Wolf’s Princess

by Maddy Barone

  It was easier to think about her than it was to think about Sara. Every time he thought about his mate, his heart twisted with a mix of pain and longing. He wanted his mate. He wanted her love, but how could he trust it? She had shown herself to be a cheat. He couldn’t trust her. And that was a terrible thing for a wolf warrior to think. Two years ago when they had been married for only a few days, he’d had to leave her behind while he went on a journey. When he came back ten days later, he found her in the arms of another man. In his arms literally, not figuratively. Seeing his mate kissing another man had driven his wolf crazy. If that man hadn’t been related to the Clan by marriage, Stone would have killed him.

  He’d wanted to repudiate her, but a wolf had only one mate. His cousins had all given him advice. Give her a chance, they’d said. She’s practically a baby. She needs time to grow up. He had sent her to live with her uncle in Omaha. Hopefully in the past two years she had grown up. Maybe sixteen was too young for her to settle down to marriage. Now he would see how much maturity two years had given her.

  The house she shared with her uncle was small and run down. Red and gold chrysanthemums made a brave attempt to beautify the narrow walkway to the door, and their spicy aroma help to tame the odor of the nearby outhouse. Stone stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door.

  For a moment he thought he caught the elusive and never forgotten scent of his mate. That scent had haunted him for two years. The door opened to reveal a man whose creviced face showed years of troubles. He was stooped with age, his gray hair thinning, and his shoulders slumped. His eyes were the same blue as Sand’s mate Amanda’s. His face was tired and careworn, but those eyes were sharp and looked directly at Stone with cool judgment. He ran his gaze over Stone from his long black braids to his worn moccasins and back up to his face.

  “So, you must be Spotted Stone Wolfe. The man who broke my niece’s heart.”

  Stone’s jaw tightened. “I’m Stone.”

  The man opened the door wider. “Well, you may as well come in.”

  As Stone stepped over the threshold, the fugitive scent of his mate strengthened. Inhaling it was like breathing in electricity. His wolf lunged frantically inside him, needing to see his mate. It took more of an effort to force him down than Stone had ever exerted in his life.

  He realized the struggle with the wolf had taken a minute or so because Mr. Nelson’s brows were raised. “Sorry,” he said, and obeyed the man’s gesture to walk through the small entryway to the living room. The tiny sound of a footstep jerked his gaze to the opposite door. There, framed within the door like a piece of art, stood the mate he hadn’t seen in two years.

  Stone’s breath stopped. She was beautiful. Her hair had darkened from honey blonde to honey brown and her skin had lost most of its tan. His heart seized at the blaze of happiness that lit his mate’s face. An answering blaze of joy welled up inside him, utterly out of his control. It might have been from the wolf, but he didn’t think so. It felt too visceral for it to be from any heart but his own.

  “Sara.” It came out hoarse because his breathing hadn’t started up yet. “Sara,” he said again.

  She was visibly trembling. “Stone! Oh God, I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry I missed you yesterday. Can I…Would you…Please, won’t you hug me?”

  He finally dragged air into his lungs and crossed the room in three steps. He opened his arms and she stepped into them. He held her so tightly against him he doubted she could breathe. The weight of her head against his chest was indescribably precious. The warmth of her breath whispering over the base of his throat made him want to cry. She was his. His mate, and his wife by the laws of the Methodist Church and the state of Kansas. He had never smelled anything as entrancing as his mate. The salt of her tears wetting his shirt only added to the appeal of her scent. It was almost enough to wipe out the memory of her betrayal.

  “Stone,” she whispered. “I’ve missed you every day since I left you at Mel’s ranch, so much.” She dragged one hand from his back to wipe her eyes. “Oh, God, I told myself I wasn’t going to cry when I saw you again, and here I am doing my best to drown both of us.” She sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come.”

  “I’m here.” He wasn’t sure what he should say. It delighted his wolf to have their mate in his arms, and he couldn’t deny that his heart was thundering. At the same time, the memory of his mate in Mordecai Dirk’s arms rose up in his mind.

  He mourned the loss of her warmth against him when she straightened up and stood back. She wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands. Her short thick lashes were spiky from the tears. She had beautiful eyes. “Supper will be ready in half an hour. Uncle Bob, will you show Stone where to wash up? I’ll just finish things in the kitchen.” Fresh tears welled, but she ignored them and gave Stone a trembling smile.

  Stone followed her uncle out the front door and around to the back of the house where a basin of water and a sliver of soap sat. Bob Nelson watched as Stone washed, his face set in noncommittal lines. Even so, Stone’s acute sense of smell told him he’d been judged and found wanting.

  He accepted the towel the old man handed him and wiped his face dry. “I will never hurt Sara.”

  “You already did that,” the old man said flatly, taking the towel back and hanging it up. “I guess we’ll just have to see what you do to her this time.”

  “This is between me and Sara.”

  Bob Nelson grunted. “Sara is my niece, and I love her. When she first came to me, she spent hours every day crying over you. Can’t say I particularly liked you then. Can’t say I’ve changed my mind about you yet. I’ve met Sky and Sand, and from what I can tell from them, you Wolfe boys pride yourselves on taking good care of your ladies. Ain’t seen that from you.” He turned his head and spat on the ground. “I’m not fast or strong, but if you hurt Sara again I’ll find a way to make you pay.”

  Stone nodded. It was only what any man would do for a female relative. “That’s fair.”

  Mr. Nelson jerked his head to the house. “Well, let’s go in. Sara’s been cooking all afternoon.”

  Supper was beef stew with crusty bread still warm from the oven to sop up the gravy. Stone remembered Sara’s bread as being some of the best he’d ever tasted, and this bread was certainly hers. He slathered a slice with butter and took small bites to enjoy it.

  Conversation during supper was casual. Mr. Nelson spoke of looking forward to retirement from Omaha’s sanitation department. He planned to move west to join his daughter and son-in-law and their children in Kearney. Stone assured him he would be welcome to live at the den, but Nelson insisted on living in Kearney so he wouldn’t crowd Amanda and Sand.

  Sara talked about the sweet baby boy she had helped deliver the day before. Stone glanced at her, a little amazed at the idea of a seventeen-year-old girl being a midwife. He knew from her letters that she was training to be a nurse, but he couldn’t imagine her delivering a baby. There was a lot he didn’t know about his mate. It was time for them to talk, but the house was small, and even human ears would overhear what he intended to be a private conversation.

  Mr. Nelson was only a human, so he couldn’t read minds, could he? He gave Stone a grim smile and told him to take Sara for a walk. He would wash the dishes. Sara made a token effort to argue, but she quickly gave in. Stone pushed back from the table. “That was a good supper. Thanks, Sara.”

  She went to the closet near the front door and took out a plaid wool coat. It wasn’t cold enough to need a coat. Was it? Sara had lost a little weight in the past two years, but she was still soft and round. She had enough fat on her to keep her from being cold. Or maybe not. Some humans felt the cold more than others. Stone shifted uneasily at the thought of his mate being cold.

  “There’s a park about four blocks away. We could go there,” she suggested, glancing quickly toward the kitchen where her uncle stacked the dishes.

  Seemed like there were lots o
f parks in Omaha. “Will you be cold?” he asked.

  “No.” She smoothed a hand down the front of her coat. “It’s not too cold for a walk, especially with my new coat.”

  “All right,” he said. There were things he wanted to say to her, things they needed to decide. “Mr. Nelson,” he said, raising his voice. “Me and Sara are going to take that walk. We shouldn’t be long.”

  He followed his mate down the three cement steps and down the walk to the sidewalk. His wolf needed to touch her so he took her hand and curled it around his elbow. They walked in silence for several minutes. The sun was down and there were no street lights here, but his wolf’s sight could see her clearly. Her face was pensive, her brows drawn down over her eyes. He wondered what she was thinking. Maybe she, like he, was thinking about the time she kissed Mordecai Dirk. He gave his head a subtle shake. Maybe he shouldn’t be thinking about that. Inhaling her scent on the cool late summer air soothed the wolf. He didn’t want any conflict between them. But Stone was in charge, and he knew they needed to talk about it so they could put it behind them.

  “Sara,” he said at the same moment she said his name. They both closed their mouths and waited for the other to speak. After long, uncomfortable moment Stone said, “Sara, we need to talk. About what happened in Kansas.”

  “I know,” she said in a low voice. “Writing letters isn’t the same as speaking face-to-face. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what happened two years ago.” She raised her eyes to meet his. “I’m ashamed of myself. Even when I was kissing Mord, I knew it was wrong.”

  Stone felt his wolf’s pain welling up in his throat in the form of a whine. He shoved it back. “It hurt,” he growled. “I have never been closer to killing anyone in my life. Not you,” he said quickly when she flinched. “Him. If he hadn’t been Mel’s brother, I would have killed him. Then how would you have felt?”

  “Even more awful,” she said. “It wasn’t even all his fault. I started the kiss.”

  “But he didn’t stop it,” he replied sharply.

  “No,” she admitted.

  “My wolf is a simple creature. He’s not an alpha and he doesn’t like trouble, but at that moment he was crazy. I had to leave. Maybe I should have stayed to talk to you, but right then, I had to get away so I didn’t kill anyone.”

  He glanced at her and her face was turned down again so he couldn’t see her expression clearly, but she was biting her lip.

  “I know,” she whispered. “I was so stupid. I was angry at you because I was left behind. That’s not an excuse, at least not a good one. I don’t know why I was so stupid.” Her voice wobbled with tears. “I’ve regretted it every day since then. I’ve tried to be better. I know that doesn’t make up for what I did, but I’m trying.” She pressed her lips together tight, and gave him a quick, tear-bright glance. “Please, Stone, give me another chance.”

  Part of him wanted to squeeze her tight and kiss her and tell her everything was okay. But that would be a lie. “I don’t know, Sara.”

  Her hand fastened like a vise over his elbow. “Why not? I’m the one your wolf chose to be your mate. And we’ve been married by a priest. There’s no divorce. We can be happy together. I know we can.”

  He gazed at the moonlight gleaming on her hair. He wanted to believe her. “Here’s what I think. Your birthday isn’t for two more weeks. Let’s spend those weeks getting to know each other better. Then at the end of that time we’ll know whether or not we should stay married.”

  She stopped walking and looked up at him. “And what happens if you decide you don’t want me? I’ll have to go to work in one of those houses. Uncle Bob can’t afford the single status tax, and we can’t afford to pay the dowry the Sisters of Mercy require to accept me as a nun.”

  His wolf was absolutely sure he didn’t like the idea of her being with any man. “Let’s take it one day at a time. Come on, let’s go back to your house. The tip of your nose is going pink. You must be getting cold.”

  She snorted. “That’s not cold, that’s me getting pissed off.” She dropped his arm. “Are you still trying to punish me for being stupid?”

  “No.”

  “It feels like it,” she shot back. “You sent me to Omaha like I was a naughty kid who needed a time out.”

  He swallowed. Carla sometimes made Colby stand alone in a corner so he could think about what he had done wrong. She called it a time out. “That’s not what I wanted.” He cleared his throat to ease the dryness. “We both needed some time apart to think.”

  “Did you finish your thinking yet?”

  He wished he could scent what she was feeling. She sounded sarcastic, but what if Mel was right? She’d told him Sara used sarcasm to hide pain. “Not yet,” he said quietly.

  She snorted and turned away from him. “Fine. Let’s go back.”

  He missed the heat of her hand on his arm, but he didn’t replace it. He would never make her do anything. It didn’t take long to return to her house. He walked up the front steps with her and waited until she opened the door. “Sara, I’m not rejecting you. I just want us to take the time to be sure we can be happy together.” His shoulders relaxed when her face softened. “Not just me, but you too. I want you to be happy, and if you won’t be happy with me, then I want to set you free.”

  She tilted her face up at him, her jaw set in that stubborn line he remembered. “That’s really nice, Stone, but you don’t seem to understand. I’m ready to love you. I’ll do anything for you and I’m not giving up. You better just make up your mind to take me home with you to your teepee or whatever you live in. Because you’re mine.” She gave one sharp nod, eyes challenging him, before she twisted the knob on the door and opened it. Before she stepped in, she glanced back at him. “I’ll say good night.” The fiercely passionate note in her voice had died to cool politeness. “I work tomorrow at the hospital until 4 o’clock. Will you come for supper again tomorrow?”

  The light from the living room lamps cast a dim golden glow over her cheeks. The beauty of the smooth skin struck his heart. He wanted to brush his fingers over it. “I’ll be here. Good night.”

  He forced himself to stand still under her gaze, not smiling and not frowning. For a long moment she didn’t move and he wondered if she was waiting for a kiss. There was nothing he wanted more, but he made himself step back. He waited until she went inside and closed the door. Then, his heart aching with every beat, he walked back to Sky’s house.

  Chapter 13

  For the first time since coming to Omaha, Rose woke up in time for breakfast. She selected clothes for the day and headed for the shower. The bathroom was still steamy from Sky’s shower. It was a reminder that she had a husband. She barely saw him, but the steam-fogged mirror was proof he existed. She showered as she always did: quickly and economically. She was used to hot water lasting only so long. She dressed and almost tripped over something sitting on the floor beside the bathroom door. Sky must have left the oil lamp and box of matches. She smiled as she picked them up and lit the wick to light her way down the narrow, dark stairs. She blew the lamp out and set it down on the last step and went through the mudroom to the kitchen where Kim shoved a plate of pancakes at her.

  “Here,” the cook said gruffly. “Take these into the dining room for me.”

  Rose accepted the plate with a smile and said, “Good morning, Kim.”

  When she entered the dining room she saw Sky at the buffet filling his plate with sausages and eggs. She placed the heaping plate of pancakes on the buffet. He surprised her by sliding an arm around her waist and giving her another one of his morning pecks. She wondered what he would do if she opened her mouth under his and instigated a real kiss, but after his brush off yesterday, she wasn’t about to try that again.

  “Good morning, love,” he said in a casually affectionate tone.

  “Good morning, Sky,” she returned in a similar tone.

  She surveyed the breakfast offerings spread over the buffet and chose a cou
ple of pancakes, a scoop of scrambled eggs, and a slice of ham. She carried her plate to the table and stopped, blinking at Snow, who was in the chair at the foot of the table, a smug smile on his face. She stared at him until he stabbed a finger at an open seat halfway up the table. Ms. Mary smiled at her blandly. It dawned on her that the men from the Pack were trying to maneuver her closer to Sky, although they were still three seats too far apart. After a long glance at Zoe who lounged in her usual chair close to the head of the table, she went to the open chair and sat down. “Good morning, everyone.”

  A chorus of good mornings sounded from around the table, some mumbled, some bright and cheery. Rose frowned as she watched Sky seat himself at the head of the table. That girl—not the redhead, the other one, Tanya?—leaned close to Sky and unfolded his napkin for him and put it in his lap. Rose stabbed her fork into her eggs, wishing it was Tanya’s eye. Seriously, Sky should tell her to back off. The woman had no business putting her hand on his forearm and fluttering her lashes at him. I am not a violent person, she told herself. But when Zoe leaned in on his other side to smooth his tie, Rose almost exploded.

  With an effort, she turned to Paint, who sat on her left. “How are you this morning?”

  “I’m good,” he replied. He watched the eggs on his plate as he pushed them around with his fork. “You haven’t seen Katelyn today, have you?”

  Rose took a bite of ham and shook her head. “No, I just got up. Maybe she’s in the kitchen.”

  “She was, but I didn’t see her in there a few minutes ago.” He adjusted his eye patch with a frown, pulling his one visible brow down. His voice was low when he spoke again. “I worry about her.”

  “I’ve noticed. Have you talked to her?” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “About your wo—I mean, that you are interested in her?”