The drooling males who’d been following the female weren’t as perceptive. Four of them rushed at Fina, snarling and growling and making more noise than effective aggression…or romantic overture. Fina spun and dipped her head. She nipped the belly of one, sending him yelping and racing for the tree line. She slammed her shoulder into another then turned to snap at a third when two massive chestnut-brown males came up from behind her and flanked her.
These were no blundering pretenders. These were prime males and they stood shoulder to shoulder with her, lifted their lips and showed their massive teeth without making a sound. The last of the combative males turned tail and ran off into the woods.
Fina trotted forward then slowly paced around her would-be champions. They truly were magnificent and they held themselves with a stillness that was as virile as it was confident. These males had no problem letting her sniff them first, judge their status, gauge their worth. The one with the taller haunches drew her eye first. He was easily the largest wolf she’d ever seen and his powerful frame was covered in thick muscle and a dense, protective covering of fur. It was so glossy it shone eerily in the moonlight. He cocked his tail, inviting her inspection when she walked behind him and his pale eyes, luminescent like the ocean, looked back over his massive shoulder at her with haughty confidence.
Fina sniffed and felt the delicate tissues around her ovaries quiver with anticipation. Her womb, though, was strangely quiet but Fina’s wolf distanced itself from the deadened feeling. His testicles were large, round and stood out proudly from his body. The fur-cloaked shaft guarding his penis was deeply and securely rooted inside his loins. His size and confidence trumpeted Alpha and he snarled at her with a touch of self-entitled arrogance when she lingered too long at his vulnerable backside.
Fina moved on to the second wolf. This one wasn’t quite as massive as the first but his health and virility were equally unmistakable. There was no arrogance in this wolf and his eyes followed her with clear and unfeigned desire. Yet it was an oddly chaste, restrained need that radiated from his powerful body. Fina’s wolf registered the restraint, puzzled by it. She continued moving. She shoved his tail aside with her snout then held her nose very close to his back end and inhaled. Again her eggs jostled each other in an attempt to free themselves from the pack and be joined with this male’s seed. His…or the other’s. She sensed the strong family connection between this wolf and the first. They smelled like…home.
Fina trotted around to face them, rubbed her snout over the high, broad skull of the first wolf then that of second, then stepped back and waited.
Cutler lifted his head and looked down his long, smoothly furred snout at the young female standing before him. Her strength made her cocky, although he didn’t doubt it was well-deserved. She was large for a female but that roused his interest in her even more. This was a powerful, worthy female and he would have to work hard to run her down—harder than he’d ever had to work to claim any female.
Without thinking about it, Cutler knew he would claim this female. The struggle would make the claiming glorious. She was his. She was his mate. He knew that just as surely as he knew he was the single most powerful creature in these woods. She had bright silver-blue eyes and they looked at him and his brother with brazen insolence. She was a child of Alphas and her wolf’s haughty pride would accept no less as her mate.
He also sensed a gentleness in her. She was confident enough to reveal that to them. She would make a formidable but loving mother. That same spirit softened the haughtiness in her just enough to accept his Beta. His brother. With a low, resigned growl, Cutler’s wolf cast its blue-green eyes over Nathaniel. He could smell the other wolf’s need for the bitch and it was as strong as his own. Unless he was willing to kill his brother, he would have to share her. For the first time in his adult life, the idea of sharing an Alpha’s privilege did not meet with fierce, instinctual resistance.
His brother’s focused blue eyes turned to him as they came to an innate understanding and acceptance of the bonds that would shape the rest of their lives.
Cutler shook his head violently. He was a creature ruled by its base needs and passions…not foolish, half-witted thought. The moon was full and he was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother. Their mate—their perfect and long-awaited mate—was standing in front of them, beautiful and strong and theirs to claim soon. The wolf understood the undercurrent of scents coming from its mate and those scents told him that he must wait. Even now there were changes taking place in her body and they must be allowed to progress to completion before the time was right to make her fully his…his and his brother’s. He shook his head again, casting off the last of the thoughts that were beyond his simple understanding, and jumped, lifting his forelegs off the ground then dropping down onto his chest, spreading his paws forward and out. He dipped his head to the side. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and his tail swished over the ground in excited anticipation.
The reddish-brown bitch in front of him did the same thing then she jumped up again, spronked in place, flicked her tail up and raced away. His brother jammed his shoulder into his playfully, knocked him off balance then raced after the bitch, yapping with excitement. Cutler took off after them, stretching his powerful body out fully. The ground rushed by beneath him. At times all four of his paws were off the ground as he hurtled forward unimpeded. He sensed the wolves they passed. Fina’s wolf was smart and experienced in evasion, using the playing, wrestling bodies of the others to distract him and Nath. Given her age that surprised Cutler and, more than a few times, they lost sight of her, despite her height and size. But the bitch hadn’t counted on the powerful effect her scent had on the Alpha and Beta and no matter how fast she ran—no matter how fast she spun or backtracked around the tumbling, rollicking bodies of the others—those two tracked her with single-minded deliberation. Fina put on a burst of speed, surprising her pursuers so much they slowed up just as she disappeared into the forest.
The Alpha lifted his head to the moon and howled. His Beta joined him then, one by one, the song was picked up by members of their pack. He let their mate gain a head start on them. A bitch this singular was worth a long, difficult chase and he relished the anticipation of it. But his need for her wouldn’t let him tarry long and soon, with his brother at his side, Cutler sped off into the woods. The rest of his pack started to take off as well, disappearing in all directions, running and trumpeting their joy and freedom.
Fina ran like the wind. She was young and powerful and born for the chase. The ground she was running over was unfamiliar, the terrain different from what she was used to but that didn’t deter her. The mountains she had known were old and worn down. The rocky slopes she scampered up now were new, fresh and jagged but her haunches were strong and her paws tough and resilient.
They held against the sharp rocks. They were flexible, thick and rough and clung to stone like sticky, sweet honey.
She couldn’t hear them but she sensed the males following her. She was a female, young and new like the land she raced over. She was worthy and she knew without doubt they would follow her. There had been other bitches in the pack, back in the clearing. She’d led the two big males a merry chase amongst them, knowing with a surety as powerful as she knew the sun would rise they wouldn’t be distracted by the others.
They were hers.
Her sharp ears told her a big, heavy male was rushing toward her, behind her and to the left. She veered slightly to the right, running down the granite outcropping she’d been following and put on a burst of speed. She knew the males would attempt to corral her, steer her through these woods but her wolf’s sense accepted this. They knew this land. She didn’t. They would run for miles and miles tonight but they would ensure the distance was far greater than their displacement. She was theirs as much as they were hers and they would ensure she wasn’t hurt and didn’t travel too far from their clearing.
The second male closed in on her, farther behind and slightly
to the right. Fina adjusted her course accordingly. After a few minutes of sustained running, she saw why. A deep crevice in the earth opened up beside her path and below, she heard the violent rush of water through a narrow gorge. If she had continued straight she might have run over the edge. She followed the edge of the gorge and the land dipped. The sound of the water was quieter and she knew the river basin had spread out, allowing it to flow calmly. She leaped down a short, sandy incline and ran along the riverbank, turned and retraced her steps. She did this three times before choosing a shallow slow-moving expanse of water. Fina jumped off the trail she’d left, landing squarely in four inches of river water, then trotted over to the far bank. She drank then melted into the trees, looking back the way she had come and waiting.
Less than a minute later two massive, brown, male wolves appeared on the far bank. Their noses to the hard-packed sand and rocks, they tracked her path—up the bank then back—then tracked it again. The slightly smaller wolf growled its displeasure and the larger one lifted a forepaw and shoved his brother’s jowl out of the way so he could sniff the trail yet again. Fina’s wolf opened its mouth, panted with smug pleasure then rose smoothly to her feet, turned and crept deeper into the woods without disturbing so much as a fallen twig.
After she was out of earshot she chose a tiny clearing near the base of an ancient pine. The ground was cushioned by decades of fallen needles and she lay down and rested. Within moments she had recovered her strength and was back on her feet. Fina lifted her head and howled. The forest around her fell absolutely silent then she was off, again racing through the trees and over the rocky terrain.
Again she sensed the two males behind her, long before they gained enough ground on her for her to hear them.
She let them catch her once before the moon set and they caught up to her on their own once. Each time the three of them rushed at each other, bluff charging, tackling, nipping at ears and tumbling over each other in abandoned, jubilant play. Each time the three of them stopped suddenly, almost as if by unspoken agreement. Close together, they stretched out on their bellies, tongues lolling and breathing hard. Each time, after they’d recovered sufficiently, Fina would leap to her feet, yip playfully and take off again and it would start all over.
After a long, exhausting and demanding night of play, Cutler’s deepest instinct again told him to lift his eyes to the sky. The moon was low on the far horizon. He stopped running and began baying to it. He heard his brother stop running then trot back to his side to take up the call. Seconds later, they heard the bitch’s higher but no less powerful call in the distance. Other distant calls echoed theirs. Soon she appeared, stepping up onto the granite outcropping he and Nath were standing on. She dipped her head then flung it back, adding her voice to theirs for a second time, then she allowed them to flank her for the short trot back to the spot they’d started from.
Fina brushed Ryan’s dark-blond hair back from his forehead as Nath gently carried the sleeping child to his bed. She pulled back the covers then watched as Cutler eased Ryan’s shoes off his feet.
Ryan had barely woken when they’d picked him up at the Pikes’ after the pack run. He’d been snuggled deep inside his child-sized sleeping bag, lying in a jumble with the other children. They’d considering leaving him there for the remainder of the night but Ryan liked to say good-bye to Nath when he left to guide an overnight trip and Nath would be leaving the house at about seven in the morning. Nath had carried the boy and Cutler had walked in front of them. A strange prescience filled Fina as she walked. The Alpha headed up their odd little family, taking the lead and clearing the way. The child rested safe in the strong, protective arms of the Beta. As the lone female, she walked between the two powerful males. She shook her head and dismissed her foolish, girlish, romantic thoughts.
They stepped out of Ryan’s room and moved away quietly only to pause awkwardly in front of Fina’s door.
She felt better after running, as she’d known she would. She felt…centered. Maybe even confident. A little anyway. In the clearing, before the run, the pack’s Alpha and Beta had marked her.
They’d marked her.
She hadn’t been a quaking subordinate sidling up to them, whimpering for notice, reassurance or acceptance. They’d painted her flesh with possession and intent. They’d marked her as their equal.
“Um, good night,” she whispered and stepped into her room. She was pulled back by Cutler’s strong hand on her arm. He pulled her to him and, with his aqua eyes shimmering, dipped his head and nuzzled her throat. He straightened and Nath nuzzled her ear. Without another word, the two of them turned away and disappeared into their bedrooms.
A short while later Fina lay in her bed, dressed in a simple cotton undershirt and baggy pajama bottoms, staring up at the ceiling. Memories of running with her own pack crowded her head and a deep, painful sob escaped her before she jammed her blanket into her mouth. She curled onto her side and wept.
Her door opened and she sensed Cutler standing there. Nathaniel joined him a second later. They were both bare chested and bare footed. Cutler was wearing loose drawstring flannel pants and Nath was wearing plaid shorts. The mattress shifted as they climbed into bed on either side of her. Cutler eased the blanket out of her mouth and cradled her head against his chest. Nath pressed his body to her back, warm, comfortable and comforting. Then he drew the covers back up and over all three of them.
Fina sobbed. Painful, tearing sobs that had no voice, no sound and no movement except for the powerful tremors that shook her body. Her tears dripped down her face and landed on Cutler’s chest. They spilled over his skin and pooled on the bed between them.
Nath stroked her shoulder and the side of her body, his hand riding the maelstrom of her grief without the ability to take it away or even ease it.
Her door opened a second time and Ryan stood there, blinking sleepily into the darkness with the faint glow of an open window farther down the hallway illuminating him from behind. His thumb was firmly wedged in his mouth. He walked up to the end of the bed then climbed onto it, making his way to the clutch of adults on its expansive surface. Cutler leaned back, shifted the blankets and made room for the pup. Fina laid her hand on the child’s shoulder. Ryan wriggled back into the warmth of her body, spooning his small hips within hers.
“It’s okay to cry, Fina,” Ryan breathed into the darkness. “We won’t tell.” He stuck his thumb back in his mouth and laid his head on her pillow.
Fina wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, kissed Ryan’s hair and cuddled him, holding him close. Cutler propped himself up on his elbow, looking at the improbable picture they made. Less than two weeks ago he and his brother had been single, self-absorbed, lone wolves. Now they were a bonded family. He caught his brother’s eye, saw him shrug then lay back down. Cutler let his arm fall across both Fina and the boy.
“Good thing you put her in this room,” Nath whispered then yawned lustily. He buried his face in Fina’s hair, settled his arm over her and laid his hand on her cotton-covered belly. “This bed’s the biggest one we’ve got.”
Cutler chuckled dryly then let sleep claim him.
Chapter Four
Two days later Fina woke just before dawn and groaned. Her belly cramped angrily—a tearing, brutal pain that radiated out and settled in her lower back—aching, sharp and ceaseless. It drove her to curl up on her side and tremble. She felt a sticky wetness pooling between her legs, felt it spilling over the back of her thigh. She hoisted herself out of bed, instinctively keeping her hips raised and clear of the sheets. Bent over, she hurried into her ensuite bathroom and sat shakily on the toilet. Another cramp racked her, this one more brutal than the last, and she wrapped her arms around her belly, leaned forward and rocked back and forth until it eased.
She ran a wad of toilet paper between her legs and got scared when it and her fingers came back soaked in blood.
“Ohmygawd,” she breathed and flushed it away. Fina counted back in her head. H
er period was overdue, by at least two weeks. She hadn’t thought about it earlier because she’d been too overwhelmed by everything else going on in her life to pay much attention to her body. She supposed the stress had caused it to be late, although she was seriously pissed it had decided to hit with a vengeance when it did start. The pain gripped her again and she started rocking.
She cleaned herself as best she could, stripped off her pajamas, dropped the bloodstained bottoms into the sink, inserted a tampon then climbed into the shower. When she got out she was horrified to discover she had to wash the toilet seat. She wiped it down quickly. Fina wished she had some of that Midol Helen swore by. Being werewolf meant Fina didn’t feel pain as strongly as humans and Fina didn’t think there was so much as an aspirin in the entire house. Another cramp rolled through her and she sat down gingerly on the edge of the tub, waiting for it to pass.
When it did she got up, cursed her uterus and headed back into the bedroom.
“Damn,” she breathed when she looked at the bed. Rolling her eyes and feeling acutely embarrassed, as well as grateful that her period had held off for a couple of days instead of hitting the night the four of them had curled up together like a tangle of puppies, she stripped the bloodstained sheets off her bed. Thankfully the thick mattress pad had done its job. She wouldn’t have to rent a steam cleaner for the bed. She threw on clean pajamas, grabbed her soiled bottoms from the bathroom and carried the bundle to the laundry room.
Cutler woke with a start. The smell of blood was fresh in the air and growing. He leaped out of bed, not even bothering to put a t-shirt on. His first stop was Ryan’s room but the boy was sleeping peacefully, sprawled with his head and pillow half off the bed.
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