Lindon goes rigid and closes his eyes. “Damn you, Hawes.”
“Yeah, you heard me!” Hawes says. “Trees!”
Lindon groans and gets off me, and the door bangs open, Hawes and Fifi behind it.
Hawes folds his arms smugly and grins in satisfaction. “Wow, the mighty Lindon, releasing his pheromones for the first time in like ten years.”
Lindon shakes his head. “I’m just tired that’s all. And she brought food up.”
“Yeah, that would make you all warm and fuzzy.”
Lindon shrugs, and I can tell he’s pulling his cold demeanor around him again like a security blanket. He pulls his reading glasses on and sighs. I sit up, still waiting for my breathing to get back to normal.
Hawes sits at a chair next to the desk. Fifi takes one next to him.
“Well, Misty,” Hawes says. “Looks like we need to tell you a little more about Lindon’s alpha power.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Lindon says, eyes flicking to Hawes.
Hawes shrugs. “You tell her or I will.”
Lindon looks between us, eyes flashing, and then stands up and storms out of the room.
I watch him go. “What the hell was that?” I ask.
Hawes eyes me with amusement sparkling in those orangey depths. “You made Lindon lose control. No one makes Lindon lose control.”
I swallow and place a hand over my heart, which is beating rapidly. Can that really be true? Does it even matter?
“Here,” Hawes says, leaning forward. “I’ll tell you what I know.”
Fifi nods and waits, acting as moral support.
I brace myself for whatever it is I’m about to hear, and try not to think of a whipped cream flavored embrace that was the best of my life so far.
Chapter 7
Hawes opens his mouth to tell me what he wants to tell me, but I put up a hand.
“What?” he asks.
I shake my head, feeling my thick hair coming free of the ponytail holder I had it in. “If Lindon doesn’t want to tell me, I don’t want to know.”
Fifi’s brows lower in frustration, as if the concept of integrity is foreign to him. “But what if it’s important for your safety?”
“Something about Lindon?” I ask, looking from Hawthorne to Fifi. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to trust that if it’s something I had to know, he would tell me rather than hurt me.”
Hawes’ expression darkens slightly. “He has times where…he’s not himself.”
“What part of ‘I don’t want you to tell me’ don’t you understand?” I say. “Look, he’s an adult. And I’m an adult. And he’s entitled to his secrets.”
“Look, normally I’d trust Lindon to just tell you what you need to know,” Hawes says. He sounds so reasonable, I feel a little like a douche for cutting him off like this. But I don’t like talking about people behind their backs. It’s happened to me too many times for me to not know the harm in it.
“But with this, I mean, he plays it close to the chest. Too close. You might end up finding yourself seduced,” Hawes says.
“Only if I want to be,” I say. “I’m sure of that. Besides, you don’t have to worry. He already said that he doesn’t want to mate me.”
“Ah, but did he tell you the consequences of doing things with him?” Hawes asks.
“No,” I say. “What do you mean, doing things?”
“Things like that,” he says, gesturing to the bed, while Fifi stays silent, watching with folded arms and a serious expression. “More than kissing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lindon’s pheromones…” Hawes leans forward. “They aren’t just—”
I put up a hand again, frowning and fighting a clenching feeling in my chest. I’m curious, I admit it. But if there’s something I should know about Lindon I should hear it from him or wait until he feels it’s relevant.
I’m willing to learn all about this world and try to fit into it. But I’m not willing to do it at the expense of the person who has done more for me here than anyone else.
“Please, stop,” I say. “I’m going out.”
“Out where?” Fifi asks.
“Just out. Alone,” I say.
“What do you mean?” Hawes asks. “You know you shouldn’t go out without taking one of us with you. You have your bracelet with you?”
I hold up my wrist with a wry smile. “I have it, but you’re right. Maybe I’ll just go take a nap for now.”
But it’s a lie. Right now, my wolf is bursting out of her shell with energy. As soon as I shake them off and they think I’m safely in my room asleep, I’m heading out my window and going for a run.
I wave at them and they stand and follow me as I go to my room. Almost like I’m some kind of prisoner. I sigh and give them a sarcastic wave and then shut my door without waiting for a response.
I flop on my back on my huge canopy bed and let out a huge sigh. I can see feel heat on my cheeks from my kiss with Lindon. Why did they have to interfere anyway? I mean, sure, we were a little out of control, but nothing would have happened if we didn’t want it to.
I trust Lindon. I do. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have done it already. If anything, it’s going to be my own eagerness for him that’s going to hurt me. And I refuse to hold that against him.
What did they mean about his pheromones, though? I shake my head. There’s no point thinking about it when I just turned down the opportunity to know that information. I scoot off the bed, head dizzy, and go to the window and open it. I stretch, letting my body adjust to the cool air and my full stomach, and look out across the grounds.
A good run is exactly what I need.
I look out the window. How exactly did Thor get up here? There’s a small ledge outside the window, and columns on either side. Even in my wolf form, which I’m not that used to yet, I’m pretty sure I could injure myself.
I look around the room for something I could tie onto a column and use to get down.
If nothing else, I’m supposed to have a pretty durable body, and it’s not that far to the ground. The curtains around my window look pretty good, but the long things trailing from my canopy bed look even better.
I know this is a crazy thing to do, but I simply have to get away from all of this and clear my head. Lindon’s kisses, my feelings for the other men. Everything is getting so complicated, and I feel like I barely know who I am anymore.
And I haven’t had any time to just get used to me, the new me. The one that can run as a wolf under moonlight. It’s what I’ve been wanting since I saw some of the guys running out there like silver bullets.
I grab scissors from my desk and cut the long drapes free from both sides, promising that I’ll replace them for Lindon after I choose a mate and inherit my pack money. I tie them together and tie one side around the column. I was always good at rope climbing in gym.
I step out on the ledge of my window. This is the start of my big adventure. I wrap my hands tightly around the drapes and start down the building, keeping my eyes focused ahead of me rather than down, and scale quickly down the wall and over the ledge. When my feet finally hit the ground, I exhale in relief and transform.
I do it by focusing on that voice inside me. The one that howls when Lindon kisses me and howls when he has to pull away. An incredible feeling surges through me and the next thing I know I’m on all fours, except it feels just like being on two feet. Comfortable. Except that all my senses are heightened. I run forward, toward the tree line, bolting as fast as I can, hoping no one comes to interrupt me.
I want to be alone right now, just a few minutes to myself without even Lindon or Hawes around. And not trapped inside.
And it’s an incredible feeling, the wind blowing by me, the late afternoon sun on my skin, the trees and brush flying by me as I run out onto the grounds toward the thick line of trees up ahead. I slow a little as I reach it, and look into it for a path. When I find one I trot forward, enjoying the feel of bark and leaves a
nd dirt under my paws.
This is the part of me that’s been longing to be free. Maybe I should spend some time each day just getting to know her. Heck, if I spent as much time getting to know her as I did ‘getting to know’ the males in the house, I’d probably have a much easier time picking a mate.
In a way, as I trot through the foliage and into the darker parts of the forest, I feel a lot more like myself. I’ve always been a loner, and being alone like I usually am is a way to recharge.
But Lindon’s kiss…
I stop walking and look up through the trees at the mountains in the distance, and the moon in the blue sky just waiting to rise higher and take over the job of giving light. But right now, just a pale cookie waiting in the background.
Clouds move over the sun, cooling the air around me, and I continue along the path I’m on, finally starting to feel like myself again. Both Bradley and Lindon’s pheromones are finally out of my system.
I hear something, a little snap in the brush, and flip my head up to look around. I can feel my ears move as I listen, and that’s a little weird, but it’s also cool to hear so many things at once. Smell so many things at once. Wind rustling through the trees. Bugs crawling in the grass. Something cooking from the house. What we called breakfast was really more like a late lunch.
When I don’t hear the same suspicious noise, I take another few steps forward. “Hello? Is anyone there?” I call quietly. I don’t want to yell and risk one of the guys coming out and ruining my alone time. But for all I know one of them is out here in the woods, and Lindon probably wouldn’t forgive me for getting in trouble like that. Especially since I left my bracelet behind in my pile of clothing.
Or did I? I look down at my wrist and see that it’s still there, just above my paw, the band stretched easily over my fur. Interesting, well played Lindon. I was too busy trying to transform properly that I didn’t check to see if I’d left it behind.
Oh well, I’m not going to accidentally press the button this time, but at least I have it if I need it and he can’t say I went out unguarded.
Even though I technically did.
I look back toward the house and mentally knock myself on the head for not removing the drapes from the window. Anyone sees those and they’re going to know I’ve gone. I can’t see the mansion anymore so I don’t know how visible they are.
I mentally shrug. It doesn’t really matter.
I take another step and something glitters in the distance. I trot forward and a huge, blue-green pool with steam rising from it comes into view. I lift my head and look around. Did I just hear some wildlife out here and that’s what alerted me? Of course larger life probably visits these hot springs.
I eye the water intently. Looks good. If I transform, I’ll be naked…but maybe I could go in for just a moment.
Then there’s a rustling in the woods. This time behind me. My hair raises on end and I know someone is there. It’s not just a big animal.
Unless you count a male as big animal.
I turn my head slowly, afraid of what, or who, I’m going to see.
Chapter 8
Tim and Tom stand behind me, hidden behind bushes from the waist down. I look up at their tall, dark, handsome silhouettes, overly aware that I’m in wolf form and feel much shorter than them.
Tom is standing slightly in front of his brother, wearing a gray blue tee that’s fitted and comes slightly over the buckle of his dark jeans, which display impressive thighs and long legs. Tim, an inch or two taller, stands behind him in a gray tee and light jeans. He has the same impressive legs, and they both fold their arms and eye me cautiously with those smoky gray eyes.
They are amazing looking men but especially striking together, dark skinned with black curls and striking features. Cleft chins, strong noses, almond eyes. Tim tilts his head and a lock falls over his forehead.
I swallow and take a step back, trying to get a read on their scents.
“Misty?” Tom asks, a small smile on his face that I don’t trust fully. I look down at my watch, wondering if I should run back to the house or not. Technically I don’t see how I’m in any danger yet.
“You okay?” Tim asks.
I can feel my legs start to tremble and I look down at them and growl. I don’t need to turn into a human right now, especially a naked human.
“You aren’t used to being in your wolf form, are you?” Tim asks, coming forward. He places a hand on my head, around my ear, and it feels good and I lean into it. “You know, it’s something that takes practice and strength. You’re going to have to change back soon.”
My eyes widen.
“Look, don’t worry about it,” Tom says. “Not a big deal.”
Yeah, sure. Being naked in front of two super hot, aggressive guys. No big deal at all.
Tom whips his shirt off over his head, giving me a glimpse of perfect, muscled abs and then his whole torso. I flinch away, wondering why they’re getting undressed. Then Tom holds the shirt out toward me, dropping it on the ground when I don’t seem to understand. “You can put that on.”
“Tim, give her your pants.”
I look to Tim, who shrugs and starts taking his pants off. I don’t know who to stare at more. Tom, looking good with low-riding jeans showing off amazing ken doll lines and a beautiful chest tapering to tight abs, or Tim, who is about to expose beautiful, long muscled legs.
I decide to be an equal opportunity perv and stare at Tim. His gaze meets mine for a second, and he smirks slightly and then bites his lip as he slides his pants the rest of the way off and tosses them toward me, standing proud in his boxer briefs.
His thighs are even better than I thought. Tight and long and thick, tapering to perfect knees and then defined, bulging calves. The kind of legs that could probably help him jump to the moon if he wanted to.
Eyeing them, I can’t help but try and put the picture of the two of them together. Facially, they’re nearly as similar as the twins. Tom has slightly sharper features, and a dimple in one cheek that Tim doesn’t seem to have. But other than that and the height difference…
If I just put together Tim’s nearly naked bottom half with Tom’s naked upper half…
Tom laughs and starts to take his pants off.
What the fuck? I take a step back. He tosses the pants down and motions for Tim to follow him toward the spring. Ah, they’re going for a swim. Tim follows, stripping off his shirt in one smooth motion, exposing a taut, wide back strapped with muscle as the two men head for the water.
“You can go ahead and go shift, Misty. We’ll just be taking a swim.” Tom looks back to wink at me. I feel like I’m trapped in the land of the underwear models. But I’m also a little touched. I didn’t expect that they’d be so chivalrous. Lindon had me thinking they were all creeps.
Then again, maybe they know if they pull anything they’ll get thrown out, and the final prize is worth more than any short term benefit of trying to get with me.
I pick the clothing up in my teeth, tilting my head at the scent. Ocean spray. Rain. Aquatics. I inhale deeply and then focus on trying to shift. A quick glance at the guys shows them dipping their toes in the water and looking at each other as they discuss something. Not looking my way at all.
Men like that probably aren’t starved for attention.
My body trembles as I regain my human form, and I sink to the ground next to the clothing, breathing hard. I feel nauseous and a little tired, but I pull the clothing on with a little struggling and move to stand.
But dizziness hits again. Why didn’t Lindon warn me about not staying in my wolf form too long? If it’s something natural, why does it feel so tiring? I lean on a tree next to me, enjoying the piney smell of the forest. The cool air, and the light hint of steam from the spring. A splash sounds and I see Tim’s head break the surface of the pool. He stands and whips his head back, black curls causing water to fly in an arc behind his head.
Then he smooths his hair back with his hands, eyes meeti
ng mine as he walks forward in the spring, an intense gaze in those gray depths, muscles wet and glistening and defined.
Oh. My. Gosh.
A loud laugh sounds from next to him, and my eyes go to Tom, resting lazily at the side of the pool with one leg bent up and an arm sexily draped over it. “Well don’t just watch, come on over, Misty. After all, we’re your potential mates,” he calls out to me, waving a hand.
It’s not a bad idea. It’s cool out here, and I feel chilled and a little bloodless from being tired. The wind isn’t helping. I miss my fur, which was protecting me well.
“Come on, we aren’t going to hurt you. Plus our luscious bodies look better up close.”
I gulp. “I just bet.”
Another warm laugh from Tom. I get the idea that he likes teasing, and that he’s very confident about his body. Very aware that he and his brother are beautiful men.
“You aren’t going to try anything?”
He raises a dark eyebrow and shrugs. “Not if you don’t want us to. Not that I even remember the last girl who turned down a good time with me and my brother.”
I look from one to the other. Tim gives me a slow, sexy wink, and bounces both of his impressive pecs one at a time. It’s like my own personal show.
I think briefly about Lindon, but then lick my lips at the sight in front of me. Two of them. Two.
More than enough, and definitely something every girl should experience at least once if she gets a chance, right? I mean, it won’t be sex, after all. Just a bit of play.
I walk forward, hands over my chest, covering the fact that I have no bra over my substantial breasts. The clearing is beautiful, partly shaded by a canopy of leaves overhead, with foliage all around. The pools are beautiful and clear and blue, and I can see Tim’s legs all the way down in the water. Something I enjoy.
I walk forward, holding Tim’s enormous pants up around me, though honestly just Tom’s shirt would probably cover me adequately. My legs are shaky though, and a few feet from the tree, I start to stumble.
Tom is there in a moment, supporting me and giving me a front row seat to perfect, dark abs and a bare male chest. He lifts me easily in his arms and carries me toward the spring. “This is for your own good, Misty,” he says.
Ultimate Alpha Boxed Set: A BBW and Wolf Shifter collection Page 51