Challenged (2 page)

Better to let her know up front what his intentions were. If she wanted to bail, he’d

allow her that before he even left with her.

“I’m not teasing. I really do want you to take me somewhere nice.” She grinned

way too sweetly, suddenly looking even younger than she probably was. “At least

somewhere nicer than this. By the way, what’s your name?”

She took a deep breath, letting him know she was nervous and trying to hide it. He

placed his hand on her back, escorting her outside to the truck he’d been driving since

his littermate had left for time alone with his new mate.

“Stone McAllister at your service,” he said, opening the truck door for her.

“Stone?” She crossed her arms, pressing those large breasts of hers closer together.

“Your mother named you Stone?”

He let his gaze drop to her plump exposed flesh, his mouth suddenly too dry to

speak.

“Well, I’m Alicia Bastien,” she continued. Outside the tavern, her own scents grew

stronger in the fresh mountain air. “Where are you taking me, Stone McAllister?”

“How about into the mountains where we can enjoy a private run?”

She cocked her head, amusement mixing with wariness, a pleasant smell on her.

“I had something nice in mind, like a restaurant where we could chat. Is that not in

your budget, wolf-man?” She was challenging him.

“You’re too young to be a gold digger. Get in.”

She moved closer to him, needing to brush past him to climb into the truck.

Glancing up at him, her slender frame making her appear petite when she was right

next to him, her bright blue eyes sparkled with defiance.

He noticed her scent change, her hackles going up at his comment. What he saw

now was a wild bitch who was trying her damnedest to appear high-class. There was

no way he’d let her read him, but kept his expression blank as he stared down at her.

The first thing they would establish was that he was in charge here.

“I’m not too young to be anything,” she told him, and climbed into the truck.

He shut the door, then walked around to the driver’s side, pondering over her

comment. All it told him was that he’d judged her accurately. Little Miss Alicia had

found a new werewolf on the prowl and thought she might have some fun with him.

Well, fun was a two-way street.

Chapter Two

Ali adjusted herself in the passenger seat of the truck. Watching Stone McAllister

strut around the front of the truck, she knew she’d never known a more wild and

dangerous Cariboo lunewulf. Her heart picked up a rapid beat while she sucked in an

extra breath. Rubbing her damp palms against her jeans, she worked to calm her nerves.

Her apprehension would fill the space of this small cab if she didn’t calm down. This

was an adventure, and she only lived once.

Stone opened the driver’s side door and climbed in, cranking over the engine and

then glancing at her. “You really hungry?”

She doubted she could eat a thing. “I’m starved.”

The look he gave her, a long and slow assessment while he probably sniffed out

every emotion and thought going through her… She was so out of his league.

“Well, no offense, but you smell like fried food and beer. If you want top of the line,

you’re getting a shower first.”

Oh damn. More than out of her league. She wasn’t even in the same district. The

only way she could shower first was if she took him to her den.

Ali clamped her hands together in her lap, looking down while she watched her

knuckles turn white.

“Now if we find a quiet area to take a run, I won’t require that you shower first,” he

said quietly, his baritone racking her senses.

She licked her lips and then nibbled at her lower one, hoping she appeared to be

pondering her choices.

“My den isn’t far from here.” She focused on the large mountains that confined the

town to the small valley as Stone followed her directions to the small house where she’d

grown up.

“This is it?” Stone asked, staring at the small house, freshly painted by her uncle,

and her nephews rocking on the porch swing.

“I have a large den,” she said, and gripped the handle to the truck door, wondering

if she would be smart to just tell him thank you for the ride, and let him go on his way.

No way. This was a once in a lifetime chance and she wasn’t going to run from it with

her tail between her legs. “Is your given name Stone?”

He smiled when she looked at him, a charming expression crossing his face while

relaxed confidence filled the air in the cab. It smelled a lot better then her nervousness.

“My mother named me Frederic McAllister. The name Stone came soon after

because I’m so hardheaded and always managed to get what I wanted.”

He reached for her then, surprising her with his quick strength as he dragged her

across the bench seat into his arms. “You’ll do well to remember that. There will be no

games. Do you understand?”

All she could do was nod. Stone let his gaze drop, possibly to her lips. Her breath

caught in her throat when she thought he would kiss her. What her nephews wouldn’t

do with that news. They’d be howling that sweet gossip to all the neighboring dens

before she could get out of the truck.

Stone surprised her by opening his side of the truck and then pulling her out on his

side.

“You’re being paranoid.” She fought to sound worldly, not let him manipulate her

simply because she was so young.

She slid to the ground, her natural instinct to protect herself making the hairs on the

back of her neck stand to attention, while her muscles hardened.

But this was the old Ali. For twenty-two years she’d fought every werewolf who

approached her, disgusted by their inability to measure up to her dreams. Nothing

about Stone disgusted her.

Placing her hands against his chest, she felt warm muscles, hard and well-rounded,

against her flesh. His pulse beat through him, solid and confident just like the rest of

him. Stone was a powerful werewolf. Just touching him she sensed his strength. Instead

of hesitant lust, she sensed his cocky arrogance, smelled his all male scent.

The smell of lust came from her.

Ali took a moment, staring at her fingers, dirty from a day’s work, spread over his

firm chest. Then slowly her gaze traveled up him. Broad shoulders blocked her view of

anything but him. And he had a neck, which was more than most of the brutes around

here. His Adam’s apple moved slightly as she ached to run her fingers over him,

exploring him in full.

When she looked up at him, blue eyes sparkling with defiance, which added to the

male smell that surrounded him, bored through her. Bangs barely reached perfect blond

eyebrows that narrowed the longer she stared at him.

“I’m never paranoid,” he told her quietly, resting his hands on her hips. “Just know

that I won’t be toyed with. You run with me, it’s all or nothing. Do you understand?”

She couldn’t move, could barely breathe. And for the life of her, she wasn’t sure at

all that she understood. What it sounded like, was that if she went out with him this

evening, he expected some damn good sex, or he would leave her home.

Managing to swallow, she nodded, damned if she would sit at home another night,

allowing the excitement life had to offer to pass her by.

“Good. Now go shower. I’ll wait for you here.”

When she would have protested, let him know her den would never allow him to

simply stand and wait for her to come trotting back out to him, he turned her toward

her den, giving her a swift swat on her ass.

A yelp escaped her, and she felt like a cub, nervous and excited all at the same time

as she almost skipped inside, praying she wouldn’t have to deal with anyone inside and

could simply shower and escape again unnoticed.

“Who’s that Cariboo?” her thirteen-year-old sister asked.

“My date.” Ali hurried past her, knowing the questions would fly if she didn’t hit

the shower quickly. “Go find something to do, Janie Lynn. Don’t be a pest.”

Her younger littermate, one of four in her den, pranced after her, curiosity and

jealousy filling the air when she followed Ali into her room.

“I’ve never seen him before. If he’s not part of the pack you’ll get a beating for

going out without Papa’s permission.”

Ali hurriedly looked through her clothes hanging in her closet, none of them

impressing her. She grabbed one of her sweaters that she’d received more than one

comment on in the past, and then pulled clean jeans from her drawer.

“I’m a grown bitch. Who I see is my own business.”

“Not as long as you are part of this den.” Janie Lynn mimicked their sire, putting

her hands on her hips so that she stood just like him.

When Ali turned, her other littermate, Jason, stood behind Janie Lynn.

“Who’s that Cariboo out there?” At the age of seventeen, his hormones were on

overload and filled the air as he puffed out his narrow chest. “Papa isn’t here. Should I

go talk to him?”

Ali hid her sigh of relief as she pushed past her curious littermates and hurried to

the bathroom. “And that’s why he’s waiting outside.” She had no problem hiding the

smell of her lie in front of her younger littermates. “It wouldn’t be proper to have him

in when our sire and Mama aren’t here.”

She prayed Mom was with their sire.

“Well then, it’s only proper for me to go question him,” Jason said as she shut the

bathroom door on them.

Ali had no sooner stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around her, when

the bathroom door opened, steam escaping out the door as Jolene crossed her arms,

scowling at her.

“Where did you find him?” Her fifteen-year-old littermate pouted.

“Jolene. Not now.” Ali hurried to dry off, and then slid her still damp legs into her

jeans.

“Well, you better find out if he has a younger littermate. He’s definitely worth

howling over.” Jolene’s immature lust swarmed around her developing teenage body.

Ali bent over, towel-drying her hair and then straightened so she could give her