Page 13 of Wanted by the Wolves (The Last Shifters #2)

Chapter 12

Nova

M y wolf licks Briggs’s face, and he groans, trying to cover himself from another tongue attack.

“All right, I’m up,” he mumbles.

She licks him again for good measure. The alpha slept all day while my wolf kept up a steady purr. I’m pretty sure I dozed at one point, but the scents coming from the kitchen are too much to ignore.

My wolf tried to hold out for him. She doesn’t want him in pain, and she knows he needs rest, but the lure of another meal is too tempting.

Briggs sits up and scratches her head. “That purr of yours is dangerous. I can see how my brother is hooked.” He nuzzles her snout, rubbing himself against her nose to nose. “You're going to wreck me with it, aren't you, pretty girl?”

She loves the affection, but right now, she’s too hungry to be patient. She backs out of his embrace and dances in place, giving an urgent yip.

Briggs lets loose a throaty laugh. “All right. You go on. I’m coming right behind you.”

She takes off, darting across the room and down the hall. The wooden floor makes it slippery, and she practically skids into the kitchen, barreling into a pair of tree-trunk thighs.

Dex.

He smells fresh from the outside. She takes this opportunity to molest the big alpha just as she did his littermate, burying her nose between his legs.

And what does the big alpha do? He cups the back of her head in encouragement, petting her ears and acting as though a nose in someone’s crotch is a totally normal form of greeting.

“Hello, sweetheart. I was just coming to get you two. Did you have a good nap?”

She pulls back to yip. It's both an answer and a command for him to share whatever smells so good with her.

Dex’s lips tug up into an almost smile. “Let me wash up and we can eat.”

My wolf follows him to the sink, then the stove. She dances around him impatiently while he grabs bowls and ladles something from a pot.

Briggs shuffles in, fixes a glass of water, and leans against the sink. “Did you get traps set?”

“Not yet. The generators needed a tune-up, and I brought in supplies from the barn.”

Briggs nods. “I’ll help with the traps tomorrow. Don’t want to risk the weather before we get a chance to?—"

His brother cuts him off with a growl. “You’ll rest. I’ll lay traps.” The big alpha takes the bowls and gives a chin lift for me to follow. “Come on. The living room will make this easier on everyone.”

My wolf trots after him.

“Since when do you call the shots?” Briggs mumbles, trailing behind me.

Dex glares at him over his shoulder. “Since you almost died. Now stop being a pain in the ass and go put your leg up. You can take back top dog once you’re healed.”

Briggs throws his head back and lets out an aggrieved groan. “I think I liked it better when you grunted.”

That pulls a laugh from Dex.

The deep sound races along my wolf’s back and makes her tail wag. She looks between the two brothers and barks.

Dex takes that as a command to get moving. He sets the bowls down by the fire and returns to the kitchen.

Without waiting for the others, she dives into the chunky stew. It’s scalding. She snorts, shaking her head, and some of it goes flying.

My wolf is a bad dinner date.

On the couch, Briggs watches with amusement. “You know, it would probably be easier to join us for dinner without your fur.”

He’s right. The reminder has me yanking for control, but my wolf resists me. I don’t know what her deal is. She’s never refused to let me take my skin.

I’m not going to run.

I know she understands me and feels my tug, but she isn’t ready to give up control. She seems to think I’m gonna skip town the moment I shift, and she has decided we’re staying.

With a resigned huff, I drop it.I’m too mentally exhausted and hungry to fight her.

Briggs watches me from his position on the couch. “Sucks, doesn’t it?” Briggs asks softly. “Not feeling like you have control.”

Totally. Although sometimes I wish I didn’t always have to make decisions.

My wolf wags her tail for him.

He smiles, and it’s a sucker punch to my ovaries. “It’s all right that she’s in charge now. She’s protecting you and keeping you safe. When she trusts us, she’ll give you your skin. Won’t you, pretty wolf?”

Without thought, she goes to him, licking his wrist. He’s spicy and floral, his taste deeply comforting.

Briggs strokes her fur, the firm touch grounding. “You’re safe with us. I promise.”

My wolf takes another pass along Briggs’s arm, rubbing in his scent.

Dex returns from the kitchen. “Look what I found.” He holds out a glass of amber liquid to Briggs.

His eyes light up. “Gage might kill you for taking his whiskey.”

“He’s got plenty.” Dex shrugs, taking the big armchair across from the fire.

My wolf goes back to her bowl, taking a tentative lick of the stew. Still too hot. She huffs and lies down, eyeing the steaming bowl with longing.

The brothers talk, the hum of their deep voices soothing. Eventually, the stew cools, and she eats through two bowls, making a giant mess.Dex tries to wipe her snout with a towel, but she thinks it’s a game, tugging it from his hand and running through the cabin.

He plays keep-away, stealing it back until he ushers her outside. The sun has already set, and the stars are out. It smells like snow is coming. The air is crisp with pine and that chaotic sense that sizzles on the wind before a storm.

She goes on an exploratory mission with Dex following on her tail. When she smells chickens and cows, she goes nuts, scratching at the barn door.

“No, you don’t.” Dex laughs. “Not in this form.”

My wolf whines but gets distracted again by the greenhouse—or, more accurately, by Gage’s scent by the greenhouse. Dex opens the greenhouse door for her, and she trots in, racing ahead of him in her hunt for her wayward mate.

Oh shit.

I push back against that thought, but she ignores me, zigzagging between rows until she finds the alpha. He’s buried his head in a book, a small light hanging above him and crystals spread to the side. Herbs, too, litter the work surface.

She nudges his thigh. Thankfully, the way he’s tucked into the counter makes a crotch greeting impossible. No doubt she would be three for three.

Gage takes one look at her and frowns. Then he goes back to ignoring her. That pisses her off, and she nips his elbow.

“What did I say about biting, wild child?” Gage catches her nose between two of his spread fingers, locking her in place.

It doesn’t hurt, but it’s uncomfortable. She thrashes and tries to back up. A pulse of electricity zips along her nose. Again, it isn’t painful. It just feels strange.

“You need to learn some manners and boundaries.” Gage’s silver eyes glow, and it feels as though he’s speaking directly to me, not my wolf.

The message is clear: He doesn’t want me here. I don’t know why that hurts as much as it does. I don’t know him, even if my wolf thinks he is her mate.

Clearly, he doesn’t agree.

My stubborn wolf doesn’t back down. I can feel the way she challenges him, and then she does something neither of us expects…

She purrs.

Gage’s eyes widen before he looks away, releasing his hold. His scent turns sour. “Go. Back to the house.”

Dex growls something to Gage, and he responds with heat. I’m too floored by my purring to notice much of anything about why they’re arguing.

A wolf’s purr is infused with our magic. It’s a form of protection, like a little spelled cocoon that creates a sense of home and safety—or pleasure. To purr for someone is more intimate than going to bed with them and is usually only done with mates or pups.

Purring for Briggs was the first time my wolf had ever done it. He was in pain, and my wolf wanted to comfort and help him rest. That makes sense. After all, it’s my fault he’s in pain. It’s the least I could do.

But Gage? Seriously?

It’s embarrassing how much my wolf wants him to like her. He kicks us out, and she purrs? Not cool.

She ignores my rant, curling up at his feet. The purr keeps filling the space between us.

Eventually, Dex bends and gives me a head pat, whispering in my ear, “I’m going to check in on Briggs. The idiot is probably out trying to build traps. When you’re sick of this asshole’s company, we’ll be waiting at the cabin.”

“I heard that,” Gage grumbles.

“Good.” Dex gives a final scratch behind my ears and heads out.

Gage ignores me, going back to his project. My wolf doesn’t seem offended, keeping up the soft sound.

Despite my embarrassment, it’s nice out here. The greenhouse is warm, and all the plants make the air lush.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re stubborn?” Gage asks eventually.

My wolf’s purr is the only answer.