Read The Mating Season: Werewolves of Montana Book 6 for Free Online Page A

around her, and she startled, realizing it came from Tristan. No clear words, but a sudden, resigned loneliness, as if he stood alone atop a tall mountain, and down in the valley below were people who lived, laughed, loved and never wanted to see him.
    Feeling a surge of empathy, she stepped closer to Tristan and slid her hand into his. He looked startled, and then pleased.
    “Good day,” he told the couple as they straightened.
    “Are you here for one of us?” the man asked.
    “No.” Tristan gave a gentle smile. “I am here, like you, enjoying the seashore.”
    The couple exchanged glances. Then the woman spoke in a shy voice. “May I ask you a question about our future?”
    Tristan blinked and his smile widened. “Yes. It will happen.”
    The couple beamed at each other.
    “Congratulations,” he told them.
    The elevator doors slid open. “Thank you,” the woman told him and they walked away, arms around each other, laughing like the young lovers they were.
    Niki threw him a questioning look.
    “She wanted to know if they would get pregnant on this trip. It is the reason why they are here, to escape from the pressures of their pack and their duties, so she can conceive.”
    “And she dared to ask you, as if you are a crystal ball?”
    He shrugged those broad shoulders. “Lupines like to ask questions about the future, particularly concerning their families. I am accustomed to it. And what is the harm in telling them the eventuality, when they will spend the week doing what will result in the desired outcome?”
    A twinkle sparked his dark gaze. He gripped her hand as they strolled into the lobby, and then walked outside to the pool deck. Niki sighed happily. The sun burned brightly in the azure sky and a cooling breeze blew off the turquoise ocean waters.
    Tall palm trees and colorful fuchsia flowers ringed the Olympic-sized pool. A few sunbathers lounged in deck chairs by the pool. Tristan walked past them, his gaze whipping back and forth. Tension radiated from him, changing his scent from ocean brine and delicious orange to bitter almonds and sharp steel, laced with a scent her wolf instantly recognized.
    The scent of a male alert for trouble, and in protective mode.
    She had smelled this before, when her father and brothers were alive. Niki gently disentangled herself from his grip. When he shot her a questioning look, she touched his arm.
    “Relax. I’m not going to run away and there are no dangerous monsters lurking here.”
    A reluctant smile touched his mouth. “I shall try, for your sake.”
    When they finally reached the sandy beach, she raced down to the water’s edge. Tristan was at her side in an instant. Niki kicked off the sandals. The tangy smell of briny, fresh air invigorated her senses.
    Dangling the sandals by one finger, she ran to meet the water, loving the way the wet sand squished between her toes. She laughed as the slightly cool surf washed over her bare feet. It felt delicious, better than in her imagination, which had conveyed nothing more than the sandpaper roughness of a wolf’s tongue lapping at her feet.
    Warmth filled her and she laughed, throwing out her hands. “It tickles!”
    Tristan’s mouth curled into a smile, and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts.
    “Come on,” she called, crooking a finger at him. “Tristan, this is fun! Take off your shoes.”
    Kicking off his flip-flops he joined her, then he grinned. The boyishness of it was such a drastic contrast to the mien of the severe, powerful wizard that she melted inside.
    He gave a furtive look around. “No Skins nearby. Watch this.”
    Tristan made a circular gesture with his index finger and the waves curled around his feet, swirling in playful loops. Niki giggled.
    “The waves are doing that because they’re reluctant to touch your big, ugly toes,” she teased.
    “I have not big, ugly toes.” Grinning, he pointed a foot at the surf. “I have nice feet, though not as nice as