Wolf Games (Queen of Wolves #3)

The Third Book of the five part werewolf shifter romance series 'Queen of Wolves'.
Contains strong adult content.

The story of Beta wolf Matteo and his search for a reluctant mate Maura. She is running from a smaller rival wolf pack to avoid a union that she doesn't want. Can Matteo win her over and fight off her rival pack who want her back?

“Shit! She’s running!” Luca shouted, taking off after her.
She heard the car doors open and slam as the others got out of the SUV. Low angry growls filled the air as they all shifted and took off after her. She ran faster, dodging tree trunks and low branches, in an effort to head in the direction they had been coming from. She figured the more distance she made between the car and their intended destination the better.

She put her nose to the ground and sniffed, breathing in the musky scent of decomposed leaves, insects, ferns and earth. She could tell no other wolves had been in the area recently, but there was a faint odor of mountain lion. She frowned. Was she on mountain lion territory? She kept running, deciding to risk it. She would rather die by a cats hand than be forced to mate any man against her will.

The water was freezing, even for late spring. It was obviously melted run off from the nearby snow-capped mountain. The cold sunk into her fur and made her bones ache. The chill seized her lungs and she struggled to catch her footing on some rocks along the bottom. She couldn’t lift herself out of the water with her injured leg. She let the current float her several feet while the other wolf watched, head low to the ground, growling.
The others came to his side, waiting to see what direction she took. She was injured and outnumbered and she knew it. She struggled to pull herself out of the water until her good hind leg found solid ground.
She scrambled to get her footing and finally, with supreme effort hauled herself up out of the frigid water, and onto a small rock ledge on the other side of the river. Shivering in the cool wind, her fur dripping heavily, she shook the water off and made her way to the edge of the cliff where the rushing river turned into a waterfall.

She looked down. It was at least fifty feet down. She knew she couldn’t survive it in her wolf form, not with her leg already injured. She stared back at the wolves. One of them, Luca, shifted back to his human form as soon as she did.
“Don’t!” He shouted over the roaring of the falling waters. He was trying to make his way over to her.

“I’d rather die than go back!” She shouted. When he was half way across the river, she knew it was now or never. Then, taking a deep breath, she leapt into the air and dropped over the edge...