Wolf Moon Read online

  Despite everything that had just happened she still felt shy around him. Sage knew there were things she didn’t understand, and she wasn’t sure she was quite ready to hear the truth, but there was no other way around this. Not after everything that had happened.

  “Yes, much better,” she admitted, climbing under the covers. “You should get under here too. It’s freezing.”

  He smiled down at her and then lifted up her blankets to slide in. “It’s not that cold, but body heat will warm you up faster than these blankets will.”

  She didn’t protest when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Between him, the heaters, and the blankets she was toasty in no time. Even her feet felt warm thanks to Jacob.

  “You’re not going to believe me,” Jacob told her, holding on tight. “But I promise it’s all true.”

  Sage could feel the honesty in his words. She could feel how fervently he meant what he was saying and the slight fear he had that she wouldn’t believe him. How she knew all this, Sage had no idea. But she knew it was true all the way down to her soul.

  “I’ll try to keep an open mind,” she promised. “Just be honest. And please explain the neck thing.”

  “I don’t even really know where to start. I’ve never done this before,” he admitted, rubbing his face against her hair.

  The whiskers on his chin tickled, and Sage rolled over so she was facing him. “Just…start from the beginning.”

  He smiled down at her ruefully. “I suppose that’s the best place.” He tapped her nose. Then he was studying her eyes again and his expression grew serious. “I’ve never seen anyone quite as uniquely beautiful as you,” he told her.

  And no matter how much she didn’t want to believe him, no matter how much she wanted to protest that she was a plain nobody, Sage felt the truth of his statement ring through her.

  It took her breath away – the knowledge that someone truly saw her as beautiful. Sage looked up at him in awe. She’d never thought she would be that girl for anyone. Not really.

  “Anyways,” Jacob said with another sigh. “I was in the forest today because I was tracking those wolves. They’ve been testing our borders, seeing how much of our territory they could take before we noticed. Those wolves aren’t just wolves though, they’re shifters.”

  Sage blinked as she processed. “Shifters?”

  “Yeah, meaning they have a human form and an animal form. Theirs happen to be wolves. Like me.”

  “Like you.” At this point she was just repeating the words in hopes that it would help her comprehend and absorb what he was saying. “A wolf.”

  “Yes,” Jacob said carefully. She could feel him studying her closely, watching to see if she was going to laugh in his face or call him crazy. But he was telling the truth. “We are wolf shifters. The Umatilla National Forest and Portland are our territory. The wolf shifters from the Cascade Range are trying to take over.”

  Wolf shifters. Sage pushed away from Jacob.

  She believed him, but her brain wasn’t accepting what he was saying. Suddenly she felt hot and she threw off the blankets, turning off the space heater.

  “Like werewolves?” she asked.

  “Kind of. Except we’re shifters. We can become wolves at will, not based on the moon.”

  Sage turned to face him, remembering the wolf who’d slammed against her car and the terrifying intelligence she’d seen there. “If that’s true, could you show me?”

  Maybe she would be able to finally hear and understand what he was saying if the proof of his words was right in front of her face, but there was also the chance that it would break her brain and shatter her mind if she couldn’t accept what she was seeing.

  Jacob hesitated. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the same concerns she had or something else, but Sage needed to see it regardless. Too much had happened today that she couldn’t explain.

  But if he shifted…then so much would make sense even if it challenged everything she had ever learned.

  He nodded as if coming to some sort of decision, face grim. Then he stood and removed the towel. Sage felt her cheeks heat to the point she thought they might melt her skin off, but she didn’t look away.

  Jacob inhaled deeply and on his exhale his body shifted, becoming bigger but lower to the ground.

  Until there was a wolf in her bedroom.

  Sage wanted to scream but she clamped her mouth shut as she tried to tell herself this gigantic wolf wasn’t going to eat her. It wasn’t the same wolf as the one who’d scared the living daylights out of her.

  No, this one had a darker coat. Blacker over the tan fur than she’d expected, and his face was rounder, almost like a dog. It gave him the appearance of a sweet, good-boy.

  The thought made her laugh and Sage clapped her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry, you just look like a big puppy.”

  He huffed at that and somehow, she knew he was laughing. Jacob’s silver eyes glittered at her as he circled the bed before flopping down on it, making the springs creak with his ridiculous weight.

  Then he laid his head on her lap and looked up at her just like any other giant puppy who thought he was a lap dog.

  She hesitated at first, but Jacob seemed content to stay in his wolf form for the moment. His body was massive, taking up her entire queen bed and then hanging off the edge with his head in her lap.

  But she gave in to the urge and stroked the top of his head, enjoying the silky feel of his fur and the comforting weight of his body on hers. With him here she knew nothing could get her. It was the ultimate safe place with him next to her, like this.

  Sage wasn’t ready to think about everything else this simple shift meant. Her mind wasn’t able to process much more than the hot guy she had a ridiculously intense crush on could turn into a giant wolf, who was still somehow gentle in his appearance.

  Jacob didn’t have the sharp facial features the other wolves had, the ones who’d chased him out of the forest and literally tried to smash her car open to get at him, and probably her by association.

  “Are those wolves going to come for you?” she asked, scratching behind one of his ears. “What about the neck thing? What does that have to do with me and your ability to shift?”

  Sage knew he couldn’t answer her. It was kind of nice if she were honest. Something about his inability to say anything gave her the freedom to talk about what was on her mind.

  “Are the others wolves?” Sage paused as she thought about that. Then she continued the soothing rhythm of stroking his fur from the top of his head, down his spine as far as she could go. “You know, that would explain a lot. Every conversation I didn’t quite understand, and why you all don’t really like to hang out with the locals, well, per Heather.”

  Jacob huffed at that.

  “Did Liam break up with her because he’s a wolf? And she wasn’t…whatever you called me?”

  Suddenly the giant puppy in her lap was a naked man and Sage blushed furiously when he rolled onto his back so he could look up at her.

  “Mate,” Jacob repeated. “You’re my mate.”

  Then he reached up and held her face gently, pulling her down. Sage felt her eyes go wide as she realized what was happening, but still not quite able to believe it.

  When he kissed her, Sage felt it throughout her entire body all the way down to her toes. His lips were soft, and his mouth was warm. Jacob tasted like home, like something she’d been craving all her life but had never been able to figure out exactly what it was she’d wanted.

  Her hands shook as she reached out for him, brushing her fingertips against his face first, and then finding his silky hair. Sage sighed into him, hardly believing any of this was real.

  Before she could blink Jacob flipped her over so that she was the one on her back looking up at him. Sage gasped, staring up into his silver eyes. His next kiss wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t slow and sweet.

  It was possessive and passionate.

  Her back arched as she tri
ed to get closer to him, as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. Sage didn’t care that he was a wolf shifter. Not when she’d never felt like this with anyone before in her life.

  “Jacob,” she whispered against his lips, dizzy from the sensation of him on top of her, the smell of him, and the intense desire that was burning her up inside. “I don’t know what a mate is.”

  Those silvery eyes studied her face, and his fingertips trailed over the freckles dusting her shoulders. “It means you’re mine.”

  9

  Jacob

  She was everything he’d imagined and more. It was like peaches in the summer, sweeter than anything he’d ever tasted.

  Jacob had dated before, slept with women countless times, but it had never been like this. His past had been nothing more than a good time, a way to expend some of his endless energy and take care of the needs he had.

  But all of that had changed when Kai had taken over the pack. It had been annoying at first, but their Alpha made sure they all had time to go to Portland and take care of those needs since the locals were off limits now unless one happened to be a mate.

  No one had found a mate in all the years they’d lived here in La Grande. Not until now.

  Jacob still couldn’t believe Sage was his. The smell of the bond on the back of her neck was unlike anything he’d scented in his life. It was a scent he instantly recognized despite never experiencing it before.

  It was home. It was love. It was everything he’d been pining after since seeing what life could be like with a mate.

  When Kai had brought Amelia into the pack, it had felt like she’d always belonged. And seeing the look on his Alpha’s face every time he looked at her…Jacob hadn’t realized that was what he’d wanted until he saw the fierce way they protected each other.

  Then Shane had gotten lucky next. Bonnie, the harpy as Shane so lovingly called her, was his mate and it was like the universe had gone out of its way to make that happen.

  Two human females who happened to be best friends ending up mated to the Alpha and his Second.

  Jacob hadn’t thought he’d find his mate any time soon, let alone weeks after Kai and Shane. If anything, he’d figured Olivia might find hers first due to her rank, but it seemed the universe had other plans.

  Sage pulled back and stared into his silver eyes. “I still don’t understand what this all means. How does a mate make me yours?”

  His wolf pushed to take her now, to claim her.

  After those wolves tried to kill him, chasing him into his own territory, Jacob had felt on edge. Protecting Sage from them was his main priority.

  But his wolf would have to wait. She was a human and she needed to understand everything for this to really work. Jacob wouldn’t take her choice from her no matter how badly he wanted—needed her.

  “It’s weird,” he said, unable to look away from the freckles on her shoulders. Gently he pushed aside the robe and followed the trail down her arm. “But shifters have a mate. Someone in the universe who is made for them. It’s a weird combination of biology and magic. No one really knows why it’s this way, but we’ve had mates for as long as anyone can remember.”

  Sage ran her fingers through his hair, silent as she absorbed that. “Like animals,” she said.

  Thankfully she didn’t smell afraid anymore, only curious. And then under that there was the delicious scent of her desire that had him licking his lips.

  “Yes, but it’s more than that. There’s magic involved. A mate bond is a permanent thing once it’s accepted. It can be denied, but there are no others for me. Just you.”

  Her cheeks flushed at that, but she considered his statement. “What happens if the bond is denied then?”

  He shrugged, wishing this was easier. Though he supposed it could be going worse. Shane had such a difficult time with Bonnie, but it had worked out in the end when Jacob, the whole pack really, had been worried Bonnie wouldn’t accept him.

  “Nothing really, I guess. It depends on how deeply connected the pair is when it happens. If a bond is denied life would go on, or the wolf could die of heartbreak. Sometimes they go feral and live in their wolf form, never shifting back to human. It’s always been a double-edged sword. A blessing and a curse.”

  “But nothing will happen to me?” she asked, frowning slightly.

  Jacob leaned down and kissed the wrinkled skin between her brows, unable to help himself. “Nothing will happen to you. But the closer we become physically and emotionally the more pain you will experience if we are separated. It’s only until the bond is accepted or denied though.” He moved on to her right eyebrow, kissing her there too.

  Sage smelled happy underneath him, like this was something she’d been waiting for, for a long time. Had she really been interested in him since she’d arrived?

  How dense was he exactly to have missed it at first?

  “So, we have a choice?” she asked. “You could choose not to be my mate?”

  Jacob froze at the tinge of fear he heard in those words. “It doesn’t work like that. You will always be my mate, but we do not have to accept the bond.”

  “Do you even want it?” she asked, somehow becoming smaller.

  Before she could freak herself out too much, Jacob pressed his lips to hers and kissed her. He put all his fear of rejection, his fear for her safety, and the need he had for her into that kiss.

  The way she tasted pleased his wolf and Jacob growled slightly, tightening his grip on her. He wanted to taste her everywhere, he wanted to hear her say his name while he was inside her, and then he wanted to hear what she sounded like when she came.

  “I want you,” he said, feeling a little breathless as she looked up at him, dazed but happy.

  “There is no way I’m letting you go, not if you want me,” Jacob murmured, trying to convince her what he felt was real without freaking her out. “I can’t believe the universe let me have you as my mate.” He kissed her neck and breathed her in. “Do you want me?”

  “Yes,” she breathed. “More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

  Jacob smiled down at her. “How did I get so lucky?”

  10

  Sage

  How did he get so lucky? Sage felt like she’d won the lottery. She didn’t really understand everything that had to do with mates and how that all worked, but if that meant she was made for Jacob?

  That was enough for her.

  And somehow, he was made for her.

  Sage wasn’t going to give that up, even if it came with wolf shifters and who knew what else.

  “I think I’m the lucky one,” she admitted, tracing the five o’clock shadow along his jaw. “Ever since I first saw you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

  “The silver Corolla,” Jacob said with a small smile. “I don’t remember seeing you in the shop, but I think the next day you were working at the grill. I definitely remember noticing you when we went for dinner that night.”

  And here she’d thought those little looks were all in her head.

  “This all seems too good to be true,” she admitted.

  Jacob wiggled his hips and she bit her lip.

  No, she certainly hadn’t forgotten he was naked and that the only thing between him and her was the thin fabric of her robe. It hung off one shoulder and Sage had never felt so exposed and yet somehow completely safe and protected. It was a strange sensation, but one she secretly loved.

  “I will never be able to thank you enough for saving my life,” Jacob murmured, kissing the hollow of her throat. “But I’ll try to show you for as long as you’ll let me.”

  He went slightly lower then, kissing the flat part of her sternum between her breasts. Jacob didn’t move the robe aside and somehow that made it seem more intimate rather than less.

  Every part of her body was paying attention. She felt the tingle in her arms and legs, all the way down to the tips of her fingers and toes. Sage wanted this, she wanted him more than anything.


  But part of her still hesitated. Part of her still thought that maybe this was all a dream, or a bad joke. She didn’t want to wake up and find out it had all been in her imagination.

  If this was some cruel game…

  Sage couldn’t live through that again.

  “Do you promise this isn’t some dare?” Sage asked, barely breathing as he kissed the top of one breast, and then the other.

  Jacob looked up at her, nothing but concern and lust in his eyes. “A dare?”

  It was still hard to talk about.

  The sound of his growl rippled through her and Sage looked up to see his brown eyes were silver again. “What happened?” he demanded.

  “I used to act,” she admitted. “My parents did the whole child actor thing, and then I got a few parts. Nothing crazy, just small stuff. There was this guy I really liked – he happened to be the main actor of the show.”

  The whole thing was still so embarrassing. Sage covered her face, trying not to relive the moment she found out it had all been a dare. How he’d been told he couldn’t get her to sleep with him.

  And then how his best friend had also pretended to be interested in her. It had been a race to see who she would ultimately choose and who she would sleep with in their trailers on set.

  Well, Sage hadn’t realized the extent of the game until she found the sexy photos he’d taken of her online.

  That was the end of her acting career.

  If her father hadn’t been a lawyer, it would have all been so much worse.

  All because she had been so desperate for him to like her she hadn’t seen any of the warning signs or red flags.

  Sage briefly explained it to Jacob and tried not to get turned on every time he snarled.

  She was failing miserably.

  “My dad got them to take down the photos. Thankfully not many people even knew about the whole thing, but it was the final straw. I didn’t want anything to do with Hollywood anymore,” she admitted. “It took me a few years after that to realize I was done with the whole city. So, I went looking for a place that felt more like home.”