“No,” Baron said, finally sure of something. “Trina, get some sleep. Shadow’s worried about you.”
I nodded, knowing that he’d be worried sick. All the old triggers were back. The crying, the doubt, the sense of absolute helplessness. If Shadow stayed wolf or died, I’d never recover.
How selfish of me. Shadow was the one who’d been wounded. All he needed was my love and support, not to worry about me.
“Come here.” I patted the air mattress once everything was done for the night and I’d settled enough to try to rest. “I’m going to dream of you as a man, and maybe when I wake up, it will be true.”
I drifted off with Shadow’s fur against my skin, dreaming of his kisses tickling me just as lightly. It was a good dream and I didn’t want to wake up. I’d fallen asleep so hard after not being able to for days. I’d given myself completely to this other world, the place where everything was perfect. Shadow’s body was so warm against mine, his hands caressed me, easing my clothes away. He never broke contact, fingers, lips dancing, my nerves jumping to meet his touch. I moaned when he began stroking the spot at the apex of my thighs, bringing everything crashing to the surface.
Don’t wake up. I want to see how this ends.
A kiss landed on my open mouth. That sweet, earthy taste that I’d been craving since Shadow shifted filled me drip by glorious drip, filling the cracks fear and doubt had brought, making me whole again. This was the best dream ever.
Until the kissing stopped, and the hand drew away from my sex. Shit. My subconscious couldn’t even give me what I wanted.
“Trina.” Shadow’s voice was warm and smooth like caramel. “Wake up, baby.”
No. I shook my head. It was a trick. I’d open my eyes and he’d still be a wolf.
“I know you’re awake.” A quick peck landed on my cheek and something hard and deliciously familiar bumped against my leg. This was either the most vivid dream ever, or... “And if you stop hiding from me we can do a lot more.”
It couldn’t hurt to open one eye. I could always go back to sleep and chase the dream.
Black hair tickled my face, blue eyes just above mine. That wasn’t any different. But the face belonged to a man. My man. I blinked rapidly, but he didn’t disappear. He laughed as I patted him frantically to make sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. I could be delirious.
“You shifted.” How could I forget how gloriously gorgeous he was? This was like seeing him for the first time. Shadow held himself up over me. He seemed even bigger than he did before, larger than life. Stronger. The muscles rippled under his skin. I glanced down at his cock, which was just as happy to see me as I was to see it. I threw my arms around him. “It took forever. Are you okay?”
Now he’d be able to tell us if anything was wrong, and he wouldn’t be able to fake any macho bullshit and insist he was fine. I’d be able to see it.
“Never been better.” He punctuated the statement with a long, slow kiss, easing down on me. I’d never been better, either. “I missed this so much.”
“I was so worried.” I could barely keep my lips off of him long enough to talk. “You stayed wolf so long, and—"
“I know.” Shadow was having the same problem. “I kept giving Baron and Dallas shit because they couldn’t convince you everything was going to be all right.”
“Not funny.” I whacked him before melting back into him. “I never want to be away from you, Shadow.”
“Likewise.” He nestled his head in the crook of my neck, trying to catch my heart beat with kisses.
I pulled him up by his hair, his grin setting every part of me on fire. “No. I mean it. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since you shifted. I’m yours, Shadow. Every part of me belongs to you.”
“You’re my everything.” He brushed a sweet kiss against my lips. “My heart beats for you, I breathe for you. My future is yours.”
“I can’t wait.”
“This is all I’ve ever wanted.” His fingers laced between mine. “Trina, please stay with me forever.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be.”
No more words were necessary, now that I knew that I could love someone and never lose them. Shadow was everything I needed, body and soul. And the reward for letting myself accept his love with sweeter than I could have ever imagined.
THANK YOU! I HOPE you loved Trina and Shadow’s story as much as I loved writing it! There is still a ton of business to be settled in Sawtooth Forest. Ryker’s guys are pissed off, the shifters need mates, and can the wolves get the ladies pregnant?
Kiera and Baron’s story is next. She’s got a secret that brought her to Forever Home, and Baron is going to make Granger Falls her home.
One click Her Guardian Wolf now!
Sign up for my newsletter to find out about new books: http://www.kristenstrassel.com/shifterlist
If you love Trina and Shadow’s story, make sure to check out Running Wild!
The Real Werewives of Alaska is the hottest new reality dating show on TV.
Each week, a shapeshifting football player finds his forever mate.
Wolf shifter Sebastian is putting it all on the line by becoming the Alaska Bloodhounds’ running back. He’s been kicked out of his pack and threatened with death if he sets foot in the state again. Getting involved with a reality dating show? Out of the question. Until he meets his forever mate at the Real Werewives welcome party.
Naomi’s a commitment-phobe, but when her mom signs her up for The Real Werewives of Alaska, she’s game. Forever mates? Nope. She's on the show to get exposure for her travel blog. But when a smokin’ hot wolf with amber eyes wants to take her on a date, suddenly forever doesn’t seem so bad.
When his old pack comes for him, can Sebastian keep Naomi safe or will she run?
Start reading Running Wild now!
Keep reading for the first chapter of Her Guardian Wolf!
Her Guardian Wolf
Baron
“Tell me a story.” A slow smile spread across Kiera’s face. The kind of smile that promised I’d be rewarded handsomely for accommodating her request. “Dallas did it for Lyssie last night, and I’d hate to get left out.”
Don’t get me wrong, I was totally on board with that possibility. Kiera was an amazing woman who deserved a worthy mate, and I was interested in applying for that position. She didn’t need a babysitter, but tonight, that’s what I was.
“Our fairy tales aren’t the ones you grew up with.” More like dark and gritty cautionary tales meant as lessons to smarten us up, make us think on all four feet. Kiera beckoned me from a doorway that I assumed led to her bedroom. I wasn’t exactly the big bad wolf, but I couldn’t be trusted to keep my hands to myself in there. “They don’t always have a happy ending.”
“That’s okay. I want to hear them.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me with her into the unknown. “Don’t spare me the gory details. I can take it. Tell me what it’s like to be a wolf.”
I’d never explained this to a human before. As far as humans in Granger Falls were concerned, werewolves existed in legends only, stories old people would bore their grandkids with about karma. We took care of things human law couldn’t.
And that was why I was here with Kiera tonight.
Kiera climbed on her bed and curled up under the blankets. Gorgeous as always. She never wore makeup, and her brown hair was disheveled, an open invite to run my fingers through it that I always had to turn down. Her lashes cast shadows on her cheeks in the low light. My wolf rumbled inside me. I was starving for this woman’s touch, but the hunger strike had to continue. A little while longer, anyway. She patted the edge of the bed, and her eyes flicked up, bracing herself for rejection.
Get over yourself. She’s going to think you don’t want her. Nothing could be further from the truth. Her bed was too soft as I sat on the very edge. It smelled like a woman—shampoo and fruity body lotion. I swear I could feel her heart beat, a soft little thump against my soul. My mouth w
atered. Times like this, my animal twisted around any human desires and made them impossible to ignore.
“This all used to be wolf land,” I started, clearing my throat. “Before the town started to expand, the wolves thrived for centuries. Running, playing, hunting. We were the kings of Sawtooth. Faster than the bears, and more ferocious than the elk and the bison. When the villages popped up, we could protect the residents. They kept our secrets, and we could still stay in the shadows. For some wolves, that was their job—to take care of problems. Others, like my family, kept the peace. We held everyone accountable. The balance worked for centuries. Every wolf had a mate, but unlike some species, we weren’t promised to each other at birth or fated to be together. We actually fell in love with our partners. Once we found our mate, the bond lasted forever.”
Kiera hugged a pillow to her stomach, hanging on every word like I read to her from a thick book of fairy tales. It was pretty close to that now. That way of life didn’t exist in Sawtooth National Forest anymore.
“Do you have a mate?” she asked.
“No.”
She narrowed her eyes in confusion.
“None of you have mates?” It was more of an accusation than a question. “Major’s too bitter to possibly be getting laid on the regular, but you and your brothers...”
Kiera had Major nailed already.
“All male wolves in Sawtooth under the age of forty are single unless their families had enough money to purchase them a mate. All the she-wolves were claimed before they could walk. At least they didn’t get our hopes up, then snatch them away later.” I smiled sadly. “I grew up in a family of four boys with a single mom. My dad passed away when I was ten. I’m sure you don’t need to do the math.”
“If women everywhere knew there was a forest full of eligible bachelors in Idaho, they’d be flocking here by the busload.” Keira’s eyes lit up. We’d like that too, but we’d never claim them. No wolf in the pack had ever taken a human as a mate. “How is this even possible?” she asked.
“It’s not wolf land anymore.” I lay on my side at foot of the bed, finally letting myself relax. “The town took the land, thinking it belonged to no one. Our prey perished, and we were forced to be more human than animal. Members of the pack died without anyone to replace them. Our system fell apart, and the packs shrank. By some fluke or maybe karma, no one knows, very few she-wolves have been born in the last forty years. The packs started fighting over them, but the wolves who’d been able to transition to human life with the most ease offered their families money for the right to have their sons mate with their daughters.”
Kiera blinked in disbelief.
“Wow. It’s like Narnia. A whole world in the forest and we’re like clueless on the other side of the wardrobe.” She laughed, scooting closer to me. “Are the females treated like princesses or slaves?”
If Kiera was my mate, there’s no question she’d be my goddess. That’s why she had me on edge. “Somewhere in between. We knew growing up that we wouldn’t have a mate, so women were always forbidden fruit.” Kiera bit her lip and heat rolled off her body. I sat up, stopping myself from having a taste of her. She’d taste like peaches and vanilla. My favorite. “We always wanted what we couldn’t have.”
“You’ve been with a woman, right?”
More than she’d ever want to hear about. We played with human women, but we put our toys away when we were done with them. “Of course.”
She laughed. “Thank God. I’m totally not judging you. But...never mind. Back to the story. Everything you told me sounded like it happened a long time ago. What about now?”
It hadn’t. So much had changed in our lifetimes. Now the little girl wolves were completely segregated. They were all born to wealthy families now, leaving the working class wolves a bunch of lonely, frustrated men. “I can’t tell you that.”
How did she get so close to me? Kiera’s arm brushed against my thigh, big brown eyes unblinking, waiting for me to continue. There was nothing more to say.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because everything’s changing.” That was the whole reason I was here. “And it will never be that way again.”
Keep reading Her Guardian Wolf!
Don't miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Kristen Strassel publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-A-XWTB-ORRW
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.
Her Captive Wolf (Sawtooth Shifters Book 1) Page 15