Keyah fought for control. Being snooty wasn’t going to help her get revenge. He was offering to help. That’s all that mattered.She forced a smile on her lips.“We need to discuss strategy.”Aaron shrugged nonchalantly. “What’s there to strategize about? We show up on Boulder Mountain and say we’re fated mates.”Keyah placed a hand on her hip, fixing him with a glare.“Oh yeah? How did we meet?”Aaron rubbed his jaw, pretending to think.“Hmm… let’s see… you sought me out at my garage, saying you scented me, your fated mate, from the other side of the country. When you actually found me, it was too much for you. You were so overcome with joy and adoration that you fell on your knees and begged me to make love to you. The kindly male that I am, I obliged. And the rest is history.”He was baiting her, and from the twinkle in his gorgeous blue eyes, enjoying himself thoroughly. Keyah closed her eyes, praying for patience.“Right. My pack will believe that ridiculous story immediately.”O
The diner was in the middle of nowhere on a dusty little road. Aaron parked his Monster next to Keyah’s Prius in the empty parking lot, next to the diner.The diner was a small, rectangular building with a large neon sign hanging above the door. ‘Desert Diner’, the glowing pink and green sign read. Quite a few letters in the sign flickered feebly, as if they’d stop glowing any second.The sun had dipped low beyond the horizon, lending the desert landscape a golden-orange glow. Aaron loved everything about the desert: the sandy, rocky, barren landscape, the lack of prying human eyes in the huge vastness, the pockets of shifter communities and shifter towns, safely tucked away in its womb.He wished he could sit on one of the boulders and soak everything in. There was something immensely peaceful about being in the middle of the desert, watching the sun dip lower and lower below the horizon. The sky would change from brilliant blue to blazing orange, then inky black. Watching the first
Aaron was shocked. Not many wolves lived without a pack. How had she lived amongst humans for so long? How had she managed to keep her shifting abilities a secret?“Nobody discovered your secret?” he asked, taking a large bite of the cheeseburger. The meat was overcooked, and the bun was stale. Still, it was better than what he cooked for himself. He had mostly subsisted on cereal, canned meat, jerky, and spam, barring the occasional visit to Charlie’s.“We moved around a lot,” she said with a nonchalant shrug.As he looked at her, he saw the brief shadow of sadness cross her face again. He didn’t have to be a mind reader to know she longed to belong. Just like him. Maybe they were more similar than he had initially thought. He couldn’t even imagine never living with a pack. It made him realize just how acutely he missed his pack.It was her fault: these uncomfortable feelings. He had avoided them for all of last year, even made himself believe he was content, if not happy. She was ya
Keyah licked her suddenly dry lips. Aaron was playing dirty. Sparks were erupting over her skin wherever Aaron touched her. She shouldn’t have made that stupid bet; she didn’t trust herself not to kiss him before the night was over.And that question about her fated mate–she had almost shared her heart’s deepest fear with him. It wouldn’t do at all. Catching feelings for Aaron, getting friendly with him, thinking of him as her confidant was wrong on so many levels. For one thing, there was certainly a fated mate for him. If she got in the way, it would make everything that much more complicated. One of them would be heartbroken at the end of it, and it wasn’t going to be Aaron.But she wasn’t worried about that, she told herself confidently. The only feeling Aaron induced in her other than lust was extreme annoyance.Keyah jerked her hand away and finished the rest of her meal in record time.“You know what? Let’s just start the road trip. Like you said, there’s plenty of time to get
Aaron swung his legs around the seat and stood leaning against his motorcycle, his eyes on Keyah. He crooked a finger in her direction, beckoning her to come to him.Keyah’s blood went very hot and really cold. Her legs felt like jelly as she took one step toward him, then another. Her heart was beating against her ribs like a drum. Thump, thump, thump.She was looking forward to kissing him as much as she was dreading it. Despite dragging her feet, she closed the short distance between them in a few short seconds.Aaron pushed himself upright and put one hand on her waist. With his other hand, he cupped her chin.When they were standing toe-to-toe like they were now, he dwarfed her. From her purely bookish knowledge about werewolves, Keyah knew she was well below average height, even for halflings. Although, in her wolf form, she was larger than she should have been. Was it because she was a Silver Wolf? She didn’t know, and hated that she didn’t know. She would know these things if
Two days later, the incessant honking of a car horn woke Aaron up. Cursing, he sat up in bed, naked. Opening one bleary eye, he reached for his phone. It wasn’t there.Of course. The events of last night came flooding into his consciousness. He moved the jaw from side to side, checking if the fracture had healed. Thanks to his wolf genes, it had.Grabbing the digital clock on the nightstand, he tried to focus. Six am. Fucking six am. Who the hell was it? It felt like he’d been asleep for just two minutes. He’d maul the bastards making the ruckus. After the night he’d had, he was in no mood for this nonsense.Pushing himself to his feet, he walked to the window overlooking the street and pushed the curtains aside.A ruby red Prius. Keyah.His mood improved, but only very slightly. Walking to the front door, he opened it and stepped out on the porch, not caring he was naked. Keyah apparently did.“What are you doing? Why aren’t you dressed?”One corner of his mouth lifted up as he stood
Keyah studied Aaron from the corner of her eye. It was obvious he’d gotten into a fight last night. Because wolves healed fast, the only evidence of the rough night he’d had was the puffiness under his eyes. Not just the puffiness; there were shadows in his eyes today. The sparkle was missing.“Well?” she prompted.He sighed, thumping his head against the headrest before turning his head toward the road. This early in the morning, the weather was quite pleasant, with a gentle, cool breeze blowing. It stirred up the sandy dust too, but they had chosen to ride with the top down. There was something freeing about being on the road with the wind whipping your hair.When Aaron had appeared the second time at his front door, wearing a black T-shirt and dark blue denims, a sports jacket folded over one arm and a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, looking all scruffy and wild, Keyah’s mouth had gone dry. What was it about him that made her lust spike?But then, when she’d seen him from up cl
Aaron’s fingers had a mind of their own. They were drifting up and down the soft, soft skin of Keyah’s bare shoulders. A pulse throbbed erratically at the base of her neck. His canines lengthened involuntarily, the primal urge to sink his teeth into her soft flesh nearly overwhelming him. He had begun to touch Keyah simply to distract her and steer the conversation into less dangerous waters. She was turned on as hell, and so was he. With tremendous effort, he managed to pull his fingers away.When the connection was severed, he felt the loss acutely. He wanted more of Keyah, much more than was wise.The ensuing silence was awkward; as if both of them were trying to gain a semblance of control over their senses. From the corner of his eye, he saw Keyah take deep breaths. It made him feel better to know she was as affected as him. The heady scents of their combined arousal was making him lightheaded.These intense feelings were dangerous.Aaron tried not to brood. The encounter with th
Aaron’s heart stilled in his chest when he heard Keyah’s faint whisper. She never wanted to be rid of him!She loved him. Keyah loved him! While she hadn’t said it outright, Aaron knew without a smidge of doubt her feelings for him were as real as his feelings for her.Aaron wanted to scoop her into his arms, lift her up in the air, and twirl her round and round while telling her how much he loved her. A warm glow spread inside him.His wolf purred inside him and whispered the words: ‘Our mate.’The words ‘I love you, Keyah’, were on the tip of his tongue. Before he could say anything, she went rigid in his arms, as if sensing what he was about to do. Freeing herself from his embrace with a frantic urgency, she got to her feet and walked toward the balcony with the terrific view of the mountains. Aaron followed her. Why did she shut him down so quickly whenever he was on the verge of opening his heart to her? He wanted to stand beside her. Recognizing she needed space, he stood lean
Aaron had kept his hands off her for the rest of the day, which should have made her feel relieved, but instead, Keyah felt disappointed.She had stepped out of the bathroom only once he had promised he would keep his hands to himself. And true to his word, he had. It was disappointing. She should be grateful, she told herself. If he did put his hands on her, there was no way she’d be able to resist him yet again.The effects of the potion had long abated; and while the aggression had lessened considerably, her lust for Aaron hadn’t gone down even one tiny bit. Keyah had a feeling it had nothing to do with the potion. Her lust for him would never lessen, not after knowing she loved him.If Becky hadn’t interrupted them at the right moment, they would have fucked for sure. And then where would that leave her? Making love to Aaron was a one-way street. There would be no going back from there. If they made love, he would know for sure, even if she refused to say the words, that she loved
After the blow job, Aaron was feeling more turned on than ever. His horniness, instead of abating, was at its peak. Thanks to the werewolf physiology, he was hard again as well, his refractory period being mere seconds. And with his hands and legs suddenly free, he lunged toward Keyah, trapping her beneath him.He had never come all over a woman’s mouth before. He should feel embarrassed for losing control like that, but all he felt was terribly possessive. Why did his cum look so mind numbingly sexy on Keyah? He had marked her as his with this act. She belonged to him, whether she was ready to accept it yet or not. She’s our soul mate, his wolf whispered from inside him. And this time, Aaron didn’t object. He knew what his wolf said was true. Aaron realized he’d known it since the moment he had seen her for the very first time, but had chosen to ignore it.As Aaron’s thigh held her in place, the tip of his cock touched her pussy lips.Keyah’s eyes widened. There was no hint of doubt
Keyah watched Aaron’s retreating back as she sank into the soft pillows. He had a fine, fine ass. As the image of his ass with her teeth marks on it formed in her mind, it brought a flood of color to her cheeks, but at the same time, she really, really wanted to bite his ass again. She wanted to bite him all over, leave marks on him, mark him as hers. She wanted to run her tongue all over the gorgeous ridges and planes of his hard, muscular body. Other than the few tattoos on his arms, he had one right at the base of his spine. How come she hadn’t noticed it before? Perhaps because the last time she had seen him naked, her brain had been fried by the twin assault of the shifter pheromones in the air, and her uncontrolled lust. She vowed to ask him about all his tattoos.It should have embarrassed her mightily when Aaron walked in on her with her fingers buried in her pussy, but it hadn’t. Well it had, but just a little bit. Was it the potion that made her feel wanton? Or had she achi
Aaron slowly tried to back away, but collided against the doorjamb. Keyah’s eyes flew to him.“Aaron,” she whispered, her eyes dark. And although a hint of color tinged her cheeks, she didn’t close her legs or remove her hand from her breast.“Sorry, I didn’t know… I’ll give you some privacy,” he said, turning on his heel.“No. Wait.” Keyah’s voice was hoarse and thick. “Be with me. I’m trying but it’s not enough.”If she asked him to touch her, he’d be a goner. His cock would be buried inside her in minutes, irrespective of the promise. “If I touch you, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”Acute lust coursed through his blood, making his heart pound. It seemed like all the horniness he had worked off after his run was now back with a vengeance. He clutched the bundle of basil tighter, hoping to regain a semblance of control.“I’m not asking you to touch me. My fingers just aren’t doing the job. Make me come without touching me. Tell me all the things you want to do to me. Talk dir
“Breakfast will be served everyday in the cafe downstairs between eight am and ten am. The bathroom’s through here. I’m sorry we give you a room with twin beds,” Becky apologized, twisting her hands.Aaron wished the hare-woman would leave already. She had a tendency to ramble, and she had apologized ten times on the way up to the room. He knew he’d say something rude if he spoke, so he walked to the Juliet balcony attached to the room. At least, the view was stupendous. From here, he could see both the lake and the Direwolf Mountain.Becky was still talking, telling Keyah all about how she had inherited the villa from her great-grandmother and turned into a B and B, following a life-long dream. They were a little short-staffed today, she explained. Aaron wanted to shout–we fucking don’t care. Leave!But the only thing stopping him from pinning Keyah against the queen-sized bed and ripping off her clothes was Becky’s presence. So in a way, Becky was probably doing him a favor by linge
Keyah read the text, feeling perplexed. She glanced at Aaron, and he was studying her intently, taking deep inhales.Keyah now knew why he did that. With the potion, her senses were heightened. His natural scent permeated her nostrils, trying to envelope her brain in a fog of desire. If she let it, it would cloud her senses completely.Shaking her head, she forced herself to read the text out loud. “Tara says: ‘you can alter your scent and throw those goons off your track. Just chew on some basil before taking the potion.’ How the fuck did she know?”Keyah banged her fist against the dashboard, suddenly needing to vent her frustration. Now she knew how Aaron had felt. When her fist connected with the dashboard, she was horrified. Her car! Her poor car! How could she ill-treat it?Aaron growled low in his throat, probably feeling triggered by her aggression.Fuck, it was going to be difficult. Keyah looked at the lake again, trying to calm her mind. “Let’s find an auto repair shop. We
“Keyah?”When Aaron gently shook her shoulders, she jerked, suddenly coming awake. She had passed out. When had she passed out? She had only closed her eyes for a minute; it had still been dark out. Now, the sun was high up in the sky.Sitting up, she rubbed a hand over her face. After they had fueled up and left Fanny Pack, Keyah had been at the wheel until they crossed the Direwolf Mountains. The paved road ended soon after, and Keyah had begun to feel her eyes close. Since she knew better than to stubbornly stay at the wheel when feeling sleepy, she’d asked Aaron to take over, promising to relieve him after she’d had a few minutes of shut-eye.Well, it had certainly been more than a few minutes.“What time is it? Why didn’t you wake me up? Were we followed? Did we cross the streams?”Aaron grinned. How could he look so handsome despite not having slept a wink? She was sure she looked like a racoon with purple circles under her eyes despite having slept for a few hours.“You went fr
Aaron got out of the car and stretched his legs, his face upturned, looking at the star-studded sky, trying to feel a sense of calm under the ocean of stars. Ever since he had kissed Keyah earlier, his feelings were all over the place. He couldn’t make sense of anything.When Keyah had asked him if he believed in destiny, he was sure she was hinting they were fated mates, but when she laughed off his suggestion, it hurt. Which was ridiculous. He knew they weren’t fated mates. They couldn’t be. His fated mate couldn’t be a Silver Wolf. If the circumstances had been different, if Keyah had been raised by her pack, she wouldn’t even have come into Aaron’s life. The only reason they had met was because she wanted revenge.But circumstances aren’t different. She found you, the one wolf who can see the Boulder Mountain. If anything, it proves she is your fated mate. She found you against all odds, his wolf argued from inside him.Aaron shook his head, not having a counter argument. His wolf