AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The server nodded enthusiastically and agreed to inform him. “Mayor?”
“No, we’ll just have the check, thank you.”
“Very well, Mayor Blackwood. I’ll be back shortly.”
Before long, we were making our way through the restaurant once again, saying our farewells, which meant it took longer than necessary to leave.
As I drove back to the manor, I contemplated if now was the time to mention her wolf again or if I should wait. But I figured now might be easier, given that I had her alone in the car and she couldn’t walk away from me. That ended up being the deciding factor.
“Tori, I’ve been thinking, and I want you to reconsider working with me on understanding your wolf and building a relationship with her. Getting that connection with her would change things, and if you learned to trust her a little, you would stop struggling with the feral side effects.”
Tori was calmer than I expected her to be after bringing up her wolf, but she kept looking out the window. “That’s not necessary. I’m pretty sure all that feral stuff is just some anxiety. I need to get into a yoga class or start doing meditation. Something to help me remain calm.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed as I glanced over at her, not hiding the heat in my eyes or voice. “I’m sure you would look damn good in yoga pants, but yoga won’t work. You need to free your inner wolf, not stretch.”
The contented look on her face disappeared. She eyed me coldly. “No, Ridge. Drop it, okay? The monster is not coming out again.”
Pulling down my driveway, I gripped the steering wheel so tight, my knuckles drained of blood. It pissed me off that Tori kept referring to her wolf as a monster, kept it caged and separated. Shifters were not meant to do that; we were meant to be one with our animals. Why couldn’t she see that? Why wouldn’t she listen to someone who had control and balance with his animal?
I opened my mouth, but Tori lifted her hand. “Don’t.”
Once I parked inside the garage, Tori was out of the car and in the manor before I could get out and open her door. I chased after her. I would let the hunter conversation go for the moment, but not this one.
“You can run from a lot of things,” I said. “But you don’t need to run from yourself. You need to stop being afraid of your wolf.”
Tori stopped, whirling around so fast that I almost plowed right into her. “If you’re trying to make me feel bad about that monster, it’s not going to work. Of course I’m terrified of it. It’s a fucking wild animal that lives inside my body, and I can’t control it. I won’t let you make me feel bad about it scaring the crap out of me. I feel what I feel, and that’s all. Get over it.”
We scowled at each other.
“I’m not trying to make you feel bad,” I said. “I want to show you how much better life is when you live harmoniously with your wolf. You don’t have to lose control when you shift. It’s all about balance. Once you have that, you’ll be one with the wolf. It will be exhilarating and the greatest rush you’ll ever have. It’s a remarkable experience, nothing scary or shameful about it.”
Tori stepped closer to me and lifted herself onto her toes to get in my face. Her breathing was heavy, and her eyes were black with anger. She looked fierce and gorgeous. I couldn’t help the physical response she evoked from me. It took more willpower than I wanted to admit not to drop my head and consume that evocative mouth with my own.
“Drop. It. I won’t say it again. Drop this for the last time.”
“No,” I growled, stepping closer to her. This wasn’t the most brilliant move. Her scent tickled my nose, driving me to insanity. My cock had been half hard since she’d opened her bedroom door, and my zipper now laid imprints of its teeth on my sensitive skin.
My wolf snarled, wanting to pin her beneath us, force her submission, and show her exactly who was alpha. It got worse as the scent of her arousal intensified, and I didn’t hide the fact that I had taken in her essence. Her eyes flared with lust as she watched me. I scanned her tight little body, where her nipples had stiffened to pebbled peaks beneath her dress, and I craved to have them in my mouth again, rolling and flicking them with my fingers and tongue, hearing her sounds of desire, her hands fisting in my hair.
Her face flushed as she lifted her lashes to me. Her desire quashed her anger—something I wanted to slay at the moment.
My fists clenched and I fucked her with my eyes, but I wouldn’t make the first move. She’d wanted distance, and I’d given her the space. Did she want more? She’d have to initiate it. I’d rather live with blue balls for the rest of the time she lived here than scare her off and have her out there on her own again.
Her protection was of the utmost importance to me, and the only way to protect her was to keep her in town. Where other shifters could keep a lookout, and I could kill anyone who dared to scare her and force her back into a life of loneliness.
“If you want to stop losing control, you need to give in now and then to satisfy your wolf.”
Figuring I’d pushed her too far this time, I prepared for her to yell at me and storm off, anticipating yet another cold shower.
But Tori was anything but predictable. She stepped in even closer and whispered, “There isonething that seems to keep the monster at bay.”
Her breath kissed my skin and her body heat pulsed against mine. Still, we weren’t touching, and it was excruciating to have her so close yet still so far away.
“What’s that?”
Her man-eating, cock-pulsing grin—the one she’d graced me with on the night of our introduction—came out to play. I prayed to the moon goddess that she wasn’t just teasing me.
“This.”
