WereFever by Lia Slater

Chapter One
     
    Alaura’s skin was cold beneath Shaw’s fingertips as she lay
motionless between him and his pack mate, Hagan, in the shallow cave. Although
the human woman had been his biggest inconvenience as his pack traveled the
lands in search of a home, she’d also become his fiercest fantasy. A fantasy he’d
tried to keep only in his mind.
    When his pack had found her beaten and abandoned by her
husband, Shaw had immediately drawn her into his pack, saving her from certain
death. She’d seemed so fragile and alone, and he’d felt the strong need to
protect her.
    Several months had passed since that day and the gods only
knew how much of his heart she’d come to occupy. She’d since healed from the
attack, remaining brave enough to travel alongside them while they were in
human form, and on his back while they were in wolf form. It had taken her some
time to open up and tell him what had happened to her that day. And it had
taken a large sum of self-control for him not to travel back to her home and
slay the bastard who had treated her so poorly.
    He watched her now as her long, lean body squirmed beside
him and her eyes fluttered open and shut again. Her sleep was often filled with
nightmares of her past, of the human man whose temper had almost killed her on
more than one occasion. But this time her discomfort was from traveling through
the harsh spring weather. An early snowstorm had disrupted their trek to
Paqualette—a country that accepted drifting Weres into their land. Shaw had
heard about the newly turned Were queen and her Were king who ran the country.
They were doing their best to offer a home to any Were who promised to help
them fight the Okantalor Vamps in what was being called the Blood War.
    Shaw and his pack leaped at the invitation. Drifting
homelessly through unfriendly lands for years upon years had taken its toll on
his pack. It would do their souls a world of good to finally have a home. To
have such a place as a destination gave his pack hope, for once.
    Only it had taken them longer to travel to Paqualette with
the fragile human woman.
    Two of the twelve pack mates had shown slight irritation with
the disruption, but they knew Shaw had the final say as alpha leader. For the
most part, everyone had welcomed her, and grown to love her almost as much as
he did.
    And if they didn’t? Well, it wouldn’t have mattered. There
was no way he was giving up on Alaura.
    She stirred beside him again, and Shaw feared she’d become
too cold. She’d needed warmth, so he had invited Hagan in to help him provide
as much heat as their bodies could offer.
    Shaw had peeled her cold, wet clothes from her body and
she’d somehow wiggled around so that her breasts now pressed against his chest,
her rear facing Hagan.
    Seeing her naked like this, seeing the curves and bare flesh
he’d only imagined up to this point, it took all his strength and will not to
touch her inappropriately.
    He’d only give her his body heat, he’d told himself
repeatedly. Like always—besides an innocent kiss once in a while—he’d keep his
hands to himself. She’d been through enough and Shaw was determined to earn her
trust.
    If only she weren’t so tempting.
    He bit back a curse when Alaura touched her hand to his
chest. Her eyes were still closed but her fingers ran lazily around his nipple.
    “Shaw, would you make love to me?” Her voice was a low
mumble.
    Was she talking in her sleep again? It was hard to tell. In
any case her words bee-lined straight to his groin. His cock responded on
command, growing stiff against her belly.
    “Alaura? Are you awake?” She’d grown so comfortable with him
recently that she’d begun flirting, but never had she said anything so bold.
    “Sounded like an invitation to me,” Hagan said, a coy smile
on his face. “What are you waiting for, Shaw? She wants you. She’s wanted you
for a long time. Haven’t you seen it?”
    “No.” Every nerve in Shaw’s body was burning to