Fifteen

"The chase?"My voice raised an octave.

"Yeah."

"What the hell is the chase? All Ford told me was that we'd be horny in our human forms."

"Nature draws wolves to their mates after they've chosen. The hunt starts when a guy's wolf picks a girl and ends when he's marked her as his, permanently. The chase is the female wolf's process of choosing her mate."

"A male wolf's hunt is predictable; he pretty much just follows his woman around until he bites her. The length of time it takes is the only thing that's up in the air. Female wolves are completely unpredictable. She tests her mate until she believes he's a good choice in both human and wolf form. When she's made up her mind, she bites him, and the chase ends."

"Tell me there's not a third phase." I smacked a hand on my forehead.

"The third is the last one. It's called the climax," he said sheepishly.

"What is it?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Lots and lots of sex."

I groaned. "That's the lust Ford was talking about, then."

"Yeah. It's supposed to be damn near impossible to do or think about anything else."

I figured I'd better get as much information as I could and face all the facts at once, so I continued with the questions. "After the lust ends, then what?"

"Then the wolves are mated permanently. They'll never so much as look at anyone else. You and Jesse could live separately if you wanted, but your wolves will find each other every time they get the chance. Your lives will be easier if you fall in love," Rocco explained.

Well, that was shitty.

"So if I say, had a date tonight..." I trailed off. "I don't, of course. But if I did, what exactly would happen?"

"If Jesse thinks he's going to lose you, he'll bite you. Period. The wolf won't let his mate get away without marking her. Even if your wolf doesn't choose him, he's going to bind himself to you permanently. Jesse's our pack's omega, so he's the most laid-back and independent guy in the group, but a hunting wolf can only take so much."

"Would you want to be on wolf-watching duty, then?" I asked. "I can pay for yogurt and lunch meat."

Rocco snorted. "I hope you're joking. If Jesse had been anything but an omega, your little stunt the other day would've ripped our damn pack apart and ended his hunt. There's not a chance in hell I'm going to risk my family so you can go out with some dick."

I sighed.

"Cancel the date, Tea. I can understand wanting to push boundaries, but that's a hell of a lot more than pushing. The wolf considers you married, and he's an animal. You come home smelling like some other guy, he will hunt that guy down and kill him."

Rocco's lecture continued. "Even if nothing happens, Jesse's no dummy. He can hear you; he knows you're planning a date. If he's acting relaxed right now, it's because he's not worried about the threat. And the only reason a wolf doesn't worry about a threat is if he plans on removing it."

I glanced down at Jesse. He was snoring softly.

"He's asleep," I told Rocco.

Rocco barked out a laugh. "Hunting wolves don't sleep."

I blinked. "At all?"

"They don't sleep at all," he repeated. "The magic and the pheromones keep him awake. After he's bitten you and met your wolf, he'll sleep for a whole damn week."

My eyebrows lifted. "I'm in over my head." I brushed the hair out of my eyes. "How is this my life?"

"It's not all bad. Come to dinner tonight; you'll see." He paused. "No stripping this time, though."

I scoffed. "I wasn't making a move on you. I just wanted the wolf to flip out so I could escape. I do wear shirts most of the time."

"I know. Still, come fully dressed."

My eyes narrowed. "Why did I make you uncomfortable, anyway? I'm sure you've been around plenty of naked women before."

Rocco laughed uncomfortably. "For some reason, werewolves are only ever born male. Female werewolves have to be made. We haven't spent much time around women our age."

"It's not like you're virgins," I interrupted.

There was a long stretch of silence.

"No freaking way," I leaned forward. "You're not."

"Wolves mate for life. Sex is part of mating. If we get anywhere near a naked woman who isn't our mate, our wolves take over."

That was a yes, to the virgin question.

A laugh sputtered out of me. I'd been assuming they were total tools, asshole player types.

And they were freaking virgins.

I'd never been experienced compared to anyone around me, but compared to them, I was experienced.

"Well damn. No wonder you guys are so uncomfortable talking about mating," I remarked.

"I'm going to hang up now," Rocco said. "Text me if you decide to go on that date, so I and the guys can be ready to drag your changing body and a pissed-off Jesse out of the restaurant."

He hung up, leaving me chuckling as I stared down at the wolf. He opened his eyes, realizing that the charade was up.

"Virgins, huh?" I asked him.

He blinked, long and slow.

"It's kind of sweet. I always thought it was romantic to hear about the people who wait until marriage to have sex. I've regretted losing my virginity to Jimmy Cooper at the prom ever since it happened."

The wolf's ears flattened against his head, and a ferocious growl of the likes I'd never heard from him vibrated his chest and throat against my thigh.

Guess I shouldn't have said that.

"We broke up a few weeks afterward. You don't have to worry about him." I scratched the wolf's head. "If I go on a date, are you going to break our agreement and bite me?"

He bobbed his head once.

Dammit.

I huffed. "You could at least have found a way to tell me that. If I hadn't called Rocco, I wouldn't have known. Pissing you off and getting bitten don't seem like events that should logically coincide considering Rocco said biting me will mean you're giving yourself to me."

The wolf growled, but it wasn't an angry growl.

"I guess you did try to attack Kevin." I paused. "Twice."

Maybe even three times... I couldn't remember exactly how the fight had gone down.

He licked one of the scabbing scratches on my arm.

"Alright, I'll cancel. I don't think I want to have dinner with your friends, though," I warned.

He lifted his head and shoulders in what I could only think of as a wolfy version of a shrug.

I picked up my phone and reluctantly called Kevin. He answered on the third ring. "Hi, Teagan."

"Hey, Kevin. About tonight..." I bit my lip.

"You're canceling on me," he said. He didn't sound surprised, and I felt like shit for that.

"My ex-boyfriend and I just decided to get back together. It has nothing to do with you, I swear. I'm sorry to cancel like this," I apologized.

It was bullshit, of course. But he deserved an excuse that wouldn't make him feel like crap, regardless of whether or not it was the truth.

"Ah, I get it. Well, send me a text when you're single again.”

"I will," I agreed, even though it was kind of dickish for him to just assume I'd be single again at some point. What if my pretend ex was the one for me?

We exchanged goodbyes and hung up the phone.

A yawn stretched my cheeks. "Maybe I should take a little nap before I start studying,” I remarked to Jesse.

His head dipped slightly in a small nod.

I slid off of the counter and walked to the couch, then took my shoes off before collapsing on the big, comfortable thing.

Napping in a bed would've been nicer, but until I could afford new sheets or even just took the time to wash Jesse's sheets, I wasn't going anywhere near his bed.

I fell asleep almost as soon as I was horizontal.

A low, threatening growling sound woke me up.

I shook my head, looking around the room. It was dark, and I didn't know how long I'd been asleep.

I heard paws clicking on the floor and tried to spot Jesse. He was moving around, but I couldn't see him.

More threatening growls and snarls came from the wolf.

Was someone outside? Or was someone in the house?

Panic blossomed within me.

What the hell was going on?

Paws sounded on the floor again, and red eyes came into view. I nearly screamed at the sudden appearance of the damn creepy things, but I cut myself off.

Jesse stared at me for a moment before his head whipped toward the door.

I relaxed slightly.

Guess the threat he was worried about was outside.

After walking slowly over to the wolf, I crouched beside him. "Do I need to call your friends?" I whispered.

He growled deeper.

Guess not.

The wolf snarled, nudging me toward the ground. I knelt beside him, then shuffled over to the window. He snarled again that time at me.

"Shh. I want to see," I told him.

He snapped his teeth at me.

"You're not going to bite me," I whisper-snapped back.

At least, not yet.

I lifted one of the blinds covering the window, just barely enough to see outside. The porch lights were on, and I could see the front yard pretty clearly.

I watched... and saw nothing.

A frown dragged my lips down. "I don't know what"

Jesse snarled and sprinted to the other side of the house. I flew to my feet and followed him to the patio door.

My hands landed on the glass as Jesse snapped his teeth and continued snarling. Another red-eyed wolf peered back at us.