Once Bitten Twice Smitten: BBW Werewolf Shifter Menage Romance (7 page)

“I just got lucky, following my nose, I guess,” he said. Chase turned to him.

“But her scent wasn’t even that strong. She hasn’t shifted yet. You would’ve had to go in the garden of each and every house – wait a minute!” He paused, taking a deep snort, which flared his nostrils. Suddenly, he leaned over and clamped his arm around Brad’s neck, getting him in a choke-hold. As Brad’s arms went up to fend him off, Chase started rooting in his pockets.

“Got it!” he yelled, plunging his hand into Brad’s breast pocket and pulling the scrap of red fabric out. Brad snatched at it, while coughing and gasping for breath, but Chase held it at arm’s length. It was redolent with the girl’s sweet, warm scent.

“You fucking asshole! You had this the whole time and didn’t tell me!” Brad got out of the car and slammed the door shut, rubbing his neck.

“Why the hell would I, you prick!” he bellowed. “You don’t deserve a girl like that. Her father’s right: you are a fucking animal!” Before Chase could think up a reply, Brad turned on his heel and stomped over to his cabin.

*

Aspen lay awake for a long time. This had been by far the weirdest day of her entire life. Her head felt like it was bursting with all the things she’d heard. She’d called in sick from her part time job in a restaurant, too overwhelmed to cope with working that night. And there had been a final shock at the end of the day – there was not just one strange man wanting her attention, but two! Her father had refused to tell her anything about them, but she had gathered that they were both werewolves. The thought that beings who were not fully human had been there, right on her doorstep, made her shiver, mostly with fear, but also with a hint of something else. The second guy was just as good-looking as the first one. He had golden hair, and skin almost exactly the same shade, and he had these crazy-intense, pale green eyes. He seemed harder than Brad though. She picked up a hint of something deliciously uncompromising in the angle of his jaw. He was the kind of guy who’d laugh at her, or give her an
are you kidding me?
kind of smirk if she was caught looking in his direction. But he’d been staring at her in a very similar way to the first. She could’ve sworn his eyes widened when they focused on her, the pupil flooding the iris, changing the color to deep emerald. She’d looked from one man, to the other, to the other. Each of them was breathtaking, but together, she felt like she was watching Mr Universe. They had an otherworldly perfection. Were all werewolves as hot as them? And what exactly were they doing on her doorstep? Brad said he wanted to help her, and her father said they wanted to kidnap her, and drag her back to their werewolf lair. All she knew was that she needed some answers.

At that moment, a searing pain tore through her body. It was happening again. Her limbs were electrified with a violent current, and her joints snapped and crunched. As she lay on her back, whimpering in terror, her skin tightened all over, as if her body was trying to burst out of it. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, her skin started itching and burning. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, and didn’t dare to look at her flesh. She was turning into a wolf, she knew it now. Her body was trying to shift. But it wouldn’t happen. It was stuck. As the pain grew more intense, she stopped trying to hold it back, and began to encourage the change instead. Anything to stop that terrible stretching and burning. At that moment, a growl burst out of her mouth. She shrieked. How the hell had that come out of her? She sounded like a wild animal. An image of a wolf flashed acid-white in her brain. It was there, inside her.

“Come on,” she muttered. It seemed to be pawing at her insides, trying to find a way out, as if she’d become a hollow vessel that was trapping it. It yipped and yowled, and her skin got tighter and tighter. But it wouldn’t come.

The pain vanished as dramatically as it had arrived. Aspen lay on her back panting. She was drenched in sweat. Weakly, she sat up, opened the curtains and pulled the window all the way up. She stuck her head out, grateful for the feeling of the cool breeze on her face and chest, and stared at the moon. It was a huge, perfect round, pure white and iridescent.

Funny how the two guys found me just as my pains had begun
, she thought. She needed to go and speak to them. Maybe they could give her some advice, help her to understand what she was going through. But what if they kidnapped her, and took her away from her family forever?
That’s bullshit! Dad’s such a paranoid freak
, she told herself.
Girls like me don’t get kidnapped. They get ignored and abandoned, and have to go to prom by themselves, because no-one wants to be their date. Kidnapping a fat girl like her? Please!

As she stared at the moon, it seemed to be smiling at her, embracing her with its warmth and benevolence. She shook her head.
Ok, enough crazy-ass ideas for one night. Tomorrow, I’ll go see the guys, but now: sleep.

Chapter Six

Chase stumbled out of his cabin in only his underpants, rubbing his eyes. He’d just woken from the deepest sleep he’d had for a long time. The night before, he’d run in the woods for a long time, under the full moon. He was getting to like the local forest. It was nothing like Gila – small, too wet for his liking, and lacking the rush that came from navigating the territories of other werewolves – but there were plenty of small animals, unprepared to be hunted by wolves. He’d had a hearty dinner and saved enough for breakfast too. He’d shift soon so that he could eat them, but, for now, he was enjoying the feeling of the light, sweet breeze on his bare skin.

He glanced at Brad’s cabin, and saw him there, sitting on his doorstep with a cup of coffee, in an unbuttoned lumberjack shirt and shorts. He looked self-satisfied, as usual. He couldn’t believe Brad had been hoarding that little piece of cloth for all those years! Maybe his parents had kept it safe for him, knowing it was going to come in handy one day. Typical!
My parents hadn’t even troubled to tell me that I had a rival, assuming that brute force would win the day, while Brad’s had taken good care of him, and done what they could to ease him on his way through life
. Chase’s lip curled in disgust as he continued to stare at Brad. He knew part of his meanness towards him was jealousy. Brad was so goddamn perfect. And he was a nice guy. He wasn’t aggressive for no reason. Brad stood up and went inside, whistling, and apparently oblivious to Chase’s presence. Chase’s wolf gave a low growl of frustration. Brad didn’t even have the decency to seem offended by last night’s events.

Ten minutes later, Chase began to walk back indoors too, but a flash of color near the entrance to the hotel caught his eye. It was the girl! His wolf’s eye picked out a red plaid skirt, heavy boots and a midnight-blue satin shirt, laced down the front. He could just make out her scent – sweetly human, but with a spicy, musky hint of her true nature. He listened carefully. Brad was in the shower, singing out of tune. A broad grin spread across Chase’s face. He slipped inside his cabin, and watched through the window. He’d step out casually and speak to her before she had time to knock on Brad’s door.

As she came closer, he could make out the sexy bounce of her cleavage as she walked. He wondered if her breasts were as round and creamy as they looked, and he longed to cup them, feel the soft flesh overflowing his hands. He was aching to get his hands on the round globes of her ass too. She looked like the perfect package – buxom, with lovely, bounteous thighs and round, curvy hips. He’d like to take her from behind, sinking his claws into those hips.

Christ, I’ve already got a boner! At least I’ve got a moment until she reaches Brad’s door – Oh, shit! She’s heading for my door instead
. He moved away from the window, and, a moment later, there was a purposeful double-rap at the door. Chase stood by the door, thinking of the skinniest, boniest were-female in his pack, and savagely slapping at his erection until it subsided.
Phew, that should do it!
He muttered to himself. He fixed his megawatt smile – the one that had were-females and women alike falling at his feet – on his face, and unlatched the door. But, just as he pulled it open, the girl went to knock again, and she stumbled into Chase, her fist connecting with his solar plexus.

“Oof!” Chase groaned, the breath rushing out of him.

“Shit! What have I done to you? I’m so sorry! I just didn’t see the door opening. God, I’m such a klutz!” the girl said breathlessly. Chase leaned forward and dragged some air into his lungs.

“I’m fine, seriously,” he said, straightening up again, and resisting the urge to rub his stomach. “But – wooh – that was a hell of a punch you gave me!”

“I’m really sorry,” the girl said, looking miserable. “I used to box when I was younger, and I guess I forgot that I didn’t need to apply those techniques when I was knocking on people’s doors! You must think I’m an idiot.”

“No, not at all,” Chase said, and he gave her a genuine smile, free from his usual flirtatious intent. “I think you’re pretty kick-ass actually,” he said, surprising himself as much as her. She raised a sardonic eyebrow, and his wolf tucked its tail between its legs. “Sorry if that was a weird thing to say.”

“I kind of liked it.” She shrugged. “It’s a nice compliment for a girl like me.” Before Chase could respond to that, she continued. “So, your friend Brad told me to find him at number 10, but I find you here instead. Are you two shacking up together?” She peered over his shoulder, trying to see into the gloom behind him. A cunning thought sparked in Chase’s brain.

“Yeah,” Chase said slowly. But Brad’s not here right now. Maybe I can help you instead?” The girl smiled.

“So, you’re the other guy who almost got killed by my father yesterday.” Chase couldn’t restrain a snort of laughter. The thought that a human could kill a werewolf was beyond ridiculous. “Hey, you don’t know how paranoid my father is. He’s got an entire arsenal of weapons hidden away in his bedroom,” she said. Chase turned on his charming smile.

“Your pops won’t want to kill me when he finds out that I’ve only got good intentions towards you,” he said. He thought he saw some color rise to the girl’s cheek, but then it was gone again. There was something wrong. She wasn’t turning to Jell-O, like most girls did when he spoke to them
.

“So, if you’re friends with Brad, does that mean that you’re also – ” The girl broke off, unable to finish her sentence. Chase opened the door wide.

“Why don’t you come in and we can sit down and talk?”

“Uh, ok?” she said uncertainly, and walked into the cabin as he held the door open. As she entered the room, her face tightened and she wrinkled her nose.

“Everything ok?”

“Yeah – its just – perhaps you need a little air in here or something?” Chase realized that she was referring to the smell of the dead animals piled in the corner of the room, but, before he had a chance to direct her outside again, she caught sight of them and let out a scream.

“What the fuck?” she yelled, and bolted for the door. The old-fashioned latch had locked itself, and she struggled to open it. “Let me out of here, goddamnit!” Chase slipped past her, unfastened the door and let her go.

As she bolted onto the veranda, Brad met her, rushing over from his cabin.

“Are you ok, Aspen?” he shouted. “I thought I heard you screaming?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she said, placing a hand on her chest and bringing her breathing under control. “I just had a shock when I discovered your friend is into hoarding dead animals.”

“You let her into your cabin when you had last night’s leftovers hanging around?” Brad looked at Chase incredulously. “Very classy, dude.” Aspen’s mouth fell open.

“What? You’re saying that those stinking corpses are
food
?” she said. Chase and Brad both dropped their heads.

“We only eat them in our wolf form,” Brad said, quietly. Aspen looked from one to the other.

“This wolf thing – this is what I came to talk to you about. I need to understand who you are, and what’s been happening to me lately.” Brad laid a hand on Aspen’s shoulder, but she flinched, and he withdrew it quickly, with a frown.

“Let’s go and sit down – someplace
outside
– and we can talk all you want,” he said.

“Ok, where?” she said. Brad looked over at his cabin. His veranda had fully caught the morning sun. It looked bright and inviting.

“Over on my porch, “ he said. They walked over there together. There were only two chairs, so Brad indicated they should sit right on the edge of the walkway instead, swinging their legs over the side. “But first, I’ll make us all a coffee, to help Aspen relax,” he said, and turned to walk inside the cabin.

“Wait! I’ll come and help you,” Aspen said, following him in.

Chase sat down on the edge of the veranda, scowling at nothing in particular. It seemed like every time he tried to get one over on Brad, it backfired, ending up with him doing something that made him look stupid.

Aspen and Brad brought three steaming mugs of coffee out on a tray, chatting and laughing together the whole time. Chase’s wolf gave a little growl, and he took the mug from Brad without a word.

“Thanks, dude,” Brad said sarcastically. Aspen sat down and Brad handed her a coffee too.

“Thanks,” she said. Chase watched sourly as she smiled up at Brad, her blue eyes dazzling, the bright sunlight showing the full spectrum of her irises. Brad sat down on the other side of her. She was swinging her legs back and forth in a very appealing way.