62. Riley
Riley
My wolf stopped panicking the minute we heard the distinctive snarl. She recognized the second predator— mate.
Was Tank here? My heart pounded in my chest as I crouched in the shadows, trying to ignore the fact that I was now naked after shifting back.
We should go fur again, I told my wolf. Being furry was less embarrassing than flashing my bits at Tank’s wolf, and besides, I was in danger of freezing to death.
But to my surprise, she didn’t engage. Instead of surging forward, she rested her nose on her paws and closed her eyes.
A loud roar echoed through the chapel, followed by snarls and growling. I desperately wanted to go see what was happening, but fear locked me in place.
The coppery scent of blood tinged with rot filled the air, and I heard a pained whimper. Oh my goddess, was Tank’s wolf wounded?
Something hit the floor with a loud thud, followed by silence. Dust motes danced in the air as the moon came back out, and after a minute, a bird cawed from somewhere above me before fluttering down on inky wings.
“Is the bear dead?” I asked the crow. Yeah, I’d lost my mind.
“Yes, it’s dead,” a deep voice rumbled. Stars, I’d made a mistake. It wasn’t Tank’s wolf I heard—it was Tate Montes’s beast. “You can come out now.” He sounded faintly amused.
“I can’t,” I replied. “I lost my clothes when I shifted. Please go. I’ll be fine.”
“I can’t leave you,” he gritted out. “My wolf won’t let me.”
What did he mean? When I peered over the top of the crates, he stood a foot away, naked and very bloody. I tried very hard to keep my eyes on his face, but stars, it was difficult.
Tate, like the other alphas, was goddess-blessed with a physique that would put a Greek statue to shame.
“I don’t need a bodyguard,” I huffed, mostly to distract myself from the lust snaking through my body. The longer the alpha stood there, the harder it was to fight my biological instincts.
“Oh, I think you do, little wolf,” he growled. “That bear would have killed you if I hadn’t been around.”
My wolf whimpered and whined inside me. The shameless hussy had decided now was an excellent time for the alpha wolf to mate with us, and she wasn’t shy about letting me know. And from the way Tate’s eyes glowed gold, his wolf read the fuck-me-now pheromones my wolf was throwing out there.
The air between us pulsed, making it difficult to think straight. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. The coppery taste helped clear my feverish brain.
Forcing down my embarrassment, I stood, my skin hot and itchy. It was now or never. Naked or not, I needed to get the fuck out of here before I did something regrettable. Like fall on the alpha’s dick.
But before I could shoot past the naked alpha wolf, his hand shot out.
“Where do you think you’re going, little wolf?” He pulled me against his hard body, and I squeaked like a scared little bunny. Not my finest moment, but this wolf was dangerous. He wore the blood of the bear who’d tried to eat me.
Our vicious mate, my she-wolf purred, delirious with excitement.
“I’m cold and tired, and I need to get back to…school.” A soft scoff greeted my lie.
“You don’t feel cold to me,” he said, tracing a path down my back, making me shiver. And not from the cold.
“Look, please let me go.” I hated the way the words came out all breathy. This wasn’t like me. Hormones? The moon’s influence?!
Twice this evening, I’d succumbed to the allure of an alpha wolf. First Tobias, and now Tate. Tank too, if we counted me not kicking his wolf in the head when it stuck its nose up my dress.
“You should probably take a shower,” I suggested as the alpha pressed his nose into my neck. “You smell…” I wanted to say terrible, but he’d know it was a lie. Honestly, the stupid wolf smelled fucking amazing, despite the sickly sweet scent of blood and rot lingering around us.
His natural scent, which I inhaled like an addict, filled the air. Musk with notes of fresh pine. Delicious. The sort of smell I could easily get hooked on. Was already addicted to in the worst way.
Stars, I must have inherited my mother’s addictive personality. Was Tate’s intoxicating scent a gateway drug? If so, I needed to book a stint in rehab ASAP.
“You smell fucking amazing,” Tate groaned before grazing his sharp teeth over my throat.
I swallowed hard. Something about the way it felt when his teeth touched that exact spot triggered an instinct deep inside my animal brain, and I remembered reading about how alphas bit their mates to seal the bond.
“Burned sugar,” he murmured. “I can’t get enough of it.”
I tried to push him away, but he was an immovable wall of muscle. A thick thigh wedged between my legs, rubbing the swollen part of me that craved his touch.
It was official: I was losing my mind. Nothing about this encounter made sense.
“Did you hit your head?” I blurted.
“What?” My words snapped him out of the trance he’d fallen into. “No. Why would you ask that?”
“Because you’re an alpha wolf and I’m…not.” I wasn’t worthy of a wolf like him. Stars, I wasn’t worthy of any shifter, truth be told. Not with a beast as weak as mine.
My wolf snarled, unhappy at my assessment of her abilities. Before we came here, you barely woke up, I pointed out, trying not to roll my eyes.
“I don’t care,” Tate growled. “You smell like mine, and that’s all that matters.” His eyes glowed pure gold, and I realized too late that even though he hadn’t gone full fur, his wolf was very much in control. And his wolf wanted me.