Forever Home (Sawtooth Shifters, #1)

by Kristen Strassel

  Instead, his gaze made me bolder. I traced the entire outline of his mouth, ran my fingers down the bridge of his nose and over the stubble on his chin. He rolled back as I brushed the backs of my fingers along his cheekbones. Now his breath hitched, his chest rose dramatically but didn’t fall. Was it even possible that he was feeling the same way I was inside?

  Shadow had known just what to do. He had to let me come to him tonight. I crawled over and pressed my lips against his. I wasn’t sure if he’d let me in or not.

  He did, his strong arm circling my back, engulfing me in his body. That earthy scent was everywhere as he pulled my bottom lip away and ran his tongue along my teeth. I groaned, everything he did was so sure and seductive. I was going to drown in him if I didn’t come up for air.

  I gasped for breath against his shoulder. “I don’t deserve this.” The pleasure was pulling up too many emotions. The lows had their fists drawn against the highs. Everything was too vivid. “You don’t understand.”

  “No, I don’t.” Shadow stroked my hair, his arm pulling tighter around me. If I had the chance, I’d wriggle free. “You’re a beautiful woman, inside and out. You saved my life. Everything you do makes things better. You deserve to feel good.”

  I couldn’t explain to him why he was wrong. The thoughts made perfect sense in my head, but words failed me every time. The slow rhythm of his fingers in my hair lulled me to a place where I didn’t care so much anymore about all the reasons I shouldn’t let him make me feel better. I wanted this, and I’d let myself feel bad about it later.

  Shadow bumped my chin up, then repeated the motions that I’d woken him up with. It was such a gentle move. My fingers started to explore again, the lines of his neck, his collarbone. I drew away from him enough that I could trace my fingers over the muscles of his chest, his nipples pebbling through the fabric of the T-shirt I’d bought for him.

  The next kiss wasn’t as sweet. We both needed something primal from each other. All the things I couldn’t say dissolved into Shadow’s body, and his touch made them all better. I moaned as he rolled over, his body heavy against mine. There was no denying that he wanted me. I slid a hand between us, stroking his erection. He groaned into my mouth, but he covered my hand with his, guiding me inside his sweatpants.

  “That feels so good,” he said between ragged breaths. We could barely tear away from each other enough to get our clothes off. I’d already known his body was perfect since he’d come into the house after the shift tonight with nothing. And unless his vision had changed after his shift, he’d known what he was getting with me, too. I’d made no effort to hide myself from him when he’d come to my house as a wolf that I was nursing back to health.

  It didn’t make me any less self-conscious. My stomach and thighs felt like pudding when I touched them. I had rolls on my back that only went away if I held my arms over my head. There was no hiding that now. Letting myself go wasn’t exactly the way I’d describe it. Dealing with things the best way that I could was more like it.

  Shadow had no complaints about what he saw. He wasted no time starting his exploration. His mouth was everywhere; long, slow strokes and quick little nips. His hair tickled everything it touched. My skin was so sensitive, my body waking up from a deep slumber. I almost begged him to pay attention to my nipples; they were already rock hard before his lips grazed the tips. The sensation was too much. I cried out, covering my mouth with my hand so the rest of my guests wouldn’t hear, my back curling off the mattress.

  Shadow didn’t stop, instead he sucked harder, painfully slow. He ran his fingertips over the other nipple, the soft sensation in such contrast to what his mouth was doing I couldn’t even think. I writhed and bucked below his body, and our hips began to work in rhythm. Shadow’s hot, hard erection bumped against my thigh.

  “Keep doing what you’re doing,” I gasped. My fingernails dug into his back.

  “You like that?” He tipped his face up so I could just see his eyes. Even in the low light of the room, they sparkled with need and desire and something else I wasn’t familiar with. His fingers slipped between my legs. My body wasn’t keeping any secrets. “I guess you do.” He laughed before I had a chance to answer.

  His fingers were just as tantalizingly slow as he danced and teased the swollen folds of my pussy, swirling around before he actually touched my clit. Waves of sensation rocked through my body on contact. It had been way too long since I’d let myself feel anything like this. Guilt rushed in behind the pleasure. You shouldn’t let him do this to you. You’ve done terrible things and don’t deserve this.

  Oh, shut up.

  I ripped the skin on Shadow’s back and made a quick journey down to his round, perfect ass. Whatever he’d done tonight, I swear it was a Full Moon Fever, he’d made more of a breakthrough than five years of therapy ever had. Than all the time in the shelter. Shadow was the only one who’d ever been able to get me to ignore the demons that had claimed my soul.

  Shadow slipped two fingers inside me, and I didn’t have time to think about any more breakthroughs as he curled them forward, stroking my inner walls. I mewled, the feeling of another human being inside of me while his mouth continued to work my nipple, bringing pleasure dancing to every surface of my existence, was going to break me into a thousand pieces. I’d never go back together the same way again.

  And that was the best thing that could ever happen to me.

  The girl who’d sat on the porch with Shadow, the wolf, tonight would’ve tried to stop this climax from coming. But now, I welcomed it. My inner muscles clamped down on his fingers, but his movements became more frenzied. I rode the waves of pleasure, crying out, clutching Shadow’s back, bringing my fingers to his hair. We’d melted together, our movements a dance.

  I’d barely caught my breath when Shadow rolled up off of me, taking his cock in one hand. “Do you have any condoms?” he asked me.

  I shook my head. “It’s been a...long time since I’ve had to worry about it.”

  He narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t question me. “We can’t get human diseases as werewolves. So you don’t have to worry about that. But I think I can get you pregnant.”

  That got my attention. “You think?”

  “There haven’t been half-wolves in a very long time.” He leaned down and kissed my stomach. His face was troubled, and he didn’t meet my eyes. “But there also are very few female wolves. So if the packs are going to survive...I’m scaring you.”

  “No.” I was actually interested in what he had to say. “Unless you’re trying to get me knocked up tonight.”

  “No.” He laughed, and his whole demeanor relaxed. “If we’re going to survive as a species, we need to adapt. But tonight, I don’t want to think about any of that. I’m so tired of all the bad shit. This is what I’d wanted, all those months locked up and starving, and even once you found us. I wanted to be a man again. You make me feel like a man, Trina.”

  “I feel the same way.” My eyes widened and I laughed so hard when I realized what I’d said. “No! Not like a man. You make me feel like a whole person. It’s been a long time.”

  Shadow nodded, still smiling. “Do you still want to do this?”

  I kissed him, that was my answer. I wanted all of him. He pressed his cock against me and I fell back, welcoming him home. He stretched me slowly, going in deep and pressing little kisses on my cheeks and eyelids before he started moving. He rocked his hips back and forth, his rhythm slow and steady but as need pulsed between us, he thrust harder.

  “Am I hurting you?” he asked. “I know it’s been a long time.”

  And his cock was huge. But it felt better than I could ever explain. I’d had no idea how empty I was until Shadow filled me. “You can’t hurt me.”

  That delicious pulsing was back, my pussy clenching his shaft as he moved inside me. I gave myself completely over to this orgasm, letting the lightning bolts shoot through my body as Shadow fucked me. He kissed me to keep me quiet, absorbing my ene
rgy back into his body, and letting it spur his own climax.

  He pulled out of me before he came. I wrapped my fingers around his pulsing shaft, moving them up and down in time to the frantic beat of my heart. He was already slick from being inside me, and as I lowered my mouth down to his tip, he came completely undone.

  We lay in a heap, tangled in the ruined bed, for a long time before either of us was able to say anything. Our breath slowed from a pant back to normal. Neither of us could keep our hands off each other. In the past, this was always the hardest part for me. The honesty, being totally exposed. But tonight, for the first time in a long time, I felt good. Strong, confident, deserving, and most of all, beautiful.

  “Thank you.” I kissed him on the lips softly. Shadow raised an eyebrow, but his lids were so heavy. Sleep was seconds away from claiming both of us. “You saved me tonight.”

  Thank you!

  I hope you enjoyed reading Forever Home! The story continues through the eyes of each wolf as they find their mate. Rescue Me is Shadow and Trina’s story, and it’s available now! Keep reading for a sneak peek.

  Protect Me, Kiera and Baron’s story, is coming in October and is available for preorder now.

  If you have a moment, please leave a review. To keep up with release dates and news, please visit my website or sign up for my newsletter.

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  Rescue Me—Chapter One

  Trina

  This was going to be awkward.

  My truck was full of men who’d been wolves when my assistants, Kiera and Lyssie, left Forever Home Animal Shelter last night. We’d rescued them two weeks ago from a dog fighting ring and had no idea at the time that they were wolves. With the full moon, the wolves shifted into men like they’d jumped out of a birthday cake.

  Surprise.

  The girls waited for me in the parking lot in the soft fuzz of daybreak. Kiera looked up from the travel mug she never put down in the morning. She should’ve just opted for an IV coffee drip. Her eyes almost fell out of her head when she saw our animal wagon rambling down the dirt driveway. I’d left my beat down pickup truck in the parking lot last night. Given the all the trouble we’d been having at the shelter lately, they were definitely freaking out that I wasn’t there with it.

  “Trina, are you okay?” Lyssie asked, both girls making a beeline to the truck when I parked. “We were just about to call the police. I mean, you’re truck is here, and you weren’t, and the door was locked. Kiera thought maybe you took the work truck to get gas or something, but if you were late, we knew something was wrong.”

  Good thing I was never late.

  Major Lowe snorted in the back of the truck, but the girls hadn’t seen him yet. Playing nice wasn’t his thing, and that’s what I’d asked him to do this morning. I didn’t know him in human form yet, but I’d watched him a lot as a wolf. He was going to think I owed him, even after all I’d done for him.

  He’d have to get over it. I’d never been interested in pissing contests.

  “Yeah. Everything’s fine.” I slid out of the truck, pushing the seat forward so the rest of my passengers could get out. Major and his brother Xavier followed, much to the girls’ open-mouthed shock. They plastered themselves against the dented body of my truck as Shadow, Baron, and Dallas Channing loaded out of the passenger’s side.

  “Wh-What’s going on?” Kiera managed. I didn’t just take care of animals, I helped people get to where they were supposed to be, too. Kiera and Lyssie were with me as part of their rehab from CAST, the Center of Anxiety and Stress Therapy. My therapists had asked me to try working as a volunteer in an animal shelter when I didn’t respond to their treatment, knowing that animals could do something that people couldn’t. It worked, and I opened Forever Home in Granger Falls, Idaho, a town that was sorely lacking many things, including a safe place for animals to find their people. CAST hoped the animals could help Kiera and Lyssie the way they helped me.

  Until last night, I had a much easier time connecting with animals than people. Shadow Channing unlocked a part of me I’d been terrified to face.

  “These are the dogs we rescued from the fight,” I said. “Kiera and Lyssie, meet Shadow, Baron, Dallas, Major, and Xavier.” I didn’t bother with the family names. Let them draw their own lines in the sand. Like I said, no pissing contests on my watch.

  Shadow stepped forward. Even thinned out from captivity, he was six feet of gorgeous, rippling muscle with long black and silver-streaked hair. He flashed that killer smile that made me forget every single one of my hang-ups last night.

  What had I done? Last night, we’d had mind-blowing sex. This morning, we’d barely talked. Now it was time for the freakout. I definitely didn’t regret it (or did I?), but what if he did? He’d been stuck in his wolf form for months, starved, beaten, and close to death. Of course he wanted a woman. And I’d just handed myself over like a White Elephant gift. Now he could have his life back, and he might not want me in it. I hated overthinking things.

  Shadow extended a hand, but Kiera ignored it, scrubbing her hand over her face, and turned to Lyssie. Kiera was not a morning person. “Did we drink last night? Or smoke?”

  Lyssie shook her head but didn’t take her eyes off the guys. “Did the cream in the coffee go bad?”

  “What the fuck, Trina?” Kiera got to the point. “What the hell happened? If you can’t talk in front of them, use some sort of code.”

  “Yeah, that will work now that you told them.” I rolled my eyes, laughing. If the employees of Forever Home were good at anything, it was being awkward. “Why don’t I let one of the guys explain?”

  “I will,” Shadow offered. Major glowered in the background. “We’re shapeshifters. Ryker, the guy who captured us in the dog fighting ring, is also a shapeshifter. We’re strongest at the full moon, which is why we were able to shift last night. On the new moon, we’re weak. The fight you rescued us from was the night of the new moon.”

  Thank God Lyssie was leaning against my truck. All the color drained from her face, and I was pretty sure I was going to have to bust out my rusty CPR moves to revive her.

  “So what does that mean for us?” Kiera’s words came slowly. “Why are you still here?”

  “They’re going to help us,” I jumped in before Shadow continued. I spoke the same language as these girls. Suspicion. Cynicism. Heartache. “We could use the manpower to repair the front of the building, and Shadow said he’d help us raise money for the rest of the animals.”

  “Of course he did,” Major muttered. I ignored him, but the girls jerked at the sound of his voice. If looks could kill, I would’ve given him a swift virtual kick to the junk. He couldn’t have chosen his words more carelessly.

  “Thank you.” Baron stepped toward Kiera. I wondered if she noticed his blush. Oh yes, she did, and matched it with one of her own. Even I had butterflies. Kiera was a lot like me: quiet around people she didn’t know, thick in all the right places (and some of the wrong ones, depending on who you asked, but fuck those people), and no time for bullshit. “If it wasn’t for all of you, we’d still be starving, filthy, and sick. You saved our lives. We want to pay you back.”

  “We need to get back to the forest.” Major stepped forward, popping the dreamy little bubble that had formed around Kiera and Baron. They both jumped like he’d hit them with a lightning bolt. “Our packs are suffering. That’s where we should be focusing. Not sucking up to humans.”

  Major didn’t wait for anyone to answer before he walked away from us.

  Shadow grabbed my arm, pulling me in close to his body. The butterflies were back. “He’s such an idiot. He has no idea what he’s talking about.” He sighed before calling to Major, “It’s a long walk.”

  “We could ask to borrow a car,” Dallas suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

  Shadow looked back at me. “Could we use the truck?”

  “Sure.” The girls both gasped.
They had every right to be alarmed. I never acted like this. Trust wasn’t my thing. I was terrified, but something about this man melted all my defenses.

  “Want a ride, buddy?” Shadow yelled.

  “No,” Major called over his shoulder but kept walking. “I’m not going to owe a human anything.”

  Rescue Me is available now!

  PROTECT ME is coming in October!

  Baron Channing is tired of fighting.

  As second in command, he’s built to take orders. The Channing packs have protected Sawtooth forest for generations, and now he’s been assigned to guard the women who saved his family from the dog fighting ring. The Channings must fight for respect, but Baron doesn’t believe violence is the answer. He needs to take a stand for what he believes in if he wants to keep the incredible woman he’s been assigned to keep safe.

  Kiera is a soldier.

  She grew up in a man’s world, and she’s got the scars to prove it. Sent to Forever Home for rehabilitation for PTSD, Kiera didn’t believe she could learn anything from a bunch of homeless animals. But when a rescued werewolf sees her in a way no one else ever has, she realizes how wrong she was.

  Together Kiera and Baron learn that the bravest thing is being true to yourself.

  Preorder now!

  CONQUER ME—Major’s story will be released in November

  CHERISH ME—Shea’s story will be released in December

  SAVE ME—Dallas and Lyssie’s story will be released in January (tentative title)

  COMPLETE ME—Xavier’s story will be released in February

  Other books by Kristen Strassel:

  Colorado Shifters:

  Lion and the Doe

  Doe and the Hunter