Page 33 of The Mating Quest

Terrific night for a stroll with one youloved.

No one lovedher.

I don’t need anyone. I’m fine alone. Besides, who would want to hook up with a 700-plus year old Mage who can’t be killed? I’ve outlived everyone who even cared a smidgen aboutme.

Ilana heard panting and saw a large timber wolf race up toward the lodge. The wolf shifted. Nude, Aiden Mitchell stood before her, panting, his gaze feral. Whoa. Just…whoa.

Impressive.

Another smaller wolf was right behind him. The female saw Ilana and growled, pacing toward her. Ilana swiftly covered her eyes with herhands.

“I didn’t see anything,Nia.”

Well, not anything, just everything. She peeked through her fingers as the female wolf shifted into a naked blondewoman.

Nia’s expression tightened. “Get inside, Ilana. Full moon arousal hits us hard. Tonight is not the night for a single woman to roam around by herself. There are several single males in the pack, and they’re ready to mount the first available female who passesby.”

“I’ll take your advice,” she toldher.

“Nia!” the alpha male snapped at his mate. “Inside the bedroomNOW!”

Peering through her fingers she saw Nia walk up to her mate, and Aiden pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply. The alpha swept her up into his arms and still naked, ran up the lodgesteps.

Well, made sense. What was the point of clothing when you were simply going to shed it in a few minutesanyway?

Maybe she should take Nia’s advice. Sex was the last thing she wanted to experiencetonight.

Ilana heard howling in the distance and ran up the lodge steps and wentinside.

Mistake. In the kitchen, Dakota was on the wood table, bent over at the waist. Totally nude. A male Lupine, fully nude, was driving into her from behind. Her moans mingled with hisgroans.

Jogging into the living room, she jolted to an abrupt halt. Near the fireplace, Ava was up against the wall, fully clothed. From the waist up. Same with Ranger. Her legs were wrapped around Ranger’s waist, her eyes closed in apparent ecstasy as he drove into her,hard.

The smell of arousal and sex hung in the air. Everyone was getting it on and suddenly her skin felt too tight, her clothing restrictive. Okay, inside the lodge was a bad idea. Maybe she should have remained at the children’slodge.

Was Ethan also indulging his wolf’s sexual appetites? Maybe hooking up with a pretty female in the woods? Ilana tried to push the thought away, but it remained. Worse was the jealousy threaded throughit.

She wasn’t interested in EthanPowers.

A walk in the fresh air had to be better than this sex fest. Ilana slipped outside the front door. Silent as dewfall, she walked toward the garden she’d spied earlier, and sat on the bench. Tipping her head back she studied the stars, comforted by their brilliance. Throughout all her years, no matter where she ended up, the stars reassured her, let her know perhaps she wasn’t as alone as shefeared.

Maybe there was someone else out there who loved her, someone she felt in her heart had been close to her, but lost when she waslittle.

Drawing in a deep breath, she heard howling in the woods. Maybe she should simply return to the lodge, run up the stairs to her room and put her pillow over her ears to shut out the wounding sounds of couples makinglove.

She stood and was going to walk forward, when movement caught her eyes. Her heartraced.

Pack. The pack thought she was different and now she was alone, out here in thenight.

Ilana narrowed her eyes at the five male wolves as they began to circle her. She saw the red haze of lust in their auras. Different or not she was female, and tonight when all the pack ran wild, they wantedsex.

No. Never again. She sidestepped to a rake someone left by the garden, snapped off the prongs, leaving one end pointed. She couldn’t use magick on them unless facing the consequences of Aiden’s wrath. But damn if she was defenseless. Ilana twirled the pole, growling atthem.

“You wanna play, guys? Come at me and you’ll find out I’m no weak, helplessfemale.”

The five Lupines backed off a little, and then a large, tan wolf leapt over them and stood before her, snarling at the males. Instinctively she knew it was Ethan inwolfskin.

Ethan paced around her, baring canines that looked as if they could tear through flesh like a knife through hot butter. The five males backed off and then ran off into thedarkness.