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She deserves someone good. Someone stable. Someone who will make her feel safe. Not me, after all the damage I’ve caused the pack. I don’t deserve happiness. I don’t get to have things like peace. Or joy. Or her.

So why does my wolf howl in pain at the idea of her with someone else? Why do my fists clench when I imagine how I’d treat her—how I’d worship her? How I’d make damn sure she felt nothing but pleasure?

She thinks it’s about how she looks, but it’s not.

My wolf wants her. He’s been clear about that since day one.

And I want to listen to him, if I could just let go of the guilt and the self-blame and just show her what it’s like to be with someone who sees her. Someone who would never, ever hurt her.

Because maybe I’m not good enough for her—but I’m sure as hell better than the monster who tortured her. Fuck, what is wrong with me? I can’t think straight when it comes to this girl.

Emily is waiting for me today when I get to the training arena. She’s wearing tiny little shorts and an oversized T-shirt knotted on one side. Her toned legs still carry visible scars from her injuries, but they only serve to highlight her strength—and yeah, they’re sexy as hell.

She turns to me, hearing my approach. “Hey,” she says while wrapping her arms around herself. My wolf laments the loss of the easy comfort we briefly enjoyed before I ruined everything last night.

I can’t do the hot and cold thing anymore. It’s not fair to her. So I’m going to attempt to act how I am with people I don’t imagine naked. Straightforward.

“I heard you got signed off by Doc so we’re training in wolf forms today. You can change behind the divider there.” She nods and makes her way to the area I indicated. A few moments later, her tiny white wolf emerges .

It's the first time I've seen her wolf since the night I found her in the woods. The intense green of her eyes is even more electric in this form, as it contrasts against her white fur. She's beautiful. Graceful. My wolf thrashes wildly, wanting to get out to her.

“Shit, I forgot I can't mindlink you. Okay, I’m going to stay in human form to direct you first, then I’ll shift and you can try to get away from me,” I explain. Her little wolf nods to let me know she understands.

“Okay, so physically you aren’t going to be stronger than most wolves you go up against—not an insult, just an observation—so you need to be smarter or faster. Ideally both.” Her wolf’s ears perk up and her head cocks to the side, showing me she is listening intently.

“You need to seize every opportunity that comes your way; you pause or delay, you’re dead.” Her wolf lets out a low whimper.

“You use every possible advantage you have.” I take my shirt off, but before I continue undressing, I let her in on the plan. “I’m going to get undressed and shift. You have a one-minute head start.”

Her head darts to the door I left open before her gaze flicks back to me. The vibrant green of her eyes burns me with her gaze.

“Run, little wolf. I’m coming for you.”

Her wolf lets out a yip, and she’s gone like a flash. I strip off my sweatpants and boxers before letting the shift come. The pain lasts only a couple of seconds as my bones crack and elongate and hair erupts from my skin.

My wolf is at least double the size of hers, if not bigger. My sandy brown coloring and knowledge of the area will give me further advantage over Emily. But she’s faster than I expected.

I should wait another thirty seconds, but my wolf is ignoring me. He tears out of the training facility in search of my girl.

The girl.

Not mine. She’s not my anything.

My wolf growls his dispute to that idea, but we’re choosing to agree to disagree on this matter. He sniffs around for a couple of seconds before picking up her scent.

Sweet, sugary, and a hint of coffee. Her scent has become stronger and even more appealing since she arrived in Lunar Eclipse. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s close to turning twenty-one or something else, but it’s incredibly enticing.

It draws me in, soothing me and refreshing me at the same time .

My wolf takes off in the direction of her scent. She has zigzagged and doubled back at times, hiding her trail. Good, she’s not making it too easy. My wolf loves to hunt, but he’s getting especially eager about finding this particular prey.

After almost an hour of searching, I finally catch a glimpse of her fluffy white tail. I pick up my pace but take the long way around to get ahead of her. It’s incredibly impressive that she has evaded me for so long.

But I’ve nearly got her.

I hide in the shadows, ready to pounce as soon as she comes my way.

One last breath of the fresh pine and damp earth fills my lungs before I go completely still, awaiting her approach.

I leap at her at the exact right time to ensure I give her no warning.

I tackle her to the ground, rolling her wolf onto her back with me on top of her.

My wolf growls as a singular thought fills my mind; Mine.

She snaps at me, making no genuine effort to make contact. She'll need to do better against a real foe. But then she does something completely unexpected.

Her small size allows her to twist under me so that her back is to my underbelly. It's the worst position she could put herself in—zero leverage, completely vulnerable. I growl, frustrated. Is she even fucking trying?

But then she arches her back.

Her hips lift. Her tail moves to the side. It’s not a mistake. It’s an invitation. My wolf surges forward, ready to mount. Her movements are deliberate—teasing, taunting—a clear invitation that her wolf wants to fuck and mine is ready to go into rut. But she’s not even in heat.

She moves from side to side and I step back to see what she’s doing, but she immediately lets out an excited yip and takes off. My human form may have blue balls, but my wolf fucking loves the chase. He takes off after her, dodging under tree branches and jumping over ditches.

She’s fast. Really fucking fast. My wolf is half-wild with lust, but he’s also thrilled, loving every second of the chase.

We’ve been running through the pack forest for almost two hours when I see her slip back into the training grounds.

I bound after her, just in time to hear the final cracking of her bones rearranging into her human form behind the divider.

I shift into my human form before I follow her.

She has already pulled her panties back on by the time I reach her, but her tits are uncovered and I'm completely naked.

I walk straight up to her, and she steps backward.

I crowd her against the wall, placing my hands on either side of her head, caging her in.

“What was that?” I growl at her.

She bites her bottom lip and looks up at me through her lashes. “Um, my wolf, uh…” she stutters. A red blush travels up her chest and she looks down.

“Your wolf, what?” I ask, moving even closer, dropping my head into the curve of her neck and breathing in her sweet scent. Her arousal makes her usual sweetness become intoxicating.

“Oh my goddess, this is so embarrassing,” she whines. She sighs and looks back at me. “I’d love to say that was me ‘using my advantage’, but actually my wolf is just a hussy.”

“A hussy?” I say, quirking an eyebrow.

“Yup,” she says, popping the p.

“And what about your human part?” I ask.

I drop one of my hands to her hip. She gasps as I draw her towards me, my hard cock against her stomach.

“You know I am aware of your arousal,” I say as I bend and lift her by the backs of her thighs.

I push against her, pinning her between the wall and my body.

Her legs wrap around my waist and her tiny wet panties are the only thing separating her pussy and my cock.

She whimpers and wraps her arms around my shoulders. I lick across her collarbone and up her neck, relishing the salty flavor of her sweat-soaked skin. I kiss along her jawline and behind her ear.

“Jackson, please,” she moans, before she grinds her hips against me. Holy fuck, this might be the hottest moment of my life.

But as we’re about to cross over the line, I hear the door open. Whoever it is can’t see us behind the divider, but they’ll be able to detect Emily’s arousal. My wolf snarls and I bark out, “Whoever you are, get the fuck out now!”

“Jackson, put me down,” she hisses as she pushes against my chest. She has no strength to make me move, but I drop her to stand, and I turn and stalk away.

I’m ready to rip out the throat of whoever disturbed us.

But they’re already gone, so I slip back into my sweatpants while Emily is still behind the divider.

“Emily, they’re gone. You can come out,” I call to her. She steps out, eyes downcast. She carries a sharp twinge of shame now, disrupting her delicious scent.

“I’m going to head out,” she mutters, refusing to make eye contact. “Thanks for training.”

“Are we pretending nothing happened here? ”

“Uh… yeah, that would be great,” she says while nodding her head vigorously.

“You might want to inform your wolf,” I say sharply. Is she seriously pretending that what happened was nothing?

She huffs and walks out. The sway of her hips making me want to run after her. It’s time I stop pretending. I want her. I know it and she knows it. Now I need to make sure that she’s ready for me the next time I go there.

Male wolves are naturally sexually dominant, and the thought of her willful submission is making my cock ache. Because after that little performance by her wolf and how turned on I know she got around me, this thing I’m craving just became inevitable.