by Kyle, Celia
Ass. Hole.
Chapter Eight
The old Cherokee bounced down the rutted streets of Ashtown, each jarring movement drawing sharp breaths from Lucy. The Jeep’s lurching obviously bothered her leg, but he couldn’t do much about the condition of the road. And the situation was only going to get worse. The road to the pack house could be confused with the cratered surface of the moon. Yeah, she’d hate him by the time they arrived.
Lucy’s unique, distinctly feminine scent wrapped around him like a warm blanket fresh from the dryer. His wolf grumbled at Mason’s restraint in claiming their mate, but he shushed the animal. Rushing things might scare her off. Matings between humans and wolves weren’t completely unheard of, but humans didn’t sense the fated mate connection as strongly as wolves. Once they received the mating bite and transformed, everything was peachy. Until that moment, it was a crapshoot and Mason wasn’t big on gambling.
Of course, everything about the situation was a crapshoot because she’d been bitten by Charlie instead of her mate—him. A bite from him would have bound them forever and her transition from human to wolf would have been painless and spiritual. A human getting bitten by a random werewolf almost always led to death.
His wolf howled its objection and he struggled to quiet the beast once more. It refused to even consider the possibility of losing Lucy. Not now, not ever. The animal told Mason he would do everything in his power to keep their mate alive. Period.
At the moment, Mason only had hope. Hope that Charlie’s underdeveloped powers, and the fact Lucy was fated for Mason, would lead to a happy ending for everyone. They wouldn’t know until her transformation was complete, which left Mason in a heightened state of anxiety. And the phone call he’d received while Lucy had been showering didn’t help matters.
Bonnie had helped Lucy shower and get dressed while Robert and Charlie went hunting for a phantom cat, which left Mason to his own devices. After tidying up the kitchen, he’d wandered from room to room, hoping to pick up bits of information about his mate. He knew her name, her address, and that she had enough backbone to make a fine alpha mate, but that’s where his knowledge ended. So, he’d poked around a little.
It wasn’t as if he’d been snooping. Alphas never snooped. Of course, while he had been not-snooping he’d realized the house wasn’t hers. Photos of her were scattered all over the downstairs level. There was an image of her blowing out eight candles on a big birthday cake that sat in a silver frame on the mantel. Then a collage of a teenage Lucy acting silly with friends that took up most of a wall. Even an adorable shot of her as a baby, lying naked on a fur rug that was hung proudly on the wall leading upstairs. They were cute and allowed him to see into his mate’s past, but they weren’t photos a woman would hang in her own home.
Another hint was the house itself—dated décor and an odor of neglect. Not dirty, just… stale. The home had stood frozen in time—filled yet empty. Why? If she didn’t live in the house on Maple, where did she live? He had so many questions, but he filed them away until the time was right.
Veering sharply left, Mason maneuvered the Jeep onto an even rougher road. He slowed to a normally frustrating crawl, but he was in no hurry to get back to what—or rather who—waited for him at the pack house. He much preferred Lucy’s company, even if she’d barely said a word since clicking her seatbelt into place.
“Doing okay?” he cut his gaze over to her and noticed that the hem of her pretty little sundress had inched up her thighs, giving him a view he would have enjoyed thoroughly if not for a big square of bloody gauze.
She continued staring out the window as she spoke. “I’ve never been out here before.”
“Not many have.” And there was a reason for that. Not that he could tell her… yet.
“Strange,” she hummed. “I’d always thought my parents had taken me camping or hiking over every square inch of this mountain.”
“So, what do you think?” He refused to admit that butterflies took up residence in his stomach. Alphas didn’t worry about anyone’s opinion.
She released a heavy sigh. “It’s beautiful.”
Mason let out the breath he’d been holding, thankful that Lucy loved his pack lands as much as him.
“And those wildflowers! I’ve never seen so many in the forest before.” Lucy cranked down the window to catch a whiff as she turned to smile at him for the first time.
Wonder and joy lit her face, transforming her from merely beautiful to absolutely breathtaking. It certainly was a good thing she liked the place that would soon become her home. Because that was one hundred percent going to happen. She just didn’t know it yet.
“My grandmother planted those before I came along,” Mason explained as he turned onto an even narrower road. “She could never remember which turn to take to get home. My grandfather bitched and moaned about them, but he stopped every week when they were blooming to pick a big bouquet for her.”
“That’s so sweet,” she mused, craning her neck to watch the flowers for a moment longer.
“We Blackwood men have a way with women, as you’ve seen.”
Lucy snorted and barked out a laugh. “Yeah, real smooth.” She took a deep lungful of the fresh mountain air and sighed happily, closing her eyes and resting her head on the doorframe as the sun warmed her face. With a start, she turned to him again. “Does your family own all of this?”
“Yup,” Mason said proudly. “For generations. I’ve lived here all my life and I can honestly say I know every inch of this forest.”
“Well, you are a park ranger.”
He shrugged. “That wouldn’t matter. I knew this mountain long before I joined my father in the Parks Service. He and my grandfather taught my brothers and me everything about caring for our mountain. How the flora and fauna work together to create a healthy ecosystem. We’re just stewards of the forest, and we take that responsibility very seriously.”
“You really love this place, don’t you?” she asked softly, her curious gaze probing his profile.
“More than you can possibly know.”
For now, he added silently.
The gentle moment was interrupted by a child’s shriek and a loud howl. Mason glanced out Lucy’s window to see Danny Spade running as fast as his four-year-old legs could carry him. He screeched again with delight when his father, Colin, bounded out of the underbrush in his wolf form. He nipped at Danny’s bare butt, which made the kid giggle higher and run even faster. Mason smiled, recalling how his father used to chase him and his brothers around the forest in the same way.
“Stop!” Lucy scrambled for the latch to her seatbelt. “Stop the truck!”
Mason instinctively looked around for danger but saw nothing. “What? Why?”
She turned wild eyes on him. “Don’t you see? That rabid dog is going to kill that little boy! Stop the fucking truck!”
Mason braked hard, not because he was worried about Danny but because Lucy already had her door half open. Mason was out and around the truck before she managed to untangle herself from the seatbelt and climb down. He helped her the rest of the way, concerned about how little weight she could put on her leg.
“That’s not a rabid dog. It’s a wolf,” he tried to reassure her, but she pushed him away and crouched down to grab a big rock.
“Jesus! Whatever, I’m not letting it eat that poor baby!”
Mason did his best not to laugh. She was rightfully scared, as any human would be. Still, he couldn’t resist teasing her a little.
“And you’re going to stop it by throwing a rock at it?”
She shot him a dark look and then let the stone fly. It didn’t even come close to hitting the completely oblivious Colin, who was still chasing after his squealing son. She stooped and grabbed another.
“Lucy—”
“First, you’re an asshole. If I can get its attention, it’ll leave the boy alone and come for bigger prey.”
Mason sighed. Part of him was frustrated because he could
n’t tell her the truth, but another part of him was impressed she would sacrifice her own safety for a member of the Blackwood pack. Another sign she would be an outstanding alpha mate, but he wished she’d wait until she was healed to be so amazing.
Lucy’s second rock bounced off the wolf’s head and she shouted at Colin. “Come and get me instead!”
Colin spun, hackles raised along his spine. He dropped his head low and flashed sharp, white teeth in a dangerous snarl.
Great.
Mason stepped forward and only had to say one word. “No.”
Colin’s glowing amber eyes shifted from Lucy to Mason. His eyes widened slightly and then his hackles laid down and his ears folded back in supplication to his alpha. Lucy took the opportunity to hobble forward as fast as she could and scoop up Danny into her arms. She limped back to the truck, glancing over her shoulder at the wolf the entire way.
Watching her cuddle the boy to her chest gave Mason a vision of what she would look like holding their own pup. Her maternal instincts were just as good as any wolf mother, and he couldn’t wait to get started making their first.
Colin’s gaze darted between Mason and the strange human woman holding his son. He was clearly torn between protecting his child and obeying his alpha, as any good father would be.
She won’t hurt Danny, Mason told Colin using their connection as pack mates.
What makes you so sure? Colin wasn’t quite trusting all was well.
Because she’s my mate and she will soon be your alpha mate.
Colin’s eyes grew wide and he broke out into a wolfy grin, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He yipped and did a twisting backflip in celebration of the news the entire pack had been waiting for. Their alpha had found his mate and the pack would be saved!
Lucy cringed at Colin’s antics, so Mason urged Colin to chill, at least for a bit.
“He won’t hurt you or the boy. He’s tame. They were playing,” Mason told Lucy.
She didn’t look entirely convinced, but Colin slinked in close and sat at her feet, panting up at her happily. Danny squirmed in her arms, reaching out for his father, but Lucy refused to put him down. Mason could hear her heart beating fast, but the sharp smell of her fear was fading quickly.
“Are… are you sure?” she asked, flicking a wary gaze at Mason.
“Positive.”
To prove his alpha’s point, Colin nudged Lucy’s good leg with his snout. The physical contact nearly sent Mason’s wolf into a frenzy. But when Lucy reached out to lightly stroke the animal’s forehead, Mason fought to control his own urge to grab Colin by the throat and fling him into the woods. He’d never imagined he could so jealous of a shifted wolf.
Sensing his alpha’s agitation, Colin took a few steps back and turned his amber eyes on Mason.
The National Circle has arrived. They’re waiting for you at the pack house.
Mason sighed. Exactly what he’d been dreading since Roman called to inform him they were on their way. It hadn’t helped that they wouldn’t tell him the cause of their visit. He assumed it was about the fire, which was a topic he’d happily put off thinking about. Regardless, his primary concern was seeing to Lucy, and there was only one person who could help.
Is Drew here yet? he asked Colin.
The wolf nodded his furry head. And the National Circle seemed very interested in talking to him.
Mason frowned. Why?
Colin gave a wolf version of a shrug. The news agitated Mason. If the NC wanted to talk to Drew, they weren’t here about the fire at all. They couldn’t have possibly heard about Charlie and Lucy so quickly, but it had to be something big for them to travel all the way from Ft. Lauderdale.
“Come on,” Mason said to Lucy, “the house is just around the bend. We’ll take the wolf and the pup with us.”
He opened her door and ignored the curious glance she gave him as he helped her and Danny inside. He’d called the boy a pup on purpose, wondering what her reaction would be. Curiosity was good. Concern about his sanity wouldn’t have been.
“Dr. Cooper is waiting for us,” he said as she got settled. “He wants to have a look at your leg.”
Colin jumped into the back, his head poking between the front seats. When he gave Danny a playful lick, the kid squealed and clambered out of Lucy’s arms and snuggled into his father’s warm fur.
Lucy shook her head. “And tell me again why I’m being seen by a vet?”
Mason ignored the question and focused his attention on being so close to his mate. After securing her seat belt, his fingers drifted up her side until they reached her face. Cupping her cheek, he stared deeply into her soft blue eyes and breathed in her heady aroma. He couldn’t hold back for a second longer.
Leaning in, his lips pressed against hers, gently. She stiffened at first, not pulling away but not participating either. Then his wolf howled with joy as she relaxed, leaning into his touch. He resisted the urge to kiss her properly, delve into her and discover all of her secrets, but he was all too aware of the child and wolf in his back seat. Breaking off the kiss long before he was ready, he pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers, latching on to her gaze with his.
“You’re seeing Drew because I said so,” he finally replied.
Without waiting for her reply, he shut the door and headed around the front of the truck, adjusting his fully erect cock along the way. All worries about the fire and the National Circle flew from his head. All he cared about was getting Lucy healthy so he could claim her so fiercely, so completely, that neither of them would be able to walk right for a month.
Chapter Nine
Lucy clenched her teeth against the urge to cry out from pain. The truck continued to bounce over the rutted road, eventually rocking to a stop in front of an absolutely ginormous log cabin.
She stared out through the windshield, gaze scanning the massive home. The wolf and little kid clambered from the vehicle. The duo darted across the yard, child giggling while the wolf barked and yipped. She’d been so foolish jumping from the truck the way she had and chasing after a little kid who didn’t want—or need—to be saved. She’d never heard of a four-year-old having a wolf as a pet, but stranger things had happened.
When she’d seen the beast tearing after little Danny, memories had come flooding back—memories she’d spent years suppressing. She hadn’t been able to save her parents, so she damn well was going to save the boy. Now her entire leg throbbed in a never-ending cycle of agony because of her foolhardy bravery.
The rapid movements stirred up the infection overtaking her flesh. The heat radiating off the leg left no doubt that infection had settled in nice and deep. When she’d undressed for her shower, she’d discovered a wide circle of red spreading out from the bite marks. She needed antibiotics, and maybe some pain meds. Strong ones.
“How’re you doing?” Worry etched Mason’s brow.
For a split second, she was tempted to rub her thumb on the crease there to ease his concern. She shook her head to clear away the ridiculous thought and flashed a smile instead.
“I’m okay. I could use some help getting down, but I think I can walk on my own.” She hoped he didn’t call her out on the lie.
The moment her feet touched the ground, the door to the massive house opened and three men filtered out, as if they’d waited for her to move before exiting. Each one appeared more foreboding than the last as they lined up on the porch. They simply stared at them, remaining in place and not coming down to meet them. A rather pale Dr. Cooper emerged last and stood a short distance away from the other men.
“We have a welcoming committee,” she quipped to Mason, wincing as she took a step. “Only they don’t look very welcoming.”
Mason ignored her comment and wrapped a strong arm around her waist. As much as she hated leaning on him, she was grateful for the support. The lodge tilted sideways, and she wondered why it didn’t float off the edge of the earth. The men on the porch were so far away and then they were close—nearly
standing on top of her. Then the ground lurched and the cabin bounced back into place. Huh. It was all so odd and yet… wasn’t.
“That the victim?” the tallest of the three strangers asked no one and everyone. He had longish dark hair and brilliant green eyes that reminded her of a freshly mowed lawn. Pretty.
Mason drew them to a stop at the foot of the steps and gave a curt nod. A vein pulsed at his temple and Lucy could almost hear his heart beating. Scratch that, she could actually hear his heart beating. It thumped so loudly she wondered if the others could hear it too. Thud. Thud. Thud. Then came the whoosh of blood in his veins.
“What’s the prognosis?” one of the other men, who could have been Chris Hemsworth’s twin, spoke to Dr. Cooper.
Drew shot her a worried glance and then shrugged. “Normally, I could give you a definitive answer, but this is a… special situation.”
Lucy’s gaze bopped from one man to another, trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about. They kept looking at her, but she was no victim. Unless… They couldn’t be talking about Charlie biting her, could they? Dear Lord, these people took a kid biting someone way too seriously. Some children were just biters at certain ages. Charlie just had a behavioral problem to sort out.
As the thought flitted through her fevered brain, the rascal in question peeked around the corner of the lodge. All the men were oblivious of the boy’s presence, but Lucy caught his eye. She smiled and gave him a flirty little wink, bringing a big grin to his face. Then Mason turned to see what she was staring at and Charlie disappeared.
Cute kid. If her own kid turned out half as sweet, caring, and rambunctious as Charlie, she’d be thrilled. A vision of her lying in bed, holding her newborn baby while Mason wrapped his arms around them both shocked her back to reality. She had no idea where the image had come from, but this was no time to be fantasizing about a happily ever after. Not with a man she didn’t really like, much less actually know.
