Walker's Run (8 page)

Braedyn nodded, also unsure of why Casey’s healing was so rapid. “I’ve neither seen hide nor hair of a rescue team. Have you heard anything?”

“Jazzy Massengill called and asked if we could send a few Were’s out this way. They are snowed in and can’t make it for a few days yet. He said her father is very impatient to find her.”

“I know Jazzy will try his best to hold her father at bay while he can. He’s helped keep our secret for years. I just hope the old ranger can manage to hold the Maynard’s off until she’s through this first lunar cycle.”

“I don’t know big brother, you of all people know how protective over his young her father is. I don’t think some snow will keep him from trying to find her, do you?”

“No, and that’s what worries me.” He watched Casey toss more kindling onto the fire and reach her hands out the receive the warmth. “I hadn’t wanted to chance taking her back to the Run while she was injured. Now, I’d like to wait until this lunar cycle is behind her. I need her to feel confident in herself before I bring her home. You know how some of the women in the pack will respond to my choosing a mate.”

“You are asking an awful lot with little time, Braedyn.” Elan sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. I’ll explain most of it to Jazzy and see if he can manage to hold her family up for a few more days.”

“Thank you, Elan.”

“I’m just glad you’re all right.” With another glance at Casey, Elan smiled. “I’ll tell Mother you’re well, and you should return in a few more days.”

“Thank you, again.” Braedyn held his hand out to his younger brother, and when Elan took it, pulled him into a brotherly embrace.

With a few pats on his brother’s back, Elan pulled away. Grinning, he stepped back, changed into his wolf, and ran off into the snow.

* * * *

Casey stood and looked after the wolf darting into the trees surrounding them. She’d missed the shift and wondered if his change was beautiful like his older brother’s. Dusting off her hands, she turned to Braedyn.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She thrust her hands into her parka. “I’m not sure. I’m scared and confused.”

He nodded. “I know, it will take time for you to be free of both those worries.”

She furrowed her brows and looked in his eyes. “Your brother said your wolf ‘has chosen its mate.’ What did he mean?”

A gentle smile came to Braedyn’s lips. “I haven’t taken a mate. So the pack has been restless, trying to find me one for the last twenty years. It’s not common for an Alpha to go so long without one.” He shrugged, the blush deepening in his cheeks. “My wolf chose you a long time ago, Casey.”

Her breath caught when he pulled her to him. “And what about the human part of you?”

He grinned. “I think he did, too.”

She felt comfort in his arms, but it did nothing to appease her fear. Her hands trembled and she looked away from him.

“You don’t know me.” His tone was gentle. “I understand that, but the wolves in us have already made their choice. It’s up to us whether or not to follow them.”

“So...last night doesn’t mean we are...a mated pair?” The wording sounded so foreign coming off her tongue. The difference between man and animals.

He gave a gentle laugh and shook his head. “No. You’ve not gone through your transformation, and you’ve not made up your mind. A mated pair of wolves is much like a marriage between a man and woman. It’s a lifelong commitment. Wolves mate for life as most humans do. This is a decision you have to make. Then there is whether or not the fates have chosen us to be life mates.”

She couldn’t avoid the smirk that lifted the edge of her mouth. “Is this supposed to be a marriage proposal? Because I feel kind of slighted.”

Braedyn laughed and stroked her cheek. “Not yet.”

Shaking her head, Casey took a deep breath and looked up at him. “I have so many questions.”

“It’s best to wait. What you need to learn first is how to communicate with your wolf. Her intuition and wisdom will never lead you astray. You can draw upon her strength and courage in your human form. The most difficult thing you’ll find is struggling to keep her at bay once she’s riled. The wolf is easily provoked. Jealousy and anger are the hardest to control. And we are incredibly possessive, especially those who are dominant.”

“Will I be an alpha?”

He pursed his lips a moment. “If we chose to become a couple, you will draw some of my alpha powers of control. We just need to find out if your wolf is dominant or submissive.”

“Would that be indicative of what I am in my human life?”

Narrowing his eyes he gave a gentle shake of his head. “Not always. The wolves are different from us in some ways.” He blew out a breath and looked at her, his wolf urging him to speak on his behalf. “I can’t force you to make a decision, Casey. It’s yours alone to make. I don’t know what kind of life you have out there, and I’m not asking you to give up anything to stay with me. But whether or not you decide to follow your wolf, you’re life will be changed forever after tonight.”

“I don’t even live around here anymore, Braedyn. I have a career. I’m a photographer in Hollywood. I live in L.A.” She frowned and looked away from him, even as a voice whispered that she’d already made up her mind.

A muscle in his cheek twitched. “You don’t enjoy it. I can tell. That’s why you’re here now. To gather your thoughts about whether or not to go back.”

She pulled away from him, torn with her emotions. This isn’t what she’d come here to find, not a relationship. The wolf seemed outraged that she’d pull away. Casey didn’t like feeling that she wasn’t in control of her own emotions. Tears came to her eyes. Her fists clenched, angry at this show of weakness. The rage that boiled inside caused her to stagger.

Casey found herself growling as she went down on her knees. A low rumble rose up from her diaphragm, a sound she’d never made before. Jamming her hands deep into the snow, she hoped the bitter cold would melt away the rage. Picking up a handful of it, she rubbed it against her cheeks and around the back of her neck. Her teeth chattered, her body shivered.

* * * *

Braedyn could feel Casey’s fear and anger. His wolf longed to console her, but he knew better than to try at the moment. It could get the better of her and would only make Casey feel worse. Her fear was so strong he could nearly taste it.

If she were to let go of her fragile hold on the rage right now, the results could be disastrous. She could lose all control, causing her transformation to come before nightfall. Making things even more traumatic.

While Casey dealt with her issues, Braedyn found the rabbits he’d skinned and dressed the night before and put them over the fire. He looked up as the first rays of the sun began to tinge the gray skies.

Twelve more hours before the sun set and he'd have to help her through the first shift.

After a while, Casey came back over and sat next to him on the log. She shivered, hugging her arms to her chest.

He understood her silence.

“I don’t know what to do,” she murmured. It was so soft, if not for the keen hearing of the wolf, he’d have missed it in the wind.

“You don't have to make any decisions right now, Casey,” he said turning the rabbits over the fire. “I will help you in any way I can, and I’ll try not to influence your decision.”

“How? How can you do that when the wolf inside is pulling the way it does?” She took an exasperated breath.

Braedyn turned to her, throwing a leg over the log, facing her. “What do you mean?”

Her gaze drifted down from his, and she toyed with the zipper on her parka. “She’s pulling me so hard. I can’t seem to think straight.”

He reached over and lifted her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes. “I feel the same way, but you can’t let your wolf control you. The wolf doesn’t always think logically. That’s where your reasoning has to prevail. You have to control the beast within, because for three nights each month, she can control you.”

Casey grimaced and shook her head. “My thoughts and feelings are so jumbled right now. The only time the roaring in my head stops is when you touch me.”

Braedyn reached down and took her hand. She looked up into his eyes.

“I’m afraid, but she tells me you’re not to be feared, you’d never hurt me. She’s relaxed with you, and when I pulled away, she roared at me; angry I could do such a thing.”

“You can’t always appease the wolf. Not always but...” He gently stroked her cheek and felt the wolf inside of him nearly keen with joy at the intimate contact. “Sometimes... it helps to just give in,” he added with a grin.

* * * *

Casey’s nostrils flared at the wolf’s expressed desire to be near him. Closing her eyes for a moment, forcing a rational thought into her head was difficult when all the wolf wanted to do was rut. The burn of desire welled inside her much like the night before.

This was her last full day as a human, maybe she should take advantage of it and make it memorable. Shocked at thinking such a thing, Casey found herself leaning toward Braedyn; craving the salty sweet taste of his lips again.

The kiss was gentle, yet firm. She felt the restraint he used, could sense his apprehension and she burrowed her hands in his hair, pulling him into a deeper kiss. Her tongue moved across his full lips seductively. She could hear the wolf in him growl with delight.

“You need to save your strength,” he whispered. “You need to eat and rest today.”

“We can do that in a bit.” Casey pulled back from the kiss and lifted the rabbits from the fire, setting them on the stones to cool. Rising, she took his hand and led him back into the tent.

His pure, masculine scent filled her when he unzipped his parka. Her hands still numb from the cold, fumbled with the zippers and buttons on her coat. She fought the urge to rip it off, yanking her arms from the sleeves. Braedyn’s kiss was full of passion when he pulled her to him. They tumbled onto the air mattress, fumbling with each other’s clothing.

Her shirt tore as she struggled out of it. The buttons popped from Braedyn’s shirt when he ripped it open, not even bothering with them. The rest of their clothing was a blur of motion. Casey found his warm and gloriously naked body pressed against hers once more.

Her eyes drifted closed as he moved down her body. Long tendrils of midnight hair slid over his shoulders, tickling her. Casey gasped and sank her fingers into the silky strands when his tongue delved into her most sensitive place, his hands caressing her thighs and bottom. He growled, kissing his way up her body, stopping to nibble her breasts.

She struggled to pull him up to her, craving his lips on hers, but he was firm and wouldn’t budge at her urging. Her teeth grit when one of his hands traveled downward. His fingers brushed around her folds, teasing before dipping down into her core. The moan that came forth sounded pained, even to her own ears.

Casey’s wolf sensed his apprehension. Placing her hands on both sides of his face, she held his gaze.

Too many times she’d gazed into a lovers eyes, searching for love and not finding it. Now, when Casey looked into Braedyn’s, she felt he was scanning for the same in hers. Like her, he was afraid of being hurt.

Their wolves begged for them to bond.

It was then she realized it wasn’t only the wolf in her who craved him. Casey needed to feel human and was afraid after tonight, she would never be able to feel this way again.

Tears stung her eyes again, and his brows furrowed.

“Have I hurt you?” he asked, pulling back.

“No.” She sniffled and tried to blink away the tears. “I’m...I’m afraid of losing myself after tonight.”

Braedyn sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Is that why you brought me in here?”

She looked away, ashamed of herself.

“You will still be human, Casey. You will also be a wolf. She’s not seperate from you, nor you from her. He nuzzled her cheek. Once more she felt the turmoil his wolf was in. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“I hope you don’t think I was using you.” The heat of his erection burned her thigh, and Braedyn ground his teeth. Guilt washed over her at the thought of causing him pain.

“Do you want me?” His voice was a whisper.

She took a deep breath, taking in his primal scent, feeling her body clench with desire.

The truth was, she did. She craved him on the deepest level. “Yes,” she murmured, her eyes falling closed.

His voice hardened. “Look at me.”

Her eyes snapped open.

“Do you...need me?”

“Yes.” She put her hands on his face, pulling him close to kiss him again.

* * * *

Braedyn felt the passion in her kiss. As Casey ran her hands down his back to his hips, pulling him into the warmth that was all her, his hair stood on end. He growled softly, feeling the warm press of her against his throbbing erection. Fighting the urge to slide into her silky folds, he craved the closeness of her body against his.

Casey moaned, rocking her hips against his.

His gaze held hers, and he ran his hands through her hair. She was the one he thought was out of his reach. To be rejected by her would devastate him. If they didn’t bond, Casey was still free to choose whomever she wished, whether he be human or Were. With a new shewolf, the single male members of his pack would be on the prowl to woo her.

Braedyn ground his teeth against that thought. His mouth wandered over hers again.

He was stingy keeping her here, seperate from them, hoping against hope she would choose him.

Her eyes flashed golden while she struggled with her wolf. Her desire was fierce. If he didn’t hurry the wolf would claim him. The delicious thought ran through his mind. He nearly couldn’t wait until Casey was less afraid of her wolf so they could just let go and enjoy the carnal pleasures the wolf could show her. Her wolf and human self wouldn’t fully combine and begin to communicate until the first series of shifts were over.

She growled, her hips insistently rocked against his, harder this time. It amused and further aroused him. Her body was much smaller than his, yet she still managed to raise them both from the mattress. Raising her head, she captured his mouth in a blazing, passionate kiss that torched his senses. He felt her nip his bottom lip and heard her gasp at the taste of his blood, and she pulled back from him, searching his eyes.