The Wolf's Surrender

CHAPTER 4



“Mia,” Jenner finally began, not really sure what he was going to say but aware he had to say something before the woman decided to punch him, “you must have seen a werewolf movie or two. I’m not saying they’re accurate, but they did hit a couple important points. You realize you’re going to turn into a wolf at least once a month from now on, right?”

That reminder took a little of the heat from her eyes, Jenner noted, and replaced it with worry. It was a step in the right direction.

“Well, yes...I was only thinking once a month, but...yes,” Mia said. “But, I mean, there’s got to be werewolves in Philly, right? I figured if there were a group or club or something, you know...they could help me sort it all out. Get used to it. What do you mean by at least once a month?”

The only thing that kept him from laughing was knowing it would hurt her feelings. He kept his voice carefully emotionless. “We’ll get to that. Are you talking about some kind of werewolf support group?”

“Why not?” she asked, and sure enough, a defensive note had crept into her voice. “It wouldn’t be any weirder than everything that’s happened to me so far. You’re telling me there are no werewolves in Philadelphia?”

Jenner shrugged, a gesture that seemed to irritate her.

“Does that mean no, or that you don’t know, or that you’re just not going to answer me?” Mia asked.

“It means I don’t know any, and even if there are, they’re not the kind of wolves who would be in some kind of club that would help you. There’s no known pack in that city, so any werewolves you’d find there would be outliers.”

“Outliers?”

“Yeah, you know...” He lifted his hands as though he could grasp the words he wanted out of the air. Had he wondered whether Mia was intelligent? This conversation was like being cross-examined by a particularly bloodthirsty lawyer.

“Werewolves congregate in packs,” he said. “It’s natural. We’re linked to one another. Telepathically.”

To his surprise, this bit of information seemed more of a revelation to Mia than a shock.

“Oh,” she murmured. “That explains why there were a lot more funny looks than actual talking last night.”

“It does,” Jenner said, relieved not to be challenged on something. “Pack mates can all speak that way, even over great distance. It’s a little weird at first, but you get used to it. And without it, the change, and learning to live with all of the other effects of being what we are, can be way too much for one person. The pack, this pack, is the support group you’re looking for, Mia. The group helps curb the basest instincts all of us deal with from time to time. Living away from the pack is unnatural. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen sometimes...but mostly, in an area without a pack, you’re going to find ferals.”

“Like Jeff,” Mia said. Jenner watched the way her eyes dropped, the way she wound her hands together and began toying restlessly with her fingers. The sight hit him with a flood of guilt. However much he didn’t want to be the one introducing Mia to the facts of her new life, he needed to remember what it was like to be on the other side of things. It had been ten years for him, years that felt like a lifetime away from the man he had been. And Mia had the added burden of not having asked for this. Whatever she might be holding back from him, right now she needed some sympathy, not suspicion. He knew a lot about evil. Mia wasn’t it.

He needed to remember that.

Jenner shoved his plate aside and leaned in close to her, wanting to catch her gaze. It was a mistake, he knew immediately. The scent of her, sweet and carrying the hint of orange blossoms, swamped his senses. His heartbeat accelerated, blood beginning to pump more quickly through his veins. The animal within him stirred, stretched.

Hungered.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said softly. The need to comfort Mia surprised him with its strength. She looked back at him, eyes wide and full of misery.

“I don’t see how,” she said. “I really don’t. Not unless there’s a way out of this that you haven’t mentioned.”

“Well,” he drawled, hoping to erase some of the pain from her lovely face, “there is the one ritual with antelope blood and goat heads.”

Damned if she didn’t suddenly look hopeful. “Really?”

He shook his head. “Uh, no, Mia. You’re stuck being a werewolf. But like I told you last night, it’s not so bad. You’ll probably like it, once you get used to it.”

She closed her eyes and gave her head a tight little shake, as though she could will all of this away.

“No, I won’t. I have enough to deal with. And whether you like it or not, whether your Alpha likes it or not, I’m going to be one of those outliers. I have no interest in quitting my job, moving to the middle of nowhere, and starting all over again.”

“Again?”

She opened her eyes, but couldn’t quite meet his.

Of course she has secrets, Jenner thought, hating the bitter, cynical feel of them. You’re a magnet for women like this. Get suckered this time and it’s on you.

“My upbringing...wasn’t the greatest. So I got away. I want to put down roots, not keep pulling them up.”

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of deception in her words, and Jenner immediately felt like an ass. Maybe she wasn’t the one with the issue, here.

Wouldn’t be the first time.

Flustered, Jenner tried to shift gears. “Don’t write it off when you haven’t even really begun changing, Mia. It isn’t easy to live away from the pack. And I bet we could find you a job here,” Jenner said. “What do you do?”

Her voice was flat. “I do web-based PR for a software company, and I do freelance web design on the side.”

Jenner thought of the Hollow’s one internet provider and single video game store and fought back a grimace. “Okay, maybe not the software company thing. But you can design websites from here as easy as in Philly. Just because it’s quiet in the Hollow doesn’t make it the middle of nowhere.”

Mia’s look said volumes about what she thought of that.

“Just because you love it here doesn’t make it not the middle of nowhere. This isn’t my home, and it isn’t going to be.”

“It’s a lot better than some soulless city,” Jenner shot back. “And if you weren’t being so busy trying to plan your getaway, you’d think about the fact that all the men who saved you last night were out running, as wolves, just for the fun of it. There’s room for that here, for what we need and what you’re going to need—whether or not you like it.”

His voice had risen without him meaning for it to in his defense of his home, his way of life. Jenner realized it too late, catching the flash of Mia’s eyes just before she stood up, shoved in her stool with an angry little kick, and stood glaring at him with her hands settled on her hips.

“Maybe I like my soulless city,” she snapped. “And if you weren’t so busy being defensive about your little wolf commune out here, you might remember the fact that I have gone from being relatively normal to being a paranormal creature with a psycho after her in the space of one night. You’ve just told me I have to plug into this pack deal, however that’s done, or go nuts. That I’m going to suddenly have an overwhelming desire to move away from my life and relocate here. I am, and this is an understatement, I promise, a little overwhelmed.”

She turned away, started to go. “Forget it. I’ll talk to Bane, but then I’m out of here. I’ll figure this out on my own.”

Jenner stood, sensing the fear beneath her burst of anger, regretting having caused it. Regretting whatever had put that desolation in her voice, like she was used to handling everything alone. He told himself he felt the way he did because he had the good of the pack in mind.

It was easier than admitting the truth, and he was just fine with that.

“Mia,” he said, though his voice came out more growly than soothing.

“Don’t,” she said, stiffening. But she stopped.

“Just hang on. Don’t go off like that,” Jenner said. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t let her just storm off in her current state. Not only was it a miserable start, but he didn’t want her hurt. And he didn’t want to be the one who had hurt her. There’d been enough of that for Mia last night, whatever she was or wasn’t hiding about herself. It was probably none of his business.

Even if that strange prickle at the back of his neck insisted that it was.

Mia turned to look back at him. When she spoke, he could hear the quaver in her voice, could see the sheen of moisture in her eyes. That was all it took to make him feel like a big, blundering ass. Things were finally beginning to hit home, he could see. He was immediately caught between guilt and a sudden, desperate urge to flee.

“Don’t tell me how great this all is, Jenner,” she said. “I’ll...I’ll come to terms with things in my own way, but try to remember I’m not getting a choice here. Story of my life.” Then, to his horror, she burst into tears.

He watched helplessly as glistening droplets began to roll down Mia’s cheeks from beneath her glasses. She pressed her hands to her face and tried, very unsuccessfully, to choke back a sob.

“Oh, damn it,” she said, looking just as horrified as he felt. “I was fine. I wasn’t going to do this. I don’t do this!”

“Um,” Jenner said, at a complete loss. Women didn’t cry in front of him. And to his knowledge, he didn’t make women cry. Probably because he tried to be around them as little as possible.

Mia waved her hand at him. “Crap. Ignore me. No, you can’t ignore me, I guess. I’ll just...I’m sorry, I guess you’ll have to excuse me...”

She started to turn away again, and what Jenner did then shocked him likely even more than it shocked Mia. Before he could think, he’d closed the distance between them in two long steps.

“Hey,” he said softly, seeing her shoulders begin to shake. “Hey, don’t do that.”

Then his arms were reaching out, wrapping around her small form and pulling her against him. By the time he might have stopped himself, he would have looked like a complete fool...all he could feel was Mia’s pain. His senses were full of it, of the scent of her tears, the sight of her reddened cheeks, the sound of each shuddering breath. And some instinct Jenner had never even known he had was set off almost instantly, demanding that he stroke and soothe. His first coherent thought was that despite their size difference, Mia fit perfectly in his arms. His second was that she was going to push him away, outraged at his presumption.

But Mia only stiffened for a moment. Jenner drew in his breath and held it as she went rigid, feeling without any good reason that her reaction was very important. Then, slowly, Mia relaxed into him, almost melting into him as she resumed crying quietly, with the occasional hitching breath.

Jenner stood in his kitchen, holding Mia in his arms while she wept, and wondered what the hell he was doing.

“Sorry,” Mia said against the new wet patch on his chest. She sounded mortified. “I’m sorry. I’m just...this is all...”

“No,” he replied, surprised at how calm his voice sounded when holding Mia was setting off chain reactions in his nerve endings that were rapidly going to start causing some problems. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s a lot to take in, especially when you weren’t looking for it. It’s why we take ferals so seriously. Fortunately, we don’t see them that often out here.”

Mia gave a watery hiccup. “Why did one have to find me?”

It was a good question. One that he’d have to look into, he knew. But Mia’s voice was muffled, her body warm and inviting in his arms, and Jenner found himself swamped by a wave of protectiveness. She pulled back, just a little, and looked up at him with a sort of raw earnestness that he found completely disarming. He knew she was going to say something. But all he could see was her big, innocent eyes, glittering in her lovely, angular face, and the soft, plump invitation of her lips as they parted to speak.

Jenner couldn’t help himself.

Before Mia could speak a word, Jenner leaned down and claimed her mouth in a long, slow kiss. There was an initial shock as their lips met, and Jenner felt dizzy, as though he’d unwittingly tapped into an electric current. He heard Mia’s sharp intake of breath, knew she’d felt it, too. But she didn’t pull away, either. And as his lips lingered on hers, shock quickly became a simmering heat that began to pulse in time with his heart. Jenner nuzzled her mouth, brushing his lips against hers, testing, tasting.

He didn’t expect it when Mia simply melted into him, her mouth softening, opening beneath his as she gave in to whatever this strange pull was that existed between them. She sighed, a soft, simple exhalation. But Jenner felt the submission that had produced it, and that single sigh rocketed through his bloodstream like a rare and potent drug.

Jenner growled low in his throat as he pulled Mia closer against him, tasting her more thoroughly as his tongue swept inside her mouth. God, she was sweet...so sweet. He deepened the kiss, and Mia arched into him with a sound that was almost a purr. Her fingers laced behind his neck, and he grew rougher, more demanding as the beast within recognized she was more than willing. One hand slid up into the dark silk of her hair, while the other skimmed down the length of her, exploring curves that felt even better than they looked.

Mia’s body fit perfectly against his, better still when he cupped her backside and pulled her hard against him, letting her feel just how badly he wanted her. His blood surged in his veins, and he thought he heard the faintest fragment of some wild and sweet melody before he crushed his mouth against hers again. Jenner groaned when Mia responded in kind, shocked at how quickly he’d gone from interest to raw need. He wanted to take her clothes off with his teeth. He wanted to bend her over the counter and—

Recognizing that he was about to snap his tether despite the sexual haze, Jenner managed to tear his mouth away from Mia’s and disentangle himself in a matter of seconds. It was all he had, Jenner knew, before he did something they would both regret. His hands shook as he stumbled backward, a rare misstep for him in more ways than one.

It had never been like that. Not ever.

It couldn’t mean anything good.

Mia swayed on her feet as she watched him fumble away from her, her eyes unfocused and gleaming with the sort of lust that made the wolf inside him sing. Lucky for him, the human part was in control right now.

Barely.

“I’ve...got stuff to do,” Jenner bit out, backing away as quickly as he could without running. “You should...rest. I’ll be in the garage.”

He left before she could collect her thoughts enough to tell him what an ass he was. Hell, it wasn’t like he didn’t already know.

Jenner turned quickly and walked away from Mia as fast as he could manage without breaking into a run. Still, once out of her sight, Jenner fled the house as though the hounds of hell were at his heels. He could feel her eyes on his back all the way to the door, and hoped that by the time she figured out what to say to him, he’d be too far away to bother.

Jenner gritted his teeth as he slammed out of the house, anger at himself beginning to roil and churn in his stomach. In his thirty-four years of life, he had never lost control with a woman. Not even with Tess, if he were honest with himself. Back then he’d been rootless, looking for something he couldn’t find, and he’d wanted what she had to give. But Mia...hell, he could lose himself in her. That kiss had been like drowning in moonlight.

Only when he was safely ensconced in the relative sanctuary of his detached garage, which he’d converted into a cavernous workspace specifically for his personal projects, did Jenner begin to feel centered again. It didn’t stop his craving for her, or the ache that meant he was denying his body the thing it most wanted, but this was a place he could make himself calm down.

Crawling under the hood of the old Chevelle was like crawling into a dark, quiet cave that smelled reassuringly of motor oil. This was real, solid, he told himself as he began to work. He knew what he was doing with cars.

The exact opposite of how he felt about Mia D’Alessandro right this second.

He wasn’t a stupid man, though Jenner had realized long ago that his size and relative silence caused enough people to underestimate him in the brains department. He’d used that to his advantage on more than one occasion. But this searing awareness of Mia was utterly beyond his experience, and it made him feel like a fool. He wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Hopefully, it would burn itself out naturally.

Soon.

For now, though, he’d retreated to his favorite hiding place. Here, it was just him and several tons of American muscle car...and the ghost of Mia’s kiss, lingering on his lips long after the taste of her should have gone, provoking questions Jenner had never intended to ask himself...and was still determined not to answer.