Captivated By The She-Wolf. Kristal Hollis

      “A peck on the cheek is not a kiss.” Actually, Ronni wasn’t sure what it was. Though Bodie’s lips had barely grazed her skin, her face had warmed and the heat had spread through her entire body. He simply stood there, eyes closed, until her tightly coiled breaths synced with his soft, rhythmic puffs and then he’d said good-night and walked away.

      “So, it was a non-date date.” Cassie nibbled delicately on a banana nut muffin.

      “That’s how Tristan and I fell in love.” Nel stabbed a strawberry using her fork. “We did a lot of things together, but neither of us considered them dates.”

      Ronni’s gaze fell to Nel’s baby bump becoming noticeable. What Nel and Tristan had done on their non-dates was fairly obvious, and an accidental claiming had resulted in her pregnancy.

      Since Ronni had undergone tubal ligation due to recurrent miscarriages and a problematic, high-risk pregnancy with Alex, an unplanned pregnancy would not be possible. “I’m not looking to fall in love.”

      “None of us were,” Cassie said. “It happened anyway.”

      The three women were lucky to have met and matched with their true mates, allowing a mate-bond to form. It was something that didn’t happen for all wolfans.

      Independent of a mate-claim, which was established during sexual intercourse with a bite and bound a couple for life under wolfan law, a mate-bond synced the lovers, body and mind, heart and soul.

      Mostly, the bond began forming from the first moment true mates met, but not always. When Zeke had claimed Ronni, to keep her out of Jeb’s clutches, she didn’t sense a mate-bond. Theirs had developed over time.

      So, she’d already had her true mate and lost him.

      The argument could be made that she could find another, as Rafe had done. Though his heart had been no less broken, he’d been younger when his first mate died and they didn’t have children.

      Ronni’s situation was different. She was a mother and Alex’s needs always came first.

      “Bless you,” Grace said to the beverage server who refilled her coffee. The young man topped off Ronni’s cup, too.

      “If you’re more comfortable with non-date dates, I’ll get Tristan to ask Bodie to join us at Taylor’s,” Nel said. “We could do a group family night.”

      “That’s a great idea,” Grace said.

      “No, it isn’t,” Ronni replied.

      “Don’t you like him?” Cassie asked.

      “I like him just fine, but this isn’t the right time for me to start dating.”

      “That’s why this will be a non-date.” Nel grinned. “Trust me, Tristan is an expert at setting these up.”

      “At the very least, it will give Bodie a chance to meet people,” Cassie said.

      Ronni understood it would also give the upcoming leaders of the pack a chance to assess Bodie for themselves.

      “Do whatever you need to do.” Ronni waved her hand, as if her heart wasn’t picking up speed and her nerves weren’t tingling.

      Nel leaned toward her. “You will be there, right?”

      “I need to check my calendar.” Ronni picked up her cup and took a slow sip, watching the three women watching her and hoping they couldn’t see the giddiness her brain was doling out.

      “If you have any interest in him at all, be there,” Grace said. “Now that Bodie has made a public appearance with a woman, all the single ladies will have him on their radar.”

      Ronni swallowed the silent growl tickling her throat. She might not be sure what to make of Bodie’s interest, or her own, but she definitely didn’t like the thought of him turning that interest toward someone else.