The woman's mouth moved but no sound came out at first. Anger turned to amazement, then to confusion. "Why? She's a stinking cat. She obviously came to play in our trash bins and you caught her. You have no stomach for hurting a female, even if it is one of those, do you? I'd be happy to take her a.s.s out."

"I said she's under my protection and no one is going to harm her." Glenda gingerly climbed to her feet, used both hands to brush off the backside of her jeans, and gaped at Anton. "What the h.e.l.l is up?"

He took a deep breath, his ma.s.sive chest pressing tightly against Shannon's smaller one, pinned between his body and the wall. "Notice how faint the scent of her is? She's mostly human. Some of the pups decided to hunt her in the woods but I intercepted."

"She's the enemy. Of course they wanted to make her a chew toy."

"I don't allow aggression without provocation." Anton's features darkened with anger.

"She's breathing and reeks of her puma blood. That's enough provocation for me." Glenda shot Shannon a dirty look before meeting Anton's cool stare again. "I know you have a soft spot for women though, so hand her over to me. I won't kill her but I'll at least dump her out of our territory."

"No."

Disbelief flashed on the female werewolf's face. "What are you going to do with her? Call her pride and have them meet up with you to return her?"

"No. She's going to stay inside my apartment until I make certain she will be safe in our territory.

I'm giving her permission to stay. She lives on the outer edge and I'm granting her permission to stay there after I deal with the current threats against her." A deep, vicious growl tore from Glenda before she spun away, marching toward the door. "I'm calling your father."

"s.h.i.t," Anton sighed, turning his head to stare at Shannon as the door slammed closed after the departing woman.

"You should just let me go stay with my mom."

Shannon studied his beautiful eyes. Her breath caught. He looked s.e.xy to her, handsome. She noticed his strong, masculine scent, which she inhaled with each drag of air into her lungs, and her hands gripped him a little tighter. Heat flashed through her body until she squirmed, her thighs gripping his hips a little more firmly.

Anton softly growled and Shannon's b.r.e.a.s.t.s hardened at the vibrations it caused. The heat turned scorching hot until she realized her breathing had turned into a borderline pant. They stared at each other for what seemed forever until he shifted his hips, snugly resting the front of his jeans against her panties. Hard, aroused male rubbed against the core of her pleasure. A soft moan pa.s.sed her lips, shocking Shannon.

"d.a.m.n," Anton rasped. "I'm too close to the heat and I think you are too."

"You are really warm."

His gaze lowered to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, smashed against his chest. "You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Your body temperature is hotter than normal and you have me pinned. Of course I'm hot. I'm going to start sweating if you don't put me down."

That hot, s.e.xy gaze of his lifted. "Don't you go into heat? I'm talking about s.e.x." Stunned, Shannon swallowed hard. "No."

"You don't ache for s.e.x sometimes more than other times?" She shook her head. "No."

"Cats are different. You should go into s.e.xual heat at least once a month if my intel is accurate."

"I am not going to talk about this with you." She blushed, embarra.s.sed that he'd bring up something that personal. "But no, I don't. I owned a female cat and that didn't happen to me."

"Werewolves have a time of year where we go into mating heat and it starts in a few days. It usually lasts anywhere from about ten to fifteen days. It all depends on the year." That stunned her. "I thought dogs were always h.o.r.n.y." The moment the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back, not wanting to offend him.

A grin spread across Anton's lips. "We are but this gets much worse. Nature's little sick joke on us to make sure we don't end up on the extinct list."

Questions flooded her brain but she didn't dare ask him. She bit her lip instead and lowered her gaze to stare at his tan neck. "I don't go into heat."

"I do and that's why I'm going to drop you off inside my apartment now. You'll be safe if I leave you alone. The faster I can handle this mess, the better. You can't be here when mating heat starts." He sighed, withdrawing the tight press of his hips from her. She refused to ask but she knew he had to have read her curious expression when he spoke.

"The urge to have s.e.x is excruciating if you attempt to deny it. You don't want to be sleeping in my bed when it hits." He arched his eyebrows. "Understand what I'm hinting at?" Oh yeah. Sweat broke out all over her body, imagining him super h.o.r.n.y and determined to have s.e.x with her. The idea didn't horrify her. The astonishment of that revelation cooled her down a little.

He's a scary werewolf, a full-on shifter, and in line to be a brutal alpha, she reminded herself. In other words, the last man I ever need to hook up with. It would be suicidal. "You should put me down."

"I should but I'm not. I'm going to carry you into my apartment and then I'm going to go hunt down some of my pups. They are going to give me the names of their friends who broke into your apartment. Hopefully, by the end of the night, I'll have nipped this thing in the bud." Anton ached to the point of pain from wanting to f.u.c.k the woman in his arms. He could take his pulse by the beat of it in his d.i.c.k, throbbing painfully against his jeans. He pulled away from the wall, adjusted her weight, and fought a groan when her arms and legs tightened around his neck and hips. He knew what the term "like a second skin" meant now. Shannon would actually have to be a part of him if they were any closer.

He released her with one arm, jerked open the door, and stepped into the back area of the bar.

The smell of his pack grew stronger along with beer, cigarette smoke, and food. It helped drown out Shannon's arousing scent. He breathed deeply, walked quickly, and held her in a way that kept them from rubbing together too much. He took the back stairs two at a time up to his apartment. He paused, keyed in his alarm code, and the door popped open. He grinned, loving the new technology he'd installed recently.

He stepped through the open doorway and kicked it closed. He examined the small apartment with a quick glance, something he always did when he came home, and he sniffed the air.

"What are you doing?"

The soft voice made him smile at her pretty, upturned face. Her eyes made him want to groan.

They were exotic-shaped but the bright, brilliant blue with yellow flakes were colors he could get lost in.

Fear made the yellow stand out more, nearly overtaking the blue. He found them entrancing.

"Making sure n.o.body trespa.s.sed while I was gone."

"You have a security system."

"I do but I can't be too careful. I have a lot of enemies as the son of an alpha." He cleared his throat. "Let go and I'll put you down. You're safe here." He hated it when her arms and legs eased from around his body and he had to stop holding her.

He liked the feel of her in his arms a little too much. She backed up the second her feet touched the floor and spun away from him to study his apartment with unabashed curiosity. He followed her gaze, hoping she didn't hate his bachelor pad. It looked a lot better now than when he'd taken it over from Grady.

"My brother lived here before me but he kept it pretty standard. I upgraded the kitchen and enclosed the bathroom. I'm planning on putting up a wall to separate the bedroom area from the rest of it."

"It's nice. I actually love the open floor plan."

She had a great voice. Soft but a little husky. His d.i.c.k throbbed harder. Mating heat couldn't arrive at a worse time. He could feel the need rising and his beast pressed hard against his skin, wanting to take the woman before him. It didn't care if she was the enemy. Her scent called to both sides of him.

"Help yourself to anything inside the fridge, and whatever you do, don't open that door. n.o.body has the code to get inside but me."

She turned to face him and he took a step back. He fought the urge to lunge at her, pick her up, and storm across the room to his four-poster bed and pin her under him. He glanced at her clothes, noting how easy it would be to tear them from her body to get them out of his way. He wanted to go skin to skin with her, rub his body over hers, and learn how she'd taste. f.u.c.k!

"Don't open the door. I have to go. Make yourself at home. Use anything you want." He spun around, guessed she probably thought he had lost his mind, or was just rude. He jerked open the door and slammed it behind him. He paused, touched the pad, and locked her in. Better to be safe than sorry. He took a few deep breaths until her scent no longer tormented him and then forced himself to descend the stairs. He turned at the bottom and entered the business area of the building.

Noise and the scent of pack swamped his senses. He walked to the bar and nodded at Misty, the waitress behind the bar. She grinned as she approached him with a welcoming smile. The vibes she put off when she locked gazes with him made him softly groan. He hated receiving green signals from women looking to attract his s.e.xual interest.

"Hey, boss. You want something?" Misty leaned over the bar far enough to flash him cleavage.

"Knock it off," Glenda growled from his left. "He's not hooking up with you during the heat." She b.u.mped his shoulder with hers. "What the h.e.l.l are you doing?" Anton sighed, turned his head, and met her gaze, which was about level with his. "n.o.body goes upstairs. I'm holding you personally responsible for her safety. You got me?"

"Yeah. I didn't call your dad."

"I didn't figure you would. You enjoy running the bar too much and you know I'd fire you in a heartbeat for being a tattletale."

"Who is upstairs?" Misty leaned over farther, revealing that she'd forgotten to wear a bra.

Glenda growled. "I don't want to see your t.i.ts and neither does Anton." He glanced at her shirt and shook his head. "Not happening. I don't do employees."

"d.a.m.n. Then what do you want?" Misty straightened. "You're totally missing out."

"I have a dinner guest so tell Ryan I'll be calling him in a bit to start cooking steaks for two. I'll be back in about three hours so let him know to save a few if we run low. I want"

"You've lost your mind," Glenda cut in. "You should let me get her out of our territory." Anton growled at his longtime friend. "Stay out of this and do as I've ordered. Don't forget who is in charge around here. She's under my protection."

"The pack from up north already sent their offering? I thought she wouldn't arrive until after dark." Misty snorted. "I don't know why you even allow them to send their best women to make you sniff at them. You'd never accept one for a mate."

Frustration filled Anton. "I don't need this c.r.a.p now." He reached into his jeans pocket, yanked out his cell phone and scrolled through the numbers. He selected one and listened to the phone ring. His brother picked up after the fourth one.

"I need a favor, Rave."

"What's up?"

"The Mortell Pack is sending this year's beauty queen for me to check out today. I want you to play me this time. I need you to cover."

"Oh h.e.l.l no," his brother's deep voice gasped. "No way."

"You owe me." Anton paused. "I got you out of that mess last summer."

"d.a.m.n. Is she just really annoying or is she so hot you're afraid you'll end up mated to this one?

Is it just for tonight?"

He hesitated and then sighed. "No. I want you to totally cover for me. I'll email you my schedule.

I already have a woman who will be in my bed."

"Anyone I know?"

"No and it had better stay that way. She's off-limits. Will you do it?"

"Sure. I haven't hooked up with anyone yet. I'm free to fill in for you but you'll owe me for this one. There's mating heat and then there's need-a-back-brace overindulgence after it's over. Women really try to impress the future alpha of our pack with vigorous...seduction."

"Thanks. Come down to the bar so you can head her off before she reaches the stairs."

"I can be there in ten minutes."

Anton hung up and ignored the smirk Glenda directed his way. "I'm going out hunting. Protect her. No one, and I mean that, goes near her."

"Fine." Glenda shrugged. "You're the boss."

Chapter Five.

Nerves made Shannon's skin itch while she paced the small apartment. The scent of Anton lingered inside the room but became almost overpowering near his bed. She licked her lips and decided to take a shower. She could smell him on her clothes and skin. It had been hours since he'd left and she had no idea when he'd return.

The bathroom must have been recently upgraded because everything looked new. The only flaw in the design happened to be that there was no lock on the door. It made her leery of stripping naked but she longed to wash away Anton's scent from her body, hoping it would restore some sense of normalcy.

Hunger made her stomach rumble while she stood under the warm water, pouring down her body. She'd skipped lunch and knew it had to be past her regular dinner hour. She'd always needed to eat regularly, chalking it up to all her hyper energy that had plagued her throughout her life. She quickly washed her hair and then dried off.

She bit her lip, stared at her folded, dirty clothes, but then avoided them. Shannon listened by placing an ear to the door until she became certain Anton hadn't returned. She eased it open slowly. All her senses seemed to have gone into hyperdrive since coming into contact with werewolves. It left her feeling disturbed since she'd been sure she hadn't inherited that many traits from her father. Now it made her wonder if those abilities had lain dormant as a result of them never being needed.

The dresser contained nine drawers, which she stared at, wondering if anything he owned would actually fit her. It only took her seconds to decide she'd rather face the werewolf clothed than in a damp towel. She opened a top drawer full of T-shirts, pulled out one, and dropped the towel. She tugged it on and it fell to her mid-thighs. Anton happened to be really big and his shirt appeared as if it were a dress on her smaller frame. She opened another drawer, hunting for sweats.

"s.h.i.t," she gasped.

Her eyes widened in surprise at seeing the boxes. There had to be hundreds of condoms in every color and variation. She slammed the drawer closed to yank open another one. Why does he need that many? Her next thought gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. How many women does he sleep with? The mental image of Anton with other women left her feeling unsettled and decidedly b.i.t.c.hy.

The door beeped and Shannon spun around, straightened, and fear gripped her as she watched it swing open. Anton took a few steps into the room and then suddenly froze, his head jerking in her direction after he sniffed the air.

"I hope you don't mind but I took a shower and now I'm raiding your clothes." She didn't miss the tense expression on his handsome features or the way his body seemed to stiffen until his hands fisted at his sides. His intense gaze lowered down her body and his eye color seemed to darken as she watched. He said nothing, didn't move, but seemed fixated with studying her bare legs.

"Did you find the men you were looking for? Is it safe for me to go home yet?" He cleared his throat, refocusing his attention on her face. "No. It seems someone tipped them off that I was angry and they've gone into hiding. I'll find them. They have to show up for a mandatory pack meeting at breakfast and I'll be waiting for them when they do. I..." He lowered his gaze to her legs again. "I thought you might be hungry. I know I am."

"I'm starving."

"I'm having dinner brought up to us. It should arrive at any time. I called from my cell on my way back to let the cook know to prepare our meal."

"Thank you. Is there something wrong with my legs? You're staring." He met her slightly amused look. "Sorry."

"Do you want to tell me where you keep your sweats?"

"You won't need them."

That raised her eyebrows. "I do. This shirt doesn't cover that much and I'll be more comfortable wearing something under it."

His nose flared and a soft growl escaped his parted lips. "You're not wearing panties?" A blush warmed her cheeks. "I'm starting to realize that you have a bad habit of asking really personal questions. Which drawer do you keep your sweatpants in? I don't want to open any more of them, blindly searching for pants." She glanced at his condom drawer, then back at him. "I'm afraid of what else I'll find."

He grinned, obviously not embarra.s.sed in the least. "All the other drawers contain clothing."

"I'm not even going to ask what you're thinking."

"Go ahead." He peeled off his jacket, blindly tossing it onto a chair by the still-open door. "What do you want to know?"

After a slight hesitation, she decided she might as well ask since it did make her curious. "Why do you have a lifetime supply of condoms? Is there something wrong with buying them a box at a time like everyone else does?"