Ice Claimed
Marisa Chenery
Book five in the Werewolf Sentinels series.
Finding his mate is something Durlach has longed for, but being in his wolf form at the time throws things off—including his mate, who just happened to be on the back of the horse Durlach spooked. Not a ladies’ man by any means, his challenge is coming up with a plausible way to meet her in his human form and sweep her off her feet.
Meadow is surprised by how tame the wolf is and realizes he must be a domesticated pet. And when his hunky master comes looking for him, she has sexy visions of taming him too. Little does she know the secrets he’s keeping.
As Durlach tries to ease his mate into his world, seducing her bit by bit, the dark wolves take steps to become more of a threat. Not only are werewolves in their line of sight, but so are the mortals who live amongst them.
A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
ICE CLAIMED
Marisa Chenery
Chapter One
Durlach stepped out onto the back deck and dragged in a deep breath of the early-summer air. His dire wolf quickly rose to the surface, causing him to itch to go out on a run. It was something that happened more often than not. Unlike the rest of the sentinels, his wolf was closer to the surface, always waiting for the opportunity to be let loose. Because of that he tended to take on his animal form frequently and went for runs in the acres of trees that were part of the property he owned with his wolf brothers.
Walking down the steps that led to the lawn, Durlach took another deep breath. It had been two years since his alpha’s mate, Cassidy, had found him along with Edensaw, Wachei, Ketah, Kajakti and Capac sleeping in an ice cave on a glacier in Alaska. The tribe’s shaman had put them there to wait for the time when the dark wolves would rise. He’d also been the one to turn them into the very first werewolves.
He headed straight to where the trees met the grass. He had adjusted to his new, modern life in Juneau, but there was still a part of him that longed for the past when he’d only been an ice age hunter.
Durlach reached for the spark of magic deep inside him and took on his dire wolf form. He headed off into the trees at an easy, loping stride. Once the house disappeared behind him, he ran faster. The usual rush he got when out on a run surged through him.
At the edge of the property that bordered with their neighbor’s, Durlach didn’t stop and turn around as he usually did. This time he continued on. He didn’t know who lived beside them, neither he nor his wolf brothers had taken the time to seek them out and make introductions. They kept to themselves, finding it easier that way. Any mortal friends they were to make would eventually realize he and the others never aged. And the secret of them being immortal werewolves had to be kept.
He raced out of the brush and onto a trail that had been cut through it. Durlach didn’t realize there was a woman on horseback on it until it was too late. In his dire wolf form he spooked the horse, which caused the animal to rear as its eyes rolled wildly. The woman ended up being thrown, landing on her back where she lay, stunned. Her mount let out a neigh and made a run for it.
Concerned that his presence might have caused her to be hurt, Durlach slowly approached her, staying in his dire wolf form. Just before he reached her, her scent filled his nose and he stumbled as his mating urge kicked in. Now completely focused on the mortal woman who was to be his, he padded closer, his whole body totally aware of her.
* * * * *
Meadow hadn’t been able to pass up the opportunity to go out for a horseback ride. The day was just too nice. As an archeologist who specialized in ice age Tlingit artifacts, she’d recently finished a dig and had earned some much-needed time off. So she planned to make the most of it. It had been a while since she’d been able to go out riding on her property. Her bay mare Dancer had been just as eager as she to hit one of the trails through the trees.
Only fifteen minutes in and her relaxing afternoon went south in a real hurry. A large wolf appeared to come out of the trees from nowhere, which spooked Dancer. Her mare reared, tossing Meadow from the saddle to land, hard, on her back. All the air rushed out of her lungs in a whoosh. Of course her horse didn’t stick around after that.
Trying to catch her breath, Meadow grew very still as she watched the wolf slowly walk toward her. It didn’t appear to show any signs of aggression, but that didn’t stop her heart from almost beating out of her chest. There was no telling if his calm demeanor would change at any second, though.
She studied the wolf as it came closer and sucked in a breath. It couldn’t be possible since the animal had been extinct for thousands of years, but Meadow swore it was a black dire wolf she stared at. It definitely wasn’t a native timber wolf, not with its shorter legs, larger head, longer and sharper teeth and stockier build.
Meadow clamped her mouth shut to keep back a small whimper that threatened to bubble out of her when the wolf came to a stop at her side. It sniffed the air around her, then did something totally unexpected—it head-butted her chin until she reached up and scratched behind its ear.
Her fear slowly slipped away the longer she petted the wolf, and it seemed to enjoy the attention, leaning against her to give her better access. The entire situation was surreal. Here she was, lying in the middle of a trail, having a very close encounter with a wild animal that appeared quite happy to have her run her hands along its fur.
After a full minute, Meadow said in a soft and even tone, “I think that’s enough. I need to get up and see where my horse took off to.”
As if he understood her—the wolf was definitely a male because she looked—he backed away a bit to give her some room. Meadow stood and brushed the grass and leaves from her clothes wherever she could reach as she stared down at him. It didn’t look as if he wanted to leave any time soon. In fact, he sat on his haunches and gazed up at her as if asking what they would do next.
Meadow shook her head as a smile spread along her lips. “You’re welcome to come with me, but keep some distance until I can catch Dancer. I don’t need you spooking her all the way back to the stable. I still want to do some more trail riding.”
The wolf lifted his head, then let it down in what looked to be a nod. Meadow chuckled. Either she was seeing more into his actions or he was a lot smarter than most of his kind.
He walked at her side in the direction Meadow thought Dancer had gone. Every once in a while he’d brush up against her leg as if to give her a reminder that he was still with her. Once her mare came into view—calmly nibbling on some grass—he stopped, allowing her to approach the horse by herself. She shook her head over his show of intelligence.
With careful steps, Meadow walked toward Dancer. Luckily the wind blew downwind of them so her mare hadn’t scented the wolf yet. Her horse lifted her head and looked at her as she munched on a mouthful of grass and blew a puff of air out of her nose. Meadow quickly snatched up the dangling reins and patted Dancer on her neck, telling her how good she was.
She walked her mare over to the wolf. Dancer pranced in place, acting as if she wanted to bolt once more, but Meadow held tight to the reins.
“It’s all right,” she said in a soothing tone as she stroked the horse’s nose. “He’s friendly, which has me thinking he’s really not a wild wolf. He could be one of those hybrids that are half dog. He could be someone’s pet and that’s why he’s used to being around humans. Anyway, he wants to hang out with us so you have to get over your fear just as I did. Think of him as a big, old friendly dog.” The wolf sneezed, the sound sounding very much like a snort. Meadow laughed. “I guess he doesn’t like to be called that.”
With some persuading, Meadow managed to get Dancer to lower her head enough to sniff the hybrid. Meadow even
petted him for good measure. Once her mare no longer tried to shy away from him, she climbed into the saddle and continued on her trail ride. The hybrid fell in step beside Dancer as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do.
Durlach matched the pace the horse set. He looked up at his mate. He wanted to shift to his human form and take her into his arms, kiss her with all the longing that fired his blood. But if he were to do that he’d really scare her. Instead, he settled for reading her thoughts to learn what her name was and any other information he could get about her. It was one of the gifts his old shaman had given Durlach and his wolf brothers with the turn.
It surprised him to learn what Meadow did for a living, but made sense that she would have an interest in the life he’d once led. Finding out she was indeed his neighbor, Durlach wanted to kick himself for not investigating the property that bordered on theirs earlier. He could have found her a lot sooner than this.
The important thing was that he had. Now he had to figure out how he could meet her in his human form. He couldn’t keep seeing her as a dire wolf, eventually he had to be with her as a man. But today wasn’t going to be that day. Meadow had already been through one fright when he’d spooked her horse and she’d taken a fall.
Durlach stayed with her for the rest of her ride and even followed her back to her place. Once Meadow had put her horse into a stall at the stable, she gave him one last pat, then a little wave before she headed inside the house.
He swung around and took off at a run back to the bush. Once he was deep inside the trees, and no longer had to worry about Meadow seeing him, Durlach shifted to his human form. Some of the tension left his body. While a dire wolf, his mating urge rode him harder, his animal instincts pushing for him to claim his mate.
Durlach continued walking toward home, his thoughts full of Meadow. His cock grew hard just thinking about her. If he’d met her as a man, he would have at least been able to set up a date to see her again.
Different scenarios of how he wanted Meadow to meet the other him playing through his mind, Durlach stepped out of the trees and onto the lawn of the backyard. It took him a few seconds to realize someone called his name.
“Durlach,” Carson said as he walked across the grass toward him. “What’s up?”
Once his wolf brother stood in front of him, Durlach replied, “Not too much.”
“Doesn’t look like it. I had to call your name three times before you heard me. Something has you distracted.”
“Maybe a little.” Durlach smiled. “I found her. I found my mate.”
“Damn, not you too? You’re my main bro. I figured you and I would have more time to hang out together without a mate interfering.”
“You’ll still be my BFF.”
Carson shook his head and laughed. “A dude does not call another dude a BFF. Only women do that.”
Durlach, thanks to Carson, had learned most of the modern sayings but he sometimes still mixed them up. He shrugged. “You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do.” His wolf brother reined in his laughter. “Just don’t call me that out in public.”
“I won’t. You do realize that one day you’ll find your mate as well.”
Carson snorted. “Hey, I’m not over ten thousand years old, nor did I have an ancient shaman promise me I’d find one. As far as I’m concerned, I’m quite happy being unmated. I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of commitment with the fairer sex.”
“Maybe not, but it isn’t as if you’ll have much choice in the matter once you find the woman meant to be yours. The mating urge won’t allow you to do anything else but claim her.”
“Still, I won’t complain if it doesn’t happen until years from now. Even ten years would be fine. So what’s this mate of yours like? Did you just meet her now?”
“Her name is Meadow and she happens to be one of our neighbors. I met her out on one of the trails on her property. She was horseback riding.”
“That’s where you were coming from. I guess you have a hot date set up for tonight?”
Durlach shook his head. “No, not tonight. I haven’t asked her out on one yet.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I happened to be in my dire wolf form when I met her on the trail. I spooked her horse and she was thrown. And when Meadow set off my mating urge, I kind of got lost in the moment and approached her without thinking.”
“Oh man. So she only knows you as a wolf.”
“Actually, she thinks I’m someone’s hybrid since I was so tame and friendly. I stayed with her until she finished her ride and followed her home.”
Carson laughed once more. “You’d better not let my sister hear about that one or Eryn will call you Dog as she does Kajakti. I think it’s hilarious that you guys end up being thought of as half dog.”
“You shift into a dire wolf as well since Wachei turned you. It might happen to you yet. But seriously, I have no idea how to introduce myself to Meadow as a man. I was never very good with women, even as a mortal.”
“You had to be good with at least one because you knocked her up before you went for your long sleep.”
“I didn’t love her, and she wasn’t my mate. She was a very good friend who offered to bear my child to continue the werewolf race.”
Carson put his arm around Durlach’s shoulders and turned him in the direction of the house before he got them walking toward it. “I consider myself a bit of an expert when it comes to women. You listen to me and you’ll land your mate in no time.”
* * * * *
Meadow peeked outside her living room window but couldn’t see the wolf hybrid anywhere. He must have gone home. She let go of the curtain and it dropped back into place. Whoever owned him had done a great job of training him. He’d stayed by her horse’s side for the rest of her ride, even when a rabbit had shot out across the trail in front of them. He hadn’t chased after it. That had surprised her. Most dogs she knew wouldn’t have had that much restraint.
She hated to admit it, but she’d really enjoyed the company of the hybrid. It just went to show how much of a non-people person she could be. That was part of the reason why she’d chosen the career she had. Meadow spent so much time digging in the dirt and lost in research she didn’t have much time to go out and make a whole bunch of friends. Not that she missed doing that.
A knock on the back door had Meadow heading in that direction. She answered it to find Taylor, a caretaker of sorts, who she’d hired on to look after Dancer and the property. He lived in the one-bedroom apartment above the stable. Since he’d come to work for her they’d struck up a friendship.
“Hey, Taylor,” Meadow said as she opened the door wider. “You want to come in for a coffee?”
“Sure, I’d love some. Now that you’re home, I’d thought I’d give you a list of things I need to pick up for around here.”
“No problem. Let’s go into the kitchen.”
Meadow led Taylor farther into the room and went to the cupboard to take out two mugs. She poured coffee into both, then brought them to the table before she retrieved a carton of cream from the fridge.
She sat across from Taylor and fixed her coffee the way she liked it before she said, “So, how were things here while I was gone?” When she was on a dig she was usually gone for months at a time. That was part of the reason she liked that Taylor lived on the property.
“Fine. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Meadow watched Taylor take a sip of his coffee. He was a good-looking man with his shaggy, tawny-blond hair and light-brown eyes that almost verged on gold. He also had a great body, but she had never felt drawn to him in a sexual way. She thought of him more as a brother. And he seemed fine with that. Not once out of the three years since he’d come to work for her had he tried to hit on her.
“That’s good. Have you met our new neighbors yet? Well, I guess they aren’t exactly that new anymore. They’ve lived there for almost two years.”
At one time, the property t
hat bordered along hers had been part of her acreage. All of it had once belonged to her grandfather. Many years ago, he’d sold off some of it, and when he’d died he’d left her the rest. He’d known how much she’d loved this place, spending the summers out there with him when she’d been growing up.
Taylor shook his head. “No, I haven’t. They pretty much keep to themselves. And it’s not as if I’ll go out of my way to meet them either.”
Meadow grinned. That was very true. Taylor wasn’t much of a people person, same as her. To be honest, he didn’t like to talk about himself a whole lot. And she wasn’t about to pry into his personal life. If he’d wanted her to know he would have told her.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait for a chance meeting. So what supplies do we need?”
He gave her a list and an approximate figure of how much everything would cost. Meadow okayed everything. Taylor never asked for anything that was too extravagant or frivolous.
“There is one other thing,” Taylor said.
“All right.”
“I noticed around the outside of the front of the stable there were some wolf tracks. They were fresh. I don’t like the idea of one coming so close to the house.”
Meadow shook her head. “It’s not a wolf. I made a new friend today out on one of the trails. It’s someone’s wolf hybrid. You don’t have to worry about him. He’s friendly and pretty tame.”
Taylor gave her a look that said he wasn’t sure about that. “A wolf hybrid?”
“Yes. At first I thought he was a wolf as well, but he’s a little too stocky to be a wild, native one.”
“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it, though I don’t think it was a hybrid. I’ve done a lot of hunting and I know the difference between a wolf’s and a dog’s set of tracks.”
“Well, whatever he is, he has to be somebody’s pet. He didn’t act wild or aggressive.”
“All right, I’ll have to believe you.” Taylor stood. “Thanks for the coffee. There are a couple of things I want to do before I call it a day. I’ll go pick up those supplies tomorrow.”
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