277 Lisa: Kellan
After the third time I stumble while walking, the naked shifter stares at me with a curled lip.
“Why are humans so weak?” he asks, his tone grating on my already frayed nerves.
1 bristle at his words. Who does he think he is? “None of your business,” I snap, surprising myself
voice. I
with the venom in my ericho said I do pretty well for a human, thank you very much. I’m
just weakened.
I’ll get back into shape and then wipe that cocky stare off his face on the mat.
Though, I have yet to have a legitimate win without any handicaps during our training spars…
But a girl can dream, damn it.
The shifter’s eyebrows shoot up, clearly taken aback by my sass. He peers at me more closely, his brow furrowing. “Do I know you?”
Before I can answer, he leans in, his nostrils flaring as he sniffs at me. I recoil, but he’s already pulling back, a puzzled expression on his face.
“You don’t have much of a scent,” he says, sounding perplexed.
I catch the Grand Sage’s eye, noticing a mischievous twinkle there. The bracelet must mess with my scent, too. It bolsters my courage for some reason. “That’s because humans like to shower,” I retort, my chin jutting out defiantly.
The shifter’s eyes narrow. “You don’t smell like you’ve showered recently.
My jaw drops. Did he really just say that? The audacity! I’m about to unleash a tirade on this insensitive jerk when a bone–chilling growl cuts through the air.
My heart leaps into my throat as a massive reddish–brown wolf emerges from nowhere, its teeth bared and hackles raised. Without thinking, I stumble backward, instinctively seeking shelter
behind the naked shifter.
Bad move.
The new wolf’s growl intensifies, the sound reverberating through my chest. I can feel the naked shifter stiffen in front of me, his muscles tensing beneath his skin.
Suddenly, I’m shoved forward at the animal, nearly losing my balance in the process. The naked shifter holds up his hands once I’ve been sacrificed, a look of fear flashing across his face.
The enormous wolf bounds forward, placing itself between me and the other shifter. Its massive jaws snap at the naked man, a growl so loud it drowns out everything else.
Around us, the other wolves drop to the ground, bellies pressed to the earth in submission. The air crackles with tension, and I find myself frozen in place, caught between terror and awe.
“Mating instincts are quite strong, the Grand Sage muses.
“Make more sense,” I hiss at him, not sure if I should try to back away or stand still. Which is less likely to get the wolf’s attention? It seems angry. I don’t want to be within bite range of an angry
277 Lisa Kollan
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“It’ll make sense soon, he assures me, looking for all the world as fascinated as a woman sucked
into Grey’s Anatomy.
The wolf growls again, this time turning in a swift motion to get between me and the Grand Sage, snapping impatiently in the gnome’s direction.
“I am no Lion for you, woll” Unaffected by the fierce visage of a growling apex predator, he gestures in my direction. “She is yours.”
Excuse me?
But the wolf lets out a remarkably satisfied–sounding huff and turns to rub hard against my thighs, almost knocking me off balance. When I grab at its fur to hold me up, I swear the damn thing rumbles in happiness.
“What the fuck is going on?” I hiss at the naked shifter, who looks panicked by my attention.
“Don’t look at me!” he snaps, before shifting into his wolf form again and cowering to the ground
like the others.
Has everyone lost their damn marbles?
I awkwardly run my fingers through the angry wolf’s fur, unsure of how to handle this situation. To my surprise, the beast seems to melt under my touch, its eyes half–closing in bliss as its tail wags. The fierce growling from moments ago transforms into a contented rumble that vibrates. through my palm. 2
Confusion swirls in my mind. I turn to the Grand Sage, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. Bitterness, to be clear, that he was willing to sacrifice me off to a rabid wolf. “What the hell is going on?”
The gnome’s eyes twinkle with amusement, and I fight the urge to shake him. “If you can’t figure it out now, my dear, you will soon enough.” He turns to address the wolf. “We need to continue on our way. Would you mind?”
The wolf lets out a loud rumble–growl, clearly displeased by the interruption. For a moment, I think it might snap at the Grand Sage, but then it heaves a heavy sigh. Before my eyes, the wolf’s form begins to shift and change.
My breath catches in my throat as the fur recedes, revealing smooth, tanned skin. Muscles ripple and bones realign, the wolf’s body stretching and morphing into a human form. A very, very
familiar human form.
Kellan.
My eyes widen as I take him in, unable to stop myself from drinking in every inch of his naked body. Unlike the other shifter, whose nudity had barely registered, I find myself appreciating Kellan’s form with a reverence that surprises me. My gaze travels from his broad shoulders down his chiseled chest, following the trail of hair that leads to….
Oh my.
Heat floods my cheeks, and I force my eyes back up to his face. Kellan’s intense gaze locks onto mine his rues burning with an emotion I can’t quite name Refore I can process what’s
ort Lisa kalian
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