Page 17 of Bewitched by the Werewolf (The Bewitching Hour #5)

Somehow Tess has managed to avoid me for an entire day.

I had to give up my search for her yesterday after she confronted me and because I had dinner with my family and our guest last night.

Turns out it was none other than Lottie, the female renting the cabin.

Everyone found it endlessly amusing when she showed us the photo she took of Hunter in his wolf form.

I didn’t get why everyone thought it was the most hilarious thing they’ve ever seen.

It was just a picture. Lottie seemed nice enough, Hunter definitely seemed distracted by her and Ginger is practically her best friend already.

I made sure to check in with Ginger while there to see if Tess had posted anything else on her site.

I could have looked it up myself, but I don’t have time for that.

Ginger had nothing new to report which is a good thing.

That means Tess hasn’t spotted anyone yet.

I’ve been keeping my eye out for her all day, but she’s either holed up in her trailer or is way better at avoiding me than I am at following her.

I thought I had caught a glimpse of red hair earlier but it vanished when I went looking for her.

She’s slippery like that. Her ability to be as silent as a hunting wolf is disturbing.

When I found her just sitting on a barstool in Blue Moon without even trying, it was irritating to say the least. So was the way I reacted to her.

She didn’t smell any different than she had before, but that didn’t stop my body from responding all the same.

Places hardening and perking to attention.

Tess is a beautiful woman. But she’s a woman, a human female, not a possible shifter mate.

Therefor, according to the logic I’ve stuck with for fifty years, she’s not worth my time.

Yet there’s something about her that keeps me focused on her.

I want to ignore her. I want her to tell me the truth.

I want her to leave, but I also don’t. I like verbally sparing with her, and I hate verbalizing much with anyone.

The way she sasses me makes me want to snark back at her, see what she’ll say next.

Most of which I’m sure will annoy the shit out of me, but I do it anyways.

I’ll just have to be more vigilant. Keep an eye on her, make sure she’s behaving and leaves right after the blood moon, and try not to stare at her fuck me red lips anymore.

I groan and rub a hand over my face. Fuck me and those red lips that were just begging to be smudged.

I’ve never met someone quite as irritating and tempting all in one as Tess.

Hunter appears, driving down the street, and parks in the lot across from Blue Moon next to Dottie’s where I wait for him, leaning against my own truck.

Black, just like Tess’s little dress that kept riding up those long legs.

Damn it Ryder, stop thinking about her legs and focus on what’s important.

Like her website and what she’s really looking for in Snowberry.

The reminder of who Tess really is has me scowling enough to suppress any lingering unwanted desire for the redhead. At least for now.

Hunter jumps out of his truck and meets me at the tailgate.

It’s been a few hours since my sparing match with Tess and I watched her leave thirty minutes ago, walking back to her trailer at the lake.

If she had even of tried to get into a car I would have arrested her.

And now I have a mental image of Tess in handcuffs in the back of my truck. Fuck.

“Everything alright? You look more moody than usual,” my brother so helpfully points out.

“Fine. Just dealing with a new human in town.”

“Anyone I should know about?”

I immediately bristle and flex for some reason.

I don’t like the idea of Hunter getting to know Tess, even though it was painfully obvious he has a thing for this Lottie female.

“No, I’ve got it handled. She says she’s in town for the eclipse, but I don’t believe her.

There’s just something about her. She keeps going around town and talking to everyone. ”

Hunter chuckles and slaps me on the shoulder. “That’s generally what people do when they arrive in a new place. She’s a human?”

“Yeah.” I don’t mention her strange lack of smell or that fact that I know she’s hunting for werewolves. Hunter doesn’t need that added stress right now. I can handle Tess. I’m the only one who will be handling Tess. “She’s just extra nosey.”

“Well, keep an eye on her. If you need my assistance, let me know.”

“Don’t worry I’ve got her. She won’t be a problem.”

And she won’t, because I won’t let her. I may have some sort of base physical attraction to her, but it’ll pass. She’s nothing more than a human snooping around my town that I need to manage just like all the others before her. Nothing extraordinary.

“Good. Then can we go inside and get a drink?” his gaze darts towards the bar and back, eager to get inside.

“Do you really want a drink, or are you hoping that Lottie will be there with Ginger?” I don’t mention I watched them walk in not ten minutes ago.

“I’m just eager to get in enough drinks before Dottie starts singing.”

I know he’s looking forward to seeing Lottie again.

I can smell it in his scent, anticipation and excitement.

Scenting his emotions just reminds me how little I can scent from Tess.

There has to be an explanation for why I can’t smell anything on her.

Emotions or otherwise. It’s infuriating and one more thing driving me nuts over this female.

“Sure. Let’s get inside then. I think I saw Ginger arrive not long ago.” I put a hand on Hunter’s back and steer him towards Blue Moon . He needs no other motivation to get moving. He’s already a pace in front of me by the time we cross the street.

~

Well, that was not at all how I thought the night was going to end but I’m grateful for the early reprieve from Dottie’s singing.

I know she already sang three times but she’s just getting started.

Lottie just abruptly left the bar without a word and Hunter followed right behind her after some urging from Ginger.

I don’t take any urging. As soon as I pay my tab, I’m leaving.

I think I’ve had enough socialization for one day.

“Are you leaving too?” Ginger asks when I return from the bar without a drink.

“Yeah. I’m calling it a night.” She nods, not surprised. I think she’s more surprised I lasted this long. “Any update on Tess I should know about?” I ask before leaving.

“Nothing yet. Website hasn’t changed.”

That’s good at least. I can relax for the rest of the night. Or not. My phone chirps in my pocket and I pull it out. It’s a message from Logan.

Logan: Suspicious activity reported in the woods around Lake Agate. Should I investigate?

The lake’s full name is Blue Agate Lake but that’s a mouthful, we all just refer to it as Lake Agate . And there goes my quiet night. Because if it’s where I think it is and who I think it is, it’s best if I go.

Ryder: I got it.

Logan: Copy.

I let out a deep sigh that draws my sister’s attention.

“Anything wrong?”

“No, just work, as usual. I gotta head out. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Night.” She waves and I make my way out of the bar.

I leave my truck parked in the lot, because I have had a few to drink.

And what kind of law enforcement would I be to drive under the influence?

Even though shifters have a much higher tolerance and I don’t even feel buzzed.

Still, it’s the principle of the matter.

I head off down the street towards Lake Agate knowing exactly what I’m going to find when I get there.

Tess, wandering the woods and poking around looking for werewolves.

Shifting sounds pretty good right about now, but that is the last thing I need to be doing with Tess on the loose.

I just need to find her and get her to admit what she’s doing, then escort her back to her trailer.

I can’t force her to leave for hiking on public property, but I can give her a warning.

When I arrive at the lake I head straight for her trailer and look again for tracks.

There’s only the obvious path she stomped out when I caught her the first time, so I follow it.

This time I don’t spot her a few yards within the tree line.

The shadows grow darker the deeper I venture and my predatory instinct kicks in.

Every shifter has an internal beast or instinct that guides us.

It’s what leads us to our mates, what causes the prickles up our fur and sharpens our senses.

Mine becomes nearly as good as when I’m shifted.

The logical human side of my brain dimming to allow room for the instinct to take over.

I don’t let it completely, I never do, can’t.

Not when my beast can be so unpredictable around others.

I won’t let another innocent person suffer because I can’t control myself.

I stride deeper into the forest, concealing my movements and sounds as best as possible, making me near undetectable.

The light from the waxing moon is obscured by the thick canopy above.

The temperature in the dark forest is cool.

A brisk breeze ruffling my hair. At least I’m down wind.

As long as she’s ahead of me in the forest, she won’t scent me.

What am I thinking? She’s a human she can’t scent me .

But that doesn’t seem to matter to my beast, I’m in predator mode now.

Hunting for my prey. If only I knew her scent so I could pinpoint her location better.

As it is, I’ll have to rely on my other senses.

Senses that supersede any humans. I’ll find her, one way or another.

Deeper into the forest I go, listening for any sound out of place from the natural ebb and flow of the trees and critters in the forest. A deer almost pulls me away from task, temping my beast to shift, hunt and kill.

I shake it off and try to refocus. I can feel my body growing in size, my nails becoming claws and my clothing restricting under the press of my muscles.

I’m only dressed in jeans and a t-shirt tonight, foregoing my standard utility belt and weapon.

I was off the clock when Logan texted me.

At least I don’t have to worry about losing my gun and badge out here.

The thought is fleeting as my mind presses away any thoughts not associated with finding my prey.

Red hair, red lips. That’s what I focus on.

Searching out the one thing she can’t hide in the darkness.

I finally spot a glimpse of red and hide behind the nearest tree, hoping she didn’t see me.

I hear the sound of movement then footsteps.

Slow then quick, moving away from me. My chest rises and falls with the excitement and anticipation of a chase.

The knot at the base of my cock swells in eagerness.

I don’t even scold myself for it. I want it to swell, I want to chase and catch and fuck.

The urge so primal and immediate, I can’t suppress it.

The shift doesn’t take over yet. I manage to keep it at bay as I round the tree and jog in the direction I heard the steps.

My long slow bounds turn into hurried leaps, my limbs lengthening and somehow in my half-frenzied state, I manage to remove my boots instead of tearing through them.

My shirt and pants on the other hand don’t quite survive my unplanned shift.

It washes through me as natural as breathing, stretching and reshaping my body to that of an eight-foot-tall beast covered in dark grey fur.

Whatever reasoning I had for being here, or what I was trying to accomplish are gone and replaced with a primal urge to hunt and catch.

I know I want the female I seek. I can’t scent her, can’t smell her arousing aroma like I would any other female, but my beast’s reaction to her is the same as if I could.

It’s infuriating and I let out a growl as I bound forward on all fours searching for her presence.