The Wolf Moon (an erotic paranormal romance) (The Wolf Ring) by Meg Harris Read Free Book Online Page B

vicious fighter, and none of them quite dared take
him on.
    She wouldn’t
have gone back for herself. But for Graeme…
    She knew that if
Arthur hadn’t mated, he might still try to claim her. But he had likely found
another mate already, and if not, she doubted he’d want her with the scent of
another man fresh upon her. And if she crawled on her belly and begged meekly
for forgiveness, they might take her back, and help Graeme. After all, he was
part of the Ring now, the grandson of one of their greatest leaders, and the
Ring helped its members wherever possible.
    At least, it
always had… until Arthur.
    She became aware
that her tail was tucked between her legs and her head was down. Defiantly, she
lifted her head and her tail high, and trotted toward the Ring’s territory, Graeme
crashing along behind her.

 
    *****

 
    Graeme was aware
of little more than the pain, but when twenty or thirty wolves melted out of
the underbrush and Rhea stopped, he staggered to a halt as well.
    The largest of
the wolves, a great black beast with a tattered left ear and piercing green
eyes, stared at them for a moment. And then its lips drew back, showing sharp
ivory fangs. It stalked toward Rhea, every line of its body proud and
commanding, and she dropped to earth in an attitude of submission.
    Despite the
pain, something raw and ugly surged through Graeme. He didn’t like seeing Rhea
submit to a male that way. He wanted to reach down with his clawed hands, pick
up the black wolf, and throw it against the nearest tree. He held back the
animal instinct, and waited, trying to figure out what was going on here.
    The black wolf
sniffed the silvery wolf that was Rhea thoroughly, then lifted his head. The green eyes glared straight at Graeme, and the lips curled
even more, displaying the terrible canine teeth.
    Without the
slightest intention of doing so, Graeme showed his own teeth as well. He heard
a sound rumble from his chest, a feral snarl.
    The wolf stared
at him for a moment longer, then shifted. Its body
changed quickly, its outlines rippling, then reforming
itself into a dark-haired human male. The guy was big, as tall as Graeme, and
as well muscled. And just as naked. One of his ears was tattered, echoing his
wolf form, but otherwise he was a good-looking guy except for a hint of cruelty
around the mouth, and a cold glint in the emerald eyes.
    “So,” the other
man said, his voice dripping with scorn. “You’ve come crawling back to the Ring
Rhea. You and this… freak.”
    Graeme felt the
hairs on his neck prickle in response to the contempt in the other man’s voice.
He fought back the reaction, and glared, refusing to lower his gaze. Something
deep and instinctive told him that looking away from the other man’s eyes would
be seen as weakness.
    Rhea shifted.
She stood in front of the other man, beautiful and naked, and utterly unashamed
of her nudity. Graeme felt rage that the other man was able to see her body,
and when the man’s gaze swept insolently down her form, he wanted to kill. He
forced his rage back, and waited.
    “I came for the Ring’s
help,” Rhea said. Her head was low, her voice soft. She was not the proud and
sensual nymph he’d met in the forest, but a submissive and cowed wolf cringing
in front of an alpha male. “He is—caught. Trapped between
forms. And he is in pain. He needs help, Arthur.”
    The other
man—Arthur—drew in a breath, his nostrils flaring. His green eyes lit with
rage. “You have mated with him.”
    “Yes.” Rhea
spoke softly, but with conviction. “He is my mate.”
    “No.” Arthur’s
voice was cold. “You are my mate. I
won you when I killed your mate. It is the law.”
    Rhea lifted her
head. “It is an obsolete law.”
    “Nevertheless,
it is the law. You are mine. I killed for you.” Arthur’s voice was a deadly
growl. “And I will gladly do it again if I must.”
    Rhea looked as
if she wanted to argue, but she seemed to choke back her outrage, and