Free Forbidden Attraction by Lorie O'Clare Page A

growing more acute while the smells of the outdoors filled her nostrils. Everything smelled fresh and clean, but the rich scent of the dangerous-looking black creature in front of her grabbed her attention. She dropped to all fours, loving the prickle over her skin while thick fur quickly protected her from the cold.
    Heidi turned, sniffing Erin, her long, thick tail wagging slowly. Snow reached Heidi’s shoulders, although she no longer felt the cold. Instead, energy pulsed inside her while she stared into Erin’s almond-shaped silver eyes. In their fur, Erin stood a lot taller than Heidi. For a moment, fear attacked her too quickly to hide it. This close to each other and this deep into Malta territory, Heidi would be a dead bitch if Erin attacked her.
    Erin growled, shaking her head, and then turned and leapt into the snow. Relief hit Heidi so hard that for a moment she just watched the beautiful black creature and how her fur contrasted so perfectly against the freshly fallen snow.
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    Forbidden Attraction
    Erin burrowed through the snowdrifts, barking with excitement like a cub dying to play in the first snowfall of the year. She also created a path, which made it easier for Heidi to leap after her. They ran like this for a while before finding a shoveled road.
    That’s when Heidi smelled other werewolves. Her back prickled while the hair between her shoulder blades rose to attention. Slowing, she studied their surroundings, getting her bearings. Instinct had her searching for the direction of lunewulf territory, which was where she would run at the first smell of danger. And she smelled it coming on to them fast.
    And from more than one direction. Erin turned, circling around her quickly as if trying to reassure her that she’d protect her. Heidi didn’t need her protection. She needed to run. With every beat of her heart, instinct told her to get the hell out of there, and now.
    She spotted two Malta werewolves coming toward them at the same time that she smelled more werewolves behind them. Immediately the two werewolves lunged toward Heidi, teeth bared and claws extended to attack. Erin jumped between them, snarling so dangerously that Heidi leapt out of the way. And hit solid muscle when she smacked into another werewolf behind her.
    She turned, fighting the panic that continued to mount inside her. For a moment, she couldn’t remember what direction she needed to run, or how to fight, or growl, or even breathe. Heidi stared up at the most ferocious-looking creature she’d ever laid eyes on.
    She froze, knowing she would die—more sure of it than she’d ever been of anything in her life. The large werewolf almost stood over her, crushing her to the ground, when he let a howl rip from his body. She felt it vibrate through her. When her heart almost exploded inside her chest, she remembered to breathe, and at the same time let out a squeal that had to sound more than pathetic.
    But then it hit her. The Malta werewolf crushing her as he stood over her didn’t growl at her. He roared at the other Malta werewolves surrounding them. And they didn’t appear to like what he had to say—not one fucking bit.
    Erin joined the large werewolf, creating a black wall of fur while the two of them growled at their pack members. Heidi recognized Nicolo’s all-male scent, although now it bordered on something so much more dangerous.
    Something crashed to the ground, and Heidi realized a tree branch had fallen, sending snow showering through the air and making everything around Heidi sparkle for a moment. She jumped out of the way, but not far enough that Nicolo didn’t immediately reach her side. He didn’t look at her, didn’t check to see if she was all right, but instead rose to his hind feet, screaming, while his long white teeth glowed against his black fur. Another werewolf leapt at him, falling backward when Nicolo sliced the air with his massive paw.
    He would fight his own kind for her. That reality weighed