Hello Readers!

A happy Monday to you all! Fel and I are excited to announce that Noah, the fourth book in our Pecan Pines series, will be releasing very soon!

This next installment focuses on Noah and Jackson’s story. If you enjoyed Griffin, which we released back in December, we hope you’ll love Noah too!

Noah has always been the quiet, steady presence in his pack. But his peaceful life is upended when his pack hosts the regional summit, bringing packs from across the country to his doorstep—and with them, Jackson, the boy who saved his life years ago.

When pack tensions flare and old rivalries threaten to derail the summit, Jackson is ready to do whatever it takes to protect Noah, even if it means exposing his long-held secret. But Noah isn’t sure he’s ready to be anyone’s mate—especially not the enigmatic, commanding wolf who’s never left his thoughts.

We can't wait for you to read their story! If you haven't pre-ordered yet, you can check it out here.

Chapter One

NOAH

The Past

I peeked out from behind the pillar, scanning the rows of shifters packed into the hall. My target sat three rows from the back, shoulders slouched, face twisted into the most "I’d-rather-be-anywhere-but-here" expression I’d ever seen. Perfect.

Taking a quick breath, I hissed, “Psst!”

A couple of heads turned in my direction. Not the right one, of course. Heart pounding, I ducked back behind the pillar. Stupid! Now people were looking—and Jackson definitely wasn’t one of them. I risked another glance. He was staring straight ahead, completely uninterested in whatever dull speech droned on about border patrols. 

The audience suddenly burst into applause, and I flinched. Had someone seen me? No. It was just a reaction to the talk or speech or whatever. I didn’t care. I had bigger problems.

Sliding to the next pillar, closer this time, I tried again. “Psst!”

This time, he shifted slightly, his head tilting as though he’d heard something but wasn’t sure where it came from. He hesitated, then turned back to face the front. I frowned. Maybe this was a bad idea. What if he didn’t want to come with me? What if—

Another round of applause broke my spiraling thoughts. Something about patrol strategies? Border rotations? Boring.

Jackson yawned loudly, his jaw stretching wide enough to crack. His brother, Hudson, elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Jackson straightened up with an annoyed glare, crossing his arms. I smirked. Yeah, I’d been worrying for nothing. Jackson didn’t want to be here any more than I did. 

Of course, he’d come with me. I mean, who’d want to sit through this snooze-fest when it was such a nice day outside?

Not Jackson. I could count on him. I always could. Unlike Miles, my so-called best friend, who’d ditched me yesterday to trail after Cooper and Sawyer like some lost pup. And Griffin? He’d been glued to our dad’s side since we got here. No help there.

But Jackson was different. He got me. He’d never say no to a good excuse to sneak out—especially if I asked. I leaned out again, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Psst! Jackson!”

This time, his head turned. His eyes scanned the room before finally landing on me. His brows lifted in surprise, and then a small smile curved his lips. 

He leaned over to whisper something to his brother, who rolled his eyes and waved him off. Relieved, I sagged back against the pillar, sliding down to sit on the floor. Thank goodness. 

If that hadn’t worked, there was no way I’d have had the guts to walk up to him with his brother and dad right there.

“Hey, Noah,” a voice said as a hand ruffled my hair.

I jolted, startled, and looked up to see Jackson grinning down at me. “Were you trying to be sneaky? 'Cause it wasn’t working.” Heat rushed to my face. “I—I wasn’t being sneaky! Just... creative. I mean, you’re here now, aren’t you?” I added with a smirk, my confidence returning.

Jackson laughed, the sound easy and warm. “Alright, fair enough. You got me out of there.” He shook his head in mock disbelief. “Where are we going, then, oh fearless leader?”

I grinned back, the worry from earlier melting away. This was Jackson. I didn’t need to second-guess myself with him around. 

“Anywhere that’s not in there,” I said, jerking my thumb toward the hall. “I swear, if I hear one more thing about border patrol strategies, I’ll lose my mind.”

Jackson chuckled and extended a hand to pull me up. “I didn’t think I’d get out of that one,” he said, his voice low and conspiratorial.

I smirked, brushing the dust off my jeans. “I was looking for you yesterday, you know. But your pack said you were busy going around with your dad and Hudson.”

Jackson rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish look crossing his face. “Yeah, they’ve been dragging us to all these meetings. Dad keeps saying I need to ‘take things more seriously’ or something about learning responsibility.” He made air quotes with his fingers, his tone heavy with sarcasm.

I rolled my eyes but didn’t say anything. That sounded exactly like something my dad—or Griffin—would say.

Jackson sighed and glanced around. “And since we’re here in Thornebane pack lands and all...”

I nodded. He didn’t need to explain further. As we stepped outside, the sunlight hit my face, warm and golden against my skin. The Thornebane pack house loomed behind us, its stone façade casting a long shadow across the square. The place felt quiet—most of the adults were stuck in those endless meetings. 

A few shifters moved around, their voices low as they set up for tomorrow’s hunt. I watched as they unloaded crates and carefully laid out markers in the open field. 

The hunt was supposed to be the summit’s main event, a big deal every year. The tradition was simple enough: they’d release an animal—a rabbit, maybe a deer—and the older shifters would give chase. Whoever caught it first got bragging rights.

Not that it mattered. I wasn’t old enough to participate anyway. You had to be "of age," and I wasn’t there yet. Not that I’d want to chase down a terrified rabbit or anything…But still. It was dumb.

I glanced over at Jackson. He was watching the shifters work too, his expression unreadable. Jackson bumped my shoulder as we walked. “What about you? Your dad making you go to all those meetings too?”

I shook my head. “Yeah. Mostly Griffin, though. Dad says I don’t have to, but...” I trailed off.

Jackson nodded knowingly. “Yeah, I get it.”

For a moment, neither of us said anything, the quiet only broken by the distant clatter of crates being moved. I glanced sideways at him. His easy grin had shifted to something more thoughtful. I knew exactly what he meant. Growing up. Responsibility. All that stuff we weren’t ready for but were being told to prepare for anyway.

The next time I saw Jackson, things might be different. I didn’t want to think about it, but the thought crept in anyway. Maybe the next summit would be the one where we wouldn’t get to sneak off like this. Maybe he’d rather be in those talks, listening to someone drone on about border patrols or alliances or whatever it was that mattered to grown-ups.

Would he still want to come with me then? Or would he be too busy preparing to lead his pack? I shook the thought away. “Come on,” I said, forcing a grin. “Let’s go before someone drags us back in there.”

Jackson nudged me with his elbow, a teasing grin playing on his face. “So, what did you tell them to get away?”

I shrugged. “That I was hungry.”

Jackson stopped abruptly, glancing at his watch, then tapping its face dramatically. “But it’s only 10 a.m. Didn’t you just have breakfast?”

“I’m not actually hungry!” I protested, giving him a shove.

Right on cue, my stomach growled.

Jackson burst out laughing. “Sure, sure. Not hungry at all.”

Before I could argue, he jogged off toward the area where the buffet tables were being set up.

I watched him duck behind a couple of volunteers and return with three sandwiches wrapped in wax paper. He handed me two. “Here,” he said.

I stared at the sandwiches in disbelief. “How did you even get these?”

They usually didn’t let anyone take food early—it was all for lunch. They only gave out the extras if there were leftovers.

“I just told them my kid brother was starving.” Jackson smirked, clearly proud of himself.

I huffed, glaring at him. “Kid brother?” I wasn’t sure which annoyed me more—being called a kid or his brother.

He just laughed, the sound easy and genuine, making it impossible to stay annoyed for long. I unwrapped one of the sandwiches and took a big bite. Ham and cheese. I didn’t really like ham, but for some reason, today I didn’t mind. We started walking along the edge of the square, heading toward a small park nearby. As we went, I offered the extra sandwich back to Jackson.

“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “Think of it as a thank-you—for getting me out of there earlier.”

I glanced at him, surprised. His smile was different this time, softer, more... something I couldn’t quite place. A faint scent of cedarwood and something warm and sharp, like orange peel, floated past. Heat rose to my cheeks.

“It’s just a sandwich,” he said, reaching over to ruffle my hair. “C’mon, let’s get out of here before someone notices us.”

I stuffed the extra sandwich into my jacket pocket, carefully buttoning it shut so it wouldn’t fall out. The park was quiet, its grassy paths weaving through clusters of trees and a couple of empty benches. We wandered in silence, the occasional rustle of leaves and distant voices from the square filling the stillness.

Eventually, we ended up near a more secluded area where the park edged into the woods. The thick trees loomed ahead, their shadows stretching across the grass. I hesitated, glancing at Jackson.

“Can we go in there?” I asked.

He shook his head, unconcerned. “Not sure, but it doesn’t matter. It’s nicer out here.” 

Jackson was right. It was nice. Even if I didn’t know where we were going, I didn’t mind just walking with him.

“Where do you think you two are going?” The voice cut through the quiet, sharp and grating.

We turned to see Adrian standing a few paces behind us, arms crossed. I sighed, already annoyed. Of course, it had to be Adrian—Thornebane’s golden boy. Always sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

His gaze fixed on Jackson, the smirk widening. “What’s the plan, huh? You think you’ll find something here to run back to your pack and tattle about?” His voice dripped with condescension, each word carefully calculated to provoke.

Jackson stiffened beside me, his jaw tightening. Without a word, he put a hand on my shoulder and gently steered me to the side. 

“Let’s go somewhere else,” he muttered, ignoring Adrian completely.

“Hey!” Adrian called after us, stepping closer. “I’ll tell them you’re sneaking around where you shouldn’t be!”

I frowned. The last thing I wanted was to get dragged back to that stuffy pack house. And there was no way I was letting Adrian ruin our morning. But if he told on us, wouldn’t he get in trouble too for skipping whatever summit stuff he was supposed to be at?

An idea sparked. “Alright, Adrian,” I said, turning back to him and crossing my arms. “Why don’t you just come with us, then?”

Jackson’s head whipped toward me, his eyes narrowing. I could practically hear the silent What are you doing? I gave him a quick shake of my head. I’ve got this.

Adrian tilted his head, clearly intrigued. “Come with you?” I could almost see the gears turning in his head. “Why would I want to do that?”

“C’mon,” I said lightly, keeping my tone casual. “No one will find out we’re all ditching. We’ll be back by lunch—no harm, no foul.”

Adrian’s eyes flicked between me and Jackson. He still didn’t look convinced, but something in his expression shifted. 

His eyes narrowed slightly, as though realizing the situation wasn’t as straightforward as he’d thought—that I could easily put him in the same position he’d been trying to put us in.

I pressed on. “Besides, we don’t even know where we’re going. You could show us around.”

He snorted. “You want me to babysit you?”

“Not babysit,” I corrected quickly. “Just... lead the way.”

After a long pause, Adrian shrugged. “Fine. But you better not fall behind. Don’t even think about wandering off.”

As he passed us, his shoulder bumped hard into Jackson’s. Jackson’s lips curled slightly, his frustration evident, but he stayed quiet.

I ran a few steps ahead to walk beside Adrian, glancing back at Jackson. His expression was a mix of disbelief and irritation, but I hoped he’d get why I was doing this. 

To keep Adrian distracted—or at least entertained—I started asking questions. “So, what’s there to see around here? Any good spots?”

Adrian glanced sideways at me, his initial scowl softening just a bit. “There’s a stream nearby,” he said after a moment. “And some rock formations further out. My dad says they’re natural markers for the pack borders.”

I nodded, pretending to be fascinated. “Do they keep them as part of your patrol routes or something?”

Adrian rolled his eyes. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“That’s because you’re supposed to be showing us around,” I shot back, grinning.

After a while, Adrian seemed more at ease, even putting a hand on my shoulder to steer me toward a narrow path through the woods. “This way,” he said. “There’s a clearing up ahead with a huge boulder. It’s been here for ages.”

I laughed awkwardly, my mind churning as I thought about how to shake Adrian off later. Maybe I could convince Jackson to sneak off again tomorrow, but would we even have time?

Glancing back, I saw Jackson trailing a few steps behind us. His gaze locked on Adrian’s hand, which was still resting on my shoulder, his expression tense and unreadable.

I shrugged Adrian’s hand off and slowed my pace to match Jackson’s. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

Jackson looked away, his jaw tightening. “Nothing.”

“Are you mad?”

He hesitated, then finally glanced at me. His eyes softened. “No... I’m just—maybe I’m bored. Or hungry. I don’t know.”

I perked up. “Here,” I said, pulling the sandwich from my pocket and holding it out to him.

Jackson shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Nah, that’s yours.”

Before I could argue, Adrian’s hand shot out, snatching the sandwich from mine.

“Hey!” I shouted, irritation sharpening my tone.

Jackson’s expression darkened, his fists clenching at his sides. “Give it back, Adrian.”

Adrian held the sandwich just out of reach. “What’s the big deal? You said you were bored, right? Let’s make this interesting. How about a little game? You win, you get it back. You lose…” He trailed off, his grin widening suggestively.

I glanced at Jackson, whose entire body seemed coiled with barely restrained anger. My own frustration boiled beneath the surface, but I forced myself to stay calm. 

Crossing my arms, I met Adrian’s gaze with a steady glare. “Fine,” I said evenly. “What kind of game?”

Pre-order now on Amazon

Noah is set to be released in just a few days—March 6, 2025!

As always, thank you so much for being part of this journey with us! Your support means the world, and we can’t wait to share Noah and Jackson’s story with you. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Yours sincerely,

Kara!