Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 19987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
My wolf pushed against my skin, pushing hard to be let out. “I’m not sure.”
“Something has to have gotten you all worked up.” He tapped the toe of his boot on the floor. “You were fidgety while we ate and almost bit my head off more than once over nothing.”
“Sorry, man.” I stood and paced the length of the kitchen.
He shook his head. “I’m not looking for an apology. I just want to know what’s got you all worked up, and I’m not buying that you don’t have a clue about what’s going on.”
Sometimes, the fact that my brother knew me so well sucked because it was almost impossible to hide shit from him. “I was telling you the truth. I don’t know why my wolf is on edge. I’ve never had a problem keeping him under control, but for the past couple of hours, he’s been pushing me nearly to my limit.”
“Really?” He tilted his head to the side, a wrinkle popping up in his brow. “That’s damn unusual for you.”
“Yup.” My wolf pushed to get out again, and I clenched my fists as I pushed him back down.
My brother’s gaze drifted down to my hands, and his wolf flashed in his dark orbs when he saw how white my knuckles were. “Maybe you should give him what he wants. Go for a run or something.”
I considered his suggestion before shaking my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If I give him free rein, I’m not sure I can hold him in check. The last thing our pack needs is for my beast to draw the wrong kind of attention if he does something stupid.”
“Yeah, Kace may have forgiven us for being idiots back when he met Larissa, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t kick your ass if your wolf fucked up,” Cason agreed.
I cringed at the reminder of how we’d first reacted to our alpha’s human mate. My brother and I had still been reeling from Aaron going lone wolf after he’d been rejected by the only woman he could ever love. The wound had been too fresh for us to think clearly. When a young female member of our pack who’d looked up to our brother had tried to turn our pack against Larissa, we’d said some stupid shit before we’d come to our senses. Cason and I were damn lucky that Kace had been willing to forgive us for being dumb asses. His ability to empathize with what we’d been going through—even while experiencing the early stages of his mating, which messed with any shifter’s ability to think clearly—was one of the many things that made him such a great alpha. “So we’re in agreement; letting my wolf out right now isn't an option.”
“Yeah.” Cason scrubbed his hands over his face before leaning his head back to stare up at the ceiling. When I walked past him to put the leftovers in the fridge, he patted my shoulder. His touch was meant to be supportive, but I barely held back from flinging his arm away. A deep growl rumbled up my chest, and every muscle in my body tensed up as I fought my wolf for control. My brother stepped back and held his hands up in surrender. “Shit, you weren’t joking when you said you’re on edge.”
“Not even a little bit,” I gritted out before taking a deep breath. I’d expected it to help relax me, but as I dragged air into my lungs, my wolf gave another hard push for freedom. “Something’s very wrong with me, Cason.”
“Then there’s only one thing to do.” He pushed off the counter and headed toward the kitchen door, pausing to look at me over his shoulder and gesture ahead of him. “Let’s go to Kace’s house to see if he has any ideas about what’s going on with your wolf.”
His suggestion made sense. Our alpha was the only person who’d be able to keep my wolf contained if he was able to break my control. “Good call.”
“You never know. Maybe being outside will do your wolf some good,” my brother added after I passed him, and he followed me through our house.
Cason couldn’t have been more wrong. My wolf went crazy when we stepped on the front porch. I caught the faintest trace of a scent that made my heart race. “Not fucking likely.”
He stuck close to me while we walked down the street but remained silent, which was a good thing because I wasn’t sure I could speak. It took every bit of my concentration to keep my human form as we made our way to the street where our alpha lived. My wolf was frantic to get out by the time we were in front of Tane’s. I didn’t recognize the car parked in his driveway, but something about it made me stop. The license plate holder marked the vehicle as a rental, and I recalled Tane saying something about one of his sisters coming to watch his kids while he and Calliope took a trip to celebrate their anniversary.