Page 3 of In Plain Sight

Mate,my wolf said inside my head.

I froze.What? That can’t be right.

Mate,the voice insisted again.

My pulse sped up and I struggled to catch my breath as I tried to process what my wolf was telling me. I sat down hard from where I’d been perched in a squat observing him. A stick broke beneath me and I saw his muscles bunch across his shoulders as he changed into predator mode, trying to identify the noise.

I should have moved away. I should have tried to hide myself better, but I was in shock and just stared until his eyes finally found mine and recognition flared in them.

This trespasser was my one true mate.

Bran

Chapter 3

At the sound of a twig snapping much too close, my shoulders tensed, and I called my wolf forward to utilize his heightened senses. Someone was here. I could feel it. I cursed myself for being so stupid. I was supposed to be undercover. I needed to be found, but not yet.

I had just arrived in Collier territory. I thought I’d have a few days to get the lay of the land and decide how best to proceed. I was starving, not having eaten in the last twenty-four hours. I had caught a small rabbit while in wolf form but hated eating raw meat. I had been concentrating so hard on starting a stupid fire that I let my guard down, and someone had gotten the drop on me.

My eyes scanned the woods slowly as I turned in a circle, looking for anything suspicious. It could be nothing more than an animal, but I couldn’t just take that chance on an assumption. I had been trained better than that.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary as I kept low, continuing my hunt for the source of the sound. Directly behind where I’d been, I met the bluest pair of eyes I’d ever seen. They did not belong to an animal.

I sniffed the air around me, catching only a hint of scent. Female. The girl wasn’t moving. She looked shocked, but not frightened. Then it dawned on me: all my wolf’s aggression was gone, replaced with a warmth I’d never felt before. I continued to stare deep into her eyes.

Mate.

I shook my head, trying to break the spell she held over me.

Govno!I swore to myself. This could not be happening. Not now.

I sucked in a deep breath just as the wind shifted and I was assaulted by her full scent. My wolf whimpered in my head, pushing forward to take control and claim our mate.

Govno!This was really happening.

“Mate, show yourself,” I said, finding my voice at last.

The shocked wide eyes turned to indignation as she slowly rose. A mess of fiery red curls topped her head. I slowly devoured her with my eyes, taking in her oversized breasts and small waist. Even in her jeans I could tell she had a tight ass and muscular legs. I had never seen such an enticing creature in my entire life.

Her hands went to her hips as she popped one to the side. I knew instantly this wild beast would be tough to tame. She screamed of trouble. I didn’t need this right now with my mission at stake, yet suddenly everything had changed.

My mind considered the options while I fought to keep my hormones from clouding my judgment. I never dreamed in a million years I would find my one true mate, yet here in the middle of nowhere on a potential suicide mission, she had appeared out of thin air. I shook my head and ran my hand over my week-old beard.

“Who are you?” she asked.

Her melodic voice shot straight to my groin. A primal desire took over me. I had to struggle to remember to keep in character with the American accent I had worked hard to perfect.

“My name is Bran. What is yours, mate?” I asked.

“Ruby,” she said softly, still looking like she was in some sort of trance.

I didn’t sense fear in her and she shook her head like she was fighting to clear it. I suspected she was in shock. Truth be told, I probably was too.

“What are you doing here?” she finally asked.

I cringed, overcome with guilt. This was my mate, but my need for survival overcame that as I grinned and lied to her face.

“I was just passing through. Heard that maybe Collier Pack would take on a drifter like me for the season. You are the last thing I expected to find,” I confessed. That part was at least true enough. “Come here,” I told her.

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