Jennifer Ashley - Wild Wolf

Thanks go to my husband, without whose support my books would never get written, or cats or humans fed. I couldnt do this without him.

Thanks also go to my editor Kate, and my agent, Bob, who help make these books the best they can be.

Finally, thanks go to the two Felines in my life, the White Monster and his brother, the Natural Disaster, for providing inspiration for the cub twins and their antics.

Graham McNeil slammed his massive fist into the jaw of the attacking wolf just as his cell phone rang.

He got the wolf into a headlock and tried to reach for the phone, but the wolf fought and clawed, drawing blood, its breath like sour acid. Grahams Collar sparked heavy pain into his throat, while the Collar on the wolf he fought was dormant.

Was this where things were going with the stupid-ass idea that all Shifters should have their pain-shocking Collars replaced with inert ones? Shifters at the bottom of the food chain would use their fake Collars as an excuse to try to claw their way up, like this Lupine was. The shithead was from the family of one of Grahams trackers and was supposed to be loyal to Graham, but today the wolf had decided to wait in Grahams house until Graham walked in alone, and jump him.

Idiot. Graham had territory advantage, even if he still wore his true Collar, which blasted pain into him with every heartbeat. Time to show the attacking wolf who was truly alpha.

Grahams phone kept ringing against his belt. Because Shifters were only allowed to carry dumb phones, he didnt have a fancy ringtone to tell him who was calling. The damn thing just rang.

Graham grabbed the Lupine by the throat and threw it against the wall. The wolf howled, but did it stay down? Not for long.

As the wolf prepared another attack, Graham yanked the phone off his belt and flipped it open. What?

Graham, came the breathless voice of his more-or-less girlfriend, a human called Misty.

Everything slowed. Graham saw in his mind the curvy young woman with light brown hair she wore in a ponytail, her soft face, and her sweet brown eyes. Every thought of her was like a breath of air, snaking into his messed-up brain and trying to soothe him. Graham wished he was with her now, teasing her, kissing her, instead of trying to beat an insubordinate wolf into submission.

Im a little busy right now, sweetheart, Graham said loudly as the wolf landed on him. A wooden chair smashed under them as they both slammed to the floordamn, he liked that chair. You break my TV, youre dead, Graham snarled.

What?

Not you, sweetie. Ill have to call you back.

You cant. Graham, listen, I need you. Theyre . . . Oh, crap.

What? Graham bellowed. Slow down. What are you saying?

I have to go. I dont know when I can call you again.

Grahams shift was coming. In a few seconds, he wouldnt be able to hold the phone, let alone talk. Wait! he yelled at her.

I cant. Ive got to go. Graham, I lo

The phone clicked, and Graham was shouting at a dead line. What? Wait! Misty! Fuck.

He threw the phone across the room and lifted the attacking wolf by the scruff of the neck. Would you stop, you asshole?

The wolf snarled, teeth snapping at Grahams throat. The wolf in Graham responded. He felt his body change, muscles becoming harder and leaner, face elongating to accommodate teeth, claws jutting from fingers that quickly became paws.

With an ear-splitting snarl, Graham went for the other wolfs throat, snapping teeth around fur.

At the last minute, the alpha in him told him not to kill. Graham was this wolfs protector, not its enemy. The wolf needed to be taught its place, not destroyed.

Not that Graham wouldnt rough it up a bit. But quickly. He needed to find out what was wrong with Misty. The fear in her voice had been clear, the desperation palpable. Theyre . . . What? Here? Coming? Killing me?

Grahams Collar kept snapping arcs into his neck. He held on to the throat of the fighting wolf, not letting the Collar stop him.

Dominance didnt have anything to do with Collars, or pain, or fighting. Dominance was about putting full-of-themselves, arrogant Lupine Shifters in their place. Graham got the wolf on the floor and stepped on it, and then shifted to human again, breathing hard, his clothes in tatters.

Stay down. The words were hard, final.

The wolf snarled again, then became humanlanky, dark-haired, gray-eyedtypical Lupine. Except this one was female.

She looked up at him, rage in her eyes. This isnt over, McNeil.

Famous last words. Your dad sent you, didnt he? Thought maybe Id mate-claim you if you couldnt best me, right?

The way she looked quickly away told Graham hed hit upon the truth. She was naked, and not bad, but Graham hadnt been able to think about any other female since hed met Misty.

He hadnt mate-claimed Misty, or even had sex with her. Graham had never had sex with a human before, and he feared hed not be able to gentle himself enough for Misty. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

Also, his position as leader of the Lupines in this Shiftertown was precarious. His wolves expected him to mate with a Lupine, to provide a cub who would be their next leader. If he went into mating frenzy with a human, the more old-fashioned of his wolves might try to solve the problem by killing Misty.

But Mistys phone call had his gut churning. Graham climbed to his feet. Ive got to go, he said to the woman. I want you out of here by the time I get back. No more ambushes. If you want a mate, go chase some bears. Theyre always horny.

Graham turned around and walked away. The best way to show submissives they were submissive was to indicate you didnt fear them jumping you the minute your back was turned. Making them know that if they did jump you, youd stop them. Again.

His heart hammered with worry, the wolf forgotten, as he detoured to his bedroom to grab clothes to replace the ones hed shredded with his shift.

Graham left through the back door, mounted his motorcycle, started it, and rode noisily away from his house and Shiftertown.

"Im asking you one more time, where is he?

I said, I dont know.

The gang leader who held Misty against the wall by the throat didnt believe her. Hed caught her running out of the back of the shop, and hed taken her cell phone, thrown it to the ground, and smashed it with his boot heel. Shed never seen the man before, but she guessed who he wasa guy called Sam Flores whod been in prison with her brotherand why hed come.

You do know. Floress breath was foul with cigarettes and beer. That him you had on your phone?

No Misty broke off with a grunt as her head smacked into the wall. I dont know where Paul is. He took off.

Lying bitch. Flores had blue eyes in a sun-darkened face, and dark hair streaked by strong desert sunlight. Im going to beat you until you tell me where that asshole is. Then my boys and me will make you understand why you dont mess with us.

Misty was so cold with fear, she couldnt feel anything anymore. She struggled, though she knew shed never get away. Paul had been out making deliveries, and Misty really didnt know where he was. Shed called him before shed called Graham, but shed had to leave a voice mail, telling Paul to lie low. Paul had hiding places, but Misty didnt know where all of them were.

Flores held her in place, the prison tatts on his fingers up close and personal. Behind him, his friends were smashing up her flower shop. Baseball bats smacked into the clear glass refrigerator doors that held her stock; pots filled with arrangements were thrown against the counter. Glass splintered and flew; the flowers, innocent, scattered everywhere. Broken stems and a river of petals littered the floor.