by Kimber White
“Thanks, but I can take care of myself.” I meant to brush past him. Dare him to stop me. I didn’t think he would. Something about his eyes made him seem more curious than threatening. But, a howl cut through the air to the north of us. Then four more joined it. My blood ran cold, and I clenched my hands into fists, trying to control my breathing. Kane hadn’t stirred. Not yet.
He sniffed the air as his wolf eyes flashed again. He sensed the pack. “They’re headed this way.”
I let out a noise. I didn’t mean to. But with each passing second, my window of opportunity closed. The pack was on the move. They must have figured out this strange were had crossed into their territory by now. They were calling to Kane and moving fast. Unless the kayak suddenly grew a motor, I’d never make it to the other side of the lake in time. What’s worse, if Kane or the others caught me here I’d be done for.
The stranger stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. Again, that electric arc passed between us. Danger. Not pack. The mark flared at my neck, but my blood hummed. I had twin urges to run away from him, and to him. I didn’t understand it. I put my hand to the scar and fought the urge to claw it away.
“What’s your name?” he asked, his voice deep but soft. He hooked a finger beneath my chin and raised my head until I looked in his eyes. My knees went weak as my body railed against his foreign touch. Yet I didn’t pull away as I should have. Even as Kane’s mark burned, I brought my hands up and pressed them flat against his chest. He flinched. His lip twitched, and for an instant, I knew exactly what he wanted. It’s what I wanted too. A kiss.
Oh, shit. No. A lifetime of my father’s warnings replayed in my head. Six months of my own experience replayed in my head. Wolves meant danger. Menace in a tantalizing package. I sucked in a breath and tore myself from his touch, nearly staggering to my knees.
“I have to go.”
He sniffed the air again and looked at me, his dark brow furrowed with concern. “They’re looking for you, aren’t they?”
I bit my lip and tried to think of the lie that would serve me best. “I have to go.”
“What happens if they find you out here? With me.”
“I’m not with you. Please. I have to get back.” So the choice was made. It was too late to try and get across the water now. My only hope was to make it far enough back to Kane’s cabin to hide the fact that I’d tried to escape. And it would probably never work.
“Tell me your name.” I shouldn’t have. He could be anyone. He could be allied with Kane. Except, the burn of my mark told me he wasn’t. But, it didn’t mean he was Kane’s enemy or my friend either. Still, telling him felt like the one act of defiance I could get away with tonight. I took a breath and answered him.
“Olivia.”
His lips curved into a smile and he parted them to speak. “My name is . . .”
“No!” I put up a hand and backed away. “It’s better if I don’t know it.”
He made a move toward me, distress creasing the lines of his brow. A muscle twitched in his jaw. I had the urge to trace the hard angles of it with my fingers.
“I’ll draw them away,” he said, his voice dropping low as my heart raced. He stepped forward again and put his hands on my shoulders. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine. It was bold. Intimate. And yet, my body craved more of him. My breath came in quick little pants. This was bad. The pack was coming. Kane was starting to stir.
“Listen to me. Go back the way you came. As fast as you can. I’ll keep the pack busy out here long enough. It’ll be okay.” So he became my co-conspirator. It was dangerous to let him have that little bit of knowledge. He could have been working for Kane. Who knew where his loyalties lay? Out of other options, I decided to trust him. If I did nothing, Kane was going to find me out here anyway.
I nodded quickly. There was no more time to think. He closed his eyes tightly once as if steeling himself to let me go. I felt myself doing the same. Then, he dropped his hands to his sides. The absence of his touch made the rest of my body burn to match the searing heat of Kane’s mark. It was if my body was at war with itself. What in God’s name was happening to me?
I didn’t have time to puzzle it out. The pack’s urgent howls drew closer. They couldn’t be more than a hundred yards away through the trees. My stranger took one last look at me, then dropped to his knees and shifted in one great, powerful motion that tore the air from my lungs.
Then, he lunged forward and raised his howls to the chorus of the pack’s and dashed through the trees. With the racket he was making the pack would go after him. I felt Kane’s beating heart slam through my chest as he woke with fury. He felt the pack’s distress and scented the intruder. But, he wasn’t focused on me.
My stranger had given me time. I took it. I turned toward the woods and ran as fast as I could.
Chapter Three
Kane’s heartbeat filled my ears. Red clouded my vision for a few seconds as he woke in a blood rage. But, it wasn’t directed at me. As he moved toward the lake, I took a zig-zag path away from the rest of the pack. The white wolf must have led them on a chase in the opposite direction. God, I hoped he was fast enough. If Kane and the rest of the pack caught up with him, it would be six against one. It wouldn’t matter how strong he was; they’d tear him apart if they stayed feral.
My heart thundered in my chest; I couldn’t do anything to hide it now. But, the white wolf had bought me time. For at least a few minutes, Kane probably wouldn’t be able to sort out his own primal fury from my adrenaline rush. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. God, please let it be enough time, I thought. And please don’t let them hurt the white wolf. If they did, it would be one more casualty of a mistake I’d made.
Sweat pouring down my back, I was in sight of the cabin. Kane and the pack had made it as much as a mile away. I felt Kane’s heartbeat slow, then fade. Whatever was happening out there, the situation had quickly diffused. I started to breathe easier for the first time since I’d stepped off the porch and headed for the lake. The white wolf must have gotten away. Even from this distance, I would have sensed the pack moving in for the kill.
I slipped inside my cabin and peeled off my clothes. I had to shower quickly to wash away the stranger’s scent and any trace of the fear I felt from my near miss. As the water sluiced over my body, my mind flashed to those stolen moments at the water’s edge. I shouldn’t still feel his touch on my hand. His forehead pressed against mine. It didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t. It was just some residual, heightened sense from what Kane had done to me. And yet, fear still coursed through my blood as I wondered what happened when the pack caught up with the lone wolf.
It wasn’t my fight or my worry. It was up to the pack to handle their own business. If I even let on that I knew a stranger had crossed through Kane’s territory, I’d tip my hand. No. The white wolf was going to have to take care of himself. Just like me.
I threw on a fresh t-shirt and cotton shorts, then slipped under the covers. Too keyed up to sleep, I had to at least look like I’d made the effort before Kane and the others came back.
God.
I’d been lucky this time. Too lucky. I was going to have to figure out a better way to put some distance between myself and the pack if I ever wanted to break free of Kane for good. Still, it had almost worked tonight. I knew I could do it. Every day I’d gotten better at shielding my feelings so Kane couldn’t tell where my head was. I’d been so close.
I turned to my side and stared out the window. Clouds moved away, uncovering the bright full moon. Hot tears stung my eyes as I stared at it. I’d hoped to watch the sunrise from the other side of the lake or somewhere far away this morning. Instead, here I still was in the prison of Kane’s compound. No closer to freedom or finding my family than I’d been in the six months since he’d marked me.
Thunder cracked as my cabin door flew open. Startled, I grabbed the covers and pulled them up to my chin. Kane filled the doorway, blocking out the moonlight, his eyes
flashing red menace.
“Wake up,” he said, his voice low and threatening.
“What is it?” I hugged my knees and edged to the far end of the mattress, pressing my back against the headboard.
Kane slammed the door shut behind him, making me jump, then he walked to the end of the bed. He rubbed his palms together and bounced on the balls of his feet, reminding me of a boxer getting ready to take the ring. He wore black drawstring pants and sweat covered him. He must have just shifted, and the blood rage still coursed through him. He seemed to be having a hard time keeping his wolf in check as fur still covered the tops of his hands until he rubbed them together and then dropped them to his sides.
“Where were you?” he said, moving to the side of the bed.
He towered over me. I’d been wrong, though. The stranger at the lake was taller than Kane. Broader shouldered. Kane was wide and stocky like a wrestler. He had thick, sandy hair that he cropped short. Or rather, he made me crop it short. Once a week. And I shaved him with a straight razor. A battle of wills. A test. He gave me the means to cut his throat and dared me to do it. Every week, I kept my hands steady as a rock. One wrong move, even a nick, and he could overpower me. He would know whether I meant to kill him. So, every week, I trained myself to keep my thoughts calm and still.
“I’ve been here,” I lied. “What’s going on? I heard the pack. Is someone hurt?”
Kane lashed out; grabbing me by the wrist, he pulled me to my feet and curled his fingers around the back of my skull, his thumb brushing his mark. It flared hot at his touch like it always did. My body betrayed me as my skin flushed. He kept me locked in a constant struggle between primal attraction and revulsion. But, my head was still stronger than any hormones his mark activated. For now, at least. He’d only marked me the one time. But, he wanted more, and someday soon, my luck would run out.
“I told you I wanted you in my cabin tonight.”
I went rigid beneath his fingers. Kane’s hot breath against my cheek still smelled like bourbon. But he was stone sober now. The threat to the pack had cleared his head and brought his eyes sharply into focus. They flashed gold for an instant. He wanted me to flinch. I wouldn’t. I pulled against him and stepped out of his grip.
“I couldn’t sleep. You snore when you’ve been drinking.”
Kane cocked his head to the side then straightened. A smile played at the corners of his mouth, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think he was pleased with me. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and planted my feet into a wide stance. Let him think my anger stemmed from lack of sleep.
“Be careful, Olivia. When I tell you to stay put, I mean it. It’s for your own good.”
I shook my head. “You’re in the cabin next to me. I’d like to think your senses are strong enough to hear and react to anything big enough to get near me from twenty yards away, Kane.”
His nostrils flared at my challenge. He took a step toward me and his fingers twitched at his sides. I knew what he wanted. He wanted to grab me and shake me. I could feel it coursing through him. Instead of making me afraid, it emboldened me. I had that one thread of power left. The minute he tried to hurt me, he’d lose the value of keeping me here. It would work to my advantage, but not forever.
“There’s nothing wrong with my senses, baby. I don’t miss anything where you’re concerned.”
“Is everything all right? Where’s the pack?”
Kane blew out a hard breath and narrowed his eyes. Then, he crooked a finger under my chin and tilted my head up. I kept my breath even, bracing for a kiss. But, he just held me like that and searched my face.
“They’re coming back now. Everything’s quiet out there tonight. The worms aren’t even moving. You can sleep tight.”
I didn’t dare to even blink. Let him tell his lie and think I believed it. I still felt the echoes of adrenaline flowing through his veins, fed from the pack’s movements. They’d all been in hunt and kill mode less than twenty minutes ago. But, Kane didn’t want me to think anything was wrong. I put a hand up and circled it around his wrist, pulling his fingers from beneath my jaw.
“Good. I’m really tired, Kane. I wasn’t kidding about how you snore. It can’t be very long until the sun comes up. If I don’t at least get a few hours of sleep in, I’ll feel like shit all day tomorrow. If you want me to be in a good mood, I need to go back to bed.”
“Maybe I’ll stay in here with you tonight then. Keep an eye on you. Scare away any boogie men that might try to haunt your dreams.”
He flashed me a wide smile, setting off the deep dimples in his cheeks. My mercurial Kane could pour on the charm when it suited him. He went from veiled threat one minute, to sweet and joking the next. This was the side of him he chose to show me all those months ago when we first met. My car stalled on the side of the road in a storm. Kane had appeared. A dashing hero in his park ranger’s uniform and flashy patrol car. He’d offered me his coat to keep me warm while he changed my tire and followed me back to my house. He’d shot me that same genuine, dimpled smile as he tipped his hat toward me and asked if he could call on me. Those were his exact words. Could he call on me?
He’d practiced old-fashioned courting that made my heart beat faster. Sent me flowers. Wrote me notes. Did nothing more than hold my hand for weeks. The first time we’d kissed had been at my urging. He was sweet and gentle, and I still remembered the flare of heat from his light hand at the small of my back.
When I told my father and brother I thought I might love him, rage and fear lit my father’s eyes from within. We fought. I said terrible things. Accused him of trying to make me live my life in a cage because of his own issues, not mine. I was almost nineteen. I wanted a life of my own. When Kane showed up beneath my bedroom window, it had all seemed so romantic. Stealing away in the middle of the night for a lovers’ tryst.
Then he brought me back here. Deep in the heart of Wild Lake Park to the ranger compound where he lived and worked. And from that day forward, I realized it wasn’t my father trying to keep me in a cage at all. It was Kane. Then, one night when I grew bold and believed the biggest of his lies, I let him close. Too close.
My fingers twitched at my sides, burning to claw at the mark he’d given me that night. The one that would chain me to him forever if I didn’t find a way out.
“I’ll sleep better alone,” I said, pressing a hand to Kane’s chest. I pushed him gently, keeping a light smile on my face as I edged him toward the door. “Please. I’m anxious to hear all about the pack’s escapades tonight. But let me have a full night’s sleep and hopefully a full stomach in the morning.”
“You’re a shitty liar, Olivia,” Kane’s voice dripped with menace as he closed a hand around my wrist. He tightened his grip and brought me to the edge of pain. My heart jumped, sending an echo through his fingertips and straight to the wolf he held inside. My fear poured through him and made his eyes flash gold.
“Kane, please. Not tonight.”
“What are you hiding from me?”
“Nothing. Really. I just want to go to sleep.”
He jerked me forward and snaked his arms around me, pressing me against the solid wall of his chest. “I don’t like when you push me away. Have I ever forced myself on you? Even once?”
I bit the inside of my mouth to stop a thousand retorts I wanted to make. Every day of my life for the last six months I’d lived under the threat of Kane’s force. No. Save for that one night when he marked me against my will, he’d kept his hands off me. But, we both knew that wouldn’t be forever.
“You have no idea how patient I’ve been, Liv. More than you warrant, probably.”
I wanted to scream in his face. Then let me leave! Let me go back down the hill and find my father. Let me never have to see you again!
“You belong to me.”
“Kane, stop it,” I tried to twist my wrist out of his grip, but he held me against him.
“I made your father and you a promise. I’ll keep it. But not forev
er.”
My breath hitched and I fought to keep the icy fingers of panic from rising to the surface. It would only call to Kane’s wolf more. “You asked for time and I’ve given it to you. But now, I’m tired of waiting.” He pulled me forward then turned me so my back pressed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me whispered in my ear.
“Next month, Oliva. That’s as long as I’ll wait.”
“What are you talking about?” My heart tripped inside my chest, and my body went rigid.
Kane pressed his cheek to mine and pointed out the window where the moon hung low and bright. “I need to make you mine forever, Olivia. I’ll wait for you to come to me willingly, but I want you. As my mate, once and for all. It will be good for you. Good for the pack.”
Bile rumbled in my stomach. He wanted to mark me again. I knew how it worked. If he bit me again like he did the first time, the bond between us would grow even stronger. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to know where I ended and Kane began. The tricks I’d learned to shield my feelings from him wouldn’t work anymore. What’s worse, if I believed some of the stories, he’d have the power to take away my will. I wouldn’t be me anymore. I’d just be Kane’s.
“I told you. I’m not ready for that. You said you understood. You swore you’d let me choose.”
“I swore I’d give you time. And I have. But time’s up. You’re too important to the pack and my plans for it. So, you have until the next full moon to come around.”
“Or what?” I couldn’t feign calm a second longer. Kane loosened his arms just enough so I could slip out of them and turn on him. Blood roared in my ears, and he could read the contempt on my expression even if he couldn’t sense my rage. But, Kane stayed calm. He did nothing more than lift the corner of his mouth in a half smirk.
He crossed his arms in front of him and took a step forward, leaning toward me. “Or, I’ll take what I want whether you want it or not. I said I’d prefer you came to me willingly. I didn’t say it was necessary.”
