Page 75 of Taken by Moonlight

Gabriel nuzzled my bare feet, his tail wagging. Waves of contented blue energy radiated fromhim.

Closing my eyes, I let sleep claim me, as Alex curled up behind my back, Dante holding me close, and protective Gabriel at myfeet.

Myboys.

Mywolves.

Much later I awoke,feeling a cool breeze at my backside. I rolled over, but Alex wasgone.

Arm flung over his head, Dante slept on. Gabriel, still in wolf form, did aswell.

I slid out of bed. Though I lacked the shifter sense of smell, I saw faint trails of energy left by Alex’saura.

He’d gone down thehallway.

I found him in the guest room assigned to me, standing at the window. He did not turnaround.

Nude, he stood there, his hands braced on the sill as he stared at the meadowbelow.

“Peyton, go back to bed,” he said, notturning.

I closed the door behind me. “Not unless you come withme.”

“No.”

“Then I’m staying here. Until you tell me what’s eating at you,Alex.”

I stared at his butt. The twin globes of his ass, so perfect,tensed.

Drawing closer, I gentled my voice. “Did you have anightmare?”

Hesitation, then a jerkynod.

“Was it about what happened to you before you came to theranch?”

Another nod and then asigh.

“Tell me. It will make it go away. My gran said if you share details of a nightmare, it loses its power overyou.”

“You don’t want to know what my life was like before I came here, Peyton. Before Dante rescuedme.”

He turned and the torment on his face made my heart turnover.

I did. I did because I sensed it was part of the shadows dancing in his dark eyes, the torment flickering there when we were in town yesterday and the human woman had made sheep’s eyes athim.

Turning away again, Alex braced his hands against the window pane. I went to him, resting a hand on hisshoulder.

“Please, Alex. Tell me. I don’t want to know out of some morbid sense of curiosity. I need to know because I care about you, and I don’t want to say or do anything that might hurtyou.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “You’re the first skin woman I’ve had sex with since…Natalie.”

Then he turned and some of the torment fled his expression. “The first skin woman I’ve ever made love with, instead of settling forsex.”

Taking his hand, I led him over to the bed, draped a soft flannel blanket around his shoulders. Then I sat next to him andwaited.

Alex stared at the opposite wall. “When I was 17, I left my pack in Ohio because I was wild, young and bored. I hitched sometimes, made my way on foot others. I got to Pennsylvania and was in wolf skin that night, hunting mice alongside the road when I darted out into the road… and a car hitme.”

A shudder raced through me. Still, I remained quiet, fearing if I broke the silence, he would ceasespeaking.