Her Protective Mate (The Ward Wolf Pack Novella Series, Book 3) by Theresa Hissong (books for students to read .TXT) 📕

free when we are alone, but not in front of anyone else. Alpha status belongs to Nash, and it will stay that way until it’s our turn to take over.”

She breathed a sigh of relief when the wolf settled down. It was time to focus on the job of getting Booker’s moose back to his place and put up before the sun went down. Charlie would be there to pick her up around five, and she could go back to the pack.

“There you are,” Booker said over his shoulder when she entered the meadow. “I was getting a little worried about you.”

“Took a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet,” she replied with a smile. “I have to go back to work tomorrow.”

“You like it, though,” he chuckled as he worked. “Don’t deny it.”

“I do like it,” she agreed. “But the days off are nice.”

“You know you are always welcome here,” he said as he bagged some of the meat.

“I do,” she replied and walked around the carcass to kneel on the ground. She removed her own knife and got to work helping him.

It took a few hours, but they eventually loaded everything up on the sled and headed back. She could’ve pulled the sled easily with her strength, but, much like the day before, Booker insisted on doing it himself. She let him. It was nice to have a male show some chivalry and it not be her brothers or Fury.

Chapter 5

Leaving Booker was harder than she thought. By the time Charlie arrived, they’d just finished packing her kill. He tried to talk them into staying for dinner, but Charlie was in a rush to return to the terminal since a storm was coming.

They’d barely gotten the plane unloaded when the storm struck. Aspen was soaking wet by the time she reached her cabin, undressing and dropping her sopping wet clothes at the door. She grabbed a shower and curled up on her small couch to wait it out. Fury and Mason were still at the terminal processing the meat down to more manageable sized portions.

Being alone in her cabin made it hard to keep her mind off of Booker Dupree. He’d accepted her even though she hadn’t come clean about what she was. Aspen had a feeling he knew, but he never said. His respectfulness was welcomed.

She didn’t want to leave him, either. Just the thought of being around him again sent her wolf to pacing in her mind. It wanted to return to his cabin and complete the mating. The animal nudged her mind, putting the idea of touching at the forefront.

Aspen growled low in her throat and used her mind to push the animal back. Her canines were thick in her mouth, and she didn’t want to think about him anymore that night. It was hard enough feeling the absence of him with her human thoughts.

“Aspen?” Mason called from the porch.

“Oh, Mason, get inside. What are you doing?” He smiled warmly as she hurried to get him a towel. In his hand was a bag of meat individually wrapped for her personal use.

“Thought I’d bring you the best parts since it was your kill.” He shrugged and kicked off his boots. He paused and lifted his nose to the air. “So, did you touch him?”

“Way to be nonchalant about it,” she huffed. “And, no. I didn’t touch him. It’s too soon.”

“Did you tell him? About what you are?”

“No,” she sighed. “He knows we are shifters, but I didn’t tell him what kind.”

“Were you safe there, Aspen?” Mason asked, his eyes flashing a hazy yellow.

“I was,” she blushed. “He was a gentleman, and he said he didn’t care what I was. He wanted me there.”

“You like him, huh?” he pressed. Mason was more open to her mating a human because her brother had his own human mate. He understood. She wasn’t so sure about her brother, the alpha to the pack, Nash. He was still leery about humans being around them.

“I like him more than a lot, Mason,” she told him truthfully and took the bag from him. She needed something to occupy her mind so she didn’t give off too much more of her mating scent. As it was, she could already scent it brewing, and it wasn’t even as strong as it had been when she was with Booker.

“Did you scent any of the bears while you were out with him?” Mason turned concerned.

“None at all,” she promised.

Aspen closed her freezer and walked over to the door where her brother was still standing on the mat. He’d stopped dripping, but refused to move from his spot.

“Good,” he replied with a soft smile. “I’m glad things went well. You know you can come talk to me about anything regarding the mating, right?”

“Ah,” she blushed. “Yeah, umm. I think I’d rather talk to Harper.”

“Okay,” he laughed, reaching out to pull her into a comforting hug. “Now, you just have to tell Nash.”

“Well, damn,” she breathed.

Booker used his satellite phone to call Aspen, praying she answered the phone at the terminal. It’d been three days, and he was uneasy with her being away from him.

His protective instincts were on edge. There was no understanding how completely Aspen Ward had affected him the moment she stepped off that plane. She was so beautiful, it hurt his eyes.

He’d moved out to the Alaskan bush to get away from people, but she wasn’t like the others. No, Aspen was a shifter…totally different from the people he’d chosen to leave.

“Ward Air and Transportation.” Her beautiful voice sent a shiver down his spine. Booker didn’t care what she was. It was obvious she felt it, too.

“Aspen,” he said into the phone.

“Booker,” she sighed.

“I wanted to schedule a delivery,” he