Page 79 of Taken by Moonlight

“I told her that she wasn’t focusing. She was being lazy, letting her horse do as he pleased. She lost it. She’s been edgy these past few days and I shouldn’t have pushed her so hard.” Ryder removed his cowboy hat, slid a thumb around the worn brim. “Sorry,boss.”

Dante nodded. “Yourhand?”

“Already healed. But damn, she’s mighty upset. I think she broke down for good thistime.”

“We’ll send teams out to find her,” Dante decided. “She can’t befar.”

As the men talked, I walked over to a small copse of trees nearby. Flickering colors, like the pulsating lights of the Aurora Borealis, came from behind a tree. I smelled something sharp and earthy, like an animal. Instinct prodded me toapproach.

The timber wolf stepped from behind a large pine trunk and growled. Hair stood up on mynape.

“Oh dear,” I whispered. “I guess there’s no need for a search party afterall.”

Noises behind me told me Dante and Ryder had joined me as well, and saw Felicia, now in wolfform.

Baring her teeth and looking as friendly as a rapid dog searching for a good bite toeat.

I wanted to turn and run. I knew better. Wolves chasedprey.

Footsteps thundered on the ground as others joined us, shouts of alarm ringing through the throng. It was as if everyone in the pack knew Felicia was in trouble and pitched in tohelp.

Except this wasn’t a situation anyone could help, except me. Murmurs rippled through the crowd like wind over silk. I smelled their fear and anxiety, and their rumbling hostility toward me, a stranger and a human, who had stirred up their alpha’s belovedsister.

Felicia padded toward me, snarling. Behind me someone growled. My heart lurched. If Felicia didn’t succeed in ripping me to shreds, someone in the pack would finish thejob.

And then I felt strong fingers on my arm, gently tugging me backward.Dante.

“Peyton, back away and lower your gaze. Slowly,” Dantewarned.

The gray wolf raised her head, her amber gaze meeting mine. For a brief moment, they shone with misery. And then hatred andanger.

But in that brief moment, I saw the truth. Felicia didn’t wantthis.

I held my ground and shook off Dante’s grip. This was a telling moment. If I backed away, showing my natural fear, Felicity might attack. But worse, her delicate teenage psyche would be damaged and I’d be the proof that she was wild wolf, unable to controlherself.

“Felicity, it’s me, Peyton. I know you recognizeme.”

The small gray timber wolf growled, slowly padding towardme.

“Peyton,” Ryder whispered. “Back away as our alpha asks. She’ll tear youapart.”

“Felicity, remember how I smelled? Like vacation. Coconuts. The beach. Wolves don’t like beaches. But you do. It’s your dream to visit the beach some day. You can’t do that in wolfform.”

The wolf slowed a tad, as if considering.Good.

“You’d love the beach. Lots of surf and sun and playing ball, building sand castles. So relaxing. In Florida, you can even see dolphins playing along the shoreline atdusk.”

Gathering all my courage, I held out my hand, as you would for a dog to sniff. “Come here, honey. I won’t hurt you. And I know you won’t hurt me. I trustyou.”

I held my breath, hoping I was right. Wolf auras could be challenging to read, but hers was the toughest I’d seen. Colors flashed so brightly and fast it was like seeing the Aurora Borealis oncrack.

At first it looked like maybe it worked. The wolf remained motionless. And then she snarled, snapping her teeth as if eager to tear meapart.

But the actions didn’t alarm me, for her aura had shifted. The colors of her aura muted slightly, the fierce reds and wild silvers now laced with earthgreen.

Suddenly Dante shifted into wolf skin. The muscled black wolf stepped by my side, staring downFelicia.

She snarled again, her colors bouncing all over the place. I gotit.