Please say yes.

  Her eyes narrow slightly as she smiles. “You do know that I don’t have access to my wolf side, right? I can’t exactly shift and run in the wild below the full moon.”

  I step closer to her, needing just that extra inch to make me feel less cold without her. “Just because you’ll be on two legs instead of four doesn’t mean you can’t run wild and free with the wolves. They won’t hurt you, and I’ll be by your side as I am now. I won’t shift.”

  I can hear the pounding of her heart as she considers my request. Normally, I’d take that as a sign that she’s flustered at the idea of being with me in a dark forest. Lately, though, I don’t know how she’s feeling about me.

  She sighs, and nods. “That sounds really freeing, actually. I’m in.”

  Her answer makes me want to take her in my arms out of sheer excitement. When did I become such a girl? “Okay, great. Meet me back here in two hours. You can invite the others if you’d like.”

  Maia’s smile is guarded, and I can tell she’s unsure about something. I plan to show her tonight, though, that even with the cure in her blood and growing up with humans her whole life, she has a true pack. With me.

  Chapter 20

  ⟣⟡⟢

  Maia

  “You are all traitors! You seriously won’t come with me?” I glare at all four of my friends. After telling Seth I’d go on a full moon run with him, I ran back to the guest house to ask, or really beg Wilk, Qadira, Bree, and Rylee to come with us. I need a buffer between Seth and I tonight, or else I might let my stupid body control my good senses.

  All of them, aside from Rylee, have told me they wouldn’t come. And even though Rylee seems all too eager to join in on Seth’s pack activities, one whisper from Bree has her changing her mind. “Uh, yeah. I forgot that I already promised to stay here and let Bree try some healing spells on my leg. It’s getting much better, and she needs practice.” Rylee lies through her teeth, and I’m shocked that Bree can convince even her to stay away from Seth for one night.

  Rylee has become a little too into Seth, in my opinion. I mean, I can’t have him, but I have a really hard time imagining someone else having him. Even when I let the vamp James kiss me, I couldn’t imagine worrying over whether he kissed another girl in the next minute. I wouldn’t have been jealous in the slightest. But when it comes to Seth, I feel this overwhelming possessiveness. I’m absolutely insane.

  I look to the faeries with pleading eyes. “Let me guess, you guys have some pretend magic crap to do as well?”

  Wilk shakes his head. “Nothing like that. Bree just told us not to interfere if you and Seth are to go on a date. I am guessing this is one of those dates.” He smiles sweetly, and Qadira joins him, looking like an adorable pink pixie with her sweet grin.

  My mouth drops open as I stare at Bree. “So you are the traitor? My best friend.” I let the hurt seep into my voice, though I can’t bring myself to feel all that upset with her for being my wing-lady.

  She grabs me by the arm and drags me away from the others. “Don’t even start with saying this isn’t a date. You two care about one another, and he is a really good person. I understand that there’s stuff holding you back, but I don’t see a problem with some fun.”

  Fun? Too much fun can lead to me killing him.

  “I don’t think you do understand, Bree. Fun on a full moon with a smoking hot guy could lead to something that I physically cannot do for fear of murdering him with my bodily fluids. Do you see what I mean?”

  She raises a single eyebrow at me like I’m dumb. “Not everything leads to sex, hon. You are a woman. You have control over your body, and I think you can enjoy the company of someone you care deeply about without letting your hormones control you. You’re a virgin at eighteen, Mai. Not a lot of us can say that in this day and age, so clearly you’re good at self control.”

  I scoff. “More like no opportunities to test my self control while I was labeled as a freak.”

  She shrugs. “Just have fun for one night. For me, please.”

  I try to think back to the last time I let loose and had fun. The most fun I’ve had lately was my lip lock with James just shy of a week ago. Time has flown, and to be honest, I actually miss the half-crazed bloodsucker. The memory of a painting done of Bree by James makes a question pop into my mind.

  “Speaking of you not having self control. What’s the story with you having a certain vampire recluse wrapped around your witchy finger?”

  A soft pink blush fills Bree’s cheeks and my eyes go wide. Before I can comment, she holds a hand up. “Long story short, and then you have to go out with Seth.”

  I nod as I roll my eyes, and she continues. “I accidentally made my first portal to somewhere in the Maine wilderness, and there was James. I was fifteen at the time, lost, and terrified, but he helped me figure out how to make a portal back home. He was kind, and really lonely.” Her face softens at the memory of meeting the sexy vampire. “Anyways, I told him I’d visit him after that, and I did. I went back to see him a few times a year after that. We’d play board games and talk, becoming friends, or like I was a long lost sister of his. After I turned eighteen, my feelings for him sort of changed, and I thought his had, too. It was last summer the last time I visited him. I tried to kiss him, but he turned me down.”

  My mouth drops open. “That’s it? No big love story? I mean, the guy is a huge flirt.”

  She laughs and shakes her head. “Trust me, I know. And before you get all weird, Seth told me that James kissed you. I am not jealous or anything. I have heard plenty of James’s stories about his interests in the ladies.”

  I cringe a little. “Yeah, I think he did it to make Seth jealous, but I’m not sure it worked.”

  “Oh, it worked. Trust me.” She laughs again.

  “When did you and Seth become buddies?” And why didn’t I know about this sooner?

  Bree waves a hand at me. “We’re both your protectors, Mai. We have talked a few times about your safety.”

  Doesn’t sound like talks about safety to me.

  “If you want to get deep into girl talk, we can do that later, maybe when you have something juicy to tell me.” She winks, and my heart sinks even further as I contemplate this so-called date with the alpha heir of the Shaw pack.

  What have I gotten myself into?

  ♢♢♢

  Maia

  The moon is high above the trees, and completely full. I stare at the hazy glow it casts over everything the blue light touches, and my body feels looser. It’s as if I’m captured in some sort of spell by the moon’s beauty. Never in my life have I given even a second thought to the sun or the moon, or the stars for that matter. I’ve taken a look and moved on, but tonight is something entirely different.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Seth’s deep voice speaks softly behind me, pulling me from the moon’s trance.

  I spin around to see him standing in a plain gray t-shirt, dark jeans that hug his large thighs tightly, and no shoes. Gah, how does he always look so sexy? He gives me a cocky smile as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking about him, and I have to remind myself that he can’t actually read my mind like James can… at least I hope he can’t.

  “Yeah, I was just looking up at the moon. I’ve never seen it so full and large. It’s mesmerizing.”

  Seth nods, and steps to my side, glancing up into the night sky. He sighs as if completely content to just stand here in silence under the moon and stars. “Can you feel a sort of pull inside of yourself? Like the moon wants to capture you and take you away from everything?” He drops his gaze to my eyes, and his eyebrows lower to give him a sort of dangerous and alluring look.

  I feel as if my breath gets caught in my throat. “I do, actually. How’d you know that was what I was feeling?”

  Seth’s hand reaches up to slide a strand of hair behind my ear and I about turn to take a bite of his finger as he does so. Something in me feels animalistic, like I have suddenly become a wild thing with no regard for boundaries. The air between our bodies feels charged with electricity and a small whimper escapes my throat. What the hell is wrong with me?

  I close my eyes and try to shake my sudden wildness away. “Uh… I feel a little… weird.” I open my eyes again and Seth is watching me with hunger in his eyes.

  He licks his lips and steps away from me abruptly. “Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t expecting the moon to affect you, considering your wolf side should be totally dormant. I also wasn’t expecting it to make me feel so…” he trails off, but I desperately want to know how he’s feeling right now, and if it’s anything like what’s going on inside of me.

  I step closer, and reach my hands up to stroke his stubbly cheeks. The short hair is soft, but somehow rough at the same time. I don’t know why I feel like I have to touch him, but for the life of me, I can’t remember why this might not seem okay. Seth’s eyes close and he inhales deeply through his nose.

  A low rumble comes from his deep chest, and he quickly grabs my wrists in his hands. “Snow, I shouldn’t let you do this. You don’t understand what’s happening, and I should’ve warned you earlier.”

  I shake my head. I don’t want to stop touching him, but I’m also incredibly confused. “You’re right. I don’t understand at all what’s happening right now, but I feel like I might die if I don’t touch you, Seth.”

  Seth continues holding my wrists so that I can’t move my hands closer to him. His eyes darken under the moonlight. Even though I can’t touch him with my hands, I move my body forward until it’s pressed against his. Every inch of him is solid and warm, and I can’t help but sigh. “Kiss me,” I say before I can stop myself.

  Seth grips my wrists tighter but doesn’t release them. I can tell that he’s trying to restrain himself, but I’m not having it. “Please,” I beg, completely gone from myself now.

  Seth doesn’t hesitate anymore as his lips crash into mine. He drops my wrists, and his large hands slide around my waist, hoisting me higher to capture his mouth more fully. I moan against the taste of him that I have been waiting for since the moment we met. My hands dip into his hair, and I press my body harder against his.

  Seth growls somewhere inside of him, and the vibrations from it reach my lips, causing any control I may have had left to break. “Seth,” I whisper against his mouth, and in seconds, I’m lifted away from him and placed firmly on my feet.

  Seth’s eyes flash black and then back to brown again, and he’s breathing as heavily as I am. “Snow, I can’t do this with you right now. Please try to understand.”

  My eyebrows drop, and I can feel my control coming back to myself. “Um.. why am I feeling so insane right now?”

  Seth sighs and licks his lips. “It’s a wolf thing. The full moon sort of heightens our senses, particularly our hormones, and sexual drive. It’s nature's way of encouraging procreation for our kind. I’m really sorry you have to go through this without someone guiding you.”

  I wrap my arms around myself, trying to understand what he’s saying. Oh, dear lord! I’m sex-crazed and I just attacked Seth! The realization brings me back to reality and a hot blush fills my cheeks. Now that I know what’s happening, it’s as if I have slightly more control, and I am incredibly embarrassed.

  “I’m so sorry, Seth! What did I just do? I seriously begged you to kiss me.” My face heats up even more, and I cover the warmth with my hands, wishing I could hide forever.

  Seth actually laughs, and I peek through my fingers to see his teeth shining in the bright night. “I don’t know why you’re sorry, Snow. I can’t lie and pretend I didn’t enjoy that, a lot, or that I wouldn’t want much more of that in the future. Under these circumstances, though, it doesn’t feel totally right.”

  My heart clenches at his words. He wants more with me? I want that so bad, but I can’t, can I? Maybe he doesn’t know the consequences if we were to be intimate with one another. I run a hand through my hair and shuffle back and forth between my feet. This conversation sucks so bad.

  “Seth, I think we need to talk. You know that we can’t…” I wave a finger between us, really hoping I won’t have to say the word out loud. “I mean, if we were to…”

  Thank all that is holy that Seth raises a hand to stop me. His shoulders slouch slightly, and he tilts his head at me. The look is almost shy, and incredibly adorable. “Snow, I know very well what the cure in your blood keeps us from doing. I can’t deny that I have thought about it… a lot.” He chuckles softly. “But, I also can’t just ignore the way I feel about you.”

  A warmth fills me at his words, as if I just snuggled into the warmest blanket beside a roaring fire. “How do you feel about me, exactly?” The urge to touch him only grows, and I accidentally step toward him again. Oops.

  Seth looks at the six inch gap between us, and then back up at my eyes. “You know how you feel when you look up at that full moon? Like it’s drawing you in, and you just want to be nearer to it? Like if you could just touch it, or disappear inside of it’s embrace, you could be content forever.” I gulp and nod, understanding the feeling completely. “Well, that’s how I feel every single time I look at you, Maia.”

  Did he just call me Maia? Holy hell.

  Seth reaches one of his large hands up to rest just below my ear, against my neck. I shiver at his touch and the hazy moon spell comes over me again, or is that just my own wildness? “Seth, I’m practically a poison to you. Nothing about me is a smart decision, or a safe one at that.” Even as I say the words, I barely feel truth in them. I have very little common sense right at this moment and I can still feel his lips against mine.

  Seth nods in agreement. “You are right, Snow. It’s not safe at all.” His head tilts toward mine, and he breathes in my scent with his wolf senses. I don’t know what he smells on me when he does that, but thank goodness I showered today. “You know, I’ve never shied away from danger.” His eyes show the truth in what he says.

  “What about death? Shouldn’t you shy away from that?”

  Seth seems to think on my words for a moment, and then a long howl fills the night sky somewhere deep into the forest. Seth’s lips tilt up in a grin and he stands up taller. “It’s time to run with the pack, Snow. Are you up for a little danger tonight?”

  A nervous laugh comes out of me. I have a feeling that he’s not just talking about running, but my heart races at the thought anyways. “Absolutely,” I say, and Seth grips my hand in his as he takes off toward the howl.

  Chapter 21

  ⟣⟡⟢

  Seth

  My wolf is right at the surface as I run through the pack lands with Maia by my side. She is fast, and decently agile in the trees, thanks to the full moon lighting our path. I could be running at five times her speed right now, but I keep pace with her so that she can experience this even with her wolf side shut away.

  I’m surprised to find that she still feels the effects of the full moon, even though she shouldn’t have access to that side of herself. Just knowing that she feels the need to touch me like I do with her nearly causes me to forget all of my cautions and sense, just to claim her as mine under the shining moon. And now that I know what it feels like to kiss her, and hear her moan against me, how can I ever want to do anything other than that again?

  These are always the nights that many of my kind lose their virginities. Normally, it’s only with their fated mate, but that’s not always the case. It’s not uncommon for two shifters to fall in love with one another even though it’s frowned upon if they aren’t fated. Maia may not be my mate, but I can’t help the way I feel about her already.

  I turn to watch her white hair fly behind her as she runs, the moon light reflecting off it perfectly. Her beautiful face is lit with a smile, and she focuses on the woods in front of her with such concentration. Even with my wolf driving me forward with incredible balance, I could easily lose focus and trip just from the inability to take my eyes off of Maia.

  And I wouldn’t give a single damn.

  Maia gasps as a gray wolf runs beside her for a moment before taking off at full speed ahead of us. She starts to stumble, but I grab onto her and slow us to a stop. “Did you see that wolf? It was gorgeous!”

  She’s breathing heavily, and her eyes go wide as more wolves run past us. I point to three smaller wolves that run side by side. “Most of the wolves out tonight are newly shifted, and having some fun under the full moon, or looking for their fated mate. It’s like a big party once a month.”

  Maia stares after the two wolves that slow down to tumble over the other playfully. She smiles, and looks up at me. “When did you first shift?”

  “Every wolf shifter turns for the first time during their first full moon after they reach eighteen. For me, it was two days after my eighteenth birthday.” I can still remember that first shift as if it were yesterday, and it has been nearly two years.

  Maia nods. “I wish I could do that, Seth. What’s it like? Does it hurt?”

  “It doesn’t hurt at all anymore. The first few times feels like you’re stretching a muscle too far, or the feeling of overextending, only all over your body. It’s incredibly uncomfortable, but not excruciating.”

  She grimaces. “Ooh. Maybe I don’t wish for that.” She laughs softly, and the sound causes my wolf to stir. He likes the sound as much as I do.

  I squirm a little, and Maia eyes me. “Are you okay, Seth?”

  I rub a hand along my face as I look up at the moon through the parted trees. “I’m fine. My body just wants to shift. It almost feels uncomfortable to not shift on a night like this.”