He’d found a rarity, a gem hidden amongst a sea of rough stones, and he might have destroyed his chances with her for good.
Sure, he could claim her and take her back to his den against her will. He’d heard tell of this happening in some packs. But he just couldn’t bring himself to be like that. He may have an animal inside him, but he was no animal. He had more respect for life than that. He would never take a female against her will, even if his inner wolf threatened to tear him apart from the inside out. And that certainly had been nearly the case on the path.
Callie was a jumble of emotions that he found difficult to separate, making it harder to read her. There was some sort of inner turmoil raging within her, and he could only imagine it was anger at him for letting her get hurt. He struggled to sense the underlying emotion, but there were just too many tumbling around within her at once.
Seth sighed and plopped heavily into Madge’s rocking chair, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees and running his fingers harshly through his hair. What had he done?
Chapter Six
Callie was mortified at the state of herself. She’d face planted right in front of the hottest guy she’d ever seen, and now she was caked with drying mud from her hair to her toes. How could she even face him?
It was bad enough that she’d been unable to prepare to meet him. Her hair had been untamed, her face bare… she hadn’t even had time to rinse the sweat from her body. But now she had no hope that his man could ever be attracted to her, as if she’d ever really believed it before. She was just frumpy old Callie, the chubby girl that got made fun of in school and whose red hair and freckles were a constant annoyance to her.
No, she’d lost any chance at all when she displayed her awkward clumsiness right before his very eyes and dumped herself into a puddle of goopy mud. She cursed herself inwardly.
As she stared at the blanket, Madge filled the large wooden washtub with the water she’d heated in the cauldron. She had to use a smaller bucket to fill the tub, as she was too frail to lift the cauldron. When it was filled, she tested it with her wrist.
“Alright, dear, come, come!” Madge said, waving Callie over to the tub in front of the fire.
Callie walked over to the tub and froze. She glanced at Seth, who stared silently back at her. She tilted her head at him and raised her eyebrows.
“What?” he asked.
“Would you mind?” Callie asked.
“Mind what?” he wondered.
“I believe she wants privacy for her bath,” Madge said gently.
“Humans,” he grunted, shrugging and shaking his head as he stood to leave.
He reluctantly left the cabin, and Callie let the blanket drop to the floor. Madge held her arm firmly as she gingerly stepped into the steaming tub. Putting weight on her ankle was nearly unbearable, but she managed to make it into the tub, and the heat of the water was soon soothing away some of the pain.
Madge took some of the water into the bucket and poured it over Callie’s head. Madge began to scrub her hair, rinsing away as much of the mud as possible. The mud had caked behind Callie’s ears, in the corners of her nose, and in between her fingers. She repeatedly splashed herself with the water, rubbing her skin to clean away the stubborn grime.
“What I wouldn’t give for a bar of soap or some shampoo right now,” Callie muttered.
“I’m afraid I don’t know what shampoo is, dear, but I have some soap,” Madge said. “I only ever use it to clean wounds, so you’re welcome to it.”
Madge retrieved a bar of soap from a high shelf and handed it to Callie, who smelled it and then began to scrub herself with it vigorously. She rubbed the bar into her hair, generating a rich lather, and then Madge helped her rinse it all away.
“There, clean as can be!” Madge said.
Callie stood up, shifting her weight to her left foot, and Madge handed her a small hand towel with which to try herself.
“Sorry, but we don’t really take baths around here,” Madge said. “Those that do generally just come out of the river and drip dry.”
“This is fine,” Callie said.
She dried her body with the small towel and then began to dry her hair. She was glad she’d gotten it cut. It used to skim the top of her butt, but she’d recently cut it to just below shoulder length. It didn’t take long to dry.
“I’m afraid I don’t have anything else clean for you to wear,” Madge said. “It will be a little while longer before your dress dries.”
“Oh,” said Callie, disappointed.
“Never mind,” Madge said. “Just crawl into bed and rest your ankle. Your dress will be dry before you know it.”
She had no energy to object, so she crawled into the small bed and Madge covered her with the sheet.
“I’ll just take this blanket outside and wash it,” Madge said. “I’ll get Seth to help me dump your dirty bathwater.”
Callie groaned at the thought of this man she just met having to lug her filthy, muddy bathwater around. She hid her face under the sheet as Madge called him back inside.
“Come help me empty this tub,” Madge said.
Seth willingly complied, grabbing both handles and hoisting the massive tub as if he were lifting a bag of groceries.
“My! You are a strong one!” Madge exclaimed. She opened the door for him, and he toted the sloshing tub outside and spilled its contents on the ground. Madge called after him, “Just set the tub over by the woodpile. I’ll need it to wash this blanket.”
Madge gathered up the blanket and headed outside with it, closing the door behind her and leaving Callie alone and full of trepidation. She wondered if she should just throw on her old clothes and run back to society before she made a fool of herself even more than she already had.
Seth soon entered the little cabin again and he looked straight at Callie and asked, “How is your ankle feeling?”
“Much better after that hot bath,” she answered, her voice muffled by the sheet that still hid most of her face.
She peered over the top of the sheet, watching as Seth pulled Madge’s rocking chair beside the bed and sat down.
“What can I do to entertain you?” Seth asked.
“Entertain me?” Callie asked. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I feel responsible for your injury, Callie,” Seth told her. “Had I not been walking so fast and so far ahead of you, there is a good chance you would not have been hurt. So allow me this, please?”
Callie stared at him in confusion. How could he possibly feel responsible for her own clumsiness? She’d tripped in her haste to keep up with him, and she’d been too focused on his nakedness in front of her to pay attention to what lay in her path. It was hardly his fault.
“Please?” he asked again.
“I… well, what can you do?” she asked.
“I could read to you, or tell you a story,” he suggested. “I could sing for you. Whatever you want.”
She shrugged and said, “Tell me a story.”
“Alright,” he agreed. “I will tell you an ancient wolf story of love.”
Callie turned her body underneath the sheet, facing him. She propped herself up on her elbow and watched him intently.
“This is a story that has been passed down through my family for many generations,” he told her. “It is said to be a true story about an Alpha and his human mate.”
Seeing he had her full attention, he continued, “Many years ago, there was an Alpha wolf named Moon Fur. Moon Fur was the Alpha of the largest pack in the area, so he had a great responsibility when it came to watching over so many others and ensuring they were fed and protected.”
“Moon Fur needed a mate to ensure the succession of his line, so he sent his most trusted advisors out to find him someone suitable amongst the local Indian tribes.”
“When they returned, they brought back a female named Little Star. They apologized profusely, but explained that she was the only daughter of the Chief of the local
tribe, and that he was embarrassed because of her ample size and wanted to rid his family of the shame, so he sent her to Moon Fur to be his mate.”
“But Moon Fur was not ashamed of his new mate’s body. In fact, he relished it. She had wide, luscious curves, and he knew childbirth would be easier for her than for other females. She had large, supple breasts, which not only excited him, but would produce plenty of rich milk for their pups. But most of all, Little Star had a large heart, which she gave willingly to Moon Fur and his pups, making him happy for all the days of his life.”
“So you see, while the Chief saw Little Star’s size as a source of shame upon his family and his tribe, Moon Fur saw only beauty and love, and in return he found more love than he ever could have hoped for.”
Callie was enraptured. Her eyes were wide, and her lips parted. She blinked at him for a moment, and then a tiny sigh escaped her lips.
“What a beautiful story,” she gushed quietly.
“Indeed it is,” he said, leaning toward Callie and watching her green eyes glitter up at him. “It shows that beauty comes from the inside and radiates outward for anyone who cares enough to see it.”
She swallowed hard and fought the urge to cry. Could it really be that he saw her for who she was on the inside, and that he thought she was beautiful on the outside, as well? No one ever had. But she’d never been with a shifter before.
She noticed Seth cautiously sliding his fingers across the bed toward her hand. Her breath hitched, and she held it in anticipation. His eyes caught hers, and his fingers sent electrifying jolts through her the moment their skin connected. He wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed her hand gently.
“Is it alright if I touch you?” he asked.
She nodded, still scarcely breathing. He leaned closer, and her eyes closed. His lips met hers, and he released her hand and wrapped his arms around her. The sheet slid downward, leaving her bare breasts pushed against his firm chest.
His tongue entered her mouth with an insatiable hunger, and she could feel the heat of his breath on her skin. She slid her fingers around his neck and pulled herself deeper into the kiss.
His hands began to explore her body. She knew she should stop. She’d just met this man. But something wouldn’t let her. Something was driving her. She couldn’t stop. She didn’t want to stop.
Chapter Seven
Seth couldn’t believe this stunning creature was still willing to allow him the honor of kissing her, of holding her, of touching her luscious body with his hands. As his tongue mingled with hers, the wolf inside him began to rage, slamming against his ribcage along with his hammering heart.
The rumble within his chest escaped, and he could smell Callie’s arousal mounting. The scent was unbearably intoxicating, and he could feel an erection beginning to swell.
Slowly, cautiously, he lifted himself from the rocking chair and eased himself onto the bed beside her. Not only did she not object, but she shifted her body so that the curve of it slipped perfectly in alignment with his own. The soft swell of her abdomen rested against his hip, and her thighs slid against his erection and drove him to the brink of savage madness.
The sheet between them was incredibly frustrating. Only her upper torso had come out from underneath it, and he cautiously began to slide the sheet downward. For a moment, she clutched it, horrified. He could hear her heart pounding, and anxiety wafted from her pores. But finally, she released it, and he peeled it away from her body. His eyes traveled across every bump and curve, taking in her feminine softness, his desire mounting.
“You are the picture of feminine beauty,” he told her.
She shook her head as if she did not believe him. As if she could not. Her face was red, the color spreading all the way into her ears. She looked at the sheet as if she might grab it and cover herself, but he grabbed her arms and pushed them over her head, pinning her wrists to the pillow.
“Never hide yourself from me,” he growled into her ear. “You are more beautiful than anything I have seen in my life, and I would be honored if you would submit to becoming my mate.”
He nuzzled the skin of her neck and breathed deeply of her natural scent. Her fragrance was rich and musky, with a hint of floral somewhere deep underneath. She shivered, and he felt her nipples stiffening against his chest.
“Will you submit?” he asked her, gazing deeply into her eyes.
She bit her lip, her pulse rapid and pounding in his ears. She blinked up at him as though she were mulling the thought carefully.
“Seth… we just met…” she objected, causing his heart to shatter along with the burning desire in his loins.
“I understand,” he said, releasing her and leaning back into the rocking chair with an audible sigh.
She gathered the sheet around her and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just… well, I don’t really know how shifters do things, but humans…”
“I am aware of your odd need for familiarity before coupling,” he interrupted her sourly.
“We don’t find it odd,” Callie pointed out. “It’s helpful to see if there’s any compatibility before… before taking things that far.”
This, he had to think about. Perhaps that was why he’d heard so many tales of Alphas being stuck with females with personality issues. Perhaps it did make sense to learn about the other person before committing.
Grudgingly, Seth fought to quell the wolf that was still savagely trying to gnaw its way forth, urging him to penetrate her and claim her right then and there. He was certain he could do with a dip in an icy river. He gripped the arms of the chair fiercely and closed his eyes.
Why was this female so desirable to him? He had little trouble staying away from the females in his pack. Granted, they weren’t human, and they held little fascination for him by either their appearance or their personalities. But this female… she was obliterating every ounce of willpower he had!
His thoughts became a jumble mass of confusion, twisting and turning inside his head like a tumbleweed caught in a dust devil, swirling about inside his head until he felt he might lose his mind.
He’d become utterly absorbed in his own thoughts, and he could think of nothing but the way her soft skin felt against his, the way her lips had tasted sweet and salty at the same time, and the way her tongue had eagerly wrapped itself around his. How would he ever manage to quench his insatiable thirst if her scent continued to linger on him like this?
Chapter Eight
Callie’s insides were twisted in knots, along with her mind and heart. A very large part of her wanted Seth to throw her down and take her. She wanted to know what he would feel like inside her, and what it was like to be his mate.
She peeked from under the sheet that she’d pulled protectively around her once more and eyed the ropy muscles of his arms and the ridges that covered his abdomen. Her eyes widened at the sight of his erection, which she’d mostly managed to avoid looking at directly until that point, avoiding it as though it were a solar eclipse. She licked her lips, her body ravenous with desire for him.
But sensibility told her it was too soon. She’d rushed into so many relationships in the past out of loneliness or desperation, and every single man had broken her heart. She was sure she couldn’t take another heartbreak, and the only way to protect herself was to take things slowly.
Fate, apparently, had other things in mind…
The door swung open and Madge waddled in looking rather stressed. She clucked her tongue and slammed the door behind her.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you two to be on your way,” Madge said. “I have another couple who is in desperate need, and you can’t be here when they arrive.”
“But, we haven’t gotten to know each other, yet!” Callie gasped, pulling herself straight into a sitting position and clutching the sheet to her face.
“You will, dear,” Madge said. She squeezed Callie’s dress and said, “Your old clothes are clean and dry. You can wear them now
and take the dress with you and wear it once it dries.”
“Madge, she is injured,” Seth reminded her.
“Then you’ll just have to carry her,” Madge said. “Now scoot! We don’t have long!”
Madge tossed Callie her old clothing, which she painfully struggled into underneath the sheet. Her ankle was throbbing again, making it difficult to squeeze into her pants, which seemed to have shrunk.
“Terribly sorry about this,” Madge said as she helped Callie put on her shoes. Callie winced in pain and kicked off the offending shoe.
“I can’t wear them,” Callie said. “It hurts too much.”
The Alpha's to Share: A BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance Page 4
