by Aubrey Rose
“Okay then. So you’ll do it?”
She raised her brows. Clearly she missed something in there somewhere. “Do what?”
“Will you marry me?” He picked up a box he’d set next to him on the bed and opened it to show off a beautiful and unique diamond ring.
She sighed. There were no longer nerves, only absolute happiness. The man she loved, the family she’d come to love, all loved her back. Unconditionally. That was the best feeling in the world.
“You’re the only woman I have ever envisioned spending my life with.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Aric was her one. He’d been her one at thirteen and he’d never stop being her one true love. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
She let him put the ring on her finger and snuggled into him on the bed. She should probably wait a few minutes before licking her way down his body like she was visualizing. He was being so romantic and here she wanted to get him inside her again. She was so perverted. And she couldn’t find it in her to feel even a little bad about it.
Chapter Twelve
“Congratulations!” Ellie rushed inside and enveloped Jordan in a tight hug.
“What did we miss?” Emma was followed into the house by Karla and Nicole. Ellie yanked her hand in front of her and displayed it for the other women to see Jordan’s engagement ring.
Everyone spoke at the same time. Jordan swore she was hugged more than a stuffed animal is by a child. Let’s not forget to add deaf to the list. She winced every time they screamed in excitement.
“Calm down already. I didn’t get married...yet.”
The squealing started anew. She laughed and let them gush over her ring and how beautiful it was. Two little wolves meeting at the nose with a solitaire diamond between their muzzles. It was a very creative ring. One of the little wolves had yellow stones for eyes, while the other had grey stones. Aric had gone above and beyond to create something uniquely theirs.
Once they finally calmed, they noticed her surprise.
“Is my mother here?” Ellie asked, sniffing and heading for the kitchen.
“Oh my God, she has to be because that smells divine.” Emma gave a cheeky grin. “No offense, Jordan. You cook really well, but Mrs. Wolfe has magic hands when it comes to delicious food.”
Jordan folded her hands over her chest. “I’m going to remember that the next time you want empanadas.”
“Oooh! You’re in trouble, Emma. I love your empanadas, Jordan.”
“What did you do to your hair?” Jordan frowned. She hadn’t seen Nic since she’d been at the hospital, and now that she inhaled, there was a particular scent on her. Heck, all her friends smelled...different.
“She got highlights.” Karla grinned, tugging on one of Nic’s long honey-toned curls. Nic slapped her hand away.
“I needed a change.”
The ability to read her friends through her senses was fascinating for Jordan. She could hear the insecurity in Nicole’s voice. She scented Karla and Emma’s concern for their friends.
Not that it was Jordan’s business, since they all knew she was nosy as hell, but she felt the need to calm the insecurity filling her friends.
“So, did you girls know that Jake and Nathan are helping Caleb get his pack back?”
Karla lifted a brow. “Those two are finally doing something helpful? That’s hard to believe.”
Nic’s features went serious. “Tell me about it. Usually they’re too busy chasing skirts.”
Jordan had a hard time not smiling. They were saying one thing, but she could sense their excitement at her news. She wondered if all humans mated to shifters felt so much more after the bite. Aric had mentioned she would change, but this was strange even for her.
Nicole walked past her down the hallway, until she was out of view. Nic’s voice floated from the kitchen, where she actively begged Barbara for some food. She said Karla and Emma had starved her all day.
Emma walked past her to the living area. Her scent was stronger than the others. Ellie stopped beside her. She opened her mouth, but was cut off before she said anything.
“Don’t mention the scent.”
“What? Why? What is it?” She whispered the words in the same soft voice Ellie had used.
Ellie grinned. Her eyes had gone a deep shade of blue Jordan loved. It only got that dark whenever she was happy. “You’ll see in time, but it’s best to not say anything for now.”
Barbara stepped out of the kitchen with a large platter of food, followed by Karla with another tray of food they placed on the dining room table. Aric’s mom had been there for her more than Jordan could have ever expected. She’d spent days at the hospital with her and the day Aric finally brought her home, she’d stopped by daily to ensure she wasn’t over doing things. Even knowing her son was obsessive in his need to watch over her, Barbara hadn’t cared. She’d brought food and kept her company the times he needed to go to the bar.
Jordan would be going back to school soon, but she was definitely enjoying her sick time.
“So what do we owe all this yummy food to?” Karla sat on the dining room table, joining the others as they made their way there.
“Well,” Barbara smiled. Her blue eyes were so much like Ellie’s, only filled with a wealth of knowledge. “I’m going to let poor Jordan have her life back, now that she’s feeling better. So I figured this was a nice way to stop harassing her with endless amounts of food.”
Jordan laughed at the shock in her friends’ faces. “I don’t mind you being here at all, Barbara. And I mind your food even less.”
“You know,” Nicole chewed and swallowed a piece of meat before continuing. “If you want to come over to my house and harass me with endless amounts of food I think I can learn to tolerate that.”
Barbara’s eyes twinkled with delight. “You’ll get your turn, Nicole, but now I have something more fun in mind.”
Jordan frowned. Some kind of communication was going on that she wasn’t aware of between Ellie and her mom.
“Let’s talk about my sons.” Barbara glanced around the table at each of the girls. More than one glanced down at her plate while fidgeting. A smile split her lips. At least Jordan was no longer the one under the gun.
Ellie smirked. “Why did everyone go quiet?”
“Ellie!” Karla’s face was a dark crimson under her tanned skin. “That’s your mom. We can’t trash talk the sexy four to her.”
Barbara laughed. “Yes, you can. I know my boys. They’re bossy, annoying, and quite good looking, right?”
All the women nodded in unison.
“Let’s start with you, Emma.”
Emma’s deer caught in the headlights made Jordan choke on her drink.
“M-me?”
“I think you want to tell me why Mason is an overbearing, macho, pig.” She turned to Ellie. “That’s what I heard her call him last time they crossed paths at the hospital, right?”
Ellie chortled. “That’s what she called him, Mom.”
Things were about to get interesting.
* * *
Jordan’s phone rang as she walked out of her house. It was Emma. She flinched. Emma was in wedding planner mode and she really didn’t want to discuss the difference between light blue, sky blue, ocean blue, pastel blue, and baby blue. All Jordan had requested was for the color blue to be used.
Dammit! She could really do with some stress relief, but Aric had gone to Wolfe’s Den to meet up with Caleb. The past few days she’d felt a bit more aggressive than usual, and her horny level had gone from pervert to nympho status. Her body throbbed with just the feel of the material from her clothes. If she didn’t know better she’d swear someone drugged her. She’d brought it up to Aric. He’d shrugged it off and said he’d take her aggressive side any time.
“Hi, Emma.” She carried her camera to her vehicle as she spoke.
“Hey! What are you up to?”
“I’m going to the clearing to take some photos. I decided I want to add them
into the book for visual reference purposes. Plus, I want to go remember the feel of the place so I can describe it better. It’s been so long since the ceremony my mind is a little hazy.”
“Oh that sounds great. Want some company?”
“Sure, why not? Meet me at the same spot we parked last time.”
She shut the phone only to growl the next time it rang a second later. Aric.
“Hi there, handsome.”
“Hello, beautiful.” Jesus. He spoke and her nipples stood to attention. One thing was for sure, she’d never be able to take his calls in the classroom. Her students were much too observant. “What are you up to? I can’t wait to see you.”
Her pussy went slick at the images her mind conjured up. Sick, sick Jordan. “I’m going to the clearing to take some photos. I’ll be back in no time.”
“I don’t like the idea of you up there alone.”
She grinned. “I won’t be alone. Emma is coming with me.”
“Not good enough.”
“Too bad. You’re busy and I’m going.”
He sighed. “I’ll meet you up there in half an hour to forty-five minutes.”
She lived about ten minutes from the place. “You got it.”
“Jordan?”
“Yes?”
“Call me if anything seems strange.”
“Relax, sexy man. You sound so uptight. I’ll have to give you one of my special massages later,” she lowered her voice. “The ones that involve my mouth on your hard c—”
“I’ll be there soon!”
She giggled at the roughness she heard in his voice. Good. Now she wasn’t the only one walking around horny as hell all the time.
Jordan and Emma met up at the same location they’d parked the night of the scenting ritual. It felt like a lifetime had passed since that night at the beginning of summer.
They reached the spot high on the hill where they could glance down and take clear shots. Emma cursed and turned to her.
“I forgot my shotgun.”
“Emma! We walked like ten minutes to get up here.”
“It was not ten minutes. We’re up here alone and you don’t want me to get my shotgun after all the bullshit you’ve been through? Take some pictures. I’ll be right back.”
“Grab mine too while you’re there.” She threw Emma her car keys.
Emma laughed as she walked away. Jordan glanced down at the clearing, raised her camera to her face, and started taking photos. Her mind wandered back to the events of that night. Of the brown wolf that had tried to attack her. Aric said he was just a young wolf looking to get better acquainted with her but he turned aggressive due to the pull of the moon.
She continued taking pictures of the trees, the area where the lanterns had hung. And then her attention was caught by two men and a woman walking into the open space. The woman was young, wearing a mini skirt with a cropped top. She used the zoom feature to take in the girl’s face. Heavy make-up caked over the youthful features.
The men circled the girl. Jordan’s heartbeat increased until she thought the men would jump the girl. Their faces were serious, wild. Both had glowing brown eyes. Shifters.
She swallowed and watched the men grope the woman. One of them yanked at her clothes, but she didn’t fight it. Jordan watched the material tear off the woman’s body. She kissed one man, rubbing his bald head with enthusiasm. The other man slid his hands down her backside, squeezing the woman’s ass. It became clear to Jordan that they were planning on having sex. She glanced away, trying not to gawk as the men shoved their pants down to release their hard cocks. Holy shit. She needed to do something, something like get the hell out of there and stop intruding on that threesome’s private time.
But she stood transfixed watching the woman give one man oral sex while the other one fucked her from behind. And then the man fucking her grabbed the woman by the hair, jerking her head back. Jordan winced. Damn that looked painful.
She wasn’t even attempting to not watch anymore. The man getting oral sex roared and thrust his cock deep down the woman’s throat. The woman continued to suck the man’s limp cock until he was hard once again. Then they switched places and she was being fucked by him and giving the second guy oral sex. She glanced down at the camera in her hands. Where the hell was Emma?
Something made her jerk her gaze back to the sex scene at the clearing. One guy was still fucking the woman while the other pulled his cock out of her mouth. The men stared at each other.
Jordan stood frozen as one man’s hands turned into claws and he buried them into the woman’s back. A blood curling scream filled the forest. The painful sound reached up to where Jordan stood. The man in front of the woman swiped claws across her neck, tearing her throat wide open.
She’d seen enough. She grabbed her camera and took photos of the scene. They continued to tear into the woman’s lifeless body. She gasped at the viciousness in both of the men’s faces. One of them looked up then, glancing right at the spot she stood.
He growled. She ran. Her mind went into a panic. Anger for what they’d done to that woman blossomed inside her, until she could hardly see in front of her. Growls sounded from right behind her.
She continued to run, until her lungs felt ready to burst. Something tackled her to the ground. Pain shot up her side as she hit the forest floor hard.
The baldheaded man grabbed her by her neck, tugged her to her feet and sniffed. “Pack.”
She didn’t know what he was talking about, but she continued to struggle against him as he shoved her to the clearing.
The other man was still there, as was the dead naked woman.
“Look what I found.”
The other guy sniffed and growled from the distance. “Wolfe pack.”
Hate dripped from his voice with the word. What the heck did he smell? She was far enough from him he shouldn’t smell anything. He narrowed his eyes and moved toward her. Fear worked its way into her system, flooding her body with adrenaline. Protecting herself became her sole focus.
A shot rang out. The man moving toward Jordan swayed in his feet. A bullet hole appeared on his shoulder, dripping blood.
Her gaze shot up to spot Emma, shotgun in hand, getting ready to shoot again.
Bald guy gripped her hair and shoved her. She ran to the middle of the clearing, away from both men, tripped on a rock and fell, landing on her hands and knees. Another shot and this time Emma hit bald guy. Shot number three got the other guy again. He was getting closer to her. Fire took hold of her body. She dropped to the ground in pain. Her muscles felt stretched taut. The gunshots sounded far away while her mind focused solely on the pain in her body. She opened her eyes, but everything was distorted and shut them again.
The pain she was going through inside was worse than anything she’d ever experienced. She saw the beast then; a large black wolf with glowing amber eyes. The animal was ready to attack. Then her bones popped, broke and reattached. She’d never experienced so much pain come and go so fast.
The minute she opened her eyes again, she was on all fours. Gunshots continued to ring out. She glanced up. Emma dropped one shotgun by her feet and picked up the other. The two men were bleeding profusely, but continued to make their way toward her.
A new wild rage took hold of Jordan. She didn’t have time to digest the fact she was no longer a human. Nor did she get a chance to grapple over her animal status and what that meant for her future. And she definitely didn’t get a chance to worry over how much that shit would hurt the next time she shifted. Instead, she ran for the bald guy. Focused on his bleeding shoulder, she jumped and tackled the big man to the ground. He hit her on the side. More shots rang out. The anger inside her urged her to attack the man with her claws and canines. She was no longer in control. She felt the strength of the beast take hold. Her attack on the man didn’t stop. The man fought her, punching her every chance he got. But the animal inside her wasn’t deterred. She took deep grueling bites of the guy’s shoulder and ar
ms.
An angry growl sounded, and she was shoved off the man. Her attention was diverted by the other man fighting off a large black and white wolf. Aric. He bit down hard on the guy’s neck, crushing bones and tearing through the guy’s throat. Then he moved to the man who’d hit her. The attack was quick with the other man panting from all the injuries he’d suffered from her animal.
Two dead bodies later and she stared down at her paws, unsure how to go back to being human.
“Tell your wolf you’re in control. Order her back.” Aric’s voice flitted through her mind.
She visualized the angry animal from before and ordered it back. Once again her muscles did the stretching and reshaping that hurt like a bitch for all of a minute before stopping altogether.
Blinking her eyes open to the bloody ground, she glanced up. Aric helped her to her feet. His jaw was clenched tight. She gasped at the suppressed fury radiating off him.
“Aric?” She was practically running into the forest being dragged by him. “Aric!”
Chapter Thirteen
He stopped suddenly. Her breath caught in her throat. Instinct told her to move, to step back and away. But she didn’t, she stood her ground. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. He grabbed her face with his hands and shoved his tongue into mouth. There was no holding back. His wild passion only served to unleash the one inside her. Her mind spun and her body throbbed with anticipation. She ran her tongue over his lips and down to his neck. He growled, gripped her hips, and pushed her back into a tree. She curled her legs around his waist, depending on him to keep her from falling. Their gazes met and sparks flew.
“Need you.” Even though she could hardly understand the words, she could read the need in his eyes. The feral hunger for her. One hard thrust and he was inside her. “Almost lost you.” She moaned. He pulled back and drove deep into her again. “Could have lost you.”
She clung to him. Her pussy gripped at his cock, desperate for him to put out the fire in her core. She ignored the tree bark rubbing her back. Her sole focus became the slide of his cock in and out of her pussy. With each thrust, his chest rubbed her nipples in a friction that turned her mind to mush.
