Right Wolf, Right Time (5 page)

Rafe squeezed Sophie’s hand before he pulled away. “Cats out for a night of fun. How nice.” He didn’t sound pleased.

“How about we join you.” Dean didn’t ask. Before Sophie knew it, he’d pulled up a chair for himself and one for Stacey.

“So. Does this place have anything good?” Stacey asked. “I’ve only eaten at the Fox’s Henhouse. The diner is good, but it’s diner food,” she said with a disdain only someone so pampered and beautiful might master.

Dean leaned back and nodded. “Love that chow. Eggs and bacon. Wonder what we can get here wrapped in pig fat?”

“Dean, really.” Stacey glared at him. “Have a little couth.” She waved over a passing waiter and ordered them rare steaks.

Rafe just stared at them. Sophie felt more and more uncomfortable. Would Rafe make a scene? She hated being the center of attention. Even here, in a place she considered fairly safe, she didn’t want to be noticed.

Their waiter returned with her dessert, flummoxed to see Stacey and Dean. “Here you go.” He put the dessert in front of Sophie and gave her one of the spoons. He held the other in his hand, glancing from Rafe to their new guests. “Should I bring more silverware?”

“Don’t bother.” Rafe frowned at Dean and ignored Stacey. “Shouldn’t you be making amends to one of my wolves? I’m surprised to see you out and about when Ivan still hasn’t had his apology.”

“For what?” Sophie asked, clearly out of the loop.

Stacey answered, “Apparently, Ivan was being an ass. So Dean shaved him bald. A silver fox got him drunk and painted a target on his head. Then the raptors started dropping things on him, betting on who could hit the bull’s eye, and—”

Rafe cut her off while Dean snickered. “He damaged my wolf’s pride and has yet to make restitution. That’s a pretty serious offense.”

Sophie took note of his somber tone.

Dean stiffened. “Yeah? Well the only reason I shaved his stupid head is because he was threatening to come over to the pride and deal with a few of our new members in a way I don’t think they’d appreciate.” He glanced at Stacey.

“He talked about messing with my sisters?” she asked with a scowl she turned on Rafe. “I thought he was just screwing with you guys. But my family? That’s a whole different story.”

Dean held up a hand. “Wait a minute. It’s okay for that idiot to malign my brothers, but not your sisters?”

Sophie looked back and forth from Stacey to Dean as they argued.

Rafe’s anger shimmered into annoyance, the musky scent of his rage now tempered with a light waft of humor. It still amazed Sophie she could understand so much more about other Ac-taw by using more than just her eyes and ears. Rafe didn’t wear an expression, but his scent gave away his mood.

“Sophie and I have plans. But please, you two kids enjoy yourselves.” He stood and she quickly stood with him, not wanting this to turn into a brawl.

“Yeah. In fact, enjoy my flan.” She pushed the dessert to Stacey, who took it without fuss.

The woman tried a bite. “Hey, that’s good,” she said, interrupting Dean in the middle of an argument about his superior genetics. “They have just the right amount of caramel drizzled over the custard.”

Rafe grabbed Sophie’s hand and pulled her with him toward the exit. Once there, he stopped and said to the maitre d’, “The Chastell party kindly offered to pay for our dinner.”

“Very good, sir.” The raptor bowed and moved ahead of them to open the door. “I hope you enjoyed the meal. Have a pleasant evening.”

Sophie followed Rafe outside, amused he’d stuck Dean with the bill. She wondered what Monty would think of his antics.

Stop thinking about him!
Her wolf whined deep inside her, and she hushed the foolish animal. She shivered as the wind whipped around them.

“Cold?” Rafe tugged her against his side and shared his heat.

“Wow. You’re warm.”

“I’m even better when clothes aren’t in the way,” he murmured and nuzzled her cheek.

She froze, not having expected anything so forward so fast. Then she remembered what she’d been taking notes on last night. If she wanted to experience the same sexual games she’d dreamed about for months, she’d have to open up to heavy petting and kissing, at the least.

Forcing herself to accept his touch, she snuggled closer and focused on his heat, and not the firm hand caressing her shoulder.

Across the street behind the window in the coffee shop, Monty fought not to tear the curtains framing the large window and jump through glass to rescue Sophie. How the hell could she let that bastard maul her on a public sidewalk?

“Dean apparently struck out.” Grady shook his head and watched as Rafe and Sophie strolled toward the movie theater. “Let’s hope Ty and Burke have better luck.”

“Yeah, let’s hope,” Monty growled, aching to sink his teeth into Sheridan’s throat.

Grady slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry, buddy. We have your back. But the rest is up to you. You want to claim her? You better move fast. From what I heard, she’s tired of waiting on your ass.”

And that’s what truly burned him. Monty had been thoughtful, caring, gentle—all for a she-wolf who didn’t seem to appreciate his kindness. Hell, he could have muscled in and had her wet and wanting after their first meeting. He’d sensed their instant connection. But had he? No. He’d been worried about her state of mind, nervous about adding to her fear of wolves and men in particular. And for all his effort, the woman had the nerve to go out with Rafe
fucking
Sheridan.

He growled again.

“Dude, ease up.” Grady looked over his shoulder and waved at the patrons frowning at them. “Come on. Have the Chastells ever not annoyed the gray wolves?”

Monty drew a few deep breaths to calm down. He tempered his impatience. Hell, if the cats couldn’t shake the leech off Sophie, he’d simply break the man in two. Then he’d deal with the little she-wolf.

“Come on. Time for the next part of Ty’s master plan. Fox thinks he knows best…” Grady continued muttering under his breath.

They left the coffee shop and trailed Sophie until a large pain in Monty’s ass broke from the shadows and blocked their way. Behind him stood four more gray wolves. They certainly had presence. The wolves stood a head taller than most Ac-taw to begin with. Most of his kind were brawny and thick. Dense muscle, sharp teeth and deadly claws, when shifted, kept Cougar Falls safe when the wolves weren’t ripping up the town and its inhabitants in turf wars.

Now they stood between him and Sophie.

The mean grin Axel gave him brought out his wolf, eager for payback. “Fancy meeting you on the street, Monty. Out for a stroll with your boyfriend?”

The other wolves snickered.

Grady laughed as well. “Good one. Didn’t know you dogs had a sense of humor.”

They bristled. Wolves hated to be confused with domesticated canines. Monty didn’t like it either, but he could appreciate the general insult. It certainly scored with Axel.

“Look, Chastell. This is between us and GrayClaw. Move it along before I have to hurt you.” He looked more than up for it.

Grady backed away, his hands in the air. “You won’t get any trouble from me.” He shrugged. “I can’t speak for the others, though. For some odd reason, they seem to like the dumb wolf.”

“Hey.” Monty glared, then grinned as the scent of felines accompanied the shift of the wind. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted Stacey, Dean and two of Stacey’s sisters, Melissa and Amy. Normally one cat could take on a pair of wolves with ease. Male lions were bad enough. But the females didn’t take kindly to anyone messing with what they considered theirs. At all.

“Oh hell. Hiding behind a bunch of women?” Axel sneered at him.

Monty nodded. “You bet your ass. You might have taken
me
in a fight, but I dare you to tackle any of them.”

Axel cursed him and took a step forward. Then Amy and Melissa were suddenly in front of Monty, nudging him behind them.

He wanted the fight, but he wanted Sophie more. So he left the cats to battle the wolves and entered an alleyway to circle behind the buildings. With the theater taken care of, he’d lie in wait back at Sophie’s. He had to hand it to Grady—the cat had left little to chance. Now if Ty could sabotage Rafe and Sophie’s romance under the big screen, Monty wouldn’t have to break the cat into tiny pieces.

Either way, Monty wasn’t going home tonight without Sophie.

Sophie settled next to Rafe in the crowded theater. There weren’t many seats available, but she and Rafe had been lucky enough to score some toward the middle, with the row behind them only half full. Darkness settled as the advertisements began, and the rest of the Ac-taw milling about took their seats.

Rafe held a box of popcorn out to her, but she was too jittery and nervous to eat, still unsure about him. The woman didn’t know what to make of him, but her wolf was warming to him by degrees. She sniffed and rubbed, constantly moving Sophie’s hands or shoulders to brush against him before Sophie could control herself.

“Sorry,” she repeated for the fifth time, hoping she didn’t look as embarrassed as she felt. Thank goodness for dimmed lighting.

“No problem. I like you touching me,” he rumbled, again inviting her to move closer. He entwined his hand with hers and held them over the arm of the seat—the lone barrier separating them. She thought she’d scented his arousal a time or two. But he’d laid his jacket over his lap, so she couldn’t tell if he truly desired her or just liked the contact.

Wolves needed touch. She’d always been a demonstrative person and now knew why. Her uncle and cousins had abhorred her affection, and she’d spent much of her youth alone and lonely while surrounded by family. Here, with people she was still getting to know, Ac-taw of all shapes and sizes greeted her with warmth. They touched, they shook hands and they hugged. The female cats and foxes in the pride were especially open with their affection, and she wondered again what they might think of her notion to join them.

Not that she minded the wolves, but her good friends lived together at the catamount ranch. They allowed anyone they liked to join the pride, and they seemed to like her. There she’d feel less burdened to mate. Julia had mentioned how the ranch suited her and her family, and how great it would be if Sophie joined them. There she might fit in being herself, with people who knew the real her.

“You okay? You’re awfully tense.” Rafe leaned closer as the previews ended and brushed his lips across her cheek. He whispered, “Want to go somewhere else for a while?”

He nipped her earlobe and she nearly shot out of her chair. A part of her liked the playful bite, but another part of her wanted to gouge out his eyes for attempting to mark her in any way.

He chuckled. “I knew you had a mean streak buried under all that nice. I like it.”

How did he know what she’d been thinking? Had he smelled her anger? Seen it in her eyes?

An oath sounded behind them, followed by a plaintive grumble. “Hey. I can’t see.”

Oh no. She knew that voice. A glance over her shoulder showed her Burke Chastell and Rachel, his mate, had taken the empty seats directly behind them. The two scowled at Rafe, then turned winsome smiles on Sophie. Their expressions were so in sync they made her laugh.

“Hey, Sophie. Nice to see you here.” Rachel glanced from her to Rafe and made a small
O
. “Sorry, Rafe. I thought you were someone else.”

“Really? Like who?”

“Ivan. But that can’t be right. He’s bald now, isn’t he?” Burke answered.

Rachel nodded. To her credit, she didn’t smile. “I heard that it’s taking a while for that ratty nest he called hair to grow back. But hey, the target on his head has faded.”

Rafe growled low, the vibrations a warning.

Burke chuckled. “Come off it. He had it coming to him. You don’t insult the pride’s females in front of pride members. That’d be like me telling everyone what a lapdog your albino wolf is. I mean, the last time we tangled, I threw Axel into the bushes and he scraped his head, then went whining back to you about how mean we are. But really, I was just playing. He looked big enough to handle the confrontation.”

Rafe turned fully around and glared. She could feel his anger like pinpricks against her skin. Odd. She’d never before felt his rage, though she’d smelled it. Her wolf didn’t like it, and she leaned away from him. Thankfully, the seat next to her remained empty.

“Look, Chastell. I don’t want to do this here with Sophie and your mate present. But anytime you want to play, you let me know. Name the place and time, and I’m there.”

Rachel grinned and poked her mate in the side. “I told you he wasn’t a wimp. And here you thought he’d be too afraid to meet you outside his territory.”

“Um, Rachel—” Sophie tried to diffuse the tension.

Then the sheriff interrupted from behind the Chastells. “Hey. Would you folks keep it down? The movie started, and I’m missing it. Shut up already.”

Burke muttered something under his breath that had Rachel laughing and Ty calling him a horse’s ass.

Rafe reluctantly turned back around. She saw claw marks against the wooden arm of the chair between them. “Sorry, Sophie.” He managed a grin. “You sure you want to see this?”