Free Once Mated Twice Shy by K. S. Martin Page A

scent.”
    “Where is Lucas?” 
Jordan still scented the air; he detected the Riley boys and smirked.  At
fourteen, fifteen and seventeen they were in their prime for mischief.  There
were no rogues here, only delinquents toying with the beta patrol.  It would be
good exercise for all involved.
    “With Aimee at his
house, I told him to take off.  He’s useless out here anyway.  He can’t keep
his mouth shut.”  Jordan nodded at the smaller man. 
    “I didn’t scent
anything that I didn’t recognize.  Have you seen John?”  Terry shook his head. 
“Find John and set up patrols.  If anything happens, let me know.” 
    “Yes sir.”  Terry
said and shifted back into his wolf.  Jordan yawned.  Two hours to daylight and
then he was going to crash.  He parked the truck outside of the grocer and
climbed out.  The front door looked different.  Jordan shifted as he went
toward it.  The door was open.  Lettie had her own entrance in the back and
Mister Thompson would have the lights on by now if he’d come in early.  Jordan
trotted to the door and sniffed.  Three distinct wolf scents filled his nose, the
rogue trio.  Jordan slipped through the glass doors and padded across the cold
tiled floor.  They’d gone in different directions.  Jordan followed the
strongest scent perhaps the alpha.  Jordan followed him across the front and to
the meat counter.  The wolf was gorging himself on chuck roast.  Jordan growled
and the strange wolf snarled back at him.  Jordan went straight for his throat
taking him down easily.  Jordan ripped through his flesh, tore through thick
sinew, and ripped out his arteries.  Warm blood flooded over his tongue.  The
black wolf shifted into a dead man.  His mouth was still full of roast.  Jordan
hurried on, silently stalking to find the next one at the service deli.  He’d
ripped into the display of shaved lunchmeats.  Everyone had their preferences
he supposed.  This smaller red wolf never saw him until Jordan crushed him into
the floor.  Jordan was a large wolf.  He was two hundred pounds easily and he was
strong.  Jordan snarled.  The red wolf submitted.  He rolled to his back
showing his throat and soft belly.  This trio didn’t seem very vicious, they
seemed hungry.  Where was the third?  Jordan scented the air.  The last was in
the direction of the apartment.  Lettie.  Jordan hurried.  This black
wolf was larger than the last two and was at the top of the stairs outside of
her apartment.  He shifted into a man staring down at Jordan.  He was the alpha
of the other two wolves.
    “ Mine .”  He
snarled.  Jordan snarled back and launched himself at the man on the landing.  A
booted foot came down hard at Jordan’s snout but he ducked it.  Jordan was a
growling, snarling mass of teeth and fur when he sank his canines into the
man’s thigh.  Blood burst into his mouth filling it.  Lettie screamed inside
the apartment.  Jordan could only hope there wasn’t another inside of the
apartment with her.  The man pounded on Jordan but Jordan would not let go of
his thigh.  As long as he had his teeth buried in the leg, the man couldn’t
shift.  Jordan tore at the meat of the thigh.  It wasn’t a throat but it would
bleed out just as fast.  Jordan’s sharp teeth tore denim and flesh away from
the bone of the man’s leg.  The man collapsed and fell down the stairs.  Jordan
didn’t know if he was dead but he did know that he needed to get to Lettie.  He
raced back up the steps and shifted.  He shouldered the door open.  She was
cowering under the bed shaking and terrified. 
    “It’s okay
sweetheart.  Come out.  Are you okay?”  Jordan helped her to her feet.  Lettie
jumped into his arms and wrapped herself tightly around him.  “It’s okay,
you’re okay.”  Jordan sank down on the bed with her in his lap.  She was
shaking violently, her teeth were chattering and she was crying
uncontrollably.  He pushed the long