Homecoming Read Free

off with the pack?”
    He stepped forward out of the shadows, and despite the situation he held a friendly stance. “Tony's looking for a mate.”
    “You're not pretty enough for him, huh?”
    He shrugged, surprising Sula with the fact that he was not offended by the suggestion.
    “Can't give him puppies, now can I?” He smiled at her confusion, a predatory grin that had no effect on Sula because, after all, they were just wolves. It was almost laughable, except that she knew how dangerous she was to them.
    And the fact that their Alpha was on a mate–hunt was not a good sign. Lisbeth was avoiding her own family because she did not want to mate, so she would hardly take up with a stranger for anything but fun. Sula felt herself glaring.
    “Jealous?” He smirked.
    “Just don't want trouble. She's not the mating kind.”
    Cal bounced on his heels, vibrating. “Not the mating kind, huh? That's not what I smelled.”
    Sula casually walked up the stairs to the porch, trying to figure out if they were just bored and waiting, or posed some kind of threat. “Oh she likes to mess around, but long term? Not her style.”
    “Could be she's not found what she wants yet,” Daniel said from where he stood behind Cal, looking Sula over with interest. Obviously they knew she was a shifter, but had assumed she was a wolf too. “Could be you two just haven't found the right pack.” Daniel smiled invitingly with a kindness that was missing from Cal's aggression. She could feel them working their way a bit closer to her, radiating heat.
    Under any other circumstances she might have taken them up on the offer, because she was not immune to their allure, but she laughed and shook her head. “Damn interesting pack that would be, then.” When they did not react, she shook her keys again. “I'm done for the night. You aren't invited in. Sit on the porch and be quiet until your Alpha gets back, or go running around, I don't care.”
    “Mighty bossy for a second.”
    “Cal, right?”
    He nodded.
    She walked up and poked him in the chest. Both men started in surprise. “I'm no second, not to Lisbeth, not to anyone. Don't work that way for me and you'll have a long night bleeding to death if you try and take me on.” She pushed mentally against Bracelet, shoving its power back a bit and letting her bear nature reveal itself. She knew the effect it had, like a massive cloud blocking out the sun, her unconscious strength overpowering everything within radius. She did not know if she was small for bear or not, but she knew that there was no other predator who outranked her either way. She relaxed into that unassailable power for the small moment Bracelet allowed her.
    Daniel snarled, putting his hand out to grab hold of Cal, as if to pull him to safety.
    Cal was motionless, though, staring at her with both fear and open fascination. After a second he found his voice. “Heard of your kind.”
    “Yeah, everyone has. Good night.” She turned heel and went into the house, locking the door behind her even though she knew they would not dare to touch it. If they had heard of her kind, then they knew the same myths and legends of blood–thirsty berserker werebears that Lisbeth had been raised on. It rarely worked in Sula's favor, but this time, she was pleased to send the dogs scrambling.
    ~*~
    In retrospect, Cal remembered that moment at the club like watching a slow motion scene in a movie. He had noticed her first, although how someone that tall and beautiful didn't have everyone in the place staring at her, he didn't know. She was gorgeous, a little too skinny for him but built like a 1940s movie star: slim, elegant, and feminine. And a werewolf.
    “Hey.” He had grabbed at Daniel, who tapped Tony.
    Tony turned to look, humoring them, but in the middle of it froze. His expression cleared of all emotions except need and desire and lust, his nostrils flaring as he took her in. Everything changed in the half a second it happened, even if