Chasing Seth

by Loveless, J. R.

  “I am not!” he shouted. “I was born this way.”

  “You’re lying!” Kasey stalked closer to the bed, looming over Seth, who this time could not stop himself from shrinking back against the wall behind him. Fear etched itself all over his face. “You are not Native American. Only my people are born this way! You are a white man.”

  Seth almost screamed when Kasey’s hands wrapped around his shoulders and shook him. “Stop,” he choked out.

  “You told me you weren’t one of them! I won’t have one of the Created for my mate. You’re an abomination,” Kasey growled, his hands tightening painfully on Seth’s shoulders. “You don’t even smell like wolf in your human form. That’s not possible!”

  Hurt punched Seth right in the gut, but he blocked out the pain. He’d known this would happen. Unable to take that punishing grip any further, he brought his arms up and slammed them against the sheriff’s bigger forearms, knocking them away. In the blink of an eye, he was across the room, his hands fisted at his sides. “I won’t be your mate either way, you son of a bitch. So you don’t have to worry about it.”

  He drew himself to his full five foot eight inches and, hiding behind an icy expression he used to hide his true emotions, said, “Whether you choose to believe me or not is not my concern, Sheriff, but I was born a werewolf. And I don’t smell like one because it’s the only way to protect myself from assholes like you.”

  Seth didn’t wait for a response. He ripped open the door and raced out of the cabin. The instant he hit the fresh air, he shifted again and, in a blur of black, crashed through the trees. He had no idea where he was, but at that moment in time, he didn’t care. His chest hurt. His assumptions the man wouldn’t want him afterward had been correct, but what he didn’t understand was the feeling of his heart being ground up into a million pieces.

  He felt a wet heat running over his muzzle, soaking into his fur, and to his utter disbelief, he realized he was crying. What the hell? He should be happy he’d been right. Now the sheriff would leave him alone. He wouldn’t have to worry the man would—

  His mind shut down those thoughts immediately. His heart already felt too raw from what had just happened to think about his past.

  Kasey’s words that he’d never hurt Seth and his endearment of “pup” rattled around inside his mind over and over again. It’d all been a lie. And for some reason, that hurt the most. His mind filled with bitterness at how he’d actually begun to believe the sheriff wouldn’t hurt him. The grip on his shoulders had more than proved the man really had lied to him. And the words he’d used: “You’re an abomination.” Pain twisted deep in his gut. The words jabbed into his chest like knives. He’d always thought the same of himself until he’d found others like him. But now… now he wished he’d never dreamed of finding others, because all they’d ever done was hurt him.

  Anger surged through Kasey as he roared like a lion denied a kill, knocking over the table in the small kitchen area. Dishes shattered as they hit the ground. How could this have possibly happened? His fear of the black wolf being one of the Created had come to be true. And it turned out to be the infuriating veterinarian, to top it all off. Swear words spilled from his lips, turning the air blue.

  Needing to burn off some of the rage coursing through this body, Kasey tore out of the log cabin and shifted on the run. A large black wolf leapt through the clearing and bounded into the trees, following a different path from the other wolf. His keen senses picked up the cinnamon scent of his mate. He growled at the thought of those words. His mate. He’d been overjoyed to find his true mate, but now he wished Seth had never come to Senaka.

  A long howl shattered the silence as he raged at his gods. Why? Why did it have to be one of them?

  Seth’s dark-blue eyes flashed through his mind. Before the younger shifter had gotten control of his emotions, there’d been such pain in them. Kasey’s conscience pricked as he remembered the fear on Seth’s face as the vet had cowered beneath him. He’d sworn no one would ever hurt him again, not even himself, and he’d done exactly what he’d said he wouldn’t allow. His guilt waged war against his rage. The insult that he, son of the Alpha, had a white man and a Created for a mate stung his pride fiercely.

  Yet the knowledge he’d indeed found his mate also swirled around in his mind with all of the other information he’d just learned. Had he not sworn he wouldn’t let his mate go now that he’d finally found him? But would his people be able to accept his mate as part of their pack? And what of Kasey being Alpha when his father passed on? He threw his head back again and let forth another howl that echoed through the trees.

  His father would know what to do, and he was the only one Kasey could tell that his mate was one of the Created to without the rest of the pack finding out. Kasey loped off toward the reservation, heading for his father.

  Kasey’s father, Jeremiah Whitedove, held the love and adoration of their people as a firm yet gentle leader. He did not use force unless absolutely necessary. The entire pack loved and respected him. Kasey could only hope one day they would feel the same for him.

  The houses on the reservation were mostly empty when he arrived. Most of the others had jobs and left for work early. He knew there would be questions, because he’d been gone for two days. While his mate had slept the night before, Kasey’s deputy and pack mate, Julian Greywolf, had come to the cabin looking for him. Kasey had explained the situation to Julian, who’d immediately congratulated him on finding Seth. Julian would most certainly want to know why Kasey’s mate wasn’t with him when he returned to town.

  He shifted to human form on his parents’ front porch and entered the house. “Hey, Dad, you home?”

  “In the kitchen, sweetie,” his mother called out.

  Smiling, he headed into the kitchen. His mother was a shrewd woman but one of the kindest you’d ever meet. Emily Whitedove wasn’t able to shift into wolf form, but she certainly would have made a beautiful wolf.

  Kasey’s parents sat at the dinner table, but when his mother saw his face, she sat up straighter and looked him over in concern. “Did something happen, Kasey?”

  Kasey scowled. What could he possibly say? With his shoulders feeling as though there were a huge weight on them, he sank down into the chair next to his father. His eyes shifted between wolf form and his human pupils in his agitation.

  Jeremiah stared at his son and knew it must be serious with the scent of so many emotions rolling off him. “Is it one of the Created?” he asked sharply.

  “Yes. No. I don’t know,” Kasey snapped. His hands clenched on his thighs. “I… found my mate.”

  Emily squealed in excitement. “Who is she? Is she beautiful? What’s her name?”

  “Emily,” Jeremiah admonished gently, a fond look in his eyes.

  “Don’t go giving me any of that, Jeremiah Whitedove. It’s my son, and he’s finally found his true mate. I want to know everything,” she said, fire dancing in her voice. She wasn’t as submissive as she seemed when it came down to how fiercely she protected and loved her family.

  Kasey ran a tired hand over his face. “It’s not a she, Mom. It’s a he.”

  Her eyebrows rose to her hairline in surprise. She frowned. “That means no grandchildren from you. Well, I suppose there is always your brother, Thayne.”

  Jeremiah looked at Kasey expectantly. “And where is this mate of yours, son? Or is there something else besides him being male that has you in such a state?”

  A humorless laugh fell from Kasey’s lips. “You could say that. Aside from him being male, he’s also white and a Created.”

  Horror filled his mother’s expression. A Created one? Her son’s mate was one of the Created? In all her years, she’d never heard of such a thing. She reached out and gripped his hand resting on the table, squeezing it in reassurance. “Are you certain he is your mate, Kasey?”

  Lips twisting in a cruel smile, he nodded. “I’m positive. You’ve met him already, Mother. He’s the new veterinarian
in town.”

  Emily frowned. “But… he doesn’t seem like a Created. He doesn’t have the usual signs.”

  Kasey realized Seth didn’t appear as the others, and the fact he didn’t smell of wolf, either, left him baffled. The Created ones were never able to focus on any one thing too long. They could barely contain themselves around humans, too eager to feed on them, more animal than human. Their eyes, even in human form, had a slight bleed-through to canine pupils. Frustrated, he curled his hand into a fist. “I know that. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Are you certain he’s a Created?” Jeremiah pressed.

  “He’s white, Dad. What else could he be? Only our people are born naturally,” he replied bitterly.

  To the pack’s knowledge, perhaps, but Jeremiah had long ago learned otherwise. He knew he would have to reveal the secret he carried. Sighing, he sat back from the table. “Kasey, there is something I have to tell you. As pack Alpha, it is my sworn duty to protect us, all of us, and sometimes secrets are kept in order to do so. Before you were born, a stranger came to our reservation. At first, everyone believed him to be one of the Created. When we attempted to run him from our territory, it became obvious he was different.”

  A frown appeared between Kasey’s eyebrows. “I don’t understand. Was he another type of Created? Like a mutation?”

  “I am saying he wasn’t a Created at all. I didn’t reveal my discoveries to the rest of the pack because I didn’t want to endanger them. It became a very real possibility one of us may mistake a Created for another wolf.” Jeremiah glanced at his wife to find her giving him a “we are going to talk later” look. He gave her a small roll of his eyes. She knew he couldn’t always reveal things to her despite the fact he often asked her for advice on some of the pack business.

  “So it’s possible he told the truth, then,” Kasey mused aloud, not really speaking to his parents but more to himself.

  “He told you he wasn’t one of the Created?” Jeremiah sat up straighter, an intense look in his dark-brown eyes. Kasey’s father might be in his late sixties, but he didn’t appear to be older than his late thirties, early forties. It would be hard for anyone to accept Kasey was his son if they hadn’t been the spitting image of each other. Jeremiah had olive-toned skin, raven-colored locks trimmed just below his nape except for one long strand braided over his shoulder, and a strong, muscular body kept in shape by frequent runs in his wolf form.

  “He said he’d been born a wolf. After finding out who my mate was, I kind of lost my temper.” Kasey had the grace to look sheepish. “I accused him of lying, and he ran out.”

  Jeremiah gave his son a stern look and shook his head. “You need to learn to open your mind to things, Kasey, and to control your temper. When you become pack Alpha, you will not have the leisure to jump to anger so quickly. You will need to have much patience. Learn to judge with your eyes, mind, and heart. For only with all three can you come to a fair judgment.”

  Kasey immediately felt his conscience prick again. Shame flashed across his features for a moment. Only his father could make him feel like a little kid again with so few words. “I’m sorry, Dad,” he mumbled.

  “I would like to speak to your mate, son. To know of where he came from.”

  “I don’t know if he will want to after how I spoke to him and… frightened him.” Dismay washed over Kasey as he realized he’d definitely handled the whole situation wrong. But would he have handled it any differently if he’d known what his father had just told him? He didn’t know, but now he’d have to do some pretty fancy footwork to try and smooth over the situation.

  “Oh, Kasey,” Emily sighed. “How could you? No matter the situation, you should never use your strength or size to harm someone unless the situation absolutely calls for it. You are going to march yourself into his clinic and apologize right away. Do you hear me, young man?”

  He gave his mother a tight look. “It’s not going to be that easy, Mother.” His jaw clenched as he again remembered the look on Seth’s face before he’d darted from the house.

  “Well, it has to start somewhere,” she insisted. “And apologies are the best way to begin.”

  Jeremiah watched his son’s face while his mother spoke to him. He agreed wholeheartedly, and if it turned out this man had in fact been born a natural wolf, then it became a very real possibility there were other packs. “I agree with your mother, Kasey. I think you should go and talk to him. Apologize and explain about the Created ones. It’s the only way.”

  Kasey knew his father could make it an order if he chose to, but he gave Kasey the chance to make the decision for himself. Though there would always be the same outcome. He would have to speak with his mate and try to make amends. “Fine,” he said flatly. “I’ll go talk to him, but there is no guarantee he will even agree to speak to you.”

  The Alpha nodded. “I understand, but you must try. If not for me, then for yourself.”

  Standing, Kasey went to leave but stopped, turning back to look at his father. “What happened to the stranger?”

  “He said he’d been born as a wolf yet had no pack, knew of no others like himself until he came to our territory. I knew it was wrong, but I requested he leave the area. We couldn’t accept him into our pack, and if he stayed, the others would surely have questioned my allowing him to do so.” Sadness haunted Jeremiah’s face. He’d always felt regret he’d sent the stranger away, but it’d been necessary to protect his family, his pack.

  “What was his name?”

  “Eric. Eric Hawthorne.”

  Kasey gave a jerky nod and left, shifting and running back to his truck. The knowledge he might have caused irreparable damage to the connection with his mate sat like a giant rock in his stomach. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. This wasn’t the way he’d imagined finding his mate. He’d never cared if it turned out to be a man or a woman, but he’d never thought his mate would be the man he had turned out to be.

  Chapter Four

  Seth had finally managed to drag himself home. He shifted just inside the edge of the forest before walking the rest of the way. It’d taken him hours to find the town again. If it hadn’t been for his canine senses, he would still be wandering around lost in the woods. His skin felt raw, as though it’d been rubbed off by an abrasive sponge that had left behind invisible wounds.

  Bullet greeted him enthusiastically, and Seth opened the door, motioning his pet outside. Thankfully, he kept a huge bowl of food and water on the floor for the dog, or he would have been starving by now. Seth had never trusted doggie doors, so he knew there had to be a mess on the floor. He wasn’t disappointed and sighed, knowing he couldn’t blame the dog for his own stupidity. As he headed to the kitchen to grab paper towels and cleaner, he noticed the light on his answering machine blinking like crazy and cringed as he hit play. Every message contained a very frantic-sounding Chessie. He hit “delete all,” picked up the phone, and called the clinic. “Senaka Animal Clinic,” he heard come over the line.

  “Chessie, it’s Seth.”

  “Oh my God!” she shouted. “Where have you been?”

  He thought quickly and realized he could use a bit of the truth. “I got lost in the woods,” he said sheepishly.

  “For two days?” she exclaimed.

  “Yeah…,” he admitted reluctantly, knowing she probably thought him an idiot. “I just now got home, but I need to shower and change. Please stall any appointments until I can get there, Chessie.”

  “Will do, Doc,” she said. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little worse for wear,” he said, laughing drily. “Give me about thirty minutes, and I’ll be there.” He disconnected the call, cleaned up the mess Bullet had left, and went to take a shower.

  Several cars were in the lot when he arrived. Wincing, he rushed into the clinic, immediately apologizing to the clients waiting in the reception area. Chessie handed him the first file, and after a quick perusal, he entered the examining room.
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  The next three hours flew by nonstop, and exhaustion had set in by the time he had some downtime. He sank into the chair in his office and leaned his head back, heaving a sigh. His leg had healed, but the deep ache inside would take a few days to disappear.

  The phone on his desk buzzed. “Yes, Chessie,” he answered tiredly.

  “The sheriff is here to see you,” she said quietly, “and it looks serious.”

  Seth froze. His heart leapt into his throat, and it took several swallows before he could answer. “Tell him I’m not available,” he choked and hung up the phone.

  Seth heard Chessie call out to try and stop Kasey, but his door flew open roughly.

  Kasey stood there, eyes blazing. “Go back to your desk, Chessie,” he snarled at the still-yelling petite female behind him.