no hesitation. No recrimination for simply taking and joining together what was meant to be.
Waiting was going to kick his ass.
He took a seat on one of the underwater benches opposite her. “We don’t have to tell her. She’s flying
back to Vancouver in a couple of days, right?”
Maggie nodded.
“We’ll wait. As much as I want to take you back to my tent and make love with you right now, we
can wait for the sake of your friend.” A shiver shook Maggie briefly and she glanced at him, a trace of fear
back in her eyes. His wolf howled and fought to comfort her. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want a mate.”
He snorted.
Bullshit
. “Too bad. You’ve got one.”
Her jaw dropped, and she gaped at him. “You can’t just say something like that and expect me to be
all right with it. I’m telling you I don’t want a mate. I’m still freaked out at the thought of trying to live
within the confines of a pack. Why would I also want a mate to deal with?”
14
Wolf Games
That made no sense at all. “A mate isn’t to deal with, a mate is to love.”
She stopped cold. He had the sudden vision of the two of them, tangled together intimately, and had to
reach into the water to adjust himself before his cock exploded. Her gaze followed his hands and she
blushed hard.
“I know this isn’t fair. I’m sorry, I really am, but as much as my body is interested, we can’t do this.
I’m telling you straight up so you can be prepared. Even after Pam leaves, I’m not having sex with you. I’m
not ready to be anyone’s mate until I deal with some issues.”
“Are you telling me this because you think if you say it, you’ll be able to resist wanting to be with
me? Maggie, we’re werewolves and we’re mates. There’s a chemical reaction between us, yes, but this
isn’t just physical. Becoming mates is in our best interest.”
“Best interest? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Those issues you mentioned, let me help you with them. That’s my job. As mates we’re better as a
couple. I need you, you need me.”
“Arghh, you are so frustrating.”
“I’m your mate.”
The shouting and laughter from the others got louder as they moved closer. This conversation would
have to be put on hold. Erik raised a brow at her. “We’ll have to agree to disagree for now. Let’s head back
to the campground. We’ll follow you to Whitehorse in the morning. Keil gave me orders to keep you in
sight at all times while we’re there.” He stood and held out a hand to her. She took it reluctantly and he
squeezed it. “It’s going to be okay, Maggie, really.”
She shook her head. “You just don’t understand.”
They waded to the stairs and he led her out of the pool. “Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean I don’t
care.”
The bright hope in her eyes calmed his fears. There was obviously something big she wasn’t sharing
yet, but they’d deal with it. Together.
“Holy cow, what happened to your neck?” Pam exclaimed as she and the boys crowded around them.
Maggie froze for a second, her face flushing red. Erik stepped in smoothly. “Bug bite.”
One of the boys snorted and Erik elbowed him in the ribs while Pam dug into her bag and pulled out a
container of cream. She dabbed some on the mark. “Must have been a hell of a big bug.”
Maggie glared at him and he smiled, turning away to head to the change room. “The biggest around.”
15
“I’ve changed my mind about heading home. I’m canceling my flight, Maggie. I’m not letting you
head off into the wilds of Alaska with this group of misfits.” Pam folded her arms in front of her.
Maggie sighed.
Not again.
The entire seven-hour drive from Liard to Whitehorse, Maggie had
struggled to answer her friend’s endless nosy questions. It didn’t help that during their couple days of
sightseeing in Whitehorse before Pam’s fight home, Erik shadowed them everywhere. He seemed to be
trying his best to give them a little space but still refused to leave her alone.
“I’m not headed into the wild with them. I’m simply getting a ride to Haines to rejoin my family.”
“Yeah, right. The family you’ve been soooo thrilled about. It’s been years since your parents’
accident. I thought you told me your sister was involved in some kind of a cult at one point. You never
wanted anything to do with her friends when we were at university. There was that one time you even hid
from them. Or don’t you remember?”
A shiver ran over her skin at the memory. She wished she could forget. “Damn it, Pam. Of course I
remember, but things have changed.”
“Right.”
Maggie hesitated. How was she supposed to convince Pam when she wasn’t sure herself? A wolf pack
was supposed to be the safest place on earth. A place to be nurtured and cared for, not a hellish trap. That
hadn’t been her sister’s experience, or her own. In defense, she’d rejected the pack of her youth, had even
managed to reject the whole idea of being a wolf for a long period of her life. She couldn’t do it anymore.
Her body wouldn’t let her.
But her heart and mind were terrified to take the next step.
She settled into one of the rigid plastic chairs in the airport waiting area. “Pam, I know it seems
strange, but you’ve got to trust me on this. My sister and I have always kept in touch and I love her dearly.
Plus she’s married to a wonderful guy now.”
Pam shook her head reluctantly. “I just don’t understand why after all this time you’re deciding to
move back to the Yukon. I thought we were going to keep rooming together. I’m…disappointed.” She
squatted beside Maggie. “I’m worried about your health. You’ve never shaken off this mono or whatever it
is you’ve got. What if you have another attack while you’re on the road?”
Wolf Games
“That’s part of the reason I won’t be driving.” She grabbed Pam’s hands. “I’m going to be fine.
Really. I’m so glad we got to spend this time together. You kick butt when it comes to singing on road
trips.” Pam snorted and they grinned at each other.
“I couldn’t sing my way out of a paper bag.” Suddenly Maggie was wrapped in a huge hug, the breath
squeezed from her body. Pam let her go only to shake a finger in her face. “I want regular emails. Let me
know when you’re settled and if I don’t hear from you often, I’m coming back with a gun.”
Maggie laughed. “I expect you to visit me in Haines when you can. You’ve been an awesome friend.
I’m going to miss you.”
One last final hug and Pam joined the short line winding its way through the security checkpoint.
Maggie felt him at her side before she saw him. While it freaked her out a little to have Erik hovering over
her, it also felt very right. The two days she’d shopped and visited the theater and museums with Pam, his
presence in the background had reassured her. Made her feel safe. No wonder Pam thought she was crazy
to go anywhere with him—he was like an obsessed stalker in her friend’s eyes. Now through final security,
Pam turned back to wave farewell. She gave Erik a dirty look and held her fingers like a phone, pointing at
Maggie and mouthing “call me”.
Maggie would miss her, but dealing with the pack for the first time in years with a human around?
Not a good idea.
“She’s a nice girl.” The deep timbre of his voice hit her low in the gut. “You okay?”
She nodded. The familiar protective layers she’d built around her for years were disappearing fast.
Now she headed into dangerous territory. Oh damn, was it possible to get comfortable being around a huge
group of wolves again? Would she ever feel safe?
“I left the boys at the Canada Games Center to play for a while. I’d like to take my mate out for
lunch.” He slipped an arm around her, tugging her to his side.
A thrill shot through her at the layers of meaning she could read into his words. His claim on her—she
couldn’t deny it was real. Her wolf pranced at the thought of going anywhere with him. Especially
somewhere private where they could remove a few articles of clothing and get intimate.
She shook her head to break free of the images taunting her. She couldn’t. They shouldn’t. Not…yet.
“I told you we’re waiting. I meant it.”
He twisted to face her, their bodies sliding closer. “You think it’s too dangerous to share lunch with
me?” Heat rolled off his skin and she had to look way, way up to see into his eyes. Her mouth watered, her
hormones kicking into high gear.
Bastard. He knew how much his touch affected her. “You’re a royal pain in the ass.”
“Not yet.” He stroked her hip intimately, cupping her butt cheek in one palm briefly. He winked, then
pressed his wide hand on her lower back to direct her steps toward the parking lot. Heat shot through her
core, and her wolf sat up and begged. Maggie jerked free from his touch by picking up the tempo. Of
17
Vivian Arend
course, since her legs were much shorter, she almost had to run to outpace him. She twirled and planted her
hands on her hips. She needed to regroup before they headed to Haines.
“Look. I know you’ve got direct orders from your chief Pooh-Bah, but I’d like some time by myself.
No one is going to accost me on the streets of Whitehorse. I’m perfectly safe. I used to live here. I just want
to be left alone and…”
Lordy, how was she supposed to stay angry with him when every time she gave him hell, he did
nothing but smile? It wasn’t just any kind of smile, it was a do-you-want-to-crawl-into-bed-with-me-now
kind of smile. The expression had a lot of impact when you placed it on his six-foot-five frame and added
in his gorgeous features and his dark sparkling eyes.
Did he have to smell so damn good?
“You can’t walk by yourself in Whitehorse. I don’t know if you noticed over the past couple days, but
there are a lot more wolves living here than in Vancouver. Not only are you a member of a rival pack,
you’re also related to a couple of the most powerful wolves in the North. Keil thought you were single. He
didn’t want any young pups trying to take advantage of you.”
“I am single.”
He growled softly and her core muscles tightened in reaction. Oh shit, she’d pissed off his wolf. Icy
fingers of dread raced up her spine and her heart pounded. She wanted to drop to her knees and bare her
throat in submission. Another part wanted to scramble away, to flee from his anger. Somehow she kept her
eyes open in the hopes she’d be able to duck if he swung at her. With his height advantage, he towered over
her, and she felt overwhelmed by the sheer size of the man.
He lifted her chin with a single finger and spoke firmly. “You. Have. A. Mate.” Her wolf panted in
agreement and crawled closer to the surface. She grabbed her stomach as cramping pain rocked her. “Damn
it, what the hell…?” Erik wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Somehow she ended up in his lap
as he squatted on his heels, his back against a rental car. The world spun in circles and she scrambled for
the vial of pills in her pocket. He took it from her, shook out a few and handed them over. From somewhere
he produced a water bottle and she gulped greedily. She kept her gaze averted. Between her fears and her
rising need for him, she felt completely out of balance.
It didn’t take long for the pain to ease. When she opened her eyes it was to stare into his concerned
face.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He cupped her face in his big palm, examining her
carefully.
She nodded slowly. All she sensed was his concern and desire. She ignored her tangled nerves and
forced herself to calm down. He’d been nothing but trustworthy, and he deserved to be treated with respect.
“You want to tell me what’s wrong?”
Maggie bit her lip. “Chemical imbalance.” For now, that’s all she wanted to admit.
18
Wolf Games
He frowned. “You’re a wolf. Change and you’ll heal.”
She scrambled off his lap and wavered for a second before his strong arm supported her. That was one
topic she was nowhere ready to discuss with him. “I’m hungry. Can we have lunch?”
Erik eyed her as he led her to his SUV. “Nice try at changing the topic. Why are you fighting this so
hard? You need—”
“I need lunch. Something raw. Is that possible here in Whitehorse?”
His smiled wryly. “I know just the place.”
“A combo platter for four please.”
Maggie elbowed him. “Four?”
Erik sniffed. She must be extra hungry, maybe that was part of her problem. Silly women were always
on diets when they didn’t need to be. “Sorry, make it for six. Everything raw, extra wasabi on the side, and
skip the pickled ginger.” They grabbed spots at the end of the long counter and he held her high-backed
stool as she sat, still chuckling.
“You turkey. That’s not what I meant.”
“What?” He captured her hand in his and held it. She might want to go slow but there was no way he
would let her completely ignore the fact they were meant to be together. He wanted to touch her, just to
torment himself. A flush covered her cheeks and she tugged slightly, testing his hold, before relaxing and
squeezing his fingers.
“I’m sorry. I’m not making this easy for you.” Her smile faded, and he hurried to reassure her.
“Trust me, I’ve seen mated pairs in action often enough to know their relationships are not always