The Mating Chase (Werewolves of Montana)

by Bonnie Vanak

  Beth slid a hand down his muscled thigh and gave his relaxed penis a slow stroke, feeling it eagerly respond to her touch. “In some ways, you are. Beast.”

  “Your beast.” He kissed her again. “I have to go.”

  Dale wiped himself off with the sheet, and dressed.

  Rolling over to one side, she propped up on an elbow. “And what if I decide to leave? Go into town and shop for shoes?”

  Gaze darkening, he gave her a level look. “Don’t.”

  “Or what?”

  “I’ll find you, bend you over the nearest table and my cock would give you a good reason to stay.”

  Beth’s thighs clenched at the sexual promise in his slow smile. “I’d like to see you try that in a shoe store.”

  “Shoe store, bookstore, I will find and have you. And I promise after I’m done with you, you’ll have trouble walking and you’ll never leave me again.” He gave her a quick, hard kiss. “Because you won’t want to.”

  Chapter 8

  AFTER DALE LEFT, Beth showered, dressed and then explored the cabin. Her awakening wolf clawed for fresh air. But Dale had ordered her to remain inside. Something dangerous lurked in these woods.

  Deep inside, her wolf suddenly howled. Beth went still. Closing her eyes, she reached for the vision of the gray wolf with glowing brown eyes. She braced her feet on the wood floor, stretched out her arms and kept the image in her head. But try as she might, she couldn’t force her wolf out or even speak to her.

  Yet the sense of impending trouble intensified, like indigo clouds gathering in a clear sky. If her wolf couldn’t warn her, she’d have to make do with Skin instincts.

  You’re a college graduate. Use that famous mind of yours.

  Something Dale had said about the recent kills nagged her. She headed to the wide shelves where he kept several books. He enjoyed reading about other species to know what threats they presented.

  “It’s your call, girl. You tell me what you sense,” she spoke aloud to her wolf.

  Skimming over several dusty volumes about human behavior, she came to the OtherWorld section. Wyldings were sorted alphabetically, all the animal shifters from cougars to wolverines. Beth touched each book, waiting for her wolf’s response.

  Silence.

  The same happened for the Glythen. No reaction to books about the Fae, dragons or sprites. And when she reached the archive on Seekers, her wolf remained mute when she pulled out a book about psi humans and Mages.

  But at the Earther section, her skin began to tingle. The feeling grew stronger. Beth clasped a leather-bound book on ogres.

  Curling up in an armchair, she thumbed through the pages. Ogres were homebodies, preferring swampland over other terrain. Green-skinned, they stood over seven feet tall, had receding hairlines, long arms and legs, and short torsos. Females clothed themselves in tunics of woven hemp; males wore loincloths. They only left their homes twice a year to mate.

  She turned a page and gasped at the crude sketch of an aroused ogre, teeth pulled back in a snarl as he mounted a struggling female.

  Shuddering, she read. Ogres hated mountains and forest. Rule out the ogre.

  Replacing the book, she picked up a volume on trolls. A low growl rumbled deep in her throat.

  Beth paused. “I guess we know what you want me to read, huh girl?”

  As she reached the pages on troll feeding habits, the growl turned into a snarl. Ten minutes later, she slammed the book shut. Fear slid down her spine. Her wolf responded to the emotion with a low whine.

  Dale and his team were in danger. She had to warn them.

  They were hunting the wrong predator, and walking straight into a trap.

  Chapter 9

  “I NEED YOU, girl. You have to shift for me.”

  Whispering to her wolf, Beth climbed the heavily-wooded hiking trail leading to the mountain’s summit. Her Lupine senses flared as she caught Dale’s scent. But she still couldn’t shift.

  His powerful male scent grew stronger near a wide path once used as a logging road. The trail divided, the right fork leading to a glade where Aiden held pack meetings. Beth raced across the wood bridge crossing the creek, where sunlight dappled the scattered maple trees growing amid the pines. She passed a weathered sugaring house and remembered Dale had taken her here one winter to collect sap. They’d dripped the viscous fluid onto newly fallen snow and ate it like candy, as he relayed pack history and told her about how Aiden planted the maples long ago because he liked real maple syrup.

  Heart thudding fast, she quickened her pace, sweet-scented pine needles and dead maple leaves crunching beneath her sneakers. Beth pushed through a tangle of thimbleberry bushes.

  Her stomach churned as she detected the pungent stench of decay.

  Verdant pine and crimson maple trees ringed the clearing, punctuated by bushes of cow parsnip. In the middle of the peaceful setting lay a bloody lump covered with flies. Swallowing hard, assured by her wolf that the remains weren’t Lupine, she entered the enclosure.

  It was a dead calf, newly slaughtered. Clouds of flies rose off the carcass as she approached the kill, then squatted down to examine it. The stomach had been ripped out, just like the others.

  Boot tracks fanned outward from the carcass. Dale had seen the calf and then left, probably to search the area.

  A faint human scent lingered near the calf, but it was old. Odd. If a Skin did this, they’d leave a much fresher and stronger trail.

  As Beth examined the glade, a new scent slammed into her nostrils. She went still, hair on her nape saluting the air.

  Just as she suspected. The bastard had not given up.

  A diminutive form stepped from behind a thick pine. “Gotcha. Alone, without your big, dumbass protector.”

  “Bobby. Out placing more traps to blame the heifer kills on us so the hunters will shoot the first wolf they see? Or killing deer so my pack will starve? All so you can gain some of our territory. It’s why you made friends with me. You targeted me from the moment you saw me, knew what and who I was.”

  No longer afraid, she narrowed her gaze. “You want Uncle Aiden’s land. It’s worth more than two million dollars. And you thought that Aiden would hand a section over if I mated with you. And as a backup plan, you figured you could force him out by sending hunters to shoot our people.”

  The troll’s smugness faded. “You were lucky to have me. I’m the only one who could stand fucking you. You’re nothing but a fat Lupine who can’t even shift.”

  The insult failed to sting. “And you’re stupid. Our kind doesn’t usually rip out the stomach during a kill and eat only select organs. But trolls always do. The stomach is a vulnerable soft spot.”

  She gave a nasty smile. “The only one they can reach because they’re so damn short.”

  “Bitch.” Bobby shifted into his true form, yellow teeth lengthening in his slit of a red mouth, black talons emerging from his fingertips. “I’ll tear you apart. But first, you’re going to give me what you didn’t in school. And then I’ll feast on your innards.”

  She couldn’t shift. Immobilized by fear, Beth stared as the troll advanced, talons like sharp knives. C’mon, she thought, calling to her silent wolf. Hello, it’s a good time to decide to make an appearance.

  Something heavy crashed through the woods. Dale bolted into the clearing, his lips drawn back into a snarl.

  “Touch her and you die, bastard.”

  As Bobby turned around, Dale shifted into a wolf and attacked the troll.

  Five more trolls stepped out from behind the trees. One raised a rifle and fired. The bullet hit Dale’s left shoulder. His snarl turned into a pained howl. Shaking his head, he released Bobby, who rolled away. The trolls advanced toward her mate.

  Bobby laughed. “Keep him cornered. Make him watch as I fuck her, and then as I tear her throat out, you kill him.”

  Dale was going to die. Terror for her mate surged. A snarl rumbled from her throat.

  “Not on my damn watch,” she sn
apped, her voice becoming a guttural growl.

  Body lengthening, bones elongating, she found herself on four legs, thick fur ruffled. Beth gave a high-pitched howl — the pack call for reinforcements. Seconds later, answering howls echoed through the forest. Then she ran into the woods, aided by her natural camouflage as she darted among the thick pine trees, targeting the armed troll.

  “Find her,” Bobby yelled.

  Spotting the troll holding the rifle, she leapt, aiming for his stubby legs as he turned around.

  Her sharp teeth tore into his soft flesh. The troll dropped his weapon and uttered a high-pitched scream. Instinct surged as she clawed, scratched and bit. As she wrestled with the intruder, Bobby lunged for the rifle.

  Dale leapt on him, jaws closing around her former friend’s throat. Bobby gave a gurgling scream and died.

  Right. Go for the throat. She killed the troll.

  Like water streaming from a broken damn, her people raced into the clearing. The Lupines tore into the invaders. In a few minutes it was over. Troll body parts littered the ground.

  She loped over to Dale, sitting on the ground in wolfskin. He nuzzled her neck with affection. Blood matted his fur.

  Wolf urging her, she gently licked the wound, bathing it with her healing saliva as the flesh slowly knit together.

  Dale shifted back, clothing himself by magick. He rubbed his now-healed shoulder. “I’m ok. The bullet only grazed me.”

  He locked his wondering gaze to hers and ran a hand through her thick fur. “Hi there, sweetheart. I’ve been waiting for you to return to me.”

  Beth shifted back. His eyes widened. Around them, the males stared at the ground. She looked down.

  She was nude.

  “Oops. Guess I need more practice.”

  He shrugged out of his shirt and helped her put it on. Dale framed her face with his hands and kissed her. As he slipped his tongue into her mouth, she responded. Oh yeah, she could get used to this. Lupine to Skin. Both forms presented lots of pleasant possibilities.

  Someone gave a delicate cough. Dale broke the kiss. He stood, helping her to her feet and then turned to his team. “Go sweep the woods, make sure they’re clean. Then return and clean up this mess.”

  When they left, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight.

  “I told you to stay at home,” he murmured.

  “Yeah, well, another thing you’ll have to get used to. I don’t listen well, especially when I sense you’re in trouble.” Beth rubbed her cheek against his throat. “I wanted to warn you the poachers were trolls.”

  Dale sighed. “After I saw the kill, we fanned out to search for the poacher. But it was damn hard tracing the scent after years of hunting only in wolfskin. And then I heard you scream. Got so scared and crazed I forgot the rules. Always call for backup.”

  “I’m ok.”

  For a long moment they held each other. Sensing a newcomer, Beth looked up as a tall, wiry cowboy entered the clearing. He was extremely handsome, or would have been, but for the Z branding his left cheek. Dale’s gaze sharpened.

  “Kyle. A little late to the party.”

  “Needed to recheck the area near those deer kills. Knew you could handle whatever happened.”

  After Dale explained what happened, Kyle shook his head.“Thought I smelled troll. That’s why I went back. Bastards must have disguised themselves with Skin scent to fool us.”

  His jaw tensed. “And then I picked up a new trail. Found two more dead deer near the lake cabin, not killed by trolls.”

  Acid churned in Beth’s stomach at his next words. “Two male ogres did it.”

  Dale scowled. “Ogres are vegans. They rarely leave their territory.”

  “I know what I scented.” He gazed into the dark, deep forest. “Something’s gotten them stirred up. Just like something stirred up those trolls.”

  “Bobby was working with other trolls.” An uneasy suspicion filled her. “That’s not normal for their kind, is it?”

  Kyle frowned. “Never seen trolls organize. They’re solitary, and mostly asexual. Yeah, they covet land and riches, but not like this. I don’t know what’s going on.”

  His gaze turned hard. “The ogres marked the kill, like Lupines do. And left a cabbage patch calling card stating they’re not only violating our turf. They want to violate something else.”

  Dale swore and tightened his arm around her waist.

  “What calling card?” she demanded.

  “When a male ogre scents a female in heat, he sprays a chemical. Stinks to high heaven, like rotting cabbage, but female ogres can’t resist it.”

  “It’s the only time ogres get aggressive.” Dale’s gaze slid to Kyle’s. “The male sets a scent trap, waits for a female to arrive and then forces her.”

  Revulsion churned in her stomach as she remembered the sketch of the ogre mounting the female, his penis big as a baseball bat. Stricken, she realized the implications.

  Arianna was sexually irresistible to Lupine males during her fertile time. What if she attracted other species as well?

  “Arianna’s coming into her heat soon. Are we dealing with confused and crazed ogres who might hurt her?” she asked.

  A low growl rumbled from Kyle’s throat. “Not if I can help it. I’ll tear the son of a bitch to shreds.”

  “She’ll have to be mated. It’ll tamp down her scent.” Dale studied the hunter. “You gonna tell her?”

  Kyle had kept close watch over Arianna ever since he found her alone on the mountain seven years ago; naked, shivering and terrified. He’d bundled the 12-year-old into his jacket and taken her to the ranch. As she grew older, he’d taught her to hunt. Arianna secretly desired Kyle and Beth suspected the feeling was mutual. Last month she caught Kyle staring at Arianna with avid hunger, but afterward, he’d distanced himself from her friend. The hunter was a rover. Eight years ago, he’d joined their pack when Aiden needed an extra ranch hand. He’d stayed. Beth hoped he would stay for good.

  “That’s up to Aiden.”

  “Arianna’s afraid of mating,” Beth said. “Remember how she hurt Darius last month? And he was just trying to help her through her heat.”

  Contempt flickered in Kyle’s gaze. “He deserved it. Darius doesn’t care about her. He’ll sleep with anything that moves. “

  “She’s terrified of sex. I wish I knew why, but Arianna won’t say.”

  “She was just a scared little thing when I found her,” Kyle mused.

  “You’re the only male she likes, and trusts,” she hinted.

  The quiet hunter briefly closed his eyes and sighed. “I don’t do long term. Relationships or otherwise. In fact, I planned to hit the road soon.”

  “Will you stay until this is settled?” Dale gave the other male a respectful look. “We need you.”

  He nodded. “Aiden had better curb Arianna. She’s out of control.”

  After Kyle left, they returned to the cabin. Dale started to reach for the doorknob, and then suddenly turned and embraced her. Gently she stroked his back, feeling the thick muscles jump.

  “I need a moment,” he muttered.

  “You’re trembling.”

  “Adrenalin dump. Thought that bastard was hurting you. I’ve never been so scared.” He nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent.

  “Me too.”

  “How did you figure out Bobby tried to set us up?” he asked.

  “Biology. Skins usually don’t eat raw organs after a deer kill. They’re too worried about bacteria. But trolls aren’t.”

  Beth paused. “And I read those books in the cabin about how trolls kill and knew I had to warn you.”

  Dale tensed. “I put others at risk, all because I was pissed off, thinking a Skin targeted us. Couldn’t focus on the scents. I screwed up. Tomorrow, I’m turning in my resignation as chief of security.”

  Rubbing her nose against his throat, Beth growled low. “And my uncle will refuse. If he even thinks of accepting, I’ll release my wolf and bite
his butt.”

  He gave a faint smile, but still looked doubtful. Beth cupped his face.

  “You’re a loyal and fierce protector for our people. It’s time to let go of the past and your anger. Skins aren’t all cruel and violent. Just as I have to learn to live as a Lupine again, you must accept living among Skins.”

  He sighed. “I’ve hidden from them for so many years, I don’t know how.”

  “I’ll teach you. And you’ll teach me about being wolf again.”

  “Like how to clothe yourself after a shift. I don’t want you naked around any other guys, only me.”

  “It’s a balancing act.” She stroked his cheek. “Isn’t that what mates are for? To support each other when we need it most? We’ll have to make compromises, like moving my stuffed animal collection into your cabin.”

  “And teaching you how to hunt with the pack.”

  “And taking hot showers inside, not bathing in a stream.”

  “As long as you don’t use scented soap.” He stroked his hands along the curve of her spine. “And you let me wash you, all over.”

  “Oh yeah. Another good reason to shower.”

  Resting her head against his chest, she listened to his heartbeat. Steady, reassuring and strong, it was like Dale himself.

  She’d claimed her wolf again, and her wolf claimed a mate. Once an awkward outsider, Beth knew she’d finally found her place — at Dale’s side, where they could learn from each other. Gazing up into his tender expression, Beth saw a man’s love and a wolf’s fierceness. Deep inside, her wolf wagged her tail in response, and gave a victorious yip.

  “My wolf’s happy, and so am I. It feels right, being here with you, and I never want to leave again. Not as long as you’re with me.”

  “Welcome home, little Lupine.” Light and joy danced in Dale’s deep blue gaze. “Welcome home at last.”

  Author’s Note: If you enjoyed THE MATING CHASE, look for Kyle and Arianna’s story in THE MATING HUNT. For the latest information, please check out Bonnie’s webpage at www.bonnievanak.com or her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bonnievanakauthor