The Love Wolfess Joins the Cast

Happy howling and yowling New Year, shapeshifter lovers. Come on in. It’s nice and warm inside this den, especially with The Love Wolfess, a new cast member, and long-time resident of Talbot’s Peak.

The Love Wolfess

Sozchy rolled on her side, trying to ignore the insistent knocking, then clawing on her front door. At Devon’s pleading whimpers, she released an exasperated sigh, then punched her pillow.

Scat city, the spoiled whelp! It was nearing dawn and she needed to sleep since she had a new radio gig going at Dante’s pleasure club as The Love Wolfess, advice for the lovelorn shapeshifter.

Devon pitifully whined, and her stupid tender heart got the better of her. Sozchy groaned, then grrrrred at herself as she sat up. “Yeah, it’ll probably get me caught in an effing spring-loaded trap one of these days,” she muttered.

After swinging her feet to the floor, Sozchy shook her head, clearing away the cobwebs of sleep. Her sable hair tumbled down her back in waves, then pooled over her hands as she pushed upward. Groan-growling again, she shoved her bare feet into her sheepskin slippers, a gift her mother had given her from her last kill.

As she padded toward the door, Sozchy shouted, “I’m coming...no, I’m not, you preppy cur.”

“Guilty,” she heard Devon’s muffled admission through the door.

Grabbing the lightweight coat hanging near the door, Sozchy slipped it over her comfy don’t-need-a-male, but want-a-real-alpha PJs. After belting the coat tight, she sniffed just to make certain it was Devon. Werewolf habits were a good thing in her survival book.

Cracking the door, she peeked out. Cat-tail humping Devon, her ex from many moons ago, stood with one hand shoved deep in his designer jean’s pocket. He leaned on his arm, propped above him, and gave her a you-saved-my-hide grin.

For an instant, Sozchy stared at his golden-wolf good looks. His dark caramel locks were as stunning as ever, falling close to his broad, speed-explosive shoulders. Devon was one of the fastest wolves in the pack.

He raised one brow while his dark eyes glowed a gorgeous amber. “Let me in...?” he paused, “I need some advice from The Love Wolfess.”

“Yeah, right. I bet you haven’t read ‘one’ of my columns for the G&B Gazette.”

“Nope. But, the maids devour it every morning. I get the digested version.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “How about some private advice?”

“If it was only advice...pampered pup.” Giving her hair a careless toss, Sozchy stepped back to let him enter.

He sauntered past her as if he gripped the world by the snout. Though, Sozchy could tell by his subtler gait, Devon was deeply troubled. It was why his whining had gotten to her.

She’d heard whispers at the club that the Tiger Yakuza threatened Talbot’s Peak, even a rumor his sire had sniffed their stripey asses in his psycho-lust for more power. Given that, Sozchy had to wonder if Devon had come to confide in her, as he had during their cubhood together.

Before shutting the door, Sozchy scented for any ‘unwanteds’ around her cabin home. Relieved to find nothing, other than the faint smell of fucked feline on Devon, she moved inward. “Early morning visit to prove your mounting studliness to daddy wolf?” she mocked.

Devon pivoted, smooth and powerful, to face her. “Yeah, babe, you know my sire,” he quietly growled. “You are planning on coming to my find-a-mate party?”

“Nooooo,” she sang, her fangs wanting to show. “It isn’t on my social calendar.” Sozchy studied him as she folded her arms across her chest. Tightly.

“I sent you an invitation.”

“Yesss,” she exaggerated. “So?”

Like a suddenly deflated balloon, Devon slumped into her favorite chair. Not looking at her, he hunched his shoulders as he leaned forward and gripped his hands. “I’m in cave deep scat.” When she said nothing, he continued, “It’s my own dingle-ball fault.”

Knowing Devon behaved like an inbred poodlehead as a way to rebel against his sire, Sozchy remained silent, and waited for him to spill his guts. Just the way, they sliced open the guts of the prey they’d killed together. So long ago.

“I’m in love with her.” He rose up slightly, but still didn’t eye Sozchy straight on. “I knew what she was, is.” Restless as a hunted and circling wolf, he moved, but didn’t get up. “I played dumb with her. Now...” he howled softly, “I don’t want her to know.” He swallowed back a whimper. “I don’t want her to know, I knew.”

Devon launched upward, and grabbed the back of his neck. “Lycaon, Sozchy. She was so beautiful.” He gazed at her now, the agony of his heart obvious. “I didn’t want to...have to...have to kill her.”

“Kill her?”

“I seduced her. Or, let her seduce me.” He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now. We seduced each other. And, it was good. So damn fucking good.” Devon snagged a breath. “It’s still good.”

Sozchy’s fangs practically gnashed, but her training as a counselor took over. She arched her brow. “Want to get to the fang endpoint here?”

“She’s an assassin for the Tiger Yakuza...”

Sozchy collapsed now, into the winged chair close to her fireplace. “Scat, you bonehead. And, I mean both bones.” She managed to glare ferociously, once she shook the hair from her face.

“Yeah, scat. I know.”

“What advice do you want? How to dump an assassin? How to handle an in-heat tigress? What?!”

Devon had the grace to look like a wolf in sheep’s clothing as he gazed at her. “I was hoping you would cover for me at my party. Pretend we are about to be mates.”

Sozchy felt her jaw drop. She saw through feral eyes. Still, she spoke with icy calm. “I’m not acceptable mating material according to your father. Remember?”

Devon gave her a bit of his usual cocky grin. “That’s the good part of this plan. A little show of son versus sire defiance at my party, by showing up with a she-wolf who doesn’t meet Daddy’s approval.”

“Yeah. Watch the fur fly in one direction. While the fur is humping and flying in another direction.”

“You do understand.” Hope lit his eyes.

“When don’t I?” Recovering her spine, Sozchy hopped up, and paced. “Just how is this supposed to work? Other than I end up fighting off a jealous professional assassin with claws like blades, while ‘daddy’ targets me for an unsporting run through the woods.”

“No worries about my tabby. She knows you’re only a friend.”

“Tabby,” Sozchy muttered, then snarled at Devon.

“She approved of this plan. Look at this way. You’ll be saving another she-wolf from her assassin’s claws.”

“Oh, this is beyond the kill. She doesn’t know you know she’s a Yakuza assassin, but she ‘approved’ this plan.”

“Then, you will...” Devon went for her jugular, as in her heart.

“Only to keep a huntress eye on what’s happening. For the sake of Talbot’s Peak.” Sozchy faced him, hands planted on her hips, her human fangs bared. “I won’t show throat to your father. And, you better make certain he doesn’t send his pack of brainless curs after my hide.”

“I’ll let him know it’s off between us. He won’t have a reason.”

Sozchy tilted her head, all she-wolf attitude. “You should know White Fang Kent is a friend. I understand he still has Daddy’s limo.”

Somewhat to her surprise, Devon barked and yipped with laughter, even holding his sides. Finally, his butt hit the raised stone platform before her fireplace, large because she slept on it as wolf.

When he looked at her, his eyes glittered with amusement. “Yeah, babe, the Fang tracked me down to warn me about the Yakuza. Let’s just say, we came to an understanding. I even gave him a few meaty bones to chew on about Daddy’s empire. And, promised him more. A promise I intend to keep. Looks like we might be on the same side.”

“Like we used to be,” Sozchy murmured. “So, whelp breath, when do you plan to tell your tigress the truth?”
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The Kougar’s news ~

If you enjoy blog hops and want the chance to win a Kindle, I will be participating in one on January 1-2. Here’s the beginning addy ~ booknibbles.com ~
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~ HAPPY HOWLING NEW YEAR ~

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~