공유

CHAPTER TWO : Hazel Ellis

last update 최신 업데이트: 2025-01-24 16:25:09

Finally slumping onto his stool, Merrick took in a deep sniff of the air. I noticed because, well, it was a classic werewolf move. But I shouldn’t have been encountering wolves here—no way was I anywhere near the Maine pack territory, which was miles away from where I’d ridden my bike.

“What are you?” Merrick growled at me as I took a sip of my drink.

“Excuse me?” I shifted slightly, letting a touch of menace creep into my stance, while keeping my scent neutral. I wasn’t going to acknowledge him right away, hoping it’d irritate him.

“You heard me.” He ignored any manners and stood up, sniffing the air once more. Whatever I had planned to say flew right out of my mind when I saw him.

Not because he was ridiculously hot, though he definitely was. No, it was because of his hair.

Hot pink.

“Who are you?” I demanded, my gaze fixed on his wild pink strands. The sides were shaved close, the top long and messy in a way that should’ve looked disheveled but was somehow just right. Even his stubble was the same pink.

“I don’t answer questions from unidentified shifters.” Merrick rose to his full height, clearly trying to intimidate me. Standing toe to toe with him, I wasn’t bothered by his size. My father had taught me how to fight, and no amount of muscle was going to shake that confidence.

He was a mountain of a guy, standing nearly a foot taller than me, and I wasn’t exactly short.

“What does that mean?” I glared, already aware of the term 'shifter' from books—creatures that could transform into animals, other than wolves. But as far as I knew, wolves were the only real supernatural creatures out there.

“Tommy,” Merrick snapped at the bartender. “Who is she?”

“No clue. Rode in about an hour ago. ID says Hazel Ellis.”

“The Ducati?”

I took a step closer, my instincts kicking in, and grabbed him by the throat. His massive hand shot out, grabbing my arm before I could do anything further. But I wasn’t about to let some random guy put his hands on me—no matter how striking his hair was.

A quick twist of my body sent him to the floor, with my knee pressing firmly against his throat. Enough to threaten, but not cut off his air.

“Who are you?” I growled, my wolf side rising to the surface. His chest rumbled beneath me, but it didn’t sound like the usual wolf growl. It sounded… different, more mechanical.

Then, I smelled it.

His scent shifted. The musky, sweat-soaked smell now mixed with something wild—pine, but with a spicy kick that made my senses flare.

“What are you?” I snarled.

He inhaled deeply again, and before my eyes, the fur sprouted over his cheeks, turning pink, the same shade as his hair. A new, heavier scent filled the air—a heady blend of desire and pine, sending a ripple of something instinctual through me.

I realized then—my body was responding to him in a way I couldn’t quite control.

He gripped my thighs, his claws tearing through my fishnets as he pulled me closer. His face was dangerously near, and that damn scent filled my head.

I shoved him back, my knee slamming into his face before I flipped out of his grasp. He tried to grab me again, but I used his momentum to toss him aside, elbowing him straight in the nose for good measure. The satisfying crunch of bone made me smile.

I didn’t wait for him to recover, though. I was already heading for the door. I’d had enough of this freak show, but I could feel his eyes on me, like he wasn’t going to let me leave without a fight.

The silence in the bar was deafening as I stepped outside, the cold night air hitting me like a punch. I was almost to my bike when I noticed something missing.

“Looking for this?” Merrick’s voice cut through the dark, his hand holding up my key, along with a wad of cash. I reached inside my bra for my spare key—nothing.

“I’m sure we don’t need to go over what just happened,” I said, gesturing to his bleeding nose.

“Animal,” he repeated the question from earlier, the word taking on a whole new meaning.

“What are you?” I wasn’t answering until he did.

“Grizzly.” The word rolled off his tongue like it was no big deal. “A ruby grizzly.” His voice was calm, but I could hear the pride in it.

A bear. And not just any bear, but a ruby-shifter. How had I gotten so lucky?

“Are there more like you?” I asked, curiosity flaring. The idea that I might have options, might choose, made my heart race. Could I have more than just a wolf to pick from?

“You should know that answer.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Why haven’t I seen you before?”

“I’m just passing through.” I grabbed my helmet, my mind whirling with possibilities.

“No one passes through Shifter City,” Merrick growled, narrowing his eyes.

Shifter City? Did that mean everyone here was a shifter?

“I do.” I held my hand out. “Give me my key.”

His eyes glinted with something dangerous. “You resisted my pheromones.” He took a step closer, his green eyes now piercing in the moonlight. “I’ve started my mate hunt. You won’t escape until you’re mine.”

I froze. Mate hunt? What the hell was he talking about?

His hand brushed over mine, sending an electric pulse through me. “What are you?” he asked again, his voice dropping.

“Wolf.” I couldn’t lie anymore. I wanted information, and if I had to reveal something to get it, so be it. The way his eyes lit up told me he liked that answer, and I sure as hell wanted to know why.

“What is this place?” I added, needing to know more.

He inhaled deeply, almost as if he could taste my scent. “You’re attracting,” he muttered.

“Talk with me inside for ten minutes,” he said, his voice thick with urgency. “Then I’ll give you back your key.”

I followed him inside, grumbling under my breath.

The pheromones thing was weird. But if this bear-shifter really thought I was his ‘True Mate,’ then maybe he could help me. After all, a mate could be exactly what I needed to survive, without risking Noah’s life.

And maybe, just maybe, he was more than just a convenient ally.

이 책을 계속 무료로 읽어보세요.
QR 코드를 스캔하여 앱을 다운로드하세요

최신 챕터

  • Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate   CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ONE:Merrick Blake

    “I don’t know if I can do it.” Hazel stared at the gorgeous machine.“You don’t have to. We can always call your parents and invite them into our sex-den, and ask them to take her,” I offered with a grin.Hazel’s nose wrinkled. “That’s off the table.”“I’m sure we can think of another way around it. I can always go, drop her off, and come back.” I didn’t want Hazel to feel like she had no other choice. Feeling trapped would do nothing to help her become comfortable on the bike again.Shooting me an exasperated look, Hazel slung her leg over the seat and sat down. She made no move to turn the bike on, and instead, simply sat there.Our bond was wide open, the way it had been since she took down her walls in the truck on our way to the cabin, and I felt her surprise.“I don’t feel any panic.” She said, her voice a bit amazed.“Good. That’s a good thing.” I slid my hands in my pockets. We’d be riding our own bikes back to Shifter City, which was a bummer. I loved riding with my woman.“I

  • Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate   CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED:Hazel Ellis

    The days began to blur into each other, and before we knew it, a month had passed. My body was growing stronger, my mind sharper, and my heart happier.A knock on the door interrupted our morning though, and ended our honeymoon.“Hazel!” Liv hollered from the front of my house. She knocked again, harder. “Haze! I can smell you in there; I know you’re here.”Merrick and I exchanged uh-oh glances across the table. We’d been keeping in contact with our friends and family, but an unplanned Liv visit wasn’t usually a good sign.We were working at the kitchen table, so I got up and crossed through the living room to open the front door. Pushing it open, my eyes landed on a dirty, determined-smelling Liv.“I need your keys.” She held her hands out. “Why?” I put a hand on my hip.“I told Jay I’d mate with him if he could catch me, and then took off. I’m fast, but he’s no couch potato.” She jiggled her hand, glancing over her shoulder. “Hurry. He’s going to be here any minute.”“He won’t be ab

  • Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate   CHAPTER NINETY NINE:Hazel Ellis

    I drummed my fingers on my knee. “I've never ran away from my problems before.”“We’re running away to deal with shit, not to pretend it doesn’t exist,” Merrick countered.“Still, it feels selfish.”“Sometimes you need to put yourself first, Ellis. You may not have noticed, but you’re not in a great place mentally right now.” Merrick squeezed my thigh, where his fingers were already wrapped around a good chunk of my leg.“Thanks,” I drawled.“Hey, you’re the one who locked me out of your mind. If that’s not a warning sign, what else is? We’ve been completely open for weeks.”“I’m f—”He interrupted. “You’re fucking beautiful, but you’re not fine, so quit saying that.”“You’re infuriating.” I sighed, leaning my head up against the window. I’d texted my parents to let them know we were taking off. They’d ended up calling, of course, and then had insisted on talking to Merrick. When I tried to hang up, he grabbed the phone and talked them down. He’d explained that we needed time to figu

  • Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate   CHAPTER NINETY EIGHT:Merrick Blake

    “Alright, get furry.” I ran my hand down Hazel’s dark hair. She was beautiful—so damn beautiful.And by some miracle, she was mine.After a few more rounds of our distraction game, all of which ended in far more than one climax, I’d finally lost one without taking Hazel over the edge with me. It was a low blow, but I more than made it up to her with my mouth and fingers afterward.She hadn’t stopped grinning since she won, and I was glad I could give her that win. Even if it meant a bare-back ride through the forest at lunch time.“Don’t pet me while I’m in human form,” she complained, still grinning.I petted her boob, and she smacked my hand away. “You like it,” I told her.“And you like to bug me.” She shifted forms, shaking out her fur as she landed on four paws. It was odd to see her as a dark-haired wolf now that she wasn’t a ruby shifter, but in a good way.“You’re fun to bug.” I scratched her head. She leaned into my hands, and I scratched harder. “If I’m too heavy, you drop m

  • Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate   CHAPTER NINETY SEVEN:Hazel Ellis

    Merrick scooped me up and carried both me and my plate to our couch. He somehow grabbed a blanket too on the way. Sitting down, he settled me on his lap and wrapped his arms around my middle after settling the fuzzy blanket over our lower halves.His erection pressed into my ass, but he turned the TV on like his dick wasn’t hard and aching. One of his hands wrapped around my front, his fingers slowly stroking my stomach as we waited for the TVs and consoles to turn on.“Maybe we should play a different game,” he murmured, his teeth catching my earlobe and dragging over it gently. I bit back a groan, and when I moved against his erection, he pressed me against him to trap me. “For the sake of distraction, of course.”“Of course,” I agreed.“You try to focus on the round.” He hit a few buttons, setting the game up. “And I’ll try to get you off before it ends.”Shit.That sounded like hellish heaven. It was the game we’d played the night we mated, and it sounded like the perfect way to w

  • Bound by Blood: Last Ruby Wolf and Her Fated Mate   CHAPTER NINETY SIX:Hazel Ellis

    Hauling me to the bed, he pulled his boxers on and finally put me down on the edge of the bed. His knees knocked mine as he tugged my shirt over my head, and he groaned when he saw that I wasn’t wearing a bra.His hands cupped my breasts, and then I was flat on my back with his mouth on my nipple. His chest idled as he sucked me, and I arched upward, my legs wrapping around his hips so I could press myself into his hardness.He moved to the other nipple, and then his hands slid into my shorts His finger stroked the most sensitive part of me, and I gasped.Fuck, his fingers felt good.Merrick paused, stopping his movement on my nipple and clit. He groaned again. “Shit. I wasn’t supposed to do that.”“Says who?” I shot back, moving my hips so his fingers rubbed against me.“Says me,” he grunted, withdrawing his hand.“No.” I grabbed his arm, holding it in place. “You can’t start this and not finish it.” My eyes bore into his.“You’re hurting, Ellis.” His eyes darkened. “So much that you

더보기
좋은 소설을 무료로 찾아 읽어보세요
GoodNovel 앱에서 수많은 인기 소설을 무료로 즐기세요! 마음에 드는 책을 다운로드하고, 언제 어디서나 편하게 읽을 수 있습니다
앱에서 책을 무료로 읽어보세요
앱에서 읽으려면 QR 코드를 스캔하세요.
DMCA.com Protection Status