Chance hadn’t wanted to run with the rest of his pack that night.

Perhaps he was overreacting, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal over the incident with Gregory and the other wolves. He understood Gregory wasn’t around anymore, but having to live day to day with the other wolves who’d attacked him, knowing they’d suffered no repercussions for what had happened, was more than he could stand.

But he loved his pack; he always had. The idea of leaving them to start out somewhere alone wasn’t what he wanted. He might be a lower member of the pack, but he had his place and had always done what was needed of him. If only all of that hadn’t been thrown back in his face.

He’d deliberately chosen to run nearer the town, knowing the likelihood of bumping into another pack member was reduced by doing so. In wolf form, he’d been enjoying the freedom of the run when a scent had hit him.

The scent had made him stop from the sheer force of it. It had set his heart racing, and every nerve ending in his body felt like electricity had fired through the ends. Desire coursed through his veins like a drug, and his nostrils flared, his eyes widening.

He’d heard about this happening before, but a part of him had wondered if it was a kind of fairy-tale.

Now, tonight, running as wolf beneath the full moon, he learned it was very much real.

He’d caught the scent of his mate.

Filled with a sudden fear he’d lose it again, Chance got moving, following his nose.

Then he’d happened upon a young woman caught in a snare, and confusion had filled him. Had this woman done something to the mate he’d scented? Was she a hunter, but had somehow been caught in her own trap? Where was the female wolf he knew he’d caught the scent of?

His reaction had been to snarl his confusion, even though he could see the woman could do him no harm. Only when she started talking did he realize the scent of his mate was coming from her.

How was that possible?

She was most definitely human—he smelled that on her, too. How could a human woman possibly be his mate?

Pushing all of that aside, he could see she needed help. Her ankle was caught, the wire cutting into her flesh. Her fingers were sliced and bloodied from trying to free herself.

Chance knew he couldn’t help her in wolf form.

Taking a few steps away from her, he lowered his head and willed his wolf to retreat.

The beast snarled inside his head—it was a full moon and the one time when the wolf should be allowed to run free—but Chance’s will was stronger, and the animal sank deeper inside his consciousness. The fur melted from his skin, and his shoulders and hips realigned, bringing him to an upright stance. His muzzle withdrew, his sharp teeth reforming to blunt human pegs.

At this time of the month, the transition was quick and pain-free, unlike the times when they tried to shift against the moon. In less than a minute, he was able to turn to the woman, who was now watching him with her mouth open.

Even with a gaping jaw, he could see she was beautiful. She had curly brown hair which fell around her shoulders, a heart-shaped face and blue eyes which had widened at the sight of him. Her full lips were parted in shock, and her chest heaved with fear, causing her breasts to lift and fall.

Yes, this was exactly the sort of woman he would go for as a mate.

Problem was, she was human.

He took a step toward her, but she lifted a hand to ward him off.

“It’s okay,” he said, trying to find his voice after spending time as a wolf. “I’m trying to help.”

“You’re… you’re one of them. One of the Dark Ridge wolves.”

He smiled, deliberately wolfish. “Of course I am. Unless you know of anyone else around here able to shift from wolf to man?”

She shook her head.

“You know,” he continued, “you’re not supposed to be in the forest tonight. The full moon is our time.”

She nodded. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. But I’m trapped, and hurt, and I could really use your help.”

He took another step closer and this time she lowered her hand, but he didn’t miss the way her gaze flicked from his face to linger on his body. The scent of her had caused blood to rush to his cock, and while he wasn’t fully hard, he wasn’t far from it. Was she looking at his erection, or was he imagining the attraction, and it was actually his scars that had caught her attention? There was nothing he could do about it, though. He’d left all his clothes back on the outskirts of the shifter compound, and he wasn’t about to start picking up leaves to cover himself. Shifters were used to nudity in a way humans weren’t.

“The stake is embedded into the ground just here,” she said, her eyes averting from his groin, though her cheeks—previously pale—had flushed pink. “I need to get it out.”

He walked over and crouched beside her. She was staring at him, her eyes wide. His shoulder brushed hers and the effect was electrifying, all of the hairs on his body standing to attention. That wasn’t the only thing standing to attention. Damn it. He wished his body wasn’t quite so obvious.

He caught her staring. “What?” he said, gruffly.

She shook her head. “I… I don’t know. I feel like I know you somehow. Like we’ve met before.”

He glanced away, concentrating on working the wooden post back and forth so he could free the wire wrapped around it. “We haven’t.”

“Really? Because I would have bet my life on it.”

So she felt it, too, that bond, their pheromones speaking to each other, recognizing the chemical attraction between them.

No, this was not happening.

He couldn’t have his mate being a human. As if he wasn’t enough of a laughingstock with his pack already. This was enough to push him over the edge.

The post came loose and he was able to free that end of the wire. With the tension removed, the wire loop around her ankle was also looser, and she was able to get her fingers under it and slip it over her foot.

“Ah, shit,” she hissed. “That hurts.”

He frowned in concern. “Are you okay to walk?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

He put out his hand to help her to her feet. She took his hand and it was like fireworks went off inside him.

He’d met his mate, he had no doubt.