Page 76 of Tethered to the World
After a few minutes, Loulou cast a look at Lionel with her big blue eyes. The wolf heaved a sigh, then fell back until he ended up strolling next to Logan. The kitsune had shifted after she spotted him and donned a T-shirt and sweats from one of the many clothes bins around the campus when she didn’t order him home. Then Loulou bounced on her feet, whirling to walk backwards, a big smile on her face as she rolled her eyes. “What with the wolves and missing shifters, Lionel refuses to let me out of his sight.”
“He’s smart.” Annora couldn’t help but agree. While she normally wouldn’t think a rabbit would be a target, Loulou was different. Believe it or not, Annora sensed power from her—pure determination. One day, if she believed in herself and kept pushing, Loulou would become an alpha in her own right. “You’re his mate. He loves you. Of course he’s going to protect you.”
Loulou’s smile fell and she completely stopped, her eyes tearing up, making them appear bigger and bluer. “You think?” Her words were barely above a whisper.
Annora walked up and nudged her with her shoulder to get her moving. “No wolf would pursue a rabbit without an excellent reason.”
Her nose scrunched up, and she mumbled under her breath, “We’re prey.”
“But instead of hunting you, he’s following you around in front of the whole university, staking his claim and protecting you. There might be a thrill of the chase, but the hunger between you is not for food.”
“Really?” A bright blush filled Loulou’s cheeks as she peered over her shoulder, trying to gauge the truth for herself.
Lionel heard every word of the conversation. Though she directed the question at Annora, Lionel was the one who answered by giving a piercing wolf whistle. Loulou fluffed her hair, her smile back, a seductive sway to her hips as they continued toward the café.
As she pulled open the door to the café, Loulou leaned in close. “Thank you.”
Annora nodded and entered first.
“But you need to be careful. Other shifters will see your kindness as a weakness.” Loulou didn’t say anything else as she approached the counter and placed an order for both of them. “My treat.”
The guys entered behind them and sat at the other end of the café. While the chatter was loud enough to drown out their conversation, the guys made no pretense of doing anything but watching them.
Loulou handed her a hot chocolate and a muffin almost as big as her palm, then led the way to the opposite side of the room, where they sat in a booth. Loulou nibbled on her food and took a sip of her drink before finally leaning over the table. “So tell me, which of the guys have you slept with so far?”
Annora nearly choked on the sip of hot chocolate she hadn’t swallowed yet, her eyebrows climbing to her hairline. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Loulou smirked, shoveling a large bite of muffin in her mouth. “Some of the girls think it’s a competition to see who can bang them all. No one has gotten all four, but I bet you’ll change that.”
Annora lifted her cup to hide her shock, but she must not have done a very good job when a devilish smile stole across Loulou’s face.
“Shifters love to fuck. We’re very need-driven creatures.” She shrugged like it was no big deal. “I’m assuming since you’ve been paired with that gang of assholes and they didn’t run you off, you must be their mate.”
“I—”
“Oh, you don’t have to say anything.” Loulou nibbled on her muffin, completely oblivious to Annora’s discomfort. “I can see it in the way they look at you.”
Her discomfort changed to curiosity, and Annora perked up, casually glancing toward Logan. “Whatever do you mean?”
She realized her emotions must have opened the connection to the guys when she found Logan staring directly at her with an extremely interested expression on his face.
“It’s obvious in the way they worry about you. They welcomed you into the house without a fuss, they guard you from anyone who even looks at you funny, and, even more telling…they’re actually training you.” Loulou took a sip of her coffee, blithely continuing without paying attention to what secrets she was spilling. “They changed the locks on the doors on the last guy, beat the living hell out of him and called it training, and often went days without speaking to him, treating him like he was invisible.”
Annora winced, infinitely glad they weren’t the same jerks she met the first night. Though it would be easier to pretend they didn’t exist, she couldn’t go back to that lonely existence.
They changed things for her.
Made her see there was more to life than just surviving.
Loulou continued, completely oblivious. “The girls brag if they can land two of them. They say Logan is a man-whore, but his talents more than make up for it.”
Annora nearly swallowed her tongue. Amusement from the guys carried to her. Logan was both proud of his skill but appalled, and he couldn’t quiet meet her eyes when she peered at him, his cheeks dusted a deep red.
“Then you have Mason. He’s more selective. Girls throw themselves at him, wanting the beast. Whispers say that because of his size, he makes the girls scream with pleasure before taking his own, until they’re willing to do anything for more.”
Mason’s embarrassment trickled through the connection at having his past transgressions aired in front of her. He wasn’t ashamed, but he didn’t like the idea of the girls talking about him.
“Camden is into kinky shit.” Loulou popped another piece of muffin in her mouth.
