by V. Vaughn
“Let’s go,” I say. The nylon straps of my pack hum as I tighten them on my shoulders. We set off on the trail, and I listen to the easy banter that goes back and forth with our group as we climb the gentle slope. It doesn’t take long for sweat to form on my face and create a sheen of moisture on my arms. I stop to take a sip of water and let the group move ahead of me so that I’m the last one. Roman turns back and halts when he sees me.
“Can we talk?” he asks.
I’ve caught up to him, but he doesn’t move. “Sure. What’s up?”
He lowers his voice. “I’m curious. Why are you hanging out with humans?”
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as I move to the defense. “We went to college together, and they’re my friends. Why?”
“I didn’t mean for that to sound like criticism.” He takes my water bottle and puts it in the loop of my backpack for me. The odor of his musk is strong from sweat, and I immediately flash to the dark wolf Alisha and I saw in the woods. Oh my God. It’s him. Because I’ve always seen him in the company of three other male wolves with strong scents, I never put the two of them together. “It’s not a common thing for my pack to do,” says Roman.
“Oh. Well, we have a university in my town, and I happened to hit it off with Alisha right away freshman year. Blending in with humans is what my pack does, and I guess ending up with a group of them just kind of happened for me.”
“I can see that.”
I recall the way Roman’s wolf sniffed me and made it clear he was interested, and a tiny smile forms on my face with the knowledge. Roman starts to walk again, and while my wolf couldn’t care less about what we’re getting into, I feel the need to test the waters and find out if he’s a player. I ask, “Why do your friends call you Romeo?”
“Because they like to torture me. I made the mistake of reacting to it negatively once, and now they won’t let it go.”
“You guys seem close.” Leaves tickle the skin on my arm as I brush by them.
“We are. We have to be close in our line of work.”
“About that. I’m sorry I doubted you the first time we met. You have to admit, it does sound like a line when four hot guys say that to a pretty blonde.”
Roman stops, and after I get two steps ahead of him, I turn to find out why. He asks, “Did you just call me hot?”
“Like you don’t know that.”
“Huh.” He starts walking again. “My friends are, but nobody’s ever called me hot.”
We’ve fallen far enough behind the group that I don’t worry about anyone hearing us any longer. “Maybe they would if you didn’t scowl so much.”
He reaches for my hand, and I flinch when he takes it, because his touch feels too good, too familiar for me to resist. He asks, “Can’t you feel our attraction?”
My voice is shaky when I say, “Yes.”
Roman stops us again and stares down at me. His chest heaves with his ragged breathing, and he grabs my face in his hands with a roughness that hurts. But the pain is fleeting because he crushes me with a kiss that takes my breath away. He moves one hand down to cup my bottom and tug my body against his. I moan into his mouth as his tongue tangles with mine in an awkward way. His clumsiness turns me on. It’s as if he can’t think straight and any smooth moves he has are failing him. The fabric of his shirt is damp in my hand as I clutch at his back to hang on for the wild ride. I’ve never experienced a kiss like this.
He releases me just as abruptly as the kiss started, and I gaze at his mouth to notice his lips are ruby red and swollen as he says, “I like you.”
A grin covers my face, but it falls quickly when I recall the female wolf in the woods yesterday. “Tell me the truth. Was the female yesterday a mate?”
He shakes his head. “She wants to be, but it’s not right.” Roman rubs his hands on my upper arms, and his touch sends a delicious shiver of desire through me.
I say, “Good,” and reach up to hold his shoulders as I stand on my tiptoes. “Because I want to kiss you again.”
I take control this time and nibble at his lips before I dart my tongue into his mouth for a smooth dance that sends shock waves of pleasure all the way to my toes. Now Roman moans, and I take my time lightly scratching my nails down his back to make him shudder. The scent of his arousal floods my nose, and I have to break away before we go too far. I step back and say, “They’re probably wondering where we are.”
Roman nods, and I take great pleasure in the knowledge that I left him speechless. I notice our friends ahead on the trail. Byron says, “There you are. We were about to send out a search party.”
I say, “I needed a break to catch my breath.”
Alisha tilts her head at me as if she knows why, but she doesn’t say anything as she smiles like she has a secret. Dean isn’t as discreet and says, “Is that what the kids are calling it these days.” He steps back to clear the way for Roman. “Lead the way, Romeo.” Roman punches Dean as he passes him, and Dean winks at me as I go by.
We may not be as romantic as Alex and Jayden, but our awkward start works for me. I follow Roman up the hill as my wolf basks in her win.
7
We stop to eat lunch when we reach an open area. The rock ledge where we sit overlooks the valley, and as I gaze from the height, I notice the cars on the road that weaves through the forest appear to be the size of toys. Chelsea pulls out her map, and the paper rustles as she flattens it out on her lap. She asks, “Where exactly are we going?”
Alex leans over her shoulder and points. “We’re going to a meadow right about here.”
“The one that’s by the trail to Chimney Peak?” Chelsea glances at me with concern.
“Yes.”
“Chimney Peak?” I ask. I recall the clerk at the RV park office telling me to stay away because that’s the direction of the scenting ceremony.
Alisha says, “Wait. I thought we weren’t supposed to go on that trail.”
I stand up as the situation becomes clearer. I think these guys are bringing my friends along to the scenting ceremony so they can be offered up as potential mates. Without their knowledge! My skin prickles with the urge to shift as my anger intensifies. “We’re not. Pack up, girls. This hike is over.”
Jayden stands up. “I don’t understand. Juliet?” She shakes her head in confusion.
I turn to glare at Roman. My nails dig into my palms as I clench my hands to control my rage. He gets up to tower over me, but I’m not intimidated as I look up and say, “This is wrong on so many levels. I can’t believe you—”
He grabs my hand and tugs on me as he begins to walk, and I stumble as he moves with a speed I didn’t expect. He says, “We’ll talk about this somewhere more private, please.”
I let out a huff of annoyance but follow him because he’s gripping my hand and leaves me no choice. But he’s also right. This isn’t a conversation to have in front of two women who don’t know what we are. I turn back to my friends and call out, “Don’t you go anywhere until I get back.”
When we get far enough that the girls can’t hear, Roman stops and releases my fingers as he turns to face me. I put my hands on my hips. “You think it’s okay to offer up my friends as human mates at your scenting ceremony?”
“No.” He shakes his head as if I’m a small child who is too naïve to know better. “That’s not what’s happening here.”
His calm tone makes me angrier. “No? Then why are we going to that meadow?”
“Alex wants to ask Jayden to be his mate. Our pack requires the scenting ceremony to happen before he can do that.”
He wants to mate her already? “But she doesn’t even know what he is! Don’t you think he might want to tell her what she’s getting into?”
“He will tell her when he’s sure she ready to accept it.”
“Are you freaking kidding me? You don’t think the sniffing thing might be a little strange for her?”
“We’ll explain it.”
I squint at
him in disbelief. “This is crazy. I can’t let you do that to her, and what if other wolves find Chelsea and Alisha and decide they want them too? Did you think about that?”
“So they sniff them. Big deal. Nobody’s bonding with anyone today.”
I shake my head. He still doesn’t get it. Not every wolf is capable of self-control in the heat of mating. And if one decides he wants one of my friends and can’t keep his desires at bay, she could be in danger. Humans can’t shift and fight back. “You can’t know that. No.” My blood is hot, and my gums tingle as my wolf hovers at the surface. “I won’t allow you to do this to the humans I love like sisters. It’s not right.”
Roman’s eyes flash with what I think is simmering rage as he says, “What’s not right is you keeping true mates apart.”
Now my chest is heaving as my anger races through my veins. I spit out, “True mates? What the hell do you know about true mates?”
“Juliet—”
I hold up my hand. “Save it.”
I turn away and stomp back to the clearing, and when I get there, I say, “We’re going back.” I look at Jayden and notice her eyes are shiny with tears she’s fighting to hold in. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t understand, but something that is very dangerous for you is happening in the meadow.”
Alex says, “Jayden, I’d never do anything to hurt you. You have to know that.”
I say, “Alex, I’m sure that’s what you feel in your heart, but I can’t allow it.” I look at my friend. “Please, Jay, this doesn’t mean you can’t see him again. You have to trust me on this.”
She nods quickly and gets up. She says to Alex, “I’ll text you. I’m sorry, but I haven’t even known you for a day. Please understand.”
“I do, Jayden.” He stands up and kisses her lightly. Alex glances at me as if I’m the bad guy. “This won’t keep us apart.”
Dean says, “Wait. We have a—”
Roman’s voice reverberates through me when he barks out, “No. Let them go.”
I turn to look at him, and his nostrils flare as if he’s trying to control a shift. I think he’s hanging on by a thread. I’m so mad I’m tempted to challenge him just so I can fight, but I won’t shift in front of my friends to satisfy my anger. I imagine that watching Roman and me snarling and biting would scar them for life. I get the words out through clenched teeth when I say, “Thank you.”
Chelsea and Alisha are already on the trail when I take Jayden by the hand to lead her away from Alex. She’s trembling, and the bones in her fingers feel fragile in my powerful grip as I say, “Let’s go.”
As soon as the girls think we’re out of earshot Jayden begins to cry, and Chelsea puts her arm around Jayden’s shoulders as she says, “You better explain what the hell that was all about.”
This is not how I wanted my friends to find out about werewolves, but I’d much rather be the one to tell them than have them find out in the midst of a scenting ceremony. I walk faster. “I will, but we need to get far away from those guys before I do. Once we’re back at camp, I promise you’ll learn everything.”
Bless Alisha, because she says, “You guys really need to trust Juliet right now. She’s always had our backs, and I don’t know what just happened, but when we find out, I’m sure we’ll be glad she stopped it.”
Jayden says, “I do believe you, Juliet. I’m sorry.”
I halt and turn back to her. “Oh, honey, no. I’m the one’s that’s sorry. It’s all going to work out. I promise.” I think about how Roman’s order for Dean to be silent rushed through me like something I couldn’t disobey. Roman’s an alpha. I recall that the Silver Lake wolf clan I belong to needs human females for us to continue on with the next generation. Does his pack have the same problem? I understand the desperation, but it’s always the woman’s choice. Always. We’d never stoop low enough to trick them into something like a scenting ceremony. I say, “Alex isn’t the bad guy here. It’s Roman.”
8
I gaze at my three friends sitting on the couch of our RV. I thought it was hard to tell Alisha what I am, but this is harder. The counter behind me is firm as I push off of it to stand tall. “I’m about to tell you something that might be difficult to believe, and it’s going to be scary too. Please remember the Juliet you know when I do.”
Chelsea and Jayden stare at me with big eyes as they clutch each other’s hands. Alisha says, “They’ll be fine, Juliet. They love you like I do. Tell them.” Her legs are crossed, and she bounces her foot.
I let out the breath I was holding. “I’m a werewolf.”
Jayden blinks. Chelsea laughs and then says, “A werewolf. Good one.”
I shake my head. “This isn’t a joke.”
Jayden still doesn’t speak as she stares in shock, and Alisha says, “It’s true. Juliet can become a wolf when she wants to.”
Chelsea gets up, and her feet thud as she moves toward the front of the RV. She turns and scans my body with her gaze. “Can you prove it?”
Jayden squeaks out, “No!” She scrambles back on the couch as if I’m going to hurt her, and my stomach knots up.
Alisha wraps her arm around her. “Juliet would never hurt us, Jay.”
Jayden nods as she gazes at me.
I say, “I wouldn’t. Alex wouldn’t either.”
“He’s—“
“Yes. And so are the rest of the firemen. Today we were hiking toward something called a scenting ceremony where wolves from other clans meet and find mates. Alex wants you to be his mate, and the plan was to go through the ceremony, which is one of his clan’s requirements for him to bond with you.”
“Bond?”
“Claim you as his,” I say. “I think the two of you might be true mates, which means you belong together for life.”
“Whoa,” says Chelsea.
“Yeah,” I say, but I keep my attention on Jayden. “Alex was acting today as a wolf and would never intentionally do something to hurt you. Werewolves grow up knowing that true mates are forever, and it’s easy for our kind to jump in right away. But you’re going to need time to figure out if being a werewolf is right for you, Jayden. Roman didn’t respect your humanity, and that’s why I put a stop to it.”
“Roman?” asks Alisha.
“He’s the alpha of their pack and calling the shots.” I gaze at Jayden. “I know every ounce of you can’t help but want to be with Alex, and being apart from him right now might be upsetting in a way you don’t understand. But do you get why I couldn’t let you go to the ceremony?”
She lowers her feet back to the floor. “You want me to have a choice.”
“Yes. Alex wants nothing more than to mark you as his. But that means you become a werewolf if you want to stay together.”
Chelsea asks, “Was he going to bite her or something?”
I shake my head. “Roman says they were going to go through with the ritual, which would have been Alex as a wolf sniffing Jayden to confirm she’s his. If it’s two wolves, the girl sniffs right back. When you’re true mates, you want it, and there’s no question.”
Alisha says, “That’s what the wolf in the woods did to you!” She sighs with satisfaction. “He totally likes you.”
I recall kissing Roman, and even though I’m mad at him I can’t help the flutter of desire low in my belly. Yes, he does. Chelsea scowls at me, and I think it’s because we lied to them the other night about our adventure with a big dog. “Hold on a minute,” she says. “Back up to you being a werewolf. How does that work? Do you change into one with the full moon?”
I shake my head. “No. I can shift back and forth at will.”
She says, “Well, that’s barbaric.” She crosses her arms as she asks, “Don’t the females have any say?”
“We do,” I say.
Jayden leans forward. “What’s it like to be a werewolf?”
I smile at her because I think she’s considering it to be with Alex. “It’s awesome.”
I spend time fielding questions about
being a shifter and even show them my wolf when I realize Alisha was right—my friends love me and are willing to accept what I am. Which is why I take the opportunity to let my wolf out and go for a run.
My muscles burn with exertion as I race through the woods to release my pent-up energy. The idea that Roman thought it was okay to bring human women to a scenting ceremony when they have no idea what it means is either stupid or proof he doesn’t see them as equals. Either way, it’s upsetting because I have a sinking feeling we’re true mates. That means being apart is going to be almost too painful to bear.
I stop to walk, and the spongy earth of the forest floor is cool under my feet. The rustling of branches and crack of twigs tells me someone else is out here. I guess it’s another werewolf, considering so many are in the area for the ceremony. I turn toward the noise when it gets closer, and I recognize the scent that comes to me instantly. Roman.
I wait for him to approach me as I inhale his intoxicating musk. My wolf doesn’t care about what happened today, because she has a one-track mind. Mate. And apparently his does too, because he nuzzles me, and I return the gesture as if we’re exchanging a hello kiss. Roman walks around me, and while a piece of me wants to object, I don’t when he begins to sniff my genitals. While the act can be cordial like a greeting, it can also be intimate when true mates are involved. Once he gets his fill, I sniff him back, and as the warmth of our connection fills my heart, I know I’m meant to be with Roman, and it’s going to be too much to fight. But I can’t let what happened earlier go. I refuse to be with someone who won’t respect humans.
I shift out of wolf form so I can talk to Roman. It’s playing with fire because when he shifts too, we’re naked, and a quick glance lets me know he’s as aroused as I am.
“Are you still mad at me?” he asks.
I nod as I step close enough to touch him. “You were going to put my friends in danger. You have to understand I can’t allow that.”
Roman chuckles. “You do know I’m an alpha.”