Redemption: Montana Wolves, Book Three (Montana Wolves series 3) (7 page)

“So much better.”

“Have a seat.” He gestured to a long, wide log in front of the fire and she sat obediently.

The suspense was killing her and she eyed him expectantly. “Okay. So let’s hear it. What’s your secret?”

What if he decided to kiss her first instead? She probably had beer breath. God, why hadn’t she grabbed a mint on the way out of the bar?

"I think it's better if I just show you."

Any thought that he’d decided to take her up on her offer to share something silly with her about his favorite chick flick or his embarrassing middle name fled when she saw how serious he’d grown. So much so that her muzzy brain urged her to make a joke to ease the tension. Ask him if he’d brought her here as a ritual sacrifice for a raccoon worshipping cult or something. But his solemn expression sealed her lips and she waited, silent, heart galloping wildly in her chest.

He turned around and yanked his shirt off. Hysteria began to build inside her, and laughter bubbled from her mouth. Maybe he really was going to kill her after all. Or maybe he was a flasher and he was about to whip it out.

But even through the haze of the alcohol, a deeper part of her, the part that already knew—had always known—wasn't laughing at all. Visions from her nightmares battered her brain, images of monsters and men and teeth gnashing melded with the present. Shadows dappled Billy's skin as he moved, shucking off his boots, unbuckling his jeans and letting them drop to the ground, leaving him in only a pair of black boxer shorts.

He straightened and she almost told him to stop. Almost told him that she'd rather live in ignorance. She could still walk away right now. Go back to her little Victorian house and work her ass off to forget that she'd ever met Wheeler or Billy or any of his friends.

"Amber?" His low voice centered her and she met his intense gaze. He was offering it to her now. The chance to back out.

She took a steadying breath, suddenly as sober as a priest in church, and nodded. "I'm ready."

She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it paled in comparison to what she got.

One second, Billy stood there, tall and strong and handsome, like a God from Greek Mythology. Thor without need of a hammer.

The next, he leapt into the air, head tipped back, body flexed, and exploded into something else entirely.

It happened so fast, the shock of it hit her like a bucket of ice to the face. The last thing she saw before she hit the ground was that tawny, green-eyed wolf of her dreams loping toward her.

"
A
MBER
?"

He was starting to get worried now. He'd done everything he could think of to wake her, and had followed all the protocol to stave off shock. For the past ten minutes, though, she lay in his now-clothed lap, knocked the hell out.

She didn't seem to be in any discomfort so he was loathe to move her, but it was getting to the point that he was considering bringing her back to the compound to have the pack doctor take a look at her. That wasn't the way he'd imagined breaking the news to the pack, but Amber's health was more important than covering his own ass, and if that was what needed doing-

"Billy?"

The chunk of ice wedged in his stomach melted at the sound of her soft voice.

"Hey there. You scared me there for a second."

She shook her head slowly and her body went stiff as she became more aware of her surroundings.

"I scared
you
?" She shoved at his chest and scrambled to her feet, fury blazing in her eyes, hotter than the fire that crackled between them. “You son of a bitch.”

Her voice dripped icicles, and she nearly spat the words at him.

“I asked you. I begged you to tell me, and instead, you let me think I’d lost my mind.”

He rose and stepped toward her, but she backed away.

He had to slow it down. She was still reeling and she had every right to be.

“I didn’t want to lie to you. I need you to believe me when I tell you that I had no choice. Hell, even now, I’m breaking more pack laws than you could ever hope to imagine by telling you. Our kind doesn’t do this sort of thing.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and stared down at her. “Do you know how many humans I’ve shared the truth with, Amber?”

She glared at him before whipping around to face the fire, staring into its depths as if it held the answer to his question.

“None,” he said softly. “You are the only person I’ve ever told about us. Because I hated lying to you and I thought you deserved the truth.”

He’d known this wasn’t going to be easy, but what if he’d gotten it wrong? What if she did the exact opposite of what he’d thought she would do, and betrayed him? Or, worse, betrayed his pack?

He steeled himself against the rush of emotions that swamped him and shoved it aside. They’d had a bad run with humans lately, what with Sara’s death and Chandra’s kidnapping, but Amalie was living proof that there were humans who deserved their respect. And Amber was one of them.

"So, just to state the obvious and make sure we're all on the right page, you're what? A werewolf?" she asked, her voice still tight with anger.

He mulled over that question, debating on arguing semantics, but opted to take the easy route to start. No point in overwhelming her this soon.

"Basically, yeah."

"All of you?"

"The people at the compound, you mean? Yes."

He’d originally considered only telling her about him, but had dismissed it out of hand. She wasn’t stupid. Once the wheels were set in motion, the rest would fall into place whether he told her or not. No point in losing what little trust he’d earned by telling her another lie that wouldn’t help the situation in any case.

She started pacing back and forth, muttering to herself, and he didn’t interrupt her. Another five minutes went by before she slowed to look at him again. Some of the anger had faded and her eyes were clearer than he’d ever seen them, like she’d been lifted from a fog. The sight sent a shot of hope through him.

"And that's why Wheeler wanted Chandra so bad? He wanted to prove that you all existed, is that right? That was all the crazy nonsense he was rambling about."

He nodded, leaning back against a nearby tree. “And she wasn’t his only victim. He murdered Jax’s first mate, Sara.”

She blanched and her already pale cheeks went chalk-white. "No wonder Jax hates me.”

“You didn’t know. You couldn’t have known. You made a mistake.” He pushed away from the tree, and this time, when he stepped forward, she didn’t back away. “We made mistakes on our end too, and I’m trying to rectify that now. What do you say we start fresh? From today.”

Her responding nod was tentative and slow to come. “We can try.”

He would need more than that from her soon enough, but for tonight? He’d take it.

Her nod circled around, morphing into a dazed shake of her head. “I know I should be freaking out right now. Werewolves exist. Jesus, it’s like a frigging bizarre dream. But all I feel is residual anger.” She met his gaze, her brows knit in confusion. “And relief. How crazy is that? Like, a frigging Mack truck ton has been lifted off my shoulders. Because I knew."

She bit her trembling bottom lip and the fire bathed her skin in a warm glow as she wrapped her arms around her waist and rocked slowly from side to side.

"I was so lost. I knew I'd seen something, but my brain just wouldn't accept it.” Her throat worked as she swallowed hard enough that he could hear it. “Thank you for showing me. I know it must have been a difficult decision.”

There was so much more to the story. So much more he needed to say before he could even imagine an outcome that didn’t end in tragedy. But her words were a start. The kernel of hope he needed to push forward with his plan.

Tomorrow
.

But tonight? He reached out and took her unresisting hand in his.

“There’s something else I want you to see.”

She hesitated but then nodded. He was humbled by her trust, which only made him more determined to make sure he proved himself worthy of it.

"I have so many questions," she said as he led her deeper into the forest. The wind had picked up to a howl and she was shivering again now that they’d left the warmth of the fire.

"Shoot."

"Well, first of all, is that how come your body feels so warm all the time?"

The fact that she had noticed and contemplated the heat of his skin sent a pulse of male satisfaction roaring through him.

"It is. We run a few degrees hotter than humans."

"And how did you...get that way? Are you like vampires where someone has to bite you or…?"

He slowed and pulled her to a stop, looking down into her curious face. "I can only speak for myself, and I was born to werewolf parents. There are some who are turned, but that's rare. We have rules and such."

Rules that would probably scare the shit out of her, so he opted not to share unless she asked.

"Are there others?"

"Others?"

"Other types of shifters. Like, lions? Or otters?"

Those wide blue eyes were killing him and he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her. "Otters? No. Not that I know of, at least." Not a lie, exactly. Again, it just seemed like she had enough on her plate what with the whole wolf shifter bombshell. The fact that there were also bear shifters would blow her freaking mind.

And god help him if he mentioned the dragons.

"And the full moon thing?” she asked. “Because I don't remember it being full the night Chandra..." her voice trailed off and she turned her face away from him.

"The full moon is a lure, for sure. We like it. But a grown werewolf can control when he or she shifts, full moon or no." He reached out and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, urging her to turn toward him again. "You have to stop beating yourself up about this. Tobias Wheeler is the one who kidnapped Chan. You are as much a victim as she was, okay? Chandra forgives you, you know. Now it's time for you to start doing the same."

She looked so forlorn, he didn't fight his instincts any longer. He pulled her into the circle of his arms and bent his head low to press a kiss to her forehead. So strange. He'd been attracted to hundreds...maybe thousands of women before, but never like this. Never in a way that made him want to protect them and hold them at least as much as he wanted to sleep with them.

She stiffened for a moment and then let out a sigh and burrowed closer, slipping her arms around his waist. It felt like validation. Acceptance, and it filled him with a relief so keen, his body quaked with it. She knew what he was, and hadn’t run away screaming.

It was a start.

They stayed like that until she stopped shivering, and finally pulled away.

"Come on. You had something you wanted to show me." She tugged him by the hand back in the direction they'd been heading.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, and he was sure she was thinking of a dozen more questions to ask him. He only hoped when they reached their destination she would be too captivated to ask them. He had a lot of planning to do before he spilled the rest of it, no matter how much he wanted to waylay her fears.

A low hissing sound caught his attention, and Amber froze in her tracks.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered, squeezing his hand more tightly. "Is that a snake? Because I don't do snakes.” She spun to stare up at him in horror. “Jesus, you’re not going to tell me there are weresnakes, are you?"

He laughed, and the sound echoed through the forest. "No snakes, of the ‘were’ variety or otherwise. Promise." He started walking again and pulled her with him, a sense of anticipation building in his belly.

This, at least, he knew would be a welcome surprise.

They walked a little further until they reached a little break in the trees and he stepped to one side.

"Ladies first."

She hesitated for a split second. "Okay, but for the record, this shows a massive level of trust on my end. You did just show me you're a werewolf after all, and I am walking into a remote forest with you in the dark. Now you want me to walk in front of you through that tiny space between the trees. Seems like the script to a horror movie.” She didn't wait for him to respond as she squared her shoulders and shimmied through the brush into the clearing.

"Oh my god," she gasped.

He stepped up to stand beside her and take in the view.

A huge, steaming, spring bubbled ten yards in front of them, the size of a small swimming pool. Even from where they stood, he could feel the heat pouring from it, warming the air around them. The steam seemed to emphasize the fresh forest smells—pine and sap and earth—to the point that even a human could detect them.

Clearly, she noticed, because she dragged in a deep breath through her nose and sighed with pleasure. "This is amazing."

She stepped closer to the frothy water, and waved a hand through the thick steam above it, scattering the particles.

"Seriously, the second most amazing thing I've seen tonight. Thank you for bringing me." She stood and stared at the scene for a long moment before wheeling around to face him.

"Is it…safe?"

The hopeful expression on her face made him second-guess his original plan. He'd wanted to show it to her to take her mind off the whole werewolf thing a little, but he hadn't planned on getting in.

Partly because they didn't have any towels and it was freezing out, but also because he didn't know if he could handle being in the water with her mostly naked without touching her. A concept which, at the moment, seemed about as naïve as sending a starving man to a buffet and expecting him not to eat.

It would be heavenly hell.

Exquisite torture.

He tipped his head in a curt nod. “Absolutely.”

Twisted fuck.

But there was only one thing that seemed worse than getting in the water and not touching her, and that was the thought of not getting in the water with her at all.

"Totally safe. I've been here many times."

"Oh." Her face fell and she bit her lip.

It took him a second to figure it out, but when she averted her gaze, it came to him like a switch had been flipped.