Long Road Home by Chandra Ryan Page A

will celebrate a new year, a new chance, and all the changes yet to come…. Join the Wolves on their Winter Solstice Run.
    Winter Solstice Run
    A Black Hills Wolves Mini Series
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    Reluctant Mate by Chandra Ryan
     

     

Chapter One
     
    Aimee sat in Gee’s Bar with her back to the door. The position wasn’t one she would normally be comfortable in, but her pack surrounded her in the one place where she was safe. A tingle of recognition swept through her and forced her to reconsider her positioning. Humans might not be able to harm her here, but there were other dangers she should’ve considered.
    She placed a twenty on the bar to settle her tab then moved to stand. She had to get out of there. Fear and anticipation warred in the pit of her stomach as the tingling intensified. As the source got closer to her, the sensation grew. If she could feel him, then he could feel her. She needed to leave before he saw her face.
    The bar became a blur as she ducked around the patrons. No one noticed her. Or if they did, they didn’t care. There was no reason for them to worry about a woman weaving through their midst. She could already see the door in front of her. She might make it to freedom.
    “Excuse me.” The massive wall of a man stepped in front of her, blocking her escape and dashing her hopes of a clean break.
    “I was leaving.” She didn’t dare look up at him. He had her scent. She couldn’t do anything about that. But she didn’t want to have him memorizing her face as well.
    “So soon? I just got here.”
    She didn’t try to hide the harsh undercurrent of her laugh. “Arrogant much? It’s not like I was waiting for someone.”
    “You weren’t waiting for me.” One of his fingers slid under her chin and pulled her head up until her gaze met his.
    His touch sent a thrill through her body, but she ignored the sensation. If she refused to recognize the attraction, then it didn’t exist. She couldn’t do the same about him, though. There was no denying his existence. His thick black hair fell to his shoulders in loose curls, and a day’s worth of stubble grew on his chiseled jaw. The sight of him made her heart beat faster and her breath catch in the back of her throat. In short, he was everything a female Wolf could want in a male. Something he seemed aware of as he continued talking. “I didn’t come here looking for you. But now we’ve found each other, I would think—”
    “As I already said, I’m leaving.” She didn’t give a damn what he thought. With a stiff movement, she raised her left hand and twisted the ring on her third finger.
    He gasped at the wedding band but released her and stepped out of the way. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were married.”
    And why would he? He’s found his mate. This close to him, her skin buzzed with the tingling mate call. But Aimee didn’t want a mate. She’d buried her true love. She would never replace him. She walked past the stranger out into the clear night.
    She should go home and crawl into her bed. If she tried, she might be able to forget all about him. Instead, she let out an exhausted sigh as she made her way toward the woods. She was a realist, and the reality she found herself in hinged on one fact—she wouldn’t be able to forget him. She’d seen him for one brief second and he’d already been burned into her soul. That was the way it went with mates. He’d managed to get under her skin already, regardless of how she felt about the situation.
    As soon as she stepped off the path, she accepted her four-hundred-dollar designer shoes would be ruined. One