by Kimber White
Harold tripped over a pail near Rascal’s stall, spilling water all over the dirt floor. My father scowled at him and grumbled as he muscled past him and put Rascal in.
“You need to muck out half these stalls and those hay bales in the corner aren’t going to spread themselves. What’s gotten into you two?”
“Nothing, Dad. Honest,” Harold said. He barked a fake laugh that fooled nobody. The alarm in his tone transmitted to me. What on earth had him so agitated?
Dad shook his head. Harold stood at the foot of the ladder going up to the loft. Dad made a move toward it and Harold practically dove at him. My father backed up and tripped over his feet. He landed hard against Barney’s stall and brushed himself off.
“Harold Bonner, have you lost your mind? Get out of the way. I left my tool belt up there.”
“I’ll get them!” I practically shouted in his face. Whatever had Harold acting so crazy, clearly he didn’t want my father anywhere near the loft. With my heart pounding, I scrambled up the ladder. As soon as I cleared the fourth step, I saw what the matter was.
Lucia lay curled on her side, sleeping in a pile of hay. In each of her dimpled hands, she held two orange barn kittens from our tabby’s latest litter. One of the kittens yawned and stretched his front paws, then settled back against Lucia’s chest, fast asleep.
“You see it?” my father bellowed. The commotion reached Lucia’s ears. Her eyes snapped open and glinted silver, just like her father’s. I put a finger to my lips to quiet her. Shooting her a wink, I climbed up the rest of the way and retrieved my father’s tool belt from the corner of the loft. One of the kittens mewled and Lucia held it tighter. Her face had gone white with fear. I gave her a bright smile that seemed to settle her.
“Try not to squeeze his guts out,” I whispered, leaning down to smooth a honeyed curl away from her eyes. “Just stay quiet and I’ll get rid of them. You’re safe here.”
Lucia gave me a solemn nod, but she sank deeper in the hay as my father bellowed from below again.
“Coming!” I called out. I went to the ladder and handed Harold the tool belt before I crawled down. I got halfway to the floor before my ears started to ring. A rapid, furious pulse rose up inside of me, and I knew it didn’t belong to me.
Luke was nearby and moving fast. As much as his body called to mine, his timing couldn’t have been worse.
Harold saw the change in my expression and his own jaw dropped. He backed away from me and went to our father.
“Dad, will you come out to the southern pasture with me? You wanted me to fix that section of fence, but I could sure use a hand.”
“You mean you haven’t finished it yet?” Dad slung the tool belt over his shoulder.
“Just about. There’s just one bit that’s giving me some trouble. But, I figure if the two of us take a crack at it, we can show it who’s boss.”
I got to the barn door before they did. The air left my lungs when I scanned the horizon. There could be no question that Lucia’s trail led the entire pack to my literal doorstep. They weren’t even trying to conceal themselves as eight full-grown wolves and one flat-eared pup made their way down from the woods.
I whirled around and shut the doors. “Good idea,” I said. My father looked at me as if I’d sprouted a third eye. “You guys head on out the other way. I’ll finish mucking the stalls and deal with that hay.
“Grandpa needs his dinner, Pats,” Dad said. “And he’s been asking after you. There isn’t enough daylight for fence repairs anyway. We’ll just have to head out in the morning before school.”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” Harold offered. “But maybe we can at least just go take a look at it. You can show me what I’m doing wrong and I’ll get an early start.”
I kept moving toward them, hoping Harold would get the hint and lead my father out the back of the barn. The racket woke the kittens in the loft and they started to meow for their mother’s milk. Mercifully, the noise didn’t stop my father’s momentum. Harold looped his arm through his, earning another incredulous look from Dad. But, the two of them made their way out the back and shut the door behind them.
Blowing a hair out of my eyes, I turned and went to the front of the barn. By the time I opened it, I came face to face with a keyed up pack of wolves with their Alpha in the lead.
I shut the door and stepped outside. Luke stepped forward and shifted. Rascal’s saddle blanket was still hanging over the fence. I grabbed it and tossed it to Luke. There was no way I was going to have another conversation with this man with him buck naked. Scowling, Luke wrapped the blanket around himself and came to me.
I put a hand up, imploring him not to come any further. “She’s okay,” I said. “Lucia’s asleep in the loft. She got ahold of some kittens and laid down for a nap. No harm done.”
“No harm!” Luke’s eyes flashed with fury and he made a move to go around me. I put my hand flat on his chest.
“Just let her sleep, Luke. She’s safe, warm, and adorable. I told you down by the lake I understand why she ran off.”
He ground his teeth together and glared at me. “You of all people should understand how dangerous it is for her to be traipsing through this area alone. She’s a baby, Patricia. If she got caught…”
“But she didn’t. She’s safe. She’s probably safer here than the cabin even. Out there she’s too close to the boundary lines. Here, there can be no question whose land she’s on. Unless the other wolf packs want to pick a direct fight by crossing this far in, what better place to keep her?”
Luke opened his mouth to argue, but some of the fire went out of his eyes. He knew I was right.
“What about your father?” He settled on the one argument I didn’t have a good answer for.
“Harold and I can manage him. We’re used to it. Just let her sleep here tonight. I’ll get some dinner in her and walk her back to the cabin in the morning. She’s scared to death as it is.”
Luke dropped his shoulders as he let out a sigh. I took that as a yes. “Fine, but I’m not leaving before I talk to her. She can’t take this to mean she’s getting rewarded for disobeying me.”
He brooked no further argument from me as he moved around me and headed into the barn. I started to follow, but Luke turned and held up a hand in a halting gesture. Turning, he climbed the loft stairs with such speed and agility, it almost looked like he’d flown up there. The rest of the pack moved back into the shadows closer to the tree line.
I leaned against the barn door. Lucia’s small voice rose and melted my heart. “Daddy, I just wanted to see the chickens and the horses. But look. Aren’t they just the cutest?”
One of the kittens she held let out a squeaking protest as Lucia must have held it out for her father. I can’t imagine what that poor cat must have sensed being handled by two wolf shifters.
“Lucia, we’ve been over this and I thought you understood. You made me a promise that you were going to stay put.”
“But, Daddy, I’m so bored at that cabin. There’s nothing to do there and Jed keeps acting like he’s the boss of me. I’m five minutes older than he is.”
“I’m the boss of you, young lady. And I told you not to wander off. You were supposed to stay with Charlie.”
“Don’t be mad at Charlie. I didn’t go so very far and I was careful. Nobody followed me.”
“I am mad at Charlie, but that’s nothing you need to concern yourself with. I’ll deal with him later. In the meantime, what are we going to do about this?”
Luke’s tone held a stern patience that pulled at my heart. I could feel the overwhelming fear he had for Lucia. Everything he’d done over the last few weeks was for her. He had to have struggled so hard against the urge to just lock her away somewhere and hide her from the world. He’d already lost Sela. And yet, Luke hadn’t shut down like my father had. He was here, worrying over his children and doing his best to care for them. His tender tone and the love in his eyes tugged at me.
I grew bolder, grabbed on
e of the freshly laundered horse blankets from a shelf, and climbed up the ladder. When I poked my head over the loft floor, what I saw made me smile. Luke held his daughter’s head in his lap, stroking her hair. One of the kittens lay at his feet chewing on a piece of hay. The other snuggled in Lucia’s arms as she kissed the top of his head.
“Everything sorted out up here?” I said, clearing my throat.
Luke looked up and smiled. Lucia’s eyes were already growing heavy and her face split into a wide yawn. Carefully, Luke slid out from under her. I handed him the blanket and he tucked it around her. She snored softly.
“What about them?” Luke asked, petting the kitten Lucia held.
“They’ll be fine. Their mother will be along soon enough. Harold will make sure my father stays up at the house once they get back, and I’ll keep an eye out too.”
“I’m spending the night,” Luke said. My heart tripped.
“Y-you can’t. If my father sees you…”
“He won’t. But, there’s no way I’m letting Lucia stay here by herself. The rest of the pack can stay down by the cabin with Jarred. I’ll deal with Charlie in the morning, but I’m staying put.”
“You’ll spook the horses and draw attention. They’re already agitated.” To prove my point, Barney and Rascal started to kick the sides of their stalls.
“Then, we have a problem. Because I’m not leaving.”
My heart pounding, I blurted my answer before thinking it through. “Fine. Then come with me. The best place to hide you is in plain sight. You can stay in my room.”
Luke raised a dark brow and the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. Heat poured through me and my breath caught. I was playing with fire that night, but at that moment, I welcomed the burn.
Chapter Eleven
In the end, the only place Luke could stay where he wouldn’t spook the animals or risk discovery by my father was in my bedroom in the far corner of the house. Harold rarely came in here either. He and Dad spent about an hour in the south pasture before I heard their clomping footsteps in the mudroom.
I cleared the dinner plates, settled Grandpa in for the night, and took a hot shower before gathering the courage to go to my room where I knew Luke waited. God, when I’d suggested it, this seemed like the most logical solution. Luke wouldn’t stray far from Lucia. Lucia wanted just a single night out from under the watchful eyes of the entire wolf pack. So, here we were. Only now, I had no idea how I would get through an entire night with Luke sleeping just a few feet away from me without combusting from the desire I felt for him.
He’d gone back down to the cabin to deal with Charlie and Jarred, then slipped in the back door using a key I’d given him while the rest of us were eating dinner. He’d made no sound, but the hair prickled along my spine when he got close. Only Harold noticed a shift in my posture. He at least had the decency to cast his eyes downward and change the subject. It was when I came out from Grandpa’s room and ran into him in the hallway things got tense.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” he whispered, grabbing my arm.
I jerked away. “What’s that supposed to mean? What would you have me do? With that little girl out in the barn, there’s no way Luke’s going anywhere. You have a better idea? You’re right next to Dad, so he can’t very well stay with you.”
Harold let out an exasperated sigh and let go of me. “Don’t play dumb, Pat. I know what’s going on.”
“Oh, hush. You don’t know anything. Don’t forget, you’re the one that got us into this mess. You’re the one who let Luke’s pack onto our lands in the first place. I’m just trying to do my best with an impossible situation.”
“Impossible’s right. Patsy, you can’t...you can’t do what you’re thinking about doing. If you do, nothing’s ever going to be the same again. You can’t undo it.”
My cheeks flamed and my heart hammered wildly behind my ribcage. Damn my brother for being able to see right through me. It made me want to scratch his eyes out sometimes.
“I’m not thinking about doing anything,” I lied. “I’m just trying to keep everyone safe for one whole night. That’s all. Now, you can just keep the rest of your opinions to yourself. Do me a favor and go to bed. Make sure Dad doesn’t go anywhere near the barn. Can you do at least that much?”
Harold fumed, but didn’t argue with me anymore. Instead, he stormed off down the hall making more of a racket than we could afford. Grandpa called out from his room asking what the matter was. I glowered at Harold when he turned back one last time before going into settle the old man. That left me with no other choice but to head upstairs to my own bedroom. I took a steeling breath and did just that.
I wore a long, white cotton nightgown and my hair was still wet from the shower. My pulse fluttered as I stood in the hallway staring at my closed bedroom door. My fingers trembled as they hovered over the doorknob. I sensed Luke’s presence just a few feet away. When I closed my eyes, I saw his flashing silver as he waited for me. God, what had I been thinking? I took one deep breath then opened the door.
Luke stood with his back to me, staring out the window toward the barn. My eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light. A full moon rose over Luke’s shoulder, bathing his naked back in a silvery glow. He wore nothing but blue jeans. I gripped the doorknob so hard it’s a wonder I didn’t crush it.
Finally, Luke turned to me and my breath caught. I closed the door behind me. Beads of sweat trickled between my breasts. My nipples raised to sharp points beneath the thin cotton of my gown.
“I’m sorry,” he said. He spoke in such a low whisper, anyone else would have had to strain to hear him. But, I didn’t. I wasn’t a member of Luke McGraw’s pack, but I was connected to him. There was no denying it.
Luke’s face fell as I walked toward him, feeling coltish. Folding my hands in my lap, I sat on the edge of the bed. He came to me, towering over me. His eyes flashed with sadness as he cupped my chin in his hand and brought my face up to his.
“I’m sorry I’ve made everything so complicated for you,” he said.
I wanted to answer back that he hadn’t. The opposite was true. Impossibly, he’d made everything feel so simple. Of course, I knew it wasn’t.
“What happens next?” I asked. I meant one thing by the question, but the instant it hung in the air between us, it took on a different meaning.
“In the morning, I’m taking Lucia and the rest of the pack and we’re going to head north.”
It wasn’t the answer I expected and my heart dropped. “You’re what? I mean, why?”
Luke’s smile crushed me. He still held my chin and I craned my neck to meet his eyes. Even as he said the thing I most feared, my body took on a new ache. I sat on my hands to keep from touching him. I had wicked thoughts about sliding my fingers over the crotch of his jeans and unbuttoning them.
“Because there’s no way this can end without you or your family getting hurt. Able’s pack won’t steer clear forever. He’s grown too powerful and he’s been able to recruit more and more numbers by making promises.”
“Lucia,” I said, as bile rose in my throat. “He promises them Lucia.”
“Or someone like her. He won’t give up. Unless the other packs agree to join with me and fight him, she won’t be safe. No one I care about will be. I’ve already lost too much. I couldn’t live with knowing you’re in danger because of me.”
“But I won’t be in danger if you’re with me.”
“Me being here is what’s putting you at risk. If I go, Able will follow.”
I couldn’t help myself. I slid my hands up and rested them on the small of Luke’s back. He swayed on his feet as if he were deciding to come closer or pull away. He settled for something neutral, planting his stance wide and looking down at me.
“You still need sanctuary. It’s why you came here in the first place. That part hasn’t changed.”
Luke threw his head back and let out a bitter laugh. “Patricia, my beautiful Patricia. Everything
has changed.”
He went to his knees in front of me, wrapping his arms around my hips he pulled me to the very edge of the bed. I parted my legs, allowing him to fold himself around me. I leaned down and kissed the top of his head.
“If I’d have known what you were, I would never have come here.”
“And what is that?”
“Fated mates,” he whispered. I already knew the answer. It had echoed through me from the moment he first touched me. But, to hear him finally say it out loud sent an electrical current through me, binding me to Luke.
“And this,” I said, pulling my hair to one side, I turned, exposing the back of my neck to him. “You’re meant to bite me here. I can feel it. I crave it. What happens when you do?”
“When I do?”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. If you do. Does it make me part of the pack?”
When I turned to face him again, Luke wasn’t fast enough to hide the expression on his face. His lips trembled and his tongue darted out. I felt the urge to bite me coursing through him, matching my own desire.
“Yes. It makes you mine. My mate. It’s a claiming. This bond between us would only deepen. It’s more than you just being able to sense me when I’m near. Marking is a process. The more we do it, the stronger the connection. Eventually, you’ll be able to hear my thoughts. I’ll know where you are all the time and whether you’re in danger. I’ll feel your pain...and you’ll feel mine.”
His answer left me gasping for air. Yes. Every cell in my body cried out for it. Yes. I wanted him to mark me. I was born for it. That back corner of my brain said all the irritating rational things I knew I should put at the forefront. But, I just couldn’t. This was too powerful. It was bigger than me.
It turned out I didn’t have to give voice to those fears because Luke did it for me.
“I have no right,” he said. “Not now. Not when the threat from Able’s pack is so great. I told you. Marking you would be selfish until I can assure your safety.”