The Gathering (31 page)

“Is that you talking or the wolf?”

“Both.” He looked out across the forest, his
features softened by the light of the moon. “I’ve been like this
for so long. It gets lonely after a while.”

“Garrett…”

“It’ll be nice to have someone to share my
life with, is all.”

Tears clouded her vision and Rayna rose up on
her toes to kiss him. She lingered, tasting him at her leisure. His
tongue slipped between her lips, dancing with hers until she felt
light headed. She felt languid and relaxed by the time he pulled
away.

“Are you ready?”

She nodded her head. “Yes.” It wasn’t a lie.
She hadn’t realized how lonely he would have been all those years
away from his pack. It had just been him, hiding a secret no one
could ever know. Falling for a woman he could never truly have.
Now, he did. She was right in front of him and Rayna would spend
the remainder of her life making him happy, whatever it took.

Inhaling deeply and letting it out slowly,
she raised her eyes to him. “So, what first?”

He smiled, gave her a quick kiss before
taking a few steps away from her. “Do you want me to shift first or
wait for you?”

“Wait. I don’t want to do this having to
stare at the wolf.” He nodded and kicked off his shoes. When he
unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down, his cock springing free,
she grinned. “That’s a bit distracting.”

“Well, stop looking. Look here,” he said,
pointing to his face. When she focused her gaze on his eyes, his
voice softened to a whisper. “Now concentrate on the wolf, Rayna.
Feel her and let her come.”

She did. It took only seconds for the wolf to
make her presence known. She slid against Rayna’s bones. The scent
of fur filling her head. When the first twinge of pain hit her, her
pulse leaped.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m right here.”

Rayna stared at Garrett’s face as the wolf
pushed. The heat in her palms and the tips of her fingers told her
the claws were coming. She braced herself for the pain, breathing
through it much like a woman giving birth did.

When she glanced at her fingertips and saw
the claws extending and hair sprout on the back of her hand, tears
filled her eyes. This was really happening. She was turning into a
werewolf.

Garrett’s voice was a constant whisper in her
head. He’d taken a few steps closer to her, the gentle smile on his
face urging her on.

When she gave the wolf full reign, fire raced
along her limbs, her bones ached as they began to shift and move
and the scream lodged in her throat tore free as the wolf crawled
to the surface.

She hit her knees in agony, barely
registering what she was seeing. Garrett’s face was a blur. He was
on his knees, his mouth moving but the words were lost to her. The
pain was too intense.

A final scream ripped from her throat as her
body convulsed. Sights and sounds assaulted her, the sound of her
own screams ringing in her ears. Her entire body burned, the pain
so intense bright shafts of light pierced her vision before
everything went black.

When the world came screaming back into
focus, Garrett’s voice was the first thing she noticed.

Rayna opened her eyes and saw him there,
still on his knees. He was smiling, tears making tracks down his
cheeks. She opened her mouth to tell him she was okay but heard
nothing but a whimper. Looking down, she realized why. She had no
voice. The wolf had been born.

“Can you move?”

She blinked at him. It took her several tries
before crawling to her feet. When she stood without wavering,
Garrett shifted.

The world looked different through the wolf’s
eyes. Everything seemed brighter. The moon lit the forest but the
shadows didn’t seem as dark now. She could hear things rustling
along the forest floor. Smell them close by. The urge to see what
they were was great.

Testing her new legs, she took a step and
ventured toward the creek, looking over the bank into the water.
The light from the moon shined down on its surface and there,
staring back at her, was the wolf. Her coat was a rich, chocolate
brown streaked with red. Her eyes wolf amber.

She turned to Garrett. He stood a few feet
away from her. He hadn’t gone for the fancy half-shift he was fond
of. He’d followed her, bringing the wolf completely out, and stood
on four legs. When he crossed the space that separated them, he
nuzzled her face, giving her a lick across the nose before turning
and heading for the woods.

Rayna only hesitated a moment before running
to catch up. Howls echoed across the mountain, their pack emerging
from the trees. Seeing them all there, for her, gave her a sense of
belonging that was overwhelming.

These were her people. Her pack. Her family.
She was mate to the pack leader, loved by those around her. This
was what her wolf had been waiting for. The gathering of her pack.
Their presence calmed her and she knew, with her family and Garrett
by her side, the world wouldn’t be such a lonely place anymore.

The End

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LILY GRAISON resides in North Carolina, a
stones throw away from the Blue Ridge Mountains and a few hours
from the Outer Banks. First published in 2005, her debut novel won
a Reviewers Choice Award. The author of over a dozen published
books, Lily writes in the Western, Contemporary and Paranormal
Romance genres.

When not writing, Lily can be found at her
sewing machine creating 1800’s Period Dresses or at a nearby store
feeding her obsession for all things resembling office supplies

For more about Lily Graison, visit any of
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The Gathering

(The Night Breeds Series #2)

Copyright © 2011 by Lily Graison

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this
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without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent
purchaser.

The right of Lily Graison to be identified as
the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First electronic release, April 2011

Second Edition, May 2013

All characters in this publication are purely
fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is
purely coincidental.