~

 

“I wouldn’t bother running,” Jeannie said with a sour tone as she watched Vanessa take one tiny little step backward away from the alpha’s advance.

It wasn’t the distance, but the symbolism of that step that counted in Vanessa’s book.

The look in the man’s eyes had told her much the same as Jeannie had, and she wasn’t about to run, but she sure didn’t want to get sniffed and confirm what she was already sure of either.

She was his mate.

She had to be.

Her body was happy to see him in more ways than she wanted to think about, and she didn’t like – not one little bit.

A mate to a shifter wolf. And her a witch!

Two down and one to go – what were the odds that I’m not his damn mate?

So much for being under the protection of God.

I’m wearing the garb… isn’t he supposed to help a girl out or something?

I suppose this is God’s punishment.

That’ll teach me!

Well, no, not really, but, damn it to hell fire and back again!

A shifter.

Alpha.

Him, with the hard muscled body and the sexy eyes that make me go a little gooey inside.

Ok, so the hard muscled body is a bonus, but I don’t want to be gooey. I’m not a cake.

Oooh, cake.

Damn it!

Stupidity got me into this mess; maybe stupidity can get me out of it.

How stupid can one girl be in a night?

Oh God, here he comes.

Grab the pitchforks and the torches, or maybe just put my head between my legs and kiss my backside goodbye.

Doomed!

Doomed I say!

Or… maybe not.

Vanessa pulled on her magic and flicked her wrist, sight unseen to the alpha, but both witches picked up on the little burst of magic that left their friend and flew across the room to its intended target.

Ryan pulled up short. He narrowed his eyes on the woman, and his nose twitched – it was the strangest feeling in the world.

“What did you do?” Ryan asked, and she gave him a look of complete innocence.

“Huh?” Innocence be damned, she was going for the gold standard – the Academy award – the Olympic champion of the world.

“Do, what did you do?”

“Me do?”

“Yes.”

“Me?”

“You.”

“I’m just standing here.” Vanessa shrugged, maybe she was playing innocent a little too much, but there was no going back now that she’d jumped in with both feet and her magic.

“I need to scent you.”

Ryan closed the distance between the two of them. His beast was antsy. It was starting to claw inside of him, and this time he wouldn’t be denied.

“Fine!” Vanessa snapped out, and that didn’t fill him with the warm and fuzzy feeling either.

The witch had been so damn gung-ho not to let him scent her that he wondered why she’d had such an easy change of heart.

He stepped right up to her, wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her up close and personal, and the little minx even tipped her head to one side and allowed him access.

Something wasn’t right.

Ryan dipped his head and took one, long, deep breath.

Nothing.

His beast grumbled a growl, and he felt that exact same sense of annoyance.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t his mate.

Oh no.

It was that he couldn’t smell a damned thing.

 

~

~

~

 

“Well?” Clive demanded, more forcefully than he’d ever done before. He didn’t know why, but his need to know if the alpha had found his mate or not was clawing at his very soul with frustration.

Ryan sniffed again.

Then he growled.

Then he went back in for a second try.

Nothing.

The alpha wolf growled long and hard, and Ryan had the urge to do the same. He snapped his head up and found her eyes staring back at him – she looked… guilty.

“I don’t know,” Ryan admitted, not taking his eyes from the witch for one second.

“How can you not know if she’s your mate or not?” Jason asked.

“Why can’t I?” Ryan’s words sounded accusing, and they were.

“Why are you asking me?” Vanessa shot back, overplaying the innocent act by about a mile.

Jeannie and Faith sniggered, but they had the good graces to do it behind their hands. Clive groaned.

“Why would I ask the witch?” Ryan said dryly, eyeing her, and watching her squirm a little.

“I just said that,” Vanessa tossed back at him.

The alpha could see just how her brain was running at full speed. The woman was devious – devious and mischievous – and probably a lot more to boot. He just didn’t want to think of all the other ways she would try to thwart him.

“Take it back,” Ryan grumbled a growl.

“What?” Vanessa was playing it for all it was worth like the dying swan, without the dying, or the swan.

“Take the magic back and let me scent you,” Ryan’s growl became a little more forceful.

“Oh, damn,” Clive spluttered a laugh. “An alpha wolf without a sense of smell – just how badly can that go wrong?”

“Sense of…?” Vanessa offered innocent eyes, but he could see it there in her very soul – deceit, deceit of the worst kind.

“This isn’t over,” Ryan promised her.

“Looks pretty bleak from where I’m standing,” Vanessa said with a teasing smile that took the corners of her mouth upwards.

Ryan’s beast grumbled another growl.

Man and wolf needed to know.

It felt like she was his mate.

It seemed so damn right that he could practically taste it on his tongue, and yet.

He couldn’t scent a damn thing.

“There are other ways,” Ryan said, and it was his turn to allow a smile to grace his lips.

Vanessa’s heart hit her ribs, and she frowned hard.

“What damn ways?” She demanded, but it was already too late.

Ryan was bringing his lips down to hers.