Rescue Me (Sawtooth Shifters, #2) (12 page)

Now he’d be able to tell us if anything was wrong, and he wouldn’t be able to fake any macho bullshit and insist he was fine. I’d be able to see it.

“Never been better.” He punctuated the statement with a long, slow kiss, easing down on me. I’d never been better, either. “I missed this so much.”

“I was so worried.” I could barely keep my lips off of him long enough to talk. “You stayed wolf so long, and—“

“I know.” Shadow was having the same problem. “I kept giving Baron and Dallas shit because they couldn’t convince you everything was going to be all right.”

“Not funny.” I whacked him before melting back into him. “I never want to be away from you, Shadow.”

“Likewise.” He nestled his head in the crook of my neck, trying to catch my heart beat with kisses.

I pulled him up by his hair, his grin setting every part of me on fire. “No. I mean it. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since you shifted. I’m yours, Shadow. Every part of me belongs to you.”

“You’re my everything.” He brushed a sweet kiss against my lips. “My heart beats for you, I breathe for you. My future is yours.”

“I can’t wait.”

“This is all I’ve ever wanted.” His fingers laced between mine. “Trina, please stay with me forever.”

“There’s no place I’d rather be.”

No more words were necessary, now that I knew that I could love someone and never lose them. Shadow was everything I needed, body and soul. And the reward for letting myself accept his love with sweeter than I could have ever imagined.

Thank you!

I hope you enjoyed reading Forever Home! The story continues through the eyes of each wolf as they find their mate. Next up is PROTECT ME, which is Kiera and Baron’s story. It’s coming in October, but you can preorder it now.  Keep reading for a sneak peek.

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Protect Me

A
s second in command, he’s built to take orders. The Channing packs have protected Sawtooth forest for generations, and now he’s been assigned to guard the women who saved his family from the dog fighting ring. The Channings must fight for respect, but Baron doesn’t believe violence is the answer. He needs to take a stand for what he believes in if he wants to keep the incredible woman he’s been assigned to keep safe.

S
he grew up in a man’s world, and she’s got the scars to prove it. Sent to Forever Home for rehabilitation for PTSD, Kiera didn’t believe she could learn anything from a bunch of homeless animals. But when a rescued werewolf sees her in a way no one else ever has, she realizes how wrong she was.

Together Kiera and Baron learn that the bravest thing is being true to yourself. 

Chapter One

Baron

“Tell me a story.” A slow smile spread across Kiera’s face. The kind of smile that promised I’d be rewarded handsomely for accommodating her request. “Dallas did it for Lyssie last night, I don’t want to feel left out.”

Don’t get me wrong, I was totally on board with that possibility. But I wanted to go home. Kiera was an amazing woman who deserved a worthy mate. Not a babysitter.

“I’m not much for fairy tales, or happily ever after.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. Kiera beckoned to  me from a doorway I assumed led to her bedroom. I wasn’t exactly the big bad wolf, but I didn’t know if I could be trusted to keep my hands to myself in there.

Kiera frowned. “You just haven’t found your happily ever after yet.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me with her into the unknown. “I don’t want you to make anything up. Tell me what it’s like to be a wolf.”

I’d never explained this to a human before. As far as humans in Granger Falls were concerned, werewolves existed in legends only, stories old people told about karma. We took care of things human law couldn’t.

And that’s exactly why I was here with Kiera tonight.

It was her bedroom. Kiera climbed on her bed and curled up under the blankets. Gorgeous as always. She never wore makeup, and her light brown hair was always mussed, an open invite to run my fingers through it that I always had to turn down.  Her lashes cast shadows on her cheeks in the low light. My wolf rumbled inside me, I was starving for this woman’s touch. The fast had to continue. She patted the edge of the bed, and her eyes flicked up, bracing herself for rejection.

Get over yourself. She’s going to think you don’t want her.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Her bed was too soft as I sat on the very edge. It smelled like a woman, shampoo and fruity body lotion. My mouth was watering, I could practically hear her heart beat. Times like this, my animal twisted around any human desires and made them impossible to ignore.

“This all used to be wolf land,” I began, clearing my throat. “Before the town started to expand. And the wolves thrived for centuries. Running, playing, hunting. We the kings of Sawtooth. Faster than the bears, and more ferocious than the elk and the bison. When the little villages popped up, we could protect the residents, but still stay in the shadows. For some wolves, that was their job. To take care of problems. Others, like my family, kept the peace. Held everyone accountable. Every wolf had a mate, but unlike some species, we weren’t promised to each other at birth or fated to be together. We actually fell in love with our partners, and the bond was forever.”

Kiera hugged a pillow to her stomach, hanging on every word like I was telling her a fairy tale. It was pretty close now. That way of life had disappeared in Sawtooth forest. “Do you have a mate?” she asked.

“No.”

She narrowed her eyes in confusion. “None of you have mates?” It was more of an accusation than a question. “Major’s too bitter to possibly be getting laid on the regular, but you and your brothers...”

I chuckled. She had Major nailed already. “All male wolves in Sawtooth under the age of forty are single, unless they had enough money to purchase a mate. I grew up in a family of four boys and a single mom. My dad passed away when I was ten. I’m sure you don’t need to do the math.”

“If women everywhere knew there was a forest full of eligible bachelors, they’d be flocking to Granger by the busload. How is this even possible?” She shook her head.

I spread out on the foot of the bed, finally relaxing. “It’s not wolf land anymore. The town took the land, thinking it belonged to no one. Our prey died off, and we were forced to be human more than animal. Members of the pack died out without no one to replace what they did. Our system began to fall apart, and the packs grew smaller. By some fluke or maybe karma, no one knows, very few females have been born in the last forty years. The packs started fighting over the female babies, but the wolves who’d been able to transition to human life with the most ease offered their families money for the right to have their sons mate with their daughters.”

Kiera blinked in disbelief. “Wow. It’s like Narnia, a whole world in the forest and we’re like clueless on the other side of the wardrobe.” She laughed, scooting closer to me. “Are the females treated like princesses or like slaves?”

If Kiera was my mate, there’s no question she’d be my goddess. That’s why she had me on edge.  “Somewhere in between. We knew growing up that we wouldn’t have a mate, so they were always like forbidden fruit.”

Kiera bit her lip and heat rolled off her body. I sat up, stopping myself from having a taste of her. She’d taste like warm fruit and vanilla. My favorite. “You’ve been with a woman, right?”

“Of course.”

She laughed. “Thank God. I’m totally not judging you. But...never mind. Back to the story. Everything you told me sounded like it happened a long time ago. What about now?”

“I can’t tell you that story.”

How did she get so close to me? Her arm brushed against my thigh, big brown eyes unblinking, waiting for me to continue. There was nothing more to say. “Why not?”

“Because nothing’s the same as it was.” That’s the whole reason I was here. “And it will never be that way again.”

Preorder Protect Me Now!

CONQUER ME
—Major’s story will be released in November

CHERISH ME
—Shea’s story will be released in December

SAVE ME
—Dallas and Lyssie’s story will be released in January (tentative title)

COMPLETE ME
—Xavier’s story will be released in February

Other books by Kristen Strassel:

L
ion and the Doe

Doe and the Hunter

Cougar and the Lion

Doe and the Pride

B
ecause the Night

Night Moves

We Own the Night

Silent Night

T
he Fire Dancer

S
econdhand Heart

The Trouble With Bree

Too Many Reasons

N
o Strings Attached

Please visit
www.kristenstrassel.com
for more information!