The Caledonian Forest was filled with ancient pine trees. With the sun setting, our hunt wouldn't last long. The ground was steep and rocky and at night, when we couldn't see our footing as well, it could be dangerous. Still, as wolves, that was part of the fun.
As we entered the woods, I let the others race ahead of me and enjoyed the feel of the earth beneath my paws. A rabbit peeked out from under some brush, and I pounced to make it run.
The rabbit was quick and ducked behind a tree, thinking it was out of my sight. I had no interest in capturing it, but I wanted the rush of a chase. Crouching low, I carefully stepped around the wide tree trunk when a familiar scent stopped me.
It was her! The girl I saw all those years ago climbing the sea stack. Putting my snout to the wind, I took in several short sniffs, and scent of raspberries surrounded me. This wasn't my imagination playing tricks on me, this was for real.
Stepping over the frightened rabbit, I followed the scent through the woods. I was in an unfamiliar area when I saw her. She was a female wolf with silver fur unlike any I had ever seen before. She was crouched down, ready to pounce, with her eyes focused in front of her.
Following her gaze, I noticed a deer in the clearing just ahead. I was so taken by her scent and the beauty of her fur that I didn't watch my step. As I put my weight onto one of my paws, the loud snap of a branch echoed through the trees, startling the deer, causing it to run away.
With bright amber eyes, the wolf turned and looked at me angrily with her teeth bared. She changed into her human form, her dark green eyes narrowed at me, her jaw clenched. She was naked but didn't seem to care.
My eyes roamed her lush, ample body. I longed to touch the softness of her skin, to feel the curves of her body pressed against me. I wanted to bury my face in her dark red hair and taste her neck. But now wasn't the time for that.
As she charged towards me, her eyes flashed angrily again. Unsure what to expect from her, I changed into human form.
"Do you have any idea how long I tracked that deer? It's my father's birthday tomorrow and that was going to be dinner. You owe me a deer," she said as she poked me hard in the chest.
I was speechless. No one had ever spoken to me that way before, let alone a woman.
She poked my chest again, this time a little slower, then moved her hand over my pecs and up to my shoulder. She tilted her head to the side as her eyes traveled down my body then back up.
"Hmm, you're strong, and you're much larger than me. I'm sure you'll have no problem getting me a deer," she said before she turned around.
"I'm not killing a deer," I said.
"Why not? It's your fault it ran away. It was meant to be a present for my father. Now what am I going to give him?"
"You can find something else to eat."
"I don't want anything else to eat. Like I told you, it was for my father's birthday, and he deserves something special."
Thinking about the young girl climbing the sea stack and now the woman hunting game for her father, I had to smile. She was far from that young girl now with her womanly figure and full bosom. I forced my eyes away from her body and settled on her face. She folded her arms over her chest, and her eyes narrowed at me again.
"You think I'm funny because I'm a woman, don't you?"
"No, not at all. I was just thinking, remembering something. I've seen you before. It was many years ago. You were climbing in Handa."
"Aha! I knew I recognized your scent," she said. "That was the last time I was there. My father forbade me to return. He said it was too dangerous, but I just wanted to visit my mother's grave."
She looked down and then turned back towards where she was watching the deer.
I thought about how fate worked in such mysterious ways that it introduced me to her so many years ago and then brought her back into my life again. I wasn't going to risk another ten years of not finding her again.
"I returned to those cliffs hoping to see you again."
"Why?" she asked. "You've never seen a girl climb a sea stack before?"
"It has nothing to do with that. I think I returned for the same reason I found you now. We're meant to be together. I can feel it. Every part of me says you belong to me."
She turned and looked at me for a moment then back towards the clearing.
"I'm not a chattel. I don't belong to anyone."
"I didn't mean it like that," I said.
"Shh! There he is. I knew he'd be back," she said as she flashed me a grin with her glowing amber eyes.
"Wait," I said. "Will you tell me your name?"
"Ainsley Drummond. And you're Bran MacCulloch."
She changed into her wolf form and leapt towards the deer. The deer bounced out of the clearing and back into the woods, but Ainsley didn't follow it. Instead, she turned back towards me and then left in the other direction.
I turned and walked back towards the area my clan was hunting in. Imagining the feel of her hand on my chest, I stayed in human form. I didn't want to forget her warmth.
A familiar wolf loped closer to where I was standing. "You met someone, didn't you?" Donal said as he changed into his human form.
"She's remarkable," I said. "She's even a hunter."
"Aye, the Drummond girl," Donal said.
"You know her?" I asked.
"Of course. She's the only lass who enters these parts of the woods."
"She hunts like a man," I said, looking towards the direction of the deer.
"She's named for a man, too. I heard her father was hoping for a son and when he didn't get one, he raised one anyway."
"I saw her long ago, at Handa, and never forgot about her. Her soul speaks to mine."
"You must be drunk," he said as he clapped his hand on my shoulder with a laugh. "Besides, she knows better than to mingle with the likes of us. Her father is clan chief, and he'd never allow it."
"Just as my father wouldn't," I said. "Our clans are apparently old foes."
***
Later that night after tossing and turning in my cot, I looked out the small window of my family's cottage. The night was clear but moonless, making it seem darker than it should have been.
I couldn't sleep. The only thing I was capable of doing was thinking about her. Ainsley Drummond. I wasn't going to wait any longer to see her again.
Stepping out into the cool air, I changed into my wolf. My village was asleep as I knew hers would be, too. A run would help clear my mind and bring me closer to her.
Chapter Four
Ainsley
The sound of a howling wolf woke me from my sleep. I let my eyes adjust to the dark and waited. I knew the wolf would howl again. It was Bran. I couldn't explain how I knew, I just did.
Glancing across the room to where my father lay, I listened for the steady breath of sleep. I got out of bed in my long white kirtle and stood in front of the window, trying to spot him on the horizon. Was he out there? Or was I dreaming?
I was about to give up and return to bed when a howl broke the silence. I turned around and checked on my father, who was still deeply asleep. I could probably leave our cottage and he would never know I was gone.
Opening the large wooden door of our home, I stepped outside and quickly closed the door behind me, not wanting the cool air to wake my father. Stepping towards the shed where I had hidden my clothes plenty of times before, I was ready to change into my wolf form when I caught his scent.
I closed my eyes as I let his familiar scent surround me. It strengthened, and I knew he had changed to human form. I waited, listening for his bare feet, which hardly made a sound as he came up behind me.
I would never admit it to him, but I remembered him from that day long ago, too. I spotted him with his father all those years ago. He was the reason I never returned to my mother's grave since. My father wouldn't let me.
"Come with me," Bran whispered, his warm breath against my neck sending chills through my body.
He picked me up, cradling me in his
arms, and my arms went around his strong shoulders. I grinned at him as I remembered touching him in the forest earlier and how badly I wanted him then.
"The barn," I said as I pointed to the slouching wooden structure. "There's a blanket in there I sometimes nap on."
We entered the barn and without putting me down, I grabbed an oil lamp and he walked to the far corner of the barn where none of the animals went. My wool blanket was still spread over the ground.
He set me on the ground gently, then turned on the oil lamp. It was dim enough that anyone outside wouldn't notice a light on in the barn. He knelt in front of me on the blanket and I got on my knees to face him.
His body was chiseled and muscular with some dark hair on his chest. I reached up and pushed his wavy dark hair back, and our eyes met.
Bran's eyes were a pale grey that reminded me of storm clouds, but it gave me nothing but comfort. As I lost myself in his gaze, he smiled and softly touched my cheek.
"I've dreamt about you my entire life," he said.
He dipped his face down to mine, and his full lips closed over my mouth. His hands cupped my face as his tongue slipped between my lips.
The kiss made me dizzy. I moved my hands behind his neck to keep my balance. I didn't want him to stop, but he pulled away. With his forehead against mine, he looked deep into my eyes.
"Say something, Ainsley," he said. "Anything. Tell me you feel the same, tell me you hate me. I just need to hear your voice."
"I hate you," I said as I pulled off my kirtle. "I hate you for taking so long to find me."
Moving his arm behind my head, we laid down on the blanket. My head nestled on his shoulder as his arm curved down along my back and held me tightly against his body. I had never felt so secure before.
His lips met mine again and the barn vanished. It didn't matter where I was, I was with him. He pulled me closer to him, pressing my breasts against his chest. I held onto him tightly, wanting to feel as much of him against me as I could.
Releasing me a bit, his lips traveled to my neck and shivers ran through my body. As he kissed my neck, his hand moved down my side to my hip and he pulled my hips closer to his, letting me feel his hardness pressed against me. His hand slid further down over my thigh until his fingers clasped me tightly and he pulled my leg up towards his hip.
His lips came back to mine and I ran my palm along the rough stubble of his chin. Bran pulled back and our eyes met again. He pushed back my long hair from my face and then traced my face with his fingertips.
"I know it sounds crazy, Ainsley, and I know you don't know me, but know that I will never hurt you. You are the other part of me and without you, I'm nothing."
"I do know you," I said. "I've always known you. You are my mate, my one love. Fate brought us together and nothing will ever come between us."
Chapter Five
Bran
Present Day, Leeds Point
"Bran? You okay?" Rafael asked, his voice full of concern.
I blinked and focused on the man in front of me. It was disappointing to not still be in that barn all those years ago.
"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about her," I said.
"I was wondering where you went. What happened when you went to her that night?"
My memories filled me once more, but I was too much of a gentleman to tell anyone those details. I smiled at my new friend, and he laughed and nodded as he filled a frosted mug with more beer.
"We knew our families would never understand. Both of our fathers were so stuck in the past as feuding clans. They wouldn't be able to see the love we had for each other. So we met in secret.
"Each day, we would sneak through the woods to meet. We couldn't be without each other, and every day the time we spent apart became worse. I wanted nothing more than to marry Ainsley and be with her forever, but neither of us had told our families about each other.
"My father despised Clan Drummond for reasons I would never understand. For years after the wolf hunts had begun, I tried to convince my father that joining our clan with theirs would help protect our kind, but he wouldn't hear any of it. If he wouldn't join our clans for protection, there was no way he would let our clans join for love."
Chapter Six
Bran
Mid-1500s, Scotland
The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky a fiery red that made me think of Ainsley's hair. I couldn't believe how different she made me. I was incomplete without her before, now I was whole.
As my twenty-first birthday approached, my father had been reminding me of my duties to the clan and how I would one day lead them. None of it mattered to me anymore. His talks only served as a reminder that Ainsley and I shouldn't be together. But I didn't care about that anymore. I was a man, and as a man I was going to make my own decisions.
Our clan was already closing their doors and heading inside for the night. Several torches lit our small village as we waited for any stray hunters to return. I could see the sway of a candle in my home as my mother cleaned up after my father.
Something felt different when I entered the house. This was my home, yet I felt as though my decision to tell them about Ainsley had already changed that. I banged the heels of my boots on the doorway to remove any excess mud. It was a habit my mother instilled in me when I was young, and as I did it, she gave me a wistful smile as if it reminded her of something long ago.
"Didya eat, Bran?" she asked.
"I'm fine, I just want to talk. Is Father here?"
Her brow wrinkled and her eyes narrowed a bit, but she didn't ask what was on my mind. Turning away, she pointed outside.
"He's checking on the mare again. Seems a stone is caught in her hoof and she won't let your father near it."
"Can you come, too?" I asked as I opened the door again. "I'd like to speak to you both."
"Of course," she said as she grabbed her shawl and followed me out the door.
As we entered the barn, the horse snorted at my father and backed away. With the light of day disappearing, the horse would only get more spooked by my father's impatience, a trait which was unfortunately handed down to me.
Sighing, I stepped between my father and the horse and put my hand on his neck. The large animal felt tense. Looking at his hoofs, I noticed he kept raising one briefly off the ground.
"You're going to spook him," my father said. "I can handle this."
"It's getting dark, and he's never liked you," I said.
Gently stroking his neck, the animal dipped his head down as if giving me permission. I stepped around to the hoof and placed my hand on it, waiting for him to either lift it or knock me away. Based on the hay in my father's hair, he had been knocked away a lot.
The horse lifted its hoof, and I quickly grabbed a brush to clear away some mud. Wedged into the curve of his hoof was a sharp stone. When I touched it, the horse pulled his hoof away but lifted it again. Slowly shifting the stone, I was able to dislodge it.
"I warmed him up for you, lad," my father said with a grin.
"I need to talk to you," I said, giving my parents a serious look.
"Is something the matter?"
"I'm going to ask for a woman's hand in marriage. I'm in love."
"Oh, that's wonderful," my mother said, her face lighting up. "Is it the Fraiser girl? I've seen how she looks at you."
"No, it's not. She's not from our clan. Her name is Ainsley Drummond."
"A Drummond? You know better than that!" my father roared.
"I love her, and I don't care about whatever past our families have. What I care about is her."
"You have to forget about her, Bran," my mother said softly, her eyes cast down towards the floor.
"Forget about her? She's all I can think about," I said.
"I told you it was wrong to not tell him something sooner," my father said.
"Tell me what?"
"Bran, please listen," my mother said as my father paced the dirt floor of the barn. "Clan Drummond is...differen
t from us."
"They're not different," I said. "They're a clan of shifters, no different than we are. As a matter of fact, when I come into power and am called to lead the clan, I'm going to make sure that whatever feud is over between us. We need to help protect each other now that the humans are hunting wolves."
"This has nothing to do with being shifters," my father said.
"Then what?"
"She will only cause you heartache. I'm trying to protect you from that."
"You don't even know her."
"I know she's not one of us," my father said as he stormed out of the barn.
I turned to follow him, wanting to fight. How could he say that about Ainsley? He didn't know her. Just as I was ready to go after him, my mother put her hand on my arm.
"Bran, listen to me."
Her brown eyes begged for my attention. I nodded and turned to face her. She was my mother, and I would listen to whatever she had to say.
"Your father wanted to tell you so many years ago, but the clan decided back then that we would not reveal the truth about us until the time was right. We wanted our children to grow and be strong and happy. None of the clan wanted them to be weighed down with this curse."
"Curse? What are you talking about?" I asked.
"None of us know how it really happened, but Clan MacCulloch was cursed centuries ago. It's why we forbade anyone to marry or associate with Clan Drummond even though they're the nearest to us. You were born and have grown like any other person, but now that you've reached adulthood, you will stop aging."
"That's absurd!"
"Stop, Bran. Just please listen. Our clan cannot die. There are others out there who are like us, but Clan Drummond is not one of them. If you were to marry her, she would age and you wouldn't. You and your children would still look young as she died of old age. I couldn't bear for you to experience that. None of us wanted that for our children, so we told all of you about the war against Clan Drummond. It was for the best."
Wolf at Her Door: BBW Paranormal Romance Page 2