paws pressed against her shoulder, claws extended. Not yet hurting her, but the warning was there. He snarled again.
She yelped and turned her head away, but not exactly showing throat.
He licked her snout, just like he had the right.
She barked at him. Don't kiss me. I'm not yours .
He growled and then licked down her neck. A kiss when he could have torn her throat out . She shivered Run With the Moon © 2006 Lucy Monroe - 10
again, this time from the strange reaction deep in her womb rather than any fear.
His mouth closed over her throat, his teeth coming together, grabbing her ruff like an adult would a pup. The menacing teeth were gentle, but she was supremely aware of how vulnerable she was to his power...to his strength...to the lethal impact of his bite.
He lifted her to her feet and made her walk with him.
It embarrassed her. She hadn't been led like this since the time she'd gone running off after her first change and her brother Drustan had come after her. He'd been angry like this wolf, but not half as gentle when he'd led her back to the pack. When they'd returned to human form, he'd lectured her until she was in tears. And for the first time in memory, when she'd gone to her mother for comfort, she'd gotten a scolding instead.
Risking discovery by humans during the hunt was a punishable offense and according to her mother, Susannah was lucky the pack leader had allowed her brother to see to her discipline. If he had handled it, it could have been much worse.
So, she knew the big were leading her away from the humans was doing the right thing. That she had been in the wrong to run in unfamiliar territory like she had was not in question. But she was still mortified by her present Run With the Moon © 2006 Lucy Monroe - 11
situation and because if that, she was angry. She did not want this wolf to see her as a child needing tending.
She was a grown femwolf...in heat.
And he smelled like her mate.
Magnus could smell the beautiful little femwolf's embarrassment and her anger. He looked forward to comforting the first and overcoming the second. Ahh...the lass smelled good. Not just the fragrance of her heat, but the unique perfume that was hers alone. He'd never scented anything so tantalizing. When the others had caught her scent, he'd immediately known he was willing to fight for the right to mate this femwolf. He'd never chased to mate before, but this was his femwolf and by the end of the night, his pack and she would know it.
He led her to a clearing where he knew the others would wait. They hadn't run with him when she'd veered toward the humans. She could have been leading them into a trap and it made sense that only one wolf should follow her...if any. He hadn't even paused in his flight.
He'd sensed that she was being guided by her instinct to flee danger. He didn't know what pack she was from, though he had his suspicions.
He could only think of one pack whose females might not realize this was Sinclair hunting ground. Because said Run With the Moon © 2006 Lucy Monroe - 12
females were so carefully guarded. Her presence made little sense, but whatever accounted for it - after tonight, she'd never run alone again.
Sure enough when they reached the clearing, there were four other wolves waiting. The laird's next in command, Kenneth, and two other soldiers. The other wolf was the only other male in his clan besides Magnus that was not primarily a soldier but commanded the respect of the other wolves despite that. That wolf was their clan's healer. It was an unusual role for a male, but the Chrechte had always been different than their human counterparts and recognized that healing arts were as necessary as warriors to a pack's survival. And each clan always had at least one male healer as well as one female.
The Chrechte also understood the need for weapons with which to fight in their human form, which was why they respected Magnus. He was the clan's blacksmith.
The king himself used a