Awakened by the Wolf (15 page)

Where the hell was Cassie?

The myriad of smells was annoyingly bereft of Cassie's scent; however, the singular feminine fragrance that overwhelmed his senses raised his hackles a second too late.

“What the fuck?” Brice tangled with the octopus-like arms of the woman who fell into his lap. She peppered his face with ardent kisses, and her strong, heady scent scalded his nose with each breath.

“Enough, Victoria.” Brice attempted to extricate himself politely. If not for the growing number of spectators, he would've dumped her on the floor.

Her underhanded attempt to trap him in a mateship had stripped away any respect he once had for her. After their last encounter, he awoke in her bed disoriented and with a killer headache. Victoria sprawled beside him, buck naked. The air was heavy with the scent of sex and not one used condom in sight.

He had no memory of the entire evening and suspected that she'd dosed his drink with the hope of convincing him to claim her.

He'd checked her twice for bite marks. Finding none, he dressed and hightailed it to his apartment.

Afterward, Victoria made it clear that she expected a mateship. Brice, on the other hand, would chew off his cock before he climbed back into Victoria Phalen's bed.

Chapter 22

I
n the few minutes Cassie had been in the restroom, Taylor's occupancy had swelled beyond capacity. She wedged between people gathered around the bar.

“Well, hello.” Vincent Hadler's arm slithered around her waist to pull her from the crowd.

A sickening sensation crawled Cassie's skin. “I'm here with someone.”

“He's busy. Why don't you keep me company instead?” Though she suspected Vince was wolfan, his smile reminded Cassie of a hyena. Comical and dangerous.

“I don't socialize with resort guests.” More irritated than afraid, Cassie unhooked his arm from her hip.

“From what I've seen, you don't socialize at all.” He laughed harshly against her ear. “But since you're out tonight, I insist on a drink and a dance.”

“I don't drink.” Her attempt to sidestep him failed.

“All right, let's skip straight to a dance. I've got better moves than that Walker
boy
.” Hadler's lips puckered as if he'd swallowed something sour.

“Not interested. If you'll excuse me, Brice is waiting for me.”

“Don't bet on it.” Hadler jerked Cassie against his body.

Fear and disgust rippled through her. She couldn't see Brice through the crowd, so he probably couldn't see her. So much for him being there when she needed him.

She would handle Vincent Hadler, alone.

He wouldn't be the first man she'd dropped to the floor for his unwanted attention. Imogene's suitors weren't always interested only in Imogene.

“Let me go.” Cassie had trained her voice to sound braver than she felt.

“Not until we've had that dance.” From his suggestive tone, Cassie knew he wasn't talking about a twirl on the dance floor.

He drew her closer, rubbing his nose in her hair. “You smell delicious.”

Cassie thanked him with a hard thrust of her knee to his groin. He doubled over.

“I'm not on the menu.” Shaking, Cassie pushed her way through the throng to find Brice and a gorgeous blonde female fatale locked at the lips.

Cassie's get-real talk in the bathroom had been a bunch of hooey. The sight of him kissing another woman cut her to the quick. A void opened in Cassie's chest and sucked out her heart.

“The ladies' room is empty. You can finish in there.” She clamped her lips to keep her dinner from landing on the table.

The woman dragged her slutty mouth from Brice's lips. “Who the hell are you?”

“I'm wondering the same about you.” Cassie resisted the urge to storm away. She had no right to be jealous.

Roommates, she reminded herself.

Yeah?

Well, hell. Being roommates sucked.

Brice pushed the woman to her feet and scrambled up beside her. “Victoria Phalen, this is Cassidy Albright.” Using the back of his hand, he rubbed the wetness of Victoria's kisses from his guilty face. “We'd appreciate it if you wouldn't slobber all over me.”

“I'd appreciate it, too.” The tawny-haired man at their booth stood.

From the mischievous twinkle in his dark chocolate eyes and the infectious smile that was almost too much to take in, Cassie immediately recognized Maico's most talked-about bachelor. Although from Tristan Durrance's reputation, she would've expected him to be the one making out in public rather than Brice.

“I'm all for PDA, but damn, that was painful to watch. You didn't enjoy that one bit, did you, kiddo?” Tristan gave Brice a sympathetic look that chilled when his gaze passed to Victoria.

“Not in the least.” Brice nudged Cassie into the booth, although all she wanted to do was find a ride home.

Tristan retook his seat and turned his high-powered smile on Cassie.

“Victoria, I meant what I said in Atlanta.” Brice rubbed his temple.

“You'll come around.” Victoria's tapered brows lifted in perfect twin arcs. “You can't fight fate. Christmas isn't too far away, and we have a wedding to plan.” She sauntered to the bar, stomping on Cassie's heart each step of the way.

Knowing Brice would eventually marry someone as sophisticated as Victoria was one thing. Having the reality of it shoved in Cassie's face stung to high heaven.

“I can explain.” Brice slid beside Cassie, crowding her with his overwhelming presence.

“Your affairs are not my business.” She reached across the table. “Hi, I'm Cassie Albright.”

“Tristan Durrance, at your service.” He gave her fingers a gentle shake. “I'm a great fan of your pies.”

“Really?” She repaid his tact in changing the conversation with a grateful smile.

“Yep. The first one cost me a chomp in the ass when Rafe caught me polishing off one you gave him.” Tristan draped his arms over the top of his seat. “The last one cost me sixty-five bucks at the Fourth of July charity auction. Both were worth the price.”

“Thanks.” Pride tempered the ache in Cassie's chest.

“Ever thought about going into the pie business?” The tip of Tristan's tongue peeked between his lips and slid across the seam of his mouth in a manner that said he'd be her first customer if she did.

She gave a throaty laugh. “I love baking because it reminds me of the good times with my mom. If I had to make pies for a living, it would ruin the memories.”

“Well, if you ever need a taste tester, I'm available.” Something beyond their table stole Tristan's attention. “I've got to run, love. I look forward to seeing you again.” He tipped his head toward Brice, then slipped out of the booth to disappear into the crowd.

“There's nothing between me and Victoria,” Brice blurted.

“Like I said, your affairs aren't my business.” Cassie choked on the lump constricting her throat. “Take me home. I want to forget this night ever happened.”

Chapter 23

H
ome was the last place Brice wanted to take Cassie. He turned onto a worn trail that cut through the heart of the co-op's wolf sanctuary. A half mile in, a sentinel opened the gate for them to enter.

Brice engaged the four-wheel drive and followed the dirt path up the mountain. The truck bounced over the rough terrain, jostling them despite the seat belts. Cassie maintained a two-fisted death grip on the armrest, her mouth pulled tight.

Moonlight dappled the woods in a silvery mist, though Brice was too annoyed to enjoy its serenity. Judging from Cassie's glazed stare, she didn't appreciate the evening beauty, either.

At the pinnacle, Brice killed the engine and set the emergency brake.

“If you wanted to get rid of me to be with your fiancée, you could've asked me to move out. Throwing me off a mountain is a bit dramatic, don't you think?”

Cassie's sarcasm didn't rile Brice as much as her continued references to his
fiancée
. How many times did he have to explain that Victoria meant nothing to him?

“I want to show you something,” he said softly.

“I'm not up for sightseeing.” Cassie focused on the windshield rather than looking at him.

Too edgy to cajole her compliance, Brice clasped her arm and hauled Cassie out of the truck.

She dug the heels of her sandals into the ground. “I'm not going anywhere with you, except home to pack my suitcases.”

Undeterred, Brice picked her up and swung her over his shoulder.

“I. Am. Not. A. Rag. Doll. Brice. Walker. Put. Me. Down.” She punctuated each word with a punch to his backside.

The strikes weren't forceful enough to make him comply, though it did seem funny—such a slight woman railing against his hulk, her feet kicking in the air amid a swirl of curse words that he hadn't known she knew. The baritone of his laughter echoed through the woods, making it a symphony of hilarity.

Until she clamped her teeth on the back of his arm and he almost dropped her. His vision blurred, and the pain became lost in the surge of testosterone.

Cassie claimed me!

The wolf fought to make the claim official. The man struggled not to fuck things up.

“Settle down.” He smacked her rump.

“I used to think you were a nice guy.” She returned the smack. “The more I get to know you, the less I like you.”

“So, you admit that you do like me?” He smiled at her disgusted groan.

“Is that what you learned in law school? How to twist someone's words into something she didn't mean?”

“Truth is truth, Sunshine. You'd see it for what it is if you stopped running.” The words struck a chord. Hadn't he been running, too? From his family, his friends, his pack? His destiny?

“What I see is spots in front of my eyes from all the blood rushing to my head.” Her voice waned.

“Relax.” Brice set Cassie on her feet and held her steady until she stopped swaying.

“Why am I here?” Shoulders straight and spine rigid, she crossed her arms and arrowed her chin at him.

Brice turned her around. His heartbeat suspended for each second it took for the harsh suspicions weighting her brow to give way to round-eyed amazement.

Countless stars twinkled against the dark blue velvet of the night sky. A celestial glow cast by the waning moon colored the valley and shimmered over the winding river that had brought him home. To her.

“It's beautiful,” she breathed. “Where are we?”

“Walker's Pointe.” Brice urged Cassie to sit on the soft moss where he'd spent rapturous hours listening to his brother recite the chronicles of Walker's Run. “Legend has it that when my forefather, Abram Walker, came to this place, something settled in his blood and made it impossible for him to be happy anywhere else in the world. Every generation of Walkers has experienced the same calling.” Including Brice.

Walker's Run was in his blood.

So was Cassie. Even now, a part of her circulated through him. Her bite had broken the skin, allowing her saliva to seep into the wound. Although her human bite wasn't binding under wolfan law, Brice believed the instinctive act would strengthen and solidify a mate-bond. Until Cassie believed, he needed to exercise care not to rush her or he'd lose her.

“It must be wonderful to have such a strong sense of belonging.” Cassie pulled her knees to her chest.

Brice put his arm around her. “I came home to tell Granny that I planned to give it all up. I lost faith in my friends, in my family. In everything.”

“They never lost faith in you.”

“I'm learning that.”

“It must have been hard when you moved away.” Cassie relaxed against him.

“Even harder coming home.” Brice's next breath sounded ragged.

Cassie's small hand cupped his larger one. A warm, dizzying wave surged through the mate-bond. She had opened herself to give him comfort, and he'd take whatever she offered.

He brushed his cheek against Cassie's hair. A soured milk smell clung to the strands. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and the muscles along his spine tightened. The scent reminded him of the one he picked up outside the cabin last night.

“Who were you with tonight, Sunshine?” He kept his tone light despite the tightness in his throat.

“You.” The softness in her shoulders hardened. “Two beers. You said you could handle two beers. Apparently you can't if you don't remember eating dinner and dancing with me.”

“I can recall every minute we spent together. What I don't understand is why I smell another man's scent in your hair.”

“What?” She looked at him, guileless and innocent. Then her mouth dropped in a disgusted grimace. “Oh, that's gross. I'm washing my hair as soon as we get home.”

“Was it Shane?” Brice had seen the Black Mountain pack member near the bar when Cassie headed to the restroom.

“Shane? No. I ran into—” Cassie hesitated.

“Who?”

“Some jerk who wanted a dance.”

A possessive growl vibrated in Brice's chest.

“Take it easy,
Benji
.” Cassie laid her hand on his thigh. “I handled him.”

“What?” Brice's snarl silenced the forest's nocturnal sounds.

“Jeez.” Cassie jumped. “I don't know why you're all pissy about a guy wanting a dance. I caught you and your fiancée tongue-wrestling.”

“Cassie.” Brice's blood pressure skyrocketed along with his voice. “For the last fucking time, Victoria is not my fiancée, and she will never be my mate. Now tell me, who the hell did you dance with tonight?”

“You! You big dope. I only danced with you.” Cassie scrubbed her fists down her arms. “That other guy was a creep.”

Just as Brice's blood pressure leveled she added, “He got the message when I gave him the knee. I doubt he'll grope me again.”

Black spots mottled Brice's vision. His head pounded until he felt the force might crack his skull. Primitive instinct demanded that he track down the man and render him a bloody pulp.

“Are you playing me against Victoria?” Cassie's expression held no anger, only a disappointed resignation.

“No,” Brice said, reeling in his emotions. “I know how it feels to be manipulated. I won't do that to you.”

Brice lifted her hand to his face and brushed his cheek along the delicate side of her wrist, allowing her scent to soothe him. “But there is something you should know. In Atlanta, Victoria and I were coworkers who had sex.”

Cassie pulled away from his touch and hugged her knees beneath her chin.

“She and I were never a couple, Cas. Wahyas need sex, especially during full moons, to regulate the wolfan hormones. A lack of sex can cause us to regress into our primitive state, a bipedal wolf hybrid that has no human conscience.”

Cassie scrunched her nose. “Are you saying that if you don't have sex, you could become a—” she lowered her voice—“a werewolf?”

Brice nodded. “Victoria and I had an understanding. Until she drugged me and I ended our affair.”

“She's planning a wedding.”

“Not mine,” Brice said. “The truth is, my dad does want me to settle down before Christmas.”

“Oh.” Cassie's voice followed her gaze to some nebulous spot in the distance.

“Cas, I don't love Victoria. Never have, never will.”

“She is quite attached to you.”

“Only because of what she can gain. Victoria wants a mate who can elevate her status. If I become an Alpha, my mate will be an Alphena.”

“I'm sure Miss Phalen will be a great help to you.” Cassie traced her finger over a smooth stone near her foot.

“I don't want her help. I need yours.”

Cassie cast him a sidelong glance. “We should go home so you can sleep off those beers.”

“We share a bond, Cas. A mate-bond.” Scooting behind Cassie, he cloaked her with his arms. God, he loved how her heat soaked through his muscles and down into his bones.

Cassie bristled. “The only thing between us is a series of unusual circumstances.”

“That's not true. When I was in the hospital, the bond drew you back to me. But once I woke up, you stopped coming, so I didn't consciously know a bond had formed. For the last five years, I've been nearly out of my mind, needing something that I couldn't quite define. Until I came home and found you.”

“You're out of your mind, all right. Drunk out of your mind.”

“The only thing I'm drunk on, Sunshine, is you.” Brice nuzzled her hair to re-mark her with his scent. “The night we met, right before you kneed me, you triggered my mating urge.”

“Well,
Benji.
Point that nose of yours at someone else.” She edged away from him. “I can't be your mate. I'm not like you.”

“So? Wahyas can take human mates. Our children won't be human, though. Wahyan genes are dominant.”

“I wasn't talking about you being wolfy.” Cassie's delicate brow dipped over worried eyes. “You have everything, Brice. I have nothing.”

“I don't care.” Social standing and financial status had never been important to him.

“I do.” An unsettling fierceness resonated in Cassie's voice. “All my life, I've worked hard, sacrificed everything, and I still have a long way to go before I get what I want.”

“Your own business?”

“Stability.” She gave an aggravated sigh.

“Let me be your stability,” Brice insisted.

“No.” Cassie's curls bounced as she shook her head. “I need to make it on my own.”

Brice let the matter drop. Cassie hadn't outright rejected him. Just sent a warning that now wasn't the right time for her. He could handle a delay. After all, in spite of his father's edict, Brice had obligations to attend to before he claimed a mate.

Besides, they needed time to learn each other. Time to fall in love.

“Victoria is a better match. She's beautiful, sophisticated. You run in the same social circles.” Cassie hiccupped a humorless laugh. “In and out of the woods.”

“She isn't the one who gave me this.” Brice showed Cassie the bite mark.

“I got carried away.” She tucked a loose curl behind her ear and shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Don't be. I'm proud of your mark. Wahyas claim their mates with a bite.” A primal need surged through his body, tempered only by his desire to live as a man, not an animal.

“That wasn't my intention.” Cassie's flat voice wasn't encouraging.

“Doesn't matter. A bite is a bite, and Wahyas mate for life,” he answered playfully to offset her seriousness.

“This isn't funny.” Cassie gazed over the valley.

Brice stretched out beside her, cushioning his head in his hands.

“Just out of curiosity,” Cassie said, “what is this mate stuff all about?”

Brice pressed his lips between his teeth to hide his smile. Curiosity was good. Very good. Except in cats.

“Human marriages are legal contracts that can be dissolved by annulment or divorce. A Wahyan mate-claim is an unbreakable union under wolfan law.”

Cassie wrinkled her cute little nose. “What if someone's mate turns out to be a jackass?”

“We can't mate with equines.” He tried to sound serious, but amusement cracked his voice.

“That's not what I meant and you know it.” She tossed a blade of grass at him.

“Mate-claims are sacred, Cas. Wahyas aren't rash about commitment. If a couple makes a poor choice, the claim can't be reversed.”

“Why?”

“It's an evolutionary instinct. A Wahya male can't father children until he's bitten a female during sex. Marking her with his scent hormone triggers a physiologic change that allows the male to secrete viable sperm as opposed to—”

“Duds,” Cassie interrupted. “I don't need a biology lesson.”

“I want you to understand how important a bite is to Wahyas. A male becomes intuitively possessive and protective of the female he bites.”

“In case you didn't notice, I'm not a Wahyan male, and we weren't having sex when
I
bit
you
.”

“A human bite can be just as binding if a mate-bond exists.”

“Nothing is between us, okay?” Cassie's irritation flooded into Brice, as did a thread of hope. Proving to him how wrong she was.

He allowed what he knew to be true to flow back to her in a calm, steady stream. “There's another dynamic called a mate-bond. It sparks between true mates the moment they meet. Each subsequent encounter allows their life forces to weave together. It binds them heart and mind, body and soul. This allows the couple to feel what the other feels and hear one another's thoughts.”

“They become telepathic?”

“With each other, yes.” Brice lifted on his elbows and shook out the cramp in his calf. “Unfortunately, not all Wahyas develop this type of bond with their mates. Many think it's a myth.”