Full Circle (Central Florida Pack Book 1) by Chudney Thomas Read Free Book Online

hold if Tim changed, although they would bleed. Drake pushed himself to his feet. "Wait for me. You can change at the house."
    The boy heaved a sigh of relief.
    As they pulled into the ranch's drive, the smell of home-cooked food hit Drake's nose. Tim's stomach was growling, or that could be his.
    "I hope this means that Ria's over," Tim said, showing his first sign of enthusiasm toward anything. "No one else's food smells this good."
    Drake detected infatuation there. He growled, startling both Tim and himself by the unexpectedly quick response.
    "I know she's yours. I'd never poach." Tim slid out of the SUV, white from the loss of blood and the control it took to harness his wolf. "You just have to use your nose. Besides, she's too old for me."
    Drake laughed. Tim was right, all he had to do was use his nose. His stomach rumbled again, reminding him that he sat in a truck while others enjoyed his mate's food and company.
    He found Ria standing in front of his oven with her back to him. A wave of rightness and possessiveness washed over him as he took in the sight of her cooking in his kitchen. It was something she'd done countless times, yet every time he was amazed that he could feel this way about something so simple.
    His mate doing what she always did so well, taking care of his Pack. Something others took for granted came instinctively to her. She turned around and he took in her flushed cheeks, her soft curls pulled up into a ponytail. The ponytail made him want to walk over and loosen it to let her curls cascade over his hands. It had been too long since he'd last touched her. He let his lips curve into a smile and was rewarded by a shy smile in response.
    "Hi."
    He stood still as her eyes searched his face and her scent turned to confusion, need and a trace of fear. It was always there, ever present after the death of her parents. Drake had been hoping to slowly erode it over time. It hadn't worked out like he thought it would.
    Her eyes widened, and Drake new he had to rein himself in, especially since he was in a house full of werewolves with big ears. He made his way over to the oven, grabbing a pair of mitts on the way. He opened the oven door and his eyes confirmed what his nose had told him when he walked in.
    "Mac and cheese."
    "Yes and
fried chicken
."
    They shared a smile as a collective groan went up around the house. And for a minute, her fear disappeared. Drake held his breath, only to watch her fear return full bore. She lowered her eyes and slipped into a full panic.
    ***
     
    This was nice
.
Too Nice
.
    Ria stared at her feet, willing her heart to understand that this was only the first date. In fact, it wasn't really a date to begin with.
    She'd woken up to find herself alone but covered by his blanket. The same one he'd presented to her, tied with a bow. She'd almost panicked when she'd realized he was gone, and then she'd spotted his note and panicked, anyway. Written in his hard-to-decipher handwriting, it hadn't been the most reassuring note. She'd had one of those before. She pushed the memory away.
    "What was so pressing that Doc called you to his warehouse?"
    Ria could feel Drake tense, and she readied herself for the rejection to come. Only, it didn't. She snuck a peak at him as he was now intensely studying the oven door. He shot her a glance, winked, and got to work.
    "We had a situation with a lone wolf." He pulled the pan out of the oven. "Tim was attacked in the middle of downtown. Doc had to stitch him up."
    "And the lone wolf?"
    "We have him contained."
    Ria stood back as Drake placed the food onto the hot pads she'd put down on the island. He headed back to get the rest out of the oven. Something told her there was more to this story, but she didn't push. She could feel all the ears in the house pricked forward and quivering for more information.
    The good part about living among the Pack: there were no secrets. The bad part about living among the Pack: there were no secrets. He raised