Crimson Moon

Two

The first thing Lou felt was warm, which was a welcome change. The last thing she remembered was being so cold that her body was entirely numb. Thankfully, after death, she wasn't cold. She was toasty and comfortable. From what she could tell, she was cocooned in a nest of plush blankets. Her nostrils twitched, bringing her the scents of a lot of unfamiliar wolves, but one was stronger than all the rest. A male wolf was incredibly close to her. In fact, if she weren't mistaken, he was pressed up against her back. Her eyes flew open, looking directly into the roaring fire set in a beautiful stone fireplace. Her after-life would never involve a male sharing her bed. Ever. Which was how she knew she was alive. Somehow, someway, she didn't die in that blizzard, but now she had a whole new host of problems.

She rolled, quickly, driving her elbow down into the wolf beside her. The beast yelped in surprise, but she knew she didn't hurt him too much. Where she'd meant to hit his neck with all the force she could muster, she hit his firm shoulder. The silver wolf jumped away, giving her the saddest, most confused brown eyes she'd ever seen.

"Stay away from me," she snarled at the male, feeling her green eyes flash in warning. Her fangs extended past her lips. She could complete partial shifts, just not full ones. She also allowed her Alpha aura to extend to him, letting him know that she was not about to put up with any of his shit. He could damn well try to claim her as so many before him had, but it wouldn't end well for him. Hadn't ended well for the last man to try. That man was still walking about with only one ball.

The wolf cocked his head to the side in curiosity, as if he just learned something incredibly interesting about her. He took a tentative step in her direction, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed her again, but she snarled louder.

He whined and laid on his stomach, his muzzle tucked between his huge paws, and stared up at her with gentle brown eyes. He didn't seem to want to cause her any harm, but she'd learned at every turn not to trust any male; she wasn't about to start now. He scooted closer, still on his belly. She growled again, but less venomously this time.

Another figure walked through the doorway, a woman this time. She froze in surprise when she saw Lou was sitting up. This woman was tiny with kind brown eyes the same color as her long hair. "You're awake!" Lou sniffed the air, testing to see if this woman was a Lycan. Her scent gave her away as entirely human. Interesting.

The woman narrowed her eyes at the silver wolf. "Ryland, leave her alone."

Lou glanced down at the wolf, who was still giving her huge puppy-dog eyes. She was becoming less and less convinced that he was a threat. With a great sigh, the silver wolf rose to his feet and trotted out of the room, leaving Lou alone with the human woman.

"Sorry about him," she stated, perching on the couch. After a quick glance at her surroundings, Lou figured she was in cozy little sitting room. Her makeshift bed was in front of a roaring fire. She pulled the blankets around herself again, not ready to leave their warmth. "He's the one who found you, and he was really worried. He insisted that sleeping next to you would warm you up, which I'm sure it did, but Cain warned him that you wouldn't appreciate it when you woke up. I take it you didn't."

"Not particularly," Lou said softly, her initial anger gone, leaving behind the knowledge that she was in a strange den, with a strange pack, that likely realized she was the last purebred female. What would they do with her?

"I'm Kristine," the human woman said in a friendly tone.

"You can call me Lou."

"It's nice to meet you, Lou. Welcome to the Crimson Moon Pack." The woman's smile was kind, as were her eyes. "Normally Will or Cain would be making the welcomes, but Will thought it would be better if I did, since I'm a human woman. No threat." She held up her hands in playful surrender.