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CHAPTER TEN:Hazel Ellis
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2025-02-25 07:00:10
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Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER ELEVEN: Hazel Ellis
The pull of his scent on me grew stronger the longer we rode in the truck. By the time we pulled onto the dirt road, my entire left side was pressed against his right, my head on his shoulder. I was dizzy with desire. His right arm was slung over the back of my seat, though I noticed he put effort into keeping it from draping over my shoulders the way we both wanted it.And him putting in effort to give me space, like I’d asked for, mattered to me.It mattered a lot.We passed dozens of houses, all occupied by different types of shifters. They weren’t fancy, but they weren’t in bad shape, like the motel and bar had been.“Damn, you look comfy.” Liv remarked as Merrick finally pulled up in front of a little cottage. The walls were painted a dark green color that nearly blended into the trees around it, and there was something charming about it.I shot Liv a warning stare, and she winked in response. It was mid- afternoon at that point, and I heard kids playing somewhere not too far awa
Last Updated : 2025-02-25Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER TWELVE:Hazel Ellis
As we walked back to Merrick’s house, he said, “I’d like to shift too, after I see you in your wolf form. We could wander a bit, maybe run a little.”“You want to chase me?” I lifted an eyebrow. “What male doesn’t want to chase a female?”I guessed that was valid. “We have to be back for dinner with Liv.”“You’ll definitely be the one who has to remember that,” he said. “There’s no way I’ll go from chasing you to leading you back here for human food.”Understandable, given his tendency to get lost in the way I smelled. I kind of liked that tendency. “Okay, I can do that.”We got back to his house, and he threw his shirt on the porch. I tugged mine over my head, tossing it up there too. His eyes met my boobs in my favorite pushup bra, and he idled like a damn motorcycle.“Turn around, grizzly,” I warned, spinning my finger. He obliged, and I stripped. Shifting came naturally, and it felt good to be in wolf form again.Shaking out my fur, I stretched a bit.Merrick turned to face me, h
Last Updated : 2025-02-25Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER THIRTEEN : Merrick Blake
“I can’t smell that good,” I told him.“You can and do.” He cleared his throat. “At least you can see the floor, now.” He gestured to the ground, which I could see.“Have you ever had a girl in here before?” I asked, curiosity leaking into my voice.“No. A bear’s den is private; I’d go mad it if smelled like anyone else in here.”“You know I don’t have to stay here, Grizzly. If it makes you uncomfortable, it’s totally fine for me to stay—”“No.” He cut me off, stepping up so close to me that our bodies would touch if either of us breathed deeply enough. I put a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating faster than usual. That and his scent told me I’d panicked him a little… was he worried I’d leave? “You belong here. Having you here feels right, I’m just really fucking bad at this, and this place is a wreck.”“I like the mess. It’s comfortable, and it smells good.” I hoped he could smell the honesty in my voice. “I’m just as new at this as you are. I never had a guy in my room grow
Last Updated : 2025-02-25Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Hazel Ellis
I woke up wrapped in the most comfortable blanket ever. A happy sigh escaped my throat, and I pulled the blanket further around me. When it idled in response, I frowned.Blanket?I tugged at the blanket again and then realized it wasn’t a blanket at all— it was arms.Arms that belonged on the grizzly I specifically remembered locking out of the room he’d loaned me. I fell asleep buried in blankets rich with his scent, not in his arms.Opening my eyes, I squinted out around me. Was it… the middle of the day?I sat up and swore as I dropped right off the edge of the couch I’d apparently moved to during the night. My arms were at my shoulders, ready to catch me. Before I could smash my face on the wood floor, giant arms dragged me back up on top of him. Merrick was snoring like a damn truck and didn’t even seem to have realized that he saved me from kissing the floor.His body rumbled, the idling sound making me bite back a grin. How could he not realize he sounded like a motorcycle?I g
Last Updated : 2025-02-25Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FIFTEEN:Hazel Ellis
Merrick carried my large, neon-blue suitcase into the bedroom. I was sure my mom had packed it since she’d used my old suitcases from back when twelve-year-old Hazel was obsessed with neon colors. She loved neon- obsessed Hazel, and teased me with neon colors all the time now that I mainly wore black.“I didn’t know I had pheromones,” I said.“Probably because you’ve never used them.” He shot me a wry grin. “Because you’re a woman, yours won’t kick in until you want to attract me.”“Sounds like bullshit,” I remarked. I was pretty sure that if I had pheromones, they already would’ve been working on the guy—I was definitely attracted to him.“If you’re not willing to test it, you can’t call bullshit.” He unzipped my suitcase.“It’s bold to assume I’ll be staying here long enough to unpack my stuff in your bedroom.”“I’m not a cat. I don’t take prissy little steps, Hazel. You’re my True Mate and you’ll be living with me, because I won’t back down until we’ve both got ruby red hair.” He c
Last Updated : 2025-02-25Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER SIXTEEN : Hazel Ellis
I knew myself and Merrick well enough to know that if I was going to get worked up enough for whatever crazy shit needed to happen to make my pheromones attract him, He was going to need to be distracted. Otherwise, his would do all the work for me and I wouldn’t need to. “Grab your XBOX remote,” I told him, stripping out of my ripped fishnets so I didn’t rip them further. He watched me step out of them before grabbing his remote up off the ground, near the couch. “Turn on whichever game will keep you the most distracted,” I said, tugging my tangled hair out of its bun and letting it fall crazily around my shoulders. It fell to the middle of my back; any longer, and it drove me crazy. The scent of him brushing up against my cheeks and shoulders, coming out of my hair, smelled incredible. Settling on the couch, he watched me. He was dressed in basketball shorts and a t-shirt that fit snugly. “Lose the shirt,” I added as he turned the TV and game console on. Damn, I liked the way h
Last Updated : 2025-02-25Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:Merrick Blake
Hazel was fucking perfect.Watching her beat the shit out of a punching bag only made me more sure of that.After two hours at the gym, we showered and got dressed before meeting Hazel’s friends at Tommy’s bar for lunch.We were only a few minutes into what looked like it was going to be an awkward meal when Jay walked up to the table.He was the one pink ruby male I wasn’t threatened by, and that was only because I knew he had been in love with my sister since we were ten. She’d politely turned him down a dozen times, but he had yet to give up.Jay’s hands were in the pockets of his slacks, the sleeves of his white button-down rolled to the middle of his forearms. He led the large-species shifter pack, and they ran the city’s finance department, so he had the raw end of the deal and had to dress nicely.I saw both girls check him out, Liv leaning in closer to Hazel. “I was just thinking that more man-meat was what this day needed,” she whispered. Hazel’s lips tilted upward. The way s
Last Updated : 2025-02-25Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:Hazel Ellis
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Liv whispered.“Sex.” I rolled my eyes. “Why else would they need to walk away?”“Because they’re not telling you the whole story about this place,” Noah said bluntly.I wanted to strangle him.Mostly because I knew he was probably right…and I didn’t want him to be right. Some part of me had decided that I liked the idea of being True Mates with the grizzly, that I wanted to trust him.And maybe that I wanted him to be mine.“Everyone has secrets.” Liv brushed it off. “I don’t want my future mate to know that I had a breast reduction last year, or that I ate a rabbit when we were out hunting that one time.I grinned at the memory of our attempt to eat like wild wolves. I had vomited my rabbit, but she and Noah had managed to keep theirs down.“That’s not the kind of secret a guy takes his friend into the other room to talk about,” Noah said.“What do you think it’s about, then?” Liv countered.“I’d bet my bank account that he’s got a secret t
Last Updated : 2025-02-25
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Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FIFTY:Hazel Ellis
"Skunk." My dad grunted. "I thought they were using vinegar.""I'm sure the skunk was unintentional," mom said. "We have twenty minutes until we need to be at the house. Want to go for a run?"My dad agreed, and they rustled around, getting ready."Told you." Merrick's voice was teasing, but not cruel. I finally met his gaze again, and was surprised by what he saw.Lines under his eyes, dark and heavy.I inhaled a little deeper and found out he was tired. Really, really tired."Have you been sleeping?" I asked."My bed doesn't smell like you," he said."That's not an answer.""No, I haven't been sleeping." He finally told me the truth, and it sucked. Mostly because I knew my absence was the reason. And no, it wasn’t my fault, but I was the idiot who ran away instead of staying to talk to him that night.Which I wasn’t going to do again, I decided."You should've told me.""I was giving you space. That’s how I was trying for you, Ellis. I left that note telling you to come back to me w
Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FORTY-NINE:Hazel Ellis
I laughed at another of Liv's stupid jokes as I slid out of her car, glancing down at the backpack in my hand to adjust my grip on it."Good luck," Liv yelled after me as she pulled out.I waved over my shoulder, finally looking at the motel room door I was headed to. My eyebrows lifted when I saw Merrick sitting on his ass on the pavement in front of it, his back leaned up against the door like he'd been that first night we met. I braced myself for a fight and kept walking.He'd probably smell my excitement at seeing him, because dammit, I’d missed the big grizzly."Please tell me that's lingerie, and you're planning to use it to lure me into your bed," Merrick called out as I approached.I refused to let myself grin. "It's not." It wasn't even all that sexy, considering what I usually wore. Just a simple black bikini: high waisted bottoms, and a top with an under-wire."Nope." I stopped in front of him, putting a hand on my hip. "What are you doing here?"Merrick lazily lifted his h
Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT:Hazel Ellis
I didn't hear from Merrick the next day, spending my time meeting tons of shifters, breaking up fights among the asshole werewolves who had already migrated to Shifter City, and talking with the city's council about boring shit.He was giving me space—the opposite of what I actually wanted—and I hated it. His apology note pissed me off. And the key to his house? We both knew he never locked the damn door. He should've followed me home to fight with me until we figured out a solution that made us both happy… and I shouldn't have left in the first place.But what had happened, happened, and it was too late to go back in time.So, after a day of radio silence, I decided to do something about it the next morning.Liv and I crept around the side of his house, wearing backpacks, bikinis, and nose plugs, while doused in enough vinegar to hide our scents from even Merrick. He'd know it was me when he read the note I was leaving him, but I didn't want to give him the privilege of smelling me i
Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN:Merrick Blake
I slammed the door of my truck harder than necessary, the impact vibrating through my hand as I settled into the seat, letting out a long, frustrated sigh. The weight of the situation sat heavily in my chest, squeezing the air out of my lungs. My knuckles ached from gripping the steering wheel too tightly, but it didn't matter. I was used to that feeling—the constant pressure of wanting to fix everything, even when I had no idea how to.I reached into my pocket, yanking out my phone, and punched in the familiar number. Blake was my only real source of advice these days. Sure, I had other friends, but when it came to matters of the heart—well, Blake was the one who seemed to know how to make sense of my mess. The phone rang twice before she picked up."Hey, Blake. Is everything okay?" Her voice was clear and sharp, not muffled by sleep like I expected it to be. She was a schoolteacher, after all, and normally crashed before 10 PM to get up for her early morning classes."No," I replied
Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FORTY-SIX:Hazel Ellis
Riding my bike without Merrick in front of me or behind me was fun, but it was a different kind of fun. There was more adrenaline, less comfort and thrill. That probably doesn't even make sense, but I don't know any other way to put it.When I rode on my own, it was more about the rush. The excitement of me and my bike leaning together, flying down the highway at ridiculous speeds.But when I rode with Merrick, it was different. When he drove, it was a chance to let our bodies move as one, riding together. When he sat behind me, it was more of a challenge. I had to work harder to keep the bike up and had to be more careful with every movement.And I liked that better.We rode side by side, but it just wasn't the same. The adrenaline felt cheap compared to the comforting thrill of riding with my body plastered to my grizzly's.When we headed back, neither of us reached out mentally to each other. We were both aware of the danger of driving distracted, and didn't want to crash.When we
Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE:Merrick Blake
Hazel's mom, Henley, crossed to the small sink on the side of the little motel room. She and Roman were set up in one of the motel’s small suites, which had tiny kitchens in them."I need to do some dishes. Want to help?" she called over her shoulder.My natural response would be to pass and make a break for it before she could glare at me anymore. But I suppressed it and met her at the small sink. There weren't too many dishes, but there was no dishwasher.She washed two dishes in silence, handing them to me when they were clean. I dried them and put them away, having to rifle through the four cupboards dedicated to the kitchen to put them away.The moment felt like déjà vu. Up until she died, I'd helped my mom with the dishes almost every night when I was a kid. It had stopped when I moved out, but without fail, every time Chandler and I met at their place for family dinner, mom and I did the dishes together.The memories had my throat swelling a bit even as I accepted the third dis
Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR:Hazel Ellis
My body flushed, and I pushed away the desire I could feel building in me to match his.But when he wiggled the taco toward me, I took another bite. Not just to hear him idle, but because it tasted good.Fine, because I wanted to hear him idle and smell him wanting me. I was a sucker for the grizzly."You like the way I smell too," he told me, before chomping into his taco and idling again, just like I'd wanted."Of course I do. I love steak, and you smell better than any steak I've ever had." I lifted my booted feet to his dashboard, reclining my seat just a little. I wanted to talk to my dad, to get advice, but I'd rather listen to Merrick idle a bit first. In the long run, ten or fifteen minutes wasn't going to make a big difference."Does that mean you want to eat me?" He unwrapped a new taco and held it out for me."Does your question mean you've already forgotten that I did eat you?" I countered, then bit into the taco."Fuck, no. If you knew how many times I've remembered the l
Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FORTY-THREE-Hazel Ellis
"Can you drive to the motel? I need to talk to my dad. He'll have advice… I hope." My fingers were clenched tightly with Merrick's as he buckled himself in with one hand—and then buckled me in with the same hand when I made no move to do it myself."Sure." He pulled away from the small dirt parking lot. We were the last to leave, and I wasn't positive my parents had gone back to the motel, but it was a safe assumption. Unless they had shit to do, they were often homebodies."What do you think I should do?" I asked Merrick a moment later. He knew the city—he led the place. It would take time for me to completely know and trust him, but he knew as much as anyone and would be a damn good source.Hell, he'd controlled the room when I couldn't. Maybe he was more than a source—maybe he was the answer. I wasn’t ready to jump on that yet, but it was a possibility."I don't know," he admitted. "This hasn't ever happened before. The fighting was normal, and to be expected, but the ruby… it's ne
Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate CHAPTER FORTY-TWO-Hazel Ellis
"What do you want me to do in there?" Merrick checked as we walked down a perfectly-packed dirt trail toward the heart of the city. There were flowers on either side of the path, surrounding trees that were well-trimmed without looking overly-manicured."I don't know. I haven't met everyone yet." I paused. "Do you know if Noah was invited, or if he doesn't count since he hasn't passed the trials yet?"Mine and Merrick's hands were connected, fingers laced and biceps brushing each other. I was itching to shift and had wanted to run there in wolf form, but didn't want to be naked in front of all the other ruby shifters the first time I met them all. Fishnets and biking boots were my first line of defense, after all."It's protocol for a shifter who's signed up for the trials to attend ruby meetings, even though they usually don't survive long." He glanced at me, apologetic. "For his sake, I hope he does, but…""I know he doesn't have much of a chance, but he says he wants to lead the wo
