Free Reflections of the Wolf by Lori King Page B

will feel the urge to bite him after that, and once you do, the claiming is complete. The bite mark is like a sign to other people that the wolves are mated. Male wolves can smell Liam on you so that they don’t approach you.”
    “I don’t want to be a wolf. I don’t want a husband, or a mate, or anything like that. I thought I wanted forever before, but—”
    “Oh, sweetie, I know you loved Esteban, but he wasn’t your soul mate. You’ve told me many times that, looking back, you know now that he wasn’t the right man for you.”
    “He died because of me.”
    “No, he died because some crackhead decided to shoot him for his wallet. That’s a totally different thing.”
    “I don’t want a permanent relationship, Caro.”
    “I didn’t say accept a marriage proposal, T. I’m not even telling you to bare your throat and beg him to bite you! I just want you to go out with him and get to know him.”
    “I don’t know…”
    “For me? Just one more shot. He really is a good man, and you already know you want his sexy body.”
    “I’ll think about it, okay, but I’m not making promises.”
    “Good! Now, tell me more about this amazing sex…”
    “Oh, Lord have mercy! Nope, I’m going to go take a nap. My head hurts and I have to work tomorrow. I’ll call you later, okay?”
    “Wait a second! I actually called for another reason. I want you to come out dancing with me and the guys tonight. There’s a cute little country-and-western bar they hang out at. It’s called Rustlers, and their cousin Cash sings there. He’s on tonight, and I thought it would be fun.”
    “Caro, I really don’t feel like partying right now. If you didn’t catch on, I’m kind of in the middle of a personal pity party. It’s private, and I’m not inviting anyone else to join me.”
    “Well, pull your big-girl panties on and deal with it, sister, because I’m not letting you mope. We’ll pick you up at nine. And wear something sexy.”
    “Fine! I’ll go, but I’ll meet you there. I know where it’s at. I don’t want to stay out too late because I have to work tomorrow morning.”
    “All right, sleep well, and I’ll see you in a little while. Love you, girl.”
    “I love you, too, Caro.”

Chapter 7
     
    Tina almost fell out of her bed when her alarm clock started beeping. She hadn’t been sleeping much for the last few nights, and when she did sleep, she dreamed of a silver-colored wolf waiting for her in the forest. Just my luck that I meet a man that wants me long term, and he turns out to walk on four legs, she thought to herself as she stood slowly to avoid stumbling.
    A quick glance in the mirror after relieving her aching bladder reminded her that she would have to get to work on prettying up if she was going to make it to the bar by nine. Throwing her rumpled clothes in the general direction of the laundry hamper, she jumped into the shower, shivering under the cold water until it warmed. She washed quickly, and at the last second decided to shave her legs. She didn’t usually wear a skirt out in public, but tonight it was going to be for pure enjoyment. She wanted to feel sexy and feminine, because she fully intended to dance until her body ached with every available single man she could find. Maybe then she could completely forget about the one man that dominated her brain lately.
    Liam hadn’t bothered to contact her. It hurt almost as much as the anger in his glare through the window when the taxi pulled away from his home. She hadn’t realized at the time that walking away from him would be so hard, but it seemed like every moment of the day he was in her thoughts. She found herself missing him. It irritated her that she would have such longing for man that she had barely spent a day with.
    After blow drying and styling her short ebony locks, she applied a light sheen of moisturizer to her face and a coat of lip gloss. She considered applying a little more makeup and decided that she didn’t need