Page 10 of Her Wolves

“No, of course not,” I said.And I wasn’t just agreeing with her to appease the Princess.This was a refined young woman, but she was a refined young woman who must have been to bed with guys like me, who are not refined and delicate.There hadto be something about her that wasn’t quite so soft all the time to be able to take on a lycanthrope in bed, especially a member of the Guard.We’re demanding.

“But listen,” I went on, “we’re here to protect you.And we’re honored to do it.We’re proud to do it.”

She gave me the head-tilt and smile again, this time with her shoulders scrunched a bit, as if what I just said had gotten to her.I liked that.

“Where are you from, Kris?” Tara asked.“Tell me about where you grew up, your family.I’ll bet you’re from a really strong, brave pack.You must be just like them.”

I laughed out loud at that, surprising myself with how I suddenly felt that much at ease with her.

“What?” Tara said.

Getting a grip on myself, I explained, “Maybe you wouldn’t know it, but I’m the runt of the litter.”

“Go on…!”

“No, really.I have two older brothers.Two bigger older brothers.When you’ve got two bigger, older brothers, you grow up jumping and yipping for attention a lot, from your parents and most everyone else.”

“Aaawww…,” she said sympathetically.

“That’s kind of why I enrolled at the Guard Academy, to distinguish myself from them,” I continued.Grinning with one corner of my mouth, I remembered, “I’ll never forget the way they looked when the Academy accepted my application.It was the most impressed I’d ever seen them with anyone.”

“Are they in the Guard too?” Tara asked.

“No,” I said.“They’re both pilots.Space charter pilots.I’m the wolf in uniform in the pack.Guard uniform, anyway.”

“Your parents must be so proud.”

I paused a beat to recall Mom and Dad.“You know, getting accepted into the Academy was the time they were mostimpressed with anyone besides my brothers.You should have seen the holomail from back home when the news got out about what I did with that Soorn guard.”I shut my eyes, basking in that moment as much as in the sunshine.“I actually made them proud.”

“Well, of course you did,” Tara said.And when I opened my eyes again and looked over at her, I saw something like the same pride as my parents and my brothers.That, in its own way, was a better feeling than getting the first claw pinned on my uniform.

Once again we were quiet, and this was a lingering, happy kind of quiet, sitting on the rocks, listening to the rush and the sparkling tumble of the water down the stream, enjoying the weather—enjoying just being there.

Then Tara spoke up again.“Kris…?”

“Yes?”

“Do you have any plans for later?”

“I’m on a bit of liberty right now until the Guards who went out on maneuvers came back.A little extra reward for my service at the reception.”Looking over at her again, I asked, “Why?”

“Want to have dinner at the Mansion?With me?”

I broke out into a smile warmer than the sunshine.This day was getting better all the time.

CHAPTER 5

Tara

It seemed to surprise Kris a bit that we weren’t having dinner in the Regency Manor dining room, but rather upstairs in my bedchambers.I was wearing my white dinner gown with silk straps and gold filigrees.When I told him we weren’t going to dine with my father, but instead in my room, we were standing in the entrance hall, and he froze there, looking startled.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“It’s just…eating in your room.When I tell my parents and my brothers you invited me to have dinner here at all, it’ll get their ears twitching and their fur jumping.”He lowered his voice.“But dinner in your room…”

I laughed a little at that, and touched him on his chest.He had actually put on his dress uniform for this.It was sleeveless like a regular Guard uniform, but had gold braids on the shoulders and gold and black wristbands, which made him look extra dashing, almost like a storybook character.He thought he’d be dining with Daddy, and he wanted to look impressive, which I found very sweet.

“Oh, I’ve had people up to my own chambers for dinner before,” I told him, subtly reminding him of what everyone knew about Regency sons and daughters and the Guard.And that relaxed him a bit.

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