Feeling as if she were slowly losing her mind, Eryn remained on the couch until her empty belly drove her to the kitchen to look for something to eat. She’d just finished eating a sandwich when her phone rang. With the thought it could be Wachei, she ran back to the living room to answer it.
She picked up the cordless phone, and asked, “Wachei?”
“No, it’s not,” said Carson on the other end.
“Oh, I thought…never mind. Look, I’m not in the mood to talk.” Her voice was tight as she fought back a wave of tears that threatened to rise to the surface.
“You sound funny. What’s wrong? Did you and Wachei have a fight or something?”
“No. I don’t feel like myself right now, okay? I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Eryn, what the hell is wrong? You sound close to tears, and you don’t cry. Ever.”
“Let it go, Carson. Please.”
Her brother sighed. “All right, but I’m going to call you in the morning.”
“Okay. Bye.”
Eryn hung up before Carson could say anything more. She then sat on the couch, longing for the arms of an ice age immortal werewolf, even though the sane side of her told her to stay very, very far away.
* * * * *
Tanner sat on the floor not too far from where Andre worked. They were in the abandoned cabin they’d found in a section of forested land. The two new pack members, former lone wolves, lay in one corner finally sleeping. The two of them had screamed through the pain that came with Andre turning them. Once they awoke, they would be a new breed of werewolf just like Tanner.
He turned his attention to his maker as Andre whispered some words above the bowl he worked over. Tanner didn’t know everything the other werewolf had put into it, but one ingredient had been human blood. Most of the spells Andre used required it, and no small amount, either. Not that Tanner cared. Mortals were the weaker race and deserved whatever they got.
Andre grew quiet and waved his hand over the bowl. A black mist poured out of his palm and settled on top of whatever his maker had mixed together. Andre looked into it for almost a minute before he turned to face Tanner with his eyes glowing red.
“A second wolf brother has found his mate,” his maker said with an evil grin. “And she’s another mortal. We’ll test our two new pack members against him while he is distracted.”
“Who is it this time?”
“Wachei.”
“When will you send them against him?”
“Very soon. I’ve seen where the perfect spot to confront him will be.”
Tanner nodded. They were finally going to make another attempt at the wolf brothers. He had a feeling the two new male werewolves wouldn’t be able to kill Wachei since Edensaw had survived a bullet to the head. But they could weaken Wachei enough to allow them to capture him. That was what Andre wanted most of all, one of the wolf brothers to try his spells on. If his maker’s black magic could strip the sentinel of his immortality, they’d be able to pick off the ice age hunters one by one. Then Andre wouldn’t have to worry about and do-gooders stepping in to stop him when he built their pack’s numbers to start working on taking control of all the local werewolves.
Chapter Eight
Eryn lay on her bed, curled up into a ball. She was in hell. The anxiety she’d felt for Wachei hadn’t let up one bit as the hours continued to tick away. If anything, it had gotten worse. She’d eventually gone to bed, hoping she’d sleep through whatever this was, then wake up in the morning back to feeling like herself.
That hadn’t happened. She’d barely been able to sleep. She’d only managed a half hour of rest, and it hadn’t been a deep or dreamless one. Eryn had dreamed of Wachei, seeing him hurt, begging her to return to him. He had reached out to her, calling her name. It had seemed so real she’d awakened to the sound of her shouting for Wachei. After that, sleep had eluded her and she’d spent the remainder of the night staring at the walls.
Once the bright morning sunlight shone through her bedroom window, Eryn forced herself to get out of bed. The need to be with Wachei thrummed through her, making it hard for her to concentrate on anything else. She dragged herself to the bathroom and took a shower. It did nothing to clear her thoughts. It was almost as if she’d become addicted to Wachei, that he was her drug of choice and she needed a hit in a very, very bad way.
Eryn went through the motions of drying her hair, then getting dressed. Once done, she left her bedroom. With thoughts of Wachei swirling around inside her mind, she hadn’t realized she’d gone straight to the apartment door until her hand was on the knob. She even held on to her keys. She whimpered as she slowly pulled away.
The sound of the phone made her jump. Eryn hurried over to the cordless and answered it. “Hello?” she asked, her voice strained.
“You don’t sound any better,” Carson said.
“I’m fine.”
“Like hell you are. What is going on, Eryn?”
She whimpered. “I don’t know if I should tell you.”
“Why?”
“You might think I’ve completely lost it.”
“That doesn’t matter. I’m going to call Noah. We’ll be over to your place shortly. The both of us will help you get through whatever this is. Wait for us, don’t go anywhere.” With that Carson hung up.
Eryn returned the phone to its base. She wasn’t going to leave her apartment, not while she felt like this. If she did, she’d more than likely go right to Wachei. And she wasn’t ready for that.
She sat on the couch and seriously thought about Wachei, about his being a werewolf and what he’d told her before she’d run. Eryn had a feeling this overwhelming need to be with him again had to be the reason why he’d said they couldn’t be apart now that they were mated. She couldn’t think of another reason why she was losing her marbles over him.
She also forced herself to look really closely at her feelings for Wachei the man, and forget about him being a werewolf. If he’d been a normal guy, he would have been perfect for her. He hadn’t let her brothers intimidate him, and he was easy to be around. And she liked him—a lot. So much so, Eryn knew what she felt for him had taken a shortcut and had headed straight to love.
But Wachei wasn’t a normal man. He was an immortal werewolf who had been born ten thousand years ago. The whole idea of what he was had scared the ever living shit out of her, but that fear had receded during the long hours she’d been away from him. And it was harder and harder to think of her life without him in it. The thought of never seeing Wachei again had her on the verge of tears every time.
What had to be a half hour later, her brothers showed up. Noah used the key she’d given him to let them inside. Eryn didn’t move from where she sat and watched them come to stand next to the coffee table in front of her. Both of them looked at her with expressions of concern on their faces.
“Talk to us, Eryn,” Noah said. “And don’t try to tell us it’s nothing since that obviously isn’t the truth. I’ve never seen you look like this before. You’re strung out and look as if you’ve just about reached your breaking point.”
She nodded, then got up and paced. “I already told Carson you won’t believe what I’ll tell you.”
“Let us be the judge of that.”
Eryn laughed, hysteria slipping a tiny bit into it. “Oh, you won’t. I already know that. Any sane person wouldn’t.”
Carson stepped into the path she paced and put his arms around her. “We can’t help you unless you tell us everything.”
She pushed out of her brother’s embrace. “Don’t. I can’t stand to have anyone touching me right now.” Carson’s touch made Eryn feel worse. Wachei was the only one she wanted to hold her, no one else.
Carson backed up to put some space between them. “All right, I won’t. Now tell us what is wrong with you.”
Eryn paced once more and tunneled her fingers through her hair, giving it a yank before she told her brothers everything, about Wachei being a werewolf, how h
e was immortal and from the last ice age, and how he’d claimed her as his mate. She couldn’t look at Carson or Noah as she spoke. And once she started, it all spilled out of her in a rush. After the last words left her mouth, Eryn came to a standstill and looked at her brothers. They stared at her as if they didn’t know what to think.
“Say something,” Eryn said.
“What you told us, you swear it’s the god’s honest truth?” Noah asked.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and nodded. “Yes, I swear. Have you ever known me to make something like that up?”
“No. Even when we were kids you wouldn’t have done that.”
Carson sighed. “You have to know how ridiculous it sounds. You want us to believe Wachei is an immortal werewolf. And the reason why you’re acting all whacked out is because you aren’t with him, literally.”
“I know, but it’s all true. Wachei shifted into a freaking dire wolf right before my very eyes. That’s why I ran, after I nailed him in the balls.”
Noah laughed. “You kicked a supposed supernatural being in the nuts?”
“It’s not that funny,” she grumbled.
“Yes, it is,” Carson said, chuckling. “The poor bugger probably never saw it coming. I know I never do when you try it with me. It makes my balls ache just thinking about it.”
“You’re not helping,” Eryn said through gritted teeth.
“Sorry. Okay, if we go along with this wild story you’ve told us about your new boyfriend, what do you want to do? It sounds as if you need to see him to get over whatever this is you’re going through. And who knows, he could be feeling what you are as well. Just because he hasn’t called you, it doesn’t mean he isn’t suffering too. He could only be giving you your space with the hopes you’ll come to terms with what he is. You already ran from him once, maybe he’s afraid you would do it again if he pushes.”
Eryn hadn’t thought about Wachei and what he could be experiencing with her gone. If he was in as bad of shape as she… The thought made her need to see him again crank up another notch.
“Oh god, I hadn’t thought Wachei would feel what I’m feeling,” she said on a wail as she paced in front of her brothers.
Noah shifted to stand in front of her. “It sounds as if you really care about him. Let’s pretend I believe you. Do you think you’ll be able to overlook his furry side? Or can you give Wachei up and never see him again?”
She shook her head. “I have to be with him. If I don’t, you’ll have to lock me in a mental ward. As for being able to handle him being a werewolf, I think maybe I can. It would take some getting used to.”
“You think?” Carson asked sarcastically.
Noah turned his head and scowled at their brother before he focused his attention back on Eryn. “Then you know what you have to do. Go to him, get him to help you understand.”
“Come with me,” she blurted. “Both of you. I want you there when I see Wachei again. That way I’ll get him to show you, and I’ll feel a little more reassured knowing you’re with me.”
“Fine, we’ll go. Won’t we, Carson?”
Carson came to stand next to Noah. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Eryn took a deep breath. “All right, I’ll text Wachei to meet me at my hunting spot in twenty minutes.”
She went to her bedroom and picked up her cell phone from the dresser where she’d left it the night before. She found Wachei’s number in her contacts and texted him, asking him to meet her and telling him where. Not waiting to see if he replied, Eryn returned to the living room and her brothers. They’d soon find out she hadn’t lied to them.
* * * * *
It had been almost a full day since Eryn had run from him and she hadn’t come back. Wachei had thought for sure she’d show up at the door after only a couple of hours of being apart. He’d been ready to go after her, already not enjoying the separation anxiety one little bit. Only his wanting her to have a chance to accept what he was without him around kept him at home.
Now he felt as if he’d gone insane. Each minute that went by seemed like an eternity. He ached to have Eryn in his arms so badly he growled and snapped his teeth at anyone who came too close to him. His wolf kept pushing him to end this madness and go to his mate, to take her and show her how much she belonged to him, and how he belonged to her.
Wachei prowled the house, no longer able to sit still. His wolf brothers and Cassidy watched over him with worried expressions on their faces. Brice had also stopped by the night before to reassure him that he had some of his pack watching over Eryn’s apartment building just in case Tanner decided to try something.
Having made the route from the front door and to the kitchen, he drew up short when his alpha stepped in front of him. Edensaw shook his head. “You can’t keep this up for much longer. It’s not good for you or Eryn. Go to her. Cassidy and I will drive you over to your mate’s apartment.”
“No,” he snapped, his nerves on edge. “I want this to be Eryn’s choice. If she accepts me, I’ll already be making the decision to turn her.”
“How long do you think you can keep this up? It’s almost been a whole day.”
“I don’t know.” And he didn’t. The thought of having to spend another one like this made him want to shudder. The need to be reunited with Eryn constantly rode him. It was worse than his mating urge had been. At least with that he hadn’t been driven crazy.
Durlach came rushing down the stairs with Wachei’s cell phone in his hand. “Your phone beeped. I think you have a text message.”
Wachei crossed the distance between him and Durlach and snatched the cell from him. He touched the screen and saw he had an alert. Cassidy had taught them how to read, but the state he was in now, he found he couldn’t concentrate enough to focus on the words.
“Cassidy, read this for me,” he said and passed Edensaw’s mate his phone.
She took it and smiled. “It’s from Eryn. She says she wants to meet you at her hunting spot in twenty minutes.”
Wachei was ready to run all the way there, but he would never make it on time if he did. “Can you drive me? Now?”
Cassidy smiled. “Of course. Let me grab my car keys and purse, then Edensaw and I will take you where you need to go.”
He followed her as she left the kitchen with Edensaw behind him. Cassidy dashed up the stairs at werewolf speed and returned a few seconds later with her purse and keys.
Wachei raced out the door, then impatiently waited as Cassidy and Edensaw caught up. His anxiousness to see Eryn threatened to take him over by the time Cassidy backed the crossover out of the garage. He got into the backseat and had to force himself to stop from telling Edensaw’s mate to hurry up.
On the drive, Edensaw said, “You realize what’s going to happen once you are with Eryn again, right?”
Wachei knew. He and Eryn would be having sex and wouldn’t be able to control themselves.
“I know,” he said tightly.
“Just make sure you’re in the trees and not out in the open,” Cassidy added. “Unless you don’t mind if other people happen by and see you two going at it. As I’ve told Marta, live pornos aren’t my style.”
They finally arrived at the spot where Wachei would start his run. Cassidy had barely stopped at the side of the road before he was out the car door and running to the open area that led to the trees he’d have to travel through to reach Eryn’s hunting spot. Once he was far enough from the road to not be seen, he shifted to his dire wolf form.
Wachei didn’t slow down when he reached the woods. He used his werewolf agility to weave through the trees or jump over the fallen ones. All that mattered was that Eryn would be on the other side.
He raced out of the wooded area and into the open grassed space, then he stopped when he saw Eryn standing a short distance away with her brothers on either side of her. Not caring that she wasn’t alone, he shifted into his human form and locked gazes with his mate as his body primed itself, his cock grow
ing hard and long, to take her as his.
Eryn’s body was on fire. Her pussy went instantly wet the minute Wachei had run out of the trees in his wolf form. Watching his body blur and shimmer as he became a man had her painfully aroused. She wanted him, needed his cock deep inside her as much as she needed her next breath.
“Holy shit, she told the truth,” Carson said.
“He’s a fucking werewolf,” Noah added.
Eryn didn’t pay any attention to them and started toward the man who owned her heart. Seeing him again had how she felt about him solidifying into love. He was her other half and made her whole.
Carson grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. “Where do you think you’re going? You told us you didn’t want to be alone with him.”
She yanked at her arm, but her brother refused to let her go. Eryn struggled some more. “I have to go to him. You two just wait for me.”
“No way. You made us promise.”
A loud growl reached her ears as she continued to try to free herself.
“Ah, Carson,” Noah said slowly. “I think you’d better let her go. Wachei doesn’t like what you’re doing one bit.”
Eryn stopped her struggles and looked over at Wachei. He stalked closer, his gaze latched on to Carson as he growled in a menacing way, his eyes taking on a muted glow. Her brother released her arm and took a cautious step back.
She ran to Wachei and threw herself into his open arms. Their lips came together in a heated kiss as they rubbed against each other. The hard length of his cock pressing along her stomach had Eryn whimpering with need. He picked her up and walked at a very fast clip toward the woods. Before they entered them she heard Noah yell, “We’ll be here waiting.”
Wachei only carried her far enough to have the trees block them from her brothers’ view. He put her against the closest trunk and tore at her clothes. Eryn helped him get her jeans undone and shove them down to her ankles. She toed off one of her boots to step out of a pant leg. All the anxiety she’d felt for the past twenty-four hours was swept away on a tidal wave of intense arousal. She’d never been this desperate for a man to take her before.
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