Blind Wolf (A Werewolf BBW Shifter Romance #1)(4)

And there was never, never a Calling that would match a wolf and a human as mates. It was simply impossible.

Yet there she was.

He turned away from her reluctantly, feeling the connection between them stretch and untangle as he walked down the hallway. He heard Katherine's heels clicking on the tile floor long before the human girl saw her. As soon as Julia noticed who was picking him up, he felt a shock wave of sorrow from her, so strong that even at a distance it hit him hard in the chest. He gasped, stumbling forward. How could she not feel this connection?

Even though he knew his eyes were blind, he could not help but ache to turn and look at Julia one last time. To picture the image floating in his mind of what she was like. To reach out to her heart. She was hurting, and there was nothing he could do to stop that pain.

She was human, after all. And humans and wolves never mixed.

"What are you so lost in thought about?" Katherine said, opening the car door for him. He got in and set his cane down between his legs, leaning his head back against the seat. Dull twinges of pain were all that remained of Julia's hurt and anger. Already the encounter seemed like a dream. He had met his mate, and she was human.

"Nothing," he said. "Just wondering if this is the right town for us."

"Jordan thinks it's a good area," Katherine said. "It's a bad economy, so lots of the houses are for sale cheap. And a college town is perfect. With so many people coming and going, nobody will pay any attention to us."

"Hmm, maybe," Damien said. "Let's see if the wildlife is anything to be reckoned with." He opened the audiobook and popped the CD into the car stereo. Werewolves didn't need to eat other animals, but fresh meat was definitely a plus. Damien really just wanted to make sure there weren't any other packs that would come through the area. Bears and wolves both would pose a problem, whether they were shifter packs or not.

"It's fine. Jordan smelled deer in the forest when he went out scouting today. And no other wolves, not a single one," Katherine said, driving quickly down the streets and making a sharp turn. Damien hated being in the passenger seat when she was driving, not knowing when the next turn would throw him up against the window made him irritable.

"He can't smell migratory patterns," Damien said, fast-forwarding the audiobook to the Chapter on large predators in the wild. "Who's to say that there aren't other packs coming through in the winter? Their smells would be gone by now."

"You don't want to settle anywhere," Katherine said.

"I want to settle," Damien growled. "For two years I've been trying to find the pack a place to settle. But you of all people should know that we need to find a place without other wolves."

Katherine shut up at that. Damien could hear her manicured fingernails scratching at the scar that ran across her entire stomach. She'd been left for dead, and she was well aware of the dangers of other packs. But occasionally she could be overconfident. Damien frowned, thinking about how he had connected with the human girl. He had to rewind the audiobook three times before he could focus enough to find out the important facts: that this area was clear of wolves for miles, and that the town that Jordan and Katherine had apparently fallen in love with was the perfect spot to live in. Except for one thing.

She lived here too.

CHAPTER THREE

Julia

Julia got back to the house just as the sun was starting to set. The dim rays seemed to set the branches of the pines on fire, the red and orange light casting halos on the trees. The river through the mountains shone red, too, and Julia paused on the porch, looking out onto the wide field of her grandmother's property. Her eye caught the sign that the bank had stuck in the front of their yard: Foreclosure. She frowned and went into the house as the sun dipped down lower and lower behind the darkened trees.

Her grandmother was standing in the kitchen, her arms covered in flour.

"Hi there, Julia," she said, leaning over to plant a kiss on Julia's cheek.

"Hey Granny Dee," Julia said. "What are you up to?"

"Just getting ready for breakfast tomorrow," Dee said, her eyes bright. "We had two new guests check in!"

"Oh, awesome!" Julia said. The bed and breakfast had been dwindling ever since the foreclosure sign went up in the front yard. Not many people wanted to stay in a place that was being foreclosed on, no matter how cozy and comfortable.

"How was working at the library today?"

"It was fine. Busy." Julia smiled as she thought about the encounter with the blind man.

"I don't think you've ever smiled before when talking about work," Granny Dee said. "Something happened today. Tell me about it."

"You don't miss a thing," Julia said, letting the grin run over her face. "No, it was just this cute guy who came in. But he has a girlfriend," she said quickly.

"I'm sure you could steal any boy away if you wanted to," Dee said. "Not that you would, of course. Is he a college student?"

"No," Julia said. "I'm not sure who he is. I haven't seen him before."

"A mysterious stranger," Dee said, her eyes twinkling. "Sounds fun!"

"Don't go making any wedding plans," Julia said, pushing herself away from the counter. "Do you need help with the pastries?"