“My wolfis me, and my body doesn’t control me,” I scoff. “And neither do you.”
“You say that now, but just wait until moonrise tonight,” he says. “Once I get you into bed…”
His hand trails lower, and I catch his fingers in mine to bring them to my lips. I graze a kiss over his knuckles, and Elijah groans, knowing exactly what I’m going to say.
“That’s why I have to go and help out today,” I murmur. “Because I’m anticipating staying in bed with you for the next four days…and because I’m gonna make you wait.”
“You’re a sadist,” Elijah says, feigning a pout.
“And you’re stuck with me,” I smile. “Now, let me up; I’ve got some things to take care of today, and no time to waste.”
*
The kitchen in the old visitor’s center smells like fresh tortillas and chili powder, platters full of enchiladas and chile rellenos coming out of the oven as we prepare for the week. The pack likes to get food ready ahead of time during the full moon—even those of us who are unmated can be pretty useless once our heat starts, uninterested in anything but, as Peaches told me, ‘screwing and eating.’” I’m immediately put to work slicing up peppers, a crate full of stolen vegetables in the corner.
“You excited for tonight?” Peaches says from beside me. She’s tied up her red hair in a messy bun, wearing a blue floral dress that hugs her curves. “It always seems like a hell of a lot of fun for folks that are mated.”
“Well, I’m nottechnicallymated,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Not yet. He won’t bite me until we ‘get to know each other.’”
“Hey, that’s sweet,” she says, nudging me with her elbow. “I wouldn’t expect it from a guy like Elijah.”
“Peaches…” I sigh. “I want himso badly;it’s him and only him. I’ve never been so certain of anything in my life.”
“So you want to convince him you mean it—that you’re committed for good,” Peaches says.
“Of course I do,” I tell her. “I just don’t know how.”
“Well…” Peaches lowers her voice, glancing around to make sure no one’s listening. “The Prime doesn’t like it, but back with my old pack, we used to do this thing during the full moon.”
I narrow my eyes, leaning closer to her with a conspiratorial smile. “I’m listening.”
“There would be a hunt,” she says.
I frown. “A hunt…? I’m not sure I understand.”
“The night of the full moon, the omegas would go out and hide in the woods, and their alphas would come to find them,” Peaches continues. “I guess it wakes up your Lycan instincts—makes it more fun to mark and…it wasn’t always used for good with the Atlanta pack, but for you and Elijah it might just do the trick.”
“I don’t want to trick him into doing it,” I cut in.
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” Peaches deadpans. “Just… give it a shot. And at the very least, it could be a good time, right?”
I nod, but it doesn’t exactly seem like a great idea. “Sure,” I say. “Maybe it will.”
Chapter 2
The idea grows on me for the rest of the day. I remember how Elijah chased me through the woods the first time we met—a shadow lurking in the darkness, growling about how good I smelled. I remember him pinning me to the ground with sharp claws, his snout at my ear, his tongue flicking out to lap at my flesh…
It might not be so bad.
Plus, there are other benefits to being marked. I’m painfully reminded of that when I leave the den to go home for the night, the scent of my oncoming heat enough to drive unmated alphas in the den wild. My family in the den protected me the last time—my uncleisthe Prime after all, and an omega’s scent doesn’t have the same effect on family, thank goodness—but now I have to go back to my isolated cottage in the woods.
I take my time and weave through the trees, taking my shoes off to step barefoot through the summer wildflowers. I’m still getting used to the sensation of soft grass under my feet, the open air invigorating in a way I never expected it to be. The sun has just started to set as our little cottage comes into view, nestled in the grass, and I hold back as I approach just to take a few more deep breaths.
He’s not there when I arrive—hunting or running off excess energy. I put down the carefully packed food Peaches gave me and look around our one bedroom space with my hands on my hips.
And then I realize, this is an opportunity.
I sit down at the little wooden desk in the corner and scribble a note in hasty cursive, not knowing when Elijah will get back.If I want this to work, I have to hurry. He’ll be able to track my scent with ease, and follow me through the forest. There’s a spot down by the creek where I can hide, to make a game out of the chase.