Maggie's Wolves, Part One: A BBW Shifter Romance (Red Mountain Pack Book 1) by Cara Morgan
Authors: Cara Morgan
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on her lap and then hauled over one of the wooden chairs from the table to join her.
He gestured at the tray. “I’ll do better next time. I’m actually a pretty decent cook, but there wasn’t much to work with. I thought about hunting you down something better, but this was at hand and I didn’t want to leave you to wake up on your own.”
She swallowed the mouthful of food, surprised at how hungry she was. She’d likely burned through a lot of calories last night. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“The food will help you to heal and restore her strength. You’ve probably noticed your metabolism runs faster than most human’s.”
She nodded. “I’ve always had to be careful who I ate with, and how much. My aunt tried to starve the wolf once, thinking it would cure me, but it didn’t work.”
Eli frowned so fiercely, she froze with the mug of coffee halfway to her lips. He noticed, and swore softly under his breath. “I’m not angry with you. Even a dormant shifter should have known better. Starving your wolf won’t do anything but piss her off. You’re lucky she didn’t try to take over.”
She set the mug carefully down on her tray. “That can happen?”
“Mostly in lone wolves and only under extreme duress. It won’t happen to you. For one thing, you’re not a lone wolf any more. For another, I won’t let you go hungry. Not for anything.”
“I’ve got a lot to learn.”
“I’ll answer any questions you have, no matter what,” he said. “Just ask. I’ll try to fill in the gaps as I think of them, but if that gets annoying, don’t feel bad about telling me to quit. How do you feel this morning?”
“The heat is gone.”
His eyes glittered. “Not gone. From what I’ve read, it will ebb and flow for several days before fading completely for a few years. We should probably try to make it down the mountain while it’s backed off. Do you feel up to that?”
She slid the tray onto the nightstand. “Do we have to go so soon?”
“The others will be worried.”
“Your pack.” Last night when the heat had been driving her hard, a pack full of willing shifter males had been exactly what she’d wanted. This morning, it seemed daunting.
Eli caught her chin and forced her gaze up. “It will be okay, sweetheart. Are you worried?”
She thought about denying it, but she wouldn’t start out their relationship by lying to him. “What if you’re wrong and they don’t want me?”
He drew her forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips. She felt the first faint stirrings of heat inside her. Not the driving need of the night before, but a warm, pleasant awareness of her mate. She wanted Eli again—when she shouldn’t want to have sex again for at least a week—but she wanted to get to know him too. She licked her lips when Eli pulled away, and his attention fixed briefly on her mouth before he released her with a sigh.
“There’s no way any of them would turn you away,” he said. “They’d be damned fools if they did, and no one in the pack is a fool.”
She searched his face. “And you’re okay with that? With sharing me?”
Eli rose from his chair and sat down beside her on the bed. He took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “It’s not like that exactly. The female chooses the pack, and right now I’m your pack. If you don’t want to claim the others as your mates, then we’ll leave the lodge. We can find our own territory like your parents did.”
She was stunned that he’d even suggest leaving his pack. She didn’t know a whole heckuva lot about Eli, but she knew that he loved his pack mates. They were his co-workers, friends, and family all rolled into one tightly knit group.
She squeezed his hand. “You don’t want to split with your pack.”
He looked up. “No. But I don’t want you to feel trapped either. I’d like for you to meet everyone and see for yourself that I’m telling you the truth. They’ll welcome you, Maggie. They’ll
He gestured at the tray. “I’ll do better next time. I’m actually a pretty decent cook, but there wasn’t much to work with. I thought about hunting you down something better, but this was at hand and I didn’t want to leave you to wake up on your own.”
She swallowed the mouthful of food, surprised at how hungry she was. She’d likely burned through a lot of calories last night. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“The food will help you to heal and restore her strength. You’ve probably noticed your metabolism runs faster than most human’s.”
She nodded. “I’ve always had to be careful who I ate with, and how much. My aunt tried to starve the wolf once, thinking it would cure me, but it didn’t work.”
Eli frowned so fiercely, she froze with the mug of coffee halfway to her lips. He noticed, and swore softly under his breath. “I’m not angry with you. Even a dormant shifter should have known better. Starving your wolf won’t do anything but piss her off. You’re lucky she didn’t try to take over.”
She set the mug carefully down on her tray. “That can happen?”
“Mostly in lone wolves and only under extreme duress. It won’t happen to you. For one thing, you’re not a lone wolf any more. For another, I won’t let you go hungry. Not for anything.”
“I’ve got a lot to learn.”
“I’ll answer any questions you have, no matter what,” he said. “Just ask. I’ll try to fill in the gaps as I think of them, but if that gets annoying, don’t feel bad about telling me to quit. How do you feel this morning?”
“The heat is gone.”
His eyes glittered. “Not gone. From what I’ve read, it will ebb and flow for several days before fading completely for a few years. We should probably try to make it down the mountain while it’s backed off. Do you feel up to that?”
She slid the tray onto the nightstand. “Do we have to go so soon?”
“The others will be worried.”
“Your pack.” Last night when the heat had been driving her hard, a pack full of willing shifter males had been exactly what she’d wanted. This morning, it seemed daunting.
Eli caught her chin and forced her gaze up. “It will be okay, sweetheart. Are you worried?”
She thought about denying it, but she wouldn’t start out their relationship by lying to him. “What if you’re wrong and they don’t want me?”
He drew her forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips. She felt the first faint stirrings of heat inside her. Not the driving need of the night before, but a warm, pleasant awareness of her mate. She wanted Eli again—when she shouldn’t want to have sex again for at least a week—but she wanted to get to know him too. She licked her lips when Eli pulled away, and his attention fixed briefly on her mouth before he released her with a sigh.
“There’s no way any of them would turn you away,” he said. “They’d be damned fools if they did, and no one in the pack is a fool.”
She searched his face. “And you’re okay with that? With sharing me?”
Eli rose from his chair and sat down beside her on the bed. He took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “It’s not like that exactly. The female chooses the pack, and right now I’m your pack. If you don’t want to claim the others as your mates, then we’ll leave the lodge. We can find our own territory like your parents did.”
She was stunned that he’d even suggest leaving his pack. She didn’t know a whole heckuva lot about Eli, but she knew that he loved his pack mates. They were his co-workers, friends, and family all rolled into one tightly knit group.
She squeezed his hand. “You don’t want to split with your pack.”
He looked up. “No. But I don’t want you to feel trapped either. I’d like for you to meet everyone and see for yourself that I’m telling you the truth. They’ll welcome you, Maggie. They’ll
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