Seduced by Moonlight

A Total-E-Bound Publication

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Seduced by Moonlight ISBN # 978-1-907280-20-7 ©Copyright Lexie Davis 2009 Cover Art by Lyn Taylor ©Copyright October 2009 Edited by Jess Bimberg Total-E-Bound Publishing This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing. Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution. The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork. Published in 2009 by Total-E-Bound Publishing 1 The Corner, Faldingworth Road, Spridlington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2DE, UK.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.

Exotic Wolves

SEDUCED BY MOONLIGHT Lexie Davis

Dedication To Austin.

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction: Mustang:

Ford Motor Company

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Chapter One

“Oh, Ms. Knight, this is breathtaking.” Chloe stood next to her latest work of art, smiling. She agreed, but thought it would be rude to tell her customer that. “I’m glad you like it, Ms. Keller. This is the final piece in the Knight Wolves collection.” The painting was of one single wolf howling at the moon. His fur was silver in the moonlight as he stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking water below. The water glistened below with tiny ripples painted in intricate detail. It was one of Chloe’s favourites, a piece she was most proud of. “Oh, I do hate to hear that. I love the Knight Wolves collection.” Ms. Keller tapped her husband’s shoulder to gain his attention. “Dear, I do want this painting. I want all of the paintings in Ms. Knight’s collection.” Without another word said, her husband pulled out his cheque book. “How much?” Chloe barely contained the bubble of thrill escalating through her body. She told him the price for all five original paintings, and he wrote her a cheque. This hefty little sum would definitely help in updating her studio that was for sure. The art gala ended around ten with most of her fifty pieces sold to very generous customers. Chloe couldn’t believe it. What started out as a dream now became a career—her career—and it was all because she loved to doodle on canvas. “Wow, Ms. Knight, you made a fortune this time. Isn’t this your first art show?” Dana Mercer, the owner of Broadway Gallery, asked. Chloe took the art pieces that hadn’t sold off the wall and organised them into specific wet canvas boxes. “No. This is my second show. The first one was at the gallery on Fifth Street. They weren’t exactly interested in my wolves, choosing to accept painted blocks of different colours as art instead.” None of it really mattered to her though. Chloe wasn’t in this for the money, even after several of her friends told her she should be.

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“That’s too bad. I would love to have you come back here. Or perhaps keep some of your art on display at all times? We need talent like yours in our gallery.” Dana smiled. Chloe looked at the pieces before her. Would it really hurt to leave them here? They would get more exposure, and people seemed to love her work. Slowly, but surely, she was making a name for herself. Maybe Dana Mercer and the Broadway Art Gallery was what she needed. “Sure. I have probably ten pieces here that I can leave. I’ll be in the studio all this week so I can bring you new material by Saturday if you like.” Dana beamed. “That would be fabulous. I’ll have my husband draw up the contract.” After she signed the contract, Chloe walked out of the art gallery with a smile on her face. The Mercers were nice people, she concluded. They truly cared about their clientele, and their customers wanted Chloe’s art. Dana offered her a generous percentage of the sales, more than any of the other art galleries she’d contacted dared to consider. It was a nice business deal, one that was sure to take Chloe Knight: unknown painter from home, and make her, Chloe Knight: professional artist. She loved it. The night air chilled her skin. The mid-May heat felt nice during the day, but the nights still held the spring coolness. She’d parked her car a block down the street, since the gallery’s space was limited. She stopped next to the car and pulled out her keys. A pain shot through her skull, nearly blinding her with the force of it. She cried out and leaned against the car, reminding herself to breathe. She’d had bursts of pain often recently, though they never happened in the same general area of her body. The first had been in her leg about a week ago, making it impossible to walk. Her bones felt brittle, as if the slightest movement would break them. She grabbed the side of the car and inserted her key with a shaky hand. This is what you get for eating sugary cupcakes and tea cookies instead of a real meal full of protein. She climbed in the driver’s seat and gripped the steering wheel. Though the sharp pain eased, her head still throbbed beyond belief. Please. Just let me make it home. She stared into the darkness and blinked a couple times until her vision became clear again. Chloe waited a few more minutes until she was satisfied she’d make it home okay before she cranked the engine of her car. A long, hot bath and a nice cosy bed called her

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name. She pulled out into traffic and the streetlights nearly blinded her. She stopped at a red light and grabbed her sunglasses, instantly relieving the sensitivity of her eyes. Weird. When Chloe pulled in her driveway and parked the car, the night was anything but silent. She sat quietly listening to the leaves rustling in the wind. A wolf howled at a distance. A cat scrambled in the woods behind lining her property. That’s odd. She furrowed her brows in distaste. She hated cats. She grabbed her purse and climbed from the car. Her legs wobbled when she tried to stand. Just make it inside. She took a step, then another. If she passed out now or fell, no one would be around to help her. When she reached the steps to the front porch, she gripped the railing as her legs wobbled again. What’s wrong with me? Her stomach growled from lack of food, and a big fat cheeseburger sounded great. She unlocked the door, flipped on the light, and the world spun again—only this time, there was nothing to catch her. Chloe fell to the ground as darkness surrounded her.

**** “Your pack needs you, Maxim,” Quinn, leader of the Gray Wolves pack, stated. “We’ve been watching a stray on the northern boarder of our land, and she’s about to go through her first change and the needing phase. We need you to help her survive them both.” Max shovelled mashed potatoes in his mouth to prevent his automatic response of ‘hell no’. For years, the Gray Wolves had coaxed younglings through their first change. Max’s bloodline was the best to help the younglings survive. He hated that only certain pack members cared for the youngling’s needing phase, and he was the main one. But he refused to be prostituted any longer. Too many years, too many lovers and one too many deaths. He took a swallow of his wine and tried to push Janie’s memory from his mind. That was not something he needed to think about. “Come on, Maxim. Everyone else is tied up. You are the only one that can help, otherwise she’ll die. Do you want a poor, defenceless stray to die because you simply refused to help her?”

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Max wasn’t about to take his bait. He and Quinn were twins and often thought alike. He knew his brother, the controlling and cynical one, kept a close eye on everything that came into their territory. If for nothing else, he needed to snoop to prevent conflict with the Black Wolves—another problem Max wasn’t up for solving. “And if she dies with my help, who’s to blame there, Quinn?” Max cut into his steak, refusing to look at his brother. “I’m not going through this anymore. I’ve been down that road too many times because you needed me. There are plenty of other capable males. Let one of them take care of the youngling.” “Everyone’s busy, Max. Believe me, I’ve tried to find another way but I’m out of options. You are the only one, and if you don’t coax her through the change and take care of her needing phase, she’ll be a target for all the Black Wolves to come prey on. She needs your protection or she will end up dead, and that would not only be one on your current roster, but two.” Max narrowed his eyes, and Quinn sighed. “Look, Maxim, I know how much Janie meant to you. We all loved her, but you need to stop blaming yourself for her death. She was weak. She wasn’t strong enough to handle the change and went sadistic when she did. You couldn’t protect her from herself, and the sooner you realise that, the better off you’ll be.” Max stopped eating and stared into his brother’s eyes. “I killed her.” “It was inevitable and in the past. Janie turned on you, and you defended yourself. That’s not the same as flat out not helping this youngling. She needs you, Max. If you don’t help her she’ll die and then it will be your fault.” Quinn pushed away from the table. Max watched his brother walk away. At eighteen, he and Quinn rebelled against their parents by leaving their pack to for a new pack, the Gray Wolves. It was hard at times, but they made it through together, finally settling in and adding a few other members—outcasts from other packs. Roni and Sasha came from the southern clan outside of Denver and were twins like Max and Quinn. Hopper and Thunder came from the eastern pack, twins as well. Together, they made up the Grey Wolves, and Max was proud to be one of them. But none of this made sense. How could they have a youngling in their territory that he didn’t know about? Granted, he had just gotten back from a hiatus in Alaska and was recovering from a bit of a meltdown he’d had over Janie’s death, but Quinn should have told him something as important as this. Max pushed away from the table and went to seek

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Quinn out for answers. If he was going to agree, he needed to know everything. And Quinn keeping secrets from him wasn’t a great start. “Why didn’t you tell me before about this youngling? I know nothing about her. If she’s in our territory, I should have been notified.” Quinn stood in the kitchen and picked a grape from Roni’s bowl on the counter, popping it into his mouth. “Where did she come from? How did you find out about her? Does she know what she is or am I going to have to start at the fucking beginning with her and convince her I’m not a crazed lunatic looking to get laid. And why the hell are you telling me two days before the next full moon?” His frustration was evident and the damned silence was annoying as hell. How could Quinn do this to him, especially right after he returned to the Gray Wolves. “So this means you’ll do it, little brother?” “I want answers.” Max waited while Quinn chewed another grape. Roni stayed quiet, minding her own business, off to the side. “She came here two months ago when you went on the sabbatical in the middle of nowhere by yourself. From what I’ve discovered in watching her, she’s employed as an artist and does one hell of a job painting wolves. It’s her specialty. The guys and I have kept a close eye on her for protection, and so far, no threats have come. She knows nothing, to my knowledge, about her heritage and is probably going to need some time to take in what you’ll tell her. But she’s young, Maxim. She’s never been with another wolf.” Max swallowed hard. A virgin? Of course she was. Fuck. “Two days, Quinn? You give me two fucking days to figure all this shit out?” Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. His muscles bulged with the slight movement. “There’s nothing to figure out. You know the process better than any one here. You go to her, explain what she is and see her through the change and the needing while protecting her from the damned horny bastards that will come out of the woodworks for her. She knows nothing about the danger of the Black Wolves. How they prey on younglings and how they will kill her if she doesn’t serve their purpose. They don’t have females, and each time a new one comes around, they pounce like kittens on her. Can you really just let this woman go through all the shit they’d do because you have your own issues to deal with?”

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“I’m just one man, Quinn. If they come to hurt her, I can’t fight them all.” Quinn snickered. “Please. Everyone knows the almighty Maxim. You’d have a better chance at protecting her than the rest of our pack combined. Hell, that’s why you’re the best choice. Plus, you and Deacon have a relationship.” ‘Relationship’ was a strong choice of words. “Deacon is nothing but an ass.” Max huffed a breath and rubbed his aching temples. “So I just see her through it? Be the proverbial knight in shining armour? That’s not the usual plan.” Quinn stared at Roni, obviously remembering her change. “She’ll be a danger if left alone. If the Black Wolves don’t come after her, which I highly doubt, others will when they smell her scent. And I’m not so sure everyone will be nice about it.” “So I bring her here? What rational human being will agree to leave her home with a strange man? For protection or not. She isn’t going to accept what she is very well. She isn’t going to like me very much. And I’ll bet everything I own, she won’t come home with me either.” “You bring her here like you brought Roni and Sasha and Janie.” Max shook his head. “They knew what they were—what we are—before they changed. This girl knows jack squat. Damn, Quinn, she’s a virgin to everything. At least Roni and Sasha half-changed before their first full moon, several times, in fact. At least we could protect them that way. This girl’s got nothing.” Quinn pursed his lips. “Go to her tonight. Explain to her what she is. She’ll probably have some inkling as to what’s going on with her body, with the sickness and need for sex. See if you can get her to half change before the full moon which will help both of you out. The Black Wolves will come, Maxim. We just don’t know when. When they do, however, you call us. It’s the plan we’ve always used and it’s the plan that’s always worked.” Annoyed, Max left the room and headed up the grand staircase of the mansion he and his pack shared. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was going to be nothing but hell. The upcoming full moon would not only be torture for her but him as well. It was the one time of the month a female werewolf was fertile. While he, as a male, could change anytime of the month he wanted, females only took wolf form when they were fertile—for mating reasons, so to speak. The first change was the worst because the females were insatiable with

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lust. They fought and killed for sex, turning into monsters, and sometimes they died because of it. Like Janie. He entered his room and flopped down on his bed. Most females had no memory of the first change beyond the events before, the pain during and the fatigue afterward. And that was only if they survived through it. He could only imagine what a youngling who didn’t know her heritage would be like. Max pulled out a bag from underneath his bed, hoping he wouldn’t need too much of his ‘human’ stuff. For one night, from dusk ‘til dawn, he would cater to the wolf within her, to the needs of this youngling who would hopefully survive her first change. He shoved clothing in the bag. A damn virgin. He stopped and took a deep breath. He’d never been with a virgin before. He carried his bag down the stairs and met the rest of his pack in the large living room. “Looks like I’m out. Where’s the girl at?” Quinn gave him the directions. “We’ll expect you back after the full moon. If you run into any trouble, you know the number.” Sasha’s eyes filled with tears. “You just came back.” Max opened his arms and hugged her. “I’ll be back soon enough. Keep Hopper in line while I’m gone, okay? He needs someone to kick his ass regularly.” “You got that all wrong, bozo. I kick your ass regularly.” Hopper smirked. Max said his goodbyes to everyone, leaving Quinn for last. His brother was all business. “Her name is Chloe. Bring her back after the full moon is over.” Max nodded and left. It was dark outside, the moon being his only source of light. He walked to the woods and stripped off all of his clothes. He tied the bag around his waist and shifted. After fifteen years of being able to shift, the process became easier each time, but the aches in his bones would never go away. As each bone shifted, morphing into the wolf skeleton, Max howled with the slight pain. His bare skin itched as fur covered it, completing the transformation within seconds. His eyesight immediately became better, seeing perfectly into the night with little light to guide him. He heard a cat at a distance and took off towards it before he remembered he was on a mission. He huffed with annoyance and headed through the woods, to where Quinn said the youngling lived.

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It wasn’t long before he spotted the house. He stopped, staring at the sight before him. It was a nice two-storey Victorian style house with vinyl siding. Woods surrounded the entire property line, making it impossible to see predators coming upon the land. That was something to take into consideration. He narrowed his eyes and took in the lay of the land. The driveway was on the north side, gravel covered and easy to hear a car approaching. A small storage building sat off to the right side of the house. Max sniffed the air. No sign of other creatures around, the cat long gone now. The moon was beautiful, the light shining down on the land below. Max couldn’t resist howling one time, the sight bringing out the beast from within. He quit the moment he saw headlights. Gravel crunched beneath the tires of the car that pulled in the youngling’s driveway. He stayed in the shadows, fighting his urge to continue howling. He waited, watching as the headlights clicked off. He heard her soft footsteps creep across a concrete walkway then climb wooden steps to what he assumed was the door. He heard keys jingle and the soft rattle of the door opening. The lights flicked on but he sensed no movement. Tilting his head to the side, he listened and waited. Nothing. Max immediately shifted and pulled the clothes out of his bag. After dressing, he ran across the yard and around the house, slowing when he came to the porch. The young woman lay in her doorway, completely immobile. He approached her with caution and bent to feel her pulse. Weak, but steady. He cursed softly, knowing she had begun the process. He lifted her from the floor and carried her inside. He laid her on the soft plush couch, pausing briefly to admire her. Then, he went to grab his bag and lock the measly deadbolt on her front door, flicking the lights off when he was through. Her scent wafted through the air and his dick immediately hardened. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. This would be nothing but pure, rotten hell. And he hadn’t even touched her yet.

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Chapter Two

Chloe woke in complete darkness on her couch. The last memory she had was opening the door and flipping on the light. The electricity must be out. It wasn’t something uncommon living this far out in the middle of nowhere. She yawned and stretched before sitting up. “How long have you been sick, Chloe?” A dark figure turned on the lamp next to her recliner, and she let out a scream. He came to her, trying to cover her mouth with his hand. “Shh. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m actually here to help. Please stop screaming.” She struggled against him, but he was stronger. Overpowering her, he pulled her to him. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.” Chloe took a few deep breaths, staring into his eyes. Who was this intruder? What did he want? She nodded, signalling she’d be quiet. The man pulled his hand from her mouth but didn’t bother to step away from her. He smelt like the woods, earthy and manly. She swallowed hard as she stared at his face, the chiselled features luscious and mouth-watering. She’d never seen a man so gorgeous in all her life, and that included the Hollywood stars she often lusted after. Chloe clasped her legs together when moisture developed between her legs. A surprise reaction, she determined, since her sex life was basically nonexistent. “Who are you?” she asked when she found her voice. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me. I don’t have anything of value. If you want money, all I have is cheques from clients in my purse. I don’t have any cash. I—” He covered her mouth again with his hand, though this time not as hard. “Shh. I’m here to take care of you. That’s all you need to know right now.” She pulled back from his hand and scooted away from him. “Take care of me? What does that mean?” He sat in the chair and faced her. “You’ve been feeling sick, am I right? Perhaps joint pain? Bones aching like arthritis? Headaches? Skin itching or possible rashes? You passed out in your doorway. When’s the last time you ate?” How did he know about her sickness? “Have you been spying on me?”

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He shook his head. “No. I’ve been there and I know what’s happening to you. I’m here to see that you make it through it alive.” Alive? Bile rose in Chloe’s throat. “Are you some kind of doctor?” That got a small grin from him. “Not exactly.” “Then how…?” He cursed. “Damn Quinn for doing this to me.” “Who’s Quinn?” she asked. “And what the hell is going on?” The man took a deep breath and huffed it out. “You are different from normal humans. You’re part of a species called lycans, and what you’re going through is what happens before your first change.” Lycans? First change? “Are you serious? Lycans are werewolves.” He said nothing. “You’re insinuating I’m a werewolf?” Again, nothing. Chloe sat back against the couch. She had to be dreaming. That was what happened here. She passed out in the doorway and fell asleep. Now she was in a horrid dream with some sexy-hot stud who is telling her she’s a werewolf. A shape-shifting human. Chloe couldn’t help it, she laughed. “Dare I ask what is funny?” He sat patiently, waiting for her to regain control over her giggles. “You. This. The whole thing.” She fanned her face. “God, I needed a good laugh.” The man stared at her narrowing his eyes. “So you’re going to be one of those types.” “What types?” “The kind that is ignorant to their surroundings.” He shook his head. “Fine. I can deal with that. There’s so much you don’t know, and I guess we’ve got all night to settle it.” That stopped her cold. “All night? Excuse my rudeness, but you’re not staying here all night long.” “I’m staying here until after the full moon, then you’re coming back to my house with me.” He held up a hand before she could protest. “I’ll explain everything within reason, but right now you need some food.”

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Chloe felt a sudden wave of nausea that had her running down the hall to the bathroom. She made it just in time to hug the porcelain bowl of the toilet before she emptied the contents of her stomach. “What did you eat tonight?” the man asked, helping himself to a wash cloth. He wetted it, rung out the excess, then pressed it against the back of her neck. “Not much. I ate a cupcake and some tea cookies to be sociable.” She groaned, laying her cheek against her arm. “I probably should have eaten a decent meal, but I didn’t think about it. I was nervous.” He sighed. “I’ll go fix you something then. Do you have any red meat in the kitchen?” “I’m not hungry.” It was a lie but eating after puking didn’t sound like a great idea. “Honey, yes you are. I’ll fix whatever you have, and you’ll eat it all. I promise you’ll feel a lot better.” He left the room without waiting for her comment. Chloe leaned back against the wall, understanding what he meant by her coming out of this alive. At this moment, she honestly felt like she was dying. The stranger came back sometime later with a plate sporting a pork chop and mashed potatoes. “I thought you’d rather eat at the table but since you didn’t come back, I brought it to you.” “What’s your name?” Chloe asked, taking the plate. “Maxim. But only my brother, Quinn, calls me that. Everyone else calls me Max.” He leaned against the doorframe, the small half bath unable to hold them both. “Oh.” She looked at the food on the plate and her mouth watered. “Uh, I’m Chloe.” His lips quirked. “Are you feeling better, Chloe? Would you like to go to the kitchen where I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable eating?” She let him help her stand and support her weight while her legs wobbled. He was caring, she had to admit, even though she knew nothing about him. He walked her to the kitchen, and they sat at the table. He helped Chloe get situated before she started scarfing down the food, Max watching her every move. God, a pork chop never tasted so good. When she was done, she wiped her mouth with a napkin he’d placed beside her plate. “Okay. Stop staring at me and spill. I’m giving you the benefit of doubt and am willing to listen to your story. If I don’t believe you, you’re out and I’m calling the police.” She crossed her arms, amazed at how much she felt better.

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“Fair enough.” He stood to collect her dishes and carried them to the sink. “Both you and I were born as wolf-shifters. You can’t possibly understand that because you weren’t raised by your real parents. You weren’t privy to the information you needed to know.” He filled the sink with water and added some dishwashing liquid. “You’re approximately twenty-five because you are getting ready for your first change. I will inform you now, you are putting off strong pheromones and I’m only male, sweetheart. You’re body is primed for mating, and when the full moon rises, you will be fertile and ready. This is called the ‘needing’ phase, and since you’re a virgin, every male within a twenty-mile radius will pick up on your sweet scent.” Chloe held up her hand. “Whoa, buddy. I’m not a virgin. Cole Masters relieved me of that status our senior year during the homecoming game in the back seat of his Mustang. He missed the first quarter of the game, and he was the quarterback.” He blinked at her. “Not what I’m talking about. You’ve never fucked a man in wolf form—that’s what I’m talking about. Your body secretes a scent that attracts males for miles, a dog in heat per se. They’ll come, and they’ll fight to be with you. And you won’t be unaffected. You’ll be horny as hell, in such a painful state while you wait for some dick to fuck you. It’s not pleasant I’m told—the need, that is. The sex… Well, how could sex not be pleasant?” It was Chloe’s turn to blink. “If this is some ploy for you to get into my pants, I’m calling the cops right now.” He stood there, frowning. “Relax, Chloe. I’m not going to jump you. You’ll come to me during the needing phase, and then I’ll teach you how to shift.” “Shift?” She poked her finger into her chest. “I’m human. I’m not some mythical animal that is a figment of the imagination. I don’t shift. I’m human.” “Fine. You don’t believe me. Quinn was stupid to think an ignorant human werewolf would accept me during her first change. I tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t listen as usual.” Max pushed away from the counter. “I’ll leave. Have a nice life, Chloe. I truly hope you make it out alive.” Dread filled Chloe. It all sounded too ridiculous to believe, completely irrational. She couldn’t possibly be a werewolf. They didn’t exist. She sat there, watching Max move about. Her body physically ached when he entered the room, a deep longing she couldn’t explain.

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She loved his scent. It was unlike anything she’d ever smelled before. Wolves naturally used scent as a guide to their boundaries. That didn’t mean… Her pussy clenched when his eyes met hers, hot moisture soaking her panties. Could there really be something to this? Was she crazy for considering it? Why didn’t she walk over to the phone and dial nine-one-one? He said it would get worse. “Wait. Just wait a minute, Max.” She stood and met him in the living room. “You said people would come after me. Is that what you meant about keeping me alive? I thought you meant my illness. Am I in danger?” He stopped. “Yes. You are in danger, because some of the packs around here love to kill for no reason. The Black Wolves, mainly. They don’t have females to attend to their needs and use younglings like yourself for their own twisted desires. When the needing phase begins, it will seem like a normal state of arousal. It’s when you don’t have sex that it becomes painful, literally within seconds as you wait. After a while, you’d invite any willing male between your legs to relieve the pain of need. And the Black Wolves will be waiting.” Chloe’s stomach lurched again, rolling in a wave of nausea. “What about the illness? If I am what you say I am—not that I believe it—why am I sick? Sex doesn’t normally make people sick.” “It’s only pre-change sickness. Sort of like when you went from being a girl to a woman. Your bones are contorting, preparing to morph. Your organs are preparing to intake raw food. Your sight and hearing are probably better than they were. It’s your body’s way of alerting you to it being overwhelmed right now with the pre-change happenings. That’s why you are sick and passing out. If you keep eating protein, plenty of red meat, then you’ll be okay for the most part.” Chloe couldn’t help the slight relief she felt. “So, I’m not dying then?” The idea of him knowing so much about her illness concerned her. Why was this guy here? She didn’t believe for one moment he spoke the truth about her ‘shifting’. But what he spoke of her illness was exactly what she felt, what she was going through. “Good question.” His lips tightened into a thin line as his eyes met hers. In all seriousness, he said, “Ask me that after the full moon.”

****

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Max stared out Chloe’s back window, taking in the moonlight. She still wasn’t convinced, and he hadn’t a clue as to how he could persuade her to believe the truth. He knew he sounded like a nut and cursed Quinn for sending him here. He wasn’t ready for this. Not this soon. Janie had only been gone a few months, and her memory was still branded in his mind. He couldn’t stop the haunting pictures that filled his head of her turning on him. He couldn’t stop the hurt in his chest knowing he couldn’t save her. Max leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window, closing his eyes to the world that surrounded him. Everyone kept saying it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t have prevented Janie from going ballistic, and he’d done what he had to do. He’d killed her, and as much as he wanted to forget, to put it all in the past, it remained right there before him, reminding him of the vivid details every single day of his life. Opening his eyes, Max forced the past from his mind. He needed to stay in the present or he’d be good for nothing. Another day and Chloe would be in the process of full transition. He listened to the soft sounds of her feet pattering on the hardwood floors upstairs as she moved about. He hadn’t any idea what she was up to, but knew with all his being, she really had no clue what she was in for. Making her see the reality of her life would take some intensive persuading, and he wasn’t so sure they had the time for it. He took a seat in the recliner and flipped on her TV. Her scent drifted throughout the house, making it impossible to concentrate on anything but her. Her body was preparing, ripening for mating and calling to him. His hard-on was becoming a permanent state in his pants, and the more he thought about her, the worse it got. “Here are some blankets and pillows,” Chloe said, drawing his attention to her. He hadn’t even realised she’d come downstairs. “The couch pulls out into a full-sized bed. I’ve never used the thing but that’s what the furniture store told me.” “I’m not sleeping on the couch.” “What?” She dropped the linins on the coffee table and propped her hands on her hips. “Where do you suppose you’ll sleep?” “In your bed, Chloe.” His eyes raked over her skimpy white nightgown, one he could completely see through. He held in a groan as his cock grew impossibly harder in his pants. “You’re putting out pheromones like crazy. I need to try and mask the scent.”

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Her eyes widened the slightest bit as if she was scared of him. “By sleeping with me?” He nodded. Humans always had to rationalise everything. “No, Max. I know you’re convinced of this little theory you’ve got going but sleeping with me is not going to happen. I think you’re just using the whole ‘my life is in danger’ ploy to get in my pants. It’s not going to work. The only reason I’m allowing you to stay is because your eyes aren’t that of a cold-blooded killer. I have several questions to ask you but I’m too tired to do so now. I want to pick up this conversation tomorrow morning.” Max pursed his lips. “Do you really think I have nothing better to do than come to your home, spread stupid lies with the hope of fucking you senseless? I have a life too, and I’m taking time out of it to be here. If you don’t want me here, say the word and I’m happily gone. You can pretend you never met me and live up your last days in your human-like fantasy land for all I care.” She stared at him, he knew, trying to take everything in. “Can’t you see this from my point of view? What am I supposed to do?” “Just let me do my job. I’m here to protect you and help you through the needing phase. I need to teach you how to shift. After all of that, you’ll come back with me to my house and become a part of my pack.” He came to her and brushed a stray hair from her cheek. “I’ll get you through it, if you let me. But you’ve got to trust me enough to keep my word.” She narrowed her eyes. “If you are what you say you are, why don’t you shift right now? Prove to me that you are a werewolf.” “That’s a request I can’t allow.” He huffed. “We can’t be around humans, and right now, your scent is too powerful. I can’t control myself in wolf-form. If I shifted for you right now...I don’t even want to think about what could happen.” She didn’t say anything for a moment. Max watched her closely, wanting to solve everything yet having no answers. He knew she had no reason to believe him. She had no reason to think what he said was the truth. God, if it were him, he probably would have called the cops and been done with it. But she didn’t, so that gave him a bit of hope to cling to. “Please don’t lie to me.” Her words were whispered in the dark. “I have a list of men in my past who used stupid excuses to screw me. Please don’t add your name to that list.” “I’m not. I promise you.” He took her hand and led her to the stairs.

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Neither one of them said a word as they ascended. Chloe wasn’t like Roni or Sasha or Janie. She was delicate, smart and completely vulnerable to the unknowns of the world. You don’t have the eyes of a cold-blooded killer. Her words lingered in his mind. You have no idea. She climbed in her bed and pulled the covers over her body, tucking them around her. She didn’t know what lay ahead, and he had no clue as to how else he could inform her. Max fisted his shirt in his hand and pulled it over his head. His body ached with need. Chloe watched his every move, hiding beneath the covers like a virgin on her first night with a man. “Will you try to do something for me?” he asked, his hands going to his zipper next. “You won't be able to shift fully but you might be able to partially. Can you try?” He lowered his pants, kicking them to the side before picking them up and folding them nicely. Her gaze burned his skin as he busied himself with folding his clothing. She didn’t say anything, but when he turned around, her wide eyes spoke volumes. “Come on, Chloe. Surly you’ve seen a cock before.” He came to the bed, pulling aside the comforter and slipping in between the sheets. “Like the night you spent with your boyfriend in the Mustang.” “He wasn’t that big.” Max held back a grin. “Take off your nightgown.” “Max, I don’t know about this,” she whispered. “My mind is telling me to run, calling the cops along the way. No woman in any state allows a man she doesn’t know into her bed. I’m so confused, and I don’t know what’s going on. Why is this happening to me?” He sat up and pulled the covers aside. Tears rolled down her cheeks, each one breaking his heart. With care, he wiped them away and gently bent to kiss her lips. “Stop thinking and feel for a minute. Listen to what your body needs. Tell me what it is.” Her breath blew soft puffs against his face as she exhaled. “I don’t know.” God, she was beautiful. He reached out and brushed her thigh. Her skin was soft and warm to the touch as his hand slid beneath the thin nightgown. He never looked away from her, keeping his eyes locked on hers. The nightgown slid over her hips and past her stomach, until he held the bunched fabric right beneath her breasts. Chloe’s throat visibly contracted as she swallowed. Max pulled his eyes from hers and finally looked down. Plain white

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panties covered her mound, the soft white cotton glowing in the light of the moon shining through her window. “Sit up,” he commanded, smoothing his thumb over her nipple. It beaded instantly at his touch as a soft gasp escaped from her lips. Without waiting for her to listen, he pulled her up and tugged the white garment over her head. Her hands immediately went to cover herself. Instead of demanding she move her hands, Max leaned in and kissed her. Her mouth was sweet like honey, warm and accepting. It took a little coaxing on his part, but she finally kissed him back, losing the shyness. He gently grasped her wrists in his hands and pulled them away from her body, taking his time to fully seduce her mind. She wanted this, he knew, but was afraid because of the circumstances. Finally, he pulled back and glanced down at the rosy tipped peaks of her breasts. With her, he was lost. He dipped his head and took one nipple into his mouth. Chloe moaned, falling back, nearly making it to the mattress before he caught her in his arms. She arched towards him and he teased her; swirling his tongue around her nipple before sucking it onto his mouth. Her legs widened and he crawled between them, putting himself at a better angle to have her body. She was luscious, her body primed for sex, begging for his cock. But he simply couldn’t take her yet. Reaching down, he fisted her panties and tugged. The thin cotton split as he ripped it away from her body. God, she was wet. Her scent filled the air as he touched her moisture with the tip of his finger. Her pussy lips were bare, slick and plump with her arousal. Surely she wasn’t going into the needing phase a day early? He leaned down, pushed her legs as wide as they would go and gave her one solid lick, from ass to clit. “Oh, Max.” Her fingers fisted in his hair. Max ignored her clit, using the tip of his tongue to tease her entrance before delving into her slick pussy. So sweet, he thought. He swirled his tongue, lapping at the creamy moisture. God, how long had it been since he fucked a woman? Four months? Six months? Too damn long, that he knew for sure. Chloe was a slice of heaven. She writhed, whimpering her need until finally he latched onto her clit with his mouth. Her hips bucked. He sucked her, learning what she liked by the cues she gave him. Her breathing grew faster, the death grip she had on his hair tightening to

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the point of pain. Little moans left her lips when he added a finger to his play, sliding inside her then back out. Her hot pussy clinched around the digit, sucking him into her tight body. “Oh, that feels so good. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” He wasn’t about to. He pumped his fingers inside her, adding another then another to the act. He curled them up so he stroked the magical spot within, taking her even higher. “I’m coming. Oh God am I coming!” Her back arched off the mattress as her pussy clenched around him. She shook with the intensity of it, crying out his name as pleasure washed over her. Max gentled his motions, letting her ride out the orgasm until the ripples completely stopped. He pulled away from her and kissed her belly before going back to his side of the bed. He tugged the covers around them again and gave her his back, trying his damnedest to ignore the throbbing hard-on between his legs. “Max?” Chloe whispered in the dark. “Yeah?” “Are you…are you done…?” Max smiled to himself. “Rest up, Chloe. You’ll have me soon enough.” Hours upon hours of straight fucking. It was great, he’d never say it wasn’t or complain about it. But whether he liked it or not, it was damn tiring. And, he still had to teach her how to shift. “I just want you to know something,” she continued. “I’m not the kind of girl that sleeps around. And…and I don’t let a guy touch me without a condom.” He rolled to his back and arched an eyebrow at her in the dark. “Condoms are the last thing you’ll be thinking of a couple days from now.” “I’m not joking. With all the diseases out there and pregnancy, I don’t. I won’t.” He reached out to brush her cheek with his fingers. “Our kind don’t get those diseases. And the whole point of the needing phase is so you can get pregnant.” He saw the look of horror on her face, even in the dark. “I don’t want a baby.” It was going to be a long night. “Chloe, just get some sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll talk more about it.” He turned over and licked his lips, tasting her flavour on them. If his dick could get any harder, it just did. Was it possible to fuck yourself to death? Because he wanted to sink between

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Chloe’s thighs and never come back up. Maybe the needing phase wouldn’t be as tiring with her. He was a bit older, though his bloodlines were pure. He came here to help her and that was what he would do. Maybe for the first time ever, this job would actually bring him the kind of pleasure he wanted.

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Chapter Three

“Okay, I need answers.” Chloe came downstairs at eight the next morning, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a white tank. “And then I need to work.” “Work can wait. I need to teach you how to shift to see if we can mask your scent.” She looked at the bulge in his pants, and a shiver went through her. She’d wanted him last night. She’d been scared and excited and full of anticipation. Then he’d simply denied her. He’d rolled over after she came and went to sleep. “I can’t shift. I’m human.” She still didn’t believe his corny tale. She loved wolves, yes, but she wasn’t one of them. That much she knew. He huffed his annoyance. “Humour me then. Come here.” He stood in the middle of the open living room, holding out a hand for her. Chloe crossed the room and took it. He was warm against her skin, the slight calluses of his palm abrading as they touched. Without a word, he pulled her to him and started to un-tuck her shirt. “What are you doing?” Chloe jerked the hem down and stepped away from him. “Taking your clothes off,” he said bluntly. He stepped forward, and she stepped back. “What’s the problem, Chloe?” “I’m not getting naked in front of you. Sorry, buster. You had your chance last night.” He curled a finger beneath her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. “Are you seriously that modest?” Chloe pursed her lips. There was a million and one things she needed to do, mainly make new art to send to the gallery. For whatever reason he wanted her naked, she couldn’t play along right now. “Look. In order to shift, you must be naked. Otherwise you’d rip your clothing. Do you want that?” “For the last time, people don’t shift.”

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Was she crazy for allowing him to stay at her house last night? He was clearly delusional. People aren’t werewolves. She wasn’t. And if he was right about people coming after her… She didn’t want to think about that. Her stomach growled. “I’m hungry and a little dizzy.” “Bacon and eggs are on the stove.” He turned back to the large window overlooking her back yard. “Do whatever you want. I need to clear my head.” Chloe watched as he opened her patio door and stepped outside. He wore faded denim jeans and a tight black T-shirt. He was barefoot. His chestnut brown hair was tussled from sleep and his warm blue eyes were full and alert. He glanced around the area and then started to strip. She watched in amazement as he lifted his shirt, revealing strong muscles beneath bronze skin. Her mouth watered as each muscle rippled with his movements. He tossed the garment aside and started working on his jeans. He’s crazy. Totally fucking crazy. Chloe swallowed when he tossed the jeans aside, and went into the kitchen to take in the rest of his naked body. Wide shoulders tapered into a narrow waist. And he had a butt so tight and firm she could have sunk her teeth into it just to make sure it was as hard and yummy as it looked. Damn. Chloe sagged against the kitchen counter. She must be crazy too. She scooped the food he’d made—several strips of bacon and scrambled eggs—onto a plate and sat at the work island in the middle of the kitchen to eat. He was right about keeping the illness at bay. The more meat she ate, the better her body felt. The pains in her body were still there but the headaches were gone. She felt dizzy every now and then, but that didn’t worry her as much as her pussy aching like never before. She woke up wet this morning. When she came down stairs and saw Max, her panties grew even more damp. And now, with him standing naked in front of her like it was the most natural thing in the world, she felt like the Amazon was running between her thighs. She all but screamed for him to take her. Chloe stood to pour herself a glass of orange juice and returned, glancing towards the back of the house. Max was gone. She set the glass down and went to the back door, stepping outside. “Max?” She glanced around, looking for the dangerously sexy naked man. “Max, where are you?”

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He wasn’t on the deck. Chloe glanced around and spotted a wolf standing in her back yard, licking his lips. He was beautiful, she thought, even as fear engulfed her. His coat was a blue-grey with a light sprinkling of black and white here and there. His body was large and definitely threatening to anything that came around. But his eyes…his eyes were a mesmerising blue just like… No. Her heartbeat sped up, every nerve in her body on alert to the danger the wolf provoked. In all the years she’d lived here, wolves came around but none came this close. Sometimes she took pictures to paint by, for inspiration. But never had they ever come a few feet away from her back deck. She sucked in a breath remembering what Max told her. Shit. “Max?” she whispered. The wolf ran away then, heading to the woods. Chloe wasn’t sure if she should be worried about him or not. If he was what he said, why didn’t he shift in front of her when she called his name? Because people don’t morph into animals. This had to be a hoax. So where did Max go? Naked in the middle of nowhere, he couldn’t have gone too far. What if a wolf attacked him? Maybe that’s why the animal came so close to the house. He attacked Max. Fear gripped her tighter than a vice. She grabbed his clothes and headed inside. Hours passed and Max still didn’t return. Her stomach clenched as a sudden wave of illness came about. There was too much to think about. Too much to do. She couldn’t get sick. Chloe sat on the couch before she lost her balance and fell in the floor. Her legs felt like Jell-O, with the rest of her body full of tension and pain. Her muscles burned within her if she even moved an inch. Nausea came over her. Chloe tried to stand, knowing she’d retch in the floor of her living room if she didn’t get to the bathroom soon. She didn’t make it. In her hallway, Chloe collapsed, her stomach heaving all that she’d eaten before. And that’s where he found her. Lying in the hallway too weak to move. Max came to her, lifting her into his arms and cradling her like she was the most precious thing on earth.

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He laid her on the couch and unfolded the afghan draped over the back. He wrapped it around her body, tucking her tight into the soft blanket. “Stay put,” he ordered. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a roll of paper towels. Chloe closed her eyes, tears leaking out the corners. A few minutes later, he asked, “Chloe, what’s wrong? What happened?” “Where were you?” she yelled instead of answering his questions. “I’ve been worried sick that you’ve been attacked or hurt.” He pulled her to him then, taking her spot on the couch with her in his arms. He pressed her head to his shoulder and soothed her while she cried against him. She didn’t understand her attraction to him, her need to be near him or her illness. And worse yet, she didn’t necessarily believe his explanations. From the moment he picked her up, she was wet. Through all the fear, through her illness, she found herself completely drenched with her juices. Nothing made sense to her. “Baby,” he said pressing his lips to her forehead. “Everything is okay now. I’m here.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Her pussy throbbed with arousal the moment she pressed her hips against his cock. He was hard. He stayed hard. The need to have him burned inside her. His hands ran the length of her back, lightly caressing her skin through her thin tank top. He didn’t say anything as he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around him as he carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. He didn’t stop at the bed, like she thought he would. He carried her straight into the large bathroom, where he reached inside the shower for a brief moment to twist the water on. He set her on the vanity and began working on stripping her of her soiled clothing. This time, she didn’t stop him. The tank top was first. He tugged it over her head and threw it into the hamper with a perfected shot. Her nipples beaded into hard little points and grew even harder beneath his heated stare. Instead of working on her jeans, he started on his clothing, whipping his shirt over his head and shucking the very same jeans he’d worn earlier. He folded them nicely and set them on the toilet. When he came back to her, he lifted her off the counter and set her on her feet. His fingers worked deftly on her zipper before he used both hands to part the material.

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He cupped her naked behind in his palms for a brief second as he pushed the garment to her ankles. She stood before him in nothing but her plain white thong. “For you to be an artist, you sure do like white a lot.” The tip of his finger traced the edge of her panties. “How did you know I am an artist? I never told you that.” He smiled and slipped his fingers beneath the sides of her panties. “I’m psychic.” When she was naked, he lifted her again and stepped into the steam filled shower. The hot water pelted down on her aching muscles, feeling heavenly as it slowly eased the tension from her body. She wrapped her legs around him and dipped her head back, allowing the water to soak her hair. She closed her eyes when Max’s hands slid up her back and held her. The soft wetness of his mouth latched on to one breast, sucking lightly at the sensitive peak. Her body shuddered. Chloe clutched his shoulders and dug her fingernails into the hard muscle. Her pussy rubbed against his flat stomach, smearing her slick moisture. “Max, please,” she whimpered. He let her breast go with a soft pop. “Please what? What do you need from me, baby?” “I need you inside me.” Her body was on fire, and it had nothing to do with the heat of the shower. She leaned back, gripping each side of the glass stall. “Please, Max.” He pulled back just a bit to position his cock at her entrance. In one hard thrust, he pushed forward. The water streamed down into her face when she arched her back, accepting him. Max took a few steps forward until the water fell against the point where they were connected. “Oh, God.” Max pulled out nearly all the way and thrust forward again, hitting every sensitive nerve ending within the slick depths of her pussy. Max’s groan reverberated over the sounds of the shower. The little sparks of desire that filled her body before now blazed into an inferno. Her heart thumped in her chest as she held on, laying her head back against the shower wall.

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With each slick thrust, Chloe’s pussy clinched around him. Her whole body shook with need as the water tapped down on her clit with a heady constancy. Max held her with one hand while the other reached between their bodies to fondle her clit. That simple notion was all it took. Chloe came undone, squeezing her thighs around Max’s waist as the contractions in her pussy gripped him hard. Max cursed as his thrusts came shorter, harder until he erupted inside her with a growl of pleasure. Chloe opened her eyes to see Max’s expression. Before her, the man who buried himself within, shifted slightly into that of a wolf. Fur covered his body in splotches. His jaw and nose extended into a muzzle. His teeth elongated into sharp canines. Chloe screamed and pushed away from him. Her legs wobbled as she stumbled. Max changed back to a man and stared at her in confusion. Chloe trembled as she reached for the shower door and pushed it open. She grabbed a towel and wrapped her wet body in it before retreating from the bathroom. “Chloe,” he called following her. “What’s wrong? Why did you scream? What happen? Did I hurt you?” He placed his hand against her arm, and she flinched like she’d been struck. “Get away from me. Stay the hell away from me.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, forcing her to face him. “Tell me what happened.” Chloe shook as tears prickled her eyes. “You changed. One minute you were a man and the next you looked like a wolf.” “Oh fuck.” He let her arm go and sat on the side of the bed. “I’m sorry.” Chloe stood there, gripping the towel to her chest. “You’re sorry?” “Yeah. Long story short, when I have pleasure, I completely let go of everything—even my self- control—and that’s how I shift. I don’t do it all the time, but when I don’t hold back, I change. I should have kept my cool with you. I’m sorry.” He turned to face her. “I’m going insane. That’s what is happening. This illness has made me weak with fever and exhaustion, and I’m going completely fucking insane.” “You’re not insane. You’re one of us, and you’ll find that out soon enough.” He stood to dress. “You need to try to shift, Chloe. It’s for your safety.” She replayed everything he told her in her mind. “The whole protection thing, right?”

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He nodded, not looking at her as he pulled on clean clothes. “Why do I have to shift, supposing I can? We just had sex. Didn’t that do the job?” He chuckled. “No. I need to pop your wolf cherry.” Chloe’s mouth dropped. “You think this is funny?” He sighed and continued dressing. “No. It’s not funny. I promise I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but we’re running out of time. If I don’t mask your odour with my scent, then others will come and it’s just us against them.” Chloe plopped down on the bed. Tears fell to her cheeks as a small cry came from her lips. Max knelt in front of her on the floor. Her mind was torn, but he had a sincerity about him that she’d never seen in a man. Most, when they lied to her, made up ridiculous tales and laughed behind her back when she believed them. Max didn’t laugh. He’d been straightforward, to the best of her knowledge, from the beginning, making her believe anything he said. It scared her to death that she started to believe this man, trusted him even. “Did you shift earlier today? When I was standing on the deck calling your name?” He laid his hands on her knees. “Yes.” “Why didn’t you shift back in front of me? When I looked into your eyes and whispered your name, why didn’t you shift?” “And scare you worse than just now? I don’t think so.” Max’s hands moved slightly, caressing her thighs. “Look, if I’d had come here and told you that you were a werewolf, shifted in that moment then announced I needed to fuck you for your safety, you would have called the cops, and that would be the end. When I’m a wolf, I’m more beast than man. It’s dangerous for you, in human form, to be around me. I’m sorry if I scared you. That was never my intention. I thought I could get you to believe what you were by making you shift yourself. Perhaps that wasn’t my best plan.” The sobs came harder. What is wrong with me? Max waited patiently while Chloe had her meltdown. She couldn’t control the tears. She couldn’t control the desire. She burned inside for him, ached for him to fill her, to give her pleasure like no one else had. He kissed her knees and looked into her eyes. “Don’t worry about your safety with me, Chloe. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you and I mean it.” She was a hormonal mess and he promised not to let anything happen to her. They didn’t even use a condom. Great. Now she’d end up with the possibility of carrying some

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strange man’s child. Or god forbid something far worse. She wiped her eyes and scooted away from him. The last thing she needed was him touching her. No matter how much her body wanted it, her mind couldn’t handle him near. “What’s wrong with me?” she whispered. “I’m never like this.” “You’re entering into the needing phase. Your body is fertile, and your hormones are going haywire. Just calm down and let me take care of you.” “No.” She shook her head. “I’m not having sex with you again. We didn’t even use a condom. I could get pregnant. You could have given me—” “Stop.” Max stood as Chloe snapped her mouth closed. He went to the chest of drawers and grabbed a fresh pair of pyjamas for her. Without another word, he came to her and tugged the towel from her body and started to dress her. “I told you before, Chloe, that we don’t get STDs. You can’t get pregnant by me unless you’re in wolf form which you clearly weren’t. Your little obsession with condoms is going to end right here because I’m telling you there is no need for them.” “And I’m supposed to just take you for your word?” “You’ve got to trust someone sometime, Chloe. Might as well start now with me.” When she was dressed, he lifted her and laid her on the bed. He pulled the comforter around her and tucked her in. “Take a nap. You’ll feel better.” Max left the room, closing the door with a soft click behind him. Chloe’s mind ached as she tried to sort everything out. Of the mess before her, she determined one of two answers explained the truth. She was insane, or werewolves were real. If she opted for the latter of the two, then all the other stuff Max said was probably true as well. That only meant her life as she knew it was going up in flames.

Way to fuck it up, Max. Max pulled out his cell phone and dialled Quinn. His twin answered on the third ring. “I need your help.” “With what?” “The youngling thinks she’s human and refuses to shift. She’s going through the prechange sickness and is now in the emotional phase, and I still can’t convince her of the realities of what we are dealing with. Have you heard anything about the other packs?”

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“Thunder went prowling last night and came up with two packs, one of which we’ve never met. Our main problem, however, is still the Black Wolves.” Max rubbed his forehead. “The pheromones she’s putting off are getting stronger. If she doesn’t shift, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” “If she doesn’t shift, we’ll have one hell of a problem, Maxim. It’s not the kind that we want either. Thunder said the Black Wolves had at least seven unmated males. It’s a fairly large group, and we don’t need them around her.” Max cursed and disconnected. Getting Chloe to shift would be like pulling teeth in the dentist office. And it was all his fault. He’d scared her outside and again in the shower. He’d damn near had a heart attack when she screamed. And then she’d trembled in fear of him. He could only imagine what that must have been like for a woman who pretended to be human all her life. He climbed the stairs to her room. She was wearing herself down trying to figure this out. It would be so much easier if she just trusted him like he needed her to. “Chloe?” He entered the room and glanced around at the empty space. Where was she? He left the room and went on a search to find her, calling her name. She didn’t respond. Downstairs, he looked in all the rooms, saving the only place he’d never been for last. At the end of the main hallway, he stopped at a closed wooden door and twisted the doorknob. “Chloe?” Inside was a vast collection of art supplies. Everything from blank canvases and paint of all colours to tapestry hanging on the wall, she had one hell of a painting studio. The smell of paint thinner lingered in the air along with the scent of paint itself. An easel hid Chloe from his view, her knee and elbow giving him the only inclination that she was in the room. He sat in the only other chair—one he assumed she used for models—and contemplated what he should say. “We’ve got a situation,” he started. “The pack of wolves I mentioned earlier, the Black Wolves, are starting to hang around our territory, and Quinn said they were something we needed to worry about. They smell you, honey, and they won’t play nice about it.” Chloe met his eyes, hers red-rimmed and shiny from her tears. “So what does that mean?” “It means you need to shift today. Right now.”

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She went back to her painting. “Shift so you can fuck me, right?” What was he supposed to say? “Yes.” There wasn’t a damn good way to explain the laws of their land, especially to the ones who thought they were human. He watched her paint, assuming that’s what gave her comfort and escape from all of this mess. She really was talented and had a knack for painting wolves with precise realism. After a moment, Chloe sat the paintbrush to the side. “Fine. Show me.”

**** Chloe stood in the middle of the living room buck-naked. With her modesty pushed aside, she waited for Max to teach her how to shift. She wished he was bullshitting her, though the feral look in his eyes crashed that little bit of hope. He stripped down too, his cock rock hard and ready to fuck. Just the sight of him made her pussy clench. “Okay,” he said. “It’s easier to shift when you’re totally relaxed. Think about the creature you want to become, the wolf or human, and then simply let your body go.” Chloe listened with scepticism. Yeah, right. She closed her eyes and pictured a wolf as she would when painting one. The different colours in its fur. Blues, greys, whites, blacks. She pictured Max’s pretty blue eyes. The muzzle and sharp canine teeth. The pointed ears. The husky body. “Nothing’s happening.” Chloe opened her eyes to find Max staring back at her. “I did what you said and nothing happened.” “I don’t think you’re relaxed.” He came to her, put a hand on each shoulder and started to rub. “You need to relax, Chloe, for this to work.” “How can I relax when you’re breathing down my neck about everything? I don’t get it. I’ve been human all my twenty-five years. I never had the inclination that I was something else until you showed up and all this freaky shit started happening.” “It started happening long before I arrived.” Max’s mouth found the slope of her shoulder and he pressed a kiss against her skin, nibbling lightly down her neck. “You drive me crazy, you know that?”

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Chloe’s body started to relax against him. “It’s the pheromones. You would have never noticed me if it weren’t for the needing crap coming up.” Max stopped his sweet seduction. He turned her around and lifted her chin with one finger. “Why do you say that? You’re beautiful. Any male can see that with his own two eyes. Why do you think I’m trying so hard to get you to shift to mask your scent? Baby, I’m not kidding when I say you’re desirable. And that has nothing to do with the needing phase. The needing phase just makes the desire spike up three hundred percent.” “Yeah.”

Max stared into her eyes, trying to forget his own needs and focus on the job. It was simply impossible. Chloe wasn’t just the job. She was a sweet female who was mixed up in a bunch of shit he wouldn’t wish on his enemy. “Let’s try again.” Max rubbed her arms to fight of the slight chill from the room. “Does it hurt?” “Shifting? Maybe the first couple of times. Your bones ache a bit, but once you’re in one form or the other, those aches go away. That’s why most of us like to run right after we change. To get the cricks out, you know?” He brushed her cheeks with his thumbs as he cradled her head. “Don’t worry about anything. I promised I’d take care of you, and I’m not going to break that promise.” For the next two hours, Max did everything he could to help her relax. Still nothing. She took a bubble bath and gave him the opportunity to run his hands over her curves as he washed her. Nothing. He gave her a sensual massage on the bed. Nothing. She had three orgasms between the two events, and still, she wasn’t able to change form. Sitting up in bed, she brought her knees to her chest. “If the threat is out there, what are we going to do? We only have until dusk tomorrow, and then we’re shit out of luck.” Max dropped his face in his palms as he sat on the edge of the bed. “We’re trying too hard. You’re thinking too much. What do you normally do to relax and take your mind off everything?” “Paint.” He frowned. “But you tried before, and it didn’t help.” “It’s my life.” She shrugged. “Maybe we could try again?”

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Max stood and reached out for her. “We can give it a shot. Who knows? It might work.”

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Chapter Four

Chloe brought the art utensils she needed along with the canvas and easel into the living room with the intention of painting Max naked. It’d been a while since she had drawn an actual human, and the opportunity to draw Max thrilled her. She instructed him to lie on the couch and posed him the way she wanted. With his head propped up, his eyes pierced right through her. It didn’t take long to sketch his figure onto the canvas, but the actual painting became complicated. She was a perfectionist and her people-drawing skills were a bit rusty. She started with his body first, painting the fine slopes and dips of his sides and abdominal muscles. Each line of his six-pack was painted with careful precision along with his navel. She went lower, working on the hard lines of his thighs. Hair sprinkled his body. Each little strand was added in proficient detail. She ignored the huge cock between his legs and opted to work on the details of his feet. Right down to his toenails, she painted every inch of him with a keen eye. “Do you work with models?” She tapped her paintbrush in the paint mixture she created that matched his skin. “I used to in art school. I wasn’t very good at drawing people, because I’m a perfectionist and every detail had to be perfect. I like matching my drawings to what I see—kind of like taking a photo. I’ve always been good at drawing animals, though getting the fur to cooperate with me was a challenge in the beginning.” She worked her way up to his chest, dabbing her brush in a slightly darker colour for his nipples. “Do you have any of your art around? I’d love to see the animals you paint.” Chloe frowned, remembering her deal with Dana. “No. I have a partnership with the local gallery, and they have all my original pieces. I don’t have anything around here right now.”

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She worked for an hour on his upper body, making sure his face looked exactly as it did in real life. She made sure his hands mimicked the position he held them in. And once she was through, she glanced to the one section of his body she completely bypassed. Lying thick and long against his thigh, his cock was beautiful. The need for her to create the perfect painting grew more intense. She assessed every detail, the very image making her panties grow moist. The man himself was a work of perfection and not even the best artist could convey how beautiful he was. The tip of his cock peaked out from the foreskin. Even from her position, she could see the tiny slit at the top, a pearly white drop ready to fall to his thigh. “You’re staring at me like you want to eat me up.” Oh, I do, Max. I want to lick my way from your lips to your cock, tasting every inch of flesh in between. Chloe swallowed. Where the hell did that come from? Feigning indifference, she said, “I’m almost done. Are you cold?” He grinned. “Baby, that look in your eyes is making me anything but cold.” Chloe hid behind the canvas like a coward with the intention of finishing his cock from memory instead. Her body heated at the first stroke of paint against the canvas. The needing. The hormones. That’s all it is. Chloe took a deep breath. Why on earth did I ever think this kind of painting would relax me? “Embarrassed?” Chloe tilted her head just enough to see around the canvas. Max sat there, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Chloe felt the heat rise in her cheeks and returned to finish the painting. With each stroke, her desire only rose. Her body temperature increased. “I can’t do this.” Chloe sat the brush on the tray at the bottom of the easel. “This is not relaxing. It’s freaking arousing. I can’t relax. It’s impossible. The more I think about it, the more I get worked up, and it’s a never-ending cycle.” She stood and brushed the fine sheet of sweat from her brow. Nothing would work, and they’d tried everything. It sucked. “Come here, Chloe.” He stood. “It’s close to dusk. You’re entering the needing phase.” He pulled Chloe in front of him and spread her legs. She didn’t have time to think before his cock nudged her entrance. She braced her hands on the back of the couch and sucked in a breath as his cock slowly entered her from behind. Her pussy stretched around

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his solid length, every nerve ending electrified with each inch of invasion. She hugged him tight, the muscles inside her already contracting as he seated himself inside to the hilt. Chloe dropped her face to her arms panting for breath. Max withdrew and slammed home again with a force that gave her shivers. Her body burned for this man to take her any way he could, every way he could. Max gripped her hips and teased her with alternating slow and soft thrusts with fast and hard. Each time, he slid deeper, leaving no place inside her untouched. Her climax built and erupted, leaving her frazzled with insatiable need. Her pussy rippled around him, sucking his cock inside her, even when he tried to pull out. She still wanted him. Still needed him to fuck her. “Do it again,” Max said with his lips against her earlobe. “Your pussy is so hot and wet, baby, my dick is aching to shoot. But I want to feel you come around me again. Squeeze me, baby.” He reached around her to rub her clit, and Chloe gasped. She laid her head back against his shoulder while he kissed her neck, paying special attention to the sensitive part behind her ear. His hips pumped in a staccato rhythm, leaving her breathless. Within seconds, she felt the contractions start and closed her eyes as pleasure overcame her. “Are you okay?” Max asked when he pulled away. She collapsed on the couch, panting for air. She couldn’t talk, couldn’t think. Her mind was numb, her body only feeling sensations. Her vision had improved. Not only did she not need her contacts, she could see in the imposing darkness—something she’d never been able to do well before. Her hearing had changed. Even standing a few feet away from Max, she could hear the slightly increased rhythm of his heartbeat as he stared at her. The air smelt like the sex they just had. Her body ached for more. What the hell is wrong with me? “Chloe,” Max touched her arm, drawing her attention to him. “Are you okay?” She finally nodded, swallowing hard as her mind raced. She felt the thick fluid of him mingling with her own juices at her pussy’s opening. Her body ached with need, the lips of her sex swollen and aroused. Her womb clinched as desire shot through her body. He wasn’t kidding about the ‘needing’ being painful.

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“What’s happening to me?” Chloe finally whispered. “You’re in the needing phase. Your body will stay aroused for ten hours, needing a male to satisfy you. This is also the time you shift. You need to shift, Chloe. Just picture a wolf and your body contorting to that image.” Chloe closed her eyes and imagined the pretty creature she saw yesterday near her deck. The pretty creature Max claimed to be. Max’s light blue eyes were a threat to anyone around and the soft gray fur--Chloe found her muscles pulling and tugging in what seemed a million different ways. She let out a howl as her body contorted to the image, her bones shifting. Tears prickled her eyes as she continued to scream, the sound coming out a mere whimper as she changed from woman to wolf. She looked around the room from her new point of view then met Max’s eyes. “I told you, you weren’t crazy.” With a sexy grin, Max did as she and changed from man to beast right before her. Chloe stared down at her paws while Max came over to sniff at her. She gave him a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look and wagged her tail. Did he really think I would roll over and play dead? She showed him her teeth in a playful way, backing away from him. Though her fur wasn’t as pretty as his, the different shades of brown added definition to her lean body. She was a she-wolf. Oh, my God! Max chased her around the living room until he finally tackled her, pinning her with his teeth. It was a light nip but held enough threat to her to know he was the dominate one of the two. She lay still needing him to fill her body just as much as he wanted to. He thrust inside her, and she howled with pleasure. In wolf form, his cock felt twice the size of his human one, stretching her needy pussy to capacity. Would it be like this all the time? Each slick thrust had him buried inside her body deeper than he’d ever been before. He didn’t take his time to tease. He simply gave into the animalistic urges and pumped inside her until he was shooting and she felt her body couldn’t take anymore. Max shifted when he came, going to half-human, half-beast like earlier when he scared her to death. She felt his weight decrease as he rose up, coming with such a force that nearly knocked her to the ground. “You are going to kill me.” He collapsed next to her on the floor in human form.

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She snorted and licked his cheek with her tongue. Maybe being a wolf isn’t such a bad thing after all. She backed up and shifted back to a human, smiling at the depleted man lying on his back with one arm covering his eyes. “Well, I guess I should have warned you a couple days ago that it’s been a really long time since I’d gotten any. I guess you get to make up for that.” She gripped his half-hard cock and slid her hand along his slick skin. Max didn’t bother moving, though his body responded to her touch. She couldn’t wait to taste him. In her previous life, sex was simple and straight forward. The less mess, the better. Every lover demanded missionary position and offered little to no variation or foreplay. And looking back, she never enjoyed it. Not really, if she was totally honest with herself. “Since when did you become so bold?” Max moved his arm and glanced down at her with droopy eyes. Chloe chose not to answer him, instead leaning forward to take the tip of his cock into her mouth. She kept her eyes locked with his and watched nothing but pure pleasure cross his face. His eyes dilated to near black. A small grin creased his face. A slight dare for her to complete the act showed in his arrogant demeanour. She loved making him this way. She loved that she put that look on his face. Her tongue swirled around the crown, licking the mingling flavours like they were ice cream in a cone. He gave her such a sexual high, she never wanted to come down. Her lips circled around him, sliding down his length until her mouth was completely full of nothing but his thick meat. He groaned and dropped back to the floor, his entire body growing ridged. Would he come on her tongue? She wanted him to. Chloe closed her eyes and pulled back slowly, keeping her lips locked tightly around his shaft. The salty-sweet taste of his come coating her tongue made her pussy weep with excitement. “Come here, baby.” Max stopped her movements by gripping one of her hands. “Your clit needs my tongue on it and I’m not about to deny you one second longer.” After rearranging their positions, Chloe started to suck his cock again, pumping the bottom half with her fist while Max lapped at her clit. He teased her with the tip of his tongue, swirling the tight little bud with gentle strokes. She moaned around him, never dreaming sex could be so good.

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“Oh, God, Max.” Chloe withdrew for a second while her climax washed through her body, jerking with pleasure as her pussy started to contract. He pulled away slightly, and pushed her cheeks apart to lick at her asshole. Chloe closed her eyes as her hand moved the length of his cock, practically useless as Max gave her continual pleasure. He moved slightly and thrust two fingers in her pussy while his tongue continued to tease her bottom hole. God, the man knew what he was doing and he most definitely did it well. “Ahhh, Max!” She jerked against him as she came again, her body spent from the pleasure. Her face landed next to his cock, her mouth inches away from the straining shaft. He smelt like a feral male, dark and woodsy—his own fragrance that was unlike anything else she’d experienced. Max gently pushed away from her, somehow managing to get her to sit up on his chest. “Come on, baby. Slide my cock inside you and fuck me good.” Chloe moved down his bare chest. Lifting slightly above his cock, she sank down on the stiff rod, taking him inside her with a few rocking movements. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as he filled her, his cock hitting every sensitised nerve within her. She was probably going to be sore in the morning, but it was so worth it. No matter what happened to them after this ‘needing’ wore off, being with Max was so worth every pleasurable moment. Even if he was technically a stranger. He gripped her hips as she rode him, angling her body so his dick hit her G-spot on every thrust. Chloe didn’t think it was possible for her to come again, but Max began to build her orgasm. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to simply feel. The cool air of the room contrasting against her heated skin. The way her soft, slick pussy took every inch of his hard as steel cock. Sweat popped out of her pores, slicking her body with the cooling moisture. How much more of this could she really take? How much more would her body demand? She’d had numerous climaxes and was a bit tired but her body still hungered for more. Max came inside her with a hard thrust, pushing her over with him. Her entire body shook with the intensity. He pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight on top of him. “When does the need stop?” Chloe asked closing her eyes while her body cooled down.

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“Dawn.” Max disconnected their bodies and rolled her to the floor with him on top. “I know it’s a lot, but the more we fuck in wolf form the longer the break in between rounds lasts. I probably should have told you that before, but I was distracted.” Putting together everything he said, she determined that during the needing phase, sex had its levels, depending on what they did and how they did it. Evidentially normal human sex where Max came inside her and gave her at least one orgasm only gave her a reprieved time of a few minutes. Sex in wolf form where Max came inside her and gave her an orgasm gave her a little longer reprieved time. And oral only fuelled the fire, giving seconds of satisfaction and a deeper craving for more. She was learning, but the knowledge obtained would have been helpful a long time ago. Perhaps that way it wouldn’t have been such a shock. “I’m sore as it is, but I can’t stop the need.” Chloe glanced to the right, looking at the clock on the mantel. The contemporary dial announced it was ten o’clock. Which meant they’d only been at it for two hours. Two hours, and she was replete. How in the world would she make it through ten hours? “Come on.” He kissed her and stood, pulling her to her feet after him. “Food sex is always fun and I’m starving. Let’s go to the kitchen and see what kind of unique trouble we can get into.”

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Chapter Five

At midnight, Max noticed a change in their surroundings. One he didn’t like. Chloe laid on the couch, watching him when she should have been trying to rest up. He took her three times in the kitchen while they ate a few bites of food. Then they shifted for him to take her another two times. Both of them were worn out, and Max didn’t like the way the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention. Danger, they screamed, though he didn’t know why. Was the pack of Black Wolves outside looking for Chloe? Were they coming after her to make her theirs? He didn’t like the idea and his protectiveness increased. Chloe was one of them now, a Gray Wolf, and she belonged in his pack. She was marked with his scent. He couldn’t imagine what the others would do to her had he not come to see her through this experience. They probably would have used her and left her for dead. “Why the intense expression, Max? Have you run out of ideas to make sex interesting?” She smiled, and the gesture melted his heart. She was so damn innocent to her surroundings. To life in general. She’d toughed it out from what he knew of her, from the little conversation they had, to make it into art school. He found pictures of her family and questioned her about them. It was a touchy subject between the two of them, one she didn’t particularly like to talk about. He wasn’t exactly sure why. “Every time I make you come it’s interesting.” He smiled at her, knowing he couldn’t convince her everything was all right. “Are you toughing it out?” She nodded. “I’m afraid you’ll rub my pussy raw if we go at it again.” “But you still need to come, right?” He grabbed his bag and felt around for the bottle of lube he’d brought with him. “What are you planning?” She watched him closely, and Max knew her pretty little mind was racing with all the possibilities. “I’m going to take your tight little ass and make you hum with pleasure.” He pulled her legs apart, giving him enough room to slide between them.

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Chloe’s body was perfect for loving. So responsive and accepting. Max couldn’t believe a woman could be that in tune with her needs—not when she’d been denied her true identity all her life. She was a natural. He took her mouth with his own, tasting her sweet kiss as if he’d never tasted it before. It was more addicting than street drugs, threatening all cognitive reasoning and giving more pleasure than he ever dreamed. He wanted her to be his. For now. Forever. He wanted to wake up with her in his arms and end the day coming inside her warm, welcoming body. He wanted her as his mate. Max’s fingers played between her legs, rubbing lightly across her swollen, sensitive flesh. Her pussy was slick with her arousal and a small whimper left her mouth when he slowly inserted a finger inside her. It wasn’t healthy for her to hold back the need for sex because it only increased her desire, sometimes to insatiable measures. He slid his finger in her pussy and dragged it back to her ass hole, lightly pressing against the untouched area. Her muscles clinched around him, tightening against the intrusion. “Babe, relax and let me in. I promise I’ll make you feel good.” Chloe took a deep breath. Max stretched the tight hole until she could take two of his fingers easily, and then three. She gasped with every motion, closing her eyes in what he assumed was an attempt to shut off the rest of the world. It was something she did frequently, he learned, when she wanted to come. “Do you want my cock now?” “Yes,” she moaned. He nodded, slicking lube all over his cock. “You can take me, baby. And it’ll be real good.” He pulled her up the slope of his thighs and pressed against her anus. “Let me know if I hurt you.” With careful ease, he pushed forward sinking past the tight ring of muscles and into the warm depths of woman. His woman. Chloe arched with pleasure, clutching the sides of the couch. He gave her time to adjust to his girth, using the break for a breather himself, then pulled back. Her body hugged him, squeezing his cock tighter than a fist and hotter than an oven. Max started at a slow pace, taking his time to make sure she felt good. His balls ached for release with each thrust.

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“God, Max.” Chloe jerked, pushing her ass towards him as he thrust inside her. “Make me come. Please make me come!” “Rub your clit.” He pushed two fingers inside her pussy while her eager little fingers found the greedy bud above it. Her muscles contracted around him. “Ah, shit, baby.” He rose to his knees, gaining a better angle for thrusting, and increased the rhythm. His balls slapped against her as she took every inch of his dick inside her ass. Her pussy cream coated his fingers as he moved them in and out of her. Chloe screamed his name when she climaxed, her body shuddering around him. Max saw stars. With one last thrust, he buried himself to the hilt and shot his load inside her, howling into the night like the animal he was. Whatever happened after tonight, Max knew he wasn’t going to let her go. The idea wasn’t even possible no matter what it cost him.

**** Max stood at the back doors, taking in the scenery of the night. The tree leaves rustled in the light wind. The moon hung low in the blackened sky. Crickets chirped, singing a song of their kind for the rest of the world to hear. Nothing visually posed a threat to them, yet his instinct told him otherwise. He sighed and turned towards Chloe before crossing the room to her. “I need to tell you something and you need to pay close attention.” Chloe sat up from her reclining position on the couch. “What’s wrong?” “If the Black Wolves do come, you need to call my brother Quinn.” He smoothed his hand along her thigh. “Then you need to go to my house and stay put. Enter the woods at the back of your property and follow the pebbled trail surrounded by oak trees. It’ll lead to a mansion. My brother is there. He’s my twin and looks just like me.” Chloe swallowed, her eyes holding a mixture of fear and determination. “Do you think they will come?” He shrugged. “If we’re lucky, no, but luck has never really been on my side.” Chloe exhaled a pent-up breath. “Great.” “Are you okay?” Max folded his fingers around hers. “I don’t want to scare you, but knowledge is power in this instance. If I tell you to run, don’t hesitate, don’t look back.”

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“What about you?” Her eyes filled with tears, and Max could do nothing but wrap her in his arms. “I’ll be fine. That’s why I’m here.” He tried to get her to smile. “I’ve been here before, baby. It’s just another day to me.” She kissed him lightly on the lips. “Come on, stud. I want a shower, and I need to come.” Max let Chloe lead him up the stairs to her bathroom. She grabbed two towels from the linen closet and stacked them on the vanity inside the master bath. He flipped on the water in the tub, choosing instead to take a bath rather than a shower. Chloe didn’t say anything though question was in her expression. He grabbed a bottle of strawberry bubble bath and poured a couple of capfuls into the running water. Bubbles filled the tub as the water level increased, and Max smiled through his exhaustion. “You’re taking a bubble bath with me?” Chloe stepped into the water just as Max turned it off. “Why wouldn’t I?” He followed her, relaxing back into the tub, the soft bubbles tickling his skin as he submerged most of his body in the warm water. “I like baths every now and then.” She giggled. “Do you admit that often to your friends?” He pulled her legs towards him until she straddled his lap. “No. Will you keep my secret?” She kissed him, combing her wet fingers through his hair. “You know I will.” Max poised her over his cock and pushed gently into her vagina, determined to keep it slow and sensual this time around. Both of them were worn out from the night’s events, though it was something he’d expected. His time with Janie was definitely different than his time with Chloe. When Janie had first changed, it’d been all Max could do to keep her from ripping his flesh with her new teeth. She hadn’t been the playful type, like Chloe was. Janie had wanted blood, and had died unable to get enough. Max kissed Chloe as she moved above him, his hands keeping her rhythm steady and slow. She was sweet and delicious and perfect in every way. Definitely the kind he could see himself settling down with and raising a family of their own. Where did that thought come from?

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Her inner muscles gripped him, squeezing his cock as she slid up, then back down. He couldn’t imagine her giving up her human life for him, though. She enjoyed her career too much. The art studio downstairs—a room that was supposed to be the house’s downstairs bedroom, he thought—said that much. And he figured she’d miss her friends. The only interactions wolves had with others were within the pack, unless trouble arose. Chloe probably wouldn’t go for that. Max sucked her tongue into his mouth while he increased the speed of his thrusts. Who was he to ask her to leave that life anyway? It was the only life she knew. He fondled her clit and sent her over the edge, waiting to see if it was enough for now or if she needed more before he took his own pleasure. The pheromones her body produced were wearing down, giving them longer time to rest in between sessions. Chloe wrapped her arms around him, allowing him to shelter her with comfort and security while she rested. “What do we do after this, Max? The needing will happen every month, won't it? Are you going to come back to be with me?” She pushed herself up to meet his eyes. Max swallowed. “The general idea is for you to join a pack, babe. One of the members in your pack will service you with the intention of creating babies. Sometimes if you’re lucky, you find a mate and bond with them.” “Do you have a bond with a mate?” He kissed her cheek. “Not yet.” “I have to give up my life, don’t I? My human life?” He didn’t respond and knew she’d figure it out. Humans didn’t mingle well with wolves. He hated telling her as much, but it was the absolute truth. Too much could happen and none of it could possibly be within their control. “I see.” Chloe stood, water and bubbles dripping down her legs and landing in the tub with small splashes. She climbed out and grabbed a towel, taking a seat on the toilet. “I can’t just leave my life, Max.” “I know that.” He pursed his lips. “Then what am I going to do? You come into my life with all the answers to my problems. This is all new to me so please tell me what I’m going to do because I have no freaking clue.”

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Max waited and watched as her anger boiled and fumed. The last thing he wanted was for her to go off like Janie. The wild rampage with the need for vengeance and blood. He couldn’t handle it again. “No matter what you do, I’ll be there for you. If you choose to come to my pack and become a member, then that’s great. If not, then I’ll come to you and be there for your needs. Either way, it’s your choice. You live on our land and you’re marked with my scent. You’re a Gray Wolf now, babe.” Max stood and grabbed the other towel to wrap around his waist. “Wait. You said the members of the pack service the needing women. How many other females do you have sex with?” He drained the water from the tub and took a seat on the side, facing her. “None. There are only two females in my pack and one belongs to my brother and the other to Hopper, another male in our group. I haven’t had a female since Janie which was a few months ago.” Chloe narrowed her eyes, considering his words for a moment before continuing. “How did you even find me? I’ve never lived your lifestyle before. I don’t have wolf parents. I’ve always believed I was human. How did you find me when I passed out in my living room floor?” Max took a deep breath. “Quinn. He’s the secondary leader of our pack, taking over when I left. It’s his job to monitor all social movements for over a fifty miles radius. He’s the one that told me about you living on our land. He also told me about the Black Wolves being nearby and reminded me of the potential threat they pose.” “So what am I? A stray dog?” She snorted at her own joke then sobered. “I may be different but painting is my life. I can’t give it up, nor completely disappear. In the human realm, they would think I was kidnapped or murdered or something. If I left, people would notice, and it wouldn’t be pretty.” “I’m not asking you to give it up. I told you, I’d come to you.” She stood and started pacing. “And the threat? Wouldn’t these Black Wolves keep coming back? Not to mention you said you service your clan. What if someone comes along and they need you?” Max stood and grabbed her hand. “I told you when I came I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you. That statement doesn’t expire at dawn. I meant what I said. I’m here for you as long as you’re willing to have me.”

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Her eyes said she didn’t believe a word he spoke. He knew Quinn and the others wouldn’t be happy with that decision. They had very strict rules, and Maxim had broken every single one of them at least once in his lifetime. She pulled away from him. “I want to lay down by myself. Can you please just leave me alone?” Max nodded and left the bathroom, wondering where the hell he went wrong.

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Chapter Six

Why didn’t life ever seem to make sense? Chloe crawled between the sheets, memories of the past few hours clouding her head. Sex on the floor. Sex on the couch. Sex on the table. Sex in doggy style. Sex in missionary. Sex with her on top. Oral sex. Anal sex. Sex, sex, sex. Before meeting Max, she wouldn’t have ever thought one human being could have so much sex in one night. Granted, it was stretching her imagination to believe she could have two orgasms in one night, but that was beside the point. As much as she wanted to be with Max, it was impossible for her to join his pack. I can’t leave my life. It was bad enough she’d slept with someone she hardly knew. Not to mention he was asking her to give up her career. Painting was her life, her dream. It was the only thing she was good at, the only thing she knew. She couldn’t give it up as well as all contact with the human world to join Max’s pack. She didn’t want to. So where does that leave you, Chloe? She turned over, wrapping the comforter tight around her. Her body was suddenly weak and cold. She glanced around the room and wondered if she should call for Max. Like the pre-changing sickness, maybe there was a post-changing sickness too and lucky her, she got it. Chloe stood from the bed on wobbly legs and walked slowly to the door. Max’s voice rang out loud and clear as he spoke with someone downstairs. He was angry. She craned her neck towards the slight crack in the doorway to listen. “I’ve got nothing here for you boys. You need to go.” “You smell like pussy, Max,” a voice said. “Hot, wet pussy of a female that is clearly not you.” Chloe swallowed and grabbed her robe. She returned to the doorway just in time to hear Max’s response. “Jealous, Deacon?” Max chuckled. “We all know the only pussy that comes around you is a pussy cat, but the last thing I would have guessed was you were jealous of me. Go back to where you came from. There’s nothing here for you.”

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Chloe took a deep breath. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Was that them? The threat Max has been talking about all this time? She peeked out the small crack in the door. Max was dressed in jeans and a navy tee, his hair a rumpled mess. She couldn’t see the guy he called Deacon. Maybe the other man took Max’s advice and finally left. “You say that now, Max, but you’re a liar. There’s a female in there that is a stray, and she’s just as much ours as she is yours. Why not share the joy?” Deacon’s laughter rumbled deep in his chest. Max pointed. “Out, Deacon. You’re not welcome here.” “Fine. You can keep her for now. But I guarantee we’ll have her before sunrise.” The other man’s voice held threat, but Max didn’t seem to worry too much. When he closed the door, Max leaned his forehead against the wood. It was on the tip of Chloe’s tongue to call out to him, to ask him if everything was okay. And then Max turned around, his eyes piercing her in place. He came up the steps and pushed the door back, ignoring her as he entered the room. “Who was that guy?” “Deacon. Alpha of the Black Wolves. A fuckin’ pain in my ass most of the damn days and your worst enemy.” Max pulled out his cell. “Fuck. I got Quinn’s voicemail. You need to get back to the house. The best way is for you to shift. Your animal instincts will tell you where home is.” “So what are we going to do?” “Did you not listen to me? You’re going to my home. You’ll tell Quinn what’s going on and then you’ll stay put. No negotiations.” “I’m not leaving you.” Max clicked his cell off and turned around. “You don’t have a choice.” “Why are you being like this? Why are you going all macho and dominating when we could team up and I could help you? People that try to play the heroes usually end up dying in the end.” Max narrowed his eyes. “You and I a team? That’s almost comedic.” “You’re a jerk.” He huffed. “I’ve been called worse. Just do as I say, Chloe. We can argue about me being a jerk and you being a bitch later when neither one of our lives is in danger.”

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He shoved clothes at her and barked an order for her to get dressed. She didn’t bother refuting his demands. Chloe shrugged the robe off glad the needing phase was practically gone. Two more hours until dawn, but her body cooled down drastically from the blazing inferno it had once been. What the fuck was up with that? She pulled on a simple T-shirt to match with a pair of jeans. The only explanation for everything happening was simple. She was living in a bad dream. Any moment she would wake up and everything would be back to normal. Maybe she’d hit her head too hard when she fell in the doorway of her house. It was all one lousy fuckin’ dream. Her anger brewed strong. From the beginning, Max said he’d protect her but he didn’t have to be a butt about it. Not to mention him calling me a bitch. She pulled on a sweatshirt and tied her hair back, facing him with her hands on her hips, waiting. “You’ve got a little bit of a temper in you.” He had the audacity to slightly grin. “Fuck off.” She blew out a harsh breath. “Tell me where I’m supposed to go.” He pulled her to the bedroom window and pointed. “Go straight back to the edge of the woods and then veer to your left. There is a trail along there that is mostly dirt and sticks. That will lead you to Quinn and my home. After you tell him what’s going on, you stay put. Have someone show you to my room and don’t even think about coming out for anything. And especially don’t even think about trying to help me or sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong. I swear, if you do, there will be hell to pay when I get back.” “Bite me.” Max leaned down and scraped his teeth along her shoulder. “Don’t tempt me.” He pressed his lips to her neck and sighed. For a moment, they stood there in silence. She took in everything, playing it over in her head. What to do. Where to go. Who to get. Max squeezed her shoulders as he kissed her neck, sliding his tongue along her pulse point. Reality was slowly closing in on them. The past few days had been fun and all but this was it. She knew it had to end. And as much as she hated it, her gut told her that Max would have to fight to keep her safe. Finally, he pulled away and smoothed his hand down her back. “I’ll be home before dawn, so don’t worry about me.” Yeah. Right. “Why didn’t it work?” She faced him. “You said to protect me was to mask my scent with yours. How did they find us? Why didn’t the scent-marking work?”

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Max ran his hands the length of her arms. “Deacon told me he found out about you days ago. Now he’s just toying with me. We have a history and them being here is more or less about his issues with me instead of you. You’re just icing on the cake to him.” “Was it ever truly about me, Max? Or was this some kind of alpha dog war the two of you got going on?” She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from losing her temper. “The two of you have a history. What is it? To see how many notches you can add to your belt? Whoever has the most wins?” Max cupped her cheeks and forced her to look into his eyes. “It was never that. I swear to you, Chloe. I can’t explain right now, but you were never part of a competition. Everything I’ve told you is true.” “Fine.” She jerked away from him. “Am I supposed to leave now?” “Let’s go.”

**** As soon as Max opened the back door, he knew Deacon and his pack were lurking in the shadows. And it was only a matter of seconds before they struck. Max shifted in mid-air as he jumped off the deck, trying to draw the attention away from Chloe long enough to let her get a decent head start toward the woods. To his left the wolves lunged at him, jaws snapping, one nipping him on the shoulder while another got his back. He hoped and prayed Chloe would shift and run without thinking twice or looking back. He used all his energy to fight off the angry wolves snapping at them until blood was flying—both his and theirs. His body was weakened from the lack of sleep and spent energy. Who was he kidding when he said he could take on seven wolves by himself? Deacon shifted to human form and stood off to the side watching the brawl with amusement. “You’re not so tough now, are you, pretty boy?” Deacon laughed, he being the only one who found his comment remotely funny. “I sent two of my pack members to find your little girlfriend. They’ll rip this fucking land apart until they find her. Might as well give up and throw in the towel now.”

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Max turned his head and bit down on one of the wolf’s neck. The loud crunching sound of fragile bones breaking echoed into the night. The wolf’s whines and screeches of pain came shortly after, right before it fell to the ground in a dead, bloody mess. Six more to go. One attacked him from behind just as another came at him in front. Max forgot about everything and simply let his instinct set in. His need to survive gave him the strength he needed to fight back, taking care of the one directly in front of him first. His jaws clamped around the wolf’s neck from beneath, and the being squeaked in misery. Max flung the body and snapped his head around. His jaws clamped around the other’s paw and sunk in deep. The different flavours of blood left the metallic taste in his mouth that only drove him to fight more. The wolf whimpered and snapped at Max, catching Max’s hind leg with its sharp jaws. Pain seared through him hot as lava as it burned from the point of contact up his entire body. Max snarled and snapped at the wolf, trying to fend him off. “Give it up now, Max.” Deacon’s voice came from the side, cold as a winter’s night. “Your bitch isn’t worth losing your life.” Max’s energy deflated as the other wolf slung him to the ground, effectively immobilising him. He shifted back to human form just as the other wolf did. The air stank of blood and death. Max raised his head, feeling the slight trickle of warm fluid slithering down the side of his face. His body was beaten and bruised, his leg ripped open and nearly detached from his body. He was numb to the pain as long as he didn’t move a single muscle. “Tell me, Max,” Deacon said, stalking towards him like the predator that he was. “Why didn’t you protect Janie like you’re protecting this new piece of ass? As I do recall, you practically handed her over to us and then killed her yourself when we had our fill. Why the need to protect this youngling? Is her pussy really that good?” Max’s lungs burned with each intake of oxygen, worse than the gashes all over his body. He couldn’t move. “You don’t deserve her.” Deacon crossed his arms over his chest, the leather jacket he wore creaking with his movements in the otherwise silent night. “I’ll find her, Max. I’ll find her and fuck her. Maybe I’ll even tie her up so my men can take turns with your new toy. Maybe I’ll tie you up and force you to watch my fat cock sink into that slick pussy you love so much. Either way, I will have her, one way or another.”

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The other wolf—the one that ripped his leg open—chuckled then kicked at Max’s shoulder, knocking him face forward into the grass. Deacon came over and grabbed a handful of Max’s hair, angling his head back so they stared into each other’s eyes. “Give it up. I can smell it on you. Her ripe fragrance is all over your skin. Where is she?” “I’m right here.” All three heads whipped towards the voice that came from the house. Chloe stood with her hands in her pockets and her eyes locked on Deacon. “You want me, well, I’m here. What do you suppose you’re going to do about it?”

As twilight set in, Chloe took a deep breath and stared into the eyes of the second most beautiful man she’d ever seen. His dark hair was short and spiky. His pretty face was a work of art from God, with a strong jaw, square chin and full, kissable lips. But his eyes were nothing but cold darkness masked in the most unique colour of blue. “Let him go. This chauvinistic display of dominance is pathetic, even for an alpha wolf like you.” She climbed down the few stairs to level their playing field. To show she wasn’t scared. When Max first went out to confront the pack, Chloe called Quinn with Max’s phone. He finally answered after about ten tries. There was no doubt in her mind that he was with a female of their pack, but as soon as she explained the situation, he promised cavalry was on their way. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to come out and confront a horny alpha wolf while she herself was still in the needing phase—albeit at the end, but her body still craved sex. She simply needed to stall Deacon for a little bit while Max’s brother and members of his pack came to their rescue. Deacon stopped within inches of her and sniffed the air between them. “You smell like hot, sweaty sex.” “Yeah, well, I’ve been fucking Max for the past few hours. What did you expect?” Chloe propped her hands on her hips and reminded herself to stay calm. She wasn’t the wimpy artist anymore. Something changed within her in the last couple days, building her confidence. Deacon reached out to brush a finger lightly along her cheek. “Yeah, well, hours will seem like days by the time my pack and I get done with you.”

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He slid his hand down her front, taking time to cup her breasts as he coasted down toward the apex of her thighs. “Are you wet, bitch? Your body’s aching for a cock, and I’ll bet you’ll take any one you can get.” Chloe grabbed his hand, seeing three pairs of neon eyes coming from the woods. She prayed it was Max’s pack and not Deacon’s lone wolves returning to share her. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” “Leave her alone, Deacon,” Max pleaded from the ground. “Or what? I’m getting threats all the way around, but right now from my point of view, they look pretty empty.” He leaned forward until his breath fanned her face, caressing over her lips. “What are you going to do?” The next few moments were like a black and white movie in slow motion. A wolf jumped on Deacon’s back, dragging him to the ground. Another wolf came out of the shadows and attacked the other member of Deacon’s team. In a blur of motions, Chloe ran to Max and tried lifting him. He hissed. He cursed. He squeezed her arm almost to the point she screamed in pain, but he finally stood, completely depending on her to keep him from falling on his ass. The third wolf she saw coming towards them shifted beside her into a man, taking the brunt of Max’s weight. “You need to get him back to the house. Roni is there. She has a healing power that will help with his wounds.” Over the growling behind them, Chloe said, “But there’s more. Deacon said there were at least two more in the woods looking for me.” The man continued to walk, helping them both to the woods. “We took care of them. That’s why it took so long for us to get here.” They walked a few more feet to the edge of the woods. The man deposited Max’s weight back on Chloe’s shoulders, helping her to steady him before he turned. She didn’t know how she’d make it to the house, having never been there before, but surely it couldn’t be that hard to find. Hopefully this Roni person wouldn’t attack her upon arrival. “Okay, take him home. We’ll take care of Deacon and meet up with you later.” He turned and walked a few feet before shifting again. Chloe watched in awe as he ran across the field to the bloody fighting scene they’d just left. “Come on, Max. I need your help walking or we’ll both fall on our asses.”

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“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Max winced in pain, panting as if he’d run a marathon. With each step, the curses came louder and faster from his lips. “Oh, damn. Fuck. Shit. Fuck.” They wobbled their way to the path Max mentioned, and Chloe sighed with a bit of relief as she eased Max towards it. “Help me out. Where do we go from here?” He guided her. Pointing left and then right in between curses. As the darkness folded around them, twilight glowed at the tops of the trees. Chloe relied solely on her senses to find her way, listening to Max as he guided them through the meandering wooded area. Finally, she saw a mansion up ahead, situated deep in the heart of the woods. “We’re almost there. Just a few more feet, baby.” She steadied him when he nearly fell, surprised she could catch his two-hundred pound body before he knocked them both to the cold ground. Chloe banged on the massive wooden door then punched the door bell three times. Max’s body turned limp with the blood loss, and without a doubt, he needed immediate medical attention. When no one answered, Chloe banged on the door again with her balled fist. Why wasn’t anyone answering? “I’m coming, jeez.” A woman opened the door. Her hair was red and pulled back neatly into a ponytail. She wore a simple pair of pyjamas with a teddy bear pattern on the long cotton pants. If Chloe didn’t know better, she would never have guessed the woman was something other than human. “Oh, shit. What happened to him?” She moved in immediately to help Chloe get Max inside. “Deacon and his gang. Max was fending them off for me.” The thought alone brought tears to Chloe’s eyes. She took a deep breath and refused to break down in front of them. Keeping busy and worrying about Max was what she needed right now. She needed to know he would be okay. “That stupid— Let’s get him inside.” “What happened?” Another girl rounded the corner, her eyes wide as tears filled them. “Max, are you okay?” “Yeah, Sasha. I’m fine.” He gave them all a half-hearted grin as they laid him on the couch. “He’s lost a lot of blood. I mean you should have seen all the blood back at my house.” So much for not thinking about it. Emotion clogged her throat as everything caught up with her.

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The adrenaline high was gone. All she could picture was the wolf on his back or Deacon mocking him to the side. Blood splattered everywhere. “Uh, Sasha, why don’t you take the girl upstairs to get cleaned up. I’ll take care of Max and he’ll be a pain in our asses before we know it.” The redhead nodded towards Chloe and the other girl quickly stepped in. Max’s house wasn’t anything like what she imagined. It was a two-storey mansion decorated with old art from all periods of time. How many generations made up this pack? she wondered. Antiques filled the rooms, elegant in style and no doubt very expensive. It reminded her somewhat of a museum. The girl named Sasha stopped in the middle of the long hallway at the top of the stairs. “You can shower in here if you’d like. I’ll get you some fresh clothes to change into.” Chloe mumbled a thank you and stepped inside the large bathroom. A double vanity took up one wall with two sinks and two mirrors. Opposite the sinks was the large garden tub and separate shower. The single toilet was positioned in its own room, closed off from the rest of the vast bathroom. “Here you go.” Sasha returned with an armful of clean clothing. “I’ll set them on the vanity for you. Towels are in the closet behind you along with bubble bath and all the other necessities. I’ll be downstairs helping Roni if you need anything.” Polite enough as she was, Sasha didn’t seem to like having Chloe in her house. Her stiff posture and the frown she couldn’t quite hide said that much. Not that Chloe could really blame her. She was a stranger, and Max nearly died trying to save her. Perhaps Max was her male? All this shit was new to her. She closed the door and leaned against it before remembering she was covered in blood. Max’s blood. Groaning, she stepped away and stared at the red mark her clothes left behind. Her emotions caught up with her, and she couldn’t hold it back any longer. Tears filled her eyes as she shuddered, completely giving in and surrendering to her fear for Max and everything else they’d been through tonight. Her chest heaved as she sucked in air, trying to calm herself down even though she needed to cry. It was impossible for her to think of losing him because she loved the man. It was the only way she could explain it. The gut-wrenching feeling when she saw the wolf bite into his

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leg and immobilise him within seconds nearly killed her. Before that she watched how easy it was for Max to snap their necks. What was to stop the Black Wolf from snapping his? She moved to the bath, pouring a generous amount of bubbles into the water—her second bubble bath of the night. It was in that moment, right before she first came out to confront Deacon, that she decided what they would do after tonight. She didn’t care what happened, they would live together. If that meant her moving into his house and becoming part of his pack, then so be it. She loved painting but had come to realise she loved Max a hell of a lot more. Chloe stripped and sank into the hot water, allowing herself to relax. Her body ached from lack of food and sleep. Her mind was numb to any other thoughts that didn’t include Max’s well-being. She was practically good for nothing as far as she could determine and couldn’t wait to check in on Max. “Chloe?” Max’s knuckles rapped against the bathroom door. “Can I come in?” “Yes,” she replied. The door opened and the man of her dreams stumbled in, walking better now than he did before. He had a bandage on his forehead and several on his leg where the wolf had bitten into him. But other than that, he appeared okay. Thankfully, he’d pulled on some clean clothes, a pair of black boxers and nothing else. He hadn’t covered the pink scratches that marked his chest and back, but Chloe knew they were the least of his worries. “Are you okay?” He edged towards her, stopping beside the bath tub. “I should be asking you that.” Max gave her a lopsided grin. “I told you I’d be fine.” Chloe nodded and forced the tears back as she recalled the past events. Max didn’t bother saying anything, instead moving to grab the bottle of shampoo she’d found in the closet. He knelt beside the bathtub, a small groan of discomfort leaving his lips. She watched him as he situated himself and motioned for her to turn around. The water inside the bathtub sloshed with her movements then she heard the water cascade from the faucet into the tub. Gently, he guided her back, scooping her hair up to wet the matted mess. He lathered shampoo between his hands and began to wash it. She knew blood was caked in her hair, from Max resting against her she supposed. His fingers moved in slow motions as he massaged her scalp, easing the tension away. She closed

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her eyes and revelled in the moment, loving the kind and tender care he gave her. The warm water washed away the suds while Max leaned down to kiss her lips. He was gentle, catching her by surprise. Chloe reached up to cup the back of his head, her bath long forgotten. She twisted around and nearly climbed into his arms, with their mouths still connected, his tongue still stroking hers. Max wrapped his arms around her and lifted her from the bathtub. “Wait. What are you doing? Your leg is hurt.” Chloe struggled a little but Max only tightened his iron-like grip. “Put me down.” “My leg is fine. Roni is a master of healing, and she had me patched up before Sasha brought you clothes.” He leaned in to nuzzle her cheek. “I promise I’m fine.” “So you’re some supernatural healer?” Chloe leaned back and forced him to look at her. “Not as quick as vampires, but yes, somewhat I am.” He started kissing her neck and Chloe melted into his arms. “It takes a lot to keep me down.” “Don’t I know,” she said with a sly grin. “I’ve got a lot to learn, don’t I?” He chuckled softly against her neck. “Come on. We’ve had an eventful night and both of us could use a little rest.” She dried off while Max cleaned up her bath mess. He put everything back where it was supposed to go, tossing her soiled garments in the trash. She pulled on the pyjamas, catching a quick glance at his leg. He could laugh all he wanted at her questions, but he did have a lot to teach her. After everything was tidy, they went to Max’s room. Opaque shades covered the windows, blocking out the early morning light. A large wooden bed sat in the centre of the room with black sheets covering the mattress. A night stand, dresser and a chest of drawers were the only other pieces of furniture filling the large bedroom. Candles sat on top of the dresser in a decorative manner, being the only light in the room. The nightstand held a three wick that put off the scent of green apple. “Sorry it’s dark in here. Sasha took the liberty to remove the lamps and fixtures and replaced them with candles when I came back.” Chloe turned towards him as he closed the bedroom door. “Why would she do that?” He crossed the room and sat on the bed. “A few months back, I spent a long time in the dark. Artificial light nearly blinded me when I came back to the house.”

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She could see the pain on his face. The sadness and the hurt. “What happen?” Max licked his lips. “I was supposed to attend to one of our pack members during their first change. I was leader back then, the complete dominant alpha. Quinn was second-incommand. It was my job to take care of my pack and that included a woman named Janie.” Chloe sat beside him. She kissed his shoulder and laid her cheek against him. “And she died?” “Yeah. Long story short, when she changed, she went psycho violent. She tried attacking me before running off into the woods. Deacon’s clan found her, fucked her and left her bloody and used. It was stupid on my part to approach a wolf as a human, but I cared for her. She’d been a part of the Gray Wolves since we formed, and I didn’t want to be the cause of her death.” Chloe rubbed his thigh before taking his hand and folding her fingers with his. “It wasn’t your fault.” “I know that. After she attacked me, I shot her. I killed her, and I left town. Quinn became the alpha and still is, really. I spent time in Alaska’s wilderness living as a wolf instead of a man.” Max huffed a breath. “Anyway, I’m back now.” “Yes, you are.” Chloe wrapped her arms around him. “You guys are protective of each other, aren’t you?” He kissed her. “Yes.” “I don’t think Sasha likes me.” He pulled her on his lap. “Why?” “I don’t know. Maybe she thinks I stole you away. Were you two together?” “A long time ago.” He pressed his lips against her temple. “Does that bother you?” Of course they’d been together. “Not as much as it seemed to bother her.” “I’ll talk to her about it.” He kissed her and moved her to his side. “Okay, enough talking for one night. We both are long overdue for some sleep.” Chloe scooted to the middle of the bed while he stood to blow out the candles and darkness surrounded them. She smiled at him, loving her new eyesight. It was better than having night vision goggles. The mattress dipped, then Max’s warm, male body curled around her protectively. He rested his cheek against her hair as his arms came around her, holding her close. She loved

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how he made her feel. Safe. Protected. Loved. It went beyond simply being there for her during her needing phase or protecting her from the Black Wolves. It was something a lover did when he cared about the one he was with. “I’m sorry I called you a bitch earlier but you should have listened to me.” He nibbled her earlobe. “You should have left me.” Chloe laced her fingers with his and brought his hand to her lips. “Never.”

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Chapter Seven

The next time Max woke, a warm wet mouth was sucking him. He opened his eyes to find Chloe on her knees bent over him, her tight pink lips sliding the entire length of his shaft. Damn. When had he become so weak? Her eyes closed as she took him in, the look on her face nothing but pleasure. He didn’t have the energy to hold back. With a groan, he came, shooting his seed into her greedy, welcoming mouth. She lapped up every drop, swirling her tongue along the tip of him before chuckling and crawling up his body. “Good morning.” He pulled her to him and buried his face against her chest. “You make me weak, you know that?” She kissed him. “I’m sorry.” Max stared up at her with droopy eyes. “Don’t apologise. Why are you so damn cheerful?” He rolled Chloe to her back, his body pinning hers to the mattress. He thanked God that she didn’t sport any battle scars from the previous night and even more that Deacon hadn’t touched her. She was his. To have. To hold. To love and fuck. She was his, and no one would take that away from him. “I’ve been thinking. I slept a few hours but my mind wouldn’t stop working so I got up and plotted out my life from here on out.” Max gripped her wrists in each hand and pinned them on each side of her head. “What exactly did you come up with?” She smiled. “Well, I’m joining your pack if you guys will have me. But, I still want to paint. I completely understand the risk of associating with humans, and I completely vow to stay away from them near the full moon, but I really like painting wolves. It’s something I’m good at, and I enjoy it with all that I am.” Max’s heart fluttered in his chest. “You’re moving in with me?” She nodded. “I love you. Why would I want to be separated from you?”

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Max kissed her, closing his eyes and simply relishing the moment. Chloe was his. She loved him. She wanted to be with him. He couldn’t think of anything better in this world. “I want to schedule another showing of my work two weeks from now, and I need some new models.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “You up for posing, baby?” “I love you.” He’d never said those words before. Never felt the need or the emotion until now. “I’ll do anything you want and you know it.”

**** Two weeks later “Don’t be nervous.” Chloe watched Max adjust his bowtie for the third time that night. “I promise we’ll have a fun time. If not at the gallery, then afterward, okay?” He nodded, saying nothing. Tonight was his first night in human civilisation since he left his parents’ pack ten years ago. Chloe couldn’t imagine what kind of life he’d been through, but knew he most definitely felt out of place. She kissed him. The feel of his lips on hers filled her with eagerness for what would come later. She loved him, both the wolf and the man. Her heart swelled at the thought of how difficult just being here was for him, because she knew he only did it for her. She pulled back and smiled at him, reassuring Max one more time that he would be fine. Then she led him inside the massive building and introduced him to her world. Her latest collection titled The Gray Wolves was a very popular hit. Each member of the pack agreed to pose for her in wolf form if she painted herself as well, making the collection seven pieces. Each painting had sold for six figures and every bit of the money went into a trust for the pack. “You know these people?” Max whispered as she reached for a tea cookie. She shook her head. “No. They are a mixture of fans, clients and critics.” He nodded, and she took his hand, lacing her fingers with his. They mingled for two hours, greeting fans and potential buyers. She was even approached by an art distributor requesting her contact information so that he could stock her paintings in galleries all over the United States. She couldn’t believe it.

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Chloe looked over at Max who found his way to a bench where a few young women sat beside him, admiring his handsome features. She knew he wasn’t enjoying himself, but he didn’t dare complain once about being there. It touched her heart that he wanted to be there for her, to support her and celebrate her talent. The young girls flirted with him. Max did his best to remain polite but the disinterest he showed flashed like a neon sign. A small thrill shot through Chloe’s body as he repeatedly denied their advances, proclaiming time and again that he was with her. He only wanted her, and after a few hours of partying, Chloe decided it was time to go home. “Ms. Knight, I just love your art. The Knight Wolves collection and The Grey Wolves collection are breathtaking. What do you have planned next?” The lady was a reporter for the local television station, and Chloe simply didn’t have any interest in talking to her. “Well, in the immediate future, I plan on taking my boyfriend home to continue our party in bed.” Chloe smiled. “Would you please excuse me?” She pulled Max to his feet, said her goodbyes to Dana and led him to the limo they’d arrived in. “I can’t believe you just told her that.” Max helped her into the limo then climbed in behind her. “She was a reporter, you know.” “She asked me what I planned next and I told her.” She grinned. “What did you want me to do? Lie?” “No. But you didn’t have to give her that much information.” He tugged his suit coat off and laid it across the seat next to him. Next, he worked on the bow tie, leaving it draped around his neck. “Since when do you care what humans think?” She scooted towards him. “Unzip your pants.” Max narrowed his eyes, but his hands moved to his zipper. The loud rasp filled the silence of the limo. Chloe didn’t wait for him to pull his cock out. She immediately went for the prize, taking his full length out and squeezing it with her small hand. Leaning down, she took him into her mouth. “Shit.” Max’s hand went to her hair. “If you were going to be honest, why didn’t you just tell her you couldn’t wait to get me to the limo to suck my dick?”

SEDUCED BY MOONLIGHT

Lexie Davis

66

Chloe released him with a pop. “Because. I didn’t plan to suck your dick until you touched my ass as we were getting in the car.” He snorted. “Get up here and ride me, baby. That’s the least you owe me for tonight.” “Only one fuck will pay my dues?” Chloe sat back on her heels and started working her black dress up. “You’re probably right. I can see your payment going all night long. It was a damn boring party and I think we deserve a little excitement.” Chloe chuckled. “You’re a horny wolf, you know that?” He nodded and pulled her up, kissing her as he gripped her ass. He entered her body with one smooth thrust. Yep, this was the life. Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him. Her hips rocked, squeezing him inside her with every movement she made. But he wasn’t about take her easy. Each thrust was harder than the last until they were both covered with sweat and panting for air. Chloe’s up-do came down, small sprigs of hair falling around her face. Max shifted their positions, laying her on the limo floor and pushing her legs to her chest. She cried out with every push of his cock in her body and whimpered in loss each time he pulled out. She came hard with a scream of delight, milking his cock with every muscle wrapped around him. He groaned with his release, thrusting in short strokes as they both took their pleasure. Max stared down at her, a lazy grin on his face when the limo suddenly stopped. He lost his balance and landed on top of her with a thud. “Damn.” Max immediately pushed away from her, and Chloe laughed. “Stop. I love having you over me, surrounding me with your body and warmth. You feel good.” She pulled him back down and brushed a kiss across his lips. “You make me feel good.” “I love you, baby.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “And I’m not one to deny you anything, but we’re home. What do you say we take this little party to our bedroom?” “I’d say, take me to bed, wolf-boy.”

About the Author Lexie’s love for writing began when she wrote her first play in fourth grade. With a big imagination and love for creating worlds, she wrote several more scripts that have placed first in contests. She loves to read but didn’t pick up a romance novel until high school and fell in love with the genre. Now she writes steamy stories, with heartfelt characters, letting her imagination take her where it may go. Email: [email protected] Lexie loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.

Also by Lexie Davis Deceived Forever Yours Naughty Rendezvous Darkfever: The Sweetest Sin One Night Only Going Down Exotica Undeniable Picture Perfect Dirty Cupid Amuse Me Darkfever: It’s Been Awhile Rain Fell Down

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