by Cameron, D H
The wolf’s head snapped up and stared at me as if to agree. “Wolves!” I joked in mock frustration and moved so I could lay my head on Yeager’s furry belly. The moon had traveled higher and the meadow almost glowed in its light. The wolf put a paw on my belly and I covered it with my hand as I reached behind my head with the other and lazily stroked the wolf’s belly. We lay like that for a while. Yeager seemed to enjoy being the wolf. I definitely liked him this way. Lying with him there in the meadow was so peaceful and calming.
I was living some kind of fairytale. Here I was laying in an empty meadow with my wolf, my mate, nude in the moonlight. He was my lover, my friend and my protector. I turned so I could look into the wolf’s eyes. Yeager was looking at the moon but shifted his gaze to me. I found him there in those eyes. The man may have appeared to be a wolf but he was there, always, in those eyes. I felt compelled to express my feeling but I didn’t. This wasn’t the place. It was too perfect to ruin with words. Instead I just stared into Yeager’s amber eyes with a smile I couldn’t get rid of even if I’d wanted to.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how I got to this point. Not the run in with Dolan and his gang but how I came to have such deep feelings for Yeager. I couldn’t deny how I felt but I wonder if my emotional attachment was a natural extension of our situation, a fondness born from Yeager’s protective role, or were my feelings caused by the bond he spoke of. He’d told me I was made for him and he was made for me. Was it fate that I would feel so strongly for this man, that I was to fall in love with him? I guess I had to assume it was destiny.
And knowing that made it feel that much more special. The thought that someone was waiting for me, the he was searching for me and only me, was deeply satisfying. But as I got to know this man, I had the feeling that he was the one I was looking for too. Any notions of what sort of man I might want to marry and spend the rest of my life with were supplanted by this man, by Yeager. I was left with the feeling that he was the one, the man I had been searching for even though I wasn’t really searching.
However, we faced a common obstacle, Dolan. The evil man, and I was sure he was evil, desired revenge for some perceived wrong. Exactly what that was, I didn’t know and it probably didn’t matter. Dolan was bent on extracting that vengeance. I wondered if maybe this was part of my destiny, part of our destiny, Yeager and I. Maybe this was a test of sorts, a trial of our pairing by fire that we must pass so fate would allow us to be together.
I must have drifted off while I tried to make sense of all that had happened to me because when I awoke, I held Yeager’s hand instead of his paw. I found him watching me. “Did I fall asleep?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he answered. The moon was high overhead now. I must have snoozed for several hours.
“And you just laid there?” I wondered.
“Where else would I rather be than here?” he asked. I smiled at him and squeezed his hand.
“Why can’t we just go somewhere and do this forever?” I replied. I knew that even without Yeager, life wasn’t so simple but it was a nice thought.
“I’ve decided we need to get in contact with my friends. With them, we can confront Dolan and end this,” Yeager told me. I knew this couldn’t last forever.
“In Gold Canyon?” I pressed.
“Yeah. I hope we can end this without a fight but I don’t see that happening. Dolan’s got an axe to grind. He’s an alpha and he won’t quit without at least a good ass-kicking but I’m afraid it might take more than that,” he explained.
“An alpha? I wondered.
“There’s always a leader. Most of us remain alone until we find our mate. When a man like me finds his mate and starts a family, he creates a pack. You and I are a pack now, a family. But Dolan’s a renegade. He’s not interested in finding a mate to start a pack. He’s interested in power. He’s joined with other renegades and formed a pack of a different kind, a pack he uses to consolidate power and bend others to his will,” Yeager told me.
“And he’s angry over what happened to his father?” I asked.
“Apparently. I guess I can’t blame him for being upset but he’s upset at the wrong people. He’s got it out for the Sheriff too but it was his father that raped that girl and he seems to be following in his father’s paw prints. I believe you’re involved because he knows what you are. He knows you’re my mate and through you, he can hurt me more than he could otherwise,” he said. I guess that made sense but I still felt there was more but I didn’t think Yeager knew what it was any more than I did.
“Tomorrow then?” I said as much as asked.
“Yeah. It’s the last full day of the run. If we wait, my friends might be gone and we’ll have no allies,” Yeager told me.
“Better to get it over with, I suppose. I’m worried though. I’m worried about you,” I said.
“I can take care of myself. It’s you I’m worried about,” he told me.
“I guess I don’t have teeth and claws, do I?” I added.
“Exactly. We’ll head into town in the morning. We’ll call my friends and have them meet us at the edge of town. I don’t know how this will go down, but we’ll settle it one way or another. Life isn’t worth living if you can’t live free and without fear,” Yeager told me. I was glad that we were going to deal with Dolan and his gang but I was scared too. I didn’t want anything to happen to Yeager. I was falling hard for him. Apparently, I didn’t have a choice in the matter but I was sure I would have fallen for him anyway.
“I trust you. I know you’ll take care of me. Just don’t get hurt, OK,” I replied.
“Promise. We should head back. Tomorrow is likely to be eventful,” Yeager said. His words would prove to be prophetic. Yeager and I walked back to the cabin, both of us nude. He didn’t shift so he could hold my hand as we hiked back. I appreciated the gesture. It seemed so much easier to travel as a wolf than a man. The wolf ran circles around me and never seemed to tire. I appreciated it too because I was afraid and having Yeager with me as a man lent me strength.
A half hour later, sometime in the wee hours of Saturday morning, we made it back to the cabin. We didn’t dress. Instead we lay in bed together, Yeager’s arms wrapped around me. I felt safe and wished we could stay there in the cabin and forget about Dolan and his vendetta. But that wasn’t possible. It was a pleasant fiction though.
I lay awake in Yeager’s arms as he slept. I’d already slept for several hours that night and even though I was tired, my mind was a hive of activity. It wasn’t just Dolan either. It was Yeager too. Despite my feelings for him, the entire situation was unsettling. I had come to accept the truth, even more now that I’d run with the wolf that was Yeager’s alter ego, but how this might affect my life I couldn’t know. If Yeager was to be my mate, how would we deal with that?
We lived in separate places, we had distinct lives that would have to merge in some way. Change was coming and even though I welcomed it, the upheaval would be a challenge. But more than that, I still found my connection to Yeager somewhat strange. I’d known him for mere days but I was already thinking about a life with him. The unexpected feelings didn’t disturb me but the fact that I accepted them so readily was a bit surprising.
I should have been worried that I’d developed such strong feelings for this man so quickly, but I wasn’t. I found his story somehow soothing. When he told me we were mates, fated to be together for life, I didn’t recoil in fear. I was drawn to the idea. I suppose that’s how it was meant to be. But why? How could I so easily embrace a world that I didn’t even know existed a few days prior? Even Yeager, though he hadn’t said so, seemed to be a bit amazed at how quickly I accepted the truth.
I fell asleep still wondering about it. I wasn’t going to answer all those questions laying in that cabin next to Yeager, my mate. I would find answers in Gold Canyon tomorrow if there were answers to be had. Maybe there weren’t any and this was all to remain a mystery. I sensed, however, there was more to this than even Yeager knew but mayb
e that was just my need to fill in the blanks. In any case, morning would bring answers and hopefully, this would all work out for the best.
~~O~~
Yeager made us breakfast, more dry, doughy pancakes, as I dressed and tried to do something with my long, raven-black hair. I eventually just pulled it into a ponytail again but even then I wasn’t satisfied and redid it several times. I guess I was nervous and needed something to occupy my mind. We choked down the pancakes and then made ready to head back to town. We never made it, however.
“Ready?” Yeager asked as he took me into his arms near the door of the cabin.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied.
“You’re brave and strong. Everything will work out. You’ll see,” Yeager assured me and then kissed me. I hugged him tight to me as his lips lingered against mine. I didn’t want to let go. Yeager had become my rock, my protector and so much more. I was so afraid for him even though I was the one that couldn’t defend myself.
“I hope so,” I told him as the kiss was broken. Yeager slipped his hand into mine and opened the door. There standing ten paces from the door was Dolan and behind him his gang of black wolves roamed the forest. I gasped in horror as Yeager squeezed my hand.
“There’s no place you can run, gray!” Dolan announced. Yeager moved between Dolan and me protectively.
“So be it, Dolan. We settle this here and now but let Cassie go,” Yeager said. I tried to protest but Yeager shook his head and whispered, “Be ready to run. Don’t argue, just do it. Get to town, find a man called Murphy and tell him what’s going on.” I couldn’t go but Yeager’s eyes told me there was no other choice. I knew what he was going to do. He was going to hold off Dolan and his pack so I could escape. He was going to sacrifice himself for me. Dolan didn’t seem prepared to play along, however.
“Why would I let my prize go? After I tear your heart out and eat it, Yeager, I’m going to take her as my mate,” Dolan replied.
“She’s done nothing to you. Let her go and you can have me,” Yeager replied. I watched the exchange, full with dread. I couldn’t see anyway this would end well.
“I can’t leave you,” I told Yeager.
“I can take care of myself. You just bring help. It’s the only chance,” he told me in a harsh whisper. I didn’t want to go but he was right. It was all I could do to affect the outcome. I had to bring this Murphy, whoever he was. I nodded assuring Yeager I would do what was needed but I cursed my inability to do anything but run away.
“She’s a black! Look at her. That dark hair, those green eyes. She’s belongs with us, gray! You killed our father, Yeager. You’ll pay for that and she’ll take her rightful place at my side...whether she likes it or not,” Dolan said. His wolves continued to circle the cabin to guard against our escape. I looked at Yeager wondering exactly what the big biker was talking about.
“Your father, like you, was a renegade. He ignored the code and he deserved to die,” Yeager shouted. Dolan growled in anger.
“It’s your kind that is the trouble. You live by their rules. We should be ruling the humans but you and you’re kind would rather be their pets. I take what I want because I’m better than them. Just like my father took Cassie’s mother,” Dolan said. I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Bullshit, Dolan,” Yeager replied and then looked at me as if to reassure me it wasn’t true. But I knew it was. Something told me Dolan wasn’t lying.
“That black haired bitch isn’t my mother but Cassie is my half-sister. She belongs with us. She’s the key and I mean to have her. You can try to stand in the way, gray, but you’ll die,” Dolan warned. I had no idea what the big shifter was talking about and I didn’t want to find out. Suddenly, Yeager shifted. It took only a few seconds and must have cost him greatly by the howl of pain he let out. The gray wolf bolted from the cabin, wiggling from the clothes he wore moments earlier as he went, and Dolan never had a chance.
Yeager leapt and took the big man to the ground. He would have had Dolan’s neck in his jaws if they hadn’t tumbled down the slope in a jumble of gray fur and black leather. The other wolves followed and for a brief moment, I had a path to escape. I wanted to see what had become of Yeager but I steeled my resolve and ran away from the cabin. I had to save my mate!
I ran as fast as I could, wearing shoes now so I didn’t have to pick a careful path. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going but I figured if I headed downhill, I’d eventually find the highway. For ten minutes, I ran through the forest, stumbling and almost going down several times. I expected a black wolf to appear and end my escape but none did. I was thirty miles from Gold Canyon but I tried to remain optimistic. I’d find the highway, catch a ride and bring back Murphy. But as more time passed and I found myself in the middle of nowhere, desperately lost, I lost hope.
I stopped running to find my bearings. I’d never make it but I had to try. Near me, there was small rise and I climbed to the top of it to get my bearings. I couldn’t see anything but wilderness around me. Then I remembered my phone. I pulled it from my pocket and turned it on. Why did it take so long? Finally, it flared to life and I had bars. Yes! I dialed Edie.
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been worried...,” she began to say as she picked up.
“Edie, shut up. I need your help. Don’t ask questions, just do what I tell you,” I told her firmly.
“All right,” she said obviously hearing the distress in my voice.
“Find a biker named Murphy. Tell him Yeager needs his help. We’re about thirty miles up the highway near Yosemite. He needs to come now and he needs to bring friends,” I told Edie.
“I’ll do it. Are you OK?” she asked worriedly.
“For now, yes, but we need Murphy. Go now!” I told Edie. My friend told me she was already on her way out of the diner and then hung up. I felt better but it would take at least half an hour for Murphy to get here after Edie found him. That was assuming he came at all. I had no idea who Murphy was or what he could do. I could only assume he was a shifter and he would come to our aid.
I reflected on Dolan’s claim as I stood there. Was I really his sister? Was his father also mine? I didn’t want to believe it but I knew deep inside somehow he was telling the truth. I don’t know why but it made sense just like Yeager’s claims had when he revealed them to me. What Dolan’s claims meant, however, I wasn’t sure. However, I had no doubt that Dolan intended more than bringing his sister into the fold. He meant to make me his mate. The revulsion I felt at that thought drove me to action.
It was stupid but I turned and headed back towards the cabin. I had no idea what I could do to help, but I had to try. I had to help Yeager. He was my mate. I accepted that fully now. I cared deeply for him and whether those feelings came about through destiny or happenstance didn’t matter. I loved him and I couldn’t leave him to Dolan and his gang. The peril he was in cemented my love for the man. If we were going to die, we were going to die together. There was no way I would let Dolan take me as his mate.
I ran even faster towards the cabin. For all I knew, I was running towards my death but I didn’t care. I picked my way through the forest wishing I could move faster. Then I went down, my foot catching an exposed tree root. I tumbled and rolled down a slope and when I came to a stop, I was bleeding from my leg. I began to cry. I’d never make it in time. Yeager could only stand so long against four other wolves. What could I do? How could I help? If only I could be like Yeager. If only I could become a wolf.
~~O~~
The gray wolf ran for its life. The four black wolves pursued but the gray was faster and more nimble. Still, he’d almost been cornered several times. With multiple pursuers, it was only a matter of time. The gray wolf, however, wasn’t worried about his own survival. He was worried about his mate. This was a distraction to allow her to escape. The gray wolf that was Yeager knew Murphy and his friends could never get to him in time but they could protect Cassie and keep her safe after he was gone.
The gray wolf leapt over a fallen tree and then through a thick stand of trees. He had never been here before and hoped the terrain would work to his favor but it didn’t. The gray wolf that was Yeager broke through the trees and found a wall of rock. He skid to a halt and looked for a way to escape but the black wolves were on him too quickly. The black wolf that was Dolan, the one with the ragged scar on its face, led his pack towards the gray wolf. They surrounded the gray wolf leaving him no route to escape. He’d have to fight his way past them or he’d die here trying.
Then the gray wolf scented something strange and wonderful. The gray wolf scented his mate and she was coming.
~~O~~
I shook my head at the thought. I wasn’t a wolf but what if I were? I could help my mate, I could help Yeager. It was a ridiculous thought. Yeager wasn’t aware of any female shifters. Why would I think I was one? But it was all I had. I had no idea how to accomplish such a thing even if I could. I had to believe it was possible though. I had to. Yeager’s life depended on it. I had to do something to save the man I loved.
“Focus, Cassie. You can do this,” I told myself as I tried to banish my doubts. I took a deep breath and looked into myself. I tried to find that place within me that sensed this was all real from the beginning. The part of me that knew Yeager was my mate the moment he told me, maybe the moment I saw him. Maybe there I’d find an answer. I fought to quiet my mind, to push out the fear and apprehension. I fought to believe that I could do this because it’s all I had to hold on to.
I found nothing at first but I continued to seek what may not have even existed. Then I discovered a shred of memory, a flash of something distant. I strived to grab hold of it but the memory was elusive. I pursued it with a grim determination and almost let go of it as it came into focus. It wasn’t my memory that I’d found at all. The memory was that of a wolf. I found myself running through the woods on four paws. I followed another wolf, its mate I assumed. A moment later, I lost hold of the memory and it faded.