Growl for Me: BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance (3 page)

Mina shook her head hard.
She must be going out of her mind. No wolf would wink at her, right
after snapping the neck of another wolf. The shock and terror must
have been too much for her.

Cautiously, she peeked out
of the broken back window of her car. What she saw made her eyes and
mouth round with shock and awe. The angry red wolves were being
attacked and chased off by a pack of the most beautiful white wolves
she had ever seen. Their fur coats were blindingly white, pure and
shiny. Their fangs and claws gleamed silver as they moved with
lethal speed.

The Alpha red wolf was now
grappling with a gigantic, growling white wolf in front of her car.
The white wolf's blue eyes shone like sapphires, glittering with
menace and fury.

As the two Alpha wolves
clashed, the white wolves drove the rest of the red wolves back into
the woods. Mina saw the tide of wolves recede from her car, and she
finally let out a shaky breath. The Alpha red wolf twisted away from
the relentless attack of the white wolf to fix cold, yellow eyes on
Mina. With a howl, the Alpha red wolf turned and disappeared into
the woods. Mina could still hear its angry call through the woods,
as it rallied its fleeing wolves and led them away from their
relentless pursuers.

The Alpha white wolf raised
his head and let out a short howl. The woods echoed with the
answering howls of his wolves. Instinctively, Mina knew that the
wolf had just sent out a command to his pack. And from the sounds of
pursuit rushing through the trees, she guessed it was a command to
chase the red wolves far off.

Slowly, Mina let her eyes
swivel back to the majestic white wolf standing guard in front of her
mangled car. All the other wolves had disappeared into the shadowy
woods. Only what was left of her car, Mina and this beautiful,
intimidating snowy wolf were left in the middle of the highway.

The wolf was watching her
intently with those brilliant blue eyes. Eyes that looked all too
human and knowing.

“Um...” Mina
sucked in a shuddering breath, and inched gingerly away from the
imaginary safety of her car.

This wolf had saved her
life. And he had ordered his pack to keep the red wolves away and
keep her safe. She should walk right up to him and thank him, even
though her knees were shaking so badly. She took one step forward,
and promptly tripped over her own feet.

“Oof! Damn,”
she muttered under her breath, picking herself up and dusting her
jeans hurriedly. She looked up and saw the wolf standing a few feet
from her. Unlike that bullying, brutal red wolf, he made no move to
approach her. He stood still, doing his best not to frighten her.

The white wolf watched her
with calm but alert eyes.

Mina took a tentative step
forward. No sudden moves now.

“Ah, thank you,”
she began and cleared her throat. “You saved my life. Thank
you. I...I know you're not a real wolf, I mean, you are a real wolf
and you're a very splendid wolf,” she corrected hastily. “I
mean...y-you're a werewolf. Right?” When the wolf made no
response, Mina winced and backed away slowly. Could she be wrong?
Was he not a wolf shifter?

Mina was about to scramble
back to her crumpled car when the wolf nodded once. Mina blew out a
breath of relief. He was a shifter. He was part human, so he'd be
able to understand her just fine.

“I was on my way to
Misty Valley when my car broke down and I got attacked by those
wolves,” she said quickly. “Do you think you could lead
me to Misty Valley? I don't think I should spend the night out here.
Those red wolves might come back.”

The wolf stared at the metal
heap behind her that only vaguely held the shape of a car and
inclined his head at her. Quietly, he moved to her side and nudged
her thigh with his muscular body.

Mina's eyes bulged.
“You...you want me to...ride you?”

The wolf turned his blue
eyes to the miles of deserted road ahead and shrugged.

“I...I appreciate the
offer, but I can't...you can't.” Mina shook her head. “I'm
too heavy. You won't be able to take my weight...”

The wolf glowered at her.
Then he growled and nipped at her ankles.

Mina glowered back.
“You...bit me? Fine! Have it your way. Don't say I didn't
warn you.” With that, she grabbed her purse from the car and
straddled the huge, white wolf. She settled herself on his sturdy,
muscular back and leaned forward.

“See? I'm no
featherweight,” she began. “So...”

The wolf merely crouched
slightly to indicate that he was about to take off. Mina just had
time to dig her fingers into his lush, white fur and hold on for dear
life before he leaped from the ground and was off.

The cold wind blew against
her face and streamed through her hair as the wolf raced ahead,
covering miles with his long, powerful legs. Mina let out a small
squeal of exhilaration as the wolf raced up an incline and leaped
gracefully through the air to land soundlessly on the ground.

The laugh which bubbled from
her throat sounded girlish and carefree. The fog gradually cleared,
and she could see stars peeking out from behind the clouds. She
breathed in the fresh air, and closed her eyes against the rushing
wind. Never had she felt so alive and so free.

Mina looked up and saw a
dimly lit road sign announcing that she had arrived in Misty Valley.
Mina let out a triumphant whoop.

She had made it. Alive!

She saw houses and small
shops as the wolf wound his way to the town square. He padded his
way silently down the street and stopped in front of a small hotel.
Mina looked up in surprise.

“Hunter's Lodge,”
she read the sign above the door. “Hey, this is my hotel!”
she exclaimed excitedly. “I made a reservation here way in
advance! How did you...” Mina frowned at the wolf, then
glanced around the small town. There was just one other hotel
further down the road, so it must have been just a lucky guess on his
part.
Clever wolf.
She ran her fingers through his fur
absently and she heard a soft growl rumble from his throat.

Mina clambered off the
wolf's back. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You
saved my life. How...can I repay you?” She swallowed and
asked tentatively, “Will you...tell me your name? How will I
recognize you...”
When you're in human form.

The wolf gazed deeply into
her eyes and gently stepped back.

He was leaving.

Clearly, he didn't want to
answer her questions.

Mina sighed and straightened
up. She didn't know why she should feel so disappointed that the
wolf was leaving. Surely she couldn't expect him to
stay.

“Um...I guess I won't
keep you any longer. I'll just check myself into the hotel.”
She jerked her thumb at the hotel behind her and glanced around the
small town center in wonder. This sleepy little town was a real
change from the noisy, bustling city. There were no tall buildings
and skyscrapers here, no flashing neon lights and loud music blaring
from the clubs and bars all night long. Here, the shops were small
and quaint, and they were all locked up at night. She guessed most
of the shops closed early and only very few restaurants remained open
for supper. It was so different from New Moon City, which was always
humming with activity and seething with threats. Vampires, demons,
dark witches and warlocks prowled the city streets at night, and the
blood bars and clubs around the city were always crowded with vamps,
blood demons, humans and other paranormals looking for some strange
and exotic entertainment. New Moon City never slept, whereas here in
Misty Valley, the whole town seemed to fall into a deep slumber after
dark. Even the small hotel in front of her seemed to be dozing, with
just a dim light above the hanging signboard. Misty Valley really
was a very small, cozy town.

Mina looked down at the
dried blood on her hands and instantly, her smile vanished.

She had just been attacked
by a pack of vicious, violent red wolves. Misty Valley might be a
small town, but it was populated by all kinds of shifters. She'd
checked the demographics of Misty Valley before accepting the job.
There were some human families and a few covens of witches living in
Misty Valley. But Misty Valley was by and large a shifter town.
Misty Valley was surrounded by rolling hills and lush forests, so she
guessed the shifters liked living close to nature and the wild.
There were many shifter packs and clans living in Misty Valley.
Wolf, coyote, leopard, tiger, lion, bear...all in one little town.

The red wolves had shown her
that out here in Misty Valley, slightly different laws applied.

She had seen first hand how
wolf packs behaved and operated. The Alpha controlled and commanded
the pack. The town had a Sheriff's office but it was clear that the
law of the pack applied here.

The white wolves had saved
her, but to what end? Would she now have to swear eternal fealty to
the white wolf Alpha?

She turned and saw that the
white wolf was still watching her. “Eh, g-good night,
and...t-thank you, again,” she stammered, backing away. “I...I
think I'll recognize you.” She managed a lopsided smile.
Somehow she knew that he wouldn't hurt her. “I'll know it's
you, whatever form you take,” she whispered.
Wolf or man.

The thought of her white
wolf as a man sent a strange shiver down her body, a shiver that
wasn't at all unpleasant. Mina took a deep breath to compose
herself. Obviously, her nerves were finally fraying and getting the
better of her.

She stared into the wolf's
blue eyes and cleared her throat. “I realize I haven't
introduced myself. My name is Mina Stone. And this is my first
night in Misty Valley. I'll be working and living here, so...I'll
see you around.” She bit her lip, hesitating. She knew that
some shifters didn't like to shift in front of humans. They didn't
like gawking, curious, sometimes contemptuous human eyes watching
them while they called forth a part of themselves and went through
their shift, which she was told could be painful for some shifters.
“I'd like to know your name though...”

A gentle breeze blew her
hair into her eyes, and she blinked and brushed her hair from her
face. When she looked up, the white wolf was gone. But she heard a
whisper in the wind, and she heard his name.

Declan.

Mina woke up and jumped out
of bed. The hotel room was clean and comfortable, and had a homely
feel with its pinewood furnishings and bright curtains. She would
love to sleep in, but she didn't want to be late for her first day at
Snow River Construction.

She brushed her messy curls
again, and finally gave up trying to tame them. She grabbed a rubber
band and pulled her hair tightly into a low ponytail. Scowling into
the bathroom mirror, she tried her best to straighten her rumpled
blouse and jeans. She had jumped out of her car and onto the white
wolf's back last night with nothing but her purse and the clothes on
her back.

Her suitcase was stuck in
the dented trunk of her poor, deceased car. She would just have to
explain to her new boss that she had been attacked by a pack of red
wolves on her way to Misty Valley and assure him that this would be
the first and last time she turned up for work in a pair of torn
jeans, old sneakers and a wrinkled blouse.

Mina examined herself in the
mirror one last time and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her
ear. There. All ready for her first day at work. Mina applied
another coat of lip gloss and glanced at her watch.

She had time to check out of
Hunter's Lodge and take a nice, leisurely stroll down to the head
office of Snow River Construction. At breakfast, Mina had checked
with the receptionist and was relieved to learn that the head office
of Snow River Construction was just a ten-minute walk from the hotel.
Mina looked around and checked that she had taken all her meager
belongings with her. The company had assured her that once she
reported for work, they would arrange lodgings for her so she only
needed to stay in a hotel for one night.

As Mina signed the credit
card bill at the reception counter, she chatted with the friendly
receptionist, who had earlier introduced herself as Allison. Allison
was a pretty, blond werelion. “My dad owns this hotel,”
she'd told Mina matter-of-factly. When Mina raised a brow at her,
she'd shrugged and said, “One day, I'll run it. But now, I
have to learn the ropes. And I mean, all the ropes. I just finished
my chambermaid stint, so now I'm posted to the receptionist's desk
for six months. And after this, it's kitchen duty.”

Mina had been impressed.
“Wow, and I mean it. Wow! You're doing a fantastic job! Your
dad must be so proud of you. Many rich little heiresses would be
happy to be prancing around town, spending their family's wealth
instead of helping in the family business and working their way up.”

“I'm not an heiress.
I'm a Hunter.” Allison had answered with a nonchalant wave of
her hand, but Mina heard the pride in her voice. “My dad is
the Alpha of the Hunter pride.”