Marked (BDSM bondage, Howl) by Jennifer James Read Free Book Online

Chapter
One
     
    Kayla thrummed with tension as she crouched in the underbrush
ringing the man’s property. Her hind legs trembled under the pressure of
remaining still for three hours. A young buck grazed in the woods, his scent an
enticement to leave her hiding place and feast on warm, sweet flesh. A family
of rabbits scrabbled underground, the noise of their movements loud to her
sensitive ears. Her wolf wanted to feed and approach the man and his wolf with
a fresh kill digested and absorbed into provocative assets to help her snare
her mate.
    She sucked in a breath. Her mate. If he’d have her. If he still wanted her. If he’d forgive her for bolting without explanation.
    Pain and loneliness coalesced into a tight ball in her
throat. A low whine escaped and she tucked her tail in tighter. Each and every
night of the last five years she’d fought her fears and lost to them, her
desire to be with her mate never strong enough to overcome them.
    Agony stabbed her chest. She scented the air and parceled
the smells. The musk of a wolf rode the air here in a heavy blanket. He used an opening in the tree line to her left often.
    Her mate exited his back door for the second time that
morning, barefoot and shirtless. She forced herself to relax and stayed low
beneath an overhanging bush. Blue highlights glinted in his black hair. A
heavy, defined chest and shoulders tapered into a rippling abdomen bisected by
a thin line of hair that disappeared in his low-slung jeans. He retrieved an
armful of firewood and strode back into the house. The door gaped open and her
wolf overrode her desire for caution.
    Sticks and twigs popped and cracked below her paws as she
nearly flew across the ground toward the small one story cabin. The closer she
drew, the stronger his scent grew until it flooded every sense.
    Jack.
    Her wolf rejoiced, yipped and barked as she barreled into
the kitchen and skidded across the worn linoleum.
    He waited for her at the end of the narrow galley-style
kitchen, his eyes the same piercing blue she remembered. Fear of rejection
swamped her and overcame her wolf’s enthusiasm. She regained control, scrabbled
on the slick floor, and spun to leave the house.
    Pain prickled in the back of her neck and she registered the
pressure of strong fingers around the ruff of her neck. He hauled her off the
ground and against his torso.
    “I don’t think so. You took the bait. Now you’re mine.”
    She struggled and squirmed, her legs pedaled the air. A low
growl emanated from his diaphragm, deepened in his lungs, and gained life in
his vocal cords.
    The warning vibrated her spine, and she tucked her tail up tight
and collapsed her ears. Jack loosed her to the floor and she crouched with her
tummy flattened on the cool flooring.
    While he stalked to the door and closed it, she drank in the
sight of the flexing muscles in his back and the way his faded jeans molded to
his ass. He turned, and she knew his wolf regarded her; his blue irises glowed
from within. Although an alpha female, she cringed from the censure in his
expression. Disgrace bubbled up. He’d never looked at her that way before.
    She rolled over, let her skull rest on the ground, and
exposed her throat in a display of total submission.
    The soft padding of his steps reached her until he stood
near her ear, his bare feet tantalizingly close. “Change, please.”
    Despite her shame and fear, she called to the magic within
her. Warm tingles spread from her nose to her tail tip and the she-wolf bounded
to a corner of her mind. Limbs changed shape and fur disappeared to leave her
naked before him. No pain accompanied her shift, as a born werewolf she slipped
forms with ease.
    Their gazes locked and she resisted the urge to cover her
breasts. The pulse of his magic pinned her down. A tremble started in his
fingertips and he clenched his fists. He took a deep breath, the air chased out
forcefully. Tears pricked her eyes.
    “Jack—”
    “No.” He stooped, gathered