Under Her Skin

Chapter One

I knew I was being hunted before I heard the growl. First there had been flashes of gray and black in the trees around me, too fast for me to make out. Then crackling of dried leaves and twigs as those forms came nearer. And that primal, icy feeling on the back of my neck that told me I'd just moved from top of the food chain to prey.

No one was around to help me, either. This was Yellowstone National Park, one of the last great American wildernesses. I hadn't seen another soul since my friends Brandy and Tom abandoned the hike three days ago, and I'd been lost for two days now. A wave of fear rolled over me, making my stomach clench in a nauseating way. Whatever had growled, it wasn't alone.

New growls emerged from behind the trees—low, guttural, and more menacing than a mugger in a dark alley. I flicked my gaze around, trying to hone in on the source, while I drew my backpack off my shoulders. I had a gun in there which I'd brought along in what I'd thought was over-the-top paranoia. Now I wished I'd brought an Uzi and some grenades, too.

I had the backpack on the ground and was pulling the gun out when the animal struck. It came at me with incredible speed, plowing right into me and knocking me over. Instinctively, I scrambled back, holding my hands out in defense and convinced I'd feel teeth tearing into me at any moment. The wolf – God, it was a huge wolf! – didn't lunge for my throat, though. It stood a few feet away, mouth open in what seemed to me to be a sick caricature of a grin, with my gun on the ground between its paws.

I'd dropped the gun. How could I have been so stupid as to drop the gun?

That thought raced through my mind, followed by a slew of if onlys. If only I hadn't gone on this camping trip. If only Brandy hadn't twisted her ankle, forcing her and Tom to leave early. If only I hadn't been so determined to continue the hike alone. If only the map hadn't gotten ruined. If only I'd had a satellite phone, instead of my useless, out-of-area cellular.

And if only I hadn't dropped the goddamn gun when an enormous wolf charged me. That would probably be the last regret I ever had.

Twigs snapped behind me. My head jerked back while I still tried to keep an eye on the wolf in front of me. Five more wolves cleared the trees, running around me with an easy, deadly grace. I started to scoot back more, but there was nowhere to go. My heart was pounding while my breath came in strange, jagged gasps.

You're lost out in the middle of nowhere, and these wolves are going to eat you. Oh God, no, please. I don't want to die…

Only four days ago, I'd been laughing with my friends about how great it was to be outdoors, instead of trapped inside our stuffy offices. This was the vacation I'd been waiting years to take. How could this be happening?

One of the circling wolves broke from the ranks and charged me. I flung up my hands in useless defense when the huge gray wolf let out a growl that sounded like a word.

"Mine."

I gasped. That wolf did not just speak! But its yellow eyes gleamed with a savage intelligence and another rumbling, coherent growl came out of its throat.

"You. Dieee."

I abandoned all logic to scramble to my feet, running as fast as I could even while knowing it was futile. Scalding pain in my ankle had me stumbling, but I didn't stop. I lurched on, heart hammering and tears blurring my vision. Around me, the wolves gleefully yipped as they kept pace.

More pain seared my leg. I fell, panic urging me to get up even though both my legs felt like they were on fire. I tried to run again, but my left ankle buckled. The wolves' cries became more excited. They darted in, nipping me and drawing blood before bounding back and ducking out of the way of my wild punches. I couldn't run anymore, but I staggered forward, looking for anything that would help me. Maybe I could climb a tree. Maybe I could find a heavy branch to use as a weapon.

It's too late for that, Marlee, said an insidious voice in my head. Just give up. It'll be over soon.

The enormous gray wolf suddenly jumped in front of me. Its mouth was open, fangs gleaming in the late afternoon light. It let out a howl that stopped the other wolves in their tracks. Then they joined in, filling the air with their victorious cries. The gray wolf became silent, coming closer while its companions continued their howls. I braced myself, images of my family and friends flashing in my mind. They'll never know what happened to you. You'll just be another vanished hiker in the woods…

Despite my overwhelming fear, anger also reared up in me. I looked at the gray wolf, only a foot away now. You might kill me, but I'm going to hurt you before you do.

When it lunged, I was ready. Its fangs sank into my right arm, which I'd thrown up to protect my throat. But even as I almost fainted at the agony of its teeth tearing my flesh, I didn't hesitate. My left thumb jammed into its eye, as deep as it could go.

Something like a scream came out of the wolf. Or maybe I was screaming. Either way, it took a second for the next, new sound to register, but when it did, I felt a surge of hope. It was the loud, unmistakable boom of a gunshot.

The gray wolf let go of me. I sagged back, clutching my torn arm to my chest. The wolf's right eye was bleeding and it was panting, but it didn't run. Neither did the other wolves. They crouched, staring over my shoulder, snarls coming from their throats.

"Leave," the gray wolf said, garbled but intelligible.

I'm hallucinating again, I thought. Maybe I've passed out. Maybe I'm being ripped to pieces right now.

Something brushed by me. I recoiled when I saw it was several more wolves. With my good arm, I began flailing at them in a pathetic attempt to keep them away, but they ignored me. Their attention seemed fixed on the other, snarling wolves.

When the naked man squatted down next to me, I knew I was hallucinating. I might have even let out a laugh. Maybe all of this was just a horrible dream, and I'd wake up safe in my tent.

"Are you all right?" the man asked, looking me over.

Now I was sure I laughed, but it had an edge of hysteria to it. "Never better."

I looked at his face – and gasped. His eyes were amber and slanted, just like the wolves' eyes, and the same wildness lurked in them.

God, please let this be a dream!

The man stood. He had a gun pointed at the gray wolf. "You've gone too far, Gabriel," he said. "Hunting humans is forbidden. The pack will judge you for this."

The wolf snarled. "They hunt us," it said.

"They don't know better," the man replied. "We do. Either you come with us, or I shoot you with her gun."

I was shaking my head from side to side, even though no one was paying attention to me anymore, it seemed. Talking wolves didn't exist. Muscular men didn't walk around naked in the forest, chatting with non-existent talking wolves. Why I couldn't I wake up? And what was that noise? It was getting louder, like a swarm of bees approaching.

When the gray wolf sat down, shuddered, and its fur began disappearing into its body, I didn't even blink. I was concentrating more on finding the source of that buzzing noise. It was almost deafening now.

The last thing I saw before the noise rose to a crescendo and my vision went black was the wolf's fur being replaced by skin…and the body of a naked man where the gray wolf had just been.

Chapter Two

Pain tugged on my leg. My eyes opened with a rush of terror as my last memory came roaring back.

The wolves. Attacking me.

"No!" I screamed, trying to defend myself.

Something big held me down. I was so panicked, it took me a moment to realize that it wasn't biting me or covered in fur.

"You're all right, the doctor is just setting your ankle," said a deep voice.

My head felt cottony, but I tried to shake that off. I was in a bed. An older blond woman was giving me a mildly irate look as she bent over my ankle. Someone held my upper body in an unyielding grip, and whoever it was didn't look like a nurse.

"Let go of me."

That grip didn't loosen. "Doc?"

"You can let her go, Daniel," the blond woman said.

In my next blink, I was free, staring around the room with its wood walls, rustic interior, and bloody bandages on the floor. Sure, I had healthcare, but unless medical standards had really dropped, this wasn't a hospital.

It took a second for me to recognize the tall, russet-haired man by the bed. "You're the naked guy," I blurted. He wasn't naked now, wearing a pair of loose-fitting denim jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

He smiled, but it looked strained. "You remember."

Not all of it. I knew he'd stopped the wolves from attacking me, but I couldn't remember how, exactly. Or why he'd been naked in the woods in the first place.

There was something about the wolves. Something really important that my groggy mind couldn't quite recall.

"The wolves…" I began.

"I need to finish this," the woman interrupted me. "Hold still. You'll feel some pressure."

She certainly sounds like a doctor, I thought. Professional, uncaring, and using the word 'pressure' to describe what would probably hurt like hell.

My premonition proved correct. A burning pain started in my ankle as she probed, muttering to herself while she shifted it a few times.

"Where am I?" I asked, biting back a yelp. "Is this a Ranger station or something?"

The man stared at me, his hazel eyes seeming to probe as much as the doctor's pitiless fingers.

"What's your name?"

"Marlee. Marlee Peters."

"The sedative shouldn't have worn off this quickly," the woman remarked when I couldn't help but yank back as she manipulated my ankle in a direction it didn't want to go. "You know that, Daniel."

"So give me another one," I said, clenching my teeth as the pain began to throb. 'Pressure', my ass!

Daniel, as the doctor called him, let out a sigh. "Damn Gabriel," he muttered.

Gabriel.

The name conjured up an image of a huge gray wolf glaring at me, one eye bleeding. They hunt us, it had said. Then it started writhing on the ground, its fur disappearing…

I tried to bolt out of bed, but Daniel had me pinned back before I'd even cleared the covers.

"It's all right, Marlee," he said.

"Like hell it is!" Whatever remains of the sedative they'd given me wore off in the flash of that memory. Run, my mind urged.

From over his shoulder, I could see the blond woman sit back in disgust. "I can't work like this," she said.

"Get Joshua," Daniel told her, still holding me to the bed.

I screamed for help, which drowned out any reply the woman made. I kicked, too, even though that hurt my ankle like I'd set it on fire.

Daniel went from holding me down to flattening me on the bed with his body. It was like a ton of bricks just landed on me. He even had his legs tangled in mine so I couldn't kick. I couldn't move, but I could keep screaming, which I did, long and loud. He winced.

"Stop that. You're hurting my ears."

His arms were pinning mine down, but his hands were loose near my face. He could have covered my mouth to shut me up, but he didn't. That meant he wasn't concerned about anyone overhearing, which meant there was no one near enough to help.

I stopped screaming, trying another tactic. "Let me go. I'll leave and you'll never see me again."

"Why were you in the woods alone, Marlee?" he asked. "That's not very safe."

Considering my current situation, the absurdity of that statement made me laugh. "You don't say?"

He ignored that. "You remember what you saw. That's why you stink like fear now."

"It wasn't real," I muttered. "I was tired, I'd been lost for days, and I panicked because of the attack –"

"You know it's real," he cut me off. "Sorry, but you know, so we can't just let you go. Even if nothing comes of your bites."

That froze me more than the two hundred pounds of muscle holding me down. I'd been bitten – several times, in fact. I'd seen the movies, knew enough of the folklore to know what happened to a person who'd been bitten by a…

"This can't be real," I whispered.

His gaze was grim. "It's as real as it gets."

I insisted on sitting in a chair to meet Joshua. Daniel stood next to me, his presence a silent threat that any attempts to leave would be quickly stopped. Still, when one met the leader of a pack of werewolves, one wanted not to be trapped under another werewolf in bed, right? Yeah, I thought so, too.

Of course, I was also still thinking – hoping – that I'd just eaten some bad mushrooms along the trail and none of this was real. Be careful what you wish for, ran through my mind. I'd wished for years to go to Yellowstone. My ex-boyfriend Paul and I had planned this trip, down to the places we'd hike and where we'd camp. We were thrilled when my best friend Brandy and her boyfriend agreed to come. The more the merrier, right?

But things changed. Paul moved to Manhattan, our relationship couldn't overcome the long-distance strain, and four months later, I ended up being a third wheel on this trip instead of it being a fun, couples' getaway. Add that to being overworked and underpaid as a paralegal, and my fervent wish for something new and exciting to come into my life.

Looks like I got that wish, though it might come with a set of claws. I waited, missing my small cubicle at the office more than I'd ever missed anything.

Ten minutes later, the blond doctor returned with a man in his late forties. He had edges of gray on his temples, but the rest of his hair was thick and auburn — the same color as Daniel's, actually. He also had a similar large, muscular build, albeit not quite as lean as Daniel's. He wore a tan jacket and vest over his collared shirt, with a pair of denim pants.

In short, he looked like your typical Yellowstone tourist, not the leader of a secret pack of monsters.

"I'm Joshua," he introduced himself, holding out a hand.

At a loss over what else to do, I shook it. Part of me wanted to run screaming out the door, and the other part wanted to burst into tears. Surprisingly, this myriad of emotions left me feeling slightly numb, like I was running on auto-pilot.

"Marlee."

Joshua sat on the edge of the bed. His posture was casual, but there was nothing relaxed in his gaze. He looked me over as if I were a potentially-contagious virus. I fought not to hold my breath.

"What happened yesterday was very unfortunate," Joshua began.

"Yesterday?" I couldn't help but exclaim, glancing at the window. It was nearly dusk. I'd thought it was the same day as the attack.

"Yesterday," Joshua repeated, giving me a frown that said he wasn't used to being interrupted. "A member of our pack was…distraught over his wife's death. He and a few others began hunting you. You were lucky Daniel found them when he did, but you'd been bitten, so we couldn't drop you off at the nearest hospital. You haven't heard of our kind before, Marlee, and there's a reason. We do whatever's necessary to protect our existence."

We'll kill for it was left unsaid, but I heard that loud and clear. I nodded, striving to hold onto my numbness. Hysteria wouldn't help me, no matter how tempting it was to give in to that.

"A person has to be bitten several times to be at risk of transforming, and half the people who've been bitten still don't shift," Joshua went on briskly. "We won't know whether you'll turn into one of us until the next full moon, two weeks away."

Two weeks? It would take that long for me to find out whether or not I'd become a monster? I'd go insane wondering until then. And if it did happen…well, suicide didn't sound like a bad idea all the sudden.

"What happens if after the full moon, I'm not…ah…like the rest of you?" I couldn't bring myself to say a werewolf. I just couldn't.

Joshua gave me a thin smile. "That depends on you. Either you stay with us, as a member of the skinwalker part of our pack, or…"

He shrugged. That single gesture completed his sentence. Or we kill you.

One way or the other, I was screwed.

Chapter Three

"Hungry?"

I sat in the chair, my broken ankle finally in a cast, and glared at Daniel before replying.

"Somewhere between the death threats and the thought of turning into a four-legged monster, I lost my appetite."

Part of me wondered why I dared to be so surly. The other part figured I was as good as dead anyway, so it didn't matter.

Daniel grunted. "Suit yourself, but I'm getting something."

He stood, stretched, and then held out a hand. I just stared at it.

"What?"

"You're coming with me," he replied. "Who knows what kind of trouble you'd stir up if I left you alone?"

"And I suppose you'll just drag me along anyway if I refuse?"

A smile quirked his mouth. "You learn fast, don't you?"

I gave Daniel another withering look that didn't seem to faze him. He was extremely striking, in an outdoorsy-type of way. His hair was chin length and russet, and he had a faint weathering to his features that spoke of long days outside. Daniel only looked a couple years older than me, which would put him at about thirty, but there was an air of command about him that made him seem older. None of the lawyers at my

office had such a dominating presence, in fact.

But I wasn't about to let him know how much he intimidated me. Wasn't there a saying that showing fear in front of an animal made it more aggressive? "So, you're the group's babysitter, is that it?"

"I'm the pack's enforcer, so it's my job to make sure anyone who's a danger to us – like you – doesn't get away. And I'm very good at my job, Marlee."

At over six feet tall with muscles bulging from every limb, yeah, Daniel looked like he did a good job of enforcing. He'd scare anyone with half a brain.

"What are you going to do with me for two weeks? You can't keep me tied to your hip." I didn't even want to think about after that, or what might happen on the full moon.

He rubbed a knuckle under his chin and considered me. "With your limp, you wouldn't get far even if you did manage to slip away from me – which you wouldn't. So, let's get some dinner, then you can wash up and begin plotting ways to outsmart us dumb animals."

Daniel said that last part with a challenging look that let me know he was both aware of my aversion to what they were and of my dreams of escape. I glanced away, gritting my teeth.

"Didn't you say you were hungry?"

He held out his hand again. "Come on. Let's eat."

I had to take Daniel's arm to avoid hopping on one leg to the dining lodge. They didn't give me any crutches, which I supposed was deliberate so as to keep me at a disadvantage. It looked like I was in some sort of tiny Wild West town, of all things. A narrow strip of street ran down between the twin rows of shops, lodgings,

and…were those saloons? I half expected someone to gallop by on horseback, shooting at the moon.

"What is this place?" I asked.

Daniel grunted. "Not what you were expecting, right? Let me guess. You thought we'd live in a big den in the woods?"

From his expression, he was teasing, but I wasn't trying to make friends with my kidnapper.

"The 1800's called. They want their Tombstone replica back," I replied. Two could play at being a smart ass.

Daniel kept perfect pace with me. I was using his arm as a sort of brace. His reflexes were so fast, he counter-balanced my every step, so I almost walked at my normal speed.

"You're not far off," he said, ignoring my sarcasm. "This was an old mining town back in the nineteenth century. It was empty for decades after the silver dried up, but then some of my relatives bought it and the surrounding land. We restored many of the original buildings and cabins, plus added upgrades. Now, we rent it out seasonally as a private resort area."

That brought me to a stop. "Werewolves running a resort town?" I asked incredulously.

He shrugged. "We have to make a living, just like everyone else."

This was like being in an episode of The Twilight Zone.

We passed several people on our way down the street. I was surprised at how normal they looked. There were men and women of varying ages, plus a couple children, and everyone appeared to be minding their own business – aside from all the sideways glances I was getting.

"Are all of them like you?" I asked, keeping my voice calm. My heart had started to pound, however, and if the movies were right, they could hear it. There were so many of them. How would I ever get away?

"Most of them," Daniel said. "The others are skinwalkers – normal people, to you. But you don't have to be afraid of anyone, Marlee. We're not what you think."

"I've already had some of your group try to kill me, and you and Joshua seem pretty open about how you'll finish the job," I replied shortly. "So you'll excuse me if I don't buy the whole 'we're misunderstood' speech."

Something flashed in Daniel's eyes. It made me back up a step, but his hand shot out and gripped my arm.

"Why'd you bring that gun camping with you?" he asked, voice soft. "You brought it for protection, right? Because if anyone tried to hurt you, you'd hurt them, right? Well, now imagine someone's trying to hurt your entire family. How far would you go to stop that?"

Daniel leaned in, tightening his grip so I couldn't pull back. "I'd do anything to stop that," he whispered near my ear. "Including holding you hostage. If you got away, you'd tell people about us. People who would come and hurt my family. So yeah, I'm ruthless when it comes to protecting my pack. But don't pretend you wouldn't be the same way, if the shoe were on the other foot."

That gleam of wildness was in his eyes again. The otherness that reminded me that an animal lurked inside him. I shivered.

"Let go of me."

He did, dropping my arm only to hold his out again. "We're almost there," he said, nodding at the square building to the left.

I balanced on his arm again. We didn't speak as we walked the rest of the way to the dining lodge.

It looked like any normal, rustic restaurant inside, if a little more upscale. Instead of smaller tables scattered throughout, there were several long tables arranged in the room, each seating over a dozen. The food seemed to be served family-style, with large dishes placed in the middle of the tables from which everyone took their

servings. There was a moment of quiet as Daniel and I walked in.

"This is Marlee," Daniel said to the room at large. "She's joining us."

I didn't know if he meant for dinner, as a possible new werewolf, or some other cryptic thing. I didn't argue, though. Not while feeling like a piece of meat dangled above a crocodile pit.

"Hi," I said. God, that sounded stupid, but what else was I supposed to say? Somebody call 911 sounded tempting, but I didn't think it would do any good.

An older woman bustled up to me, smiling. "Welcome, dear! Aren't you pretty? Such beautiful brown hair."

I just wanted to sit, hide, and plot my escape, not exchange pleasantries with Mrs. Butterworth's version of a werewolf.

"Um, thanks."

"Let's set you up over here, it's quieter," she said, leading Daniel and I to a table that only had four other people at it.

"Thanks, Mom," Daniel said.

I stopped so fast, I almost staggered. "Mom?"

A grin edged his mouth. "Everyone has one, after all."

"Quit teasing Marlee, she looks starved," his mother said to Daniel, holding out a chair for me. "We have excellent venison stew tonight. That should help put the color back in your face."

I sat at the table, avoiding eye contact with the other four people, though I did notice one was a female. Daniel sat next to me, that half-smile still on his face.

"Not what you expected again?" he asked.

I glanced around the room once more. People were laughing, eating, and chatting. Sure, I kept getting discreet looks, but no one was licking their chops in a menacing way at me. It all looked terribly…civilized.

"No," I replied, and left it at that. These people might look nice, but they were my kidnappers. My executioners, if I refused to become one of their group. All the table manners in the world couldn't make up for that.

"Daniel," someone at the table said. "Introduce me."

I glanced up, meeting a pair of blue eyes on a smiling face. Black hair hung past his shoulders, untamed and playful, like his expression.

"Finn." There was a hint of a growl in Daniel's voice that hadn't been there before. "This is Marlee. Marlee, my younger brother, Finn."

Again I was surprised at the family connection, though I shouldn't have been. Why wouldn't all of their kind congregate together?

"Hi," I said in the same non-committal tone I'd used before.

"Charmed," Finn replied, grin widening.

"Cut her a break, she's had a bad day," the girl next to him muttered before giving me a sympathetic glance. "I'm Laurel, Daniel's cousin. Sorry about what happened."

"Which part?" I couldn't help but ask.

She sighed. "All of it."

There was no stopping my snort. "Yeah. Me, too."

Daniel cleared his throat. I returned my gaze to the table in front of me, tracing its edge. It'll be another day or so before people even realize something's happened to me. How long after that before Brandy or my parents organize a search, if there is one? How many days will go by before they give me up for dead? How am I supposed to just sit here, surrounded by werewolves, and pretend nothing is wrong?

A tear slid down my cheek. I sucked in my breath, aghast, but that only made it worse. Another one came down. Then another. I bent my head, hoping my hair would hide it, when a warm hand landed on my shoulder.

"Laurel, have the food sent to my cabin," Daniel said, then he scooped me up before I could even protest. We were out of the dining lodge and down the street in the next few heartbeats.

"God, you're so fast," I gasped in astonishment. Fresh tears spurted. How could I ever get away, if he moved this fast and there was a town full of more creatures like him?

"You're going to be okay, Marlee," he said.

No, I wasn't. I was trapped in a strange place surrounded by creatures that weren't supposed to exist. My old life might not have been all champagne and roses, but no one had the right to rip me away from it without my consent. The enormity of what I'd lost between yesterday and today slammed into me. I didn't care anymore that the tears wouldn't stop, or that I started hitting Daniel. My grief was too sharp to worry about embarrassment or consequences.

Chapter Four

Wolves were chasing me, biting at my ankles, snarling as they crowded around me, letting out howls that made my blood turn to ice. I ran, twigs stinging me as I darted between the trees, gasping for breath, crying out with each new flash of pain in my legs. They were toying with me. My death was only a matter of time.

The full moon came into view between the trees, illuminating more wolves in my path. I screamed at them, but it came out as a howl. Horrified, I looked down to see that my feet had turned into paws. Fur slithered up my body, replacing my skin. I fell forward, claws shooting out of my fingers…

"NO!"

I woke up screaming the word, flinging the sheets away like they were animals attacking me. It took me a second to orient myself. Wood ceiling, wood walls, an antler chandelier above me. Right. I was in Daniel's cabin. All the better to make sure I couldn't escape.

He sat in the reclining chair on the opposite side of the room, eyes slitted. Watching me. He'd slept in the chair last night. I guess I should appreciate him giving me the bed, but my gratitude was in short supply.

"Another nightmare?" he asked quietly.

I'd had them all night. Either I was getting eaten by wolves, or I was turning into one. Terrifying no matter which way you sliced it.

Daniel stretched. The afghan he'd thrown over himself slipped, revealing that he'd taken off his shirt. Cords of muscles flexed beneath taut, tanned skin.

Despite everything, I looked. I'd never seen such a perfectly muscled body before – at least, one that wasn't on TV advertising gym equipment. Daniel didn't have the bloated look associated with steroid users, but he had a thick, brawny frame that usually spoke of many hours in a gym. Absurdly, the image of a werewolf

bench-pressing flashed in my mind.

I glanced up to find Daniel staring at me. He didn't wink or make a comment, but there was no doubt he knew I'd been staring at his body.

I managed to shrug. "Stockholm syndrome," I said. "The whole 'bonding with your captor' thing. I've already cried in your arms, now I'm checking you out. Just ignore it. Of course, I can't be your first captive, so you're probably used to this."

A faint smile touched his mouth. "You're the first female I've had to quarantine, and none of the men looked at me the way you did."

There was something deeper in his voice with that last sentence. I shivered, both from unease and other things. Yes, Daniel was very attractive with his dark hair, thick brows, full mouth, and piercing hazel eyes – not to mention that body. But this wasn't a first date. This was a hostage situation, and a macabre one at that.

"Don't let it go to your head. I'm scared to death and looking for any form of comfort," I said, regaining control. "Speaking of that, since a certain murderous gray wolf keeps appearing in my nightmares, I need to know. What happened to Gabriel?"

Daniel's face became shuttered. "He's under arrest. If you shift, he dies for infecting you against your will. If you don't turn, Joshua said Gabriel losing his eye was punishment enough. Joshua had liquid silver poured into Gabriel's eye so it wouldn't heal."

Their harshness apparently wasn't limited just to outsiders. I felt mildly sick over what I'd heard, but under the circumstances, pity for Gabriel was beyond me.

"And the others?" Gabriel hadn't been alone.

"They run the gauntlet."

Daniel said it lightly, but I swallowed. "As in, the thing Native Indians used to do with captives, where they line up on both sides and beat the shit out of the person as he tries to dash down the center?"

That hint of wildness was back in Daniel's gaze again, a primal, untamed gleam I'd never seen except in the eyes of an animal. On a full-grown man, it both was mesmerizing and frightening.

"Something like that. Except we'll be in our fur, and they won't."

I couldn't help but gulp. That sounded barbaric, and it was on my account. Something occurred to me.

"But it isn't the full moon. How can you…you know?" In fact, how had any of

the werewolves changed form the other day, if I had to wait until the full moon to see if I was infected?

"Once we're past the first year, we can shift at will. New pack members are dependent on the full moon to change, though."

I digested this. "So, right now, you could turn into a –"

"Wolf," he finished for me. "Yes."

So many emotions crashed through me. Fear. Revulsion. Curiosity. Disbelief. What if all of this was a twisted farce, and I hadn't seen what I'd thought was a wolf turning into a man in the woods? What if this was just a town full of crazies who thought they were wolves, and in my stress, I'd bought into that?

"Show me."

The words were out of my mouth before I could form another thought. I had to see it. No matter what.

Daniel stood, the afghan falling to the floor. He met my eyes, and a ripple went through me. His were even wilder than before, starting to slant and gleam with amber. He undid his jeans, letting them drop to the floor.

Nothing but bare skin underneath.

I might have made a sound. Seeing a magnificent naked male body only a few feet away is worth a sharp intake of breath, no matter the circumstances. But all my feminine appreciation fell away when he crouched on the floor and rivers of silvery hair began to replace the skin on his back. There was a crunching sound as bones curved, popped, and formed where none had been before. It didn't look the same as in the movies. There was no screaming. No slow protracting of a muzzle replacing a face, blood spurting, or drawn-out writhing. Daniel had simply crouched on the floor and then, in about ten seconds, a wolf the size of a pony, covered in silver and charcoal fur, stared at me with bright yellow eyes.

"Marlee," it – Daniel – rumbled.

I felt light-headed. Nope, you're not crazy, and neither are they. But that's the bad news.

I had moved toward the door without even being aware of it. Daniel sat on his haunches in front of it, those golden eyes drilling into mine.

"Sit," he said.

A rather unhinged cackle came out of me. What looked like a huge dog was telling me to sit. How backward was that?

"Woof," I replied in a shaky voice, but sat in the chair he'd recently vacated. The wolf's lips pulled back in a canine version of a grin.

"Stay."

I was about to say he was pushing it, when there was another ripple over his body. As seamlessly as water flowing on rocks, skin covered that thick silvery coat of hair, bones elongated, reformed, and in less time than it took me to get over the shock of seeing a wolf in the room, a naked man knelt on the floor. The only thing left over from the unbelievable transformation was a fine sheen of sweat on his skin.

"Does it hurt?"

Daniel sat back. "The first few times. Then you get used to it, and it feels…freeing."

He looked like a man. A beautiful, mouth-watering specimen of a man, in fact. But an enormous animal was inside him, and took up God only knew how much of his mind and conscience.

Daniel smiled slightly. "You smell like fear again, Marlee, but I've already told you – you have nothing to be afraid of."

"That's the scariest thing I've ever seen," I replied, glad my voice was steady even though I was shaking inside. "How do I even know I'm talking to you? It might just as well be the wolf."

"It's both," he said at once. "Always. And you still don't need to be afraid."

Yeah. Sure. Considering it might be me shifting into an animal in a couple weeks. From where I was sitting, I had plenty to be afraid about.

"I want to go home."

Even as I said it, I knew it was useless. But it was true—so true that the very words ached.

"I'm sorry for what brought you here. But even if you left and never told anyone about the pack, think of your family. You'd hurt one of them, Marlee. You wouldn't mean to, but you'd do it."

Ice crept up my spine. "What are you talking about?"

He inclined his head. "Your ankle."

I looked at it. It was still wrapped in a cast, same as before. What…?

It hit me. When I'd walked to the door from the bed minutes ago, I hadn't been limping, hadn't felt a twinge of pain. The ugly scratches and cuts were also gone.

"Your ankle isn't broken anymore," Daniel confirmed, sympathy etched on his face. "And there isn't a mark on your skin, which would be impossible…unless you were one of us."

Chapter Five

The lights from the street seemed to pale in comparison to the moon, which shone like an ominous bright hourglass in the sky. I looked up at it and shuddered. When it reached fullness, I would change into something not human. The thought was still as unbelievable as it was horrifying.

All the residents of the town were in the streets. I did a mental head count and came up with forty, maybe fifty people. The 'pack', Daniel called them. My new family.

I thought I might throw up.

There was a slight commotion as a dozen people came from the far end of town. I recognized one of them and flinched, but Daniel laid a light hand on my arm.

Even though he was a virtual stranger, the gesture calmed me. It shouldn't, of course. Daniel was dangerous, but somehow I sensed he'd defend me against the man being led to the middle of the street.

I'd only glimpsed it right before passing out, but still, I'd know that face. When someone tries to murder you, it makes an impression. Not to mention that Gabriel was the only person here with one eye. His dark brown hair hung in strands around his face, and he was naked. What was it with these people and their lack of clothes?

Joshua stepped out from the crowd. At least he was still dressed. "Gabriel Thompson, you have been found guilty of infecting a human against their will."

"It's not the full moon," Gabriel snarled, trying to pull free of the two men who held him. "How do you know she will turn?"

Joshua looked my way. Daniel grasped my hand and led me forward. I didn't want to get closer to Gabriel, but thankfully, Daniel stopped after a few feet. The blond doctor stepped out of the crowd.

Gabriel shot me a look of pure hate. Instead of scaring me, it strengthened the momentary wobble I'd had in my knees. I'd never done anything to him, but he'd ruined my life. If anyone had a right to hatred, it was me.

I put my shoulders back and matched his glare. Daniel gave me an approving nod.

"Diana," Joshua addressed the blond doctor. It was the first I'd heard her name. "You

examined Marlee yesterday. What did you find?"

"Her right ankle was fractured," Diana recounted in a clinical voice. "She had multiple abrasions, contusions, lacerations, and puncture wounds on both her legs, plus a deeper wound on her right arm."

Joshua swept out a hand to me. "Look at her now."

I could almost feel the eyes raking over me, taking in my skin revealed by the short sleeved shirt and rolledup pants I was wearing. Both were too big, since they were Daniel's. My own clothes had been bloodied and ripped up in the attack, so they were no good. I didn't ask about what happened to my backpack. Seeing it again would remind me too much of everything I'd lost.

"She is completely healed. There is the proof," Joshua stated flatly. "Gabriel, your sentence is death."

Gabriel was released. He looked around in defiance, and I saw some people bow their heads, wiping at their eyes. Was his family here? I wondered. Daniel's was; I could see his mother on the opposite side of the street. How awful for Gabriel's family, even though I still didn't pity him.

"I die, but the rest of you will follow," Gabriel hissed. "I'm only giving out the same mercy our kind has been shown. I refuse to be ashamed to hunt those who kill us."

His words had barely died away when a shot rang out. I jumped, sucking in a breath as a gory crimson hole bloomed on Gabriel's chest. His eyes went wide, then he let out two harsh, labored breaths before falling to the ground.

Somebody sobbed. Joshua's face was grim as he lowered the smoking rifle.

"We only hunt to eat what we need to survive. We will never be like them," he stated.

Seeing someone die from a gunshot wound was nothing like in the movies, either. No, it was horrible in ways I couldn't even begin to describe.

"Never be like whom?" I asked Daniel. My voice was dull from shock.

He didn't look away from Gabriel's twitching, bleeding form. "Humans."

I didn't stay to watch the five men run the gauntlet. I'd already seen things that would be burned on my memory, no matter how I'd try to forget them. Daniel took me back to his cabin. He made coffee in silence and handed me a cup. It tasted like it was laced with something alcoholic, which I was grateful for.

Occasionally, I'd hear shouts coming from the direction of the town. The gauntlet was a noisy business, it seemed.

"Gabriel's wife," I said after the minutes stretched. "Joshua said a member of the pack was upset because his wife had been killed. That was Gabriel, right? Did…did hunters kill his wife?"

Daniel sat across from me, resting his elbows on the table as he drank from his own cup. The lighting in the kitchen reflected off his hair, making the russet color look richer.

"Yes."

"But why hurt me?" I wondered. "I was camping, not hunting wolves!"

A sigh rumbled out of Daniel. "Gabriel wasn't being logical. Neither were the others with him. The pack has been going through a hard time since the laws were changed."

"What laws? No one even knows about werewolves; it's not like it's open season on them."

"Gray wolves were taken off the endangered species list a few months ago," Daniel said, his expression hooded. "The government did it knowing what would happen. Before the ink was dry, scores of wolves were killed. They're trying to eliminate all wolves again. What Gabriel did was wrong, but I know what drove him to it. You can't understand what it's like, having people try to wipe out your very existence."

His voice was bitter. I set my coffee cup down with a bang.

"I'm Jewish. Don't tell me I can't understand what that's like."

After a long moment, Daniel inclined his head. We sat in silence, but oddly, it wasn't tense silence. It was as if we'd come to an unspoken truce.

"So," I said at last, mythology and reality competing in my mind. "Gabriel's wife was shot while in wolf form. How would the hunters know to use silver bullets? Maybe you've been found out after all."

A bleak smile cracked his face.

"The bullets don't have to be silver. No, Marlee, we can be killed in a lot of normal ways. But if the wound isn't mortal, and if it's not exposed to silver, we can usually heal it."

There was noise from the town again. Something like a cheer. Daniel nodded in its direction. "They must be finished."

What a strange, harsh society this was. Gauntlets. Executions. Shapeshifting. And me, stuck right in the middle of it.

"You know that soon, my family will start a search for me," I said. "My parents will notice when I don't come back from vacation, not to mention that my employers will wonder what happened when I don't show up in the next few days."

He shook his head. "What were you thinking, hiking alone?"

His tone was so scolding that I stiffened. "I didn't start out alone. My friends came with me, but then Brandy twisted her ankle so she and Tom had to leave. I was going to leave, too, but…"

I stopped. Finishing that sentence would be too revealing. But I was sick of putting my dreams on hold, waiting for the perfect situation.

I'd put off so many things thinking I had to have my life set up just perfectly first. It's why I stayed at my job as a paralegal instead of continuing my education to be a lawyer (I wanted to decide on the perfect branch of law to practice before making that leap). It's why I'd waited so long to take this camping trip (I wanted to

pay my car off before splurging on a vacation). It's also why I hadn't moved to Manhattan with Paul when he'd asked me. No, I'd wanted to be further along in my career before taking my relationship with him to the next level.

Staring at Brandy's twisted ankle that day, thinking that again I was going to have to put my plans on hold, had been the last straw. I'd decided to hell with waiting. Even if I was doing it alone, I was hiking through Yellowstone like I'd planned.

And look where that decision got me.

"You wouldn't understand," was all I said.

His gaze was steady. "I thought we'd just established that we're both capable of understanding a lot more than the other realizes."

I let out an impatient sigh. "All right, then how's this? I don't want to tell you. I don't know why I'm even talking to you. You're my kidnapper."

"Not really." Softly, but the words still resonated. "You're part of the pack now. And as enforcer, I keep the pack safe. Even if it's from themselves."

This wasn't a conversation I wanted to explore. I yawned, hoping he'd take the hint.

He did. Daniel pushed his chair back and stretched. "Are you going to give me trouble if I take a shower?"

I eyed him warily. "I won't throw a radio in with you, if that's what you're talking about."

He grinned. "Good to know, but I meant, can I trust you not to run away while I'm in the shower? I don't want to have to tie you to a chair, but I also don't feel like chasing after you with soap in my eyes."

I looked away from his smile, which was charming, sexy, and dangerous all at the same time. It wasn't the dangerous part that unnerved me; it was the other things.

"I'll stay put." But only because you'd hear me if I didn't.

Daniel went in the bathroom and I sat on the bed, debating whether to climb under the covers, since the room was chilly. Finally I decided to wait. I'd shower once Daniel was done, then I'd borrow one of his shirts to sleep in again. At least they were long enough that modesty wasn't an issue.

I cast one longing look at the window and the freedom that lay beyond it, but then sighed. Daniel would chase after me, stark naked and soapy, then he'd probably tie me to a chair after all. The thought of sleeping sitting up while duct-taped didn't appeal to me. No, I'd wait for another chance to escape. One had to come up.

After about ten minutes, Daniel appeared in the door frame. His hair looked darker wet, and drops of water still beaded his skin. All he had on was a towel slung low on his hips, the white color emphasizing his tan. He ran a hand through his hair, flinging more droplets away. With that simple, muscle-rippling gesture, he made me forget everything for a moment and just stare.

No wonder he isn't human. No normal person could be this sculpted and gorgeous.

It occurred to me that I was still staring even though several seconds had ticked away. Look away, stupid! flashed through my mind. So I did, dragging my gaze up his chest to meet his face.

He wasn't smiling. He wasn't scowling. No, he was just staring at me with such an open hunger that a painful clench grabbed me below the waist. All at once, I wasn't chilled. I was warm, bordering on sweating.

This is wrong. All wrong. Don't you dare. You need to snap out of this right now.

"Stockholm syndrome," I whispered. It could only be that. Who in their right mind got turned on by their kidnapper, no matter what he looked like?

"Or something else." Daniel's voice was equally soft, but it contained an undertone that sent a shiver through me. "Wolves can tell their intended mate by scent, sometimes before they've even sighted them. Once the two meet…things are inevitable from there."

That wildness was lurking in his eyes again. It made me twist the bed sheets with my fingers.

"I'm not a wolf."

Daniel just smiled, dark and sensual and promising.

"You will be soon."

Chapter Six

A tentative knock sounded at the door. "Can I come in?"

The voice was feminine. I would have said no, but as there was no lock, so what was the point?

"Fine."

A girl with auburn hair came in. It took a moment, but then I recognized her from the other night. Daniel's cousin. Damned if I remembered her name.

"I brought you some clothes," she said. "Hope they fit, but if they don't, you can take them back. The store's right down the street."

The girl set a couple bags on the bed. I'd barely left this room for two days since the night of the gauntlet. Confusion and uncertainty overwhelmed me. What had started out as a twisted hostage scenario had changed into something more: I could now sense the rain before it started, hear noises from further away than humanly possible, and had recurring dreams about turning into a wolf that had turned from terrifying to

strangely exhilarating instead.

No, what had me hiding in my room at the moment was that I was increasingly drawn to Daniel. I craved his scent more than food, followed him with my gaze whenever he entered the room, and had to literally fight with myself not to touch him when he was near. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. The worst part was, I was pretty sure Daniel knew what I was going through.

He'd tried to talk to me for the past two days, but I refused to speak with him. I didn't trust myself. I should be focusing on the fact that I was changing into a monster, and not be secretly fascinated by my new senses, or lusting after the person who held me prisoner. The night of the full moon loomed in front of me like an executioner's axe. Whatever control I had over myself now, I knew it would be gone as soon as that ghostly orb rose in the sky. Some primal, burgeoning part of me was looking forward to that.

"…thought we could have a soak," the girl was saying. "That always helps me when I'm upset."

"What?" I hadn't been paying attention to a word she was saying.

"The hot springs," she repeated. "We have indoor and outdoor ones. I bought you a swimsuit. Anything's got to be better than being cooped up in this room day and night."

Outside. With just her. I gave her a quick, cagey look. Maybe this was my chance. She was petite, looked about nineteen or twenty, and seemed nice. Let's hope she was gullible, too.

"Sure. Thanks," I added, smiling. "What's your name again? I'm sorry, I don't remember."

"Laurel," she said with an answering smile. "Here, I'll leave so you can change."

"Can we go to whichever spring has the least amount of people? I'm, ah, shy about being in a bathing suit around strangers."

Growing up spending my summers at Lake Michigan, that was a lie, but she didn't know that. She nodded.

"Sure."

I lowered my voice. "He doesn't need to come, does he?" I asked, with a nod toward the rest of the cabin, where Daniel was. "I'm so tired of him shadowing my every move."

She lowered her voice as well. "I'll talk to him."

My smile widened. Nice and gullible. My luck was changing.

If circumstances were different, I would have been awed at how beautiful this place was. The cabins were set near the end of the mini-town and spaced well apart for privacy. The mountains loomed majestically around all of it. Forests bridged the bottom of the mountains, adding a more secluded feel, and the steam rising up

from the rock-bed hot springs looked both soothing and inviting.

But, sinking into the warm mineral water, I was reminded of my tub at home in my apartment. A stab of longing went through me when I thought about my parents, who I'd meant to call before leaving on my camping trip. My older sister, Leigh. My nephew, who'd just turned one last month. My coworkers, who made the long hours from nine to five pass much more quickly. My best friend Brandy. Her boyfriend Tom, who told me in confidence right before they left that he was going to pop the question. Would I see any of them again?

I will, I promised myself. I'll get away. I'll…I'll find a doctor to cure me. I just have to get away. No matter what.

"Feeling better?" Laurel asked. She leaned back, settling her arms around the edge of the rock lip.

"Yes." And I did. I'd committed myself to a course of action and I'd follow it through. No matter what.

"I don't know why you'd be embarrassed to be seen in a swimsuit, Marlee," she went on. "You're very pretty. Finn's already interested."

"Finn?" I asked blankly.

"My cousin. The guy with the long black hair. You met him the same night you met me."

Oh yeah. "He looked young," I said neutrally.

She laughed. "He's forty-two."

My jaw dropped as I remembered the smooth-skinned, flirty Finn. "Can't be."

Laurel gave me a slanted look. "There are advantages, you know," she said in a casual tone. "You know how one year equals seven in a dog's life? Well, we have the reverse of that. And you already know we heal a lot faster than normal people. Plus, when we change, we experience the world in ways no one else can. I don't know how anyone would rather be just a human."

I gaped at her. Just when I thought things couldn't get any stranger.

"How old are you?" I managed.

She settled back more comfortably. "Oh, I'm only twenty, but the good news is, I'll look like this for a long time. The age slowing doesn't happen until puberty's over, thank God. Imagine being a teenager for forty years?"

I couldn't. "And Daniel?"

"I'll let him tell you how old he is," Laurel replied. She had a little smirk that made me wary.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Like hell. She was obviously itching to say more. I scooted closer, lowering my voice.

"What?"

Laurel's smirk widened. "Normally, when someone's exposed to us like you were – which is very rare, by the way – Daniel is the one to bring them in, but he doesn't watch that person the whole time. He's big on privacy. He's never had someone stay at his cabin for four days straight, even a girlfriend. Add his refusal to let Finn visit you and, well…he's acting possessive. Like a wolf with his future mate."

I was alternating between shocked and triumphant. Daniel, seeing me as a future mate? So it wasn't just me who'd been so affected the past few days!

But that presented a whole new set of problems. It was one thing when I thought Daniel was just doing his job as the pack's enforcer. Knowing he might be feeling the same thing toward me would decimate the slim hold I had on my control, and I still needed to get away. Not complicate things to a fantastic degree.

Or, Laurel could be wrong. Daniel could be keeping me close because he knew I hadn't really accepted this as my new life. Either way, I had to take advantage of my chance, which brought me to why I'd agreed to this outing.

I hunched a little, letting an expression of pain spasm on my face.

"What's wrong?" Laurel asked.

"Cramps," I said with another grimace. "I'm getting my period. Could you do me a huge favor? I don't want to embarrass myself by springing a leak while walking back to town. Can you get me some tampons? I'll wait here."

I climbed out of the hot water and sat on one of the large rocks, wrapping a towel around me. Here's hoping the universal sympathy every woman had for that time of the month would result in Laurel doing something stupid.

She gave me such an odd look that I cursed myself for not coming up with a better reason for her to go away. Well, I didn't have much time to think up a clever ploy. But then she smiled.

"Be right back."

Laurel got up, fastened a towel around herself, and walked away. I waited, barely breathing, until she rounded a cabin that took her out of sight, then I bounded up, running flat out of the nearest line of trees.

Chapter Seven

I didn't have shoes on so rocks cut into my feet, but I ignored them. It would only take Laurel ten to fifteen minutes to return. That's all the time I had to get away.

I ran like I was on fire, noting with a growing sense of awareness that I was moving faster than I ever had before. Maybe it was the werewolf curse inside me that would help me get away. Go faster. Head for the mountains. It'll be harder for them to track your scent over all the rock.

The forest was alive with sounds. The cry of birds. The rustling of branches as they rubbed together in the wind. The thuds my feet made on the drying leaves strewn over the uneven ground. That feeling of fright began to lessen, replaced with an inexplicable joy over running as hard and fast as I could. I might be running away from this life, but right now, I felt strong, free, and wild, like the forest itself was spurring my steps. I went faster, forgetting the pain in my feet, until the trees were almost a blur around me. Giddiness bubbled inside me. This felt right. Like I'd been waiting my whole life to run this way.

Something hard collided with me, snatching me up. My heart was already pounding, but it kicked into another gear as I glimpsed who'd grabbed me. Daniel. He whirled me around to face him, those blazing amber eyes pinning me as tightly as his grip did.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, giving me a shake. "You're in a bathing suit and a towel! I should have waited and gone after you tomorrow. Maybe spending the night freezing out here would have knocked some sense into you."

My emotions were on overload from the dizzying adrenaline rush of my escape, the frustration of being caught, and the residual exhilaration of the run. I didn't feel like myself. I felt as if something hiding inside me had finally taken over.

I grabbed Daniel's hair and yanked his head down, slanting my mouth across his. There was a split second where he froze — then his mouth opened, his tongue twisting with mine. His hand tangled in my hair, jerking me closer, while the other hand molded our bodies together. The heat coming from him made me gasp, but I

pressed against him, wanting more of it. He growled, kissing me deeper, harder, unleashing a flood of lust even as it shook me from my earlier recklessness.

If you don't stop now, you'll end up having sex here, on the ground just like the animal you're turning into…

"No!"

I wrenched away, panting. Daniel let me out of his arms, but his hand tightened on my wrist, not letting me get entirely free.

"What's wrong?"

I gave a bark of laughter. "You. Me. Everything."

He pushed his hair out of his face, staring at me with an intensity that made me shiver.

"It's right, even if you don't want to admit it."

My towel had fallen to the ground, leaving me in just the bathing suit. Daniel's eyes slid over me like a rough caress. A tremor ran through me and gooseflesh rippled, as if my skin were trying to arc toward him with a will of its own.

Daniel's grip on my wrist softened to a light stroke of his fingers. "You want me," he said in a low voice. "Why are you pushing me away?"

That stiffened my spine. "Because I can. You've stolen all my other choices, but this one's still mine. And I say no."

He let me go. That warm amber light in his eyes hardened to something darker. He picked up my towel, handed it to me, and turned his back.

"I'm not the one who stole your choices. Gabriel did. If you stay in these woods, you'll probably die of exposure. If you don't, then in a week, you'll change, but you won't know how to change back. Eventually you'll go insane, trapped in your new form, controlled by urges you can't imagine. You'll end up mauling whoever you come across, be it man, woman, or child. Then people will hunt you. They'll kill other wolves trying to get to you, but sooner or later, they'll find you. You'll get shot or caught in a trap, but either way, it will be horrible. Walk away now and people are guaranteed to die, including you. Come back with me and no one dies. There's your choice."

"I can get to a doctor, find a cure," I replied stubbornly.

Daniel laughed, but it was harsh. "We've had doctors within the pack try to find a cure for decades. Not for ourselves, but to fix people who've been unwillingly infected, like you. There is no cure, Marlee. If there was, we'd have given it to you already."

Hopelessness crashed over me. "You're telling me I'll never see my family and friends again. You're so willing to do anything for your pack, but you expect me to just forget about anyone who's ever meant anything to me in my life!"

He still didn't turn around. "If you wouldn't have refused to speak to me for days, I'd have told you that you only need to be quarantined for a couple months. Once you've learned control, you can see your family and friends. They can come here, or you can move away. You'd need to live somewhere close to wolves, though, so when you change, you're not running on four legs down a city street attracting unwanted attention."

My brain whirled with this new information. I didn't have to be trapped here forever. I could go home, see my parents, my sister, Brandy, even my nephew again. I could wait it out. Get control. Could I actually learn to live as both a woman and a wolf?

Daniel started walking away, the dried leaves crunching under his feet. I stared after him, not moving. Was he really giving me a choice? If I walked the other way, would he truly not stop me?

I tested it. Turned and walked in the other direction. There wasn't the slightest hesitation in his steps as he kept going. He's tricking you, my cynicism whispered. He'll come back.

I kept walking. So did he. Soon the sounds of Daniel's footsteps began to lessen as we moved further away from each other. After ten minutes, I couldn't hear him at all.

Chapter Eight

Even with the moonlight illuminating the forest, I would have been lost without Daniel's scent. I wasn't used to relying on my sense of smell, but that's exactly what I was doing as I walked back through the woods toward what I thought was the town. In my peripheral vision, hazy flashes of maroon darted by. It had scared me the first few times I saw it, but then I realized what it was. I was seeing the heat living creatures gave off, just like I was looking through an infrared camera.

My sharpened senses made me feel more alive than I ever had. It seemed like I'd been sleepwalking the previous twenty-five years of my life, numbed to all the brilliance of the world around me. Of course, I knew what this was—the wolf in me, getting ready to be freed.

It was the main reason why, after sitting in the forest watching the sun fall and the moon rise, I was walking back to the town. Chosen or not, I was part wolf now. I couldn't go back to my family, friends, or coworkers, not knowing what I was capable of, even if I did make it out of these woods. If the choice was sacrificing

months of my life dealing with the strangest scenario imaginable, versus risking people I loved by hoping Daniel was wrong and I wouldn't one day eat them…well, there was no choice. Not in my opinion.

That wasn't the reason my heart started to beat faster when I recognized the man leaning against a tree just outside the limits of the town. All right, I'd had more motivation than just protecting my loved ones by returning. With every step I'd taken away from Daniel, something burning and heavy had settled in my heart. It was as unfamiliar, frightening, and exciting as the other changes I'd experienced this week. How could I care so much after such a short period of time? I'd been with Paul for three years, but hadn't felt the crushing sense of loss at our breakup that I did walking away from Daniel. Was it some supernatural hormone gone haywire? I didn't know. I only knew it was the most real thing I'd ever felt.

"I thought you were letting me go," I said. "Yet here you are, still in the forest instead of in bed at your cabin."

Daniel turned. He was still too far away for me to see his expression, but his voice sounded raw. "I was letting you go, but no wolf can sleep while his mate is in danger."

Mate. Such a primitive word, and so possessive. All things considered, we barely knew each other. Why wasn't I uneasy at hearing it? Why did warmth spread over me, even as I was shivering in the cold night air?

I swallowed. "How can you be sure?"

He was at my side in the next heartbeat, enfolding me in his arms, his body heat almost searing my skin.

"I knew it as soon as I smelled your scent," he said, low and rough. "I told you, that's how it is with wolves. That day with Gabriel—I wasn't tracking him. He and the others had masked their scents so I wouldn't be able to trace them. But I found them anyway because I'd been tracking you."

This was overwhelming. I shuddered even as I leaned in closer to him. "Daniel, everything has happened so fast…"

He caressed my face. "Don't judge by that. Breathe me in. Tell me what you feel."

I inhaled near his neck, absorbing the mix of wood smoke, cinnamon, and musk that made up his scent.

Contentment battled with lust inside me. I wanted to throw Daniel to the forest floor, rub my body all over his, claim his flesh as my own, and then hold him and never let go.

"I feel more than I have a right to," was what I said, voice shaky.

He bent so that his lips were almost brushing mine. "I give you the right. I want you to claim me as yours."

And I wanted to be claimed. That was the truth of it. Whether it was me or the wolf inside who'd made this decision, I didn't know. But I felt it through every fiber of me.

I'd asked Daniel days ago if it was him I was talking to or the wolf. It's both, he'd said. Always. I hadn't understood then, but I did now. The wolf didn't feel like it was a separate entity from me anymore; it was me, but without all my fears, doubts, or hesitations. The wolf was me stripped of all my pretense, and it knew, unequivocally, that Daniel was mine.

And so did I.

"Take me home," I whispered. It was an invitation and a promise. I wasn't giving up my family or my friends, but I'd first learn to live in harmony with the wolf in me, and I'd do it here, with the help of my mate.

Daniel picked me up and carried me to his cabin. I was smiling the whole way.

About the author:

Jeaniene is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Night Huntress series and the Night Huntress World novels. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to fourteen different countries. Jeaniene lives in Florida with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she swears like a sailor, rarely cooks, and always sleeps in on the weekends. Jeaniene and Matthew are the proud parents of Gypsy, their very spoiled dog who believes Jeaniene’s only purpose in life is to cater to her.

Find out more about Jeaniene at her website: http://jeanienefrost.com