“And the wolf that attacked you?”

“What about it?” I looked over again.

“Did you figure out who it was?”

I sucked in a deep breath. “No, but Adam thinks it was a rogue. He said there were other attacks shortly before mine. I was the only one who survived.”

Wade was quiet for a while, and I used the time to think about my attack. The memory was foggy, but I’d been trying to remember and little bits became clearer. I remembered falling off a cliff and the wolf pulling me back onto solid ground and its teeth sinking into my throat, but that was about it.

“The others died because they weren’t strong enough,” Wade finally said.

“What?”

“The magic that turns one into a werewolf only seeks out those strong enough to accept it. If the other victims died, it’s because they weren’t as strong as you. You should feel grateful that the magic saw something within you.”

I snorted. “Considering I could be six feet under right now, I am grateful. Then again, I could be six feet under by the end of the week if the leaders convict me of murder.” I stared at him trying to capture an emotion that’d tell me where they stood on my conviction.

“If you’re innocent, you have nothing to worry about,” Wade replied with a serious face.

“That’s the problem, I don’t know if I’m innocent,” I said, pulling into the driveway of my first stop. I didn’t wait for Wade’s response. Instead, I hopped out of the truck, grabbed the pruning shears from the bed, and headed towards the tree.

I stopped short when I rounded the corner and came face to face with a man. A human. My wolf bristled causing the hair on my arms to stand on end. Don’t freak out while I have a leader with me! The man was bent down checking the gas meter, but stood when I approached him. His brown eyes shot wide at my aggressive demeanor, and as I stepped towards him, he stepped back.

“Who are you?” I all but growled.

“I work for the energy company, just making my rounds,” the man said a little shaken.

“There a problem?” Wade asked from behind me. I closed my eyes and took a couple deep breaths to calm myself down. I prayed my eyes hadn’t changed, but from the look on the man’s face I’d say those prayers would go unanswered.

“No problem,” I told Wade and reined my wolf in. Taking a couple steps backwards, I put distance between me and the human.

“Sorry, you must have startled my sister,” Wade said and the man nodded, but still looked frightened. After he left, Wade grasped my arm so tight I cringed from the pain.

“What was that?” he snarled.

“My wolf doesn’t like humans, I guess…”

Wade loosened his grip, but didn’t let me go. His eyes turned into stones as he glared at me and his cheeks tightened in a scowl.

“Have you always acted like that with them?”

“I haven’t been around a lot of humans since turning. Adam kept me here because he thought it was safer.”

Wade released me and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s unusual for werewolves to have such distaste for humans. Of course we think of ourselves as superior, but that doesn’t mean we want to kill them.” He paced back and forth. “Let’s hope that man thinks he imagined the change of your eyes. If our secret gets out to the humans, you and the rest of us will be as good as dead.”

I didn’t think I’d acted as bad as Wade implied, but I still felt embarrassed. Sure I’d stalked towards the man and been a little rude, but it wasn’t like I growled at him or even tried to bite him. If anything, he’d think I was a bitch. Of course that didn’t explain why my eyes went from brown to gold, but the sun had been in my face, so maybe the man didn’t notice.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to control it.”

“I think what you need is more interaction. By alienating you, Adam has made the change harder on you.” Wade rubbed the stubble lining his jaw. “I’ll have to talk with your alpha.”

Uh-oh. I thought but then smiled. Adam getting reprimanded could be fun to watch, especially since he’d spent the last few months doing the same to me.

*

After finishing up with my chores, Wade and I headed back to the house. When I pulled into the long driveway, the three other leaders stood outside with the rest of the pack.

“Which leader is which?” I asked Wade as I shut the truck off. I felt silly not knowing how to address them.

“The one with the crew cut is Jeff,” Wade pointed to a man with brown hair. He was stocky and around five-foot-ten. “That’s Michael,” Wade pointed to the next man. Michael was taller, around six-foot-one, with shaggy reddish brown hair. “And that’s Nicholas.” Wade nodded in the man’s direction. Nicholas was the same height as Michael, but had a more dangerous feel. His jet black hair hung to his stubble lined jaw and his piercing blue eyes burned as he appraised the females.

“I’d stay away from Nicholas,” Wade warned, and I nodded. I could practically feel Nicholas’ sexual energy in the cab of the truck. While I’d been lucky that Adam hadn’t forced me to have sex with him, I wasn’t so confident when it came to Nicholas.

Exiting the truck, Wade and I headed over to the rest of the members. The scent of grilled meats hung in the air and awakened my appetite. Various members held beers in their hands and chatted amongst themselves. Adam was talking with Joe and Asher, but looked up when I got closer. I gave a short nod and shifted my gaze. I want you, I’ve always wanted you. Adam’s previous words sounded in my mind, and my wolf bristled with lust. The few times Adam and I touched were enough to make me hungry to experience all of him. Sighing in frustration, I headed inside the house. My libido couldn’t take much more of Adam’s torture, and my mind wouldn’t allow my cravings to be sated. Why in the hell did my alpha have to be mated?

“So, how was your day with the babysitter?” Elle smiled.

I snatched a potato skin and stuffed my mouth. The one thing I loved about being a werewolf was the fact that I could eat anything I wanted and not gain a pound. Food was a different kind of lust for us, one that was causing me to purr in delight.

“It was okay…whatever. I may have blown my chance at winning the leaders over when I snarled at a human today.” I began to grab another potato skin when Elle smacked my hand.

“Hey! I’m hungry.”

“Too bad,” Elle snapped. “What’s this about a human?” She placed a hand on her cocked hip and waited for me to explain.

“It was nothing,” I told her. “Just a man checking the gas meters. My eyes may have changed, but nothing else happened. Wade was pretty pissed.”

Elle released a heavy breath. “Just when I start liking someone around here, she’s gonna get herself killed.”

“Elle!”

“I’m joking…kinda. You have major issues when it comes to humans.” Elle turned to grab something off of the counter, and I took the opportunity to snatch more food.

“Hey!”

I smiled and popped the food in my mouth then turned and headed towards the shower.

Chapter Fourteen

The hot spray pounded against my back and eased my sore muscles. My chores today hadn’t been all that tiring, but Wade put me on edge. He’d watched me very closely after I snapped at the human. I’d just lathered shampoo in my hair when the creaking of the door alerted me I wasn’t alone. Each wolf gave off their own scent, and I knew each member of my packs like the back of my hand. The person in the bathroom with me was not of my pack.

Footsteps sounded closer, echoing on the tile. My heart hammered in my chest as I anticipated the intruder. Grabbing the towel hanging over the shower bar, I wrapped it around my naked body.

Fingers curled around the shower curtain and whipped it back quickly. Nicholas stood in front of me, a grin on his lips, and his eyes roaming the length of my body. Sexual desire scented the air and smelled like sharp spices.

“Excuse the intrusion,” he said. His voice reminded me of velvet, soft and sensual. My wolf perked up from his attention—the slut.

“I…uh was just getting out,” I lied.

He spanned his arms against either side of the wall blocking my escape and smiled. “Don’t let me stop you,” he said with a cock of his head. “I’d love to wash your back.”

Before I could refuse his offer, he pulled his t-shirt over his head revealing a tight, rippling stomach. A shiver danced through my body as I imagined him and I intertwined and moaning. He looked to be in his forties but that didn’t hinder from his good looks.

“Really, that’s okay,” I told him and stepped out of the tub. Without warning, Nicholas lifted me up and sat me on the counter with a hard thump.

“Stop,” I demanded, but he didn’t seem to hear me or care that I had objections.

“Come now,” he said softly as he squeezed between my legs and leaned down to the crook of my throat. His warm breath caused goose bumps to flit along my skin and my bones to turn to mush. “You’re a beautiful woman, and I’m a willing man, don’t act like you don’t want it. I can smell your desire.”

I was turned on, then again it didn’t take much being a werewolf, but I’d made it four months without giving in to every dog that sniffed my way, and I wouldn’t give in now. The problem was, since sleeping with Sawyer, my body craved intimacy now. Sex was like a drug that gave off the most exciting high. The sheer raw sexuality of our kind called to me, and I found myself opening my legs wider to make room for Nicholas.

“That’s a good girl,” he whispered as he pressed kisses along my throat. A moan escaped my mouth, and it seemed my hands had a mind of their own because they were currently raking down his chest.

“How’s about we get rid of this pesky thing?” Nicholas said as he unwrapped the towel from my body. I had a split second to think that I should stop him when his mouth found my nipple and all thoughts ceased.