Canyon Wolf Bride

by Alisha Paige

  He looked like her Sean, only sadder. She wanted to tell him to go away, but she did still love him. Her pulse raced faster and the stress he caused just by sitting next to her made her want to go back to bed and bury her head. She would never get used to it. This was just too weird. She felt like he might change into a wolf at any moment. Sean didn’t say anything. He just stared at her. Every now and then he would run a hand through his wet hair, sending drops of water flying. Sean could hear them drop into the sofa in the dead silence.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so rude. Do you want your robe? I can throw your clothes into the dryer for you?”

  Sean shook his head no. He hated how formal she had become. She was much too polite. What had happened to his Paige? Usually by now she would be sitting on his lap, looking up at him and stroking his jaw before he bent over for a kiss. He wanted to hold her, but he didn’t want to scare her off. He told himself to remain calm and be patient. He didn’t want to do anything to upset her and get himself kicked out.

  “Please, honey. Let me fetch your robe for you. You look absolutely miserable.”

  She had called him honey. A tiny fire lit within his belly. Maybe he had a chance. She stood to get his robe from the bedroom. He was undoing his jeans and attempting to peel the wet denim from his legs when she walked back in. She gasped loudly. He had already taken off his shirt and was nearly naked. Half the time he never wore underwear and today he had chosen not to. Paige didn’t understand how that could be comfortable, but she wasn’t complaining. It always gave her a small thrill when she slipped her hand into his back pocket, knowing that a tiny piece of material separated her palm from his taut bottom. Sean looked up quickly as she gasped and realized he should have changed in the bathroom. He ran another hand through his hair and gave an apologetic half smile. Paige turned around and handed him the robe with her arm out stretched behind her. How ridiculous. She had seen him naked hundreds of times, but she didn’t want to see him like that again. It would be too easy to give in to him and then where would they be?

  “Okay, you can turn around,” Sean lied, wanting her to want him.

  Paige turned around and gasped again. “Sean!”

  “What?” he asked as he stood naked as a jay bird.

  His clothes were lying on the floor, along with the robe she had provided him.

  “Come on, Paige. You’ve seen me naked before. Does this bother you?” he asked smugly, turning around slowly, modeling for her.

  She noticed that he was growing hard and she swallowed, trying to keep her cool. She wanted to run to him. She longed for his strong arms to hold her and comfort her and tell her everything would be okay. But he stood his ground, torturing her and testing her femininity. He would never be able to resist her and he knew she felt the same way. He just wanted to make her beg for it. If the situation would have been reversed, he would have already carried her to the bedroom and they would be well on their way to paradise.

  “Either put your robe on or I’ll refuse to dry your clothes,” she insisted, crossing her arms and focusing on his face, instead of his hard, muscled chest and inviting arms. Damn, she wanted those arms to hold her. Why was he doing this to her?

  “I don’t care,” he replied smugly, crossing his arms as well.

  Paige stormed past him toward the kitchen to make some coffee when he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. In two seconds flat she was nestled against his chest as his large hands crushed into her silky hair. He kissed the top of her head and she let him. She closed her eyes and reveled at his touch. He smelled so good. Like rain and wood smoke and Sean. She wept softly on his chest as he gathered her up effortlessly into his arms. He carried her to the bedroom, kissing her all the way.

  “Baby, I won’t hurt you. I promise. It’s me. Nothing’s changed. You just know more about me. I’m the same guy you loved yesterday,” he whispered into her hair.

  He wiped her tears away with one strong finger, then kissed her wet cheeks until her crying subsided. Paige shook beneath his touch. When her eyes met his, he saw pure terror. She shut her eyes tight, turning her head into the pillow. Her face contorted with fear while her breathing grew shallower with each breath. Sean worried that she might faint again.

  “Baby, please, trust me,” Sean pleaded.

  Paige didn’t move. She remained glued to the bed, frozen like a dead animal. He shook her gently by the shoulders to see if she was still with him and she screamed like a maniac. Sean jumped back and away from her. Paige sat up, trembling and shaking so much that the headboard knocked against the wall.

  “Honey, calm down.” He reached out for her and she backed away. “Damn it, Paige, it’s me,” he roared.

  She screamed again and curled into a tiny ball with her hands covering her head. She shook like a mouse and he suddenly grew angrier at her. She looked ridiculous. She was acting like a frightened child. Surely, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her.

  “What are you doing?” he demanded.

  Paige mumbled from her fetal position, but he couldn’t understand her.

  “What?”

  She mumbled again.

  “I can’t understand a damn thing you’re saying, Paige. Sit up,” he commanded.

  She lifted her head a little bit, just long enough to eke the words out.

  “Don’t eat me.”

  “You’ve never protested before,” he joked, leaning over her, brushing her hair aside and kissing the tender skin at the nape of her neck.

  Goosebumps covered Paige’s body. They were borne of both fear and desire and she realized as she began to give in, that it was a delicious combination of arousal. Surely he would have eaten her by now. He had had plenty of chances. Slowly she sat up and faced him, looking him straight in the eye. For the first time, she felt her heart thaw a bit. He was irresistible and she not only wanted him badly, but she needed him more than ever. The thought of losing him had made her feel lost and more depressed than she ever imagined. She had cancelled shopping with Meg and her mother and even they noticed something in her voice. She had told them she must have caught something, but they still sounded worried and neither one of them had believed her.

  Sean smiled sadly at her, his eyes full of longing and desire, pleading with her. She sat on her knees and scooted toward him on the bed as tears fell to the soft sheets below. He took her face in his hands and with his eyes, asked her to trust him. She nodded slightly, telling him that she would try as he covered her mouth with hungry kisses that seared through her like gasoline thrown onto a three alarm fire. She responded greedily, tasting him with her lips and her tongue, pulling him toward her and onto the bed. He lay on top of her as her robe created a soft barrier between them. He needed to feel her skin on his own. He needed to know that this was real and she was beneath him and she was his, like she had been before. He reached the tie at her waist and eagerly undid it, opening her robe. His finger found her navel and he palmed her entire belly, holding his hand there, loving the soft, warm concave pit. He made his way down her neck, kissing her feverishly. He kissed her shoulders and loved on her breasts, watching them rise with each kiss. She buried her tiny hands in his wet hair as he kissed each rib. He stopped there and closed his eyes. She held him close to her as tears spilled down her cheeks.

  He never wanted this moment to end. He could feel her and smell her as she held him to her, running her fingers through his hair. He fingered the lace around her black panties and she lifted her knees up, resting her feet on the bed. He lay beneath her rib cage. She could feel the pulse at his temple and thought of the wolf for a second. She wondered if he thought about her when he was in wolf form. Did he still love her? Did she look the same to him or was she just a woman and he a wolf? Woman and animal coexisting on the mountain. She wanted to ask him a million questions, but something held her back. Was it fear? Maybe it would be better if she didn’t know the details. His breathing slowed as she stroked his head. She closed her eyes, happy that he was home. Soon he was fast asleep. He be
longed with her and she belonged with him. She couldn’t deny it, but she had so many questions and they were all so strange. The rain continued to fall into the afternoon as she fell asleep holding him, dreaming of kissing him in a glorious white dress on their wedding day next to the falls in Havasu Canyon.

  ****

  They had spent the remainder of the weekend making love as the rain fell steadily. That night, Paige made a salad and baked some potatoes while Sean grilled steaks under the porch outside. He ran in and out, flipping the steaks quickly as the rain continued to run down the mountainside as a cold front moved in. Sean built a fire and they ate on television trays and watched an old Jimmy Stewart movie that both of them loved. After dinner, they took a walk in the rain, wearing rain coats and goulashes. They played like children, jumping in puddles and splashing each other.

  Paige decided by nightfall that she didn’t care what he was. The only thing she was certain of was her love for him. They spoke very little about the wolf, except when Sean called the hospital to check on Aunt Bette. She was doing well and in good spirits. Both of them planned to visit her the next day when the rains were scheduled to stop. The little bit that they did speak of the wolf still brought chills to Paige. She wanted to forget about it and pretend it didn’t happen, but she knew that was impossible. She asked Sean to promise to never change into the wolf in her presence. She didn’t think her heart would be able to survive it and he had agreed. He said he would never let her see him change unless he had to change in order to save her life. She decided that only in an emergency would it be acceptable and then told him how weird it was that they were discussing something so bizarre. She told him she felt like she was locked in an episode of The Twilight Zone and they had both laughed. Sean said he’d felt like that his whole life, but not so much nowadays. It wasn’t that big of a deal anymore. It was simply a part of his life and he even compared his monthly kill to her daily ritual of brushing her teeth. She frowned at his analogy, telling him she didn’t see how something as mundane as brushing her teeth could compare to killing and eating a living, breathing creature and he just laughed. He insisted it was and thought nothing of it. In time she would think nothing of it either. He told her how Aunt Bette had become a wolf and Paige look horrified. She had initially thought that Aunt Bette was born half wolf, like he had. It was even more terrifying to find out that she had been caught in the middle of a fight between a bear and Uncle Charles in wolf form. Aunt Bette must have been more shocked than she had been. Not only did she witness her husband change into a wolf, but she had been bitten and had to undergo the change with no advance warning. Paige was worried that it would happen to her, but Sean told her that the chances were very small at best.

  Paige took Monday off, so they could visit Aunt Bette in the hospital. After breakfast on Monday morning, Sean shocked her even further when he told her about Coming Wind and the Havasupai. Sean had explained that he had been just as shocked. Paige’s jaw dropped when he told her that he had been the wolf that saved Red Hawk and his cousin and that Coming Wind had found him out. She was horrified when Sean told her that Red Hawk would soon learn how to undergo the change and he too would be a hunter of the night. Sean explained that he had thought that he and Aunt Bette belonged to a faction of nearly extinct canis lupus nubilus homo sapiens. He knew there were more out there, but he wasn’t sure how many. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that there would be a tribe of Indians living at the bottom of the Grand Canyon who carried the gene.

  Sean told her that in time he wanted them to move there. Paige stared at him in awe when he spoke of the alpha wolf and the tribe’s need for a new leader. He explained that Coming Wind would be stepping down so that he could travel more and attend book signings and art exhibits. He told her how bad he had felt when Corn Flower was forced to lie to her in order to keep her overnight and safe from the full moon hunt. She could hardly believe her ears. It was so strange, yet new and exciting at the same time. She asked him a million questions and he answered them as best as he could.

  She seemed reluctant to give up her job at the museum, saying she may need some time to think about it, but the more she learned about the ways of the Havasupai and the wolf gene that permeated their lives, the more she wanted to be a part of it, but she wasn’t sure how big of a role she wanted to play. She’d just have to see how she felt.

  Sean told her how he had already put his cabin on the market and at first she had felt betrayed.

  “Darling, you know I was going to tell you and now you can see why it was so difficult for me. It was a big secret to reveal, especially to the woman of my dreams.”

  Sean told her that maybe it would be a good idea to keep her cabin for the time being and they could gradually move into the canyon. The answer seemed to satisfy her, so he left it at that. He had no intentions of moving all the way to Arizona without her, but he would cross that bridge later.

  Sean called Coming Wind and told him that Paige had finally been told the secret. Coming Wind was relieved and said that the tribe had been praying for the couple all week. Sean asked Coming Wind to thank White Feather for him. He couldn’t believe it had been this easy. Sure it had been horribly frightening for Paige at first and he initially thought he had lost her, but now that she knew and he could explain everything to her, she was unbelievably accepting of him. He felt like his heart was going to blow out of his chest. He was so proud of his strong girl. She had been through so much in the last twenty four hours and had been so brave. It broke his heart to know that she had sat up most of the night with a gun in her lap. He never wanted her to experience that kind of fear again.

  Paige was unsure of what to tell her parents about moving to Arizona, so they both decided not to say anything until the right time approached. Paige still wasn’t certain that she wanted to move to Supai Village. All of her family and friends were here and she loved her work. Right now she wanted to enjoy her time with Sean. If was meant to be, she knew it would all work out in the end. She was tired of mulling it over in her head. Maybe she could keep her job at the museum and have two homes. That seemed the most logical scenario to her, but she didn’t tell Sean yet.

  ****

  News of the new alpha-male spread through Havasu Canyon. Up until now, the coronation of the new leader was still up in the air. When Coming Wind announced Sean’s name at the next council meeting, all present exploded in cheers of jubilation. Coming Wind had been a great leader and every member of the tribe knew it would be hard if not impossible to replace him. When he had announced that he would be stepping down, a black cloud had hung over the entire village for weeks. They had acted as if someone had died and Coming Wind had scolded them for it, telling them to remain strong.

  After all, he wasn’t leaving and he certainly wasn’t dead. He had grown as an artist and as a result he had brought in much-needed money to his tribal brothers and sisters. They knew it was best for the tribe in the long run, but no one could imagine a replacement until Sean fell into their laps. He had been a godsend and the tribe truly believed that their prayers had been answered the day that he saved Red Hawk and his cousin from the bobcat. No one could have anticipated that their new leader would be someone from outside of the tribe. No one but White Feather. White Feather had a vision one night of a white man traveling to the canyon with a white woman. In his vision, he saw a horrible car wreck and an orphaned boy, raised by his aunt and uncle. White Feather knew that Sean had a connection to the tribe’s past. The white man would lead the new generation of Havasupai and bring with him much knowledge and wisdom. Sean was born to be their leader, even though he had been separated from the pack. Finally, the gods had heard their prayer and he had come.

  White Feather knew he would come and he knew that he would bring his bride to the canyon. White Feather also knew that Sean would give up on Paige before she agreed to come and he would arrive alone. Coming Wind had stopped by to thank White Feather, just as Sean had asked him to over the phone.

>   “Sean asked me to stop by and thank you.”

  White Feather shook his cottony head as he puffed on his pipe. “He will come alone,” was all he said to Coming Wind.

  “He has explained everything to Paige and she had agreed to move here. They still have some loose ends to tie up, but everything is fine,” Coming Wind explained.

  “How old will you be before you listen to me?” White Feather asked calmly. “She will deny him before the next full moon.”

  “How can that be?” Coming Wind asked, his dark brow furrowed with concern.

  “She will eventually come to the canyon, but not after they go through many trials and tribulations.”

  White Feather puffed on his pipe again and blew out a smoke ring. He stared at it with his small black eyes as it floated away.

  “If you know so much, why can’t you tell him what to say to her to make her come to the canyon?” Coming Wind asked.

  He seriously didn’t understand why White Feather couldn’t give better advice. Everything that came out of his mouth was so mystical. Half the time White Feather left Coming Wind more confused than ever with all of his hocus pocus mumbo jumbo. He wasn’t too sure if White Feather was making up half of what he said or not.

  White Feather read his mind instantly and swatted at his arm as if he were a pesky fly. “Leave my house if you doubt me so. You do not mock me in my own abode,” he replied with arms crossed.

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand you,” Coming Wind explained as he shrugged his shoulders.

  “You do not listen, my son. I told Sean before he left that Paige would take the news badly, but in time she will come around. They will come back together, but not so soon as this,” White Feather said as he poked a finger into Coming Wind’s side for effect.

  “Okay, okay. Should I tell Sean?”

  White Feather snapped his head to look at Coming Wind. His eyes were angry and narrow. “He has already been told. Perhaps he listens better than you.”