“I thought it was more English tea with milk though.” She couldn’t help herself with the snipe. As soon as it left her mouth she regretted it and slammed her lips shut.
“You know how milk plays with my allergies. It’s not something that a pure wolf can stand.” Ebony wiggled her nose in a ladylike fashion. “I’m sure Mr. Quinn will understand. I smell the wolf on you.”
“You’re right. I’m a gray wolf.”
“Gray. Popular here in America, I know. Hunter himself is one, although descended from the original wolf shifters. I’m an English wolf. Largely thought extinct by the humans, but that’s not surprising given that there are less than fifty of us left now. A regal breed.” She shifted on her chair, pompous in the knowledge of the superiority of her nature. Ebony had always been like this. It was the one thing that really annoyed Teagan about her. She was stuck up her own ass and wasn’t afraid to let people know when they weren’t to her standard. She often let Teagan know. “Not the same as our Teagan. Wild dogs are everywhere. I swear they don’t believe in contraception. Such a shame that she has to change that way. I could do so much for her if it wasn’t for her breed. She could be married to Hunter’s beta if she were a wolf. You would like that wouldn’t you, darling? An advantageous marriage. Maybe I could see if his omega would take you. It’s the least I can do for my longest and dearest friend.”
She didn’t have the strength to look at Tyler. He probably agreed with Ebony. She was inferior because she was nature’s vermin and thought of less highly, in the shifter world, than a rat.
“It’s been nice to see you again,” she spluttered out. “I’m sorry. I’m not feeling good. Tyler, could you entertain Ebony until her husband is ready to go? I think it’s the stress of the other day. I want to go and lie down.”
“Are you sure?”
Tyler got to his feet. “I’ll come with you, and we can get some of those biscuits that you like. They always make you feel better.” More biscuits were the last thing that she needed. They would just make her even fatter; then she wouldn’t even be considered marriage material for Hunter’s omega.
“No, Ebony needs company. I’m sure there’s lots of wolf stuff you can talk about. Things I wouldn’t know.” She didn’t wait to hear Tyler’s answer but left the room at a rapid pace. She didn’t stop until she reached her bedroom and closed the door on the talk of superiority that she knew was going on downstairs. She jumped onto her bed, thankfully for once not missing or banging her head on something, and curled up into a tight ball to cry.
CHAPTER SIX
Tyler was so glad to get away from that woman. For someone who was supposed to be royalty, and married to an influential alpha, she was an insatiable flirt. He’d spent most of his time trying to dodge her attempts to touch him or flash some part of her body at him. Her rudeness to Teagan, however, was the worst part. How someone could insult a supposed friend like that was beyond him. He needed to check that his little wild dog friend was alright. She’d left so quickly that he knew she’d felt the insult keenly. He knocked on her bedroom door but there was no answer. He tuned into his advanced hearing abilities and soft whimpering caught his ear.
“Teagan. It’s Tyler.”
Still no answer. She was definitely in the room. He could hear her. Normally he would give her space and know that she would come back to them when she was ready, but the fact that she was obviously crying caught in his chest. He felt it tighten. The only way to solve it was to check that she was ok. To give her comfort if she needed it. He put his hand on the door handle and turned it. It opened. Nobody really locked their bedroom doors around here, even when having sex, as he’d found out when he’d walked in on Brayden and Selene once.
“Teagan.”
She let out a sniffle but didn’t answer him. He took a step into the room, closed the door behind him, and went closer to the bed.
“Teagan.”
He reached out and placed a hand on her back where she was curled into a ball.
“Talk to me please.”
She moved on the bed but didn’t look at him.
“I’m tired. I just need to sleep. Maybe I caught a cold when I was down the hole.”
“We don’t catch colds?”
“Maybe I’m the first shifter to ever catch one.”
“Teagan?” Why was she hiding away like this? The wild dog had the strength of all of them put together. She didn’t shy away like this.
“Let me sleep, please Tyler.”
“No.” He wasn’t going away. He kicked his boots off and lay down next to her on the bed. He pulled her towards him and nestled her back into his front. He wrapped his hands around her waist and took a long inhale of her coconut scented hair. She stayed in the spooning position for a minute before she tried to get away from him. He kept her firmly held in place, though, even when her cute little ass wiggled against his hardening cock.
“Talk to me. Don’t run away,” he whispered into her ear. She stilled.
“Why are you here? Why are you holding me like this?” She turned her head so that she could see him.
“Because you’re upset, and I want to comfort you.”
“Comfort not kiss, though,” she moaned.
“Do you want me to kiss you?” he asked, remembering the way they had leaned in against each other after the dancing. He’d wanted to kiss her until he’d seen that girl again. Damn it. He hadn’t even thought. In his haste to leave the room, he’d probably hurt her. Fuck!
“No…” He cut her response off by pressing his lips against hers. She didn’t respond at first but gradually softened and allowed him to taste her honeyed sweetness. She parted her lips with a breathless moan, and he dipped his tongue inside. She was all woman in his arms and consumed all his senses with her genuine nature. He pulled away, pressing a tender kiss to the tip of her nose as he did so.
“Tell me again that you don’t want me to kiss you.”
She still had her eyes shut while she took in what had happened. They unfolded slowly. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried to speak. He kissed her again. A small peck.
“Tyler,” she finally spoke. “What are you doing?”
“Something I should have done the other day.”
“Why didn’t you?” He couldn’t tell her the truth. She would hate him if she knew that he’d killed a human in cold blood. Even if he didn’t remember doing it because he was under the influence of catnip.
“I got scared of ruining things between us. I value your friendship.” He scrambled to make up an answer.
“Can’t we have both.”
“I see that we can now. Just took me a little longer to catch up with you on that thought.” He relaxed as she seemed to be buying his lie.
“Men are always slow on the uptake,” she smirked.
“I’ll make it up to you.” He kissed her forehead. “But first, why are you hiding away in here and crying. I’m guessing it’s something to do with Ebony, but I thought you were friends.”
“We are, she’s my closest friend. I was her bridesmaid when she married Hunter, and we chat once a week.” Teagan had been looking into his eyes, but now she shifted her gaze so that it was focused on the ceiling. He moved his hand up her body, lightly skimming the curves of her breasts, and turned her head so that her attention was back on him.
“Don’t look away. Stay with me and talk to me.”
“Bossy,” she retorted.
“Allow me to be in charge for once. It’s called looking after you.” She rolled her eyes but kept her green orbs focused on his.
“The Glacial Blood pack is legendary in the shifter world. You’ve been a part of it for so long I don’t think you realize just how much.”
“Legendary? For what? Scott’s laziness? Zain’s honey obsession? Or the fact that Kas can clear a room with just a cough, done a certain way, if you piss him off?”
“Well, the last one is certainly well known, but no, you are known for your tolerance of all
the different breeds. Other packs are primarily made up of just one breed, for example wolves, lions, wild dogs, or monkeys. They don’t mix. Cross mating is frowned upon. Look at Ebony, she is pure wolf blood and has been married to pure wolf blood. Same breed. Emma and Scott, though both lions, are different breeds. Selene and Brayden are different shifters, and Brayden is only part snow leopard and human on the other side. It doesn’t happen that often in the shifter community, and if it does people in the elitist packs frown upon it.”
“I’ve never thought about it that way. We are an eclectic mix, and there is no one dominant breed here. We all contribute our own attributes.” He shifted Teagan around in his arms while they were both speaking, so that she could be more comfortable. “My old pack was all wolves. I did think it a little strange when I first arrived here that I was sharing a house with cats, but now I don’t even register them as different unless they’re on the scratching post.”
“And that’s why the pack is so well known. Because you accept anyone.” She smiled warmly.
“But, your old pack was all Asian wild dogs? Surely you didn’t find any discrimination there?”
“Not within the pack, no. The only fighting there was, was about who could jump the highest or had the best tail waggle. But I have faced discrimination all my life. You saw it today.”
He suddenly understood what she meant. Wolves’ noses were definitely stuck up their own asses sometimes, about the superiority of their breed, for they were the stuff of legends in the human world. Nobody talked about a person shifting into a dog. Dog’s were common in most people’s eyes. Wolves weren’t.
“Her comments on wild dogs being common and not believing in contraception?”
“Yes, do you know that Asian dogs are thought of as vermin, not just in the shifter world, but also in the human world? In their native environment they are shot.”
“No, I didn’t know that.” His heart broke for Teagan. He’d seen her shift a few times now, and she was beautiful in her natural state. A rich red fur covered her entire body; her green eyes turning soulful and deeper in color. She was no different to him, in his eyes. How can one be thought of as majestic and the other vermin?
“And the irony is that wolves outnumber Asiatic wild dogs by sixty to one. So how can we be vermin if there are only two and half thousand of us left. The very definition of vermin is something that’s harmful to crops or farm animals. Well, surely there being more wolves, they are more likely to be a danger. We don’t carry diseases like rats do. No, vermin are labeled at us because we are an inferior breed. We don’t have any of the majestic nature of a wolf so we are thought of as nothing.” She sniffed back a whimper again. “I’ve had that taunt directed at me all my life. Words of scum, diseased dog, and freak thrown at me. I’ve been told I’ll never become a good wife to anyone or make something of myself, because I’m nothing. That’s why when I saw the job, with the Glacial Blood pack, I took it. I just wanted to escape that prejudice. I knew I could do that here, and I have. You and the others in the pack have never once questioned my breed. You let me run with you, eat with you, and…” she blushed, “now, at least, you kiss me. Do you know that at Ebony’s wedding all the other wolf bridesmaids sat at prominent positions? I had to sit up the back where I couldn’t be seen. I was so surprised she even asked me to be a bridesmaid, but even that was done out of cold calculation. ‘Oh look, Ebony’s being so kind and giving the wild dog a chance to experience a high-class wedding, because it is something she will never have.’ I’m only fit enough to marry an omega, maybe!”
Tyler’s ire was raising with every word that he was hearing. He’d never thought of Teagan as subordinate to him. She was just Teagan, the fucking sexy wild dog he held in his arms now. How could she think that Ebony was her friend? That bitch was nothing more than a stuck-up flirt. He clenched his fists over Teagan’s waist. She looked down. Tyler was normally good at controlling his temper, but at this moment he needed to punch something. He needed to vent frustration that this beautiful woman thought she’d never amount to anything, because that’s what society had told her. She believed that she had to leave everything that she knew behind to try and escape the prejudice leveled at her breed. He pushed away from her and stood up.
“Tyler?” Teagan sat up as well. Her arms wrapped around her stomach to protect herself.
“Mrs. Windsor’s not your friend. She’s an evil bully. Don’t you ever listen to a word she says. Once I’ve spoken to Kas that bitch won’t be allowed in this house again, unless she kisses the ground you walk on. She’ll be made to grovel in your path and beg for your forgiveness, because you’re a better person than she’ll ever be. As for the others, they’re ignorant fools who know nothing. Humans, shifters. We’re all the same. Put on this Earth by the creator to live. No one person is superior to another. Underneath we are all flesh and bones, that break, and bleed, and die. We all become worm food.” His anger was not diminishing when he spoke. In fact, it was getting worse. He was pacing the room now, his fists still clenched. He needed to do something.
“You killed me.” The words flooded into his head.
“No!” he shouted.
“Tyler?” Teagan was off the bed now and by his side. She lay a hand on his shoulder. He flinched. “Run with me.” She spoke into his back while wrapping herself around his tightly wound body. He didn’t need that invitation twice. They both rapidly removed their clothes. In his subconscious he knew he should be taking note of her beautiful body, but the anger was flowing through his very blood. He needed to run it off. He shifted into his wolf form. Teagan shifted into her stunning and gorgeous wild dog. He nuzzled against her side, and she looked at him, her deep emerald eyes full of emotion as well. He motioned to the door before jumping up on his hind legs and opening it. They stepped out into the corridor and sped through the house, outside, and into the wildness of Glacial National Park.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Tyler was quick, but so was she. Teagan managed to keep speed with the wolf as they jumped over fallen trees in the timberline of the park. White bark pine flashed passed them with squirrels and grouse darting out of their way, lest they get trampled or become a small snack. Tyler stopped every now and then and howled into the air. She joined him as best as she could. Her throat was a little sore from all the crying she’d done. That, mixed with explaining her reasons behind coming to Glacial Blood Park, had left her feeling relaxed, but she understood Tyler’s need to run to vent his frustrations. It actually made her heart flutter a little to see him so affected by her past. He needed to slow down a bit now though. She was still recovering from a broken ankle and was getting a little tired. She pulled up close to a small stream, running through the forest, and took a drink. She wouldn’t drink water from ponds, streams, or lakes elsewhere, but here the water was probably fresher than what came out of the taps. Tyler came back to her and nuzzled against her side.
“Are you alright?” his voice entered her head.
“A little tired. You go on. I’ll wait here for you to come back.” She stroked her muzzle against his gray and brown flecked fur.
“I’m done.” He took a drink as well. “I lost it for a bit then. I’m sorry.”
“Shows you care.” He looked up at her, his ears flicked backwards and forwards, and his eyes narrowed.
“We all care. I meant what I said. Kas will not allow her back on this land until she apologizes to you.”
“I don’t need that.” She tucked her tail under her and sat down on the ground. Her fur prevented her from feeling the cold of the damp woodland floor. Tyler sat next to her.
“Nobody will ever make you feel that way again. You’re perfect just the way you are.”
“Even when I fall over my own feet?” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood, in the hope that Tyler didn’t start needing to run again. She was done with that for the day.
“Especially when you fall over them.” He rubbed his head over hers and then licked at a spot of fur by
her ear. She wiggled when it tickled. She hoped he never found the spot, just under her neck, that made her legs thump on the floor. “I thought you liked me kissing you.”
“I do. I want you to do a lot more of it.”
“Really?” There was a yip of excitement in his voice, and his tail came out from under his bottom and waggled.
“The cabins that Kas rents out to shifters aren’t that far from here. I happen to know one of them is empty at the moment.” The part of the woodland they were in was secluded and off bounds to the general public. Supposedly due to the fact that several of the bigger pines were in danger of falling. The truth was Kas had reserved it for the shifters so that they had a place to vacation without fear of discovery.
Tyler was on his feet and pushing at her side in an instant.
“Horny wolf,” she teased.
“Teagan Holland. Believe it or not, I’ve wanted to be inside you since the moment you first fell at my feet, literally, on your first day here. Up and move.” He stamped his four feet with impatience.
“Men!” She got up and raced after him to the log cabin.
Tyler shifted to his human form, when they got there, and took the key to the cabin from the coded safe that stood outside the door. He unlocked the door and opened it, while she shifted back to human.
“Miss Holland.” He motioned for her to go in. The cabins featured state-of-the-art décor with fully equipped kitchens, surround sound, TV, and Jacuzzis. She motioned with a flick of her finger for him to follow her to the bedroom. Was she actually doing this? She was going to sleep with Tyler Quinn. The man she’d dreamed about for the last three months. Holy Hell. She froze for a second. Sexy, she needed to be sexy. She gave her hips a seductive wiggle before walking straight into the closed bedroom door.
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