Claiming the She Wolf (3 page)

She’d better stock up on sunscreen because with that fair skin and blond hair, he’d burn his first full day out in the sun. The city-boy wouldn’t know what hit him. Mentally, she reviewed the list of supplies they’d have to pick up to get started, all the lumber and pipe. Plenty of people had seen him come through earlier in the day, and they were probably wondering where he’d gone. She’d have him review the list and see if she’d missed anything.

Where he slept in the living room lay directly underneath her bed. He’d probably taken his shirt off and was lounging down there now. She swallowed the surge of lust. A squeak outside her door made her jump.

“Night, Tala. I’m headed down to bed.”

“Pleasant dreams,” she managed to reply. Of course, he’d had to come upstairs to get ready. Before she drifted off, she prayed none of the vandals who’d been harassing her would come overnight. She didn’t want to scare off Yas too soon.

The scent of the woman filled his nostrils. His body ached for release. She lay upstairs, so close to him, and yet the chasm between them was too great. Pain radiated along his legs, from his calves to upper thighs. He groaned as a white-hot lash struck across his shoulders, making him double over on the couch. Twisting and turning, he tumbled to the floor, knocking over a lamp.

Unforgiving wood offered no comfort to the heat pounding through his veins. He fought against the change. He needed to be in control, not his wolf.

“Are you all right down there?” Tala called.

Her lean silhouette stood at the top of the stairs. Light shone through her gown, and her luscious curves called to him. She took a step down.

“I’m fine.” He gritted his teeth against the pain. “Just rolled off the couch.”

The sound of footsteps came halfway down. “Can I get you anything? Do you need any help?”

“No. Don’t.” Spasms streaked across his shoulders again, and he growled. “Stay. Away.”

Quicker, Tala rounded the corner of the living room and stopped. “Yas? What’s wrong?”

His face morphed, shifting into a partial form. He opened his jaw, snapping at empty air, unable to vocalize what he wanted to say. A scream of frustration broke through, and he seized upon his humanity.

“I can’t. Control. It. Get away.”

Did she ever listen?

“I can help you, Yas.”

Closer. He smelled her. The heat between her legs. He wanted to tear her clothes off. Bury his snout into her breasts. Lick her pussy.
Take her. Take her. Take her
.

The thought. Only that thought. Sliding his cock into her warmth.
Take her.

With everything he possessed, he pushed off the hardwood floor and away from her. She followed, hand outstretched. Didn’t she get it? She should fear him. Rocking, he sat on his heels, ready to jump at any movement.

Light fingers stroked the back of his neck, feathering through his hair. He tilted his head toward her touch and sighed. She was an angel, caressing away his doubts. Her stroke tamed his wolf. For a few moments, he considered she might be right. She could help him. All his wolf wanted was a little bit of attention and to meet the bearer of the scent firsthand.

Then she moved closer, her bare legs resting against his skin, and the wolf took over. He snaked his arm behind her knees, catching her off balance, and knocking her onto the couch. She exhaled with a loud “oomph” as she fell.

He pounced, straddling her. His cock nestled between her legs, pushing against the soft cotton of her underwear. Her mouth opened in a surprised O. Fuck foreplay or first kiss. His wolf wanted to sink deep inside her.
Now. In bocca al lupo
. Good luck with that.

“Well that was a bit unexpected.” Her eyes sparkled in the dim lighting. Her musky scent grew stronger. She was turned on. She wanted him. Probably as much as he did her.

See?
His wolf howled.

“Does this mean you’re attracted to me, or do you greet all women in this manner in the middle of the night?”

Leaning over, he caught a whiff of her natural scent, and he sniffed her neck, from right below her ear all the way down her cleavage.

Tala shuffled beneath him, trying to break free. “Dude, watch the sniffing. It’s a bit creepy. While I’ve enjoyed our little interaction, anything more is a bit too soon for me, understand? I just met you today.”

His wolf didn’t care. From first sight, he knew he’d have her. He lusted after her.

She banged her fist against his arm. “Did you hear me? Get off. Let me up.”

A battle for control warred within his body. The duality tore him apart. He should have known better than to think he could control it. He snarled, baring his teeth, and threw his body to the side. He rolled onto the floor.

With a fluid movement, Tala took to her feet. She brushed off her nightgown and fisted her hands on her hips. “You are quite a handful, aren’t you?”

Weak from the internal fight, he lay on the floor, willing her to leave him be. Without her presence, he’d tame the beast.

“I know what makes me feel better. A good run.”

With those words, she stripped off her nightgown and stood before him nude. On fire, his body roared as he shifted into his wolf form.

She whistled. “Look at you. You’re gorgeous. Your fur is so blond, it looks white…like the snow.”

After opening the front door, she stood basking in the moonlight streaming in. He advanced, and, in a blink of his eyes, she’d shifted into a wolf. She opened her mouth in a grin and bounded outside. He followed.

Cool night air clung to Yas’s fur as he pounded through the woods. His heart raced with the speed of his body. Every now and then he caught a glimpse of Tala running in front of him. But she remained out of reach. She ran with a sure comfortableness in her own backwoods.

Freedom
. Running in parks at home had nothing on this experience. The moon guided them in its warm embrace. With each passing moment, the built-up fury within his body dissipated. She led him to a small river, and they stopped to get a soothing drink of water. She stood just far enough away that if he advanced, she could get away. At the moment, he didn’t care.

Fresh green earth and dirt. He dug his nose into the ground and pawed at the long grasses. Tala yipped at him, capturing his attention. With a swish of her tail, she took off again in the direction of the house. As her sight diminished, Yas stretched out in the clearing and stared up into the open sky. Power from Mother Nature surged within his body, and he wished he could better control some of the aspects of shifting.

When he started changing into his wolf form, he’d thought of it as a curse. Now, lying in the forest with the open world surrounding him, for the first time he believed it might instead be a blessing.

Working construction on and off for the last five years, Yas naturally woke up early. After making a pot of coffee, he went out to the front porch with a pad of paper and pen. With one hand on the top of a chair, he tested its sturdiness. It seemed stable enough. The old wood groaned under his weight, but it held together. Since it’s what potential customers saw first, it needed to go on top of the list. He could sand down the wood, repair some missing pieces, and repaint it, probably in a day. Two at the most.

Inside? He shook his head as he made notes for the breakfast nook and upstairs bedrooms. He suspected the home needed more repairs than Tala was letting him see at the moment. Pride probably kept her from allowing him to get too close of a look, especially at her room.

Dew glistened on the grass as the sun took hold more overhead. A few birds called to each other, rejoicing another night survived, and another day to live. He shut his eyes, breathing in the fresh air and letting his mind wander. After he settled down, he hoped to send word to his little sister.

Sugar wouldn’t care to be called “little” much. The last time he’d seen her, she’d planned on rushing a sorority. He had a hard time imagining Little Miss Prissy in the wild of Los Lobos, but the lack of concrete jungle would do her well.

The front door opened with a creak, and the scent of baking blueberries drifted out with Tala.

“You’re up early,” she said, leaning against the jamb. She wore a soft-yellow robe that reflected the early morning light and cast her in a glowing halo.

He shielded his eyes to meet her gaze directly. “Habit. Something smells good.”

Her smile increased the glow. “Blueberry scones. Hungry?”

“You don’t need to do anything fancy for me.”

“Who says they’re for you? If you’re going to get this place up and running fast, then I better get used to serving the guests.”

“Expecting an influx of newcomers to the area?”

She gazed out over the yard and the rooftops of the main town area in the distance. “We’ve already seen some new faces since Magnum died and his son Drew took over. With all the remodeling and improvements, I’m sure our little community will expand. Not that we’re advertising for new settlers or anything. We like to keep it private.”

“Probably not.” He stood, stretching out. Maybe one of the rooms should be higher on that list. The couch wasn’t the most comfortable spot to crash. “While we eat, let’s go over the supply list, and tell me what you think. Any tools you think we might need, or already have?”

With a nod, she took the paper from him. Their hands touched, and he swore the feeling traveled all the way from his fingertips, through his body, and straight to his cock.

Even with doing his best to suppress the urges, it didn’t work. Maybe he wasn’t meant to be around others. He thought being out in the wild would be better for him, but living under the same roof as Tala wasn’t helping.

After breakfast, they set out on a trip to Los Lobos Lumber. Tala knew there would be a lot of questions about her brother leaving, and, hopefully, the introduction of a newcomer would prove to be a distraction.

“What type of tools do you have at the house?” Yas asked. Already, he’d been surprised that she didn’t own some sort of vehicle. How would she get by without a truck out here? The lumberyard would deliver when needed.

“My brother had the basics—hammer, screwdrivers. But if you’re looking for fancy saws, you’ll have to rent those.”

Her handyman nodded, but his expression looked anything but pleased. She only hoped whatever negative sentiment had targeted their house didn’t extend to Ogden, the owner of the lumberyard.

Their feet kicked up dirt as they walked, and the silence grated on Tala’s nerves. “How old were you when you first shifted?” she asked. Might as well talk while they walked.

Tense muscles constricted on Yas’s body. “Late teens.”

Well, that gave her a lot of information. Every Wolf was different, every shift different. A late bloomer, as it were, might have more issues. “Anyone tell you what to expect?”

His jaw muscles flexed, and he gritted his teeth. “Ma put off getting into specifics about it. Once it happened…well, I learned.”

Again, the sound of their footsteps overpowered just about everything else. Tala listened to her blood pulsing through her head. She counted the rhythms before trying again. “How about your sister, does she…?”

He stopped. “Do you want to get all your questions out now? Because I’m trying to lay out what needs to be done at your house, and you keep interrupting my train of thought.”

What crawled up his tail this morning?
With a huff, she kept walking, refusing to look behind to see if he followed. Eventually, he would. She rounded a corner. Up ahead, five teenagers played kickball in the street, blocking the road. She tensed, expecting the worst from boys that age. Hormones.

A whistle, shrill and drawn out, cut through the air.

“Well, look at what we have here,” the tallest called out, lifting his nose and catching her scent. “What’s a pretty shifter like you doing out?”

The mini-pack spread apart, instinctively fanning out, as if to circle her. The best thing to do would be to stand her ground and not show any fear. And hope Yas hurried the hell up.

“Afternoon.” She made eye contact with each of them, trying not to cringe under their leers. She looked younger than her twenty-four years.

The ringleader moved closer, his nostrils flaring. “I hear your brother headed out and left you all alone.”

She didn’t recognize the kid and had no idea how he knew her business. Small town, though, everyone knew everything—fast.

He took a step and in her peripheral vision, she saw another teen move behind her, cutting off the escape route. Where the hell was Yas? These kids had no right making her feel unsafe.

“I’m headed to the lumberyard if you don’t mind.” She sidestepped, taking a move to cut around him. He mirrored her actions, blocking the way.

“What’s your hurry? They’re open for a long time still.” He reached out, moving his hand toward her hair.

Dodging, she swung out to block his arm. “Don’t touch me.”

He laughed, low and mean. “Don’t insult me.” Quick, he grabbed at her arm, clutching the upper portion tight enough to hurt.

She jerked, without any give. One of the other boys in the pack hollered. The sound reminded her of a hunting party, and she shivered. They were teenagers. They should know better. With everything out of control in Los Lobos, some things slipped between the cracks.

“Who will protect you?”
Her brother’s words resurfaced to haunt Tala.

A growl shattered the laughter.

“Get your fucking hand off her.”

Yas managed to sneak up on all of them, and an uncertain look surfaced in the closest teen’s eyes. Yas weighed the situation. He could definitely take a few of them, and the others would run. Once the leader went down, the rest would fall. While the kid was already big for his age, Yas was much bigger, and an unknown. A stranger.

“Hey,” Tala said. “Glad you caught up.”

“That didn’t take you long did it?” the teen said. “Your brother leaves and already you have another Wolf in the house?”

“How the hell did you guess that?” Yas moved in. If the kid didn’t retreat, he’d make him.