A Wife for the Wolves (BBW Shifter Mail Order Bride Romance) (Mail-Order Mates Book 5) by Lola Kidd Read Free Book Online

too.”
    “I could eat,” Jackie said.
    They had driven by the restaurant earlier, when it was just closing. There were a few customers milling around in front of the place. Jackie was eager to see the inside—it was better than talking about lonely shifters without mates. She wanted to ask the twins if they thought she was their mate, but she was too chicken. What if they said no? Maybe they would say yes because she’d put them on the spot. But wouldn’t they have told her as soon as they met her if she was the one?
    This mail-order bride thing was both more difficult and much easier than she’d expected. People were very nice to her, and the twins were very sweet. They were just as great as they’d seemed in the email. The emotional part was what was surprising her. She had just met them, but she liked them. She was already feeling invested in their relationship. She wanted them to like her and to be happy with her. She was happy being around them and learning about them. She hoped they thought well of her too.
    ***
    Mark didn’t love cooking at Two Wolves. They would have taken her back to their house, but that would have been moving too fast for her. They’d chosen something simple for the night. He was grilling steaks and had made some salads earlier, and Matt had picked up a cake from Frank’s to celebrate Jackie’s first night in town. At the last minute, Mark had also grabbed a bottle of wine. He preferred hard alcohol, but Jackie struck him as a wine girl.
    He hated having to be in the kitchen cooking while Matt chatted with Jackie at the counter. She loved the place and seemed to be having a good time, which was a bonus. He wanted her to like them and their town. It was bad enough they had to have a vote to be alpha. He didn’t want to lose his mate and potentially his pack in the same week.
    He knew she was their mate. He didn’t know how LK Brides did it, but they had found the one person in the entire world who could complete their triad. He couldn’t control how the vote with the tribe went, but at least if they were able to convince Jackie to stay and marry them, everything would all be alright. He would be ashamed if the pack voted no, but he would get over it. He and Matt could start a family with Jackie and their problems would all be forgotten in time.
    He was nervous about the upcoming vote. Something didn’t feel right. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was going on and they were missing it. Matt felt the same way: there was something off in the pack. If Mark had to guess, he would say it was the younger people. The newly eighteen and graduated were the easiest to sway in the vote. They probably liked not having an alpha to answer to. That was how Mark had felt at that age.
    He’d been thinking about it nonstop. The only reprieve he got was when he saw Jackie. She was so perfect, and so close to being theirs.
    Mark seared his steak and pulled them all off the grill. He plated them and brought them to the booth.
    “We can eat, guys,” he told Matt and Jackie.
    Matt held out his hand. “Choose your seat.”
    Jackie put her finger next to her mouth as she thought. “I’m going to sit next to Mark because I’ve been talking to you this whole time. Everything smells really great, Mark. Thanks for cooking.”
    He beamed. “No problem. I like cooking.”
    Matt gave him an amused look but didn’t say anything.
    Dinner was very nice. Jackie told them all about her parents and brothers. She also told them about college. It sounded awful to Mark. He was glad they’d been able to open the restaurant almost fresh out of high school, because he and Matt weren’t school people, either, much to their guidance counselor’s horror. He and Matt had gotten great grades in school, but never did anything extra, even though their teachers had always tried to recruit them into sports or clubs.
    After dessert, the three stayed in the booth, talking. It was well after midnight and Matt