Chapter 9
Saint
Mate.
My mate.
The words had played in my mind several times.
Although nothing more than a husky whisper, enough that my head throbbed.
Lily had stood there with a nervous energy that I’d found quirky at first, but by minute five, her quirks had become adorable.
She was a vision of beauty, breathtaking in a way I hadn’t expected.
Although I don’t know what I’d anticipated.
Being fixed up like some dating game wasn’t my idea of a good time and I’d had no need to play.
Women were easy to come by. On any given night, I could have one or more.
That just wasn’t my style. Maybe that’s why I hadn’t taken one of the puck bunnies up on their salacious offers over the last several months.
I’d been bored to death with the offerings.
No, that wasn’t it.
The craziest thing of all was not just that she was human, and mating with one was unheard of no matter what my father had told me, but that I’d smelled her desire. Not a typical desire, but something that had shocked her, an uncontrollable urge to feed the hunger in a way she couldn’t understand.
I’d felt the very same thing.
That was dangerous to my career.
Hell, that was dangerous to my love life. Who was I kidding? Settling down wasn’t going to happen. That meant if by some crazy chance she was my mate, I’d need to fight the urge to protect her. This was such a bad idea.
I scrubbed my jaw as I climbed from my truck.
As soon as I did, I scanned the area, searching for signs of another human.
There were a few cars in the parking lot, which surprised me.
Granted, it was springtime in Chicago. Between the budding trees and beginning of pollen as well as the awakening of various animals and mating of birds, the scents were overpowering.
I could understand the need to practice sensible hunting.
That’s not why I was here.
I needed to get the scintillating blonde off my mind. If not, there was no telling what I’d do to her.
After locking the truck, I headed to the men’s locker rooms located on the outskirts of the property.
They were state of the art, rivaling those inside the stadium.
Complete with showers, a weightroom and boxing arena, a sauna and pool, and even a coffee shop, a wolf could spend a couple of hours burning off steam, shower, grab a refreshment, and be back to work in a flash.
I headed to my locker, pressing in the combination. As soon as I opened the door, I noticed a familiar face.
“Jacob. Good to see you, man. It’s been a long time.” I threw out my hand for a shake. His was covered in mud from recent rains. He’d obviously just returned from foraging the forest. He looked relaxed and at peace with himself.
Hell, even his complexion was much better than the last time I’d seen him.
“Jesus, Saint. I thought you forgot about your old running pack.”
I laughed as he pumped my arm up and down. “Nah. Just busy. What have you been up to?”
I yanked off my shirt, tossing it into my locker.
“You’re looking at the new vice president of Wingate Hospitality.”
“You’re shittin’ me!”
He shook his head. “Can you believe it?”
“I bet Julie is thrilled.” I hadn’t thought about it, but he’d found his mate just eighteen months before. I’d stopped by their wedding reception after a game. They’d seemed so happy. I tossed my shoes into the bottom and unfastened my belt.
Not for me. Nope. Not a chance.
Jacob shook his head and opened his locker, pulling out a toiletry bag.
“Now we can finally make the down payment on the house she’s had her eyes on. You know what comes next. Cubs.”
I made a face and even used both index fingers to make a cross. “Better you than me.”
“Oh, come on. It’ll happen to you one day. When you least expect it, you’ll gather a whiff and that will be it. All you’ll be able to think about is finding the source of the sweetest scent on the face of the earth.”
“I think if that happens, I’ll just look the other way.”
After slamming his locker shut, he headed toward the shower room.
“You’ll learn you can’t do that. If you try, you’ll become so crazed that staying human will become next to impossible.
When you finally hook up, the two of you will be rooting around in the mud like primal beasts.
It’s really the best feeling in the world. Completely letting go.”
He had a goddamn dreamy look on his face. “You’re making me a little sick here, buddy.”
We both laughed. “I hear ya, but you can’t fight nature. Better hop into the shower. Big meeting with the new bosses in an hour.”
“Good luck.” I ripped off my jeans and boxer shorts, tossing them on the second shelf.
“Yeah, thanks. I can’t disappoint my baby girl.” He started to walk inside then stopped, leaning around the corner. “What are you doing here? The last time we talked you said you had no interest in your wolf side.” He lowered his voice to a deep baritone when mentioning the last two words.
He was right. I’d said those very words.
“Just blowing off steam. Nothing more. Big game coming up.”
“Ah. I get it.”
“What?” I took off my watch and closed the door, giving him a hard look.
“You’re in a rut.”
I cocked my head and glared at him. He wasn’t talking about a heavy state of boredom. He was talking about being in a heightened hormonal state. “Not true.”
He took a deep whiff. “I say otherwise. I think you need the good luck. She’s out there. Just keep your eyes and ears open.”
Still chuckling, I waved him off and headed toward the door leading to the series of pathways.
Once outside, I stretched, taking my time doing so.
And lo and behold, I couldn’t get the voluptuous beauty off my mind.
However, I wasn’t ready for, nor did I need a mate.
That would put a serious stake into my career.
My reputation meant everything to me. I was a playboy, a rogue. A man of adventure.
Having a mate would only tie me down.
Nope. I just wasn’t going to allow it to happen.
I headed toward the forest, waving to a couple of other pack members I’d met a few times. Hopefully running free would clear my mind.
As soon as I hit my favorite patch of woods, I dropped down to the balls of my feet, closing my eyes and started the breathing exercises I’d been taught as a pup.
With light breeze tickling my skin, the need to shift became more intense. The first crack of my bones was always painful and always would be. But the slight anguish quickly shifted into pure euphoria.
My wolf began to take shape. I lifted my head, taking a deep whiff of the scents of the forest. I’d forgotten just how exhilarating being in a primal state could be. After several electric jolts, my snout formed and the odors became even richer.
As soon as the transformation was complete, I stood on all fours, scanning the forest doing nothing more than enjoying the moment of feeling free.
Just before I took off running, I envisioned Lily’s face.
“Okay, Lily flower. What do you want me to do again?”
Even behind her dark shades, I sensed her fury. It had a distinctive scent like lust or fear. She was energized by her annoyance of me. That alone was enough to make my day.
She’d grilled me for almost an hour on my clothing selection, highlighting pictures she’d found from years before.
At least I’d gotten a good laugh when I’d asked her if she wanted to go over my underwear choices and she’d sputtered with words backpedaling so fast I was shocked her head hadn’t spun.
She was even more beautiful when she blushed.
And I planned on doing that to her as often as humanly possible.
Ha.
Human.
“Do you see that track right there? The one with lines and numbers?”
“Uh-huh. I just forgot what I’m supposed to do.” Teasing her was also a blast.
“Just run. Like you normally would. Go for a jog. I’ll time you.”
I had to laugh. What in God’s name did she actually think she was going to accomplish? In her hand was an old-fashioned stopwatch. Why not just use her iPhone that was attached to her hip? She also had a clipboard and pen, ready to write down my numbers. Maybe this could be a little fun.
“Okie-dokie. I think I can do that.”
“Okay. Get on the mark,” she instructed.
I did as I was told.
For now.
“And… Go.”
I took off jogging, although fourth graders could outrun me, as slow as I was going on purpose. She allowed me to do a full lap and when I stopped, I wiped my brow with the back of my arm for dramatic purposes.
“Whew. That was tough,” I told her.
“Very funny. At this rate we’ll be here all day until you get it right. I guess you’ll have to tell your coach why you missed practice.”
Sighing, I squinted at the sun and pulled the sunglasses hanging around my neck to my face.
“Okay. I’ll do it again.” The few things that I found most difficult to control all involved exertion.
When I slipped into a zone, it took every ounce of training not to fall prey to my wolf strengths.
That included running. That’s why if I had any desire to take a jog, I did so at the compound.
Even that was rare. It always ended up in shifting and if I’d been wearing jogging clothes, they were ripped to shreds.
The scent was even stronger today, which meant I would find it even more difficult to control my instinctive needs. By the way she was staring at me, I could tell I wasn’t going to get by with faking it but so much. But I had to try, or this gig would be over before I knew it.
Lily held up the stopwatch, cocking that pretty little head of hers. “Ready?”
“Sure thing.”
“Go.”
I took off running, trying to hump out a pace that would seem typical for a star athlete. For reasons I’d blame on her, I found it next to impossible. But I tried. I was halfway around the track when suddenly, she was right there beside me.
Casually looking over, I grinned and kept up with her pace.
“This is running?” she asked. “My grandmother could run faster than you.”
“What about you?”