Until Arch

UNTIL ARCH Lone Wolf Generations Book 2 ALICIA MONTGOMERY This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Copyright © 2023 Alicia Montgomery All Rights Reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. www.aliciamontgomeryauthor.com first electronic publication April 2023 Edited by LaVerne Clark Cover by Jacqueline Sweet po30Apr2023 All rights reserved. Also by Alicia Montgomery The True Mates Series Fated Mates Blood Moon Romancing the Alpha Witch’s Mate Taming the Beast Tempted by the Wolf The Lone Wolf Defenders Series Killian’s Secret Loving Quinn All for Connor The True Mates Standalone Novels Holly Jolly Lycan Christmas A Mate for Jackson: Bad Alpha Dads True Mates Generations A Twist of Fate Claiming the Alpha Alpha Ascending A Witch in Time Highland Wolf Daughter of the Dragon Shadow Wolf A Touch of Magic Heart of the Wolf The Lone Wolf Generations Series Loving Lizzie Until Arch A Song for Charley The Blackstone Mountain Series The Blackstone Dragon Heir The Blackstone Bad Dragon The Blackstone Bear The Blackstone Wolf The Blackstone Lion The Blackstone She-Wolf The Blackstone She-Bear The Blackstone She-Dragon Blackstone Rangers Series Blackstone Ranger Chief Blackstone Ranger Charmer Blackstone Ranger Hero Blackstone Ranger Rogue Blackstone Ranger Guardian Blackstone Ranger Scrooge Dragon guard of the Northern Isles Dragon Guard Warrior Dragon Guard Scholar Dragon Guard Knight Dragon Guard Fighter Dragon Guard Protector Dragon Guard Crusader Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Epilogue Please Review My Books About the Author Chapter 1 Order, neatness, and control were three things that Arch Jones required in order to function. That’s why he liked to come into the offices of Lone Wolf Investigations and Security before anyone else did. The smell of the fresh, clean office, the silence, and the general peace and quiet soothed him and his inner wolf. Even now, as he walked into his darkened office, his wolf let out a satisfied rumble. Everything was clean and in its place, just the way he liked it. The hint of wood pine cleaner, his desktop clear of folders and papers, and even his worn leather chair pushed up against the desk—signaled to him that it was a brand-new day. Sitting down at his desk, Arch booted up his computer, ready to start the day. As VP of operations, he was essentially the second-in-command of the entire organization. His father, Killian, was the current president, but he had made it clear he had his sights set on retirement, and everyone assumed Arch would replace him. Arch had known that most of his life and had been groomed for it. He’d spent summers working there as a teenager, had worked part-time as an agent while he was completing his business degree at NYU, and joined as a full partner when he graduated. While Lone Wolf was pretty much a family-run company that consisted mostly of his uncles and cousins, Arch made sure he earned his position at the table. He worked harder than everyone else, even on the not so fun stuff—hence why he was coming in early to do paperwork. He also had his own ideas on how to make the company grow. Technically, they were still a subsidiary of the larger Creed Security corporation, and functioned mostly as an internal agency for them. Since almost everyone who worked at Lone Wolf was a Lycan or a hybrid—a Lycan with powers inherited from a witch or warlock parent—they were able to accomplish things human employees could not. But that also meant they had to keep their identities a secret from the human world. That, of course, changed a few months ago when a literal apocalyptic event happened, and their secret was revealed to the world. Most Lycans feared the change, but Arch was one of the few people to embrace it. He saw it as not a threat, but a burden being lifted. And that’s when he started making plans. He wanted Lone Wolf to expand and grow under his charge. That meant taking on more clients outside of Creed and using their expertise for other people and organizations. Naturally the three original Lone Wolves—his father, Uncle Quinn, and Uncle Connor—had been resistant. Which Arch sympathized with, but he also understood that the world was changing. They’d warmed up to the idea somewhat, at least, until one of the first clients Arch had onboarded had nearly killed his cousin, Lizzie. Arch winced. Talk about a total miscalculation. While no one blamed him, he still felt responsible for bringing Maxim Silver into their lives. If Lizzie hadn’t been pregnant with her True Mate’s child, she would have died when Silver had kidnapped her and given her belladonna, a substance lethal to their kind. And that was why he even more determined to work harder. Lone Wolf Investigations and Security would grow and thrive under his leadership. Silver had been a bump in the road, and he would not make the same mistake again. The knock on the door made his head snap up. “Come in.” “Hey, Arch!” Lizzie poked her head in. “Uncle K isn’t around; can we talk to you?” Arch pushed away from his desk, rubbed his eyes, and looked at the clock on his desk. Hours had seemingly passed, and it was nearly noon. “Of course.” But what did she mean “we”? “Who else is with you?” Lizzie walked in and Wyatt Creed, current CEO of Creed Security—and technically the big man in charge—followed. While Creed was mostly hands off when it came to Lone Wolf, Arch wasn’t surprised at his boss’s presence because he also happened to be Lizzie’s True Mate, fiancé,