Running Wild

by Kristen Strassel

  Her face brightened. “Could they use him?”

  “We’ve got a kicker. It doesn’t work like that. Gunnar’s been out of the game for a while. It’s not the same as playing pickup games in town.” I’d work all season to keep my body strong enough to withstand the punishment I put it through every week. I’d lost too much time to my knee injury, and I had to work twice as hard to get back on track. Although training had been much easier since I stopped ignoring my wolf.

  “I bet he’d love to come see you play.” She sat up, brushing her hand against my cheek. “I can’t wait, now that I know what this body is capable of.”

  “That’s only for you.” Every part of me—wolf and man—wanted her again.

  “Well, duh.” She leaned in for a kiss. “What I really want is to watch you play with everyone around me screaming for you. It will be that much hotter because I know that you’re mine.”

  Fuck yes. “Thought you weren’t good at this forever thing.”

  “I’m terrible at it.” She was still so close she was blurry. “But I have a really good teacher.”

  “Ready for your next lesson?”

  “Always.”

  Shit, I forgot Naomi said this bra was her best one until I broke it in half. I’d buy her more. Whatever she wanted. She writhed underneath me as I teased the hard nubs with my tongue. Her nipples were sensitive, or she was getting more comfortable with me. As good as round one had been, it was only going to get better as we got more comfortable with each other—body and soul.

  She tensed when I ran my hands over her soft belly. She wouldn’t look at me.

  “You’re beautiful,” I said. “Fucking perfect.”

  She nodded, but didn’t meet my gaze, and I could scent her trepidation. My wolf did not approve.

  “Look at me, Naomi.” My hands rested on her stomach. She hesitated before turning back. “This is beautiful. You are beautiful. And mine. Remember that forever thing? You’re only going to get more beautiful.”

  “Like I said, it’s a learning curve.” Her voice was as soft as her curves. “My teacher has his work cut out for him.”

  “I hear he’s pretty smart,” I said. “You should really listen to him.”

  She nodded again, more convincing this time. “I will.”

  I parted her legs and lowered my mouth between them. If I couldn’t convince her she was beautiful with words, I could sure as hell make her feel that way.

  Wanted.

  Desired.

  Mine.

  I flicked her clit with my tongue, loving the little noises she made. She was trying to hold back, keep herself together. She’d do anything to keep herself from coming apart, but that was exactly what she needed. To let herself completely break, and be rebuilt piece by piece. Not as the girl everyone told her she was, but as the woman she truly wanted to be.

  I knew how fucking hard it was, and that was why I wanted it so badly for her. If she could do it, I could, too.

  Naomi cried out, unable to hold back any longer. But I didn’t let up. No. I was going to ride this climax with her. I wanted to see how high I could take her, and how much further we could go together. Breaking her apart, with her release sweet on my tongue, would put me back together.

  “WHAT’S THE PLAN FOR your day off?” Landon walked out with me after practice. “Didn’t you say Naomi had a travel blog? The two of you should take a day trip.”

  “She does. Naomi Harts Travel.” I couldn’t fucking believe he remembered. “We are. I wanted to talk to you about that.”

  Landon narrowed his eyebrows. “Yeah?”

  “I’m going home. To Faraway Island, for the first time since my pack drove me out, to see my best friend. I need some reinforcements against my brother’s pack.” I needed someone to tell me this was the right thing. It couldn’t be Naomi, she was too emotionally invested to see right and wrong.

  “Is anyone expecting you?” Good question. I had to go home. Show my pack and everyone else who lived on Faraway Island that I wasn’t afraid of my brother or my past. That the people of the island belonged to me as much as I did to them.

  “Gunnar, my best friend. But I’m not sure my brother is alive anymore.” There’d been nothing since the night in the forest. It wasn’t like him to give up, although it was like him to lie in wait and take advantage of weakness.

  Landon nodded. “Because of the fight the other night?”

  “He was in bad shape when I left him.” I ran my hand through my hair and looked off at the horizon. Across the bay, the barrier islands were in sight. It gave me a sense of pride to see the snow-capped mountains that looked like they rose straight out of the ocean. It hadn’t been an easy place to grow up, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. “No word from his pack since.”

  “You’re out of your mind if you’re trying to settle a score. But if you’re going home for the right reasons, nothing will stop you. And only you know that answer, Sebastian. What if it were Naomi in the same situation? What would you tell her to do?”

  “How’d you know?”

  Landon raised an eyebrow. “That’s she’s your mate? Because you’ve settled into your game since you met her. You’re comfortable with who you are. On and off the field.”

  I nodded. “I’d tell her to go, and that I had her back. That she shouldn’t spend her life wondering what could’ve happened if she’d taken a chance.”

  “You’re a leader. Coach is talking about making you one of the co-captains. We believe in you, Sebastian. Don’t do anything stupid off the field to fuck it up.”

  I WOULDN’T HALF-ASS this trip to Faraway Island. My mate was coming with me. She was part of me now. Naomi got out of the SUV as soon as the ferry left the dock, her pink ponytail blowing in the breeze, angling herself on her crutches while taking pictures of everything.

  “Want me to hold the camera while you talk?” I asked after she’d turned around the lens and angled it at herself, telling her followers what we were up to. As much as she could.

  “My readers actually react more when it looks a little messy. They’ll love the crutches. If it’s too perfect, they think I’m traveling with a crew or something.” She laughed. The camera crew was here. My mate had a pack, too. “I have the girl against the world mantra—that a single woman, not that I’m single anymore—can absolutely travel alone. That no one should let not having anyone to go with them stand in the way of a good time. It doesn’t take a million bucks either. They know about the reality show. And I’ve been teasing them about you.”

  “Oh yeah?” My wolf liked that, but it was on point as we sailed closer to the danger zone. “What did you tell them?”

  “That Alaska is the most romantic place I’ve ever been. That it’s the place to be if you’re looking for love and adventure.” Her lips curled into a smile, and she settled against the railing. “I want a picture of us, like this. Not for the blog. For me.”

  She didn’t have to say just in case something happened. She felt it, too.

  You’ll win this fight for her, my wolf said. Your mate can’t be afraid of anything—especially when it comes to your sorry ass.

  I motioned for her to come closer. She hopped on her good foot, her crutch clanging against the railing. “Almost lost one of those. I would’ve had to carry you.” I put my arm around Naomi to steady her before picking up the crutch.

  “I might like that.” She laughed as we posed. Naomi tried to smooth herself out, playing with the angle of the camera. “I can’t get it right.”

  I grabbed the phone and snapped the picture. The windblown candor was the best part. It was too close up and cut off, but she was stunning.

  She took the phone back and examined the picture. “I actually love it. Because it’s so...us.”

  Faraway was one of the outermost islands, and the western coast offered no shelter from the punishing winds off the ocean. Civilization had pushed my pack back there—because we didn’t adapt. That’s what it was about. Not keeping everythin
g the same, but growing and making what we had better.

  I was used to the harshest conditions nature had to offer, but I had no idea what I’d find when I stepped off the boat.

  Naomi asked me to take pictures of her for the blog. My mate knew exactly what I needed. A beautiful distraction. She led me all over the boat, directing me to snap pictures of everything. Especially the mountains of Faraway Island as they approached.

  “Are you okay, Sebastian?” She startled me with her hand on my arm. I’d been staring at the mountains over the camera. “We don’t have to do this. We can stay on the boat until it goes back to the mainland. You have everything you want. The team. Me. You don’t need the approval of a bunch of asshole wolves.”

  I laughed. “I do. I can’t explain it, but I do.”

  “It’s a wolf thing.” Naomi took a deep breath. “I’m going to talk to Tessa. Make sure one more time she understands that she can’t intervene. No microphones in our faces.”

  It was risky, acting like this was business as usual—letting Naomi record the trip for her blog and having the camera crew set foot on Faraway Island. But this was me. They needed to accept all of me, including the fact my mate came with an entourage.

  And they’d fall in love with Naomi, just like I did. How she looked at everything like an opportunity.

  Naomi took off, weaving between seats and clusters of people until she got to the camera crew. She’d gotten fast on those crutches. She waved a crutch at Tessa like she considered using it as a weapon.

  She’s wild, my wolf said. Just like you should be.

  “We’ve already talked to them.” I jumped out of my skin when Landon came up behind me. He was grinning, surrounded by our offensive line. The guys who protected our asses every single play. Including this one. “I gave them a quick tutorial on pack politics. Don’t know the specifics on yours, but the basics never change. They understand to stay out of whatever happens today.”

  Man, was I glad to see these guys. Knowing they were coming wasn’t the same as realizing they really had my back. I’d do whatever it took to return the favor. “Then what’s the plan?”

  “Naomi’s going to introduce you on the blog. A cute little homecoming piece.” Landon’s gaze landed on Naomi, who didn’t appear to be getting whatever she wanted from Tessa. “Tessa’s giving her a hard time because it’s good TV when she’s riled up. We’re here to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

  “My old pack might not see it that way.”

  “They’ll consider it a threat the minute you step off this boat, no matter who you have with you. If you ask me, the crew helps your cause. They’ll think twice before they attack.”

  “I guess I have a pretty fucked up idea of security.” I gripped the railing as Faraway Island came into view. I didn’t recognize it at first, the entire shoreline dotted with new buildings. Everything had changed while I was gone. My brother couldn’t rule humans with an iron paw. He would’ve had to bend to their laws and traditions.

  I hated that as much as I knew he would. This was our island, and it was meant to be wild.

  Naomi shook her head and rolled her eyes as she approached, then stopped short when she saw I had company. “She’s a pain in my ass.”

  “She’s going to make you a star.”

  Like the football team was my pack, the crew and the other Werewives were hers. She hadn’t realized it yet. It might not seem like it, but they had her back.

  Chapter Nineteen

  NAOMI

  My brilliant ideas often wound up blowing up in my face. Never surprised me when it happened. I’d dust myself off with all the pride I could muster—there was something to be said for making a fool out of myself on the regular, the burn of embarrassment faded after a while. The Naomi being Naomi mantra didn’t come out of nowhere, and I learned to embrace it. But usually, I was smarter than to let other people get close to the impact. I hadn’t learned how to protect them from the imminent implosion.

  I should have let Sebastian come here alone. But he was right when he said we were alike. I was willing to bet he was sick of facing everything by himself, too. And have everyone waiting for it to go wrong once again. He’d never admit that he needed me here.

  But I knew. Because I needed him as much.

  So I suggested we make it look like he wasn’t there looking for trouble. That we make it a fun day—I’d explore for my blog, and he could see Gunnar. Act like the pack didn’t exist. I wasn’t being fair to Sebastian. I had a feeling he couldn’t say no to me, even when my recklessness led him into more trouble than he’d find on his own.

  It was another thing we had in common. Trouble found us both.

  “The pack can’t attack with the camera rolling. Or with the Bloodhounds in tow.” I grinned at a guy with a gray beard that looked like he might be a little too old to still be playing football, but his demeanor said otherwise. He was a wall of solid muscle and with his arms crossed and his eyebrows furrowed, anyone who messed with him was clearly on a suicide mission.

  “This is my pack.” Sebastian motioned to the wall of muscle behind him. “I’m bringing them home.”

  I gave the guys a finger wave. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, boys.”

  That got a laugh out of everyone but Sebastian. I took a step closer to him, not easy to do when I was on crutches without crashing into him. He put his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head, but his gaze was fixed on the island. The ferry was about to dock, and Faraway Island was close enough to reach out and touch.

  “I understand why you have to do this,” I said softly. Of course, I was mic’d for sound, and I had no secrets to keep from anyone. Soon, the whole world would know how this played out, for better or for worse. I loved and hated that the show was being so honest—that finding your mate didn’t automatically mean getting your happily ever after. It was just the beginning of the fight. “Nobody’s ever taken me seriously, either. They told me to follow my dreams, but when I did it, they said I had my head in the clouds. No one could understand why I couldn’t settle for what they had. Why I couldn’t be like them.”

  “Because you thought being yourself would make them better.” Sebastian finished the thought for me. “But no one could understand why you wanted more than you had.”

  I kissed him. “Exactly.”

  “There’s no guarantee they’ll ever understand. Chances are good they’ll think I’m here to start a fight. And a little piece of me wants that. It’s a fight I can win, now.” His body rumbled, and his wolf was ready for whatever came next. “But it’s not why I’m here. I want to show them what could be if they let go of the old ways that have held them back.”

  “You’re going to be amazing.” The only way to convince him was with another kiss. His hands were warm under my jacket.

  “Hey loverboy, get in your car.” The guy with the gray beard pried us apart. “Or else we’re going to Faraway Island without you.”

  I rolled my eyes, but I finished it with a wink. “This guy always telling you what to do?”

  “Yeah. Landon’s my quarterback.” Sebastian led me back to the car. “It’s his job to look for opportunities for me.”

  He drove the SUV off the ferry and parked in the middle of town.

  “Just confirming we’re sticking to the original plan.” Tessa had kept a close eye on us on the ferry. There was no hiding Sebastian had his doubts. As much as I’d never let her know it, I appreciated that she was willing to work with us.

  “Yeah, we are,” he said. “You stay with Naomi. Me and the guys will take care of any pack problems that arise.”

  We’d been given explicit instructions to make ourselves scarce if the worst-case scenario unfolded. Sebastian had been tense since we woke up this morning, like he was priming himself for just that. I thought by coming I was making it better. A pack would have to be on a suicide mission to attack a reality show crew. But now it felt selfish, being here. Like I’d destined the trip to fail.
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br />   “You’re going to be great.” I gave him the best smile I could manage and hoped he believed it.

  “I couldn’t do this without you.”

  Faraway Island might not look like home anymore to Sebastian, but so far, I loved it. They’d built it up to look like an old-fashioned frontier town, with wooden facades and painted signs on the storefronts. Pine trees had begun to mature on the sidewalks, and shoppers sat on benches, enjoying coffee and snacks. “This place is adorable. Will you film me on one of the benches?”

  This was the plan. I was here to film for the show and the blog. Sebastian was not looking for trouble. I hobbled into the coffee shop and got a hot cider, which was hard to juggle with crutches. These things should come with cupholders. I wished I’d thought to wear a cute knit hat and matching scarf, but it was one of those warm fall days, and I would’ve wound up sweaty with hat head. Not the look I was going for. I took a deep breath and adjusted my hair, waiting for Sebastian to get the camera ready.

  He was so beautiful. In his plaid jacket with his dark curls blowing in the breeze, he belonged here, whether he believed it or not. The sun splashed between the pine needles, casting shadows on his face, and lighting up those eyes. They were usually only bright in the heat of the moment, whether it was in the bedroom or when he was in danger.

  Or maybe it was when he really wanted something. I had a hard time remembering what I planned to say with this gorgeous man looking at me.

  “Hey, travelers! My Alaskan adventures continue. Today I’m in stunning Faraway Island, which is about as far as you can get from the US mainland. My sources tell me that until recently, this island was uninhabited by humans and totally wild. Let’s see what trouble we can kick up.” I winked at the camera and took a sip of my cider before I looked up at Sebastian. His eyes were definitely glowing. “You can stop recording now.”

  “You’re a natural at this.” He kissed the top of my head when he handed me my phone. “No wonder they want to keep you on the show.”