Free All I Want For Christmas Is A Werewolf (Changeling Encounters) by J. S. Scott Page B

mate.
    He stopped struggling against the men who were restraining him. He could have easily laid them both out on the ground, unconscious...or worse. But the man in him wouldn't allow it; he wasn't about to injure two men who were just doing their job - no matter how badly his wolf wanted him to.
    No! Damn it. I don't want a mate. It's too fucking painful.
    Gavin stepped back, allowing the two men grasping his arms to propel him back into the store. He'd have to deal with them, and he would, as soon as he could tear his gaze away from the rapidly fading image of his mate, growing smaller and smaller as she fled further and further away from him.
    It took everything he had, every ounce of strength in his body not to break away and pursue her until he had her well and truly caught. His wolf instinct demanded it, growling and howling in despair as Gavin struggled - with himself. Conflicted, one part wanting to haul ass after her, the other part wanting to get as far away from her as possible, he jerked his gaze away from her retreating figure.
    I can't do this again. I won't.
    Gavin took another step back, trying to shake off the shudder that moved violently through his body, caused by the mounting distance between himself and his newly-discovered mate.
    He took a deep breath, her scent lingering on his skin, consuming him with every second that passed, knowing from experience that the insanity wouldn't leave him.
    It was worse this time, much more intense. The only things holding him back were his human self and his emotions - namely his fear. Fear was a powerful motivator, an excellent reason for him to ignore his wolf. Problem was it wasn't just his wolf that wanted her. He was a Changeling , and nearly every cell in his body reached for her, ached for her to complete him, and he wasn't so sure that fear alone could win this war.
    Eyes narrowing, his glance shot back to the last spot he had seen her, needing to connect with her in some way, desperate for something, anything, that would calm the storm raging inside of his body and mind.
    But just that quickly, she was gone.
*****
    Faith Prescott exited the dollar store in the mall quickly, a sense of urgency hurrying her steps, not exactly sure why she was feeling so on-edge.
    She shivered, not from the cold, but from... anticipation ? Shaking her head in confusion, trying to clear her muddled brain, her eyes searched for her vehicle in the dark parking lot, trying not to let the image of him blur her vision.
    Piercing sapphire-blue eyes, blond silky hair cut in a windblown style that suited his sculpted face, and his big, massive body that was made for sin, were pretty damn difficult to ignore. Dressed in an immaculate suit and a deep blue tie that matched his eyes, he had been...breathtaking...and her reaction to him had been nothing short of intense.
    But it hadn't been just his ultra-hot appearance that had gotten her attention. There was something about him, something that called to her, made every primitive instinct in her body stand up and take notice.
    Have you already forgotten that you're in your current situation because of a man?
    Really, Faith’s last boyfriend should have put her off men for life . She was poor, had no job, and not a prospect in sight. All because of a handsome face and a charming smile.
    She had just found out today that her low-life bastard of an ex-boyfriend - if she could really call a few weeks together a boyfriend - had just taken the job that she had been angling for, after stealing her doctoral thesis, making it his own and securing a position that she had long coveted.
    Tears misted her eyes as she spotted her car, and made her way toward the small, barely-running vehicle. She clutched the bag in her hand tightly, trying not to let herself be overwhelmed by her dire situation.
    Two years of my life down the drain, stolen from me by a no-good piece of crap without a conscience.
    She had spent the last two years of her life as a nomad,