Hmm.. Falling at the sheriff’s feet already?
In the car, Grayson did not hesitate to interrogate Bree as soon as he set the car in motion. “So you want to tell me why you were looking for me?”“I called and left several messages a week ago regarding my brother, Brandon Stone, and nobody called me back.”“Brothers disappear all the time. I take it this is not the first time he left home without telling you?”“My brother has been on this six-month-long hiking trip on the Continental Divide. He was supposed to come home two—no, three weeks ago when he decided to extend his trip, said he wanted to see the waterfalls here in Washington.”“Silvercreek is a long way from that trail. Are you sure he was in this area?”“Yes, I’m sure he was in this area because the last phone he called from was the diner’s landline.” The sheriff’s brows furrowed. “Bran calls me every weekend without fail and it’s been two weeks. I have a feeling something bad happened to him.”“Why did you wait two weeks?”“I called your office and the ranger station a fe
“It’s just me and him, so you know how important he is to me.”“I see. Family is important in this town, too, so I know what you mean. Here we are.”“I expected a bigger building.” She said upon alighting from the car. “There’s not much happening in this town, so we need only a few employees. Plus, we have a lot of volunteers to keep the peace.” “Like Margie?” He smiled, noting her good observational skills.“Yes… just like Margie.”“So why haven’t you returned my calls?” Bree asked as they entered the small building. She noted that inside, it held more space than the facade, and she glimpsed a hallway that led to the back of the building, probably containing a couple of cells for holding. “Hold my calls,” he instructed as they passed by the front, and Bree paused for a second, recognizing someone at the front desk.“Who was that?” She asked, after Grayson closed the door to his office. “She hissed at me when I first saw her at the diner.”“The girl at the desk? Marina, and she’s al
Grayson was in the backyard, chopping wood to eliminate the tension he felt on his shoulders. The forest felt too quiet, and the air too calm, even for a small town like Silvercreek. Instances like these spoke of impending catastrophe, but his wolf could not figure out what was causing it. Sure, there were animal attacks in the forest, but those were nothing to be concerned about. They were just wild wolves driven to the nearby cities out of hunger.As the big felled trunk split in two, he wondered if a rival pack had invaded their territory to cause trouble. It had been several years since the Washington wolf packs and the surrounding neighbors made a peace treaty. There was no way a group would violate those rules unless there was some altercation between the packs he was unaware of.Wolves were naturally territorial and would protect the lands handed to them by their forefathers, even to their deaths. Grayson knew most of the Washington packs were peaceful and they would never make
Bree sneaked a glance at the house to check if there was anyone else around and an ugly taste appeared in her mouth when she imagined someone else touching his body.When she saw the lights were switched off, she nodded with relief.He was alone.“Yeah, you’re right. I should leave.” She turned her feet the way she came and felt the wind stir the air. And there it was. The scent that tormented Bree during her run.She inhaled deeply and, like a puppet, turned slowly toward him. Taking heavy, deliberate steps with her eyes still closed, she came closer.Grayson sneered. It was the trick women played on him all the time. Feigning disinterest for one second, then coming back to seduce him.He knew what to do, and what to say, but he had not been ready when Brianna opened her eyes and he saw the golden glow shining brightly.“What are you doing?” He hacked the stump with his ax, embedding the entire blade into the wood from the force he applied in surprise.She closed her eyes again and in
“Don’t be stubborn, you’re probably dehydrated, and that run didn’t do you any good.”“I’m in good shape and I drank a lot of water. That run shouldn’t have affected me.”“Maybe it’s the altitude. You’re not used to being in higher elevations.”“You’re probably right.” She agreed as he stood outside her door. “You can let me down now. I think my legs are fine, then you can be on your way.”“Just open the door and let me lay you in bed.”Bree blushed at the comment, and it did not escape his nose when her mood changed. Conscious of his warm hands holding her legs and waist, Bree scrambled to get the key from the pocket wedged between his abs and her hip. “I need to—” She twisted and almost fell, but he quickly drew her back in. His hand moved up her ribs, grazing the bottom of her breasts and doing a number on her breathing. Bree knew he was affected by the huff she heard, his frustration expelling a different spicy scent.She sniffed his shirt while attempting to get the key out of h
‘She is our wolf. Call her out to play.’‘No! This is final.’ Grayson gave the last word, and Slate retreated to sulk in the shadows.Sure, the wolf was right that Brianna had a scent attractive to him, probably to all wolves, because Maggie knew what she was and Marina became territorial when she arrived. But Grayson wondered why wolves in Illinois never took an interest in Brianna. Why has no one ever claimed her?Was the pollution in the city so thick that they never noticed a natural-born female wolf in their midst?Is something wrong with her, perhaps?‘Nothing’s wrong. She’s perfect.’ Slate hissed.Grayson shook his head. Just when he had chopped enough wood and successfully blotted Brianna out of his thoughts, she appeared in his backyard sweaty and windblown to torment him.He recalled her eyes changing from dark brown to gold several times, making him wonder why she pretended to be unaware of what was happening.She was a mystery, and though Grayson said there was nothing he
“The lady said to let her go.” And just her luck, Bree bumped into the sheriff’s chest. “Great, you’re here again,” Bree muttered sarcastically. She was in another situation, and he was there to save her again. She wanted to bolt.Grayson smirked, making her wonder if he heard her remark.“We were just inviting her to our celebration.”Grayson said nothing, instead bared his teeth. The light glinting off his eyes seemed brighter, and the two men bowed their heads before heading back into the pub, tail between their legs.‘Such odd behavior. Who bares their teeth at people? Marina did the same thing to me. Did she expect me to bow my head?’“I could have handled that. I didn’t need your help.”“Really? Maggie would have enlisted my help, anyway. So I skipped a step.”“How did you—”“—know that you would ask Maggie for help? Everybody does. Then she comes to me.” Bree wanted to smack that smug smile off his face.“Well, thank you… again. I have to go on my way.”“Those men might follow
She frowned and shrugged it off. This was her chance to interrogate the sheriff about his plan of action for finding Bran.“If you are correct that your brother is in that forest, then we need to put together a bunch of people to go find him. It would be easier to find clues when you have more people sweeping the area.”“So let’s do it. How do we get these people?”“Hold on. I still need to check forest services and the other campgrounds if they saw him. Then we start from there.”“He was in town two weeks ago. So does that mean we start from the beginning of the trails?”“We could, but that might be pointless. Let me do my job and I’ll get back to you.”“When will that be?”“A couple of days, probably. There are a lot of areas to cover.”“But I don’t have a few days. My brother has been missing for two weeks now and I know something has happened because he never failed to call me every weekend. I’ve been hanging around the pub since yesterday and haven’t seen him since.”“Maybe he mov
Bree was lying on her makeshift bed on the hayloft that evening when she remembered a weird dream from the night before. It was a sensual dream about Grayson, as most of them were, but the images were so vivid that Bree felt like it was real.Closing her eyes, she tried to recall what happened.Bree had been sleeping in the loft when she felt warm lips kiss her neck. She moaned at the familiar feeling, then shifted her legs open as she experienced callused hands squeeze her breast.A knee wedged between her knees and she could feel the hardness manifesting from her fantasy.The dream guy nipped at her lips, giving Bree a taste of the strawberry dessert she made earlier. Their tongues dueled as he nibbled on her lower lip, making the sensation more real. “Gray...” Bree moaned his name, her eyes fluttering slowly as she realized the object of her sexual dream had materialized on top of her.The weight of his heavily muscled chest pinning her down was real, and though shock registered i
Several hours later, Bree awakened in Grayson’s arms, cradled against his chest. Anger filled her chest when she remembered what she witnessed.How dare he cuddle with her after being with Marina? Her claws elongated so fast it scratched Grayson’s arms.“Brianna?” He had dozed off after keeping watch the entire night. He momentarily forgot what happened.“Get away from me, you lying cheat! I will not tolerate your actions!” She squirmed, but Grayson held tight to prevent her from falling on the floor. “Stop struggling. You’re hanging over the bed. I don’t want you to fall.”Bree arranged her clothes and sneered at him with disgust when she got off the bed. “Don’t you ever touch me again, or I swear I’ll shred you to pieces.” She threatened with claws out and eyes shining.“What are you speaking of?” Grayson got off the bed, his arms stretched out for defense. “I didn’t cheat on you. I would never do that.”“If you condone having multiple partners in your relationship, that is your
Marina sprayed the room with a cologne she found on the dresser to mask her scent. She did not want to give away her plan before she got to execute it.Several minutes later, she heard Grayson announce he was heading to the shower, and she almost giggled. The object of her desire had returned, and it was her turn to reap the benefits. Marina was in love with Grayson because he was loyal and kind. He also cared for every werewolf that needed attention, orphans, and strays, especially.She still remembers what he said when her parents passed. ‘Don’t worry Marina, you will never be alone. I will always care for you.’ And she held him to that promise ever since.The only reason she knew Grayson was attracted to Brianna was because he saw her naked in the forest, and Marina thought she would do the same.She pinched her face to add color to her cheeks and rolled her nipples between her thumb and forefinger to perk them up. It was time to entice Grayson to establish their bond.He had just
In the days that followed, Marina heard Brianna had fallen into a deep slumber, which worried Grayson a lot. He came to work the following day after finding his mate in the forest with congratulations from everybody.The locals thought they were congratulating him on a successful search, but the wolves knew the event was something more special.It was rare for natural-born wolves to find their fated mates. It was not unheard of but rarely witnessed, so the people who helped search for Brianna in the forest felt lucky to have witnessed such a union.Marina tried to be on her best behavior, bringing Grayson flowers as a sign of acceptance. She wanted to show her maturity and hoped he would notice that she had changed.But nothing she did in the last three days had earned her anything. Grayson kept looking at the clock every hour, eager to get back home. The search for Brandon was still in effect, but nobody found him. Marina couldn’t mention anything about her encounter with the black
‘That stupid bitch! This is the last time she will get her way.’ Marina needed to act fast. She could feel Grayson pulling away from her grasp.Marina knew he still saw her as his younger sister, and it would take time before he noticed that her body was fully developed. Her breasts were fuller and her butt firmer, but all he could see was Marina in her pigtails following her elders around to annoy them.Gone were the baby fat cheeks and the stringy hair he always teased her about. She had finally transformed into a butterfly with silky hair, pearly white teeth, and pouty lips. What was not to love?Everywhere she went, wolves swooned at her feet, yet she had eyes for nobody but Grayson.It was frustrating that everyone accepted Brianna readily as Grayson’s mate when they knew Marina had been in love with him since they were kids.When Brianna disappeared into the forest, Marina thought she was rid of the competition. She even gave the visitors directions so they could easily find Br
“Says the woman who can’t keep her hands off my brother.”“It’s the werewolf gene that’s manipulating me. I have no control when I’m around him.”“That’s how it’s supposed to work. True mates should immediately feel the pull of their bond.”“What if I don’t want it?”“There is no resisting the call. It is how you know you are compatible with each other. Fate has chosen your partner for you.”“But that takes the fun out of dating and getting to know each other.”“How? Gauging if the person likes you or not is the most awkward part of dating and I would gladly skip that part any time. It would have been perfect if you and I were paired up, but fate has spoken.”Bree shook her head.“But if you do not want my brother, I’ll be here. You’re not bad to look and probably great in bed.”Bree blushed. Aiden knew just how to make her cringe, and she knew that his attitude was the main reason they would never work as a couple.He was too flirty, and he joked around a lot. It was hard to figure ou
Bree smirked. “It’s okay, I’m comfortable being naked. My boobs are perky enough I don’t need a bra, but it seems like you need them for extra padding.”She was used to taking digs from popular girls at school and had become somewhat of an expert when it came to clap backs and putting mean girls in their place.“Ugh! I have boobs. Thank you very much.” An irritated Marina adjusted her breasts to give a more pronounced cleavage. “And Grayson loves them the way they are.” “I bet he’s never seen them.” Marina stomped away, disgusted that Brianna had been quick-witted. She thought that the clueless, non-shifting werewolf was stupid. But being oblivious to their ways did not mean she was not smart.“I remembered giving you enough clothes to wear. Are you really naked underneath this sweater?” Grayson had his lips close to her ear, his breath fanning her hair. Bree laughed as she turned around. “Everyone is naked underneath their clothes, unless your entire body is covered in fur.”Her ga
“You can’t let thoughts like that leak out and expect me to do nothing about it.”“I can’t stop it. You make me lose focus.” She looked away shyly, licking her lips unconsciously.“I feel the same way about you, but I don’t want to hear that you’re out of control when you make love with me.” Bree looked up, pursed her lips, and nodded.“I want to know that you feel every kiss.” He lifted the left hand he held and brought it to his lips, giving it a light kiss.Bree held her breath when his mouth continued to up her arm. She never knew the crook of her elbow was an erogenous zone until Grayson licked it.Brianna sighed. Her legs felt like they’ve turned to jelly, she had to lean on the counter to steady herself. The oversized shirt she wore hitched up her thigh, and Grayson’s temperature shot another degree.The pastel pink shirt made her look like a giant cotton candy ready to be eaten.“Gray…” Bree touched his hair to stop what he was doing, but the soft texture distracted her.“I l
Brianna lifted her eyes with suspicion. They both knew Grayson took the diary because he wanted to read what was inside, but since he said nothing untruthful, there was no lie in his statement.“Are you the one my brother spoke of on the last page? Were your pack members hunting him down because we did not belong to any pack?”“I saw that entry, and I asked everyone, but no one had been in the forest the last few weeks.”Brianna held his gaze. So she was correct that he wanted to read the diary.“Aside from the abandoned car they found a few miles from the forest entrance a few days ago when you disappeared, there was no record of wolves visiting from other packs, either. But then again, it’s a big forest and several trails connect from Mexico to Canada, so they could have come from anywhere.”Brianna nodded. “I see.”“Did you like the bedroom? Were you comfortable enough?” He asked, changing the topic.“I haven’t seen much, but it’s lovely. Thanks for letting taking me in. I want to