To Kill a Wolf: BBW Werewolf Erotic Romance (North Wolves Novella Series Book 1) (5 page)

For now, marking her was
enough.

As long as she wore his
mark, she would be protected.

The Dark Moon wolves
wouldn't dare touch her. They wouldn't come within a mile of her.
He would make sure of that.

After he laid her softly
down on the bed, he rolled out of bed and strode to the bathroom.

“Noah,” he
barked into the wall phone. “Wrap up the dinner as soon as you
can, and gather all our wolves in the great hall. There's someone
I'd like you all to meet.”

After a pause, he said, “A
new pack member.”

Leah stood facing the lake,
watching the moon's reflection ripple on the water surface. The moon
hung low and full in the night sky, bathing the landscape in a pure,
silvery light. Taking a deep breath, Leah shed her clothes slowly,
letting the cool moonlight caress her naked body.

She could do this. She had
been training and practicing diligently. Abigail and Meiling, her
two trainers, had been so encouraging and patient. They never gave
up on her. They were tough and demanding, but they were never cruel.
They believed in her and had utmost faith that she would be able to
rouse her wolf.

Everyone had a different way
of connecting and calling upon their wolf, they'd told her. Leah
just had to find her own way.

For six months, she had gone
through very tough, taxing mental and physical training. She had to
be strong, emotionally and physically, to be able to shift. It took
strength, stamina and discipline to control one's wolf.

Her friends had been
encouraging as well. Yes, she had friends now. She had made lots of
new friends in the Thunderfalls pack. They were her friends, her
comrades, her family. She was one of them now.

Andrew had gathered the
entire Thunderfalls pack and told them the truth about her. He
didn't want to lie to his pack, and he'd told her that she should
never be afraid of facing the truth. There was nothing to be afraid
of, and she had nothing to be ashamed of. “It's the only way
to be truly free,” he'd said. And he was right.

The Thunderfalls wolves were
straight-talking and direct, but they showed her genuine empathy and
consideration. They didn't snigger and gossip behind her back.
Instead, they simply sat her down and asked their questions openly.
They wanted to know about her past, her life in the Dark Moon pack,
her parents, her relationships and what she knew or heard about the
Thunderfalls pack. Some of their questions brought her to the verge
of tears, but she stoically swallowed her tears and her pride and
answered them honestly. The truth might be ugly, but they deserved
to know everything about her.

They scrutinized her, tested
her, interrogated her. But they didn't ignore her. They asked some
hard questions, but they never insulted her. She saw that they were
intelligent, discerning and fair. The Thunderfalls pack held open
and frank discussions about anything and everything. Every member of
the pack had the right to speak his or her mind. They would debate
and argue, or even fight it out, but they didn't scheme behind one
another's backs.

They didn't scheme to get
one of their pack members killed by sending her on a mission that was
bound to fail.

She
realized
that Mason and the rest of the Dark Moon wolves never intended for
her to make it back alive. They never
wanted
her to succeed in her mission.
All
they wanted was for her to be caught. And killed.

Some of Andrew's lieutenants
had laughed out loud when they heard how she had tried to assassinate
Noah, who was one of their best and most fearsome fighters. Noah was
one of Andrew's lieutenants, and Andrew had put him in charge of the
pack's anniversary celebrations. Noah had single-handedly thwarted
an attack by the Night Jaguars, and the banquet was in his honor.
The banquet was to celebrate the pack's one hundredth anniversary, as
well as to celebrate Noah's exemplary courage and outstanding
contribution and success.

Andrew had graciously
stepped back that night and assumed a security role to let Noah enjoy
the limelight. Leah couldn't imagine Mason doing that. Mason was
too proud, too insecure and small-minded to let any of his
lieutenants take the glory. Andrew was a very good Alpha, but he was
not weak. Not. At. All.

If she had tried to stab
Noah that night, Noah could have killed her without batting an
eyelid.

Andrew, though, was even
more deadly and dangerous than the boyish-looking Noah. He could
kill with his mind. He was sharp and shrewd, and when it came to
protecting his pack, he was ruthless.

“At that dinner,
Andrew could have snapped your neck, disposed of you and still make
it back in time for dessert,” Meiling, her trainer, had
quipped.

When she paled, Meiling
simply patted her hand and shrugged. “But he didn't murder
you. He marked you instead.”

Meiling's calm, astute
observation didn't make her blush and squirm. She had gotten used to
their bluntness. They didn't mince their words, but they valued
honesty and courage. It was okay to make mistakes, but you had to be
brave and honest enough to admit your mistakes. Because she was open
with them and held nothing back, they forgave her and accepted her
wholeheartedly into the pack.

She trained with them,
worked with them and lived in their territory. Noah ran the
Thunderfalls security firm, which provided security services to the
residents of North County. He hired her as an administrative
assistant, and she rented a nice, little apartment near her office.
The block of apartments belonged to the Thunderfalls pack, but not
all the residents in the block were Thunderfalls wolves. There were
some human families, and a handful of other shifters in her block.

The Thunderfalls pack had
given her sanctuary, protection and a home. For the first time in
her life, she felt safe. She knew that Andrew watched her all the
time. He had access to her apartment, and he would come to her in
the middle of the night. He was a great lover, and he was her only
lover. She didn't need anyone else. And she didn't want anyone
else. She felt safe, happy and loved. She was finally, truly happy.

Leah closed her eyes and
slowed her breathing. She could feel her wolf rising, shaking off
the deep slumber to prowl cautiously to the surface. Her wolf was
ready, eager to emerge. She just had to find a way to let her wolf
out.

Leah turned her face towards
the moon, and continued taking calm, steadying breaths. She could
smell the lake, the grass, the small flowers and the different scents
in the wind.

Her lips curved in a smile
as she inhaled deeply. Everything smelled stronger, clearer,
fresher. She turned her head and sniffed. Was that...the scent of a
rabbit racing through the woods? And under the smell of the soil,
she could smell the busy, hurrying insects. She let out an
exhilarated laugh. Her sense of smell was heightened. And so was
her hearing. She could hear the scampering feet of the baby rabbit
in the middle of the woods as it hurtled into the burrow after its
mother. And she could make out the rustle of each leaf and the soft
footfall in the grass.

And she could scent—him.

She smiled quietly, but she
kept her eyes closed and she didn't turn around. He could watch her.
He'd always watched her anyway.

She wouldn't be distracted.
She wouldn't fail now.

Keeping her mind and her
hold on her wolf, she steeled herself and readied herself for the
shift. The first time was always the most difficult. But she was
ready. She could take the pain.

Her eyes flew open at the
first deafening crack of bone. Her cry of shock and pain became a
howl, and when she blinked, the entire world looked different.

Her eyesight had vastly
improved, and she could see the tiniest movement in the grass. It
was incredible.

Running to the water's edge,
she peered at the mirrored surface of the lake and saw her
reflection. A beautiful brown wolf with startling green eyes stared
back at her.

She was a wolf. A wolf!
She had shifted to wolf.

Leah raised her head and
howled.

That musical, joyous sound
was joined by a louder, stronger howl. Leah turned and saw a large
gray wolf standing behind her, watching her and protecting her. She
stared into Andrew's amber eyes and waited breathlessly as he padded
over to her.

Andrew nuzzled her gently
and bent his head to touch his nose to hers. He growled softly and
nipped her neck.

For a moment, they stood
facing each other under the full moon. Leah lowered herself to a
crouch, and sprang up. She was off like an arrow, running through
the grass and between the trees.

She could scent him, hear
him, feel him following her closely. He hung back and gave her a
head start, before chasing her again. That was what wolves did.
They played, they chased, they hunted.

She was a wolf, a hunter,
not an outcast and not a victim.

Running back to the lake,
she shifted back to human form and retrieved her clothes. She
dressed quickly and whirled round to see Andrew stalking towards her.
He had shifted and thrown on his clothes as well. His jeans hung
low on his hips and his shirt flapped open.

The moonlight played on his
ripped torso, highlighting the hard, defined planes and muscles on
his body. She felt her breath hitch and her pulse quicken. He was
so handsome, so beautiful, as a man, as a wolf. And he wanted her.
Always.

“Your wolf is
beautiful,” he growled, coming up behind her and wrapping his
arms around her waist. “Just like you.”

“You're the first man
to see my wolf,” she said coyly, kissing him back.

There was a dark, wicked
glint in his eye. “But...I won't be the last,” he said.
“I want you to show our pack what you can do.”

She smiled shyly. “Oh.”

“I want everyone to
see your wolf. You are a werewolf, Leah. A true, real werewolf.”

“I know!” She
rested her head on his broad shoulders and giggled. “It feels
amazing!”

A giddy laugh bubbled from
her throat.

She whooped delightedly and
shrieked when Andrew lifted her up and spun her around.

“Stop! Put me down,”
she squealed, swatting at his arms. “Let me go!”

“No.” He caught
her tightly in his arms, and she gasped at the fierce, feral heat in
his eyes. “I am never letting you go, Leah.”

“Andrew...” she
whispered.

His voice dropped an octave.
“You are my Leah. My beautiful, beautiful wolf. And I am
going to claim you. As my mate.”

End

About the Author

Natalie Kristen is a writer
who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark,
the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring
paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances.
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