“Then I’ll just bundle them up inside your dress and you can carry them,” Madge said. She folded the shoes inside the damp dress and wrapped them into a ball, handing Callie the bundle. “Do hurry, they’ll be here any minute!”
Callie limped toward the door, and Seth lunged forward, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and assisting her. He shot an angry scowl at Seth, but all he got from the old woman was a wink in return.
“Have a nice life together,” Madge said, waving them off.
“How can you be so sure…” Callie started to say, but Madge cut her off by slamming the cabin door in her face. “That was rude.”
“You’re in no condition to walk,” Seth said. “I will have to carry you.”
“Just how close by do you live?” she asked.
“A few days travel,” he answered.
“Days?” Callie gasped. “You can’t carry me that far!”
“It will make the trip take a bit longer, but I can manage,” Seth said. “I will have to shift, of course.”
“Shift? Oh, you mean into your wolf form?” Callie asked.
“Indeed,” Seth answered. “I hope this doesn’t frighten you.”
She watched in awe as Seth grunted and groaned, his bones contorting and snapping, his body compacting itself toward the ground. He fell onto all fours, and fur began to sprout from his trembling body. Fangs erupted from his gums, and ears sprouted. A tail popped out and wagged briefly, and his hands and feet became paws. Soon, he was standing before her a beautiful cream and gray wolf, shaking his head gloriously before her.
“Wow,” she gushed. “You’re… beautiful.”
She reached her hand toward the wolf, apprehensive that he might find her touch offensive. But he nudged his head against her hand, and she stroked it gently, scratching behind his ears.
He lowered his body, and she realized it was a signal for her to climb onto his back. She took a deep breath, terrified that he wouldn’t be able to support her weight. But as she slipped onto his back, tucking the dress bundle underneath her shirt and then clinging to his fur, he rose to his feet as though she were light as air.
“I’m ready,” Callie told him.
His great wolf head nodded, and he took off at a brisk trot toward the mountain.
Chapter Nine
Normally it was a simple matter to control his wolf, especially where females were concerned. Seth had coupled with females before, but never humans. The only time his wolf seemed to get the better of him was in times of great rage or danger. But never with females.
This female, however, was maddening. Her scent was all over him now, and he could feel the heat emanating from between her legs as she straddled his back. He moved at a rapid pace, climbing the mountain pathway as it stretched, twisting and turning, deeper into the forest.
He stopped and turned back toward the cabin, which was still barely visible in the distance. He felt Callie shift. Apparently she was also looking back.
“I still don’t see anyone coming,” Callie said. “Do you think Madge was just trying to get rid of us?”
Seth snorted through his nose. He wouldn’t put it past the old woman to do such a thing. But for what purpose? He stood and watched the cabin for a while, and then he noticed a fat raccoon waddling lazily away from the cabin. He growled deep in his throat.
“Why, that sneaky old woman!” Callie muttered.
He shook his head and took a few steps forward. Callie took his hint and tightened her grip on his fur, and he took off again, leaving the tricky old woman and her cabin behind.
Now Seth had a greater level of responsibility than ever before. Not only did his whole pack rely on him for guidance and protection, but he had a mate to care for as well. Soon, he hoped, he would have pups.
He guessed it was just a matter of time before Callie agreed to submit to him. He could feel her attraction to him and smell her arousal whenever she looked at him. If she were physically attracted to him, emotional attachment would soon follow. He was almost certain of it.
Seth kept a grueling pace until nearly nightfall. He wouldn’t feel entirely safe until they were back in his own territory and Callie was safe inside the den. But eventually he had to stop. Callie hadn’t eaten in hours, and her could hear her stomach growling.
He stopped near the bank of a small stream, hoping to locate a fish for her. He approached the water’s edge and sniffed it briefly. As he did, Callie slipped from his back and kneeled by the water, dipping her hand into its coolness and lifting it toward her mouth.
In an instant, he dove at her, knocking her onto the sandy bank on her back. He growled viciously at her, and though her eyes widened questioningly, he detected no fright from her.
He shifted as quickly as possible and kneeled beside her, extending his hand, which she willingly took. He pulled her from her prone position and into a seated one.
“I’m sorry for my actions,” he said, “but I had to warn you that this water is not safe to drink.”
“Oh,” she mumbled. “How… how did you know?”
“When I am in wolf form, I have heightened senses,” he explained. “I could smell chemicals in the water. It’s been tainted with something.”
Her eyes shifted toward the water, and her brow furrowed as if she were wondering what might have happened if he hadn’t been there to warn her not to drink it. She shuddered.
“I stopped here to fish for your dinner,” he said. “But clearly you cannot eat any fish from this stream, so I will have to catch game for you instead.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I’ll be alright.”
“I can hear your stomach growling,” he told her. “Now that you are my mate… I mean, I am hoping you will choose to be… it is my responsibility to ensure you are well cared for.”
Callie flushed, but said nothing. He hoped this was nothing more than embarrassment over her growling stomach, and not apprehension at the prospect of being his mate. Time would tell. For now, he must see that she was fed and sheltered for the night.
He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. She winced in pain, and he immediately hooked his arm around her waist to help take pressure off her ankle. He helped her hobble over to a mossy rock beside the stream.
Seth rubbed her swollen ankle gently, and she bit her lip and furrowed her brow as she fought to hide her discomfort.
“The swelling is worsening,” he said. “We need to get you to the den quickly so you can rest.”
“I’ll be alright,” she said bravely.
“It is not life threatening, but your comfort is still a priority to me,” Seth said, his fingers stroking the skin on the outer side of her ankle.
Callie peered down at him and said nothing, but he could sense a change in her emotions. She was calmer, and seemed more open to him. He gazed up into her eyes and smiled, and to his surprise, she smiled warmly back at him.
“Thank you,” she finally said meekly.
“You rest here,” he said, “and I will go locate some food for you.”
“I really appreciate it,” she said.
He patted her knee gently and shifted into wolf form, dashing into the forest to locate some prey with which to feed his new mate. He was now more certain than ever that he was getting through to her and she would soon submit to him.
Chapter Ten
Callie propped her aching ankle on her knee and rubbed it, trying to lessen the throbbing pain. Then she realized that the coolness of the bubbling stream might help numb it a bit. She carefully lowered her foot into the water. It throbbed angrily at first, but soon the coolness did indeed begin to ease the pain.
A breeze caused the leaves over her head to rustle, and the lazy bubble of the stream mingled with create a soothing mix of sounds that relaxed her even further. It was such a stark contrast to the hubbub of city life that she began to wonder how she ever missed coming out here. She’d never really been outside the city before, and now she wondered how she’d eve
r go back.
But that was the thing. She didn’t have to go back. She could accept Seth’s offer of being his mate and she could live out in the peaceful bliss of the forest for the rest of her life, never having to worry about paying rent, working for an unappreciative boss, and, most of all, she wouldn’t have to face the potential of being prosecuted for something she didn’t do.
Just the thought of that made her stomach churn with guilt. She didn’t want to feel she was using Seth to escape from the troubles of her life. He seemed like a really nice guy, and the last thing she wanted to do was treat him like that.
Of course, if she fell in love with him it would be another matter. Then she wouldn’t be using him. Falling in love with him would be easy, she was certain. He was not only unbelievably sexy, with those dark, smoldering eyes and that lean, muscular body, but he was truly a nice guy. He put her needs first. He spent time with her. Although she’d only just met him, she had a feeling that he was being himself, unlike most guys she’d met who seemed to be so fake. They’d pretend to be nice guys until they were certain she liked them, and then they’d suddenly morph into some hideous version of themselves, often turning abusive.
She’d had enough of being mistreated to last her a lifetime. She was determined she’d never go through that again. And if she stayed with Seth, she believed she would truly be loved.
Callie thought about her past love life, pathetic though it was. She hadn’t dated all that many guys, and none of her relationships had been very serious. How could they be when she lacked the confidence to really be herself around them, and when it seemed like they were all cruel in some way?
The more she thought about it, the more she hoped she could truly fall in love with Seth, and just leave the misery of her past behind her. She could be happy here, surrounded by the beauty of nature and the safety of Seth and his den. She just needed to fall for him, because she wouldn’t use him. She’d rather go back and face prison time.
Before long, Seth returned with a rabbit dangling limply from between his powerful jaws. He laid the creature before her feet, and just as she was hoping he wasn’t expecting her to eat it raw, he shifted.
“I’ll build a fire and have this cooked before you know it,” he said.
She watched him gathering wood from underneath outcroppings and within patches of sunlight where it was driest. He piled the wood in a spot near the bank, which he’d cleared of debris and surrounded with large river rocks to contain the fire. He placed some kind of off fungus at the base of the wood. Then he began to strike two different types of stones together over the top of the fungus.
Tiny sparks splashed from the rocks and landed on the fungus, which quickly began to burn. He blew this gently, and the smoke ignited and began to blaze upon the fungus. He used a stick to push the fungus underneath his woodpile, and before long, he had a fire crackling and popping.
“Impressive!” Callie said.
“Humans cannot do this?” Seth asked curiously.
“Some can, I suppose,” she answered. “But I’m a city girl, and I’ve never seen anything like it. Where I come from, we just use a match or a lighter.”
“What are those?” he asked.
“A match is a stick that you just rub quickly against a strip on the outside of the box and it instantly alights,” she answered. “And a lighter is… well, I’m not sure how a lighter works to be honest. There’s some kind of fuel inside a plastic or metal container, and you can just flick your thumb across a metal wheel or push a button and you get fire.”
“Now that’s impressive,” Seth remarked.
Seth grabbed the rabbit, and Callie couldn’t help but wonder how he could possibly dress the animal without a knife. She watched intently as he grabbed the skin near the back ankle and made a small tear using only his fingers. Then he began to easily pull the skin away from the animal, starting with the back legs and pulling forward. When the animal was completely skinned, he grabbed it around the ribcage and began to push, and the innards were easily removed.
He found a sturdy stick to use as a skewer, and he laced it through the rabbit and began to hold the whole animal directly over the fire. Before long, the scent of roasting meat filled the air, and Callie began to drool.
Her stomach rumbled fiercely, and Seth glanced at her and said, “It won’t be long now. Just a few more minutes.”
Perhaps it was because she hadn’t eaten in hours, but Callie was certain the delectable smell of this rabbit was the most enticing scent she’d ever smelled. He poked the flesh of the rabbit in several locations, and, clearly satisfied that it was done, he handed it to her.
“Careful, it’s hot,” he warned her.
She held the skewer and realized the small animal was actually much lighter than she thought it would be. She inhaled the heavenly scent before nibbling a streaming bite from over the ribcage. The flesh was tender and nearly melted in her mouth.
“Wow, I hardly even miss the salt,” she commented, not caring that her mouth was full.
“Salt? What is salt?” he asked.
“Salt is a seasoning humans use to enhance the flavor of most of our food,” she said. “We typically use salt and pepper on stuff like this, and then we use sugar on stuff like… well, like berries.”
“I see,” he said. “Well, we don’t use a lot of that out here. We use some wild seasonings on occasion.”
She took another bite of the perfectly roasted meat and said, “Oh, I think I can get used to living without it. Although I might miss chocolate.”
“What is…”
“Chocolate is a favorite food of humans,” she said. “It’s actually a roasted bean that is ground up and mixed with stuff like milk and sugar and turned into a sweet bar that is utterly divine.”
“I will see if I can obtain some for you if you like it that much,” Seth offered.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I’m fine with whatever you normally eat.”
“Callie, if you choose to be my mate, I promise I will always do everything in my power to ensure your complete happiness,” Seth said. “But I must warn you that shifters mate for life. We do not… what is it called when you humans end a committed relationship? I can’t remember.”
“Divorce?” she offered.
He nodded and said, “We do not divorce. And once we are mated, we are usually monogamous.”
“That’s how human marriages are supposed to work,” she lamented. “Unfortunately most humans don’t seem to respect that anymore.”
“Is it too early to ask if I might have any hope that you will accept me as your mate?” he asked, kneeling before her as she ate.
As Callie chewed a bite of her dinner and looked down at him, she could see it in his eyes. He loved her. She’d never seen that look before unless it was directed at someone else, but she recognized it instantly. It was shocking to her how fast it had happened.
“There is hope,” she said delicately, nibbling one of the crispy edges of the lean animal.
“Then that is all I ask for now,” he said, taking one of her hands and kissing it.
Chapter Eleven
“I must hunt for myself now,” Seth told her. “I will return quickly.”
“You can just have some of this,” Callie offered, extending the roasted rabbit toward him.
He smiled gratefully, but said, “Thank you, but I require a considerably more substantial meal.”
“Oh,” she said, flushing.
“I will return for you soon,” he said, shifting into wolf form and sprinting away.
This area of the forest was sparsely populated with wild animals, being too close to town for the population to be able to sustain itself. Human hunters traveled into this area from the city quite often, and they kept the deer herds culled nearly to the point of local extinction.
He’d have to settle for smaller game in larger quantities. Before long he’d gathered and devoured numerous squirrels and rabbits, along with a frog and two
small pigeons. He was still rather hungry, but he had enough energy to make it through the night. With darkness rapidly approaching, he needed to find shelter for Callie to protect her from the elements.
He soon ran across a small cave. Upon inspection, the floor was dry and there were currently no creatures calling it home. In human form, he gathered some pine boughs and made a bed off the ground and then he returned to her, shifting back into wolf form to make better time.
Along the way he found a small branch that flowed from a natural spring toward the stream. He sniffed the water and found that it was clean, and he knew the stream must be contaminated further down the line. At least he had found a clean water source for Callie.
The Alpha's to Share: A BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance Page 5
