Feral (Wolf Ranch 3)

I’d never gone without a condom before. Not until Rob. We hadn’t used one when he’d fucked my ass the other day, but there’d been no worries about pregnancy with that. I was on the pill, so I had that covered after this latest round. I didn’t think Rob was negligent. We had both been… feral.

So wild for each other we hadn’t even thought about protection. Maybe that was what something so fierce as what was between us was about. It was mindless. So intense that all smart thinking fell away in tatters like his destroyed clothing. And mine.

He’d said he’d wanted no secrets between us. He’d told me he was a shifter. Part wolf. Nothing else he could say could be a bigger surprise. Maybe he killed a guy. Maybe he liked to wear women’s panties on Saturdays. None of that was as big as what he’d shared with me. Sure, he’d shifted because of his protective nature, yet he’d exposed himself.

Me? I was the one who held all the secrets. I wasn’t even Natalie.

“Want to try that again, in a bed?”

How could I do that, have sex which wasn’t just sex, it was a connection, with a lie between us? How could I tell him the truth? It was a federal case I was involved in. I couldn’t even tell my mother, if I had one.

And yet, I did want to try that again. In a bed.

“Food first.” I was starving.

“I have no clothes here. I’m not sure if cooking naked is a good idea.”

“Walking home naked is?” I countered.

“I’ll stay here until dark, then shift and run home.”

Something he’d said before made sense now with some context. “I’m guessing the dog Markle shot wasn’t a dog?”

He moved me, so I lay mostly on top of him, one of my legs settling between his. He stroked back my hair from my face. I had no idea where the hair tie went, but I had no doubt it was a wild snarl now.

“It was one of the younger wolves—just a teen—cutting across your property to meet a girl.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “You shifters are a randy bunch.” Another thought came to me. “Audrey came by the other day. Is she—”

“No. She’s Boyd’s mate. Wife, too. She’s human like you. Her sister, Marina, is mated to Colton.”

“Mated?”

His skin beneath me was almost hot to the touch. I swirled my finger through his chest hair.

“When a shifter finds the female for him, they mate.”

“Is that a kinky word for sex?”

“It’s a permanent bond, a lifelong one. Mating occurs during sex when a male bites his mate.”

My mouth fell open, and I met his gaze. “That’s why you said you’d want to mark me with your teeth.”

He blinked. “Yes. It embeds our scent into the female’s skin, so the other males will know she’s been claimed.”

“And the full moon...makes you want to mark a woman?”

He shook his head. “Only one. You only get the urge to mark the female your wolf chooses.”

I swallowed. “And you have that urge with me.”

I caught a vulnerability in his gaze—the first time I’d seen him anything but strong. He nodded. “My wolf chose you.”

Oh my God.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. He wanted to mate me? As in a lifelong, permanent bond? With me?

“I… I don’t know what to say. I mean it’s—”

He put a finger over my lips. “Don’t freak out. It’s too much to take in all at once.”

“So, what makes the wolf choose?”

He shrugged. “No one knows. Fate, I guess.”

I suddenly recalled his use of the word fate during sex when we were at his place. Like a curse word. Or praising a deity.

“So, what happens if your wolf chooses someone you can’t stand?”

His laugh was explosive. Hearty.

I absolutely loved hearing the rich baritone.

“Impossible. She might drive you fucking nuts. She might even point a gun at your chest every time she sees you,” —he winked at that— “but you find it all utterly intoxicating.”

I couldn’t scarcely breathe. “So… you’re intoxicated? By me?”

“Yes.”

“What happens when it wears off?”

“Wolves mate for life. A she-wolf could leave her mate, but he’d always follow. He’d always have the need to protect her. To provide for her. He’d try to fix whatever went wrong.”

“Sounds a little stalker-ish.”

Rob grinned. “Yeah, I guess it might. There are bad matches sometimes. The greater danger to our species is not finding your mate.”

I went still. “What do you mean?”

“An unmated male could go feral. We call it moon madness. He gets stuck in wolf form and can’t change back. Then he’d have to be put down to protect the pack.”

A shiver went up my spine. “Are you saying if we don’t do this… mate thing, you’ll go mad?”

He was quiet for a minute as he studied a lock of my hair. “Not necessarily. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You just found out what I am.” His hand slid down my back and cupped my ass. His fingers slid over my pussy, and I felt a growl rumble from his chest.