sen

land,

to have Caleb for her mate, wishing she hadn't had to hide from the pack all these years. The burning desire for him flooded her veins whenever she came into the wolf's heat. Her body craved his to

sh fiend, and continued to pack her overnight bag. Any man would be

one that Argos, the old, retired pack leader had sent her. Taking a deep breath,

s second choice far outweighed living alone; even the sound of a dog's h

sisted she keeps him posted whenever she went into the woods. As a loner, she'd have no backup. 'Off to

rrespondence a secret; he knew what would h

ho had partially eased Diana's loneliness after losing her twin sister in a fire so many years

u'd like. And I'll water your greenhouse plants. Hey, I don't

have got to catch

ea since it was there he'd killed all the women. And he had to take a jaunt in a forest from time to time. The call of the wild was too strong in them. She hadn't expected to smell red lupus

pink sweatshir

re all redheads in their twenties. And

one at home, but who was counting? Silver bullets, too; Diana had them made for Ragnar. It

o you know how

half ago, ever since the early days when she had lived in th

l Mary I want to see the painting she did for art class, and t

be careful up there all by yourself. Th

umber two, and she assumed Diana rendezvoused with s

you Mo

ou never know where th

cautious.

g the woods for further clues concerning the red lupus garou-not a wild dog, a mixed wolf-dog breed, or as

the last three years? She envisioned a lone female wouldn't stand a chance at remaining that way. Her stomach curdled with the i

*

e building now a faded gray. It served as her hideaway on the weekends when she lived on the wild side, away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Portland. She would be the right age to be Ragnar's mate if h

strong fingers had gripped her shoulders with possessiveness, smell his feral craving to have he

r her thoughts of the one who'd pos

'd have been Ragnar's mate that fired her soul to the depths of hell. Stronger than the rest, he wasn't brighter, nor caring in the least bi

such a male

m on a porch chair. Standing naked, she shivered, then breathed in the heavenly scent of pine needles,

their offspring, their family-sharing a lifetime commitment as mates forever overwhelmed her. But he wasn't the leader of the pack. Even if she wanted Caleb for her mate, she

and in the interim, search for a different prey-the feral predator tha

painless transformation always occurred quickly and filled her with a sen

rew ready for the hunt. She straightened her back, howled with the change, then dropped to her

he leftovers of such a kill, an investigation would follow. Soon word would spread that a wolf was killing deer in the area. A wolf

hrough several hundreds of acres before spying another cabin-quiet, vacated. Since it was winter and no longe

iar. Pausing, she sniffed the air and recognized t

branches, jumped a moss-covered log in her path . . . then halted. A patch of red fur clung to the

idence back to her cabin, but she was miles from there, and as

marking his territory. She hesitated. If he were looking for a mate, she'd be a prime target; and i

way. A chill raced down her spine to the tip of her taut tai

turn him over to whatever pack happened to live in the area? Even if he were a loner, the pack in the territory would conde

change like she was-who had come across her, a loner lupus garou violating the pack's territory

t she considered

ffled the pine needles in a whispered hush. If there was a severe shortage of female lupus g

t g

An alpha male would have already approached her and let her know he wanted her if he needed a mate. He had to smell how ripe she was and know she was ready, too. Was that w

tching her ears back and forth and withdrawing her panting

melled

arby. At the fringe of the forest, she hesitated, not liking the way the stream's banks were

thi

gain, stared at the rush of the stream, the

ne watched her, she waited like a rabbi

ver rounded rock. She dipped her tongue into the water and

done when they were younger-chasing through the woods, nipping at each other's hindq

and sugar-drained oak leaves rustled in the breeze all around her