Read Online Autumn Sacrifice by Bronwyn Green - Free Book Online Page B

something else entirely.
    * * * *
    Caleb didn’t know how far he ran. He just ran until the wolf loosened its grip long enough to let him shift back. Leaving Ethan and Jake in the forest, he raced back to his house, shifting as soon as he reached the steps.
    A wave of relief hit him as soon as he saw Brenna’s car sitting in the driveway where she’d left it, but the respite was short lived when he couldn’t find her anywhere in the house or outside in the yard.
    Shifting back to his wolf form, he searched for her, finally picking up her scent heading into the woods. What the hell was she thinking? Not only were the woods nearly pitch black, there were all kinds of animals in there—not all of them friendly.
    Her trail was easy enough to pick up; it meandered through the forest then along the shoreline close to where she’d been walking with her cousin earlier. He could tell she’d been out on the rock formations again.
    His heart jumped into his throat as the thought occurred to him that maybe she’d been swept into the water by one of the dangerously high waves that washed over the tops of the rocks, but the wind shifted, carrying her scent to him. She was on shore. Turning around, he noticed movement near the house. Bounding away from the water, he headed up the beach toward where she paced in front of the steps. She whirled to face him, squinting into the darkness.
    “Caleb?” she called, her voice a little shaky. “Is that you? I sure hope it’s you.”
    Turning his focus inward, he willed himself to shift forms again. He ignored the pain that ripped through him as his bones and muscles stretched and reformed. Hair and claws receded leaving behind naked skin that quickly grew chilled in the windy, autumn night. Forcing himself to his feet, he stood.
    Without warning, Brenna launched herself into his arms, wrapping herself around his body. He released the breath he’d been holding as he pulled her close. When he’d left her on the porch, he’d been half convinced that she’d be long gone when he got back. He would have chased her down, of course. But he was thrilled that he didn’t have to. He just hoped that her being here meant that she was staying. Or at least considering it.
    “I realized I made a mistake,” she admitted. “So I tried to find you.”
    “In the forest? At night?”
    She sighed. “I know. I know. Beyond stupid.” She shyly met his gaze. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I was scared to believe that you might actually love me…for me.”
    After seeing her father in action, he could definitely understand her mistrust.
    “I love you, too. You know that, right?” she asked.
    He nodded, his heart swelling. But there was still more that needed to be discussed. More she needed to know. “Look, I’m not going to lie to you. There’s a biological component to this. It makes your scent irresistible. It makes me crazy for the taste of you. It makes me hard for you the minute I’m near you.” He chuckled. “But to be fair, that last bit’s been going on since you were in high school.”
    With a smile, she pushed her hips against his already stiff cock.
    “But,” he continued. “That doesn’t affect my love for you. I need to know that you understand that.”
    She nodded. “I do. I might have been a little slow on the uptake, but I do get it.”
    “Good.”
    He lowered himself to his knees, drawing her down on the cold sand with him and took her mouth, thrusting his tongue inside and tasting her thoroughly. Her admission of love combined with the full moon drew his beast forward again. The need to mark her and make her his was growing uncontrollable.
    Her passion rising, she skimmed her hands over the planes of his body, pulling him closer, stroking his skin and pressing kisses to his chest. His cock jerked against her, trapped between their bodies.
    Cradling the base of her skull, he secured his fingers in her hair and tugged her head back, exposing her neck. “It’s