A Wolf's Protection — Lori Whyte

When his past threatens his future -- his mate -- he vows to protect her at all costs.

After Mary Winston is attacked by a rogue werewolf pack and a malicious witch, she turns to the one man she knows will keep her safe -- Adam Sinclair, the sexy werewolf who is also her boss at the Mad Dog Saloon. Not only has she been drawn to him from the first time she met him, she trusts him more than any other person in her life.

Could she be his mate?

Although Adam's wolf is indifferent to Mary, his curvy waitress, the man in him wants her… is attracted to her like no other. When he discovers it's his past threatening her, he vows to protect her at all costs. But will it be enough?
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This hot and sexy 40,000-word novella is about a sexy werewolf bartender and the woman destined to be his mate. This is set in the same world as A Werewolf's Curse series, but can be read independently as a standalone.
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Excerpt

She rushed from the room, and Adam couldn't help it… he followed. Didn't humans realize that when they ran, a wolf would always chase? Before he knew what he was doing he grabbed her arm, stopping her escape into the women's washroom. She spun around and stared up at him. Her chest was rising and falling quickly. He could see the sprinting pace of her pulse in her neck. Maybe she liked being chased.

"I mean it," Adam said. "Thank you for the cake. It is…" He let his gaze drift down her face then up to her eyes again. "Just the way I like it."

"Um… Okay." She nodded, but she avoided meeting his gaze. She seemed to hesitate, but then she bit her lip and slowly tilted her face toward his. It was like she'd made a decision about him and he hoped he was right. She searched his face, but he wasn't sure what she was looking for. Then her eyes narrowed and she reached for his face. "Just a little…" She wiped her finger along the corner of his mouth. Her touch provoked a rush of dark heat in him. "Icing."

When they locked gazes, she pushed her finger into her mouth and sucked the bit of icing away. There was nothing innocent about that gesture.

He groaned again. This time it didn't have anything to do with cake and all to do with the woman in front of him. Urgency gripped him. His hands were already in her dark hair when his mouth collided with hers. The lingering taste of cream cheese and carrot cake blended with her own sweetness.

She dropped her bag, then her fingers curled into his shirt and pulled him closer. A soft whimper of need escaped her, urging him on. This was so much more than he'd anticipated or experienced with anyone else. In one kiss, all of his needs and wants merged.

Was his wolf wrong? Was she really his mate? Because, at this moment, the rightness of her in his arms was too perfect. His need to possess her -- and be possessed by her -- was overwhelming. He ached to take her. Right now. This woman. She was his.