Over the next few days, Rikka justifies her continued stay by walking around the territory and pointing at the odd tree while mumbling words that sound like gibberish. Personally, I think she's full of crap—she just doesn't have any other place to go that provides her with free food and shelter—but I have bigger fish to fry. Cassum insists on putting her plan into action, and preparing her to win the Trials and beat the Alpha of the Scopan Lake pack will require some serious training.

An hour after she went to bed, I wake her up. "Rise and shine, sis."

She tosses a pillow at me.

I mock pout. "Now, is this the way to treat your brother who only has your best interest at heart?"

"Fuck off, Kendrick."

"Sleep is a luxury you can't afford." I pull away her blanket. She's butt naked. Talk about awkward. "Trials can go on for days and you need to stay alert without your body's need for sleep. It's one of the reasons I beat your ass when you went against me in our Trials. Now get up before my wolf drags you outside."

"I hate you."

"Yeah, and you'll love me once you become an Alpha."

She finally sits up and rubs her eyes. Her gaze comes to rest on Allo's crib, who is fast asleep. "What about the pup?"

That might be a problem. Mother left with her weretoy for an extended hunt into the mountains and could be gone for weeks.

"Can't Kenna watch him?"

"She's seventeen and into all kinds of stuff that doesn't include a pup."

True. And Everest doesn't have a nurturing bone in her body, so she's out. "What about Raelyn?"

Cassum twitches under my stare. "I dunno. She isn't family. Besides, I thought she might want to train with us."

I arch a brow. "You want Raelyn to train as a warrior?"

"Why not? She's an Alpha born and suffered horribly under that old pack. It's not right to degrade a female like this. I think some training will be good for her."

My mother's warning rings in my ears. "Maybe I should get to know her first."

"That's exactly it. You and I will be spending most of our time in the woods, so what better way to make her part of the pack?"

My smile is slow. How do you argue with that? "Mother said—"

"Since when do you do anything Mom said." Her lips twist. "C'mon, Kendrick. It'll be so much more fun with a sparring partner who doesn't beat me all the time."

"But that doesn't solve the Allo problem."

"We'll ask Falcon. He's crazy about him."

"Seriously? You want a male to care for a pup."

"Why not?"

I suppose it's feasible, especially since he has enough time on his hands. "Okay, then let's drop Allo off in his room and get Raelyn."

Cassum rubs her hand. "This is gonna be great, don't you think?"

My mother's words sit like a heavy clump in my gut, but hey, I'm not a party pooper. "As long as you're prepared for a lot of pain."

~~~~

Heading into the dark days, frost leaves its breath on the needles of the evergreens and the grass in the large, still meadows. The temperatures are now so low that the frigid air stings my lungs. I love it. A few times, snow dust covers the ground, but it's gone again by lunch time. The pack's females are busy with canning fruit and curing meat and fish; the bustling in the large pack kitchen is a nice change to the solitude of the nights in the forest. I often stick around for an extra cup of coffee while Cassum and Raelyn are busy with weight training.

One morning, when I stroll back into the gym, the sight of Raelyn gets me all edgy. The toned muscles look good on her and her skin glistens with sweat as she pushes the weight up with her feet.

Cassum is counting her progress. "Come on, just five more to go."

Raelyn grits her teeth, pushing on. Her stomach muscles aren't the only muscles to flex. Sudden heat rips through my abdomen and I shift my weight to get into a more comfortable position. It's getting harder and harder to curb my imagination.

Finishing the exercise, Raelyn gets off the bench and grabs a towel. As she wipes away the sweat, her face is beet red. "Morning, Alpha." Her sweet smile teases me in every possible way.

I clear my throat. "Are you two ready to move outside?"

"Still have to do my push-ups." Cassum grins. "But you guys can go ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

I follow Raelyn who steers toward the door. The icy cold raises the goosebumps on her bare arms. I shake out of my jacket and drape it around her shoulders. "How are you feeling?"

"To be honest, I've never been better." Her gaze flicks around. "This pack, this opportunity to train as a warrior, it's just amazing."

"I hope I'm not expecting too much."

Her smile tingles on my skin. "Could we go for a run? Just the two of us, I mean."

"Sure, I don't see why not." Cassum will be fine with Niccolo this once.

Walking toward the forest, Raelyn takes my hand. Though her fingertips are freezing cold, it feels nice on my heated skin. She undresses before she shifts; it's as if she's tempting me, deep down knowing how much it turns me on to see her in her skins. With a rumble, my wolf breaks free.

I chase behind her. Her leaps are longer than before and her muscle-packed body has grown to almost double its size. She is now as big as half of the males of this pack. Her canines have sharpened from hunting her own food; the high protein diet and exercise turning her into a wolf who demands respect. I'm proud of her.

Coming up on a big buck, she crouches low to the ground. Mist steams from her snout. Her sole focus is in on the prey, the hunger darkening her eyes. She's craving the taste of warm blood. I drop next to her on the ground.

Waiting. Sniffing. Fighting the urge to make the kill.

Her tail twitches. Nose pressed close to the ground with her weight on her front legs, she's ready to pounce. The deer has stopped grazing, his body tense. He can sense the danger, but he's not willing to leave his source of food. By the time he realizes that he's about to turn into a wolf's lunch, it'll be too late.

Raelyn closes the gap in a few strides. Her teeth delve into the neck of the buck, and with one rotating pull of her strong jaw, she tosses him on his side. The deer twines in her death grip but is unable to break free. Growling, she shakes her head until his body stills. One more slice to the throat finishes him off.

Head and shoulders stretched to my full height, I step out of the forest. She lies down next to her kill, her gaze fixed on me. As I get closer, she whimpers; if I'd show me teeth, she'll be on her back, exposing her belly and throat to me. I step closer, licking the blood off her snout. Fur on fur, I rub my scent into her. A deep rumble in my chest signals my wolf's approval. I turn toward the deer, my fangs tearing into his back.

Cutting, slicing, taking the best.

No matter how much my skin side wants her to feast on her own kill, my wolf is greedy. Ripping into the buck's warm body, yanking the meat off its bones, drinking the blood. An Alpha's right. No matter how strong this female will become, it's a line that can't be crossed. Disrespect toward my wolf means death.

After I had my fill, I nudge her with my snout. In the next breath, she's to her feet, tearing into her prey. She slices off the meat that is left. Eating the parts that were too bothersome for my wolf to get to. Leftover scraps that will not fill her. The hunger still burns in her eyes after the bones are gnawed clean.

I bow my head in an approving notion, giving her permission to hunt on her own. I'll be waiting by the creek for her until she has satisfied her hunger. That's only fair. After quenching my thirst, I shift and slide into the stream. The coldness of the rushing waters against my skin is refreshing. Head tilted back with my face toward the sun, my eyelids grow heavy. Just as I'm about to doze off, I'm jerked awake by splattering water on my face. I squint lazily at the intruder standing in the soft mud bed of the stream, expecting to find Raelyn, but it's Rikka. I cringe.

She laughs. "Don't look so grouchy."

Truth is, my instincts should've warned me. An enemy should never be able to walk up on me like this. "What are you doing here?"

"You know, the clean-up."

I've heard this now for the past two months. "Aren't your people curious what you've been up to?" When Marush called Andrenior in Texas, he sounded like he was eager to see her.

"Nah, it's fine." She pulls her sweater over her head, slipping out of her boots.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'll join you." Her pants drop. Fantastic. She isn't wearing any panties. Turning around, she exposes me to two well-formed butt cheeks. She slowly unhooks her bra, shedding her last piece of clothing. Even though I should probably look at anything but her naked body, I can't get my eyes to divert. For a non-wolf, she isn't ugly.

Pulling her long, blond hair into a dot, she secures it with an elastic band she had worn like a bracelet around her wrist. She slides into the stream and her body quivers. "Ah, that feels nice." Her chattering teeth contradict her claim.

"Seems you're really cold."

"Why, thank you. I didn't want to impose."

Before I can object, she sits on my lap and pulls my arms around her midsection. "You're right. That's so much better."

I want to loosen my grip, push her away, but my muscles don't obey me. I can't even move my hips to toss her off. When I clench my six pack, pain rolls in my stomach.

"Don't fight it, or the spell will hurt you."

"You put a fucking spell on me?"

"Some men need to taste the forbidden fruit before they like it."

"Get off of me!"

"You can admit you're attracted to me."

"But I'm not." The words aren't even out of my mouth when my body betrays me. Probably another spell.

She twists her head to look up at me at an odd angle. "I can only paralyze your muscles, but I don't have control over your boner."

"Please, Rikka. I honestly don't like you in that way." I glance around. What if Raelyn sees us? This could ruin everything for us.

"Seriously? You're putting me in the friend zone." She squints at me. "It's Raelyn, isn't it? You think she's your true mate."

"We are true mates." Saying it out aloud takes a huge weight off my chest, even if the words weren't spoken to the intended female.

"But you are wrong. I admit on the surface, you two have a lot going for each other, but there's part of her aura that's not fully committed."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Duh, I'm a sun warlock. I see the auras of every living thing."

"You sure you're not wrong about Raelyn?" From where I stand, it could be jealousy talking.

"Positive. There's something dark around her, almost as if. . ."

When she doesn't continue, I roll my eyes. She sounds just like my mother. "What?"

"Forget it. It doesn't matter." With a curt smile, she gets off my lap and out of the stream.

I can move again.

As she turns toward the sun, the sparkling water droplets on her skin explode. They drape around her, making her glow, turning her skin into liquid gold. Mesmerized, I stare as the drops melt together and rise toward the sky. When I blink to break the spell, she's back in her baggy clothes. Not a second too soon. Raelyn's wolf jumps out from between the trees. Shifting, she walks toward us.

Rikka gives her a good once over with this critical frown that makes it obvious she's checking out the competition. "I'll see you guys back at the packhouse."

Raelyn's gaze stays on her until the shadows of the forest swallow her up. When she dips into the water, her face is strained. "What did Rikka want?"

"No clue. I can't figure that female out." The lie clogs my throat and I have to cough into my fist repeatedly to get rid of the burning sensation.

"Well, I don't like her. Can't you tell her to leave?"

"She's teaching Arabella new healing powers of plants. That could benefit the pack." It's a lame excuse, but the best I can come up with. I want Rikka to stay, even if I have no idea why. Maybe it's the aftereffects of her spell, and I'll change my mind once it wears off.

Raelyn moves around in the stream and settles in the spot next to me. Our thighs touch. Since I'm still charged, it drives me nuts.

I wipe a little blood off the side of her chin. "Did you hunt more deer?"

"A fawn, all to myself." Smiling, her fangs glisten. She's high from the kill.

"I'm sorry my wolf is always so selfish."

"Don't be." Twisting in the water, she slips onto my lap, facing me. What is it today with pushy females?

When she runs her fingers down my spine, I shudder. My wolf growls with desire. I ball my hands to control him. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"I disagree." The words are mumbled against the sensitive skin under my ear. She traces little kisses along my neck and jaw before her lips seal my mouth. They are incredibly soft; her breath is tinged with the sweetness of the kill. My wolf rumbles.

When her fingernails nick my skin, the lust explodes. I take control of the kiss, dominating, hugging her so close to make it impossible for her to pull away. She digs her extended nails into my skin. Her wolf snarls, her joints pop. Our natures want to join as one, but the mark on her neck sobers me up. This is wrong.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this."

With a sigh, she breaks away, taking up position across from me in the stream. "Did you know that Dante had found his true mate? Her name was Lara, and they fooled around even after he and I were mated."

"Seriously?" That Scopan Lake Alpha should be shot for allowing something like that to go on under his roof. "Why did you and him even mate?"

"It was arranged by our families."

A tradition I stopped the second I turned Alpha. "Did you ever. . . get it on?" Fuck, I shouldn't ask her something this personal. It's none of my business.

"Mostly as wolves, I mean, it's only natural for her to be drawn to her mate, and a few times in skins. It wasn't great, though." Tears well in her eyes. "Dante was very violent. Once, he hurt me so badly, I almost died. I was really afraid of him. And the pack. . ." A few tears fall. "The pack was cruel to all their females."

"Awe, come here." I cradle my arms around her. Her tears burn hot on my skin. My wolf bares his fangs. He hates seeing her upset.

She sobs. "And now, Dante's mark is destroying the little bit of happiness I've found."

"Don't be silly."

"The next heat is only a few weeks away. What if you find another female 'till then—someone who's available?"

"Don't worry, I won't. You're the only female I want."

She blinks at me through her tears. "Then why do we have to wait?"

With a sudden urgency, my lips are upon her. This time, I allow her to take control. For a beat, my wolf buckles—he's not used to efface himself—but her wolf's warning bark puts him right back into his place. In the past, this would've been unthinkable. With her, it feels right.

When we break, the twirling mist in her gray eyes captures my soul. I never want to be apart from her again. "Race you back to the packhouse."

Her laugh is frisky. "And the winner picks the bed."

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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