Page 28 of The Wolf's Plus-Size Bride

Gael eyes me for a moment before he says, “I heard a rumor the other day about you. Someone said you took on a mate.”

“Who told you that?”

“Doesn’t matter. Is it true?”

“It’s complicated,” I reply.

“Complicated, how?” Rafe asks. He gives me a look, and I know I have to be careful here. Rafe is Piper’s husband, which means Jane is like family to him by default.

“It’s a long story,” I say.

“We’ve got time,” Gael says.

“We don’t,” I argue. “We should be paying attention.”

We’re standing off to the side of the road just in front of the tree line. This street leads straight through town, and it’s the main thoroughfare. The sign that says “Welcome to Green Lake” is just in front of us, and right on this edge is where we’ve heard rogues have been sighted.

My guess is they know better than to cross that territory line, but they’re not too far from it. That just pisses me off. We’ve had trouble more than once in this exact spot, and I’m not about to let it happen again.

After a brief silence, Gael gets a big, stupid grin on his face. “So… what’s her name? Tell me about her.”

“Oh my god,” I groan. “Would you just let it go?”

“I’m just saying it’s not like you to be so secretive. Especially about women. Usually, you can’t shut up about your conquests.”

“It’s not like that,” I counter.

“You’re being awfully defensive,” Rafe remarks.

“I’m not,” I growl.

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s someone we know,” Gael says. “Someone in the pack.”

“She’s from Stardust Hollow,” Rafe supplies, waggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, so she’s one of the visitors,” Gael says. “How exotic.”

“Shut up,” I hiss.

“Do I know her?”

“No.”

“Come on, man,” Gael says. “We’re a pack. We’re brothers. You can tell me.”

“It’s really not a big deal,” I insist. “Can we just-”

In this distance, coming from behind, I hear footsteps approaching. I whirl around, ready to attack.

But it’s not a rogue, it’s a woman. Queenie, to be exact. She’s one of our more prominent females, and she helps run the orphanage with Alpha Evan’s wife, Mia.

“What are you doing out here?” I ask her.

“I had an errand,” she explains. “I was just dropping some stuff off at the school, and I picked up your scent. Wind is heading south, so I figured you’d be around here somewhere.”

“You shouldn’t be out here,” I caution.

“Why not?” she asks, and she puts her hands on her hips. “I can take care of myself. I’m a wolf, same as you.”

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