by Noelle Marie
It didn’t help that whenever she thought of her wolf form, she thought of Bastian’s wolf form. Which, of course, led her to thinking of Bastian. Which led her to thinking about, well… the kiss.
“I can tell you aren’t focused,” she heard the man mutter from where she knew he sat, cross-legged on a snow covered stump in front of her.
She risked peeking open an eyelid. He was staring at her. She immediately closed it.
He released a frustrated sigh.
“I’m trying,” Katherine pointed out defensively, eyes still clenched shut.
“Well, try harder.”
Gritting her teeth, Katherine did just that. Concentrating on her breathing, she pictured her wolf form in her mind – dark brown fur, sleek build, sharp teeth. She managed to do this successfully for all of five minutes before images of Bastian and his infuriatingly perfect lips began to once again invade her thoughts.
The small brunette sighed in defeat, snapping her eyes open.
Her bright green orbs landed on Bastian. Bastian, the wolf, to be specific. So focused on not focusing, she hadn’t even heard him transform.
And yet, there he sat – flaunting his ability to do exactly what she couldn’t no matter how hard she tried.
Katherine stood. Her hands curled into fists and she could feel what she knew to be irrational anger rising from the pit of her stomach, burning up her esophagus and throat until she had no other choice than to spew it out – in the form of words – from her mouth.
“You think you’re so much better than me, don’t you?”
Somehow it was easier to talk to Bastian the wolf than Bastian the man. And as she looked into the beast’s eyes, she couldn’t stop herself from bringing up what she promised herself she wouldn’t.
“You kissed me,” she said, the ire in her voice making it seem as if she was accusing him of a crime. “You kissed me, and yet you make it so obvious that you don’t even care about me.”
The wolf growled – the noise low and originating from deep in his throat. The sound should have scared her – startled her at the very least – but it didn’t.
“You think that I’m some pathetic girl that you can jerk around — use as some form of sick entertainment. Sure, you’ve felt obligated to protect me since dragging me into this demented fairy tale three months ago, but you don’t care. Not really.”
The growling grew louder.
Katherine’s fists loosened at her sides as she lost some of her steam. “I guess that someone like you could just never like someone like me,” she continued, her voice lowering an octave. “Not little Katherine Mayes. Not like that, anyway.”
Before the last sentence had even fully left her mouth, Bastian was changing. In a nearly instantaneous blur, the man stood in the space that the wolf just was. And, of course, he was as naked as the day he was born.
N-A-K-E-D.
Momentarily stunned, Katherine allowed her gaze to dip inappropriately low before she realized what she was doing. Her face positively burned as she hastily turned around, forcing her eyes to stay locked on a nearby evergreen tree.
“Christ! A little warning would have been nice,” she choked out, listening to him shuffle around behind her, no doubt changing into the spare clothes he always insisted each of them bring to these little sessions.
After all, if Katherine did actually manage to transform into her wolf form, she’d need some clothes to dress into when she changed back.
She heard Bastian snort. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” he pointed out, seemingly amused.
Katherine was all too aware of that fact. She shifted uncomfortably as she recalled her first transformation and waking up trapped under Bastian’s arm – how she’d ogled his bare backside.
She didn’t think he had known about that.
“That’s not the point,” she sputtered, crossing her arms over her chest. “Traipsing around naked… it’s – well, it’s indecent!”
That little gem prompted a chuckle from Bastian and Katherine turned around, ready to defend herself.
The half-smile on his face stopped her in her tracks, however. He was being the most open he’d been with her since their meeting of the mouths nearly two weeks ago.
“Bastian.” The name left her lips entirely without her permissions. It was said softly, pleadingly. Entirely too pathetically, in her opinion.
The half-smile fell from his face. A hard, unyielding line took its place. “We should get back to the house. It’s already getting dark.”
The sun was still visible above the tree line.
“But, Bastian-”
“Katherine,” he interjected sharply, shutting her down. He ran an agitated hand through his hair. “Let’s just get back to the house.”
Without further ado, he turned his back on her, gathering both of their bags and heading in the direction Katherine knew led to the Prince house.
He didn’t look behind him to make sure she was following even once.
She knew with certainty then that Bastian understood perfectly what she was saying when he was in his wolf form.
He just didn’t have anything to say back to her.
Katherine had never felt more rejected than she had in that moment. Humiliated was another apt description. She was all too willing to avoid Bastian the rest of the night – much like he’d been avoiding her the past week.
The next morning – this morning – he hadn’t been around to ignore. According to Sophie, he was doing some sort of research – investigating was the word she’d used – at the city hall. Apparently, at their last meeting, Cain had given him some information he’d received about the potential whereabouts of his parents’ – and her parents’ – killers. Markus and Zane had disappeared too, though she had no idea if they’d gone with him or not. Markus, she knew, still hadn’t completely forgiven her for disappearing on him after school on that Friday a week ago.
He’d made that rather obvious with his increased use of the abhorrent nickname he had for her.
As a result of the trio’s absence, Sophie had been rather insistent that Katherine join her and Caleb on their preplanned shopping trip into town. Apparently, a new shipment of women’s clothing had been delivered to The Closet and Sophie wanted to check it out. Caleb needed to deliver some venison to the local butcher and pick up some baking goods at the farmers market.
Katherine, rather intent on staying home and throwing herself a pity party, adamantly refused.
Eventually, the blonde had given up on her and with a cheery wave good bye had taken her leave. After flashing the despondent girl a quick smile, Caleb had trailed after her.
Which brought Katherine to where she was now – completely alone in a depressingly empty house, staring forlornly into a bowl of soggy cereal she’d poured herself over a half hour ago.
“And let the party commence,” Katherine muttered to herself sarcastically.
Wasn’t she just a big old ball of sunshine?
Fierce pounding on the front door knocked her from her stupor. Somewhat alarmed, Katherine abandoned her cereal – it wasn’t really edible at that point anyhow – and hurried to the door. She hadn’t locked it after Sophie and Caleb. Surely if they’d forgotten something, they’d have just come straight in.
Twisting a knob, she opened one of the double doors.
It was Melanie.
Her features were warped into a panicked grimace and her short hair was disheveled, but there was no mistaking it was her.
“Are you okay?” Katherine asked, eying her friend’s unkempt appearance as she waited for the girl to catch her breath.
“Katherine, you have to help me!” She grabbed the edge of the small brunette’s shirt sleeve, nearly yanking her through the open doorway and onto the porch.
Startled, Katherine jerked away from her. “Just calm down and tell me what’s wrong,” she demanded.
“It’s Mack,” Melanie began to blubber. “We were fooling around near the falls, trying to
climb on the rocks and he fell! He’s unconscious and I think his leg is broken. It’s all crooked and bent at a weird angle. I’m not strong enough to move him by himself. Your house was the closest. I ran all the way here. Please, you have to help me get him into town to see a healer. He’s all by himself out there!”
Melanie grabbed onto her again, hysterically trying to pull her along, and for a moment, Katherine almost allowed it.
But she remembered all too well the plea Bastian had made to her two weeks ago – on the night of the kiss. She had to let him know somehow where she was going. “Hold on,” she insisted, tugging her arm free from her friend’s grip. “Just let me leave a note. That way, if someone gets back here before we’re able to get him into town, they can come help us.”
Melanie paused for a moment before quickly agreeing. “Okay, but please hurry! Mack needs our help.”
Katherine quickly scribbled a note, explaining the situation. He left it next to her unfinished bowl of cereal before grabbing her coat and throwing on a pair of oversized boots – they were probably one of Markus’s many pairs. Then she finally allowed Melanie to drag her away.
The two girls dashed through the trees, dodging branches and leaping over upturned roots as they did so. “Exactly how hurt is he?” Katherine asked as they ran. She wondered if it would even be safe to move Mack – if maybe it’d make more sense for one of them to run into town and bring the town healer, Gabriela Atkins, to him instead?
“I don’t know! When he fell, I called out to him, but he didn’t respond,” Melanie explained between breaths. “By the time I could climb down from the rocks and get to him, his eyes were closed and he wouldn’t open them, even when I tried to shake him awake!”
Katherine refrained from blurting out her thoughts – that shaking an unconscious person probably wasn’t the best idea the other girl had ever had.
She decided she’d follow Melanie to the falls and check out Mack’s condition for herself. If she didn’t think they should move him, she’d run back to town and get Gabriela herself.
Less than ten minutes later, they were nearing the falls – Katherine could have gotten there sooner but forced herself to match Melanie’s slower pace, not wanting to leave the girl behind.
She forced her legs to slow to a stop as she reached the small, frozen over pond at the bottom of the equally frozen waterfall. As she rested her hands on her knees and attempted to catch her breath, she looked around for a prone body.
She saw snows. Trees. And, of course, the waterfall. But no Mack. She didn’t see him anywhere.
He couldn’t have gotten up and walked away with a broken leg though.
She turned to Melanie, who’d stopped to rest some feet beside her. She, too, was attempting to recover from their run. “Where is he?” Katherine asked.
But the girl wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Melanie, where’s Mack?” she demanded more firmly.
“He’s not here, Katherine,” a voice answered her. But it wasn’t Melanie’s high-pitched soprano. It was a lower timbre – one she’d only heard once before and just barely recognized.
She could hear rustling in the greenery behind them and turned to watch as the owner of the voice emerged from the trees. “You’re little friend isn’t here. Just me.”
Katherine forced her facial expression to remain neutral – to not give away her surprise – as she stared at the man.
It was Cain.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The head alpha of Haven Falls stood in the clearing, his dark eyes drinking in Katherine’s form.
And the small brunette, of course, didn’t know what to think. She was beyond bewildered. Ignoring Cain’s words and the horrible feeling they instilled deep in her gut, she turned to face her friend, who was still avoiding eye contact.
“Melanie, what’s going on? Where’s Mack? You said he was hurt.”
A bark of rough laughter escaping Cain’s mouth forced Katherine’s attention to jerk back to the man. “I’m sorry, my dear. Did you not hear me? I said that he’s not here.”
Narrowing her green eyes at the man, Katherine addressed her friend once more, forcing out the words between gritted teeth. “Melanie, what is he talking about?”
“Yes, Melanie darling. Just what am I talking about?”
Twirling her brightly colored scarf with suddenly nervous fingers, the girl attempted to explain. “I… well, you see, he said that…” she trailed off, biting her lip. Melanie briefly met Katherine’s eyes before swiftly lowering them once more. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
No answer was forthcoming.
“For what, Melanie?” Katherine demanded more urgently – an angry edge to her voice.
What in God’s name was going on?
“Now, now,” Cain chided, taking a step closer to the two girls, which immediately caused Katherine to take a step back. The alpha grinned – his smile all teeth. “There’s no need for such hostility, my dear. I merely asked your friend to bring you out here so that we might speak privately about something that’s been troubling me.”
Katherine continued to eye the man suspiciously. “Why out here? And why trick me? Couldn’t you have just asked Bastian to bring me into town?”
Cain’s smile – insincere as it was – grew wider. “Aw, your naivety – it’s surprisingly charming. And you really are a pretty girl. It’s not hard to see why Bastian’s so taken with you.”
Cain moved closer to her still and Katherine backed up another two steps, incredibly wary of the man who was making very little sense. The sense of danger was thick in the air. “What does that have to do with anything? You said you wanted to talk.”
“Yes,” the man agreed, halting his movement for a moment, “but, you see, that is precisely what I wanted to talk to you about. It unfortunate, but your arrival here has… interfered… with plans I’ve set into motion long ago.”
Katherine licked her dry lips, sparing a glance at Melanie, who was worriedly watching the action unfold from where she’d planted herself under the shade of a nearby evergreen. “What plans?”
“Why, my plans for Haven Falls, of course,” the man said as if the answer should have been obvious to her. “You’ve been here for a few months. I’m sure you realize the trouble you’ve caused in that short time.”
Katherine furrowed her brow. “If this is about what happened with Rip-”
Cain released a derisive snort. “Don’t be absurd. What Brigg’s pup gets up to hardly concerns me. No. I’m talking about your alpha – Bastian – and the changes I’ve seen in him. He’s more involved than ever with the community here. He no longer acts like a rabid dog, bothered only with finding the murderers of his parents. It’s very… disconcerting.”
Katherine just didn’t get it. “Those sound like positive changes to me.”
That was when Cain began to lose his composure. His very real temper revealed itself. “Do you know nothing of werewolf tradition, you stupid girl? Of politics? His behavior concerns me because any day, at any time, your Bastian could challenge me for the title of head alpha. He could take control of the entire village. It is his birth right, after all,” he sneered, making his opinion of that particular fact clear.
Katherine refused to let herself be cowed. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Cain. “Well maybe you should save yourself the trouble and give him the title then.”
The man laughed incredulously. “Give it to him? Give it to him? Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to secure this position for myself? How many people I’ve bribed? Manipulated? How many I’ve killed? Do you, Katherine?”
Her breath hitched when that word, that horrid word – killed – escaped Cain’s mouth. Ignoring how her palpitating heart was now thundering in her chest – and somehow in her ears – Katherine forced herself to ignore the instincts that were screaming at her to run and stayed still. “Killed?” she whispered.
“Yes, killed. You don’t really believe
that the same pair of incompetent hunters that tried to do you in would be able to track and kill Bastian’s parents without a little inside help, do you?” he scoffed.
The air whooshed from Katherine’s lungs. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying,” he sneered, stalking toward Katherine like a predator approaching its prey, “that I set those hunters on my brother and his insufferable wife. Paid them a hefty price to kill the both of them. They were basically worthless – only managed to injure Brom. But his wife – Bastian’s mother, Margaret – she was grievously wounded. Brom and Margaret were so in love with each other – true soul mates. Within a week of her death, he too was gone from the world.” Cain smirked. “So I guess the hunters did their jobs after all.”
“That’s sick,” Katherine sputtered, completely aghast at the man’s confession, her stomach in a mess of knots. She knew she was feeling only a fraction of what Bastian would if he ever found out. “You’re twisted –completely warped in the head. How could you do that? You were his brother – and Bastian’s and Sophie’s uncle! When Bastian, finds out, he’s going to-”
“And how exactly is he going to find out, hm?” Cain interrupted, still grinning. “You certainly aren’t going to tell him. How could you… when you’re dead?”
She knew the man didn’t intend for her to leave the clearing alive as soon as he’d admitting to killing others for his head alpha title, but that didn’t stop the feeling of panic – of downright hysteria – from nearly overwhelming her for a moment.
Katherine looked once more at Melanie. She still stood under the evergreen. The girl looked horrified at the entire situation and her face had gone as pale as Katherine suspected her own had at hearing Cain admit to killing his own brother. “Melanie…”
“She’s not going to help you,” Cain boomed, his irritation with Katherine for refusing to show her fear obvious. “Don’t you get it? She tricked you. Agreed to help me get you out here alone so that my plans for you could come to fruition. All it took was a promise she’d be recruited into a respected alpha’s pack and she was on board.”