Brynn picked up the pace. He ran along the edge of the forest, enjoying the peace. The next heat of The Program started tomorrow. Twenty-five hand-picked human females would arrive on vampire territory.

Just twenty-four hours.

Not soon enough.

He couldn’t wait. Just thinking about all those lush females made his blood rush in his veins and the air heat in his lungs. It also made his body tighten with need.

His lungs burned, as did his muscles but it felt good. He needed to work off this extra energy so that he could focus on getting to know the females.

In the first heat, he’d set his sights on a female who had ended up with another male. Amber had since become a really good friend, so it wasn’t all bad. In the second heat, he’d played the field to his own downfall. In hindsight, none of the females had really called to him anyway.

This was his final chance to find a human mate. More than likely his only opportunity to have a family. There were vampire females, but most of them were infertile. The strongest of the vampire males had been called upon to fight for an opportunity to win and mate human females. The Program had been initiated. The elite males had fought and ten had been afforded a chance. Even though he was an underdog, Brynn had won himself a place on the elite team.

By tomorrow this time, he’d more than likely be meeting his future mate. Brynn couldn’t wait. He eased back to a walk, stopped and bent over at his middle so that he could catch his breath. Then he turned and began walking in the direction of the castle.

Hold up! What the hell was that?

A white flash deep in the undergrowth. Brynn stopped, he put his hands over his eyes to shield the sun. It was just the shadows playing tricks on him. Then there was a sound of a twig snapping. A deer? Maybe, but deer weren’t snowy white.

Something didn’t sit right in his gut. Brynn walked towards where the noise had come from. Even before he had gone very deep, he scented … what was it? An animal. Heavy musk filled his nostrils. Something nagged inside him.

He moved deeper into the undergrowth, going more quickly this time, sure to keep his footfalls light and paying attention to where he was standing. The scent became stronger. So animalistic and pungent.

A wolf.

Not just any wolf.

It was a shifter. What the fuck was a shifter doing on vampire territory? Granted, it was the edge of their territory. He must be more wired than he thought since he hadn’t realized he’d run this far. He’d covered miles of ground. Thoughts of those humans had him tied in knots.

Brynn honed his senses. There could be more of them. He needed to remain on his guard. He weighed his options while following its scent. Go back to the castle and return with a team? The potential threat would be long gone, along with any opportunity to get some answers. Or, risk life and limb and pursue the intruder in the hopes it was alone?

Fuck it!

Brynn picked up the pace, taking care to stay as quiet as possible. Those fuckers had fantastic senses, better in some aspects than even the vampires. They were quick as well, especially when in beast form. He’d taken down a couple in his life and could do it again. Even though their two species were on much better terms right now, trespassing was strictly forbidden.

There was a rustle ahead and another flash of white. He hadn’t realized it was quite so close. The wolf was moving slowly. Was it injured? Nah, he didn’t scent blood. He peered through the trees. It was loping. Only one. As he drew nearer, he noticed that its tongue was hanging from its jaw. It looked tired. That would explain the slow pace.

It was also smaller than he remembered those fuckers being. Much smaller. He could take it down easily. Brynn continued to close in on the beast. The poor doggy didn’t realize a vampire was on its tail until he was almost on top of it.

At the last second, realizing he was there, the wolf sprang around to face him. Its fur bristled. His teeth gleamed as it snarled at him.

The wolf was pure white with the most beautiful big, chocolate eyes.

Beautiful.

What the fuck? Where the hell had that come from? The beast’s lip curled back in another silent snarl.

Brynn folded his arms. “Enough,” he growled.

The wolf’s eyes narrowed and yet another loud snarl was torn from its throat. It made snorting noises as it inhaled deeply.

“Shift back into human form,” he commanded the beast. “Do it now or I’ll be forced to take you down. Trust me, you don’t want that.”

The beast pulled itself taller, looking down at him over its snout. A rough growl ripped through it. Its coat seemed to bristle further.

“Yeah, yeah.” He shook his head. “So you’re an inch or two taller. Trust me when I tell you …” he paused. “I will take you the fuck down, so give up now.”

The wolf leapt at him.

Brynn dropped to his haunches and did a leg sweep, knocking the beast over. It yelped once but was surprisingly quick at getting back onto its feet. They circled one another, the beast more cautious this time.

When it finally leapt, he slid between its legs, avoiding coming into contact with those lethal claws. He gave a mighty punch to its gut. This time the wolf was knocked onto its side, its yelp louder than the first. It was slower to react and he took advantage. Brynn flipped so that his body faced the opposite direction, then using the beast’s momentum as it rose, he punched it in the snout.

Its eyes became glassy as they filled with tears caused by the blow. The punch had to have hurt like a mother.

The wolf jumped onto shaky legs and Brynn gave it an undercut that reverberated right through his own body. He almost felt sorry for the furry bastard. The beast flew backwards, landing with a crash on its back. It made a whimpering, yelping noise.

The wolf whimpered again, its chest heaved. Its tongue lolled. Brynn sprung onto it, pushing down on its chest to keep it still. He had been careful to assess the creature as he was flying through the air. One solid kick to the balls would render it unconscious. Then it would shift back to human form. It would be easier for him to apprehend and question it in hu—

Wait just a freaking minute.

He pulled his hands back. Brynn registered panic in its eyes. Sheer terror.

Fuck! What had he done?

“You’re a female!” he yelled, his voice rough with worry. He’d just beaten the shit out of a female. “Are you okay?” Brynn could feel that his own eyes were big in his head. “Of course you’re not okay. How can you be okay?” He scrambled off of her, going onto his knees at her side.

He pulled in a deep breath. What the fuck had he done? He didn’t know that it was a she. How was he supposed to have known? Brynn began to assess the creature, to run his hands down its ‒ her ‒ soft fur. Lord help him.

She whimpered again, making him feel like the biggest asshole on the planet. Shit! “What can I do to help you? I’m so damned sorry. Please shift so that I can at least talk to you. I want to help.” He was blithering like an idiot. So what if he was! He’d never hurt a female before. Females were to be cherished and nurtured regardless of their species. He should’ve realized. The wolf’s size. Her beautiful eyes. The way the noises she had made had torn at him. He should’ve known.

She mewled when he pushed lightly on her ribs. “I don’t think they’re broken.” He huffed out a pent-up breath. “Shit!” His voice was shaky. “I can’t beli…” He let the words die as he watched her shift.

It was like her fur pulled into her skin, her jaw pulled back as well. Her ears, everything remotely beastlike sucked back and morphed into human features. He made a sound low in his throat. Her skin was the color of night. A vivid contrast to her fur. Her eyes were more hazel. Like hot fudge. So beautiful he could hardly breathe.

He tried not to notice her nakedness. Brynn tried really fucking hard and failed. Her breasts were like succulent tropical fruits. Not overly large, yet still full and ready for eating. Her nipples tightened under his scrutiny. Cherries. Plump and dark. His mouth watered for a taste. Her belly was flat, her hips flared, her … Brynn quickly averted his gaze back to her face. What the hell was he doing?

Her eyes were narrowed, her lips pursed tightly together. “How dare you!” she snarled. The she-wolf punched him, and rightly so. His jaw throbbed. As he flew backwards, he couldn’t help but admire how perfect the blow had been. Use your opponent’s every weakness. Exploit every distraction to the fullest. This female was certainly one hell of a distraction. That was for sure.

* * *

Bloodsucking asshole!

How dare he!

The beating was one thing. The eyeballing was another altogether. She’d watched how his eyes had flared with … lust. Pure and simple. How his jaw had tightened. How every muscle on him had roped and tensed.

She could scent his arousal laced with coppery undertones. Shifters didn’t react much to nakedness since they spent much of their time in a state of undress. She’d never been caressed by someone’s eyes before. At least, that’s what it felt like. The nerves under her skin had prickled. Her nipples had tightened under his scrutiny.

Her reaction to the eyeballing ‒ and to him in general ‒ was purely instinctual. A well-placed punch. No holds barred. He flew backwards, hitting the back of his head on the soft mossy ground. His eyes were rounded. Their gorgeous, silvery blue depths now filled more with shock than desire. Good! Hold up! What was that about his eyes being gorgeous?

This male was a blood–drinker. A vicious, arrogant bastard. A vampire. Screw him. In one graceful leap, she straddled the male and punched him in one of those gorgeous eyeballs. Let his lids be too swollen shut for her to be able to see those pretty, silver eyes. She pulled back for another strike but he grabbed her fist.

In a move she didn’t know possible, he twisted her so that she was below him and he on top, pinning her down.

What? That was unacceptable.

She tried to slap him off of her with her free hand but he pinned her arm down with his shoulder and arm. His face was mere millimeters away from hers. She could feel his naked chest against hers. He was breathing hard.

She noticed with satisfaction how the flesh around one of his eyes was puffy and a little red. She could still see how stunning his eyes were though, fanned by lashes far too long to be on a male. Damn him!

“Let me go,” she growled low.

“Stop fighting me.” His voice was low and husky. Bastard!

His stupid vampire ass would get one last chance. “Let. Me. Go.” She tried to yank her body out from underneath him with every word.

“Calm down.” She was appalled to find that he smelled good. The mingled scents of soap, sweat, iron and something else entirely. The mix appealed. She had obviously banged her head.

“Easy.” He spoke to her like he was trying to tame an animal, which was apt. His eyes drifted to her mouth. “That’s it … easy, he soothed, with those same caressing, deep tones.

It felt like he was about to kiss her. Surely not. He did have nice lips. Plump but not too full. He licked them. Then she panicked. The warring emotions were just too much. He was a bloodsucker. He had hurt he. Not really. He might hurt her some more. Although, she didn’t think so. He was a vampire and she was strangely attracted to him.

What the hell!

No way! Forget it. Tiffany head-butted him. Not so hard as to break bone but hard enough to dislodge his hold on her. She pulled herself out from under him.

In a flash, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her back to him. They lay on the ground, their bodies inches away from each other. His mouth was bleeding. No chance of any kisses coming her way now. She felt oddly disappointed. No she did not!

“Let go of me or you’ll regret it.” Her voice was a low vibration as her wolf prowled just below her skin. The traitor didn’t want to run. Her beast wanted to play … and maybe to bite a little. Her wolf wanted to rut. It didn’t seem to care that he was a vampire.

The mangy beast didn’t know what was best. Her wolf acted on pure instinct. Tiffany was far more logical about these things.

The male smiled. He used his free hand to wipe at the small trickle of blood. His lip already partially healed.

Tiffany narrowed her eyes. “I said that you would regret it if you didn’t let me go. Last chance.” Her voice was softer this time, even though her wolf was still very much there.

“I highly doubt that. I think I would regret it if you left.”

Their position on the ground felt intimate somehow. The canopy of trees above them. The forest floor below. No one else for miles around.

Tiffany swallowed hard. She didn’t know what to say. The male was strong, much stronger than she was. If she shifted, she might be able to get away but only because he wouldn’t use his full strength against her. The vampires would also probably send word to the packs that a female wolf had been on their territory, one with white fur. They would know instantly that it was her. Dammit, this wasn’t supposed to happen. Go for a run, she had thought. Clear her head, she had imagined. Not this. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go down.

“Don’t fight me and don’t try to run. I’ll have to take you in if you do.” He let her go. “Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to be questioned by my superiors, or my kings for that matter.” His eyes softened. “Let me help you to your feet?”

Shit!

At least he didn’t seem too bad for a bloodsucker. Maybe. She couldn’t trust him though, that much she knew. Their species had been at war for many centuries. It was only in recent times that a truce existed. Old habits die hard.

Tiffany watched as he rose to his feet. He wore a pair of shorts and nothing else. His body was well-muscled. His hair was dark and cut shorter than that of the males of her own kind. It looked styled. It was his eyes that really drew her in. Silvery grey, sometimes leaning more towards blue. His eyelashes were so long and black. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned forward and held out his hand.

Vampire. Enemy. Ignoring the gesture, she rose to her feet on her own steam. Crinkles appeared on either side of his eyes and his mouth twitched.

“I’m sorry I hurt you. It won’t happen again,” he said, using those same soothing tones. He clasped his hands behind his back. The male was much taller than she, yet shorter than most shifter males she knew. Not by much, but still.

His eyes stayed on hers. Gone was the lust and arousal of before. He didn’t seem in the least bit interested anymore. Then again, he was a male and she a female. They had been touching inappropriately before. He had probably just been reacting to that and not to her, per se. That had to be it.

“I said that I won’t hurt you and I mean it. About before, I didn’t realize that you were a female.” He looked solemn. Two worry lines had appeared on his forehead. “In all fairness, I did give you every opportunity to stand down.” He flashed her a ghost of a smile. It was apologetic.

Tiffany kept her eyes locked with his. Her body ached but she would be fine. The healing process was already well underway. “Let me go and we’ll call it even.” She was sure to keep her voice steady and her shoulders back. Hey, it was worth a try.

The male shook his head. “I can’t do that just yet.”

Her chest vibrated with a low growl.

The male smiled. “As much as I enjoy hearing you make growling noises, I need to know why you are here. I will be able to scent if you are lying, so don’t.” His eyes dropped to her chest and quickly lifted. He pulled a face. “I don’t have anything for you to wear but I promise not to look … I’ll try and … I’ll …” He shuffled from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable. “Let’s just do this. The sooner we talk, the sooner …” He hesitated, seeming to choose his words carefully. “The sooner, I can decide what to do with you.”

Shit!

He was considering taking her back to the castle. She’d heard stories about the vampire dungeon. Her father, the alpha, would be called. Everyone would find out. She’d be an even bigger disappointment than she already was.

She nodded her head.

The male visibly relaxed.

Tiffany made the decision right then, that she would just go ahead and tell him what he needed to know so she could get her tail home. She had been living in her own cabin for several years but they were a close-knit pack. Word would spread if she didn’t get back soon.