Strangely, the room was empty but for Sherry. It had nearly broken his heart, but he’d left her, and now he was back, desperately hoping she was open to his love. She had told him to go away for a few weeks so she could have a chance to consider if a relationship between them was possible while she talked with counselors. For him, they merely put into words what she was to him: the woman his wolf had chosen to be his mate, the woman he ached to share a bed with, the woman he would die to protect. They’d been sitting with the congregation, not standing in front of the priest with the other couples, so perhaps the vows he’d made weren’t official, but he meant every word he’d echoed quietly as the priest said them. He hadn’t seen her in nearly four weeks, since the day after he’d made human wedding vows to her averted face and hunched shoulders. Jumping Stag of the Wolf Clan paused outside the big room of the Plane Women’s House to let his eyes soak in the beauty of his unclaimed mate. Krystal Van Buren, Tina Holland Table of Contents

Luckily, I had my critique group to help me brainstorm how to give her a happily ever after.

I wanted to dash off a quick 10,000 word short story, but Sherry’s character was far too complicated and wounded for that.

Sleeping With the Wolf by Maddy Barone