

In the swampy darkness of his tiny corner on the north border, only the best trackers could use their noses to survive. He liked places where it was easy to hide his scent. Losing a sense was scary, which was exactly why Miles had built his house here. The scent of mildew permeated the air, making it hard to smell anything else for most wolves. This section of the woods was particularly dense, which left things wet and mossy. Most Nightwind wolves avoided this side of the north border, and not just because it bordered Goodwin land. Now he was tracking the scent of blood and death instead of a cougar that had been lingering around the area. He just hadn’t expected to smell trouble when he set out before the sun rose to hunt. He lifted his bow and arrow, wishing he had his lever-action Winchester rifle instead. The glimmers danced on the muddy forest floor, casting ominous shadows as Miles Nightwind walked quietly through the woods, keeping his steps light. “Yeah, you do.” The early morning sun was hidden by the trees, but sparks of it found their way through. She should be the female he climbed into bed with every night and his face should be the one she woke up to. Any pups he helped conceive should have been hers. She didn’t want to know who had become his mate and how many children they had. Shawna had been tempted a few times to check into his life. Maybe if their love had had time to grow old and boring, then she wouldn’t still feel the ache and burn of lost love most nights. After two marriages, she was pretty sure thoughts of her first love shouldn’t still hurt but the ache only seemed to get worse.

He, on the other hand, was always so desperate to protect her, and stubbornly determined to ignore the attraction between them until she was old enough to handle what he truly was. It wasn’t one of her prouder moments, but she’d been a frustrated teenager. He’d caught her before she could see much, tracking her to the spot behind the gas station where she sat crouched with binoculars, as if he’d known all along what she’d been planning.
