Looking.
Hunting.
Elijah.
Even the thought of his hands on me, the taste of his name on my lips, makes me hunger with need. I inhale summer flowers and the barest taste of autumn, a chill wind blowing in with a distant storm. Thunder rumbles, making me shiver, and I pause beside a tree to grip the trunk and breathe.
I’m so turned on, sodesperatelyturned on. Elijah is playing games with me. I know he can scent me on the wind, that he’s been lurking in the trees for hours, watching me run without a care in the world. But I want him right now.
He’s not the only one who can engage in the chase.
I glance over my shoulder, sweeping my gaze back into the trees behind me. Is that the flash of opalescent eyes in the shadows, or am I imagining things? Is he lurking at my back, or is he waiting to pounce right in front of me?
“Elijah?” I ask the empty woods, and I wish I sounded less afraid.
No answer.
A twig snaps in the darkness, and my instincts go into overdrive.
I leap into action, running forward into the trees, branches whipping at my arms and legs. They cut me, yes—and I’m undoubtedly afraid—but something about this game makes heat build between my legs, already so wet I can barely stand it. This must be the slick the other omegas told me about, the unbearable desire mounting with the friction of my thighs brushing together as I sprint.
I break through the tree line, moonlight shining down on a field of scarlet and gold sunflowers. Even in the moonlight, they shine like distant stars in the field of tall grasses, tickling my knees. I feel free, desirable,wanted…
And like I could sense him, I hear him there behind me—clawed paws treading the grass, panting breaths as he gets closer. I can’t fully shift yet, so I know he’ll catch me. And Irevelin that feeling, my mate drawing closer, my heat pulling him in like a fish on a hook.
His weight hits me all at once from behind and I tumble into the grass, talons biting into my shoulder as I roll onto my back. I gasp, staring up at him and spreading my legs as he partially shifts, his teeth sharp and his eyes flashing with animalistic, carnal intention.
“My,” I breathe. “What bigteethyou have.”
Elijah chuckles, ducking his head against my neck. His tongue drags rough and hot over my skin. I whimper in delight and desire as he gives me a feral grin, his voice coming out in a raspy southern drawl.
“The better to eat you with, my dear.”
Chapter 1
Twelve Hours Earlier
What does it even mean to be human?
I’ve pondered that question a lot since I came to live with the Austin pack—since I discovered that I’m not fully human myself. We play by different rules now that we’re part Lycan. I belong to a new species, one that intermingles with humanity in strange ways…and I can’t wait to see what happens tonight.
I can feel my heat coming over me as I wake up on the first morning of the full moon, crawling from my core over my thighs and stomach, my nipples pebbling under the thin blanket. Our little cottage in the woods doesn’t have AC, and Elijah’s body is so warm beside me that I’m already sweating. His fingers glide across my hip, letting me know that he’s awake and probably has my scent.
“You keep lying here smelling like that, I won’t be able to wait until tonight to mate you,” Elijah groans in my ear, his breath hot against my neck. I arch under his touch. Even though he’s only grazing the underside of my sweat-slick breasts, it feels like he’s already inside me. I know it’ll feel even better once he is.
“Sounds like you’re the one with the problem,” I laugh. “Don’t make me kick you out of bed.”
I open my eyes to find him staring at me from the other side of the bed, no part of him touching me but his fingertips. His sun-kissed skin shines bronze in the early morning sun, his eyes glinting with icy blue longing. I chance a glimpse and see his cock jutting out underneath the white sheet.
He licks his lips, and I barely resist the urge to press myself forward and catch his tongue between my teeth.
“What time is it?” I ask, trying to keep my mind on anythingbuthis tongue.
“Close to noon,” he says. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Mm…I asked you to wake me up,” I groan, stretching out my limbs. I don’t touch him; Ican’t, if I ever want to get out of this bed. The moon isn’t even out yet, and I already feel like I won’t be able to stop fucking my mate until this long week is over. “I told Peaches I’d head over to the den to help her cook dinner tonight and get set for this week. It’s the least I can do, given how kind everyone has been to us here.”
“Put it off another day,” Elijah groans. His hand flattens against my stomach as he props himself up in bed beside me, and I can’t help the needy whine that slips past my lips. He laughs. “See? Your wolf is begging for her mate.”