A Wolf's Obsession (9 page)

“If it’s so wonderful then why did you leave?”

“Because I didn’t have my mate. Emily was lost to me and being here was driving me crazy. I thought if I left I’d be able to stay sane. I should have known better. All I did was slow down the process.”

Wrapped up in Wyatt’s words, Kass didn’t realise where he was leading her until the sun’s rays practically blinded her. Eyes watering, she blinked quickly trying to adjust and only letting light in through small gaps in her fingertips. Long moments passed but she slowly moved her hands away from her face, gasping in shock when she looked at the forest that surrounded them. Awestruck, she stumbled away from Wyatt as though in a trance, stopping only when her palm rested against the hard bark of a tree.

“Amazing,” she mumbled to herself.

“You like the woods?”

Her hand still against the tree trunk, Kass turned back to look at Wyatt. “I guess so. I’ve never been in a forest before but I’ve always wanted to go. I’ve never even climbed a tree before or gone for a run through the woods.”

The idea of never running free in the forest was appalling to Wyatt and he could feel his wolf rising not pleased that the experience had been denied to his mate. “Why not?”

“Cities are safer.” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she let her fingertips run over the uneven surface of the tree, marvelling at its size. “Forests and woods are generally near small towns and small towns want to know everything about you. Cities are a great place to get lost in and with Ethan constantly looking for me I needed to keep my head down. It was best that I was invisible. I’ve spent my whole life trying to fade into the background, trying to make it so no one noticed me.” Harsh laughter fell from her lips and her nails dug into the tree trunk with such force that her nails threatened to shatter under the strain. “I’ve been hiding and running my whole life…it’s not much of a life when you think about it but with Ethan constantly looking for me I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Boxing her in with his body, Wyatt joined their hands and kissed her hair softly. “He’s not a problem for you anymore. You don’t have to live your life according to what he will or won’t notice. You want to climb a tree? I’ll teach you. You want to go running in the woods then let’s go now. Whatever it is, we can do it Kass…together.”

“And why should I trust you anymore than Ethan?”

“Because I’m your mate.”

“You still haven’t explained to me what that is.”

Pulling back Wyatt sighed and ran a hand through the long strands of his hair. Risking a glance at Kass he began pacing. Words had never been his strong suit and they were failing him now. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. It was meant to be easy. Find your mate, claim them, live happily ever after. Why was fate so intent on making him suffer? “A mate is everything. Werewolves only get one and without them our lives are pretty meaningless. You’re the better half of my soul and it’s only with you that I can be complete. You never have to worry about me hurting you; I’d tear out my own heart before I let you get hurt. If anyone wants to hurt you then they’ll have to kill me first because I know what it’s like to go through life without a mate, it’s not worth living. I’m never going back to that.”

“No offence Wyatt but how can you expect me to believe that when you’ve already done so much.” She ran her fingers over the ugly bruises at her throat, silently reminding him of just what he’d done to her.

His pacing got worse at the reminder. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I couldn’t recognise you for what you are.”

“We’d never met before that night in the diner of course you wouldn’t recognise me.”

“Wolves recognise their mate’s by their scent. You smelt like my mate but you didn’t look like Emily. I was confused. It’s what happens when a wolf is separated from their mate for too long. I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I’m probably still broken but like I said before, I’ll get better. Now that I know who you are…now that we’re together things can only get better.”

“This all sounds a bit far fetched Wyatt.”

“Any more than you being a phoenix with a psychopath trying to cut your heart out?”

“You make a good point but you’ve seen Ethan. You know exactly what he’s like. How can I believe any of what you’re saying? I’m much more open minded than your ordinary person about what may or may not be out there but I’ve never seen a werewolf Wyatt and you’ve admitted yourself that you’re not quite right in the head…”

His pacing stopped abruptly and he quickly closed the distance between them. “I can show you. If I do, you promise to stay with me.”

“I don’t know you Wyatt.”

Undeterred by her words Wyatt smiled. “Not yet but pretty soon you will and you’re going to love me.”

“Is that so?”

Utterly confident, Wyatt’s smile widened. “Yes.”

“I’m not promising to stay forever.”

“Until your birthday at the very least. I need to make sure that you survive until you’re twenty seven. Wolves are immortal and as long as you keep coming back to me I can give you time…well I can give you a little time anyway.”

“Fine, you prove that you’re being honest and I’ll stay here until my birthday. If you want me to stay after that then you’re going to have to do something pretty damned special.”

“I’m up to the challenge.”

She stuck out her hand in the age old gesture of agreement but was shocked when his lips crashed down against hers, stealing her wits and all thoughts of leaving his side. He pulled back quickly, aware of her heart picking up speed. He didn’t think his heart could take it if she passed out again. ”I’ve been without my mate too long to shake hands. If I were you, I’d get used to being kissed because I’m going to kiss you every chance I get.”

Clutching her chest, Kass struggled to keep her limbs from trembling. The kiss had only lasted a few seconds but it felt like her entire centre of gravity had shifted. Touching her still tingling lips, she had to fight the temptation to lean back in and kiss him herself. “My heart…”

“I’ll take care of it. There’s no one alive more aware of your health than me. I can feel when it’s getting too much for you and I think I’ve proved that if push comes to shove I can keep your heart in check.” He kissed her again and took a quick step back. “This’ll be done before you know it. Take a deep breath and remember that no matter what I look like I’m not going to hurt you.”

Rolling her eyes, Kass stood back and waited. Shock couldn’t even begin to describe how she felt as she watched Wyatt’s bones twist out of shape, fur erupt from his smooth skin and his body contort as he fell to his knees. His kissable lips vanished as his jaw lengthened, deadly fangs erupting in his mouth. His spine bowed as his body changed from walking on two legs to stalking on four and when thick black fur covered his body the transformation was complete.

This isn’t possible. Wolves aren’t as big as horses and men don’t change into wolves. I’m seeing things. His crazy must be contagious because none of this is possible.

She watched as he took a step closer and she instinctively took a step back. When the pain of bumping her injured shoulder into a tree hit her, she knew that what she’d witnessed was no dream. Convinced it must have taken an eternity for a man to become a wolf, Kass felt another wave of surprise hit her when Wyatt’s arms wrapped around her body.

“Kass.”

His voice was deeper now, rougher as though he wasn’t used to using it and it was clear to her that whatever he’d changed into was lingering, just waiting for a chance to come to the fore.

“Kass, you need to breathe.”

She could see his mouth moving but she couldn’t hear the words over the roaring in her ears. Nothing was getting through until he gripped her arms hard and forced her to focus.

“Damn it Kass, you’re going to breathe and you’re going to do it now otherwise you’re going to pass out. Do you understand me? Now breathe.”

She sucked in a staggering breath and her legs almost gave out beneath her but Wyatt’s strong grip kept her standing.

“You…you’re…you’re a wolf.”

Swinging her up into his arms, Wyatt pressed her close, needing the reassurance of touch after another close call. “I did warn you.”

“Maybe you should have given me a stronger warning.”

“So that you could have a heart attack? No thank you. It doesn’t matter now. I did what you wanted; I showed you my other half. Now you have to keep your end of the deal.”

“Deal?”

“Don’t try and act like you don’t remember. You’re staying with me until your birthday. That’s what we agreed.”

“But that was before.”

Her disagreement was pulling the wolf forward and Wyatt could feel his control slipping. His claws were itching to get out, his fangs desperate to sink into flesh. His whole body shuddered with effort as he tried to keep his human form. He might not want to hurt Kass, his wolf would never set out to do it, but his track record wasn’t good and he wasn’t taking any chances with her safety. The sooner she accepted their bargain, the safer they both would be. “Before what?”

“Before you showed me that you can turn into something that could eat me for breakfast.”

His amber eyes darkened. “Trust me, I have every intention of eating you for breakfast. And lunch and dinner.” He licked his lips as his eyes wandered over her body, silently imagining what every inch of her skin tasted like. “But I doubt it’s in the way you’re thinking of.”

Her skin flushed darker with every word. It was easy to tell what he was talking about from the heated look in his eyes. Her treacherous nipples tightened in anticipation and her sex clenched in eagerness.
It should be illegal to have a voice that sexy. It’s not fair to the entire female population.

A feral smile came to Wyatt’s lips.
It’s not the entire female population I’m concerned with. There’s only one woman who’s worthy of my attention and I have her right here in my arms. Where she’s supposed to be.

“Stay out of my head Wyatt.”

“Why? I know you want me there. I can feel it in my bones. You want this, you want me.” She had to; he couldn’t have it any other way.

Pursing her lips, Kass refused to give him a response and fought to keep her mind blank. He didn’t need to know how right he was.

“Hold on tight Kass.”

“Why?”

“You said you wanted to go for a run in the woods. It’s my pleasure to do whatever it is you need.” Tensing the muscles in his legs he took of at a dead sprint.

Amazement wound through Kass as the world exploded into a kaleidoscope of vibrant swirling colours. The speed that Wyatt was running at was incredible but her mind could barely process it as she tried hard to look at the scenery rushing past. It was amazing and she could feel her heart begin to pound and for the first time in a long time it didn’t leave her breathless and on the verge of collapse. Content, she dug her fingers into the corded strength of Wyatt’s arms and let the growl that followed sooth her. This was heaven and she didn’t want to leave. As soon as she called Charlie and told him she was safe, she fully intended to explore this thing with Wyatt. He thought she was his mate and with the way her body and mind responded to him so easily she had a sneaking feeling he might be right. When they stopped, disappointment welled inside her. She never wanted their run to end.

Chuckling as he slid Kass down his body, Wyatt slid his hands through her hair, groaning as the soft strands tickled his senses. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you again.”

Eyes sparkling with hope, Kass turned to him. “Really?”

“Of course. Anything that makes you happy makes me happy.”

The pure emotion in those few words was unnerving. The things Wyatt felt for her weren’t normal and while she’d love to think he truly cared for her, Kass knew better. He was in love with Emily, not her. Forcing herself to smile she accepted the sad truth of their situation. She’d stay with him until her birthday, he’d more than proven he could protect her from Ethan, but then she’d have to leave. Emily and her might have shared the same soul but they weren’t the same people and she wanted someone who loved her for her. There might never be another man who loved with the same intensity as Wyatt but she couldn’t live her life, her immortal life, as second best.

“So you live here?” she asked, changing the subject to one that she could better cope with.

His smile widened as he nodded. His eyes roamed over the wooden cabin that had been his home since he was a child and for the first time in a long time he felt comforted by being at home. The wooden structure was nowhere near as lavish as the castle they’d just left but it was home. “Yeah, come on, I’ll show you around.”

Taking her hand firmly within his, Wyatt led her inside, eager to show her his home but as soon as he opened the door he realised he’d made a mistake. The whole place was a shrine to Emily. The walls were covered in photographs of her that had once made his heart clench in pain. He’d hoarded the few things that she’d left behind, cherishing each one and holding them close to his chest as he’d fought to find peace. He turned to look at Kass slowly; her reaction wasn’t going to be a good one.

Staring into familiar eyes, Kass felt her heart plummet. Even though she’d accepted Wyatt’s love was for Emily she hadn’t expected to be confronted with the harsh reality so soon. She’d hope to bask in his warmth for a little while longer. “So that’s Emily.”