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  Heavenly Scents

  Silver Streak Wolf Pack

  New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author

  A K Michaels

  Cover Design by Sassy Queens of Design

  Edited by Missy Borucki

  Proofread by Tammy Payne of Book Nook Nuts Proofreading and the girls of A K Michaels’ Minxes

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  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Author’s Note

  Ava’s Other Work

  Dedication

  For my daughter, Jill.

  Chapter One

  Gerri shook her head, trying to clear it so she could get on with her work. She had mounds of it to do, and she was more than a little annoyed that the face of that dang girl kept intruding at the most inopportune moments . . . like now.

  She was supposed to be setting up a meeting between two clients, but she just couldn’t get the vision of sad blue eyes surrounded by blonde hair out of her head. Sighing, Gerri sipped her coffee before clicking on the video she’d looked at a dozen times, or more, since the girl had sent it to her when she’d been looking to help her best friend. A soft chuckle rumbling in her chest as Gerri remembered how she’d offered herself up as a “slave” as payment. Her laughter died quickly when she saw right through the smiles put on for the camera . . . Connie Davison was her name, and she needed her own mate.

  “Damn it,” Gerri muttered. “You’re going to haunt me until I sort you out, girl. Aren’t you?”

  Connie’s eyes seemed to mock her as she paused the video and Gerri knew it was her unique ability alone that saw the dark hole inside the girl that called to her. Connie was sad, empty, and lonely and desperately in need of Gerri’s Paranormal Dating Agency. “I’ll help you but you won’t get off scot-free, Connie. No siree. You’ll have to work for your mate. I just haven’t figured that part out . . . yet.”

  Sitting back and relaxing her mind, she let it roam free, knowing that her ability would soon start to work when she set her mind to it. Now that she’d decided to actually help Connie she had to figure out who’d be a good match for the feisty girl. Taking several deep breaths and concentrating, it didn’t take long before a pair of honey eyes flitted across her mind . . . but who did they belong to? She focused harder, and a mane of dark blond hair came into view, but a name eluded her.

  “Shoot.” Gerri shook her head, annoyed that she couldn’t quite grasp all the details she needed. She sat up straighter as an image of her nephew, Theron, sprang to mind together with a tingle of a memory of being introduced to the owner of the honey eyes . . . a Lion perhaps? Yes. Definitely a Lion and she was sure it was at one of her annual Balls.

  Reaching for her phone, she placed the call, glad he picked up quickly, albeit breathlessly. “Hi, what’s up?”

  “Theron, you sound out of breath. Dare I ask what you’ve been up to? No, don’t answer that.” She chuckled, knowing how in love he and Connor were with their beloved mate, Talia.

  “Hey, I’m training.” Theron laughed. “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m working, and there was someone you brought to one of my Balls a couple of years ago, I think it was. Anyway, he was a Lion, tall, with honey eyes and dark blond hair. I need his name and any other information you have on him, Theron.”

  “Yeah, I know him. His name’s Rocky—for real—so no gags. He owns a bakery and I go there to pick up some stuff for Talia. She goes gaga for his stuff, so it’s worth it to go out of my way to get it for her. Why?”

  “I see.” Gerri, paused, her mind working overtime with various scenarios. “Does he work alone, or does he have staff?”

  “Hmm, he has one part-time girl that works there. He’s pretty shy and doesn’t mix with the Shifter community much, I’m sure she’s human. As far as I know . . . again, why?”

  Gerri ignored Theron, carrying on. “So, Theron, you love your Auntie Gerri, don’t you? You’d help me out, wouldn’t you? After all, I did find your mate. Didn’t I? You adore Talia, don’t you? That was down to me, wasn’t it? So, you’re going to help me, aren’t you?”

  Theron exhaled loudly. “What’s going on and what is it you want me to do?”

  “I’ve got a girl and she needs a mate and this Rocky . . . he’s hers. I’m certain of it and you know . . .”

  Theron interrupted, chuckling as he did. “You’re never wrong. Yeah, I know. What exactly is it you need from me?”

  “Now, Theron, this is what you need to do . . .”

  Gerri grinned as she proceeded to put the first steps of her plan in place. Once this was done she was certain the rest would fall . . . like the proverbial house of cards. Perfect, just perfect.

  Chapter Two

  Connie rushed away, trying to hide her sadness but no such luck, one word halting her in her tracks. “Stop.”

  Chad, her Alpha strode up behind her, his hand landing on her shoulder and pinning her in place as he walked around to face her. His eyes filled with distress as he looked down at her. Shit. She hated that everyone knew how unhappy she was and the fact that they were feeling sorry for her. She didn’t need their damn pity. She didn’t need any of them.

  She tried to shrug off his hand but he tightened his grip, shaking his head. “Connie, don’t. I’m worried about you . . . talk to me.”

  “I’m fine,” she ground out, her eyes flitting away as the lie slipped from her mouth.

  “No, you’re not.” Chad shook his head. “I know you’re missing Cyndi, but she’s not that far away. You could go visit if you wanted to. Why don’t you call and ask?”

  “No.” Connie shook her head. “They’ve got their own life and I’ve already been more times than is really necessary. I need to get used to her being gone, Alpha. I’m not a kid anymore and I need to just suck it up and stop being such a baby.”

  Chad canted his head, his eyes widening slightly and a lock of his brown hair falling down over his brow adoringly. If she weren’t so upset she’d think how handsome he looked. “Really? And whose words are those? Because they’re certainly not yours. What asshole said that?”

  Her lips tugged up involuntarily as she shrugged. “Does it matter? It’s the truth. I miss her but she’s got her own life now and I do need to move on.”

  “She and you might not be blood sisters, Connie, but you might as well have been. It’s normal to feel like this so stop being so hard on yourself.” Chad gave her shoulder a squeeze. “It’ll take time but you’ll start to feel better, honey, I promise.”

&n
bsp; “I know,” Connie whispered. “It’s just hard. Some days are worse than others and I hate the weekends.”

  “What?” Chad smirked at her, his face a parody of mock horror. “Connie, I’m shocked! You don’t like the weekends? You used to live for them and going to Silvers.”

  “Not any longer. Not when I can’t come home and tell her all about it.” She bit her bottom lip when tears threatened, determined not to cry in front of her Alpha. Shit, that was definitely not happening.

  “You can still have fun without Cyndi. You just need to find a way to do that.” Chad sighed, finally releasing his hold on her. “It pains me that you’re hurting. Maybe you should have a talk with Karis? She’s better at this sort of thing than I am.”

  “No,” Connie blurted out far too quickly, backing up. “I’ll be okay. I just need some more time. I promise.”

  “If you’re sure, but remember that our door is always open if you do need to talk, Connie. At any time.” Chad gave her that look again. The one full of pity that caused her stomach to lurch with self-loathing and she turned tail and bolted.

  She needed to get some distance between herself and him, and the whole damn Pack. She was suffocating and she couldn’t take it anymore. If she didn’t get out of the damn camp she was going to explode and she’d either burst into tears or punch someone in the face . . . both of which would be a total embarrassment to her and her parents.

  Connie couldn’t bear any more upset. Not after everything else she’d gone through recently. Those words haunting her had dripped from the last lips she’d kissed and that was the most humiliating thing ever . . . no, it wasn’t. It was the fact that she’d allowed the asshole to kiss her in the first place. She was so lonely she’d ignored the fact he was an asshole. That was the sad truth and that was why she wasn’t going anywhere near Silvers anytime soon.

  Damn it to hell and back again. She wished she had Cyndi to talk to about her epic fail. Her friend would have her laughing quickly enough and she’d soon be over it all. But no. She would not call her. She had to learn to stand on her own two feet for once, even if her heart ached and her soul yearned for her friend. Connie was angry at herself right this very minute, angry as hell, because she was so jealous of Cyndi. That was the truth of the matter. That was the reason she wasn’t calling her, because if she did then she’d hear the happiness in her voice, hear it clear as day and her petty envy would wriggle around inside her belly and make her feel sick and . . . “Stop it!” she yelled aloud, stamping her foot for good measure.

  She didn’t begrudge Cyndi her happiness. No. She did not! She was just feeling down and lonely, that was all. After her last foray into the romance department ended so spectacularly bad it wasn’t unusual for her to be feeling this way. “Pick yourself up and dust yourself off,” she mumbled, padding through the forest slowly, kicking some wildflowers as she went.

  “Good advice.”

  Connie jumped, turning to find their Healer, Caitrìona, kneeling on the ground, collecting herbs. Her green eyes gazing up knowingly at her as she huffed a breath to blow some of her red hair that had fallen loose from her bun out of her eyes. Connie didn’t want to chat but didn’t want to upset the woman either. “Hi.”

  “Hello to you too. I’m not sure, but I can always check and see if I’ve got a remedy for talking to yourself . . . if you’re interested.” Caitrìona smirked, her Scottish accent still there even though she’d been with the Pack for a long time. “If not, I’ve got a good ear if you need to talk.”

  “I’m fine,” Connie blurted her stock answer.

  “Aye, and I’m Tina Turner in her prime with a bevy of men running after her . . . oh wait, no I’m not.” Caitrìona shrugged. “You’re missing Cyndi and I’d hazard a guess you’re a wee bit jealous she has everything you want. Like a mate who adores the ground she walks on and a . . .”

  “Shush, Caitrìona, I don’t need you to remind me of what Cyndi has.” Connie shook her head, trying to clear it of envious thoughts. “I’m happy for her. I am. It’s just that I seem to make stupid decisions when it comes to men and when I do it makes me realize how little I have and . . .”

  Connie stopped. She had to because she was about to utter words that she’d never be able to take back and which would make her sound like a jealous shrew. Caitrìona, however, seemed to know exactly what she was going to say, and merely nodded. “I understand, Connie, I do. It’s not easy when others are ecstatically happy and you’re filled with emptiness and sadness . . . I know. It’s hard to smile when you want to cry. It’s even harder when you want to roar and scream, yet you can’t because everyone will think you’re just being stupid, or worse, think you’re jealous of a friend who’s found their own happiness. Trust me, Connie . . . I know. So don’t just walk away, sweetheart, don’t turn around, stop for a while and let’s see if I can help.”

  Chapter Three

  Connie stared at Caitrìona, her words touching deep inside her, every word reaching parts that seemed to jolt and shiver . . . and made perfect damn sense. Surely the Healer didn’t feel that way? She was beautiful, confident and no way in hell could she know how Connie felt . . . could she? But her words and the look in her green eyes told a different story so she found herself nodding, sighing and agreeing. “Okay.”

  Caitrìona wiped her hands on a cloth in the basket next to her before patting the ground. “Sit with me, Connie.”

  “Sure.” She joined the Healer on the soft forest floor, albeit a little grudgingly.

  “I’m going to share something with you, but I’d like for you to keep this between us.” Caitrìona raised an eyebrow. “Can you do that?”

  Connie nodded, intrigued. “Yeah, I’m good at keeping secrets . . . Cyndi and I had some whoppers.”

  “That’s all I need, your word.” Caitrìona settled herself, exhaling a large breath before carrying on. “I don’t talk much about why I came here, to the US, but I’ll tell you, but as I said, this is strictly between us.”

  She paused so Connie nodded, her interest piqued because Caitrìona rarely spoke about anything personal. “Right, Connie, so, many years ago when I was much younger and in Scotland, I was head over heels in love. He was the Beta in our Pack, and boy was he hot, I mean scorching, sex-on-legs hot. Every time I saw him my heart almost beat out of my chest and we’d sneak off for alone time, if you get my meaning? We made love everywhere we could and were almost caught more times than I care to think of. My skin was on fire for him and we couldn’t wait to mate, but the Alpha kept putting him off with one excuse or another.”

  Connie blushed at her frankness but she could see the happiness in her eyes as she spoke, and wondered where the story was headed.

  “I pleaded with my father to talk to the Alpha because, quite frankly, I couldn’t wait any longer.” Caitrìona smirked cheekily. “I was going to explode with lust and love. I swear to the Goddess that’s how I felt every time we were together and his hands touched me, or his lips caressed my skin. It was that intense, Connie. Anyway, my father hugged me and said he’d do his best and told me to just hold on.”

  Caitrìona’s eyes clouded as if she were lost in the memory and Connie shivered. The Healer’s hands clasped tightly, her knuckles turning white as she took several deep breaths before continuing. “We tried to be patient, rather I did, while we stole away for long passionate nights under the stars until finally we were both summoned to a meeting with the Alpha. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was. This was it. The moment he’d give us permission for our mating ceremony and make me the happiest She-Wolf alive.”

  Again she stopped and it was then that Connie could see the despair in her. It clouded around her, in her eyes and in her very soul. Connie sat back as the emotion rolled off Caitrìona, causing Connie’s heart to fill with sadness and her eyes to prick with tears as the Healer fought to carry on. But she did.

  “But that’s not what happened. The Alpha shook his head sadly, both our parents were already there, and
the Alpha advised that the Beta was to be mated with the Alpha’s daughter of a neighboring Pack. It was purely for the good of our people and he regretted it but it had already been arranged and he couldn’t back out without it causing huge problems for the Pack. He’d delayed telling us to allow us to have the summer together so we would always have that to remember.”

  Connie gasped. She could see the scene play out in her head. See the distraught young couple clinging to each other as the Alpha dealt such a crushing blow. Her hand shot out of its own volition, grabbing hold of Caitrìona’s and squeezing it tightly. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It was so long ago, yet when I allow myself to think of it the pain is as strong as it was that very day.” Caitrìona admitted softly. “We held on to each other, refusing to let go. Both of us yelling and cursing like two lunatics . . . that’s why our parents were present. To pry us apart and hold us as we shattered with our grief. It was two days later that I left for the States. I couldn’t stay, Connie. I couldn’t see him mated to another woman. See her have his pups. See his eyes every day full of the sadness that mirrored mine. I would’ve gone insane and so I ran and ended up here. So yes, sweetie, I know all about pain and how hard it is. Will you let me help you?”

  “I’m honored that you shared that with me and I’m so sorry that you went through such a loss, but I’m not sure what to do, Caitrìona.” Connie admitted, not just to the Healer but to herself too. “I feel like I’m adrift and don’t know where I’m going, or what to do about it.”

  “I’m aware of that but if you’d give me a few minutes to chat with you then maybe we can point you in the right direction.” Caitrìona winked at her. “What do you say? Give me a chance to help you and I promise you I won’t give you any bullshit.”

  Connie couldn’t help but laugh at her straight-talking, then again, she’d expect nothing less of the Scot. “All right. Hit me with your best shot . . . what am I gonna do?”