01 Taming the Wolf - Anna Avery Read online

  The black wolf sauntered over to where I lay submissive and sniffed my belly. My wolf whimpered. The black wolf moved its mouth to my throat and clasped my jugular between its teeth, but the pressure I expected didn’t come. The black wolf removed its mouth from my esophagus and licked the side of my jaw. The action caused confusion and relief in my wolf—and a bit of excitement. This was her alpha, my alpha, and he’d shown affection towards her, towards me. Adam barely spoke to me unless he was lecturing on the ways of the wolf. It was against the pack rules to wander off by myself, but I did anyway. Adam should’ve punished me, not licked me.

  Rolling over, I nudged the fish with my nose, an offering to my alpha. Adam eyed the half eaten fish, turned towards the stream, and grabbed his own. We ate side by side for the next ten minutes like equals.

  “Shift,” his voice penetrated my mind. It freaked me out the first time he’d spoken to me through telepathy. Only the alpha could speak to us that way though, so at least I didn’t have the entire pack inside my head.

  My skin itched and the hair on my back prickled and thinned as I obeyed his order. When the sensation subsided, I lay on the dewy grass fully human again and naked. I stashed my clothes at the entrance to the tree line and hadn’t expected to change forms until I returned home.

  Adam transformed as well and stood in front of me as nude as the day he was born. Nudity was another insecurity the pack didn’t share with humans. For all intents and purposes, they were animals through and through. I hadn’t been a wolf long enough for my human side to not be embarrassed about walking around in the flesh.

  I stared at the ground and waited for Adam to make his move. Why in the hell was he here? I’d been sneaking out of the house and running through the forest since I built up a tolerance to the pain. My wolf yearned to feel the wind through her fur and taste the spoils of a fresh kill. Adam never once met me in the woods or even mentioned he knew I did it.

  “Stand,” Adam said. He wasn’t much of a talker, at least not to me. Our conversations usually consisted of him giving me one word commands.

  Trying to cover all of my bare bits with my arms and hands, I stood awkwardly. I wrapped one arm around my breast and placed my other hand in front of my dark curls. It did little to hide my body, but it was enough I didn’t feel completely exposed.

  Adam walked closer and my wolf panted in excitement. She wanted her alpha to take her right then and there. I, on the other hand, did not. I would not become a mistress for anyone, not even the alpha of the Everwood pack.

  “Look at me,” Adam said softly.

  I dragged my eyes from the ground up to his. My chest rose and fell as my breaths became labored and nervous.

  “Stand with your arms at your sides, Anna.” When I hesitated he said, “Please.”

  There was something intertwined within me that couldn’t defy his orders. While I hesitated, I couldn’t refuse. My arms fell to my sides while we stared at each other. His eyes broke contact with mine as he trailed them down the length of me, drinking in my body. My wolf scratched and moaned for his attention, absorbed his presence and begged for his touch. I shuddered against the feel of my inner beast’s anticipation. There was no clear way to describe what it was like to have an animal lying in the wait just under your skin. It was like being possessed. Like two souls were occupying the same body—my body. She had separate thoughts than I did, and they came through strong. I figured out how to please her when she became aroused, but I didn’t think starting a fight with the alpha would be smart.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Anna,” Adam spoke gently as he closed the space between us with a single step.

  “I’m not,” I lied. It was as obvious as the moon in the sky I was absolutely terrified. My voice shook as well as my body. My heart jack hammered in my chest, and if I could see my face, I’d say it looked just as frightened.

  “What did you think of Sawyer? Will he become your mate?

  He wanted to talk about Sawyer? “I don’t need a mate,” I told him.

  With one finger, he started at my collarbone and trailed it downward between my breasts. I could feel his excitement press against my leg, and it made me want to turn and run as far away from him as possible. If he forced me to have sex with him, I’d be gone before the sun rose. My wolf may be anxious to feel him inside her, but I wasn’t. I didn’t want to be labeled as the alpha’s mistress—I was better than that.

  “Don’t you crave a man, Anna? You’ve been here three months and haven’t let one male experience your body,” he paused. “Or do you prefer women?”

  “No.”

  “No you don’t crave a man or no you don’t love the ladies?” He laughed and my wolf whimpered.

  “No to both.”

  “What about me, Anna? If I was to offer myself to you, would you accept it willingly? Do you crave me?”

  My wolf screamed yes! I found him attractive and not just because he was my alpha. He had the looks and body of a God many women would love to worship. I wasn’t blind and I wasn’t gay. I could appreciate how beautiful he was. But that was all ruined by his way of thinking—primitive.

  “You’re very good looking and many women here would eagerly be your mistress, but that’s not the type of woman I am. I’m sorry,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster.

  “I admire that about you, and I will not force you to do anything you do not want to, at least in this manner,” he laughed. “You’re still expected to do your chores.”

  A smile broke against my lips as some of my muscles relaxed. I hadn’t expected him to not force himself on me, most alphas would have from the stories I’d heard.

  “I know you don’t want a mate, but that won’t always be the case. One day your wolf will want a companion, Anna. When that time comes, come to me. Let me be the first to taste you, to fill you, to please you.”

  “Why? Because you get first dibs on all of the women here? Eve is such a lucky girl,” I muttered.

  Adam growled, and I immediately cowered. Maybe I misread the situation, and we weren’t having an open discussion.

  “I’m the alpha. I don’t waste my time with simple women even if they’re willing to spread their legs. What I offered you is more than I’ve offered any other. It’s a compliment. Don’t turn it into something foul and meaningless.”

  Staring at the ground again I said, “Sorry.”

  “You’re strong and not just physically, but mentally. You don’t show cowardice toward the men, even me. You’re only three months old, and you’ve already got the personality of a leader, an alpha. How many women have you seen look me in the eyes?”

  “None,” I whispered.

  “Except you. You don’t fold under my stare, and I suspect the only reason you advert your gaze is because you’ve been taught to. But the ones teaching you are followers, and you, Anna, are not. I offer myself to you as a man, an equal, not as your alpha or superior.”

  Fire burned behind his sapphire eyes as he waited for my response. He laid out a good speech, but that didn’t change my mind. When I was with a man, I didn’t share, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to share Adam with Eve.

  “Thank you for thinking so highly of me,” I started. “But I still cannot be your mistress. If I should want a mate, that man will be mine completely, and I’ll be his. I know you guys have a different way of thinking, but I still hang onto the ways of my human world. I have no plans to share my mate or jump from one bed to another simply because my wolf is a horny bitch—”

  My words were cut off when Adam burst out laughing. Maybe I held the tiniest bit of resentment towards my inner beast. She didn’t make refusing a man easy.

  “I’m offering right here and now to satisfy her,” Adam stated. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he pulled me against the plains of his hard body. My breasts smashed against his chest and his dick teased in between my legs—rock hard and ready to drive into me. I could practically feel my wolf drooling. “I’ve fantasized about
having your body wiggling and moaning underneath me. How you’d taste and the look of desire in your brown eyes. Put me out of my misery and give into me, Anna.”

  I didn’t get a chance to respond, his mouth found mine and cut off my protests. Anger radiated through every last one of my veins. Hadn’t I just got done telling him no?

  Pushing against him, I broke free of his embrace, changed into my wolf and ran like hell back to the house.

  It’d been two days since the night Adam offered himself to me. Every night I snuck out, changed, and ran to the stream. It was a ritual I’d adopted for escapism, but now the place felt different. My wolf expected Adam to pop through the woods and offer her company while she devoured whatever fresh kill she made. Needless to say, I wasn’t as upset about Adam keeping his distance.

  Sawyer and I hunted together last night, a wolf’s way of taking a girl out to dinner. Was it too much to ask for an actual restaurant, instead of ripping into the flesh of a deer we took down together? I learned that romance was nonexistent in the pack. A part of me wondered if I’d be like the rest of them someday. Granted I wasn’t a mushy type girl, but I did believe in the basic type dates.

  The sky was cloudy today. I rested one hand on the steering wheel while I cruised down the winding mountain road. Elle needed groceries, and I needed time away from the compound. Wyoming was vast, which meant I had to drive a long time before I got to any semblance of humanity. I didn’t mind though; the drive helped me sort through my emotions. Now that I was wolf, I was alert to everything around me. Sometimes it played hell with my head—trying to tune out the sound of nature was the most annoying. Most of the time, I drowned out the chatter out by blaring the radio in my truck. Another thing that changed was my anger. It didn’t take much for the flood gates to open and my inner beast to show herself. My wolf thought she was superior to humans; therefore, if someone got mouthy with me, she’d punch their lights out—and with my newfound strength that could be deadly.

  I pulled the truck into a parking spot at Asher’s butcher shop. Asher was a member of our pack. He kept our fridges stocked with meat. We had ten freezers in the basement that only lasted a month with our group who could eat their weight in food.

  I strode through the door, slapped our order on the counter, and smiled at Asher. He was one of the older wolves, but I’d never say that to him. He prided himself on his strength and ability to keep up with the youngsters. His shaggy brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. The wrinkles around his hazel, flecked with yellow eyes deepened when he returned my smile.

  “You have other shopping to do?” he asked as he scanned the list.

  “Yeah, I’m heading over to Wal-Mart to get the rest of the groceries,” I told him as I slapped a wad of bills on the counter. Adam owned a construction company, but he also got a percentage of the rest of the pack’s income. It wasn’t cheap feeding twenty-five wolves.

  “Okay, I’ll have this ready within the hour.” Asher handed the list to one of his employees.

  Walking through the door, I hopped in the cab of my truck and made my way across the street. I was about to park when a car cut in front of me and stole my space. My wolf bristled and growled within me. My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I flexed them out as I tried to ease the anger that emanated inside me.

  “Calm down,” I told myself.

  I eyed the man that emerged from the SUV, and the wolf fought to break free. A car behind me honked, bringing me out of my red haze. Finding a place a few spots back, I shut off my truck and took a moment to rein in my inner beast. I adjusted the rearview mirror, appraising my face to make sure my eyes weren’t yellow. When my brown eyes stared back at me, I sighed in relief. My inner wolf was difficult to control if she got too pissed off. Luckily, the douche bag hadn’t ruffled her enough for me to lose my grip.

  After making two trips to fill two carts of food, I went back to Asher’s. When I stepped inside, however, I came face to face with Adam. It took me a few seconds to recover from the surprise before I glanced away. I suspected he’d been ignoring me because I turned him down. As much as I told myself I didn’t care for his attention, when I saw him I realized I’d been lying.

  “Anna,” he greeted me.

  “Adam,” I responded with a nod.

  Three men with dollies stacked with boxes made their way out from back and headed towards my navy truck. Leaning against the wall while I waited for the food to be loaded, I crossed my arms and stared out the large window. The image of Adam’s naked body against mine stirred in my mind, and I closed my eyes as my wolf purred in remembrance. I memorized every cut of muscle and the way his eyes glinted as he urged me to give into him.

  I must have gotten lost in the memory because when I focused again, Adam was standing directly in front of me. I unclenched my teeth from the lip I’d been biting and cursed as heat warmed my cheeks.

  “May I have a word,” Adam said, a smile struggling to form on his tight lips.

  “Uh, yeah.” I followed him outside where we walked down the short sidewalk and around the side of the building. When Adam stopped, his face took on an entirely different look. Gone was the stony alpha façade and in its place was a man who craved a woman. His eyes penetrated every inch of me as they roamed up and down my body—I could almost feel the heat they left in their wake. My breath caught as my wolf panted for his attention. My body tense, I leaned against the brick wall to put space between us.

  Adam walked closer, resting his hand on the wall to pin me in my place. His blond hair fell forward as he looked down at me. Slowly, I trailed my gaze up and met his stare. We watched each other for a few moments before he spoke.

  “The group is going to Weston’s tonight. I’d like you to come.”

  “You think I’m ready to mingle?”

  “Did you attack anyone today while shopping?” His voice was amused. Since I’d been living in the Big Horn Mountains, I’d never been allowed to leave. The fact that I left today, without his consent, was dangerous.

  “No. I was going to ask, but I couldn’t find you and we needed groceries. I didn’t—.”

  Adam placed a finger on my lips to silence my lies. I hadn’t even thought about asking for his permission, and he knew it.

  “Then I suppose you’re ready. You deserve a fun night, and I know all the men wanna see your moves,” he quirked an eyebrow as his hand settled on my hip. I dug my fingers into the brick behind me to keep from reaching out.

  “Okay.” I breathed, my voice uneven.

  “Sir,” a voice interrupted and Adam stepped away, the stony alpha disguise was back in place. Adam went with Asher, and I took a moment to catch my breath. It pissed me off he thought he could toy with my emotions and then ignore me as if our interaction never happened.

  I smacked the irritation away and focused on the fact that I was going to Weston’s with the rest of the group instead of staying home doing laundry. If the men wanted to see my moves on the dance floor, then this girl was happy to oblige.

  Weston’s gravel parking lot was packed full of pickup trucks and SUVs. The barn siding of the bar was painted red and a wood sign above the door announced it was the best rootin’ tootin’ country bar around. I hopped out of Sawyer’s truck and adjusted my flannel shirt tied just under my breasts. A good portion of my stomach was exposed, and my denim skirt showcased my tan legs. The clothes, down to the brown cowboy boots, were Elle’s. My wardrobe didn’t consist of anything that would make a man drool, and tonight, I was on a mission.

  Sawyer wore jeans and a tight fitting plaid shirt. His spiky blonde hair was perfectly mussed and his woodsy, spicy scent enticed me. Sawyer was growing on me. While he could be a pig most of the time, he’d taken his time and tried to get to know me.

  “You ready, little lady?” Sawyer asked in his best cowboy voice.

  I laughed and looped my arm with his as we walked into Weston’s. The entire place was one big dance floor with tables and a bar that surrounded it. Sawdust cover
ed the ground and large industrial lights hung from wood rafters. Music beat against my sensitive eardrums causing me to cringe. I took a moment to tune it out as best I could. Sawyer and I walked towards the bar, his hand on the small of my back. My eyes roamed over the large space. The dance floor was congested with people line dancing. As my gaze traveled over the patrons, they stopped when they met with a pair of cobalt eyes. Adam was dressed in jeans and a tight fitting t-shirt that hugged his broad chest. His blond hair had been freshly cut and fell to his jawline now. He sat at a table with a group of our pack mates, Eve propped on his lap. My wolf roared at seeing her on him.

  Adam looked away and laughed at something someone said, but soon returned his attention towards me. I stared bullets, hating that he caused this reaction.

  “Anna?”

  I broke my gaze and looked up at Sawyer. I grabbed the longneck he offered and took a long drink to snuff the fire that erupted in my stomach. Making our way over to the table, I leaned into Sawyer’s arm.

  Adam’s eyes flicked to our closeness. His lips tightened and his hand on the table fisted. A smile curled my lips, happy that seeing me with someone else bothered him. Sawyer wrapped an arm around my waist, his hand caressing my bare skin. Adam squirmed even more.

  “Well, lookie here. The pup is running with the big dogs,” Joe said, causing laughter to circle the table.

  “I bet this pup can drink you under the table, old man,” I laughed. Joe wasn’t actually old. He was in his mid-thirties, but had been a wolf since he was nineteen. He ranked pretty high on the totem pole.

  “Is that so?” he teased, a glint reflecting in his brown eyes.

  I nodded. “Line ‘em up.”

  After ten minutes, Joe and I stood on either side of an empty table, six shots in front of each of us. Our pack surrounded us, taking bets on who would finish first. Sawyer stood next to me, his hand rubbing my ass. I shot him a disapproving look, and he smiled and withdrew his grip.