Page 55 of Scent of Home

“All the time that I’ve known you,” I croak out.

Shane studies me, baffled, and then he leans in and licks across my lips. He turns and grabs the pizza while I stand against my car, using it to hold me up as I try to get my head around what just happened.

It takes me five minutes, but I’m still no less confused when I walk into the cabin. Locke bounces up to me and kisses me. Stealing all my thoughts. His scent, that vanilla, is richer and sweeter tonight, and his eyes are glassy. I feel instantly drugged and almost as hard as I was outside.

“Wow, you pack a punch.”

Locke laughs lightly.

His seductive scent wraps around me, and I stand there helplessly enthralled by him.

Finn is sitting on the floor, leaning up against the wall with his legs crossed at the ankle, eating a slice of pizza already.

Shane watches me like a hawk. I grab a piece of pizza and chuck it on a plate and wander to the balcony where Erin is standing. I need to get my feet under me, I need solid ground.

“I love this view.”

“It’s my favourite, too, now.”

She glances back at me and grins. “My ass?”

“Busted!” I wink at her and then hand her the pizza. “Eat. I went and brought dinner.”

She bites into the pizza, and I hum with pleasure.

We stay out there until she finishes, but as soon as she does, I grab her wrist and drag her inside.

I hand her a plate and put more pizza on it. “Eat.”

“Eat,” a deeper voice growls.

My eyes widen as I look up and find Shane staring at me with a plate full of pizza in his hands. I glance at Erin, but she just waggles her fingers and backs away with a whispered sentence I find baffling.

I reach out and take the plate from Shane. Still in the rut. Dangerous. Intent on me. I’m both flustered, aroused, and desperate to see what happens next.

The only information I’ve heard about ruts is rumours or whispers. They are strong periods where the alpha goes into an emotional state of heightened aggression, arousal, or excitement. They feel a driving need to dominate and breed.

My throat feels tight, and I can almost feel his fingers on my skin, pressing, demanding my submission.

I could fight him, but ruts can get violent quickly, and while I want to fight with almost everyone else on the planet, having Shane look at me the way he’s looking at me doesn’t make me want to do anything but get on my knees and open my mouth.

I barely taste the pizza as I eat it, but then, he doesn’t remove his eyes from me the whole time. When I finish the last piece, he crowds into me and rubs his face up the side of my neck and head.

I almost pass out from the giddy, ridiculous feelings that motion brings forth.

As he walks past, I turn to keep him in view. Finn stands up and stares at both of us.

“Well, how long has that been going on?”

I don’t even consider lying. “Since the day we met.”

Shane looks up, his blue eyes pinning me. It’s the right answer. My words soothe him, and he softens, the rut receding.

I think about Erin’s whispered words that’d she’d graced me with earlier.I broke the cage on the giant's self-imposed jail cell. Sorry, not sorry.

What happened last night?

Locke swings towards Shane, and he captures Locke’s hand and pulls him close, staring down at him. I see Shane has the same powerful effect on Locke, making him go completely still.

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