Alison Paige - Little Red and the Wolf

Maizie lowered her shoulders, her ears pinned back against her head. She growled, bared her teeth. Gray stopped his slow approach, his pale eyes fixed on her, judging her intentions just as she judged his.

He was too far away, his body language ambivalent. She’d have to allow him closer to be sure, close enough to strike. She couldn’t take that chance. Her wolf-half wouldn’t allow it.

Maizie spun, springing off her powerful back legs, pumping her front legs to propel her forward, away from the male aggressor. She didn’t know where she was going. It didn’t matter as long as she got away.

Her nails clawed at the blacktop, slipping when they couldn’t dig in. Gray’s nails clattered behind her, giving chase without hesitation. She glanced back, saw his body eating the distance between them, his pale blue eyes alight with fury. He’d overtake her in seconds.

Panic clogged her throat, hammered through her heart, pumped her legs harder, faster. She shifted her attention forward, ready to throw herself into the run.

Lights. Blinding. Two brilliant orbs barreling toward her. Thunder rumbled behind them, vibrating through her brain. Maizie gasped, a sharp high-pitched yip. She tried to stop, throwing her weight backward, her paws scrambling to slow her momentum.

Gray’s heavy body collided with her, unable to shift speed and direction any better than she. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, both of them tumbling off the blacktop onto soft grass. Maizie found her center and stopped her roll just in time to pull her nose out of the way of the minivan rolling up the driveway.

Twisting hard, throwing her head and neck, Maizie got her feet under her. Adrenaline surged through her body, giving her a dizzying high while she puzzled what to do next. Where was the male? Nothing mattered more.

A low growl turned her around, the sound so visceral it vibrated through her flesh and bone, stuttering the beat of her heart. She peered into the forest, trying hard to pinpoint the sound. Full dark made for a night blacker than pitch, even for her enhanced wolf eyesight. Straining, she managed to catch a subtle shift of movement behind a cluster of trees and focused her gaze as the soft glow of pale blue eyes broke the curtain of black.

Gray’s silvery fur caught the light. The chase was on.

He’d saved her life, knocking her out of the way when her animal instincts froze in the headlights. Normally that should have earned him some points but Gray knew Maizie’s fevered wolf brain wasn’t up to the logic. Once her body manufactured enough antibodies to break her fever, she’d shift back to human form. Unfortunately, there was no way for Gray to know how long that would take.

Maizie crouched, ears pinned back, belly nearly touching the grass. She bared her teeth, growled at him, warning she’d fight or run if he dared to approach. Protecting her until her fever broke wasn’t going to be easy this way. They were animals now. No way to communicate except the way nature intended for the species. At least in that respect, Maizie was capable. She was more wolf than human for the time being.

Gray snorted with a hard shake of his head and stepped from the shadows. Maizie edged back, her brilliant green eyes fixed on him. She snarled, her voice louder.

Gray had the feeling she was more ready to run than fight if the opportunity arose. He couldn’t read her mind or her his, but they sensed each other, understood each other’s wants, desires and needs. A natural phenomenon created by an enhancement of the normal five.

With a small whimper, a submissive sigh, Gray lowered himself to the forest floor. On his belly, he edged closer, head cocked to the side, eyes downcast as much as possible. I’m not going to hurt you .

Maizie straightened, not completely but enough he knew she understood. Ears perked, her head twisted one way, then the other before she gave a curious yip. What do you want?

Gray continued the submissive approach, not really answering. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not going to hurt you . He was almost to her, but Maizie was becoming antsy.

Her heart beat so hard he could see the subtle vibration of her fur. Her feet shifted, finding the best footing to launch into a run at a moment’s notice. Fear seasoned her body chemistry, the scent seeping through her pores, a bitter taste on the air. It was a risk for her to let him get too near. She’d know he could overpower her in seconds.

She stepped back, gave another yip, but this one was harder, laced with warning. What the hell do you want? Stay away . I will bring you down .

Another whimper, Gray edged closer. I’m not going to hurt you . Just a few more feet and he’d be close enough to strike.

Maizie was smart, evolution affording her centuries of knowledge, the instinct that enabled the weaker sex to survive the demands of the stronger. And Maizie was functioning on almost pure instinct.

She barked-sharp, angry-her feet dancing her backward, her tail swished once, quick. She started a low growl. I won’t be dominated. I won’t be killed. I’ll fight…if I have to .

Gray didn’t buy it. She was so frightened he practically choked on the scent of it. Her feet fidgeted, her muscles rolling tight under her fur. She was ready to bolt, to run at his slightest distraction. He wouldn’t be distracted.

In a straight-on foot race, Gray knew he could smoke Maizie’s smaller stride, but through the twists and turns of a forest run, her smaller size would turn to an advantage. He had to get closer before she took off or he might never catch her.

He called her bluff, throwing up one of his own. Gray rose, not to his full height but enough that he met her eye to eye. He bared his teeth, his growl deeper, louder, more visceral than hers. Move and I’ll end you here-now . My forest. My pack. I decide. Don’t move. Let me nearer .

Jeezus, she was beautiful. To his wolf-half she was as alluring a female as she was a woman to his human-half. Fear sparked in the jewel green of her eyes, but underneath they still managed to captivate him with their curiosity and intelligence-with her sheer defiance.

She was brave, strong, fast and smart. She was everything a male could want in a mate, in the mother of his offspring. Despite her fear and her angry warnings, she wanted his dominance. He could smell it. She wanted him to take her. He was alpha, bravest, strongest, fastest and smartest, everything a female could want in a mate, in the sire of her brood.

Maizie froze to the spot at his show of dominance, her scent thickening the air. She cowered slightly, despite her arousal, believing his threat even as her heat reached across the cool night and enveloped him.

Her musky aroma, more tangy than normal, tickled his nose, stirred his primal body. It wasn’t the scent of the natural estrus that preceded ovulation, but Maizie’s human-half allowed her sexual excitement without the biological inducement. Combined with everything else she offered, Gray’s tight leash on his animal instincts pulled hard on his muscles. A mental shake knocked thoughts of mounting her to the darker recesses of his brain.

Gray held his tall crouch and crept closer, his gaze locked with hers, willing her not to move. He got within feet of her. One more step and he’d be near enough to lunge, to pin her, assert his authority as alpha and earn her compliance. It was the only way to protect her in her wild state.

Maizie was having none of it. She waited, dancing on her feet, a split second of Gray’s overconfidence, and she spun, ran. She’d waited too long though, and Gray was able to give chase only seconds behind. In minutes her size, her swift maneuverability, increased the distance between them. Gray thundered on, trusting experience and human strategy would level the field.