Hunting Wolf: Black Mesa Wolves #3

by Harper, J. K.

  “What are you saying to me?” she finally managed to get out.

  Kurt then stepped forward and took Rielle's cold hands between his. He held them in a light but firm grip and leaned slightly forward, as if to be certain she would hear him despite being barely a nose away.

  “Your wolf is part of your soul, Rielle. And Caleb is part of your heart. It's so obvious.” His slightly melancholy smile hinted at the bond that must have existed between him and his lost mate. “And your Pack. Ah, your Pack is part of your destiny as well as your responsibility. The threat from these rogues today is quite real, my dear. There has been more danger and bloodshed because of them since those rogues that almost destroyed this Pack nearly two hundred years ago. Your Alpha will not allow that again.” Kurt's voice hardened for a split second, and Rielle finally could understand how this man, this human, had once been a shifter. He still carried shifter genes, a shifter's body, despite the fact he'd never gone back to his wolf form and never again would be able to. “But for him to be able to fight this threat and win, he needs every single Pack member to be present and committed.”

  “I would never betray my Pack,” she said, stung.

  “Oh, I know that. But you do need to be there for your Pack. Body, heart, and soul. As does Caleb.” Kurt shook his head and let a tiny laugh whuff out of him. “He reminds me so much of his father, when Channing was much younger. I know he sees that in his son, too.

  “Now then,” he said briskly, stepping back and letting go of her hands, although he still held her eye rather sternly. “Not only is Caleb the one who will free your wolf, my dear, but you are the one who will soothe his. I can hardly think of two wolves more meant for one another. Despite the rocky road you two still travel together.”

  Just thinking about being with Caleb, his blue eyes serious as he looked at her, light stubble covering his set chin and carved cheekbones, his muscles rippling and flexing as he held her tight, kissing her for all he was worth.... Just the thought made her flush. Mostly from anticipation.

  Kurt smiled, now quite genial. “Ah, yes. He most certainly is the one for you. In fact, my dear, there he is now!”

  Rielle turned to see the object of her fantasy approaching the greenhouse door, his movements big and powerful and headed straight for her. Caleb's eyes focused on her, and that sexy grin swept across his face. It changed his features from foreboding and even frightening to relaxed, playful, and very interested. He lifted a hand in a wave as he reached to open the door.

  Kurt then said, in perfect French, “We shall talk again soon, Mademoiselle Rielle Amoux. Until then, your gentleman there shall keep an eye on you. And I expect you to keep a good eye on him, as well.”

  With a wink, he turned toward Caleb as the big wolf entered and exclaimed in English, “Caleb! So good for you to come rescue this lovely girl. I'm afraid all my talk of the best ways to encourage growth in my roses was beginning to bore her to tears. But do come in and take a look at a Venus Flytrap, my boy. I think the warrior in you will quite enjoy its rather barbaric qualities.”

  Chapter 9

  Caleb bounced the ball again, once. Narrowing a critical eye, he set up for the shot.

  Then he stopped. Bounced the ball again, enjoying the hollow thunk as it slapped the cement court. He then began to dribble with enthusiasm, moving in a circle around his brother and away from the hoop.

  Tate groaned with theatrical despair.

  “Seriously, man, you're gonna wear that ball into nothingness if you keep dribbling instead of shooting. This is the lamest version of 'Hey, let's go shoot hoops' I've ever played.”

  “So?” Caleb growled. “I like to dribble. It's all about the coordination. Good skill to have.”

  He moved down the court behind the den, ignoring the good-natured curses from Tate. The sun was down. Twilight crept across the woods. This was about the only time of day they could play, given how damn hot it had been for the past several days. Just after 10pm, it was cool enough to sweat only buckets instead of entire troughs.

  Ever since the strangest but awesomest date ever, Caleb had been hot enough to combust. He'd had some great discoveries since that night.

  Rielle liked him for sure: check. Rielle still really enjoyed kissing him, as proven long, slow, and really hot after they got back to the den from visiting Kurt's place that night: check. Rielle was in the den every single day, tempting him constantly with her wildly appealing scent of spicy apples sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with sweet whipped cream: check. Rielle was giving him those little glances a girl gave you when she was thinking some pretty down and dirty thoughts: check. His wolf was so sure Rielle was his—mate, or something—that the steady stream of images of Rielle snuggling beside him, running with him, and curling up with him in a den of their very own was making him want to claim her more and more with every passing second: check. Caleb hadn't been with a woman, or even remotely wanted anyone other than Rielle, in longer than he'd ever gone in his life since he first discovered girls: check. Rielle was not playing hard to get, but he knew down to his bones he had to take it slow and sure with her, so he wasn't rushing things and therefore felt like he was going to explode: check, check, check.

  Yeah, dribbling helped a lot to get out some of that energy that just needed to grab her, drag her into the woods with him, and show her exactly how much she was in control of his entire damn body.

  “Come on, shoot! Or pass it,” Tate hollered from where he still hovered near the hoop on the west end of the court.

  Caleb whirled and charged down the court toward the hoop. Tate whooped and swerved in to block. After a tense dance, Caleb found an open spot. He set up a perfect shot and watched the ball sail through the net as if it desperately wanted to be caught.

  Yeah, that about summed it up. The hunter in him wanted to catch Ree. And he could tell she really wanted to be caught by him. He was about to explode. She wasn't going to approach him directly, and he knew it. She was interested in taking it a step farther. Or ten. But she was shy about this sort of thing, for sure. He'd have to make the first move. Besides, if he didn't get to taste her sweetness soon, he'd not only explode, he'd probably tear out someone's throat. Luke's still seemed like a good choice, even though Alpha's order to leave the rogue alone prickled under his skin like a pointy, unbearably annoying little burr.

  Screw it. Time to find that sweet little wolf who'd been calling to his deeper instincts for weeks now, and kiss her so long and deep and slow she would pretty much melt right then and there. Or something equally fascinating.

  “All yours, bro. I've got something to take care of.” He let the ball roll off the court and jogged away, ignoring Tate's exasperated shout about ungrateful players and useless brothers.

  ~

  Rielle paced in her room. At this rate, she'd create a trench in the soft carpet. It wasn't actually her own room, just one of the many rooms in the den. Even though she'd brought some of her personal items from her home in town, it didn't feel quite right. She felt restless here, almost itchy. It was like something was under her skin, demanding to be let out. What exactly it was, she couldn't decipher. But it made her pace, stop to stretch, then pace again, feeling jumbled and edgy and ready to escape the small space, pleasant though it was.

  Warm summer air piled in through the window screen. Despite the den's central cooling system, she liked open windows at night. The scents of the forest here were rich, and she loved to breathe it all in as she fell asleep each night. She could hear the cicadas whirring and the muffled sounds of a ball bouncing on the court out back.

  Tonight, however, it seemed there would be no sleep anytime soon. Her wolf whined and pawed at her mind. She'd started to appear with full force after that most amazing visit with Kurt Tunstall. Finally, Ree began to welcome her wolf more and more rather than pushing her down.

  Run, her wolf whispered now. Outside, in the forest. Under the moon.

  The moon had been a bare sliver in the sky the night before, and w
asn't even up yet now. But Rielle's wolf had always loved the moon in all its phases, whether full or new. It didn't matter that the lunar pull had no more effect on shifters than it did on humans. To her wolf, it symbolized freedom, the vast space of the night, and a deeper connection with the wild land under her paws.

  Yes, she did need to run. She'd gone running a few times since coming to the den. Once with Lily, once by herself in close perimeter laps around the main building. It had felt very good. Kurt was right, of course. She was a shifter, and always would be. Her wolf was as much part of her as her human was part of her wolf. They were two souls mingled as one, and altogether made her who she was.

  “Yes,” she breathed into the still room, heavy with the press of warm air. “I think a run is exactly what I need.”

  Her wolf danced with excitement as Rielle left the room and headed downstairs.

  ~

  Caleb strode with purpose toward the den. The air slowly cooled, the twilight shadows lengthened, his wolf paced in anticipation of both running and seeing that one sweet wolf he wanted to see more than any other. His entire body felt attuned to her, straining toward her presence.

  Just before he rounded the corner, he caught her scent. She was outside, heading toward him. He stopped and waited, standing in as relaxed a posture as he could, arms loose at his sides. There was nothing he could do, though, about the intensity of his expression.

  Rielle came around the corner with a smile of excited anticipation tugging at her lips. Caleb sucked in his breath at the sight of her moving toward him with the easy grace of the natural predator she was. Her hips swung freely, her dark hair swirled loose around her shoulders, and her face was relaxed and shining with some sort of inner glow thing. Everything about her called to him on every level he had, and then some.

  Wow, he thought in some sort of weird combo between man and wolf. Out loud, he managed to say in a decently steady voice, “Rielle.”

  She pulled up, seeing him. Her expression didn't change at the sight of him, though. In fact, her smile got a little bigger. “Hi,” she said. The smile engulfed her whole face.

  There was a sort of feral edge to her voice he didn't think he'd ever heard before. Whatever it was, he liked it. “What are you doing?” he asked. His insides felt liquid and jittery all at once. Excitement ran through him just like it did before a fight, but in a different way. A better way.

  She cocked her head at him slightly. Her dark eyes darkened even more in the growing twilight. Teeth flashing, she answered, “I'm going on a run. Care to join me?”

  His wolf stood up, every sense trained on the beautiful woman standing there with invitation written throughout her voice and every line of her gorgeous body.

  “Absolutely. Come on.” He jerked his chin toward the back of the den. “Let's head out.”

  Silence wrapped around them as they padded over the native grasses and into the woods. Caleb let the scents of the oncoming night flow over him, awakening his wolf even more. The forest scents were heavy with summer, lush and ripe and full. Acutely aware of Rielle walking beside him, his whole body felt electrified with an energy he recognized. It rose through him with expanding power, eager to finally taste the beautiful woman beside him. Despite his sudden trembling need for her, he forced himself to take deep, quiet breaths. No way was he going to mess this up with her. Not her first time ever. With him, he thought, awed beyond belief she would trust him with such an important thing.

  In the small clearing closest to the main house with a bench, they stopped. Rielle stepped out of her lacy tank top and form-flattering shorts in quick yet graceful movements, dropping the clothes onto the bench with the effortlessly sexy presence that both soothed and aroused him at once. Standing still, she looked at him, waiting.

  Right. He tore off his own clothes, trying to keep his hurry from being too obvious or frightening. Yet her expression, when he checked it, remained calm. That little half smile stayed on her lips as she watched him. He wanted nothing more than to lick her lips and nibble on them, tasting her sweetness. With a strangled groan, he made himself focus. One thing at a time.

  First, they would run together. His wolf paced, eager and pawing to be loosed. With a quick, easy grin at the beautiful woman waiting beside him, Caleb let his wolf take over and shifted.

  Almost as fast, Rielle shifted into her small, dark wolf, as dainty and sweet in this form as in her human. Caleb touched noses with her, gentle yet shivering in his barely checked eagerness. Rielle dipped her head once before giving a sharp little bark, leaping away from him. With a saucy glance behind her, she stretched out and bounded off.

  Chase! his human thought. Joy tangled through the word, along with a strong image of being gentle. Caleb huffed in slight impatience as he leapt after his playfully fleeing wolf. Of course he would be gentle. Despite being a wolf, Rielle was similar to a deer: she might flee in earnest if he ran with anything other than gentleness.

  The slim light dropped into complete darkness as they loped through the woods, swerving around smooth aspen trunks and rough pines, darting beneath low branches and sometimes leaping over logs. Caleb enjoyed the rush. He let his senses cast out around the area, scanning it for any danger as he followed Rielle. But mostly he focused on her, keeping her lithe shape in his sights. Pure happiness radiated from her as she ran, her paws barely touching the earth before leaping out again. Every now and then, a tiny whine or muffled bark escaped her, each sound made with pure enjoyment in the moment. Caleb reveled with her, answering her ecstatic cries with his own as he steadily kept up. Rielle in her wolf form was sheer beauty in motion.

  When they approached the far edge of the property, both wolves slowed to an easy trot. Caleb thought he felt more sharply aware of everything than ever before. The softness of the air caressed his pelt, the flutter of the aspen leaves sounded crystal clear, and he felt every centimeter of earth and pebbles beneath his paws. Mostly, though, he felt supremely aware of Rielle beside him. Her fascinating scent kept him by her side. He sensed her heartbeat, keeping rhythm with her breath as she easily padded through the woods with him. She seemed at home in her own skin, graceful and free under the moonlight.

  Near the outermost edge of the property line, just before the point where Alpha had expressly said not one Pack member was to stray over while the rogue threat still hung heavy—Caleb growled under his breath at the thought of them before relaxing back into the moment with Rielle—another small clearing opened up. Rielle suddenly trotted ahead of Caleb, stepping into the small, grass-covered area and lightly spinning around so she faced him. She let her tongue loll out at him, her dark head cocked in a slight tilt.

  Cheeky. He liked it. Then, he seemed to like every single thing there was about her.

  Rielle wrinkled her nose at him when he made to cross the clearing to her, letting one tooth shine at him with a gleam of white. He paused, one paw raised mid-step, suddenly unsure of her intent.

  So swiftly it took him by surprise, Rielle shifted back to human. Standing before him, she let a smile drape her features. With a sure, confident motion, she raised a hand and beckoned him to her.

  ~

  Rielle watched as Caleb the wolf became Caleb the man in a few breaths. The ease with which shifters could change shapes didn't prick at her usually curious historian's mind, except for a sudden gratitude it could be so quick. She was hungry. Hungrier than she'd felt in a long time, perhaps ever. Her entire being wanted to taste one thing only: the gorgeous, abruptly intense man striding toward her with all the power and grace that made her breath catch a little.

  Mine, her wolf said, clear as a bell in her mind, still at the surface, guiding Rielle's movements and thoughts. Mine, now and always.

  Caleb reached her in about three steps. He pulled up mere inches away. Her eyesight, still heightened by the recent shift, could see his pulse still throbbing in his neck from their run. His scent, filled with pheromones and clean sweat and the wild promise of something she didn't yet kno
w but wanted to, washed over her. She let it surround her, letting him scent mark her as his. His. Just the thought made her quake a bit in anticipation, made sudden need clench through her stomach and deep inside her.

  “Rielle.”

  His voice rumbled through her, a rich bass she found both soothing and arousing at once. It disarmed her for a moment, stealing her breath and her thoughts.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked. He reached out and caught her hand in his. Large, engulfing hers, his hand held her so gently she almost wondered for a second if it belonged to the Caleb she knew. This Caleb was some combination of fierce and gentle, overbearing and gracious, hard-edged and soft.

  Heart pattering beneath her ribs, she reached for him with her other hand. She let her fingers drift across his face, feeling the rise of his cheekbones and nose, tracing his eyebrows, drawing a path around his lips. Gratifyingly, he drew in a sharp breath at her touch.

  “Oh, yes,” she answered him softly. “I'm ready for you. I've been ready for a long time. I just didn't know it.”

  His hand jerked over hers in a sharp, reflexive response to her words. She could sense his breathing quicken, even as she felt an exquisite warmth undulate through her entire body. Caleb was everything in this moment: wild, gentle, strong, soft, eager, restrained. She wanted him so badly she shook with the need.

  “Will anyone know?” Her voice wavered a bit, betraying the only nerves she felt. Pack members had sex all the time, of course. She was sometimes aware of it when they were at the den or nearby, but that was when the participants weren't shielding very carefully, or when she wasn't keeping all the Pack emotions and noise in her head at bay herself. It was never a big deal—it was just how shifters lived. But for this, her first time, she needed to know it would be only her and Caleb. She needed to lose herself in the moment and not worry about anyone else having the remotest clue what they were doing.