Page 13 of Wolf's Vow

Wolfe took three steps, and he was in front of me, standing over me, and it wasn’t the alcohol in my system that was making me breathless.

He held out his hand. “Give me your hand, princess.”

I reached out and took the offered hand, and he pulled me up from the couch. Hand in hand, he led me to the bedroom. I kicked off my boots, tripping once, but he caught me and got me steady.

With slow, unhurried movements, he drew my T-shirt up and over my head, dropping it behind him. Long dexterous fingers made quick work of the button and zipper on my pants, pushing them over my hips. With his help, I stepped out of them, leaving them in a pile on the floor.

I was in a tank top and panties, and he was drinking in the sight of me. Hesitantly, I reached for his shirt, but one hand caught both of mine. I looked up, confused when I saw his slight frown.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I want you to lie on the bed.”

Heat flamed my cheeks. “Oh, right.” I turned and got on the bed, trying to look alluring, hoping he thought that my falling onto my side was part of my plan. I lay back, my elbows propping me up as I looked up at him. “You coming?”

His grin was so quick, I almost missed it. “Lie right back for me, princess.”

I did as I was told. This wasn’t the wild, passionate sex I’d been anticipating. Maybe he was shy?

Sleep.

Chapter 4

Wolfe

Axel was waitingat the fence line when I left the house.

His grin was wide, and I couldn’t stop my own from spreading across my face as I thought about Rowen drunk on our bed, out cold.

“All okay?” he asked as we started to walk back to the pack hall.

“Asleep,” I told him. “Thanks for your help.” I took a deep breath. “Anything said that I need to know?”

He shook his head. “No.” He gave a half shrug. “It was kind of sad, to be honest. The widow stood and drank, and Rowen sat and drank. They hardly spoke.” He nudged me gently. “But they did drink.”

I nodded in agreement. “They definitely did.” I pushed my hair back off my face. “Never seen her drunk, truth be told.” I recalled what she said Adair had said to her, and what Rowen had asked me. “I think I like her drunk,” I admitted and saw Axel laugh.

“Well, I don’t,” he said with a light frown. “She said I look like Cody.”

I didn’t say anything to fuel the fire. I could see how Rowen might’ve mixed them up—both broad-shouldered, both withcropped hair—but Axel was pale with dirty blond strands, while Cody’s skin was warmer, sun-bronzed, and his buzz cut was even tighter than Killian’s.

Killian met us halfway along the trail to the pack hall. “Where is she?”

“Sleeping.”

“She passed out?” he asked in surprise. “Or did you gag her? I expected to hear her shouting from here.”

I used my Will.I saw the look they exchanged, and braced myself for the lecture. An alpha’s Will was a necessary evil sometimes. It was so that a pack would obey a command if it were for the benefit of the pack. I knew some alphas used it for more deviant uses,despicableuses, and I had sworn to Lars that I would never be that alpha. I would never be the alpha who used their Will because it was easier to control a pack. I wanted my pack to follow me forme, not because I made it.

I wasn’t sure the Goddess would approve of me using my Will to help my drunk mate sleep it off.

Killian whistled low as he looked me over. “She is going to skin you alive.”

“Must be a Wednesday,” I muttered. “What’s wrong?” I didn’t saynow, we all heard it.

“Southern border patrol clashed this morning with the west ridge border patrol.”

I heard what he wasn’t saying. Blueridge Hollow and Stonefang Pack had a brawl while on duty.