Anton pulled the carcass from the car and spit it out of his jaws, letting the body lie slumped in the dirt. A small thought started to niggle his brain. Someone needed him. There was someone he needed to protect. His mate . . . Laurel.
The wolf receded, and Anton the man was back in control. He let the change come over him, and he was squatting next to the dead body, panting. He spit the last of the blood from his mouth. These men were evil, he reminded himself. They preyed on the weak. Killing them was a service not only to the pack, but to mankind as well. Shaking his head, Anton searched the body for identification. He found several hundred rubles and the man’s registration card in his pocket.
Anton? Kolya? Something is wrong with Laurel. She collapsed after healing me, Alena sent to them.
Anton rushed down the side of the mountain. What could have happened? He couldn’t lose Laurel now. He had just found her. Without his mate, his life would be long and lonely. He wouldn’t want to live. When he arrived at the bottom of the hill, he reached for Laurel through the mating bond and found her spirit. The little ball of light was weak and growing weaker.
Laurel, Malyshka, don’t leave me, he sent to her mind.
I’m so tired, Anton. Let me go, came her weak reply.
“Never. You are my mate, always mine. I will not let you go, Laurel,” Anton said as he gathered her still body into his arms. “Please, Laurel. Come back. Give life with me a chance.”
Anton quickly searched Laurel’s body for a critical wound but could find none. Did she have internal injuries? Was she willing herself to die? This was something he could not allow. He searched her memories and discovered how she had decided that saving Alena’s baby would help her get into heaven. Now, she was trying to let go of her physical body.
“She saved the baby, Kolya,” Alena said, reaching for her mate. “I felt her mend the tear in my womb. The baby rests quietly now, happy and safe in our love.”
“Anton, let us join with you and Laurel,” Kolya suggested. “We will feed her our strength so she can recover hers. Healing must have taken a lot out of her.”
Anton held tight to Laurel’s spirit, surrounding it with his. She would not leave him. He felt Alena and Kolya join their strength to his as he pushed it into Laurel’s weak body. She was still bleeding from the many cuts she had received from the wreck. Anton felt it when she acquiesced and used the strength flooding her body to trigger her healing ability. The wave of pink opalescent light flowed over her, touching each cut and bruise, mending and healing. Finally, she stirred and opened her eyes.
“You should have let me go,” she said.
“Never, Laurel,” Anton replied. “Where you go, I go. Even if that means going into the next life. We are connected at the heart. I cannot live without you. I told you I would protect you from all harm. Must I protect you from yourself as well?”
Tears welled up in Laurel’s blue eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Anton felt her depression coming through the mating bond. He leaned down and kissed her eyes, capturing her tears on his tongue. When she didn’t answer, he made the decision for her. “So be it,” he sighed.
Chapter Five
Anton kept a close eye on Laurel as Alena fussed over her. Laurel’s depression worried him. He feared she would once again try to slip away into the afterlife and leave him.
Anton joined Kolya in burying the bodies and cleaning up as best they could before getting dressed. Since the truck had been damaged beyond repair, they decided they would take the black Lada-Niva. The pack village remained a half-day’s drive away. Alena and Laurel would never make the journey comfortably on foot.
Alena seemed to be completely recovered thanks to Laurel’s healing abilities. She coaxed and teased Laurel into eating the half sandwich Anton had put aside for her. Laurel responded to the female companionship with a weak smile. Was that the answer?
Laurel had felt close to her mother, who had been like a best friend. If Alena could befriend Laurel and gain her trust, maybe Laurel would fight to live, instead of wishing to die. Anton remembered her childlike joy as she played in the stream. How could he bring her that same feeling?
Glancing around, Anton noticed wildflowers growing beside the road and picked a bunch. He walked up to the women where they sat in the shade of a tree, and with a flourish and bow, presented himself to them.
“A gift of beauty to a beautiful one, in exchange for a boon,” Anton said with a flourish.
“And what is it you desire, good sir?” Alena said, catching on to the game.
“Only a smile from the one who holds my heart.”
Alena laughed and turned to Laurel. “What say you fair maiden? Does this shabby excuse for a knight deserve a smile from your lips?”
Anton waited for Laurel’s answer with bated breath. Would she join in the fun? Could she find her way back from despair?
“He may appear shabby on the outside. But I have seen him slay dragons,” Laurel said at first weakly, but her voice grew stronger as she went on. “I fear my smile is not a good enough reward for his bravery.”
“Then, what do you think your knight deserves?” Alena said impishly. “Perhaps a kiss in exchange for the lovely flowers he has presented you with?”
“A kiss?” Laurel squeaked as she blushed and buried her face in the flowers.
Anton stood completely transfixed. He fell head over heels in love with Laurel in that moment. Before he had admired her and wanted her. But now she held his heart, and she didn’t even know it. He watched her as she gathered her resolve.
“I guess a kiss would be a good reward,” Laurel replied haughtily. “Here,” she said, holding out her hand to Anton, “you may kiss my hand.”
Anton saw a flash of triumph in Laurel’s eyes. She assumed she had bested him in this game. It seemed important to give her these little conquests. So he took her hand gently.
“My lady is both kind and generous to offer this lowly knight such a prize as to touch his lips to her delicate hand.” Anton noticed a blush of color come into Laurel’s cheeks and knew she was thinking about their first kiss on the mountain this morning.
Anton took his time lowering his head. He kissed and licked each of Laurel’s knuckles, lightly stroking his lips over her skin. A punch of lust hit him. This game affected him, more than he thought possible, with his wolf and the mating bond calling to be completed. The scent of her skin caused him to get semi-hard, the taste of her skin made him fully engorged. Thankfully, his jeans hid the evidence of his desire. He pushed his feelings back and brought her hand to his cheek. Rubbing his face gently against her skin, he wanted his scent on her. Then, he turned her hand over and pressed a kiss to her palm.
“If you’re done playing, we should get back on the road,” Kolya said as he walked over and reached down to help Alena to her feet. “We still have a long drive and hike into the village.”
Anton looked into Laurel’s eyes and saw her glazed look and dilated pupils. She had definitely responded to him. He slowly released her hand. “Are you ready to go, Malyshka?”
“I once thought I would follow you anywhere, Anton.”
“And now . . . ”
“Yes, I’m ready to go,” Laurel answered.
Laurel let Anton help her up and guide her toward the path up the mountain. It seemed to make him happy to do little things for her, like he really cared for her. Alena was really nice to her, too. Could she put her trust in them? She wanted to believe they would be good to her. Laurel felt so confused. Before her mother died, she never believed her stepfather would beat her. Did she do something wrong to make him mad at her? What about Anton? Right now he seemed nice and fun. Would he turn into a monster if she did something to make him angry? Laurel didn’t know. She didn’t trust herself to make those judgment calls.
She didn’t want to die, not really. But confusion overwhelmed her. Was the truck wreck her fault? Did her father send those men after her? She saw blood on Anton’s chest. He and Kolya killed those men. But
then again, if they hadn’t, they probably would have been killed. Her world had turned into a place of violence, and she probably caused all of it.
Anton led her to the passenger door and waited while she got in the back seat, before climbing in beside her. Alena would ride in the front seat, while Kolya drove.
“It’s not a bad vehicle,” Alena said.
“True, too bad we can’t keep it,” Kolya said. “As soon as we get to the garage and I drop you off, I’ll have to ditch it somewhere. It would be dangerous to keep it and let one of the mafia find out we have it.”
“I’ll suggest to Dmitry that we get a couple of these vehicles for the pack. They are much more comfortable than that old truck,” Alena said. “I think Violet will like them, especially with the babies and their car seats.”
Laurel leaned over and whispered to Anton. “Who is Violet, again?”
“Violet is our sister-in-law and mate to our Alpha, our older brother Dmitry,” Anton answered.
“She is our Alpha female and has earned that title,” Alena added. “Kolya and I are their Betas, or seconds. We help them run the pack. You’ll like her. She is an American like you.”
“How many people are in the pack?” Laurel asked.
“Our numbers are changing as males leave to look for their mates. But I would say we have around sixty or so in residence,” Kolya said.
“Don’t forget the children,” Alena reprimanded. “There are four little boys and our two nieces. But Illarion’s mother Fanya and Vasha’s mother Dasha are both pregnant again, and now so am I. When Dmitry found Violet, it gave the pack hope for a future.”
“Plus, we have a small pack in England now,” Kolya added. “Grigori found his mate while on a trip to London. He is the new Alpha of that pack and plans to settle down there. He discovered several lycans in the area, including some orphaned children. They all live together on his estate.”
Laurel tried to take in all these facts, but processing them seemed impossible. There were werewolves in London, as well as Siberia?
“Not werewolves, Laurel,” Anton chided her. “Lycanthropes or lycans, if you wish. We aren’t monsters or cursed. Our abilities are genetically linked. It is like having blue eyes or brown. Our kind developed alongside regular humans. Some say we are descended from a Goddess, others from a she-wolf who mated with a man. However it happened, we aren’t that different from you.”
“But you can change your shape,” Laurel replied.
“And you can heal wounds,” Anton pointed out “Not so different. Your abilities make you a candidate to be a lycan mate. When you fell from the mountain, the mating bond between us snapped into place. That is how I know you are meant to be my mate. Like our wolf cousins, lycanthropes mate for life.”
“What if the mating bond hadn’t snapped into place?” Laurel asked.
“I still would have saved you, Laurel. Lycans take care of their pack members, all of them, regardless of age. Since facing the pack’s extinction, we have realized how precious life is. Knowing that you are my mate only added to the urgency and my determination.”
Laurel remembered how resolute Anton had been to climb, completely naked, down the mountainside in a storm. Being nude didn’t seem to bother Anton much. Since she met him, he had been bare more often than dressed. She had never realized how beautiful the male form could be until she saw Anton.
Anton smirked and winked at her. Laurel blushed and turned her face to the window. She suddenly felt too warm. Glancing down, she looked at the cord of light that flowed between them. It wasn’t as big as the one between Kolya and Alena. Why, she wondered?
Because we must mate physically for the cord to cement itself into place, Anton’s voice sounded in her head.
“Are you reading my mind?” Laurel asked Anton.
“It is part of the bonding between mates, Malyshka. You can read my thoughts as well, if you try.”
“And we can speak mind to mind?” Of course, he read her mind. How else did he always know her thoughts?
“Yes,” Anton replied. “Distance can cause difficulties. Great distance can prohibit it. But if we are near each other we can speak mind-to-mind. We need to touch each other’s minds, Laurel. It is part of the mating bond. If either of us is unable to touch the other, we would grieve for each other. This is very dangerous. The melancholy becomes extreme. It is known to cause thoughts of self-destruction.”
Laurel knew too well what those thoughts were like. “Great,” she said. What else did she need to know?
“Lycans are very family-oriented,” Anton said. “We tend to live in extended family units. My father and mother live in the lodge with us. They help tend the children, and my mother is a wonderful cook.”
“My mother taught me to cook,” Laurel said. “It was one of the fun things we did together.”
“Living in a pack is like living in a big family,” Alena added. “Everyone helps out. If someone needs something, the pack provides it.”
“With your healing skills, Laurel, you will be a treasured addition to our family,” Kolya said.
“But since you heal when you shift, why would you need my skills?” Laurel asked confused.
“Not everyone can shift all the time,” Alena explained. “The little ones often have problems controlling their shifting. Pregnant woman do not shift. Also, if someone is injured severely, it can be hard for him to shift. We are not immortal. We can be killed.”
“Yelena, our mother, is our medic. She will be glad to know you can help her,” Anton said.
Laurel wasn’t sure how she felt about the things they were telling her. Did they want her only because she could heal?
Malyshka, I want you, for you. You are my mate, my other half. Finding you is a miracle I didn’t expect. I will always want you. Anton’s voice came flooding into Laurels mind, and with it, a wave of love surrounded her. Laurel basked in it. It felt so good to be wanted, to be loved. She reached over and grasped Anton’s hand.
Thank you, I needed that, Laurel sent back.
Thank you, Laurel, for being mine.
The rest of the ride went by without incident. Everyone talked and shared stories of the pack with Laurel. She, in turn, shared stories of her mother and living in various mining towns in Siberia. It had not been an easy life. Laurel and her mother were often isolated because of their nationality and language barriers, though Laurel knew enough Russian to get by. The winters were harsh, and people only ventured out when necessary.
It surprised Anton that Laurel’s mother would choose such a life for her daughter. Being so alone seemed foreign to him. His family and pack constantly surrounded him.
Now, he understood how Laurel’s stepfather got away with abusing her. They didn’t have anyone close to them who checked in. Weeks went by before Laurel went to the local market to buy food. Anyone noticing her bruises wouldn’t realize what had happened in her home. Of course, Laurel’s healing ability would kick in after a severe beating, and the bruises would be gone.
Kolya turned off the main highway onto a dirt road. The sun slowly sank behind the mountains, leaving an orange glow in the sky. Heavy woods shading the road surrounded it on both sides. Up ahead sat a large metal building, and the road ended at the door.
“I’m going to drop you off and then take this vehicle back to the main road,” Kolya said. “I’ll ditch it a few miles back. Alena, will you be alright to walk in?”
“Yes. Since Laurel healed me, I feel fine,” Alena said. “We’ll meet you at the lodge. I want to see Mother before we go to our own home.”
“How far do we have to walk?” Laurel asked.
“About ten kilometers. I’ll carry you on my back, if you get tired,” Anton answered.
“Ten kilometers?”
“We don’t want to be found, Laurel,” Anton explained. “Keeping our existence a secret is important. Living out here alone, we have the freedom to shift when we want, without worrying about who might see. The village is very well equip
ped. It is getting there that is difficult.”
Kolya pulled up to the building, and everyone climbed out. Laurel watched as Kolya helped Alena from the car and kissed her gently. Anton handed Laurel her backpack, and she struggled to put it on. Kolya leaned down and kissed Alena’s stomach as he whispered to her, before turning away and climbing back into the vehicle. As the car started to back up, Anton took Laurel’s hand and led her to a trail heading into the woods. They waited a moment for Alena to join them. Then, they started down the path.
“Will it take Kolya long to find us?” Laurel asked.
“Once he ditches the car, he will go wolf. I wouldn’t be surprised if he meets us at the lodge. Nothing can keep him away from Alena for long. Isn’t that right, sister?” Anton teased.
“As it should be, Anton, “Alena said blushing. “I hope you are taking notes on how to be a good mate to Laurel.”
“I appreciate the good example. Kolya better be a good mate to my sister, or I’d have to take him to task.”
“We do just fine, brother dear. We don’t need your help,” Alena teased.
Laurel felt the warmth of love among these family members, her family now. Would her relationship with Anton be as sweet?
Chapter Six
Night finally arrived in the Siberian tundra, and Laurel struggled to see the path. When she started to stumble, Anton insisted that she ride on his back. He felt proud of how far she had hiked on her own. Now that he carried her, he and Alena could pick up the pace. But even Alena went slower than she would have if she had shifted into her wolf form. Kolya would have no problem beating them back to the lodge.
When they hit the halfway mark, several wolves appeared to escort them. Laurel gave a slight gasp. Anton quickly touched her mind, thinking she feared them. But wonder filled her mind. As they walked into the village, where Laurel could see because there were lights on the buildings, she asked to be let down. Anton felt his wolf rise when several single males approached the group. But he put Laurel down, then circled her waist and drew her into his side.
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