Red in the Blue

His lips were on mine again as soon as he could get to me. I tried not to think about what I was doing. He smelled good and he felt good, and I pulled him to me, wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing him back. His lips moved against mine, and I wanted his tongue. I brushed my hands down his neck, past the open collar of his shirt. I wanted his tattoos to smudge off onto my skin. I wanted to be doused in him. I started unbuttoning his shirt. Cade made a noise in the back of his throat and his hand caught mine. He pulled back just enough to see my face, our noses almost touching, both breathless. I wanted to touch his face. To touch his cheeks and his jaw, to nuzzle against him. I wanted to fit into that hollow at the base of his throat. The need was licking up at me from inside, hot and fast. Now now now do it now need need need.

***

Lore has always been content to ignore the older, more archaic aspects of werewolf existence-she doesn't pledge loyalty to any pack, she doesn't go out of her way to take part in any werewolf cultural touchstones, and she's never looked for her mate. If there's a role for her in werewolf society, she doesn't know it and she isn't trying to know it. She lives almost exclusively among mortal humans and takes the occasional wolfy jog in whatever woods she can find. Her suppressed wolf is a good gut check, but little else. Then she's thrust, by pure chance, into the path of her fated mate. And to make matters worse, he's an alpha. Now, Lore is forced to reconcile her rejection of werewolf cliches with the irresistible draw of the man she's (begrudgingly) destined to be with.