Savage Heartache: Fierce Mates: Cougar Pride, #3

Preface

Throughout the book, Nina will refer to her blog, and there will be links embedded in the text. Feel free to click away! But if you’re like me and don’t want to stop in the middle of a book to click on a link, all the links to her blog posts are provided at the end.

1

As she cranked the steering wheel of her old Chevy pickup to make it around the curve in the mountain road, Nina thought about happily-ever-afters. The HEA, a fundamental aspect of any good romance novel, could be achieved through many methods and plot twists. There would be trouble before it happened, obviously, because nothing was satisfying about the two main characters hooking up and declaring their forevers if they didn’t have to work for it. Usually there was a big misunderstanding involved, or maybe the guy was an alphahole and did something unforgivable to the heroine. Then he’d have to grovel, which Nina, especially, liked reading about. Then, finally, they’d overcome whatever obstacles stood in their way and achieve their HEA and kiss their way into the sunset.

Bullshit.

It didn’t happen that way in real life. Nina had endured multiple obstacles in the way of the HEA she had been expecting with Rafe Corona. They’d hooked up once in high school, and when nothing came of it, she thought, Okay, so this is a second chance romance. Then he’d put her firmly in the friend-zone, and she thought, Okay, it’s more of a friends-to-lovers plot.

And then he’d started seeing someone else—his fated mate—and Nina had to admit defeat. She’d become the other woman in that story, and as the other woman, she didn’t get to find love. Nope, she’d been cast as an antagonist in her own love story, and hell if she was going to stick around and watch some other heroine take her place.

Which meant here she was, on an extended vacation, looking for somewhere to stay. For how long, she didn’t know—all she knew was that she couldn’t stay in the Corona territory any longer. Nina was free and wild, and her alpha, Marlana, could suck a big one, because Nina wasn’t going to answer any of her texts.

As if someone out there could hear her thoughts, Nina’s phone chirped with a new text. She’d check it at the next gas station.

Nina was going to be in a shitload of trouble when she returned to the Corona Pride. If she returned to the Corona Pride.

As she rounded a curve in the highway, a gas station came into view. Dilapidated little roadside place, but it was tidy at least. Maybe the restroom wouldn’t suck.

She pulled up to one of the pumps and parked, checked her phone. Another message from Laura.

Babe, please. Rethink this. You’re unprotected out there. Why not go on an Exchange?

Nina closed her eyes. She hated disappointing her big sister. Two years older than Nina, Laura had recently found her own HEA with fellow pride member Dristan Rhees.

Brother to Fraze Rhees…another mistake Nina had made in the past couple of weeks. She’d hooked up with him, trying to forget Rafe. Fraze hadn’t minded—he didn’t seem ready to settle down with anyone, anyway, so that was fine with Nina. But it wasn’t…right. Not right for her, anyway. She wanted to find love and happiness, not use other guys to dull her heartache.

Nina’s phone chirped again.

Laura: We don’t know another pride in Montana. This is dangerous. Where are you going to stay?

Nina smirked. She wasn’t even in Montana anymore. Crossing the state line into Idaho had felt good, like she’d really left everything behind. At the same time, she was tired of living out of her truck.

She closed the text app and opened the app that would bring up her blog. Nina’s Romance Spectacular. She had numerous comments she’d need to deal with tonight, some on her reviews, and some on her most recent post, "When the Going Gets Tough."

Lately, she’d been thinking of hiring a part-time assistant to help with the everyday business stuff. Now, though, she couldn’t afford it because she was depending on all her income to keep her afloat while she traveled.

She pumped fuel into her gas-guzzling Chevy, which she’d named Phil. She imagined she could hear Phil burp his satisfaction when she replaced the cap.

It was time to stop running. She needed to catch her breath and make some decisions. She’d find herself a nice little hotel or campsite and park it for a few days. She’d have to make sure wherever she was, there was wifi, so maybe a campsite was out. But a little cabin or hotel near town, wifi, and solitude. It would be great.

As she walked toward the little convenience store to pay, though, a strange scent came to her on the breeze. She sniffed again, trying not to be too obvious. The old man behind the counter was staring.

She sniffed once more. Something wild, something animal. Something shifter.

Bear.

Nina grinned to herself. Maybe this was what she needed—to hide out for a few days with some other shifters. If they had a place for her to stay, she’d pay rent and be around her own kind.

She marched into the convenience store. The scent of bear was stronger than ever.

As she picked out a candy bar and a bag of chips, she watched the old man’s nostrils flare. She stalked up to the counter, some dollar bills already in her hand.

How’s it going? she asked. Voice casual, innocent, as nonthreatening as possible.

His nostrils flared again. That’ll be two fifty.

She passed over the money. How far is it to Idaho Falls?

Not far enough, he grumbled. Big city folk always passing through, disturbin’ the peace.

Wow, you’re grumpy, she said. After looking around the service station to make sure they were alone, she leaned her elbows on the counter and said, All right. Where’s the clan?

He eyed her. You don’t know what you’re getting into, kitty.

I know exactly what I’m getting into. I mean to stay for a few days. You can either tell me, or I’ll be hunting the clan down on my own. And I’m tired, mister.

Against his will, it seemed, his mouth quirked up in a smile. I’m tired, too. Tired of mouthy young things.

She laughed. Are you a rogue?

His smile disappeared. It suits me.

It would suit me, too. But even as she said the words, she doubted them; it was as if she were trying out the statement.

He laughed, slapping his knee. That’s a lie—you want a place to belong. We should all have a group of people to call our own, no matter how introverted our animals. Being a rogue can be dangerous, and it’s lonely to boot. He sighed, spread his giant, wrinkled hands out on the counter, and seemed to make up his mind. Fine, missy. The clan’s just down the highway a bit, then turn south on Osprey Road. Go for a ways and you’ll see a set of cabins in a little neighborhood. They call it the Ring of Fire. Don’t say who told you where to find them, though. I don’t need Jameson coming back here and beating my tail.

She nodded. Thanks. I’ll keep quiet.

And be careful. There’s at least a couple of bad apples in that barrel.

With another nod of thanks, she left the store. Back in her truck, she got out her phone, ignoring the latest text from Laura. Her map app didn’t show any of the roads the bear in the store had mentioned, but that didn’t mean much. A clan of bear shifters would be as far off the maps as possible, wanting to keep their distance from humans.

A clan like this would be the perfect place for her to hide out. Marlana couldn’t send anyone after her, and Nina could relax for a few days while she figured out her next steps.

After rumbling over a couple of dirt roads, grateful she’d gotten her dad to help her put new shocks on her truck, she came to a clearing. She counted nine cabins situated around a central area with a barbecue pit and a place for a campfire. It made sense that they called this place the Ring of Fire. Quaint, she thought. With the rustic cabins and their bright blue doors, and the community fire area, maybe this would be like living at summer camp.

Not many people seemed to be around. Two men lazed on the front steps of one of the cabins, each guy with his fingers loosely gripping the neck of a beer bottle. As she got out of her truck, the men approached.

Hey there, the guy on the left said. He had dark, curly hair and a wide smile that made dimples show in his cheeks, but Nina stepped back. The man’s dark eyes harbored a barely-controlled rage.

The other guy had a buzz cut of light brown hair and blue eyes. He inhaled sharply. Aw, it’s a pussy…cat.

If this was a clan full of assholes, Nina would be better off climbing back into Phil and speeding away. But she was curious about this place, so she did her own sniffing. The light-haired guy smelled like a bear, like wild grasses, almost sweet. The other was probably a wolf, from the canine scent she was picking up.

Both of them smelled like bad news.

She shrugged. Yeah. I’m from the Corona Pride. I need a place to stay for a few days.

A third man, this one sporting a dark-blond beard, stepped forward from around the nearest cabin, his bright green eyes flashing. Jake. Carl. Take a hike.

He was a wolf, definitely, given the striking shade of his eyes, and the easy lope to his walk. From the way the other two men slunk back into the shadows of the cabin porch, this guy was also high up in the clan. Pack. Group? Nina didn’t know what to call it, because she’d never been in a group of shifters that wasn’t restricted to one kind. This one had two wolves so far, and a bear.

Jake and Carl stepped back, their hands held up as if to show they meant no harm. Nina watched them as they walked back to the porch where they’d been sitting, then she turned her attention to the blond, bearded wolf.

I’m Rex, he said, holding out his hand. Welcome to the Ring of Fire.

Nina shook Rex’s hand. Nina Vidal. I need a place to stay for a few days.

Rex smiled and said, "Oh, Jameson’s gonna