Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 1

mottled grey fur with hints of black and brown. The one on the right was slightly larger, but otherwise I doubt I could tell them apart.
    I roared back. They blocked me from my path— blocked me from getting to him . I could not allow this.
    Their teeth were bared as growls escaped from deep in their chests. They crouched low, defensive, tails in the air, and ready to pounce.
    I bared my own teeth. I could take two wolves.
    Then another wolf arrived behind them. He was larger— much larger and covered in grey mottled fur as well. A flutter of nerves passed through me. Two wolves would have been no problem, but three? And Jesus, did I mention the third wolf was huge?
    He shifted to human form in a blink in one fluid motion. A bear shifting so quickly meant great power. Even as a human, this man was formidable, muscles rippled across his torso and biceps. His shaggy brown hair fell around his face in waves.
    He eyed me up and down. I started to rear back to run at the man, but the two wolves held their defensive stances, snarling. I would have to get through them to get to him.
    "Shift bear. Why are you on our land?"
    There was no way I was shifting with two wolves ready to tear my throat out. Was he crazy? I shook my head, gesturing to the twin menaces.
    "Stand down, boys."
    They ignored the man.
    Power flowed from the man like a thousand ants crawling across my skin.
    "Stand down, boys."
    The two wolves sat, docile as puppies, tongues lolling.
    So I sat back on my haunches and allowed myself to deflate. My fur folded into my skin and my muzzle curled in. Soon I was sitting flat on my ass, buck naked. My head spun for a moment as I adjusted to my human form again. Being naked might have bothered me, but he was naked too.
    I hated how vulnerable I was in human form, but what else could I really do? I wasn't going to attack. What good could come of that? This was probably Kyle's Sleuth… what was the word? Pride? No, pack. Wolves lived in packs.
    "I'm looking for Kyle," I said, hoping Kyle wasn't a popular name in this pack.
    "Who are you?" The man barked out.
    I straightened to my full height, trying to look confident even as my stomach did somersaults. "My name is Devlin. I met Kyle several years ago, and I need to see him."
    The man looked me up and down again, assessing, eyes narrowed. He whispered something in one of the wolves' ears, and the wolf ran off.
    "I know who you are. Why are you here?"
    Lying crossed my mind for the briefest of moments. But lying had gotten me eight years of misery and I realized— I could feel him. I didn't know how, but I knew he was close. I needed to see him, and I would try the truth this time. "I don't know why I'm here. I just need to be, need to see him. I need to understand what is happening to me."
    The man's gunmetal grey eyes narrowed; his body looked tense. "You've caused him a lot of pain." He might as well have reached out and slapped me.
    He continued, voice hard. "He's learned to ignore it, or maybe he's gotten better at hiding it. I don't know; I've never seen anything like it. It's more than simply being... rejected by a mate. He feels you." His hands curled slowly into fists. "I won't allow you to open this all up again. He may not be able to heal this time."
    But I was stuck on one thing he said. "He… he feels me?"
    "Yes, each time he decided to search, he felt you run."
    I flinched, his words a harsh slap. I knew he was right.
    "He cries out for you in the night. He says you are empty inside and he cries for your pain."
    Bile rose in my throat. "Why did he tell you this? Are… are you someone special to him?" Had Kyle managed to find someone else, even though he said he couldn't?
    "Yes," the man answered.
    Jealousy surrounded me. It took every ounce of restraint to stay in human form, but he said he could not have another mate. How could this man have replaced me? I didn't even wonder when my mind had changed to be so possessive.
    But no more running half-cocked. I needed to be sure. "Who?"
    "I'm his Alpha. The leader of this pack."
    Relief flooded me.
    "I… I've sensed him too." The tension in me melted at finally admitting this. "I don't know why. Is it a wolf thing?"
    "It's not," the Alpha said, shaking his head. "Come, I will take you to the pack's house and we will decide what to do there. If I'm satisfied, you will see him."
    I gathered my clothes and dressed. Then he led me through the forest with the other wolf behind us. The threat was clear. No