Hungry Like a Wolf (Claws Clause 1)

Maddox snuffled. Her mild scent clung to his clothes. It didn’t matter that Evangeline had given him her blessing. It made his skin itch to be so close to another woman, his wolf howling for its mate.

His fangs punched out, a wild rumbling growl starting deep in his chest and filling the silence in the room. Evangeline immediately opened her arms, welcoming him into her embrace.

After giving her one big squeeze, assuring himself she was still there and transferring her scent back to him, Maddox kissed her on the top of her head.

Then, with the fierce stare of a predator looking at lunch, he turned back to Shea.

Her eyes were drawn to Colt’s drugged form again. Before Maddox could stop her, she shakily reached her hand out toward the bed. Shea bit her lip, hesitating, the tips of her fingers hovering an inch above Colt’s blanket-covered leg. Her brow furrowed. Taking a deep breath, she dropped her hand.

The instant she made contact, she let out the smallest sigh of relief. Followed by a very fierce, “Shit!”

That shook Maddox. “What just happened? Why are you touching my brother?”

The witch didn’t say anything at first. When he heard a soft, muffled snort coming from his mate, Maddox glanced back at Evangeline. Her shoulders were shaking, sudden amusement filling her forest green eyes.

His wolf let out a warning grumble. “I’m missing something and I don’t like it.”

“He’s your brother?” asked Shea. She pet Colt’s knee awkwardly before leaning into the wooden seat. “You… you look different from him.”

Maddox barely resisted the urge to shake the witch. Yeah. Of course they looked different. Maddox wasn’t half dead, Colt didn’t have a scar wrapped around his throat, and no one had ever called the elder Wolfe brother pretty. Baring his teeth at Shea, he snapped, “I’m fucking sure. That’s Colton, my younger brother. You seem to know him well enough to touch him. How?”

“Well, that’s where it gets a little bit weird. You see—” She shrugged apologetically. “I think we might be mates.”

While Evangeline let out an adorable snort mixed with laughter behind him, Maddox blinked. Once. Twice. His wolf tilted its head quizzically to the side. The man had no answers for it. He closed his eyes and, echoing Shea from before, he cursed under his breath.

Shit.

Author’s Note

Thank you for reading Hungry Like a Wolf!

Wow. So, I started this book as a NaNoWriMo project in 2015. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with it when I hit the 50k word goal that year, but I’ve always been a fan of paranormal romances, magic, ghosts and witches, and everything like that. While my Mirrorside series is full of fantasy, I’m limited to Greek mythology (which I also adore). My Hamlet series is a contemporary series full of mystery, murder, romance, and secrets. With the Claws Clause series, I wanted to create a world that would actually kind of fit seamlessly with ours today. I got the idea of the D.P.R. from a visit at the D.M.V. and the rest is history.

Because of the way this book was designed—with Maddox and Evangeline essentially having a second-chance romance in the confines of the fated mate trope—I reference to their backstory a lot. In case you didn’t know, I already wrote that story: Mates, a 25k prequel novella that shows you how they first got together three years before this book.

And, while the next book in the series is obviously Colton’s story, I also have a Christmas story that features Evangeline and Maddox that shows where they are a couple of months after this story: Of Mistletoe and Mating.

Keep clicking for a sneak peek at Colton’s book, Season of the Witch—out now!

xoxo,

Jessica

Season of the Witch

Sneak peek at the second book

Colt’s hatred of witches was legendary. Most of the witches in the area—and that didn’t include his Bumptown anymore because, well, hatred—regarded him as an enemy. Not because he ever acted on his dislike, but because his temper and his stubborn nature meant he never hid it, either.

When he was younger, it had to do with their magic. He just couldn’t understand how, with one flick of a finger or a wave of a hand, a witch could cancel out his brute strength, inch-long canines, and razor-sharp claws.

Right after the almost-fatal car crash, when the truck carrying Maddox and Evangeline toward their honeymoon careened off the mountain, Maddox got thrown into the Cage. Every time Colt visited his brother over the last three years, he was only reminded that witches were a traitor to other Paras.

The paranormal prison was warded. Witches. The glass partition separating the brothers in the visitors’ room was enchanted to be Para-proof. Witches. The covens were even responsible for the silver collars used to leash the shifters locked inside. Even after Maddox was freed, the ring of ruined skin remained, the terrible scars a memento of his time forced into the silver collar.

Fucking witches.

Then Priscilla had ruined Maddox’s life, broken Evangeline, and tried to murder Colt when he confronted her. The lone witch was twisted, obsessed with the idea that she could use her witchcraft to create a bond with Maddox. Cilla thought magic could trump fate; with enough diamonds, she could get rid of her competition and make herself Maddox’s mate instead.