by Mia Harris
“Wait. Would that explain why I’ve always had the inclination to shake myself off like a dog when I shower?” she asked.
“I’d say so, yes. Is that what you were doing when I walked in on you earlier?”
“Yes,” she replied, giggling. “My parents always thought that I was really weird for doing that.”
‘Well, now you know why you do it,” he said, giving her a wolfish grin.
Tessa snuggled into his arms, feeling as if she had finally come home. Rohin was clearly meant to be with her, and she with him. She never had to return to her depressing life outside the werewolf village again, and she would remain here with him forever; as the packmaster’s mate. In a way, she was already at home.
***
Wolves Want Curves
By Eva Grace
Doctor Stephanie Miller smiled warmly at some passing children as she walked down the old back roads of her new hometown, Loupeaux Bridge. The town was in St Martin’s Parish, Louisiana, and she had moved there after growing up and being educated in New York City. An overabundance of medical students when she was studying made it almost impossible to find a permanent job after she had finished her residency, so she had decided to make a huge change in her life and move to the country.
The first offer that she had received was a GP position at a small practice in Loupeaux Bridge, and she had taken it and never looked back. It was a refreshing change, being in such a small country town; especially with the local people’s healthier attitude towards food. Back in New York, people had always looked snidely at her because she didn’t subsist entirely on salad, and sales assistants had often snubbed her when they saw that she wasn’t a typical ‘New York thin’ size two.
Here in Loupeaux Bridge, however, her curvy size fourteen frame was appreciated. Whenever she went into town to get lunch or do shopping, she often found herself attracting admiring stares from various men and women. Aside from that, her favorite part about the town was the walk to and from the doctor’s office.
The scenery was beautiful and the air was always fresh and crisp, but it was starting to get cold. Telling herself to remember to go home and get a scarf and cardigan on her lunch break later, she headed up the small path that led to the office and then entered the main administration area of the medical center.
“Yes, Mrs. Baker, that would be fine,” the receptionist said into the phone as Stephanie briskly crossed the room.
She was a bubbly blonde named Emily, and she smiled and hung up the phone as she saw Stephanie heading over to her.
“Any messages for me?” Stephanie asked.
“Yes, that was Mrs. Baker calling to cancel her checkup appointment. You were meant to see her first thing this morning,” she replied. “But she can’t make it now. I booked her in for Wednesday instead.”
“Okay. That’s good, it’ll give me a chance to catch up on some paperwork this morning.”
“Actually,” Emily said, turning slightly pink, “there’s someone in your office. I sent him in when I realized that Mrs. Baker wasn’t going to show up on time. And then she called anyway, so he’s still in there. His name is… hold on, I put it in the computer… Tate Armstrong.”
“Oh. What’s wrong with him?”
“Really bad bite. He said it was his neighbor’s dog, but honestly, it looks like a rougarou got him!”
“What the hell is a rougarou?” Stephanie asked.
Emily laughed.
“Sorry, Doctor Miller. I keep forgetting that you’re still new here. The rougarou is an old Cajun werewolf legend. They apparently have the head of a wolf and the body of a human, and roam the swamps at night,” she said.
Stephanie smiled with amusement.
“I see. Thanks, Emily.”
As she stepped into her office, she drew in a sharp breath when she saw the man sitting on one of the chairs. He was absolutely gorgeous, with dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a strong, masculine jawline. He was wearing a faded old black T-shirt that left little to the imagination, and she could see the hard outlines of well-defined muscles on his chest and arms.
“Um… hello, Mr. Armstrong. I’m Doctor Stephanie Miller,” she said, realizing why Emily’s face had turned pink when she mentioned him. “I hear you’ve got a nasty bite.”
He grinned and stood up to shake her hand.
“That’s right, Doc. Neighbor’s dog jumped the fence and came onto my property. I tried to convince it to go home, and it took a chunk out of my arm, right near my shoulder.”
He turned slightly, pulled his sleeve up, and then pulled off a large bandage, and Stephanie winced as she saw the injury.
“When did this happen?” she asked. “It doesn’t look like a fresh bite.”
“Yeah, it was last night. I thought I’d just wait ‘til the morning before getting it looked at. Didn’t realize how bad it was ‘til I woke up and looked properly. Had a few drinks last night, you see.”
“Ah, right. We’re going to need to get that cleaned up right away. Hopefully an infection of some kind hasn’t started to set in. After that, it’ll need a few stitches,” she said, rummaging around in a drawer for the appropriate equipment.
“Thanks, Doc,” he said, grinning at her again.
His voice was deep and gravelly, and his smile sent a shiver down Stephanie’s spine. God, he is a sexy man. I wish I’d met him earlier! Of course, he’s probably not single, she thought, surreptitiously checking out his left hand for a wedding ring. Not married. But still… probably has a girlfriend. A man that looks like that couldn’t possibly be single.
As she carefully cleaned his arm and put the stitches in, she was amazed at how strong he was. He didn’t even flinch one bit. Most people did; even the mean-looking tough guys, but Tate seemed perfectly at ease.
“So, I’m fairly new here,” she said, trying to make conversation. “I need to find a new favorite spot to eat. Any suggestions?”
“Hmm… depends on what you like to eat,” he replied. “My favorite place is the local bar and grill. Great food, and cheap too.”
“Is that somewhere you’d take your girlfriend?” she asked, before realizing how obvious it was that she was digging for information.
He laughed softly.
“No girlfriend, Doc. Unfortunately for poor old me, all the girls in this town seem to get married nearly straight out of high school or leave for college and never come back. I’m practically elderly, being twenty-nine and all.”
“I’m sure there are some single women,” she said, secretly glad that he was available.
“Well, there are, but none as beautiful as you,” he said, giving her a wink.
Stephanie blushed, and didn’t respond to his statement. She had no idea what to say; it had been way too long since she had last flirted with a man.
“Well, your arm should start to heal up soon. I’d like you to come back in so I can check up on it and take the stitches out, though. Would a week from now work?” she asked.
“Yep, that’s fine,” he said, a vaguely disappointed look crossing his face when she didn’t respond to his earlier statement.
“Great. Emily will make the appointment for you out at the front desk. If you think that it’s starting to look infected or anything, then obviously you should come straight back in, and I’ll see you immediately.”
“Okay.”
“One more thing. You’re a pretty tall guy,” she said. “How on earth did a dog manage to bite you all the way up on your shoulder?”
The smile faded from his face for a split-second.
“Oh, err… well, it was just a really good jumper, I guess. Like I said, I had a few beers. Can’t quite remember the exact details.”
“I see. You might want to let your neighbor know. His dog could be taken away for attacking a human like that,” she said.
“I don’t want that to happen,” he replied. “It’s normally a good dog. It was just dark outside, and it probably got confused, y’know?”
“Mm. Okay
then. Well, you have a good day, Mr. Armstrong.”
“Call me Tate, Doc,” he replied, grinning again before leaving the office.
The rest of the day flew by in a blur, and Stephanie found herself drifting off in her imagination every few minutes, picturing herself with Tate, their naked bodies writhing together as he thrust inside her, begging her to be his. Oh god… it’s been far too long since I had a boyfriend. Her last relationship had ended abruptly before she moved away from New York, and it had been months since she had felt a man’s touch.
After she had finished work for the day, she ate dinner at the bar and grill that Tate had told her about, and then headed home. As she stepped outside and headed up the main road, she realized that she had forgotten to go home at lunch and get some warmer clothes. Dammit. Shivering, she walked as quickly as possible up the main road and then turned onto the smaller road that led to her house.
A while ago, she had discovered a shortcut that shaved five minutes off the walk, and she decided to take it. It was a little dirt track that went off the road and through a forested area near one of the swamps that surrounded Loupeaux Bridge. Normally, she would only take the shortcut during the morning as the light of day made it easier to see where she was going, but it was too cold to be out here for much longer, and goose bumps were already prickling up over her bare arms as she walked.
As she wandered through the forest, she could see her own house in the distance; the porch light automatically turned on as soon as it got dark. Just another ten minutes and I’ll be toasty and warm, she thought, her teeth chattering as she rubbed her hands up and down her freezing arms, trying to warm herself up a bit.
Suddenly, a noise from somewhere to her left startled her. Stopping for a second, she turned her head and gazed over at the swamp. The moonlight reflected on the water, which was completely still, so she knew that the noise hadn’t been made by some kind of swamp-dwelling animal. Hmm, probably something in the trees, she thought before continuing on her way.
The moon disappeared behind a cloud, and Stephanie was surrounded by darkness. As she shivered, she heard the noise again. What the hell is that? She could have sworn that she had heard leaves and twigs snapping as if a heavy person was following closely behind her, but as she turned around, she couldn’t see anything. It was too dark.
The moon suddenly came out from behind the cloud, illuminating the entire area, and Stephanie gasped in horror as she saw something emerge from the darkness several yards behind her. It was a tall, well-built man… with the head of a wolf. The rougarou. It’s real.
The creature’s eyes seemed to glow a bright greenish-yellow color in the moonlight, and Stephanie’s fight or flight response suddenly kicked in. Whirling around, she ran as fast as she could, her heart thumping crazily in her chest as the adrenaline coursed through her veins.
A low growl from somewhere behind her told her that the creature was chasing her, and she felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks as she panted, speeding up again courtesy of a new burst of adrenaline. She looked at the lights ahead of her through the trees, and knew that she was steadily getting closer to home. Praying that she would make it that far, she swallowed her fear and zigzagged to the left and then to the right, ducking behind a large tree. Hopefully, the creature would be confused and leave her alone.
Seconds later, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she heard it run straight past her hiding spot. After waiting a few minutes with her heart still pounding, she peeked out from behind the tree and saw that the way ahead was now clear.
She nearly sobbed with relief as she started to run again, and then shrieked in horror as she felt two strong arms grab her from behind and drag her to the ground, kicking and screaming. The rougarou must have been smarter than she thought, and she closed her eyes as she felt the creature flipping her onto her back.
“It’s okay, Doc,” a calm, deep voice said. “It’s just me, Tate Armstrong. From earlier today.”
Stephanie’s eyes flew open, and she saw that it was indeed Tate that was holding her down. His dark eyes were filled with concern, and he released her arms as she began to sob.
“I thought you were… I saw it… I saw that… creature Emily told me about. It chased me, and I thought it was you.”
“Shh, Doc,” he murmured, sliding a hand to her face and stroking her soft cheeks.
As he wiped her tears away, something occurred to her.
“Wait… why did you tackle me to the ground?” she asked.
As she spoke, his eyes began to glow yellow, and Stephanie realized with horror that he and the rougarou were one and the same.
“You…it’s… you chased me!” she stammered, completely and utterly terrified.
“That’s right,” he said, smirking down at her.
“What are you?”
“I’m a werewolf, obviously. You saw me, didn’t you?” he replied.
His voice sounded even deeper and more gravelly than it had when she had met him in her office, and she struggled to break free from his grip. Unfortunately, he was far stronger than she was, and he held her down beneath him with ease.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “I’m sorry. Let me explain.”
Stephanie was too scared to argue anymore, and nodded her head.
“Thank you. Like I said, I really didn’t mean to scare you. It wasn’t a dog that bit me last night. It was another werewolf. Attacked me right in my own backyard. This area’s been known for its werewolves for centuries.”
“No… this must be a dream. Werewolves aren’t real,” she replied, inwardly telling herself to wake up.
Tate grinned down at her.
“Why do you think the town is called Loupeaux Bridge? Loupeaux literally means ‘wolf waters’ in French. Every werewolf in America came from here originally. That’s also where the rougarou legends came from. Right here.”
It made a strange kind of sense, and Stephanie finally realized that she wasn’t stuck in some nightmare. This is real.
“When I was bitten, I felt the change almost immediately. Legend has it that if you are bitten, you have to transfer the curse to another person by drawing their blood,” he continued.
“So you’re going to bite me?” she asked fearfully.
He shifted his weight slightly off her, and she felt a familiar twinge in her belly as his hips moved against hers. This is really not the time to be getting even remotely aroused, she chided herself, wondering why on earth her body was responding to him at all.
“No. That’s just a legend. I’ll always be a wolf now. I felt something else when I transformed for the first time, though, and realized that there’s only one real way to control myself from shifting whenever it’s dark.”
“What’s that? Are you going to eat me?”
Tate laughed again, and his eyes burned a brighter shade of amber.
“Of course not. I mean… I could, but that’s not what I want. When I was turned, I just somehow knew that the only way to bring myself under control was to find a mate.”
“What’s that got to do with me?” she asked.
“Because I need you. I need to mate with you. I’ll still be a wolf, but I’ll be able to control when and where I shift with a mate to keep my energy levels in check. Tonight I couldn’t help it at all. I found myself roaming around out here and ended up chasing you down, and it took a lot of effort to shift back into my usual self. Help me, Doc,” he pleaded.
“Why me?”
“Because I can’t imagine anyone better,” he growled. “When I saw you in the doctor’s surgery this morning, I couldn’t believe my luck. It was like fate had intervened. I knew I’d have to find a mate, and then you walked in, one of the most stunning women I’ve ever seen. I think that’s why I ended up out here tonight, after I shifted.”
His words were clouding Stephanie’s mind with a strange sort of desire. On the one hand, she was still scared of the man – or werewolf, whatever he was – that was on top of her, but
on the other, his handsome face and kind words were driving her slightly crazy with lust. Despite her fear, she could feel her panties dampening, and a warm tingling sensation was pooling between her legs, delivering some much-needed heat to her freezing-cold body.
He must have read her mind and seen the confusing mixture of emotions that was flooding through, because he leaned down and stroked her cheek again.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. If you don’t want me, just say no and go home as quick as you can before I accidentally shift again. And please don’t tell anyone what you saw. People around these parts will often shoot someone they know to be a werewolf.”
