Red Ridge Pack 1 Pack of Lies by Sara Dailey, Staci Weber Page B

and led the way inside. It was almost as cold inside as it was outside. Seeing me shiver, Cade hurried over to the fireplace to get a fire going.
    “So, why are we here?” I asked, thinking to myself that there was really only one reason for a guy to take a girl to an abandoned hunting lodge in the middle of the night, and Cade and I were not quite there yet. Technically, we weren’t even a couple.
    As if reading my mind, he replied, “It’s not what you’re thinking, Alli. I really do have a surprise for you.”
    “Okay, so out with it,” I said, immediately blushing.
    “What did you want me to help you with?” he asked.
    “Really? You mean it?”
    I had been bugging the hell out of Cade to teach me how to manage my transformation. I wanted to learn how to turn into a wolf whenever I choose, and not just when I couldn’t help it. Since I had no idea how to control it, I needed someone to help me. Was that too much to ask? Obviously, it wasn’t on my mom’s to-do list.
    “You ready to figure this thing out?” Cade asked as he motioned for me to stand in front of him.
    “I’m ready! What do I do first?” I asked.
    Cade put his arms around me and whispered in my ear, “Relax and concentrate on changing. Clear your mind of everything else. Imagine yourself as a wolf.”
    He pulled away so that we were facing each other, and I couldn’t help but giggle.
    “Seriously! Stop laughing. Maybe it will help to sit,” he suggested.
    I sat down by the fire and tried to meditate, to relax my muscles, slow my breathing, and picture myself running through the woods with Cade by my side. Though I could picture the image clearly in my mind, after a few minutes I decided that this method was crap and definitely not working. Maybe I’m not the meditating kind of girl, not to mention, I felt like a complete idiot knowing that Cade was sitting there staring at me.
    “It’s not working,” I complained in my poor-pitiful-me voice.
    “Just give it a minute. Close your eyes. Imagine the tightness in your chest, the smell of the earth under your paws, the wind flowing through your thick, blonde fur.”
    I really tried to be serious, but “the wind through my fur…” Come on! Is he for real?
    Before I knew it, another giggle escaped, which quickly became all out laughter. It wasn’t long before Cade joined in and agreed that meditation wasn’t going to work.
    Our laughter finally subsided and Cade said, “Okay, so let’s try this. I’m going to make you really mad.”
    I gave him my most seductive smile, rubbed his arm gently, and teased, “Oh, Cade. You couldn’t make me mad. No matter how hard you tried.”
    Before he could respond, I trailed little kisses along his neck to tease him.
    Just as my lips made their way back up to his, he responded, “Well there is one other way to try to bring on the change.” With that, Cade pressed his lips to mine. This kiss was strong and dominating, he turned me around so that my back was up against his chest, and began kissing the back of my neck and shoulders. I felt a flood of heat spreading throughout my entire body.
    “Close your eyes, Allison,” Cade whispered in my ear.
    “Imagine me chasing you through the woods. Imagine me nipping at your hind legs,” Cade said as his kisses gained intensity, and chills spread over my arms.
    “Imagine what would happen if I caught you, and I will catch you, Allison.”
    Well that did it. Instantly, I felt the familiar feeling of my impending change, but this time, it was different. With this change, there was no pain. No doubling-over, no clinching, no aching muscles. None whatsoever. It was fluid, like it was supposed to be. It was immediate. It was perfect.
    So now what? I’m on all fours and Cade is sitting there cross-legged looking all smug, like he just won the Super Bowl. I pranced up to him and gave him a little lick on the nose, and then jerked my head toward the door, wanting him to hurry the heck up and change too. I