Page 2 of Harvest

“So, you’ve come all this way by yourself?”

“Yes,” said Stephanie. “I’m more than able to take care of myself.”

“Travelling on to your final destination tonight or are you staying in the city?”

“I plan to stay overnight and leave tomorrow.”

He leaned over to her, invading her personal space and trailing his finger down Stephanie’s arm. “I know the area. I’lltake you to dinner. Tell me the name of your hotel and I’ll pick you up at seven.”

She’d forgotten how some men could behave. No wolf in Marco’s pack or at her old club in Florence, Dante’s, would touch a woman without an invitation. Stephanie leaned in, smiled, grasped his finger and bent it backwards, making him gasp.

“Had you bothered to ask,” she said sweetly, refusing to release his finger, “I would have told you no. But since you didn’t, let me make it clear. If you don’t get out of my personal space, the least of your worries will be what I’m doing to your finger.”

Stephanie released him, and he jerked his hand backwards and seemed to flatten himself against the far edge of his seat.

“You bitch,” he snarled.

“You have no idea,” Stephanie said with a laugh before turning in her seat and looking out the window.

The rest of the flight passed uneventfully, and she sailed through customs with her carry-on baggage. She had shipped everything else the previous week to be delivered to her new home. Stephanie watched as the man from the plane headed toward the baggage claim area. Her cell rang and she answered it.

“Stephanie? It’s Kayla Conroy. How was your flight?”

Evan Conroy was the head vintner atLuna de Loboas well as the pack’s omega, Kayla’s mate.

“It was good,” she said, adjusting her carry-on bag and heading toward the car rental kiosks. “My seatmate on the last leg was a bit pushy but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“Do you want us to come get you?” Kayla asked sounding concerned.

“No, I’m fine. Marco may be old school traditional, but he makes sure everyone in the pack can handle themselves.”

“Sounds a lot like Damian. If you’re sure you don’t want us to come,” said Kayla.

“That’s really sweet, but I’ll be fine. I’m headed to get my rental car.”

“About that, we had to come into the city yesterday, so we brought a Jeep with us and left it for you with valet parking. We gave them your name. If you go down there and show them your passport, they’ll bring you the Jeep. We thought it might be easier for you.”

“That’s so nice of you. Thank you so much,” she said, changing direction to follow the signs to valet parking.

“It’s one that has a removable top. If you don’t know how, have one of the valet guys remove it for you. We thought you’d enjoy the drive up the Coast Highway with all that open air. It’s the best way to experience it for the first time.”

“Sounds great. I was going to try to rent a convertible or at least something with a moon roof,” Stephanie said with a laugh.

“If you need anything or change your mind, just let us know. If not, we’ll see you tomorrow for dinner. You’ll be in the main house. I picked a room that isn’t as big as some, but is good sized, with an attached bath, a cozy reading nook, and a balcony overlooking the Pacific.”

“Sounds divine. Looking forward to meeting everyone tomorrow.Ciao!”

She ended the call smiling. Stephanie had overcome both Marco and Evan’s concerns about her travelling alone and not being met by a member of her new pack. Making the trip alone was her way of proving to herself and others that she was no longer afraid and that she had reclaimed that part of herself that DeMoncada had thought to take away forever. She really was looking forward to meeting her new pack… tomorrow. Now, she would go get her Jeep, check in at the hotel and call Torch Light to see if her guest pass had been approved.

“He did what?” roared Damian. “What do we know about this she-wolf?”

Alexander Charles, beta to the pack, took a step back. Damian, the pack’s alpha, could be… well he could be an alpha—tough, strong, intimidating—but they’d been friends and comrades for a long time.

“Damian,” Xander said evenly, “Evan did exactly what you encouraged him to do. You told him he needed an assistant vintner and to find someone who knew what they were doing.”

“And he picks someone from Italy? From the DeMedici pack?”

Xander shook his tawny-colored hair. He was not quite as tall as his alpha, but he had the same brawny, muscular physique. The winery had become more successful than any of them had imagined and they’d agreed that Evan needed help. Frankly Xander was impressed that Evan had been able to coax one of Marco DeMedici’s she-wolves from their vineyard. While he loved living at the ocean, it did not compare to the sun-drenched beauty of Tuscany.

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