Page 11 of My Boyfriend Bites (A Moonstruck Mating #3)

Of course, when Selene was about to finally have her cherry popped and experience the biggest O, pirates would attack.

Like seriously?! It was almost enough for her to wolf out and hunt/tear apart the pirates to ease her frustration.

It didn’t help that instead of Dante choosing to remain with her and give her reassurance—not that she needed any—he strode off like some hero for answers after giving her strict instructions to barricade herself.

She appreciated that he cared but, at the same time, would have preferred he stay. They could have locked the door, moved furniture in front of it to avoid interruption, and hunkered down—naked and in her bed—until the pirates left or help arrived.

But nope. She had a throbbing pussy, an irritated lycan rumbling to escape, and nothing to do but wait.

She threw herself onto the couch and prepared to read.

The lights went out. Everything actually powered off, leaving her in a stifling silence.

Unexpected, and most likely pirate related. She didn’t worry too much. The darkness didn’t bother her.

Technically, she could have kept reading. Her tablet didn’t need power or light so long as the battery had juice. However —surprise!—she found herself too distracted to concentrate on the words. The restlessness had her heading for her balcony, the fresh evening air pleasant but less enjoyable in light of those on other terraces freaking out. Complaints rose from passengers who’d escaped their cabin to the outdoors, with hints of panic threaded among the grumbles.

“I told you this boat was haunted.”

“Oh my god, we’re gonna die.”

“I’d better get a refund. This is bullshit.”

Selene probably should have been more concerned about the lack of power, but then again, what would worrying accomplish? She reassured herself with the fact the ship hadn’t struck anything and wouldn’t just sink. More than likely backup power would soon kick in.

Scratch .

Her head swiveled, and she peered through the sliding glass door back into her cabin. The lever to her door creaked as it turned. Had Dante returned? She hurried to the door, unblocked by furniture despite his instructions. She’d only put the chain lock across.

A peek at the eyehole showed nothing. Her eyesight was good but not good enough to view anything in the dark hall via the peeping glass.

“Who is it?” she called out.

“The captain. Can you let me in?” a woman stated.

Selene frowned. What did the captain want? “Why?” she asked.

“I wish to speak to you about something you witnessed.”

The statement widened her eyes. Did the captain know about the body?

Her hand went to the chain and paused. Dante had specifically told her not to open it for anyone but him or Rennie. Not to mention, the person in the hall could claim to be captain, but how did Selene know she spoke the truth?

What if it were a pirate here to rob her?

“Just a second. Let me get some clothes on.” She stalled for time as she mulled over her options.

“Open the door. ” The last bit came out as a tart growl.

Not likely. Whoever stood on the other side obviously wasn’t who she claimed. Selene glanced around for a weapon. Not much to use other than a lamp. The person in the hall rattled the door lever, then slammed against the panel.

Thump . Thump .

The determination to enter the suite left Selene with two options. Stay and confront them, which would lead to questions later —“How is it the dead body in your cabin looks like it was mauled by an animal?” —or she could relocate to a safer place.

Once more, she exited to the balcony and took a peek over the rail to either side. She could clamber into the neighbor’s terrace easily enough, but chances were the person trying to break in would hit their room next.

She glanced down. Not a pleasant climb or drop, but doable if careful. Please don’t let anyone shine a light upward or they’ll get an eyeful. With a threat literally knocking at her door, she’d have to risk flashing her bits. She swung her leg over the railing and then gripped it before dangling her body. Then the scary part, letting go and hoping?—

Thud . She managed to land on the balcony below. Even better, no one appeared to be outside. However, the sliding door was locked, leading her to then move sideways to the next terrace and the next, until she found an unlocked sliding door, letting her slip inside. Just as she entered the dark space, she heard a screech of rage.

An inhuman cry that raised the hairs on her nape. Her wolf, already partially roused because of her pulsing adrenaline, pushed harder to take over. It knew danger lurked. Selene shoved back. This wasn’t a good place to transform.

Doors, remember? Her wolf didn’t care it had no hands to open them.

Selene crossed the room to the exit, the handles on the inside of the door working fine despite the lack of power. She left, only to find out the hallway wasn’t empty, and she didn’t know who was more startled, her or the couple sitting on the floor—most likely because they couldn’t get in.

They screeched, “What are you doing in our room? Thief! Grab her, Bertrand.”

As the man lunged, too slow to connect, Selene recoiled. And then there was no stopping it.

The jolt of fright brought the change.

Her pretty dress ripped, her bra stretched and snapped, her panties… those remained caught on her hindquarters.

The person in the hall shone their phone in her direction, blinding her for a second as they said, their tone getting louder with each syllable, “Oh. My. God. It’s. A. WOLF!”

Yup. And this wolf needed to get out of there. First though, she craned her head and snared her undies with her teeth, tearing them free. Then she grabbed her clothes in her mouth, lest they be identified later, and ran, following the hallway to the stairs then trotting down them, seen by too many.

Murmurs of shock followed in her wake. “Was that a dog?”

“It’s as big as a wolf.”

“Someone tell Red Riding Hood her boyfriend’s here!” shouted a drunk.

People and their damned phones. A good number had their screens or flashlights shining bright, and they couldn’t help but notice the wolf that sprinted through the gathering of souls.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have many options for flight. Many areas had doors blocking access. Only the truly common areas remained open. She dropped her clothes in a pool as she raced past. The chlorine in the water would destroy any DNA, not that anyone would think to analyze discarded garments, not when they had bodies to deal with. She found the first one when she clambered down some steps meant to get crew and passengers from deck to deck quickly.

A body with no blood.

Had Dante been through here? Why kill a passenger? Wait, was he in cahoots with the pirates? He had, after all, left the moment he heard they’d boarded. Maybe he was their pirate king!

Ridiculous. He’d have known they were boarding and not started something he couldn’t finish.

Selene hit the bottom of the steps, and luckily the door was open, as a couple argued on its threshold. As she brushed past their legs, nudging them apart, it led to squeals. “What is going on? Why is there a wolf on board?”

Thank you for not calling her a dog.

Selene’s nose twitched at the smell of food. She’d reached the dining section of the ship. It made her think of the news article about the other cruise line boarded by pirates. They’d planted themselves in the eating areas and forced people to hand over their valuables.

A human would have avoided the dining room and its threat.

Her wolf?

It didn’t know the word fear and wanted to act.

She trotted toward the main buffet restaurant, processing what she could see, given there appeared to be a few lanterns. First, she noticed the legs of two men standing in the entrance, blocking anyone from leaving. The next thing she spotted, people huddled at their tables, food getting cold on their plates as they trembled and oozed in fear. Her final observation that came with a belly growl? The prime rib really smelled good.

A second sniff relayed the fact the invaders held firearms. Guns could kill, but only if they could aim and actually hit their target.

Too fast for that.

Wolf logic. But Selene couldn’t do anything to change it as her lycan bunched its hindquarters and slammed into one of the men guarding the dining room.

He flew forward with a shout, and his companion whirled, gun pointed, finger on the trigger. Too slow. Too late. Selene gripped the weapon and yanked it from his hands, dragging it with her as she moved deeper into the dining hall, which was still pretty full of diners.

Despite their number, pretty much no one had their phone out and shining bright, most likely because of the pirates making the rounds, grabbing everything of value to stuff in their looting sacks. Her nose counted eight invaders in the room, which included the pair screaming from the doorway.

“Someone shoot that fucking dog. It stole my gun!” a very irate pirate yelled.

“What dog?” barked a guy holding a lantern, which he’d apparently had on the lowest setting. He turned up the dial and ignited the glass dome with the lumen strength of a zillion candles. The bright light highlighted Selene in all her furry glory.

As eyes widened in shock and awe, she struck a pose and uttered a menacing growl. The diners cringed appropriately. The pirates however… Weapons diverted from the passengers to aim at their new target.

Faced with guns, she did what any self-respecting lycan would do before getting ready to fight: She howled.

Translated into human words: Die!

While her wolf wanted to lunge at those threatening, Selene pushed hard a single thought, Get the light!

Destroy the illumination and her foes would be at a disadvantage.

Her wolf leaped to a table, causing patrons to scream as her paws scattered dishes and cutlery—she might have gulped a piece of meat on her way, too. The noise caused chaos, but even better, the pirates hesitated to fire. Shooting at her would most likely hit the people close to her. Was that why they held back? If they were in cahoots with the vampire draining people on board, did their instructions include keeping their boss’s meals alive?

While they made up their minds on whether or not to pull the trigger, Selene leapt to another table, and then another, before she could pounce on the man aiming the portable sun.

The lamp and the holder of it went down hard, the latter smacking his head firmly enough he didn’t move—the cracked and leaking skull probably the reason for that. As for the light?

Darkness descended, the kind that initially left eyes blind until they adjusted. Selene’s wolf didn’t have to wait. She went on the prowl, pouncing and biting, not playing with her prey, because the quicker she took them out, the less likely she’d get shot. Not to mention, the faster they went down, the faster she could get some more of that yummy red meat in her belly.

One by one, she lunged at the pirates, knocking a burly male in the knees before giving his neck a crunch. Leaping to place her paws on another’s chest and huffing hotly in his face before ripping it off.

Amidst the screams and pandemonium as passengers chose to flee, gunfire finally erupted, the sharp cracks random as the pirates shot in panic.

The noise helped her pinpoint those with trigger-happy fingers.

She made sure they died.

By the time the last pirate in that dining room hit the floor, those brave—or scared—enough to let survival instinct take over had fled. Others huddled under tables or on the floor hugging their knees, the tableaux of traumatized people a psychiatrist’s wet dream.

With the threat neutralized, Selene took a moment to gulp down a few slices of juicy and still very red prime rib.

Delicious.

She padded out of the dining area on the hunt for more prey when she ran smack-dab into Dante. A low growl rumbled from her throat.

Don’t eat him, she admonished her wolf.

Dante didn’t cower. He crossed his arms in front of her, arched a brow, and said, “I told you to stay in the room.”