-resurrected barn, intending to help her feed the pups, but he’d ended up tussling with the most rambunctious of the bunch while Kiley did all the work.

He’s the one doin’ all the biting! Elijah protested, climbing to his feet and dusting himself off. He chuckled at the look on Kiley’s face. She hadn’t quite grasped his words, and for good reason. His Scottish accent was thick as tar, and sometimes Americans had trouble understanding him when he didn’t take care to enunciate each word.

It’s his fault, Elijah clarified, slowing his words down to make sure Kiley got his meaning.

The pup proved Elijah’s point in the next second, pouncing on Elijah’s foot and giving the toe of his thick leather boot a playful nip. Elijah gave a teasing growl and the pup jumped back, scampering behind Kiley for protection. When the pup peeped out from behind Kiley’s legs, Elijah laughed. He crouched again and beckoned to the pup, who ran over and pushed his head under one of Elijah’s hands, hind leg thumping when Elijah scratched him behind the ears.

Kiley’s face softened into a smile as watched them.

You’d make a good dad, you know? she said, looking thoughtful.

Elijah’s stomach dropped at her words, and he disengaged from the wolf pup.

Been hearin’ that a lot of late, he said, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to ward off the tension that now built there.

He could hear his father’s voice now, accent thicker even than Elijah’s own.

Ye’ll give me a babe before the year’s out, or ye’ll get nothin’. No’ a penny, no legacy whatsoever. Ye’ll no’ keep the name Buchanan, I swear it.

Adam Buchanan had dropped that bomb on Elijah three days prior, and since then Elijah had been hard-pressed to think of anything else. He was only thirty four, true, but he was the only heir of the Buchanan line of Alphas. In Adam’s mind, Elijah had been wiling away the years until it was time for him to produce a strong group of heirs and return to Scotland and reclaim his birthright.

Or something like that. Elijah had stopped listening after about five minutes of Adam’s belligerent ranting and raving about blood lines and heritage and duty. Only when Adam had said the words an’ my fortune, an Castle Buchanan… had Elijah snapped to attention once more. Apparently if Elijah didn’t produce an heir, and soon, the castle that had been home to countless generations of Buchanan wolves would be forfeit to a distant and little-loved cousin.

Elijah didn’t give a whit about the money or his father’s disapproval, but the castle couldn’t be passed to some mere cousin.

Earth to Elijah, Kiley said, waving a hand in front of his face.

She pointed to the pup at his feet, but it was too late. Elijah looked down just in time to feel a warm, wet sensation against his ankle as the tiny wolf cocked a leg and pissed.

Damnation! he shouted, jumping back.

He must like you, Kiley cackled, picking up the now-spent pup and returning him to the barn before closing the door.

She turned and headed back toward the house, Elijah spewing a stream of inventive curses as he followed her. His eye was drawn to a flicker of movement on the horizon, something coming their way and moving fast. He squinted, identifying the blur as a figure on horseback.

Kiley stopped in the yard of her two-story white farmhouse. Eyeing the approaching rider, Kiley perched herself on the wraparound porch’s broad whitewashed wood steps.

Someone you know? Elijah asked, leaning against the porch railing but remaining on his feet. Garrett had driven into town for the morning, and Elijah felt it was his job to watch after Kiley in his friend’s absence, no matter how feisty she was.

Yeah, a friend, Kiley replied. In the next moment, she turned her bright emerald gaze on Elijah, considering. He wasn’t sure what she