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I scowl. God damn boys and their quick shower processes.

“I mean those destined for command. Packs always have Alphas in charge – it’s not just a social order. Our bodies respond to it, too.”

I rinse my hair quickly and slap some conditioner on, not precisely sure how I feel about this. I’m still deciding as I wrap up my shower, turning off the water and quickly drying off before I wrap my towel around me and pull open the curtain.

I gasp and go still when I see Cole standing there, leaning against my cubicle with nothing but atowelwrapped around his waist.

How – how did he open my curtain without me hearing?

He smirks at me, all wet andgorgeousand fucking – muscled – god damn it –

I squeeze my eyes shut after they spend far too much time taking in the shape of his perfectly carved chest, and his fuckingabs, and the – the stupidly hot v-shaped lines at the bottom of the stomach that disappear into his low-slung towel -

Goddamnit, but Cole Kincaid is good-looking. I mean, I was alwaysawareof this, but there’s no reminder like him standing mostlynakedin front of me, leaning so casually against the wall, his hair all…wet and flopping in his face, begging me to push it back.

Cole laughs, quite pleased with himself, and I straighten up, my hand clasped in my towel over my chest. “If youplease, sir,” I snap, eyes still closed. “I’d like myprivacywhile I dress.”

“Back into your dirty clothes?” My eyes snap open in time to see Cole raise an eyebrow at me. I realize that he’s right – all my clean stuff is at my bunk.

“Oh, shut up,” I mutter, stooping to gather up my dirty outfit.

“Come on,” he says, reaching for me, aiming to put his arm over my shoulders again.

I squeak, darting past him so he can’t touch and fuckingensorcellme with his stupid body – which is probably allwarm-

“Get back here!” Cole calls, laughing as I dash past him out of the shower room.

“No!”

“Do it!” he shouts after me, laughing harder. “I Alphacommandyou to get back here and walk at my side!”

“EW!” I yell even as I laugh, running across the tent toward my bunk with nothing but my towel and dirty clothes clasped to my body. “I will never obey!”

“Yeah,” he calls, laughing too. “We’ll see about that.”

I smile as I reach my bunk, quickly digging through my clothes and searching for something comfortable that I can wear while I steal a few hours of sleep. Cole doesn’t bother to find something to wear once he catches up with me, falling into his bed wrapped only in his towel. I stand straight, my eyes going wide when he pulls the blankets up over him and then pulls the towel out from between the sheets, tossing it aside.

“Cole!”

“Oh, be quiet,” he murmurs, snuggling his face into his pillow. “Stop pretending you don’t like it.”

I huff, but I don’t say another word as I quickly and discreetly pull on some pajama pants and a T-shirt.

I’m no liar, after all.

“Oh mygod,” Shayne squeaks later that afternoon, sitting on a cleared area of floor in one corner of the nursing tent, little girlie wolf pups gamboling all over her. “Oh my god, this is thecutestthing I’ve ever seen!”

She reaches out, petting as many as she can, one after the other, while Grace fusses over one little wolf who lies curled in her lap.

“I love puppiesss,” Shay coos. “I want one!”

“Shay, they’repeople,” I murmur, laughing at her as I softly stroke Janine’s hair. She’s asleep in her human body, curled in my lap, her head pressed to my chest. “Littlegirls. You can’thaveone.”

“Oh, just try to stop me,” Grace sighs, stroking the little grey pup who has her snout stretched over her knee, her eyes blissfully shut. “I’m keeping this one.”

I grin at her too, my eyes moving over all of the girls. They just had their second meal of the day and got a significant energy burst, so we cleared this little area for them to play in. Cole has been more rigid with the boys, who are currently gathered with him on the other side of the tent, but he agreed that since the girls already seem quite devoted to me that there’s no harm in going easier on them.

“So, what’s the plan?” Gracie whispers as the girls chase each other around, clearly delighted by their change in fortunes.