Hunting Wolf: Black Mesa Wolves #3 Read Online Free Page A

shifter world, being mated was seen as the pinnacle. The more human tradition of marriage, while still followed by many shifters, was usually considered more as icing on the cake than being really important.
    Even so, instead of mating, she dreamed of marriage. Starting with a huge, beautiful wedding to her perfect, amazing, wonderful husband.
    Whomever he might be. She sure hadn't met any candidates yet. At all. Ever.
    “I think I'll take this one.” The girl's face beamed at Rielle as she twirled around in her dress. “I love it! My fiancé will, too.”
    “Of course. Let me wrap it. It really is perfect for you!” Rielle said, offering a genuine smile.
    While she rang up the wedding purchases at the register, an image of Caleb popped into her head. She frowned and immediately felt slightly agitated. Why on earth he had to run into her—literally—last night was a mystery. Then he just went and proved again what a bumbling guy he was. He was so clueless. Sure, he'd tried to be nice for a second, but then he tripped over his own feet again.
    How he managed to have women panting after him was sheer mystery, she thought with a suddenly savage frown. She tried to forget how sexy he had looked. How big he was. How good he'd smelled.
    An image of Caleb's wolf popped into her mind: big, strong, handsome, protective, ready to fight. A tendril of longing leapt through her, almost making her gasp. It almost felt like her wolf was stirring. Her wild side, the part of her that made her want to do irrational things like howl at the full moon, run in the woods with her pack, kiss a big, brawny guy who was all muscle and no brains. It just felt so—uncontrolled.
    With effort, she thrust away the disturbing thoughts. Semi-smiling again, she focused her gaze on the delicate dress as she carefully packaged it into a pretty store bag.
    Caleb was a manly man. A guy's guy. The kind who always appealed to women who didn't care if the guy they went for was a Neanderthal. The women who craved that sort of guy. That, however, was definitely not Rielle's style. She wanted a smart, academic, courteous guy who knew how to live a calm, rational life. After all, she was like that. Like attracted like, which had always made sense to her.
    Very deep down, her wolf let out a tiny whine. Insistent despite its faraway presence. The sound tapped at Rielle's heart. The urge to get out on a run in wolf form made her jittery, as it had been for a few months now. Running as a wolf was so...wild, though. Shivering, she pushed away the images of racing through miles of open space, accompanied by a huge male wolf.
    The unsettled feelings stayed with her as she finished wrapping up. Keeping her cheerful smile on, she thanked the customers for coming in, told them about the elegant discount card she'd slipped into the bags for their next time in, and waved as they bustled out the door in a whirlwind of smiles and laughter, with the bride-to-be at the center of it all.
    The place felt suddenly dim when all that cheerfulness left.
    Still restless, she walked around the store. Arranging and re-arranging the displays and clothes always soothed her. The middle of the day was usually quiet, and she'd sent the assistant clerk home about an hour ago, so she had the place to herself. Touching the silky, pretty fabrics always made her feel elegant, as if she lived in a castle surrounded by luxury. The plush carpeting beneath her feet added to the luxurious feel of the store, and she reveled in it as she slowly walked around her charming little castle.
    A castle without a prince.
    “Oh, snap out of it,” she muttered at herself. “Just because you can't get a date.”
    Shaking her head a little, she wondered for a moment if this was how crazy old cat ladies got started: they talked out loud to themselves about their lack of a dating life, which in itself pointed out why they couldn't get a guy to buy them a drink.
    Besides, it wasn't like she couldn't get a date. Of