Bound by Fate (Moon Bound Series Book 1) (36 page)

“
But I interfered–”

“
No,” he whispered quickly.  “That never happened.”

“So!” Margo exclaimed.

“
So?” Beth questioned. 

They were sitting by the dying embers of the fire in the weaver’s cottage, Margo with a shift-dress she was altering, and Beth mending a torn blouse.  Over the last couple of months, she’d found solace in the cottage, when she could not find it anywhere else.  Gareth had been gone a lot, hosting peace talks with the Loam Floor pack, and though Beth knew in her heart that nothing bad would happen, old habits died hard, and she still worried about the blood feud.

“So, how long are you going to avoid the others?”

“
I’m not…avoiding them, exactly.”

“
Yes you are,” Marybell pitched in, taking her cup of tea from the table where she was examining a piece of lace. 

“
I’m not,” she denied again, annoyance flaring.  She threw down the blouse in a huff and sipped from her own cup.  “I just feel like they’re all afraid of me.”  Ever since the pack found out about Gareth dying and her visitation with the Great Mother, they’d sort of viewed her as a holy object, afraid to touch her, or speak out of turn.  That shit got old, fast.

“
Nonsense!  They adore you.”  Margo finished with the dress and held her hand out for the blouse Beth had been working on, though she rather thought she’d done more damage than not to it.

“
Well if they could adore me a little less fanatically, that would be great.”

“
Now you’re sulking.”

“
Nonsense,” Beth mimicked.  “Alphas do not sulk.”

All three women burst into giggles, and Marybell burned herself with her tea.  “Sorry,” Beth apologized with a grin. 

Serious again, Beth eyed Margo.  “You never told me why Donovan came to you instead of Shale that night…”

“
No,” she replied with a grin.  “I don’t suppose I did.”

“
Aw come on!  I’ve told you everything.”  And she had.  She’d told that old woman more about herself than anyone had a right to know.  Aside from Gareth and Donovan, the only ones right now who knew Lissa had been her mother were the two old biddies in the cottage with her. 

“
Alright,” she relented.  “You know I was the pack Healer in my younger years,” she winked.  “I was more spry then, you see.”  Beth nodded with a small smile.  “Donovan came to me because he figured I knew more about the healing arts than Shale, silly boy.  But,” she stalled Beth with a wagging finger.  “He also came to me because he trusted me not to let the finer details of that dominance fight emerge.  I know you were the one who took Bradley’s life in the end,” she whispered, while Marybell excused herself to use the bathroom.  “And I know that it’s against pack law.  There would be absolute bedlam.”

“
Okay, but what I don’t get is why he trusted you, and only you.”

“
It’s simple, my dear.  I’m his grandmother.  Bradley was my son.”

When Beth simply stared at her, mouth agog, she offered her a sad smile in return.  “He wasn’t the best son, true.  But he was my son.”

“But you gave me the tea, you helped me plan an escape, and you covered up what was basically his murder?”  Shock rippled wave after wave through her.  She couldn’t reconcile the gentile old lady and the violent brute as being related in any way. 

“
The good of the pack must come before the wants of the wolf.”  She shrugged.  “Bradley was a sweet boy in his youth.  And a dutiful son.  He might even have made a good mate, for the right woman.  But his greed for power undone him, and destroyed the entire pack in the process.”

Finding no words, Beth sat with her eyes downcast, processing everything.  “I know that I owe Donovan – I owe you all – for saving me and Gareth, but…” she trailed off, her face remote.

“Be mad at him,” Margo replied carefully.  “Even hate him for a little while, but imagine what it was like to have such a father as Bradley.  Dear boy lived in constant fear since he was born.  His father damn near controlled him for most of his life, and some habits are hard to break.”  She shifted, picking up a new spool of thread.  “He came through for you when it counted.  He defied the one man capable of destroying him body and soul.”

Marybell settled into her seat again – Beth had literally demanded armchairs be brought in if she was to sit with them regularly – and offered Beth a top up on her tea.  “I really shouldn’t.”

“No,” Margo replied, deliberately lightening the mood with a grin.  “One is quite enough, for you.  When are you going to tell him?”

She thought about fobbing her off with a lie, but knew it was pointless.  “Soon.”

That night, when Gareth pulled her on top of him with heated kisses and teasing touches, she resisted.  “Are you okay?” he asked her, the desire in his eyes quickly being replaced by worry. 

“I’m fine,” she told him, quietly.  “In fact, I’m more than fine.” 

“
Are you?”  She could smell the curiosity coming from him, and she started to laugh softly, planting a smoldering kiss on his lips.  When she’d thoroughly kissed him, and bitten his bottom lip for good measure, she told him to take a deep breath.

“
I have something to tell you.”

He looked up at her, so trusting and his face so full of love that she thought she might die of happiness.  “I’m pregnant.”

“When?” he asked quickly, wrapping his arms around her and holding on tight.

“
That morning.”

The morning of their mating, the morning the Great Mother had given him back to her, and blessed them with a second chance at life and love.

When they’d both stopped grinning, Beth felt that frisson of attraction bubble up again, making her squirm on top of him.  “Smells good,” he told her with a wicked grin, hardening beneath her. 

“
Mmm,” she moaned, as his hand found her slick and wet.  “I’m done fooling myself.”

“
And I’m done letting you.  You’re mine, Little Wolf,” he growled, flipping her to her back and entering her savagely.  She cried out, alternately panting and losing her breath as he showed her just how deep his claim on her went.

# # # #

Mandy Lou Dowson was born and raised in a small town in Ireland, in 1983.  Family is a huge deal to Mandy.  She has three wonderful children, and two dogs - a Siberian Husky who only does what she’s told if there’s something in it for her, and a little white Pomeranian who loves nothing better than to roll in mud, or worse.

In her spare time, she likes to relax with a few glasses of wine and some karaoke.  She has a keen interest in special effects make-up and is part of a dramatical society which puts on one show and one concert each year. 

Mandy started reading at quite a young age and her appetite for the written word has only increased with time.  It would not be at all surprising to find her reading anything and everything from shampoo bottles to Edgar Allan Poe. 

If you have the time, please do find her on Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads, as she loves nothing better than to hear from someone who has found escape from the real world in one of her books.

And of course, if you have enjoyed this book, she is always keen to read reviews and opinions!

Keep your eyes peeled for more in the series!
Next up, Bound by Revenge.  Hunt with Donovan as he tracks Felicity, the woman who murdered his mother in cold blood when he was but a child.  Through swamps and cities, he hunts this she-wolf, thoughts of revenge the only thing fueling his forward momentum.  Will he get his revenge before the deadly poison in his blood gets him?
Expected publication, February 2015.

Follow Mandy Lou Dowson on Facebook for updates, teasers and more

www.facebook.com/MLDowson
or
Find her on Goodreads for a chat
www.goodreads.com/MandyLouDowson