A Grey Wolves Howliday (The Grey Wolves #14) by Quinn Loftis

“You.” She gave him a sexy smile.

“Exactly.”

“And what do you need?” Her voice was husky with desire.

“You, Jennifer. Only, ever, always, you.” Decebel kissed her deeply, cutting off anything else she might have said. Then he began to let his hands roam, effectively shutting off any thoughts that might have attempted to distract her. He kept her focused on him while he showed her why he was created for her and her alone.





Chapter 5





“On the fifth day of Christmas my werewolf gave to me five satisfied smiles, four hours of hotness, three growling males, two cursing pups, and a furball in a fir tree.

No, I don’t know why there weren’t more than five satisfied smiles after the mutiny from the males, and for once I’m going to mind my own business … and if you buy that, I’ve got some oceanfront property for sale in Arizona you really need to take a look at.” ~Jen





Once again everyone gathered in the kitchen for the required daily celebration committee meeting. Jacque sat in front of Slate’s highchair, feeding him his favorite jar of baby food—sweet potatoes—while Thia sat in her highchair beside them picking up handfuls of green beans and shoving them into her mouth. Jacque looked at the girl and shook her head. “That’s super attractive, Thia. Keep that up and you’ll totally be beating the boys off with a stick.”

“There will be no boys around to beat,” Decebel rumbled as he leaned down and kissed the top of his daughter’s head. Though his voice was gruff, he seemed much more relaxed, as did most everyone else in the room. Jacque smirked to herself. She noticed, though, that Sorin, Lucian, Gavril, and Wadim didn’t have the same lightheartedness the other males showed. That didn’t necessarily mean anything. Sorin, Lucian, and Gavril weren’t typically talkative, and they showed little emotion unless dealing directly with their mates. Wadim … that was a little different. He was one of the more relaxed wolves in the pack. Jacque glanced at Zara and noticed the girl concentrating much harder than necessary to make a sandwich. Wadim stood behind her, his own sandwich in hand, staring at her back as if willing her to turn around.

Zara suddenly growled at the mustard bottle as she tried to squeeze it out and nothing but little splattered droplets came out. Wadim stepped forward and gently took it from her hand. He pressed close to her and leaned down. His lips moved next to her ear, and he spoke, but there was too much surrounding chatter for Jacque to hear. Not that she had any right to hear what he was saying to his mate. But the new alpha female was finding it hard not to worry about the other females in her pack, especially the ones she was close to.

“They’re fine, Luna.” Fane’s voice filled her mind.

“She doesn’t seem fine.” Jacque put another spoonful of sweet potatoes in Slate’s open mouth.

“You have to remember that their situation is quite a bit different than the rest of ours. Their bonding process has been slower, and rightfully so.”

He was right. Zara had been through hell at the hands of the vampires. The Great Luna had known what she was doing when she made Wadim her mate. He was incredibly gentle with her, but not in a patronizing way. He was patient, playful, and loving. They balanced each other.

Jacque frowned as these thoughts ran through her mind. So what is the problem? She glanced back over at them. Zara’s head lifted at the same time, and her gaze met Jacque’s. Zara gave her a small smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. She didn’t seem terribly upset, simply resigned.

“Luna.” Fane’s voice held a deep warning.

“I’m not going to pry,” she replied at the same time Jen said out loud, “History boy, what’s wrong with my new bestie? I realize that y’all probably only got to watch Netflix last night and not chill, but dude, a foot massage or hair brushing can go a long way.”

“Jen’s prying for me.” Jacque knew her voice through the bond would sound much too happy that her friend had just called Wadim out.

Zara’s cheeks flushed pink. She put down her sandwich and headed toward the fridge before opening it and practically disappearing behind the enormous door.

Wadim didn’t miss a beat. He followed his mate, pulled out whatever it was she’d been looking for, and handed it to her. “Read the shirt, Jen.”

Jacque hadn’t noticed his shirt because one of Wadim’s arms had been folded across his chest. Now she could see it just fine, and the picture made her grin. There was a large square divided into six smaller squares, with two stick figures in each one. The first square showed one of the stick figures saying, I heard you started a new business. In the next square, the other stick figure responded, Yep. In the third square, the first stick figure asked, What’s it called? And in the fourth square, the other stick figure answered Noneya. In the fifth square, the first stick figure stood with a question mark above his head. Then, in the sixth square, he was frowning at the other stick figure who was grinning.

Chuckles filled the room as everyone else had obviously read the shirt as well.

“How am I this old and never heard that one?” Peri took a sip of her—Jacque frowned. Was that a glass of wine? At noon? Peri must have felt her stare because the fae’s head turned to her, and she winked. That was when Jacque also noticed that Lucian wasn’t prancing around like a proud peacock. He stood behind Peri with his arms wrapped around his mate. His head rested on her shoulder, and to Jacque’s shock, he nipped Peri’s neck, right on her mark … in a room full of people. Damn, they must have had quite a night if Peri still needs wine at noon the next day, and her mate can’t keep his teeth off her.