by Mac Flynn
Contents
Title Page
True Form
Threatening
Supremacy
Wrap Up
Smashwords Books
IN THE LOUP BOXED SET #4 (c) 2014 Mac Flynn Box 4 of the Adult IN THE LOUP Werewolf Series
This series:
Boxed Set #1
Boxed Set #2
Boxed Set #3
Boxed Set #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Paranormal Romance Due to sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
Smashwords Edition
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TRUE FORM (IN THE LOUP: BOOK #13)
"I give, how long is this drive going to take?" Stephanie complained.
The pair had checked out of the hotel room without any problems and hopped into their car. They had been driving for several hours now. The city was long behind them and in front of them was a wide expanse of forest. At first Chuck had driven like they were heading home, but then he'd turned off one of the side roads along the highway, and that's when things got a little bumpy and wild. Stephanie flinched when the car dipped into a pothole.
"I don't think this is a very good road to drive on," she added to her complaint. What made it worse was the darkness around them. The day hadn't yet risen, but the sky in the east was starting to lighten up.
"I'll admit it isn't a very good road. The thing hasn't been graded for a few years, so it's not as smooth as it could be," Chuck agreed. "It's just an old logging road and they stopped logging this area about four years ago."
"So, um, how did you find this place that we're going to?" his partner wondered in awe and nervousness.
"Dumb luck. I was wandering around one day after you hired me trying to look for a good spot for a house. I followed the logging road up as far as the cabin we're going to and thought that'd be a great place to hide in case something bad happened."
"That's you, Chuck, always the optimist," she teased. They hit another hard bump, and she just couldn't take the suspense anymore. "All right, how much longer? I feel like my body's going to fall apart any minute now." Chuck leaned over the wheel and smiled.
"Actually, we're here."
His words proved to be true, and the road before them suddenly opened up. Revealed to them was a large, shadowed meadow. Wild bushes dotted the bunches of grass, and the trees on all sides were cleared back a good fifty yards. In the center of the clearing was a low, wood cabin. The building had been constructed partially underground in a natural dip and steps led down to a heavy slab of wood which acted as a door.
Chuck stopped the car a few feet from the entrance, and Stephanie stepped out to gather a better look at the place. There was no electricity, not this far out in the wilderness, but there were two windows on the east and west sides of the cabin to provide natural light during the day. Dark glass covered the holes and curtains inside blocked out any prying eyes. The roof was covered with a thick layer of moss, grass and weeds which allowed it to blend into its surroundings. The logs used for the walls were over a foot in diameter, and the spaces between them had been chinked with gray mud. Stephanie noticed a shed just a few yards from the building, and against that was a large pile of chopped wood.
"It's not much, but it is pretty comfortable inside," Chuck assured her.
He led the way down to the door and pushed open the heavy portal. Stephanie imagined no one but a werewolf could get that door open. Then Chuck carefully stepped inside, and she hesitantly followed. The small space was too dark for her eyes to see much more than shapes, but her companion had no trouble in the blackness. He turned to their left and wandered over to an object which for Stephanie appeared to be a light.
She was right in her assumption when Chuck lit the propane lantern, and the inside of the room was illuminated. Stephanie flinched at the mass of cobwebs in every corner of the small cabin, but the one room building was quaint. There was a large rock chimney in the center back and a large, hewn-log bed on the right. She bet Chuck had made that piece of furniture, along with the simple, hefty dining table on the left with its fat-legged chairs. There was a plain bench in front of the fire and on the left beyond the dining table was a counter and cupboards. That must have been the kitchen, as the area also included a large wooden stove.
"I'm really surprised at this place," Chuck spoke up with evident satisfaction. He glanced around the room with a smile and nodded. "I expected this place to be ransacked and all the food taken. Hunters are known to frequent the area and that crowd does tend to get hungry. I probably wouldn't have blamed them "
Stephanie wandered over to the closed cupboards and opened the secured doors. She was greeted by shelves filled to bursting with canned and powdered goods. Every imaginable type of food that would last for well over a year was represented, and she saw a hand-crank can opener to free the meals from their tin containers.
"What were you preparing for, the end of the world?" Stephanie asked. She picked up a large can of beans and shuddered. She didn't want to know the results of someone eating all that in one sitting.
"My world, at least. This is where I planned to go if Gregory's group ever caught me," he explained. He got a broom from the corner and began dusting out the mouth of the chimney. "The nights are pretty cold here, so we'd better make sure we have enough firewood close by."
"I'm pretty sure you chopped enough to last until next year," she reassured him, remembering the pile she'd seen outside.
"You'd be surprised how fast wood burns, especially since it's been sitting out there drying for a few years," he countered. With the chimney cleaned, he stood up and looked at the windows on either side of the building. " The sun's going to be up soon. Maybe we should have some natural light so we don't use up all our propane tanks."
"Yes, I'm sure we're going to have to worry," Stephanie teased. She'd just found the stash of tanks and figured there was about two dozen of the small containers. "So you said you just found this place, right?"
"Yep, just dumb luck. The loggers had cleared the place around it and otherwise left it alone." Chuck opened the curtains on the windows and the weak light of the rising sun peaked out from the east windows. "I pretty much claimed it for myself and fixed it up with the spare money I had lying around."
"You certainly like to be prepared," she complimented, but with a hint of disbelief. In her eyes he was turning from this stiff, no-nonsense advertising business partner into a roughing-it backwoodsman. That, and he had that whole werewolf thing going for him now. That probably helped him to rough it out here in the middle of nowhere. "Is there anything we need to worry about in the next six months?"
"Water, actually. We have to haul it from a stream just in the trees." He nodded in the general direction as he shut off the lantern. "I was thinking about digging a well, but I figured since I was going to be up here alone I wouldn't need that much water."
Done with her inspections, Stephanie wandered over the rest of the small room. She admired the stone chimney and the thick wooden bench, and then moved over to the bed. There was a fine quilt over the queen-sized bed, and she ran her hand along the smooth cloth. A puff of dust jumped up from beneath her fingers, and she let out a cough.
"It does need a little cleaning, but I'm not really sure how long we're going to be staying here," Chuck admitted. His face lost its smile and he sighed. "I know we can't be gone from the business too long, at least not both of us."
"How long do you think Gregory's gang is going to keep trying to get at me?" Stephanie asked. She knew she should have been worried, but it was hard to comprehend the severity of the situation in such a peaceful, i
solated area.
"I wish I knew, but I suppose we'll stay here for a few days and see if they've cooled off by the time we get back," her partner suggested. He wished he could give her a better date, and would have been better able had the previous wolf chief been in charge, but Gregory was a wild card. He couldn't quite make out what the man was thinking or planning, and that made Chuck very cautious. He looked around and suddenly clapped his hands together. The sound made Stephanie jump and she scowled at him. "Now are you hungry? I could cook something up and have it ready in about thirty minutes."
"I am a little hungry," she admitted. Her stomach growled and she blushed. "Maybe more than a little." The last meal they' had was the Chinese, and that never quelled the hungry for very long.
"Then how about a big meal of baked beans and then we get some sleep?" Stephanie's mouth dropped open in horror, and he was surprised. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
"You want to cook baked beans for two people stuck with each other in a cabin this small?" she pointed out. All she could imagine was a mist of green-colored air floating through the cabin.
"Well, they've got to be eaten, and beans are healthy for you," Chuck pointed out. She wasn't convinced, and her scowl told him as much. "All right, what if I just made up a simple pancake breakfast, and then we get some rest? Does that work?"
"Actually, we might have another problem," she added, and she nodded toward the bed. "Who gets this and who gets the nice, comfortable floor?" She tapped her foot on the boards and dust rose up. The planks also had a solid ring to them, showing they wouldn't exactly be pliable for someone's back.
"I see no problem there. The bed is large enough we can share, and if you need any more room feel free to roll on top of me," her partner suggested, and she didn't like the lecherous smile on his face. He played it out to be innocent, but she figured all he wanted was for her to be on top for once. There really wasn't much they could do about the sleeping arrangements, though, since she didn't see any blankets they could use to create a make-shift bed for him.
"I guess you can sleep with me, but nothing funny. I'm too tired for any of the fun you're planning," she warned him.
"I promise to remain ever the gentleman, but I'm sure you'll start feeling quite well in a few hours," Chuck suddenly mentioned to her. She frowned at his mysterious comment, and he shrugged. "Your final initiation into the werewolf species happens tonight, and the afternoon hours prior to sunset are interesting to experience."
"Interesting how?" She didn't like interesting anymore, it caused her too many headaches and terrifying adventures.
"Well, generally the werewolf pup starts to feel frisky. They have more energy and feel physically and emotionally very well, almost like you're on a sugar or coffee high."
"Werewolf pup?" she repeated with a raised brow. She wasn't sure whether to take that as an insult or just a fact.
"It's how those prior to full transformation are addressed," Chuck informed her. He defensively held up his hands when she continued to scowl. "It's nothing personal, just a habit of mine from the days being an enforcer."
"About that..." Stephanie piped up, and he immediately regretted mentioning the word. "You said they were probably hoping I'd turn out as powerful as you, or something like that. Does that mean that your blood passed on some abilities or powers?"
"The strength of the werewolf is largely dependent on the blood, yes, and also the gender. Males werewolves are generally much more powerful than females." He looked her up and down, and admired her slim, athletic form. "Females do have the advantage of being more agile and occasionally faster."
"And a little more focused, so stop looking at me," she scolded, and his smile showed his guilt at being caught. Not that he had been checking her out again, but at being called out for it. "You also said something about how old werewolves get, that they live a long time. How long?"
"Wouldn't you rather have me start breakfast than answer all these questions?" Chuck asked her. She just folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot on the dusty floor. He took that as a definite no, and sighed. "All right, how old do you think I am?" He held out his arms to show off his physical form.
"I don't know, about thirty? Maybe thirty five?" she guessed. She had never asked him his age, but he'd always looked older than her twenty-five years. He smiled at her guesses, and shook his head.
"I'm almost fifty."
Stephanie blinked a couple of times, and then her mouth incredulously opened. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned in for a better look at him. He didn't look a day over her guesses. She would have laughed outright at his apparent lie, but his eyes were so serious she knew he wasn't joking.
"So let me get this straight." This was hard for her to grasp. If he really was fifty, it was like he'd drank from the fountain of youth or something. "What you're saying is werewolves age a hell of a lot slower than normal humans?"
"I'm saying that the aging process practically stops," Chuck corrected her.
Stephanie's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped completely open. She fell back and landed on the comfortable bed. Then she choked on the dust in the room and her eyes watered from the grimy air. Still, she was in complete shock. She'd drank from the fountain of youth, at least through him scratching her and passing on his blood.
"So I'm going to look like this for how many years?" she asked him. Surely the math in her head was wrong, because at him looking fifteen to twenty years younger than he actually was, she was imagining a long time as a twenty year old.
"I haven't quite figured out the math myself, since few werewolves want to reveal their age, but possibly for the next fifty or sixty odd years."
"Oh my god..." Stephanie muttered. She was stunned, and unable to figure out whether she was overjoyed or terrified. Chuck looked over to her with regret and empathy. He hadn't meant to drag her into this mess of an existence.
"It's not as bad as you're thinking," he encouraged her. He didn't want to see her so shocked and scared, so he went over and sat down at her side. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gave her an encouraging shake. "After all, it's not a lonely existence. You have me by your side, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." She smiled at him and took one of his hands in hers. He could feel her fingers shaking, but her eyes were bright.
"You're right, I need to stop worrying so much about all this. I've got you to help me through if something goes wrong."
"And nothing's going to go wrong," he insisted in a firm voice. He patted her hand and then stood, bringing her also to her feet. "Now how about we get some food? That helps everyone's mood, and then rest is in order." Stephanie nodded.
"That sounds like a plan."
The water was fetched with an old, clean bucket and then heated over the stove once Chuck had gotten the belly cleaned and a fire going. Then the pancakes were made with the clean water and powdered ingredients. Chuck managed a full stack of the delicious round cakes, but Stephanie and he did full justice and not a bit was left. When the plate was empty, Stephanie pushed her cleaned plate away and stretched her arms above her head.
"I think I'm ready for a really long nap," she sighed in contentment. She stifled a yawn with her hand and glanced out the windows. The sun was just rising above the tall mountains and trees. "It's going to be funny going to bed when I'm supposed to be getting up."
"I'm sure you're as tired as I am, so that won't be a problem," Chuck reassured her. He cleaned up the paper plates and utensils, and tossed them in a box. They would be burned in the fireplace later to avoid having to make a trip to town to dump garbage off.
Stephanie wasn't so tired, however, that she noticed the impropriety of their situation. There was only one room, and they both would have preferred sleeping in their nightclothes rather than in their dusty day clothes. Even though she had seen Chuck naked and he her, she still felt more than a little nervous stripping in front of his lecherous eyes. When they were preparing for sleep he noticed her glancing between her
pajamas and himself, and figured out the problem.
"You need me to look away?" he suggested, and she sheepishly smiled.
"I know I shouldn't mind, especially with everything we've been through together, but I just can't help it."
"That's fine, I don't mind you turning around when I change," Chuck happily obliged, but she noticed a very important omission in his statement.
"You need to turn away when I'm changing, too," she scolded him. She could hardly believe that after such a long and harrowing night he could still be so frisky. "And no touching in bed. We both need to get some sleep."
"I shall obey your orders, Boss," her partner agreed with a playful bow, but she could hear a hint of disappointment in his voice.
Stephanie awoke in the mid afternoon refreshed and with a smile on her face. She opened her eyes and stretched out in the bed, forgetting for a moment she had a bedmate. Chuck had mysteriously pulled himself against her with his arms wrapped around her waist, and because they were so close her elbow knocked into his face. He jolted awake and backward in surprise, and he got no sympathy from his attacker. She sat up and laughed at his confused and shocked expression.
"That's what you get for not giving me some space," she teased her companion.
"If you weren't so wonderfully warm, I doubt I'd be so eager to wrap myself around you," he countered. She rolled her eyes at his lame, if complimentary, excuse.
"Are you sure you're not the one turning into a werewolf tonight?" she asked him, her tone partially serious. He was acting like a horny teenager.
"Well, my strange behavior is probably because of your changing," Chuck pointed out as he sat up. "Whenever a human is changing, especially on their final day with the full moon in the sky, other werewolves tend to take an interest in at least protecting them."
"Yeah, I don't think you have protecting in mind. Maybe snuggling and a little more than that, but not protecting."
"Well, I do want to keep you close, but for more than one reason. As the one who created you, I feel I not only have an obligation to show and tell you all I know." Chuck pensively glanced over her, but not with any sort of lecherous look in his eyes. "There's also the bond that was created by the transfer of my blood."