The Blackstone Wolf Read online

  The Blackstone Wolf

  Blackstone Mountain Book 4

  Alicia Montgomery

  Contents

  Also by Alicia Montgomery

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Author’s Notes

  Other Books by Alicia Montgomery

  Also by Alicia Montgomery

  The True Mates Series

  Fated Mates

  Blood Moon

  Romancing the Alpha

  Witch’s Mate

  Taming the Beast

  Tempted by the Wolf

  The Lone Wolf Defenders Series

  Killian’s Secret

  Loving Quinn

  All for Connor

  The Blackstone Mountain Series

  The Blackstone Dragon Heir

  The Blackstone Bad Dragon

  The Blackstone Bear

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Alicia Montgomery

  Cover design by Melody Simmons

  Edited by Red Ribbon Editing

  All rights reserved.

  Want to get some free books?

  Turn the page all the way to the end - you can get a BONUS chapter of this book, as well as a FREE copy of my paranormal romance The Last Blackstone Dragon and my contemporary billionaire domination romance novelette The Billionaire Heirs.

  Chapter One

  The Den was hopping, even for a weekday night. It was, after all, the most well-known after-hours shifter haunt in town.

  Same shit, different night, Nathan Caldwell thought to himself as he took a sip from his beer. His wolf growled in agreement, feeling just as restless as him.

  “Yo, Nathan! All by yourself again?”

  Nathan whipped his head around toward the sound of the voice. “Well, Rogers, unlike you, I don’t need whole entourage to scope out a bar. Did you bring your make-up artist and hairdresser?”

  Daniel Rogers laughed, then clasped the hand Nathan offered. “Good to see you, man.”

  “Just because I like to look good doesn’t mean I’m a pansy,” Gabriel Russel said. He ran a hand through his long blonde locks and gave his head an exaggerated toss, then flashed a megawatt smile to no one in particular. There was a reason the Rangers called him “Pretty Boy.”

  “You boys finally got a night off?” Nathan asked.

  “Yeah, well, we’re taking double shifts,” Anders Stevens, the dark-haired man on Daniel’s right said. “The boss is having a hard time filling positions. We’ve put ads out all over the country and everything.”

  Nathan could guess why. Though working as a Blackstone Mountain Ranger was a lucrative position (it was especially difficult for their kind to get ahead), it involved long hours and living deep in the mountains.

  Most shifters were social creatures, and many who lived in Blackstone preferred to work in the mines or in town. Nathan himself was Chief Engineer at the Blackstone Mines, and except for a couple days a month, the hours were easy and left him lots of time to pursue other things. Mostly that involved hanging out at The Den and chasing pussy. Or at least it used to until a few months ago, when his friends starting pairing off with their mates.

  First it was Matthew, then Jason, and now Ben. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy for them or that he didn’t like their mates. Catherine, Christina, and Penny were all great people. But who wanted to be stuck with just one person for the rest of their lives?

  Gabriel waved a hand in front of him. “Bro, you okay?”

  “Huh?” Nathan’s thoughts snapped back to the present. “Yeah, just … you know, scouting around.”

  “Gotcha,” Gabriel said with a wink. “See anyone interesting?”

  Nathan quickly scanned the bar and saw a group of four girls at one of the tables in the middle. They weren’t overdressed or self-conscious, so they weren’t out-of-towners coming for a look-see at the shifters. And of course, his own wolf could tell they were definitely not human.

  “Well, boys, what do you think?” Gabriel asked. “Looks like there’s enough to go around.”

  One of the women turned their way, a pretty, petite blonde. She locked eyes with Nathan and then flashed him a flirtatious smile and a slight nod.

  Anders chuckled. “Now that’s definitely an invitation.”

  “I’m game if you guys are,” Daniel said, and Anders nodded in agreement.

  His wolf whined in protest. It had been doing that for a while now, like it was no longer interested in the thrill of the chase. Maybe I’m just tired from work, Nathan thought but supposed he did have a reputation to maintain. “After you.” They all grabbed their drinks and walked to the table.

  “Hello, ladies,” Gabriel began. “Mind if we join you?”

  Before they could say anything, Anders piped in. “We’ve been stuck up in the mountains for a couple days now. My friends and I are part of the Blackstone Rangers.”

  “You guys are Rangers?” one of them, a cute brunette said. “You must see some pretty nice sights up there.”

  “Not as pretty as you,” Daniel added with a wink which made the girl giggle.

  Nathan rolled his eyes mentally, but the girls seemed to lap it up and made space for them. The three Rangers, being good bros, made sure he was positioned right next to the blonde who had been giving him the fuck-me eyes.

  “So,” she said, her red lips curving up into a smile. “Are you a Ranger too?”

  “No ma’am,” he replied, flashing her a grin. “I’m afraid my job isn’t as glamorous as these guys.”

  “He’s only one of the head honchos at the mines,” Gabriel said.

  “Oh, really?” She turned back to him. “I’m Melanie.”

  “Nathan,” he said. “And I’m not the head honcho. I just make sure all the machines run.”

  Melanie sidled up closer to him. “Sounds interesting.”

  Nathan’s enhanced sense of smell detected a hint of feathers. Hmmm. Flight shifter. He’d never met a female flight shifter before. “Nah, not that interesting. What do you do?”

  “I work as a hostess at the French restaurant in town.”

  “Nice,” Gabriel said. “You must have interesting stories then. Care to share any?”

  “Well, there was that time we caught one of our sous chefs in the freezer with a bus boy …”

  Nathan nodded as Melanie told some hilarious story, laughing at the same time as everyone else. He was good at this—pretending to listen and making her think she was the most interesting thing in the world. How many times had he done it to get into some girl’s pants? Too many to count. And Melanie was falling for it, based on how close she was sidling up to him and how she would touch his bicep or his shoulder to grab his attention.

  He glanced at his companions. It looked like they weren’t doing so bad. Gabriel had his arm around the brunette, and Anders and Daniel were both deep in conversation with the remaining two women.

  “So, what do you say we get out of here?” Melanie whispered into his ear.

  “Sure,” he said automatical
ly. Normally his wolf would have howled in approval at the conquest, but he didn’t hear a peep this time. He shrugged it off. “You got a place of your own? If not, we could go to mine and I could drive you home after.”

  He thought that would have turned her off, but she nodded. “I have my own ride. Let’s go.”

  They didn’t bother saying goodbye to everyone though he knew they were all watching as they left. He glanced back and saw Gabriel giving him a wink as he pulled the brunette closer.

  Nathan pushed the door open with one hand and let Melanie out first. As the door closed behind them, he stopped short.

  Melanie cocked her head at him. “You okay?”

  Something didn’t feel right. It wasn’t Melanie, though. It was him. “Yeah. Listen, Melanie,” he began, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m just … I have an early day tomorrow.”

  She chuckled. “Guys usually say that after.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t get me wrong. You’re gorgeous, and I would be happy to hop into bed with you.”

  Melanie’s eyes narrowed. “But?”

  “I’m just tired.” Tired of everything. Tired of the same shit over and over again. “Sorry.”

  “Nah, it’s fine.” She yawned. “I’m actually pretty exhausted myself. I usually spend my nights off from the restaurant sleeping at home or visiting my sister over in Verona Mills. I only came because my friends wanted to.” She looked up at him. “But if you change your mind, I’m always up for a bit of fun.”

  “Yeah, sure.” He jerked a thumb back at The Den. “I’m usually here if I’m looking for some friendly company.”

  “Great.” She fished in her purse for her keys, then held them out triumphantly. “So, I’ll see you around?”

  “See ya.” He watched her walk to the row of cars parked to the left of the door. “Wait!”

  Melanie whipped her head around. “Change your mind?”

  “No. I mean,” he scratched his head, thinking of a way to say it to say delicately, “can I ask you for a favor?”

  “Sure.”

  “If anyone asks, don’t tell them I didn’t take you home with me.”

  She laughed. “Fine. But you owe me one.”

  Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. “You can collect any time.”

  “I’ll hold you to that!”

  With a wave of her hand, she walked toward the Honda parked at the end of the row. He watched her get into her car and drive away.

  Grabbing his keys out of his pocket, he strode to his parking spot. The shiny yellow vintage Mustang with a black stripe down the middle looked out of place among the pickup trucks and Jeeps, not just in the parking lot, but anywhere he went in town. But he didn’t care. He and his dad spent the last couple of years searching for this car and then restoring it to its former glory. The hours tinkering around the garage with his old man, just shooting the shit and drinking beers after a hard day’s work, were some of the best times of his life. It was his prized possession and not just because of the value of the restored car. His missed his old man and his ma, but they had recently retired and were now on a well-deserved trip around the world with their friends.

  The engine roared to life as he turned the key in the ignition. He shook his head and chuckled. Maybe I’m just getting old. He was almost thirty after all, but still a little too young to be having a midlife crisis.

  Nathan placed his hands on the wheel, wondering if he’d made a mistake. Melanie was gorgeous and willing and didn’t want anything with strings attached. Should he go after her? He bet he could catch up with her if he gunned it.

  A voice inside his head told him it was time to go. Time to go home to his dark, lonely apartment.

  He squashed those thoughts and put the car in gear. I’m just tired.

  Nathan threw the wrench he was clenching in his hand, the metal making a loud clanging sound that echoed through the cave. He wiped a greasy palm down his pants. He was not having a good morning. First, one of their smelting machines had broken down and it took hours to get it back up. Then, he found out they were going to have to relocate the next site as it had not contained as much blackstone as they thought. Months of planning down the drain. They would have to work double-time since they were now behind in their production schedule. And now this.

  “And if you leave this machine on again while you take your break, I’m gonna to tear you limb from limb and piss on what’s left!” Nathan roared.

  “Y-y-yes sir, Mr. Caldwell,” Bryce Jenkins said as he cowered.

  The smell of fear from other man was unmistakable, and his fox was crouching in terror. But Nathan didn’t give a shit. He hated it when people disrespected machines, especially the ones under his care. Carelessness could cause accidents, not to mention lives. And Lennox Corp., who owned the Blackstone mines, always put the safety of their people above everything else which meant he was the one responsible for making sure the equipment ran smoothly and didn’t kill anyone.

  “Get out!” he snarled.

  “S-s-sir?” Bryce stuttered. “Am I fired?”

  “No!” He couldn’t unilaterally make that decision of course; besides, he knew Bryce would probably never do it again. The younger man was inexperienced, not stupid. “Just get out of my face for now.”

  “Y-y-yes sir!” Bryce backed up slowly. When he’d put enough distance between them, he turned and scampered away.

  “Fuck my life,” he said aloud. He gritted his teeth. Someone getting hurt would be the perfect icing for this shit cake of a day. He had to talk to Ben.

  Nathan marched out of the cave, deciding to check if Ben was in his office. He immediately spotted Ben and Penny, hand-in-hand, heading to the group of trailers around the main parking lot. He jogged toward them, picking up his pace.

  “Ben! Goddamnit Ben, wait up!” He ran faster. “That fucker Jenkins left the fucking grinding machine on again during his break! I told him I was going to tear him limb from limb and piss on whatever was left if he ever—”

  Nathan didn’t notice the third person with them until he was much closer. Gravel skidded around his work boots as he tried to prevent his momentum from crashing into her, causing him to stop centimeters away.

  A sweet scent, like golden honey with an underlying tinge of fur, assaulted his nostrils. He didn’t mind; after all, he had a sweet tooth. He stared at the person—no, the woman—in front of him. A gorgeous heart-shaped face. Smooth skin that would surely be soft to touch. Thick, dark hair in a neat bun he longed to set free. Light blue eyes tinged with a darker color along the edges. And they were staring right back at him.

  Mine, his wolf growled.

  And he felt her animal—whatever it was—roar it right back.

  The woman’s nostrils flared and her pupils dilated. His spine stiffened, and a growl escaped from his throat.

  Shit. This was her. His mate.

  His brain started turning after what seemed like an eternity. Mate? Him? No, that couldn’t be right. He didn’t want a mate. He was not ready to settle down yet.

  “Oh.”

  “Oh?” Was she so stunned that she was speechless?

  “Oh. No.” She shook her head. “This simply won’t do.” Her voice was low and husky with a rich timbre that washed over him like a lover’s caress.

  “Huh?”

  “No, this won’t do at all.” She gave him a quick once-over, then straightened her shoulders. “I appreciate you and your wolf’s interest, but I’m afraid I can’t have a mate at this time. So, thank you, and I wish you well.”

  What. The. Ever. Living. Fuck.

  The woman turned to Ben. “Mr. Walker, could we get on with the interview, please? It was a long flight, and I’d really like to go back to my hotel and rest.”

  Ben was looking at Nathan, his eyes wide. Penny had to elbow him to get his attention. “What? Oh yeah. Penny, sweetheart, could you show Dr. Robichaux to my office? I need to talk to Nathan.”

  “Of course,” Penny said with a nod, and the two w
omen began to walk in the direction of Ben’s office.

  “Nathan?” Ben began, his voice unsure. “You okay man? Is she your—”

  “No way,” Nathan said.

  “Look, man, I know how it feels when you think your mate is rejecting you, but—”

  “You heard her. She doesn’t want a mate.”

  “So? If she’s yours—”

  “Newsflash Ben: I don’t want her either. You think I want a mate?” He let out a laugh, not caring if it sounded forced. “I’m drowning in so much pussy, especially now that you and Jason are off the market. I can have any girl I want. Why would I give that up for some chick?”

  “Nathan, you can’t stop fate—”

  “Don’t, Ben. Just don’t.” He turned around, kicking a rock in his path and shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked away.

  Mate? Fuck that. Who the hell needed a mate when freedom was much sweeter?

  Besides, she wasn’t that pretty. She seemed cold and unfeeling. And what was she wearing? She looked out of place wearing a white suit and stiletto heels in the mountains. What kind of interview was she doing with Ben?

  His wolf snarled in jealousy thinking of her and Ben alone in his office. Stupid wolf. “For fuck’s sake, Ben would cut his own balls off before he cheated on Penny,” he told his animal.

  “Mr. Caldwell, sir!”

  He stopped in his tracks and turned around. It was Morris, the smelting room supervisor. Based on the man’s face, he wasn’t bearing good news.

  “What is it?”

  “You need to come see this, sir.”