Wolf’s Survival
Wolf’s Survival
Amber Allure
M/M Shapeshifter
[Ebook] [Amazon]
Fellow ranchers consider Jacob Tasker a lone wolf, a man who goes his own way and who stands alone. They’ll never know just how close they are to the truth. His pack slaughtered by the ancestors of those very ranchers, Jacob’s learned to trust no one and accept his solitary life.
Oliver Wingate loves and respects wolves. As a conservationist, he believes they should be re-introduced into their once-natural habitat. Yet he meets resistance from all the ranchers who feel the wolves will prey on their herds.
When Oliver runs afoul of some of the locals, it’s up to Jacob to ensure the young idealistic man doesn’t lose his life in a battle for the wolf’s survival…and all the while trying to keep from falling in love…
Excerpt:
…As Jacob pushed his cart through the store, he tossed things into it without really paying attention. His mind wandered back to the one topic everyone was talking about—wolves returning to Idaho. Little did anyone know that they’d never really left. Well, there was one remaining “wolf,” but he never showed himself to any human if he could help it.
Having figured out the hard way that humans couldn’t be trusted, he’d retreated farther into himself every year until some day the human part of him would disappear and there would only be the wolf.
High-pitched childish laughter cut through his melancholy and he smiled. Rushing footsteps alerted him, and he paused at the end of the aisle. A little blond boy barreled around the corner and ran into Jacob’s leg. Jacob leaned down to catch the kid before he fell over. Bright blue eyes met his and widened in surprise.
“Wow.”
“Are you okay?” He supported the boy until he got his feet under him, and then Jacob straightened.
“Holy schmoly! You’re huge.”
“Bobby, that’s not nice to say.”
The words spoken in a soft, mellow voice trickled down Jacob’s spine like warm water and he looked up into blue eyes that matched the boy’s. Yet there was nothing particularly childish about the man staring at Jacob like a kid in a candy store and Jacob was the biggest lollipop the guy had ever seen.
“It’s okay. He’s right.” Jacob ducked down to meet the kid’s amazed gaze. “I’m big because I eat my vegetables.”
Bobby screwed up his nose in disgust. “I hate vegetables.”
“Well, if you want to grow up big and strong like me, you need to eat them.”
Tilting his head, Bobby studied Jacob, determining whether the man was conning him or not. “What kind of vegetables?”
“Green ones.”
“Really?” Bobby still wasn’t sure about the whole thing.
Jacob nodded. “Just like Popeye, green vegetables are great for growing big.”
A muffled snort drew his eyes back to the man standing behind Bobby. Laughter twinkled in the man’s eyes, and Jacob couldn’t help but grin at him. Shock raced over the other man’s face, plus a hint of heat.
“Popeye’s not real. He’s a cartoon.” Bobby crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Jacob.
“That’s true, but still I eat green vegetables and look at me.”
“Why don’t you go and find your mother, Bobby? Try to talk her into buying some green beans.” The man ran his hand over Bobby’s blond curls.
“Okay.” Bobby raced off down the wide aisle to where a curvy brunette stood, looking over the fruit.
Jacob straightened, not sure what to say to the man. He never had trouble talking to kids. For some reason, his big size never bothered them and his wolf’s instinct was to protect them. His wolf wanted to do something else to the man standing in front of him.
“Thanks for talking to Bobby. He can be a handful at times.” The man stuck out his hand. “My name is Oliver Wingate.”
He gave the elegantly slender hand a quick shake and mumbled, “Jacob Tasker. Nice meeting you. I have a dog in the truck, so I need to be going.”
Jacob whirled around and rushed toward the checkout lane. His pride wouldn’t admit he was running away, but something told him that Oliver was a temptation he needed to escape before his wolf tried something, like licking every inch of the man. Something else told him the man’s wife wouldn’t like that at all…
