by Renee Rose
A low growl startled her. Two huge tan wolves closed in on her, fangs bared. The cup clattered to the rocks and she swallowed a shriek.
“Uh… easy…” She took a step back and the two wolves crept forward, teeth gleaming in the afternoon light.
Were they shifters? They must be; they were gigantic. Female shifters.
“I’m with Cody?” It sounded more like a question. She wasn’t sure how much shifters understood when in wolf form. “Easy, girls. I-I’m not infringing on your territory or anything.” Too late, she remembered to drop her eyes and not challenge them.
A movement to her left drew her eyes and she saw three more giant wolves, two black and one tan, watching. They were males. Was this some kind of mating thing?
She held her open palms out. “I’m not a threat, guys.”
One of the female wolves snarled and leapt forward, jaws snapping an inch from where her hand had been before she jerked it back. She stumbled into the spring, back against the rock. Her sneakers soaked through with the freezing cold spring water.
Another snarl came from behind her and silver fur flashed over her head. She screamed as a wolf flew from the rock above her and knocked down the snapping female. The silver wolf took the tan one to the ground and rolled with it, throat between its jaws.
Cody? Yes, his huge, magnificent wolf form was unmistakable.
A horrible, pitiful yelp echoed off the rocks and the female rolled to her back, showing her belly. For one horrible moment, Melissa thought the silver wolf had killed the tan one, but when he pulled back, there was no blood at her throat. He nipped her hindquarters and she lay still, whining.
The other tan wolf had dropped to her belly and now crept forward, also whining. He growled and nipped her as well, then turned and trotted away, in the direction of the cabin. All the wolves fell in behind him, tails tucked as they followed.
Melissa stood frozen for several long moments, willing her heart rate to return to normal. The discomfort of the ice-cold water soaking her shoes finally forced her out of her stupor. She walked on shaky legs back to the cabin. When she pushed open the front door, she found young people had filled the large living area, and more were coming out of the bedrooms in various states of dress.
Two young women stood talking as one pulled on her socks and shoes. The other, a wiry woman with a pierced lip pulled her sandy blond hair into a ponytail. When she saw Melissa, her conversation died on her lips.
Cody stalked from the master bedroom wearing nothing but his faded jeans. His feet were bare, as was his torso and her mouth went dry at the sight of his washboard abs and muscled chest. He wasn’t paying any attention to her, though. The pissed-off wolf stalked over to the blonde. “You don’t ever attack a female under my protection, whether she’s wolf or human,” Cody snarled.
Melissa’s heart took off at a gallop again. Of course this had been the female who had attacked her.
“We didn’t know she was with you,” the woman said with fake innocence.
“Bullshit. My scent is all over her and you know it.” He put his barrel chest in front of the girl and stared her down, the muscle in his jaw flexing.
The she-wolf dropped her eyes. “Sorry, alpha.” It didn’t sound sincere.
The rest of the young people had gathered and stood watching the scene. Cody whirled on them. “What about the rest of you—standing around watching out there? What in the hell is wrong with you?”
The young men lowered their eyes and muttered things like, “Sorry, man,” or “Sorry, alpha.”
“Well, why did you bring a human here?” the blonde challenged. “Is this your… girlfriend or something?” She said girlfriend like the idea disgusted her.
Finally, Cody glanced Melissa’s way, but he didn’t look happy. “This is Melissa. She’s Ben Stone’s sister-in-law. Ben requested pack protection for her and I gave it.”
Of course she hadn’t expected him to claim her as his girlfriend, but his words sliced through her nonetheless. Right, she was an obligation he had to Ben. The glow of satisfaction she’d had at his defense of her died a quick death.
“So she’s allowed to just run out on our mountain during full moon?”
The low growl from Cody was pure animal.
The girl held up her hands, looked away and offered her throat. “I’m just asking.”
“No.” Cody shot Melissa a hard look that made her want to crawl under the floor. “But she answers to me for her actions, not anyone else here. Understood?”
The blonde looked at Melissa for the first time. “He spanks hard, but the fucking afterward makes up for it.”
The blood drained from Melissa’s face and her gut twisted. She’d been so thrown by the wolf dynamics she’d missed the obvious—this girl was Cody’s lover. Or ex-lover.
“Enough out of you,” Cody snapped. He turned around the semi-circle, but no one met his gaze. “If anyone fucks with her again, I’ll put you in your place, and you will not like it. Do you hear me?”
“I liked it last time.”
Melissa had no right to the jealousy burning in her gut, but she seriously wanted to punch the blonde. Of course, she’d be sure to lose any fight with a shifter, which only made her more furious.
Cody’s hand flashed out and he gripped the blonde by the throat, picking her up off her feet. “Shift.”
She choked a moment, spluttering, her hands waving surrender.
Cody didn’t release her, not until her face turned purple and her eyes turned amber. In a flash, she became the tan wolf again, her clothing ripped and torn around her massive form. She issued a whimper.
“Get out.” He pointed toward the kitchen where Melissa had noticed a large dog door cut into the entrance.
The wolf dropped her head and tucked tail, slinking out, the ripped clothes hampering her exit.
A grim expression marring his handsome face, Cody surveyed the others in the room. “Anyone else have a problem we need to work out?”
A quick chorus of “No, alpha” rang out.
“Good. Let’s eat.” Cody turned on his heel and walked to the kitchen.
A torrent of emotion threatened to bowl Melissa over. Shame over the way she’d been marginalized by Cody and the pack. Nervous flutters about her punishment for leaving the cabin and dark jealous fury toward the she-wolf who’d just made her feel so stupid.
Unable to pull her face together, she slipped into the master bedroom and shut the door.
* * *
Cody stalked out to light the grill, scowling at the skulking Lorna below. As if it wasn’t enough just to keep the beast in check around Melissa on the full moon, now he had some crazy pack drama playing out. His pack never had drama.
The group had fallen together easily. They were all in their twenties and he’d been the obvious leader. He’d never had to assert himself with them except in a joking manner. Most of them worked for him with CJ Steele Construction, and they had an easy relationship, with his employees working hard to please him, but knowing he wouldn’t be a hard-ass if they needed slack.
Lorna’s reaction to Melissa had taken him by surprise. He hadn’t had sex with the she-wolf in over a year and they’d never been a couple—it had been gratuitous fucking, usually on a full moon.
He should have warned the pack Melissa would be here. He’d told Greg, his beta, about the alpha promise, and had planned to tell the rest of the pack tonight, since it affected them all. But he wasn’t thinking clearly, hadn’t been since the night he brought Melissa home. She did that to him.
And now he had to punish her for disobedience. On a full moon. When his control was already so close to snapping.
Voices picked up in the kitchen as the tension eased and the group fell into making food together. Greg, the beta of the pack, opened a couple of bags of chips and pulled a twelve-pack of beer from the refrigerator. Mary unwrapped a salad she’d brought.
He stepped in to get the meat, but something made him freeze. Somehow, the scent
of Melissa’s tears had reached his senses. Where was she?
Dammit. The need to soothe her overrode any pack responsibility. Without a word to anyone, he stalked to the master bedroom and pushed the door open.
Melissa stood at the window, looking out. He caught her reflection in the windowpane, and the lost look nearly killed him. At his entrance, she whirled and darted away from him, into the bathroom.
He leaped forward, shoving his shoulder between the door and the frame before she could slam it shut.
“Can’t I just get a little privacy around here?” She wrestled with him, trying to shove him out. He caught her wrists and twirled her to wrap her arms around her chest in a painless restraint, pulling her back against his chest and holding her tight.
“Get out! I don’t want you in here. Why do you never leave?”
He pushed her up against the wall, sandwiching her there between it and his body, his arms protecting her from being squished. She leaned her forehead against the wall, panting. He leaned his cheek against the back of her head, breathing in her scent.
He didn’t know why she was crying—not exactly. And he wasn’t good at handling distraught women—he’d had zero practice. But his instincts demanded he comfort her.
“Are you here to spank me?” Bitterness threaded her voice.
“No.” Her heartbeat tapped through her back and into his chest. Her nearness both calmed and incited his beast. “We’ll do that later.”
“Do you spank them all?” she demanded.
He wasn’t sure if she meant all his lovers or all the she-wolves in his pack, but he answered quickly. “No, baby, no. Are you jealous because of what Lorna said?”
Her little body turned wiry against him, muscles tightening in reaction to his words.
He bit her ear, then laved it to soothe the sting. “You are, aren’t you?” Pleasure swam through him. Good. He was glad she was jealous. If she had any idea the level of desire she inspired in him, she’d know he would tear the head off any man who looked at her twice.
“Go to hell.”
“Baby, that she-wolf means nothing to me. I’ve full-moon fucked her a dozen times over the past few years, and that’s it. It didn’t mean anything and we’ve never been a couple.” He wasn’t sure why he needed to explain it to her—they weren’t in a relationship either, nor did they want to be, but it seemed important she know how things lay.
“Are you going to spank her?”
“Now? No. No way. I made her shift so I could punish her in wolf form.” He turned her in his arms to face him. “I’m sorry she was such a bitch to you. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
Her lower lip trembled and it killed him to see her pain. “How many?”
“What?”
“How many women have you spanked?” Then she shook her head. “Never mind. It’s none of my business. I just want to be alone.” She tried to shove him again. “Will you just go away?”
But it was her business. Her jealousy meant she had feelings for him, and despite his desire to stay emotionally clear of her, he cared about her, too. He wanted to ease her pain over this. “I spanked her once because she pissed me off in bed. She’s mouthy—you saw that. That’s it.” He caught her chin and lifted it, brows knitting as he studied her beautiful face. “She never inspired one-tenth of the hunger I have for you. She never had me this tightly strung, seconds away from losing control every time I got close to her.” He pressed his bulging erection against her belly. “Feel what you do to me. You think you need to be jealous over her?” He shook his head. “There’s no comparison.”
Tears swam in Melissa’s eyes, but they didn’t fall.
Soft and romantic wasn’t his thing, but he did his best, tipping his head down to just brush his lips lightly across hers. “I’m sorry. That was a horrible introduction to the pack. Will you please come out and meet them now? Lorna’s banished outside and the rest are nice.”
She rubbed her lips together and nodded. “Okay.”
Some of his tension eased. He twined his fingers into hers and led her out to the kitchen where at least ten members of his pack had now gathered. “Say hi to Melissa, everyone. She’s a quarter wolf.”
Their interest piqued at that, and Mary, the only other female in their little pack, drew Melissa over, chatting nonstop about the salad and which ingredients she’d bought at the farmer’s market.
By sunset, all twenty-five members of his pack had arrived and the noise in the cabin grew to a dull roar as they mingled and ate in casual potluck style. Mary fed Lorna a few hamburgers, but he refused to allow her to come back in, and only allowed her to join the meeting in wolf form.
He considered asking Melissa to shut herself in the bedroom for the meeting, but decided against it. She’d already been marginalized enough and he wasn’t worried about her sharing their secrets. If she did, he could take it up with Ben Stone.
Chapter Nine
Melissa watched as Cody emerged from the shower in the master suite, hair wet and tousled, the faded jeans and black t-shirt back on. Her pulse sped at the sight of him, so masculine and powerful.
It had been fascinating to watch him lead the pack meeting. He filled them in on Colleen and her kids and told them he’d protect her if she asked for it. His pack seemed less than enthusiastic, pointing out they knew nothing about her, and the very good possibility of a much larger pack coming for her. Cody listened to their feedback, thanked each member who spoke, but maintained his decision, unless something new came to light. He also filled them in on the details of her situation and the pack protection she required. No one spoke against it—probably still remembering Cody’s anger earlier—but from the dark looks many cast her, she understood protecting her wasn’t popular either.
After the pack meeting, the wolves had gone back out to run again. It was midnight now and Cody had only just returned a few minutes before. He hadn’t glanced her way when he entered—in wolf form—nor did he glance her way now as he padded out of the room.
She’d tried to sleep, but the eerie sound of the wolves howling outside made it impossible. That and the thought of her punishment. So she’d been standing at the window in one of Cody’s t-shirts and the panties he’d bought her at Walmart, staring out at nothing for the last hour.
Cody returned to the room, holding a coil of rope, which he dropped on the beautifully carved rustic dresser before turning and leaning against it.
“Come here.”
She wanted to resist, but the girl normally so full of attitude had fled. It had been a long day, and she didn’t understand everything she’d witnessed. She didn’t know where she stood with Cody or why she even cared. And while she’d mustered a great deal of defensive posturing while he’d been out, the memory of the way he’d pushed into the bathroom and crushed her in his arms, face pressed into her hair kept creeping back. As much as she wanted to be angry at him, the emotion wouldn’t stick.
She folded her arms across her chest protectively, but walked over to where he stood.
In a swift movement, he picked her up by the waist and plunked her down on the dresser, inserting his body between her legs. “You disobeyed me today.”
For the first time, her eyes lowered on their own, because she genuinely found his gray-eyed stare too much to bear.
He put a finger under her chin to lift it. “No. Look at me. Tell me why.”
She attempted to speak around the tight band closing her throat. “I was bored. I just wanted a little fresh air and I didn’t think there was any danger of Rabago finding me here.”
She fidgeted with her hands as he considered her for a long moment.
“You’re right.”
Whatever she’d expected from him, it hadn’t been that.
“But it offended the pack to find you on their private grounds.” He ran a hand through his hair, the muscles in his jaw flexing. “I should have explained that to you. I should have thought to bring you something to do and I should have warned the pack
you were coming. I shouldn’t have expected you to obey me when you don’t trust my leadership. I fucked up and I’m sorry.”
She stared, flabbergasted at the apology. Cody looked older than usual, his eyes far more world-weary than his youthful face. The weight of leadership showed in the slump of his shoulders, the tired lines around his mouth. She didn’t like to see him this way. Yes, his normal cocky arrogance goaded her on a minute by minute basis, but she’d take it any day over this.
“Does that mean you’re not going to punish me?”
The corners of his lips lifted. “Sorry, baby. I never promise a consequence without delivering.” He brushed a strand of hair back from her face, then burrowed his fingers into her thick mane, massaging her scalp.
She bit back a moan. God, she needed his touch. It seemed like the full moon affected her, too.
“Do you remember what I said would happen if you disobeyed me again?”
Yes. She remembered. Too late, that defensiveness welled. “You said if I left the other house.”
He gripped her hair and tugged her head back, causing her to cry out, though it didn’t hurt that much. “How am I going to spank you, princess?” he growled.
Tears smarted her eyes from the pain in her scalp, but she pressed her lips closed, refusing to answer.
His free hand came to grip her right breast and he leaned forward and bit her neck. “Say it,” he whispered. He had a particular talent for turning almost any moment between them sexual. As always, her body responded, nipples beading up, heat flaring in her core.
“Your—” She cleared her froggy throat. “Your belt.”
“That’s right,” he purred, tongue flicking her earlobe. To her intense disappointment, he released her and stepped back. “Take off your clothes.”