Not My Wolf
My Wolf

Excerpt

Corey sat in the booth seat across from Blaine and raised his bottle of beer to his lips. He never sat with his back to the door so he could always be aware of who entered. Of course they could smell a shifter coming from a mile off. He just liked the added security of seeing faces, especially watching eyes. Blaine, on the other hand, was such an easygoing type of man he could care less. He didn’t expect trouble, yet it had never taken him by surprise when it came.

Corey knew when the brother and sister drove up. He smelled them, one scent as familiar as if it were his own identification. He’d never picked up on it before today. His heart raced, and his palms had become sweaty in an instant. He ran them down the legs of his jeans and tried to compose himself.

“Hey, buddy, relax,” Blaine advised with an expression of amusement on his face. “I’m sure they won’t bite.”

“Shut up,” Corey ground out, but then he glanced toward the door. A man had just opened it and moved aside to let a woman step ahead of him. They paused just inside of the entrance and scanned the crowd. A few whistles pierced the air, and the woman colored. Corey could understand their feeling. She was beautiful. Long, thick raven’s wing hair extended halfway down her back. Her face was that of an angel, and her figure slender with good-sized breasts. Corey registered all of this impersonally, which soured his mood. She was not the one. He’d come for nothing.

He shifted his gaze to the man out of curiosity. The man was taller than the woman by several inches. If he had to guess, he’d say about his height, six foot five. The man was built like most fenrir shifters, huge and muscular. No one would mistake that these two were brother and sister because the man had dark hair like hers, long, but not as long as hers. His extended to his shoulders and was tussled, like he combed it more often with his fingers than anything else. His eyes were dark and cagey. Corey guessed he’d hold his own in a fight and expected at any moment someone would challenge his ability.

He scanned the man’s clothes, a bomber jacket, collared shirt, and jeans that fit him a bit too tight for the package they hid. Corey blinked and felt his face warm. What the hell did he give a crap about the man’s package for? He flicked his eyes back to the man’s face, and this time his eyes were focused on Corey. Something went through him—recognition. He followed it with denial. Hell no! Not possible!

All of a sudden, Corey’s chest hurt, and he fidgeted. He forced fingers through his hair and turned to face Blaine. His friend narrowed his eyes. “What’s gotten into you, Corey? You act like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Blaine turned toward the door and spotted the two. He stood up and waved them over. Corey wanted to yank his arm down, but he sat stock still. Now he wished he hadn’t been so hopeful. That damn dream meant nothing. He was lonely for a woman in his bed. That’s all. Maybe this woman wouldn’t be so bad, he decided.

Blaine hugged the man. Corey hated how he wanted to tear his friend away from the guy. He gritted his teeth. He noted that the guy hadn’t taken his eyes off him since he’d arrived.

“Corey, this is my friend, Devin,” Blaine said. “Devin, this is my leader, our Alpha, Corey.”

Devin’s eyes widened. “The Alpha?”

Corey sneered. “Yes, the Alpha. Do you have a problem with that?”

Devin’s lips curled in a grin. “No problem at all. I could never have imagined…” He continued to stare at Corey like he was a piece of prime rib. Corey told himself he hated the man’s Southern drawl, the way he dragged out all of his words. The two were obviously from somewhere south, and he couldn’t remember if Blaine had ever told him from where. After that first look, Corey refused to look at him. He focused instead on his sister, and Devin at last caught the hint. “Oh yes, this is my sister, Corrin.”

Corey and Corrin, he thought like a teenager. That could work.

“Hello,” the woman whispered. Corey picked up on her voice because he could, not because she’d spoken very loud. He wasn’t into the shy type. Damn.

Devin settled in the booth beside Blaine, and Corrin sat beside him. His Beta kept tossing him looks, but Corey ignored him. Blaine knew he was acting weird, and he knew it too. He couldn’t get a hold of himself. Being completely aware of another person in so consuming a way went beyond anything he’d ever experienced. He didn’t appreciate it. Still, he felt it when Devin looked at him and when he glanced away. He sensed his mood, excitement and confusion mingling.

After the siblings had ordered and received drinks and they’d sat around talking about nothing important, Devin leaned forward over the table, his eyes on Corey. “Don’t you want to ask me anything?”

Corey frowned at him. “Why would I want to?”

“You know,” Devin insisted. He tapped his bottle on the table, the only sign of his nerves. He didn’t color in embarrassment like Corey did or anyone else he knew when the situation made them uncomfortable. Corey sensed it in him—the ability to be an Alpha, maybe even more so than Corey.

Trying to cover for the odd feelings that had taken hold of him, Corey waved his hand in dismissal. “Blaine’s a big boy. I don’t need to interrogate his dates.”

The intensity in Devin increased. “Can I speak to you alone?”

“What for?” Corey was being unreasonable. If he was feeling nothing at all in connection with Devin, he wouldn’t be acting this way. That fact was painfully clear as well. He hated that there was nothing he could do to hide it from the others, especially Devin.

The man had the boldness to reach his hand across the table to Corey’s, and he jerked back, knocking over his drink. Beer sloshed the table and his hand, and he looked around for something to clean up the mess. Finding nothing, he faced Corrin and crowded her a little. “Mind letting me out? I just remembered I have some business I need to take care of. Sorry about that. I have to go. Nice meeting you both. See you at home, Blaine.”

As quickly as he could, he crossed to the door, ignoring their protests. He couldn’t get to his SUV fast enough. When he reached it, he unlocked the door and yanked it open. A hand came up from behind and blocked him from getting in. He should have heard or even sensed him coming, but he’d been too preoccupied.

“Why are you running away from me, Corey?” Devin asked.

He turned to face the other man, finding Devin way too close. Corey had nowhere to go unless he wanted to duck under Devin’s arm. But that would make him brush against his hard body. If he folded into his vehicle at this point, it would bring him lower than Devin, a sort of submission. No fucking way.

“Who’s running?” he lied. “I told you I have business to do.”

Devin didn’t address his ridiculous excuse but rather said, “I know you feel it—our connection. I knew the minute I walked through the door and laid eyes on you.” He touched Corey’s cheek, and he pulled away. Devin didn’t appear to be daunted. “Darlin’, you’re the one.”

Corey sneered. “I’m not your darlin’. Don’t call me that. Just because my Beta is gay doesn’t mean I am. I assure you I like women, and only women. So you can back off before I knock you on your ass.”

Devin leaned in closer. Corey was disgusted with himself that he was so aware of this man. His body had gone up a few degrees just being close to him. Maybe he’d missed it somewhere when he met Corrin. Devin was her twin, so his wires might be crossed and she was his real mate after all.

“You could try,” Devin responded.

He pushed even closer, and Corey gave him a shove. Devin fell back a step and came in again. Their arms locked in a contest of wills, pecs and biceps flexed. Corey’s hat fell off his head into the street. The bastard would pay for that.

Devin gave an extra thrust and thumped Corey into the door. He followed up by bringing his huge body in close.