This morning had started like any other normal day. When she’d had breakfast with her folks, she’d never dreamed that hours later she’d be fighting for her life.

  Because there was no way she was going to allow any wolf to claim her. It would be her choice or none at all.

  She skidded to a stop and turned. Growling, she showed her fangs, warning both men she was prepared to fight. Simon remained a wolf, but Jude was in his human form.

  “We don’t have to do this,” Jude began. But Addie was very much afraid they did. Simon’s brown eyes gleamed with determination and lust.

  ****

  Something is wrong.

  The woods went silent. The birds stopped singing, and a squirrel that had been entertaining him with its antics suddenly fled up a nearby pine tree.

  It was an unnatural quiet.

  Billy sat up on his sleeping bag and listened. He’d been lying back, relaxed, watching the late afternoon sky and enjoying the sounds of the mountain. He hadn’t bothered to bring a tent. The weather was forecast to be decent, and he loved sleeping under the stars, even when there was the possibility it would dip down close to freezing overnight.

  Something rustled in the bushes nearby. He pushed himself upright and quietly moved in the direction of the sound. A bear? The smaller animals wouldn’t have been as spooked by a deer or a fox.

  When voices filtered through the trees, he relaxed. It was just some fellow hikers. Although, he really was off the beaten track, far from humanity or any trails. One of the voices sounded distressed. He knew his way in the wilderness, but not everyone else did. Best to make sure they weren’t lost.

  He took the time to roll his sleeping bag and attach it to his pack, just in case he had to guide them out.

  So much for my quiet afternoon and evening in the woods.

  Some sixth sense made him creep quietly toward whoever was out there. This wasn’t a likely spot for anything illegal, but stranger things had happened. There could be hunters out there, in which case the last thing he wanted was to get his ass shot by startling them.

  He might be human, but he’d been trained by werewolves from the time he was a kid. It was as natural as breathing for him to stay downwind and watch where he put his feet.

  A deep growl made him stop in his tracks. There were wolves out there. And since there weren’t any regular wolves around here, they had to be werewolves.

  He did not need to be caught in the woods by another pack. There was one in Kentucky, but he’d figured the odds of him running into any of them were slim to none. Looked like slim had won.

  But they didn’t know he was out here. The best thing to do was walk away to avoid any possible conflict. He’d turned to do just that when a woman spoke.

  “Make him go home, Jude. I won’t mate with him.”

  Billy’s blood ran cold. Silently cursing himself as an idiot for getting in the middle of a fight between werewolves, he slowly lowered his gear to the ground and strode forward, making no attempt to silence his approach.

  They all stared as he walked into the small clearing. His gaze went from the naked woman—and wow, was she gorgeous—to the very large wolf glaring at him. There was another man, also naked. He had no idea where the naked guy stood in all of this, but the wolf was obviously the biggest problem.

  He held his hands out in front of him. “Don’t mean to barge in, but I’m afraid I can’t let you claim an unwilling female.”

  The wolf growled, showing plenty of teeth. The other man frowned and spoke. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but this isn’t any of your business. Walk away.”

  Billy tilted his head to one side, studying them both. “Sorry, can’t do that. I’ve heard stories about forced matings. A real man protects his friends and family, helps where he’s needed. A real man never forces a woman.” He shook his head. “So sorry, but I’m not going anywhere.”

  ****

  Who is this guy? Where the heck did he come from?

  There was no time to get answers. The tall stranger sauntered forward to confront Simon and Jude, as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Even more shocking, he knew what they were.

  He wasn’t the least bit taken aback by seeing two naked people and a wolf. Obviously, he’d been listening to them if he knew about the claiming. He was a stranger, but he had to be a wolf or at least a half-breed if he knew so much about their kind.

  “You need to leave,” Jude repeated. “While you still can.” His voice was so low it was almost a growl. The stranger didn’t back down, but stood taller and tilted his chin up slightly in an obvious challenge.

  Addie took a deep breath and caught the stranger’s scent. Shock rippled through her. He was totally human and no match against two male werewolves. As much as she appreciated him coming forward on her behalf, she couldn’t allow him to be hurt. And that’s what would happen if he stayed.

  “He’s right.” She looked the stranger right in the eyes. “You should go.”

  The human hooked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans and shook his head. “Not unless you tell me you’re ready to mate with that wolf.” He jerked his head toward Simon.

  There was something about the man that made her unwilling to lie. She shook her head. “No, I can’t tell you that.”

  “Then I guess I’m staying.”

  Simon began to shift, his bones and body contorting and reshaping, fur disappearing and turning to skin. Back in his human form, he spat on the ground. “This is none of your business, human.” He made the last word sound like a curse and took a menacing step forward.

  But the stranger didn’t back away. Nor did he seem the least bit shocked by Simon’s transformation. Human he might be, but wherever he’d come from, this was not his first encounter with her kind.

  She didn’t know if this newcomer was brave or stupid.

  “But since you’ve seen what we are, you have to die,” Simon added.

  The man cocked his head to one side. “I knew what you were before I stepped into the clearing.” Then he turned his attention to her and inclined his head. “Billy Gallagher. Pleased to meet you.”

  It was embarrassing to be totally naked in front of a complete stranger. Even with her hands strategically placed, there was no hiding her nudity. She always changed and shifted before joining the others. She wasn’t ashamed of her body, but she was modest, and there was no need to make the situation regarding her unmated state even more volatile by parading around in nothing but her bare skin.

  At least she knew his name now. Billy Gallagher. It suited him. He was just a shade over six feet tall with blond hair and eyes as blue as a summer’s sky. He wasn’t heavily built, but from the way he moved, there was a lot of lean muscle under his clothing

  “Addie Fuller.” It should have felt ridiculous to be acting like the situation was normal, but she honestly didn’t know what else to do.

  Simon gave a menacing growl. “You don’t look at her. She’s mine.”

  Enough was enough. “I’m not yours. I’ll never be yours. I thought we were friends, but right now, I don’t like you. I don’t know who you are anymore.” And that was the truth. They’d all grown up together, playing and running wild as children. Everything had changed these past few months.

  She turned to Jude, appealing to his common sense. “You need to take Simon home. We can pretend this never happened.”

  “She’s right.” Jude held his hand out toward his friend, but he was having none of it.

  “No, she’s mine. And I’ll claim her as soon as I get rid of the human.”

  Billy’s affable demeanor disappeared in the blink of an eye. “You might want to rethink that. If I don’t turn up at home on time, people are going to come looking for me.”

  “Let them come.” Simon threw back his shoulders and gave a cocky grin. “They’ll have to find your body.”

  An icy chill ran through her. She’d never once thought Simon was capable of cold-blooded murder. Of course, she’d never thought he’d try to force her to mate with him either.

  “Oh, they’ll find it.” Billy tapped the side of his nose. “Werewolves have an excellent sense of smell.”

  Brow furrowed, she cocked her head to one side, totally confused. “Werewolves?”

  “Didn’t I mention I’m part of the Salvation Pack out of North Carolina? No? Well, I am. So unless you want to bring a whole heap of trouble down on your pack, you’ll walk away.”

  End of sample chapter

  www.evernightpublishing.com/wolf-in-the-woods-by-n-j-walters

 

 

  N. J. Walters, Elijah (Seven Deadly Sins, #1)

 

 

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