Free Rogue Wolf by Heather Long

hide potential intruders. A car sat idly in front of the house and Margo groaned.
    Straightening in his seat, Salvatore eyed the vehicle. No sooner did Margo slow than doors opened and an older couple exited the other car. “Whatever you do,” Margo said as she parked at the beginning of the curve rather than behind the others. “Don’t freak if three rather large male wolves rush me.”
    His nostrils flared and he glanced at her, incredulous. “ Mi scusi ?” The growl underscoring his words should have shamed him since he displayed a lack of control, but he didn’t give a damn. What did she mean three wolves were going to rush her?
    She shut off the engine and slipped out of the car. Worried, he followed her immediately. The older couple beamed, although tears glistened in the woman’s eyes. Margo was three strides from them when three males burst out of the woods and barreled straight for her.
    She pivoted smoothly, intercepting the fastest one as he scooped her off the ground. Their howls of laughter and greeting combined ferocity with playfulness. Salvatore paused. The older couple gave him a wary look, then focused on Margo again.
    Her parents. The woman shared the same hair, titian highlights, and a similar golden, sun-kissed skin tone. By contrast, the paler man appeared leaner in build. An academic or businessman, he lacked the definition of a fighter.
    The three younger males swarmed Margo. Each one possessed a powerful build so, despite her sleek physique and height, they dwarfed her. Salvatore held his ground. She’d told him not to freak out . However, if they didn’t back away from her—one let out a yelp as she gripped his ear and a second landed on his ass thanks to a move he missed while studying her parents. The third she held by the throat. Her low, husky voice carried a faint note of affection when she said, “I’m working. We also have a guest of the pack here, and you three idiots are acting like…idiots.”
    “Aww, Margo. Don’t make the face. We never get to see you.” The one on the ground rose onto his elbows and gave her a winning smile. He was barely older than a youth, perhaps twenty, definitely not more than twenty-five. His eyes were the same shade as his sister’s. “We missed you.”
    “Right, Robbie, you miss me.” She sidestepped his leg sweep and then dumped the brother she held in an ear twist on top of him. The third brother, however, hadn’t moved since she locked her free hand around his throat. “Your patience has improved, Mike. You’re not even trying to get free.”
    “Yeah, well, I’m not the genetically challenged cousin who needs you to prove to me again you can kick my ass.” Definitely older than the two boys on the ground, though too close to Margo’s age for Salvatore to discern who was older or younger.
    Her expression relaxed and a real smile lit her face. After releasing his throat, Margo wrapped her arms around the gentle giant and he lifted her into a hug. “Missed you, baby sister.” The low murmured words answered Salavtore’s unspoken question.
    Margo’s throaty chuckle drifted over Salvatore like a caress. He wanted to elicit the reaction from her, tease her senses until she graced him with the devastating power of her smile. “Good. Teaches you to appreciate the people you care about.”
    Melancholy invaded his good mood. Luciana used to tease him in similar fashion, though manners never let him roughhouse with her as Margo’s brothers did.
    The two on the ground achieved their feet, then “Robbie” looped an arm around Margo’s waist and hugged her sideways. Only when she was sandwiched between the two brothers did the third make his move.
    Salvatore saw the lunge, and the three tried to tickle her. The thud of fists slamming into faces and one brother after another tumbling away from her as she struck stunned him. When all three were on the ground, she slammed her foot onto Mike’s chest and glared at him. “Really, Mikey?