Grayslake: More than Mated: Make Her Howl (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Flora Dare Page B

He let his bears fill in the blank.
    Van sighed and redid his sloppy bow. "It's not only Mia that will come down like a ton of bricks. I'd prefer if my mate was speaking to me. And it's not like they aren't working their asses off."
    Jake said, "Still, I'm sorry. I literally had no idea what kind of shit they could come up with in such a short time." He shook the almonds at the other men. "Who actually likes to eat these stupid candied almonds?"
    A cheerful laugh filled the room as a man entered. "Hey bears! We heard there was a wedding commotion. Bates sent me and this keg as a peace offering."
    Ty waved the man in. "Doc! Hope your surgical experience extends to decent stitching. We're going to start the fiddly bits of the centerpieces."
    "Everything goes better with a cold beer." He quickly set up the keg and tapped it. Then brought a frothy cup over to Jake before sitting down. "Oh, Jordan almonds. I love these things."
    Jake groaned. "Well, I guess we found the one person glad to see them. I don't think Lira cared much, but Memaw and Gran had definite feelings about it." He extended his hand to the stranger. "I'm Jake, the groom whose fault all this is."
    "I'm Dr. Marc Lincoln. How is Lira doing? You know I'm the one who treated her after she was shot." He deftly tied a bow before moving on to the next favor.
    "She's doing great. Pretty much healed, as far as I can tell. I can barely keep up with her. Her mother is still fussing over her a bit, but honestly, I can't really blame her." He went silent for a moment. "It was pretty scary."
    "Her mother is Magda? I met her." The doc's eyes went soft. "I admit, I volunteered to be the pack's sacrificial lamb in the hopes that I'd run into her. She's a lot of lady."
    Jake grinned at the man. "Well, I can definitely arrange for you to run into her." He suddenly frowned. "You do have honorable intentions though, right? Because while I'd enjoy her being distracted, she is my mother-in-law. And I'd hate to have to kill you."
    Marc snorted. "I'd like to see you try. Old age and treachery win out over youth every time. That being said, I'd simply like to get to know her." He wasn't going to tell some young cub that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since he saw her in the hospital.
    He'd been without a mate a very long time and he thought he'd bumble through the rest of his life alone. Until he saw her and her scent wrapped itself around him. Hell, it wrapped around his cock if he was being honest.
    No, Magda wasn't going to get hurt, not by him. Although he'd do almost anything he could to keep her by his side, including making silly wedding favors.
    Jake interrupted his musing. "Well, in that case, they’re going dress shopping tomorrow. I believe Maybelle's Boutique is their destination." He paused and a worried look crept over his face. "Mind you, they will be very focused. Keep it light or I'm pretty sure they'll destroy you in their dress frenzy."
    "I've been around women before, you know. I'm not going to stroll in and try to disrupt their shopping. Not when a wedding dress is on the line." Two, if Marc had his way. "But I can certainly bump into them for a moment without causing a lot of chaos. Miss Maybelle is overdue for a checkup." He grinned and winked, happy he’d found an ally in the bear.
    Ty joined their conversation. "The pack is invited to the wedding. Lots of dancing and an open bar. Weddings make people sentimental." He tossed a favor into the growing pile. "If you can figure out a way to keep the meddling grannies busy? I'll make sure you get locked in a cabin with Magda for a month."
    Marc laughed. "No way am I messing with those ladies. Just keep them on your side, and enjoy the ride."
    "You say that now.” Jake grumbled. “But wait til they realize you're interested in Magda. Before you can say 'Who really likes Jordan almonds?' they'll have you making wedding favors and sleeping very, very alone."
    Van slapped Jake on the back. "They still