by Viola Rivard
“I dunno,” Taylor hedged. “I suppose he just realized how silly the whole idea was. He and Hale aren’t animals. They’ll work things out.”
Taylor was referring to the fact that, apparently, when she became fertile, the alphas were going to fight over her body. She had spoken about it with Alder, albeit not in great detail, and she was sure that the others were exaggerating the issue. Alder hadn’t seemed overly concerned that he was going to lose control of himself and she found that comforting.
One thing Alder had made clear was that he wanted children. She should have been honest and told him flat out that she didn’t, but she’d been afraid of losing him, so she’d lied. How long would it be before he realized the truth, and by then, would he still want her regardless?
Wanting to think about something else, she asked, “Hey, what’s going on with Whiteriver? Do you think there will be more attacks, like yesterday?”
It was something she’d been meaning to ask, but kept forgetting. She knew that there was bad blood between the two packs. Whiteriver used to rule both mountains and the valley. Hale had killed their leader and he and Alder had taken control of Halcyon Mountain and the valley, leaving Mount Ezra to what was left of the Whiteriver pack.
“They don’t talk about it with me,” Lark said with a frown. “Things like that, they keep between the higher-ups, like Holly, Fenix, and Laurel—she’s one of the beta wolves.”
“I didn’t know Holly was part of their inner circle,” Taylor said, thinking of the snarky fox shifter. “It doesn’t seem fair that they keep the rest of you in the dark.”
“It’s for the best of the pack,” Lark explained. “If we were ever caught by enemies, they could torture the information out of us.”
Taylor was nearly stunned. “Does that happen a lot?”
Lark shook her head. “Nothing like that has happened since the war. Though, there are rumors that we might be going to war again.”
“Why?”
“From what I’ve heard, Whiteriver attacked Hale under false pretenses. That sort of thing might have blown over, but seeing as how they’ve attack you, twice now, I doubt Alder and Hale are going to let things slide.”
“They’re going to war…because of me?”
***
For the first night in as long as he could remember, Hale hadn’t caught a damn thing. He’d spent the entire hunting hour distracted by thoughts of Taylor, his wolf urging him to break away from the pack and go back to her cabin to mate with her.
On another night, he may have done just that, but given Whiteriver’s very recent infiltration of their forest, it would have been negligent of him to leave his pack leaderless during the hunt. So, he’d taken up a high vantage point for the night, opting to oversee the others, rather than actively participate in the hunt.
Occasionally, his keen eyes would take notice of prey flitting through the woods below. His instincts to give chase felt unusually dull and he couldn’t work up the motivation to do much more than watch. He imagined stalking the creature and pinning it down by its neck. In his mind, the hapless prey would turn into Taylor, naked and on her knees. With his teeth clamped down on her neck, he would remain in his wolf form as he took her from behind.
As he emerged from the woods with the other hunters, he was surprised to catch her scent in the air. A small gathering of workers stood beside the river and Hale immediately noticed the lavender dress and red hair of his female.
She was standing next to the raccoon, a big smile on her face. Hale felt his chest swell at the sight of her, only to feel animosity rise as he realized she was smiling at the runt. He watched the shaggy brown wolf prance up to her, carrying the hare he’d caught. Hale had the strong urge to snatch the hare from his mouth.
Shifting into his human form, Hale approached her, stepping in front of Beka’s brother to ensure he had her full attention.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone coming out sharp. “I told you that you didn’t have to clean tonight.”
“I’m not here to clean, I just wanted to talk to you.” Her eyes darted from side to side, and she whispered, “Privately, if we can.”
Hale felt his entire mood shift. Wordlessly, he took her by the hand and led her towards the woods, ignoring the nagging voice in the back of his mind that said this female had far too much power over him.
As soon as they were far enough away from the others, Hale pinned her between his body and an oak tree, crushing his mouth against hers. Blood rushed to his groin and he was instantly hard. His mind registered that she was making sounds, but his focus was on her soft, plump lips. He sucked at her, drawing his canines across the tender flesh and applying just enough pressure to elicit a moan from her.
His hand moved between her thighs, intent on coaxing a quick climax from her, but she pinched her knees together. He considered wrenching them apart, but decided it would be best in the long term if he dealt with whatever nonsense was going on in her head.
As he pulled back, Hale realized that her hands were between them, pressed against his chest. He hadn’t felt her trying to push him off, but he could tell from her red face and narrowed eyes that she was not happy with him.
“I said I wanted to t-talk to you,” she sputtered, and he realized that she was still trying to push him back. She was even weaker than he remembered.
Taking one step back, but keeping his arms on either side of her, Hale said, “So start talking.”
Taylor glared at him as she adjusted her dress. “I came here to tell you that I don’t want you to go to war because of me.”
Hale reached up to squeeze the bridge of his nose. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Taylor flinched. “Don’t speak to me like that.”
She tried to move away from him, but Hale quickly replaced his hand, barring her in. “Do you want to argue with me or do you want to get to the point?”
He knew that he was being an ass, but all he wanted was to get through he conversation and between her thighs.
“I heard that Halcyon might go to war with Whiteriver because they attacked me.”
Hale let out a sigh. He tried to think of a way to simplify a very complicated situation.
“The issues with Whiteriver go back way before you came here. We may have been at war with them regardless of whether or not you came.”
Her brows drew together. “So we are going to war?”
Hale was pleased that she already considered herself to be part of his pack. “It’s very likely. I’m not going to wait around for Silas to make the next move.”
As he spoke, Hale ran a hand up the side of her thigh, gently stroking her skin. He could smell that she was growing aroused, but when he leaned down to kiss her again, Taylor pressed her hand to his mouth.
“Hale, I really liked what we did yesterday, but I’m not comfortable with it being just the two of us.”
He felt himself scowl. “If you’re worried about Alder, don’t be. He doesn’t care.”
Her eyes widened at that, but then she shook her head. “It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
Looking more flustered than before, she said, “If I tell you, you have to promise not to make fun of me.”
Hale gave her a flat look.
“Fine,” she said, looking away. “You seem very…experienced, and it intimidates me because I’m very…not experienced.”
It wasn’t what he was expecting her to say, though she rarely behaved in ways that he could predict. He ran the words over in his head a few times, unsure of what to make of them and what he could say to change her mind.
“If that’s the case, why doesn’t my brother intimidate you? He’s been with plenty of females.”
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say.
“I don’t want to hear about Alder’s conquests,” she said, managing to slip from his grasp. “Alder is gentle, patient, and he…I don’t know, I feel safe with him and he doesn’t intimidate me.”
His voice deepened as he said, “You only think you want it gentle. I can do things to you that—”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” she said, waving her hands in front of her. “I’m not ready for that sort of stuff. This is all new to me.”
“What’s new?”
She shook her head. “Never mind. Can I go back now? I think Lark’s already suspecting there’s something going on and I don’t want to give her any more ideas.”
Though she’d asked permission, Taylor didn’t wait around for an answer. Hale watched her head back towards the river, feeling confused, angry, and hard. As his erection slowly receded, his head began to clear and his anger lessened.
Hale was a wolf. He could be patient. The night had only just begun and his brother would be gone until morning. There was plenty of time to wear away at her resistance and get her into his bed.
CHAPTER THREE
“You mean to tell me when you smell this, your mouth doesn’t water?” Fenix prodded.
Taylor gave him a withering look. Fenix had insisted that they go back to the den to eat breakfast with the others. She’d wanted to go back to the cabin and work on her coop, but she felt bad that Fenix was stuck with her and decided that letting him eat breakfast with his friends was the least she could do.
She expected his friends to be other big, scary looking males, but it was just the opposite. Holly seemed to be his closest friend. She sat with them as they ate, along with two female wolves who either weren’t very chatty or didn’t appreciate having Taylor and Lark joining them.
“My mouth waters. I just ignore it,” she said irritably.
Lately, her mouth had been watering a little more than usual at the sight of cooked meat. She’d never been totally opposed to the consumption of meat, but rather she didn’t like the modern convention of factory farming. As the days passed in the valley with nothing but wild strawberries to fill her stomach, she began to wonder if it wouldn’t be so bad to maybe have some turkey from time to time.
Fenix tossed the bone of his drumstick into the fire. “And you humans act like you’re so much smarter than us.”
“You’re the one that eats animals when there are plenty of plants to go around,” said Taylor. “Shifters, of all people, shouldn’t want to eat animals.”
“Why, because we’re animals?” Holly said, shooting Taylor a look that dared her to agree.
Taylor didn’t like Holly, though unlike with Beka, the fox shifter had yet to give her a solid reason why. Holly seemed to be the type of person who enjoyed arguing for the sake of arguing. She was also extremely intelligent and ridiculously beautiful, two qualities which no woman should be allowed to possess simultaneously.
“No, I just think that it’s primitive to eat animals when it’s easy to grow crops.”
Holly grinned. “I can’t wait to see how you make it through with nothing but plants to eat.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “When you finally do snap and come to your senses, make sure you stay away from my turkeys.”
“Taylor doesn’t need your turkeys,” Lark said, offering a show of support. “She’s going to have quail eggs and spinach, too.”
“I was also thinking there may be a way to preserve the strawberries,” Taylor said. “Turn them into a jelly or something.”
As much as she hated the strawberries now, she’d probably miss them once they were gone for a few weeks.
“My mom used to can them,” Holly said offhandedly.
Taylor’s brows rose. She’d forgotten that Holly was the daughter of Old Fay, the former owner of the cabin.
Holly went on to say, “She used to can everything. Strawberries, blueberries, onions—”
Taylor cut her off. “There are onions in the valley?”
“Yup. There are also whitecaps all over the forest and honey as well, if you’re brave enough. Oh, and the radishes should be out next month.”
Taylor had a vision of onions fried with honey and her stomach audibly growled. “Do you know where they are?”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Of course I do. I know where everything is.”
“That’s great! Can you write it down for me, or maybe draw a map—”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Holly gave her a pointed look. “Because I don’t like you.”
Taylor’s heart sank. She could hardly argue with that logic, especially since the feeling was mutual.
“Maybe…” Holly said, drawing the word out until it was a taunt. “If you did my cleaning duties, I might start liking you more.”
Taylor hadn’t even known that Holly had cleaning duties. Like Beka, she must have managed to weasel herself out of them on a regular basis.
“For how long?” Taylor asked dryly.
Holly lifted a shoulder. “Forever.”
“That’s not fair,” Taylor said, scowling. “I’ll find them on my own.”
Fenix spoke up. “You’re not going into those woods on your own anytime this century.”
“I don’t see why I can’t go into the woods when you’re with me.”
“You’ve got it all wrong,” he said. “I’m your babysitter, not your chaperone. You go where I go.”
Taylor looked away from him and stared into the fire, too depressed to be mad. The day had started off so well but now it was a major letdown.
“I know where the onions are.”
Silence fell over the group and Taylor turned, already knowing who’d spoken. Alder and Hale had very similar voices, but Hale’s was just a little rougher.
There was something about seeing Hale bathed in firelight that seized her libido and wouldn’t let it go. She loved seeing the alpha’s rows of hard muscle highlighted in the orange glow. There was something intensely masculine about the light dusting of curls that trailed from his taut abdomen and disappeared into the skins he wore around his hips.
“You do?” she asked, hoping he hadn’t realized she was checking him out.
“I can take you to them.”
Taylor almost turned him down on principle. The last time they were alone together, he had—for lack of a better word—ravished her. She had no doubt that, if given an opening, he would try it again. Still, aside from their terrible first meeting, Hale had always stopped when she asked him to…
“Okay,” she said, moving to stand.
In an uncharacteristic show of chivalry, he put a hand under her arm and helped her up. He smiled, a flash of white teeth that seemed more predatory than endearing. Uneasiness settled over her.
Taylor didn’t trust Hale, which was crazy when she considered that the day before, she’d accepted him into her body. It was such an intimate thing to do, yet she hadn’t thought twice about it and that spoke to the pull he had over her. As much as she didn’t trust Hale, when it came to him, she trusted herself even less.
CHAPTER FOUR
Unlike the last time she’d ridden on Hale’s back, the wolf didn’t seem to be in a great hurry. He followed a meandering trail at leisurely pace, occasionally stopping to scratch at a tree. Taylor remembered that this was how the werewolves like to mark their territory and she supposed it was better than peeing.
Halcyon Mountain was just as wide as it was high. With the thick forest concealing all but the immediate surroundings, she hadn’t realized they were ascending the mountain until Hale stopped briefly on a rocky bluff. The valley lay stretched out below and in the distance she could see her cabin, a small brown speck alongside the lake.
Her cabin. Her home.
For a moment, she was overcome with a sense of déjà vu. The last time she’d stood on a bluff overlooking the valley, it had been with Alder. It had been the first time in a long time that she had dared to hope that things might actually get better.
It really put things into perspective. As Hale continued his trek through the forest, Taylor considered her new life. As complicated as it was, she no longer feared for her life. At least for now, she was safe.
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Feeling a sudden swell of emotion, she quietly leaned down, laying her head on Hale’s neck and loosely encircling her arms around him. The wolf paused for a second, cocking his head to examine her from the corner of one gold eye. Presumably realizing that there was nothing wrong, he continued on.
With Alder, Taylor always found it difficult to believe there was a wolf that lived within him, whereas she found it easy to forget that the beautiful wolf beneath her was actually the brutish Hale. She stroked his fur absently, loving the feel of its rich, silken softness between her fingers.
When Hale stopped again, he gave no indication that they had reached their destination. Realizing they weren’t going any further, Taylor reluctantly climbed off his back.
He shifted, bones and muscles quickly popping and rearranging themselves until he was back in his human form. The skins he’d been wearing earlier had been discarded in his initial shift, leaving him naked now. She couldn’t help but notice that he was partially erect and, as she looked away, wondered if the alpha was ever not aroused.
“Over here,” he said, heading towards a group of evergreens.
Taylor followed him, pine needles crunching beneath her moccasins. Beyond the trees was a grove with tall grass. Hale stood on the edge of the grove, seemingly waiting for her to do or say something.
“I thought you were taking me to get onions,” she said.
Hale gestured towards the grass. “There they are.”
Confused, Taylor sat down and grasped a handful of the grass. She gave a light tug. When nothing happened, she pulled harder, uprooting the plant. Small, oval-shaped bulbs sprung free from the earth, and she caught the unmistakable scent of onions.
“Cool!” she exclaimed, pulling up another cluster and then another. The entire field was one big onion patch.
Hale crouched down beside her and picked up one of the onions, holding it with a distasteful look on his face. “I can’t believe you eat these.”
“They’re really good. I can cook them for you with meat. You may like them.”
Hale made a face. “I’ll pass.”