The Werewolf Wears Prada (Entangled Covet) (San Francisco Wolf Pack) (20 page)

Chapter Thirty

The next full moon…

Melina never thought the day would come.

Shifting for the first time was nerve-wracking, even though Hayden had spent the last few weeks prepping her for what was to come. He’d said it wasn’t too painful, but it could be really uncomfortable if she wasn’t completely relaxed. If she didn’t accept the change whole-heartedly, it’d be harder. He said not to think about how she’d look in wolf form, or the pain she might feel.

The concept was like someone telling her not to think about elephants.

Yeah, okay.

Elephant. Elephant. Elephant.

She took one last, long look at herself in his bathroom mirror. She fluffed her dark strands as they fell over her shoulder, and then laughed at how absolutely ridiculous the thought was.

She’d just primped…to become a wolf.

Sighing, she adjusted her shirt—the one Hayden would love—and stepped into the bedroom of his Moss Beach home. The night was dark, but the full moon shone brightly through the windows, illuminating the room with a cool white glow.

“Hayden?” she called, tiptoeing into the hall.

“Downstairs.”

Wringing her hands, Melina traipsed downstairs and into the kitchen. Hayden stood in front of the French doors leading onto the deck, bare-chested, with a pair of black running shorts slung low on his hips. A sense of calm eased its way through her at the sight. Stealing behind him, she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face against his bare back. She could hear his heart beat, steady and true. She could feel his lungs expand and deflate. Both things warmed her and quieted her nerves completely.

“Your article came out today.” He gazed at her over his shoulder.

She hadn’t realized today was the day. Nerves flared through her. “How is it?”

Papers rumpled over his shoulder. She leaned around him, and noticed he held
Eclipse
in his hands.

“You have a knack for exposing the truth about people.” He flipped the page that showed a picture of Lydia’s desk, how full it was before, and how empty it was now that she’d been fired. “We never had reason to suspect she was stealing millions from the company and hiding it in accounts overseas. Are you sure you don’t want to take the job at
Eclipse
? It’s what you’ve worked your whole life for.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” She nodded against his back, and then let him spin around in her arms. “I think I want to start up a local off-the-runway rental store. Packmates get a discount, of course.”

She’d already started up the website, and looked at the upfront costs. They were doable, and she was surprisingly stoked about the idea. She’d actually get to work with the clothes hands-on this way, rather than sitting behind a desk and writing articles about fashion. And as a bonus, she’d get to go to all the fashion shows.

Hayden had already promised to take her to Fashion Week, if she wanted to kick-start her new business. He supported her dreams; reason number two million why she loved him.

“If that’s what you want, you could have it.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “You have the know-how, the work ethic, and the crazy sense of fashion.”

“Crazy?” She stepped back so he could get a good, hard look of tonight’s outfit. “What do you think of this?”

His mouth dropped as he eyed her hungrily, making her quiver. “I thought you hated the 49ers!”

He held her finger and made her do a little spin. She wore a small 49ers jersey that hugged her breasts and a pair of red booty shorts that hid little.

“Oh, I still hate ’em,” she said, planting her hands on her hips. “But you said I’d rip through my clothes during the shift. This was the only outfit I could think of where I wouldn’t mind if it got torn to shreds.”

“If only I had a Raider jersey to do the same.” He laughed, nodding. “But I don’t own anything that hideous. Now that you have your outfit picked out, are you ready?”

She nodded, unable to speak.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said, and grabbed a rolled up blanket off the table. “You’ll see.”

Taking her hand, Hayden led her out the French doors onto the deck, and then down a set of stairs to the beach. Once they reached the sand, the crashing sound of the waves was deafening. The moon’s glow illuminated everything, shining on the long stretch of white sand, the trees sheltering them from view, and the angry waves crashing against the shore. There wasn’t a hint of breeze, or threat that anyone would see them.

No wonder Hayden had bought this house.

It was perfect.

He fluffed out the blanket on the sand, and then met her at the edge of the water. She dipped her feet in, and lost her balance when the water sucked back to sea.

After tonight, would this feel different? Would
she
be different?

“Everything will be exactly the same as it is now,” he said, as if reading her mind. “The water will feel the same lapping against your feet. Your heart will pump the same blood, and beat for me as it does now.”

She leaned back against him as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Okay,” she said. “What now?”

He spun her in his arms. “Can you feel the moon tugging on something inside you?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“Close your eyes. Concentrate.”

As she did, the sound of the waves hummed through her ears and slowed her heart rate. Her skin chilled. And then, right there, a low hum fluttered in her belly.

“That’s it,” he murmured beside her. “Now focus on that. Feel it gather into a ball in your gut. Clench your abs, and wait for the hum to wave through your arms and legs.”

She did as she was told, focusing, clenching, willing that hum to spread through her. To her surprise, it did. She smiled as her entire body tingled, head to toe.

“Now,” he said, as his hand found her back, “push outward as if you were trying to communicate with me through your thoughts. But instead of your thoughts, project the transition.”

Clenching her back teeth together, she fixated all her energy on that humming feeling, hunched over, hardened her abs, and then let the sensations rip through her.

Pinching her eyes tight, Melina dropped to her knees, dizzy and tired. When she opened her eyes again, Hayden stood in front of her in wolf form.

God, he was magnificent.

He stood tall, the ridge on his back arched high. His coat was fluffy, his fur dark brown with traces of black. And his eyes—they gripped her with their tenderness.

Wait, was he…

Yes, I’m the wolf from the painting in my office.
He spoke through her thoughts.
My father painted it of me before he died.

You
are
cute and cuddly!

He stiffened, raising his chin in defiance.
I am not.

Okay, you’re menacing and scary,
she lied.
Definitely the most lethal wolf I’ve ever seen.

He probably would be all of those things if he were facing an enemy, she realized. But now, in front of her this way, he was…
safe.

His eyes softened.
I don’t mind being cute and cuddly…for you. But that’s where it ends.

How can you hear what I’m thinking?

It’s called mind-speak
, he said.
As long as I’m your Alpha, you’ll be able to hear me, and anyone else in our pack. While you were going through transition, you gained the ability to communicate this way in both of your forms. It should be clearer now that you’ve shifted into a wolf, but—

What do you mean, now that I’ve shifted into a wolf?

The lips on his muzzle curled back into a funny looking smile.
Look at your hands, Melina.

She glanced down at her hands. Only she didn’t have hands. Dark, furry paws had replaced them. She jumped, as electric currents of surprise zipped through her.

Holy shit, I’m a wolf!

A striking one, if I say so myself.
He nuzzled his face against hers.
But I may be biased.

That didn’t hurt at all.
Sweet relief washed over her as she stared at the shreds of the 49er jersey at her feet.
That was fast. And I still feel like myself.

Didn’t I tell you?

Yeah, but contrary to what you think, you don’t know everything.

She nipped at him, and then took off down the beach. She ran in the surf, relishing the power and strength surging through her. It felt oddly natural, her paws hitting the sand and kicking it up behind her. The wind soaring over her body and ruffling her fur.

She was in tune with everything: the salt on the breeze, the crisp feel of the water, and the sound of every rustling branch in the trees behind them.

Whimpering in delight, she glanced behind her and watched as Hayden chased her down. She took off, propelling her legs to churn over faster. He caught her not far down the beach, and bumped into her side.

You’re glorious,
he said, his voice echoing through her head.
The most beautiful wolf I’ve ever seen.

Her heart melted, right then and there. It was beyond strange, but being with Hayden this way felt right. The attack by the rogue had been horrible and the whole process frightening, but look what’d come out of it.

She’d be with Hayden for hundreds of years.

Just like this,
he said.

Are you going to be able to hear everything I think?
she asked, slowing in the surf.
Because that could be bad. It might surprise you how much I think about fashion.

I won’t hear everything, but it’ll take a while for you to learn which thoughts to project and which to keep to yourself. It’s a learning process, like everything else.

Something told her that Hayden would be there always, showing her the ropes. As much as she enjoyed being in this form, she wanted to talk to him, rub her hands over his glorious body, and explain to him how she was feeling in this moment…with him.

So how do I shift back?

He kept pace with her as they strolled back toward the blanket he’d laid in the sand.
You do the same thing you did to shift into a wolf. You focus on the tugging in your stomach, harden it into a ball, and let it explode through you. It should feel close to the same.

As they reached the blanket, Melina did as he explained, channeling the energy into her shift. She closed her eyes, imagined how she looked before, and had the sudden urge to shake. As she trembled, head to tail, her fur flattened to smooth skin, and her legs were beneath her once more. Beside her, Hayden sat back on his haunches and howled to the moon. And then, with a solid shake, he was sitting beside her, golden tan skin, bulging muscles and hard lines.

“Do you do this all the time?” she asked, excitement roaring through her. “Like, all night, every full moon?”

“I don’t, but we could.” He laid flat on his back, and then pointed to the trees surrounding them. “I own the beach, so we’d have all the privacy we could ask for.”

She nestled herself beside him, her head in the crook of his arm. “There’s one more thing I want to ask for.”

“Anything.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Will you make me your Luminary?”

He turned on his side, facing her. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

“For forever? With you?”

He nodded, his eyes lighting fire in the dark.

“Absolutely.”

He kissed her, gently, with achingly soft lips, and then slipped his tongue into her mouth. She whimpered into him as he caught her, wrapping her in his arms. His tongue searched her mouth with languid strokes, sparking both love and lust in her veins.

She was on fire. Burning for him.

Rubbing her hands up and down his back, she pulled him on top of her. He settled between her legs, his thick length positioned at her center. He braced himself on his elbows, and then ghosted his hands over her hair.

“I love you, Melina,” he whispered.

It wasn’t only the words that had her heart pinching. It was the look of love in his eyes, the adoration in his touch as he ran his fingers through her hair, the promise in his kiss.

He kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips, untying her. And then, when she was quivering with need, he eased himself inside her. She gasped, stretching to the fullest as he worked his way deeper. He caught her mouth, ripping the air from her lungs as she whimpered and cried out for him to plunge deeper.

As their hips met and the rhythm sped, he rose up to look into her eyes.

“You’re so hot.” He thrust harder, his heavy-lidded eyes glazed with lust. “You’re going to burn me.”

She stilled beneath him. “That doesn’t sound pleasant. Want me to stop?”

“Never.”

Hayden thrust his tongue past her lips and worked her mouth as his cock worked inside her. She was consumed by him to the point of delirium. Mind, body, and soul. He thrust harder, slanting his mouth over hers as their bodies moved over the blanket as one. And then, when every sensation in her body was heightened, on edge and begging for release, he braced himself on one arm and slid the other one between their bodies. He teased her clit, nipped at her bottom lip, and with one final, feather-soft touch, she broke apart beneath him. As the orgasm rocked her hips against his, her most sensitive flesh milked his shaft relentlessly.

He reared up, every muscle in his body flexed with tension.

“The…vows.” The words were staccato and raspy, as if he couldn’t spare one extra ounce of energy to say them properly. “Take…my hands.”

She put her hands over her head, palms up. He filled them with his own and then groaned as he lowered his head to her mouth to claim her again.

“Palm to palm,” he mumbled against her lips. “Heart to heart, from this moment on…” He trailed off as she coiled her thighs around his hips and tugged against him, driving him deeper into her heat. “…we never shall part.”

She tingled with awareness, beneath her skin and bone. It was unexplainable, magical, but for reasons she couldn’t explain, Melina knew he’d touched her soul.