“I thought I’d never see you again,” Tiffany sobbed. “I’m so sorry I went with him. We all could have ended up dead. Please, forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” I insisted. “I would have chased that jerk to the end of the earth until I found you and the boys. I’m just glad you’re ok.”
“He had me tied up. He was coming back for the boys. I escaped,” Tiffany said, her story coming out in short, painful sobs.
“Don’t worry, he’s gone now,” I said. “It’s all going to be ok now.”
I looked up over my sister’s shoulder at Terri. My heart was so full of emotion that I thought I might explode. I’d never felt this level of love and gratitude before. She’d saved my life and helped me reunite my family. That was a level of debt that I’d never be able to repay in this lifetime.
I smiled at her, and she smiled back.
At that moment, I knew the truth. I knew why I couldn’t resist her and why we’d been brought together. Terri was my true mate, now I just needed to find a way to tell her.
Chapter Seven
Terri
Back at the cabin, I was able to forget about our troubles.
“Ok, boys, look at me,” I said, holding up my camera.
The four boys, in their cougar form, looked over at the camera, half-hidden in the long-dead grass. They were very willing models, eager to pose and play for hours in front of the camera.
I had so many amazing shots of them. National Geographic would have to accept at least one and no one had to know that they were shifters.
“Ok, I think that’s it for today, boys,” I said. I turned to the west, shielding my eyes from the setting sun. Golden hour was coming to an end, and I had more than enough material to look through.
The cub scampered off, piling over each other as they ran back into the cabin to shift back and get dressed.
“Did you get any good shots?” Paul asked. His sleeve was rolled up, showing freshly changed bandages. Thankfully, his wounds weren’t serious.
“So many,” I said. “Thank you.”
Tiffany, Paul’s sister, smiled at me over her cup of tea. “I’m glad. They love the attention,” she said. “Are you sure that’s not cheating, though?”
I shrugged. “That’s for the publisher to decide.”
“I say submit them,” Paul said. “We’ll just take a cut of the royalties,” he added with a wink.
I grinned. “Deal.”
Tiffany sipped her tea, and then her eyes widened as if suddenly remembering something.
“Wasn’t the helicopter coming this evening?” she asked.
Oh right, their ride back to the civilized world. No roads came this far north; they needed to call a pilot to come to get them and bring them back to their pack on the British Columbia coast.
I glanced down at the floor. My cabin, although it had been crowded and noisy for the past three days, was filled with happiness and love. My chest tightened at the thought of being alone again after such a wild first week.
“I should check on the boys,” Tiffany said. She put down her tea and excused herself to the bedroom. Giggles and shouts could be heard as she opened and closed the door.
I smiled. The cabin was going to be so quiet soon.
Paul cleared his throat and stood. “Uh, thanks for patching me up again.”
“No problem,” I said, feeling the heat in my rise when I remembered cleaning and bandaging his muscular torso and arms. “I was happy to.”
Paul raised an eyebrow at me and wandered over. His steps were deliberate but casual as he closed the space between us.
“Terri,” he said gently before pausing. “I’ve been wanting to thank you for everything.”
“No worries,” I said, leaning back against the counter a little so I could look him in the eye.
Paul’s jaw flexed as he prepared to speak. “I just,” he stumbled over his words. It was cute. “I just wish I could properly express how thankful I am for you.”
My skin tingled with heat. He was close enough to kiss me. Almost. If I just was a little braver and leaned in, I could touch him.
“I’m just glad I was here to help,” I said modestly. I hadn’t lost sleep over shooting that evil wolf, not for a minute. Anyone who threatened good people wasn’t worth my energy to mourn.
Paul reached out and grabbed one of my hands, squeezing it gently. “When I met you, I knew from the beginning that you were special.”
My breath hitched. “What are you trying to say?” I asked.
“I,” he fumbled again.
Suddenly, we were interrupted by the simultaneous loud sounds of a helicopter and the door crashing open.
The four boys, now in their human forms, and Tiffany appeared.
“Your ride is here,” I said.
Paul looked at me and then as his sister and nephews. “Yeah. I didn’t expect it so soon.”
I followed them out to the flat, rocky area around the cabin. The bright red helicopter was just settling into the ground when we got close. The rotating blades kicked up gusts of wind that made my eyes water.
I swear, it wasn’t tears.
The pilot hopped out and opened the doors. “Hey there folks, I have news of a storm coming in, we should get going.”
The boys ran towards the helicopter, all four of them trying to be the first ones in.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t stay longer,” Tiffany said to me. She smiled and hugged me. “Thanks again for helping Paul and giving us a roof. If you’re ever Prince Rupert, give us a call, ok?”
I nodded. “Take care,” I said over the sound of the helicopter.
Tiffany nodded and joined the boys in the back seats.
“So, that’s it then,” Paul said.
“Yeah. Thanks for the adventure. I’ll let you know if those photos get published,” I added with a laugh.
Paul chuckled. “Well, I suppose I should get going.”
“Yeah, you want to get out of the storm’s area,” I added.
“I’m not too worried about that,” Paul said, looking back at me. “Are you going to be ok?”
“Me?” I forced a laugh. “Of course, I am. I signed up for this, remember? Besides, I get supplies brought in every month. I’ll be just fine.”
When I signed up for this, the potential loneliness hadn’t mattered one bit. Now, the thought of Paul leaving made me want to cry. I bit down in my inner cheek. No, I had to be strong. After all, Paul had to take care of his sister and nephews. I wasn’t family; I was little more than nothing to them.
“Well, next time I’m in the area, I’ll drop by, ok?” Paul said.
I nodded, wiping the tears from my eyes— damn wind.
“Come on, we need to get airborne!” The pilot shouted.
Paul let go of my hand and went to the helicopter. He looked back over his shoulder before stepping in.
“Bye!” The boys shouted, all waving and laughing.
I waved, holding in my emotion as the bright red helicopter lifted off.
Time to go fire up my MacBook and take a look at the photos. I thought to myself.
The helicopter was barely ten feet in the air when the passenger door slid open. The helicopter swayed as Paul appeared, holding onto the rail before jumping down.
“Paul!” I screamed.
Paul landed in a crouch, like a cat. “I’m alright,” he said.
Tiffany hung out of the side, laughing and waving. The door shut, and the helicopter continued to rise.
I ran to him, jumping over the rocks. “You could have been hurt or killed? What was that for? Are you crazy?”
Paul grabbed me and kissed me hard.
I melted into him, throwing my arms over his shoulders and allowing myself to be swept away in the moment.
Above us, the helicopter flashed its spotlight before disappearing into the sunset.
“Are you crazy?” I asked again as we broke away from the kiss.
“I am. Crazy for you,” Pa
ul said. “God, that sounds so cliché, but I couldn’t leave you. I can’t leave you alone up here.”
“I can take care of myself,” I said.
“I know that. You’re an amazingly strong woman. But I don’t want you to be alone. I don’t want to be alone,” he added. “Not now, not when I know you exist in this world.”
“What about your sister?” I asked,
“My brother is back home waiting for them,” Paul said. “Besides, it was my sister who told me to stay.”
I smiled, more tears leaking out of my eyes, and no wind to blame them on. “Paul,” I said softly. “You are crazy. I like it.” I kissed him again.
“I want to be with you, Terri. I know we were brought together for a reason, and there was no way in this world that I was going to let that slip through my fingers.” Paul said, holding me close.
I leaned my head against his chest, feeling the warmth radiating from beneath his flannel shirt.
“I love you, my mate,” Paul said.
I didn’t need to stop and think; the words just felt so right. “I love you too.”
Spending a year in the wilderness in a cozy cabin taking wildlife photos was a sweet gig. The winter would be long and cold, but I would manage. Now, getting to spend it alone with the man I loved, I knew the coming winter wouldn’t be so cold after all.
About the Author
SAMANTHA BELL is a writer, student, and self-diagnosed book hoarder. She has been living in her imagination as long as she can remember.
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Books By Samantha Bell
REVERSE HAREM
Magical Delinquent Series
* * *
WAYWARD WITCH
January 2020
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* * *
WANTED WITCH
July 2020
Buy on Amazon
* * *
WRATHFUL WITCH
March 2021
Pre-Order Now
* * *
CROOKED CHANGELING
April 2020
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* * *
The Fae Queen’s Knights Series
* * *
FAE EXILED
August 2020
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* * *
FAE ORACLE
November 2020
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FAE QUEEN 2020
January 2021
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* * *
Coven Reform Series
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SPELL BOUND
(Coven Reform 1)
June 2020
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More by Samantha Bell
NOT REVERSE HAREM
Psychic Academy Series
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PSYCHIC SECRET
(Psychic Academy 1)
October 2019
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PSYCHIC PRODIGY
(Psychic Academy 1.5)
October 2019
Newsletter Exclusive (FREE)
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PSYCHIC LIES
(Psychic Academy 2)
December 2019
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PSYCHIC TRUTH
(Psychic Academy 3)
February 2020
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Bella Lupe
Erin Lee
Epigraph & Dedications
“True hearts have eyes and ears, no tongues to speak. They hear and see, and sigh, and then they break.”
* * *
~Edward Dyer
* * *
Dedications:
For Erin & Mick: May your love remain gentle, faithful, and true.
Bella Lupe
We become who we believe we are. With hope and perseverance, all things are possible. Even runts of a litter have potential to become beasts, walking a fine line between love and hate, adoration and contempt. Generally, and unfortunately, it doesn’t usually happen that way. For most of us, the werewolf kind, it’s difficult to stay focused on objectives. To fight the laws of nature is too steep a hill to climb. In short, we are who we are meant to become.
She told herself, when they tossed her in the cage and demanded answers, that she was different. She promised herself she’d stick to the code and never give them what they wanted, no matter the cost. She refused to betray her own kind and was willing to give up her very life for it.
She liked to think they believed her. She’d certainly made her point. They’d visit four or five times a day in the beginning. Eventually, as the visits became less and less, she barely looked up, always laying on cold concrete with her body stretched and a yawn no different than any other canine. She stopped expecting food. What they didn’t know was that she’d been there before, in another life and another time. Somehow, she knew her best and only friend would never forget her. He’d promised her. She knew he’d be back again. She could wait. Some things, and loves, were worth it. He was everything to her. He always had been.
Bars, walls, and wires surround her. She bares her teeth at the electric fence surrounding her as if she can scare it off by growling at it. I only wish. How long had she been in here? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? It is hard to tell without being able to see the sun or the trees as they change with the seasons or light of the moon. It feels like two lifetimes or more. But it hasn’t been. She knows that. She tells herself to stop thinking about it, annoyed that she’s beginning to sound like a typical weighted one. She’s better than that.
She squats in the middle of the prison, careful not to touch the electric wires surrounding her. This is madness, being locked up like this. And she is starting to become more feral for staying out of canine form so long. But she has to stay this way. She must. If she doesn’t, she will confirm the reason the people locked her up: she is a werewolf. Letting them know their suspicions about her are correct will only cause more problems. She needs them to believe they were wrong. Why is this taking so long?
She hears the thudding of feet approaching her cage. The thumping pattern sounds like Jackson, the man who feeds her most often and with the biggest portions. He has always walked with a slow, heavy stride that bounces off the concrete walls in echoes that no longer scare her. She is right. She turns away as he slides a bowl through the food flap, and the smell of rancid meat hits her nose. She is famished, but the meat piled in the tin bowl doesn’t seem very appetizing to her. She eats it anyway. She must keep her strength up, just in case.
After what seems like hours, another person struts toward her cage. It is Winslow, the scientist who “suspects” she is a werewolf. The crack in her back is the first giveaway. Her “unusual blue eyes” are another telltale sign. Because no one has blue eyes and a scar on their back other than me? Seriously?
Still, she can’t fully blame him. He did see her transform from a human to a wolf. It’s her own fault. She was careless, and she didn’t check her surroundings before she changed. The bright side is he is not certain that he saw her transform, because it was dark and he takes more Prozac than the therapists would hope to put her on if they know. His questionable mental status is the hope that she clings to.
Winslow crouches by her cage and looks into her teal wolf eyes. “Won’t you change, my little friend?” he whispers. His eyes gleam with intensity. “Won’t you show us that you’re a werewolf? Little wolf, little wolf. Show her your truth.”
She bares her teeth in response.
He laughs and says, “I thought you’d say that.” He rises, his knees making a cracking sound. “Jackson,” he yells down the long empty hallway. “Restrict the food on this one, don’t feed her until she shows us her true form.”
Her heart lurches. She is underfed as it is. What am I going to do? The food is bad enough. Nothing fresh, the maggots.
Winslow continues down
the hallway, his evil cackling carrying behind.
Bastard.
“Eventually she’ll learn. They always do.”
The next day isn’t so bad. Keep track of the time. Stop letting it ride by. You need to know. Her mouth waters and her stomach grumbles at the time she is normally fed, but it is bearable. By the fourth day though, she finds it hard to lift her head when Winslow comes to give her her daily bribe about showing her true colors. No. He cannot know.
By the seventh day of really keeping track, she is delusional. Her blood sugar is so low that she is finding it hard to move at all. When she hears the pitter-patter of someone running quickly but quietly down the hallway, she dismisses it as just another hallucination. The smell of food is something that brings her out of her delusional state—the only thing. She opens her heavy eyes to find a hunk of meat has been shoved through the food flap.
She hears a strangely familiar voice say, “Here, I brought it for you; I just felt that what the others were doing to you was wrong. Eat it up quickly, before the others see it.” The voice is coming from a young male; he smells of pine needles and hand sanitizer. A weird combination she has smelt before, but she can’t get her mind around. She scarfs the food down and glances at his retreating figure. He looks no older than eighteen or nineteen, certainly under twenty, and seems a little out of place in a lab like this. She watches him descend down the hall until his mop of brown hair disappears through a door. In her mind, she names him The Gentle One and wishes she could ask his legal, human name. She wants to know it, to know him. But she can’t ask; he’d learn her secret and she knows better than to ever truly trust a human.
Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection Page 77