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Logline
When a troubled woman finds herself mated to a difficult alpha, she's forced to confront hidden enemies and her mysterious past before she loses her last chance at love.
Blurb
Scars... Some are worn on the outside and read like a book, others are hidden on the inside, unseen but shape every fabric of our being.
Alpha Chris has his share of scars. He wears them like badges of honour, having earned them protecting his pack. Jess carries hers on the inside, a collection of secret shame...
After Jess breaks free of an abusive ex, she goes home to her farm in the remote countryside to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. She tries to bury her trauma and move on, determined not to let anyone get too close again.
Chris has given up on finding his mate and focuses all of his energy on his pack, growing colder and more distant with every passing year. Just when he least expects it, she falls into his lap, smelling like his best friend and wanting nothing to do with him.
What happens when a battle-hardened Alpha who is used to getting his way comes up against a stubborn woman set on walling herself from everyone?
More than brute strength is needed to break through those walls and reach her.
When new, hidden enemies threaten both their lives, will he be able to reach his Goddess-given gift in time? Or will pride and tempers ruin their last chance at happiness? The Moon Goddess has a plan that neither understands.
First 1,000 Words
Just breathe.
One foot in front of the other.
You can do this.
Normally I wouldn't be at the Saturday morning market; my friend Trish takes care of selling, I just grow the produce. Today, however, she phoned me up with a last-minute special order for a very important customer.
I repeat my mantra for the millionth time as I pull my truck into the bustling farmers' market parking lot. It's a beautiful, warm spring day and the people have come en masse. My heart starts to race as I scan the dense crowd.
With a final deep breath, I put my pickup truck in park and get out. Instantly the drone of the crowd engulfs me; vendors shouting their wares, customers calling out questions, and the general dim rumble that comes with any crowd.
Already I'm feeling uneasy, so I stack the crates, hoping I can manage to make it all in one trip and get out fast. I flip my long brown braid back over my shoulder and grab the well-worn handles on the bottom crate.
The crowd swallows me up as I make my way to the far side where I know Trish would be set up. At a whopping 5'3" tall I'm easily lost in a crowd, nearly everyone is taller than me.
My heart starts to race as all of the sights, smells and general energy starts to overwhelm me. Someone bumps into me from behind, knocking my Jenga crate stack off balance. In slow motion, I watch as the top crate falls. My heart stops, fearing the worst but it's caught before it hits the ground.
"I'm so sorry," a lady says before she dashes off back to her waiting friends.
Stunned, I turn back to the man who caught my top crate. His crystal blue eyes hold me captive before I break the spell and drop my gaze.
"Th-thanks," I stammer. "You can toss it back on top and I'll be on my way."
"Looks like you're heading my way," he says with a soft laugh. "I'll give you a hand."
He has a kind smile and a grounded, even feel to his energy that's instantly calming. I spot the familiar vendor's lanyard hanging around his neck and realize he must be one of the new ones.
"Thanks, I'm just heading over to Trish," I mumble and try to set off through the crowd. No one sees me and it's slow going as I try to work my way through the masses. He sees my slow progress and takes the lead.
The sea of people quickly part for him, and why wouldn't they? He's easily over six feet tall and his plain white t-shirt does nothing to hide his muscular physique. I fall in step behind him and before long he's cut our path to Trish.
"Sorry, got to go," he apologizes, sweeping his dirty blond hair back off his forehead. With a quick nod to Trish he takes off to a booth a few stalls away.
"Thank God you made it in time!" Trish says, wrapping me in a hug after I set my crates down. Unruly tendrils of her auburn hair slip free of her ponytail, warning how busy she's been.
Her energy today is chaos contained but boiling over; she lives for this atmosphere, talking and laughing with strangers like they're old friends. Me, not so much. I'm more at home in the woods or garden, and I'm pretty sure I understand animals more than people.
"I know this isn't your thing, but this might just be what we need to seal the deal." Her blue-green eyes dance with excitement as she takes in my haul. She scans the parking lot quickly and starts to reorganize her boxes.
"I aim to please." I flash her a small smile and hand her my produce to help her fill the order before her VIP customer arrives. "I can't get over how big the market has gotten."
She wipes the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand as she rushes to get everything perfect."Right? It's nearly doubled in size, with lots of new vendors." She takes a seat next to me and bumps my shoulder with hers. "Speaking of which, I see you already met Jude," she says, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Trish," I groan, rolling my eyes as a blush creeps on my cheeks.
"What Jess?" She gives me a pointed look and arches her brow. "He's your age, new to the area, single and damn that body!" The woman is married with kids, but I swear she's salivating.
"Trish!" I chide. "You know my stance on dating. Just let it go, please?" I know she means well, but she just doesn't get it.
After two years, I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. The bruises are long gone–they healed fast, but the other stuff? That's taken considerably longer.
"Fine, don't date," she relents, "but he's gonna be here every week so it won't hurt you to be friendly with him. Who knows..." she trails off with a smirk.
I follow her gaze and study him. There's no doubt he's an attractive guy, but it's his feel that throws me off. You expect a guy that looks like that to have a certain feel, cocky, pompous, or something. He's the opposite though, humble, even, and grounded.
"I could use something to grill for dinner," I muse, meeting her halfway.
"Good! Go, I insist. I'm set for the day, anyway. I'll swing by after and give you your cut and figure out next week's order." She flashes me an excited grin as she flicks her wrists towards Jude.
Slowly I make my way over to his booth, stopping to grab a few things on the way. He's busy helping another customer as I walk up, giving me the opportunity to get a better look. Trish wasn't kidding, his crystal blue eyes, pale skin, and dirty blond hair give him that classic handsome look and the man is built. He looks to be in his upper twenties, maybe just a smidge younger than I am.
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