Kiera hugged a pillow to her stomach, hanging on every word like I was telling her a fairy tale. It was pretty close now. That way of life had disappeared in Sawtooth forest. “Do you have a mate?” she asked.
“No.”
She narrowed her eyes in confusion. “None of you have mates?” It was more of an accusation than a question. “Major’s too bitter to possibly be getting laid on the regular, but you and your brothers...”
I chuckled. She had Major nailed already. “All male wolves in Sawtooth under the age of forty are single, unless they had enough money to purchase a mate. I grew up in a family of four boys and a single mom. My dad passed away when I was ten. I’m sure you don’t need to do the math.”
“If women everywhere knew there was a forest full of eligible bachelors, they’d be flocking to Granger by the busload. How is this even possible?” She shook her head.
I spread out on the foot of the bed, finally relaxing. “It’s not wolf land anymore. The town took the land, thinking it belonged to no one. Our prey died off, and we were forced to be human more than animal. Members of the pack died out without no one to replace what they did. Our system began to fall apart, and the packs grew smaller. By some fluke or maybe karma, no one knows, very few females have been born in the last forty years. The packs started fighting over the female babies, but the wolves who’d been able to transition to human life with the most ease offered their families money for the right to have their sons mate with their daughters.”
Kiera blinked in disbelief. “Wow. It’s like Narnia, a whole world in the forest and we’re like clueless on the other side of the wardrobe.” She laughed, scooting closer to me. “Are the females treated like princesses or like slaves?”
If Kiera was my mate, there’s no question she’d be my goddess. That’s why she had me on edge. “Somewhere in between. We knew growing up that we wouldn’t have a mate, so they were always like forbidden fruit.”
Kiera bit her lip and heat rolled off her body. I sat up, stopping myself from having a taste of her. She’d taste like warm fruit and vanilla. My favorite. “You’ve been with a woman, right?”
“Of course.”
She laughed. “Thank God. I’m totally not judging you. But...never mind. Back to the story. Everything you told me sounded like it happened a long time ago. What about now?”
“I can’t tell you that story.”
How did she get so close to me? Her arm brushed against my thigh, big brown eyes unblinking, waiting for me to continue. There was nothing more to say. “Why not?”
“Because nothing’s the same as it was.” That’s the whole reason I was here. “And it will never be that way again.”
Preorder Protect Me Now!
CONQUER ME—Major’s story will be released in November
CHERISH ME—Shea’s story will be released in December
SAVE ME—Dallas and Lyssie’s story will be released in January (tentative title)
COMPLETE ME—Xavier’s story will be released in February
Other books by Kristen Strassel:
Colorado Shifters:
Lion and the Doe
Doe and the Hunter
Cougar and the Lion
Doe and the Pride
The Night Songs Collection:
Because the Night
Night Moves
We Own the Night
Silent Night
Cirque Macabre:
The Fire Dancer
The Spotlight Series:
Secondhand Heart
The Trouble With Bree
Too Many Reasons
The Escort:
No Strings Attached
Please visit www.kristenstrassel.com for more information!
Rescue Me (Sawtooth Shifters, #2) Page 10
