Mastering His Mate Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Additional Books in the Wayward Mates Series

  Delta James Links

  Mastering His Mate

  By

  Delta James

  Copyright © 2018 by Stormy Night Publications and Delta James

  Copyright © 2018 by Stormy Night Publications and Delta James

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

  www.StormyNightPublications.com

  James, Delta

  Mastering His Mate

  Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

  Images by Dreamstime/Alexander Grishin and Bigstock/stryjek

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

  Chapter One

  Rozalyn and Liza Kincanon looked around the swanky room in one of the best hotels in South Hampton. They tipped the bellboy and watched as he closed the door. Turning to each other, they burst out laughing.

  “Oh, my God, Liza! What the hell are we doing here?” The tall, dark-haired Roz looked at her slightly shorter, blonde-haired sister. “Talk about a couple of fish out of water.”

  Liza grinned at her sister. “You entered that contest and won! I can’t believe that one of the prizes was an all-expense paid Labor Day weekend here in the Hamptons.”

  “I know. Did you see the look on Amy’s face when she realized we weren’t going to be going to her party at the shore and instead would be here?”

  “She can’t possibly blame us. Given your choice between the Jersey Shore and here, who wouldn’t choose here?”

  The sisters Kincanon were born and bred ‘Jersey girls’ and proud of it. Liza worked as a stylist in an upscale salon in Princeton, while Roz worked in the male-dominated construction trade. She had proven herself as a skilled demolitions expert and welder.

  Liza unpacked her new-to-her piece of fashionable luggage; Roz, her beloved Army surplus duffle.

  Roz was the elder sister by five years. When their parents had died when she was barely twenty, she had fought to be named legal guardian for her younger sister. It had helped that the Welder’s Union had stood behind her, vouched for her character and that she made a good living, more than adequate to support her younger sister.

  The death of their parents had been especially hard on Liza. They had been killed in a multi-car collision on the Jersey Turnpike. Both parents had died on impact. Liza had walked away with a few bumps and scrapes.

  Eight years later, both women still shared the small house left to them by their parents. They had done some remodeling, turning it from a three bedroom with one and a half baths, to its current two bedrooms with two and a half baths and a fully finished attic space. Both of the bedrooms were large, master suites with attached full baths. The attic space was a combination office and guest bedroom. The main floor was open living space with a large kitchen, nicely appointed powder room, and the two master suites.

  Entering the contest had been a lark. Neither Liza nor Roz had ever heard of the sponsoring company—some group with a post office box here in the Hamptons. Roz had done so more out of boredom than anything else. She’d been surprised to learn after she won, that the trip was legit and completely paid for. The idea of a luxury three-day vacation had been too much for either sister to deny herself.

  Roz watched as Liza crossed the room to stare out at the ocean. Coming up behind her, she hugged her close.

  “It will be all right, Liza. I promise.”

  “You can’t promise that. The doctor said this thing wrong with my blood can be treated but not cured. I can have a kind of remission, but there’s no telling if it will happen or how long it will last.”

  “So far your test results have been good. There is every reason to think you are headed into remission and will remain that way for many, many years to come.”

  Liza knew part of the reason Roz had entered the contest was so that they could get away and have some time to relax in a beautiful setting.

  As the day was still young, both women switched into bathing suits with cover-ups and headed down to the private beach reserved for guests of the hotel only. Stepping out on the sand was an almost surreal experience. Gone were the maddening crowds. Instead, there were exclusive cabanas. One of the wait staff glanced at their keycard and took them to their cabana; nicely close to the ocean but still relatively private. He took their drink orders as he departed.

  Liza grinned at Roz. “Do you think if I’d ordered a long-necked beer he would have fainted?”

  Roz laughed. It was a deep, dusky sound that most men found very alluring. “I know this is not a beer and peanuts kind of place. But hey, you can’t beat margaritas and lobster nachos in our own private, assigned spot.”

  Both women removed their cover-ups revealing athletic figures with ample curves. Although their coloring was different—each favoring a single parent—their physical assets marked them as sisters to even the most casual glance.

  They had barely stretched out on their lounges when the cabana attendant returned with their drinks and a small table he set down between them so they’d have a place for their drinks and their lobster nachos. Each took a sip of margarita and a bite of the delicious food.

  Placing a large, floppy straw hat on her head and putting on dark sunglasses, Roz stretched and laid back. “I could get very used to this… very fast.”

  Liza giggled, nodded, and donned her own hat and glasses. “Well, sister mine, we’ll have to marry uber-rich to pull that off, but hey, who knows.”

  They passed a companionable couple of hours dozing in the sun and occasionally talking about nonsensical things. Roz was determined to make this weekend as fun and stress-free as possible. She wanted nothing to upset Liza. Her sister had a tough fight on her hands. But Roz knew Liza was stronger than she looked. They would get through this the same way they had everything else for the past eight years… together. As the sun started its slow descent over the horizon, a shadow was cast. Roz pushed her hat back and pulled her sunglasses down her nose.

  “May I help you?” she said, looking up at the man who had cast the shadow.

  The blond Adonis stood looking down at her. His board shorts left little to the imagination. He had a lean, well-developed torso with muscular arms and legs. His chest was bare but a small sprinkling of blond hair trailed down from his navel past the waist of his suit. He had sparkling blue eyes that held a friendly, but predatory gaze.

  “I hope so. Please tell me that you and your friend don’t have plans for the evening. My friends,” he gestured to a small group of equally attractive men, “and I would love to take you out.”

  Roz sat up and inspected the group. They were certainly easy on the eye, but there was something definitely off about them. “We’re not su
re what we’re doing yet. But if you tell us where you’re going to be, we might join you there.”

  Recognizing the protective edge to her sister’s voice, Liza removed her sunglasses and regarded the group of young men.

  The blond squatted down, taking Roz’s hand in his. “Surely a pretty thing such as yourself doesn’t want to spend her evening without male company?” he said smoothly.

  Roz tried removing her hand gently from his, but his grip prevented it. She smiled, looking deeply into his eyes. “Surely you’d rather let go of my hand than have me kick your ass in front of your buddies?”

  Her direct and definitive tone caused him to loosen his grip momentarily and she was able to remove her hand. Sensing trouble, two of the hotel’s security men started to close on their position. The blond stood back up and waved the security people off.

  “Nothing to see here.” Turning to Roz, he said quietly, “I’ll be seeing you again.”

  “Not if I see you first, blondie. Take your little boys club and hit the road.”

  The security team had slowed their pace, but continued on and went past Roz and Liza to trail a discreet distance after the group of young men. Ensuring they had left the hotel’s private beach, they returned to Liza and Roz. Then made sure both women were unharmed and not frightened before proceeding back up to their perch on the dunes where they could see the hotel’s expansive beach.

  “Well, that was weird,” said Liza.

  “Creepy. There was something disturbing about that guy and his little pack of hyenas.”

  They gave the men no further thought and finally headed back to their room to get ready to go out for dinner.

  * * *

  The blond wolf shifter watched the women as they finally left their cabana and headed back to the hotel. He and his pack-mates had set up the whole weekend in the Hamptons getaway to hopefully lure one or more attractive human females away from their normal environ. His pack wasn’t from the Hamptons and knew they had to stay under the radar of the Hamptons pack. Encroaching on another pack’s territory could cause a major disruption to the peace that existed between the various wolf-shifter packs. To do so with a plan to turn human females, with or without their consent, to shifters was strictly forbidden. That, however, had not prevented it from becoming more common now than in the past.

  Female shifters were becoming more and more rare. Not only were packs decreasing the number of offspring they produced, but males outnumbered females almost two to one. Born female shifters were becoming an endangered species and were more highly prized with each successive generation. For many packs, the only way to ensure their survival was either to raid a rival pack, make an alliance with another pack, or to turn human women.

  One of the men he’d brought with him muttered, “Well, that didn’t go as planned. You’d better hope that Oliver Halsey doesn’t have people here at the hotel or all along these private beaches. If he or any of his pack catches wind of us hunting in their territory, there will be hell to pay.”

  The blond shifter scowled at him. “Tonight, some of us will help those two lovelies embrace their new lives as members of our pack and some will clean out their hotel room. The desk guy I paid off will make it look like their leaving was legit. By this time tomorrow we’ll have them back home. Once they’ve made it through the change we can figure out who gets to take them to mate.”

  “Are you sure the old man is on board with this plan?” asked one of the others.

  “The old man knows we need to find mates and we’ve tried everything else. He’s not crazy about us being in the Hamptons, but he approved my plan, so here we are. Let’s hang back and see where they go. I’d like to see if we can’t be headed for home before midnight,” the blond said in exasperation.

  The pack quietly made plans as to who would go where and prepared to kidnap Liza and Roz. The plan was Roz and Liza would, of course, be asked if they would like to willingly turn and become shifters. The massive physical changes that took place in the body seemed to be easier and the success rate much higher for those who desired it. If they resisted, they would be turned without their consent and once turned, folded into the pack. Female shifters had some choice in what pack and what mate they had, but it was not entirely their choice.

  * * *

  One of the security team kept a watchful eye on the two girls from New Jersey. He’d overheard them talking about having won a contest with their all-expenses-paid weekend being the prize. He knew of no such contest and the hotel was not inclined to participate in such events. After his shift was over, he wasted no time in getting to his car and placing a call.

  “Hey, this is Rod. I think you may have a problem.”

  Sebastian Aldrich, known as Bash to his friends, was the beta to the venerated Hamptons pack. It was one of the oldest packs in America and had occupied their small island compound for hundreds of years. One of their ancestors had been granted the land by a grateful king long before the American Revolution. The Hamptons lured many beautiful women of all ages, sizes, shapes, and financial standing every year. The Hamptons pack was well aware that there were some packs that might find that kind of target-rich environment too tempting to resist.

  It didn’t happen often. When it did, the pack’s alpha, Oliver Halsey, made an example out of anyone caught doing so. There were those who said that his many times removed great-grandmother had been the mistress of the pirate Captain Kidd. Like the pack in New Orleans who could trace their lineage and the beginnings of their fortune back to Jean Lafitte, Oliver’s ancestors had taken the pirate treasure left by Captain Kidd and used it as the foundation of their own sizeable fortune with each generation contributing more than they spent.

  “What kind of problem and what makes you think so?”

  “A couple of pretty Jersey girls are here on an all-expenses-paid weekend that the hotel knows nothing about. I found some shifters trying to pick them up on the beach this afternoon and they’ve been lurking around all day. I just thought Oliver would want to know. I took a picture of both the girls and the pack. I’m sending it to you now.”

  The pictures arrived and Bash took a moment to assess the women and the pack. Rod was right; the men pictured were most definitely wolves. The women were prime targets all right—of the right age and appeared to be healthy and beautiful. He was particularly drawn to the blonde. The stirring in his groin was a pleasant surprise. He couldn’t blame the rogue pack for targeting the women, but what worried him was that he doubted they’d care much whether they got their consent to be turned or not.

  “I’ll be sure to tell him. I’ll get our people out in the most popular watering holes. We’ll see if they can’t enjoy their weekend none the wiser. Thanks for keeping a watchful eye out.”

  “My family has been serving the Hamptons pack in one form or another for generations. We know that part of the tranquility we enjoy in our little neck of the woods is due to Oliver’s willingness and ability to keep the peace. I’ll give my brother who is with the police department a heads up that something might be going down sometime this weekend,” said Rod.

  “Thanks, Rod.”

  Bash hung up and dialed the pack’s alpha, Oliver. Oliver was in Europe tending to pack business. He would be none too pleased by this turn of events.

  Chapter Two

  Having changed into something appropriate for the Hamptons’ night life, Liza and Roz headed into town. They walked Main Street listening to the various music and vibes coming from different restaurants, lounges, and bars. Finally settling on one, they ventured in. They almost turned around when they spotted the blond from earlier in the afternoon ensconced with his friends in one of the back booths.

  The men spotted them immediately and hailed them. Roz and Liza both inclined their heads to let them know they’d been seen, but then turned their backs and went to the other side of the bar. They ordered their drinks. They had barely taken a sip when one of the bartenders approached them saying a group of good-looking guys ha
d offered to buy them a round.

  “Tell them thanks, but no thanks,” said Roz.

  The bartender smiled knowingly. “I take it not just for this round, but for any round?”

  Liza nodded. “They approached us on the beach this afternoon. I think they’re having trouble with the concept of no.”

  “Not to worry. When you get ready to leave, just let me know. I’ll arrange for someone to walk you to your car or to your hotel. We pride ourselves on being a place where ladies can come and not be bothered.”

  Roz smiled. “Thank you. We appreciate that.”

  The bartender went to find a regular patron. He’d asked earlier that if a blonde and brunette came in and were bothered by a group of five or six men, that he’d appreciate knowing about it. Locating the patron, the bartender started to cross the room so he could point the men out. He’d only gotten about halfway there, but realized the group had disappeared. He thought that they must have figured that their chances would be better elsewhere and moved on. He returned to the bar and thought no more about it.

  Roz and Liza spent the evening slowly sipping drinks and dancing to the live band. They danced alone, with each other, and in groups. They were having a wonderful time and Roz was happy to see Liza so relaxed. The bartender gave the signal for last call and the girls finished their drinks and started to head out. One of the bouncers offered to escort them home. Roz assured him that they were both still very much sober and that the group of guys hadn’t been seen since they first walked in.

  They went out on the well-lit sidewalk and started back to the hotel. People were still mingling around and it appeared that at least some of the bars were still open for business.

  “Gosh, Roz, I can’t remember the last time we had so much fun.”

  Roz squeezed her shoulder. “Me either. It’s so pretty here. And people are much friendlier than I thought they would be.”