Page 2 of Cruel Mate

“What do you think, lad?” Zander chuckled. Why would he ever miss an opportunity to have his needs met when women all over the world practically threw themselves at shifters for the simple fact they were almost always good looking? “Maybe if you weren’t so fuck-ugly, you'd know what it's like.”

He winked at Will, who growled in return. They both knew it was a joke. Will was perhaps the best-looking of them all, in an almost rugged, pretty boy kind of way. And with his charm, he was the one always getting the most women. How, Zander didn’t know. It had been a long-standing competition between the lot of them; only Jack had given up his rights on that front when he married Bonnie.

“So, how many do we need to put you down for on the score board?” Eddie asked, pretending as though he had pen and paper in hand.

“Two.”

“Only two?” Kane exclaimed, his charcoal eyes widening. “By the great wolf gods, you’ve lost your touch!”

“What can I say? Two was enough,” Zander chuckled. “They just kept on coming back for more.”

“Speaking of coming back for more,” Will grumbled under his breath. “Watch your six.”

Zander smelled her even as Sandy sidled up to his chair. “Hey, Zander, good to see you home in one piece.”

“Thanks Sandy, it’s good to be home,” he said, raising his beer to her.

As she-wolves went, Sandy was on the plainer side of attractive. She wasn’t strikingly hot like a lot of them, but still just enough to catch the eye, especially with her overripe breasts practically spilling out of her tank most of the time.

The dress she wore tonight was no different. Tight, short and black, she was all but asking for all of the werewolves to look at her with their jaws on the floor. It was enough to make a man dumb just looking at her.

Will and Eddie were watching her without even attempting to hide it, and from the way she smiled at them, it was clear she liked it.

Yet her attention was quickly returned to Zander. And when she turned that smile on him, he knew exactly what it was she wanted—him.

He was all too happy to give it to her. Why not? Sure, he was tired from all the traveling, but a good, old fashioned, no-strings-attached romp might be just what he needed to have him sleeping like a baby.

“You’ve been missed,” she said, leaning over slightly with her arms pressed to her sides. And Zander struggled to stop from gawking at the way it made her breasts look. They were definitely more than a good handful.

“Careful, Zander, she’s giving you the eye,” Eddie warned him playfully, and Sandy blushed.

Zander shot his friend a warning glance only to receive a discreet wink in return. Eddie knew exactly what he was doing. He’d given him the in he needed.

“How about we get away from these jerks and go somewhere a little more private?” he suggested to Sandy, taking hold of her hand as he pushed himself to his feet.

At that, Sandy’s eyes lit up, and Zander knew he definitely hadn’t read the situation wrong.

“There’s a lovely moonlit trail through the woods at the back of the house,” Sandy said, starting to lead the way.

As Zander allowed her to guide him from the bonfire, his friends wolf whistled, Will calling, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

“For the record, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do!” Eddie called simultaneously.

This time it was Zander’s turn to blush. They were really trying to cramp his style. He couldn’t exactly blame him. They’d always pulled each other’s legs, especially when it came to women. He’d have more than enough chance to get them all back for it in the future.

For now, all that mattered was the fact that Sandy was unapologetically up for a good time, and he wasn’t about to question it. She’d been flirting with him long enough. For weeks before he had gone away, she had been batting those long, dark lashes at him, swaying her hips and looking over her shoulder every time she passed. He was sure she’d even winked at him a couple of times.

Some she-wolves liked to play it cool and never show off the fact that they were interested, but others were like bitches in heat, always up for a good time. And Zander was more than willing to give it to them. Besides, he wasn’t just a wolf—he was a man, too, and men had their needs as much as wolves did.

It was abundantly clear just how up for it Sandy was when they reached a secluded clearing in the woods that was well out of view of the lawn. No sooner had they reached it than Sandy shoved her palms into his chest and urged him back against the nearest tree trunk.

“Well, Sandy, I had no idea what a little fire cracker you were,” he growled low in his throat, and he heard the way her breath hitched as if just his voice was enough to turn her on.

That was the way he liked them, hot and bothered and just plain gagging for it.

Running his hand through the hair at the back of her neck, he gripped her roots hard and pulled her head back, gripping her chin with his free hand to hold her there. “Tell me what you want.”

His wolf rose to the surface then, growling low. Both the human and wolf parts of him were ready, fueled by desire, up for a little fun.