fairytale

As if being a 40-year-old runaway bride wasn’t bad enough, I had to shift at the altar and become a runaway wolf. My human fiancé may not be my fated mate. But we share a child, so I thought I could make it work. I never understood how a wealthy real estate mogul could be interested in a meager seamstress like me anyway, but he was persistent on making me his bride. Fast forward to today, I’m walking down the aisle. I think I'm having wedding day jitters.

I’m in love with a villain. Ice-cold smile, shiny collection of scalpels, and he’s ravenous to use them on me. Joke's on you, mad scientist. I've been trying to cut this sickness out of me since forever. Not all scars are in a place that you can see. In your frigid alien embrace, I've found myself, so why the hesitation in those pretty silver eyes? You’re the big bad conqueror. I’m just an ordinary human. Right? Put me in your maze. Let the experiments begin...

Christmas is supposed to be the season of miracles. But seeing my ‘90s high school boyfriend change into a bear isn’t the miracle I’d hoped for.

When I said I needed a midlife reboot, growing pumpkins in a town full of bear people wasn't what I had in mind. Neither was falling for one of them. I should've been more specific when I asked the universe for a change.

When my mate of twenty years started growing distant, My best friend offered to give him advice. Little did I know she'd end up pregnant with his baby. I left Portland and my daycare job behind, Ready to start anew in my friend's pack down in Eugene. The Glenwood pack gave me a warm welcome Especially Kane, once my wolf caught sight of him. The ruggedly handsome cop stood in the doorway, A single dad holding a tiny newborn in a baby carrier. A woman had dropped the shifter baby off at the precinct, Making him a father in an instant.

Have a divorce party, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. It was, until I ended up in handcuffs. A group of Karens rained on my parade at the winery And in my drunken haze, I mooned every last one of them— Along with the responding officer called in to arrest my ass. Not a good look for a teacher starting off in a new little town. When he cuffed me, I stumbled into his rock-hard body, But he softened up once he brought me down to the station, Taking pity on me and caring for me throughout the night.

When Max and I got into an argument all those years ago Over deciding the best way to raise our little boy, I needed to blow off steam and take a walk. Little did I know my father would have me captured, Demoted to the lowest member of our pack, And living a life of servitude. As Alpha of the Greystones, He never accepted me being mated to a Glenwood, Knowing a witch bloodline runs through their veins. So when I discover I’m pregnant, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my baby girl safe.

My husband got into a fight and plunged off a bridge, leaving me to raise our two children on my own. After struggling for the last fourteen years, I pack up my kids and move in with my crazy old aunt in Carlton. I land a waitressing gig, and the moment I meet the head chef, his deep green eyes have me spellbound.

My ex gambled away my kids’ college funds Along with my dreams of starting a business. After putting everyone else first for the last 23 years, Nothing will stop me from making my dream a reality. So when a bear posts he’s looking for a surrogate, As crazy as it sounds after having three grown kids, I know this could be the ticket to getting my food truck off the ground. I loved being pregnant and know what to expect, But when I meet Evan at a coffee shop, My bear’s buzzing, and it has nothing to do with my latte. The man I’m sitting across from is my mate. And he wants us to start a family.

Twenty-five hundred miles in a car. All I want is a respectful driver who'll be quiet and let me lick my wounds. Instead, a disarming flirt takes the wheel and propels my life into a tailspin. My father was supposed to be my road trip companion but abandoned me for his work. Once again. It should no longer hurt, but it does. To add insult to injury, with his shorts and flip-flops, mussed hair, and a blindingly perfect smile, my driver is... Annoyingly hot and far too friendly.