Read Longing for Wolves (Shifter Country Wolves Book 5) for Free Online Page B

it.
    Until dinner, he drank and talked to people he hadn’t seen in seven years, and he tried to make it sound like he had some kind of purpose, some reason for driving from place to place. He told someone he was writing a travel blog, which wasn’t true, and told someone else that he really wanted to see as much of North America as he could before he settled down, which also wasn’t really true.
    He just didn’t feel like he could be somewhere. Not since he’d left.
    At dinner, he was seated between Shane and Ingrid’s mate. He couldn’t remember the man’s name, and since he was on his fifth whiskey, the chances of remembering it were getting slimmer by the moment. Calder ate a steak and talked about the best season to visit Yosemite National Park, then had a lively chat with Shane about how Greta scrunched up her nose when she was angry but didn’t want to admit it.
    He had another whiskey, and people started making speeches, but Calder couldn’t pay attention. He knew what they were saying: Greta and Shane and Elliott are great, blah blah blah. Love and stuff. Family.
    In the back of the room, he saw Annika quietly come out of the kitchen, a pie in each hand, followed by a girl with long black hair and gray eyes. Annika whispered something to her, and the other girl set the pies down on the table, then went back in the kitchen.
    Calder’s eyes followed Annika as she walked, the whiskey sloshing around in his brain. She made him feel some kind of way, that was for sure, and for a moment Calder imagined going into the kitchen and finding her. Maybe hoisting her up onto the counter, pulling out her braids, her mouth on his.
    He raised his eyebrows at nothing and took another drink.
    When the fuck was the last time I thought that about someone? he wondered. Everyone started applauding and he joined in, not knowing what the hell it was for.
    Then everyone stood, and Calder followed suit, but they seemed to just be milling around aimlessly again.
    He went to the bar and got another refill. Then, as everyone was milling around the dessert table he stepped out of the private room and went to look for Annika.

    She and the other girl were in the kitchen, and as soon as Calder stepped in, he felt like he’d walked into a jungle. It was noisy as hell, the sounds of dishwashers and food prep and people shouting, everywhere. Steam hung in the air, and it took him a moment to locate Annika, poring over a sheet of paper with the black-haired girl.
    “I did that today,” the black-haired girl was saying. “All those just need to get baked and boxed, and that’s it.”
    “Perfect,” Annika said. “I think that’s it.”
    “See you bright and early tomorrow,” the other girl said, and both of them turned around. Annika’s eyebrows went up.
    “Hey,” Calder said. He stuck his hand out to the new girl. “I’m Calder, Greta’s big brother.”
    “Scarlet,” she said coolly, shaking his hand. “I work for Annika.”
    “Nice,” Calder said. He couldn’t think of anything else to say, and Scarlet removed her hand from his and waved at Annika.
    “See you soon,” she said, waving, and disappeared through the door.
    Calder walked to the counter where Annika had a notebook open and leaned one hip against it.
    “I found a suit,” he said. “What do you think?”
    She started at his feet and he could practically feel her eyes crawl up him.
    “It looks good,” she said, sounding a little reluctant. She crossed her arms over her chest.
    “Just good?” Calder asked. He set his whiskey glass on the counter with the click of glass on metal. “I think I look damn good, myself.”
    “You’re drunk as hell,” Annika said.
    “Yeah,” Calder said.
    “How many have you even had?”
    Calder narrowed his eyes, then looked at his whiskey glass. After a little while, he gave up and shrugged.
    “A couple,” he said.
    Then he took a step closer to her.
    “Enough to ask what you’re doing later,” he said.
    “I’m