Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33504 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33504 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
He was used to his years of being a lone wolf with no one around. Maybe that was why he was reacting this way.
Astrid stepped toward him, put her hand in his, and he wondered if she felt the sudden hit of electricity. It was sharp and intense. The moment her hand was in his, he didn’t want to let go. This need kept pulling him, begging him to continue.
He pulled her in close and immediately put a hand at the base of her back. Staring into her brown eyes, that pull didn’t fade, but got stronger. Holding her as close to him as possible, he let the music flow over them, and he touched as much of her as he could, attempting to warm her up. At first, she shook within his arms. The cold had seeped into her bones.
No more children came to visit. They were all alone, surrounded by the spooky fairy lights Astrid had put up.
He never celebrated Halloween. As a wolf, he didn’t find it funny. This year, he had enjoyed it. He liked to see the kids dressing up as wolves, or whatever ghouls they picked.
The scent of vanilla assailed his senses and he didn’t want to let her go. She was everything he ever wanted. He felt this overwhelming sweeping urge to press his face against her neck, to breathe her in, but he ignored it. He was not going to push too far. His natural body warmth began to flood her, and she stopped shaking. She started to rest her head against his chest. There was something different in his wolf—a calmness he wasn’t used to.
One song ended, and a second one started, but he wasn’t ready to let her go. Astrid didn’t try to pull away. This was everything. He didn’t want it to stop.
And then, fireworks suddenly went off, filling the night sky with bright, shocking color. It startled Astrid and she pulled out of his arms.
Lord gritted his teeth.
At the sound of the horses from the barn, he had no choice but to go and check on them. “I’ll be right back,” he said.
It didn’t matter how long he took. Checking on the horses, he saw they were all fine. The sudden noise hadn’t seemed to startle them.
The moment between him and Astrid was lost. He arrived at the front of the house to find her already putting items away, carrying in the leftover candy, along with the tables.
“That was some night, huh?” she asked.
He wanted to pull her in his arms again, but he knew it was going to be pointless and inappropriate. He was the fucking boss.
“Yeah,” he said.
Astrid removed his jacket as the last of the tables were taken inside. “Thank you for keeping me warm.”
There was so much more he wanted to do, but the moment was lost. Astrid went to the door, and she turned to offer him a smile. “Are you coming in?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “I’ve got something I need to do.”
She nodded her head. “Good night.”
The desire to close the distance between them, to pull her into his arms, and to cup her face, tilting her head back, and kissing those full lips was so strong, but he ignored the urge. He might scare her.
There was no way Astrid felt this. This was wolf shit he needed to get under control and the only way to do that was to go running. He was not going to change into his wolf, but he took off into the fields, heading in the direction the fireworks had gone off and spoiled his fun.
With his impeccable hearing, he heard the sound of teenagers, and one scent, and he knew it was a bunch of little pack wolves. They were on his property, setting fireworks off and ruining his evening.
The moment he broke through the bushes, the wolves looked at him with fear. One attempted to run, another stood frozen. He counted six little pups, no more than sixteen years old. They all looked ready to piss their pants. He told them to stay as he went to fetch the one that tried to escape.
None of them moved, and as he rounded them up, he saw them shake. They would be as well, because he was not going to let them get away with ruining his night.
Chapter Four
By Sunday morning, Astrid had convinced herself she was going crazy. She didn’t see Lord at all on Saturday. Not even for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. She went to bed without him even returning home, or hearing him out in the field.
She knew there would be a full moon in a couple of days, and some wolves tended to disappear. She couldn’t get the memory of him out of her mind. The way he held her as they danced.