Page 40 of Alpha Varsity

I finish my third sandwich, and Asher thrusts his half-eaten one in my face, offering me what’s left.

I shake my head, but my fingers reach for the foodanyway, my hunger still unquenched. “I haven’t shifted in almost five years,” I admit as I chew the food.

Asher cocks his head. “What?”

I shrug. “I lived in the heart of Chicago. There was no way I could hide as a wolf there.”

“So you just…didn’t? You suppressed your wolf?”

I swallow and nod. “Yep. That’s how I managed living among humans.”

Asher’s eyes narrow. “Is that why you didn’t come back for summers or breaks?”

“Yes. It would’ve been too hard to let her out and then suppress her again. I went through withdrawal symptoms when I first got there. I was sick for nine months. I lost my appetite and got really thin.”

I finish the last bite of the sandwich. Asher sets the plate down on the sink and reaches for me. Before I know it’s happening, he’s lifted me by my armpits out of the bath and set me onto the bathmat.

“You’re still really thin, Lotta.” He wraps a towel around my back but holds it open to examine my naked body.

It should anger me, this forced vulnerability. I should feel the defensiveness my mom’s constant criticism or input about me, my life, and my body does, but instead, his perusal warms me. I sense only a mate’s caring and concern from him. No judgment.

He uses the towel to tug me closer to him, my wet skin almost flush to his body. Close enough that some of my water droplets transfer to his clothes. I start to tremble again but not from weakness. “You shifted forme.” His gravelly voice sounds possessive. His eyes glow green. The electricity between our bodies is undeniable. Like the strings ofan instrument, tuned to the same note. Reverberating at the same frequency and speed.

I put my hands on his chest and push myself back, desperately needing space. “Probably,” I mutter, turning away. “I didn’t mean to let her out again. I don’t plan to stay in Wolf Ridge.”

I hear the catch of his breath when I deliver that news, but I don’t see his reaction because I walk out of the bathroom to my dresser in the studio, where I pull out a fresh pair of panties.

Asher follows, watching me with those glowing wolf-eyes as I slip on the panties, a cami, and pajama shorts.

“Well, you need meat. I’m sure you know that.”

“I know, but meat’s expensive. I can’t afford it.”

Asher’s eyes narrow, and he looks toward the French doors that open to the pool and my parent’s million dollar property. “Why not?”

I’ve recovered now. My strength is back and so is my determination.

I march over to Asher and stop in front of him with my hands on my hips. He’s a foot taller than I am, so I have to look up to glare at him.

“All right, here’s the deal. You brought my wolf out. I clearly need” –I stop and wave my hand in the air, trying to conjure the right words– “sex now.”

Asher’s eyes light with new interest. “Now?Did you stop having sex for five years, too?”

“No!” I try and fail to give him a shove. I only succeed in knocking myself backward. “Listen, Asher. We need some ground rules.”

I’m surprised when he nods. “Okay. Like what?”

“One:” –I hold up my finger– “Never at school again. Thatcannothappen.” I hold up another finger. “Two: Noone else knows.” Alarm suddenly rings through me. “Have you told anyone?”

“That I fucked you?” He scowls, that sculpted chest stiffening. “Of course not.”

“Good. Keep it that way. And three:” –I add a digit– “Only here, only after dark, and no one sees you coming or going.”

Asher catches the wrist of the hand I’m holding up and brings my knuckles to his mouth. He bites them–harder than a nip, but not actually painful. “I agree to your demands. Here are mine.” He sucks one of my fingers into his mouth, and my body’s instantly on fire again. I still feel the twinges between my legs from our previous two rounds today. My body can’t possibly crave more.

But it does.

He releases my finger from his mouth with a pop of his lips. “Your body belongs to me. Anyone else touches it, they die.”

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