Lucy pulled the last of her water and her last energy bar from her backpack. Eyeing her meager survival supplies, she sighed deeply and pulled her knees up to her chest.

After opening the energy bar, she took a small bite and chewed as slowly as possible. She’d once heard that if you ate slowly, it was more filling— some diet tip she’d remembered reading about in a fashion magazine. Nibble after nibble, eating slowly didn’t seem to make the growling in her stomach any quieter.

It certainly didn’t make the darkness any brighter or the fact that she was lost in the middle of the forest any less frightening.

Maybe she’d lose a few pounds, she thought. It’d been a long time since she’d felt bad about her body. With the combined vulnerability of her boss’s harassment and being hopelessly lost in the woods, her deepest insecurities were surfacing.

No. She loved her curves and had claimed them as sexy years ago. She wouldn’t let a scary night alone in the forest destroy all the hard work she’d done on her self-esteem.

Curling up near the fire, she tucked her arms across her breasts and brought her knees up to her chest. The fire was warm, and if she woke every few hours to stoke it up, she might get through the night without too much suffering.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Being lost made the drama at the office seem insignificant and far away. Mr. Bars was an idiot. She didn’t have to take that kind of treatment. If she survived the night, she’d call up her inner badass and deal with him.

An owl hooted in the distance, and she could hear the sound of skittering feet in the underbrush. There weren’t any dangerous predators in this part of Oregon, were there? Um. Yes. There were. Mountain lions, bears, even wolves.

She pressed her eyes closed even more tightly. It wouldn’t help her to think about that. Most likely, any wild animal would smell her human scent and stay far, far away. The best thing for her to do was sit tight and sleep until morning. She thought about her energy bar wrapper and sat up to throw it into the fire.

She heard something panting quickly move behind her. Gasping, she shot her head around. Her eyes darted between the thick tree trunks and the twining branches. An animal howled on the opposite edge of the forest.

Her heart pounding, she turned to look after the sound. Bright eyes darted through the underbrush, and the sound of panting and yipping circled her campfire. Breathing heavily, her ears ringing, Lucy stood and grabbed a burning branch.

She turned in a circle, shouting at the top of her lungs. She’d seen it in movies when wolves attacked someone’s camp. They always scared the animals away with fire and shouting. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work for Lucy.

 

* * *

The woman’s scent hung heavy in the air. Caleb growled at Elijah as he bounded around the opposite side of her camp. They’d both scented her from miles away while running their nightly patrol of their territory.

Her body smelled of summer rain and jasmine. His mouth watered as he sniffed the air. His wolf’s eyes could see her waving a burning stick around her camp. He could sense her heart beating wildly and smell her fear.

He narrowed his eyes. The torchlight outlined her shape, though her heavy jacket did nothing for it. He could still make out her generous curves and luscious lips as they trembled with fear.

Even her desperation made her more attractive. He licked his lips, wanting nothing more than to pounce into the clearing, shift, and take her right then and there. But he’d have Elijah to reckon with if he tried.

His twin brother, the great gray wolf Elijah, trotted toward him. Elijah’s nose twitched at Caleb. They both turned to the woman in the clearing. Their animal link communicated all they needed to know. Mine.

They both wanted her. Not just for a plaything. Not just for a good time. She was the mate they’d been waiting for.

Caleb pushed against the psychic link, insisting they go take the woman and give her the mating bite, but Elijah only growled and mocked him. The woman would never comply. Then what?

Anger rose in Caleb’s chest, and he bared his teeth at his brother. How dare Elijah mock him? Of the twins, Caleb was the stronger. Perhaps Elijah had a stronger intellect and intuition, but they both knew who would win in a fight.

Elijah huffed and trotted around the woman’s camp to where they’d left a cache of clothing at the edge of the trail. Caleb followed and watched his brother transform. He followed suit but hated the formality of dressing simply to take their rightful mate.

After they dressed, Elijah pulled the rifle from the hidden cache and shot it into the night. Caleb grimaced at the sound. He hated guns. Only idiot humans used firearms.

“What was that for?” he hissed at his brother.

“I scared away the wolves circling her camp,” Elijah snapped back. His wavy black hair bristled around his face when he spoke, and his brown eyes shone bright amber in the darkness.

Caleb frowned. His brother had some understanding of what might make the woman pliable. So be it. He’d let Elijah do it his way. For now.

 

* * *

 

Two men burst through the brush, startling Lucy so much her lungs jumped into her throat and stuck there, rendering her unable to speak. She blinked repeatedly and waved the torch in front of her until she got her voice back.

“What are you doing out here?” she stammered, totally forgetting that other human beings might be able to help her. There had just been wolves out there, and the gunshot had scared her to pieces.

“We were out hunting and saw your fire. There were wolves circling your camp. We scared them off,” one of the men said.

As Lucy’s heart rate slowly normalized, she got her first good look at the two men standing in front of her. They were more than six feet tall, maybe six three, with dark, wavy hair and sparkling brown eyes that caught the glow of the firelight. They wore plaid flannel shirts. One wore green, and the other wore red.

They were both incredibly handsome and completely identical. They both had strong, square jaws dusted with dark stubble. They were built like quarterbacks, and their rugged clothes hugged their toned forms. The one in green held a rifle, while the other stared at her with his arms crossed over his chest and eyes that scored a trail across her skin.

“What are you doing out here?” asked the one with the rifle.

“I’m lost. I got turned around. I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention. Then my phone died.”

“I’m Elijah Gray, and this is my brother Caleb. We live close to here. We can take you with us if you’d like.”

“Yes. Please. I’m Lucy Zimmer, from Portland. I feel so silly. I’ve never been lost in the woods before. I go hiking all the time. I just had a lot on my mind, I guess. I’m embarrassed,” Lucy said, pulling her backpack onto her shoulders and kicking dirt over the fire to put it out.

“Don’t be,” said Elijah. “It could happen to anyone. Come on. We’ll make you some tea.”