Feral

1 ROB My best friend and ranch hand Clint slapped me on the shoulder as we made our way up the walk to the front porch of our neighbor’s ranch. “Maybe she’s cute.” I hadn’t been to the Shefield house since the old man passed away. The concrete heaved in spots, and weeds sprouted from the cracks. The place needed tending, and hopefully, the niece, Natalie, would tackle it. It was the second week in August, and snow was known to fall in early September. That seemed downright impossible with the ninety-degree weather we were having. At least the hard storms from last month seemed to have ended. I gave Clint a look that as his boss and alpha should have made him cower, but he only grinned. “What?” “Cute? Seriously? Are we back in middle school?” I took off my hat, wiped my brow with the back of my hand, then stuck it back on. “You thought Brittany Simms was cute. Remember that hard-on you got in the cafeteria? Your eyes glowed so bright it was a wonder the humans didn’t notice.” I swore under my breath at the embarrassing memory as I climbed the porch steps. “I have to wonder if your d**k ever got hard again.” I gave him another look. Most of my pack members, especially the guys who lived and worked on the ranch, didn’t push their luck with me. Clint and I, though, had been friends since birth, raised in the pack together. Still, I was f*****g sick of anyone thinking my d**k’s prerogatives were their business. If I had to go to one more pack’s mating games and deal with the heavy expectations that I leave with one of their she-wolves permanently claimed as mine, I was going to shoot myself. Especially after what happened last time. “I don’t see a mating bite on any female you’ve dated, asshole,” I grumbled. “I’m playing the field,” he replied, offering a small shrug of his broad shoulder. “More like playing with yourself,” I muttered. He snorted a laugh. “The difference is I’m not alpha. Much less chance of moon madness hitting me. Plus, no one gives a s**t if it does, and they have to put me down when I go feral.” “Being alpha’s one thing, but everyone keeping track of where my d**k’s been and where it needs to go is annoying as fuck.” He studied me, then nodded once. “All we know about Natalie Shefield is that she’s in a masters program for music somewhere in California. If she can take care of your problem, then what’s the hang up?” “You know what the problem is. She’s human.” My brothers might have been able to mate humans, but I couldn’t. I was the alpha of the Cooper Valley pack. My pups had to shift, had to be pure. I, personally, didn’t give a s**t about this, but I knew others did. The grumbling had begun a few years ago when I crossed age thirty without mating and became high risk for moon madness. As time passed and I had yet to find a mate, the muttering got louder, the concerns grew. My pack respected me, and they didn’t want to lose me. I had to ensure the line continued. Find a mate—a wolf mate—and breed her. “That makes her off limits,” I countered. “If you think she’s cute, then you can have a go.” As he opened his mouth to say something, most likely stupid, a female cry cut through the quiet. I tensed and looked to Clint. Clint looked at me. His blue eyes widened in surprise then concern. A female in trouble raised every one of a shifter male’s instincts to help. To protect. To destroy whoever was a threat. My hand shot out to try the front door. Unlocked. That made it easy, but I wasn’t past kicking it down if needed. Throwing it open, we stepped into the entry. It looked exactly as it had the last time I’d been in, as if my old friend was still around. Old Man Shefield had handed down his house, furnishings and all. To the right was a family room with a stone fireplace. To the left, a dining room with an antique table and chairs. Directly in front of us was a central hallway that led back to the kitchen and also a staircase that led to the second floor. It turned to the right at a landing halfway up. I’d never been on the second floor, but based on the size of the house, I had to assume there were four or five bedrooms. “Take this floor,” I told Clint. “I’ll head upstairs.” Another cry bounced off the walls. I went up the steps two at a time as my friend headed toward the kitchen. At the top, I looked left and right. Six doors, all closed. I stilled to use my wolf hearing. I picked up ragged breathing from the right. Shit. She was hurt, perhaps panicked, judging by the pace of her inhales and exhales. I stopped in front of the first door. Listened. No. The second. Again, no. A whimper came from behind the third door, and I threw it open. Uh… well. A bedroom. Tan walls. Two windows with cream curtains, wide open to try and cool off the room. A rag rug on the floor beneath a brass bed. None of that caught my attention for more than a quick glance. No. It was the woman lying on top of the unmade bed who had my attention. She must’ve come from the shower because a towel was wrapped around her, and her red hair lay in wet tendrils across the pillow. Her knees were bent, her feet planted on the bed nice and wide, and her hand was between them. She was holding a dildo, and it was crammed nice and deep in her p***y. I couldn’t miss the patch of fiery red curls above that well-endowed toy or the way her slick p***y lips were stretched around the latex c**k. It was big, but not as big as me. Especially not now when I was instantly hard as a f*****g rock. As for Clint’s comment earlier, yeah, my d**k still got hard. Even for humans. For her. I was hot all over and not because of the weather. Holy. f**k. She startled and gave a small shriek. Before I could blink, she yanked the dildo from her p***y with one hand, reached up and grabbed a gun from the bedside table. With the agility of a panther, she hopped to her feet and pointed it at me. Somehow, the towel was still wrapped around her. I held up my hands. “Whoa there.” “Who the hell are you?” Even though she was armed, I gave the dildo on the bed a quick glance. It was shiny and slick with her arousal. Fuck. I stepped into the room, and she took off the safety. “Easy.” I soothed. “I’m Rob Wolf, your next-door neighbor. We heard you cry out and wanted to make sure you were all right.” “As you can see, I’m fine.” She was fine. Her cheeks flushed as red as her hair. Her ragged breaths made her lush breasts rise and fall over the top edge of the towel. Now that she was standing, I could see freckles across her bare shoulders. The taut muscles in her arms and thighs. She wasn’t a small thing like Colton’s mate, Marina. Natalie Shefield was sturdy, solid, and had a fire in her eyes. Oh, f**k yes. That was all for me. So was the loaded weapon aimed at my chest. I wasn’t worried about being shot, unless it was in the head. Otherwise, it would hurt like hell, but my body would work the bullet out as part of the healing process. Pretty quickly… depending on where the bullet entered, it would pop right out. Still, there were other things I wanted Natalie Shefield to do to me while she was naked besides shoot me. I took a deep breath to calm myself, hoping not to blow my load in my pants and… Holy. s**t. Holy f*****g s**t. My wolf howled and practically preened. This woman was my mate. I just knew. Her scent was masked by soap and shampoo, but it was undeniable. Sweet, tangy and as bright as her hair. It smelled right. Familiar, even though I’d never picked up the scent before. Natalie Shefield, who had no qualms about self-satisfaction, was my f*****g mate. She didn’t have dainty little toys to get her off. Instead, she went all out. “Now get the hell out,” she said. Her gaze didn’t waver, neither did her gun hand. I heard Clint’s footsteps coming down the hall, and I turned around and met him in the doorway. “Is everything—” “Look at her and die,” I growled with full alpha menace. His eyes widened at my tone—mostly snarl. He tipped his head to the side to see around me, clearly not understanding what was happening, that I’d just met my f*****g mate, but I stepped back and slammed the door in his face. Me in the bedroom with Natalie, Clint alone in the hall. Turning back around, I faced her. “You’re on the wrong side of that door, neighbor.” She wasn’t sweet like Audrey. She wasn’t sassy like Marina. Hell, no. This woman had f*****g attitude. “Maybe you should tell me why you have a gun next to your bed. Who hurt you?” The idea of someone scaring her enough for her to need protection like that had my wolf snarling, ready to rip someone’s throat out. “Said the trespassing neighbor,” she countered, raising one red brow. I took another deep breath. I’d seen how wet she was, but I could scent it too. I’d know her anywhere now, even blind. “I’m not going to hurt you. Never,” I added, my voice fierce. “If you’re in danger, if someone’s threatening you, I want to know.” She nodded once. “Got it. Now get out.” Yeah, she was pissed. She had a right to be. I’d broken into her house, come upon her in a compromising position, and scared the hell out of her. I was lucky I didn’t have an extra hole in my body. Still… she was my mate, and I didn’t want to walk away. Ever. But telling her what she was to me after one sniff would definitely get me that bullet hole. “Yes, ma’am.” I had the she-devil cornered, and her claws… and weapon were out. It was time to retreat. While it wasn’t strange to have a weapon in Montana, it was having one beside your bed while m**********g. I’d find out why she was armed at a time like this then go take care of it for her and bury a body. Then I’d get her beneath me, show her she was mine. “I’ll go, for now,” I told her, taking a step back. “Knock next time,” she warned. “I would tell you not to scream so loud, but that would be a crying shame.” Her mouth fell open, and she stared at me. I tipped my hat and left, smirking a little as I went. I’d met my mate, and she wasn’t just cute, she was f*****g hot. Passionate. Spirited. Feisty. The fact that she aimed a gun at me only made me practically cream my pants. I stopped halfway down the stairs with a sudden realization. Natalie Shefield might be my mate, but she was human. Maybe she should have shot me. It would have been less painful. I was f****d and not with a dildo.