Taming the Wolf (Anna Avery #1) 1

Spinning on the barstool, I faced him. I caught a glimpse of Adam and Eve in the distance. She was plastered against his body, her arms slung around his neck as they kissed. Anger radiated through me. Drawing my attention back to Sawyer, I snaked my hand around his neck and pulled him towards me, where he willingly met my lips.

“Okay you two, break it up,” Elle said beside us. I began to pull away, but Sawyer lifted me off of the stool and planted one last kiss on my lips. When he released me, I laughed at the hunger in his eyes.

“Down boy,” I teased. It’d been over two years since I’d slept with a man, and only one before him. Having a revved up sex drive may be normal for werewolves but it was still an unusual feeling to a girl as inexperienced as I was. I could understand how some of the woman in our pack bent under the pressure of their desires. It wasn’t an easy thing to tame.

“How’s about we head home,” Sawyer waggled his eyebrows and I laughed.

“Sounds good,” I replied, my voice husky. When Sawyer’s eyebrows arched in surprise, I laughed. “You can take a cold shower, and I’ll go to sleep.” Sawyer’s excitement vanished and both Elle and I giggled.

It was almost midnight and the night left me tired and angry. I had fun with Sawyer and Elle, but my interactions with Eve and Adam left a lot to be desired. With one quick glance in my alpha’s direction, I hopped off the barstool and followed Sawyer out to his truck. Someone grabbed my shoulder. I whirled around and full out growled. My wolf didn’t like being surprised, someone was liable to lose a hand. When I faced my assailant, I saw Tim. His eyebrows crawled up his forehead while his eyes shot wide. My wolf wasn’t happy to see the human again.

“Hey is everything okay?” Sawyer asked.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. You dropped this,” Tim stammered. I looked at the wallet he held out and grabbed it a little rougher than what was considered polite.

“Thanks,” I turned on my heel and hopped into Sawyer’s truck.

Chapter Five

I ran through town on a mission. The wind whipped against my fur as I stalked closer to my prey. When I got to Weston’s, the parking lot was nearly empty. I sauntered over to the dumpster and waited for the one I came for. A few people stumbled out to their cars, and I itched to take them down. But they weren’t the ones I was after.

The man I’d danced with finally emerged from the bar, and my wolf shot to her feet. I flicked a glance around the parking lot to make sure we were alone. When I was satisfied that it was just me and him, I trotted closer. He walked to his truck. He couldn’t hear my soft footsteps behind him.

Saliva filled my mouth as I envisioned my teeth sinking into his jugular. Just as he stuck his key in the door, I jumped, landing on his back. He let out a scream that was like music to my ears. He shook his body from side to side to try and fling me off, but I was stronger than him. With one hard yank, I ripped his shoulder open, and he fell to his knees. He writhed on the ground, eyes wide and tears streaming down his face. Normally, I liked to take my time with a kill, but we were in public.

Standing over him, I struck his throat. My teeth buried deep in his flesh until I felt bone beneath them. With a hard snap, I broke his neck and shivered in delight as the blood filled my mouth.

I popped up in bed covered in sweat. My heart pounded from the vivid dream. The sun streamed into my bedroom and reminded me that it wasn’t real. I didn’t rip a man’s throat out and give in to my inner beast, or did I? Had it been my dream? Was my wolf side able to dream? She didn’t like Tim approaching us last night.

“Anna?” Elle called

Shrugging off my worries, I stepped out of bed and headed into the kitchen. Elle and Sawyer stood in the living room. Sawyer’s eyes smiled as they roamed up and down my body. Elle smirked and nodded towards me. Looking down, I was dressed in my bra and underwear. I must have shucked my clothes and hopped into bed last night. While the pack didn’t think nudity was a big deal, they knew I did. Granted I wasn’t naked, but I was close enough I felt uncomfortable under Sawyer’s hungry gaze.

“Go get a dictionary and look up the word gentleman,” I told Sawyer as I padded back to my bedroom to get dressed. I slipped into a pair of sweats and pulled a t-shirt over my head. When I returned to the living room, Sawyer was reading something on his phone.

“Gentleman,” he began. “It says here on this thingamajig that it means a polite and cultured man that behaves with courtesy and thoughtfulness,” Sawyer said in a hillbilly voice and then looked up at me. “Why’d you wanna know? You trying to extend your vocabulary?” He cocked his head to the side and gave me his best confused look.

I laughed. “You’re impossible,” I told him, and then set out for the kitchen to find breakfast. Sawyer and Elle followed me. Grabbing some leftover steak, I made my way to the table and sat. I was unusually hungry today; maybe the dream had awakened my appetite.

“You know, showing appreciation to such a beautiful body could be considered thoughtful.” Sawyer’s eyes roamed the length of my body. “Just think of all the women out there who are ignored by their significant others.”

“You’re not my significant other,” I said around a mouthful of food.

“And I doubt you’ll ever be,” Elle chimed in. “Anna has taste.”

Sawyer gave her a displeased look, and both Elle and I burst out laughing. Sawyer was a nice enough guy, but I wasn’t ready to settle down and have puppies—er babies—with him. I was only twenty-three and still getting used to my new life.

“Aw, you know we’re kidding,” I told him to ease his mind.

“Speak for yourself,” Elle muttered.

“You’re just jealous,” Sawyer said to Elle and was answered with a kick under the table. Sawyer laughed, and Elle stood up to get a cup of coffee. I doubted Elle was jealous Sawyer was courting me.

“Anyway, the reason I came by was to see if you wanted to go fishing with me. I’m headed up to Tie Hack.

“You know I can’t. I have chores to do,” I told him with a smile. I only got one night off, and of course, it wasn’t on the weekend.

“I’m sure Adam wouldn’t mind if you ignored your chores to go with me.” Sawyer winked.

“What wouldn’t I mind?” a deep baritone asked. Sawyer and I turned to see Adam’s displeased look. His hair was slightly messy and his button down shirt was undone so his muscular chest was in full view. I trailed my eyes down his impressive physique and bit my lip when I saw the V his muscles formed by his waistband. A trail of dark hair led below his jeans.

Elle and Sawyer lowered their eyes, and I gazed up at Adam before I remembered I should lower mine too. He grinned at my appreciation of his body, causing my cheeks to burn crimson. Snapping my stare to the floor, I silently cursed myself. I made a promise to myself last night that I wouldn’t show any interest in Adam again. I’d continue to be his workhorse and only speak to him when spoken to. His appearance today threw all my plans out the window. It wasn’t easy to ignore a man as beautiful as Adam.

“I asked Anna if she wanted to go to Tie Hack with me to go fishing,” Sawyer answered.

“And talking her into shunning her duties in the process,” Adam remarked.

“I’m sorry. I planned on helping her make them up later today,” Sawyer said and looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

“Well, I need to speak with Anna alone. Sawyer, why don’t you grab some of the other guys, go fishing, and tonight we’ll feast on your catch. You’re dismissed.”

Elle and Sawyer scampered out of the kitchen. Adam scooted a chair close to mine and sat so our legs were touching. My wolf bristled in excitement at the closeness of our alpha, causing heat to flood my body.

With the tip of his pointer finger, Adam tipped my chin upwards so he could look into my eyes. I could drown in his sapphire gaze and not care. Every part of me craved him, and I hated it.

“What did you do last night, Anna?”

“What do you mean?” I whispered, too struck by his closeness to speak normal.

“I saw you kiss him,” Adam admitted, his voice growing hard. “So, I ask again, what happened when he drove you home?”

I shifted my eyes, unsure as to whether I should lie and say I’d slept with Sawyer, or tell Adam the truth. If he thought I’d slept with him he’d be pissed, but maybe he’d lose interest in me. My wolf whined at the thought of our alpha not paying her attention. I stamped down her disappointment and looked back at Adam.

“Does it matter? He is the one who claimed me, who had the balls to announce to the pack he wanted me,” I bit out. Once the words left my lips I regretted them. I was toeing a very dangerous line. Not to mention a fair thing to say. My frustration with Adam caused my bitchiness to show itself sometimes.

He sat back and let out a deep, annoyed breath. “Damn it, Anna. I can’t offer you what you want, but that doesn’t mean I want you with anyone else. I’m offering as much of myself as I can.”

“You’re offering me your dick, and while I have a strong sexual appetite, it’s not the only thing I want from a man. I want a relationship between equals. I don’t want to sneak around,” I paused my rant. “Do you think I want to spend the rest of my life as a mistress?” Not that I’d be his mistress forever. He’d eventually grow tired of me and move onto the next. “Please let this go. Besides, it seemed Eve was fully capable of pleasing you last night,” I snipped as I remembered her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips plastered to his. My wolf wanted to rip her to shreds.

“It’s nice to see I’m not the only one jealous.” Adam laughed.

“I’m not jealous, just stating the facts,” I lied.

“Uh huh,” Adam said unconvinced. He leaned forward so his lips were mere millimeters from mine. “I can’t let this go because I want you so damn bad. Seeing you last night in those skimpy clothes left me with a permanent hard on all night.”