Gamma's Dive - Signed Paperback (Discontinued Cover)

Of course, I wanted a mate, all my friends had already found their perfect partners. When I saw him on the beach that night, I knew he was the one. Then he ran away. But now I have him cornered, and I'm going to convince him he's my mate whether he likes it or not.

The bond between us is too strong to ignore, and when it leads to several close calls, I figured it was time we just sat down and talked about it. That's when I learn that Adrian doesn't have a pack, he's been outcast by his family for being gay. I can't tell if I feel bad for him or if I'm falling in love with him, but I'm worried it's both.

And yet, the moment our relationship starts to feel real, the attacks begin. Local pack members are being attacked by a mysterious water monster, the very one I saw chasing Adrian that night.

Even when the pack Alpha reaches out to him for help, I can tell he's not being honest. What is he hiding from me?

TROPES: instalove, standalone, cryptids, alpha wolf, forbidden love, forced proximity, found family, strict roles, and hea.

Chapter One:
I yawned and stretched as I stepped out of the vehicle. The cool night breeze picked up, ruffling my hoodie and thin running shorts. Even though it was only early August, it still got cool enough at night to warrant warmer clothing, not that I ever listened to reason in that regard. Lake Superior acted as a giant air conditioner for the entire region and even though it was high summer, nothing could heat up a lake that big. It might not have been the right climate for some people, but I loved it. Sun-drenched days and hoodie nights were perfect in my book.
The sandy beach in front of me was totally empty, devoid of the tourists who frequented the area so much this time of year, but I was happy for the solitude. Waves crashed against the beach, their roaring bouncing off the stony cliffs to the west. I craned my neck back, drinking in the sky above me. Stars spilled across the cosmos, the spiral of the Milky Way visible thanks to the lack of light pollution. Here and there a green-blue streak arced across the sky, the first glimpses of the northern lights coming early this year. A full moon rose, spilling her light across the world. How could I ask for anything more?
Well, there was one thing I was missing. I sighed to myself, thinking of all of the people in my life currently curled around their perfect mates at the pack potluck, probably prepping for a good fuck later that night. Meanwhile, I was standing on a beach shivering because I had nowhere better to be and no one to call my own. It was on nights like this that I needed to run, to get out of town and just wolf out for a bit to get my mind off my loneliness. I was used to being on my own, but sometimes running helped me feel better even if it didn’t fix anything. Besides, wallowing in self-pity didn’t do me any favors either. Better to be active, I guess.
I took one last glance around the beach to make sure I was alone before I turned back to my truck and began to strip. Reaching down, I grabbed the hem of my hoodie and lifted it over my head, tossing it onto the driver’s seat. Next went my shoes and my shorts. Underwear was not something I wore unless I was at work, so those had been gone for hours. Free the balls was my motto.
Naked and shivering, I threw the rusty truck door shut and tucked my keys into the gas cap. If anyone wanted to steal it, they could be my guest. I’d get more out of the insurance, anyway.
I stretched my fingers toward the sky, feeling my muscles loosen. The night was calling me, and I was liable to freeze to death if I didn’t start sprouting fur soon. Raising my nose to the air, I gave one last deep sniff, making sure that I was alone. There was a scent of wolf in the air, but that was normal in Marquette with such a big pack. Running on our own land would have been safer, but they didn’t have a beach, and I wanted to feel the sand between my toes.
Thankfully, the air was clear, giving me the permission I needed to shift.
“Here we go,” I muttered to myself, as I headed for the sand.
I sped up to a jog, then to a run before breaking into a sprint. At the end of the parking lot was a large boulder that I’d set my sights on. Letting the rush of the shift overtake me, I sprinted to the edge of the lot, jumped up to the top of the rock, and leapt into the air with all my might. As I sailed through the night, I let the transformation happen. My bones cracked and changed position, fur sprouted from my pores, and long sharp canines dropped from my top jaw.
With a sharp twist, I landed on four paws in the sand, shaking out the itchy feeling sprouting fur always left across my body. For some reason, I always got a shot of adrenaline from shifting mid leap. I’d been doing it since I was a child, finding high places to jump off of as a human and landing gracefully as a wolf with no harm done. More than a couple of times I’d tried it the other way around, but humans just didn’t hit the ground very well. A broken arm taught me that one the hard way. Thanks to the wolf healing though, it was a short lesson, but left a lasting impression.
Tipping my head back, I stared up at the moon, letting her light fall over me. There was something magical about her that made everything inside my body swell with pride. My stomach twisted, and I felt the need to howl. Knowing I was fully alone, I tilted my head toward the sky, letting the long drawn out sound echo from my throat.
Even in my wolf form, the call sounded mournful to me. I cut it off early, dropping my head back to the sand. Maybe my emotions were getting the better of me and I knew my howl would echo for at least a mile, if not more, over the lake. The last thing I needed was every wolf in town knowing I was lovesick. Nobody liked a whiner, least of all me. My life was a hell of a lot better than it could have been.
Digging my claws into the sand, I took off at a brisk trot, lolloping across the beach at the edge of the surf. The run would help me shake off the melancholy thoughts.
After all, I had nothing to complain about except for the severe dry spell I was in. There were a couple of gay wolves in the pack, but they were already mated, and I wasn’t a home wrecker. Still though, I was getting tired of working all day for a quick jerk at night and then doom scrolling on TikTok until I fell asleep. It wasn’t exactly the life I’d been dreaming of, to say the least.
But I knew I shouldn’t bitch. Not only was I part of a great pack, gainfully employed, and had my own place, but I’d also taken a position the previous fall as the pack Gamma. My boss, Leo, had been promoted from Gamma to Beta when our new Alpha took over. I was shocked when he’d offered it to me, telling me I’d been some sort of great help to him. Apparently, I’d given him some wisdom I didn’t realize I possessed, but I was glad to take the job. Thankfully, our Alpha was such a great leader that I really didn’t have too much to do most days. I was able to live my life however I wanted.
It was something I took a lot of pride in. There weren’t a lot of twenty-four year olds holding titles in a pack or living in their own place nowadays. Especially not people like me who’d grown up in the foster system. Usually that was a one-way ticket to trauma, and a wasted life. I was one of the lucky ones and it was on nights like this one that I had to remind myself of that. Being grateful was a constant struggle for me since I never trusted the good in my life. I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop… for the bad times to come again.
Shaking my head, I tensed my muscles, forcing my body to run faster. My thoughts were getting the better of me again. Sand slipped from under my paws as I ran, water splashing up as they struck the receding edges of waves. Why couldn’t I just focus on the wind, the moon, and the stars like a normal person? I was tired of fighting my own brain all the time for just a sliver of peace.
I ran harder and harder, searching for that peace through pure exhaustion. I was so caught up in my own struggle that I didn’t notice the man standing at the edge of the water until I blew past him in a blur of fur and limbs.
My paws dug into the sand, my body skidding to a halt and nearly going head over heels. I turned back to the man, his eyes wide with surprise. It wasn’t often that humans saw wolves, much less while they were alone on a beach in the middle of the night. He was probably scared for his life.
A scent caught my attention, and I lifted my nose to the air, breathing in deeply.
He wasn’t human at all… he was a wolf. And… and he smelled amazing.