The scent hit Deena like a shot to the gut, sucking the breath from her the moment she walked into the crowded auditorium, a faint whiff of soap and cologne that made her inner bitch stir with an excited whine. Scanning the crowd, she tried to pinpoint the location of the intriguing aroma, however, the mass of bodies made it impossible. Striding into the throng of Lycans, gathered for the upcoming eclipse, a magical moment for her kind that led to a stupid amount of births nine months later, she rotated her head from side to side, inhaling deep. She didn’t need to push or excuse herself to move through the dense bodies. As an alpha, her invisible power radiated before her, parting the crowd and allowing her to march the length of the room only to arrive at the other end stymied.

Given her bitch’s exuberant yipping in her head, she’d expected to find a male of importance, a beta at the very least, someone of consequence to explain why her nipples tightened and her sex moistened. Instead, she stopped before a nondescript fellow wearing glasses, a collared shirt and khakis. She eyed him up and down, from his diminutive height of five eleven, to his pale skin, which obviously didn’t see the sun often, to his slim build. Where were the muscles, the height and the power she’d expected? Why on earth did her canine—spinning in wild circles in her mind—find this male so interesting? And why oh why, did she want to throw him over her shoulder and drag him off to a corner to have wild, sweaty sex?

“Who are you?” she barked, vexed and not afraid to show it. To his credit, the nerd in front of her didn’t piss himself, or faint. Instead, he did the worst thing one of his weak nature could do. He ran.

And dammit it all, despite the lack of dignity, the turmoil in her head—and the carnal hunger she couldn’t explain—she chased him. To her credit, she managed curb her impulse to run. She didn’t need to, not when stalking would do the job.

Despite not understanding the strange urge currently inhabiting her, she couldn’t deny a certain excitement at the novelty of finding a man who stirred both woman and beast. She could use a bit of sexual relief given how long she’d gone since her last intimate encounter. However, no matter what her wolf howled in her head, she wouldn’t mark the little geek. She did after all have a reputation to uphold, and any mate she did eventually choose should at least look like a stiff breeze wouldn’t blow him over, or break with one good hug.

I want a mate whom I can respect...and love.

****

As a wolf of no rank, unless intelligence suddenly

counted, Simon didn’t know what to do when the she- wolf came stalking toward him, hungry intent clear in her gaze, which baffled him. Simon didn’t inspire strong feelings. Heck, he was lucky if he left an impression at all. And that’s how I like it. He left the games and politics of pack life to others, content to lose himself in studies.

Science and history aside, he couldn’t deny a morbid curiosity to know what such an alpha female would want from him. Hot, sweaty sex came to mind, although he wondered what kind of injuries he’d sustain between her obviously athletic thighs. But what a way to go. As quickly as the erotic thought hit, he dismissed it. Why would she bother with him when a lady of her looks could have her pick? A shame, because he couldn’t ever recall such a feeling of awareness toward one of the opposite sex.

What a magnificent specimen of womanhood she appeared. Tall, taller than him at any rate, she possessed a pair of wide hips—ideal for grasping—and full breasts— the perfect size to smother his face. Her blonde hair refused to stay in her ponytail and stray strands curled about her face, softening her features. She reminded him of an Amazonian goddess come to stomp all over him. An alpha female who seemed to want to speak to him, even if she seemed at a loss for words when she halted before him. Eyeing him up and down like a choice piece of steak, an urge to squirm came over him, and he fought to control himself, but he had less luck convincing his cock to stay dormant. It, along with his not-often-heard inner wolf, woke, the one engorging in his baggy slacks, the other watching through his eyes with rapt attention. It was all he could do not to let his tongue hang out.

“Who are you?” the female who stood a few inches taller than him asked. Or at least, that’s what he thought she said. He couldn’t be sure given how his senses all tingled at her closeness. She crossed her arms, impatience clear in her stance

as she waited for his answer. Simon, however, terrified he’d embarrass himself in front of her—probably by speaking in gibberish or slobbering on her feet before he swooned—took off running, the survival instinct kicking in.

It only occurred to him as he tried to slip through the many bodies crowding the room, that perhaps he’d not chosen the wisest course of action. I’ve watched enough documentaries to know that showing weakness only makes a predator more determined. A quick glance over his shoulder showed her moving after him with grim purpose, the crowd splitting before her to allow her ease of passage while he struggled.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Simon couldn’t stop the panic, the irrational fear that if he let her catch him, she’d chew him up and spit him out, changing his life forever. It didn’t help that his wolf agreed, but instead of running, it wanted to lie down on its back and give her its belly. Simon might not own the strength of some of the other males, but he still had some pride.

He kept squeezing himself through the crowd until he reached an exit door. Pushing on the bar, he left the auditorium and whirled to slam the door shut, but not before he caught a glimpse of her face, her lip curling in a smile of expectation that made him shake in fear, but at the same time made him harder than he’d ever imagined.

The portal clanged shut, and not seeing anything to block it, he sprinted down the sparsely populated hall. Behind him, he heard the buzz of the crowd as a door opened, then a hushed silence as it closed and those in the hall with him stopped speaking.

“Don’t make me chase you. You won’t escape,” she called, her rich voice rolling over him and leaving goosebumps behind.