***Each Norseton Wolves novella can be read as a stand-alone. Also available: BEAST. Look for it in the FIRST BITE collection.*** Half wolf Stephanie Benson has spent much of the last decade enduring criticism from her father's pack about her deficiencies. If it weren't for the fact her inner beast craves a wolf's sensual attentions, she'd try to settle down with a nice human man. Answering a mate call from an unknown pack is her one chance at fleeing toxic influences, but it's a gamble. She may end up with a man who finds her softer human physique and progressive opinions just as repulsive as the men back home. Ousted from his pack as a young boy, Darius Lucas is Norseton's resident lone wolf. He lacks mastery of the social graces most men over thirty would have, and can barely speak more than a few words at a time. Although Darius is skeptical about saddling a stranger with him for a companion, his alpha insists Stephanie is everything he needs. Darius enthusiastically gives the captivating, bombshell his bite, but not his confidence. He's used to being on the fringes, but Stephanie understands how that feels all too well. He may lack polish, but he has the tenderness that was lacking in Stephanie's previous relationships. They're both loners in their own ways, but if they can come together to find a common thread, the mates could ignite a romance hot enough to make them both howl.