Wolf Games: Granite Lake Wolves, Book 3 (6 page)
did little to calm the butterflies doing backflips in her belly. She didn’t like attention from an Alpha, no
matter what her sister said about the man.
The pack quieted at Keil’s words, and everyone resumed eating and chatting. She couldn’t do this.
She’d ruin everything for the whole lot of them, and the Games were a big deal. More than a few curious
glances were thrown her way as she excused herself and made her way over to Erik.
“I need to talk to you.”
The pleasure in his eyes at her request hurt. She didn’t want to be the one to ruin what should be a
special day. She tugged him back into the corner of the hall. He knelt by her side so their heads were closer
to level.
Oh shit, was she really going to tell him? She had to. She grabbed him by the collar and put her lips
inches from his ear to make her confession.
“I can’t shift.”
He’d wrapped his arms around her without her even noticing. Now his hands tightened where they
held her waist. “What?”
She fought to get it out before she lost her courage and simply ran from the confining and
overwhelming setting of the hall. “Some of the challenges are done in wolf form, right? I can’t shift. I
haven’t for over seven years.”
Erik stared for a moment before folding her closer, their bodies touching.
“Thank you for telling me.” He kissed her forehead gently. “Don’t worry about it.”
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Wolf Games
Maggie gaped at him. “But…did you hear me? I can’t shift. We’ll automatically lose any challenge
requiring us all to be wolves. I don’t need a group of wolves pissed off at me. I need to decline, or
whatever.”
He shook his head. “You can’t decline. If you step down, we compete with three. No substitutes are
allowed. As for the rest, you need to trust me. Remember the mate thing? We’re a couple and there’s no
challenge we can’t face together.”
His totally honest and straightforward answer did something to the block of ice enclosing her heart.
Maggie reached out and latched onto his collar again, dragging their lips together.
Instant need. Passion and desire rocked her body. Moreover, she felt safe. Loved. His fingers tangled
in her hair as he angled her mouth to the side, his tongue stroking her lips, her teeth, the roof of her mouth.
They wrapped around each other in the corner of the hall, and she was oblivious to anything but the raging
fire sweeping over her.
A roar rose from the crowd. A mixture of laughter, jeers and moans.
Maggie jerked to attention and squirmed back. The sound, so overwhelming and loud, frightened her
and she clung to his forearms even as Erik released her. He cupped her cheek for a moment. He led her
back to the head table, keeping her safely tucked under his arm. “What’s the fuss?”
The chairman sniffed. “Didn’t you hear the selection for the final member of your team?”
Erik glanced down at Maggie and grinned. “Nope. I was kind of distracted.”
A long-limbed young man sauntered forward. Maggie frowned. He looked barely old enough to take
part in the Games, although the resemblance to the pack Alpha was uncanny. So this was the younger
brother she’d been told about.
“TJ?”
The gangly male flashed them double thumbs-up. “Hey, big guy. Let’s win this thing!” He reached to
give Erik a high five, and tripped over his own feet.
31
The wind picked up as they left the natural harbor of Haines behind, cruising on the three-hour ferry
ride to Skagway. Erik leaned on the railing and watched Maggie out of the corner of his eye. She sat by
herself, away from where the rest of the group traveling to the Games lounged, laughing and goofing off.
He’d been busy the past two days. Not so busy he couldn’t have made time for her. Hell, all he
wanted to do was spend time with her, but she’d asked for space to prepare herself for the contest. He’d
given it to her.
Now he wondered if it had been the right choice. The sweet kisses she’d bestowed on him had revved
his motor and made him long for her to join him full-time—in his bed and in his life. Now she stayed back.
Separating herself from him and holding to her fear like a coat of armor.
Funny how quickly his perspective changed. Until last week the most important thing in his life had
been his position as Beta to the pack, and his friendships with Keil and Tad. His job? It had always been an
extension of being there for people. He’d long ago dealt with his demons and life had been floating along
just fine.
Until Maggie.
For a small package she was a bundle of trouble. She ran hot and then cold, and both sides drove him
nuts. Not only did the mate connection draw him to her, but he was used to protecting the weak. When she
looked around, like she did now, with fear filling her pretty blue eyes, he could barely hold himself back
from grabbing her and attempting to erase all her sadness.
Then she’d flip and get all tough and powerful, and that side was mighty attractive too. Both of them
were strong wolves, and the temptation to see how strong she could be teased him. Sex between them was
going to rock, if they could get past her freezing up every time he walked near.
The pack members wandered down the deck, leaving a clear path between Maggie and him. Pleasure
filled him as she rose and made her way across the space, seeking him out. He opened his jacket to offer
her protection from the wind. She wavered, her eyes dilating as she licked her lips. His body hardened.
She stepped back a pace and shook her head. “Don’t do that. Not now. I’m barely managing to hold it
together.”
He shrugged. “Just thought I could warm you a bit.”
Wolf Games
She stuck her hands in her pockets and stared up at the sky. “We need to talk about this whole
situation. How are we supposed to deal with the contests? I can’t shift and I don’t really want to be around
all these wolves.”
“It won’t be as bad when we start the competition. Usually they have staggered starts for events,
depending on what they are. You’ll have only myself, Jared and TJ around.”
She lowered her head and he caught his breath. The blue orbs were filled with tears. “I don’t want to
do this. Not any of it. I wish I could just go home.”
Screw being patient. Erik stepped forward and gathered her in his arms. He held her, rubbing her back
and trying to get the tight knots in her shoulders to relax. Whatever burden she carried was driving him
crazy.
“I know you don’t want me to say this, but sweetheart, you are home.”
Maggie pushed herself away until she could look into his eyes. “I’m scared.”
“I see that. But you’re also very strong. You’re also not alone. I’ll do what I can to help you.
Unfortunately, whatever it is you fear, we’ll have to deal with eventually. The issue of your wolf, I’ll worry
about. Trust me.”
“Trust you? Right.” She paced away, her arms folded over her chest. She glared at him. “This mate
thing really sucks, you know? Because as much as I want to just go hide, I can’t help but want to be with
you and it’s part of what scares me.”
Erik frowned. “Why would being with me scare you?”
Maggie hesitated.
Ah shit.
“Is it because I’m so big?”
She dropped her gaze.
Great
. Another instance of being judged at first glance. He hadn’t expected it from his mate and it
hurt more than he thought it would. He turned away to face the water. The demons were buried deep, but
obviously not as completely gone as he’d imagined. Her opinion mattered a great deal.
A soft touch on his sleeve caught his attention. He looked down into her gentle face. “It’s not your
size. To tell the truth, I’m kinda…attracted to how big you are.” She blushed and he coughed lightly.
Oh
yeah.
She rushed on. “What I’m scared about is you going all wolfie on me and being overprotective. I
don’t need it. I can take care of myself.”
He shrugged. “I won’t go all he-man on you.”
“Oh yeah? You can control the wolf so well you won’t hurt anyone who touches me?” She walked
away from him, leaning her back on the sidewall of the passenger compartment.
This conversation grew more confusing by the second. “What are you talking about?”
“I saw it. In the Whistler pack, there was an incident. Tell me it wouldn’t infuriate you if I…hugged
someone. Or kissed them.”
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Vivian Arend
Holy shit.
Missy had told them a few stories about her time in her old pack, but there were obviously
more issues than he’d been aware of. He crossed to her side and knelt to take her hands in his, warming
them between his palms. “I wouldn’t like it, but I can behave responsibly. I don’t think my reaction would
be any wilder than a typical human man. I do have control. I’ve worked hard at it.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Really. Being the biggest guy around means there’s always someone who wants to prove
how tough they are by taking me on. I don’t agree with violence as a first resort.”
She stared at him for a long time, a curious expression in her eyes. A crowd of noisy tourists poured
onto the deck and her gaze narrowed, her face growing red. What the hell was going on in her devious
mind?
Maggie walked slowly toward the crowd, glancing over her shoulder as if making sure he watched.
She tapped one of the young men in the group on the shoulder and smiled sweetly at him before saying
something. The man shrugged.
She looked over her shoulder again, then grabbed the stranger. The whole group started talking loudly
as she planted a huge kiss on his lips before releasing him and strolling back to where Erik stood.
He checked his blood pressure. He checked his temper. Both seemed normal, and the taunting look in
her eyes did nothing but fill him with amusement. Okay, that was interesting. His wolf even snickered a
little, seeing the humor in what she’d attempted to do. Contentment rolled over him. He really did have this
under control.
Now he just had to deal with her underestimating him.
He lifted her chin with his finger so their eyes could meet. “Just what do you think that proved?” She
chewed on her lower lip, a crease marring the space between her eyes. He hadn’t reacted as she’d expected.
“Should I go hit him? Fine.”
“Erik, wait. I’m…” She grasped his hand. He patted her fingers gently before letting her hand fall
away. He wandered over to the confused gathering, his amusement growing by the second. The men were
speaking in Russian, and he understood their words with ease.
“What was that all about, Dmitri?”
“I don’t know, but I think I like American girls.”
Erik held out his hand and spoke to them in their own language. “Hello. My name is Erik Costanov.
I’m sorry, my wife was teasing you. Are you enjoying your holiday in Alaska?”
He chatted with them for a while, the young men telling about the sights they’d seen on their cruise
through the Inside Passage. He gave them a few recommendations for restaurants to try in Skagway and
Anchorage. With enthusiastic pats on the back and lots of laughter, Erik said goodbye and returned to
where Maggie sat on the stairs. She wiggled her nose and scooted over to make room for him beside her.
They sat silently for a while. She turned her red face toward him.
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Wolf Games
“I didn’t know you could speak Russian.”
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” Her scent rose and tickled his nose, and he took
a deep breath, storing it for later. He could hardly wait to be able to sleep with her in his arms.
She spoke softly. “You just don’t look like the type.”
“Appearances can be deceiving. For example, you don’t look like the type to get jealous easily, but I
bet if I did what you just did, your wolf wouldn’t like it very much.”
She jerked upright and a faint growl escaped from her lips. Hmm, his suspicions were correct. Her
wolf was there, just hiding. He’d have to think about how he could convince her to trust him so they could
lure the creature back to the surface. After seven years, this could get rough.
Maggie nodded deliberately then a mischievous expression crossed her face. “Well maybe, maybe
not. Tell you what, you go ahead and kiss that guy and we’ll see what happens.”
He laughed along with her. It was enough of a win for this time. Another of her defenses had fallen
away, and when she leaned willingly into his side, his world grew a little warmer.
Maggie picked up the pack and fiddled with the straps, adjusting them again. There was nothing
wrong with the backpack. The whole situation gave her the heebie jeebies.
“Are you nearly ready to go?”
She squealed and dropped the pack. How in the hell he managed to sneak up on her when he was so
huge, Maggie could not understand. She nodded, grabbing at his hand to stop him from turning away. “I’m
worried about passing out. What if I have a reaction while I’m on the hike and—”
“There are medical crews providing help if anyone gets hurt. You know that. This isn’t a war game
where we expect you to die in the field.” He rubbed a circle on her palm with his thumb and a flash of heat
ran up her spine. “You haven’t had any troubles since the night of the banquet, have you?”