Page 34 of Rabid
If I’m going to get away, it’s going to be up to me.
Behind one small cabin, there’s a taut line stretching from the house to a pole full of clothing dangling in the breeze. They’re practically waving at me, just asking me to take them. I look around, but thankfully, no one seems to be paying me much attention.
There has to be at least one hundred wolves now gathered in the center of what is definitely pack communal space. Some of them are on two legs and fully dressed, some nude and fresh out of a shift, and some trotting along as wolves.
As inconspicuously as possible, I veer away from the main group, slipping into the shadows to the side of a rudimentary looking home. My eyes are fixed on the fluttering fabric just ripe for the picking. I mean, if they’re going to punish me for stealing food, I might as well be dressed when it happens. I try to tap into my wolf’s give-no-fucks attitude as I reach up to unclip what looks like a shapeless wool dress from the line.
“You know, Vicious, this pack has very strict rules about wolves taking things that don’t belong to them,” a deep rumbling voice declares.
My heart tries to jump out of my chest. I barely bite down on the squeak of alarm that wants to fly out of my mouth as I whirl to findhimcasually leaning against the house opposite me as though he hasn’t a care in the world.
Well, fuck.
Chapter Twelve
My body reacts instantly to his presence.
Fire ignites through me, and my wolf wags her tail and yips with excitement. My clit starts to pulse with desire, and my nipples harden as brown eyes move salaciously over me before settling on my face.
“My name is not Vicious,” I practically growl at the stranger who somehow has dominion over parts of me he shouldn’t.
He smiles, flicking imaginary lint from his leather pants before his heated gaze returns to me. His back is pressed against the house behind him, one leg stretched out to support his weight and the other is cocked at the knee and resting against the log siding. The male tilts his head and takes me in, and instead of being bothered by the fact that I’m still naked and standing here, I suddenly want to own it.
“Well, now that you’ve bagged the coveted prize, maybe you can tell me who you are and just what the hell you’re doing here on Ruin Falls land?” he demands silkily, and I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
Full of himself much?
“Prizeis questionable, and if I could be anywhere else in the world, trust me, I would be,” I snark, and his eyes harden ever so slightly.
“Who sent you?” he demands, his tone just a hint sharper under the languid confidence.
“If bysent meyou meandumpedme here against my will, then you have Alpha Burke from Twin Rivers to thank.”
“And what did you do to Alpha Burketo warrant exile,Vicious?” he asks me tauntingly as he casually cleans dirt from under a fingernail.
I pull in an even breath, trying to rein in the heat of temper that warms through me. If this pack doesn’t tolerate stealing, they sure as hell aren’t going to be a fan of me mauling one of them in the middle of whatever gathering is going down.
“The name is Seneca, and it wasn’t what Ididthat landed me here, it’s what I didn’t do. That, and almost killing him for trying to force himself on me,” I reply saccharinely, a glare punctuating my words.
The male’s body tightens almost imperceptibly, and I swear I see a shudder of a shift move through him so fast that makes me question if it was ever even there. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as though they’re warning me of a threat, but in the blink of an eye, his relaxed, nonchalant mien is back in place.
“Shame you onlyalmostkilled him then. Someone like that should be put down painfully,” he tells me, his eyes far away and his tone crawling with savage promise that makes me think he’s considering doing just that.
I snort incredulously. “As if you’re one to talk,” I challenge, and he steadies a stony, incredulous gaze on me. “Do you often hunt and claim unwilling females here in Ruin Falls?” I lob, watching as the accusation hits its mark and his brown eyes harden with insult.
“There was nothingunwillingabout it,” he counters sharply, his eyes dropping slowly down my body before rising back up.
I feel his gaze like it’s his hands moving down my suddenly heated flesh before they rise back up, leaving goose bumps in their wake. I stifle a shiver and feel my pupils suddenly dilate with need.
I shoot him a glare as a knowing smile tilts one corner of his luscious lips up as though he’s replaying a visual of what we did together last night in the heart of the cave.
“Tell that to my shoulder,” I bite back. “I don’t recall agreeing tothatbefore it happened,” I add, gesturing to the bite that’s on its way to becoming a prominent scar. “You have strict rules here about wolves taking things that don’t belong to them, so what’s the rule about mating someone without their permission?” I counter, and his eyes flash with savage anger.
He pushes off the wall and stalks toward me, his muscles tight and tense as though he’s ready for a fight. I can’t help but notice that he’s just as stunning in the light of day as he was by the light of the moon. He has a thicker shadow of stubble on his cheeks than the night before, and I have to force myself from wondering what it would feel like between my thighs.
“We’re still on that one, are we, Vicious?” he asks, a hint of menace underlying his tone. “I seem to recall you telling me to fuck you. I believe you asked me to make you scream until you and your wolf could see past the bloodlust. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you demand that I be hard and fast?” he asks me, closing the distance between us until the thin linen of his shirt tickles my nipples and his heat washes over me like warm steam on a cold day.
I want to back up, to create space between us, but my wolf is having none of it. She roots our legs to the ground, breathing him in greedily, trying to pull us under with the weight of his dominant pheromones. I growl at him, but it isn’t backed up by the ire of my wolf. It’s all me, and the pitiful sound seems to amuse him.
