Mating Instinct: A Moon Shifter Novel Read Online Free Page B

phrase, but he’d insinuated that he wanted to do something sexual to her and she’d laughed at him.
    From that point on he’d chased her with a single-minded focus. Not that she’d minded. Being on his radar had made her feel empowered and sexy in a way she hadn’t imagined possible. Before Jayce men had either been too scared to approach her because of her father’s shady dealings—and his violent reputation—or wanted to get close to her
because
of her father. Not Jayce. He’d just wanted
her
. She’d made him wait six months before agreeing to go to lunch with him. At the time she’d thought she could drag out her teasing even longer, but they hadn’t even made it to her parked car at that restaurant before he’d kissed her.
    And oh what a kiss. He’d told her everything she’d needed to know in that one very long kiss. He was claiming her, making a statement that she was his. Or at least that’s how she’d taken it. But it hadn’t been a permanent thing. That knowledge made her stomach turn sour. She’d wanted to make a life with him, but when she’d broached the subject of their future, he’d told her that the chance of a human turning into a shifter from a bite was one percent. What he’d failed to mention was the fact that if he’d taken her as his bondmate she would have changed into a shifter without any issues. He’d lied because he hadn’t wanted her as his bondmate. He’d never actually admitted it to her, but what other reason could he have had for lying? Swallowing hard, she ignored the sudden sting of tears.
    Instead of heading directly upstairs to her room, she made a beeline for the kitchen. Sleep had been elusive the past month, and even though she hadn’t wanted to, she’d seen a doctor just to get a prescription. After taking two sleeping pills she prayed she would finally get at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Once in her room, she didn’t bother to take off her clothes; she just slipped her boots off and slid into bed.
    The moment she closed her eyes Jayce’s face appeared in her vision, mocking her. It made her want to scream. Or maybe cry. She turned onto her side and curled into a ball. She would
not
think about him. She couldn’t afford to give him any power over her when all she wanted was some control in her life. Well, control and revenge.

Chapter 2
    C rouching low, he kept to the shadows as he crept along the side of the house. A few streetlights illuminated the quiet neighborhood, but he stayed hidden in darkness. His wolf coat was dark, making it easy to blend in, and his victim’s house didn’t have any working floodlights. He’d busted them earlier.
    Dried grass and dead foliage crunched lightly under his paws as he approached the privacy fence surrounding the backyard, though no humans could hear his movements. After a glance around, he saw that he was still alone. The cold January night gave away no other strong scents either. It was the perfect time to hunt.
    Giving himself enough room, he ran full speed at the fence. At the last second he used all the strength in his back legs to propel his body over. He landed with a quiet thud on the brittle, icy grass.
    His canines ached and his claws extended as he neared the back door. Despite his human side battling him, telling him this was wrong, his beast was winning. It was hungry and this type of hunger couldn’t be denied.
    The human must die.
    For his woman, this male had to die.
    His inner wolf roared and clawed and demanded blood. Killing this human was the only outcome tonight, no matter what his weaker human side wanted. His wolf would take blood.
    Creeping closer, he peered through the windowpanes of the back door. Wearing pajama pants and no shirt, the male was in his kitchen, looking into his fridge. He pulled out a beer and slammed the door. The stench of annoyance rolled off the human, strong enough that it trailed outside. It mixed with the equally strong stink of booze, which