Growl for Me: BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance (9 page)

Mina put her hand on his
arm. “No, Declan,” she said. “I don't think we
should attack the Red Fangs pack.”

“It's been three
days,” Declan growled. “The challenge should be over.
And I don't care who won. Logan or Rhett or some other red wolf
makes no difference to me. I'm going to kill them all!”

Mina shook her head. “It
makes a big difference. If Logan is the new Alpha of the Red Fangs
pack, then I won't allow you to attack his pack.”

Declan narrowed his eyes at
her. “They hurt you.”

“Logan saved me. Out
on the highway, before you guys reached me, Logan protected me from
Rhett by pretending to attack me. He snapped his jaws and growled
and went through all the motions, but he never touched a hair on my
head. If he's leading the Red Fangs pack, I want us to make peace
with the Red Fangs. The Red Fangs pack and the Snow River pack
should be allies, not enemies.”

“She's right, Declan,”
Iona said, taking a sip of her coffee. “It's easy to make
enemies. Blowing up a bridge is easy. Building one is way more
difficult.” She shrugged. “You should know. You're in
the construction business.”

Declan scowled at his Beta
and glanced at his mate. Mina was seated beside him at the head of
the long table. He stared round the meeting room. His team leaders
looked back at him, careful to keep their faces straight. They were
sitting in the conference room of Snow River Construction, discussing
company business and pack business.

Declan looked at his
beautiful mate. Mina's turning had been smooth and successful. She
had slept deeply through the night, and when Declan woke in the
morning, he found a sweet white wolf in his bed beside him. She had
leaped off the bed playfully and pranced around the bedroom, showing
off her fluffy, snowy coat. Then, as he sucked in an awed breath,
she shifted effortlessly to human. She was a natural. It was as if
she had a wolf inside her all along, just lying dormant under her
human form, waiting for the perfect time to emerge.

When Declan threw open his
front door, he found the entire Snow River pack camped outside his
house. His wolves were waiting in front of his house, standing in
the street, guarding their Alpha and his mate. Declan had proudly
presented Mina to his pack, and there was a moment of stunned silence
before everyone clapped and cheered wildly. Even his wolves were
surprised at how fast Mina had recovered. A human could take days to
turn. The speed of her turning spoke volumes about her willpower and
tenacity. The Snow River pack was proud to have her as an Alpha.

Declan had briefed her on
the operations of Snow River Construction, and she had caught on
immediately. She had insisted on going with him to the office the
very next day instead of resting at home. “I'm your office
assistant, remember? I may be your mate, but I have a job. And
there's lots to do at the office. Come on! Let's go!” And
with that, she was out the door.

On the way, she'd made him
tell her all about the Snow River pack, their business, their
alliances and rivals. She had nodded thoughtfully, absorbing all the
information and making mental notes. She'd attended all the staff
and pack meetings that day, and contributed quietly and
constructively to the discussion. All his wolves had been impressed,
and Declan saw the respect and approval in their eyes. He was so
proud of his mate. She was smart and strong, and just all kinds of
wonderful. Her opinions were sensible and sound—even if they
clashed with his.

“Fine,” Declan
said at last. “If we receive news that Logan is the new Alpha,
then we extend our friendship. If Rhett is still the Alpha, which
would mean that Logan is dead,” he told Mina pointedly. “Then
we kill them all.”

There were nods and ayes all
round.

Declan nodded at Iona.
“What's next on the agenda?”

His capable Beta listed out
the items they needed to discuss and the deadlines for their various
projects. The meeting proceeded efficiently and smoothly, and within
an hour, everything was wrapped up.

As everyone pushed back
their chairs and stood up, Mina clapped her hands. “Don't
forget,” she announced. “We are...”

“...having a party
tonight!” The entire room erupted in hoots and cheers. “Oh
yeah!”

*

Declan tugged at his bow tie
as he stood under the beautifully constructed arc. The female wolves
in his pack had decorated the platform with flowers and lace and all
things sparkly. They had even baked a towering wedding cake that had
little pink hearts all over it. His pack had really outdone
themselves.

Declan smiled as he watched
his pack members usher their guests to their seats. A marquee had
been set up just in front of the lake, and the chairs were adorned
with white ribbons and roses. His wolves had traveled all the way to
New Moon City and escorted Mina's family to Misty Valley. Declan had
rented a whole convoy of limousines and chosen the more reliable
drivers from his pack to ferry Mina's family from the city.

Immediately after her
turning, Mina had gotten on the phone and told her mom everything.
Declan had been pacing nervously in the hallway when Mina came
bursting into the hall with the phone in her hand, squealing, “Mom
wants us to have a wedding! Tomorrow night! She's going to inform
all our relatives, and everyone will be coming!”

His pack had rallied to the
call, and set up everything in a jiffy. Marquee, platform, flowers,
wedding cake, food, drinks, even a whole crate of vintage alcoholic
blood. Mina's cousin-in-law was a Master vampire, and he'd be
attending the wedding. In fact, he'd be walking her down the aisle.

Declan knew immediately
that he would love Mina's mom, Lindsay, when she told him what
Lindsay had said to her over the phone.

“I told you, didn't I?
I did tell you that wild and wonderful things were coming for you,”
Lindsay had quipped.

Declan strode to the
entrance of the marquee and welcomed a beautiful woman with red curls
and intelligent gray eyes. It was clear where Mina got her looks
from.

He embraced Lindsay warmly
and kissed her on both cheeks. Lindsay smiled up at him with tears
in her eyes. “So you're the one. You're the one for my baby,”
she said, putting both hands over her heart.

Declan hugged the older
woman and said, “Mina is the one for me. It took me forever,
but I've finally found her. Thank you.”

“Thank you?”
Lindsay looked confused. “For what?”

“For letting her come
to Misty Valley. For letting her come to me.”

There was a shimmer behind
them and every single member of his pack turned towards the entrance
and unsheathed their claws. The air was thick was tension and
hostility. Declan put his hand up to stop his wolves. They were all
ready to attack.

The mist spiraled into a
column, and a vampire materialized from the mist. He was holding a
human woman in his arms. The woman had her auburn hair pulled back
into a stylish chignon and was wearing a cream-colored gown. The
vampire was smartly decked out in a suit and bow tie.

“Eva! Gabriel!”
Lindsay glided forward to embrace the newly arrived couple. “You
made it!” She turned to Declan. “Declan, this is Mina's
cousin, Eva. And this is her mate, Gabriel King. Gabriel will be
walking Mina down the aisle tonight.”

The handsome vampire beamed.
“Who would have thought, eh? A vampire at a werewolf wedding.
You didn't forget to order a crate of alcoholic blood, did you? Oh,
and congratulations man!”

Declan allowed the vampire
to pump his hand vigorously up and down. “Thanks. The
alcoholic blood's over there. Knock yourself out.”

Gabriel flashed his fangs in
a grin and sauntered off to get a drink. Declan chatted a little
with Eva, who was a police officer in New Moon City, before excusing
himself to check on the rest of the guests, who looked a little
nervous being surrounded by so many werewolves. With the exception
of Gabriel King, Mina's family was all human.

Looking at her human family,
Declan realized just how much Mina trusted him when she decided to
give up her human life and be turned into a werewolf. The
realization humbled him and made his heart swell with love and pride
for his mate.

She really was all kinds of
amazing.

Once all the guests were
seated and everyone had quietened down, Declan took his place under
the arc next to Iona. He stared at the tendril of mist rushing in
from the entrance and smiled. In a blink, Gabriel materialized in
the tent with Mina on his arm.

There was a collective gasp,
as Mina began to walk shyly down the aisle. Declan could hardly
breathe. She was so beautiful. She was wearing a body-hugging lace
gown with a long train. She had her hair done up in a bun and her
sheer veil twinkled with small diamonds.

When Mina reached the front
row where Lindsay was sitting, she stopped and bent down to give her
mom a big hug. Declan saw Lindsay whisper into her daughter's ear
and he heard Mina giggle and gasp, “Mom!” Mina glanced
up at Declan and blushed furiously.

“She's all yours,”
Gabriel beamed. The vampire put Mina's hand into Declan's, and
walked to his seat beside Eva. Eva had the tips of her fingers
pressed to her lips as she blinked back happy tears, and Gabriel
immediately slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him.

Iona glanced down at the
paper in her hand and cleared her throat. Iona had found this nugget
on the internet, and printed it out. According to her, it was what
they said at human weddings, and Mina wanted a human wedding. She
wanted to wear a white wedding dress and have a ring on her finger.
She might be a werewolf now, but she still wanted to get married.
Married, not just mated, she'd emphasized.

It was fine by Declan. If
this ceremony could make his mate happy, he'd do it a hundred times.
And it seemed to make his wolves happy as well. There was going to
be lots of food and beer, and dancing and mayhem after this. Wolves
loved to play and everyone loved to party. They were going to party
all night long.

“Dearly beloved,”
Iona began, her voice carrying across the tent. “We are
gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Declan
Grant and Mina Stone...”

Declan simply gazed into his
mate's shining eyes and saw the happiness there. He didn't hear the
rest of Iona's words, but still managed to say “I do”
right on cue. Then he took the diamond ring from his pocket and
slipped it onto Mina's finger. He saw her blink at the gigantic
sparkler on her ring finger.

Mina looked up into his eyes
and held both his hands. When she said the magical words “I
do”, Declan was surprised at the joy and pride he felt at those
two simple words. It was a vow, a promise, a commitment. She was
declaring her love for him before so many witnesses. Her family was
here, her pack was here, and she was proud to be marrying him.
Declan wanted to kiss her right then, but Iona shook her head subtly
at him.

Not yet, she mouthed.

Eva stepped up to Mina's
side and handed her an elegant square box. Mina whispered her thanks
to her cousin and produced a gold band from the box. She put the
ring on Declan's finger and smiled happily.

“And now, you may kiss
the bride,” Iona declared with a wink.

Declan lifted the veil and
swept his bride into his arms. He dipped her low as she wrapped her
arms around his neck. “I love you, Mina,” he murmured.

“I love you, Declan,”
she purred just as his lips met hers.

Everyone stood and clapped,
whistling and shouting.

Mina blinked up at him
breathlessly as he pulled her up. “Wow,” she whispered.
“That was some kiss.”

He gave her a wink.
“This—is going to be some life. Our life.”

They grinned at each other.
Mina raised her head and howled. All the wolves of the Snow River
pack stood and joined in the howl with pride.

“And now—”
Mina pumped her fist in the air. “Let's party!”

~
End
~

FIGHT
FOR ME

(Misty
Valley Shifters, Book 2)

Coming
soon!

About the Author

Natalie Kristen is a writer
who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark,
the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring
paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances.
She is hopelessly addicted to coffee, chocolate, reading and
writing. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to
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