Page 4 of Fated In Winter

Darren lunged at me again and I shoved at his chest, snapping at his neck and trying to pin him down. Darren was smaller and wily. And, now that I recognized it, he was far too fucking smart for his own good.

I pushed at him again, annoyed that I’d gotten so close to the edge of the cliff. My feet scrambled off the edge, but I pushed forward, pinning Darren to the ground, then Darren bit me at the side, and I let out a howl, the coppery scent of my own blood hitting my nose.

At that moment, as his claws raked down my side and his fangs followed, I made a fatal mistake. My back paws slid off the side of the cliff, and I couldn’t find purchase. I growled, and Darren scrambled back, his eyes losing their gold shine, and for a moment, I thought I saw the man behind the wolf, not a rogue.

Then Darren was gone, and I was falling. In an instant of pain and agony, I shifted back to human, knowing I could catch myself better in human form.

My hands clung to the side of the muddy dirt. Snow was falling in earnest, and now ice was joining it.

My hands slid down the mud, unable to fully grip the edge of the cliff, and I knew that this could be it. I was falling off a cliff in the middle of the snow, naked. This was going to be how I died. Not by going rogue. By being a fucking idiot.

I nearly howled, cursing myself, and then a small hand reached forward and gripped my wrist.

I looked up into the most beautiful hazel eyes I had ever seen, and nearly fell in love.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

At the sound of her voice, I knew it. I had fallen in love.

And whoever she was? She had just saved my naked ass.

CHAPTER2

Romy

With a grunt,I pulled up the wolf who’d nearly jumped off the side of a cliff. I stepped back as all six-foot-five muscled man pulled himself up onto the ledge. A muscled naked man, and I did my best to keep my eyes on his strong jaw and green eyes and not any lower.

Instead, I looked over the cliff face where I’d just pulled him up from and shook my head. “Save me from boys who think with their dicks and not their heads.”

The wolf snorted. “I’m a man. And I might think with my dick sometimes, but I was trying to save it by shifting.”

“And running it along a cliff face. Good job.” I sighed, the reality of our situation settling in. “We lost Darren.”

The wolf froze, his eyes narrowing. “He’s dead?”

The pain in his eyes tore at me, and I wanted to reach out and console him. What the hell was wrong with me? “No. He got away. I had to stop my track to save your ass.”

“Damn it. I need to find him.” He let out a breath. “Thank you for the assist. I appreciate it. Now I need to get behind you to get my clothes.”

My face heated up, and I moved to the right before my gaze tracked the bloody gashes on his side. “You’re hurt.” My wolf clawed at me, wanting to touch him, and I had to wonder what that was about.

He shrugged, wincing when it tugged on his skin. “I’ll heal. Mom can do it, or our Healer.”

I snapped my fingers when I realized why he looked so familiar. That had to be why my wolf wanted to be near him. “You’re a triad kid.”

“Got a problem with that?”

I frowned. “Of course not. I’m just remembering who you are.”

He tilted his head at me. “And you’re a Talon I don’t know, which is saying something considering I thought I knew everyone.”

I knew why he didn’t know me, but it was a long story. My wolf hid back, embarrassed. “I tend to stay on my own.”

He blinked, studying my face as if trying to see into my soul. I wasn’t sure I liked it, but my wolf did. “That makes sense. What’s your name?”

“Romy.”

“I’m Conner.” He shook himself, then slid on his jeans, hiding his body, and my wolf whimpered.

---