Kaya Alexie kept crouched low behind the thick underbrush of the forest, careful to keep still in her human form, making no more noise than what it took to breathe. If the male cougar-shifter found her before she reached the target, she would lose, and she needed to win if she wanted to claim her prize. Only then could she get what she’d wished for these past few months.

She strained her ears for the slightest sound that might give away the male’s hiding spot, but even though her hearing wasn’t as good as in her wolf form, all she could hear was the rustling of the leaves and branches and the small scurrying of the ground mice. Apart from the occasional bird cry, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Maybe, just maybe, she had finally lost him.

Not that she would be celebrating anytime soon. She’d been secretly dating Sylas Murray, the cougar-shifter from a neighboring clan, for the last six months and she was well aware of how skilled he could be. His tracking skills were damn good, and definitely her biggest obstacle to winning.

Still, she wasn’t too bad herself. She could outsmart the other eighteen-year-old wolf-shifters in her pack when it came to tracking and evading drills; it was only a matter of time before she could beat Sylas too.

Maybe even today.

A bird chirped and then flew right past her. She looked up into the trees, but since the sun had set half an hour ago, it was too dark to make out any recognizable shapes. If Sy had made his way into the branches up above, the sneaky cat would use his feline grace to pounce on her. She needed to move.

She itched to shift into a wolf and feel the wind against her fur, but they’d agreed to stay human to make the challenge more difficult. Of course, moving her nearly six-foot tall body through the underbrush without making a sound was no easy feat. Autumn was nearly here, which meant the thick foliage of the understory had turned into a maze of sharp sticks.

She finally broke through the last of the trees at the edge of the clearing and felt a sense of giddiness. Victory was nearly hers for the taking. If she could just make it to the big rock outcropping on the far side, she would win, and Sy would have to give her anything she wanted. That was their deal.

And she knew exactly what she wanted to ask for.

She was tired of looking over her shoulder or finding a way to sneak past her clan’s guards and sentries to spend a few stolen hours with her boyfriend. She wanted to show off Sy to the world, and if she won tonight, she was going to invite him to her clan’s autumn celebration next week.

Sy accompanying her to the celebration and facing the scrutiny of her entire clan was a big step. Interspecies pairings were still considered taboo among most shifter clans, Kaya’s included. Yet, if Sy felt as she thought he felt about her, he wouldn’t care about her clan’s objections and old-fashioned bullshit. He would stand with her against anything.

But she was getting ahead of herself. First, she needed to make it across the wide-open clearing and be the first to touch the rock.

Kaya sprinted as fast as her long legs would carry her. She had ten feet to go when she heard a cougar growl behind her.

This was the border between her clan and his, and her heart skipped a beat as a million questions and worries raced through her head. Had someone from Sy’s clan discovered them? What would Sy do if they had?

Stop being a chicken shit, and see who’s following you.
She took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder, only to find a naked Sy chasing after her. She stumbled at the sight of his broad chest and strong, lean muscles, but Kaya quickly regained her wits. They had both started this game dressed in clothes and his nakedness could only mean one thing: Sylas Murray was a cheating bastard who had shifted into his cougar form back in the forest.

Despite months of these little games, he’d never cheated before. His shift and disregard for their “human only” rule signaled that he was afraid she could finally beat him.

Her inner wolf growled at his deceit and her human-half agreed with that sentiment.

Well, fuck him. I’m still going to win.
She pushed her body harder. It was just a few more feet to the rock, and now more than ever, she was determined to beat her man.

~~~

Sylas Murray noticed Kaya’s glare and realized he might actually lose. The woman was beyond determined to beat him.

Normally, he loved the way she challenged him and tried to outsmart him. She being a wolf-shifter and seeing the world differently because of the wolf inside of her was part of the reason he loved her.

From raising her chin in defiance to her grand plans on how to improve relations between shifters and humans, he loved all of it. On top of that, just a hint of her scent drove both him and his inner cougar crazy. His body was always on fire for her, to the point he spent most of his time with a hard cock and a blood-deprived brain.

That was why he needed to win tonight because if he did, he could finally claim Kaya as his own. He was pretty confident Kaya would say yes to his request and allow him to finally make love to her.

As Kaya picked up her pace and raced across the clearing toward the victory rock, Sy drew on the last of his strength to run as fast as he could before he jumped and just barely caught her waist with his hands. As they tumbled to the ground, Sy was careful to take most of the impact. She might be tough, but the thought of her getting hurt because of him made his inner cat snarl.

Once they stopped tumbling and he managed to get Kaya pinned face-down on the ground, he leaned down and nuzzled her neck. He took a deep inhale of her womanly scent, and his already hard cock turned to stone.

Since he wasn’t able to pound into Kaya’s wet heat just yet, he settled for nipping her earlobe. When she didn’t make the little noises of pleasure like usual, he knew she was angry. He wished he could shift into his cougar form and purr to calm her down, a trick he’d learned early on, but she would bolt the second he released her.

He nuzzled her neck again and gently kissed the place where her neck met her shoulder before he said, “Losing isn’t the end of the world, Kaya-love. You nearly beat me this time.”

Her body went tense below him. She turned her head and narrowed her warm dark chocolate eyes. “I would’ve beaten you if you hadn’t cheated, Sylas Murray.” Her voice went low. “Now, let me go.”

He wasn’t afraid of her cool, simmering anger; he was used to her notorious temper. He simply laced his fingers through hers and squeezed. She tried to tug her hand loose, but with him on top of her, she didn’t have enough range to accomplish it. “Cede defeat, and I’ll let you up.”

She growled. “Why should I? You’re the one who cheated. By all accounts, you should cede.”

He decided truth was his best option. He gently bit her ear and whispered, “I wanted you too badly to play by the rules. Will you cede, Kaya-love? All I want is you naked and willing beneath me.”

Kaya remained motionless under him, but he could smell her arousal.
She wants me, too.

But he had hurt the woman’s pride, and he needed to ease it a little before she would acknowledge her desire.

He’d planned to tell her tonight anyway, but if he told her he loved her, she just might let him off the hook. While he’d said the words a thousand times in his head, he’d been afraid to say them out loud.

Of course, some people, such as his twin brother Kian, would say telling a woman you loved her when she was angry and face down in the dirt might not be the best strategy. But nothing between him and Kaya had ever followed the rules. His gut said it was time.

He lifted his head and looked his wolf-shifter in the eyes as he said, “Please, Kaya. I want to show you how much you mean to me. I love you.”

~~~

Kaya’s anger eased a little as she heard the words she’d yearned to hear for weeks, if not months, and a plan started to form in her head. There was a chance they might both get what they wanted.

Still, she wasn’t about to let her cougar off easy. If she said it was okay to cheat now, the male would do it again. She was going to make him work for it this time. “I don’t know if I should believe you. For all I know, you’re just trying to get into my pants.”

He moved one of his hands from her back to her cheek. As his fingers stroked her skin, it became harder and harder to stay mad at him.

Damn the man and his warm, rough hands.

The corner of his mouth ticked up and Kaya resisted a groan. He knew she was softening.

When he spoke, she nearly shivered at his deep and scratchy voice. “Of course I want to get into your pants. You’re my clever, sexy-as-hell girlfriend. I would think you’d be suspicious if I didn’t want to.”

She tried to shake off his hand so she could think properly, but Sy moved his hand under her hair to the back of her neck and started to caress her skin. One stroke, then another. Each movement sent a thrill through her body that ended between her legs.

What was she castigating him for? Oh, that’s right, for cheating.

Somehow, she made her mouth work and said, “Flattery still hasn’t made me forget how you cheated. If you cheat at this, then what else won’t you cheat at?”

He stopped stroking the skin of her neck as he leaned his forehead against hers. His green eyes were intense, as if they could see straight into her heart. He said, “I would never cheat on you with another female, Kaya. Ever.”

The intensity of his words, combined with the emotion in his eyes, caused her to stop breathing for a second. She couldn’t help but believe him.

However, she wanted, no needed, more. “Will you always keep your promises to me?”

He squeezed the back of her neck. “From now on, I’ll try my hardest. Sometimes things happen that I can’t control, but if it’s within my power, then yes, Kaya-love, I’ll always do what I say from now on.”

“Then I’ll forgive you on one condition.”

He grinned. “Just one? That’s very unlike you.”

She wriggled and tried to get free, but all it did was remind her that a very naked and aroused man was lying on top of her. While she loved the weight and heat of him, she wanted to face him. “I’m serious. Now, are you going to let me up so we can hash out the details without me lying face down in the grass?”

His grin widened. “I kind of like you under me.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know you’re only nineteen and teenage boys spend ninety-nine percent of their time thinking about sex, but I need you to focus a little longer.”

He squeezed the back of her neck again. “So you’re going to let me into your pants?” She gave him a look and he said, “Okay, okay.”

Before she could do more than blink, Sy had stood and lifted her up to face him. She slowly brushed the pieces of grass off her top. When Sy made a male noise to hurry up, she bit back a smile. Toying with him was fun.

She spent more time than was necessary brushing off the debris on her breasts and she was rewarded with a growl. She decided that Sy had had enough. Lowering her hands, she looked back up at him.

His gaze was heated and she resisted the urge to jump him just yet. Instead, she said, “Can you focus long enough to listen to my condition?”

“What’s your condition?”

BOOK: Reclaiming the Wolf (Cascade Shifters Book 1)

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