The Scarred Heart (Wilde Creek Book 5) Read online

  “What’s a steward?”

  “A wolf who is assigned to help out the feeble or retired wolves in the pack. It’s not technically a ranked position, but it’s not an omega either. Dani, Honey, Jeremiah, and Adam don’t work for anyone but Dade, who is Acksel’s dad, and they help the retirees. The pack pays them a salary as well. I’ve heard that two of the retired females are already teaching Dani how to quilt.”

  The front door opened and in walked a male and female. Malachi said, “That’s Jeremiah and Honey. I’ll go get them so I can introduce you.”

  After meeting Jeremiah and Honey, Row relaxed, not realizing that he’d been worried about Dani’s place in the pack. Honey and Dani hugged like old friends, and Row’s mom seemed content with her daughter’s new home and friends. Dani could take care of herself, and she had a strong mate at her back, too.

  The pack wasn’t as welcoming to outsiders as the sleuth, but it had been Kammie’s home for her entire life. There was good along with the bad. Row decided to put the past where it belonged and to stop holding the current generation of wolves accountable for the shortcomings of the previous one. Sure, they’d treated his sweetheart badly, but they had grown up believing that was the way things were supposed to be. It didn’t make sense to him, but he didn’t care any longer. Dani was safe and loved, and Kammie was going to live with him in Oakville, where they could start the next chapter of their lives.

  He leaned over the back of the couch and kissed Kammie’s cheek. “We can have dinner out tomorrow night if you’d like to stay longer and visit with your friends.”

  She beamed at him. “You don’t mind? It would delay us leaving another day.”

  “If you’re happy, I’m happy, little wolf. Don’t you know that by now?”

  Chapter 12

  The following day, Kammie pulled into a parking space in front of the mall and took a deep breath. Ever since their mating night in the den, she’d been aware that she had no sexy lingerie. Well, she’d always known that, but it had never mattered to her before what her undies looked like because she was the only one who saw them. She went for comfortable, not sexy. She knew Row didn’t care about her panties or bras or what she slept in. He preferred her naked and took every opportunity to tell her so.

  “I’m really doing this,” she said out loud.

  Before she could lose her nerve or talk herself out of it, she pushed open her door and got out. The frigid air caught her by surprise, but she just wrapped her scarf around her neck a second time and shut the door firmly. She was doing this for Row, but also for herself. She was actually going to stand in front of a mirror in a changing room and try on lingerie.

  Holy freaking crap.

  Hurrying to the entrance, she waited a brief moment for the doors to open automatically, and then stepped into the warmth of the mall. A large directory stood a few feet in front of her, and she used it to locate a lingerie store on the second floor.

  When she told Row she wanted to go shopping, he’d wanted to come with her, but she hadn’t wanted an audience. Row would be supportive, but he’d also probably tell her she didn’t need to buy anything fancy on his behalf. Then she’d have to explain that it wasn’t just for him, although that would be a bonus. She was slowly getting comfortable in her own skin, and buying something pretty was another step in the right direction.

  She paused for a brief moment at the entrance to the lingerie shop to gather her courage when a familiar voice said, “Hi Kammie!”

  Her eyes widened as Mia Slattery, a fellow pack member, straightened from where she’d been leaning over a table of panties.

  “Hi, Mia,” Kammie said. Her feet were firmly rooted to the floor, and her cheeks were pinking. She was trying to have a milestone moment – by herself – and now she wasn’t alone.

  Mia moved to her swiftly and said in a low voice, “Are you okay? You look a little green. And embarrassed.”

  “I just…didn’t think I’d see anyone I know.”

  Mia smiled in understanding. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  Kammie blinked in surprise. She and Mia weren’t good friends, but they’d known each other forever because of the pack. Mia and Alpha Brynn were best friends, and even though Mia was also an omega because she was a female, having a brother who was highly ranked in the pack meant that Mia wasn’t as low on the totem pole of omegas as Kammie was. And Mia wasn’t scarred from an abusive childhood, either.

  “Of course, Mia.”

  Her voice lowered as she spoke. “My brother’s business partner is coming in to have dinner with Mal and his family. Nila finagled me an invitation because I’ve had the hots for Lucian forever, so I was thinking that I should buy some sexy undies, even though there’s no way in hell Lucian will ever see them on me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because Mal has made it clear to Lucian that I’m off-limits.” She sighed wistfully. “Even though I wouldn’t want to ruin their friendship, I kind of wish that Lucian liked me enough to give up everything to be with me.”

  “Do you think you’re mates?”

  “I don’t get to spend enough time with him to know. He’s never in town because of his job, and when he does come into Wilde Creek, Mal never tells me. I’m pining away for a guy who may or may not be my mate, but because my brother meddles, I don’t actually know. It’s frustrating.”

  “I bet. I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, well, me too. I’d actually like to spend time with him and see if we’re mates, but I have a feeling that Mal is going to squash things again.”

  “I wish I could empathize, but I was an only child.”

  “Well, he’s not all bad. He’s just overprotective.” She shrugged. “So, I told you about my unrequited love. Are you here to find something sexy for your mate?”

  Kammie nodded. “I’ve never looked for anything sexy before.”

  Mia smiled gently. “Would you like some help?”

  “Thanks.” Kammie breathed out a sigh of relief.

  She wasn’t sure what to look for, and as she walked into the sea of silk and lace and employees with headsets, she was glad to have Mia with her.

  As they browsed, the two women talked about Row and the bear sleuth, and Mia’s undying interest in her brother’s best friend. Kammie entered a dressing room with a handful of items and closed the door. Mia moved into the room next to hers and said, “My mom took me to get my first bra when I was eleven.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “She invited my grandma.”

  Kammie laughed. She’d never had any of those experiences. Maggie had taken her in after her uncle was banished from the pack, but the female, although kind, had only had sons and didn’t seem to remember what it was like to be a young woman. She’d provided for her as best she could, but all of Kammie’s clothes had been hand-me-downs. She’d dressed to hide her scars and had never been told that she was pretty or that she shouldn’t cover up.

  Kammie stared at herself in the long mirror. It had taken four bras to find the right size. She was more confident in her skin than she’d been since before she was abused, but she didn’t want a strange woman to measure her chest. Now she was wearing a teal lace bra with tiny flowers embroidered on it. She held the scandalously tiny panties in her hand, thinking they would probably melt to nothing in the washing machine. Staring at herself critically in the mirror, she looked past the scars to the woman behind them. She’d come a long way since she met Row. They were both fully marked and mated now, and his favorite activity wasn’t just making love but lying around naked and talking. Naked conversations, as he liked to call them, were some of her favorite times with her mate, too.

  “How’s it going?” Mia asked.

  “Good. You?”

  “Meh. I’m just kidding myself about Lucian, and buying sexy undies isn’t giving me the confidence I thought it would.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kammie said as she stripped. She set aside the teal bra and panty set and lifted a satin baby doll fro
m a padded hanger.

  “It’s okay.”

  Kammie slipped the soft material over her head and adjusted the sexy outfit, tugging on the hem as she looked at herself. “Would you wear a baby doll for your mate?”

  “Oh sure. But don’t buy a really expensive one. Brynn said that Acksel tears everything she buys because he can’t control himself when she wears lingerie.”

  “That’s good advice, thanks.”

  “Well, maybe Row isn’t as much of an animal as Acksel is,” Mia said with a chuckle, “but I think most guys love to see their mates take the time to wear something just for them. Then they don’t have enough blood left in their brain to think straight.”

  Kammie laughed and pulled the black babydoll off and set it on the bench with the bra set she was going to buy. She dressed, gathered her things, and left the dressing room. Kammie selected a few more bra and panty sets in different colors and followed Mia to the register. “I’m glad you were here,” Mia said. “I wish we’d gotten to know each other better.”

  Kammie watched the girl ring up her purchases and then handed her credit card over. Glancing at Mia, she said, “Me too.”

  “Brynn does want to change things, but she can only do so much when her mate is steeped in tradition.”

  Mia paid for her items as Kammie stood next to her. “I think if packs don’t change with the times, they’ll lose their young. They’ll want to leave for more progressive packs, or just leave their people behind entirely.”

  “Like you’re doing,” Mia pointed out.

  “I wouldn’t have left without Row’s influence. If I’d mated a male in our pack, nothing would’ve changed for me.”

  Mia took her bag and walked out of the store with Kammie. “I don’t think things will change for me unless I make the changes. I need to grow up. Brynn’s my best friend, but she’s the alpha and she’s having a baby. Pining after a male who doesn’t care for me enough to stand up to my brother isn’t really worth my time.”

  Kammie looked at Mia and saw the determination in her eyes. They stopped at the mall’s exit, and Kammie gave her a hug. “Whatever choices you make in your life, I wish you well. If Lucian really is yours, then it’ll happen, and if not, then the male you do choose as your mate is one lucky guy.”

  “Thanks, hon. Have a safe trip, and I hope this next chapter of your life is full of love and happiness. You deserve it.”

  The two women parted ways and Kammie brushed at a few stray tears as she sat behind the wheel of her car. She was sad to be leaving Wilde Creek, but she couldn’t bear for Row not be honored for the powerful and amazing male he was. He didn’t deserve to be an omega, and she realized she didn’t deserve the super-low status she’d been given either. She was a strong female. She’d stood up for herself in the face of a madman, and she could handle anything that the future threw at her. Especially with her sexy mate having her back.

  Smiling at the package on the seat next to her, she shifted the car into drive and headed home. It was their last night in her house and then they’d be leaving Wilde Creek behind. If she had any regrets about her life, it was only that it had taken so long for her to meet Row. She would’ve loved to have been tackled by him in the woods when she was younger so they could’ve known each other that much longer.

  She could imagine her sixteen-year-old self bouncing through the woods after a rabbit and having a big bear come crashing through to find her. She bet even at that young age she would’ve known that Row was meant to be hers. The connection between them was instantaneous and sweet, and grew stronger every day.

  Chapter 13

  That night, Row drove Kammie to Luna’s, the only restaurant in Wilde Creek. Their mom rode with Dani and Adam; she was going to spend the night with them so she could visit with Dani longer. Row was anxious to head home, but he didn’t want to take away from his mom spending time with his sister, and getting to know Adam. The party the previous night had been a big surprise. He appreciated that the alphas had thrown Kammie a going-away party, but he knew that Brynn was the driving force behind it. She seemed to feel guilty for Kammie’s treatment, but the reality was that wolf packs were run by the alpha males and there were a lot of laws that ensured the strongest survived. Adam was injured, but no matter his physical impairments, Row knew without a doubt that he would guard Dani with his life.

  Kammie turned in her seat as he parked and gave him a mischievous smile.

  “What’s that for, little wolf?” he asked.

  She arched a brow and began to unbutton her top. His mouth fell open as he watched her fingers slip quickly down the front of her shirt and pull one side over to expose her breast. It was dark in the car, but with the parking-lot lights and his enhanced eyesight, he could see that she was wearing a very sexy bra.

  “Sweetheart,” he said, growling softly.

  “This is what I did today,” she said, her voice husky. “For you.”

  He was overwhelmed. His mate had bought sexy lingerie…for him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, slipping his hand inside her top to touch the soft lace. “My sexy mate, you drive me wild,” he said against her lips, and she moaned softly.

  “You like?”

  “Love.” He leaned away and pulled his hand free, which took some effort. He buttoned her top back up and grinned at her. “I’m going to make you so happy later.”

  “I’m already happy.”

  He tweaked her chin. “I’m the luckiest bear on the planet to have such a sexy, giving wolf for my mate. I hope you didn’t plan to get any sleep tonight.”

  “Bring it on, my mate.”

  He kissed her swiftly and got out of the truck before he could turn the engine back on and drive them back to her house as fast as possible. He opened her door and held out his hand. “Eat fast.”

  She laughed. “I’m glad your mom’s not staying with us tonight.”

  “Me too, love.”

  A young wolf male led them to a table in the center of the restaurant and Row pulled the chair out for Kammie as the others joined them. Kammie pulled off her jacket and set it over the back of her chair. The blouse she wore was green and looked lovely against her skin. The few buttons left undone showed off her cleavage and one of her scars. He was proud of her. As he’d been helping her pack up her clothes, he noticed that she had a lot of turtlenecks and clothes meant to entirely cover her. She’d gone shopping with his mom before they left Oakville, and the clothes she wore now, while still modest in their own way, were more revealing. He was looking forward to warmer weather because the clothes she wore wouldn’t be as confining. That she had bought lingerie for him that day just told him how far she’d come in her opinion of herself.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked as she picked up a menu.

  “You in shorts.”

  Her brow arched. “Shorts?”

  He slid his arm over the back of her chair and leaned close, letting his lips brush her ear. “I love your body. I can’t wait to see you in less confining clothes. Warm weather means shorts, so I can stare at your gorgeous legs.”

  She blushed and chuckled. “You’re insatiable.”

  “I’m honest.”

  “That, too.”

  He kissed her ear and whispered, “Fucking love you.”

  She turned to look at him, and the love in her eyes made him want to fall to the ground and worship her forever. It was powerful and honest. He’d never felt so lucky. “I love you, too.”

  A waiter appeared and Row straightened, but didn’t take his arm off the back of Kammie’s chair. After placing their orders, he listened to Kammie, Dani, and his mom talk about the future. Dani was content to stay in Wilde Creek. She and Adam apparently made a great team when it came to being omegas. Row didn’t think much of the omega position in the pack because of the way that Kammie had been treated, but Dani was happy and that was all that really mattered. Adam, despite his burn scars, was well-muscled and fierce, and Row knew that he'd make sure that no one tr
eated Dani badly.

  “Tell me about being a steward,” Row’s mom said.

  “They tend to the retired wolves exclusively. There’s a development in town where most of the retirees live. Dade, Jeremiah, and Honey assign duties to young pack members for those retirees – everything from shoveling the walk to helping with cleaning and home repairs,” Adam said.

  Row’s mom smiled. “That sounds like an excellent job.”

  “It’s been so much fun. The retirees are awesome. They’re friendly and so thankful to have someone care about them. Jeremiah and Honey are sweethearts. Honey and I have been handling the widowed females. There’s one female who hasn’t thrown out a newspaper since 1990. Her house looks like a newsstand threw up in it,” Dani said, laughing.

  “I’m glad you found a place,” Row said, and he honestly meant it. Row knew that he would’ve been happy to be with Kammie anywhere, but he was thankful that she’d been ready to throw off the shackles of the pack and embrace a less restricted life.

  When their food arrived, the conversation ceased. Row enjoyed a thick cheeseburger, while Kammie raved about her chicken ravioli in cream sauce. When their meal was over, the females excused themselves to the restroom and Adam leaned back in his chair.

  “I’m glad you and Kammie aren’t staying. It’s hard to be a female omega like her.”

  “Because of her scars?”

  Adam nodded. “I’ve known her my whole life. She was a vibrant young girl, and then she was withdrawn. I never knew what had been going on with her uncle until she shifted for the first time as a teenager and I saw her scars. Unfortunately, everyone in the pack saw them, too. The alpha and many males knew what had happened, but they’d kept it quiet. The females our age, who’d considered Kammie to be a threat, began to treat her badly. She was ridiculed and ostracized for something she had no control over. It was the same for me, but my omega status came because my scars prevent me from running fast in my shift. The muscles are injured from the burns, and for the males in my pack, that makes me less than whole and unable to function fully as a wolf.”