Free Reflections of the Wolf by Lori King Page A

work fast, T! And he didn’t brag to anyone. I actually asked him about you guys. I was expecting to hear about how in love you were, but he said you ran away from him and wouldn’t give him a chance to explain anything.”
    “I don’t want to talk to him.”
    “You have to!”
    “Why?”
    “Well…ummm… you know I only want what’s best for you right? I mean, Liam is your mate, your soul mate. You guys are two halves of a whole.”
    “So what does that make you and the twins? Thirty-three and a third of a whole?”
    “Stop it. Be serious.”
    “I’m trying, Caro, but you have to understand how crazy all of this sounds. It’s probably just a case of PTSD or mass hysteria. As a nurse, I know that it’s possible. You don’t really expect me to believe that all of that stuff really happened the other night, right?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “The whole wolf battle? And the big werewolf secret? That’s all just some sort of coping mechanism my brain made up so that I wouldn’t go crazy being held hostage by a mad man, right?”
    “Tina Dawn Jameson, are you calling me a liar?”
    “No, well, not exactly. I think that you believe everything you said, but it can’t be real. Werewolves don’t exist.”
    “I’m not going to argue with you about something you saw with your own two eyes. You were there, Tina. If it weren’t for you distracting Barton, I would probably be dead right now. You watched me shift, and you saw Devin, Damon, Liam, and the others all as wolves. They were honest with you when you asked questions. Don’t you dare think that you can call them liars without pissing me off. I know it’s a lot to believe, but you can’t say that it didn’t happen.”
    “Sure I can. I’m good at arguing.”
    “Damn it, T. I’m getting really irritated with you now. You only have one chance in life at finding your soul mate and making each other happy. Are you willing to risk losing that because your little reality can’t handle the fact that werewolves exist?”
    “Well, I guess when you put it that way…”
    “Exactly. Now, you ran from Liam because you got scared or angry or whatever, but you can’t deny that you’re drawn to him. Are you going to avoid him forever?”
    “Geesh, I just met the guy, and then I had sex with him. I don’t know what came over me. He was so sexy and hot and amazing—I’ve never ever had sex like that in my life. But you’re telling me that he’s a wolf ? For God’s sake! I’m a human, and I have no intention of becoming a werewolf at any point in the near future. My bikini waxing bill would be astronomical, and how would I dance on four paws? It’s lust, Caro. We are attracted to each other, but that’s all. It will fade eventually.”
    “I know you know in your heart that that’s not true, Tina. It’s called the mating bond, and now that you’ve had sex it will get stronger. It’s an intense attraction to your mate, and sometimes it drives all logical thought from my brain completely. To the point that all I can think about is my men and being near them. Look, all I’m asking is that you trust me, and give him another chance.”
    “I don’t know. You know what I went through when I lost Esteban. I thought he was my soul mate, too. Liam said that he smelled something different about me that told him I’m his mate. What kind of pick up line is that? And I freaking fell for it hook, line, and sinker! Clearly I’m suffering from the lack of sex in the last couple of years, because I lost my mind when I had sex with him.”
    “No, you were feeling the attraction because of the mating bond. Stop being so obtuse. The feeling will only get stronger until you two claim each other.”
    “What do you mean, claim each other? You’re not going to tell me to let him bite me, are you?”
    “Tina, the claiming will start when he bites you. Once he bites you during sex, deep enough to draw blood, then you will start the change into your wolf form. You