“Kade? Can you hear me? Do you understand me?”
The wolf - Kade – hesitantly approached her while bobbing his head up and down, like a nod.
“Can I touch you?” She raised her arm to put out her hand and Kade came up and let her fingers run in his fur. It was course but with a soft undercoat. She rubbed his head for a few minutes and then sat back against the couch.
Kade went back to the edge of the bed and changed back to human form.
His skin took a slightly sweaty sheen, as if he had been running but other than that he looked the same.
“Does it hurt?”
“Only slightly, but I was born this way so I am used to it. Those who are changed say it hurts more at first. But over time they get used to it and the pain recedes. I can’t change too often or I run out of energy though.”
“Is it still you when you are a wolf? Did you hear me?”
“I can always hear you and yes it’s still me. But sometimes I let the wolf take over so he can run and enjoy the outdoors on the hunt.”
“You should have told me.”
“I know. But I was just worried that you would run. But there is nothing to be afraid of. Once you meet the others you will see that.”
“Others? Wait, what do you mean that I will meet the others? I thought this was just for one night.” Her voice was beginning to sound panicked again.
“I want more than one night with you. I want hundreds of years with you, Mel.”
“What? How old are you?”
“One hundred and five.”
Oh yes. Just state a number like that without emotion. Gawd.
“So you are like immortal or something?”
“No, just long lived. And once we’re mated, you can be too.”
“Mated? Kade, you need to slow down. I feel like I am missing a few things here.”
“Sorry, I know I am going about this horribly but I just don’t know a good way to explain. Yes, you are my mate. It’s a feeling my wolf has and I, as a man, agree. I want us to be able to live long lives together. I know we just met but this is the way of the wolf. Its fate.”
The jumbled thoughts swirled in her confused mind. “I thought you were with another woman before. You said it didn’t work out. What did you mean?” The idea of fate was foreign to her and he couldn’t be telling her everything.
Kade sighed before answering. “Yes, there was a woman before. But no, she wasn’t my mate. Not like you. You’re different.” Mel let out an indigent huff. “When my wolf and I scented Tracy, that was her name, we thought she had the potential to be our mate. Fate had other ideas though, because her true mate was another. I’m happy about this, Mel. In fact, I wasn’t that upset when I lost her. Not until you, did I know what it meant to find my heart and my other half.”
“But how do I know? I’m not a wolf, Kade and I don’t know if I want to be one. I don’t have a wolfy feeling telling me that you’re my mate.” She paced around the room trying to collect her thoughts. “I do have feelings for you – I do. More than I should for just meeting you last night. But does that make you my mate and I yours?” She shook her head and blinked away the tears that were forming in her eyes. “I don’t know if I want to live forever. I hardly even know you. I was thinking you were just going to leave after last night. This is too much to deal with. I think I need to go.” She started toward her bags before Kade stopped her by gently touching her arm. His callused palm still sent shivers down her spine, but she ignored them.
“Don’t go Melanie. Please stay.” Looking down at his golden bronze skin resting against her paleness brought images from the last night into her head. She shook off his hand, along with the memories.
“I can’t Kade. This is too much.” She quickly got dressed and collected her belongings.
“Then at least let me drive you home or get your number. I know I went about this all wrong, but we are destined for each other. I want to be with you. Please.” Kade followed her around the room but kept his distance as if trying not to scare her any more than she was.
“You can give me your number but I need some space Kade. I don’t know what to do. I just need to get out of here. I’ll call you when I can think straight. I promise.” Looking into his eyes, she tried to convey how much she wanted him and how honest she was trying to be.
Mel hesitantly walked toward him and stood on her tip-toes to kiss under his chin. His cheek showed the faint shadow of stubble and was rough against her lips. He lowered his head and took her lips in sweet and longing filled kiss.
She broke away before he could become more passionate and convince her to stay because of his body – that wasn’t the way to get things done.
Mel took the paper that he had scrawled his number on and went to the door.
“I will call you, Kade. I promise.”
She walked out the door and took one last look over her shoulder. Kade looked so lost and forlorn standing naked and alone in the center of the room, but when she looked into his eyes she saw something else. Determination.
Chapter 6
Melanie’s heels clicked across the linoleum, echoing in the empty lobby. The teardrop crystals from the lighting fixtures twinkled in the early morning sunlight. She paused, collecting her thoughts. Ironic. She stood by the same chair that she sat in and contemplated if she were making the right decision in going on this date. Now she was back, still struggling with her choices. An empty laugh escaped her. What a mess.
Her emotions ran wild. Fear bounced with happiness at the thought of Kade. A drop-dead gorgeous man wanted her for life, but why? Confusion and doubt settled it, seeping away any happiness. What Mel really wanted to do was run back upstairs, push away all of her emotions, and leap into Kade’s arms. Yet, what did it mean to be mated to a werewolf?
Why the hell couldn’t he have just been a nice human guy? Why was her life so fucked up?
“Melanie? Ms. Cross? Is everything okay?” A familiar deep voice broke her tumultuous thoughts.
The manager who walked her to her table last night stood by her elbow, a concerned expression on his face. Lance. Lance Morse. That’s right.
“No. Yes. I’m fine. Just trying to get my bearings.” It was then that she remembered what she was wearing – or rather not wearing. Still dressed in her black, lacy mini-dress, wrinkled from its time on the floor and her Fuck-Me pumps, Lance didn’t have to guess what she did the night before. Her hand trailed up to her hair. Oh God. She must really look like she was just fucked, plucked, and made over. Heat infused her cheeks as mortification set in.
“Is there anything I can do to help? You took a cab in, correct? Would you like me to call one for you to get home?” Wow, she couldn’t believe he remembered how she arrived. But she supposed that this was a nice hotel and the manager must know everything.
“Oh, if it’s no trouble. I just want to get out of here quickly.” She needed to leave this building before she lost her nerve and went back upstairs to the man who claimed to be her mate. Kade and his delectable body and apparently very sharp teeth.
Lance’s gaze sought hers, his brow furrowed. “On second thought, I’m on my way out. Why don’t I give you a ride home, save you the cab fare?”
Mel’s eyes widened. “Oh, no. A cab will be fine.”
The manager placed a warm hand on her arm. “Consider it part of the service. It’s really no trouble, you look like you could use a friend to talk to. Let me help.”
Too tired, worn and feeling used, she forgot to care about the potential dangers. She nodded. What the hell, she already slept with a stranger. Why not take a ride from another one. Truly risk fate.
After finishing whatever he needed to do, Lance led her to a tan sedan and opened the door for her. Mel slid into the soft leather and released a sigh. She was running from a werewolf. An honest to God werewolf of the paranormal nature. Yep, she was certifiably insane. To top it off, she was in a car with a man she didn’t know rattling off her address. She needed a shot of t
equila, a deep sleep, and a number for a therapist. In that order.
The ride was quiet if not comfortable. Lance didn’t speak, but generally seemed concerned for her well being. She couldn’t think about the man she slept with though. Kade, in all his muscular glory, occupied her mind. His number sat in her bag, imploring her to dial. Would she?
“We’re here.” Lance’s voice startled her.
Mel looked up at the small, plain townhouse she called home. Ordinary. Much like herself. This is who she was – not a werewolf’s mate.
“Thank you for the ride. Do you want to come in for some tea?” Manners dictated an invitation that tumbled from her mouth before she thought.
A slow smile spread across his face. “That sounds nice.”
Inside, Mel started a pot of hot water and took out two clean mugs.
“I have Earl Grey and orange zest.”
“Orange sounds good. I don’t need the caffeine. I’ve been working all night.” He grinned, and for the first time, Mel noticed he was quite handsome and in her house. Alone. What was she thinking again? Oh right, the traumatic experience of a werewolf telling her she was his mate took her rational thoughts and put them in the garbage disposal.
This must be a dream. Why else would the chemistry wiz sleep with a man, and then go home with another. A hysterical laugh burst from her mouth.
“Melanie? Are you okay? No, I know you aren’t okay.”
Mel kept laughing, tears streaming from her eyes. Why wouldn’t this night end?
“Melanie, I have something to tell you. I think you should just sit down.”
Lance’s calm, serious tone made her laughter cease. Oh God, what now? She sat on her couch, hot tea warming her hands.
“I don’t know how to say this. But I am just going to say it,” Lance nervously spoke.
Mel could only nod.
“Melanie. I’m a werewolf. You are my mate. I know you met Kade, and from the smell of it, you could be his mate too. But I want you to choose me. I know I am not Heir to the Pack, but I could still provide for you. Protect you. I don’t want to fight Kade. I want you to choose me.”
Lance’s pleading eyes were the last thing she saw before she promptly passed out.
****
Kade stood naked in the room he shared with Mel for a full ten minutes, watching the closed door, before finally moving. She left.
“Duh, Romeo. You let her go. You didn’t follow her. What kind of Alpha-to-be are you?” His wolf growled, and clawed to the surface.
Dammit. He wasn’t going to argue with his inner half. Mel had to choose him. He wasn’t going to force her and take away her decisions. He did that daily as Pack Heir, making decisions for them. His mate would be different, free. That was what he always dreamed of a partnership, and he would be dammed if he changed his mind now. Mel was a gift from fate and he wanted her by his side.
Kade quickly threw on his clothes from the night before. They held the faint smell of Mel. Honey and Vanilla. A shudder passed through him. She would choose him. She had to.
He grabbed his keys and wallet from the dresser and left the room. As he walked down the lobby, he paused. A faded scent of oak and wolf. Someone from his pack – but who? Kade couldn’t place it, but it didn’t matter. They weren’t confined to the den and could go where they pleased. However, the scent was mingled slightly with his favorite honey vanilla.
A growl rose in his throat, but he tempered it. No, it was just a coincidence. It was a large lobby, scents could mix and together all the time. Assured that all was well, he left to his car to drive home where he could collect his thoughts and wait for a call. Because if he didn’t have hope, there would be no absolution. No reason.
Chapter 7
The smell of fresh pencils and wood shavings filled Kade’s nose. The grey stroke of lead on paper looked like a series of lines, but together, they would eventually morph into a building – a home. He planned, he designed, he drew. He was an architect. That was his day job and way of earning a living anyway. Though he loved it and needed the feel of fresh paper beneath his fingertips, it was not his only duty. The blood of the Jamsesons ran through his veins and with it the weight of generations of responsibility. He was the Heir. A title placed on him at birth. As the first son of the Alpha, he carried the strength of history and memory. The Alpha’s soul was connected to those of his Pack. His father could feel the presence of every one of the Redwoods – old or young. As the Heir, he too could feel their souls, but to a lesser degree at this time. With that connection came power and authority. From a young age, Kade knew that one day the decisions and fate of his entire Pack would rest on his shoulders. And yet, at this moment, not a single wolf mattered to him.
His mate walked out on him.
And he let her.
Why was that again? Oh yeah, his insane idea that his mate deserved a choice – free will. When he first learned about mating, Kade made his own decision. Whoever his mate, she would chose her own fate – not him. As Heir, he did enough of that for others constantly. Kade refused to do that to his life partner – his wife.
A true Alpha wouldn’t have let their mate walk away.
Kade ignored his wolf. Animalistic instincts were the reason he got into most trouble anyway.
“Are you going to tell me what the hell is up with you?” His younger brother, Jasper, didn’t startle him. He was a werewolf for fuck’s sake, and Jasper’s loud footsteps on his front porch alerted Kade to his brother’s presence the moment he was there. Though as Beta of the Redwood Pack, Jasper purposely stepped heavily as not to sneak up on him. Their family was close enough, that some things, like warnings before invading their privacy, was just nice.
“I’m fine.”
“Sure, that’s why you are hiding in your home, scribbling away on your workstation, ignoring my calls. What happened last night?” Jasper sat on the stool next to him. Damn. There was no way he was getting out of this. For no matter the power seeping through his pores, Jasper was just as stubborn and took care of those he loved and vowed to protect.
“I went on a date. It ended. I am back.” Oh, and I found my mate, indulged in the hottest sex of my long lived life and then let the blonde goddess leave me naked, alone in the room. Oh, yeah, not much.
“Okay. We’re getting somewhere.” Jasper grinned. Bastard. “How did the date go before it ended?”
“You may have set me up on the date, but that doesn’t give you the right to play teenage dream with me, bro. We’re not sixteen-year old girls and I didn’t go out with the quarterback of the football team. Fuck off.”
Jasper clasped his hands together and spoke in a high pitched voice, “Oh but Kade, you must tell me more, tell me more. Like did he have a car?”
Despite his ill mood, Kade burst out laughing. “Dude, you are so not Sandy or a Pink Lady. And you need to watch more TV so you can get more recent pop culture references. Grease? Really?”
“I’ve been busy. Between finishing that complex on the outskirts of town and dealing with the daily needs and wants of the Pack, TV and movies are the last thing on my mind. But you’re changing the subject. What happened with Melanie? I can smell her on you, so I know it went at least somewhat well.” Jasper’s fist punched him on the shoulder, knocking the pencil from his hand. Damn persistent wolf was like a fucking Labrador sometimes, never giving up until he got attention. Jack-ass.
“Fine. We had sex. A lot of sex. Mind your own fucking business.”
“I don’t need details of that, pervert. I want to know how the actual date was before you went to the sheets. Seriously, I don’t match make for a living, bastard. I am the Beta, I take care of my family, my own. And since Tracy, and frankly before Tracy, you have been on your ass doing nothing but work for the Pack or for the company. You needed a break from that, Larissa and I thought Mel and you would be perfect together. At least that was what Larissa thought, I only suggested to her that you needed to get laid. Damn witch wouldn’t tell me anything about
your girl except give me that picture of her to give to you.”
Okay, apparently Jasper was in a talking mood. Rare, and decidedly annoying. Fuck.
Kade let out an exasperated sigh. Jasper wasn’t going to let this go. “The date went great actually. Melanie is smart, gorgeous, attentive and innocent. We ate, I talked, we went to the hotel room that you guys so graciously reserved for us. That’s it.”
Jasper merely lifted a dark eyebrow.
“I’m not talking about the sex.” The really mind blowing, wolf howling sex.
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