Wolf Moon by A.D. Ryan Page B

Pack.
    Nick
joined me, and I lay down, turning my body to face his. I had both hands under
my cheek initially, but when he relaxed next to me, I realized I needed to be
touching him in some way. After our stressful first day here, I needed the
comfort of his touch, and I felt like he needed the same from me.
    However,
because I wasn’t ready for more, I only reached out and took his hand. He was
okay with that.
    “Can
you tell me about it?” I asked softly. He looked confused, so I tried to be a
little more specific. “What you felt before you shifted out there. Can you tell
me about it? I’ve only done it once by myself, and even then it
was triggered by that scrap of cloth that was left at my house . Maybe I
can learn from it.”
    Nick
shuddered visibly, closing his eyes and grimacing. “It’s not something you want
to learn from. I lost complete control of my emotions—of who I was. I was
so angry about the wolf being dumped on our land by one of them , and then…to find that body in the woods, taunting me and
reminding me that that bitch has been gunning for you for months…” His hand
tightened around mine, and his skin heated up, but before he let it go any
further, he took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and held my gaze. His eyes
were intriguing; the aqua bright around the outer edge and that amber ring I
sometimes noticed almost glowing around the pupil. It only did this when the
wolf was on the brink of breaking through. A sign it was pacing at the surface
of his control.
    “It
pushed me over the edge. I don’t even remember the transition
happening—and I haven’t blacked out in years , Brooke. It was unsettling after so many years of careful control.”
He sighed, the look in his eyes simultaneously angry and ashamed.
    “And
the body?” I asked carefully, hoping I wouldn’t upset him further.
      Nick exhaled heavily and closed his eyes
for a moment. “They moved it off the property and called in an anonymous tip.
We can’t have the cops sniffing around here.”
    “That’s
probably smart,” I offered.
    After
another excruciating pause, Nick’s eyes held mine. “I’m just glad Jax was there… If I’d have done anything to hurt
you—”
    “Hey,”
I said, scooting closer on the bed and slipping my hand from his to push his
blond hair off his forehead. Our feet touched, and Nick brought one leg up, slipping
it beneath mine for more contact. “Don’t even think about the what-ifs. Nothing
bad happened, and nothing will.” He still seemed unconvinced, so I took a
chance and leaned forward, lightly pressing my lips to his. It wasn’t a kiss
borne out of passion and desire, but one of friendship and comfort.
    He
sighed contentedly, his lips softening against mine as I kissed him once more,
soft and sweet. “There…” I pulled back slowly, watching as his eyes fluttered
open. “Go to sleep with a happy thought in your head instead, okay?”
    Nick’s
smile widened and his eyelids drooped slightly as he dropped his hand to my
waist and pulled me closer. “Remember how you said I kept your nightmares at
bay?” I nodded, hoping that this would continue to be true. “Well, I wonder if
that works both ways.”
    With
our legs tangled beneath the blankets, my chest was flush against his, our
noses barely an inch apart. I could feel his heart beat against my breast, and
his fingers found the hem of my shirt. He toyed with it, lifting it an inch or
two so he could run his fingers along the sliver of skin there—he did
this for comfort; had ever since we’d dated years ago.
    Soon,
our breathing patterns fell into sync, and we fell sound asleep. We’d face
whatever hurdles life brought our way in the morning.
     

Chapter 8 | ill-intent
    T he sun crept along the
floor that morning, stretching across the room with every passing minute. Soon
our entire bed was bathed in it. I stretched my body lengthwise, reveling in
the way various bones crackled and popped, and then an arm flew back around