Rafe

By Crystal Dawn

Rafe was a bad boy without a heart. Ask anyone that knew him before and they would say that. Things had changed and so had he, but had they changed enough that when faced with a decision he would make the right one?
Angie was a white wolf, but she didn't want to be. At least no one here knew it. She was caught off guard when the attacks began and again when she met the gorgeous owner who was protecting her. At least he wasn't a supernatural.

With so much against them, could they ever manage to come together and create their own happily ever after?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crystal Dawn
• Release date: Feb 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224434657

Crystal Dawn

When she’s not out hunting rogue vampires and werewolves, you can find Crystal Dawn out exploring the galaxy. She can do it all without ever leaving her computer. She kicks ass, takes names, and puts it all down for the enjoyment of her readers. At least that’s what I think she told me. Writing came as a natural outlet for her overly creative mind. She has always told stories and even written some but publishing books didn't start until 2012 with The Rebirth, was the first of the Planet Amazon books. Crystal has also been lucky to have some wonderful beta readers who keep her on track and help inspire her.Secretly, she crushes on all her sexy heroes because all her stories end happily. That is one of the things that makes writing such a joy. Knowing that it makes her reader's day a little brighter. Not that she doesn't read sad books sometimes. While still in school, she read Where the Red Fern Grows and cried like a baby. It was a wonderful book and sometimes a bit of sadness has to be put in books because that's part of life. While she reads all kinds of books at some time or another, PNR and SFR, which she writes is what she reads the most for pleasure.When she started writing, she decided on going Indie after the first two books because an author has more control. She believes Indie will compete well and continues to grow. The need to give pleasure to her readers keeps her going and she sees a long career ahead. Growing up mostly in the NW Arkansas area, it has given her a good place to set some stories and many of her characters come from there or nearby SW Missouri.The start of her stories is the easy part. Finishing them is a little harder when all the stories are in there trying to get out. She loves reading, chocolate, fine sweet wine, and traveling among a large list of pursuits. Her favorite people, after her family and close friends, are her readers who she says are some of the most wonderful people in this galaxy and the next.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

This is a branch off of the Legend story tree. It is a concurrent series with crossovers to the Legend series. It may be easier to follow if you first read Legends of the White Werewolf, The Forgotten Ones. The first book is free at some venues.

Rafe had been told he was the most beautiful man anyone had ever seen. Females thought he was flawless from head to toe. His face was that of an angel, with eyes so blue you could lose your way in them. His hair was blond, wavy, and shoulder-length.

Females were delightful when they looked at him that way. They would do anything he wanted and give him anything he asked for. Recently, he visited the McDougal pack and had the opportunity to meet the white wolf herself. None of those white wolf females reacted that way. He had to admit it took him down a notch.

Getting back home and finding things hadn't changed here was a relief. But Rafe had changed. He didn't feel the same way about the females who practically worshipped him. Rafe never thought he had a heart but was afraid he had discovered one.

Checking things with his pack, he discovered the orphans were being mistreated. He immediately moved them into his own home, something no one in his pack expected. Those charged with the care of the orphans were being punished appropriately.

The pack thought it was because those responsible cheated him, but that was a lie. The way the children were being treated was appalling. It would never happen again in his pack.

What are you thinking now? Steve, his second wolf and the man who knew him better than anyone asked.

Maybe I'm just jealous. You're mated to a lovely she-wolf while I'm stuck out here and lonely.

You have the she-wolves fighting over you all the time. If you ever bring someone in from outside, she'll have a hell of a fight with these vicious bitches.

A vicious bitch should be a good thing, but none appeal to me. It makes me worry that I'll ever find the right one, Rafe admitted.

It often takes time to find your true mate. Some never find one, only settle with someone compatible.

What's that even mean? Are you talking about someone that can be my friend? I don’t need friends with benefits for life.

Steve smiled. It seemed Rafe was always giving him something to smile or laugh about. It didn't make him feel any better. There was nothing funny about Rafe’s life right now.

Sort of, but someone you are also drawn to, Steve admitted.

Rafe had to admit he was jealous of people like Steve and Don. Don's mate, Lisa, was lovely, but she didn't appeal to him. They were a cute couple and seemed unbelievably happy despite not having much. Thankfully, that would change with the sawmill going all out. They were receiving typical pay for work in a place like that. That was something no one in this pack had ever gotten. Their life had been unfair, treated poorly by the very one that should have looked out for them.

Everyone at the sawmill was being paid well, and they were happy. After what they had been through for the last few years with the old alpha, it was no surprise that they were pleased. Those Rafe employed in his own and pack businesses made more than the wolves who went to town to work. That was no surprise since he was a good employer and always had been.

All his pack was in some kind of job, even the younger ones. They were thrilled to be making money. Even in his selfish phase, he would never have mistreated his pack like the old alpha did. Several alphas were doing such things. Rafe wondered why? It was wrong and anyone should know that.

Doctors of their kind suggested it was a product of inbreeding. They said it made them go nuts. Could that really be the reason why they had gone insane? If it was, then he had no worries. In his family, no one married their cousin. Fiona suggested she come visit him. Rafe told her to come on but be ready for primitive circumstances.

There were no restaurants. What they ate was what they gathered locally. Maybe Rafe made it sound worse than it was, but this was not a good time for his sister to visit. Usually, she was all about city life. So, he wondered why she even wanted to come for a visit. Later, he would be happy to have her visit and his pack would be prepared for the difficulties of dealing with his sister. Maybe.

She had to realize they were isolated, with little entertainment. Rafe was the only one with TVs, but there was no cable. He also had CD and DVD players and an extensive collection of movies. Recently, he bought cartoons and educational stuff for the children. He tried hard to make them happy.

He had children. There was a time he thought he wouldn't. Children made the holidays more fun. His three were always excited, and they were brilliant, so they didn't give him any trouble. They breezed through school, worked hard at their chores, and were a pleasure to be around. Goddess love them as he did.

Missy was the oldest. He had gotten her a horse for her birthday. It was gentle, and she loved riding it. Rafe wondered if the other two would also want horses. But Dylan, his son, would probably want a four-wheeler instead. However, if he got him a UTV, his little sister, Mattie, could ride with him. Maybe Dylan wouldn’t mind too much?

Sometimes boys like to be alone or ride with their friends. He'd have to worry about that later because Steve had to talk to him. He saw it on his face, it wasn’t just the usual update, but something was going on.

Someone contacted me about joining our pack, Steve explained.

What is your recommendation on this?

"I didn't think you would be interested. There are at least twenty inquiring about membership, but all of the families are in bad shape. They came from a pack in Washington where the alpha was much like our old one. We may need more resources to take in so many needy people.

What are their expectations? I am sure we have room in the pack house. Several families have moved into their new homes. We now have a free store to help them with clothing and personal needs. Any particular reason they chose our pack? We're not even in the same country. Rafe wondered.

Among wolves, you are aware that countries do not mean much. They feel our area is much like the one they have left. Many of them hunt and fish to supplement their living. They also heard you are working to get a construction crew going. Several of them have experience.

Rafe chuckled, Ariel sent them.

The white wolf? Are you sure? Why would she do that? His voice held a tone of reverence.

Calm, Steve. It's alright. I imagine she felt we were a good match. Let them know we will welcome them and tell them jobs are coming. We just need to know what they have. Was there something else worrying you? Rafe asked.

Not worries, really. Well, look at this. Steve pulled a piece of paper from the notebook he used to keep track of the pack business. He handed it to him.

Taking the paper, Rafe saw a sketch. More than just a picture, it was a remarkable likeness of Steve. It portrayed not only how he looked but his feelings and personality. Rafe knew Steve was one of the good guys, and the sketch accentuated that. How had the artist captured not just how he looked but his good qualities in such a simple sketch and right after meeting him?

This is amazing. Where did you get this done? Rafe asked.

A lady rented one of the cabins. I went to see if everything was all right or if she needed anything. She quickly made this sketch and gave it to me. The name she goes by is Angie, and she told me she was an artist. There was a painting of a caribou searching for grass in the snow hanging on the wall. When I looked closer, I saw she was in the middle. It was amazing. This was an artistic getaway for her to work without distraction. There is one more thing. She said we were about to get some company. She seemed very sure of it.

Rafe ignored the 'company' comment. Immediately, he thought of having a family portrait with him and the kids done. He noticed that they were growing and changing. To capture what they looked like now would be a beautiful thing later. Who would have ever thought he would get to be so sentimental?

It was not surprising he forgot all about his talk with Steve. It took a lot of work to keep up with everything happening. The sawmill was up and running but going through a lot of trees, and that was a concern. Those that worked there needed the money from their paychecks and the pack needed the profits to grow and recover.

Their forest would not hold up to that kind of continual depletion. Rafe hired kids to plant trees in sections where they had been removed, but it would take years for them to grow back. The business with Tyne had finally opened, and it was doing well too. He had started several small companies with pack members, and all of them were on target. Still there were problems to deal with every day. Even with managers in place there were things he or Steve needed to deal with.

Every morning at breakfast, he and Steve had a meeting. On this morning, Steve seemed to be running behind. When he finally made it, Rafe gave him a long look. He knew the look would immediately tell Steve he had noticed he was late and wasn’t happy. Most alpha’s had a look like that.

I had a good reason, Steve said as he sat down, and Connie brought him his food and coffee.

What might that be?

There are strange wolves at the edge of our pack lands by several of the rentals. I am afraid they will cause those people issues. They are all human and can't put up much of a fight if they were attacked.

What do you think they're after? Rafe asked.

They look rough and in poor shape. They may only be after food or something of value they can sell, or maybe some of our female tenants. A couple of them are very attractive.

You never mentioned that before. Rafe observed.

It never seemed to matter. You have little interest in the females around here. These ladies pay their rent in advance for the time they plan to stay. We're only concerned if there are maintenance issues, Steve pointed out.

That's only true if we don't have males chasing the females staying on our lands. We cannot put up with that. We need guards in that area so they can call for backup if a large group is seen. They can run them off if there are just one or two.

"Greg could run a night shift. He always wants extra money and is a good fighter near the top of our hierarchy. Days will be harder to find someone. Most of our people work here or at other jobs during those hours.

We have a good-sized pack. Surely a couple of guys to do guard duty won't be that hard to find, Rafe observed.

There is a female. Her name is Anita. She's tougher than most men. She asked the old alpha if she could fight in the male’s hierarchy, but he wouldn't let her.

I'm willing to let her. If she wants to be a guard and fight the males, I'm all for it. I hope she's as good as she thinks she is. Talk to her about pulling guard duty and find someone else to work with her. Rafe assured.

I will do that. What do you want me to do if the threat becomes serious?

If that happens, you will get every male present around pack lands, including you and I, and we will run them off - permanently.

I believe you are making the right decision. We've never had anyone poking around our pack lands before, Steve admitted and looked relieved.

Until lately, there's been nothing here worth stealing, Rafe hated to say it, but it was true, and now that they had something, they needed to be willing to protect it. Steve nodded.

It was the very next morning when a cry rang out from outside. Rafe was dressed and ran out. They are attacking our perimeter, one of the males said as he pointed in the direction of the attack.

Rafe shifted. Some of his pack members just stared because he had a beautiful large wolf ready for action. They didn't stare long because he hurried on his way and was out of sight in no time. He hoped the others followed and wasn’t sure why they hadn’t already headed here. He didn't want to take on a large attack all by himself. When he arrived, it was their female guard that was on duty. She was talking to strangers, delaying them so others could come.

What she had done was exactly what was needed. Rafe shifted back, folded his arms, and glared at those messing around on his pack lands. He wasn’t sure why they would risk a war with a pack even his which was not large or in good shape yet.

They said they are only here to take one of our tenants. They don't know why, nor do they care. They're mercenaries. I told him anyone on our lands is under our protection and that they needed to talk to our alpha before acting, but he doesn’t seem to agree that it is necessary. Anita explained.

Good job, you are exactly right. Turning, Rafe looked at the pitiful-looking mercenaries. You would dare trespass on our pack lands? Do you wish to die?

No insult intended, but you don't look like you could fight your way out of a wet paper bag. The pitiful looking guy said.

I assure you, I can fight well enough to kill several of you before the rest of my pack gets here to wipe out the rest. Anita here might handle the rest of you all on her own.

I guess we'll never know since the rest of your pack is here. We'll leave, but we will be back. They disappeared into the woods, going into the park next to their pack lands. The group was smart enough to know they couldn’t win but were they dumb enough to try again?

It was time to meet Angie, the painter. Maybe she would know why they wanted her? Directing his wolves to go back, except for those on guard duty, Rafe thanked them for getting there quickly before he moved to the closest house. It was a log house and most of those on the property were. That only made sense here where they were surrounded by the trees needed to build them. While these houses weren’t new, they had been remodeled and modernized.

He could hear someone moving around, so he knocked lightly. When Angie opened the door, he could barely breathe. The female was gorgeous, but it was more than that. She was also affected by him because she just stared back. Finally, she managed to find her voice first.

Did you need something? Angie asked. She seemed surprised so maybe she hadn’t been aware of what had gone on not far from her house?

I did indeed. We just ran off some rough-looking men. They said they were here to take you away. I thought you might know why. Rafe asked.

"I'm a well-known painter. Maybe they think I have more money than I do. I'm not wealthy, but I have some relatives that are. They may think they can ransom me for a large amount of money. This is the first time it's