clothes?”
“Frostbite?”
“I’ll heal frostbite easier than I healed—” She glanced at her ribs. The bruises and the scratches were gone. She met his eyes and shrugged.
His people began to shuffle impatiently. The initial. left them warm enough to withstand the extreme cold. But the longer they were human, the more human they were, and while frostbite could be healed, it would have to wait until the moon rose to do so completely. A day of frostbite on tender extremities would not be a day full of sunshine.
“Everyone welcome Alexandra Trevalyn,” he said. “Alex. She is one of us.”
He felt her swift glance. Had she thought he woul4 reveal her past? If his pack knew she was the hunter who had killed his wife, they would kill her.
If he’d wanted her dead, he would have ended her himself. Before he’d made her a werewolf.
Everyone moved closer, welcoming her. Pack members were touchy-feely, and that made Alex uncomfortable.
Julian crossed his arms over his chest and watched as she tried not to squirm.
A sudden insight stunned him. He had not planned to bring her here. Therefore, he had not brought, along the se-
rum that would allow her to touch anyone but him in human form. Which meant she should now be writhing on the ground in agony along with everyone who had touched her.
“Enough,” he barked.
His people turned to him in surprise. Welcoming a new pack member meant getting to know their scent, their touch, and letting the new member get to know yours. They believed Alex had taken her medicine, as they all had.
So why was he stopping them?
Since he couldn’t tell them that something very strange was going on, he chose to tell them nothing.
“Ella’.” Julian addressed the oldest female in the pack—a dark, thin Frenchwoman who appeared the same age as Alex but in truth had narrowly escaped the guillotine during la révolution. “See that she gets settled.”
Ella moved forward, hand outstretched. Alex frowned,
staring at Ella’s palm as if she had no idea what the woman wanted. She wasn’t afraid; she must have come to the conclusion that since she could touch Julian, she could touch everyone.
Alex backed up a few steps. “I’ll—uh—be right back.” She moved out of the crowd and came to Julian. “Where will I stay?” -
“With Ella.”
“But I—” She broke off, biting her lip. “I just met her.”
“You just met everyone.”
“Not you.”
Julian blinked. “You want to stay with me?”
“I don’t want to,” she said at the same time he said, “That wouldn’t be smart”
“Because of yesterday?” she asked.
The instant the words left her mouth, Julian remembered the taste of that mouth, the feel of it on his body, the scent of her all around him, and his penis leaped.
“Faen,” he muttered. Shit! He was naked. If he got a hard-on now—
He didn’t want to think about that. In fact, he’d
better not think about it or he’d definitely get one.
Her eyebrows lifted, and her lips twitched as if she knew his every thought. “What if! promise not to jump you?”
“You’re admitting that you did jump me?”
“No.”
Her defiance caused amusement to flicker, quickly followed by annoyance at both his reaction and the sight of her face. How could he be both attracted and repelled by her every minute of every day? He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, at the same time he wanted to throw her down on the ground and take her.
“Ella,” Julian snapped, and strode away without bothering to reiterate his orders. It was a sign of weakness to repeat himself, and Julian could not afford to be weak.
Just because he was their leader, and had been for close to a century, did not mean a wolf wouldn’t challenge him if given the opportunity. Julian had managed to keep the peace because he was the strongest, the biggest, the baddest when he chose to be. No one dared question him.
Except Alex.
He sighed, wondering if he might have to kill
“Frostbite?”
“I’ll heal frostbite easier than I healed—” She glanced at her ribs. The bruises and the scratches were gone. She met his eyes and shrugged.
His people began to shuffle impatiently. The initial. left them warm enough to withstand the extreme cold. But the longer they were human, the more human they were, and while frostbite could be healed, it would have to wait until the moon rose to do so completely. A day of frostbite on tender extremities would not be a day full of sunshine.
“Everyone welcome Alexandra Trevalyn,” he said. “Alex. She is one of us.”
He felt her swift glance. Had she thought he woul4 reveal her past? If his pack knew she was the hunter who had killed his wife, they would kill her.
If he’d wanted her dead, he would have ended her himself. Before he’d made her a werewolf.
Everyone moved closer, welcoming her. Pack members were touchy-feely, and that made Alex uncomfortable.
Julian crossed his arms over his chest and watched as she tried not to squirm.
A sudden insight stunned him. He had not planned to bring her here. Therefore, he had not brought, along the se-
rum that would allow her to touch anyone but him in human form. Which meant she should now be writhing on the ground in agony along with everyone who had touched her.
“Enough,” he barked.
His people turned to him in surprise. Welcoming a new pack member meant getting to know their scent, their touch, and letting the new member get to know yours. They believed Alex had taken her medicine, as they all had.
So why was he stopping them?
Since he couldn’t tell them that something very strange was going on, he chose to tell them nothing.
“Ella’.” Julian addressed the oldest female in the pack—a dark, thin Frenchwoman who appeared the same age as Alex but in truth had narrowly escaped the guillotine during la révolution. “See that she gets settled.”
Ella moved forward, hand outstretched. Alex frowned,
staring at Ella’s palm as if she had no idea what the woman wanted. She wasn’t afraid; she must have come to the conclusion that since she could touch Julian, she could touch everyone.
Alex backed up a few steps. “I’ll—uh—be right back.” She moved out of the crowd and came to Julian. “Where will I stay?” -
“With Ella.”
“But I—” She broke off, biting her lip. “I just met her.”
“You just met everyone.”
“Not you.”
Julian blinked. “You want to stay with me?”
“I don’t want to,” she said at the same time he said, “That wouldn’t be smart”
“Because of yesterday?” she asked.
The instant the words left her mouth, Julian remembered the taste of that mouth, the feel of it on his body, the scent of her all around him, and his penis leaped.
“Faen,” he muttered. Shit! He was naked. If he got a hard-on now—
He didn’t want to think about that. In fact, he’d
better not think about it or he’d definitely get one.
Her eyebrows lifted, and her lips twitched as if she knew his every thought. “What if! promise not to jump you?”
“You’re admitting that you did jump me?”
“No.”
Her defiance caused amusement to flicker, quickly followed by annoyance at both his reaction and the sight of her face. How could he be both attracted and repelled by her every minute of every day? He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, at the same time he wanted to throw her down on the ground and take her.
“Ella,” Julian snapped, and strode away without bothering to reiterate his orders. It was a sign of weakness to repeat himself, and Julian could not afford to be weak.
Just because he was their leader, and had been for close to a century, did not mean a wolf wouldn’t challenge him if given the opportunity. Julian had managed to keep the peace because he was the strongest, the biggest, the baddest when he chose to be. No one dared question him.
Except Alex.
He sighed, wondering if he might have to kill
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