Wolverton by Julie Steimle (best romantic books to read TXT) 📕

It was time to get out from there.

“Ready for another game?” Rick asked, turning to Wilk and then looking toward Kurt. He needed a head start or some kind of interference.

Kurt, to his surprise, had already gotten up and was jogging off with his pals somewhere. And Rick couldn’t blame him. Kurt didn’t seem the type to get in the way of the wishes of the pack elders. And apparently the wishes of the pack elders had remained the same. Besides, Kurt was just a kid. This nonsense was way out of his league.

Wilk chuckled, rising along with his friends. “I gotta get to the quad so we can prep for the bonfire.”

Hopping to his feet with a desperate peek at the ladies, Rick said, “Can I help?”

Laughing knowingly, Wilk shook his head. “Nope. I’m a chosen priest, and heretics aren’t allowed to build up the sacramental fire. You understand.”

His mild mockery was well sent. Rick smirked at him. It was friendly teasing, so he didn’t mind so much.  

“Fine…” He looked around. “Then what can a heretic do?”

“Convert.” Wilk was walking backwards with a smirk on his face. His friends were going with him.

“Entertain the ladies,” Luko called out.

Wulf Woods cackled slapping his buddy on the back.

Groaning, Rick turned. They had purposely abandoned him with all those girls. Indeed, the pack elders’ plans had not changed.

Sneaky wolves.

“Hi, I’m Tola.” A pretty blonde slickly draped her arm around his shoulders. She was wearing a loosely hanging summer dress, so loose that he could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“I’m Firi.” A dark-haired petite gal slipped herself to Rick’s other side, hand around his waist. Her perfume was a little overpowering.

“Flora Woods.” “Summer Kullin.” “Seri Moon.” And a whole slew of other names flew at him as the girls surrounded him.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” Rick lifted his hands as they started grabbing a piece of him.

“Oh my gosh! Feel these muscles!” One was squeezing his arm.

“I’d rather rub his chest.”

“Are you kidding? Those abs!”

Someone seized the waistband to his pants, fiddling with the button.

“Yow! Hands off!” Rick immediately bent into wolf shape, springing out of the group and running nearly atop a few girls to get away. Dropping to the grass and skidding in his fur on all paws, he stared back at the rabid crowd of human-shaped she-wolves in heat.

They had his pants.

He stared down at his boxer shorts and groaned.

The girls giggled.

Then they chased after him.

“Ugh!” Rick-the-wolf shot off at top speed, anywhere away from them. 

And they chased.

Chapter Six

He had ducked under balconies, under cars, under porches, in and out, behind houses, gardens, through bushes and trees. But their sense of smell was amazing. If the Paris wolves had been this tenacious, he probably would not have gotten away. And those in the town watching him run, laughed.

Some of them helped him hide. Others pointed out his hiding spots. It was like a game to everyone but him.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t they pretty?” someone called after him.

Rick pulled into full human form and snapped, “Too pretty, thank you very much. But I am not interested.”

“What, are you gay?” that man-wolf asked.

“Sometimes I wish I were,” Rick muttered. But then he caught sight of the girls chasing after him, and he shrank back down on all wolfy-fours and ran.

He darted here and there, but then finally sprang into the grasses and dunked in the river, hoping they would lose his scent.

They didn’t. They spotted him and followed.

Dashing out, away from the pond inlet, he scrambled back to the houses, seeking a better hiding place. He finally found one under a backyard porch. The rich earthy soil was pungent and could mask his smell. Also, there was a dark slope, which when he climbed up to the top in the shadows, no one would be able to see him.

But then he heard a moan.

Looking from that dark corner, he saw a pretty young lady silhouetted by the outside sun in the shadow. She wasn’t climbing in after him, rather she was already there, sitting against one beam and using the dim light to read from a book that was resting on her knees. Her shining periwinkle blue eyes wanly took him in. Rising, she looked like she was preparing to leave.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Rick whispered. “I just need a hiding place.”

Her pretty eyes examined him silently for a second. Then she wordlessly nodded and sat back down.

He ducked into the dark along the house, already hearing the she-wolves coming. He held his breath.

They tore in there, snuffling about and searching.

“Ugh! Daisy!” one of the girls, probably Tola exclaimed, “What are you doing down under here in this smelly place?”

“You’re supposed to be out seeking the alpha,” one of the others said, almost accusatory.

“I’m not interested in the elders’ request,” that girl reading in those shadows said. “I hid here for a reason. Go away.”

“Oh, come on! We’re losing him!” Seri called to the others.

“Not me!” And a blonde darted out, getting ahead of them.

Others chased her, calling her names that Rick didn’t think were compliments. Soon most of them were gone except for this girl Diana Woods and Summer Kullin. Diana stalked around Daisy, almost hissing, “What’s wrong? Not interested in getting laid this time?”

Daisy bristled at her, clenching her book like it was the only thing keeping her from pouncing on the she-wolf and biting her throat out.

“She’s just waiting for bigger meat at the bonfire,” Summer said. “Maybe even your brother Wulf.”

Diana growled in her throat. “That’s a joke. Wulf has taste.”

Daisy’s eyes narrowed on her. “Your prey is getting away.”

Huffing, Diana lifted her chin. “The word is mate. Weren’t you there? The elders said whoever could charm him and convince him to stay with the pack would definitely be rewarded.”

Shaking her head, Daisy turned her eyes back to the book.

“He’s super wealthy,” Diana added.

Sighing, Daisy replied, “And that means he can have his pick of women. So why in the world would he take a she-wolf from here?”

Diana growled.

But Daisy smiled. “He’s getting farther away from you.”

“Come on.” Summer urged Diana to go out from under the porch. “Let’s not waste more time.

Kicking dirt behind her and onto Daisy, Diana and Summer rushed off.

Rick still waited in the dark. After all, they could come back.

That girl Daisy just kept reading.

Slowly slipping out of pitch dark, shedding his fur, Rick looked around. He was starting to feel hungry, his stomach gurgling. Normally he didn’t go hunting in the middle of the day, but it was starting to feel like his only option if he wanted to avoid the she-wolves.

“They might come back,” Daisy said, her eyes lifting from her page. “If you leave here, they might see you.”

Hesitating, Rick then slid down the dirt, halting next to her. “Thanks for not turning me in.”

She nodded and went back to reading.

He looked around at the underside of the porch. He had nothing to do. He could always nap, but… it was difficult to nap when he was hungry.

Rick looked to the outside again, thinking that maybe he could go back to Kurt’s house. His mother would understand and probably hide him. She might even give him lunch. He was nearly bent on it when Daisy said, “Are you hungry? I’m hungry.”

He looked back at her. “I’m starving.”

Nodding, she heaved a sigh and said, “Wait in the shadows, and I will get some food from my house. It is just upstairs.”

Rick peered up at the porch floor overhead. He frowned, taking in the dark. “Why do you read down here?”

“Privacy,” she said. Her smile was like a little bow. She didn’t show her teeth or anything, but her lips pleasantly bent in her fair face. “I’m sure you overheard, but uh, the elders have particular opinions about how we should conduct our lives. And there is a lot of pressure around the full moon. Hormones tend to run wild. And I prefer to keep out of the fray.”

Hormones running wild seemed too mild of a description. They had nearly mauled him.

“Does it only run wild toward visitors, or is it more evenly dispersed.” He started blushing. The entire topic was embarrassing.

“It is a two-way thing,” Daisy chuckled, rising. “I’ll explain later. Let me get lunch.”

She was out of the shadows and gone before he could respond. Taking her advice, he crawled back up into his dark nook, which was a good thing because several she-wolves came back and ran through the place. Twice. When Daisy returned, she brought two sandwiches, both cold turkey.

“Oh, thank you.” And Rick delved right in. He devoured each little piece, savoring the meat and the bread and the really delicious sauce on it along with all the vegetables. When he was done, she handed him a bottle with water in it.

And she was back to reading her book, munching slowly on her sandwich, turning the pages.

Rick looked around himself. There was no way out. The she-wolves would find him again eventually. And then what? He didn’t want to hurt them—but if they got too physical he would have to. They had no right to force him into… well, anything. But most especially not into mating. That was just disgusting.

He glanced over at Daisy again. Then at her book. Peering over her shoulder at the words, he asked, “What are you reading?”

Sighing heavily, Daisy gazed tiredly at him then showed him. It was a book entitled My Family and other Animals. He laughed when he read it.

“Fiction?”

“Nonfiction,” she said. “It is an autobiography written by a British naturalist. It’s rather good.”

Nodding, he sat next to her. “Tell me about it.”

“What?” She stared at him.

Sighing he said, “I’m bored. Unless you have another book for me to read or something to do while I hide until the bonfire tonight, I might as well go out and run from she-wolves again. What interests you in that book anyway?”

Chuckling, Daisy blushed. “Alright. Though I don’t know why you’d want to go to the bonfire if you are planning to run from the she-wolves. What do you want to talk about? The book? Just anything?”

But Rick peered at her. “Is going to the bonfire a bad idea?”

Daisy shook her head. “You shouldn’t ask me that. I love it. I go to it every month. It is exciting and the hunt is amazing. But… it might be a little awkward for a he-wolf who is avoiding hormonal she-wolves. Especially for a lone wolf such as yourself.”

“What?” He stared, eyes widening. “What do you mean? I thought it was just the start of the pack hunt.”

She nodded. “It is. But it is also for single wolves only. And we show up in the buff.”

He paled. “What?”

Blushing, she averted her eyes and said, “It is an animal ritual. We arrive as humans, but we are preparing to hunt as wolves. And wolves don’t hunt in clothing.”

He glanced down at his boxer shorts. “I do.”

Daisy laughed. It was musical and light. “Really? Always?”

Blushing, Rick nodded. “Nearly always. I mean… where can I put my cellphone if I don’t have pockets?”

She stared at him. In her eyes was enormous pity. And it came out of her voice as she said, “You