Two Skins with rifles slung over their shoulders. Hunting?
She sniffed. No, not Skins. The distinct scent of Lupines mingled with a faint spicy aftershave on one, and cedar and vanilla on another. Vanilla intrigued her. This male with his black beard and muscled body looked too arrogant and confident to have the pure scent of virginity clinging to him. But vanilla also meant childhood.
Maybe he had a child, and if so, he must be a doting father.
The other Lupine had the stamp of female all over him, as if he’d recently indulged in sex. Lots of sex. Sex in Skin, but the earthy musk covered him like a blanket.
Jenny licked her lips, fighting her own natural urges. She focused on staying quiet and still, observing from her vantage point.
The two males paused, and the bearded one scanned the ground, his gaze hard. She shivered. He had the air of alpha about him, and an unhappy one.
“I can’t smell the trail anymore, Dale. You?”
The younger, beardless Lupine tilted his head back, sniffed the air. “Gone.”
She smiled. Troy was expert at covering their tracks.
“Whoever was camping here either left or did a mighty fine job covering their tracks, Aiden. If we hadn’t seen that SUV parked on our logging road, we never would have known they were here.”
Then again, maybe he was good at hiding tracks, but not skilled in hiding a vehicle. Unless he wanted it found. Troy wanted to visit, but check the place out first.
“Trespassers on our land. I don’t think they’re the ones killing the cattle in our summer pasture. The female…” The bearded Lupine squatted down, touched the ground. “I don’t care about the female. Always welcome another one into the pack. But there’s something different about this female.”
“You think she was the one that lunatic in the chopper saw shifting from a human into a wolf?”
Dale’s voice sent a chill down Jenny’s spine. Damn. She’d been so hopeful no one had seen her. But when she’d heard the blades roar overhead, it took her back to that horrid day and her instinct surged. Her wolf demanded to shift, and shift now, and RUN!
“Has to be. None of our people would be that stupid,” the bearded Lupine said.
Ow. Yeah, I deserved that.
“Good thing Professor Chance, Beth’s teacher, warned us about Perry. I made sure to ward our land so no choppers can ever fly over here again,” Dale said, and then squatted down next to the bearded man.
“The male’s scent isn’t as strong. Not as feral. But what the hell are they doing here on our land? Lone wolves ain’t a good thing, even if they mean no harm,” Dale said.
The bearded one tilted his head into the air. He smelled strong, like an alpha.
Suddenly the one named Aiden stiffened, his nostrils flaring. “Something really different about this female…”
Yeah, I know. I never did fit in with Lupines.
“Her scent. It seems strong, but off.” Dale frowned.
“Yes, I’ve smelled this before… let her be,” Aiden said, his manner suddenly different. He seemed less tense, more alert and downright puzzled, the groves between his dark brows deep.
“If she’s a threat…”
“She is not. I can’t tell you how or why I know, but her scent… she’s not a threat to us.”
“If they become one, I’ll deal with it. In Skin or as wolf.” Dale snarled, scanning the area.
Jenny shivered.
“In case the male needs a reminder whose land this is…” Aiden turned, unzipped and she smelled the alpha’s scent even stronger.
Marking his territory.
The two walked off, their backs turned toward her. She did not relax, not even when Troy appeared several minutes later carrying two large sacks.
Brown hair tousled, he looked more cute than rugged. Lean, muscled body covered by worn blue jeans hugging his firm butt, and a blue and white baseball shirt beneath his gray hoodie. Hiking boots looked well-worn, so if Skins wondered what he was all about, well, there was your answer.
Troy knew about disguising himself in the Skin world. He looked to be in his late twenties, but Jenny sensed he was older. He’d seen too much.
Unlike her, the 22-year-old naïve wolf who once thought the world was kind. No longer.
A shiver raced down her spine as he studied her with his searing brown gaze. Wolf eyes. Everything lurking beneath his skin was pure wolf.
Jenny felt pure wolf as well. She knew how to take care of herself and being in wolfskin instead of human form meant she couldn’t use the terrifying powers she’d had since turning 21. But it sure was nice having someone watch her back on the road.
His sunny smile vanished as he sniffed the air and the blank look turned into a menacing scowl. Damn. He’d scented the males.
Amber flashed in his eyes, signaling the rise of his wolf. Hands shaking he seemed to fight to control it. She wondered if Troy could beat the alpha in a fight. The alpha, Aiden, was bulky with muscle, while Troy was wiry.
Like a finely-tempered thin steel blade, while Aiden was a battleax.
Huh. Why did she always like comparing men to swords? Had done it since she reached adulthood and began noticing them more.
Troy set the bags on the ground, his gaze normal. “You’re filthy. You had to cover up your scent. You ok?” The deep timbre of his voice sent another shiver of need skating down her spine. Troy could make a simple greeting sound sexy.
Jenny nodded.
“What happened?”
His thumb gently grazed dried blood on her cheek, touching the almost healed cut caused by her mad dash and subsequent fall.
“Just a stumble. Hit my face. I’m fine.” She breathed in his scent of wood smoke and spices, uniquely Troy, wild as him.
This protective, gentle side of him she would miss if he left. No, she’d miss much more.
Unable to bear the thought, she rubbed at the mud covering her jeans. Embroidered with blue flowers, they were the nicest pair she owned. Troy had coaxed her into buying them at a shop in South Dakota.
