by Melissa Haag
“No.” The males around me settled down, sensing the truth.
“You may speak to her, but you may not touch her while you are in there.”
Her words settled into my mind, wrapping around my will. I pulled back my lip in a silent snarl at the unnecessary show of power. Damn Elders. I wouldn’t have touched the human even if Winifred hadn’t forced the rule on me. Did she think I had so little control?
With one last angry look at her, I turned away and strode to the door. I almost opened it just to annoy Winifred but knocked on the surface at the last moment. If I startled the human, she wouldn’t want to spend time with me.
Mary pulled the door open a moment later, and I stepped inside.
“Your father and Gregory are waiting for you outside,” I said, my gaze already sweeping the room.
The human sat at the table, a plate of food before her. She’d been picking at the piece of fowl on her plate; but when I’d walked in, she had glanced up and now stared at me. Her frozen gaze pierced me with the mix of emotions I saw there. Shy. Wary. Interested. All in a single look. I wanted to walk to her and see what else her scent might reveal. Did she feel the pull as strongly as I did? Did she like looking at me as much as I liked looking at her? Was her hair as soft as it looked?
“Waiting? For what?” Mary asked, still standing before me, reminding me of why I’d come.
“You said you wanted a bed. Gregory’s not foolish enough to pick one without you along. He knows how this game is played.”
The human flushed lightly in her guilt, confirming my suspicion.
“Game?” she said, finally acknowledging me.
“She won’t like the one he brings back, right?” I said.
She shook her head slowly then went back to picking at her meal. She needed to eat her food, not play with it. I pulled back my lip and fought back my surge of concern for her.
“Charlene? Do you mind if I go?” Mary asked.
“Why are you asking her? Is she your leader?” I couldn’t help the anger in my words. The hold this human had over Gregory’s Mate was already too strong. Gregory shouldn’t have agreed to wait; he should have Claimed his Mate as soon as he laid eyes on her.
Mary looked at me with disbelief.
“I’m asking because Wini wanted to be sure she’s okay staying here alone.”
“She won’t be alone. I’ll stay with her.”
Mary glanced at the human.
“I’ll be fine,” the girl said. “Thanks for your concern, Mary. And have fun.”
Mary looked at the human, gave me a warning stare like a mama bear protecting her cub, then walked out the door. I would need to talk to Gregory about trying to separate the two. Nothing good would come from Mary’s growing protectiveness.
Alone with the girl, I slowly approached as she went back to eating her meal. She wasn’t as small as Mary, like I’d first thought. Taller, but leaner, the top of her pale head would probably come up to my chin. I stood behind her and stared down at her long strands of hair. Firelight flickered, casting rich golden hues that held me entranced. The need to reach out and touch it almost overwhelmed me, and I silently thanked Winifred for her rule.
What kind of hold did this human have on me? If it was even half as intense for the rest, we would kill each other for just a look from her.
She needed to leave.
She needed to look at me.
“I’m Thomas,” I said.
She didn’t turn as she said a quiet hello. Instead, she took a bite of potato and slowly chewed.
Inhaling, I scented her annoyance and resolve. Neither emotion made sense. I stared at the back of her head for another moment before walking around the table and sitting across from her.
She kept her gaze on her food, but didn’t try to hide her face. I saw the sleep lines on her cheeks and the exhausted circles under her eyes. She’d told the truth about being tired then; her retreat earlier hadn’t been to escape me.
When she reached for her drink, I saw the healing bites on her neck. The scabs were thick and well attached yet. She still had a long way to go before she healed completely.
The graceful way she moved almost hid just how much the wounds still hurt her. My fists clenched under the table as I realized her slow, small bites weren’t just a tactic to delay looking at me. The extent and depth of her wounds were making it difficult for her to swallow. I wanted to find the two who’d done that to her and rip out their throats.
The intensity of the emotions I fought brought a fine sheen of sweat to my brow, and I hoped she wouldn’t notice when she looked up. I needed to focus. I was with her for a reason.
Who was she really? Why was she here?
As she finished chewing, I noted the boniness of her wrists and almost stopped her when she stood to throw the remains into the flames. She needed more nourishment. I scowled and pushed that thought away. It was too easy to lose focus as I studied her. The way she moved…the way she looked…the way she smelled. It all distracted me.
She went to the sink and washed the plate, completely ignoring that I was still in the room. Of the two of us, I had more right to feel annoyed. She was in my territory and totally indifferent to my presence while she cleaned her hands and face and set the plate aside to dry.
Sensing she was getting ready to retreat once more, I stood.
“Winifred said you’ve made some changes. Show me.”
She turned and studied me. The careful sweep of her light blue gaze tugged at my gut. The pull deepened to an obsessive draw. If she tried to deny me, I would follow her regardless.
After a moment, wary suspicion gave way to reluctant acceptance.
“Of course,” she said, moving away from the pump.
She took the lantern from the table and led the way from the main room. I trailed behind her, inhaling deeply. She didn’t go far before she pushed open a door and stepped aside so I could see in. I stepped close, pretending to look at the room.
Instead of studying the space, I studied her as she told me about replacing windows and something else. I really didn’t care about any of it. I only cared about her reasons for doing the things she did. However, her scent distracted me. My canines grew longer, and I itched to lean closer and breath her in. Only Winifred’s command kept me from burying my face in her hair.
She stopped talking and looked up at me. Her pulse gave the tiniest increase as our gazes held. Another hint that the pull I felt was mutual. My pulse quickened in response.
A human Mate. She was too fragile. She knew it, too. Why else would she board up windows instead of enjoying the fresh air? The human stink had just barely left the place, and now she wanted to bring it back. Only, she didn’t stink.
“Which rooms have the whole windows?” I asked. I didn’t care. I just wanted to keep following her scent.
Her gaze shifted over my face as if trying to decide my sincerity.
“The main room and several on the second floor. It will be easier to board up windows on the main floor.”
“Show me.”
She hesitated, and a hint of concern soured her scent as her gaze fell to the floor. Her hand lifted to her throat, and her fingers brushed her collarbone, just inches from the wounds.
She was afraid. Of me. Of being bitten again. I wanted to bite her. I wanted to sink my teeth in her skin and make her mine. And I hated myself for it.
“Have you lost your way already?” I asked, provoking her.
The fear evaporated as her hand fell to her side. With a slight glare in my direction, she turned and walked away. As I followed, she motioned to other rooms she’d finished. I didn’t look away from her. The gentle way she moved mesmerized me. She led me up the nearest set of stairs and pointed to a few closed doors with an explanation that those rooms hadn’t been touched yet.
Then she stopped before a door that emanated her scent. I looked down at her, knowing we’d finally arrived at her room.
“Does your room have a repaired window?
”
“Yes.”
She didn’t move to open the door, though. And, I wouldn’t leave without seeing what kind of den she’d created for herself and Mary.
“Show me.”
FOUR
She stared at me for a moment. When she narrowed her eyes at me, I thought she’d tell me no. But then, she reached back and opened the door.
I followed her into the room and inhaled deeply. The bed was in the middle of the room. She had a dresser without drawers shoved to the side and had stacked a few items of clothing there. A few pieces of dirty clothing lay on the floor.
I’d expected more. Humans liked their things. Although what Charlene had in her room was more than any wolf would possess, it wasn’t as much as humans usually kept. The bed had a thin blanket on it with a thicker blanket folded at the foot.
She would freeze in winter. She probably froze now.
“Are you comfortable at night?” I asked, turning toward her.
The lantern lit her face with warm tones, stealing the shadows of exhaustion from her, while the silver light of the moon made her hair glow. Bathed in moonlight, she called to me. Human. Werewolf. Our differences fell away, and in that moment, we were a boy and a girl both lost in our worlds and struggling to survive.
There would never be another female prettier or who I would want more than I did the girl before me. Grey was right. I needed to set aside my hate so I could see what was in front of me. A chance. A possibility. A future.
Her wary expression suddenly changed. Genuine surprise lit her features and colored her scent.
“You want to bite me, too, don’t you?”
Had she really not known? Her naivety made me want her more.
“Yes.”
She shivered, and I heard her pulse skip. My canines lengthened, and my fingers itched to touch her hair. I would fist my hands in it as I tilted her head to the side. Saliva pooled in my mouth as I imagined sinking my teeth into her skin.
“Biting hurts, you know. A lot. So, I’ll pass.” She turned and started to walk away from me.
“I saw you, and I couldn’t breathe,” I said. What idiocy had made me say that? Yet, when she stopped walking away, I kept going. “The world and all of the responsibilities it’s given me fell away. There was only you, and I wanted nothing else.” And a part of me still hated myself for feeling any of it.
She stopped walking but didn’t turn. “And now?”
“Now...”
I ran my hand through my hair. It should have been fur. I was spending too much time in my skin and starting to think differently. I needed to remember why I was here. We were dying.
“Responsibilities never go away. My people depend on me. I want you. But I can’t walk away from my responsibilities to chase you.”
“Chase me? I don’t want to be chased.”
Her words gave me hope that she might not be playing a game.
“Then give me your permission to Claim you.”
She snorted.
“You don’t know the first thing about what it takes to be human,” she said, confusing me.
“What does that have to do with Claiming you?”
“I’m human,” she said in exasperation. “Just what are you going to do with me when you Claim me?”
Surely she wasn’t so young as to not understand what came next.
“Do you think I’d survive a winter in these woods? Are you ready to live in this place permanently? How will you feed me? I’ve noticed your kind doesn’t seem to think vegetables are a requirement in their daily menu. For me, they are. I can get sick from lack of the right foods, from exposure, from...well, a lot. And I don’t heal like you.”
She tilted her head, exposing her neck. I knew she only meant to show me the marks already there, but that much skin was like an invitation. I needed to touch her and tried to move forward. I couldn’t. Winifred’s command kept me locked in place.
“You need to learn what it means to be human before you can care for one.”
My temper boiled as I stared at those scabbed spots. It should have been my teeth. I couldn’t change the past, but I could influence the future.
“While you’re in here hiding, they’re out there fighting. This needs to end. I know you’re the right one.” I waited for her to acknowledge it, but she didn’t. Suppressing my annoyance, I tried again. “With your permission, we could end this chaos.”
“What if you bite me, and it doesn’t work again?” she asked.
“It will work.” I could feel how right she was for me.
“I understand you’re certain, but I’m not. What if it doesn’t work?”
“I’m certain enough for both of us. I smell you, and I know.” Need tightened in my gut as she stood before me, challenging everything I believe in.
She snorted again.
“The other two who bit me thought they knew, too. So, since you’re not inclined to think ahead and plan for more than one possibility, allow me. If you bite me and it doesn’t work, those men out there will become more aggressive. They won’t content themselves with just meeting me because they’ll know I’ve given my permission to you, and each one will want his chance at a little nip. The fighting will escalate. And—here’s the important part—I’ll have another wound to try to keep clean.
“My answer remains a very firm no. If you don’t like it, tell me to leave. I’m not sure this is the right place for me, anyway.”
My chest squeezed at the thought of her leaving. At the same time, a collective howl rose outside.
You need to return now, Winifred sent me. I cannot stop those who are waiting to challenge you, but I will keep it fair.
I looked once more at Charlene then turned and left, lost in thought.
Not long ago, Grey, Gregory, and I had come close to an automobile fueling station. The smell had stung our noses, but I’d wanted to study what the humans did there. A car had pulled in with music blaring from its open windows. I recalled the song’s words about the woman wondering if her man would still love her tomorrow. We’d mocked it at the time. Mates loved each other until death. There was no second guessing the choice, like humans seemed to do. Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder. In those few moonlit moments, I’d wanted Charlene. Badly. Would I still want her tomorrow? I hoped not.
When I walked out the main room door, several males were waiting for me. Winifred stood not far behind.
“Keep the challenges fair,” she said. “One to one.”
“That doesn’t seem very fair to them,” Grey said with a cocky grin.
I gave him a look then faced the males.
“You lied,” one said.
“You know I didn’t. I went in there because I wanted to know what game this human was playing. I wanted her gone.”
“And do you still?” Winifred asked, calmly behind them.
I gave a frustrated growl and scratched the back of my head.
“Yes. No. I don’t know. She’s confusing me.”
One of the men barked a laugh.
“Pup, stand aside so a real male can take her.”
I snorted, an echo of noise that Charlene seemed to favor when I was around.
“Take her? I don’t think any of us can. But if there is a line, you’ll be standing behind me.”
The man growled and stepped forward.
Grey stood beside Winifred. Humor lit his eyes as I moved to meet the man. These males were older. They had more experience and had hunted their share of big game. But, I wasn’t big game. I’d studied humans, toyed with bears and wolverines. I’d never held any territory and had spent every day of my life moving. Surviving.
They had nothing on me.
The first man conceded within minutes, as did the second and third. By the sixth man, sweat stung my eyes. More men stood in line to challenge me as they saw it as a sign of exhaustion. They didn’t understand my drive. No matter the occasion, I would be first when it came to the female inside.
Winifred, who had le
ft briefly during the earlier fights, called a halt after the tenth bout.
“It is your right to challenge. However, it is my duty to keep the females safe. Mary and Gregory are returning. If you want to continue these challenges tonight, you must leave sanctuary grounds. Or, you can postpone them until tomorrow after daylight. Charlene needs her rest.”
Sanctuary lands covered hundreds of acres. No one would want to leave for that long and jeopardize losing his place. Those waiting to challenge me walked away.
Grey came over and clapped me on the back. I winced. One of the mongrels had managed to wrench my shoulder.
“That was good, little brother,” he said, holding my chin as he inspected my face. “Tomorrow you might want to dodge more or you won’t be so pretty.”
I laughed. “Tomorrow you can keep your mouth shut and not egg them on.”
“Ha,” he said, letting go and walking beside me. “This proved to them you’re no pup. No one is going to want to challenge you tomorrow because no one wants to be the first of ten to lose.”
I shook my head at his logic and reached out to Gregory.
Winifred said you’re on your way. How soon?
We’re still an hour out. This junk is a pain in my tail to carry.
I grinned.
Grey and I are going for a swim. We’ll be here to help get it inside.
He didn’t need our help, but giving it was a perfect way to see the human one more time before I closed my eyes for the night. When Gregory didn’t comment, I grinned at Grey.
“Gregory’s going to be a while yet. Let’s swim.”
We jogged out of the clearing and headed toward a lake I vaguely remembered. As we ran, I looked over at Grey.
“I think Winifred purposely saved my tail.”
“I think you’re right. I’m still trying to figure out why.”
“Me too.”
* * * *
“Do not wake her,” Winifred said with a warning growl as she opened the door for us.
Gregory and I carried the mattress. It wasn’t heavy. But its floppy awkwardness was easier to handle with two sets of hands.
Henry and Mary followed with the headboard and frame. Paul stayed behind to let Winifred know which home they’d ended up entering for the bed.