Wolf, Shifted by Rebecca Ethington
Nova
“When areyou fur bags ever going to realize I am not interested?” I pulled against Hank’s painful grip again, not that it did me any good. Why didn’t I take a self defense class about how to fight against magical zip ties?
“Yes, we’ve heard,” Kat snarled, poking me in the back with my own knife. “We’ve also told you that Mr. Dillon is not here to bed you. He just wants to meet you.”
I rolled my eyes and tugged against Hank’s hold again. Wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to believe that considering the guy had practically sprayed his pheromones everywhere. The whole place smelled like an old Alpha’s wet dream.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I mean, that’s clearly why he kidnapped me and locked me up and—”
“Silence, female,” Hank’s voice was a snap, that powerful alpha strength that I had sensed in him before taking control as he shook me, sending my feet off balance as he practically dragged me the last few feet down the hall.
Two men stared at me with open mouths from another hall; I could have sworn I heard one of them snarl before Hank spun me around to face a wooden door inlaid with gold that was already opening.
The scent that had been so casually sprayed through my room was so thick here that it could have been wallpaper. It flooded me as the door closed, as everything grew warm and my wolf whimpered.
My wolf fucking whimpered.
What happened to my badass wolf that was ready to rip off some heads?
Get it together! Do you want to murder people or not?
I stopped fighting as they led me in, the door closing behind us as they dragged me to the center of the room. With one kick to the back of my knees, Hank sent me to the ground. I slammed down hard, nearly falling face first into the white carpet thanks to the fact that they had zip tied my hands behind my back. Thankfully Kat caught me, although just barely.
“Alpha! We have returned!” Hank’s voice echoed over the room, rattling the knickknacks and jewelry that sat on weird spindly tables. There were at least a dozen of them lining the walls, each one filled with the weirdest array of items. A silver comb, chewed gum, a doll's head, a painting that was clearly done by some long forgotten master. If it wasn’t for the giant mahogany desk the room would have almost looked like a museum.
“Finally! She’s here! I’ve been waiting!”
Holy fiery shifter balls! I had never heard a sexy voice before. I didn’t even think there was such a thing as a sexy voice, but I had no other explanation for it. It only grew worse when a door at the back of the room swung open and a tall shape swept into the room and I suddenly forgot how to breathe.
My wolf whimpered again as the deep musk of his Alpha flooded my senses as he walked right to me.
Greyson Dillon’s shoes shone with each step, the expensive leather just as pristine as his dark pants and the white button-up shirt that perfectly accentuated the broad chest and rounded muscles of someone who might as well have been carved from stone. He looked like he stepped off the cover of a damn romance novel. As if the romcom I was trapped in could get any worse. His hair was almost as dark as mine, his eyes a green so bright and glowy that I couldn’t tell if it was him I was looking at, or his wolf.
With how mine continued to whine I was sure it was his wolf. His freaking powerful wolf. It wasn’t like I had a lot of other males to base this off of, having been on the run with my dad and all, but I could feel his strength ooze off him. The idea of fighting him was somewhat comical. Why oh why did my dad pick a switch blade as my weapon of choice?
That wasn’t the largest of my problems, however. Hiss had been right. I wanted to lick him.
Shit.
“What the hell, Hank?” Greyson snarled, a loud snap echoing as he slapped Hank, sending him stumbling back. I flinched, half expecting to be next, but instead wide hands wrapped around my bare shoulders, lifting me to my feet.
“Are you okay?” Greyson’s voice was one thing, but the way he looked at me, with eyes so wide and worried as he ran his hands down my arms, it made everything inside of me turn to light.
I was amazed my panties didn’t just rip themselves right off my body.
What the hell? I was so not okay with this.
Worse, why was my wolf okay with this. One look from this guy's melty eyes and she lost all will to fight.
Ignoring my suddenly docile wolf, I snarled at him, determined to get things back on track and away from the panty melting Alpha, “Yes, because being kidnapped and forcibly restrained twice in one week was exactly what I had planned.”
Greyson’s eyes widened before he twisted me around, revealing my still bound hands. The bands were so tight that I couldn’t even feel the prickling in my fingers anymore.
“Kat?” Greyson hissed, his voice had such a low growl that it sent shivers up my spine. Even my wolf stopped whining for a moment. “Did you do this?”
“You said not to let her shift—” She didn’t even get to finish with the strength of the growl that filled the room, the low rumble of Greyson’s knickknacks rattling making the sound of his wolf louder than it was.
Kat and Hank both cowered at the sound, and thankfully my wolf finally seemed to get her wits about her. She stood up straighter, on high alert again.
“I said to protect her. To care for her. To show her kindness as we welcome her into our pack. And this is what you do?” His hands continued to run down my arms, sending that glowy warm feeling over me before he gripped the zip ties, and yanked.
Vampire balls! This guy was strong. I had tried a few times to get those off, and nothing. One yank from Greyson and they were gone, I didn’t even feel the hard edge of the plastic cut into my skin. Stepping back, I gripped my wrists, rubbing the blue skin back to life as Greyson continued to snarl at Kat and Hank.
“I will deal with you two, later. Now go.” Greyson towered over them, his canines pulling at his top lip before the two turned and practically ran out the door, slamming it behind them.
I stood there, staring at the door, still rubbing my wrists as Greyson stared after them, chest heaving as the last of his wolf’s growl faded away. When he turned back to me, I only caught a glimpse of stone grey eyes before the green of his wolf returned.
“I cannot apologize enough for that, Nova,” he whispered, closing the gap between us. He held out his hands to mine, but I just stepped back. Thankfully my wolf was still on high alert.
Welcome back!
I didn’t care how hot this guy was, this was not the time to get all doe-eyes whimper-wolf.
“For kidnapping me, or for whatever that was?” I knocked my head toward the door and the corner of his lip twitched.
“I asked them to bring you home,” he said evenly before he shook his head and turned, walking toward the large desk and shifting through the dozens of papers that were there. “I can only imagine they acted the way they did because they were scared.”
I let out a heartless laugh, he might as well have pulled out a neon ‘I’m a liar sign’ if he wanted me to believe that Kat was scared.
“And here I was buying the whole ‘you are innocent of murder’ thing.”
He whirled on me, green eyes wide, “Oh, but you are. They did tell you, didn’t they?”
Everything about him was so kind, so gentle. He actually seemed… worried. Nothing like the guy my father had told horror stories about. Nothing like the immortal shifter that I had been told was hunting me.
What was this, some kind of alternative dimension?
Greyson was the guy who had put the bounty on my head. He was the one who was hunting me. But if he said I was innocent would he still be an enemy? Could I even trust that?
God, what I wouldn’t give to talk to my dad about this. He always had the right answers, mostly because he knew what the hell was going on. I had been too young when everything happened to have anything more than flashes of memories that haunted my nightmares. Although if my dad was still alive I doubted I would be here in the first place. Which, you know, would also be preferable.
“They told me I didn’t kill all those people,” I whispered, watching him closely.
He nodded. “We caught the one who killed all those wolves. They were already dead, surrounded by the bones of your former pack.”
One mention of that night and I was pushing back my wolf as she snarled, as she raged against my heart and the images of that night flashed through my mind. My mother screaming and begging below me. The Alpha running away in terror… running from me.
“Awesome,” I spat, pushing away the images. “So, does that mean I can go? I mean, you’ve seen me, you said I’m innocent and seeing as I’m all nomadic and feral now, I should probably go…” I lifted my chin to him as he stepped back over to me, one step for each frantic word. His wolf eyes never left mine. The green buzzed through me, my head swimming in the scent of him as my wolf did that stupid whimper thing again.
Come on! We’ve got wolf balls, let’s use them!
Why the hell was she rolling over to this guy? Why the hell was I?
“I would like you to stay, Nova. I would like to get to know you.” Any sign of that strong alpha voice faded as he grabbed my hands, lifting them between us to pull me close.
He was so close I could feel the warmth of his wolf, feel the alpha’s growl rattle against my skin.
“I would like you to be here for the Moon Year Celebration. I would like very much to see your wolf, Nova. I feel something in you, something strong.” He lifted his hand, his fingers soft against my cheek as he ran his knuckles down my skin, filling me with that same warmth as before.
Warmth that was everywhere. It warmed me, calming down that hard edge that was still screaming at me to run. It just wasn’t as loud anymore.
“I would like my wolf to feel yours. I think you might be my match, Nova.”
Of course, I had to fucking gasp like some love sick teenager. He smiled, and I barely restrained another sharp inhale.
Why did Hiss have to be right; and what was up with this guy? Was he some kind of sex god? No wonder he was spraying his pheromones around and making my wolf bare her ass to him.
I sucked in my gut and clenched my thighs before those ridiculous emotions overtook me.
“Pretty sure that’s not a thing,” I said, forcing myself to step back. “Lone wolf, remember.”
My hands slipped from his as his eyes flashed for a moment, the green growing brighter before they dipped back to grey. One blink and the green had returned.
“That may be, but you are still a lone wolf on my lands. If you wish to remain as such, I would like you to present your wolf to me. Perhaps you will not submit, but I would like very much to get to know you, Nova. I would like to see your wolf.”
I couldn’t be sure if what he was saying was a threat or a pick up line, because I responded to both, equally. My wolf growled protectively, even as my core warmed and flooded with an unfamiliar heat. I tried to step back as he stepped to me, but I was frozen, stuck as he grabbed my hand.
“Will you allow me that, Nova? Let us get to know each other, then at the end of the celebration, if you still desire it, I will let you leave without issue.”
I never knew an offer for continued abduction could sound so desirable.
He was so damn alluring. Everything about him was drawing me in, pulling me into that perfect romcom ending. I mean, why wouldn’t it? My name was cleared, the prince was right here...
It would have been perfect, except my father’s warning rattled in my head as Greyson smiled, flashing perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth.
“Will you let me get to know you?” He spoke low, his touch like a bolt of lightning as he moved a chunk of hair behind my ear. I gasped at the contact and he smiled. “I think your wolf wants to get to know me. Mine would like to as well, very much.”
Again, my wolf was calm. Her usual growl was gone from my throat. It was only that warmth I had felt before, the hum of energy that I had felt when I had first been brought into this room.
As though she wanted him. As though she knew him. I grit my teeth, refusing to put words to the thought as I nodded, accepting his offer. It’s not like I had another choice. Besides, part of me wanted to. Part of me wanted to be right here.
“Wonderful. Then I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of each other.”
Why did that sound like the world's worst pick up line? And why didn’t I care?
“Well, it is your house.” And why did I have to go and say something so stupid afterwards.
“Yes, it is, so I hope you enjoy it. Starting with the welcome dinner.” He gave me a look, eyes flashing as my snide remark slid from my mind.
“I’ll see you down there, Nova.” Damn it, even as he left, kissing my hand before he did so, I could only scowl at the door after him. Hiss had a lot of explaining to do.