by Susan Bliler
Hand stalling on the door handle, she kept her eyes on her own reflection in the window. Aydin had asked her a dozen times if she was up for this. He’d heard the stories of what had happened to her pack, and he was worried she’d lose her shit once she was face-to-face with Tallius.
“I got this.” She jerked her door open, but suddenly Aydin was there, hands on the frame of the door keeping her from opening it all the way.
Aydin was a good guy. A really good guy, and hot too. Just a few years older than her, he wasn’t mated and was a good candidate for a mate if a girl was looking. Unfortunately, Mira wasn’t.
“I can send someone else,” he offered.
“No!” Mira’s head shot up as her brows speared down. “It’s a Beta mutual meet. I’m the fucking Beta.”
“I know,” Aydin offered. “I just don’t want you feeling like I’m forcing you into shit you don’t wanna do.”
“I volunteered,” she snapped.
“I know that too. And I also know this isn’t about you performing your first duty as pack Beta. This is about facing your fears, isn’t it, Mira?”
Angling her face away from his, she frowned at the main house and was silent a long time before she finally said, “All due resepect, Aydin, but fear isn’t an emotion I have the time or patience to entertain.” Turning her head, she looked right at him. “I’m doing my job. Period.” When she jerked the door open, Aydin let her. “I’ll be back in two weeks.”
She climbed into the car, and before she could close the door, Aydin caught it and bent down to look at her.
“Mira, to be someone new doesn’t mean hiding all of who you used to be. From what I hear, the old carefree girl you once were was pretty remarkable. She doesn’t have to go away for this new you to exist. There were a lot of good things about her. You can keep those good things and still be this you.”
Mira stared straight ahead, hands clenching the steering wheel as her jaw ticked. Finally, she bit out, “You’re wrong, Alpha. That girl didn’t disappear because I hid her. I grew out of her. She’s dead, and there is no going back.”
“Mira . . .” Aydin huffed a breath and stood. When he softly closed Mira’s door, she revved her engine and then shot out of the parking lot.
Chapter 3
Tallius made another pass through the cabin as he waited impatiently for Mira to show. Striding to the small kitchen window, he peeled the curtain back and stared out into the snow-covered landscape.
Down at the Fortress the trees had just gone bare, their leaves coating the ground in the final stages of fall, but up on Baldie it was already full-on winter. The amount of snow outside made Tallius grateful for the cabin. His wolf tolerated the cold better than most species, but the man in him preferred the warmth of the cabin and the opportunity to have an actual conversation with Mira.
The cabin was one that packs shared mutually. It was a place they could come to get away or if they were traveling and needed a break. Lots of shifters came to the mountain just to shift and spend the day, and the cabin was a place where they could rest up, grab a bite to eat, or simply relax in either human or wolf form. The packs in the area took turns keeping the place clean and ensuring a good supply of firewood was always cut and stacked and food supplies were always well stocked. The packs also split the property taxes and utility bills for the water and electricity.
Stalking away from the window, Tallius eyed the fire and tugged at the collar of his shirt. He’d wanted the place warm because he didn’t know if Mira was driving up or traveling in wolf form. If it was the latter, she’d likely be tired and cold, but eyeing the fire now, he realized he might have overdone it. A giant fire blazed brightly and had him heading for the door to jerk it open. The crisp bite of air tickled his nostrils and momentarily invaded on the rich scent of the venison stew he had bubbling at a low simmer on the stove.
He’d intentionally come up a day early. He’d convinced himself it was so he could prepare mentally for Mira’s arrival, but the truth was that he wanted the cabin prepped for when she showed up, and today was the day. He’d wiped the layers of dust off the counters and flat surfaces, he’d swept and mopped, he’d made up both beds with fresh linens, and he’d thawed enough food to last two days. Typically at these meetings, the pack representatives discussed business over a meal, stayed overnight to rest, had breakfast, and went their separate ways. Not sure how Mira felt about any of that, he’d prepared everything in typical fashion. Well . . . not typical fashion. If he were meeting with any other Beta, he’d have shown up at the time of the meeting, and together he and the other representative would have slapped together some sandwiches, talked business over a couple of beers in front of the fire, turned in, woken for cold cereal, and headed home. For Mira, he’d spent an hour cutting vegetables and cubing meat for the stew. He’d also shocked the shit out of himself by following a recipe in one of the cookbooks stacked on top of the fridge. Baking some pretty impressive-looking biscuits that were currently nestled under a tea towel keeping warm, Tallius couldn’t decide if Mira would be impressed.
Crossing to the fridge, he yanked it open and eyed the contents. For breakfast, he had cottage bacon thawing on a plate on the bottom shelf. He’d also brought up some fresh eggs and bread along with some expensive coffee grounds he’d picked up at the fancy coffee shop in town.
Yeah, he’d gone to a lot of work to make things comfortable for Mira. He wanted her to notice and appreciate that he wasn’t the bad guy she’d last seen.
Standing in the doorway, he heard the purr of a motor long before headlights crested the road. A hunter-green Challenger prowled toward him. Torn between retreating back inside or waiting on the porch, Tallius held firm once his eyes locked on Mira’s. He figured it’d be rude to duck back inside now, so he waited.
Eyes locked on Mira, Tallius swallowed hard and tried to force himself to keep from fidgeting. She was glaring at him from the driver’s seat, but it didn’t detract from how beautiful she was. He’d thought it the first time he’d seen her, but now, she looked . . . different.
Her hair was so blonde it was almost white. Straight and parted down the middle, it framed a heart-shaped face that housed brilliant blue eyes that bore into him from beneath strong black brows. Her lips were that soft pink he remembered, and his eyes lingered on her fuller bottom lip before lifting back to her eyes just in time to see her brows lift as she snorted and rolled her eyes.
Fuck! He was staring like a psycho. So much for being cool. He crossed his arms and then uncrossed them, and as Mira climbed out of her car, he crossed them again and leaned—in what he hoped looked causally—against the door frame.
Dressed in form-fitting jeans with a bunch of ragged holes that exposed creamy-looking pale skin, Mira shook her head to get the hair out of her face as she approached. She was wearing a white sweater that looked super soft. The sleeves of the sweater went all the way down her arms and covered most of her hands, but the hem was super short and bared her midriff where a jewel winked at him from a piercing in her belly button.
Fucking sexy as shit!
Her feet were covered in ankle-high black leather boots that weren’t fit for the foot and a half of snow covering the ground. It had him glad he’d shoveled out the parking lot and a path from it to the house.
Mira walked up and stopped nine feet from him. It didn’t keep her scent from carrying to him though, and when it hit him in the face, he felt his gut clench. She smelled flowery sweet, like roses, but not the delicate ones from the flower shop. No, she smelled like wild roses. The kind his wolf sometimes ran into on the side of a mountain under a shady patch of pines where pretty things really had no business being. These were the kind of roses that weren’t long stemmed, but short stemmed and difficult to reach. These roses were surrounded by thorns, the kind you had to work for to pick. The kind you only acquired by shedding a little of your own blood.
The sweet scent mingled with her own rich musk, a decidedly feminine scent. It was unlik
e anything he’d ever smelled before. It was so pleasurable that it made him feel light-headed.
Without any preamble, Mira glowered at him and said, “Aydin doesn’t want trouble. He’s vowed the Fury will accept War’s new laws.” Her pouty lips curled into a sneer. “It’ll be easy considering we’re so new.” Turning, she gave him her back and made for her car. “Have War send a copy of his uniform laws to Aydin.”
Shoving off the doorframe, Tallius dropped his arms and barked, “Mira!”
She stopped and turned her head to the side to show she was listening, but her eyes never touched on his.
Panicking at the thought of her leaving before he could redeem himself in her eyes, Tallius insisted, “That isn’t how this works. You don’t just dump off your message and run.”
He watched as her shoulders lifted with a deep breath and then dropped quickly as she looked forward and then tilted her head back so she was looking up at the sky. She stayed that way a minute while softly falling flakes landed on her cheeks.
“What?” she finally snapped. “What do you want from me, War God Beta? I came! I shared my Alpha’s message.” Lowering her head, she turned and faced him. “Just let it be done.”
He wanted to give her what she asked for, he wanted to give her anything and everything she asked for, but he couldn’t. As much as he’d been dreading this moment, he realized he needed it. He wanted to be absolved in her eyes. He hungered for her to look at him with something other than the anger that was flashing brightly in her eyes now. The first time he’d seen her, her face was a mask of terror and revulsion; now her look was filled with hatred. He wanted to see something else on her delicate features. Fuck, he’d give anything to see what she looked like wearing acceptance or delight.
Negligently, he shrugged up a shoulder. “It’s not up to me. There are rules. Things we need to do to show proof that the mutual meet is what it was created to be.”
“And what’s that?” she snapped.
“A good-faith truce, a consensual accord between packs. It’s the start toward building mutual respect and forming trust. These mutual meets were meant to be a show of camaraderie between two shifters of separate packs. Our packs’ alliance begins with us. You. And me. If we can trust each other, our packs will follow suit. It’s the first step.”
“Trust,” she hissed, not even attempting to disguise the disgust in her voice as she glared at the woods. “Fine!” Looking at him, she said, “Let’s get this over with. I have better shit to do.”
Facing him, it was apparent she was waiting for direction, so he gestured toward the door. “Come inside. I made us dinner.”
“Dinner,” she scoffed, looking past him and into the cabin. “This isn’t a date.”
“No,” he conceded, “but part of the rules state the two meeting parties discuss pack business over a meal and rest a night in the cabin before parting ways. It draws things out and makes it easier for our wolves to sense any deception or animosity. There’s a contract with the terms on these mutual meets held within each pack. Didn’t you read it?”
Mira’s eyes jerked from the cabin to him. “No. I didn’t. And I don’t like you. There is animosity.” She shoved her sleeves up, and the instant she lowered her arms, they slid right back down. “I’m not trying to hide that, and sharing a meal and spending the night in the same cabin with you won’t change it.”
Losing patience quickly, Tallius scrubbed a hand down his face with a growl as he pinched his eyes shut and thundered, “Woman, I don’t make the damn rules!”
When he lowered his hand and snapped his eyes open, he froze.
At his outburst, Mira had backed up a few steps, and her eyes were wide with fear.
Slowly lifting his hands, he placated, “Hey. Easy.”
Brows spearing down, Mira’s expression went hard. “If you’re going to go all fucking psycho, do it now!” She took a step closer, her tiny hands balling into fists. “I’m not holing up in a cabin with some out-of-control shifter with a god complex. You wanna let loose on me, you do it now . . .” Her chin dipped as she sneered at him. “While I’m expecting it.”
The words were a blow because he knew she was referencing the WG’s attack on her FourClaws pack. They’d attacked just after sunset without any warning. It was strategy, and it had worked. He didn’t expect Mira to understand that, but her throwing shit in his face wasn’t going to fly either.
“If I wanted you dead, lady, you would be. I could have killed you the night we defeated your pack, but I don’t hurt women.”
“Such a fucking gentleman,” she sneered.
“You decide for your pack, and you decide now,” he bit out, jamming a finger toward the cabin. “Get your ass inside and let’s get this mutual meet over with.” Pulling his arm back, he stabbed his finger toward the road, “Or get your ass on the road back to Fury territory and tell Aydin you failed.”
Her eyes were sparking with fury, but just beneath that he could see her indecision. She wanted to walk, he knew she did. It was evident in every muscle in her body, but to her credit, she snorted, snapped her eyes, and stalked toward the cabin. Brushing past him, she fumed, “Try to fucking touch me and we go to war.”
The scent of her blasted his senses and had his balls drawing up even as he clenched his jaw. He watched her stalk into the cabin, and his eyes locked on the luscious globes of her ass. His view was cut off when she slammed the door behind her leaving him out in the cold.
Releasing his pent-up breath in a hiss, Tallius lifted both hands and fisted his hair as he glared at the door. He’d never wanted to fight and fuck someone so badly in all his life.
Chapter 4
The mountain was beautiful, the cabin was cute, and the shifter letting himself in the front door was intimidating and distracting. Turning sideways to fit his massive frame through the doorway, Tallius looked exactly like Mira remembered, like a Viking god. The man was built like a brick shit house and had a good two feet on her in height. His head was shaved on both sides, and his hair on top was combed back into a sexy sort of mohawk that matched his hot-boy beard and mustache. He was well groomed and had a killer physique, but it was his sky-blue eyes that unnerved Mira the most. He seemed to notice everything, to take in every single detail of her, and it was . . . disturbing.
Turning, Mira gave Tallius her back as she headed straight for the fire and rubbed her hands together to warm them. “So what?” she asked. “What do we have to do? How does this work.”
Behind her, she heard Tallius huff before saying, “First, you stop being so damn defensive. This mutual meet isn’t something I’m doing to you, Mira. Our Alphas agreed on it. I don’t want to be here any more than you do. I’ve got better shit to do too.”
Nostrils flaring, she jerked her head to the side and eyed him suspiciously. She didn’t know him, so she didn’t know his scents yet, but that statement reeked of a lie.
Staring at her, Tallius swallowed hard and then smoothed his palms down the front of his jeans in an almost nervous gesture. But that couldn’t be right. Why in the hell would she make him nervous?
“You got bags in your car?” He jerked his thumb toward the door. “I can grab ’em for you.”
“I’ll do it.”
She swore he cursed under his breath as she passed, but she kept right on going. Outside, she jerked her driver’s-side door open and bent in to tug her keys from the ignition before locking the doors and circling round to the trunk. Popping the trunk, she eyed the cabin as she lifted the lid. Inside, she could see Tallius moving around. It had a sense of unease filling her. This cabin was mutually owned by the packs, but Tallius’s scent was all over it like he’d arrived well before she had. The scent of food cooking confirmed it and had her feeling like she was in his territory. He’d come first and laid claim, and she felt weird about that. She felt awkward. He should have let her get to the cabin first.
Typical fucking War God!
Hefting her suitcase out of the trunk, she carri
ed it to the front door and entered. Tallius replaced the lid of the pot on the stove and hurried toward her with a, “Here, let me.”
Jerking the handle away from his outstretched hand, Mira frowned up at him. “I got it.” Glancing at the hallway and the two doors just off the sitting room, she licked her lips and asked, “Where to?”
He pointed at the two doors. “You can have your pick, but I thought you’d prefer . . .”
His words tapered off as Mira carried her suitcase to the nearest door and slipped into the room, closing the door firmly behind her.
The room was cute. Not much to it, but it was enough.
The headboard of a large bed covered in a cream-colored quilt was nestled between two large windows framed with floor-length crimson drapes. There was a low dresser opposite the bed, and just beside it was a door she assumed was a closet. Tossing her suitcase on the bed, she turned for the closet, her footsteps muted by the Persian-looking crimson rugs placed beatifically about the room. Pulling the door to the closet open, Mira was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t a closet at all but a lovely little en suite bathroom. It was done up in all white subway tile, and there were mint-colored rugs on the floor in front of the vanity and at the foot of the toilet. Matching towels hung on bright brass towel racks, and there were chic-looking pictures of green forest scenes on the wall. The brass of the towel racks was matched by the sink and shower faucets.
Eyeing the shower, Mira winked at it and murmured, “Oh, you and I definitely have a date later.”
Back in the room, Mira considered unpacking just to avoid Tallius, but that was stupid on two fronts. One, because she was leaving first thing in the morning, so unpacking wouldn’t be necessary, and, two, she had to face Tallius to get this damn mutual meet over and done with, so avoiding him wasn’t going to work.
Stepping out of her room, she was instantly warmed by the blaze from the hearth. Deciding she’d like some of that heat for later, she left her bedroom door wide open so it could absorb some of the luxurious warmth.
