The Alpha's Choice (36 page)

Charles took her in his arms and kissed her
as the crowd cheered. "Are you ready?" he asked. "I'll give you two
minutes, no more."

"Catch me if you can, Wolfman!" Kat pushed
him away and ran.

She lifted her skirts and sprinted for the
trees and felt more than saw the power rising behind her as the men
went over the moon under the influence of the shining orb rising
high above the treetops. She'd be caught. That was a given, but
she'd give them the best Chase she could.

The surrounding trees were fully dressed in
their spring finery, but the light from the moon was bright and
gave her just enough light to see by. She'd planned her route and
knew her path. It was one she walked frequently with the children.
Two minutes was not a long time when the creatures who were after
you could run like the wind, so she kept up her pace as long as she
could.

Kat heard them enter the woods and would have
laughed at all the noise they made, knowing they did it on purpose,
but her breath was coming fast an her heart was beating faster. The
excitement of the Chase was getting to her, too. She took a
narrower path to the right.

She screeched when a deer suddenly appeared
in front of her, leaping high over a patch of underbrush, startled
from its nighttime bed. She paused to catch her breath and found it
strange that the animal had come from the left when the noise of
the wolves behind her came distinctly from the rear and to the
right. But deer were notoriously stupid and were known to run into
cars rather than away so the thought was no more than a passing
one. The deer was safe from the hunting wolves. She was not. She
laughed and ran on.

Her goal was a small pool of water fed by a
rushing stream that flowed over an outcropping of rock into a short
fall of water. Buddy had taken them there several times and Dakota
and Ranger thought it great fun to climb the rocks and crawl behind
the sheet of cascading water to hide in the shallow cave worn into
the stone at the back. It would make a wonderful place hide and
catch her breath.

The wolves behind her were closer now and she
picked up her pace. She was almost there. She could hear the
rushing water up ahead and the closeness of her goal gave her
speed.

She found the steam and followed the narrow
path along its edge until she came to the falls. The rocks were
slippery with moss, but not a dangerous climb. She looked down at
her gown, the hem already muddied from her run, shrugged and
removed her shoes for the climb, a lesson she'd learned from the
boys.

In less than a minute, she was crouched
behind the falls and peering out at the pool of water below. This
was a secret the boys had kept to themselves. You could not be seen
behind the falls, but the world was visible to you. She started to
laugh, but it caught in her throat, choking her to silence.

A wolf stood by the pool and it was certainly
not Charles. It stood in a patch of moonlight and she could clearly
see its unkempt and dingy brown coat. Unlike the smooth, shining
coats she'd seen on the wolvers of Wolf's Head, this one was rough
and uneven with what she realized were scars. This was not a guest
from the mating. She was sure of it.

This was a rogue and by the way it stood and
stared into the trees beyond the pool, she knew she'd seen it
before. This was the wolf that Forest spoke of when she recounted
her mother's life and death. This was the wolf she'd seen leading
the others along the edge of the trees the first night she spent at
Hell Hall.

Charles had doubted her vision because he
believed the rogues had been run off just as now he believed they'd
been run off again.

Kat held her body as still as the stone
surrounding her, afraid that even an intake of breath would attract
the monster's attention. She prayed the rushing water would be
enough to disrupt her scent.

The wolf raised its head, testing the air. It
stared at the waterfall for one long moment and then its tongue
came out to slather across its jaws.

Chapter 35

"Charles!" Kat cried in her mind, "Oh God,
Charles, come quickly. Charles!" The game was over. The Chase was
done. She wanted Charles here beside her with his arms around her,
telling her she was safe from the menace of this rogue wolf.
"Charles," she cried again in her mind, "Charles!"

Like a warm ray of sunshine on a cold
winter's day, Charles voice was suddenly flowing through her mind.
It was different, hard and raspy, but it was Charles. She knew it
in her heart of hearts.

"Kaa-taa-rinaaa," it called and she heard his
worry and concern in her name.

She closed her eyes and silently called
again, "Charles!"

A howl sounded, clearly close by, followed by
another and another and a few sharp barks.

The rogue raised its snout and snarled,
showing off its yellowed teeth. Its head snapped toward the sound
of the oncoming wolvers and it turned in the opposite direction to
trot off into the cover of trees.

Kat wanted to run, to bolt from her hiding
place and race toward the sound of the approaching wolvers, but she
held herself still until the great golden wolf was in sight.

"Charles, oh Charles."

Kat scrambled from her hiding place, icy
water splashing over her gown and hair in her haste to get to the
safety of her wolver lord. She threw herself at him, circling his
silken ruff with her arms, sighing with relief now that the danger
had passed.

"He was here. He was here," she said over and
over. "The monster, the rogue. The one I saw by the trees. He's
here, Charles. He's here."

Charles, the wolf, chuffed and barked what
was clearly an order and half the assembled wolves silently moved
off into the trees. The others stayed close by, fanning out in a
circle, watching and waiting. No longer noisy and playful, they
were on the alert and ready for attack.

Kat stood and moved away from her wolf and
watched as Charles changed back to a man. Her man and as she had
his wolf, she threw her arms around his neck and clung to him for
dear life.

"I saw him, Charles, I saw him and don't you
dare tell me I didn't. He was standing right there." She pointed to
the spot. "And I think he was looking for me all along." She told
him about the deer. "I don't think he knew, at first, where I was
hiding, but he found me. Just before you howled a warning, he found
me."

Charles held her close and rubbed her back.
"Hush now, you're safe. The others will keep looking. I'll take you
home."

"But Charles, our mating! We can't go
home."

"We can and we will. There'll be no mating in
these woods tonight. There's nothing that says we can't mate in our
bed where I can keep you safe and warm." He patted her rear end and
kissed her nose. "I promise I'll make it a night to remember."

Kat stepped back from his embrace. "No."

She said it so vehemently that several of the
wolvers snapped their heads around to stare. Now that Charles was
here, she was no longer afraid. Conscious of the wolver's scrutiny,
she stepped closer to Charles to whisper her plea.

"This is the only night we get, Charles. It
only happens once. You want to bring back tradition to the pack?
Well this is where it should begin. With us, Alpha and Mate. I want
this, Charles, and I want it done right. I know you have the place
all ready and waiting and that's where I want to be, in the place
that you've prepared for me.

"I'll be safe as long as you're with me. I've
happily gone along with everything you've planned because I want to
be a part of you and your pack, but this I want for me. I want to
be mated in the wild and before the dawn calls us home, I want to
run free by your side as a wolf."

"Are you always going to be this stubborn?"
Charles asked.

"Only about the really important things," she
said and smiled because she knew she had made her point.

"So be it," he said resignedly. "It's not a
good idea to start your mated life with an unhappy woman. Just give
me a minute with my men and I'll carry you off to the place I've
prepared. It's right up there, a little way beyond the falls."

"You knew I'd come this way?"

"Who do you think showed Buddy this place and
who suggested he take you and the children here time and time
again?"

"You're a sneaky and conniving man, Charles
Goodman," she laughed. "A sneaky and conniving man."

"I know," he said proudly, "Though we prefer
to call it clever and cunning."

* * *

They weren't completely alone and no matter
how much she begged, Charles would not let her have her way in
that.

"You deserve my full attention, kitten, and I
can't give you that and guard you, too."

"He's gone, Charles. Your men would have
found him if he was still here and he wouldn't dare come back with
all these wolvers around." Kat was talking to his neck, her arms
wrapped tightly around it as he carried her up the slope.

Eight wolvers flanked them, four on each
side. When they reached the mating place, they would spread out in
a wide circle to protect the couple within. Charles promised Kat
the wolvers would be far enough away that they wouldn't interfere
with her privacy.

"But I'll know they're there," she
grumbled.

Charles laughed at her complaints. "They're
there every night; on the other side of the wall, across the hall,
above our ceiling. They know what we do, kitten. You purr loud
enough."

"And with that image in my head, I may never
purr again," she giggled.

"You'll purr and loudly. I'll see to it. Now
close your eyes." he said.

She could feel his head nod and rise as he
gave silent orders to his men and she heard the quiet rustle of
their feet as they moved away and into their guard's positions.
When she could hear nothing more than the sound of her own
breathing, Charles stopped and set her on her feet.

"Now you can look."

"Oh Charles, it's beautiful," she said when
she opened her eyes.

The grassy clearing wasn't what she expected
at all. It wasn't large, no more than ten or twelve feet across.
All but one of the tree branches had been cleared away so a circle
of moonlight defined their woodland room. From the remaining
branch, a canopy of sheer, white netting cascaded from its circular
frame to settle around a bed of downy white duvets sprinkled with
rose petals. White pillows with crocheted lace edges were piled
high at one end and next to their bed, a silver tray held a shiny
silver bucket with champagne, two flutes, and a crystal bowl of
strawberries.

"You're not the outdoorsman I thought you
were," she laughed softly. "I had something completely different in
my mind."

"I know," he said, unbuttoning the buttons at
the back of her dress. They were tiny, but his fingers were nimble.
"Smelly sleeping bags and a campfire or worse yet, a bed of
moss."

"Jo told you!" Kat turned to him
laughing.

"She's a loyal member of my pack and she
wanted this night to be perfect for both of us." He slipped the
gown from her shoulders kissing each as it was bared.

The gown pooled at her feet and she left it
there along with her thoughts and worries for the wolvers standing
guard in the darkness. The magic surrounded them and sent a thrill
of pleasure through her at each place his flesh touched hers.
Charles was as naked as the day he was born and she ran her hands
over his chest glorying in the feel of the curly blond hair beneath
her fingers.

She wondered briefly if she would ever get
tired of the feel of him and decided she would not. When she was
old and gray, she would still take pleasure in laying her head
against his shoulder and running her fingers through the hair of
his chest and along the line of his stomach. He would be old and
gray then, too, but she would love him then as much as she did
now.

A tear fell from her eyes to his skin and he
held her away to look at her face. "Second thoughts?"

"No! Not ever. I meant what I said and don't
you ever question it again. I love you, Charles Goodman. I always
will."

"Happy tears then. You never struck me as the
weepy type." His fingers traced the lace along the edges of her
demi-cup bra.

"I never was until I met you." Kat closed her
eyes to savor the feel of his hands at her breasts and sighed with
pleasure as he freed the clasp and his mouth found her hardened
nipple.

"You're purring," he chuckle against her.

"Softly," she whispered, "So only you can
hear."

He brought his lips to hers and they kissed
lovingly, deeply, with a quiet passion that was different from
their kisses before as if both were aware that this coming together
was more important than the others. This night would seal their
fates together for the rest of their lives.

Charles kissed her as if they had the rest of
their lives and when his lips left her, she whimpered a plea for
their return.

"Patience, kitten, patience."

He'd left her mouth but his kisses didn't
stop. He left a searing line of pleasure with them over her breasts
and stomach. He removed her shoes and cast them to the side and
then bared each leg of its stocking. When the stockings were gone,
he kissed her through the tiny triangle of silk that covered her
most intimate part.

"Beautiful, so beautiful," Charles whispered
as he kissed the silk of her panties again. "As soft and as silky
as the woman beneath."

Kat let her head fall back and said a silent
prayer of thanks to Jo who'd ordered the expensive underwear,
insisting her old nylon things wouldn't do.

"I like them," Charles chuckled deep in his
chest, "But I love what they're hiding more." He hooked his thumbs
in the barely there sides and slid them over her hips and down her
legs and cast them aside along with the gown still pooled at her
feet.