Page 17 of Enemy Wolf

He finally stopped and spun around, silvery fur speckling the flat planes of his still-human chest. His breaths were still ragged and tinged with growls, abs flexing while every exhale of steam into the night air.

“Get away from me, Shiloh.” His voice was warped from the shift. “Don’t come any closer.”

What the fuck? Those words had no right to hurt so much. I barely knew this guy, so why did my chest clamp up so painfully?

Some emotion must have come across in my face because Orson’s tone softened. “I can’t control my wolf right now, and I don’t want him to hurt you. Please just stay back.”

Something clicked right then, like a missing puzzle piece finding home in that perfect empty space. Without knowing how exactly, I knew what to do.

I reached toward him, palm out and low like I was offering a dog a sniff. “Let me touch your wolf.”

“Shiloh, no.” The man recoiled. “He’s feral. He’ll—”

The wolf came forward, cautious but curious.

Orson hadn’t shifted. His wolf and I were meeting on another plane, energetically. My magic reached forward and the spirit of the animal inside Orson met my energy in the middle.

I gasped when I saw the wolf in my mind’s eye. “Oh, you’re so beautiful.”

He looked like the moon in wolf form, silver with undertones of dark gray. Not quite white or cream or black anywhere. And, naturally, he had those same pale blue eyes as his human side.

I sensed a cold barrier around this wolf as well, a wall of isolation, or maybe protection?

His energetic form inched closer to me. It seemed he wanted to come right up and sniff me, check me out, but remained apprehensive.

“You’re a gorgeous creature,” I continued to praise him. “So strong and so fierce. But you wouldn’t hurt anyone unprovoked, would you?”

The wolf lowered his head and growled, lips pulling back to show his teeth.

“Oh, you would?” My voice wavered with fear. This wolf wasn’t the biggest one I’d seen, but I got the sense he was unpredictable. Feral, as Orson had said. “Who are you angry at? Kaz?”

The animal licked his lips, the growl from him long and continuous. Anyone who would hurt you.

It was more a feeling projected to me than words, a well of deep, protective instincts.

My heart lifted and soared, as if that was what I’d been waiting to hear. But I’d unpack that later. Right now, I had to talk this wolf off the ledge.

“Kaz won’t hurt me, he’s—”

Also anyone who would claim you. You’re our witch.

Oh. Wow. Okay.

The elation in my chest soared even higher. I blinked away tears like I was on the verge of weeping with joy, but what the actual fuck?

“No one has claimed me. I belong to no one,” I heard myself say. “And I’m safe, thanks to you.”

Only that seemed to calm the wolf. The growling and teeth-baring stopped, and he came closer with a soft whine. I felt luxurious, dense fur under my palm, and then the soft lick of a canine tongue.

Before I could say anything else, Orson called him back and the energetic connection was broken with a flash of light.

I shielded my eyes and blinked, trying to see through the dark spots clouding my vision. But the man was gone, and I only saw a glint of silver fur through the trees beyond before that too disappeared.

Chapter 7

Orson

Well, now I knew for a moon-damned fact that I would never show my face at Stout & Spirit again.

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