Page 8 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

Awesome.

Elias rose out of his chair quickly, his tone biting and volume increasing. “Camden, sit down so we can talk about…”

“I don’t want to talk. I want answers!” His voice was so loud it shook the walls, and it almost made me want to shrink in my seat. He pointed towards his chest, still only looking at Elias. “This hasalwaysbeen an alpha-run business! I don’t care who her daddy is. There is no way some inexperienced beta female can walk in and–”

This was getting to be too much, and I couldn’t help but snicker. His furious gaze finally landed on me, then widened in surprise as his nostrils flared wildly. He looked at Elias, who nodded curtly.

I stood up and gave him my most condescending expression, flipping my hair over my shoulder. “Beta? Alpha? Is this some kind of furry thing?” The man, Camden, took an intimidating step forward, but I held out my hand and continued. “Look, I don’t consent to being a part of whatever kink you have going on, and I certainly object to the use of ‘female’ as some derogatory insult. When Mr. Faulkner first told me I inherited half my dad’s business, I was already considering selling it if possible. But now?” I scoffed, crossing my arms. “I might just keep it out of spite.”

Camden’s chest began to heave, and he easily cut the distance between us with his long stride. I flinched, worried he might be the kind of guy who’d actually hit a woman half his size for “threatening his masculinity,” but instead he grabbed my shoulders and buried his nose into my neck, inhaling deeply.

Freeze. That was the only instinct my body wanted to follow, which annoyed me greatly. Before I found my voice and the courage to knee him in the groin, Elias ran around his desk and grabbed Camden off me. “Stop it, you idiot, she doesn’t know!”

Camden roared in response, his pupils fully blown, and he shoved Elias back. Elias cocked a fist and swung towards him, but Camden dodged and barreled into his chest, slamming him against a bookcase.

I watched in horror as the two men fought, backing up until I hit the wall behind me. What the hellwasin the water here? What had guys turning into violent cavemen at the drop of a hat? Or a sniff of the neck, apparently. And what was it all these guys insisted I didn’t know?

My hand rested on my chest, and what was supposed to be a normal breath suddenly became a needy, high-pitched whine. The two men stopped dead in their tracks and rushed to my side, crowding over me with concern in their eyes.

The scents coming off them, bergamot and pepper from Elias and cardamom and cedar from Camden, invaded my lungs and made my vision hazy. My nipples tingled and my thighs clenched, while my fingers flexed with the thought of running them across their muscled chests. How could I be turned on right now? I was absolutely terrified and furious! Forget the water, there was something in the air making everyone extremely sexy, horny, and dangerously aggressive. I needed to get back to San Francisco. The sooner the better.

“Ms. Linden, I’m so sorry, I can explain…” Elias panted, his clothes disheveled.

Camden reached out to touch my face, but I pushed his hand away, pointing a finger at both of them. “I’m giving you one minute to tell me what the hell is going on before I walk out that door and call the cops.”

Elias nodded, knocking Camden out of the way with his shoulder. “Yes, of course, just please sit down.”

I gave Camden as wide a berth as possible and settled into one of the armchairs. Camden took the other one, his eyes never leaving me while Elias made his way back across the desk. He cleared his throat, straightening his tie and smoothing back his hair.

“Have you ever heard of shifters?” he began, clasping his hands together.

I looked between the two of them, their attention suffocating. “Shifters? You mean… likeshapeshifters?”

They nodded, Camden’s knuckles turning white as his fingers dug into the arms of the chair.

I sighed, getting up and taking off Elias’s coat. “Well, I’ll just show myself out. You are both officially insane, and… yeah. I guess that’s it. Do whatever the hell you want with my father’s half. Peace out.” I flashed an awkward V with my fingers and headed towards the exit.

Camden rushed up and shut the door in front of me before I could leave, leaning against it as he caged in my body with his massive frame. I turned around, his face inches from mine.

“It’s true,” he whispered. I swallowed nervously as the space between us continued to shrink. “Shifters exist, and you are one, just like us. Just like your dad. And not only that, but you’re a pretty special shifter, one we haven’t seen in a long time.”

His hand cupped my cheek, and he lowered his face to sniff my neck again. “Mmm, pistachio and honey,” he sighed, his nose grazing my skin. “You smell so sweet, baby. Like a dream come true.”

My knees went weak, and I fought the instinct to melt into his touch. “Yeah, I know. I got it from Sephora.”

He chuckled, his hand moving behind my head and grabbing my hair gently, wrapping a few strands around his finger. “Nah, this is all natural.” He stepped closer, until our bodies were touching, and I felt his erection through his pants.

Whatever power he had somehow managed to wield over me broke, and I finally snapped back, shoving him away. “Jesus Christ, dude. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Elias moved in his chair. “Ms. Linden, I know it sounds bizarre, but your parents, Mr. Wolcott and I… we’re all wolf shifters. Over the years, we’ve lost our ability to connect with our inner beasts, but we still retain a significant portion of our feral DNA. Specifically, our impulses and, how can I put this? Oursocial structures.”

Camden still didn’t move, and I side-stepped him so I could face Elias more directly. “Social structures aren’t biological.”

“They are for shifters,” Camden replied. He licked his lips, his eyes raking over me from head to toe.

Elias noticed and growled, causing Camden to growl back. It was all way too much.

“Knock it off!” I snapped. They whipped their heads back towards me, and Camden shuddered in what looked like delight.

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