An Undying Love (8 page)

He needed to
calm down, needed to vent off the rage building in him. The wolf wanted him to
turn around and march back into his room. Take his mate and make her submissive
to her alpha. After walking to the door, he opened it and peered outside.
Several of his pack had been eying his house, and as soon as they saw him they
went back about their business. No doubt curious as to want was going on within
the walls of his home.

Dante stormed toward
his brother’s place and saw Memphis and Tessa just coming from behind one of
the larger wood sheds. Both looked as if they’d been up to something as Tessa
turned bright red, and Memphis looked like a lost sheep when they saw him.

“I need you two
to go over to my cabin and make sure Anya stays put,” he grumbled as they moved
nearer.

“Ah, oh, um, okay,”
Memphis mumbled.

“Make sure she
stays in my room too.” Tessa gave him a startled look. She quickly looked away
as he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Does your
father know you’re out and about with Memphis?” he asked.

“Yes, we had his
permission to go for a run,” she told him in a mousy voice.

He gave them
both a nod toward his cabin. He secretly was happy for his beta’s son and
Tessa. Young love was a wonderful thing, although the sight of the two
lovebirds had made Dante wish that Anya would look at him the way Tessa looked
at Memphis. As he watched them hurry off to play guard for him, he grinned. If
Memphis asked, he would allow the two to be mated.

Dante made for
Chris’ home. Both his brother and sister-in-law would help him calm down. He
needed advice, needed to know what he should do about Anya. His heart told him
they should be as one, so did his wolf. However, he didn’t believe Anya was
willing to be his mate. For some reason, that seared him in a way he couldn’t
understand.

* * * *

Mitch was on his
way to his brother’s. Reese sat in the passenger seat on the phone with Kari.
He was explaining what was going on. His beta hung up and looked at him.

“She said she
would get things in order and have a boat ready at the slip.”

“Good, now all
we have to do is hope Cora will go home,” Mitch said.

They had at
least five more hours before they got to Fairbank, and given his own
calculations, they might make it back in time. They would be cutting it close.
Any obstacles would seriously shorten that narrow window, and as Mitch sped up,
he prayed Anya was safe.

Mitch tried to
stay focused on the road, tried not to let the worry eat away at him. Still,
all he could do was think of the things Dante may have already done to his baby
sister. Those thoughts caused his grip on the steering wheel to tighten.

“What if this is
a trap?” Reese asked, breaking Mitch’s train of thought.

“Why would he do
that?” He took at quick sideways glance at his beta.

“Because of what
happened with your uncle.”

That had been so
many years ago, but werewolves tended to hold grudges forever. Mitch’s Uncle Edward
and done something that even Mitch had found despicable. He’d stolen a woman
from the Temple Island pack and had forced her to mate. Not just any female,
either. She’d been the alpha’s mate, Dante’s mother, Victoria. That had lead to
a short-lived war. Many died, most of them Silverback males. It had ended just
after Mitch’s father was killed. Dante’s father had been the one to kill him, but
not before suffering a fatal wound and then perishing as well.

“We don’t have
any other choice but to do this. I won’t let him have Anya.” Mitch snarled. “If
I have to, I will kill him.”

There was no way
he wished for his sister to fall victim to Dante and his vengeance. The long-time
feud between their packs had stemmed from that fateful day when Victoria had caught
Edward’s interest in Brookville. The aftermath had left both packs without
their alphas and had caused Edward to run with Victoria. Where his uncle had
taken her, no one knew, but it was thought both were dead.

Chapter Eight

The crease in
Beth’s forehead furrowed as Dante tried to explain how he felt. It wasn’t easy
for him. He tended to keep his emotions carefully guarded. As he tried again to
explain it, she actually laughed out loud. A silly grin sat on her face as she
listened quietly for several minutes before she interrupted him.

“You’re in love
with her,” she said between light chuckles.

“No, I’m not,”
Dante retorted defensively. Although he’d never felt this way before with any
female.

“Yes, you are.”
She laughed. Beth, he noticed had to keep her hand on her rounded tummy. She
winced a little. He imagined it was uncomfortable for her at that stage to
laugh.

“You don’t fall
in love in a matter of only a few days,” he retorted gruffly, not believing
that to be possible, but his heart told him something different as did his
wolf. “What do I do now?” he asked after several long, silent moments of self-reflection.

“Well, you can’t
force her to love you. Now you could try to get her to fall in love with you.”

“I don’t know
how,” he told her with complete honesty. He never had to think about falling in
love or getting someone to love him. It was something that really wasn’t all
that important before now.

“You could try
being nice to her, talk to her about everyday things. Take her for a walk, a
romantic picnic. Dante, you need to show her the real you. Not the alpha male
trying to dominate her into being submissive.” Beth rubbed her belly with a
smile dancing on her face.

“You knew this
was going to happen.” He eyed her.

“I had a hunch
she was special the moment you brought her here.”

“Be myself?”

“Yes, Dante,
just be true to the person inside. Forget for once you’re the alpha. Just let
it happen naturally.”

She was right. The
only way to win Anya’s heart was to be himself around her. However, tomorrow
night Mitch was to bring Cora there. If not, he was to take Anya as his mate. Not
to go through with it would be a show of weakness on his part.

“I can’t do that,
Beth. There’s no time.”

“Then she’ll be
lost to you and never be truly yours, no matter how much you try to force her
to be.”

Dante made his
way back toward his cabin, his thoughts consumed with the deed he may have to
do. He didn’t even feel the coldness of the rain pelting him. He was numb
inside, lost as to how he could make Anya love him before tomorrow night. It
was impossible, he knew that, but a part of him still clung to the bleak hope
it could happen.

After Memphis
told him everything had been quiet and that Anya was asleep, Dante decided it
was also something he needed. He stepped into his room and saw the oil lamp
burning softly on the dresser. The light showed the sleeping woman in his bed.
The longing in him grew stronger as he breathed in her heady scent. Now he
wished he had a spare bed.

After stripping
down, he gingerly crawled in beside her. He tried not to wake her as he
unraveled her from the bedding and took one of the pillows for himself. She wore
one of his shirts, and a smile crept over his lips at the sight. This was how
every night should be, he thought. Always sharing a bed with her and being his
mate. Maybe someday that wish would come true, he prayed.

He curled up as
close as he dared and smelled her heat. It would make it harder to control himself.
Dante closed his eyes and tried to dwell on other things. The coming winter,
the harvest, anything to keep his mind from painting images of him and Anya in
the throes of ecstasy. Eventually sleep stole him away.

Anya’s fitful
sounds woke Dante up. The lamp cast more than enough light for him to see by
and he watched the woman beside him murmur softly. He saw the heat rising off
of her body. The ability to see wavy heat patterns of living things was a
benefit to their kind, and he could tell she was throwing off a lot of heat
right now. She’d tossed the bedding away, exposing most of her to him. The soft
mound of her pelvis and the sexy curves of her hips were completely uncovered.

He was going to
turn his head and look away, but a moan passed her lips. Dante smelled her
intoxicatingly delicious fragrance, and she suddenly arched her back. The shirt
rose just enough to expose part of her breast. He grew more aroused at the
thought of sinking into her silky depths, and as if she knew what he was
thinking, she shuddered again. He knew what kind of dream she was having as the
heavenly musk of her body wafted toward him as she moaned a name he couldn’t
quite make out. He wanted to touch her badly as he watched her twist about. She
had to be climaxing in her sleep. Never before had he watched a girl have a wet
dream. The image gave him all kinds of ideas. His self-control waned as the
beast’s need to have her began to overrule his human nature to not just ravage
her. Then she suddenly stopped moving and her breathing changed. She was awake.

* * * *

Memphis and his
girlfriend were in the other room talking quietly, too quietly, for Anya to
overhear what they were saying. She couldn’t help it. She was not only curious
but a bit nosey as well. She heard the girl giggle softly and thought how sweet
it was for Memphis to have someone. The young couple had her feeling the loneliness
she’d felt for most of her adult life. The years of looking at others and being
without a mate and never truly believing she would ever find hers. Now she knew
she may never, but the wolf within her had. It’d made its mind up about Dante,
it seemed. Although she truly was happy for Memphis, she also was jealous of
the lovebirds.

When Memphis
came in and found her trying to leave, he’d apologetically told her to go back
to the bedroom. The guy was too sweet to be mean, but even so he would go get
Dante if she pushed her luck. So she did as he asked and went back inside the
bedroom. The place was comfortable, and she hated to admit that to herself,
hated that she felt at home in the enemy’s residence.

She had no idea
how long Dante had been gone, but as she lay on his bed surrounded by his
scent, her wolf ached for him. It was such a confusing thing. They weren’t mated.
She shouldn’t feel this way, she kept telling herself. It didn’t abate the
urges coursing over her. A far off rumble of thunder caused her to jump, and
that quelled the feeling. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the room, and
fear gripped her. Anya was terrified of thunder and lightning and had been ever
since she was a small child.

Anya curled up
into the warmth of the blankets and pulled the pillows close. This was going to
be a very long night, she thought as another clap of thunder echoed outside.
This time it seemed closer. Softly she sang to herself. It was a lullaby her
brother used to sing to her when there was a storm. Slowly she murmured the
words, her voice warbling as she began to drift off to sleep.

Dante sat on her
bed as the sun peeked through the windows of her bedroom. The array of stuffed
animals had seemed to have multiplied. She almost felt suffocated in the sea of
them surrounding her. Strange, she thought. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten there
or why he would be in her bedroom.

 “Hey there, you
were having a nightmare,” he whispered ever so softly. He reached out and lightly
stroked her hair. Somehow he’d gotten into her home, passed her brother and
Kari. It was strange, but it felt as if he belonged there with her.

 “You want to
talk about it?” he asked.

“I don’t think I
can remember it,” Anya told him. “Where are Mitch and Kari?”

“They went into
town.” He moved closer. The stuffed animals he pushed out of his way and they soundlessly
toppled onto the floor.

“The storm passed?”
she asked, knowing there had been one last night.

He looked at her
and ran his fingers down the length of her hair. “Yes, it has,” he whispered as
he leaned over and slid his hand behind her neck.

He pulled her
face toward his and kissed her passionately. Anya trembled all over as his free
hand caressed her left arm and then slid down to her waist before slowly finding
its way back up to her chest under her nightshirt. He traced all around her breast
and then his fingers found her hard nipple. She moaned into his mouth as he
rolled it between his finger and thumb.

Anya reached out
to touch his face with one hand while her other slid up under his shirt. With
shaky fingers, she traced the outline of every muscle. His skin felt warm to
the touch, and he smelled so good. He pulled away from her lips and kissed her
jaw line. Slowly his lips trailed down the side of her throat. His tongue slid
along her flesh sending shivers of delight through her body.

Anya slid her
hand down the front of his chest over his stomach and down to the edge of his
jeans. As one of his hands found its way between her legs, her breathing got
heavier. She moaned out Dante’s name as he brought her close to ecstasy. He was
the one, her true mate, and her wolf rejoiced with their union.

Anya woke up
suddenly with the feeling of being watched. She opened her eyes ever so
slightly and saw there was a low glow still emanating from the oil lamp. It was
casting just enough light to be able to dimly see by. She’d kicked the covers
off herself sometime during the night. The oversized shirt she’d worn to bed
had ridden up to just below her breasts.

Through
partially closed eyes, she saw Dante lying beside her in the bed. He was wide
awake on his side, and he seemed to be watching her sleep, a smile playing on
his lips. Anya’s whole body flushed as she remembered her dream. She rolled
over and grabbed for the blankets with her eyes shut and pulled them over
herself. She lay there praying he thought she was still asleep, and that she
hadn’t talked or moaned anything while she’d been dreaming of having sex with
him.

* * * *

Dante woke up
after a very restless night and felt a warm body snuggled up close to him. He
opened his eyes and saw Anya had curled next to him sometime during the night. She
lay with her head on his chest, their hands entwined on his belly. He smiled to
himself as he wrapped his other arm over her and settled back in, taking a deep
inhale of her sweet scent.

It’d been years
since he’d cuddled a woman. It felt so right to him. Now all he had to do was
show Anya this was where she truly belonged. That thought brought the tranquil
moment he enjoyed to a halt. Tonight Mitch was either going to come through or
Dante would have to do the unthinkable. His own worry that the Silverback alpha
might not be able to deliver seeped into his mind.

Dante was
banking on the threat of taking Anya as his mate would force Mitch to bring
Cora home. But what if he really didn’t know where she was? Then what? He
couldn’t imagine forcing himself on Anya. She would hate him, even though they
would be together for the rest of their lives. It would be hell for him,
knowing he’d forced her to be his mate when she really didn’t want him. But
what if she did want him?

Dante stroked her
long, silky hair as he laid there, every scenario playing in his mind. He didn’t
want to lose Anya, didn’t want to her to leave. If Mitch managed to come through
then he had no choice but to let her go. Dante’s heart lurked in his throat at
the thought of her not being there with him. Beth was right. He was in love
with her.

It made no sense
to him. They didn’t even know each other, hadn’t mated or connected at any
other level. How the hell was this possible, he wondered. It was as if she’d
always been his and he hers. Like true soul mates from the old tales told to
them as children. Lovers preordain to be united as one. As Anya shifted closer,
he remembered how he’d first seen her in the temple.

The near ghostly
visage of her within the sacred building was something he would not forget. He’d
been in awe of the sight. She was so graceful, delicate and beautiful. Why she’d
drunk the stagnant water was still beyond him. Then it dawned on him. It’d been
said that to drink the water from within the temple would bring a person’s soul
mate to them. A silly old tale he knew, but one his great-grandmother said was
true.

Dante craned his
head to look at Anya’s sleeping face on his chest, he had a hunch now of
exactly why she’d come there. It was the only thing that made sense. Though,
part of that tale was not told outside of Temple Island’s pack members. As he
ran his fingers in her hair, he had to wonder if it could have happened to her.

It was the
reason no one was allowed there. A male and female were supposed to drink the
water together, tying theirs soul as one, binding them as soul mates. It was
also said to drink from the pool would imbue the person with another’s soul.
The soul of the Wolf Lord or the soul of his mate, Terra, would fuse with the
imbiber, depending on the drinker’s gender. It was something outsiders didn’t
know. Was it even possible, he wondered. Could she be? Nah, he thought. It was
just a legend.

But then he got
a shiver. It raced through him to his core, and he knew.