against a wall of very solid, very muscular flesh. Hands caught her arms preventing her from falling backwards. She looked up…and up…into the face of the wildest looking wolf she’d ever set eyes on.
Declan. This had to be Declan. The rogue who was one step from going feral.
He had a hard mouth, a cleft chin, high cheekbones and startlingly pale gray eyes. His hair was as messy as hers and a few days growth of beard dusted his jaw. He looked like he’d just survived an accident that’d left him stranded, like a shipwreck or a mine cave-in. Rough and unkempt and not remotely tame.
Before she could say or do anything, he hauled her against him and kissed her.
Hard.
Her lips pressed against her teeth and she gasped in surprise. Declan took that as an invitation, his tongue pushing into her mouth, slick and hot, demanding a response. Her wolf, already roused by the chase, gave him that response without thought. Her wolf liked this male. She liked the brutal simplicity of his offer and wanted to claim him immediately.
Case reached her then, catching her by the arm and pulling her roughly away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
She wasn’t entirely sure if he was talking to her or Declan.
Declan slowly lowered his hands to his sides. His gaze remained on her for a long moment before turning to Case. “Why order me home if not to mate with her?”
“I told you to present yourself,” Case said coldly. “ She didn’t invite you to touch her.”
Declan snorted. “She’s ready to mate. I can smell it all over her. I barely touched her and she already wants to take me.”
Case glanced at her and though Maggie didn’t think he meant to accuse her of any wrongdoing, there was no missing the flare of his nostrils as he scented her arousal. His mouth tightened as he recognized the truth of Declan’s words.
It wasn’t fair.
She couldn’t control her body’s reaction. The heat came. It kept coming, and every time she encountered a new unattached male, her wolf rose up to check him out. Maggie might not like being manhandled by a stranger, but her wolf didn’t seem to mind it at all.
Declan’s kiss had burned through her. She could still feel his hands on her arms. She wanted… No. Her wolf wanted to climb Declan like a tree. Her entire body trembled with the effort it took to pull her wolf under control.
Declan’s pale eyes met hers. “I’m ready to finish this now.”
“You’ll do this the right way,” Case snapped.
“And your way is the right way?” Declan raised a thick, straight eyebrow. “You’re losing touch with your wolf, Case. Soon you’ll be as broken as Jack.” His eyes locked with Maggie. “As broken as she is. Split inside.”
Case advanced a step. “There’s nothing wrong with her.”
“I imagine that’s easy to believe when you’re fucking her. Give me a chance at it. Maybe I’ll see the light. I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong. You should try it.”
Case swung at him. Case, calm and completely in control Case, punched one of his pack mates right in the face. Declan’s head jerked, and he stumbled back a step. He caught his balance just before Case fell on him.
Maggie cried out and stepped forward, intending to stop them.
Eli caught her arm. “You don’t want to get involved in this.”
“What do you mean I don’t want to get involved? They’re fighting because of me.”
“They’re not,” Eli said, watching the two men square off. “This has been building for a long time. Declan is strong, maybe as strong as Case. Declan’s been poking at him lately, trying to force this. You’re just the stick that finally broke Case’s skin.”
Case took another swing at Declan, this time missing as the larger man dodged. Catching Case’s wrist as he overbalanced, Declan pulled hard, shifting his weight to send Case flying into an end table. The table shattered.
Blood.
She scented the blood before she saw it. Case rolled to his feet, a gash
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