Taming the Wolf (Anna Avery #1)

Taming the Wolf (Anna Avery #1) Page 14

I thought about my connection to Adam, and it sounded exactly like what Elle described, but it also sounded hokey. Surely, there wasn’t such a thing as soul mates. I’d spoke a good game in keeping him out of my pants, but I never ceased to kiss him back or push him away quick enough. Inside I wanted him, and my façade pushed him further away. He no longer acknowledged me and that hurt worse than a bear trap around the leg.

“I doubt that’s it,” I told Elle. “Adam doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore—which is for the best, I guess. He’s mated to Eve, and if she ever gets the chance, she’ll rip my throat out.” I had a sneaking suspicion that the only reason I was still alive was because Adam made sure I stayed that way. I saw the bloodthirsty glare in Eve’s eyes every time she looked at me.

“We could find out more about it,” Elle whispered.

“How? I doubt Adam will tell us.”

“There’s a book. It’s been passed down from alpha to alpha, and it holds every bit of information on werewolves. Adam keeps it in his study.” A devious smile curled Elle’s pink lips and a glint of mischief lit her green eyes.

“You want us to sneak into Adam and Eve’s house to find some book about myths that are most likely only stories? Do you have a death wish?”

“We won’t get caught. We’ll do it during the hunt tomorrow night.”

I burst out laughing. “We’ll be wolves. How are we going to break in with paws?” Tomorrow night was the full moon and the change was absolute. We couldn’t switch forms until the sun rose.

“Adam has a doggy door in case he ever needs to get into the house for an emergency. And the book is hidden under the floorboards. With a little effort, we can totally grab it, read it, and then return it when we’re back to our normal selves.”

I considered her words and the consequences should we get caught. We’d be punished, but so long as that punishment didn’t include death, which I knew it wouldn’t, I was game. I needed to know what the story was all about, and if there was a possibility it could be true, as crazy as it sounded.

“You’ve got a partner in crime,” I said, and Elle beamed.

Chapter Eleven

The pack gathered at the house, ready to head up to Trigger Lake for our hunt. Elle and I devised a plan to track back towards the houses while the others were busying stalking dinner. With luck, we’d grab the book, stow it, and be back before anyone realized we’d left. When a full moon approached everyone got a little antsy. I watched my pack shift from foot to foot as they waited to be called by the moon. Once an animal was in our sights, Adam would direct us to circle it until we closed in and took it down. Usually, we killed two larger animals during a full moon so there was enough to go around. My mouth watered at the thought of sinking my teeth into a moose or elk. Elle and I would have to wait for our dinner though; we had to find the book as quick as possible.

“We’re leaving,” Adam called out. He wore a pair of Adidas track pants and nothing else. My eyes absorbed the beauty of his broad chest and the ripples that made up his six pack stomach. My fingers itched to feel those ripples. Snapping my eyes up, I looked at Adam’s face and he was watching me. My wolf yipped in excitement. It’d been almost a month since he shown any semblance of notice towards me. The look in those cobalt pools before he glanced away was warm and hungry. Maybe he did still have a thing for me. My heart skipped a beat. You’re a pathetic loser.

Jumping in my truck with Elle sitting shotgun, I pulled onto the mountain road and followed the rest of the pack. The track to Trigger Lake was rocky and difficult to maneuver, but we’d make it. The twilight sky caused my skin to itch and prickle with excitement. My muscles were tense and my wolf emerged. Glancing in the rearview mirror, my brown eyes were now amber. I looked over at Elle and her eyes had changed as well. She rolled her neck to ease the strain. The moon was a powerful thing. Changing during a full one was a lot more dramatic than changing without one. Our wolves took complete control, the feeling almost sensual as we gave in to our inner beasts.

“Once everyone is ordered to their hunting areas, we’ll break away, and head back,” Elle said.

Nodding, I said, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

She looked over, her eyes almost glowing. “Don’t you wanna know?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then.”

After managing not to break a spring over the large rocks, we pulled in to Trigger Lake. Mountains and pine trees surrounded the area, giving us the privacy we needed. The sky was now dark enough, the moon visible against the purple smeared clouds. Everyone hopped out of their trucks and began shucking their clothing and stowing them. Seeing twenty-four naked bodies shouldn’t have surprised me, but I still got uneasy at seeing my friends in the flesh.

I dragged my tank top over my head and threw it in the cab of the truck. Unbuttoning my shorts, I stepped out of them, and also threw them in the truck. Everyone knew I kept my bra and panties on until I absolutely had to take them off, so when I unhooked my bra and stepped out of my underwear, admiring gazes found my now naked body.

I wasn’t paying attention to the men’s stares though. I was focused on Adam. Our eyes locked, and I swear his jaw tighten.

“Hot damn, Anna, can I get a taste?” Mark teased.

“Like you could handle me.” I laughed.

I caught Sawyer’s gaze, and he winked and smiled in appreciation. I returned his smile, happy he didn’t seem to be pissed at me anymore.

“I’d be happy to prove you wrong,” Mark said.

“Enough,” Adam barked, and Mark, along with the other men, ignored my exposed flesh. A grin lifted my lips.

Elle kept staring.

I laughed and said, “You couldn’t handle me either.”

“Shut up.” She chuckled, her cheeks reddening.

Adam assigned areas, breaking us down in crews of four and five. When we found an elk or moose, we were supposed to alert him, and he’d direct the others to set up the trap.

Everyone’s bodies began to wither and soft moans filled the secluded area. The sky was dark enough for the call of the moon to be too strong to refuse. One by one each person shifted.

I felt the rush of the change and within a blink of an eye I was on four paws. I don’t know about normal wolves, but werewolves see everything in color. A trait I’d been happy to keep. Adam padded through pack so he stood in the middle of the circle and let out a long howl. Eve followed and each wolf joined in according to their superiority. When it was my turn, my wolf joined in on the song to the moon. Adam yipped, and we broke out in teams. Elle and I were lucky enough to be paired together. Running into the tree line with her right beside me, we headed for our designation. Asher and Joe were in front of us, both of their wolves silver. Once they were out of sight, Elle nudged me with her nose. We stopped running and listened for a few seconds before turning around and heading back. We ran like hell. It’d be some time before the wolves got far enough into the mountain to hunt, but it was at least five miles back to the house.

Elle kept pace with me, her wolf was a reddish color with black sprinklings. She stood a little shorter than my wolf, but that didn’t distract from her ability to run next to me. I bolted through the wind, my heart hammering in my chest, and my eyes focused on the space in front of me. I was afraid that if I saw an animal, my wolf would take control and hunt rather than flee.

“Your little stunt is going to have all the men pounding on my door to claim you,” Adam’s voice penetrated my mind, causing my hurried steps to falter. Worry pumped through my veins. Did he know I wasn’t with the group? I glanced over at Elle, but she didn’t show any signs of having heard Adam.

“That should make you happy,” I thought back. I guess it took seeing me naked to get a rise out of Adam.

Just when I thought Adam had gone back to ignoring me, his voice sounded in my mind again. “Nothing about you being with other men makes me happy, Anna.” His voice held an edge that caused shivers to radiate through my body. I craved his possessiveness, the power in his tone that wanted me all to himself.

“Sawyer dumped me,” I told him, not exactly sure why. I guess I wanted him to know that no other man would be sampling my goods.

“What a fool,” Adam snorted.

I didn’t respond again. I needed to stop entertaining the idea of Adam being mine. As much as I wanted to be with him, I wouldn’t share him with Eve. I snarled at the thought. I wouldn’t allow myself to get drawn in again just to be thrown away.

I could now see the lights of the houses as I pushed forward, my claws digging into the soft earth. Elle and I headed towards Adam and Eve’s large log cabin. Heading around the back, Elle slipped in through the doggy door with me following behind.

Heading down the hallway, we stepped into a large office. Elle scratched at the area rug until it fell back to reveal the hardwood floor. A small notch was cut out of one board. Elle stood over the board and pawed at the floor. I watched her determination with appreciation. When her claw hooked the notch, she pulled back slow and the board lifted to reveal an opening. Bending down, I clutched the leather bound book in my teeth.

Elle let the board fall, tamped it down, and pulled the rug back to cover it. I was impressed with our thievery as wolves. Not wasting any more time, we left Adam’s and ran like hell towards the main house. We didn’t have a doggy door installed so I stored the book behind a row of evergreen bushes that lined the front of our home.

“Group two head southeast,” Adam’s voice demanded. Elle and I glanced at each other, our tongues lolling in our best wolfy grins and headed back towards Trigger Lake. We took off in full run, our main mission was to return unnoticed. The group had dispersed throughout the mountain, so finding them was going to take some time. We had to be there for the kill.

It took us less than twenty minutes to return to the hunting ground. Elle and I found our group quick and fell into formation as they pushed a large moose towards the group on its other side. Snapping and snarling at the moose’s hind legs, the animal ran in the direction we wanted. The wolves waited for it on the other side, ready to attack.