A Mate's Healing Touch: A Valentine's Day Wolf-Shifter Romance

by Cara Wylde

  “All right. Meet you at the gates?”

  “Yes.”

  Caleb stopped in front of his own room, and Daniel walked a couple of doors farther down the hall. Neither of them had been aware of the blonde girl who had just happened to pass behind them as they had exited Max’s office. She hadn’t heard much, and she didn’t know who the “bastard” they were talking about was, but the information was enough to make the tiny hairs at the back of her head stand on end.

  ***

  Caleb couldn’t sleep. He had had trouble with insomnia before, so it wasn’t a surprise that he couldn’t pass out when he had gone to bed so early, hoping to catch two hours of rest before going out to hunt the rogue werewolf together with Daniel. Too many thoughts were rushing through his mind, making him anxious and fidgety. The prospect of going on patrol made him feel a bit better, especially since he had felt suffocated during the past week. On the other hand, it didn’t mean it wouldn’t be dangerous.

  He sat back up in bed and sighed. It was too early to meet Daniel. One more hour until midnight. He could wait for one hour, right?

  He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at a couple of strands. He considered reading to make the time pass faster, but he had finished all the books in his room, and that meant going to the library. He didn’t feel like it. Instead, he got up and went to the window. It was dark, and the forest beyond the gates was covered in snow. Fortunately, there were no clouds in the sky, so the moon shined brightly, allowing him to see far into the distance. Werewolves had no trouble seeing at night, but a bit of moonlight couldn’t hurt. As his eyes scanned the empty courtyard, they fell on the stone table where Daniel and Rosanna played chess almost every day. Once again, thoughts of Rosanna flooded his mind. He had an odd feeling that in the past week he had thought more about her than about Val. Oh, and he had felt guiltier for having made her cry than for having survived Val’s death. Something was changing inside him, but he had no idea if it was good for him or not. Could anything be good for him anymore?

  “Are you mad at me, Valerie?” He looked up at the sky, as if she was there and she could hear him. “Are you mad that your best friend seems to have taken your place in my mind?”

  He was acting stupid. No one had taken Val’s place. Not Rosanna, not any other woman. It was just a phase he was going through.

  Caleb looked around the dark room.

  “I can’t stay here,” he whispered to himself. “I need fresh air.”

  He walked out of his room, making sure he didn’t make a sound. The whole castle seemed to be asleep. Carefully, he made his way down the stairs to the main hall and the tall, heavy door. Once outside, he took a deep breath. His lungs welcomed the icy air of February. Initially, he had just wanted to take a walk, but now that he was here, he had a better idea.

  “Why not catch this rogue wolf before he really hurts someone? There’s no need to put Daniel in danger, as well. I can do it.”

  Determined, he headed to the gates while unbuttoning his shirt. Once he was out of the courtyard, he discarded his clothes and shifted in a matter of seconds. Was there any logic behind what he was doing? Yes. Daniel and Rosanna were perfect for each other. If he was fast and clever, he would get this over with before midnight, and then Daniel wouldn’t even have to bother with it anymore. The least Caleb could do for Rosanna was make sure her new boyfriend was safe and sound. He had broken her heart a week ago by refusing to be her Valentine. He wouldn’t let Daniel break it again by going after the rogue werewolf and getting hurt.

  ***

  Rosanna had been planning to wait until midnight, but for some reason, she couldn’t sleep, nor read or watch TV. She kept wondering why Caleb and Daniel had made plans to meet at the gates. It probably had to do with some mission Max had sent them on, as they were leaving his office when she had overheard them. Normally, she wouldn’t care about these things, as it wasn’t her place to question what the Alpha and his Deltas were up to, but it was different this time. Was there something going on that could be dangerous? In a way, she felt guilty for having overheard them. She hadn’t done it intentionally, and she had tried to forget about it afterwards. Well, she hadn’t tried hard enough, since she was currently pacing her room, worried beyond belief. If someone other than Caleb had gotten out of Max’s office talking about some “bastard” and midnight meeting, she wouldn’t have cared. If it had been Kevin, the Beta, she would have been asleep now, her mind deep in the land of dreams. But it hadn’t been Kevin, it had been Caleb. And Caleb was unstable.

  “I can’t believe Max can’t see how depressed his Delta is!” she gestured to the walls of her room in frustration. “Whatever mission he has sent him on, he can’t do it.”

  She should have trusted her Alpha, and she usually did, but not now. Not this time. This time, she had the impression she was the only one who was actually paying attention to Caleb and the state he was in. Everyone else had moved on with their lives, which was only fair and sensible, but in doing so, they had left Caleb behind.

  Still murmuring to herself, Rosanna approached the window. She saw a flash of grey run towards the forest and immediately knew who it was. That was Caleb, and he was alone. Daniel shifted into a huge, yellow wolf, and her eyes would have spotted him if he had been there, running alongside Caleb. She looked at the clock on her wall.

  “What the hell? Did he get the time wrong?”

  She didn’t know what to do. Go get Daniel? Maybe she was just freaking out for nothing. Maybe Caleb had just decided to go out for a quick run before he met with the other Delta. Maybe he had no intention of going after the “bastard” alone. But what if he did? She bit the inside of her cheek, struggling to make a decision.

  “That’s it: I’m going after him.”

  She left the castle in a hurry, and started shifting before she even reached the gates.

  ***

  At first, Caleb couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. It was frustrating, even though he hadn’t been searching for more than half an hour. However, he was known as one of the best trackers of Clan Blackmane, so he should have had better results by now. His restlessness didn’t help. He was tired of simmering in this pot of guilt and anger; he needed an outlet through which he could let it all out. He decided the rogue werewolf wasn’t in that part of the forest, so he headed west. He was getting closer to the foot of the mountain. He sped up, heading for the town, knowing there would be no one around. With the news about a rogue wolf running amok, the townspeople had surely decided to stay inside their homes after dark.

  Caleb wondered whether Daniel had noticed he was gone. Probably not; Daniel was a stickler for rules, so he probably wouldn’t leave the castle until midnight, which gave Caleb ample time to cover a lot of ground. Failure wasn’t an option. He had disregarded his Alpha’s order and had gone alone, so he needed to take care of the rogue before going back to the Schloss. Completing the mission successfully might alleviate the trouble he could get into with Max. He kept telling himself it wasn’t a big deal, but a part of him did feel a little bad for having abandoned Daniel. The other Delta would have to get over it.

  As he walked under the moonlight, sniffing the air, ears perked to catch the faintest sound, Caleb figured he should talk to Rosanna. Leaving their relationship like that wasn’t a good idea. Rosanna didn’t deserve the treatment he was giving her. The least he could do was to be firm with her, gather his courage and tell her why he couldn’t pursue any kind of romantic relationship. These were the thoughts that were going through his head when he caught a whiff that hadn’t been there before.

  It was an alien scent, and he could swear it belonged to the rogue wolf. This was the bastard that was terrorizing everyone. Though he had nothing to do with the rogues he had fought during the Battle at Alma Venus, Caleb felt the same anger rising in his chest. Without giving it another thought, he started running towards the scent, allowing his nose to lead him. It was growing stronger by the second, and Caleb began to weigh h
is options and try to come up with a plan of action. How should he attack the rogue? Should he go straight on, or be smart about it?

  On the other hand, this was a rogue. These creatures didn’t think straight, so there was no need for him to build a complex strategy. He was confident enough to think he could take care of the enemy without any trouble. Ten years before, he had fought more than a couple of rogues at the same time. This should be a piece of cake.

  He slowed down as the scent grew stronger. He studied his surroundings, and felt a bit better when he realized he knew this part of the forest well. It was right at the edge of Dunkelstadt, and if he walked through the cluster of trees in front of him, he would find himself in a small clearing. That was exactly what he did, knowing the rogue was waiting for him. Of course the bastard had caught his scent as well, but Caleb was ready. He stepped into the clearing and found himself face to face with something he hadn’t expected. He stopped dead in his tracks and fought to suppress a gasp of surprise. He couldn’t let the other wolf see his hesitation.

  Caleb had seen rogue werewolves before, but never this big and muscular. Usually, they were former members of a pack that had banned them, and wolf packs never banned the strongest, most deadly wolves they had. Rogues could also leave a pack because they wanted to, and refuse to join another. It might have been the case with the wolf in the clearing, but Caleb really didn’t have time to think about it. The enemy was huge, black, and intimidating as he towered over Caleb’s slightly smaller frame. His fierce green eyes were fixed on him with hatred and purpose.

  Caleb couldn’t back down now, and he wouldn’t. He stood tall and determined, but he could feel the inklings of fear creep into his bones. Fear was good sometimes, but he couldn’t allow himself to be consumed and paralyzed by it. It might have just been the fact that he hadn’t fought another shape-shifter in years. Caleb growled threateningly and circled the rogue wolf, who did the same, none of them ready to charge just yet. They were studying each other, trying to determine strengths and weaknesses.

  Then, out of nowhere, the enemy launched himself at Caleb, almost taking him by surprise. He didn’t try to attack with his teeth or claws, instead aiming for a full body slam that knocked the wind out of Caleb. The smaller, grey wolf flew back and hit a tree. As he got up groaning, his blurry vision caught the dark shadow heading for him, only managing to move out of the way by a hair’s breadth. He tried to stagger out of harm’s way, but it didn’t do him any good. The rogue was fast and merciless, hitting him with his heavy paw. Eventually, Caleb managed to back away and buy himself some time to recover.

  Once he got his strength back, the grey wolf lunged at the black one. He managed to scratch the rogue’s shoulder, but it didn’t seem to faze him much. Instead, he pushed forward, attacking Caleb with claws and fangs. Caleb moved out of the way, avoiding a bite that could have been fatal.

  It was frustrating and exhausting, but the whole thing turned into a battle of avoiding each other, lunging and backing away, growling, and then lunging again. Caleb was trying his best not to get injured, but the rogue was fast and strong. He seemed to be driven by pure anger, which made him almost invincible. Caleb got in a few more bites and scratches, but it wasn’t enough. The black wolf’s body healed instantly. He tried to change his tactic and crash into the rogue’s side, and that seemed to work for a while, until Caleb got too exhausted to be able to launch his weight at the enemy with enough force. Apparently, everything he tried made the black rogue even more vicious in his attacks. When sharp claws dug deep into his hip, the grey wolf grunted in pain and prayed the wound would heal fast.

  “This isn’t good,” Caleb thought. “I have to do something.”

  He jumped, his jaws ready to clamp onto the rogue’s shoulder. It worked. He felt his teeth sink into the hard flesh, and Caleb thought he had finally managed to hurt him pretty badly. But then, the rogue used all his strength to shake him off, and Caleb fell to the ground. Before he could stand up, the black wolf retaliated by taking his front leg in his jaws and spinning him around. He let go, and Caleb flew back against a tree. His front leg was a mess. As he bled into the grass, he knew he would need a couple of minutes before he could walk on it again. He couldn’t expect the enemy to give him that much time.

  Caleb was about to give up and accept his fate when he heard another wolf jumping out from between the trees. He saw a blur of yellow fur, long, elegant legs, and heard the deep, angry growl coming from the wolf’s chest. At first, he thought it was Daniel. When he looked closer, he noticed this yellow wolf was smaller than Daniel, and his heart almost stopped.

  “Rosanna…”

  What was she doing there? How did she know where to find him? And… why was she alone?

  The yellow she-wolf attacked the rogue, but she was too small and frail to do much damage. She didn’t give up, but it was clear that she was losing. It was pathetically evident from the way she was struggling to keep up. The rogue was much stronger than she could ever hope to be, and although Rosanna’s best asset had always been her agility, it wasn’t working for her very well.

  Watching her fight to protect him made Caleb feel useless and helpless. He struggled to get up. His front leg was better now, his fast metabolism working on healing the wound. He heard Rosanna whimper in pain, and that turned his feelings of helplessness into blind wrath. He couldn’t sit by and let her fight on her own! He couldn’t let her risk her own life when this mission had nothing to do with her in the first place.

  Where was Daniel? Was it midnight already? Caleb dismissed the though. After all, it was his own damn fault he and Rosanna were in this situation. He couldn’t think about the other Delta now. He had to do something, and fast.

  But his body wasn’t ready yet. He needed a few more minutes to recover completely. He stood up slowly, supporting some of his weight on his front leg to see how much he could use it. It was getting better. He approached the two wolves and looked for the right moment to lunge himself at the rogue.

  Rosanna could barely keep up now. The black wolf threw himself at her. The loud pop coming from her right shoulder was followed by her weak whimper. The rogue had managed to dislocate her shoulder, and now she was limping, struggling to stay upright. Another blow, and she flew into a tree. The black wolf growled menacingly and stepped towards her, ready to finish her for good.

  Rosanna looked up at the beast and whimpered again. Her whole body was trembling. She closed her eyes and forced herself to stand up, forced her body to heal faster than it was capable. She failed. Exhausted, she couldn’t even prevent her body from shifting back to its human form. She was simply too tired and wounded to keep her wolf form, so her bones and muscles rearranged themselves, and her yellow fur retreated into her pores, leaving her exposed. Naked and helpless, she closed her eyes and waited for whatever was to come.

  The rage made it possible for Caleb to push himself forward and do what he should have done a long time ago. He aimed for the rogue’s throat and sank his fangs as deep as they would go. When the wolf tried to shake him off again, he held on tight and used all his strength to force his enemy down to the ground. He dragged him away from Rosanna, feeling how his body became limp, the will to fight leaving him. When he started shifting into his human form, Caleb had to let go. He stood there, looming over the weak body of a dark-haired man, wondering if he should deliver the final blow. Max had told him and Daniel to bring the rogue to him alive, so if he killed him, that meant disregarding two of his Alpha’s orders. The man didn’t move. He was breathing faintly, and Caleb figured he didn’t pose a threat to him and Rosanna anymore. Remembering Rosanna, he threw a glance at her small, bleeding body. Her eyes were closed, and when he focused his senses and listened carefully, he realized her heartbeat was barely audible. He made his choice in an instant.

  Caleb left the rogue where he was lying, and ran over to Rosanna. He shifted quickly, wincing at the pain in his front leg, which now turned into a deeply wounded arm he could barely us
e. He knelt beside Rosanna and took her head between his hands. He heard the man struggling to stand up, and he turned around to see him limping away between the trees. Caleb knew he should have followed him, but he couldn’t leave his friend like that. He turned back to her and cradled her body into his arms.

  She was naked, but that didn’t matter to him anymore. The worst part was that her being naked allowed him to see where she had been injured and how. Her shoulder seemed to be broken, not just dislocated, and her soft stomach was covered in bleeding bite marks. There were claw marks all over her body, and the sight of them horrified him. As he stroked her raspberry blonde hair, he realized he felt just as terrible and helpless as he had felt when he had found out Val had died.

  “Rosanna, please wake up,” he whispered.

  She didn’t move. Her chest rose and fell gently, indicating she was still breathing.

  “Rosanna, please, you can’t do this to me.” He kissed her forehead. “I can’t live without you. You have to wake up.”

  As he listened for her faint heartbeat, Caleb thought the forest and the town nearby had never been so silent as they were tonight. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, and he let them fall freely.

  “I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for ignoring you for the past ten years, I’m sorry that I hurt you with my selfishness. You were right: I was holding onto Val because I didn’t want to let go and move on. I know she’s gone. I’ve known for a long time, but I used her as an excuse to isolate myself and fight my feelings for you.” His tears fell on her closed lids and her cheeks, and Caleb wiped them gently, his fingers following the perfect contours of her nose, lips, and chin. He hugged her closer to his chest, trying to warm her body with his own. “I’m afraid of you, Rosanna,” he whispered, finally ready to reveal the truth. “I’m afraid to love you. I loved Val, and look what happened. I… I didn’t want to get closer to you, let you in, then risk losing you for whatever reason.” He looked around the clearing. The rogue wolf was long gone. He laughed bitterly, more tears streaming down his face. “I was an idiot. I shouldn’t have gone after the rogue myself. This is all my fault.”