Page 11 of Fire Wolf

So, instead of putting the pressure on last night, I decided to take it off. I danced her and her sisters around the dancefloor. Acted as their own personal waiter, I got them drinks and snacks from the endless buffet. When it came time to blow out the candles, I cheered her on from the sidelines and accepted the forkful of chocolate deliciousness she held out towards me.

Hell, I felt like I’d known her for years. I guess I had. Even if it was the first time, we’d hung out like that. Martina was not what I thought. She was funny and sweet, smart as a whip, and not the hardass she actively presented to the world. It was like that persona was a suit of armor she wore to protect herself, and last night, after a few more rounds of shots with her sister, that armor had come down.

She was a puzzle. An enigma. Someone I wanted to know more about with a hunger I’d ever known. I knew she had secrets, but we all did. I was no different. I wanted to earn them from her. To build her confidence in me, in us, and yeah, I knew I sounded like a fucking idiot. But I guess that’s what love did to someone.

Yeah. I said it. Love. There was no other explanation for it. I knew all about fated mates and the instant lust one Shifter felt for his or her or their true soul mate, but this went beyond my wanting to bend her over the nearest surface and fuck her until my cum ran down her plump thighs—though, fuck, yeah, I was down for that. Did I mention my obsession with the woman’s perfect apple of an ass?

“Enjoying yourself?” Erryn harbor, Davian’s wife, had asked me at some point during the night’s festivities.

“That I am, Erryn. Thank you for the invite.”

“Our pleasure. Just know this, if you hurt her, I’ve got two guns in our cabinet at home that have been itching for some target practice.”

Eyebrows raised, I nodded once at the terrifying female. Her purple eyes were light and glowed with an eerie vibrance as she stared me down. I had no quarrels with the female, and I appreciated her looking out for Martina. So, I nodded and bared my throat, showing her where words couldn’t that as far as Martina was concerned, I was not a threat.

Hell. The woman had no idea how safe she was with me. My eyes coveted her as she and her sisters giggled and danced together on the makeshift floor. I had to hand it to Davian, that party tent was off the charts. Lights and disco balls hung from the frame, sending a rainbow of colors dancing across Martina’s beautiful, tanned skin. She and her sisters jumped up and down, shimmied, and shook their asses, and damn, but I loved watching her.

They were tipsier than I’d have thought after only a handful of shots. Other Wolves and Shifters had very high tolerances for alcohol, but Martina, Nova, and Sybil were lightweights. Hell, they were almost like normals, getting their buzz on after what amounted to a few thimbles full of liquor.

It surprised me, but I was always good at rolling with the punches. I made sure no one bothered them or got too rowdy, and everyone seemed to have a ball. Davian cornered me at the end of the night, doing his brotherly duty and all, and I told him like I told Erryn and Sherry.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Davian. Your sister is perfectly safe.”

“What does that mean exactly?” he asked, and I felt a power buzzing beneath his skin I hadn’t noticed before. Interesting, but no concern of mine. His sister, however, that was another story.

“What that means, Davian, is no one and nothing will ever harm her while I am around. Martina is mine,” I said, my voice dropping a full octave.

Davian’s eyes glittered with emotion before he clapped a hand on my arm and squeezed, giving me a nod. It meant something that he approved, even though I hadn’t been looking for that. Davian was a good man, well liked and highly respected in town. His mate was scary as hell, but again, Erryn was someone I held in high esteem.

The band wrapped things up around three am, and the cold was positively bitter by then. Davian and some others were using magic to clean up, and I volunteered to walk a tipsy Martina to the door like a motherfucking gentleman my mama raised me to be.

Fuck, she smelled like heaven. Cinnamon apples and hot honey spice. I wanted to lick her from head to toe, but I made do with a sweet, soft kiss that made my Wolf purr like a fucking kitty cat.

“Mmm, I think I like you, Mitchell,” she’d said before closing her eyes.

I caught her before she fell to the ground and carried her inside. Sybil directed me to their childhood bedroom, and I laid Martina down, kissing her head before I did something stupid, like climb in beside her.

That was last night. And I’d had a hell of a time trying to sleep after leaving her. The beast took my skin, and I barely made it to the shed before he went full on monster mode. Other Wolves were able to just take to the forests when they needed to run, and usually, that was enough for me. But Martina had my animal all riled up, and he needed more than just a run. He needed to burn.

“Dude, pay attention!” Timothy barked, tossing a sledgehammer at my head.

My motherfucking little brother had a death wish or something. I growled and snatched the heavy thing out of the air, putting it back inside one of the many work vans our company, Truman Construction LLC, used. Business was booming, but we typically handled all projects involving the Pack personally.

Of course, he knew I’d catch the thing. Our reflexes were sharp and though the hammer was heavy, I caught it as easily as I would have a piece of paper. I was strong. Stronger than most Shifters, but that was because my Wolf was a touch different from others. I had a sort of genetic quirk,er, a sequence of DNA that skipped generations, or so I was told. It took years to control, but I managed it. Barely.

With my focus on Martina now, the beast was more anxious than usual. The idea of having a mate, something to protect and cherish, was very attractive to my Wolf. He needed that. It was good for him. Good for me. Hell, Martina was good period. But having a mate was excellent for both sides of my being. She gave me a higher purpose, and I couldn’t wait till the day I claimed her as mine.

“Where is your brain today, Mr. Pouty Pants?” Tim asked, and I rolled my eyes heavenward, praying for patience with my idiot brother.

“Fuck you, Tim.”

“Ooh, testy this morning, aren’t we, big brother?” Tim, the idiot, asked as he waggled his perfectly tweezed eyebrows.

Fucker.

“No,weare not fucking anything, Tim. You and Peter were probably wrapped around each other all fucking night. I imagine you are happy as a clam. Meanwhile, I went home alone, knowing the woman meant for me was sleeping on the other side of town. Without me,” I grunted.

Aside from being my brother, Timothy was my best friend. Naturally, I told him all about meeting the woman I believed was my fated mate just last night. That we both knew the Harbor girls was just a bonus. Tim was happy for me, but since he was newly mated to the love of his life, a Wolf Shifter from Hope Falls named Peter, he was all about spreading the joy.

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