13

Ranger

I slid back into the pool to cool down the raging inferno that was my beast as he thrashed around inside my soul. Fedrick’s voice came to me then, the mentor of my youth if you could call him that, berating me for losing my grip on the wolf as I made my way through the fight circuits when I was twelve or so.

I don’t fucking lose control anymore.

That was child’s play. Something I counted on happening during the Alpha Games when I made my carefully calculated moves. I was waiting for them to be taken over by the rut while I handled business and then left this place.

Yet here I was, tense and anguished because of some pretty little she-wolf prancing around in a sports bra. Her tanned skin peeking out of the tight leggings. Curves on display for every horny Alpha wannabe to see. Something was wrong with me.

Itd been a while since I’d gotten laid. An oversight on my part. Things had been busy while I was consolidating a few of the older businesses that didn’t turn much of a profit but employed a good number of wolves from my pack. I wanted to hurry and tie those loose ends up before I took this vacation.

That was my fault. I’d come into this situation amped up without giving my wolf enough freedom to stretch his legs. I just didn’t expect my beast to act like a feral mutt on the end of the leash.

Calm down, I commanded him as he continued to growl.

Go to her.He snarled.

There was something about Aspen’s smell, all dusty sage and soft like poppies without the usual sharp bite of a female floral scent. It was irritating my wolf, riling him, as the sweat dried from her skin and drifted on the cool night breeze.

“You good, Ranger?” Chad asked as he dangled his legs off the side of the diving board. The heir to the Tulia fortune sat like a prince surveying the little scene at the pool.

“Living the dream.” I smirked, gripping tightly to my beast. I refused to be affected by his demands, refused to give into the lack of self-control.

We were stronger than this.

“She’s a cutie.” Chad motioned with his eyes to Aspen. I didn’t need to look to know she was still sitting there, talking with my sister of all people. And I knew what Chad was doing as he tested the water with his foot.

I also refused to give him an inch. “Most of them are.”

“You’ve got that right.” He leaned back with a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest. As far as size went, we were about evenly matched. But that didn’t mean shit to me. “Did you get a whiff of the little one from West Virginia?”

“Not yet. Why?” I was glad for the change of subject. If he kept talking about Aspen there was no telling how my wolf would react. In truth, I hadn’t been paying much attention to the Luna Candidates at all. Except her. These weren’t my type of women. I preferred a little more discretion in my pairings. If I was really trying to find a mate, I wouldn’t have gone on television to do so despite it being the norm for males in my position.

“I’ll let you figure that out for yourself if you haven’t scented her yet,” Chad kept talking. “But she smells pretty sweet.”

I’ll bet Aspen smells sweeter. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing her take the bottle of bourbon I’d snagged from the bar for my sister. Aspen glared at me as if she’d heard Chad talking. For a wolf shifter that wouldn’t have been difficult. Something about the anger in her eyes eased my pounding heart a bit.

She was affected too.

Despite the cold shoulder she’d given and the denial of that spark between us, she was still paying attention.

My beast howled his approval as a slow smile teased my lips. Aspen tilted the bottle up higher, swallowing deep, and turned her back to me like I wasn’t a predator.

Wrong move, little she-wolf. I resisted the flat palm of my hand on my thigh and leaned back against the side of the pool. The challenge stroked my inner beast. My wolf and I were in agreement again.

We wanted to play a new game.