Rough (Wolf Ranch 1)

I stooped and picked out the envelopes from the trash can. I’d had six days to think about it.

To remember all the tiny things. The gentle way Boyd put my glasses back on for me after riding the mechanical bull. The rough way he lost control with me when we had sex, as if he couldn’t hold himself back. The respectful way he always treated me—opening doors and escorting me home. But more than that because those were superficial things, I kept thinking about the story about his parents. How deeply he hurt over their deaths.

Most of all, I remembered how sure he was that I was The One. Whatever that meant to a wolf.

As much as I tried not to, I kept thinking about the fact that he was a wolf. There were dynamics at play I didn’t understand. Their customs. The culture. He’d briefly mentioned how they operated in a pack and how his brother’s disapproval of our relationship would be a big problem for him, considering how much he already felt like a screw-up. While he was a grown man, he still had to take the pack into account when being with someone like me. Someone human.

He had used sex as a weapon. He’d used it to distract me from trying to figure out how a guy who had a sucking chest wound could be healed in such a short time. How his injury had completely disappeared in days. Well, probably sooner, but when the bandage had come off, his skin had been blemish free. Had everything we’d done been at his brother’s orders? Maybe he’d had to distract me, but perhaps he was the one who got distracted. Maybe he’d actually fallen in love.

Did wolves fall in love or was that all an act, too? I just didn’t know.

A heavy knock sounded at my door, making me jump back from the trashcan and shriek.

“Doctor Ames?” It was a deep, gruff voice that came through the front door. But not Boyd’s.

Disappointment crushed my chest. God. I hadn’t realized how much I’d hoped he’d show up until now. I’d told myself I wouldn’t see him if he had, but that was a lie.

I’d secretly wanted Boyd to come here and win me back. It was too bad he was so damn respectful of my wishes.

I opened the door a crack and sucked in a breath.

Rob. Boyd’s brother.

He took off his hat and held it in front of his chest. “Dr. Ames, could I have a word with you? Just for a minute?”

I tried and failed to swallow, then nodded and stepped back.

“Oh, I don’t need to come in,” he said, his gaze falling to the stack of unopened letters in my hand.

I tried to throw them back in the trash, but my fingers wouldn’t open, so instead, I tucked my arm behind my back to hide them. I didn’t know why—he’d already seen them and probably knew with some wolf sense that they were from Boyd.

“Dr. Ames, I just wanted to try to clear some things up. Some misunderstandings.”

“O-okay.”

“My brother’s in love with you.”

I stopped breathing.

“Yes, I asked him to keep an eye on you since you’d seen him get hurt at the rodeo, but you see, Boyd was only too happy to comply with his alpha’s orders for once in his life. Because getting close to you was the only thing on his mind.”

Oh shit. I was going to cry. I did not want to cry in front of Rob. I blinked furiously.

“It’s true Boyd was quite the womanizer in the past. But it’s different with you. He… smiles. He’s the real Boyd. Most of all, he doesn’t just take my shit, even if I am the alpha. I know because I’m also his brother.”

For some reason my fingers decided to go slack, and the envelopes clattered to the floor behind me. Rob looked down at them. His expression was hard to read, but I thought I detected sympathy there. Whether it was for Boyd or for me, I wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know if he explained to you how mating works for our kind?”

My heart started pounding. I gave a tiny, frantic shake of my head.

“Wolves mate for life. According to the lore, there’s only one female who will give a wolf the instinct to mate. Wolves who don’t find their mate by a certain age... ” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “They can go moon mad. They become more and more feral until they lose their humanity completely. It’s dangerous, see. Many wolves don’t wait for the mating instinct, they choose a suitable female and start a family. Much like humans, I’m sure.”

Goosebumps stood up on my arms. Yes, it was like humans, minus the part about having one true mate. Although I guessed some humans believed in that, too.