My stomach tensed as everything inside of me screamed to run. But, yeah, I wasn’t entirely sure that a pack of shifters who were, you know, part-human would be stopped by something as simple as a door.
So I did the only thing I felt I could do at that moment.
I screamed.
The sound made the wolves jolt back, clearly not expecting that reaction. But then their hackles raised as I reached for the only thing nearby. Which happened to be the damn broom I swept the front porch with.
And then, well, then the growling and snarling started, and I was confronted with half a dozen sets of extremely large teeth.
Panic was a hand around my throat, tightening with each passing moment, making my scream die as I ran out of breath.
But then, out of nowhere, there he was.
Leaping over the side of the front porch railing, and running in front of me in all his wolflike glory.
This was the first time, though, that I’d seen him angry.
Like the others, his hair was raised, his stance was tense, and a horrible snarl escaped him as he suddenly flew off the porch and at the closest wolf, taking him down on the ground where the two of them rolled around, growling, snipping at each other, but not seeming to do any actual damage.
Confused, my gaze slipped to the others gathered around, finding them all watching the display of the two wolves, but their hair had gone down, their stances had relaxed, and no one was snarling anymore.
I immediately looked back at wolf-Way, watching as he tussled with the other, lighter-colored wolf. Both were letting out yelps, but no one seemed bloody.
Were they, like, play fighting? Like dogs would do?
There was still so much I had to learn about wolves, about shifters, about how they interacted. And since I had no intentions on ever giving up Way, I guess I had a lifetime with him to figure it all out.
Suddenly, walking down from the woods, I saw yet another wolf. This one darker than the rest. His coat was pure inky black, so dark that if I hadn’t seen his eyes—a pure, ice blue—I would have missed him in the darkness.
The rest of the pack parted around him so he could get to the front, where he stopped to watch the scene of the fight before letting out a growl so ferocious that I jumped back and gripped my broom more tightly, holding it across my body like a shield.
Just like that, though, the two wolves sprang apart.
And just as quickly, they both shifted back into human form.
Not a second or two later, so did all the others.
“Oh.” The sound kind of escaped me without thinking because, well, they were all stark freaking naked. Six or eight of them.
Balls-out naked.
And from my quick glance, all just as muscular and well-built as Way.
My head shot up to the sky, studying the blanket of stars as a blush crept across my cheeks.
“We’re not shy, sweetheart,” a smooth, clearly amused voice called.
“Mmhmm, that’s great,” I agreed, nodding, but still looking at the sky. “Good for you,” I added. “I’m sure there’s nothing to be, you know, shy about.”
“Baby, it’s okay, you can—“ Way started.
“Baby?” a deep, gravel-like voice barked.
I didn’t have to look to know it came from that black-coated wolf.
But my gaze shot in that direction anyway.
There he was.
A man so tall and strong and, well, scary, that he had to be their alpha.
Way was tall. By anyone’s standards. But this guy towered over even him. He was well-muscled with pure black hair, a ridiculously chiseled face, bright blue eyes, and a scar down his jaw.
“Yeah, I have some shit we need to discuss,” Way said, nodding.
“You’ve been missing for weeks. We had to track your scent out here,” the alpha said. “And you just… have some shit to discuss.”
“I told Garrick I was going away for a bit.”
“You told Garrick a couple of days. It’s been weeks with no word. You’re not a fucking pup, Waylon. You know that shit doesn’t fly. We thought you’d been taken by another pack when we found your tent and campsite empty. And when we tracked your scent here,” he said, waving at the cabin. “Well…”
“She’s my True Mate, Elden,” Way said, shrugging.
“Your…” Elden said, glancing over at me, giving me a long look, then back at Way. “No shit?” he asked.
“No shit. I was in the woods one night and I felt it. Then there she was.”
“And you didn’t tell me, why?” Elden demanded.
“Because she’s Greta’s granddaughter,” he said, and the entire pack stiffened, then looked over at me, making me want to shrink back into the house.
“Is she now?” Elden asked, jaw tight.
“And so I wanted to… get to know her first before I told the pack. Before I got everyone’s hopes up.”