"You're worse than a wolf in sheep's clothing," Raven says in a low, angry voice. His face twisting in rage. "Why are you lying to us that you can't shift?"
I squeeze my eyes shut and try to control my breathing. "I'm telling you the truth. If I could shift, I wouldn't be here." My wolf growls in my chest. We'd be with Michael and everything would be perfect. I open my eyes and stand, my fists locked at my sides. When will she understand that we don't need him? That we're better off alone than with that jerk?
Raven steps forward and grabs my shoulders again, shaking me slightly. "Tell us what you really are."
My heart pounds in my ears, drowning out the crickets and bats around us. "I can't tell you that."
"Why not?" he snaps.
"Because I don't know. That's why I need to find my mother." I jerk away from him. "I need her to unlock my wolf because I've tried everything and she's stuck." I rub my chest. "In here. I can feel her, but I can't reach her. It's like she's trapped."
"Never heard of such a thing." Raven frowns, shaking his head, but steps away from me as though my
condition might be contagious.
Can't say I blame him. I lick my trembling lips. "M-my stepmother said there was a spell put on me that faded when my dad died. And I wonder if there's still one that keeps me from being able to shift."
"She could have something there," Aspen pipes in. "Heard stories of a wolf that was trapped in that form for the rest of his life because of a witch's curse."
I shudder, wrapping my arms around myself and sink to my knees. Is that what my mom did to me? Curse me? I hadn't thought of it that way until now. Hell, I hadn't even thought of having a witch for a mother until I was kicked out of the pack and found out the truth.
"Will you still help me?" I ask because I'm scared of the answer, but I'm more terrified of not knowing. Of waking up without these three wolves that have fought Casey and lost ones to keep me safe. More than anyone, except my dad, has ever done for me in my entire life.
Raven stalks to the edge of the tree platform and climbs down.
Tears brim in my eyes, blurring my
vision.
"I'll go talk to him." Dex lightly squeezes my shoulder before disappearing after Raven and I'm left alone with Aspen.
I stare out into the sunset of oranges and purples. "Is it safe for them to be out this late?"
Aspen chuckles, and the sound cascades through the night like silver raindrops. "Don't worry about them. We've been out here for years and they know what to do if the lost ones get too close."
"How does he know they're tracking me?" I swallow against the bitterness coating the back of my tongue.
"It's a hunch he has." Aspen sits beside me and brushes a strand of my blue hair off my forehead. His touch sends shivers down me. "How they hung out at the cabin was a clue. Never seen them do that before. Usually, if they can't get to fresh meat, they move on within the hour."
"And he thinks they stayed because of me?" I shake my head. "Why? I'm no one. Just a half-breed who can't shift."
"You're not no one." Aspen's hand slides across my low back and I lean
into his embrace.
"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me in a long, long time." I swallow the painful lump lodged in the back of my throat.
"I can't stop thinking about how I want to kiss you again."
My breaths quicken and I stare at his full lips, remembering how they felt on mine. His hand trails up my back and he grabs a fistful of my hair. Heat coils low in my belly and desire spikes through me. I want this. I want someone to worship my body and bring us both to ecstasy.
His mouth smothers mine as he kisses me hard.
I whimper against his lips, clinging to his shirt. His tongue slips inside my mouth and I sigh. I ache to rip his clothes off and trail my fingers over his muscled body.
"Do you like that, pretty wolf?" he murmurs against my lips.
I nod and moan into his mouth as he deepens the kiss.
Aspen cups my breast, kneading and caressing with his whole hand. The other trails down my spine. His fingers dig into the back of my legs, pulling me against him.
His erection is thick and hard and hotter than anything I've ever touched before.
"Tell me what you want," he says.
"Isn't it obvious?" I stroke him and a growl vibrates in his chest.
He tweaks my nipple. "What do you really want?" he asks in a teasing voice, making my sex tighten in anticipation and my toes curl.
"You, inside me," I gasp, clasping my hands around his cock tighter.
"I can't do that, sweetheart."
He bites my lower lip and I whimper. "I won't be able to stop until you're mine."
His words are like a slap and my wolf's hackles raise inside me. All the hairs on my body stand on end.
"I can't give you that." I move to push away. "You're not my fated mate."
"And this Michael is?" He holds onto my hips, not letting me go. "I saw you two in the woods. Didn't look like fated mates to me."
I cross my arms, leaning back to stare at him. "And how would you know what fated mates look like?"
"How you can't wait to rip each other's clothes off." As though emphasizing his point, his hand skims
down my sides to rest on my hips.
"That's just lust and sex, not fated mates," I huff.
"Then that's what I have right here, right now with you. I want to fuck your brains out." He tugs open his pants and takes me by the hips, raising me slightly.
I uncross my arms, grasping his shoulders to keep from falling.
"I can smell your arousal. You want me too."
As though hearing his words, my pussy throbs with need. Either I need to have sex right now or I'll spend the night masturbating. Leaving this ache to resolve on its own isn't an option.
He presses the head of his cock between my folds and I twist the button on his shirt, wanting his clothes off.
I remove his shirt and his muscles are carved into his skin like old magazine pictures I've seen hidden in the girl's restroom at school. His breath hitches as I glide my hands over the cut ridges across his abs and chest.
Damn, I could examine him all night, but the others might return any