River Run Wolf

by Harmony Raines

  Sage blushed, not knowing what to say. This was all too new and unexpected. “Thank you,” she stuttered, her hand still held firmly in Patrick’s as if he intended to never let her go.

  “Yes, congratulations.” Thorn grinned, looking as shocked as Sage.

  “I should call my mom,” Sage blurted out as she plunged her hand in her backpack, and pulled out her phone. “Do you mind?” she asked Patrick.

  “No, not at all. We’re mates. You don’t have to ask my permission,” he said gently.

  “Oh, no, I wasn’t. I just wondered if your grandma will mind not being the first person we tell.” Sage wanted to hear her mom’s comforting, familiar voice.

  “Of course not. Granddad was joking. My grandma doesn’t get livid about anything. And believe me, she has a lot to put up with.” Patrick eyed Lupe, who growled under his breath.

  “That’s not fair, you’ll give Sage a bad impression of me,” Lupe complained.

  “At least she will be forewarned, old man,” Thorn said with a laugh. “Hetty has told me all about your escapades.”

  “She exaggerates,” Lupe said quietly.

  “I’ll pass that on to Grandma,” Patrick teased and earned himself another scowl.

  “I’ll hang back a little and call my mom.” Sage slipped her hand out of Patrick’s. They both felt the loss of contact but neither of them spoke of it. If she had to guess, Sage was certain Patrick found the whole situation just as awkward as she did. Meeting privately and making the first tentative introductions was one thing. Having others watch as if you were the latest Broadway show, was another. They both needed time to get their heads around this new situation.

  “I’ll wait with you,” Emilia offered, and the two women hung back as the men walked on. “You go and crack open those nice cold beers you always drink. I’ll show Sage to the house.”

  “Are you sure?” Thorn asked. “I could stay, too.”

  “No, husband, you go and drink your honey beer.” Emilia talked in an archaic way some of the time, which Sage found endearing. If you could find a dragon shifter endearing.

  “Thank you.” Sage smiled warmly at Emilia. “I needed a bit of space.”

  “Of course. It’s a shock when it happens, isn’t it?” She led Sage to a large fallen tree trunk and they leaned back against it.

  “It is,” Emilia agreed. “Thank you for staying with me.” She looked down at her phone, trying to figure out how exactly you broke this kind of news to your family. Face to face would be so much easier, but she didn’t want to leave it until she got home. She wanted to tell them now.

  “I know what it’s like to find your mate and wish your mom was there to share it with you,” Emilia said sadly.

  “You must still miss her.” Sage understood how the pain of losing a parent faded but never died. Nana had been an amazing parent to Sage and her brothers, but had never tried to replace their mom.

  “I do.” Emilia sighed and looked at the stars. “It was over four hundred years ago, and yet to me, only a couple of years have passed by, no more.”

  “Thanks to Chin Shan.” Sage pressed her lips together, and her brow creased as she stared at her phone.

  “Hey, it wasn’t your fault,” Emilia said gently. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

  “It’s okay. It’s part of history. Part of my history, I guess.” She looked to where the men had disappeared from view. “I only hope the River Wolf Clan feel the same way.”

  “Since you’re going to be a member of the Clan soon.” Emilia’s words hammered home the fact she’d been unwilling to contemplate.

  Patrick was a member of the River Wolf Clan. The whole point of them coming here and increasing the flow of the river into the valley was to breathe life back into the valley. To stop people from moving away to find jobs elsewhere. They planned to grow the population and the economy, and from what George said they had big plans. But did that mean Patrick would expect her to give up her own life, with her own family, and move here?

  Sage cast those thoughts aside. She didn’t want to prejudice herself against Patrick. Instead, she focused on the present, and the news she was about to share with her mom.

  The phone rang, then Nana’s voice answered, “Hello, Sage?”

  “Yes. Hi, Mom. I have some news.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I’ve met my mate.”

  Chapter Two – Patrick

  He could not focus on anything while Sage wasn’t there. The connection between them was immediate and unbreakable.

  It was going to take some getting used to.

  “So where is she?” his grandma asked, joining Patrick at the doorway where he stood looking out into the night.

  “She’s calling her mom to tell her about us.” Patrick raised his head and looked into the distance. He could scent her on the air, feel her approach in his bones.

  “It’s a shock, isn’t it?” His grandma looked up at him, her hand resting on his back.

  “Unexpected,” Patrick agreed. “But not unwelcome.”

  “Fate. It’s a mysterious thing,” Grandma said sagely.

  “You mean because we’re River Wolf and she’s Stone Claw?” Patrick asked.

  Hetty didn’t answer but looked into the distance. “Maybe it’s fate’s way of telling us it’s over. With the water flowing once more, and you and Sage mated, it’s a new age for us here.”

  Patrick wrapped his arm around his grandma’s shoulders and pulled her close. “I hope so.” He kissed the top of her head and then released her.

  “I know so,” Grandma called after him.

  Leaving the house, Patrick jumped off the porch and strode into the night. He didn’t need to see Sage, he could sense her and the night would not hide her from him.

  “Did you make your call?” he asked as he melted out of the shadows.

  Sage and Emilia had reached the driveway of his grandparents’ house where their three visitors were going to stay. Hetty and Lupe’s house was one of the largest homes in the village, now left empty as their children had grown up and left. Patrick lived about a half mile away in a small house that overlooked what had once been the dried riverbed, but was now a flowing sliver of water through the town.

  Perhaps he should ask if Sage wanted to come home with him and sleep in his bed.

  Too soon, his wolf told him wisely.

  “I did, thanks.” Sage looked down at her phone. “I was lucky to get reception.”

  “Yes, there are only a few pockets of signal in the valley. Sorry.” He gave a sympathetic smile, but she waved him away.

  “Don’t worry about it. I like the sound of silence.” She pocketed her phone and looked past him toward the house, looking a little nervous.

  “Ready to meet my family?” he asked.

  “I am.” She nodded and looked over her shoulder to Emilia, who gave her a reassuring smile.

  “Come on then.” Patrick held out his hand and she took it. His skin tingled, static electricity passed between them, they both felt it and his hand tightened around hers. He wanted to protect her, even though there was no danger. A primal spark deep inside him ignited his need to be the provider for his mate and their offspring.

  “Hello, Sage,” his grandma welcomed his mate into her house.

  “Hello.” Sage held back as if unsure.

  “Call me Hetty.” His grandma pulled her into a hug. “Welcome to the family.”

  “Thank you.” Sage looked surprised at the sudden act of affection, but as she pulled back, she smiled warmly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m expected to say.” She put her hand to her temple. “This is all so fast.”

  “Me either,” Hetty confided. “But what I will say is that you are a very lucky woman.” She reached for Patrick’s hand. “And I believe Patrick is a very lucky man.”

  “You’re biased, Grandma,” Patrick said, uncomfortable to be described as a good catch. He had stayed in River Wolf when most others had left for better jobs and better prospects. Thi
s meant he had little to offer his mate. Despite his need to protect and provide for his mate, he wasn’t sure how to do that. Not properly, not fully.

  “Of course, I’m biased, you are my grandson and you are a leader amongst us here.” Hetty watched his expression change. “You might not see it, or might not want to see it, but you are.”

  “My grandma has a way of glossing over all my faults,” Patrick said self-deprecatingly.

  “That’s what family is for,” Sage replied.

  “I like this girl. I like this girl a lot,” Grandma said. “Come inside, you need to eat. You, too, Emilia. It’s been a long flight and you’ve done all the work. And with a bun in the oven.”

  “Good to see you again, Hetty,” Emilia said as she stepped onto the porch, her hand caressing her swollen belly.

  “And you, Emilia. It’s always a pleasure to have a dragon visit.” Hetty gave Emilia a warm hug. The visitors from Bear Creek were becoming her second family. She loved nothing more than cooking for them and looking after them. “Now, come inside and we can get to know each other a little more.”

  Hetty looked at Sage as she spoke and gave a gentle smile. Patrick’s grandma always was good at sensing when someone was nervous. A trait Patrick himself had inherited.

  I hope Sage isn’t unsure about us, his wolf stated with concern.

  Why would she be? We’re her mate, Patrick replied.

  We are also a wolf. And she is a bear.

  You mean we are River Wolf and she is Stone Claw. The history between the clans was filled with betrayal.

  Yes, our clans have never made peace. After the betrayal by Stone Claw, they left these lands before peace was made.

  That was a long time ago, Patrick reminded his wolf.

  Some past events have a habit of overshadowing the future. His wolf walked off to lie down in the corner of Patrick’s mind. After walking around and around in a tight circle and pawing the ground, he lay down and rested his head on his paws with his eyes closed. Patrick was not fooled; his wolf would be aware of everything that passed between Patrick and Sage.

  Patrick entered the house behind Emilia and Sage. It was strange entering the house he knew so well, the place where his grandparents had lived all their married life, a place he’d spent many happy hours. Because it was all changed. Different. He was different, he was no longer alone.

  He had a mate.

  Patrick let that fact infuse his mind as he accepted a glass of beer from his granddad. It was accompanied by a wink and a knowing grin, which Patrick could not resist returning. Lupe was like no other person Patrick had met. He might be biased since Lupe was his granddad. But he was also the funniest, sharpest man in the Clan and beyond. It was his love for his grandparents that had kept Patrick here when he should have left for pastures new.

  “How are you feeling, Patrick?” Lupe asked as they sipped their beer.

  “Strange.” He gave Lupe a lopsided smile. “How am I supposed to feel?”

  “Strange.” Lupe grinned. “It’s all fireworks in your head and tremors through your body. Makes it hard to know if you’re in love or having a seizure.”

  “That just about covers it,” Patrick agreed.

  “What you have to do is put that all to one side and concentrate on getting to know each other just as you would any other person. Yes, fate has told you Sage is the one for you, but that doesn’t make it plain sailing.” Lupe looked at Patrick with an uncharacteristic serious expression painted on his face. “Your relationship works because you make it work. You work at it, you get to know the other person and you learn to bend like the trees in the wind.”

  “How much beer have you had?” Patrick asked.

  Lupe looked at his bottle of Bear Creek Honey Beer. “Not enough.” He took another slug. “I have to admit, those bears know how to make beer.”

  Lupe hugged him once more and Patrick laughed. “I am going to take your advice and go talk to Sage.”

  “Good idea. I always knew you were a smart boy.” Lupe let his grandson go and then watched closely as Patrick sauntered across the room, trying to look cool and calm when in reality his stomach was flipping like a pancake in a pan.

  Sage was helping herself to some of Hetty’s lasagna. It smelled delicious, as always, but Patrick wasn’t sure he could swallow anything right now. Why was he so nervous?

  Because she is beautiful, his wolf told him. And she’s a bear.

  We’re not starting that again, Patrick told his wolf.

  I mean she could likely whoop our ass in a fight, his wolf replied.

  No. What you mean is she could whoop your ass in a fight, Patrick told his wolf, who closed his eyes and ignored the comment.

  “Having fun there?” Sage asked as Patrick chuckled to himself.

  “My wolf is worried your bear could whoop his ass in a fight,” Patrick informed her, his attempt to look cool and calm already forgotten.

  “Are we going to fight?” Sage asked, a smile playing across her face as she stood before him with a plate of food in her hand. The smell tickled his taste buds and he reached for a plate, feeling at ease already in her company.

  “I hope not,” Patrick replied as he spooned a helping of lasagna onto his plate and then helped himself to some salad.

  “Good, because your wolf is right, I probably could whoop your ass and that would be just plain embarrassing.” She pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing.

  “That sounds like a challenge.” Patrick led Sage out of the kitchen and onto the porch where they sat side by side on hand-carved chairs pulled up to the worn wooden table where his grandparents had shared many meals over the years. He and Sage had so much time together to look forward to. Lupe was right, if he wanted them to be happy all their lives, they both had to learn to bend, to accept the other for who they were and make sacrifices where needed.

  “It might be. Although I should warn you, I grew up with two brothers. I have beaten them both in fights.” She stabbed a tomato with her fork as if to prove a point, and he laughed.

  “Are you sure they didn’t just let you win?” He looked down at his plate as her eyes widened in surprise.

  “If you’d met my brothers, especially Marcus, the eldest, you would know letting people win is not part of his genetic makeup.” The words tumbled out of her mouth and he couldn’t help it, his shoulders shook as he tried not to laugh again. Sage sighed. “You were joking.”

  “Sorry, I wanted to see how defensive you were.”

  “And what is your verdict?” She paused, her fork hovering over her plate as if his opinion of her mattered.

  “I think you are wild and fierce and I can’t wait to get to know this fearsome bear of yours.”

  “Good answer,” she told him and resumed eating.

  “What did your mom say?” he asked as he took another slug of beer, letting the sweetness fill his mouth and the alcohol buzz his brain.

  Sage grew more serious. “She wished she was here with me. She wants to meet you.” Sage glanced at him. “She wants to check you over. Make sure you are suitable.”

  “Suitable.” He shook his head. “She might not think I am.”

  “Why not?” Sage asked as she finished eating and put her fork down on her plate, watching him as he sought the words he needed to explain his fears.

  “I don’t have much to offer you.” He looked around them, at the village which was in almost complete darkness. The lights from Hetty and Lupe’s house were like a beacon in the darkness.

  “You mean money?” Sage’s eyes traveled over his face and body, her expression telling him she thought he had much to offer in other, more physical departments, which gave him hope.

  “Yes, I mean money.” He sighed. “I love it here. I love the people, the village, everything. But there were never any real prospects for me.”

  She reached out for his hand and took it, turning his palm upward. With one finger, she trailed a path along the lines of his hand. “Sometimes it’
s the reasons why we don’t have many material objects which make someone a better person. At Chance Heights, we work with kids who don’t have a lot. That doesn’t stop them from being good, caring people. Then we have some kids who have everything, and they don’t know how to pitch in and help others.” She looked at him as if looking directly into his soul. “Of course, there are others in between. Those who have nothing and would rather take from others. Those who have everything and are great at giving to others.”

  “What you’re saying is, it’s what’s in your heart that matters.” Patrick wanted to know what was in Sage’s heart. He also wanted to be the most important thing in her heart.

  “Yes, we try to teach them that actions are worth more than money. You stayed here because this is your home, and you have two amazing grandparents who think the world of you.” She leaned forward and stroked his face, sending chills through his body. “That speaks to me. That tells me you are a good, loyal man. And my bear is happy to call your wolf her mate.”

  He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it, inhaling her scent. “I always wondered if fate was right. If fate was real. When the village of River Wolf was cut off from the water supply and left to rot, I always wondered why. But perhaps it was how it was meant to be. So that you could be here right now with me.”

  “You’re a romantic, too. Who do you get that from?” Sage asked, her cheeks flushed pink at the touch of his lips on her skin.

  “Not my granddad.” Patrick laughed and then looked to check that Lupe wasn’t listening. Although it was the truth. Lupe was about as romantic as a cauliflower on Valentine’s Day. And not the ornamental type. “My mom probably. She writes poetry.”

  “Is she still alive?” Sage asked gently, unsure of the answer. Patrick knew her own parents had died in an accident some years back and she’d been raised by Nana. Emilia’s parents were also dead. It made Patrick feel blessed to still have both his parents alive.

  “Yes, they live in Reamington. My dad is an accountant. As you will see, there is little need for an accountant in River Wolf territory.”

  “Perhaps that will change with the water supply returned,” Sage suggested.