Page 6 of Ours
A new scent hit him like a fist to the gut.
Fear, yes, sharp and electric. But underneath it, something else. Something sweet and desperate and achingly lonely that made his wolf surge forward, teeth bared, every instinct screamingmine.
Blake paused, overwhelmed by the intensity of his reaction.
Wait. No. This was exactly how it always started, wasn’t it? That pull, that certainty, only to watch it crumble the moment things got complicated. He was projecting, reading what he wanted into a complete stranger's scent.
But then Luca made a sound—low, approving, hungry—and Blake knew he felt it too.
They shared a look, barely visible in their wolf forms but clear as speech after all these years. Luca's eyes held the same mix of want and wariness.
Was this real? Or were they so desperate they were imagining something that wasn't there?
Only one way to find out.
They changed direction without discussion, moving through the trees with lethal precision. Their pace quickened, paws eating up the distance between them and whoever carried that intoxicating scent.
Blake tried to smother his expectations. It was just another human. Probably terrified, running on instinct, would take one look at them together and panic like all the rest.
But his wolf didn't care about logic. It wanted. It needed.
And for once, Blake let himself follow.
The human lay sprawled in the dirt, chest heaving, eyes wide with terror and something else that made Blake's mouth water.
Blake shifted, his bones cracking and reforming until he stood on two legs, naked in the moonlight. The cool air kissed his heated skin, but he barely noticed. His entire focus narrowed to the trembling figure against the tree.
Luca shifted beside him, equally bare, equally focused.
The human looked between them with those impossibly green eyes. His pulse fluttered visibly in his throat, rabbit-quick and just as tempting.
Christ, he was beautiful.
Not in the polished way of city wolves or the athletic grace of most runners. He looked soft, breakable, with shadows under his eyes that spoke of sleepless nights and a mouth that begged to be bitten.
Blake's wolf prowled beneath his skin, wanting to claim, to possess, to protect all at once. The conflicting urges should have torn him apart. Instead, they settled into something deeper, more certain.
This one. This was the one they'd been looking for.
"Stay back," Cole whispered, but he didn't move. Didn't run.
Blake let his gaze roam, cataloging every detail. The way the human's shirt had ridden up, exposing a strip of pale skin. The way his fingers dug into the earth, grounding himself. The way his teeth caught his bottom lip?—
Fuck.
Blake had to swallow a growl. Such a simple gesture, but it shot straight through him, igniting something raw and primal.
He prowled closer, noting how the man's weight shifted but didn't flee. The human was caught between fight and flight, body tense but unconsciously tilting his head, exposing the long line of his throat.
An invitation he probably didn't even realize he was making.
Blake glanced at Luca, finding the same hunger reflected in his brother's eyes. The same recognition.
But also the same doubt. They'd been wrong before. So many times…
Blake moved closer, Luca matching him step for step. They'd done this dance so many times it was second nature—closing in from both sides, cutting off escape routes, making their prey feel the weight of their combined attention.
The human's breathing went shallow, quick little pants that made Blake's cock stir with interest.
