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"What about when you're human?"

He replied slowly, "No..." Then he looked at his plate. When he set his gaze back on me,

he twirled the fork expertly in his nimble fingers. "I eat spaghetti bolognese," he finished with a smirk.

I was powerless not to laugh at his wit. "Does it bother your stomach if you eat raw meat

and then shift back into a human?"

He inhaled another forkful of spaghetti and spoke with his mouth full. "No, our stomachs

are built for it."

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My mouth dropped in amazement. "How did the gods make this happen? How is it

possible for you to shift back and forth between wolf and human?"

He smirked again. "You'd have to ask them."

I lifted an eyebrow. "You wouldn't happen to have their email addresses, would you?"

The smirk fell from his face, but when he gave me a blank look, I thought my sarcasm was lost

on him. "Uhh...that was a joke." There was awkward silence as he continued to look at me. I

broke the silence by drumming my fingers against the table. "Emails are messages sent on the

computer."

He looked at his plate again, his voice quiet. "I know." His gaze met mine, but he didn't

lift his head. "Just because we don't have a computer, doesn't mean I don't know what they are."

I thought I insulted him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to---"

"No worries," he waved his hand dismissively. "You don't have to apologize."

For the next few minutes, we ate in silence. It didn't last long because I couldn't stop

asking questions.

"How do you change into a wolf? Do you just..." I squeezed my eyes shut, balled up my

fists, and made a sound like I was constipated.

Riley laughed loudly and I hoped the sheriff wasn't still asleep.

When I opened my eyes, I smiled. "Do you just think about it really hard and it

happens?"

He put his elbows on the table and leaned toward me, amusement clearly written on his

face. "Actually, it's like moving my arm." He extended and flexed his right arm. "I want to move it, and I do. It's the same with shifting. I want to be a wolf, and I turn into one."

"Does it ever happen when you don't want it to?"

"An adrenaline rush or a racing pulse trigger the wolf. That's why my eyes change color

and my teeth sharpen. Intense emotions can make me lose control and shift completely,

especially if I'm really angry or upset." His voice lowered when he said, "Like when I was a pup and you left the mountain."

My gaze softened, and a moment passed where we just looked at each other. "Does the

full moon affect you?"

"The moon causes a strong urge to shift, but it doesn't force me to shift against my will. If

Varulv
don't take wolf form during a full moon, we just become anxious and restless."

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Riley and I continued to eat, but I remembered something important. I hoped I wouldn't

sour his mood, but I had to ask. "Could I get a ride back to my cabin? My clothes are there and

I'd like to sleep in my own bed tonight."

Riley paused as he lifted a forkful of spaghetti to his mouth. We stared at each other

before he set his fork down. Then he averted his gaze to his plate and sighed softly.

"Yeah, I'll take you."

"In a car this time?" He looked at me and I gave him a friendly smile.

He returned the gesture. "Sure." There was another momentary pause. "Can I stay in your cabin with you?"

My fork fell out of my hand, flipped as I tried to catch it, and landed on the floor. Riley's

eyes had me spellbound as he waited patiently for me to answer. I wanted to bend down and pick

up the fork, but I couldn't look away...and I couldn't deny him.

I nodded slowly and the word came out of my mouth freely and easily. "Yes."

His face lit up instantly with a brilliant smile. As he dined on the rest of his spaghetti

bolognese, I pondered the idea of having him in the cabin with me---alone---and wondered if I

was making a mistake.

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After we had our fill of spaghetti bolognese, we put our plates in the sink. "I just have to

pack a few things," Riley said excitedly.

I followed him to his bedroom and he went directly to the closet and pulled out a black

duffle bag. I was amazed he seemed so eager to leave his family's trailer. He immediately started

pulling articles of clothing off the hangers and stuffing them in the bag. I stood by silently and

watched, but saw Quinn enter the room from the corner of my eye.

She looked sad, her brows crinkled with worry. "You're leaving?" She asked quietly. Her

gaze followed her brother as he moved from the closet to the dresser.

He glanced at her briefly, but his focus was on gathering his belongings. "Yeah, I'm

staying with Paige at her cabin."

He pulled out the dresser drawers and stuffed more clothes into the bag. Then he took

deodorant and a bottle of shaving cream off the dresser.

I looked at Quinn and she was biting her nails. "I heard you chatting in the kitchen." She

sat on one of the beds, but continued to watch him. "It's going to be weird not having you here."

Riley slammed the dresser drawers shut. He moved quickly, almost as if he was in a

hurry. I didn't tell him I was in a hurry to leave and I wondered why he was in a rush.

Quinn chuckled before she said, "I'm so used to hearing you whimper at night, and

waking up to see you running in your sleep."

Riley walked toward the desk. His hand reached out, almost hesitantly, before he started

plucking some of the photographs off the wall.

He looked at Quinn again, his face serious. "I want this one." It was a picture of the twins with their mother. "Do you mind if I take it with me?"

For a moment, she looked at the picture with Riley's hand hovering next to it. Then she

dropped her gaze to her lap and spoke softly. "Sure, go ahead." She fidgeted with the blanket on the bed and I knew she was upset.

I wanted to comfort her, even though I thought it was strange she acted as if Riley was

moving far away. He was just going to my cabin a few miles away. Then I thought about how

long they've been together and experienced. It was obvious they had a close relationship.

Sometimes they argued and yelled at each other, but what brother and sister didn't? I couldn't

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forget how much she's done for me when I was injured and helpless. I didn't want to leave her on

such somber terms.

I took a seat next to her and spoke soothingly. "Quinn, you can come to my cabin

anytime you want. It's actually nice to have another girl to talk to."

She lifted her head and grinned, but I saw unshed tears behind her eyes. I put my arm

around her shoulder and held her close. Her head rested in the crook of my neck and her hair

smelled of citrus.

Riley's bag was full when he dropped it on the other bed. He turned to me and said, "I just

have to get my toothbrush and then we can leave." His eyes darted to his sister. "I'm taking Dad's truck. When he wakes up, tell him I needed to borrow it and I'll bring it back tomorrow." He

looked back at me. "We're going to need our own vehicle. I think I could buy one from Ivan for a

cheap price."

"Who's Ivan?" I asked.

"The pack goes to him when we need to buy a vehicle. He gets them from different car

dealers in the area since we don't have one here. He also sells and trades used cars." Riley

smirked when he added, "We do a lot of business with other towns. Black River's revenue

doesn't just come from within the community."

I returned a smirk of my own and spoke sarcastically. "Well, thanks for that bit of Black

River trivia."

The three of us shared a laugh and I felt relieved I could leave their trailer on a humorous

note.

It wasn't until we were driving to my cabin in the sheriff's police SUV, when I realized

the significance of Riley's statement about buying our own vehicle. He was under the impression

we would stay together indefinitely. His spirits were high and he was chatty during our trip. I

smiled, but the happiness didn't reach my eyes. I hated to dampen his mood with conversation

about me leaving town. He had constructed a bubble of hope, and inside it, I would agree to join

his wolf pack. I actually considered joining, especially when we were making out on the

riverbank. It felt good to know he desired and appreciated me, but I had to pull myself out of this

romantic fantasy and come back to reality. I had to remember my important obligations in New

York. I planned to negotiate my freedom with his father, but now wasn't the time to discuss it

with Riley. I didn't like to see him upset, and it broke my heart whenever he set his pleading tear-

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filled gaze on me. I decided tomorrow would be a more appropriate time to discuss our future. I

had told my mother I'd return home next week, so if I didn't show up at the airport in New York

soon, I feared she'd have a real conniption.

When Riley stopped the SUV in front of my cabin, a strange feeling came over me. I felt

like I hadn't been there in years. I knew it had only been a few days since my accident, but it

seemed longer. That's when I realized I had lost track of time during my stay in Colorado. I

didn't know the time of day, but if my calculations were correct, it was Friday night and the last

day of July.

I got out of the SUV and saw Riley grab his bag from the backseat. "It's July 31st, isn't

it?"

He closed the back driver's side door and looked at me. "Yeah, why?"

I turned around and faced the cabin. "I was just wondering."

My vacation home appeared the same way I left it. The weeds still needed pulling in the

flowerbeds by the front steps. The porch was still clean after I had swept it, and the broom was

still propped next to the front door. On the wooden post at the top of the steps, a hanging dead

plant swung back and forth in the evening breeze.

Riley stood next to me, his voice low. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I lied with a forced smile.

He gave me a sidelong glance and I wondered if he believed me. It was dark outside and I

could barely see his expression.

"Are you sure you're fine with me staying with you? I don't want to make you feel

uncomfortable." He cast his gaze toward the ground. His voice lowered to a murmur and he

sounded upset. "If you want me to leave, just tell me and I'll go."

I knew he didn't want to leave. I put my hand on his arm and he lifted his head to look at

me. Although my sight was limited in the dark, his frown was clearly visible.

"No, you can stay. I don't mind." I gulped nervously.

I couldn't help but to think what may happen between us tonight. My thoughts were

leaning toward something sexual. I couldn't deny we were attracted to each other and we had no

qualms acting on it. I just didn't want to cross that invisible romantic line because then things

could turn complicated. Our relationship was already difficult for me because Riley had

confessed his love for me, but I was unsure about my feelings for him.

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As soon as I stepped inside the cabin, my single desire was to take a relaxing shower and

settle in for bed. Since I had a guest, I had to get him squared away first.

I headed toward the stairwell and glanced over my shoulder at Riley. He walked around

the living room with an expression of amazement on his face.

I wondered if he would hear me when I said, "I'm going to set you up in my parents' old

room."

He peeked inside the fireplace.
ope, he didn't hear a word I said
.

When I reached my parents' old room, I removed the plastic on the mattress. Then I went

into the closet to get clean sheets, a quilt, and two pillows. Riley was taller than I was, so I knew

he wouldn't be comfortable sleeping on my short twin-size bed, and there was no way in hell we

were sharing the queen-size bed in my parents’ room. I could just imagine what would happen if

we laid within close proximity, both of our loins on fire for each other.

While I made the bed, my legs bumped against the nightstand. I turned toward it and saw

the drawer had slid partially open. When I reached down to close it, something yellow inside