“Well, the old bakery did, so I just thought…” She bites her lip like I might be upset, but a delivery means someone local is making the order, and I’ll take all the local customers I can get.
“It’s fine. Do you have an address?”
Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me.
“I’m really sorry about this.” I see the worry in her eyes over something that isn't that big a deal.
“It’s fine. Not like I have anything better to do tonight. Speaking of, shouldn’t you be heading out of town? I thought that was your plan.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I do have somewhere I need to be.” She grabs a hold of me, pulling me into a tight hug. “He’d never hurt you, never you,” she whispers into my ear. She doesn’t have to say his name for me to know who she’s talking about.
She pulls away, heading out the front door. I follow behind her, relocking it. It starts to rain as Gwen darts across the street.
I pick up the basket from the counter and place it in the kitchen, and I hurry upstairs to get my purse and car keys. Stopping, I grab my red hooded cape to protect me from the rain. I can use it shield the basket too. Slipping it on over my shoulders, I tie it around my neck before pulling the hood up.
I make my way back downstairs and grab the basket. I head out the backdoor, securing it before I slip into my car. I enter the address into my GPS, and I see the house isn’t far away, but it looks like it’s off the beaten path. It’s all alone in the woods, so maybe it’s just a house with a lot of land. Maybe they are having a Halloween party or something.
I pull out onto a now completely empty Main Street, and the rain starts to pour as I hit the country highway, making it hard to see. It causes the drive to be longer than it should. The rain eases off when I finally hit the turn off. I’m sure it will start up again any second, so maybe I can do the delivery before I get poured on.
I make the turn, going from a paved, smooth surface to a rough, gravel path. Before I can react, my tires slip. The ditch grabs my back wheel, pulling me off the driveway. I grip the wheel and try to push the accelerator, but my car’s tires are pretty puny, and they just kick up the muddy water while spinning in place.
“Well, shit.”
I can see the house with my headlights, and it only looks to be about a mile away, sitting at the end of the road, nestled in front of a bunch of trees. Looking around, I notice everything is surrounded by trees; I’m completely in the woods. I grab my purse and utter a few choice words when I see I don’t have any service on my phone. I don’t have much of a choice, so to the house it is. Even if it’s down the long scary gravel road surrounded by a dark forest.
The sun has fully set by now, so I need to get a move on. Maybe once I give them their cookies, they can give me a ride back to town, or maybe they have a truck that could pull me out. I really don’t think it would take much, just one good tug.
Grabbing the basket, I slip from my car, putting my hood back over my head. I make it about halfway down when I start to hear the crackle of sticks. Someone is walking through the woods, crushing them beneath their feet. I stop and try to see what’s making the noise, but with the sun gone and the dark clouds, I can’t make out much.
I hear a growl to my right, followed by another snapping twig, making my heart jump in my chest. When the howl sounds from my left, panic truly sets in, and I start running for the house. My heart pounds in my chest, and I look behind me as I run, seeing a white wolf on my tail. It makes me run faster than I ever thought I could, and as I hit the front porch, I pray the door is unlocked. Relief hits me when I grab the handle. It turns. I burst through, nearly falling inside. I manage to turn, slamming it behind me and pressing myself against the door.
Suddenly, I hear the sound of a lock latching into place from the outside. I slowly turn and test the knob. It moves, but a deadbolt is holding the door shut. I see the lock all the way at the top of the door. Who puts a deadbolt that high, and why would you lock someone into your home and not out of it?
Another growl sounds, and this time it’s from inside the house, making me freeze in place. I drop the basket from my hand.
“I’m sorry, Ruby, we had no choice,” I hear Gwen’s voice from outside.
“Gwen! There’s a wolf out there!” I shout to her.
That’s when I realize there’s one in here too.
Chapter 8
Dominic
Mine.
I watch as Ruby slowly turns around and faces me, her red cape covering some of her face, but I’d know her scent anywhere. The mating moon is full, and it’s time I claimed my mate.
Having her near me calms my beast, and I’m able to think clearly. I remember Gwen drugging me, and I have flashes of Stone bringing me here to my home. I must have slept for a few hours because when I woke, it was nighttime, and I could smell Ruby was near. I began pacing the room, hearing her come closer and closer. I could feel the other wolves outside, Gwen and Stone leading her to me, so I waited for her to come. Now that I have her with me, we can mate, and I can mark her fully as mine.
I take a step towards her, still in my wolf form. Our wolves are larger than the average wolf, about triple the size of a normal one. I move slowly so she sees my intentions, and I watch for her reaction.
I can hear her heart beating rapidly, but I don’t smell fear. She must recognize my eyes because they glow the brightest silver when I’m fully shifted. When I get to about a foot away from her, I bow my head low, showing her I won’t hurt her. I need for my mate to trust me and let her body realize what I am to her.
After a moment of hesitation, I feel her fingers in the thick gray fur on the back of my neck.
“Dominic?” she whispers, and my wolf lets off a soft growl of pleasure, leaning in to her touch.
Her other hand joins the first and she rubs my neck, feeling my body. I press my face against her, feeling her warmth embrace me. The mating heat is taking over, and I smell the beginning of her desire.
“Dominic, what’s happening?” She doesn’t sound afraid, just overwhelmed. “What’s going on with me?”
I step away from her touch, and she follows me. We are in the middle of the cabin living room, but someone must have moved the furniture out as a precaution. There are big thick blankets laid out on the floor and a fire going in the fireplace. The only light is the orange glow coming from the hot embers, making the room feel like a cave.
Once we are near the fire, I hold my wolf and begin to shift. The only reason he’s letting me do this is because we want to mate her, and I have to be in human form to do it. I’ll still have him in the front of my mind, and a lot of me still won’t completely shift. As I feel the change start, I watch as Ruby pulls the hood back from her head to see what’s happening.
I still don’t smell fear on her, just a growing desire as I change. I can feel my canines are long and pointed, and my nails are still sharp. My eyes are glowing, and my thick, gray, wolf hair still covers my body. When I’m as transformed as I’m going to be, Ruby looks me up and down. Her gaze pauses on my cock, and she puts her hands over her mouth when she sees it.
I look down and see that it’s bigger than usual. I’m bigger to begin with—having a ten-inch cock outside of mating heat—but now that the mating moon is up, it’s much larger.
“Your body will take me when I mark you.” My words come from deep in my chest, my wolf still close to the surface.
She doesn’t say anything, just nods and moves her hands from her mouth to the ribbon of her cape, untying it.
I growl with need as the cape drops to the floor, and I see her slipping off her shoes. She reaches down to the hem of her knit dress, pulling it up and over her head. She stands there in only panties, and it’s all I can do to stay in my skin. Her breasts are full and heavy with need. When I breed her, they’ll be dripping milk every time the moon is full. The thought has my mouth watering. Her thick curves look so soft and will cushion my thrusts w
hen my wolf and I are inside her. I want to push her down and mount her, but if I touch her, I will lose the hold I have on my wolf. The mating heat is pulling us together, and I’m desperately trying to control it.
“Can you feel that?” Ruby’s words are breathy, and there’s a slight moan to them. She’s being taken over by the mating moon, and her desires are growing. “I feel like I’m going to…to…God, I don’t know. Please.”
She slips off her panties, standing naked in front of me, and I start shaking. As she’s human, I never imagined her body would need my body like mine needs hers, but it seems nature has taken over. I close my eyes tightly for just a second, burning the image of my goddess mate into my memory.
With all the control I have, I go to the ground and lie on my back, arms and legs stretched out. My cock juts straight up, and it’s nearly purple with need as I offer myself to her, letting her know we will be submissive to her if she wants, to show her we’ll never hurt her, to show her she owns us.