It was going to be heaven and hell. Oh no, they would be camping out. How was she supposed to avoid him in the evening? Avoid giving in to the attraction between them that grew by the minute? It was one thing to say she wanted to hold off on becoming mates, it was another to stick to her guns.
TJ stripped off his clothes and folded them neatly, slipping everything into one of the three packs waiting nearby. Maggie admired his muscular body. He might have two left feet in human form, but it was a pretty nice package of clumsy altogether. A low grumble from her left distracted her and she turned to see Erik staring, one brow raised. “You seen enough? Or do you want him to pirouette for you?”
No way. “Are you jealous?”
“Yes.” The warmth he’d started earlier grew into raging heat. “I want you to be looking at me like that, not at TJ. I want to see admiration in your eyes for me—for your mate. It doesn’t mean I’m going to go Rambo on his ass, but I’d appreciate if you’d stop drooling in front of me.”
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37
Vivian Arend
Maggie stepped into his body space and wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him as close as she could.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Her instant need to comfort him puzzled her. Being in his arms satisfied something deep inside. Made her wolf rumble, low and needy. He stroked one hand down her back, the fingers of his other hand running though her hair. He held her for a minute, their heartbeats slowly synchronizing, and it felt so damn good she almost forgot where they were.
“It’s okay. Apology accepted. He’s a good-looking kid and an even better-looking wolf. You ready to meet him?”
She froze. TJ had shifted. Had Erik deliberately distracted her? Knotting her fingers in his shirt, she glanced over her shoulder. TJ sat on his haunches, his tongue lolling to the side as he panted in the heat of the noontime sun. His silver-grey fur shone, his eyes were bright and his nose twitched as he sniffed the air.
She reminded herself again—it was TJ. They were in public. Erik was nearby. “He is a goo…good…looking wolf…isn’t he?”
She could do this. Only she wasn’t doing it alone. She grabbed Erik, tugging him with her as she approached. She held out her hand, palm open like a person would with a strange dog.
“What the hell?” Jared muttered.
“Let her be,” Erik ordered. He squatted to the side and ran his free hand over TJ’s flank. She was squeezing the blood out of his other hand. TJ tilted his head to the side, confused, before sniffing her palm.
His wet nose brushed her skin and goose bumps rose all over her body. He licked her fingers, then plopped on his belly at her feet.
And rolled over.
Her wolf howled with delight, fighting to take control, fighting to break free. A wave of dizziness rushed her. Erik’s grip tightened and he moved to support her. “Okay?”
Wilderness. Starlit skies. Cool mountain water. The wind in her fur. Maggie ached for all the things she’d missed for so long. Again her wolf bumped the surface, making her blood sing, making the knot in her belly loosen a little more. She shook off Erik’s supporting arms and reached for TJ, touching his chest, running her fingers along the stiffer fur of his muzzle. She took a deep breath and soaked in the scent of a wolf giving her obeisance. It felt good. Oh so very good.
“Granite Lake. You’re up in ten minutes. You can take your place at the starting line.” The Games Marshal passed them quietly, headed back to the officials’ area.
TJ scrambled to his paws. Erik smiled at her as he helped her up. He kept hold of her hands. “Are we ready?”
He wasn’t talking about the event. Maggie squared her shoulders and let the joy inside her shine out a little as she nodded. For the first time in years she felt like there really was hope.
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Chapter Six
Maggie drew another deep breath of crisp mountain air into her lungs before quick-stepping to catch up. Erik walked ahead of them with TJ. She found herself surprised to be enjoying the chance to get to know Jared better.
“You’ve lived in the North long?”
Jared scrambled over a fallen log blocking the trail and turned back to give her a hand. The trail was in good shape, except for people with short legs.
“All my life. I’ve always been in the Granite Lake pack too. I can tell you, things have really changed in the past couple of years. Since Keil and Erik took over running things, conditions have improved so much.”
He lowered her to the ground then motioned for her to walk ahead of him.
“What do you mean improved?”