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turned him down on principle. The last time they were alone together, he had—for lack of a better word—ravished her. She had no doubt that, if given an opening, he would try it again. Still, aside from their terrible first meeting, Hale had always stopped when she asked him to…
    “Okay,” she said, moving to stand.
    In an uncharacteristic show of chivalry, he put a hand under her arm and helped her up. He smiled, a flash of white teeth that seemed more predatory than endearing. Uneasiness settled over her.
    Taylor didn’t trust Hale, which was crazy when she considered that the day before, she’d accepted him into her body. It was such an intimate thing to do, yet she hadn’t thought twice about it and that spoke to the pull he had over her. As much as she didn’t trust Hale, when it came to him, she trusted herself even less.

CHAPTER FOUR
     
    Unlike the last time she’d ridden on Hale’s back, the wolf didn’t seem to be in a great hurry. He followed a meandering trail at leisurely pace, occasionally stopping to scratch at a tree. Taylor remembered that this was how the werewolves like to mark their territory and she supposed it was better than peeing.
    Halcyon Mountain was just as wide as it was high. With the thick forest concealing all but the immediate surroundings, she hadn’t realized they were ascending the mountain until Hale stopped briefly on a rocky bluff. The valley lay stretched out below and in the distance she could see her cabin, a small brown speck alongside the lake.
    Her cabin. Her home .
    For a moment, she was overcome with a sense of déjà vu. The last time she’d stood on a bluff overlooking the valley, it had been with Alder. It had been the first time in a long time that she had dared to hope that things might actually get better.
    It really put things into perspective. As Hale continued his trek through the forest, Taylor considered her new life. As complicated as it was, she no longer feared for her life. At least for now, she was safe.
    Feeling a sudden swell of emotion, she quietly leaned down, laying her head on Hale’s neck and loosely encircling her arms around him. The wolf paused for a second, cocking his head to examine her from the corner of one gold eye. Presumably realizing that there was nothing wrong, he continued on.
    With Alder, Taylor always found it difficult to believe there was a wolf that lived within him, whereas she found it easy to forget that the beautiful wolf beneath her was actually the brutish Hale. She stroked his fur absently, loving the feel of its rich, silken softness between her fingers.
    When Hale stopped again, he gave no indication that they had reached their destination. Realizing they weren’t going any further, Taylor reluctantly climbed off his back.
    He shifted, bones and muscles quickly popping and rearranging themselves until he was back in his human form. The skins he’d been wearing earlier had been discarded in his initial shift, leaving him naked now. She couldn’t help but notice that he was partially erect and, as she looked away, wondered if the alpha was ever not aroused.
    “Over here,” he said, heading towards a group of evergreens.
    Taylor followed him, pine needles crunching beneath her moccasins. Beyond the trees was a grove with tall grass. Hale stood on the edge of the grove, seemingly waiting for her to do or say something.
    “I thought you were taking me to get onions,” she said.
    Hale gestured towards the grass. “There they are.”
    Confused, Taylor sat down and grasped a handful of the grass. She gave a light tug. When nothing happened, she pulled harder, uprooting the plant. Small, oval-shaped bulbs sprung free from the earth, and she caught the unmistakable scent of onions.
    “Cool!” she exclaimed, pulling up another cluster and then another. The entire field was one big onion patch.
    Hale crouched down beside her and picked up one of the onions, holding it with a distasteful look on his face. “I