Free Scent of a Mate by Milly Taiden

turned the knob before she had a chance to grab it. Pulsing beats filled the large space. Bodies swayed into each other, rubbing and caressing. The lights flickered with the beat of the music. She squinted and headed for the bar.
    Slipping between couples dancing, groping, and making out was harder than she’d anticipated. By the time she reached the bar she was hot and sweaty. Not to mention she’d swear someone groped her a few times.
    “What can I get you?”
    She turned to the female bartender. The woman had short dark hair with a purple streak on the side. Jordan didn’t scare easy, but the way the woman smiled at her, as if she could see right into her head made her more than a little uneasy.
    “I’m…some water please.”
    The last thing she needed was to get drunk in a place filled with paranormals.
    “I doubt a pretty little human like you came all the way in here just to drink the water,” she whispered, leaning over the bar.
    Jordan glanced around the place, watching the couples gyrating in the dance floor.
    “I was looking for someone.” She attempted to evade the all-knowing eyes on the bartender.
    There were too many people in the club. It had been a mistake to think she’d be able to recognize the white wolf as a human in the flickering lights of a place filled with shifters and other creatures.
    “I’ve seen a lot of shifters in here. The one you seek is gone. You better go before you find yourself in trouble.”
    Jordan opened her mouth to question the woman, but a group of patrons asked for drinks.
    “Okay, Jordan. We heard that. Come out and let’s go. The longer you’re in there, the more nervous it makes me,” Emma ordered.
    “Too bad, I was really starting to like the whole growling atmosphere—” Jordan turned, bumping into someone in the process. Someone way too close. She glanced up into angry—oh boy—grey eyes.
    “Aric, I—”
    “Not a word.” The deathly growl made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
    She glanced over her shoulder at the smiling bartender. The crowd parted as he dragged her to the other side of the club. She bumped into a couple making out. Aric’s hand tightened on her wrist. Her earpiece fell. Going back to get it was not even a possibility in the sea of bodies.
    People moved out of Aric’s way. She wondered how he did that. Hell, she’d had to struggle to get to the bar. After a few steps, she heard some snarling and then he turned to look at her. No wonder everyone was making a path for them. He appeared ready to bite someone’s head off. It was debatable if it was hers or someone else’s.
    “Aric!” She tugged on her hand, trying to get loose.
    He pushed a door open, shoving them outside in the process. This wasn’t the way she’d come in. The door he’d taken them though led into a dark alley. He let go of her hand and turned to face her, his features tight with anger. She took quick steps back, until her back was pressed on a metal gate.
    Someone other than the sexy man she knew was staring back at her. This Aric was angry. This Aric was dangerous. This Aric was damn hot.
    “What the heck is your problem?” She complained. Oh hell. She knew what his problem was, but she wouldn’t back down. So she’d gone into a club full of paranormals. His brother’s club. Nothing happened.
    His brows dipped low. Fur sprouted from the sides of his face. He fisted his hands and stepped toward her. “My problem?”
    She could hardly understand his words from how rough his voice sounded, but she wasn’t scared of him. Maybe her heart raced. A little. Her hands might be somewhat shaky. But she wasn’t scared. He took another step.
    She shouldn’t like this aggressive Aric. It was wrong. Yet her pussy clenched at the dangerous look in his eyes. “Yes. What is your problem?”
    Another step and he was right in front of her. He gripped either side of the metal gate, caging her head.
    “My problem is that you, a human, came into a well-known shifter