The sky was cloudy today. I rested one hand on the steering wheel while I cruised down the winding mountain road. Elle needed groceries, and I needed time away from the compound. Wyoming was vast, which meant I had to drive a long time before I got to any semblance of humanity. I didn’t mind though; the drive helped me sort through my emotions. Now that I was wolf, I was alert to everything around me. Sometimes it played hell with my head—trying to tune out the sound of nature was the most annoying. Most of the time, I drowned out the chatter out by blaring the radio in my truck. Another thing that changed was my anger. It didn’t take much for the flood gates to open and my inner beast to show herself. My wolf thought she was superior to humans; therefore, if someone got mouthy with me, she’d punch their lights out—and with my newfound strength that could be deadly.
I pulled the truck into a parking spot at Asher’s butcher shop. Asher was a member of our pack. He kept our fridges stocked with meat. We had ten freezers in the basement that only lasted a month with our group who could eat their weight in food.
I strode through the door, slapped our order on the counter, and smiled at Asher. He was one of the older wolves, but I’d never say that to him. He prided himself on his strength and ability to keep up with the youngsters. His shaggy brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. The wrinkles around his hazel, flecked with yellow eyes deepened when he returned my smile.
“You have other shopping to do?” he asked as he scanned the list.
“Yeah, I’m heading over to Wal-Mart to get the rest of the groceries,” I told him as I slapped a wad of bills on the counter. Adam owned a construction company, but he also got a percentage of the rest of the pack’s income. It wasn’t cheap feeding twenty-five wolves.
“Okay, I’ll have this ready within the hour.” Asher handed the list to one of his employees.
Walking through the door, I hopped in the cab of my truck and made my way across the street. I was about to park when a car cut in front of me and stole my space. My wolf bristled and growled within me. My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I flexed them out as I tried to ease the anger that emanated inside me.
“Calm down,” I told myself.
I eyed the man that emerged from the SUV, and the wolf fought to break free. A car behind me honked, bringing me out of my red haze. Finding a place a few spots back, I shut off my truck and took a moment to rein in my inner beast. I adjusted the rearview mirror, appraising my face to make sure my eyes weren’t yellow. When my brown eyes stared back at me, I sighed in relief. My inner wolf was difficult to control if she got too pissed off. Luckily, the douche bag hadn’t ruffled her enough for me to lose my grip.
After making two trips to fill two carts of food, I went back to Asher’s. When I stepped inside, however, I came face to face with Adam. It took me a few seconds to recover from the surprise before I glanced away. I suspected he’d been ignoring me because I turned him down. As much as I told myself I didn’t care for his attention, when I saw him I realized I’d been lying.
“Anna,” he greeted me.
“Adam,” I responded with a nod.
Three men with dollies stacked with boxes made their way out from back and headed towards my navy truck. Leaning against the wall while I waited for the food to be loaded, I crossed my arms and stared out the large window. The image of Adam’s naked body against mine stirred in my mind, and I closed my eyes as my wolf purred in remembrance. I memorized every cut of muscle and the way his eyes glinted as he urged me to give into him.
I must have gotten lost in the memory because when I focused again, Adam was standing directly in front of me. I unclenched my teeth from the lip I’d been biting and cursed as heat warmed my cheeks.
“May I have a word,” Adam said, a smile struggling to form on his tight lips.
“Uh, yeah.” I followed him outside where we walked down the short sidewalk and around the side of the building. When Adam stopped, his face took on an entirely different look. Gone was the stony alpha façade and in its place was a man who craved a woman. His eyes penetrated every inch of me as they roamed up and down my body—I could almost feel the heat they left in their wake. My breath caught as my wolf panted for his attention. My body tense, I leaned against the brick wall to put space between us.
Adam walked closer, resting his hand on the wall to pin me in my place. His blond hair fell forward as he looked down at me. Slowly, I trailed my gaze up and met his stare. We watched each other for a few moments before he spoke.
“The group is going to Weston’s tonight. I’d like you to come.”
“You think I’m ready to mingle?”
“Did you attack anyone today while shopping?” His voice was amused. Since I’d been living in the Big Horn Mountains, I’d never been allowed to leave. The fact that I left today, without his consent, was dangerous.
“No. I was going to ask, but I couldn’t find you and we needed groceries. I didn’t—.”
Adam placed a finger on my lips to silence my lies. I hadn’t even thought about asking for his permission, and he knew it.
“Then I suppose you’re ready. You deserve a fun night, and I know all the men wanna see your moves,” he quirked an eyebrow as his hand settled on my hip. I dug my fingers into the brick behind me to keep from reaching out.
“Okay.” I breathed, my voice uneven.
“Sir,” a voice interrupted and Adam stepped away, the stony alpha disguise was back in place. Adam went with Asher, and I took a moment to catch my breath. It pissed me off he thought he could toy with my emotions and then ignore me as if our interaction never happened.
I smacked the irritation away and focused on the fact that I was going to Weston’s with the rest of the group instead of staying home doing laundry. If the men wanted to see my moves on the dance floor, then this girl was happy to oblige.
Chapter Four
Weston’s gravel parking lot was packed full of pickup trucks and SUVs. The barn siding of the bar was painted red and a wood sign above the door announced it was the best rootin’ tootin’ country bar around. I hopped out of Sawyer’s truck and adjusted my flannel shirt tied just under my breasts. A good portion of my stomach was exposed, and my denim skirt showcased my tan legs. The clothes, down to the brown cowboy boots, were Elle’s. My wardrobe didn’t consist of anything that would make a man drool, and tonight, I was on a mission.
Sawyer wore jeans and a tight fitting plaid shirt. His spiky blonde hair was perfectly mussed and his woodsy, spicy scent enticed me. Sawyer was growing on me. While he could be a pig most of the time, he’d taken his time and tried to get to know me.
“You ready, little lady?” Sawyer asked in his best cowboy voice.
I laughed and looped my arm with his as we walked into Weston’s. The entire place was one big dance floor with tables and a bar that surrounded it. Sawdust covered the ground and large industrial lights hung from wood rafters. Music beat against my sensitive eardrums causing me to cringe. I took a moment to tune it out as best I could. Sawyer and I walked towards the bar, his hand on the small of my back. My eyes roamed over the large space. The dance floor was congested with people line dancing. As my gaze traveled over the patrons, they stopped when they met with a pair of cobalt eyes. Adam was dressed in jeans and a tight fitting t-shirt that hugged his broad chest. His blond hair had been freshly cut and fell to his jawline now. He sat at a table with a group of our pack mates, Eve propped on his lap. My wolf roared at seeing her on him.
Adam looked away and laughed at something someone said, but soon returned his attention towards me. I stared bullets, hating that he caused this reaction.
“Anna?”
I broke my gaze and looked up at Sawyer. I grabbed the longneck he offered and took a long drink to snuff the fire that erupted in my stomach. Making our way over to the table, I leaned into Sawyer’s arm.
Adam’s eyes flicked to our closeness. His lips tightened and his hand on the table fisted. A smile curled my lips, happy that seeing me with someone else bothered him. Sawyer wrapped an arm around my waist, his hand caressing my bare skin. Adam squirmed even more.
“Well, lookie here. The pup is running with the big dogs,” Joe said, causing laughter to circle the table.
“I bet this pup can drink you under the table, old man,” I laughed. Joe wasn’t actually old. He was in his mid-thirties, but had been a wolf since he was nineteen. He ranked pretty high on the totem pole.
“Is that so?” he teased, a glint reflecting in his brown eyes.
I nodded. “Line ‘em up.”
After ten minutes, Joe and I stood on either side of an empty table, six shots in front of each of us. Our pack surrounded us, taking bets on who would finish first. Sawyer stood next to me, his hand rubbing my ass. I shot him a disapproving look, and he smiled and withdrew his grip.
“Ready?” Elle asked and we nodded. “Go!”
I slammed the first shot and then the second. The tequila burned my throat, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from winning. Joe was on his third shot. I slammed shot three and four down, took a moment to breathe and then attacked the last two. Joe and I reached for the sixth one at the same time. I slammed the glass right before Joe and the pack cheered.
“You’re pretty fierce, little one.” Joe laughed as he clapped me on the back.
“That’s what they keep telling me.” I smiled in return.
“Excuse me, but I believe I owe the woman who kicked your ass a dance,” Sawyer said, grabbing my hand.
“So long as she saves one for me,” Joe replied.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t want you to break a hip.”
Joe tousled my hair and I laughed. He and I always went back and forth with the banter. He was like the brother I never had but always wanted.
I allowed Sawyer to drag me onto the dance floor. The line dancers were gone and couples filled the space. (Kissed you) Goodnight by Gloriana played. Sawyer placed his hands on either side of my hips, his fingers warm against my skin, and drew me towards him. Placing my arms on his shoulders, I let him guide me along the dance floor. I rested my head against his chest and inhaled the scent of him. It’d been so long since I’d been with a man. Sawyer may have been rough around the edges, but he was a good man. I had fun getting to know him and being in his arms made me feel safe. My body reacted to his masculinity, heating up and ready for him. I was proud I was stronger than my urges, but it frustrated the hell out of my libido.
