Scent of a Mate Read online

  Jordan was probably flushed from all the thoughts of Aric. Damn man made her get all flustered without even being in the vicinity. “Get inside and stop whining or you won’t get any food.”

  Emma shoved her aside and made a beeline for the kitchen behind Karla and Nicole. “Thank God. I’m starving.”

  Jordan snorted. Her friends would never change. “Yeah, okay. I didn’t cook this time. Sorry.”

  Emma turned to her with wide eyes. “You mean you didn’t make the flan or the empanadas?”

  She shook her head. Her friends loved the chicken and shrimp filled dough. “Sorry. It was my night off.”

  “Since when? You and Ellie are the cooks. Nicole and Karla are the bakers. And I’m the eater.”

  Jordan laughed. “We’re all eaters. I don’t see a single skinny person here. Now go. We have take-out in the oven. We’ll eat now that you’re all here.”

  She followed the others into the dining room. For as long as she could remember the five of them being friends, Ellie had always been the worrywart in the group. Though the others had met the Wolfe’s back in college, she and Ellie had been friends the longest. It worried Jordan to see Ellie so quiet. Somehow, she knew that the scenting ceremony was not as simple for Ellie as she made it sound. While her family may not be putting pressure on her to mate, it was probably not the case with the others in the pack.

  “Alright! Pizza!” Nicole cheered.

  “Thank God. I swear I could eat a horse.” Emma rubbed her stomach dramatically.

  Jordan lifted a brow. “Um, didn’t you already eat horse when you did that stint in China during your semester abroad?”

  “Hell no. I did take a stab at the fried bugs, but I just couldn’t go past a single bite.” She wrinkled her nose.

  Nicole grimaced. “Damn woman, I couldn’t even take the one bite. You got bigger balls than me.”

  “It has been established that Emma has bigger balls than most men.” Jordan ran her fingers through her hair.

  “Will you all get in here already? You know I can hear you, and I’d like to participate in how big Emma’s balls are,” Ellie yelled.

  They brought the warm pizza boxes into the living room. Jordan opened a new bottle of wine and maneuvered it with the extra glasses onto the coffee table.

  “Alright. Now that we are all here, I need to inform you that Ellie has agreed to let us watch the scenting ceremony.”

  Everyone spoke at the same time.

  Emma lifted her wineglass. “That’s awesome!”

  “Finally,” Nicole said between pizza bites.

  Karla laughed. “Leave it to Jordan to wear the poor woman down.”

  “Hey, I resent that. I will have you know. I did not wear her down. I may have offered my first born, ninety percent of my paycheck for a year, and a possible front seat to some Broadway show, but that’s it.” Jordan leaned back on her easy chair, the single item in her house she’d bought not caring about how it went with the décor. The fluffy chair was like being snuggled by a giant pair of warm hands. It had an automatic heater and massager. Hell, not that she’d tell her friends, but one of the reasons she’d bought it was because the damn thing started vibrating under her ass at the store. She’d gotten embarrassed and excited at the time. Oh, the possibilities.

  “So,” Emma, the other bossy one in the group other than Jordan started, “what’s the plan?”

  Jordan laughed, holding the glass of wine by her lips. “It’s going to be a long night.”

  Chapter Two

  “I’m ready,” Jordan whispered.

  Emma had gone full commando mode and made everyone wear black outfits and earpieces to stay in constant communication. Emma loved all things action, so it hadn’t surprised Jordan that she’d tried to get them all to look like they came out of Mission Impossible.

  “This is Karla. I’m ready too.”

  “You guys are supposed to say over,” Emma hissed over the line.

  “This is Nicole. Ready also. And over what?”

  “When you finish saying something, you’re supposed to say ‘over’ like in the movies,” Emma said.

  “But this isn’t a movie. And why would I say over?” Karla whispered.

  “This is the most action we’re going to see in a while. Can we at least make it interesting?” Emma was trying to make a simple mission into a scene from Die Hard.

  “We are wearing frigging black spandex for you. I draw the line at painting lines on my face and hauling army gear. I am not going to end each thing I say with over.” And just for the hell of it, Jordan grinned and added, “Over.”

  “Shhh. They’re going to hear us!” Emma chastised.

  Jordan rolled her eyes. “They can’t hear us. We’re so far away we need binoculars. Now, everyone be serious, this is an important mission we’re doing.”

  “Okay, so now that we all know we’re at our designated spots, we just do the videotaping all the way through?” Karla sounded breathless. What the heck was she doing?

  “Yes. Don’t forget to put your video cameras on their tripods in the best location we can get a clear image so I can review all the memory cards later on.” Jordan glanced around the darkened vicinity. A shudder crawled up her spine. She’d swear someone was watching her, but it was impossible. She’d done a full scouting of the area and had not seen anyone.

  “Did you all remember your backup batteries?” Funny that they were all middle school teachers and Emma was the only one all kids referred to as drill sergeant.

  “Yes. I got ‘em. Over.”

  Jordan rubbed her temple. She would end up with a headache before the mission ever started.

  A prickling at the back of her neck made her glance around. Thick trees surrounded her in the dark forest. The hairs on her arms stood on end in warning. Her sole focus turned to every sound she heard. The soft whistling of the crickets tried to soothe her mind. But then something shuffled in the trees. What the hell? She wasn’t a person to be easily scared, but she knew something or someone was out there. The sound of her heartbeats turned louder in her head. Still, no other noise could be heard. Then, howling from the ceremony location made her turn to stare at the area. A crowd had gathered. A big crowd. They were surrounding the clearing, but far back enough where she and the others could see from the higher elevation.

  Everyone was in human shape. They chatted animatedly. Hugs and kisses were shared. A massive fire roared in the center. Torches and lanterns hung from chains draped over branches, illuminating the clearing and allowing for a great visual.

  She dropped down to her knees and dug the legs to her tripod deep into the earth for stability. Then she locked her video camera on to it and set it to record.

  “Don’t forget to set the recorders to mute, per Ellie’s instructions.” Emma ordered.

  “Got it.” Jordan eased back to her feet.

  Moments later, her eyes locked on him.

  Her heart raced at her first sight of Aric. He and the others marched to the center of the clearing. They said something to his father. His mother pointed into the woods surrounding them. The guys spread out, each taking a different direction into the trees.

  “You all saw that?” Emma’s voice broke into her intense staring of the clearing.

  “Yes. Remember we can’t move from our spots or the sexy four might catch us as they do their rounds,” Jordan reminded them.

  A burst of wind shook the trees and kissed her skin. Electricity danced in the air, turning it thick with anticipation. Something cracked behind her. She swirled so fast her earpiece fell. Slowly taking in every dark crevice between the tree limbs, she looked for the noisemaker. Nothing. But she knew there was something out there. She could feel eyes watching her. No matter how hard she searched, nothing came out from the darkness. Dammit. She should have brought her mace, or her stun gun, or hell, even her bat. Something. But in her excitement she’d left all of her precautionary ass-kicking-survival-kit in her SUV.

  She crouched down,
quietly cursing the darkness, looking for her ear piece. A quick move from her left grabbed her attention. One very large, very angry looking brown wolf stood there, baring his teeth at her. She shot up to her feet, her hands immediately going into fists. She knew all the Wolfe’s in their wolf shape. With a white wolf for a mother and a black one for a father, all the men had some combination of black and white on them. She knew Aric’s by heart from secretly watching him all those times in her youth while he tore from his shorts to run with his brothers and friends. This was not one of the wolves she knew.

  “Now you stay right over there and nobody gets hurt,” she whispered. Her mind ran a million miles per hour. She tried to figure out how to defend herself if it came down to a fight with the big wolf. Something poked her from behind. She grasped around, until she had her hands wrapped tight on the branch behind her, tugging until she broke a limb off.

  A low growl was the animal’s only response. Heartbeats pounded hard in her chest, spreading the fear she was trying to tamp. He took a menacing step toward her. She didn’t know what the animal’s plan was, but her gut said it wasn’t a good one.

  “Listen to me carefully, fur ball. You’re not going to turn me into puppy chow. Now go back to the party down there,” she cocked her head to the side, “and forget I’m up here. Got it?”

  The wolf’s features turned darker, as if angered by her words. Trust her to piss off an already angry wolf. Nice.

  A deeper growl made her jerk her head to the right. Another wolf stood there. His gaze locked on the brown. She knew this wolf. The thick black coat with the white paws and muzzle belonged to only one man. Aric.

  The standoff was making her stomach queasy, and her stupid outfit was itching like crazy. Aric’s wolf took three steps and stood in front of her. The brown growled and launched toward them.

  Oh hell.

  Aric shoved the wolf off. The brown whimpered from a bite, but the stupid thing didn’t stop. It went for her again. Aric snarled, digging his paws into the brown fur and biting down on the brown’s neck. She winced.

  With the branch in her grasp, she watched the brown lower its head in submission. Apparently that was enough for Aric. He let go of the wolf and turned to her. The brown took Aric’s distraction to jump in her direction, but she’d been watching the wolf closely. She had a feeling he wouldn’t give up so easily. Her vision sharpened, and she focused on the animal leaping toward her. She swung the branch with all her might and heard the sound of bone cracking as it made impact with the wolf’s face. He landed on his side with a thud. Aric stood and shoved at the other wolf, growling at it and snarling a warning. The other animal left, limping and whimpering. Every few steps he’d turn and glare at her.

  The burst of adrenaline rushing through her made her continue to grip the branch. She stared at the location the other wolf had left through, waiting to see if he would turn around and attack. Something brushed her leg, taking her concentration from the other animal and bringing it back to the present. Shit. Aric had found her. She glanced down at the black and white wolf, which reminded her so much of a Dalmatian.

  “Er… Aric?” She whispered. Her throat went dry. This was the man she’d wanted since forever and his muzzle was level with her privates.

  Aric cocked his head, sniffing her hand. She dropped the branch, opened her fist, and allowed him to sniff her palm. He licked her. He was so cute in his wolf form. Maybe if she saw him as a pet instead of the sexy man she knew he was, she’d be able to get through this without letting him know how badly she wanted the human version of him. That could have happened, really, it could have, if he hadn’t shoved his muzzle into her crotch. Her breath swooshed out of her as she stood there in shock.

  He. Was. Sniffing. Her. Pussy.

  And she didn’t know what to do. Granted, she’d wanted the man for years, but for him to just shove his face down there was pretty weird. Where was the romance, the dinners, the dates? Hell, why did she start visualizing Aric as a man shoving his face in her crotch? He was in his wolf shape for cripes sake. She needed a mental evaluation pronto.

  “Aric!” She squeaked, trying to shove the big furry head out of her crotch. He was sniffing, and his hot breath tickled right through her thin spandex yoga pants. He growled, shoving his muzzle further between her thighs.

  “Cut it out! This is wrong on so many levels. Probably in different species levels too.” She swallowed hard, took a step back, but he followed.

  Then, just as quick as he shoved himself between her thighs, and not in the way she wished he would, he backed out. He stepped around her in a full circle, sniffing her from every angle. What the hell? Did she stink? He did another round and stopped behind her, and shoved his face into her butt. “Whoa! Get your perverted furry face out of there or I will shove my foot up your ass and tell your mother.”

  He growled. And she’d swear it sounded as if he’d laughed at her, but he did pull his muzzle out of her ass. Point one for her.

  She glanced over her shoulder at the clearing, where Kelly stood in the dead center, waiting. What the hell was she waiting for? Jordan didn’t get a chance to find out. All of a sudden she was tackled to the ground.

  “What the hell—?” Aric was caging her. His big furry wolf stood over her. “Aric?”

  He dropped, bringing his muzzle right to her face. The bright grey eyes mesmerized her. The harsh untamed beauty of his animal face beckoned her, and she watched him change before her eyes. This close it was like something out of a movie. She’d always taken glimpses, but she’d never seen him go from wolf to man, only man to wolf. The muzzle flattened until his bone structure took on the sharp lines and angles of the future Alpha. His shaggy, black hair dropped forward, almost covering his face. The moon, high and full, gave her the ability to visually lick from his bristly jaw down his tattooed naked body.

  Wait.

  Oh God.

  He was naked and right above her. She couldn’t help it that her vision shot down south. Her gaze raced down his muscular golden torso, down the tribal ink lines covering his arms and chest, and zoomed onto his very hard cock.

  “Wow.”

  He chuckled. “Thanks.”

  She tore her gaze away from his erection, as much as that hurt, and caught the humor dancing in his eyes. He was enjoying her awe. Bastard.

  “Aric—”

  “Jordan,” he mimicked. He loved doing that to her—pressing her buttons to see her react.

  “Are you…um…is that normal?” She glanced down to his ever-growing hard-on and licked her lips.

  “That’s pretty normal whenever I’m turned on.” His voice sounded deeper than usual, rough.

  She was having a hard time following the conversation. All she wanted to do was gape at his cock again to see if it had grown some more.

  “What part turned you on, the fighting or the shoving your muzzle into my crotch?” She watched his eyes glow in the darkness. Knowing that he still had the animal right under the skin made her very perverted mind more excited. How she would be able to deny her arousal with the super slick pussy and drenched panties, she had no idea.

  He sniffed and growled, dropping his body flush over hers. She gasped. Her hormones went into a frenzy at the feel of his hard muscled flesh. Sure there were rocks poking at her back and only God knew what insects crawling under them, but for the life of her, she couldn’t find it in her to care about any of that. The heat emanating from his warm body intoxicated her senses.

  She bit her lip to keep from moaning. He moved and rubbed the inside of her thighs with his erection. She kept her eyes trained on his. One sharp inhale and she had no idea what happened next, nor did she care. All she knew was that his very sexy lips were on hers, kissing her. A deep soul-reaching branding that made her toes curl in her trainers. The kiss was so hot and passionate she’d swear it was melting the spandex off her body.

  Reaching up, she twined her fingers into his soft hair. She gave up pretending that she didn’t want him. Wh
o cared at this point? He was kissing her so damn well she only knew one thing—she wanted more.

  Arousal thickened in her blood, growing by leaps and bounds with each swipe of his tongue over hers. She whimpered at his bold strokes. He delved into her, fanning the flames with his drugging moves and making her panties soaked with the small rocking of his hips between her legs. Her clit was thrumming with the need to come. If he continued with his rocking into her, she would any second. She raked her nails down his arms and his back, until she was digging her nails into his ass and hauling him into her.

  He growled. The rumble traveled through their kiss and down her body, shooting sparks of lust down to her core.

  She caressed up and down his back, gripping and squeezing his muscles. Liquid fire spread through her veins, heightening her need for him. She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. As if reading her mind, he moved to kiss and suck her jaw, nibbling down her throat to her shoulder. She moaned. He rocked his hips again and holy god of men with large penises she’d swear stars burst behind her lids.

  “God damn, you’re good at that.” She heard her own breathless voice say the words filled with surprise.

  He grinned. “How good?” His breath was right above the wide neckline of her tank top.

  She blinked and glanced down. He was watching her while tracing the top of her breasts with a fingernail that should be on his wolf half. Why in the hell did the song How Low Can You Go pop into her head? Stupid random music.

  “Good enough to almost make me forget there are all kinds of creepy crawlies in the grass under me. Around me. Likely climbing on my legs.” She shuddered. Not at the possibility of bugs, but at the wicked smile he had on his sexy lips. She may have to do some community service to be forgiven for all the really dirty things she imagined that sexy mouth doing to her.

  She watched him grip the neckline of her black tank top and tear through the material right down the middle, taking her bra along the way, with his razor-sharp claws. His nostrils flared and he licked his lips.