Claimed by H.M. McQueen Page B

kitchen.  Music played from her kitchen radio.  Her little dog, Penelope, sat up in her dog bed and watched, sniffing the air then let out a whimper. 
    She let the dog into the yard and poured a glass of wine, then the little dog came back and sat next to its food bowl.
    "Yes, I know it's dinner time." She proceeded to pour kibbles into the bowl.  "I have a date in a couple days, Penelope. Isn't that great?"
    She sensed Penelope's lack of caring, the crunches filling the air.  Her only focus was food.
    On the other hand, she was torn between nerves and excitement.  Goose bumps prickled her skin at the thought of attending a wolf event.  She'd called her mother to tell her about it.  Surprisingly she'd been excited for her, stating how curious she'd always been about shifters.  It was hard not to be overly excited, she would spend several hours around Taden.

 
     
    Chapter Two
     
     
    Taden threw the basketball and watched as it made a graceful arch in the air then missed the basket by a mile.  Two boys laughed at him, bent over at the waist, not bothering to go after the ball.  The youngest, Deyon, an eight-year-old, jogged over to him. "Mr. Wolfe, you need to give up the game.  It ain't a white man's game."
    He pushed the boy to the side and ran to the ball.  "Oh yeah, I'm still beating you."
    The other boy, Antoine, who at twelve considered himself fully grown, picked up the ball before he could get to it and quick as lightning dribbled to the basket, shot, and made it.  The younger boy recovered it and dribbled in a circle around Taden.  "Get it now. Get it now."
    These mornings were always fun.  He enjoyed playing big brother to the youngsters he met when he'd caught them shoplifting at a convenience store down the street from Sanctum.
    What started as a stop for gas had turned into six months of meeting the boys weekly, taking them out to lunch and then whatever activity they chose to do.  Today's activity was definitely to prove they were better at something than he was.  It suited him just fine.
    Deyon shot and missed, Taden grabbed the ball from mid-air and once again attempted at a basket. He would have made it if not for an eight-year-old wrapped around his waist.
    "Stop cheating, boy!" their mother called from her front porch.  The attractive woman wore a scarf wrapped around her hair and some sort of unflattering housedress distracting from her looks.  Taden waved at her.  "They're fine."
    Talinda Bush had not been too trusting of him at first.  He didn't blame her, since most men wanting to spend time with boys were up to no good.  So he invited her along on all their outings.  The woman spent most of the time looking at her cell phone with a wistful expression.  She was stuck on the boys' father and some sort of drama with another woman who constantly contacted her to tell her he was her man now.  Taden knew all this because Talinda shared every detail with him. Sometimes he spent hours listening to her justify the father's lack of attention to his sons. As far as he was concerned, the man was a loser, not spending time with the boys.
    Talinda on the other hand never lost hope. She planned to get married, but only to Antoine Jackson Sr.
    So until the man came around, Talinda battled with the other women in her sons' father's life.
    An hour later, tired after all night at the club and half a day keeping the boys busy, he made his way home.
    After showering and a tall glass of orange juice, he went to bed.  Thoughts of the woman behind the counter at the café came as soon as his eyes closed.  She'd been watching him, the expression on her face more of curiosity than anything else.  It was obvious she didn't date his kind. By her cautious movements, ensuring not to touch him, she made it clear.
    The woman was beautiful with long golden-brown curls to the middle of her back and playful hazel eyes, he could stand to wake up to her.  He let out an annoyed grunt when his cock agreed and