Feral hadn’t needed such a long recuperating sleep in a while. But getting that many injuries had really put him out of commission.

Thankfully, Hawk and Reysha had watched over the pride along with Gunner and Slate. Now he was finally able to go to Sage and continue his researched romancing a human.

Full Moon Bay was a small town, surrounded by mountains, easily closed off from the rest of the world. From what he understood, it allowed shifters and humans to live peacefully.

The sheriff, Tyson Force, was someone he’d met before, so finding out the exact details on Sage’s whereabouts hadn’t been difficult, just slow.

He drove up a small dirt road, seeing a river curving its way down a mountain as he passed. A couple of miles down, he saw a cabin and a pick-up parked outside. Sage’s home.

His stomach tightened. This wasn’t the time for insecurity. He had come to spend time with her. He’d organized a special date for her and it would require her agreement or his plans would go up in smoke.

Loud music boomed from inside the cabin. He got out of his vehicle and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. Fuck. How can someone so small and beautiful make him so goddamned nervous?

Kicking at the dust on his boots, he knocked at the front door, only to find that the door was half-way open. With a soft push, it showed him the inside of the cabin.

“Who are you?”

“Hey, man!” One guy grinned and waved at him, a pair of lacy undies in his grasp.

A loud, angry growl left his throat when he realized what he was seeing. Six men, all buck naked, were dusting and cleaning the cabin. His mate’s cabin. They were touching her clothes. One was folding laundry.

He roared so loud the men froze and gave him wide-eyed looks.

“Get out!” Another unintelligible growl.

The men darted around, trying to get away from his shifting features as he prowled after them in the cabin. They dropped cleaning supplies and rushed out of the door.

One tried to grab his clothes, but Feral’s piercing snarl made him turn pale and he ran out. He continued growling and roaring until all were gone from the cabin.

A car pulled up at that point. Fuck. It was Sage. She was glancing at the naked men in shock and confusion.

“What the hell?” she asked. “Who are those guys?”

He roared again and the men squeezed into their pickup, still fully nude, and took off, leaving a trail of dust behind. Them.

“Feral!” she snapped at his growling frame. “Who were those guys? What are you doing here? What’s going on?”

He cleared his throat and tried to calm the tiger. That was easier said than done. In his mind, he saw the guy touching her underwear and fury continued to flood his system.

He asked her, “Who are they?”

She frowned, folded her arms over her chest and glared at him. “I don’t know. You tell me. I leave my house and come back to this?”

He knew she wasn’t lying and that immediately calmed him. “I’m sorry. They were touching your underwear.”

Her eyes widened and then her face scrunched in distaste. “Oh, gross. Now I have to wash it all again.” She tried to march past him, but he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“I came to apologize.”

She turned to look at him. “I thought we were past this.”

Sliding his fingers through his hair, he growled in frustration. “This isn’t how it was supposed to go.”

Her brows rose and her gorgeous blue eyes sparked with curiosity. “Oh? Explain how it was supposed to go.”

“Google said I was supposed to be honest and tell you what happened so you understand I am not playing games with your emotions.”

“Google?”

He shoved his hand in the pocket of his jeans and shrugged. “I’m not familiar with how to handle human females. Or romance them. I searched on Google.”

A slow grin spread over her sexy, full lips. “Why did you come here, Feral?”

“I didn’t forget you. There was a fire at one of my cabins. Then I was attacked and—”

Her eyes grew wide with fear. “Oh my god. Attacked? Are you okay?” she asked, her eyes darting all over his body looking for injuries. “Are you hurt?”

“Not any longer. I was. I had to stay in my tiger and sleep until the wounds healed. It’s what kept me from coming to see you.” He cupped her elbows and took a step closer to her. “Not one moment has gone by where you’re not the first thing on my mind. I knew it might take some time, but after I healed, I had to come here. To see you.”

She blinked, her flawless cheeks turning scarlet with her blush. “Wait, what do you mean you came here first? When did you wake up from healing?”

“Today.”

“And you came to see me?” she asked, her voice low and full of surprise.

He pulled her closer, until all she could see were his gorgeous gold eyes looking into her soul. “I told you. You were the first thing on my mind. I had to see you.”

She licked her bottom lip and his body heated instantly. “I didn’t think you would come. You barely know me,” she whispered. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”

He cupped her cheek, loving the feel of her baby-soft skin under his fingers. “Then let’s get to know each other, Sage.” He leaned down, his lips so close to hers he could taste them. “Let’s spend some time toge—”

Pain exploded in the back of his skull and darkness quickly followed.