wolf mate to survive, we’d been fighting about what to do about it. But no one had the balls to actually mate with a human. We’d all had plenty of one night stands, but no self-respecting wolf ever bagged a Granger chick without bagging it first. To be the alpha, I needed to man up, wolf up, and lead by example. The human bond would make us stronger. We needed to adapt; our world was disappearing before our eyes. We might be stronger and faster as wolves, but as humans we were smarter and more cunning. We had to marry all of our strengths or it would be our biggest weakness.
We’d walked through town until the night cooled, then headed back to Trina’s cabin. “It’s strange to come home to an empty house,” she remarked as she unlocked the door. “I usually bring a foster back with me. It’s safer not to be alone.”
“Is that why you have the gun?” It had been just nights ago she’d pulled it on me.
“Yeah.” It had been returned to its resting place over the fireplace mantle.
“Is that why you brought me back here with you? As a wolf?” I asked, my eyes glued to the exposed skin of her shoulder as she shrugged out of her jacket. She twisted her hair into an elaborate knot on the top of her head, exposing the long line of her neck. My mouth watered at the sight of it. “You knew you couldn’t adopt me out.”
“One of the reasons.” Her eyes fell to her lap as she sat on the couch. I was drawn to her, her whole body pulsed with need. I wanted to drown in her scent. Fresh mountain air mixed with apples and cinnamon. “We’d thought you guys were Huskies, maybe mixed with Shepherd. I was shocked when the vet told me you were wolves. She’s pretty bitchy to me since I owe her a ton of money, so I didn’t believe her right away. But soon it was obvious that you guys weren’t domesticated dogs.”
“How?” I sat as close as I could without touching her, inhaling her. Stopping myself from devouring her. I needed to know how we were different to the human eye. Trina was going to be my secret weapon.
She wrung her hands in her lap, resisting touching me. “You weren’t playful like the others.” She inhaled sharply. “I could tell there was something more. I was intrigued. And you wouldn’t leave my side. I joked that you chose me.”
“I wanted you.” I couldn’t resist her any longer. My lips fell to her neck. She tasted like dessert. The little sigh she made on contact vibrated through my whole body. My cock came to attention, and there was no stopping this mission. I pinned her down on the cushions with the weight of my body. Trina’s hands tangled in my hair, pulling my face up to hers so we could claim each other.
Her lips were still sweet from the margarita and I planned to get drunk on the taste of her. Her tongue danced with mine. I pulled away from her, sucking on her bottom lip. She groaned, her hands everywhere on my back, under my shirt, pulling it up over my head. I could barely stop kissing her long enough to get it off. My mouth fell back to her neck, her pulse beating wildly under my lips.
“Shadow,” Trina cried. I picked my head up, panting. Her eyes were alight with passion and something else I wasn’t used to. Shit, I’d scared her.
“I’m sorry, baby.” I kissed her forearm, she clutched my bare shoulder.
“Don’t be.” She wriggled up on the cushion, adjusting her topknot. “First of all, I think I like it when you call me baby. Second, you didn’t do anything wrong. I want you, too. But...”
I rolled back, kneeling between her thighs. I want you, too. My cock had been rock hard already. Pulling away from her soft body was absolute torture. “I’m coming on too strong, right?” I managed a lopsided grin to keep my heart from breaking.
“Not exactly.” Trina peeled the shirt up over her head then handed it to me. I inhaled deeply. Her scent on the fabric sent the wolf inside me wild. Her chest rose dramatically, her cleavage barely contained