She picked up the phone and made the phone call to enforcer headquarters. While she waited for the officer to arrive, she got out her laptop and searched for a plane ticket.
As she organized a flight for the following night, Serena found tissues and wiped her cheeks. She hadn’t even realized she had been crying.
Was she running away? Leaving Gabe in the lurch? But if he didn’t respect or understand her, what was the point?
Feeling deflated, like she was making the wrong decision for the right reasons, she finalized her flight and clicked the “confirm payment” button.
It didn’t matter anyway. The flight was booked and the emails sent. By this time tomorrow night, she’d be driving down the dirt road away from the ranch for the very last time.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Gabe ran up the side of the mountain until he reached the hot spring valley where he and Serena had first made love. Or had it just been sex?
He’d thought she had feelings for him. He thought she was the one—his fated mate. He’d even started to believe in those fucking fairy tales. But the look in her eyes today told a different story. Yes, she desired him. But she seemed to think it was all the Fever, all their overwrought bodies and the push of their wolves.
He trotted past the hot spring down to the creek and dove in, letting the icy Rocky Mountain water chill his body’s heat. The pulsing need of his wolf retreated, and he was finally able to think with his brain and not his dick.
And what he wanted was still the same. Serena.
He enjoyed her company. They laughed and had fun together. She was smart, career driven. She’d been brave enough to leave her pack and come clear across the country to Fated Mountain. Not many wolves would have done that.
And yes, she was a wolf. His wolf responded to her as if she could shift. He knew she was a wolf. But she’d never understand the push that having a physical wolf gave him. The smells, the sights, the sounds. He’d run in wolf form on the dreamscape, so he knew the difference. But she didn’t.
He swam over to the shore and got out, shaking excess water off his fur and letting the light night breeze blow him dry as he tried to sort out his emotions. Despite the swim, he was still frustrated and angry, and so damn confused.
He could love who Serena was without completely understanding her. Why couldn’t she do the same?
It was nearing dawn before he began the long run back to the compound. Finally, he was within sight of the shearing shed on the western edge of the ranch. The last few miles had worked the worst of the Fever from his body and as he stopped at the pump and shifted to human to get a drink in the predawn light, he felt almost normal.
Normal enough to know what he needed to do. He had to head back up the hill to Serena’s and help her understand that their differences shouldn’t drive them apart, they should pull them together. He could support her in her work, make sure she had whatever it was she needed to be a therapist for the pack. He could help her understand what the differences were between physical shifters and dreamwalkers, and if she knew that, she’d be a better therapist. They didn’t need to be the same, and he didn’t even need to completely understand her for them to be a team.
He took a drink of the fresh well water, then stuck his head underneath the pump and got his entire head wet.
That’s what they could be—a team. That’s what the Fever saw that they didn’t—the unspoken complementary pieces of two people that fit together and, with the Bite, would become whole.
He turned off the pump and shook off the excess water. Time to find Serena and talk to her, while he was in control of the Fever and she could understand—this wasn’t just the virus, his desire, or his wolf pushing him to mate with her. It was him, and her, and what an amazing pair they could be.
And he had something else to do, something that he’d forgotten in the rush of sex and the heat of the fight. He had to find out just whose scent was in Serena’s bedroom and take care of the threat.
The wind shifted, and in the near-dark, the scent of Sam wafted in the breeze. He turned just in time to brace himself for the impact of 180 pounds of adult shifter landing on him and knocking him to the ground.
“Sam, what the hell?” He shoved his brother off his chest and stood up, brushing the dirt from the road off and frowning at his twin.
Sam’s light-gray fur was matted, and his eyes were fever bright, the pupils tiny pinpricks nearly lost in blue. He growled, and it was the kind of growl Gabe had only heard a few times in his life. The kind that said his brother was here for the kill.
Gabe knew he smelled like Serena—even if he hadn’t seen her for a week, his brother’s fever-heightened senses would pick up every trace of her on his skin. And he’d not only just seen her; they’d had sex.
He backed down the dirt road in the direction of the main ranch buildings. They weren’t far. Someone would be driving by here soon. He just hoped it wouldn’t be too late.
“Sam, you have to get control of this. Serena’s made it plain, she doesn’t want you anymore.”
Sam circled him, his tail low and his lip curled. The message was clear: fight me.
“No. I don’t want to fight.” Gabe moved to walk away, but he wasn’t sure which direction to go. Back up the mountain was where he wanted to go and see Serena, but with Sam here like this? There was no way he’d endanger either his brother or Serena. Instead he headed closer into the ranch, moving past the empty sheep-shearing shed and closer to the stable where he could hear the distant sound of men and horses getting ready for the day. Someone would help him with Sam.
Sam ran in front of him. He lashed out a paw around Gabe’s lower legs, swiping at his ankles and taking them out from under him. Once again he hit the ground hard.
This time he got up growling. “Back off, Sam. I don’t want to fight you.”
Sam darted in again, his teeth grazing Gabe’s thigh and leaving a trail of blood.
Gabe’s wolf howled inside, and the rage of heat, so carefully banked with the last hour of running, broke. “Fuck you!” Gabe snarled, the shift racing over him.
Sam’s eyes answered with a bright gleam. The fight was on.
Gabe’s shift was too fast. It took him a moment to adjust to the lower level of vision and the increased power of scent. Sam didn’t give him the time. He rushed him, low and fast and heading for his neck. Gabe dropped his muzzle at the last minute, protecting his throat.
Sam nicked his shoulder, his hot damp mouth taking a chunk of Gabe’s thick neck ruff. Gabe spun around and crouched. He smelled the Fever on his twin and in Sam’s saliva left on his coat. His own virus responded. His human side receded, and his vision went red.
No longer did he see Sam as his twin, the brother he’d loved since before birth. Now he only saw the other male for what he was—the wolf who wanted his mate. His enemy.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Gabe shook his head and snarled. The ache of the shift was still in his bones, but he didn’t notice. He was in survival mode, and all his focus was on Sam’s gray wolf, circling him, waiting for his chance. Gabe sniffed the air. Sam’s emotions came to him, caught in the odor of his sweat—anger, fear, frustration.
But the number one emotion was need.
Sam’s need for Serena floated to Gabe on the breeze. Gabe growled. Mine. He leapt for his brother’s throat.
Sam darted out of the way, his reflexes fever-fast. He came back in, going for Gabe’s back legs. His teeth skimmed Gabe’s hamstring. Nearly too late, Gabe jerked his leg out of his brother’s jaws.
On the edge of his concentration, he heard the sound of a loud pickup coming up the road. But he didn’t stop. He dove for Sam’s exposed throat. Sam dropped his head and Gabe’s teeth sank into Sam’s tender nose. Blood gushed in Gabe’s mouth. His wolf howled inside with success, and he clamped his teeth down harder.
In the back of his mind, he registered the shouts of men. Someone called out his name. “Wulfric!”
Sam yanke
d his head back, trying to shake Gabe free, but Gabe used his powerful forelegs to brace himself and sank his teeth in deeper.
Victory was inches away.
Gabe heard more shouts and then a loud bang. A sharp pain hit him in his flank. He let go, whipping around to the new threat. Sam dropped back. He fell to the ground, bounced back up, and came at Gabe with the ferocity of a freight train.
Gabe reeled out of Sam’s way. No, out of both of their ways. Two Sams danced in and out of his vision, blurring together in a haze of gray fur in the light of the rising sun. Gabe threw himself to the side, and hit the dirt hard. He lay there, panting and dizzy as the drug overwhelmed him. Sam had regrouped. He faced Gabe, teeth bared.
This was it. Gabe had to get up or the other wolf would have him at his mercy.
He struggled to stand as his brother rushed him. There was another loud bang. Sam jerked and went down, up almost as fast and racing for Gabe. Gabe tried to move, tried to stand up, but he couldn’t even lift his head.
Sam’s eyes were hazy but still focused on Gabe. Sam slowed and stumbled, but his momentum kept him going. He ran into Gabe, landing on him and crushing him into the dirt. Gabe’s reactions were too slow. His last memory was the gaping sight of his brother’s jaw opening and lunging for his neck, just before he passed out.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Vince was outside of the main compound on his way to work when the pickup truck drove in and parked in front of enforcer headquarters. Two men got out, but he barely paid attention. He’d just gotten the text from Nancy—Serena had quit her job last night and was heading back to Maine. He stood in the early morning sunshine, cold racing through his veins.
She couldn’t leave. Not now. Not when he’d finally found the woman who should be his mate.
“Man, I never thought I’d see the day when the Wulfrics would be tearing each other’s throats out.”
The name grabbed Vince’s attention. He forced himself to put aside thoughts of what to do about Serena and edged closer to the truck.
The driver walked around and lowered the gate. He waved at someone on the porch of the enforcer building. “Hey, get a gurney or something. We need to get them inside and locked up.”
Vince couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Inside were two wolves, one light gray and one a darker brown-gray. The Wulfric brothers, unconscious and streaked with blood.
His palms went damp, and he edged closer. He’d meant to take out Sam by lurking in his dreams and aiming him at one of his fellow wolf shifters. He’d gotten lucky, and taken Gabe out with the loaded weapon of his twin’s fever-ridden aggression.
“Good thing we got there when we did. They’re pretty evenly matched.”
“Fucking Fever. They reek of it.”
“Yeah, the fever’s a bitch. But, seriously, if you even had the choice—would you give up being a shifter just to avoid it? I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be anything else in the pack, not even a dreamwalker.” The men laughed, the superiority in their voices raising Vince’s hackles.
Fucking shifters. Always thought they were better than everyone else, even when it came to the virus. Now look where it had gotten them.
He hadn’t had to lift a finger, and now the Wulfrics would be locked up in the enforcer cells. Enforcers started to pour out of the building and Vince backed away. Now was his chance. He had to make Serena see that he was the mate for her while the competition was down and out.
He went for his car. He had no idea how long the Wulfrics would be locked up. They had friends on the force. He had to act now or maybe lose his chance forever.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Serena stared at the kitchen floor. One bloody rose petal had escaped her cleaning frenzy, lying like a liquid teardrop on the well-worn surface of the floor. Everything was arranged. Her need was getting worse with Gabe so far away, not better, and the only fix she could think of was getting the hell away from Colorado and back home to Maine, where the heat would fade until it was just a memory. It would take two airports and a stop in Chicago, but she’d be out of here tonight. And that was what was important.
She’d had lunch and was halfway packed. She’d have a last early dinner in the main ranch house with a few very regretful members of the council, and then one of them would drive her the five hours to the airport. Then she’d be on the plane and sleeping the wee hours of the morning away. If she could sleep.
A long mournful howl rose up inside her, but she squashed it down.
It was hell having her wolf so close to the surface. Everything she did felt like she had a second skin. Smells were stronger, and she couldn’t believe she’d ever thought the vase of roses smelled pretty. Now, the astringent cleaner that had been used to wipe the glass clean of fingerprints stank in her nostrils, and she wrinkled her upper lip in a snarl.
She paced back and forth in the cabin, forgetting what she was doing, only coming back into her senses at a knock on the door. She crouched, ready for an intruder, then wrestled her body back from her wolf, shoving it back and straightening up. She was a dreamwalker, damn it. She had the upper hand. Not her wolf.
She went to the window and peered out. Vince’s green car was outside, and she smelled the now nearly overpowering scent of his cologne. Her wolf growled. This wasn’t the right one. They wanted Gabe.
She shook it off and went to the door, checking who it was before unlocking it. Opening it wide, she pasted a friendly smile on her face. “Hi, Vince. How are you?”
“Did I hear you’re quitting and going home? How could you do that now that you’ve got Nancy on the run?” He pushed past her into the cabin.
She barely pulled her initial reaction of lunging at him and taking a nice bite of his plaid button-down-covered shoulders. Instead, she counted to five before answering. “I’m sorry, it has nothing to do with the job. Or Nancy. I just have some personal stuff going on.”
“It’s the Wulfric brothers again, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “It’ll be better for me to get away from here.” A breeze blew in from the open doorway. It smelled of fresh air and pines, and she suddenly longed to be outside racing through the forest, almost forgetting about Vince sitting in her kitchen.
“Can’t I talk you out of it? I feel like we’ve gotten so close.”
At his quiet request her wolf retreated. The Serena she knew reasserted itself. He was right. They’d become sort of friends over their lunch hours and skirmishes with Nancy.
“What if we take a quick walk,” he said. “I have a special spot, not far from the ranch, where I like to go and think. Would you come with me and I can show it to you?”
She looked back into the bedroom at her half-packed bag. She wasn’t leaving until later. She had time. And she had nothing to do this afternoon but fret over leaving Gabe. “Sure. Let me get my things and we’ll go.”
His smile was huge, and she did her best to match it. It was calming to be around Vince. He wasn’t the mate her wolf was looking for—no fate here—so her wolf backed away when he was near. She could use their walk to get a break from all the chaos raging inside.
She grabbed her purse and jacket, and they left. Locking the cabin behind her she got into his car, looking around for the enforcer who was supposed to be on duty outside of the cabin.
“Hey Vince, did you see the officer who was here? Sheila Houndstooth?”
“Um, yeah. I saw her on my way in. She’s doing a perimeter check. I told her I was taking you for a break.”
Ignoring the flare of suspicion from her wolf, she shut the car door and buckled her seatbelt. Her wolf was on a rampage, seeing monsters behind every door. How shifters dealt with it, she’d never know. She’d be better off when life and her wolf were back to safe, sane normal.
“You’re going to love it, Serena. Just wait and see.”
Serena half-listened to Vince chatter on as she watched the cabin recede in the side mirror. Just think, this time tomorrow she’d be back home. No Nancy. No Sam. No
Gabe.
Somehow it was all more depressing than it should be.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Serena sank down onto a rock on the edge of the steep drop-off, her lungs tighter than twisted rubber bands. “Tell me we’re not going any farther, Vince. This spot is gorgeous and I need to breathe.”
Vince walked up beside her. “No, this is it. Look at that view.”
They’d hiked through scrubby pines and aspen until reaching this spot where the woods fell away to a steep drop-off, and a wide valley spread out beneath them. Back beyond the closest mountains—much closer than she’d realized—were the tips of snowy peaks. “I can’t believe there’s still snow on the mountains in the middle of summer.” She looked down into the valley. “Is that the town of Wolf’s Peak down there?”
“Yep. And that mountain behind it is also called Wolf’s Peak. There’ve been pack in these mountains for generations. My family came out here with the first settlers over a hundred years ago to mine gold.” His voice filled with pride.
“I can’t imagine wolves working in mines.”
“They did it. They did what they had to do to survive. Shifters, dreamwalkers, even the spelltalkers.” His voice seemed to grow dark, and he stopped smiling. “Of course the shifters take all the credit. They always do.”
She wasn’t sure what was going on with him. Her wolf, now so close to the surface due to the rise of fever instigated by Gabe, grew restless. She didn’t want to sit here, she wanted to find her mate. What was wrong with Serena, wasting time with this other?
Serena shook off her wolf’s need.
She’d already made her decision. They weren’t taking a mate, no matter how much she longed to stay in Gabe’s arms. Like Vince, she’d seen the prejudice that lurked under pack society, even within her own well-meaning family. There was no way she was marrying someone who wouldn’t treat her as an equal. She’d had enough of that at home. Screw fate and romance and love, she had principals.
Claimed Mate Page 12
