Slade (Team Greywolf 1)

Slade snarled. “Lift your hind quarters!”

If Cricket were in human form, she would have rolled her eyes and probably been bitten for insubordination. “Yes, sir.”

Slade stood over her. “Quit wiggling, or I’ll ask you to urinate.”

Not Rylee, Dominic, or even her pack comrades had insulted her with such a command. Damned if I am going to pee for the spoiled royal. She froze.

“Good, Little Wolf.” He lowered his head and licked her muzzle, throat, then moved on to her private areas.

Cricket swallowed as he gently licked her genital and anus. Normally, she’d snap at such a violation of her human rights, but damn, why was she turned on? She suppressed her desire to grunt in pleasure. And worse, she desired to move her tail to the side, enticing him to mount her. She closed her eyes in pure satisfaction, basking in his powerful all male alpha scent. It isn’t mating season, but oh how I feel like it is. What about my plan? Wasn’t I supposed to seduce him, disgust him? Not now. Not while he’s acting without human thought and all wolf. He might just snap my neck.

He stopped licking and nuzzled her nose, before staring down at her. His green eyes commanding her to obey. “Do not worry, Little Wolf. I will protect you.”

Like big brother wolf rather than want-to-mate-with-you wolf. Seduction may not be in the works. “Please, call me Cricket.” And I don’t need protecting.

“Come, let’s hunt, Little...” He smiled. “Cricket.”

She got up and shook the pine needles off her back. At least he didn’t ask for my real name. Her chest tightened. Why should he want to know her real name anyway? “Wait, how?”

“Through the front door. You can’t jump the fence.”

She stood in front of the closed door. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Slade narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

Cricket swallowed, hoping he understood she disobeyed for his sake and not in defiance. “I’m sorry, sir, but you are not well enough.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You are questioning my well-being, runt?”

Ouch. Now my turn to bite. “You are still suffering from morphopsychosis.”

“Depression over losing my beloved pack, yes, but I’m in full control of my wolf.”

“Not according to Dr. Warner, sir.” She crouched and wagged her tail, in case he wanted to rip her throat out for arguing with him.

Slade growled. “That maniac nearly killed me with his drugs.”

“Can you blame him? You were too far gone in wolf rage. Who knows what damage you might have done while in Europe and then on the plane if he hadn’t sedated you?”

“I accept tranquilization, but the drug his omega first shot me with took away my memory of the previous 48 hours before the injection. Those hours are a blank.”

“I’m sure that was part of the calming process. I’m not an expert on werewolf sedation, except its protocol still needs research.”

“I’m lucky he didn’t accidently give me a werewolf lobotomy.”

“Not without the council’s permission.” Dr. Warner would have been executed for doing so. Werewolves who had committed a great crime, like killing an innocent human or a mate were given a drug to erase all human memory, reducing him or her into a natural wolf, both mentally and in size. Werewolves feared a werewolf lobotomy almost as much as death. None could imagine losing their human mind after experiencing such intelligence.

“All I know is Rylee’s contact, Heath, interrupted Warner’s plan to transport me to his loony bin.”

Cricket understood part of Slade’s condition included periods of being delusional. Not that she cared for Dr. Warner, but he had treated werewolves with psych issues for the last twenty years and more likely wanted to help him. “From what I know, his clinic is a two-story cabin with access to miles of Maine woods.” Okay, so he had a couple of underground cages, but those were for werewolves too insane to reason with. Slade might have ended up shackled. Why did that bother her? Knowing Slade’s wolf, he would have been even angrier. But maybe Slade needed to vent and, in the end, be cured faster.

Should I convince him to go? Nah, Rylee wants him as a part of her team, hence my stupid new assignment.

Slade stepped back and shifted to human form. Umm. Human god form.

Cricket lowered her gaze.

“We’ll dress and hike then.” He turned the doorknob and stared at her. “Come.”