by Leia Shaw
Finally, he bit her muzzle. Hard enough to shock her, but not hurt her. It was so very wolfy. She had the urge to bite him back but even she knew better.
Chagrined by the chastisement, she trudged toward camp. Sorin escorted her the whole way. She wished he were in better spirits. She sorely needed some fun and would’ve loved a race. But with his current mood, he’d probably assume it was a challenge and bite her again once he caught her. If he could catch her. The temptation to find out was almost too much.
As if he could read her thoughts, he growled. What now? He nudged her side and she realized she’d walked right by the trail to camp. She changed directions and plodded the rest of the way, feeling like a criminal with Sorin watchful behind her. He even walked her to her cabin and sat down at the bottom of the stairs. If he thought she’d shift naked in front of him, he was out of his wolfy mind.
She waited for him to leave. He didn’t budge. She growled. He growled back.
Werewolves weren’t modest creatures, having grown used to shifting in front of each other frequently, but something about being naked here and now, in front of Sorin, made her feel especially vulnerable.
But unless she planned to stay furry all night, it appeared she had no choice. A cold ripple swept through her body as her muscles bent and flexed and she stood human again. She spun around and pulled on her jeans and sweatshirt as fast as she could.
“Could you at least turn around?”
He just stared.
Dressed and slightly warmer she reached for the doorknob to the cabin. A growl made her turn around again. He glared at the porch chair then back at her. A lower, fiercer growl erupted when she didn’t respond.
He wanted her to sit in the chair. With a sigh, she obeyed.
“I’ve never seen a wolf manage to sound so bossy,” she told him. When he continued to stare, she snapped, “I’m sitting in the chair! Isn’t that what you wanted?”
He grunted at her tone then sauntered slowly into the woods. She pulled on the socks she’d left under the chair then tucked her feet under bottom. Suddenly concerned with her appearance, she smoothed her hair into a messy bun with an elastic from her pocket. When small tendrils fell out in the front, she blew out an exasperated breath.
“Oh, why bother?” It wasn’t as if she was trying to impress anyone.
Stuck outside on a chilly night, waiting for him to return and scold her was annoying. Who did he think he was anyway? Well, beta of the pack. But he’d never paid attention to her before. Why now?
Five minutes later, Sorin emerged from the trees, dressed in jeans and a tight-fitting black t-shirt. She’d noticed his muscles when they’d sparred, but then he’d been on top of her – she’d hardly had time to appreciate such things. Things she could appreciate now, like the way his eyes sparkled with anger and sent shivers down her spine. Or that his jet black hair swept back from his face accentuated his chiseled jaw covered with a five o’clock shadow she suddenly wanted to rub her cheek against.
She shook her head, erasing the images. “You bit me,” she accused when he ascended the stairs.
Not an ounce of repentance showed on his face. “You deserved more than a nip on the nose, little girl.”
There was nothing worse than being talked down to. Her parents had raised her better than to allow that. She stood up, needing to feel taller. “Stop calling me that. I’m not a child.”
His gaze swept over her body, lingering a moment on her breasts. He exhaled a deep breath. “What were you doing out there?”
“Running, just like everyone else.” Her gaze darted to the other cabins, looking for someone to corroborate her story.
He shifted his body so he blocked her view. “Why were you following the vampire’s scent?”
She swallowed hard. Shit. He knew. The floor seemed like an appropriate thing to look at just then.
“Harmony.” His low voice, dark and dangerous, weakened her knees. “Look at me.”
Slowly, she lifted her head. He had a beautiful face. Too bad he could be such a prick. What a waste of hotness.
Sorin peered down at her. “Have you done that kind of thing before?”
Technically, no. She’d never run as a wolf, detected a vampire scent, and followed it alone. But she’d certainly done other things regarding vampires that he wouldn’t approve of. Considering it was safer, she chose to stick with a loose version of the truth. “No. I haven’t.”
His eyes narrowed. She tried to tame the pounding of her heart, but it was difficult when he stood so close. His pinewood scent wrapped around her like a warm blanket.
Maybe he was satisfied with her half-truth, or maybe he just wanted to get on with other lines of questioning, but he nodded and stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re never to do that again, do you understand?”
His tone of voice mixed with the command chafed. “Why?”
His brows quirked. “Why? It’s not safe, you ridiculous, careless girl.”
She pursed her lips, holding back a string of profanities she’d like to scream. “You seem to be taking an excessive interest in my extracurricular activities lately. Is there a reason?”
“I could name you at least a dozen. Foremost, one of my duties is to keep the pack safe. And you have proven to be a paradigm of bad judgment. And I have a feeling you’re not telling me the whole truth regarding your ‘extracurricular activities’.” He stepped closer, crowding her against the cabin wall. His eyes blazed with fire. “What were you thinking, hunting a vampire alone?”
If she didn’t know any better, she’d have thought he actually cared about her.
“If you ever do that again, so help me –”
“I wasn’t hunting it.”
“Really?” He backed away and she could breathe again.
“I was just….following it. To bring information back to the pack about its location.” She forced herself not to fumble with her hands and show her nerves. “I wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed it.”
“That’s not for you to worry about.” He stepped toward her again.
Laughter bubbled up in her throat. She felt like she was in a square dance. Step back, step forward. And, one, two, three…
“Do you think this is funny?”
She shook her head. “No. Sorry. I was….remembering a joke someone told me.”
His lips formed a tight line. “Who taught you this blatant disrespect for authority? Who are your parents?”
“You wouldn’t know them. They’re not pack.”
“Who’s pack then?”
“None.”
His brows shot up. “Rogue? I should’ve known.”
Fury tightened in her chest. When it came to her parents, she was fiercely protective. No one, not even the pack alpha himself, would get away with criticizing them. “They’re not rogue! They’re independent and they taught me to be the same way.”
She’d grown up in Monterrey Bay where her human mother and werewolf father worked as activists for the aquarium, keeping the ocean clean and the marine life safe. It was an odd existence for a werewolf. Generally, they craved a pack – shared living, lots of children, even the constricting governing system. Harmony craved that too, but she couldn’t change her upbringing.
She was an only child, but not doted on. Her parents believed in freedom and independent thought. How her father managed to suppress his inner wolf was beyond her. But they did pass onto her their desire to fight for the environment. It was one of the things that drew Harmony to Cristian’s pack. She’d helped clean the beaches, now she protected the endangered wolves.
Sorin studied her face. He must have seen the emotion behind her words because he wisely dropped the subject. “Then what are you doing here, Miss Independent?”
Another tough question. How did he know exactly what to ask to make her squirm?
“Ah, I see,” he said after a quiet moment. “You’re looking for a mate.”
Her head snapped up in surprise.
His lips curled in a half-smile. “You put on a tough act, but deep down inside, you want a man to own you.”
Her eyes widened and she clasped her hands together to restrain from striking him. “You chauvinistic pig! I am not a pet! I’m an adult and I’m here for the social connection. Not for a mate.” Liar, liar. Just to put a little sting in it, she added, “How did you get so surly and overbearing? Were you born in the ice age? The Neolithic era called, they want their caveman mentality back.” She could’ve smacked herself in the forehead. Admittedly, it wasn’t her best joke.
He chuckled, surprising her that he didn’t lose his temper at her tirade. “Not just a little girl far from home, but a geek too.”
She closed her eyes. Must not kick pack beta. Must not kick pack beta. A finger under her chin tilted her head up. She opened her eyes.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?”
Momentarily, she got lost in his deep blue eyes – eyes the color of the sky over the California ocean. “I’m convincing myself not to kick you in the shins.”
His lush mouth formed a smile, flashing perfect white teeth. “Yes, it would be very unwise to kick the beta.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself. Unfortunately, my body doesn’t agree.”
With a mischievous look in his eye, he said, “That’s why you need a man. To keep you under control.” He chucked her under the chin.
She fought back the fire rising under her skin. “I suppose you’re volunteering.”
He snorted. “Knowing the trouble you’d cause, honey, you couldn’t pay me to do the job.” Then he turned and walked away. Just before stepping into the trees, he said over his shoulder, “No more vampire hunting, necazuri mea.”
The oldest werewolves had immigrated from Romania. Harmony was born and raised in America but had picked up enough Romanian around camp to translate what he’d called her. My troublemaker.
***
Sorin stepped into the woods, saturated in Harmony’s scent – wildflowers and salty air. It was driving him mad. She was driving him mad. Why had he called her such an affectionate name in Romanian? Necazuri mea. My troublemaker. It slipped from his lips too easily. She wasn’t his anything.
But the wolf in him clawed to the surface, demanding he protect the woman. The brassy, defiant, sweet-smelling woman that was currently giving him the hard-on of a lifetime. Maybe he needed to bed her. Maybe that would cleanse his system of her.
Yeah, cause she’d surely go for that. She couldn’t even stand talking to him.
He’d never had a problem seducing women before. Of course, he’d never had a problem forcing compliance either.
Fuck. She represented everything he thought was wrong with the modern world. But for some reason, he couldn’t get her off his mind. Defiant and passionate one moment, sweet and vulnerable the next. He never thought someone so contrary could get him so worked up.
After a frustrated sigh, he headed to his cabin, hoping he’d at least get her out of his mind long enough to fall asleep. With his luck, she’d probably haunt him in his dreams.
Chapter 3
“Good, Darla. But remember to keep your guard up, even after you strike.” Harmony watched the two women circle each other in the training ring. Since Sorin hadn’t, after almost a week, provided a schedule for them to use the space, she made up her own.
Sure, she might have falsified a few stories to convince the men using it to leave when the three women had the time to train. It couldn’t be verified, but she might have told one or two that the generator caught fire. There was also talk of a stolen Mustang convertible that had actually been hotwired and parked a few miles down the road.
Her friends had made a lot of progress in the last few days. Of course, werewolves had some natural ability – faster reflexes, heightened senses, unnatural strength.
Darla aimed a high kick at Monica’s head and she ducked, counteracting with a strike to the stomach.
“Where’d you learn this anyway?” Monica asked, panting.
“My best friend growing up.” She smiled at the fond memories she’d shared with the human, Zachary. She’d never had girlfriends. When most girls were at dance class or playing dress-up, Harmony was rescuing stranded jellyfish and having stick fights with local boys. “Chuck Norris movies helped.”
“Uh-oh.” Darla froze. Her gaze locked on something behind Harmony.
She spun to see what had both girls so shocked. Sorin was headed their way. And he looked pissed.
“Oh boy,” she muttered.
“We’ll cover you if you want to run,” Darla offered.
She gave her a sideways glance. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can handle him. Besides, we have nothing to be ashamed of. We didn’t do anything wrong.” Well… That wasn’t entirely true. But Sorin couldn’t know they had anything to do with the rumors of pranksters circulating around camp.
He stopped a few feet away and stared down at her. Those icy blue eyes cut into her so fiercely she flinched. He flexed and extended his fingers as if he were imagining strangling her. It was obvious he was making an effort to keep his anger under control. Impressive, considering he wasn’t known for his tolerance.
“I need to talk to you,” he said evenly.
Maybe the man could be reasonable. Now, if she could manage not to provoke him, she might make it through this.
She nodded and gave her friends a reassuring look before following him into the surrounding forest.
Just out of sight of camp, he stopped and turned to face her. “Did you tell Marcus there was a raccoon in his cabin?”
She choked on a laugh. When a snarl started in his chest she tried to cover it with a cough.
“I have never been so…” He trailed with a frustrated sigh.
“Want me to fill in the blank? Angry…disappointed…annoyed. Any of those fit?”
“Yes, to all three.” Then his gaze zeroed in on her cheek. He reached up and touched the scabbed-over gash. “Where did you get this?”
His tender touch contradicted the expression that said he wanted to throttle her. She swallowed hard. “Ranger work.”
He arched a brow and dropped his hand. “More specifically?”
A fight with a vampire she’d staked with a silver blade. “Forest ranger work.” She stared at her hiking boots.
“Woman!”
She winced. So much for not provoking him.
He paced an angry path in front of her, muttering and running his hands through his hair. She stood still, trying to appear innocent and repentant. What most people didn’t understand was that she wasn’t trying to frustrate anyone. She was just being herself.
After a moment, he swung around to pin her with a furious glare. “I told you to stop filling the women’s heads with nonsense that you know isn’t going to happen!”
“But I proved myself when we had our duel.”
“You cheated.”
She cocked her head. “Is there such thing in a fight?”
“Of course there is,” he snapped. “We were hand-to-hand. We didn’t agree on weapons.”
“So you’re saying if I was attacked by a vampire, I shouldn’t use a weapon if we don’t agree on it first?”
“No, that’s not –” He cut off with a growl.
She took a step back. An agitated werewolf was not something to fuck with.
He noticed her retreat and gave her a sharp glare. “Don’t think you’re going anywhere. I’m not done with you.”
She rolled her eyes.
With one large stride, he closed the distance between them and loomed over her. “I won’t let women fight vampires, Harmony. So get it out of your head.”
“What gives you the right to decide that?”
“Do you think a pack works like a democracy? Might makes right. I will stop you.”
Her gaze dropped to his body, fit and defined. She gulped. No doubt he could stop her. But why? How did she suddenly come under the scrutiny of the pack beta? And why di
d he keep getting all worked up about her safety?
“Why do you care what I do?” It was a question of curiosity, not challenge.
His mouth opened then snapped shut. She waited for a gruff response but he froze, as if he didn’t know the answer himself. Then he blinked and spun away. “Fuck!”
Several deep breaths later, he faced her again. “Look. Stay away from the fight or –”
“Or what?” Her patience was dwindling. The contrary man made her blood boil. “I’m not a child you can dictate to. And I don’t answer to you.”
His eyes widened and he bared his teeth.
She could’ve kicked herself. Wrong thing to say to the acting pack alpha.
“I am beta of this pack, goddamn it!”
She sighed. She’d already pissed him off, she might as well keep going. “This is about your pride, isn’t it? Your ego is bruised ‘cause I bested you.”
“You didn’t best me and…woman!” He exhaled a breath and closed his eyes. “It’s about your safety.” The last part was soft, almost tender.
The man was a walking contradiction. Before she could respond, he grabbed her arm in a tight grip and whispered, “If you and your little groupies go near that fight, Harmony, there will be hell to pay. And you’ll be the first to get it.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Damn right I am. And you should know, I don’t threaten idly.”
She looked down at his painful grip on her arm then back at his blackened eyes. “I’m not scared of you.” Damn it, her voice shook.
Faster than she could blink, his hand moved from her arm to her throat. He didn’t squeeze, just held her still, making her feel small and vulnerable.
“You should be,” he whispered.
Trapped in his glacial eyes, it felt like he was stripping her bare. The comforting scent of pinewood enveloped her. He slid his hand to her nape and pulled her into his body.
