by Milly Taiden
Fuck. He was disgusted with himself. Here she was in pain and his cock was so hard he could drive nails. He lifted her into the bed then covered her properly. For a moment, he stared down at her. She was perfect, beautiful. She was his. No, she wouldn’t ever be his for the taking. She was someone passing through. He would deny himself his mate.
He straightened, anger taking him. He wanted to rail against the world, tear into fate, for this cosmic prank. Giving her to him then taking her back, but it was up to him to send her away so there was no one else to blame.
From a wooden trunk on the other side of the curtained area, he took out clothes and dressed, then sat by the fireplace. He left the bedroom curtain pulled to the side so he could see her where she was passed out. What was he going to do? What if he did keep her? Would that be so bad? He’d not think about the small issue of having her permission. Who was he kidding? He’d never do that to any human or animal.
To keep her, he’d have to persuade her to stay. He looked around his pathetic hovel. Again, who was he kidding? No female in her right mind would want to stay here. First off, it was always colder than a witch’s tit. Women liked the sun and beach. There was nothing around but snow and the woods. No pizza delivery. Amazon did not drop packages at the front door. And going out to eat meant hiking for caribou, then killing, skinning, and cutting it up.
He was so fucked. The only way he’d keep his mate would be to move back to the pack. Snowball’s chance in hell of that happening. He didn’t want a pack and they didn’t want him.
Movement on the bed caught his eye. She was waking. He stayed where he was, not wanting to scare her. Her eyes opened then immediately met his. His pulse raced. He could hardly breathe. His wolf howled in his head. She was more beautiful than he thought.
Her eyes widened, seeing him, but she remained calm. Her tongue peeked out and swiped her lips. Goddamn, he almost came on the spot. He needed to pull his shit together. Mate.
He asked, “Would you like a cup of tea?”
When she smiled, her face lit up to rival heaven. He pointed to the drink on the small table beside her. “I’m going to get your cup.”
She nodded.
His eyes wouldn’t leave hers. He tried to get up, but his legs didn’t work. He’d have to get closer to her. Damn, how he wanted to be near her, but the temptation was too much. Be near her body that was, thankfully, hidden under blankets. When he hadn’t moved, her brows drew down. Oh shit. She had to be wondering what the hell was wrong with him.
He popped up, knocking over the stool he sat on. When he bent over to pick it up, his foot stepped on the fireplace ash rake and the handle flew up and smacked him in the leg. That startled him enough that he straightened and hit his head on a wall shelf, a small whittled wolf fell to the floor. He decided to leave it there as he rubbed his head.
Could he look any more like a total idiot? What were the odds that she didn’t see any of that? He glanced at her to see her jaw dangling and eyes shining with humor. Dammit, she saw it all. Locating the cup, he dashed in, grabbed it, and rushed out, not looking at her.
From the herb garden, in addition to the regular tea spices, he added willow bark to help the pain from bouncing around in the snowcat when he drove her back into town. He packaged the herbs to let them steep while he mixed in the ground bark. He walked back, carrying the tea.
Without incident, he set the cup beside her. Then he looked at her prone on the bed, unable to sit up. Then he looked back to the cup. How was she going to drink it?
“I don’t think you have any broken ribs, so I can try to pull you closer to the headboard to prop you up enough to sip from the cup. Would that be all right?” She whispered a yes. Great. Now he had to figure out how to move her without touching her. That would be a problem. He stretched his arms toward her but stopped before his hands made contact. He pulled back and thought about using the sheet as a buffer. Then he realized how much of a dumbass he was being.
Just because he touched her didn’t mean he would fall madly in love with her. Fuck, you’d think by the way he was acting, he hadn’t been around women in a long time. It had been years since he’d had sex, but he saw women anytime he went into town.
He lifted her, hands in her armpits, and scooted her back. She sucked her lips in, biting down to keep from yelling with the pain he assumed. But soon enough, she was settled with her shoulders propped up. He handed her the tea and she sipped, relaxing a bit afterward.
He felt stupid standing there with his thumb up his ass watching her luscious lips as they puckered for the sip, and her throat glide up and down as she swallowed. He could imagine her sucking on his cock, her lips wrapped around him, swallowing as he came in her mouth. He cleared his throat and stepped away from the bed.
Maybe she was hungry? Not that he was looking for an excuse to prolong her stay in his house, but he couldn’t let her leave until the tea helped with her pain. From a timber box, he pulled out a carved wooden plate. From different containers, he pulled dried fruits slices—apple, orange, and mango. There weren’t any bananas left. Those were his favorite.
On the other side of the fire from the water kettle, the griddle sizzled. He rotated it out and took green beans, corn on the cob, and fried sliced tomatoes and put them on the plate. And shit. He dug around for silverware. Normally he ate with his hands. Most of his food was finger ready.
After the dish was filled, he carried it around the corner to her. Her eyes popped open wide when she saw what he held. Her brows drew together.
“Wow,” she whispered, “my stomach isn’t that big.”
He felt his face warm, and not from the fire. “I, uh, well,” shit, he sounded smart, “I’ll eat what you don’t.” Then he cringed. He remembered his mother always getting on him for eating off his sibling’s plates, as they ate off his. Fuck, he must seem like a heathen to her. City girl lost in the wilderness with a caveman. Well, wolfman.
“Works for me,” she whispered. He stared at her a moment to make sure she said what he thought she did. His mate didn’t mind sharing her food with him. He handed her the plate and dragged a stool next to the bed.
She picked up the dried fruit and popped chunks into her mouth. “This is good. Did you make this?”
“Yeah, these are from a batch I picked earlier in the year,” he replied.
“You picked these yourself?” He nodded to her question. “I didn’t think Alaska had fruit trees.”
“It doesn’t,” he answered. He smiled at her confusion. “I’m able to grow just about anything in the greenhouse.”
She looked at the plate then looked up at him. “Did you grow all of this?” Once again, he nodded. “No grocery store?”
He laughed at that. “No. The general store is a two-hour drive and it doesn’t have all that much.”
She held out a peach slice for him. He took it and ate it. “Thank you.” Her voice was getting softer as she worked to breathe and chew and talk. “My name is Juliet Taylor.”
He startled a bit. He hadn’t even thought to get her name or give his. Duh. He was an idiot who’d lived in isolation too long.
“I’m Tevrik Awulf.” He held his hand out and she smiled, shaking his hand. Her skin was warm and silky. He wanted to slide his hand up her arm and onto her shoulders and down—he cleared his throat. “Nice to meet you, Juliet.”
She handed him a green bean. “I haven’t heard either of those names before. Are they family names?”
“Yes. Tevrik means little wolf and the last name means mighty wolf.”
“Your family must like wolves,” Juliet replied. Tevrik froze. Shit. Double shit. Humans knew of shifters and lived side by side with them but most didn’t realize who they were. Would she freak out if she figured out what he was? For generations, his pack kept itself isolated from humans. But as Alaska became more populated, their main source of meat—moose and caribou—declined rapidly as trophy hunters discovered a new domain to conquer.
The pack found it
increasingly difficult to survive using the old ways. His grandfather had moved the pack closer to civilization and they worked on blending in with humans. The pack thrived and when his father took over, he brought in technology and modern conveniences. He should’ve been next to carry on, but that was impossible now.
“Uh, yes. My dad loves to. . .watch them.” Fuck, that sounded so stupid. He was striking out again and again.
“They are beautiful creatures, especially the arctic wolf with its white coat. Stunning,” she said. He couldn’t help but smile at that. His mate liked his kind. “You have one as a pet, I believe.” Her eyes narrowed, and he smelled her anger.
He wanted to laugh; she wasn’t afraid of him, then he remembered what she said before she passed out. He threw his hands up in defense.
“He’s not a pet. I’d never chain him up to keep him here.” Her brow raised in a don’t bother lying look. “Really, he comes and goes as he chooses. I just, uh, just watch him.”
Dumb-fuck. She had to think he was a complete moron. The isolation had really turned him into a hermit. He’d lost his ability to make logical conversation with females. He really needed to work on his people skills.
He rose from his stool and turned his back to her. “You need to eat quickly so we can get you back to town before the storm hits.” He heard a slight gasp and looked over his shoulder to see her grimace in pain from breathing deeply. He went back and handed her the tea. “Drink all of this. I put a pain reliever in it for you.”
She chugged it down and he was thankful she seemed to trust him. She handed him both dishes, their hands touching, and he groaned slightly at the soft touch of her skin against his. Slinging her legs off the bed, she whimpered when she tried to push up with her arms. He set down the plate and cup then grabbed her shoulders, helping her sit up.
“I know it hurts, but I’m going to make sure you get medical help, okay?”
She mouthed a soft thanks then smiled a little. His tiny mate was strong and determined. Good traits for an alpha’s mate. No, he told himself. He was not a leader. Not anymore. She pulled her snow coat and pants close to her body, he grabbed the coat by the collar for her to put her arms in. “Where am I?” she asked, standing and moving slowly.
“You’re in my cabin. The avalanche dropped you in my l—”
Juliet grabbed his arm. Her hands were damn strong for how small they were. Her eyes were wide with fear and confusion. “Avalanche?” she said. “I don’t remember that.”
Shit, that worried him a bit. He cupped her face in his hands and studied her eyes. No dilation and they both steadily focused on him. She wasn’t in danger of head trauma. Thank god. “I think that’s normal for a person in an accident. A lot of times they don’t recall what happened. What is the last thing you remember?”
“I was measuring the snow depth, sending an email to the lab. I was supposed to start my vacation after that. But I don’t remember leaving.”
“You left,” he said, “just not how you intended.” He couldn’t contain the laugh that burst out. Her tumble was not funny but where she landed was.
“How did you find me in all that snow?” she asked.
“You could say you just fell into my lap... literally.”
She gave a nod and gazed into his eyes for a moment. Turning carefully, she said, “I’m ready.” Her cute nose wiggled.
“Let me grab the keys,” he patted his pockets and glanced at the table where he kept change and other knickknacks. Before he moved, his mate sneezed and screamed at the same time, falling onto her hands and knees. He smelled intense pain from her.
He dropped beside her. “Juliet?” She shook her head hanging down, sweat dripping from her face, her arms shook, and he caught her before she face planted on the wood.
8
Juliet woke under warm blankets. The pillow wasn’t hers, but she remembered she was on vacation and not at home. Then she remembered that wasn’t the case either. She was in the home of a gorgeous, but strange, man in Alaska.
Only moving her head, she looked around. The fire behind the rock wall was rolling. Heat poured through the gaps. She smelled food but wasn’t sure what it was. She was shocked as shit when he offered the plate filled with regular food.
To find out he grew them, completely blew her away. They were in Alaska. They had pretty much a zero-growing season, especially this far north, greenhouse or not. And the fruits. They were delicious. She’d never thought about drying as a way to preserve food for later. She’d had trail mix with dehydrated fruit and nuts and M&Ms, but never thought of it as real food.
She thought about the man himself. God, he was so hot, her body heated just thinking about him. It had been too long since she had sex. All she could think about was running her tongue across his taut abs. Gliding her hands along the corded muscles of his arms, feeling them wrap around her body and hold her close while he thrust his cock in and out of her.
Shit, she didn’t need to get hot and bothered when she could barely breathe. Panting was not a good idea when your ribs hurt. Plus, some things didn’t add up. How did he know her ribs hurt when she hadn’t told him? It wasn’t like there was any physical evidence. And when she mentioned the wolf, he said he’d never chained up the animal. She’d only said something about that to the wolf—yes, the arctic wolf with blue eyes.
She remembered looking into his eyes when they were about to leave for town. They were the same exact blue. His name meant small, mighty wolf. And his thick white hair was the same as the arctic wolf. Holy batshit. Was he a wolf shifter? If what Raven told her about shifters was correct, then the man would be able to smell her pain, smell everything for that matter.
He could hear way beyond a human’s ability. That would explain why he could hear her last night though her voice was barely above a whisper. And if he was the wolf who was with her, then he’d know her ribs hurt and... her face about melted off her skull. . .he heard each comment she made about his abs and his ass. She groaned. How embarrassing. Thank god he hadn’t mentioned it.
She thought back to how awkward some moments were last night. When he hit his head on the shelf, after he explained his name, when she complimented his cooking. He was so adorable with his flushed cheeks. He seemed so modest and lived simply. She wondered how rustic his life was. Did he have running water? Electricity? She could only see a portion of the home, but she had the feeling there wasn’t a kitchen. He filled her dinner plate from containers around the fireplace.
Juliet snuggled deeper into the covers and pictured him in her mind. When he was cutting wood, everything about him was delicious. As he swung the ax, his T-shirt raised, showing off his perfect abs and how low his jeans set on his hips. The top part of that seductive V from his lower stomach down to his sweet spot drew her eyes to his front bulge as well as his rounded ass.
Damn, the bed coverings were becoming too heavy and heated. She smiled at herself for being so silly. She hadn’t thought about the opposite sex like this since Raven took her to see the Men Down Under show a year ago. And talk about men. Damn, Aussie men could strip for her anytime.
But now, she could go with an Alaskan man stripping for her. Her girl parts started to tingle. Good to know her sex was still in working order. Only the parts her toy touched, she knew worked. And that only took care of the necessities. This man could do a hell of a lot more than that.
The front door slammed open, scaring her. From her bed, she saw Tevrik standing in the doorway, covered in snow, breathing deeply, chest heaving. His eyes glowed. Was he excited? Holy shit, he could smell her arousal. Her body said, yes, please, but her mind said he was a stranger. Her body told her brain to fuck off.
No, no, she couldn’t do anything with him. She didn’t know him. But damn, he was hot enough to melt every inch of snow. And after the storm, shit! The snowstorm must have hit while she was passed out. Did that mean she was stuck there with him?
Her fingers ached to touch him, feel his flesh, drag them through his thi
ck hair. Her taste buds wanted in on the action. She could suck him into her mouth, rub her tongue up and down his ridged shaft. Her heart raced, just looking at him.
Tevrik took a deep breath. And that clued in Juliet to what was happening. It was exactly as Raven had said when she met her mates. His glowing eyes, the animalistic manners, deep breathing. Then she was about to come just thinking about him wanting her. She seldom thought of men. None she knew had interested her. She’d have to confirm with Raven but…Tevrik Awulf was her soul mate.
Raven called it just mate, but soul mate sounds way more romantic to her. They were destined to meet. That avalanche wasn’t an accident. It was meant to bring them together. She would’ve laughed at that, but right now, her mind and body were focused on the man coming inside the cabin.
He breathed deeply again. He had to know she was turned on. But he walked to the other side of the room. What the fuck? Did he have a stuffy nose?
On the other side of the cabin, something fell, and she heard a low growl. She giggled.
Joy filled her. Was knowing she met the man meant for her reason enough to be happy? She wasn’t in love with him, but from what she’d seen so far, it wouldn’t be hard. But she wanted it oh, so hard and she meant more than his cock. Raven would be laughing her ass off if she knew what was going on. She had met her mate! Oh, my freakin’ god!
She patted her hair to make sure nothing was sticking up. She was sure her makeup was nonexistent. But he wouldn’t care about that. Well, at least Raven’s mates didn’t. They’d take her to bed if she had clown makeup on.
Juliet pushed up in the bed to lean against the headboard. The pain she expected was non-existent. She rubbed her hands along her sides. What the hell happened? She thought she was going to die, it hurt so much.
“Hopefully, you feel better now,” Tevrik said, startling her. He stood at the curtain with his worn jeans and T-shirt stretched across his shoulders. He looked too damn yummy. Good thing he belonged to her.