Wicked Cravings (The Phoenix Pack, #2)

by Suzanne Wright

“Sometimes people need to have something moved from their reach before they realize how much they want it.”

What he saw in her wolf’s eyes made him shudder. Rage. Pain. Fear. Torment. A primal need to defend. A primal need to protect. He saw a traumatized wolf reacting to danger in the only way it knew how.

It was like Rhett had said, like called to like. And this person who knew just what it was like to need control called to him.

“You know what this reminds me of? The day when Trey was banished. Everyone stood around, shouting out their opinions about him—claiming he was unstable, a danger, and that he needed to be killed or ordered to leave. I’m getting an idea of how that must have felt for him, how deep that betrayal must have cut him. Well, thank God he had people who supported him enough that they even left with him. Funny how that same supportive bunch is now acting just like the people they once resented.”

She hadn’t been able to resist asking questions like, “Do these jeans make my ass look big?” and “Does this skirt make my calves look fat?” Sheer and utter horror had flashed across his face every time, as if he’d sensed that there might not be a right answer. Each time, however, he would say, “No, baby, you look beautiful, you should definitely buy that,” which of course could be translated into “Please get me out of this fucking store.”

He grinned against her nape. “Never would I think that.” His grin totally disappeared when he realized what her idea of driving was. “You’re going to get us killed! Slow down!” “Oh, live a little, will you,” she said. “I’m only doing eighty.” “You’re going one hundred and ten miles per hour!” “Sure, if you want to get technical about it.” His heart missed a beat when she barely dodged a pedestrian. “Slow the hell down, Jaime, or I swear I’ll shove you in the backseat and do the driving myself!”

How ironic was it that the one person who was supposed to make her feel safe and secure was the one person who had made her want to run away?

I have a very fierce sense of right and wrong, but when it comes to defending or protecting this pack, I’ll cross over any lines I wouldn’t otherwise cross. You need to be able to do the same. It doesn’t mean you have to stop being a good person and that you have to harden. But like it or not, it will change you in some ways.