by Jenny Frame
Ripp’s eyes flitted from side to side as if she was not used to talking about herself. Her hesitation allowed Kyra to add, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, if you’re not comfortable.”
“No, no, I’m sorry. I…” Ripp reached across the table and took Kyra’s hand. Kyra looked down at their hands, Ripp’s with the wolf paw tattoo touching hers. It was just like the day Kyra’s wolf had met her in the forest. Kyra felt a warm electricity spread up her arm, and then Ripp suddenly said, “I met a wolf on my first day here, you know.”
Kyra gulped. Maybe Ripp’s subconscious was trying to tell her something. Kyra pulled her hand back.
“Oh? Did you?”
“Yeah, the most beautiful white wolf. It was gorgeous, and when I touched its paw—”
Ripp looked lost in her memory of the scene.
Kyra’s heart fluttered when Ripp said her wolf was beautiful. She leaned forward and said, “And?”
Ripp looked up and her gaze was penetrating. “It felt like we had a connection, like she really understood me. I know that sounds crazy.”
“No, it doesn’t. I know exactly what you mean,” Kyra said.
“Anyway,” Ripp said quickly, “you asked about how I learned about wolves.”
Kyra nodded.
“Well, I’ve always had this connection with wolves. I guess I understand them better than I do humans. The way they run the pack, with everyone knowing their place and their job, it just makes sense to me.”
“I can see from your tattoos how much you love wolves,” Kyra said with a smile.
Ripp blushed and Kyra couldn’t take her eyes off the wolf’s head peeking out from her low cut sleeveless T-shirt. She was gorgeous, Kyra thought, and she ran her tongue along the tips of her wolf teeth that were starting to erupt.
She panicked.
This never happened to Kyra—she always had iron control over her wolf. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and her teeth started to retract.
“Are you okay, Kyra?” Ripp asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Carry on, please.” Kyra took a sip of her tea.
“Okay…” Ripp tried to remember what they were talking about. It was hard to keep her thoughts in order when the most beautiful girl she’d ever met was sitting across from her.
Ripp saw Kyra’s eyes lingering on her tattoos. Oh, right. They were discussing her ink. “I feel more like myself somehow with my wolf ink on my skin. I’ve never…”
She left the sentence hanging in the air. She was giving too much away, and she had no idea why. She never opened up to people, never trusted them, but Kyra was different somehow.
“You never what?” Kyra asked.
Ripp stirred her milkshake with her straw, trying to think of what to say. “It doesn’t matter. Anyway, I’ve always loved wolves, and when I was eighteen, I came to visit Willow Creek Wolf Sanctuary. They were hiring, and I got a job.”
“You loved it, I bet,” Kyra said.
“More than that. I felt at home for the first time. The wolves were my pack.”
She could tell from Kyra’s curious expression that she wanted to dig deeper, and Ripp didn’t want to have to explain her dysfunctional early life, so she turned her attention back to the map. “So where’s the best place to observe the wolves?”
“Oh? Well”—Kyra pointed to a high point on the map—“there’s a path that starts just beside the lake lookout point, and it takes you deep into the forest higher up. When the weather starts to get colder, the wolves are more active because it’s breeding season, so you’re more likely to see them, but then they are more dangerous too. But you know what you’re doing with them anyway.”
Ripp marked the area with a pen and said, “Thanks. I’ll check that out.”
Kyra looked to the side shyly. Ripp had noticed she could read Kyra much more easily than she normally could other women. Interpreting Kyra’s little head movements and cues were reminiscent of the way she could read wolves.
“Is there something wrong, Kyra?”
“No, nothing. I—I just had a thought, but it’s silly.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Ripp said, taking Kyra’s hand again. She had this impulse to touch Kyra and hold on.
“I just thought since it’s Saturday tomorrow, maybe I could come with you and show you some of the best spots. But it’s a stupid idea.”
Ripp sighed internally. It was the best idea she’d ever heard. She couldn’t think of anything better than spending time with Kyra, even though that also meant getting closer to someone when she was going to have to leave. Again. Plus, she had one purpose here, and that was to find Ansel Wolfgang, and she’d made no progress.
Ripp knew she would hurt Kyra’s feelings by saying no, but what choice did she have?
She opened her mouth and found herself saying, “I’d love that, Kyra.”
Ripp mentally slapped herself. Why did she say that?
“Great,” Kyra said excitedly, “I’ll bring some food, and we can make a day of it.”
“Don’t go to all that trouble—”
Kyra looked right into her eyes and she was transfixed. “I want to, Ripp.”
They talked a bit more, and then Dezzie brought over the check and placed it in front of Ripp. Kyra reached out to grab the bill quickly, but Ripp snatched it up.
“Ripp, let me, I invited you,” Kyra said.
Ripp looked almost offended. “No way, I’ll get it.”
It was so strange. Even this little incident made Ripp look like a dominant wolf. Kyra felt worse when Ripp opened her wallet and Kyra saw only a few notes, no credit cards or anything.
As Ripp fumbled with the notes, Kyra said, “Well, only if I can bring a big lunch tomorrow.” She scanned Ripp’s big, tall frame, and as strong as she looked, Kyra could tell she didn’t eat properly, and that worried her.
“What’s your and Storm’s favorite food?” Kyra asked.
Ripp put a few dollars and change on top of the check and looked up with a smile. “Meat.”
That one word had a strange effect on Kyra. She wanted to kiss Ripp so badly, but at the same time wanted to take her home and cook for her and feed her.
It was the queerest feeling.
“So we’ll meet here at ten o’clock tomorrow?” Kyra said.
“Sure, I’ll be here. We can take my truck.” Ripp knew in her head this was such a bad idea, but every cell in her body was telling her to go spend time with Kyra. She felt so comfortable already in her company, and she’d only ever felt that way before with wolves. Somehow she could never connect with people.
Ripp watched Kyra look over her shoulder and saw her eyes go wide with worry as a tall, intimidating woman in a Stetson stormed toward them.
She acted purely on instinct and jumped up to stand protectively in front of Kyra.
The woman was taller than her by a few inches, but Ripp stood her ground.
“Caden—” Kyra tried to say to the woman, but she was cut off.
“Get in the truck, Kyra.”
Ripp felt a ball of anger build up in her chest. She took a step farther into this Caden’s space and growled, “Who do you think you’re talking to, buddy?”
Caden stared Ripp straight in the eyes and bared her teeth slightly. “Get out of my way, and leave Kyra alone, stranger.”
Ripp met her stare and felt the pain in her gums become intense. “Try and make me move. Kyra is with me,” she said possessively.
Storm jumped to Ripp’s side and growled fiercely at Caden.
“Ripp, please. It’s okay. Caden is my friend.”
“Stand down,” Caden said firmly.
Kyra’s instinct told her that her own touch might help. She put a hand on Ripp’s shoulder and said again, “Ripp, it’s okay. I’m not in danger. Caden is my friend. Stand down.”
After about ten seconds, Ripp looked to the side and took a step back, and Kyra let out a breath.
“Kyra, come with me,” Caden repea
ted.
Kyra was furious. She wasn’t some little cub, but it was probably best she went with Caden and calmed the situation. “I will. You go ahead, and I’ll be there in a minute.”
Caden sighed but nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”
When Caden walked away, Ripp leaned on the table, looking as if she was in pain.
“Are you all right, Ripp?”
Ripp’s eyes were closed, and she tilted her head back and moved her neck from side to side. She opened her eyes and rubbed her stomach. “I’m okay. Just some pain from the way I slept last night. Who is that idiot?”
“Caden is a family friend. I’m sorry she was like that with you. Everyone is a little on edge at the moment, and she’s just trying to make sure I’m safe.”
“Why? Do I look like a serial killer or something?” Ripp said.
Kyra smiled and touched her arm gently. “Hardly.” How could she explain what they had just gone through with the Lupas? “A stranger came through town a few months ago and attacked the leader of our community’s wife. She lost a child. It’s had a big effect on us.”
It looked like Ripp’s anger left her straightaway. “Oh God. I’m sorry. Did they catch them?”
“It was a her, and no. She and her…associates are still out there.”
“You think I’m one of them?” Ripp asked with a hurt tone to her voice.
“No, no, of course I don’t, but Caden just saw me with someone new and was worried. I’ll explain to her. I better go. See you at ten tomorrow.”
Ripp was silent and stroked Storm’s head softly.
“You haven’t changed your mind, have you?” Kyra asked.
Ripp looked up and smiled. “No, of course not. See you tomorrow.”
Kyra wasn’t convinced, but she gathered her things and hurried over to Caden’s truck.
* * *
“You did what?” Lena said with shock.
Caden had collected Lena from the hospital and insisted on picking up some food from the New Moon Bar and Grill, before heading back to their den.
Lena saw Caden’s grip tighten on the steering wheel. “I saw her with that stranger from this morning, and—”
“You just charged in, stomping your paws all over the place,” Lena finished for her, and then sighed. “Kyra must have been so embarrassed, Cade. She’s not a cub.”
“I was only doing what Xander would have done if she had been there. This Ripp is a stranger, covered in wolf tattoos. She must be a hunter of some kind, and no one is hunting wolves in our county.”
Lena rubbed her stomach in soothing circles. She was still coming to terms with the fact that there was a baby growing inside her. Lena chuckled to herself thinking of Caden as a parent. If this was how protective she was of a friend, then she would probably drive both her and their child crazy.
“Not everyone is a threat, Cade. I bet Kyra was mad at you,” Lena said.
“Yeah, she was, but I had just found out we were having a cub. All my senses were on overload, and that idiot, Ripp, tried to stare me down. As if a human could ever beat me at that.”
“I’m a human, remember.”
“But you don’t try to stare me down—you just distract me with your body.” Caden grinned and took her hand. “Anyway, I told her about the cub, and she didn’t care anymore. She was so happy for us.”
Lena lifted her hand and kissed it. “I still can’t believe it. I can’t wait to tell Ky all about it tomorrow.”
Caden’s head whipped around and appeared panicked. “You can’t go into work.”
“Why?”
“It could be dangerous. You and the cub could get hurt,” Caden said seriously.
Lena could see what was running through Caden’s mind. “Listen, cowboy. The Lupas have disappeared without a trace. You will not lose me or the baby, okay?”
She saw the beginning of tears in Caden’s eyes. “I can’t go through what the Alpha did. It would kill me.”
“You won’t. In any case, don’t you think I would be safer at work, with all my friends around me?”
Caden murmured, “Maybe. Most submissive wolves give up work when they get pregnant.”
Lena laughed out loud. “Oh, they do, do they? Sometimes I think I’ve fallen into some gay version of a fifties movie. Most wolves might, but I’m a human.”
Caden stopped her truck in front of their den and leaned over to kiss her and touch her stomach. “We can talk about it later. Now I want to get you safely inside, and we can eat.”
What Caden said made her think how much had changed since they’d left the den this morning.
“What are you thinking about, Goddess?”
She placed both hands on her stomach. “That for the first time in my life, I’m going to be happy about gaining weight.”
Caden grinned. “That’s my girl. Let’s go eat all our food, and then,” her mate whispered in her ear with a small growl, “then I want to eat you all up.”
Lena giggled and dragged her nails softly down Caden’s cheek. “Do you think you can manage all that?”
“I have a very big appetite, Goddess.”
Chapter Six
Kyra’s wolf was so restless, she just had to get out and run. From her den, she ran as fast as she could into the forest. After a slightly heated discussion with Ava and Xander, she needed to feel free, and that was how she felt running through the trees.
They had heard through the grapevine about her coffee date with her new human friend, and things got worse when she mentioned that they were meeting again tomorrow. She could understand distrust after what the Lupas did to them, but not every stranger was a potential threat.
Everyone was treating her like a cub. She was a woman, a grown-up, who could be married with cubs at her age. Why could no one see that?
Kyra’s wolf slowed as she became aware of a deep, earthy, exciting scent. She knew who it was straightaway, and her heart began to pound. She should have turned around and gone home, but she couldn’t. Kyra just had to follow—she had to see Ripp.
The scent took her down to a part of the forest where the river opened into a larger creek area. It was where she, Dezzie, and their friends used to come and swim and play as cubs.
Kyra approached the creek from higher ground, so she wouldn’t be seen easily. As if hunting prey, she was cautious and crouched low in the long grass.
The early evening gloom helped to conceal her presence, and when she was sure of her position, she poked her snout through the grass and looked down to the creek.
What she saw there made her wolf growl. Ripp was at the edge of the water, crouched down and shirtless, washing her arms, torso, and face in the cold water. Ripp was even more breathtaking than she’d been fully dressed. Her hair was wet and sexy, and her muscular torso and shoulders were emphasized by her tattoos, like a painted warrior.
Kyra was so caught up in her thoughts that she was careless and stepped on a twig. Storm barked at the sudden snap, and both he and Ripp looked up in her direction. When Ripp looked right into her wolf’s eyes, it felt like her heart had been captured, but this hunter did not need a trap.
She told herself to run, but her paws felt like lead weights. Before she knew it, Storm was in front of her, barking excitedly. He seemed to know, either instinctively, or by her scent, that it was his friend Kyra.
Kyra broke eye contact in submissive fashion, and Storm licked her snout. She nuzzled him back and then ran as quickly as she could, knowing a wolf hybrid could never match her pace.
She’d gotten out of a tricky situation by the skin of her teeth.
* * *
The next morning, Ripp opened her eyes slowly. She could feel the reassuring weight of Storm lying across her legs. He was still and sleeping, and it was unusual for Ripp to wake up first. Normally she awoke to his sloppy kisses on her face, as he eagerly awaited food and his first run of the day.
Today it was Ripp who woke up full of energy and hunger. Since she’d arrived in Wolfgang County, thi
ngs felt different—her body came alive from her surroundings as well the thoughts of Kyra. No matter how hard she tried, Ripp couldn’t stop thinking about her. Kyra made her heart and her body thrum with excitement, and her high sex drive, which she had managed to control most of her life, was on fire. How on earth was she going to manage to spend a whole day with her?
One thing was nagging at Ripp’s brain. The dull ache she had experienced most of her life, in her jaw and through her bones, was getting worse with every passing second she spent here.
The aggression and anger she’d felt yesterday when Kyra’s friend tried to separate them had given way to intense pain. The aggression was normal for her, she had fought with anger issues as far back as she could remember, but this pain disturbed her. And all this was distracting her from her one true purpose here, to find Ansel Wolfgang. Ah, well. With the suspicious nature of everyone she’d met so far, she would need to bide her time.
She rubbed her face, and then shook Storm awake. “Come on, buddy. I need to run or I’m going to explode.”
Chapter Seven
Kyra watched Ripp lift the heavy food box she had brought onto the picnic table with ease. She loved the way Ripp’s black ink tattoos almost became animated as she moved.
Storm’s bark broke her from her lustful stare.
“Are you okay, Kyra?” Ripp asked.
“Yeah, sorry. Let me get the food out. You and Storm look hungry.”
Ripp ruffled Storm’s head. “He’s always hungry.”
“And you?” Kyra realized as soon as she said that, in a teasing tone of voice, that Ripp might take that question in a different way.
Ripp looked her straight in the eye and grinned. “Oh, yeah. I’m always hungry, Ky.”
The tone of Ripp’s reply and the use of her nickname made Kyra blush. So she busied herself taking all the food out.
After a small silence, Ripp said, “It’s beautiful up here.”
The lookout point, over the lake below, was everyone’s favorite place, hence all the wooden picnic tables. It was then that Kyra remembered. This was a first date spot.