“Piper…”
“Be quiet. Let me handle this. I swear to you, Juniper. If you don’t remember him when he opens this door, I’m going to kill you.”
I eased up the sidewalk, my stomach a nest of wriggling nerves. “Wait,” I hissed before she knocked, and pulled her backward. “You said he’s the alpha, right?”
She rolled her eyes.
“So…how should I act around him? I mean…I’ve never been a wolf before. And the alphas never treated me as one.”
Her face softened. I guess it was a legit question. “He’s not going to be happy. Especially with everything our pack has just been through the past two months. So, don’t make eye contact with him. Aim for the collarbone, or hell, the carpet. Don’t argue with him, don’t challenge him, and don’t interrupt him.”
Oh, he sounded like a peach.
“Don’t question him, don’t raise your voice. Pretend they’ve summoned you to the principal’s office. Meek and apologetic.”
“Are you sure I wanted to take him as my mate?”
“Only with like every breath you took,” she deadpanned.
Maybe I needed my head examined.
“Ready?” she asked.
Hell no. But that didn’t stop her from knocking.
4
Her knock resounded through the house.
I leaned forward and pressed my ear up against the door. The sound echoed in my head. I’d never heard anything as crisp and smooth before.
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
“Listening.” And not just to her knock, but the sounds of the world. I could hear the snowflakes falling around us, the wind as it ruffled through my hair, and the sound of approaching footsteps.
Gasping, I jolted back from the door.
“Could you at least try and act normal?”
My wide gaze shot to Piper’s. What the hell was normal? I was a human born to werewolf parents who was now becoming a werewolf. Hell, even I had trouble wrapping my head around that one.
“Just stand there. And for the love of God, let me do the talking.”
Talking. To the alpha. About this spell. I was so screwed.
The footsteps came to a stop on the other side of the door. My heart stuttered, and my breath quickened. For a moment, I contemplated running. Forest surrounded Mathis’s house, and in the backdrop sat Whistlers Mountain. Wilderness and trees and natural wolves. Picturesque…and only mildly terrifying. Two days, the witch had said. Which meant no running. No escaping. No punking out. Easier said than done.
The doorknob twisted.
“Piper, I can’t—”
Before I could finish my statement, the door swung wide open, and I froze.
Sweet mother of Mercury. The world vanished and the moonlight dimmed until all that remained was him. With half-lidded eyes, I drank him in. The man towered over me, even at my five foot six height. A tall hunk of man meat. I wanted to plunge my fingers into his medium-length blond hair. The man was Thor reincarnate, scar and all. But it was the rest of him that held me captive. Especially the jade eyes watching me from the dark shadows of his entryway.
“Juniper? Piper? Is something wrong?” He leaned out and gazed down his driveway.
“You could say that,” Piper grumbled. “Can we come in?”
And just like that, I knew she intended to toss me under the bus. I nudged her with my elbow, a response met with a hard glare. Oh, doggie. I was up shit creek here.
Dark brows snapped low. Then he stepped back in the entryway and gave us room to enter. “Of course.”
Nope. I didn’t want to go inside. “You know what, you two can talk. I’ll just—”
Piper’s fingers dug into my elbow, and she wrenched me inside, careful to keep her body between Mathis and me. My nerves came alive, my skin crawling as I mimicked Piper and removed my heels.
Ah, sweet relief. Heels weren’t my first choice of shoewear, and it showed in my slight limp as I hobbled my way through his hallway. Nothing looked familiar, though I rather liked his décor. It had the feel of a cabin with its dark-paneled hardwood, overstuffed furnishings, and ambient lighting.
Steps away from the living room, Mathis jerked to a stop and turned, his nostrils flared. “What is that scent?” he demanded.
Oh, shit. Piper hadn’t been kidding.
Neither of us answered. What the hell was I supposed to say anyway? Oh, sorry, just me. I’m becoming a werewolf. Silent laughter chimed in my head.
Gold light swelled within his eyes, and before I could stop him, he leaned over me and drew in a deep breath. I shivered, equally excited and terrified. Maybe I couldn’t remember him, but it seemed my hormones hadn’t received that message. I wanted to bury my nose in his throat, scrape his flesh with my teeth, run my tongue along the seam of his lips. Instead, I took Piper’s advice and tilted my head, baring my throat to him. The feeling was quite uncomfortable. And for the first time ever, I felt a foreign voice rise in my thoughts.
Vulnerable. Defend yourself.
I gasped, then clapped a hand over my mouth. Did that voice belong to my wolf? Excitement bubbled within me, and it took every ounce of restraint not to erupt with giggles. My wolf!
“Juniper,” he growled, his breath hot against my skin. “What the hell is going on?”
An excited squeal tore free of my throat. “I heard it! Piper, I heard it! Or her? Does your wolf have a sex? There’s so much I need to learn.”
Except, neither of them seemed as enthusiastic as me.
Piper’s mouth pursed with disapproval. “Alpha. Juniper sought out a witch tonight, and they struck a deal. The witch made her a full werewolf.”
The monster looming over me froze.
Hell, so did I. Werewolf I might be, but I felt like a skittish rabbit in his presence. The man leaked power. I felt it crawling over my skin, pricking at parts of me I’d never known existed. Every bit of common sense told me to bow my head in submission.
But every bone in my body refused.
So odd to be at war with myself. My thoughts screamed obedience, but my body rebelled. The human side rising up to protect me, perhaps?
“You did what?” he snarled.
Shit, shit, shit. We’d pissed off the monster. It wasn’t only the deep crease in his brow that gave it away, or the lip curled up over his teeth, but his scent. Hot and spicy, it surrounded me until I could think of nothing else.
“It gets worse, I’m afraid,” Piper whispered.
“Shut up,” I hissed. In what world was it intelligent to keep poking the bear? Let him calm down first.
“The witch only gave her two days.”
I watched as his fingers curled into tight fists. “Two days to do what, exactly?”
Awkward. So very awkward.
“To…uh…mate. If she fails—”
A scalding flash of fury silenced Piper’s words before she could finish. And for the first time in my life, a whimper tore past my lips. Without thinking, my hand shot up and cupped my throat. I’d heard that sound before from the wolves, but never me.
Mathis fell silent, but his rage felt like a hot lash against my skin. Against Piper’s previous suggestions, I lifted my chin and met his scorching gaze. It almost hurt to look at him. Liquid gold burned within his eyes—his wolf staring out at me. And even though I’d pissed him off, I still felt it beneath the surface, a slight pull toward him. Something that screamed mine.