Protect - Part One

A second chance for a rejected mate. The sweet flower to his grumpy wolf. A nice guy that doesn't finish last.

Xander – Rejected by my fated mate, I turn into a grumpy asshole doomed to spend my life alone until moon madness claims me and I turn feral. I've accepted that is my fate and the pull of the moon is getting stronger every day. The goddess doesn't grant second chances to rejected mates, so when my wolf catches the sweetest scent during a pack hunt I'm shocked to discover a woman wandering lost in the wilderness. She's gorgeous and vulnerable, and everything inside me is demanding I claim her. But she's human, and I know first-hand the pain that comes when a human can't handle being mated to a wolf shifter. And I won't put myself through that ever again. Not even to avoid going moon mad.

Dahlia – As first dates go, this is by far the worst I've been on, and I've had more bad dates than any woman should have to endure. Still, the choice of wandering a national forest alone or staying with my psycho date and ending up chained in a basement somewhere was an easy one to make. Color me surprised when I wake up warm and safe thanks to the enormous wolf watching over me. The fear coursing through me only lasts until I realize this isn't just any wolf, but a shifter. He's gorgeous and built, and protective. Something must be wrong with him. If he's nice, I'll run far and fast because nice guys have only ever hurt me and I won't allow this massive man-beast to be the final nail in my coffin. If only he didn't make me feel safer than I ever have.

Can Dahlia and Xander embrace their second chance for love? Or will their pasts ruin their chances of happiness?