My nose leads me to her bags, stashed behind a tree beside the garage. Since she couldn’t find her keys and didn’t want to have to come back inside to get her things, she figured she’d put them somewhere within easy reach.
Her scent trail goes from the suitcase and gym bag up to the top of the driveway and then left, which won’t take her back toward the four corners of Arcana Falls. Instead, the road runs about two miles to a dead end. Beyond that, there’s dense forest that goes on for miles. Forest that the whole pack uses for our runs.
As soon as my feet hit the road, I shift to wolf.
And at the dead end, I see her. Liquid lust shunts through my veins when I spot her in her pink jacket, jeans, and sneakers. Her dark hair is pulled into a high ponytail, and she smells like berries. And me.
She’s heading back toward our house, and she looks flushed and flustered. She realized she chose the wrong direction, saw the dead end, so now she’s either doubling back intending to go past the house, or I’d wager heading back to my house to look for her keys again.
She sees me. And she startles, eyes widening.
And the fear scent emanating from her, it becomes primal for me, striking that liquid lust like a match.
She spins the other way and takes off down the ditch toward nothing but forest that’ll eventually take her to the shoreline of Chariot Lake.
Running from your mate, Amelia Quinn? That won’t do.
I sprint after her and when I get to the top of the hill, I skid to a stop. Instead of overtaking her immediately, I decide to watch… see what she does.
She’s going sideways down the muddy embankment, taking little steps, trying to prevent herself from taking a tumble. She’s breathless and unsteady on her feet. I can hear her heart racing from here. She glances back at me and huffs, then tries to hurry, but slips, grabs a tree branch to slow herself and then grunts as she slides some more until she gets to the bottom, stumbling, righting herself and then she turns to look over her shoulder and trips, falling onto her back, which makes me sprint.
She’s hurt. Vulnerable. Mine.
I pounce, landing on top of her without any of my body hitting her. Instead, I cage her in with my front paws on either side of her face.
She screams right in my face, a scream so loud and shrill, my fur blows back.
I squeeze my eyes shut tight until it stops.
When the screaming finally stops, she breathes, “Oh my God, no!”
My eyes open. She’s staring at me in horror.
She broke the skin on her palm with the tree branch. I sniff her palm and then lick the blood away. This makes her shriek in fear.
I sniff her throat and then I slowly lick her face from jaw to temple.
“Wh-what the fuckity fuck? Mason?” she asks, cautiously.
I put my nose to her claiming mark before I shift back to man. I then watch her eyes transform from afraid to angry.
“It is you,” she snaps.
Now I put some of my weight on her. Weight that’s a hundred or so pounds lighter than my wolf form. I lick her throat. “Of course it’s me. You thought it was another wolf following you? You didn’t recognize me? Not many pure white giant wolves walking around.”
“And how would I know that?” she hisses.
Her face is red.
“I guess you wouldn’t,” I say. ”My wolf’s coloring happens to be uncommon.”
“Well, good for him,” she snaps.
I smile. “Not to mention, you carry my scent. Another wolf coming near you with anything but the intention of helping a lost little lady getting back to her mate would have a death wish.”
She says nothing.
I growl, reacting to my manufactured hypothetical situation, imagining any wolf getting near her with carnal intentions, feeling my teeth flex as if I’m ready to shift. I beat it back. This reaction must be coming from the fact that it’s been too long since I fucked her. Time to rectify that.
Her eyes are wide, but interestingly, her panties are also now drenched.
“But next time, look into my eyes.” I caress the apple of her cheek with my thumb, finding that touching her soothes me. “You’ll know it’s me.”
“What if it isn’t?”
“Then it’s a direct challenge. Probably not a great idea to look a wolf in the eyes if he’s not your mate.”
Her pretty eyes narrow. “How does that make any sense?”
I shrug. “Guess it’s better you don’t go wandering out in wolf territory alone then, huh?”
“You’re infuriating.” She grinds her molars.
“Am I?”
Her expression softens as she looks away from me and I can tell I’m not infuriating at all. Not that she’ll admit it.
“Out for a morning stroll?” I ask, twirling a wavy lock in her ponytail around my index finger.