Her teeth closed around the back of the rabbit’s neck and she gave it a vigorous shake, snapping its spine instantly. Soft warm fur pressed against her tongue, her canines piercing the skin just enough to taste blood. Its heartbeat continued to thump for a moment longer, Ruby both hearing and feeling the pulse gradually slow. Then the heart fell still and silent, and she dropped the dead animal to the forest floor. Its glassy eyes stared at nothing, and she experienced no remorse for the death. This was how life worked: she was the predator, and this creature had been the prey. She felt no guilt at needing to eat.
Ruby forced herself to wait before she tore into the sweet flesh and lapped at the blood. This meat was to be shared.
Where was the second wolf?
So focused on her kill, she’d lost track of him.
A solid body hit her from the side, bowling her over. She let out a yelp as sharp teeth nipped her ear.
He jumped away, a lean, light gray wolf, young and muscular. His yellow eyes glowed in amusement, and she darted for him. He leaped away, spinning around, teasing her.
Internally, she laughed, her blood singing from the chase.
Together, they tore at the rabbit, swallowing chunks of flesh, lapping the blood from each other’s muzzles. His tongue was rough and wet, grazing over her sensitive nose, and she pressed her snout into his fur and whined. Their shoulders barged together, winding around one another, sleek and supple.
Above their heads, the light had grown softer, and the pale circle of the moon stood out against the dark blue of the sky. They could shift against the moon, if they needed to, but to do so was painful and harrowing. This time of the month, when the moon was full, was what suited them best.
Normally Ruby wanted to be in wolf form whenever possible, but tonight she wanted to take the shape of a woman.
Her male counterpart sensed what she was doing, and also began his shift back, his paws elongating to fingers, the fur melting to reveal pink skin.
Nudity wasn’t something that caused embarrassment for Ruby. She’d grown up with the Dark Ridge wolves, and had been shifting since she’d been old enough to toddle. But it was different with him.
Joel Golding.
Everyone said that you instinctively knew when you’d met your mate, but Ruby wasn’t so sure. She didn’t understand why wolves had to mate for life, anyway. How depressing to think she’d only be able to have one male for the whole of her life. Joel was young and gorgeous—three years older than her own twenty years. She wanted to have fun, and perhaps Joel was to be her mate, but how would she really know this unless they got to know each other on a more ... intimate level.
She hadn’t yet mated with Joel—too frightened that her uncle, their alpha, Gregory, might be able to scent it on her. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun, and heading out into the forest together today was their way of getting to spend time alone.
They both got to their feet, standing before one another. Naked in the woods.
He reached out and touched her flame-red hair. “Ruby,” he breathed. “You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of getting you alone.”
She glanced down, and then looked back up at him through her eyelashes. “Oh, I might have an idea. Don’t think I hadn’t noticed how you started watching me, as soon as I turned eighteen.” She was twenty, now—two years of unrequited lust, of stolen glances and brushed fingertips. Two years of innocent, chaste kisses which had developed into a passion neither had given into.
His eyes left her face, tracing down her body, and alighting on her breasts. As though she could physically feel his gaze touching her, her skin tingled, her nipples tightening into crinkled buds. Unconsciously, she sucked in her stomach and pushed out her breasts, wanting him to drink in the sight of her, wanting him to want her even more.
Ruby was able to appreciate him, too. His tousled honey hair and green eyes, the freckles across the bridge of his nose. Young, and alive, and vibrant. His body was lean and muscular, but not bulky. Joel had an older brother, Holton, who was his complete opposite—dark and brooding, with shoulders and arms thick with muscle. Holton’s mood had only gotten worse since their sister, Alyssa, had run off with some rogue wolf. She was only eighteen, and her disappearance had caused a stir in the pack. Their alpha, Gregory, had also been in a foul mood since she’d run away—rumor was he’d been hoping to take Alyssa as a mated mistress. Ruby was pleased Alyssa had managed to escape that situation. Even though Ruby loved her uncle, the thought of being mated to someone like him would be enough to make her run off, as well. Word was that Alyssa hadn’t even run away, initially—she’d been kidnapped, but then had chosen her kidnapper over returning to her pack. Ruby couldn’t imagine how many shades of fucked up that made her. No wonder Holton and Gregory had been so pissed at the situation. She’d tried to talk to Joel about it, but he’d shut her down, telling her Alyssa wasn’t their business anymore, and they’d be best not adding kindling to the fire.
Dragging her mind from Joel’s sister, she reached out to touch Joel’s bare chest. A spattering of hair covered his skin between both nipples, and another line ran down from his navel to get lost in the thick bush of blond curls. His cock stood out from them, proud and erect, and she wondered if she had the guts to wrap her fingers around it. She wasn’t a reserved person, far from it, but she knew, if she touched him there, that would be the start. They would fall to the ground and mate in the dirt like a couple of animals, and that would be it for her. She’d return to the pack and all of her pack members would smell sex on her. She would have been mated by one of her own kind, and they would be bound together for life.
The wolves were allowed to have sex with humans—that didn’t count as being mated. Plenty of the males—and some of the females—went into surrounding towns for easy lays, but that wasn’t Ruby’s style. As much as she wanted to mess around with someone, she also didn’t want to just hand herself over to anyone. She wanted a guy who would be willing to get down on his knees and worship her, and she knew she wasn’t going to find him in some crappy bar in town.
“Ah, hell, Ruby,” Joel groaned. “Please, give me more. I need more.”
She could taste him, couldn’t she? That wouldn’t count? But would he stop at that, or would he demand even more?
“You’re going to make such an amazing mate,” he murmured.
Mate, he’d said it. Damn. Her buzz fizzled and she stepped away.
“Joel, we need to talk about that …”
He frowned. “Talk? Hell, no. This isn’t about talking.”
“Please, Joel. You know I care about you, but mating is a big step.”
His eyes grew darker. “It’s a step I’ve been dreaming of for two years. Don’t do this to me, Ruby. Don’t lead me on, all this time, and then tell me this isn’t what you want.”
“It is what I want.” She resisted adding, ‘I think.’ “I’m just still so young.”
“My sister mated at eighteen.”
“Yeah, and none of us even knew the guy. She might be miserable, for all we know.”
“Don’t say that!” he snarled.
“Well, you were the one who brought up your sister,” she shot back.
His erection had started to deflate.
“Please, Joel,” she said, reaching out to take hold of his wrist and pull him closer. Her breasts brushed his chest, and she saw the hitch in his breath, how she affected him. She deliberately pressed herself closer. Why was she talking herself out of this? Gorgeous, sweet, loving Joel who’d been her friend her whole life. How could she ask for any better?
“You’re right,” she said, standing on tiptoes to graze her lips against his. “I’m talking crazy.”
He dragged her toward him, pressing himself hard against her, his cock digging against her stomach. He pushed again, as though dry-humping her belly, and let out a groan. He kissed her, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. His hands ran over her bottom, squeezing and kneading her flesh. He tried to lift her, and s
he knew what he was doing. Only a slight shift in their positions, now he had lifted her, with her thighs around his hips, and he’d be inside her. That would be it then. She’d be mated.
For life.
A sudden, long, mournful howl broke through the forest’s lullaby, and the sounds of Joel’s moans.
Both their heads snapped toward the sound. They recognized their alpha’s howl anywhere.
“Shit,” said Ruby, her heart thumping. “What’s going on?”
“Do you think it’s been noticed that we’re gone?”
“I don’t know, but so what if we had? It’s not like we’re not both adults.”
The howl came again, impossible to ignore.
They stepped apart.
“Perhaps Gregory is getting more protective, since my sister …” Joel suggested.
“Yeah, maybe that’s it. But whatever it is, we’d better get back. You know Gregory doesn’t like to be ignored.”
“Dammit,” swore Joel. “Talk about bad timing.”
Yeah, thought Ruby. Or perhaps it was perfect timing.
***
‘Wolf Torn’ is currently available for pre-order for only $0.99 from Amazon. All of the books of the Dark Ridge Wolves will be available to read for free in Kindle Unlimited!
About the Author
Marissa Farrar has always been in love with being in love. But since she's been married for numerous years and has three young daughters, she's conducted her love affairs with multiple gorgeous men of the fictional persuasion.
The author of more than twenty-five novels, she has been a full time author for the last six years. She predominantly writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but has branched into contemporary fiction as well.
If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.
She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at [email protected] and to stay updated on all new releases and sales, just sign up to her newsletter! http://forms.aweber.com/form/61/19822861.htm
Also by the Author
The Spirit Shifters Series:
Autumn’s Blood (free first novel)
Saving Autumn
Autumn Rising
Autumn’s War
Avenging Autumn
Autumn’s End
THE COMPLETE SERIES BOXED SET
The Serenity Series:
The Vengeful Vampire (free short story)
Alone (free first novel of the series!)
Buried
Captured
Dominion
Endless
THE COMPLETE SERIES BOXED SET
The Dhampyre Chronicles:
Twisted Dreams
Twisted Magic
The Blood Courtesans Vampire Romance:
Stolen
The Monster Trilogy
DEFACED
DENIED
DELIVERED
The Mercenary Series:
SKEWED
WARPED
FLAWED
Contemporary Fiction Novels
NO SECOND CHANCES
DIRTY SHOTS
CUT TOO DEEP
SURVIVOR
THE SOUND OF CRICKETS
Dark Fantasy/horror novels:
UNDERLIFE
THE DARK ROAD
WOLF SNATCHED
The Dark Ridge Wolves
Book One
Copyright © 2017 Marissa Farrar
Warwick House Press
Cover art by Cover Studio
License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.
Publisher’s Note
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Wolf Snatched: A Dark BBW Shifter Romance (The Dark Ridge Wolves Book 1) Page 8
