About WOLF ON BOARD:
Title: WOLF ON BOARD
Author:
Heather Long
Series:
Wolves of Willow Bend
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher:
Independent
Format:
Digital
Synopsis:
Meet
Jake Danes of Hudson River, Lone Wolf, avid gamer, extreme sports enthusiast,
and surfer. He’s spent the last two
years roaming free, exploring the world and escaping the dark place his pack
had become after betrayal and murder tore them apart. Sure life has changed at home, but Jake’s
having way too much fun to return.
Riding the waves in Monterrey, and living out of a van…it’s the prefect
life, one he never wants to give up no matter how many calls he’s fielding from
his big brother…then he catches her scent.
Mimi
Chase wanted one perfect year. One year
away from pack politics and her mother’s matchmaking efforts. Ever since her big brother settled into
mating with a healer, Mimi’s mom seems to have gone into overtime in throwing
her at every eligible male in the pack.
Choosing to roam seemed the best option, and California an ideal
location to get away from everything pack related. Her plans for art classes, yoga on the beach,
maybe a cooking lesson or two while living a hippy dippy lifestyle are all she
cares about…until another worlf butts into her every activity - doesn’t he know
the rules?
Lone
Wolves aren’t supposed to form relationships, so why doesn’t he catch a
hint? Worse, why isn’t she working
harder to make sure he does?
Read an Excerpt from WOLF ON
BOARD
Mimi grabbed a blanket and
her yoga mat from the back of her Mini Cooper. She loved the tiny little
vehicle. No matter how often her brother scoffed at the minute size of the car,
she didn’t care. It was perfect for her. Compact, like she was, and capable of
great speeds—just like her. Locking it up, she glanced east at the rising sun
and smiled. It was a little after six in the morning and she’d already had a
bit of a run, a lovely cup of hot tea with lemon and ginger to cleanse her
system, and she would enjoy the full sunrise and rolling surf with her yoga.
Pausing, she took a deep
breath of the salt flavored air. She loved the way the beach smelled. Warm
sand. Cool water. Brine. Fish. Birds. Even the coconut oil favored by some
of the sunbathers and honest sweat from those running on the paths—they all
combined to soothe her soul. Tucking the rolled blanket and yoga mat beneath
her arm, she closed the hatch on the car and pivoted to walk toward the beach.
A hint of wolf on the breeze
had her pausing to scan the area. Other than a handful of vehicles in the lot,
and a couple of runners jogging farther away, she didn’t see anyone. Still, she
tested the scent once more. It was faint, as though diluted by the breeze and
time. She tracked it all the way to a dilapidated Volkswagen van. It reminded
her of the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo without the paint job.
The scent of wolf grew
stronger. The van had to belong to whomever the wolf was, but the lack of fresh
markers told her while his scent lingered, he wasn’t present. Adjusting her
grip on the rolled blanket and mat, she circled away from the van and continued
toward the beach all the while reminding herself that other Lone Wolves may
choose to wander California for the same reason she did. No one claimed the
beautiful state…well at least not this far north. The closest pack to her
location was Sutter Butte, but she’d never heard any word of them taking an
interest in the beaches.
Then again, she didn’t talk
to a lot of people about the political geography of packs. If it’s all the
same, I’d prefer not to encounter any of them. They have a bad rap and I’m on a
journey of serenity, and self-discovery…and totally avoiding Mother’s
matchmaking. The little voice at the end sounded way too much like her
brother Owen’s, and she giggled. Owen, at least, had been sympathetic to her
cause when she’d told him and Mason why she wanted to take the time to study in
the Golden State.
Her mother’s habit of making
pro and con lists for all of the pack’s current eligible bachelors had been bad
enough, but when she’d talked to Gillian about potential mates in Hudson River
and began colluding with Claudia Buckley about Delta Crescent, Mimi wanted out.
It was so bad, she’d
actually asked Owen to get Gillian pregnant just to distract their mother. The
silence on his end of the phone had been priceless, followed by peals of
laughter from Gillian. Fortunately, her desperation had communicated itself
well enough and he’d endorsed her request. Mason made her promise to return at
the end of one year, even if she was enjoying herself, and she would be free to
return to her studies after, if that was her desire.
Mason is the bomb. She
hopped over the rocks to land on the sand and began to stroll in search of a
spot that would speak to her. Not only had her alpha understood her dilemma and
sympathized with it, he didn’t chastise her for the need to stretch herself
beyond the confines of pack and parental expectation. Mimi’s skills for
tracking had earned her high marks growing up, and more than one offer from the
Hunters to apprentice. It made sense—both her father and her brother were
Hunters. Even her two younger brothers were well on the way toward Hunter
apprenticeships. Felicity had zero interest in the Hunter parts of their DNA,
she preferred her flowers and cultivation, working closely with Tiffany Huston.
Still, Mimi didn’t share her sister’s interest in horticulture or her mother’s
desire to educate their young or her father and brothers’ drive to protect the
pack.
She was…not sure who I
am, which is why I am doing this. The year away from her mother served two
purposes; she could take some classes and test her areas of interest from art
to acting to writing. She could study yoga and find some serenity. Maybe even
figure out who she was, because wasn’t that the whole point of a roam? Most
wolves took time to roam the country; some even went around the world.
Murphy had done that and
came home with a mate. Mimi grimaced. She loved Murphy, but really, could she
have not brought home some gorgeous Italian and mated him with all the
requisite gossip? It had Mimi’s mother nudging her to consider a year abroad
in…where else? Italy. Shaking her head, she paused on a perfectly smooth area
of sand and spread her blanket before unrolling her yoga mat in the center.
Closing her eyes, she took
several deep breaths. Inhaling calm, and exhaling the stress. Her mother was in
Willow Bend. Mimi was in California. No ridiculous blind dates or not-so-casual
meetings with eligible bachelors. Thank God Dylan mated before her mother got
it into her head to throw Mimi at every male who came along, she’d actually had
a crush on Dylan and he definitely fell into the category of eligible before
Chrystal.
Growling, she opened her
eyes and glared at the water. She was hardly alone on the beach. Laughter
drifted towards her from where the surfers made their way toward deeper water,
or where some sat astride their boards waiting for the water to come in. She
was supposed to be letting go of her anxiety and not stressing about her
mother, mating, or any of a dozen other issues being so far away from the pack
could rouse in her.
She’d been in California for
three weeks. Three gloriously wonderful, and peaceful weeks. This morning
marked a full forty-eight hours since her mother’s last phone call. As loathe,
as she was to hurt her feelings, Mimi couldn’t help but be relieved that
distance had finally done what she hadn’t been able to manage.
Her mother was quiet.
So hush…
Telling herself repeatedly didn’t silence the nagging internal monologue.
Mindful of her surroundings, she quieted her growl and concentrated on her
breathing. Mountain pose let her stretch her hands toward the sky and raise her
face to the breeze. It elongated her spine and let her stretch the muscles from
her hamstrings to her deltoids. The wind caressed her face and tousled her hair
and batted away the riot of thoughts invading her mind.
From mountain she went to tree
pose and rested her right foot against the side of her left knee. Her muscles
quivered at first, but gradually she relaxed into the sturdiness. Like the tree
she emulated, she let the woes of her mother’s romantic aspirations blow past
her. The steadiness bolstered her confidence.
Warrior pose drew away the
last curtain and let her mind relax. Her wolf stretched within her, their
hearing seeming to sharpen as they noticed the increase of traffic beyond, the
crash of water against the shore, and the call of birds overhead. Wolf and
woman catalogued the sounds as she pushed her body, identifying any potential
threats or lack thereof and remaining mindful.
By the time she drifted into
a graceful downward dog, she’d relaxed her breathing and banished her anxiety.
Curling her toes, she concentrated on feeling the wholeness of the position,
the hinging arch of her hips and the warmth of the sand beneath the mat and
blanket.
From triangle pose to seated
twists to bridges, she pushed her body to achieve perfect serenity while
maintaining her sense of being in the present. The sun warmed her as it
continued a steady rise, and she basked in the rays as they heated her skin.
When she finally settled into a lotus pose, she let her mind drift, as though
flotsam upon the waves before her.
The world withdrew, leaving
her alone with the lapping water, humming cars, and screech of seagulls…then
water dripped on her. The icy sensation of splashing drops was cold against her
skin. Though there had been no call for rain in the forecast, she fought to
hold onto her sense of inner peace and deepened her breathing…only to inhale a
lungful of coconut and brine mingling with the green scent of dewy sea grass
atop the sand dunes with slivers of mint and…
Mimi jerked her eyes open and
stared into the blue eyes of the wolf squatting right in front of her. His
long, straggly hair clung wetly to his face and shoulders. The wet suit left
little of his physique to the imagination, and he canted his head as though
trying to figure her out. This close, however, she couldn’t miss a single
nuance of his expression or the drops of water sliding off of him to splash
wetly against her legs.
How the hell had he
approached her so stealthily that she hadn’t sensed or scented him before he
dripped on her?
Worse…who was he and what
did he want?
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, as
though aware of her racing her thoughts. “What brings a sexy little wolf like
you to my stretch of beach?” A slow grin spread his mouth wide, and her stomach
did a little flip flop. He was gorgeous and damn if he didn’t know it.
Just what she needed…a hot,
sexy wolf who was most assuredly male and made her wolf stand up to take
notice. Ignoring her animal’s very natural curiosity, she narrowed her eyes. “I
was enjoying a quiet morning. Now go away.”
One thing about having Owen
for a brother, she wasn’t helpless, even if she was tiny. Closing her eyes
again, she forced her muscles to relax and prayed he’d take the direction well,
even as she prepared for the worst.
Other Books in
the Wolves of Willow Bend Series:
DESERT
WOLF
Cassius, Alpha of Sutter Butte, leads the
most ruthless and dangerous pack in the United States. A pack comprised of
misfits who didn’t fit in their previous packs, cast offs discarded by their packs
and forgotten wolves who rose to create a pack more than a century before it
utter defiance of the order of the day. Sometimes pitiless and cruel, he wants
more for his people than a yearly bloodbath as they fight for a new place, a
better spot in the pecking order. To change his pack, means to change himself
and he will find rebellion on all sides, not the least of which is his own
defiant heart.
Sovvan Stark, Omega of Delta Crescent, lives
a cherished, beloved life in the center of her pack, a delicate and hard won
balance. Though she is not the only Omega, she is the most experienced with the
tremors of pack upset when power shifts from Alpha to Alpha. When her Alpha
approaches her about Sutter Butte’s request, Sovvan considers the matter for
several long months. While she might hold within her the key to helping the
Sutter Butte Alpha, the undertaking could very well kill her.
Accompanied by a single Hound, Sovvan begins
a journey to help Cassius rebuild the foundation of his pack, but first she will
have to transform him…
SNOW
WOLF
Ranae
is the youngest of the Buckleys, and the only girl amongst three powerful male
siblings. Her restlessness and dominant nature has affected every relationship
within Willow Bend, not to mention testing the patience of her Alpha.
Apprenticeship to the Hunters fed her desire for a purpose. When her Alpha and eldest
brother ask her to undertake a mission to the Yukon territory, she’s thrilled
at the opportunity for a real chance to be useful. Clashing with the Alpha was
the last thing she expected on the dangerous assignment.
The oldest Alpha in the U.S. packs, lives a
gray existence. The loss of his mate so many decades before wears away at him,
until he doesn’t give a damn about anything. The problems of the other packs
are not his, and he prefers to be left to his isolation. The arrival of the
Chief Enforcer annoys him, but it is the wolf traveling with him who wakes the
predator in Diesel. The scent of mate clings to her, but she rejects his
overtures and challenges him on every level.
War may be coming for the Yukon, but Diesel’s
battle is very personal…
About
Heather Long:
National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long
walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t
douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance
as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary
military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of
her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her
menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers
family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so
likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll
enjoy her worlds as much as she does.
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