Chapter 1

Wilde Alaska

It was not only the right thing to do, but she just had to do it. Her change had gone well, and the heat had not kicked in. The theory was that she hadn't gone into heat as many of her family had because she had no male in her life. She didn't know why, she was just glad it hadn't happened. Screwing some stranger because she couldn't control an overcharged libido didn't appeal to her. Now she was headed back to Alaska to a cabin she'd stayed in when she was doing her ad campaign.

Everyone had seen her great outdoors campaign on TV. It was famous and had even won awards, not that awards mattered to her. She was more worried about the success of the campaign and that one had been over the top. Now she was celebrating with a well-earned vacation. Her thoughts were a jumble no one could make sense out of but her. That was alright because for the next month she would only have herself for company.

She was a white wolf, and she was now a changed white wolf thanks to her cousin Ariel. They weren't first cousins, she didn't even know for sure how closely related they were, but that didn't matter because they were friends too. Several members of the family had gone through the change now starting with their cousin Roc. That cousin was mated to a vampire who was the top dog in North America. Maybe top dog wasn't the best term to use. He was the leader of all the vamps in North America. Yes, that sounded better. She was in advertising, so she knew perception was everything. Her advertising firm had become an overnight success due to her Alaska campaign. She was twenty eight, the firm had been her baby for five years and after five years of hit and miss it was an overnight success. Didn't people know what the word overnight meant?

Whatever, she was going to enjoy this time just for herself. She only had one campaign to work on, although it was a doozy. That was the new Big Boy vibrator which came in a wide selection of colors and had six speeds. It went from super slow to supersonic. Every woman at the firm had begged to do this campaign, but it was a company they hadn't worked with before, so she had decided to do it personally leaving the other campaigns in the capable hands of her number two gal. Everyone, especially the men, had teased the hell out of her about the campaign she chose to handle. She didn't blame them, if the situation were reversed, she would have done the same to them.

The company, Sexual Joy, had been generous sending her a dozen of the Big Boys and a good selection of their other items. She had saved the inflatable love doll for Jason. His birthday was coming up and he needed to be taken down a peg or two. A gift that kept giving that's what she'd tell him she wanted to give him. Maybe he'd stop hitting on her or maybe not. Nothing else had worked to discourage him. If he weren't such a great graphic artist, he would have been toast long ago. He was so talented that she put up with his offensive sexual come-ons even when they got to the point of perversion and that boy was definitely perverted.

Now she was on a small private plane headed to a little village in the middle of nowhere Alaska called Wilde. No one could ever explain to her where the name had come from. When she had worked up the campaign that made her company famous that was where she had visited. She had taken all the pictures herself. The campaign had been a slide show of what she had found in Alaska. It had examples of the wildlife, the fishing, hunting, dog sledding, and the natives. She had taken a little creative liberty when she had set up the pictures showing natives in an ice sauna. The gorgeous barely dressed native females on one side with the gorgeous barely dressed males on the other, were at the end of the slide show. It was the most popular slide and had made the commercial win several awards.

Many of the models she used were actually from the village. What was amazing was such a small village had such a large number of attractive young candidates for the shot. What was also amazing was such a small village kept up an airstrip. Looking down out of the plane window she could see it right below them. The pilot had been born and raised in the village. He was friendly, but somewhat guarded about certain questions she had asked. The guy spoke little and the picture of a pretty female with an adorable little girl and boy in her arms explained why he hadn't flirted or hit on her. The males in this place usually fell all over themselves when a female from the outside came near. That was probably because males outnumbered females two to one or more.

It was alright if he didn't want to talk. She was a very private person herself and God knew her family had the mother of all secrets. It seemed like just yesterday although it had been over a year since she had found out her family had werewolf blood. Most of the family including her hadn't even known werewolves existed much less that they existed close to her family. Now many of the family's females were being changed into wolves for their own safety. It was a necessary evil that was a response to attempted abductions, one of which had targeted her.

Had it not been for the terrifying attack she had managed to escape, there was no way she would have gone wolf. She believed in protecting herself, as many of her family members did. Her family was full of those disciplined military types. Growing up in a rough and tumble family ensured you would learn to fight and a sister who was a celebrated black belt in several martial arts, guaranteed she was taught by the best. Theirs was a typical family among white wolves since there were three girls and one boy, her father was a colonel in the army and her mother a major in the air force.

Many people thought it was odd that her parents had ever even met. It was a beautiful story and they had heard it often as children. Her father had been on a top secret mission that he wouldn't disclose to this day. He was seriously wounded, and his men got him to the closest hospital. It was an air force base hospital where her mother was a nurse. She was in charge of the floor where her father was taken. When she was called in to deal with an especially difficult patient that had all her nurses mad as hell, she went to the room to give the man a dressing down. As soon as their eyes met, both of them knew they were meant to be together.

Once the babies started coming her mom switched to reserve. As soon as they were all in school, she went back to full time. It had always been a struggle for them to stay stationed close to each other, but with a few sacrifices they had managed and now years later, they were still in love. She and her sisters all wanted a relationship like that, but she had to face the facts that there was no other males like her dad. He was one in a billion. She and her sisters could only dream since so far, all the men in her life and theirs had come up wanting.

Now here she was, a white wolf all by herself in the middle of an isolated rustic environment, determined to relax and come to terms with her new status. Being a hillbilly these wide open, barely civilized places wouldn't daunt her. She was ready to enjoy all the local flavor, except for the males. Fishing, hunting, dog sledding, and taking some great photographs would be her way of relaxing and enjoying herself. Males, other than her relatives, caused nothing, but trouble. Right now, she didn't need any more problems.

The pilot landed with all the ease she would expect from someone with his experience. She climbed out before he could come around to help her out. No shrinking Violet, she didn't need a male to help her every step of the way. A gorgeous male waited to unload her luggage, he looked Inuit, generally speaking. He had long blue black hair and dark brown eyes, he had a sexy smile and exuded charm. The guy flirted casually as if he did it all the time and she had no doubt he did. Handsome and charming, but she felt no real draw and she was thankful that she didn't. She needed no entanglements and certainly didn't need the love bug to bite.

While she smiled in a friendly way, she didn't act overly interested. He would get the message. Unfortunately, the boy seemed to like hunting. Now that she had transmitted her lack of interest, his interest had increased. Wasn't that just typical alpha male shit? They never thought a female immune to them. It was worse among wolves according to her cousins who were around them all the time. This guy was without doubt a wolf just as the pilot had been. It wasn't just the look in their eyes, or the incredible physique combined with overall attractiveness, she could smell the wolf lurking under the surface just like they would smell hers. It made her wonder if there was a pack nearby.

He loaded her bags into the rental. It was like a jeep on steroids, it was jacked up with larger than normal wheels, probably for the high snows they had here. Even when you didn't want to go anywhere, nothing was worse than knowing you were stuck at home, regardless of the reason. This vehicle looked like it would get her anywhere and everywhere. Once all her bags were loaded, she got in and took off. No need to tip anyone since that was included in her bill. Everything was easy peasy. She thought about what a great ad campaign she could do for the travel agent on the all-inclusive deal. It seemed no matter how much she tried to get away from her work she just kept dragging it back into her vacation. She wasn't a workaholic, okay, she was a recovering one. Escaping danger was part of the reason for this trip but learning to relax now that she had achieved a level of success was the other part.

She drove down the road taking the necessary turns automatically. It had only been three months since she had been there. Finally, she turned into the driveway of the house she would be staying at. For six months she had locked it in at a set price while she was considering the possibility of buying it. It would be a great place to have for vacations and even corporate retreats. In the two weeks she had stayed there she had fallen in love with the place. Now she was back for a visit and the possibility of owning it was very real. As she went around the first curve the house became visible. It looked more like a lodge than a house. Built with Douglas fir logs, it had a stone base. The same stone was used for the chimneys. The windows were floor to ceiling across the front of the house where the living room, entry, and dining room were. The house had three stories with all the bedrooms except the master on the top two stories. It also had an elevator making all levels easy to reach.

A trust fund baby desperate to spend all his money, or at least it had seemed that way, had spared no expense when building it. He had run out of money due to his extravagant lifestyle before the house was a year old and he had been forced to sell it. It had changed hands three times since then with the last owner never even stepping foot inside. The price had dropped with each consecutive owner until it had wandered into her price range.

She used the automatic garage door opener that she found in the passenger seat, the realtor had put it there, to open the garage door so she could park. He had said he would have the heat on and everything ready for her. The picture that flashed through her mind was the realtor naked in the whirlpool tub with two glasses and a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket on the deck next to him. Oh, you naughty girl! That realtor had been quite a hottie. He had asked her out last time she was here and even though she said no, she had to admit he was tempting. In the place she was in right now she just didn't want any attachments, real or imagined. She had had the bad luck in her recent past to draw obsessive men and her life was too busy to deal with that right now.

The garage was made to hold four cars, so she took the stall nearest the house. She grabbed her smallest bag, the one with all the necessities for a couple of days. Because she was pretty worn out from the trip here from Missouri, she would unload the rest in the morning. She just wanted to fix herself something to eat, get a glass of wine, and relax in the hot tub. If that didn't put her to sleep then she would watch a little TV though she didn't think it would come to that. The house was in an isolated area, just out of sight of its neighbors, so after she got some food and wine, she opted out of wearing a suit. Grabbing a towel so she wouldn't drip water everywhere once she was ready to come back in; she went to the little side door which was two steps from her goal. As she stepped out the door, she heard the tub running. Switching on the outdoor light there was her naked realtor sitting in her tub waiting for her. Her mouth dropped open, and her voice refused to work.

After a few seconds she managed to speak. "What are you doing here?" she squeaked.

"Enjoying the view darling," he said looking at her with lustful intent. She had forgotten she was as naked as a jaybird. Her face turned bright red as she moved to a nearby table to set down her food and wine so she could cover herself with the towel she held.

"I thought we agreed to keep our interaction strictly on a business level," she said with a frown on her face, her voice cool and detached despite the vulnerability of being naked.

"I never agreed to a business relationship. I told you I was interested in pursuing you so here I am." Even as she looked at him in disbelief, she noticed the hard muscular lines of his delicious body. He had blond hair which made him stand out in this area. His sea green eyes glowed with sexual interest and humor. His male wolf scent was pleasant if not seductive and his bare chest appealing to say the least. She could have seen herself involved with him long ago. A lot had changed in the past year, and she just couldn't risk it. If she could have sex with him and walk away with no problem, could he? He appealed to her only on a temporary basis. She knew they could be friends and maybe lovers, but he wasn't the one that would tempt her into staying for any length of time.

"Sorry there, Dude, but I haven't changed my mind."

"Why does everyone think I'm from California? It's not Dude, it's Trev. If you're going to break my heart, at least remember my name." He was charming as he pouted, but there was no way his heart was breaking. This guy was a playboy.

"Are you at least wearing something?"

"Why yes ma'am. I got my boys covered."

"Thank goodness. You're not one of those guys that gives his uh you know what, a name are you?" she asked finding her face red again.

"I'll have you know Big John resents that remark," Trev said with an endearing grin.

"Unbelievable!" she said shaking her head but smiling in amusement.

She went back inside and put on shorts and a tank top before she came back out and shared her food with Trev. They both sat in the tub on opposite sides drinking and talking for a couple of hours. Eventually she got to where she could barely keep her eyes open. That was when she sent Trev on his way and fell into bed to get some desperately needed sleep thinking Trev wasn't so bad after all once, he got his mind off sex.

The next morning found her sluggish and reluctant to get out of bed. She finally dragged her ass up, took a shower so she'd be fully awake, and went to the kitchen. Looking through the fridge showed that it was well stocked as she had requested. She pulled out some milk for a bowl of cereal. Breakfast needed to be short and sweet so she could get to work. Once she turned on her computer while it booted up, she got out all of the items she needed to help her become more familiar with the new company's products. She took off her clothes lying down on the couch as she considered using the big tool.

Moments later she was terribly embarrassed when she looked up to find a handsome stranger watching her. This was so much like a porno that she wondered if she was dreaming. She quickly pulled a throw from the back of the couch over herself and her face turned bright red, and she had no idea what to say.

"Why would a beautiful she-wolf like you be considering using that when she would have no problem finding a dozen males to see to her every need?" the handsome stranger asked.

She looked at him closely examining him as he examined her. He seemed vaguely familiar though she was sure she didn't know him. She immediately opened her mouth and inserted her foot. "Because I'm paid to." Oh no. Now he'll think she's a hooker of some kind.

His eyes lit up with curiosity and he raised his brows as he waited for her to explain. "I'm not a hooker or anything like that," she said as she concentrated on what she would say next.

"Of course not," he said agreeably. "You're just paid to use sex toys. Do you film it or take pictures while you use them?" He smiled as he said it while he seemed to be enjoying her embarrassment. As he drew in a deep breath and his eyes darkened with need. "You're going into heat, I can smell it. I can help with that while I ease your suffering and give you immense pleasure." He spoke in a husky voice that made her belly tingle as heat rushed through her. How could she sleep with a random male who thought she was some kind of call girl or a porn star?

"I run an advertising agency and Sexual Joy is one of my clients. They sent me some of their products to test so I could come up with a marketing campaign." She could tell right away that he didn't believe her; she didn't know why she cared, but she didn't like that he thought she would lie. It wasn't like she owed him an explanation anyway. For that matter, what the hell was he doing in her house? She decided to ask him. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"I have an appointment with Joey Smith. Is he available or is he helping some of the other ladies test more products?" he asked with a smirk. He was laughing at her and she could tell. The nerve of the infuriating wolf still laughing at her. She'd teach him a lesson!

"He's a she and you're looking at her. How did you get in? I didn't hear you at the door." He examined her skeptically as he was wondering if this could really be a rich eccentric hillbilly. While he picked up a southern accent that wasn't the accent he had expected. He had watched that old show about hillbillies in Beverly Hills so he would understand what this Joey was saying. It hadn't been a waste of time because the show was really funny. No matter how much he enjoyed the show it wouldn't help him with this female. Could he believe that she was Joey, the owner or soon to be owner of this place?

"The doorbell must be broken. When no one came to the door, I used a key I still had from when I made a repair a month back." He watched her reaction because this female fascinated him.

He'd always wanted to buy this property. Three times it had come up for sale and he had lost out because of good buddy deals that had gone through before he could get his hands on it or even find out about the sale. Now this female had purchase rights and he wanted them. Maybe he could seduce them out of her. It made sense to combine a little business with a whole lot of pleasure and he would enjoy every moment of the negotiations. He stepped a little closer to her. The big bad wolf was in the house and he was going to huff and puff and blow her down. This would make a more interesting story than the old fairy tale anyway.

"What… what are you doing?" she asked feeling more nervous than a whore in church. Oops, not a good comparison considering everything.

"Just coming a little closer, Joey, so we can take care of business," he said with a knowing smile on his face. The wolf had done nothing, but smile, since he came in.

She was wondering which business he was talking about, what he had come for or what he had seen? "What's your name?" she asked wondering if he was really the guy, she had an appointment with.

"Naqi Jones. My father was from New York, but my mother is Inuit." He was a wolf, no doubt with that strong appealing scent that was starting to get to her.

"Ah, so you're the contractor that was coming to see me this afternoon."

"I was told to come as soon as I could."

"I asked for an earlier appointment, but I was told you weren't available until later."

"That explains why I caught you getting ready to play with your toy. That and the smell of heat coming off you," he smirked as he said it.

"You don't need to concern yourself with that." She frowned at him. Was this guy for real? "Why don't we get down to the business that you're actually here for?"

She realized now why he looked familiar. Now that he had the same look of surprise on his face the guy that loaded her bags had had. She didn't doubt there was a connection between them. Maybe brothers or cousins at the least. This guy had the same blue black hair, he was about the same height. He looked a little older and his body was filled out, more like a man, no, exactly like a man. The other guy had the look of a boy on the brink of manhood. It was so easy to forget wolves preferred to be called males. Many of them thought themselves above humans. Her special blood allowed them to overlook her human origins. It was even easier now that she was wolf too. She looked back at the male before her and those unexpected blue eyes seemed to stare right through her. They almost glowed making her nervous.

"At least you're back to looking me in the eyes. I thought only males ogled females like that." His knowing look made her feel like a schoolgirl caught eyeing the object of her crush. In her defense, the only female that wouldn't look would be one that was ill or dead.

She refused to let her embarrassment show. "I never said you were unappealing or not worth looking at, Mr. Jones. Simply that I had no intention of partaking of any of the local wildlife."

The look on his face was almost comical, this was not a guy used to being turned down. "Why don't you have a seat, and we'll discuss what I asked you here for?" she asked directing him toward a seat farther away. He ignored it and sat in a seat close to her. The guy was so close now that his male scent wrapped around her threatening to drive her mad with need. Why had this happened now? Why here of all places?

"So, my little she-wolf, what did you want of me?" She was sure he purposely asked the question in a way that filled it with sexual connotations.

"I need some work done on this house. I wanted to find out if it was even possible to make some of the changes I wanted."

"And what might those be?" He was sitting so close his body rubbed against hers constantly. She was breaking out in goose bumps and his scent, oh God, his scent was making her want things she shouldn't.

"I'm glad you asked. There are two small rooms I want to combine to make a large office space. I want to put a balcony on the third floor, and I want to turn half the third floor into a studio apartment with exterior access." She was proud of herself for getting all that out without jumping him.

"I think that can be done. Are you planning on buying this place?" he asked with a little too much disinterest.

"Like this place, do you?" What was there not to like?

"I've always had a passing interest in this house since it was built. It's close to my property and it has a fair piece of land with it."

"Yes, it is my plan to purchase the property before my contract runs out."

"Any way I might talk you out of that? I could find you another suitable place and pay for the purchase rights."

"Sorry, I've got my heart set on this place." And if you're here much longer, I might have my heart set on having you too.

"Let me know when you decide to have the work done, I'll be happy to do it for you." He turned and left quickly so disappointed he needed to go and run.

She watched him leave trying to figure out what had just happened. One minute he was trying to charm the pants off her and the next he was running like a gut shot cat. What the hell! Men never had made much sense to her, and it looked like wolves were even stranger. She got up and locked all the doors so she wouldn't have any more surprises. Now it was time to get back to her Big Boy campaign. A slogan had occurred to her while she was drooling over that damn wolf. When size matters…Big Boy is the only one you need. She bet he could compete with the big boy if the bulge in his jeans was anything to go by. Oh, yeah! That would be the center of the campaign. She felt better now that she had a place to start even though she knew she wouldn't get her mind off that damn wolf any time soon.

Lunchtime came around and the campaign was well on its way to being created. She felt better then she decide to use the afternoon to test out some of the samples. Once she pulled out the box, she started looking through it. Nipple clamps…well they were pretty. She set them to the side for later consideration. Ah, a clit stimulator, at least that's what it looked like. That could wait for later too. Hot flavored oil that would be better with a partner. Who knew when that would get used? Anal plugs, not today and maybe they wouldn't be used ever. The pile of stuff she wasn't using anytime soon was growing. She wasn't a prude, she really wasn't but she had tried things in high school and college. Wasn't that when most people did their experimentation?

Nipple clamps sounded painful, and a vibrating anal plug didn't appeal to her. Besides, what kept them from sliding all the way in if you sat down too hard? She could just imagine that conversation. "Excuse me nurse, but there's something up my butt and I need help getting it out. How did it get in there? Well, I was naked and fell on it? Okay, so you've heard that one before." That was so not happening. Maybe she would suggest to the company that their butt plugs have a bigger stopper on the end so a person wouldn't get nervous about using them. That conversation wouldn't be an easy one either.

She didn't mind trying out the Big Boy vibrator even if it was nearly a foot long and as big around as a stick of salami. A good lubricant could work miracles and there happened to be a tube of it in the box. She didn't mind handcuffs either especially since these had the quick release, but again that called for a partner. The edible underwear, again, the problem was no partner. Maybe she should have let one of the other women work on this project. No, all this campaign was really for was the Big Boy. If successful it would lead to other campaigns. Someone else could handle those, she would handle this one. Her mind was made up and she was nothing if not determined.

Anyway, she felt pretty hot right now, so what if the Big Boy looked a little intimidating. Picking it up to examine it curiously, she lightly ran her hands over it. It didn't have any bumps, but it didn't feel completely smooth either. Well, friction was what sex was all about. There was a simple switch that could be set at off or at several speeds from super slow to supersonic. She flipped it to the lowest speed which was quite slow. Now she flipped through the speeds until she got to the last one. OMG! That would really tear someone up! She couldn't imagine using the last two speeds at all and the middle speeds were questionable. The thing took on a life of its own on those high speeds. She could imagine what that might do. It certainly wouldn't take long.

Going to her bedroom where she made sure the windows were completely covered just in case someone came and walked around the house, she decided she would test it out. She couldn't even guess what Trev or Naqi might do, but she wasn't taking a chance on getting caught off guard. She undressed and got on her bed, the Big Boy and the lube were on the nightstand where she placed them when she undressed. Picking up both in order to lube up the vibrator, she knew logically that it would fit eventually since females could spit out babies and it wasn't that big. But what would she have to do and how long would she have to do it to fit that huge thing in her little channel?

She contemplated what to do as she relaxed on the bed. It had been nearly a year since she had been with a male. That thought made her think of something a friend had said about being a born again virgin or at least feeling like one. She had come close with a guy she had dated, but she had discovered he was an alpha in search of a white wolf and any white wolf would do. She was thankful she had found out before they had slept together so she had refused to see him again. The next guy who asked her out had been even worse, he had become an obsessive stalker. They hadn't even dated much less been together in the biblical sense, or she was sure he would have been even worse. The council's intercession had finally convinced him to leave her alone she was sure of it. She was staying here for a few months just to make sure. Two obsessive alphas in a row had just about turned her off of male wolves for life.

Right now, she was feeling seriously needy and if she didn't take the edge off, she would jump the next sexy local male that came near her. Hell, she might jump all the sexy local males that came near her. She picked up the lube and squeezed some onto her hand then she picked up the vibrator and started rubbing the lube on it. While she closed her eyes, she enjoyed the sensual feel of the lube sliding across the rough surface. It wasn't the same as a hot, hard cock, but it was better than her hand. Once the lube covered everything, she slid the tip of the vibrator between her legs and rubbed it back and forth. For some odd reason she imagined it was Naqi Jones between her legs sliding his thick length back and forth. It seemed to stoke her desire when she imagined him there.

Why wouldn't it? The wolf was damn sexy, he even smelled sexy. A wave of desire rolled over her as she remembered his scent and imagined how he might feel. She thought she might cum just from the fantasy. Then she remembered the vibrator and started rubbing it between her legs again. She turned it on slow and the vibrations felt good, so she turned it up to the second speed. Oh, yes! That felt so good, her whole pussy felt alive with the vibrations shooting through it and she hadn't even tried to sink it inside her yet. What would that feel like? Would she feel pleasure or pain, maybe both? Her tension built until it spiraled out of control. She screamed as she felt her orgasm roll through her.

Well, she could give the Big Boy good marks for its vibrations. They certainly got the job done without even being inside her. She thought for the first time about the comments Naqi had made about her going into heat. It was simply impossible, yet she did feel more amorous than usual. Was it possible that Trev had gotten her motor running and Naqi had revved it up even more? Well, anything was possible, but she hoped it wasn't the case because she had no intention of fucking her way through the small community of Wilde. If she didn't have a mate, that's what she was told might happen, she would be hit with an insatiable appetite that might take half a dozen horny males to satisfy. Yuck, orgy alert!

It was simply time to get out of here or set herself to task getting the work done that she had brought with her. With that in mind, she called her assistant manager Mel, short for Melinda. Mel was a cousin, a white wolf too, and had talent in advertising as well as management. It was an unwritten family rule that family came first, and she had never regretted hiring her cousin, far distant cousin though she was.

"Hello, Mel?"

"Yippee, I just won the bet. I bet it wouldn't be twenty four hours after you arrived before you called. I'm going to have a nice, relaxing time at the salon with all the money I just won. Thank you, Sweetheart, for being so predictable." Mel giggled and Joey could imagine her light blue eyes gleaming with amusement and her lips curled in that half smile Mel had that the males loved so much. Mel was curvy, something she always complained about, but males seemed to love it and Mel was just so incredibly cute.

"You're welcome. How's everything else going?"

It didn't really surprise her that they had bet on how long it would take for her vacation to turn into a long distance work fest. Since the day the business had become hers, she had been a workaholic. While she went to college, she was often working forty hours around her schooling even though she had signed on part-time. She had even gotten some college credit for a small part of the work she did. The older couple who ran the business were ready to retire and simply hadn't kept up with modern methods. Their business was losing money and she got a sweet deal. They had actually owned the building as well which was a plus. She took the top floor and rented out the other two floors, but she kept a corner office on the bottom floor which is where she advertised her business and saw clients by appointment. It had worked out wonderfully and now her business was finally taking off.

"Everything is on target. What about you? How's your campaign doing?"

"I've got a head start on it and I expect it will finish up smoothly," she replied, satisfaction evident in her voice.

"I can't wait to see it," Mel said, she didn't ask for more because they didn't discuss campaigns on the phone. It was a cutthroat business and spying wasn't unheard of.

The phone call finished up and it hadn't taken long. It was once again decision time, would she risk running into native males who might think she was in heat or work on her campaign finishing it up early then having nothing left to do? She decided to see if she could learn dog sledding. When she called the local company that did dogsled tours, she explained she wanted to be up front with the driver so she could learn to handle a team. They explained that wasn't their usual tour, but if she signed a waiver and agreed to follow the driver's directions exactly, they would allow her to learn. The person also explained it wasn't something a person could just learn in a day, it took years to learn to handle some of the faster, better teams.

Excited at the opportunity, she rushed to her room to dress appropriately. She layered her clothing and put on a pair of insulated snow boots. Then she also grabbed a pair of heavy leather work gloves that would hold up to almost anything. Joey grabbed her camera, she would be going into areas other people rarely saw. A smile came to her face, this would be wonderful.

An hour later, she wasn't smiling anymore. Naqi Jones had to be the most aggravating man, or wolf rather, that she had ever met or heard tell of. Arrogant, pig headed, chauvinistic, it all applied to the male standing in front of her smirking. How could she possibly know he owned the dogsled tour company? Now the conceited jerk was implying she had come searching for him in a way that would bring them in close contact and cause them to be alone. She had about half a mind to call the whole thing off, but as she looked at the sled, ready to go, she just couldn't deny herself the thrill of doing something she thought would be like riding a wild horse at a full run.

"If you don't want to take me, I'd be only too happy to have another driver show me the basics." That made him angry, she could see it, but she didn't care. She didn't belong to him, and she never would, not even for a night.

"It will be me or it won't happen at all," he said firmly, end of discussion.

"I'm not the problem, you're the one that accused me of trying to wiggle my way into your life. You couldn't be more than wrong. I'm not interested in a male, especially a wolf."

"You're a wolf, how could you discriminate against your own kind?"

"Let's just say humans are more to my liking and leave it at that."

"You mean less dominant and easier to push around?" he asked with a sinful smile.

"Take it however you wish, but either we go, or you assign someone else. We're burning daylight."

He motioned her to the front of the sled then he stood behind her pressed up against her. Then he put her hand on the reins before he put his hands over hers to guide them. A shiver of pure sexual awareness ran through her, the male was nearly irresistible. "Is this close contact really necessary?"

"You want to learn? This is how we teach younglings and newbies, Sweetheart," Naqi said as his hands and his body tightened around her becoming even closer. His nose nudged up against her neck breathing in her scent in long deep inhales. Her body tingled, damn, she couldn't help, but be turned on by the male, wolf or not. It just wasn't fair that he should be gifted with such sex appeal. His scent was strong, dominant, and utterly male. The touch she was getting was gentle, but his hands were calloused from the hard work he did. His skin was soft, but his body hard with muscles like granite. He had something else like granite poking her in her lower back. After he went through a few things with her, he pulled out some gloves handing her a pair while he put his on. She showed him the gloves she had brought, but he insisted on the ones he had which were task specific. Well fine, let's get on with it!

She was so distracted by his nearness, they were moving before she realized it. The vibration and the movement as they raced along pressed him tightly against her and caused him to slide over her. She was getting more aroused by the moment, she knew he could smell it. He leaned in his mouth against her ear, his breath hot and moist. "It seems you may be developing an interest in the local wildlife after all." His voice rumbled low sending sensations through her. Damn that man, no, damn that wolf!

By the time they did the full tour and came back, she was barely in control of her own body. It wasn't right that a male should have so much sex appeal and so expertly use his body to ratchet up her need until she was nearly ill with it. As they stopped, once more back where they had started, he finally peeled his body away from hers. She felt cold, suddenly abandoned without support. Her legs felt weak, her body burned. Time to suck it up and get the hell out of here.

"Your scent is getting stronger, you need to have sex," Naqi said. He was right behind her, when had he moved back so close? "If you wait until full heat, you'll jump the first male you see and you won't let him go for days." He didn't sound turned off when he said it, quite the opposite if the heat in his eyes was anything to go by.

"That would be Trev since he's coming over in the morning."

Naqi looked pissed, there was no other way to describe it. "You're seeing the golden boy realtor?"

"How do you define seeing? He's coming over in the morning for business."

"What business could you possibly have with him?"

"That's for me to know."

"And me to find out!"

"Take a chill pill, Sweetheart. You'll blow a gasket if you're not careful," she said with a chuckle. It was rewarding on a personal level to see Naqi so out of sorts, but she didn't want him to pursue her, well she didn't. Really! He would probably only be angrier when he found out she was signing the papers for the house. She had decided to buy it last night when they had landed a big campaign for a small car maker. Jupiter, the company, was over the moon when they saw the pitch. Yes, the pun was intended, and it was along those lines the campaign followed.

She'd immediately decided she deserved a reward, called Trev, and the rest was history. It wasn't done to anger Naqi, but he would probably look at it that way. Just as if he were the end all and be all of her world. She started to leave only to find herself up against the big SUV with Naqi pressed deliciously against her. He had the big gun out, literally, and pressed in all the right places. It was so not fair that he could reduce her to a puddle of want and need. She shivered as he whispered in her ear his voice filled with want and promises. "I can give you what you need, Baby. You don't have to hurt, it can feel really good. All you've got to lose is the suffering that comes with the heat. I bet it's your first time and I know just what to do for you."

Yeah, she bet he did, the old whore dog. He was probably one of those wolves that fucked everything that didn't get away first. If she didn't make a break for it soon, she would end up one of his many conquests. She took a deep breath and pushed hard as she stepped around him, he stumbled back unprepared for her move. Waving over her shoulder she was happy to have escaped this time. If he were determined to take her, she didn't know how long she would hold out.

As she jumped up grabbing the handle that helped her lift herself onto the running boards on her jacked up truck, she felt a little weak in the knees. She almost collapsed in the seat of her truck once she pulled the door open and pushed herself inside. Now she turned the key, carefully applied the gas to be sure not to spin out before heading home. It was an odd term for a temporary place like the cabin would be to her even if she bought it, but for now that's just what it was, home.

Had she looked back, she would have noticed Naqi Jones standing in the middle of the road with a look on his face that was a combination of shock that she had escaped his clutches and determination to get her in his arms again. This would be a contest of wills between a female determined to avoid an intimate relationship with a male, any male, and a male determined to have her, just her. Let the games begin!