Dark Fates (A Paranormal Anthology)(59)

Hayden grinned, and some of the lines by his eyes eased. “It’s a deal.”

One second he stood before her as a man, and in another, his body began to shift. His muscles tore, his bones cracked, and she cried out while she stumbled back two steps. Holy shit. It was really happening. Hayden was becoming a werewolf.

All of it what had been, at best, odd in theory was now strikingly real. Goosebumps appeared on her skin. There, in front of her, stood Hayden, now fully covered in black fur. He stared up at her with golden eyes.

She grabbed her throat before she could stop, her old compulsive habit from childhood rearing back to life. If Hayden wanted to eat her, grabbing her neck wasn’t going to save her.

“Hi.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “You’re still you, right? You aren’t going to suddenly want to feast on my pale human flesh?”

Hayden the wolf made a sound that had to be the equivalent of a canine laugh. Amusement sparkled in his eyes. The same tearing sound filled the air again, and seconds later, Hayden returned to his human form, clothes and all. She blinked as her mind tried to digest what she’d just seen. “Your wardrobe makes the shift with you?”

He shrugged. “Gift of the Moon I guess.”

“Right.” She reached out to touch his cotton shirt. “Okay. I believe you. You’re a werewolf.”

“You’re touching me. That’s a good sign.” He held out his hand and then placed her fingers in it. “Indulge me. I need to get your wounds taken care of. I can’t think about anything else.”

She nodded. “My cuts are nothing. But I won’t object to a little TLC.” She was just going to go with it. What other choice did she have?

****

Four days had passed, and Chelsea had fallen into a routine with the pack. She knew all twelve of them by name, and the idea that they were all werewolves had officially stopped freaking her out. She sipped the Chardonnay and tried to decide if she could actually discern the oaky flavor the people who had come to taste the wine could fathom. She didn’t seem to have much of a palate.

Hayden smiled and never criticized. Part farmer, part chemist, part salesman, and all hot male werewolf, he looked like he’d stepped out of a painting entitled virile man. The way he walked, the way he narrowed his gaze when he concentrated, the way she could see the wolf in his eyes when he said goodnight and left her in his room, alone, every evening made her heart flutter.

He wanted to claim her.

And he told her so right before he closed the door nightly.

She leaned against the wall in the modernly decorated tasting room. So what if she’d never remember what brought her to him? Why did it matter? Couldn’t she simply decide it didn’t?

Hayden caught her eye and crossed the room. “Penny for your thoughts?”

She smiled. “Not worth a penny.”

“Oh, I doubt that.”

“I was wondering if it was time for me to embrace this new part of my life. Do something remarkable with it, like graduate from high school. I haven’t had a vision since I got here.”

Hayden pulled her into a tight embrace. Getting her used to the touching was how he’d described his constant desire to caress some part of her body.

“Anything you want.”

She nodded. “Well then, what I want is for you to take a mid-afternoon break and come upstairs. Let’s see if we really are as compatible as you claim we will be. Why don’t you show me what a true mating entails?”

He sucked in a loud breath, and she grinned. She’d shocked him, and that ruled.





Chapter Five


Hayden tried to keep his hands steady. His mate wanted to go upstairs to the bedroom with him. He cleared his throat. “You sure?” The last thing he needed was to get up there and find out he’d misread the situation. Maybe she just wanted him to change a light bulb or something.

The whisper of her arousal added cinnamon to her honey scent and made him slightly dizzy. He closed his eyes for a quick second to enjoy the smell. When he looked at her again, she leaned closer. “I’m completely sure.”

“Good.” He hauled her into his arms and carried her from the room. She squealed before she covered her mouth with her hand. Behind them several of his pack members started to clap. He grinned. The humans doing the tastings had no idea what had just occurred, and that was okay. If his pack wanted to celebrate his finally getting his mate into bed they could do that. A happy Alpha meant a healthy pack.

Or maybe it didn’t. He was still new to the whole thing…

It took him half the time it usually would to get to the privacy of his rooms, and yet the seconds dragged as if they were hours.

He closed the door behind them with a bang and carried her over to the bed before setting her down. She weighed nothing, and he was extra careful—all too aware of her humanity and the ease with which he could harm her.

She stared up at him with hooded eyes. “What would happen now if I was a werewolf lady?”

He smiled. She said the cutest things. “I think we discussed this. The compatibility thing. We’ll work just fine in the bedroom.”

Better than fine. He couldn’t wait to lick her all over. Once he had her taste deep within his soul, he’d feel more content, less edgy. Or at least he hoped he would. It might put him over the edge and he’d never feel calm again because he’d want to kill anyone who even looked at her.