Moon's Law (New Moon Wolves 2 ~ Bite of the Moon ~ BBW Romance) by Michelle Fox Page A

could be.
    Kane came in last, his scent preceding him. He tipped his head to Charlotte and she raised her hand in a wave and then Tao was pulling Kane away, speaking in a low murmur. The sheriff nodded and murmured back as they were joined by Kai and Leo. The four men spoke quietly, their expressions serious until Audrey broke them up.
    "Eat first, pow-wow second, gentleman," she said, waving a dish-towel at them. "The food’s hot now."
    Tao held up his hands. "Wait, just a second. I have something to say." Drawing Audrey close, he said, "We want everyone to know we're engaged." A big smile filled Audrey's face and she held up her hand, waggling her fingers to show off her ring. A smattering of applause broke out along with several hearty 'Congratulations.' Leo came up to his brother and pulled him into a bear hug while Kai did the same to Audrey.
    "Congratulations, brother," Leo said, pounding Tao on the back.
    "The pack grows stronger today," Kai said, nodding to Tao.
    "We hope you'll all come to the wedding. We can't imagine getting married without all of you there," Audrey said once the celebratory hoopla had settled down a bit. "Now, come eat. I know you're hungry." She waved everyone forward.
    Charlotte snagged another bowl of chili and tucked herself into a corner, noticing the women followed the serving suggestions, but the men all cheated. Audrey must have made extra, though, because there was more than enough food to go around.
    When the food ran out, she helped clear the dishes and loaded the dishwasher, while Audrey collected the empty beer bottles. Then they had a store bought sheet cake.
    Christine took a piece the size of her hand. Smiling, she said, "All these wolf runs burn so many calories I can eat whatever I want these days."
    Charlotte shook her head. "It hasn’t worked that way for me." She glanced down at her curves with a small frown. She’d been running just as much as the rest of them, so why couldn’t she face-plant into cake and lose weight, too?
    "Eh, I haven’t lost any weight, either," Audrey said with a wave of her hand. "I think genetics are still genetics, no matter how they get rearranged."
    "Lucky us," Charlotte murmured as she poked at her small piece of cake with her fork.
    "Well, I know I wouldn’t have it any other way," Tao said, pulling Audrey close and nuzzling her neck. "Your curves are awesome, baby."
    She giggled and flushed. "Tao! Not in front of the pack."
    Tao gave her a smoldering smile, but let her go without protest. Clearing his throat, he said, "We have some other things we need to discuss. First, Kai," he gestured toward his brother, "has found us a pack clearing."
    "What’s a pack clearing?" Danielle asked.
    Kai stood, waiting until he had everyone’s attention before speaking. "The heart of a pack’s land. It’s where we would gather when we shift to go running. We’d like to build a community lodge there, too, someplace where we can be together without squeezing into someone’s house."
    "We'd like to get married there," Tao said. He caught Audrey's hand and gave it a squeeze.
    "So where’s this clearing?" asked Richard.
    "It’s a hundred acre parcel that is flanked by the national parks," said Kai. He reached into his back jean pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he revealed a map with a section circled in red. "We’d have lake and forest access, and with the parks, we wouldn’t have to worry about neighbors."
    "And we can build cabins for everyone on the land," added Leo.
    Andrew frowned. "I have someplace to live, thanks."
    Tao shook his head. "Eventually, you’ll want to be on pack land. We can’t live among humans, it’s not safe. They’ll see us shift or see something they shouldn’t, and then we’re all in trouble. This kind of property gives us privacy."
    "We can keep our secrets there," said Kai.
    "Do we have a choice, or does everyone have to join the werewolf commune?" Andrew asked. "I didn’t sign on for this. Sure,