by Viola Rivard
“I don’t want to go,” she said, shaking her head emphatically.
“I believe you,” he said soothingly. “Though I think you’re crazy.”
She sniffled. “What do I do?”
He gently flicked her forehead. “You already know the answer. Just make sure that it’s what you want.” His expression grew serious. “If you decide you want to leave, I will take you to the nearest town, no questions asked. I don’t want you staying if you’re unhappy.”
Sarah nodded, but didn’t need to give his words much consideration. The past month had been amazing, and while she wasn’t sure if it would last, she remembered what her life had been like before Cain: empty and shallow. Even if things weren’t always easy, at least when she was with him, Sarah felt whole.
They finished washing the furs in a companionable silence. Hale wrung them out and Sarah helped him hang them over low tree branches. The sky had brightened considerably by the time they headed back, and she was eager to retire to Cain’s dark room for some sleep.
As they neared the den, Sarah remembered why she had wanted to go with Hale in the first place. She looked up at him until he was forced to return her gaze.
“What is it?”
“Were you in love with her?”
He didn’t pretend not to know whom she was referring to. “She wasn’t my type. Too weak and whiney.”
Her brow furrowed. “Then why?”
Hale shrugged. “I’ll tell you what I told my brother.” His mouth twisted into another humorless smile. “I was there and she was willing. Simple as that.”
Her lip curled at the thought of him saying that to Cain, but she didn’t buy the excuse. There was more to it, and she was going to figure it out, right after she settled things with Cain.
Chapter 12
“Dammit,” Sarah sighed, before hastily amending, “I mean ‘shoot’.”
Cain watched silently from the doorway to Snow’s room. Upon his late arrival back at the den, Cain had traded shifts with Hale and headed for his room, eagerly anticipating Sarah’s bare and curvaceous body waiting to warm him. Instead, he had found his pallet cold, the furs still neatly arrayed from when she had straightened them the previous afternoon.
Following his nose, he had found her tending to Snow, who was having difficulty breathing. Clover and Lotus were asleep nearby, snoring loudly and oblivious to the presence of the adults.
Also going unnoticed by Sarah, he observed her for a few moments, marveling at her attentiveness with the pup. She would make a wonderful mother one day, just not for his pups.
Alder had returned as Cain had been finishing his final patrol. According to his brother, the creatures of the lowlands were running from whispers and shadows. Humans had been spotted there several weeks ago, but not in any great numbers, and the few who had been there were long gone. There was no threat relevant enough to the den to warrant fleeing, therefore it was the ideal time to take Sarah home.
He had decided to do it himself, uncomfortable with the prospect of sending her off with Fern when there were so many tribes on the move. If they crossed the wrong creature’s path, both females could be captured, or worse. Alder and Hale were out of the question. Alder was unlikely to place himself in danger for a female who was not part of his pack, and while Hale possessed such an instinct, Cain did not trust him not to try and claim Sarah for himself.
So while it would not be easy, Cain would be setting out to escort Sarah back to her people later that night. But not before he lay with her one final time.
* * *
“Do you think you can sleep now, sweetie?” Sarah asked, placing the inhaler up on the shelf.
After arriving back at the den, Sarah had made a beeline for the Snow’s room, wanting to check on her before retiring for the morning. The sound of Snow’s wheezing had not been enough to wake Clover or Lotus, who were both sound asleep.
Though she had no intention of going back, Sarah knew that someone would have to go to town soon, because the inhaler was running low. Keeping the rooms clean, providing a steady stream of fresh blankets, and not allowing them to burn a fire in the little girl’s room, had helped immensely to combat her asthma triggers, but bedtime was still a struggle. Snow relied on the inhaler so much that it probably wouldn’t last another week.
Sarah looked down at the little girl, waiting for a response. While Snow had yet to utter a word, she communicated in other ways, mainly nodding and shaking her head. Hoping to encourage her to communicate more, Sarah had instructed the pack members to speak to her using ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions whenever possible.
When Snow didn’t respond, Sarah followed her line of sight to the doorway, where Cain stood, looking magnificent as always. Like a bear to honey, Sarah was immediately drawn to him. Clearing the distance between them, she looped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
Softly, so as not to wake the girls, she said, “I love how tall you are.”
He raised his chin. “I enjoy how small you are.”
“I’m not small,” she protested.
Cain flashed his teeth at Sarah before lifting her up by the hips. Easily, he threw her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Sarah got once last glimpse of Snow, winking at the girl before the alpha hauled her away.
She pretended to fight him as carried her to his room, both because it was fun and because she knew he liked it when she put up a little bit of resistance.
Cain’s room was nothing like Meadow’s. Utilitarian to the core, the room was empty, save for a large fur pallet and a handful of squat candles, which he had only brought in after Sarah had begun sleeping with him. He would blow them out before they went to sleep and would light them again when he woke up. He was always awake before her, and lighting them was purely for her benefit.
The breath left her body as he tossed her onto the pallet. Making quick work of his pants, he was on top of her, naked and impressively hard before she had a chance to sit up. She laughed, pushing against his chest as he bent to draw his canines over the delicate skin of her neck.
Absently, she asked, “Do you ever think about me while you’re off hunting or defending your lands?”
He scoffed into her neck. “I am an alpha. I do not have time for such distractions.”
“I think about you all night,” she said, before she could talk herself out of it. Cain didn’t reply, but he slowed in his ministrations to her neck. Confident that she had his attention, she continued, “You know, I can’t even remember the things I used to think about before I met you. I can’t remember the things I used to want.”
Cain pulled his head back, watching her warily, as if he thought she might blow up in his face. Part of her wanted to chicken out, but there was just too much between them. Whether he had feelings for her or not, she couldn’t hide her own any longer, no matter how much it scared her.
“I’m pretty sure that I’m in love with you,” she said as evenly as she could. “And I’d like to stay here with you and your pack.”
The only sound in the room was the slamming of her heartbeat, and she knew it must sound like a drum to his keen ears. She felt as though she had ripped it from her chest and offered it up to the alpha, who seemed only to be able to stare at it in bewilderment.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “I’ve been really emotional today, and if you don’t answer soon, I might start crying. Not trying to rush you or anything, it’s—”
Sarah yelped as Cain crushed his lips against hers, claiming them in a brutally possessive kiss. Relief made her go boneless beneath him. Hands trembling, she reached up to cup his face, and he allowed her to push him back.
“Sorry if I sound needy, but this is my whole future on the line here. Tell me I can stay?”
With a familiar predatory gleam in his eyes, he replied, “I am never letting you go.”
As Sarah floated in her elation, Cain resumed his exploration of her body. Gorgeous lips traced her jaw and then trailed d
ownwards to her collarbone, kissing and sucking. His tongue felt rougher than a human man’s, and it added to the pleasure of the experience.
Cain thrived on having control, and she always accommodated him. Secretly, the prospect of taking control from such a dominant male intrigued her, but she had yet to figure out how to accomplish such a feat.
Making his way down to her breasts, Cain sucked a nipple into his mouth. True to his words, he was never all that gentle, and tonight he was making good use of his canines. He tugged at her with his sharp teeth, pulling at the tender flesh around her nipples. She held her breath, afraid that the rise and fall of her chest would cause him to break the skin. He moved from breast to breast, teasing her with her with the sensual game. Before long, the erratic pace of her breathing had her feeling lightheaded, and her body tingled with heightened sensitivity.
When he pushed her thighs apart, she expected him to come back up, or at least turn her onto her knees, but he did neither. Butterflies flapped wildly in the pit of her stomach as he lowered himself between her legs. Feeling suddenly shy, she wanted to tell him not to, but knew it would be a waste of time. Once the alpha set his mind to something, there was no stopping him.
With two fingers, he spread her folds, leaving her completely exposed. Anxious and excited, she couldn’t look away as he bent his head. Her eyes widened as she saw him lick his lips, and then he was on her. She cried out in ecstasy as he lavished his tongue across her, lapping at the wetness that had pooled. He growled his appreciation, the vibrations sending waves of bliss through her body.
Deciding to continue his game on a whole new level, Cain latched onto the throbbing bundle of nerves at the crest of her sex. Her legs trembled as he took her between his teeth, placing just enough pressure on her to flirt with the edges of pain.
It was a terrible thrill, to see the most sensitive part of her body at the mercy of the sharpest part of his. She knew exactly what those fangs were capable of when they went astray, and it was a measure of how much she trusted him that she closed her eyes and leaned back, allowing herself to simply become immersed in sensations.
Cain brought her to climax twice, first with his mouth, and again when he took her from behind, thrusting into her in deep, hard strokes. There was always a sense of urgency about him once he was inside of her, as if he was desperate for release. When he was close, his pace quickened, and she could feel the tension in the strong hands that gripped her hips.
He came hard, making a feral noise as he surged into her. When he was finished, Cain collapsed onto her, nuzzling the back of her neck, not unlike the wolf that he was. He was big and heavy, but Sarah didn’t care. As she lay under the alpha, one word danced front and center in her mind.
Mine.
Chapter 13
Sarah thought that Cain might have passed out on top of her, but after a little while he rolled over. She shivered as he slipped out from inside of her, and was happy when he pulled her into his warm arms. A lazy smile played on his lips as he stared down at her, the picture of a satisfied male.
“There is one thing we need to figure out,” she said, her fingers tracing the hard planes of his chest.
“Snow’s medicine?” he guessed, his voice thick with sleep.
“Yeah,” she said, impressed that he remembered. “Her inhaler is very low. I’m not sure it’ll last another week.”
Dismissively, he said, “I will leave tonight and get another.”
Sarah pushed herself up on her hands, her face going slack. “Leave? As in, go away, to the city?” Eyes closed, he grunted his agreement. Not willing to drop the subject, she said, “You can’t leave now.”
He cracked open one golden eye. “You would have me wait until her medicine runs out?”
“No, of course not,” she said, shifting uncomfortably. “It’s just, you’re the alpha. Can’t you make someone else go?”
It was greedy of her to ask, but Sarah wasn’t ready to let him leave her, not after she’d just poured her heart out to him.
“The only other one of my wolves who knows the way is Fern, and she is not as fast or as strong as I am. It will be better if I go.” He lifted a hand to her cheek. “It will not take long. Without a human to slow me down, I will make it back by the time Snow’s medicine has run out.”
Sarah couldn’t argue with his logic, but she wanted to point out that Hale should be the one to go, not Cain. After all, Cain wasn’t Snow’s father.
But no sooner did she have the thought than she rejected it, feeling ashamed of herself. Snow needed the inhaler badly, and she shouldn’t have to be punished because of her father. If Cain was Snow’s best chance, then it was selfish of Sarah to try and keep him from going.
“So I guess asking to go with you is out of the question, huh?”
Cain’s hand moved to her shoulder, and he pulled her back down beside him. “I am not putting you in danger ever again.”
She warmed at the protective words, not about to point out that it was impossible for him to keep her safe from everything.
“I’ll eventually need glasses,” she said. She also wanted to send a letter to her aunt, at least letting her know that she was okay. Since she’d been gone almost a full month, there was really no telling what her family thought by now.
“We will discuss that in the spring,” Cain said, sounding decisive, even as he began to slip into sleep.
Spring. Already, they were making plans for the future. It was so surreal, and Sarah could hardly believe it was all happening to her.
Sure, Cain hadn’t said that he loved her back, but Sarah was okay with that. She didn’t think it was something he said often, if ever, and as both a leader and a father, she couldn’t blame him for being careful about who he permitted into the inner sanctum of his heart. What they had right now was enough for her.
Light footsteps echoed in the outside passage. Cain had forgotten to blow out the candles, and when Sarah looked towards the doorway, she could see a shadow pacing.
Whether he had still been awake, or had been woken by the sound, Sarah was unsure, but Cain raised one hand, beckoning the dark figure.
Sarah chewed at her bottom lip as Caim padded into the room, approaching the pallet in slow, unsure steps. Cain’s son rarely came near her. She knew that father and son spent time with one another away from the den, not just during hunting, but also while Cain patrolled, but he had never approached them in the mornings.
She wasn’t sure why Caim made her nervous. Maybe it was because in her decision to stay, he was the one thing she hadn’t factored in. It was hard to view him as anything but a little wolf who came and went as he pleased, but underneath that fur was a child, Cain’s son, and if she was going to have a relationship with his father, she couldn’t keep ignoring that.
Cain held out his free arm and Caim went to it, kneading at the furs before lying down beside his father. He looked so soft, and Sarah wanted to reach out and touch him, but held back. She doubted he would like her touching him, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment between father and son.
Although she had a lot on her mind, exhaustion quickly overtook her, and Sarah soon drifted into a deep sleep.
Chapter 14
Sarah woke feeling like crap, a sure sign that she had overslept. For a while she lay there, festering in her discomfort, until she realized that the pallet was strangely cold. Blindly groping, she felt around for Cain.
“My father is gone.”
It was an unfamiliar voice, but there was only one person it could belong to. Sarah sat up, drawing the furs up around her chest. Caim sat at the foot of the bed, and for the first time since she had met him, he was in his human form.
Sarah had estimated his age to be five or six, but he was a lot bigger than she’d anticipated. Aside from his black hair, he was like a small replica of his father, and to her embarrassment all Sarah could do was stare at him in wonder.
Caim’s face was blank as he regarded her, but then his nose flared and his li
ps twisted. “I do not like your scent.”
Sarah sniffed herself. She probably could use a bath. “Sorry. Did you say that Cain’s gone?”
“He left hours ago. To get medicine for Snow.”
Her shoulders slumped. To herself, she said, “He didn’t say goodbye.”
“He spent all morning with you.”
Sarah was a little affronted by his sharp, accusatory tone, and was starting to miss his being just the resident wolf boy. Biting back her irritation, she tried to sympathize with him.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve been taking up a lot of his time, haven’t I? That’s not very fair to you, is it?”
Looking suspicious, he replied, “No.”
“I promise, I’ll make it up to you. When he gets back—”
Caim interjected, “What if he doesn’t come back?”
She didn’t feel like the question was malicious. He seemed to genuinely want an answer, and she tried to think of how best to reassure him.
“He’ll come back,” she told him. “Your father would never leave you.”
There were bears, faulty bridges, and men with guns waiting beyond the safety of the den, and Sarah was a little scared for Cain, too. But one thing she did know was that Cain was strong, and he would do everything in his power to return to them.
“How can you know that?” Caim asked skeptically.
Sarah scooted a bit closer to him. “Can I tell you something that I’ve never told anyone?”
Curiosity flared in his amber eyes. He leaned closer. “A secret?”
She smiled and nodded. “When I was around your age, my mom had a job in the city—”
“What is a job?”
Scratching her chin, she said, “It’s like a very long chore that you have to do every day.”
“Hn,” was his only reply.
Sarah continued, “While my mom was at her job, she would leave me with my aunt all day, and every night she would pick me up again. Then, one night, she never came, and I never saw her again.”
