Page 6 of The Mating Need
“He was joking to get our attention.” Judy shook herhead.
“That’s the stupidest joke I’ve ever heardof.”
But the faraway, slightly vacant look in Judy’s eyes warned nothing he said would sway her from her worship of Professor Perry. Hell, maybe they were even sleeping together. Judy certainly hadn’t seemed interested the past two weeks and he’d been too engrossed in his studies of the TimberlinePack.
Jeff rubbed his aching temples. Time to call it quits in this relationship. How the hell did he end up with her as girlfriend? Were they evercompatible?
In bed, yeah. The sex was terrific. But he was 32 now and some things were more important to him than sex. He didn’t give a damn if Judy’s hips were like windmills and she made his cock feel like it’d been zapped with lightning. Not if she believed thisfool.
This dangerousfool.
“Professor Perry said we must be vigilant. Times are changing and we have to prepare in order to save ourselves and the wolves are key to this. He invited me to join his study group. There’s a waiting list. He already has ten students and he said I can join their next meeting. We’re going to study the legend ofwerewolves.”
Maybe he shouldn’t break up with her yet. Not until he discovered what this asswipe Perry planned. Knowledge was power. If it meant saving innocent wolves that already were endangered, he’d playalong.
“That’s a different approach to teaching. But most people don’t just go around saying there are werewolves. Not unless there’sproof.”
“He saw one two days ago when he flew his father’s helicopter over this ranch. He looked down and saw a man and a woman near the forest. The women changed into a wolf. At least he thinks she did, which is why he needs toinvestigate.”
“And why was he flying daddy’s helicopter?” Jeff demanded. “Working? Searching for wolfpacks?”
“Professor Perry said he was surveying the mountains around the ranch for logging. His father owns that logging company and there’s good timberthere.”
Another reason to dislike the man. Who heard of a conservationist who liked to cut down wildlifehabitats?
“Where is this mythical werewolf he claims hesaw?”
“Some mountainous place by a ranch a few hours from here. A place called…” Judy’s brow wrinkled and then smoothed. “Oh yeah. The MitchellRanch.”
Jeff’s heart stilled. The Mitchell Ranch, the property abutting the mountains where the Timberline Pack lived. He needed to make that phone call to talk with Beth Mason’suncle.
Tonight.
She never wanted morethan she needed. Until Troy came along, and she found herself wantinghim.
Not needing him.I don’t need anyone. The moment you need someone, you make yourselfvulnerable.
Jenny scuffled her feet in the earth, stirring the dead leaves and making them swirl in the sudden breeze. Troy was gone far too long. She didn’t like it when he left and disliked staying human form while he wasgone.
For your own protection. I ain’t gonna be here to watch over you, Jenny, so you hang here and pretend to be a botanist, in case any Skins come along. If you’re in wolfskin, they’ll shoot you. Don’t decide to spontaneously shift like you did when that helicopter was flying overhead. Let them spook you and you’re atarget.
Jenny knew all about wolf shootings. It was a little more than one year ago when hunters in huge black helicopters, sun glinting off the shiny metal, shot at her pack as they raced along a green meadow, desperate to evade the riflefire.
Her entire family died that day, her mother’s dead body shielding Jenny from the assault. Their pack leader led them straight into a deathrun.
Now she trusted Skins less than she did foolhardy pack leaders. If she could stay in wolfskin forever, shewould.
Troy wasn’t a Skin lover. He was wolf, through and through. Like her, he loved running wild and free through forest and field. When they’d found each other nearly two months ago, Jenny discovered herequal.
Her seemingly dormant hormones discovered they liked him as well. Every time she was around Troy, she trembled with raw femaleneed.
Need she’d learned to push aside. Couldn’t afford to get entangled with anyone, not even a hot Lupine likeTroy.
Friend, yes. Troy became her best friend. They roamed together, sticking to the nomad life, staying in wolfskin as much as possible to hunt and eat. Troy was honest and open, but he hid secrets, and she respected him too much to pry. He lived simply, liked to camp, yet he drove an expensive SUV. On the occasion when they booked a hotel room for the night, he insisted she take the bed while he curled up in his sleeping bag on thefloor.
He had money and yet claimed he lived with a peace-loving pack that wasn’t into materialitems.
This forest, abutting a ranch called the Mitchell Ranch, was full of game. Troy told her he wanted to check the place out. He said they had a friendly pack and a friend had invited him tovisit.
