Hunter Wolf: Steel Protection

by Scarlett Grove

A baker's sweet life turns deadly when she stumbles into cartel territory, and into the arms of her wolf shifter bodyguard.

Brianna Rayner's perfect small-town life running Sweet Summit Bakery shatters when she takes a wrong turn and witnesses a murder. Terrified and alone with her parents traveling the world, she finds unexpected hope when she matches with Hunter Wolf on a shifter dating app.

But when he doesn't respond to her desperate message, she thinks even fate has abandoned her. Until the dangerous bounty hunter walks into her bakery two weeks later, having deleted their match without ever looking.

Hunter Cruz has spent decades convincing himself he didn't need a mate. The ex-Special Forces wolf shifter tracks killers for Steel Protection and sleeps alone in an empty apartment. The mission is everything.

But when a protection job brings him face-to-face with the beautiful bear shifter, his wolf recognizes what his scarred heart tried to his fated mate.

Now Brie has become a target, and the danger she stumbled into threatens everyone she loves. Hunter must protect the woman he rejected while hunting those who would destroy their community.

But as the threat escalates and the mate bond grows impossible to ignore, Brie must decide if she can trust the wolf who deleted her. Because when the stakes are life and death, the mate who almost threw their chance away might be her only hope for survival.

A steamy shifter romance ✓ Fated mates matched on a dating app ✓ Grumpy bounty hunter meets sunshine baker ✓ Forced proximity/bodyguard romance ✓ Small town in deadly danger ✓ He deleted her but can't stay away ✓ Age gap/possessive alpha hero ✓ Found family motorcycle club pack ✓ Steam MELT YOUR KINDLE

"You're mine now. And I'm yours. Forever."

One-click now for a protective wolf who'll hunt down every threat to claim the mate he almost lost!

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2025

About the author

Scarlett Grove is a USA Today Bestselling Paranormal and Science Fiction Romance Author. Scarlett started publishing her adventurous, sexy stories in 2014 and now has dozens of titles spanning multiple worlds.

Her Best Selling Series Include:
Fate Mountain Shifters
Braving Darkness
Draconians and Elemental Dragons
The White Queen

She is currently obsessed with reverse harems, all things paranormal, and super steamy space operas.

Sign up for her mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/bURRZz

www.scarlettgrove.com

Reviews

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brianna Rayner was an independent woman, and following her parents' example, she eagerly awaited finding her mate, but… things weren't working out as they should. Hunter was a mature man, but he really needed help in matters of the heart. Wake up, Hunter because you have a lot of work to do. On several occasions, his lack of communication annoyed me, and at other times, his poor insight amused me. Romance seemed like an uphill battle for poor Brianna. I really enjoyed the plenty of action and suspense that kept me engaged in the story as I tried to visualize the threat looming over the shifters. The story's development was interesting and intriguing, with descriptions that appealed to my imagination and sometimes made me read twice, just in case. Action, suspense, camaraderie, romance, passion, lot of sweets and a weird villain.

[Trixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a wolf and a bear teaming up—what adorable little ones could they have? The story kept surprising us with twists that made it truly captivating. Just when we thought everything was under control and peaceful, chaos suddenly broke out, stirring up quite the excitement. Luckily, that last chaos turned out to be a blessing, helping the main characters realize what they truly could have. At first, I admit I was a bit let down by the MMC. I couldn't believe his actions. But, in a surprising turn of events, he ended up protecting his mate, which was such a meaningful development. There was definitely some tension between our main characters, understandable given the circumstances, but they managed to work things out. Now, I see where the MMC was coming from, and he has truly redeemed himself. I’ve got nothing but glowing reviews for him now.

[Lisa Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read that brings together baker, Brianna, and bodyguard, Hunter. She witnesses an cartel execution and Hunter is sent to keep her safe. Of course, she's independent and not used to getting help. That doesn't keep the danger away, though. What complicates things is that they're mates and he's rather clueless. Poor Brianna! Be prepared to be glued to your reader with all the action, drama, danger, suspense, mystery, lots of baked goods and a hot romance. I found parts of this one intense and gripping, while other parts were exasperating (Hunter!!) and fun. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next book :D

[Diana Royce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fated Mates

Another wonderful book, definitely worth the time to read it. I enjoy how everyone on Fate Mountain knows each other. Small communities where everyone knows each other are from existing so reading about one gives you the warm fuzzies.

[MARIE-CLAIRE DEBONVILLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Really good 👍 story Relaxing intriguing and suspenseful Could not put it down Looking forward to the next story Thank you

[Sharon Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

I love reading about fate Mountain & this book is full of action with Brie witnessing a murder, she also found her mate!

[Jennifer DuPriest · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF around 70%. Just simply lost interest.