“You were thinking like a woman with love in her heart.” He stroked her cheek and dried her tears.
“Can you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.”
Cheyenne let out a sigh of relief. “I’m not going anywhere. I won’t let hatred win. Not when our love is so much stronger.”
Austin had been afraid he’d lose her again, and he could admit that to himself. He took her into his arms and held her close.
“I thought I was going to lose you.” He rested his head on her shoulder.
“I’m glad you came for me,” she whispered.
“Now that I know you’re alive, I’ll always come for you. Nothing could keep me away.”
He held her and kissed her, feeling the bonds of their love growing stronger and deeper by the moment. The satisfaction and relief of having her in his arms again sent a cool shiver through his entire being.
“Come with me,” he said, taking her hand.
Moments later, they were in his truck, heading down the road back to Wilde Ranch.
Chapter 13
Cheyenne felt ashamed of telling Austin that she was leaving and never coming back. But he hadn’t accepted it. He’d come straight to the lodge for her. And as they pulled up in front of his house, she’d never been so relieved that someone had not done what she’d asked.
Usually she would be furious. But in this case, she’d needed him to say no. She had been desperate to protect him and his brothers from what her brothers were capable of doing. She remembered whispers in the night, plans of execution. And it was all coming back to her now.
She couldn’t believe that she was part of a family that was capable of so much hate. But she was capable of just as much love. And with Austin, she would finally get the chance to share it. To make it her truth, the truth she would now stand and fight for. She’d almost let go of her chance at love and happiness. But that part of her life was over now. That girl was gone.
Cheyenne was determined to become the woman she was meant to be. No longer a scared child. No more would she listen to the anger and rage and hatred of ignorant men. She would stand for what she believed in. She would stand with Austin and the Wilde brothers until the end.
He led her into the house, and she collapsed into the comfortable leather chair she recognized as his father’s. It still smelled of sweet pipe tobacco and hay. Relief filled her—relief that he had not let her give in to her fears and had not let her slip away into sadness and despair.
He brought her a cup of tea and sat with her in the living room. She sipped the tea and watched him build the fire in the hearth. His strong back arched over the woodpile. He was a beautiful sight to behold. He was so beautiful to her; it made her heart ache and bleed at the idea that she had nearly left him again. She could only imagine what that would’ve done to him. He had forgiven her immediately. But she wasn’t sure if she had forgiven herself.
After the fire was lit, Austin sat beside her, and they watched it flicker in silence. There wasn’t a lot to say. But it was Austin who finally found the words.
“The cabin is ready for tonight,” he said. “If you still want to go through with our plans.”
“I do,” she said. “I’m sorry I made you think I didn’t.”
“I know that you wanted to protect me. It was an honorable thing.”
“I betrayed our love.”
“I don’t want you to think of it like that. You reacted the only way you thought you should. And I know that. I know you were put into a terrible position that no one should ever be put into. It wasn’t your fault. Just like what happened to your mother wasn’t mine.”
“How did you get to be so wonderful?” she asked, snuggling into his arms.
“Lots of practice,” he said.
She giggled and snuggled closer, loving the feeling of his strength and warmth beside her. He had a way of making all the bad things in the world disappear so she could believe that nothing bad could ever happen. It was a blissful feeling that she wanted to hold onto as long as she could.
They spent the day together snuggled in each other’s arms, and she felt bad about keeping him from his work. But he wouldn’t hear of it when she brought it up.
At dinnertime, Austin offered to cook. He invited all his brothers over to the house. She felt a bit exposed, especially after what had happened that day. But she was happy to get the chance to meet them again as adults.
Austin made a roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions and set the table in the big dining room. His brothers all began to arrive at sunset. They came inside and gathered around the big dining room table, greeting Cheyenne with welcoming handshakes and hugs.
Cheyenne began to feel the sense that even though her brothers were dangerous, angry men, the Wilde brothers would accept her as their own. Austin dished up plates for everyone, and they all dug in, sharing stories of the day on the farm, of the twins’ exploits in town, of Heath’s reckless motorcycle rides down the mountain. They razzed Dylan for his calm and sensitive ways.
But she knew that the brothers loved and respected each other in a way she hadn’t seen in her own brothers. Her brothers’ bond depended on hating other people rather than on their love for one another. Being with the Wilde brothers was a fundamental change from what she was used to.
After dinner, the others helped Austin clean up the kitchen and put away the dishes. They thanked their brother for the meal, said their goodbyes, and disappeared into the night. Gunner made his way upstairs to his room.
“You and your brothers are lucky to have each other. I wish I had this kind of relationship with my brothers.”
“You can have mine. There’s more than enough to go around.” He laughed.
“That’s true.” There were seven Wilde brothers. Quite a few handsome wolves. She herself only had three brothers, who she was trying to get off her mind.
“Do you feel better?” he asked, taking her in his arms.
She did feel better than she had expected to. The fear was starting to subside. The more time she spent with the Wildes, the more she came to realize that they didn’t need anyone’s protection.
“Do you want to go out to the cabin?” he asked, softly kissing the top of her head. “We don’t have to if you’re not ready.”
“But I am. I want this more than anything. But on one condition.”
“Anything.” He kissed her hand. “Name it.”
“I want you to make me like you. I want you to put a wolf inside me.”
Chapter 14
Cheyenne rode with Austin up the bumpy road deeper into the forest as the light faded in the west. Her heart slammed in her chest with anticipation and excitement. She was ready for this. She was ready for him. She’d been waiting so long for them to finally be together.
She felt as if time was standing still and everything was coming into focus. They drove deeper and deeper into the forest to the very edge of the property. It was as if she was being transported back in time to that night so long ago, a night much like this one. They had been together, so perfectly and so completely.
She stepped out of the truck into the cool night. He walked around the truck and looked out at her as the waning moon glowed in his eyes. He kissed her without a word, raised his eyebrow, and took her hand.
“I’ve got a surprise for you.”
That was what he had said that night so long ago. Her memories tumbled down toward her, coming into view. She giggled like a schoolgirl and skipped along behind him. They walked into the old cabin, and she recognized it immediately. The rugged walls of raw timber. The roof that formed a cathedral overhead. The stone fireplace with the polished wood mantel. But the furniture was all new, modern, and comfortable looking. It was so unlike what had been there before, some ratty old couches and an ancient handmade bed.
He lit some candles on the mantel as she turned on the lamps around the room. He bent to start the fire in the hearth while she looked around. The kitchen had been fully
renovated. What had once been a barely serviceable woodstove and standpipe over a hammered copper basin was now a high-end kitchen with granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances.
“I can’t believe what you’ve done with this place,” she said.
He walked toward her, a grin on his face. “That’s not even the best part. I’ll show you.”
He led her into the bedroom. She was expecting to see a completely new room. But what she found instead took her right back in time to when she and Austin had been kids with their whole lives ahead of them. It was the same old bed, the one his great-grandfather had made of roughhewn timber, worn by time and a handmade patchwork quilt spread across the mattress.
“It’s all the same,” she said, feeling stunned and not quite sure what to do.
“The mattress is new. But we wanted to retain most of the original charm. I think we did a pretty good job.”
“I feel like I’ve stepped back in time. Like the last twenty-five years of my life never happened.” She said it as much to herself as to Austin.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the back of her neck. “I know what you mean,” he breathed into her neck.
She turned to him, her body melting against his. She quivered with need as desire shot down her spine.
He gripped her ass in his firm hands, squeezing as he pulled her toward him. She felt consumed by the moment, taken into the intensity of his love and the truth of his life. She groaned against his mouth. She wanted this. She wanted him. She wanted all of it. No more holding back. No more playing it safe. No more living someone else’s dreams. From now on, she would live her own.
He growled as he lifted her, carrying her across the room to the bed. He laid her down across the mattress, breathing in her scent. She could see the light of his wolf in his eyes, so close to the surface. He would not be held back now. And she didn’t want him to be. She wanted him wild and free and feral. She wanted to experience the deep intensity of his desire. She wanted him to take her, claim her, and make her his once and for all.
His tongue slipped between her lips as he tasted her, consumed her, felt her to the very core. She nipped at his lip as she wrapped her legs around his waist. It was time for Cheyenne to be set free. It was time for her to claim what she’d always known herself to be: the mate of a Wilde wolf.
She pulled his shirt up over his head and ran her fingers over his chest, taking in the sight and scent of him. He was so fucking beautiful. Everything about him called to her and made her ripe and wet with heat and need for him.
She couldn’t wait any longer. She needed him inside her. She needed to feel his cock deep in her channel, his teeth in her flesh. She unbuckled his pants and pulled out his cock, growling with desire and anticipation.
“I need you now. I can’t wait a second longer. Twenty-five years is long enough.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he growled, ripping her clothes off.
She gasped at the ferocity of his actions. But she reveled in it, basking in the glow of his need for her. It perfectly reflected her need for him.
His hot tongue ran a trail down her skin. He lapped at her breasts, as he pressed his hardness against her core.
He descended her body, worshiping her with a kind of reverence no other man had shown. It was what she’d always dreamed of feeling again since the night they’d first made love.
Their eyes locked, and he opened her legs. He pressed his wetted thumb in little circles against her clit. His eyes never left her. His thumb twirled on her clit as he drank in the scent of her pussy and her overflowing desire for his cock. He growled and nipped at her inner thigh, his sharp teeth grazing the tender flesh. She mewled and arched her back as he licked her from ass to clit in one long motion. She was ablaze with need and overcome by her own heat as he sucked her clit and sank his wet fingers into her channel.
He made her feel like a thousand stars had aligned and exploded just for her amusement. She growled, looking down at him as she came, quivering, her hands threaded through his hair, her legs spread wide.
She pulled him up toward her. He licked and nipped her bottom lip, kissing her deeply before he turned her over and pulled her ass into the air. She gasped with the intensity of it, feeling his need. It was what she needed too—this primal urge, this unrequited desire. She needed to be his. She needed for him to take her completely, to make up for all the lost moments and all the lost time. To finally be together.
He teased her with the head of his cock, circling it around her entrance. She quivered and arched her back, pushing up toward him.
“Austin,” she groaned shakily. She couldn’t take any more. She needed to be his once and for all.
He dove into her, submitting to her need. He sank deep, hard, and fast. Relentlessly he consumed her, took her. And she was his in all ways, flying on the height of his primal intensity. This was what she’d always wanted.
Chapter 15
He gripped her hips as he thrust into her, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh echoing through the tiny cabin. Her body burst with electric desire, exploding like a thousand stars in the night sky. She groaned as he dominated her body, owning her flesh, giving her pleasure beyond imagining. It was completely ripe and perfect. It was as if everything she’d longed for all her life was finally coming into reality. She was finally getting the love and the pleasure she deserved.
His fingers bit into her skin has he pulled her to him, taking her relentlessly. Cheyenne had had no idea she could still feel so vulnerable. But Austin’s drive into her need convinced her otherwise. He pulled her up onto her knees and wrapped his fingers around her throat, whispering into her ear.
“You’re mine,” he said. “Forever.”
“Yes,” she groaned. “Yes.”
She felt his teeth brush over her neck as he gripped her throat. Her body was ablaze with awareness. Fear spiked in her blood as she felt herself coming again. His teeth sank into her flesh as he exploded into her core. The groan that erupted from her lips was cut off by the strength of his bite. She felt the mating venom pulse through her bloodstream.
She was no longer in the cabin. She was now running hand in hand with her beloved through the vastness of space and time. The stars spread out before them, dancing in the universe as if for their entertainment alone. She felt as if she was witnessing the birth of existence itself. Her heart burst with love and longing as she turned to Austin in the sparkling darkness.
“It is so beautiful,” she said. “I had no idea.”
“This is our sacred space, where we are one, bonded and connected through all eternity. If you ever need me, you can find me here.”
Cheyenne felt something else, something new and ripe, raw and primal growing inside her. She couldn’t quite place what it was. And then she realized all at once it was the wolf he’d promised.
“I can feel it. I can hear it. My inner wolf is calling me. How do I bring it closer?”
“Listen to her call. What does she tell you? What does she want?”
“She wants to be with you,” Cheyenne breathed.
It was rich and perfect: the truth of their love, of what they had waited for and what they had lost. Finally, they were together. That still, small voice of the young wolf felt as if it had been waiting there all along for her to finally claim herself. She, Cheyenne Bailey, had always been a wolf. She had always been a Wilde. This was where she belonged. This was her truth, no matter what her brothers and father had tried to take from her. She now knew who she was, and it was incredible.
“I can feel her,” Cheyenne said. “I want to call her. I want to be her. I can’t wait any longer. I am a wolf, and I always have been. This is my life and my truth, and I claim it! No one and nothing will keep it from me ever again!”
The young wolf came running toward her through the blackness of space. She stood beside Austin, awaiting her primal self. She turned to him and saw him shift into his wolf form. Her young wolf jumped toward her, and without
a shred of fear or doubt, Cheyenne accepted her new form.
And then she was back in the cabin with Austin. He slowly pulled his fangs from her neck. She gasped for air and opened her eyes. She clung to him as he turned and collapsed on the bed beside her. She was happy, full, complete. She could still hear the howls of the young wolf inside her. She knew who she was and where she belonged for the first time in her life.
“I can feel her, Austin.” She rested her head against his chest and felt the warmth of the blankets he had pulled up over them both. “I can feel her inside me. My wolf. She’s so close. It is like I finally get to see who I am and where I belong.”
“Newly turned shifters don’t always get such fast access to their inner beast. It usually takes longer.”
“I want to shift. I want to feel her now.”
“Are you sure you’re ready?”
“I’ve been ready my entire life. Will you help me?”
“Of course I will. It would be my greatest honor.”
“What do I do?”
“First, we go out into the woods. Into the night. And we stand under the stars and moon. You can invite your young wolf to come out and greet the world.”
“Is it going to hurt?”
“It may be a bit painful and disorienting the first time. But after that, it won’t hurt at all.”
“I am so glad you’re here with me.”
“Come, come now. We will greet the new wolf and bring her into being.”
Cheyenne and Austin walked out into the cool night air. She shivered in the darkness, but his hand was warm and sure. They stood under the full moon, shining, ripe with possibility.
“What do I do?”
“You just have to invite her out. That’s all.”
“I’m not sure how.”
“You met her in the space between, worlds where the mate bond ties us together for all time. She is there, waiting for you. I can feel it. I can sense it at the deepest levels of my soul.”
Elder Wolf (Wilde Brothers Ranch Book 1; Tate Rock Shifters) Page 7
