Every Blissful Moment (Hyena Heat Book 4) by R. E. Butler Page A

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    Brierley Pine shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited with Bliss and her mates in front of Bliss’s friend’s apartment.  Angel’s was the end unit on a row of townhouses with a view of what she’d been told was the Mullica River.  Brierley looked down at her clothes and sighed inwardly.  She was wearing Bliss’s clothes; they were bright colors, and Brierley was used to wearing muted earth tones.  She felt like she really stood out in Bliss’s royal-blue top and her faded jeans, which were nearly white.  Although Brierley had some clothes from stores, she’d grown up making most of them because her people didn’t have much money as a whole.  They sold or traded goods in a few of the mostly human towns around the base of the mountains, and she’d made some money selling fruits and vegetables from her gardens as well as some homemade jams and baked goods.
    She chewed on her thumbnail.  She hadn’t planned her escape well at all.  If she’d thought for even a millisecond that she’d be freed that night, she would’ve packed a bag and grabbed her coffee tin of money.  She’d expected at this point to be tied for the rest of her life to a male who was known for not treating females well.  To have the world open for her was both exciting and nerve wracking.
    The door swung open to reveal a pretty woman with long blonde hair, who grabbed Bliss in a big hug.  “Missed you, B!”
    Bliss’s voice was muffled by the woman’s shoulder.  “I missed you, too.”
    “Come on in before you catch your death.  Mack and Kayne are here. You didn’t tell me they were going to come here, but like I can tell the alpha to wait on the porch!”
    “Sorry, I forgot.”
    “Bullshit.  You probably figured I would freak out.  Which I totally would have, so I guess I’m glad you didn’t tell me.”
    “Still love me?”
    “You know I do, you loon.”
    Angel opened the door further and Brierley followed Bliss and her mates inside.  The scent of cinnamon rolls filled the air, and Brierley’s stomach rumbled loudly.  She’d been too nervous to eat earlier.  An embarrassed blush heated her cheeks.
    Bliss moved into the living room and hugged an older male and a guy who looked to be in his late twenties, then motioned for Brierley to come forward.  “Alpha Mack, Kayne, and Angel, this is Brierley Pine.  We met her on the way home from our honeymoon, and because of her family life she had no place to go.  Brierley, this is Mack Callahan, the pack alpha, his son Kayne, and my bestie Angel.”
    Everyone said hello, and Brierley felt like a big, hot spotlight was on her.  She shook hands, worried that her trembling would make the wolves want to eat her.  She’d always been told that wolves loved to hunt owls.
    Mack tilted his head.  “You’re an owl?  I don’t think I’ve ever met an owl shifter before.”
    “I didn’t know there were owl shifters,” Kayne said.
    “H-how can you tell I’m an owl?” she asked.
    “You smell like snow and your eyes are blue and pale gold.  My father told me that female owls had blue-gold eyes in their human forms.  Bliss has enlightened me to your situation.  As alpha of the Beyton Pack, I’m offering you sanctuary here until such a time as you figure out what you want to do with your life.”
    Brierley blinked in surprise.  “Thank you.  I wasn’t expecting that.”
    Mack shrugged.  “It’s no hardship.  Bliss has vouched for you, and as long as you don’t cause trouble, you’re welcome.  Now the next order of business is to find a place for you to live.”
    Angel said, “I have a spare bedroom.”
    “Duh, that’s why I brought her here,” Bliss said, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly.
    Angel groaned.  “You’re such a bitch.”
    “No, I know you and your big heart.  And you do have that empty bedroom.”  She brushed her hands together and said, “Now that our issue is solved, I smell cinnamon rolls.”
    Brierley