The rise of so many lone wolves into a prospective sixth pack brings the Alphas of all the North American packs to Willow Bend for a summit. Having so many powerful dominants in one place invites challenges and hazards. No protocol can be ignored and none feels the strain more than Lincoln Buckley. He’s been charged by his Alpha to act as liaison for the Delta Crescent Alpha—the fierce and wildly beautiful Serafina Andre.

Serafina stands apart from her ‘fellow’ Alphas. As the only female to hold sway over a North American pack, she only has Delta Crescent’s interests in mind. She expects challenges from the other male Alphas, dominants all, due to their need to protect females. It doesn’t surprise her in the least to find out the wolf assigned as her liaison has also been tasked with her protection. What does startle her is the depth of her interest in him.

An Alpha doesn’t submit, no matter how much the woman in her might crave him. Her pack must come first, especially since what Willow Bend proposes is insanity…

Tensions are high in this book as we meet all the Alphas. The severity of the prospect of a sixth pack has Mason calling for a summit of all the Alphas, but Emma also needs to speak with the other healers regarding the issues from Hudson River. Thus the Alpha must bring their healer, since no Alpha will let harm come to a healer.

Mason is a crafty devil, I swear it! His choices for each Alpha’s liason is genius. Claire for Cassius, Dylan for Diesel, Owen for Brett and Linc for Serafina. Claire because of her relationship with Cassius, Dylan and Owen because of their strength, and Linc because of his Alpha potential although he doesn’t want it.

This is a favorite scene as Linc botches the initial greeting with Serafina.

A broad face and square jaw kept his pretty down to handsome. The corner of his full mouth kicked up a fraction in a smile. Most Hunters, her Hounds included, carried themselves with a faint air of aggression. The wolf waiting for them seemed far calmer on the surface.

Who did Mason send to be her liaison?

“Wait here.” She reinforced with the order with her will and slid out of the car. A hint of rain perfumed the air, but the gray cloud cover remained too thin for more than some sprinkles. The cooler temperatures sent goosebumps racing over her skin. An unsettling chill curled at the base of her spine and raced through her system as though she’d encountered static. Even in winter, home was warmer than the wooded campground she crossed.

The waiting male straightened as she strode across the grass. His chin raised and she got a good look at the dark blue of his eyes when his gaze collided with hers. Strength pulsed behind those eyes—strength and something more. Her wolf’s attention snapped through her. The beast’s focus was so intense, she clenched her hands to keep her claws from extending.

Alpha. The whisper of insight came from the spirits her mother communed with throughout her life. The powerful voodoo priestess took a wolf to mate then became a wolf herself. Though a turned wolf, Maria never abandoned her faith, and she’d passed her gifts to her children. When the spirits shared their knowledge, Serafina listened. Strong. Tempestuous.

“Hot.” The last came out in a masculine timbre not remotely resembling the spirits. At her raised eyebrows, the wolf gazing at her blinked and the tips of his ears reddened. The faint scent of citrus, woods, and freshly crushed evergreens perfumed the air. Clearing his throat, the wolf gave her a half-grin. “My apologies, Serafina Andre. I’m afraid your beauty bowled me over and the filter between my brain and my mouth failed.”

The apology shouldn’t amuse her, so she schooled her features and waited. Power, tightly contained and raw, roiled around the other wolf. Trust Mason to surround himself with powerful wolves. It had been one of his more attractive qualities—a self-confidence he didn’t need to bolster by weakening the wolves around him.

“And apparently my foot in mouth-itis continues.” Clearing his throat, he shoved his long fingers through his hair and gave her a slow grin. “Serafina Andre, on behalf of Mason Clayborne, I bid you welcome to Willow Bend. We have prepared a house for you and your wolves. I will be acting as your liaison. If there is anything you need—anything—you tell me, and I’ll see it taken care of.”
Long, Heather. Bayou Wolf (Wolves of Willow Bend Book 5) (pp. 53-54). Heather Long. Kindle Edition.

I couldn’t believe Diesel’s audacity, or for that matter Alexis storming in, between Mason and him. A hold your breath moment for sure even before the first summit meeting.

Serafina comes on to Linc pretty strong, but he fights his attraction for the sake of the summit. That is until he can’t.

After the matings in the previous book, I can’t help but wonder if Mason already knew Linc and Sera would become mates.

I did quite a bit of giggling, held my breath more than once, I even sniffled a few times. Yet another book I couldn’t put down until I turned the last page.

5 Contented Purrs for Heather!

Heather Long

USA Today bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas in the summertime.

From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories–her characters drive the books.

When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.