Winter Wolf (A New Dawn Novel Book 1) (9 page)

“Are you sure?” The hunger in his eyes made Katalina take a step back. If she didn’t put some distance between them, she’d not be able to resist the pull she felt for him.

“Yes, stop that!” she said, trying to sound firm but failing. Part of her so desperately wanted to lose herself in him, but the more sensible half of her knew she needed to be well rested for the inevitable visit from Jackson.

“Stop what?”

“You know what. Stop looking at me like I’m edible!” She stood, hands on hips, trying not to smile.

He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll behave.” He dragged her back against his lean, hard body, kissing her softly. “Goodnight, Katalina Winter, I love you.”

Katalina grinned stupidly. “I’ll never tire of hearing that. Night.”

Katalina closed her door, keeping her back to the room. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to turn around. It didn’t matter how many deep breaths she took, the pain at seeing her room, the memories of her old life, a life she could never truly go back to, no matter how much she wanted it, the pain was too much. She let out a broken sob. Thick tears rolled down her face as she walked around her room, looking at pictures of her parents.

The door opened behind her. She knew it was Bass without looking, whenever he was near, she could feel the connection deep in her heart. “I’m fine, Bass,” she said, wiping her face.

“No, you’re not. I can feel your pain as if it’s my own, Katalina.”

She turned to face him, seeing for herself the pain he felt etched in his eyes. Being someone’s mate was going to take some getting used too. It meant more than just loving someone. The connection was mind, body, and soul, as if they were your other half.

“You no longer need to suffer alone. Come here.” Bass took her hand and led her to the bed.

“Wait, what are you doing?” she asked, startled. She’d never had a man in her room, never mind bed.

“I’m going to hold you while you sleep.” He got on the bed, dragging her with him and wrapping his arms around her.

“But my grandma, she’ll freak out if she finds you in here.”
I’m kinda freaking out, too.

“Kat, I’ll be out of here before she’s even out of bed. Now sleep.” He pulled the blanket around her, tangling his leg with hers. “Goodnight, my beautiful mate.”

The urge to protest disappeared when she was wrapped in his hold. She didn’t feel embarrassed or self-conscious. It simply felt right.

Katalina smiled into the darkness, entwining her fingers with Bass’s. His heat seeped into her, his solid strength a soothing presence. The tears still came, but she wasn’t alone. He never said a word, just held her impossibly tight, stroking his thumb in circles over her skin, leaving only when she’d cried herself out and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Chapter 11

Katalina woke to the sound of talking and the smell of bacon. She sat up, running her hands through her hair. It felt so surreal to be back in her bed. Pulling on a chunky cardigan, Katalina ventured out to the kitchen.

She stopped in her tracks as she rounded the corner. Bass was in the kitchen, cooking. She’d only ever seen him in his ragged jeans and the dark t-shirt he’d had on the previous night. Before her, Bass was wearing a baby blue t-shirt, which clung to his lean muscular body in all the right places. As he looked up smiling, her breath caught, the color of his shirt bringing out the faintest shade of blue in his impossibly dark eyes.

“Morning, Katalina,” he said as she sat down next to her grandma.

“Hey,” she answered, amazed she was able to keep the shake from her voice.

“Sebastian is cooking us breakfast,” her grandma said, sticking a forkful of bacon into her mouth.

“Yes, I can see that. I didn’t know you could cook,” she said to Bass.

“My father isn’t the most gifted of cooks, so it was either learn or eat his rubbish. I learned.”

Katalina laughed, giving him another once- over she sighed, content; he was sexy as sin and all hers.

“What about your mother?” Katalina’s grandma asked.

“She died when I was a baby,” he answered, placing a plate of bacon, eggs and pancakes in front of Katalina.

“Oh, I’m sorry, dear.”

“That’s all right. I’ve had many years to come to terms with it.”

Katalina searched for a change of subject. “What are you up so early for, Gram. You’re never out of bed before ten.”

Her grandma’s face fell. “It’s your mom and dad’s funeral today, sweetie.”

“Funeral? They haven’t been buried yet?” The thought of them lying in some morgue made her feel queasy. She wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach, attempting to settle the emotions churning inside of her.

“No, darling, the police have only just finished their investigation, ruling it an accident.”

“Oh.” Katalina didn’t feel much like eating anymore. She pushed her food around her plate, staring at the food but focusing on nothing.

“What happened, Kat?” her grandmother asked her tentatively.

Katalina stared at the counter top a second longer. She didn’t want to relive the horror from that night.
What do I even say? How am I supposed to explain everything without sounding insane?
She glanced up at Bass, wishing she’d asked him if there was some story she was supposed to be keeping to. With everything that had happened the previous day, she’d fallen asleep in the car, and when she’d arrived, Katalina had been overwhelmed being back home. The last thing on her mind had been making up a story.

“It’s all a bit of a blur. We were driving home from my birthday dinner and I saw a wolf running alongside the car. Dad turned to look and a group of wolves ran out onto the road. He didn’t see them in time. The car skidded and flipped…”

“Wolves, the police said there were wolf prints all over the scene, but I couldn’t believe wolves would be so close to town.”

“Yes, Grandma, there were wolves,” Katalina said sadly, glancing up to see how her grandma was reacting.

“But how did you get away, Kat? What happened after the crash?”

Kat’s voice stuck in her throat. Images of that night tumbled through her mind: wolves tearing at her, pain everywhere, Arne saving her, and Toby carrying her away.

“A-Arne scared them off,” she stuttered.

Her grandma frowned. “A German Shepherd scared off a pack of wolves?”

“I—” There was a knock at the door.

“Oh, that must be your aunt.” Her grandma got up and hurried off to answer the door.

Katalina pushed her plate away and put her head on the counter top. “God, I can’t do this. What am I supposed to say?”

He was at her side in a flash, murmuring, “Listen, Kat, you were in Henry Ford Hospital. Your father came that night to tell you about himself. He found you a few streets over, where you’d managed to run to before collapsing. He never saw the crash. He didn’t tell you who he was until your memory came back. Do you understand? That’s the story.”

“But I never went to hospital, Bass. If they check—”

“There’ll be records, Kat, I’ve pulled some strings.”

“What…how?” Katalina glanced toward the front room; her grandma and aunt were coming. “Bass?” she whispered urgently.             

“Do you trust me, Katalina?” he whispered.

“Yes.”

“Then stick to that story,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head as he stepped to the side of her.

“Kat!” her aunt shrieked, running toward her. “Oh, I’m so pleased you’re okay.”

“Hi, Aunt Susan,” Katalina greeted, returning her hug, sadness lacing her words.

“And who is this, Kat?” she asked, looking Bass up and down.

“Susan, leave the lad alone,” Katalina’s grandma said.

“This is my friend, Bass. Is Dillon with you?”

“No, I left him at home with your uncle. A funeral is no place for a five-year-old.”

Katalina nodded, taking a deep breath. She wasn’t sure she was ready for a funeral either. As if sensing her feelings, Bass squeezed her shoulder. “Would you like to get some fresh air, Kat? I’m sure your aunt and grandmother have lots to do.”

Katalina practically jumped off the stool and ran out of the house. Every inch of the house reminded Katalina of some happy moment from her life and all she had lost. Just the thought of saying goodbye broke her heart. Being home, she could almost imagine nothing had changed, yet everything had. Even a second inside was too much; the air was too thick, oppressive, to the point that breathing became too great an effort.

“Don’t be long, Kat. You’ll need to get ready,” her grandmother called after Katalina’s retreating figure.

The second Katalina was out of the house she leaned against the wall of the house, her hands on her knees. The wind blew past her, making her shiver. The sky, grey and dreary, seemed fitting for the day.

She looked up as Bass approached, “I can’t do this, Bass. I can’t keep it together and lie about all that’s happened. What was I thinking coming back here? I should have just disappeared.”

“Katalina, that isn’t true. You wouldn’t have wanted your family to wonder what happened to you. I understand this isn’t easy, but you’ve come back because you need to say goodbye.” He cupped her cheeks and brought her head to his. “I’m here for you. You are going to get through this day and the day after that. I will always be here, to keep you going.”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around him. “You look amazing in blue by the way.” She grinned up at him, desperately wanting to think of something other than her parents’ funeral.

“Your aunt seemed to think so, too.”

Katalina burst out laughing, amazed that even with a heavy heart, he was able to make her smile. “Come on. I’ll show you around the impressive garden,” she said sarcastically with a wave of her hand.

The garden wasn’t a bad size but consisted of mostly lawn and a few shrubs. It took them all of two minutes to walk the garden and in that time, more people had arrived at the house, friends and distant relatives she hardly knew, all of them wanting to know her story. Katalina gave them vague answers, sticking to the things Bass had told her, while never letting go of his hand. He was her anchor, the only thing keeping her grounded, and out of the darkness of her grief.

“Come on,” Katalina whispered to him, weaving through the mass of bodies. Bass in tow, she escaped to her room. “Close the door.”

“As you wish,” he said with a bow.

“Funny!” she muttered, opening her wardrobe. “I think I have one plain, boring black dress in here somewhere.”

“Kat, I’m not exactly dressed in funeral attire,” Bass observed, looking down at himself.

Kat tossed a dress on her bed. Turning, she looked at him. “Have you got any black jeans?”

“Yes, but black jeans aren’t appropriate either.”

“So what, no one will notice. They’ll be too distracted by your face.”

He chuckled at her. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Oh, yes, you definitely should.” She walked toward him, planting a kiss on his mouth. “Now, go find your jeans, while I get dressed.”

By the time he returned, Katalina had dressed in her knee-length dress. It hugged her waist before flaring out. She’d paired it with black tights and black boots with a small heel.

“How you doing, Kat? I’m certain you weren’t expecting to come home to this.”

“Not really. Part of me is pleased I’m here for it, the other just wishes I had a grave to visit already. It’s just so hard dealing with all those people, asking me questions I can’t answer.”

“You’ll get through this. I’ll be right beside you, every step of the way.”

Katalina rested her head on his shoulder and took his hand. “Thanks,” she whispered softly. “Well, I suppose, we best go back out there.”

She reached for the door but Bass called her back. “Kat, have you seen this?”

Turning, Katalina looked in the direction he pointed and saw a black box, tied with a red bow.

“Oh, it must be a birthday present.” She gulped loudly, slowly making her way to the box, not quite sure she wanted to see its contents. She knew it was from her parents as she tentatively picked up the gift.

She read the label aloud. “
An extra one for my precious girl. I can’t believe you are eighteen already!
Happy Birthday, My Winter Girl!
Love, Mom xoxo
P.S I know, I go crazy with the white!”

Katalina smiled as tears filled her eyes.

“What does she mean ‘crazy with the white’?” Bass asked from behind her.

Katalina laughed sadly. “Mom had an obsession with buying me all things white, she called me her Winter Girl. I’m not sure I have the strength to open this.”

“I think you’ll be surprised at the strength you possess, Katalina Winter,” he murmured against her ear.

She took a deep breath, her chest rising high, and pulled the bow. The red ribbon tumbled to the floor, followed by the lid. Katalina pulled the white, fur coat from the box. Her knees gave out, and she dropped to the floor with a sob, clutching the coat to her chest.

“Oh, Mom,” she sobbed.

“Baby,” Bass soothed, wrapping himself around her. “It’s as white as your wolf fur. I do hope it’s not real though.”

Katalina laughed through her tears. “Maybe it’s wolf.”

She ran her hands over the coat, picturing her mother doing the same when she bought it from the store.

“You should wear it today,” Bass suggested.

“It’s the wrong color for a funeral.”

“I think your mom would have loved for you to wear her gift. Come on up. Come and try it on.” He held her hand and pulled her to her feet. “My beautiful Winter Wolf,” he murmured in her ear, making her smile.

There was a knock at the door.
“Kat, it’s time to go,” her grandma called through the door.

Katalina huffed out a breath. Glancing at herself in the mirror one last time, she nodded at her pale reflection.
You can do this, Kat. Just keep it together for the next few hours.

“Coming, Gram.”