by C. B. Haight
Chapter Twenty-Two
Just beyond the tree line, stood a majestic and beautiful silver wolf with deep, brown eyes staring right at them. “Cade?” Collett asked hesitantly.
Cade let go of his hold on Collett and stepping forward slowly, he answered her unspoken question. “No, she’s not like me.”
“She?” Collett asked nervously.
“She,” he stated, as he moved toward the large female grey, carefully. Cade knew this wolf, and knew that she was a little skittish around strangers.
“What are you doing?” Collett whispered.
“I’m reassuring her,” he answered using a calm tone.
“Why?”
“Because she doesn’t trust you,” he said simply.
“What?” she asked a little confused.
“Jiya, doesn’t like strangers, especially since her pups are nearby.”
Collett was a little surprised. Not only did Cade know this wolf, he had named her Jiya.
Cade waited for Jiya to feel comfortable enough to creep forward. He could tell she wanted to come and see him, but was hesitant to do so with Collett so close. After a couple of minutes, Jiya crept forward using her front paws, and keeping her body low to the ground. As soon as she reached him, Jiya angled her head and licked at his chin.
Cade grinned happily and ruffled her ears, wrestling with her a little, just to let her know he missed her.
Collett carefully watched the scene play out before her. Cade had a strong bond with this female wolf, and it was an amazing thing to see.
“You can come over here now,” Cade said after a minute of playing. “Just do it carefully, and don’t make any threatening moves.”
“Exactly what would be threatening?” she said dryly.
He smiled at Collett’s reluctance, “Come on. It will be fine. Just move slowly.”
Collett inched her way to Cade and Jiya carefully. She kept her hands down and took each step slowly.
Not sure of her cautious moves, Jiya never once took her deep brown eyes away from Collett’s.
When Collett was only a couple steps away, Cade said softly, “Now get down to her level like me. It will make her more comfortable.”
“Oh sure…let’s make her comfortable,” Collett said with a glare. Cade only smiled more, and it made her feel a little safer.
“Come on, you’re doing fine,” he assured her. “Besides you didn’t let fear stop you from facing me down when we were at the river, and I’m much bigger.”
She couldn’t rationalize that, so she ignored it as she inched down slowly to her knees and met Jyia’s gaze. Only a couple of feet separated Collett from Jiya now.
Jiya moved slowly toward Collett, covering the remaining distance. Instead of creeping as she had done with Cade, she stood tall, and straight. Only one word could describe her stance. Proud.
The wolf before her was incredible. Jiya had thick, off-white fur covering her broad chest. That color continued down her front and rear legs. Her head and back were a perfect blend of black, silver-grey and white fur. There was even a slight tint of brownish-red mixed in. The very tips of her ears were outlined in black, which matched the very tip of her tail. She was a magnificent animal.
Jiya paced around Collett twice, assessing her carefully. Jiya even looked to Cade, as if needing his reassurance. Finally, she decided on indifference, and moving back to Cade‘s side, she plopped down and leaned against him.
Cade naturally stroked her soft fur as if she was a pet, “She likes you. She just doesn’t want you to know it, yet.”
“How can you tell?”
Cade grinned. “Because if she didn’t she would have snapped at you, to let you know she’s the one in charge here, thus putting you in your place so to speak.”
Collett narrowed her eyes, giving him the, you’re in big trouble, look and then snipped, “That’s nice to know.”
“I knew she’d like you. Otherwise, I would have never introduced you.”
“How… I mean, how did you know?”
“It’s simple, really. I knew she would like you, because I like you, and you’re important to me,” he finished softly.
Collett’s expression changed so many times, and so quickly Cade wasn’t sure what to think. She went from smiling, to concern, then to sadness, then back to a soft, wistful smile.
“Cade? I’m not sure what's happing here,” she said carefully.
Pretending not to understand her meaning Cade said, “You're meeting my friend Jiya, and now, we’re going to go meet her pups.”
Cade stood quickly and pulled Collett to her feet, and nodded at Jiya. As if she understood, Jiya bounded off through the trees.
“Come on, you’re going to love this,” Cade said pulling her arm.
They jogged off after Jiya. Cade seemed to know exactly where he was going and pulled Collett along at a stiff pace that made it hard to keep her balance. Once she stumbled over a fallen tree. Cade easily caught her, setting her right.
After what felt like forever to Collett’s tired legs, they stopped suddenly. Cade moved behind her so she could see.
In a small outcropping of trees and rocks was the third most amazing sight Collett had seen today. It was as if nature had decided to gift her with its best-kept secrets, all in one day.
There in that small, protected place, were several little wolf puppies rolling and tumbling over each other. They nipped at each other, pulled on ears, yipping and barking in their playful antics.
Having beaten them to the clearing, Jiya was now laying beneath a small natural stone ledge, while another large adult wolf sat on his haunches upon it.
This wolf was much darker than Jiya. His sleek coat was made up of a smoky-grey, with more black mixed in. His eyes were almost the same tawny gold as Cade’s. He sat there strong and proud, like a sentinel prepared to keep any danger at bay.
His head tipped their direction when Cade put his hand on the small of Collett’s back and urged her forward. The male let out a short yip. Collett started at the sound.
“Cade? I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said quietly, as she pushed back against his hand, resisting.
“Nonsense, he is just welcoming me in.”
“Yeah, well what about me?”
“He thinks you’re my potential mate, so for right now you’re welcome, too,” he answered simply.
Collett’s head whipped around quickly, “He thinks I’m what?”
Cade grinned deviously, “My mate.” Then he walked right past her to scoop up two scrapping pups, separating them from their snarling play.
Collett stood still right where Cade had left her, and watched as the two little puppies wriggled and squirmed in his hands, licking and nipping at his chin. He laid one near his neck and let it snuggle into him.
If Collett hadn’t already decided she was in love with him, this tender side of Cade would have probably done her in for sure. He stepped over three more pups at his feet yipping and whining for his attention and came toward her.
He held out the fluffy, brownish-red pup in his left hand and said, “This is Ahote, it means restless one. She can never keep still.” At that very moment, the puppy was wriggling vigorously in his hands, rolling her head around to nip at Cade’s arm with her young needle-like teeth.
When she didn’t take the energetic puppy right away, Cade simply plopped Ahote right into her arms. She looked up instinctively to the parents of the little fluff-ball, hoping they wouldn’t tear out her throat for touching one of the puppies. They both looked calm and relaxed. The large male watched carefully from a distance.
Cade laughed at Collett’s hesitant reaction, “I told you it’s okay. I’m what you would call an honorary member of the pack, like a distant cousin who comes to visit occasionally.”
She gave him a puzzled look, while taking off one glove to stroke the wiggly puppy, and said, “I didn’t think there were any more wolves here, there was an article about their reintroduction recently in the
paper.”
“People don’t always know everything, and sometimes it’s for the best. If they knew about this pack, they would come up here and tag them, track them. They would pester them until they were forced to leave, or worse,” he explained.
She understood his double meaning. It was better when normal people were kept blind to things they didn’t understand.
The little puppy in Collett‘s arms had buried its head into the inside of her elbow, effectively covering her eyes and now laid still. Ahote breathed the deep, even breaths of sleep. Collett looked down at the still pup and smiled, “Restless one?” she questioned lightly.
“Usually,” he replied with a grin.
Collett arched up one brow not quite believing him. “Who’s that snuggled into your neck?”
Cade stroked his large hand over the small puppy’s back, “This one is Catori. It means spirit.”
Catori favored her mother. She was the same light, silvery-grey with a black tipped tail. Cade set her down gently and picked up two more. He brought them in close to his chest and let them lick at his chin playfully. One nipped lightly at Cade’s ear lobe, while the other nipped at its sibling. These two looked almost identical. They both had their father’s darker looks, more black and brown than grey, but had received their mother’s darker eyes.
Cade laughed as the one on the right put a little paw to his mouth, “These girls I call Nashota, and Nova. They look almost identical except Nova has the black tipped tail.”
Curious Collett asked, “What do their names mean?”
“Well… Nova means, chases butterfly, and Nashota means twin.”
Collett looked down to the last, lone puppy whimpering at Cade’s feet. She gently set down the sleeping Ahote, and boldly scooped it up. This one was almost all white. It had the same gold eyes as the father. Just his ears were tipped black like his mothers. Collett also realized this was the only male among the five puppies.
She nuzzled him, brushing her cheek against his soft coat. “Who is this little guy?”
“That’s Dave,” Cade said simply
“Dave… that’s it, just Dave?”
“Just Dave,” he replied.
Collett broke into a little giggle at his choice of a name for the only male pup. The best part was she truly liked the simple name. It suited the lovable white pup perfectly.
Cade watched as Collett snuggled the little puppy, letting him crawl up by her neck and lick her ear, his soft claws scrambling for purchase. Dave had taken right to her, lapping up any affection Collett would give. He repeatedly sniffed at her neck. Cade knew exactly how the little guy felt. The woman had a great scent.
“Where did their names come from?” she asked as Dave licked and nibbled at her hands when she stroked him.
Cade got down on his knees in the snow, and engaged the other three pups. They nipped and pawed at his large hands as he pushed and tugged at them in return. Eventually, the sleeping Ahote roused and joined in as well. Then Cade replied, “Native American. Mostly Hopi. I spent a few years with them a very long time ago.”
“Oh. It must have been a special time for you.”
“I’ve done a lot of things in my life, Collett. Why would you think that?” he questioned as he continued his play with the pups.
“From the wistful tone in your voice, and the way you named this pack using an almost lost language. I’ll even bet the name Dave means something to you. You have a strong loyalty to people you love and care for. It is a part of who you are.” Collett rubbed Dave’s wet black nose with her cold pink one as she finished.
Cade stopped playing and sprung up to a crouch. He furrowed his brow, “Are you reading me with your abilities?”
Collett shook her head and pulled Dave to her chest, stroking his downy fur. “No. You’re too guarded for me to read most of the time, and I don’t like to intrude. I am just beginning to understand you is all.”
Cade looked into her blue eyes. He felt a little off balance by her on-the-mark assessment of him. He was curious how Collett could have so easily known, just from a few simple names.
With his sharp ears, Cade heard the approach of another curious male. Alo, the alpha male and father of this small pack, approached them. When Collett looked past Cade, and noticed this large male was so close, her eyes widened.
Alo did not stop by Cade and greet him as usual. He walked right by, to stand directly in front of Collett. He tipped his head much like Cade did when considering something curious and stared at her. He was tall. His large head reached just above Collett’s waistline.
Collett looked frantically to Cade for help, and he could hear the pounding beat of her heart.
“It’s alright Collett, Alo is just curious. He sees how comfortable his pups are with you, and wants to understand.”
“Alo?” she questioned.
Cade nodded.
“What should I do?” she barely whispered.
“Get down like you did with Jiya, then wait.”
Collett carefully and slowly eased herself down to her knees, putting her face-to-face with this deadly and curious alpha male. Alo didn’t pace as Jiya had, he didn’t look to Cade for reassurance. He didn’t growl or bark. He simply stared at her for a long while, as if he was trying to figure Collett out. Eventually, he sat back on his hind legs right in front of her.
Collett looked up to Cade, unsure.
“Put out your hand for him,” Cade coaxed.
“What!” she asked stunned.
“Trust me Collett. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
Collett did as he instructed, and with an unsteady hand reached out. Although she was afraid Alo could take her hand off, Collett was also enticed by Cade’s, trust me, and the power of this unbelievable experience.
Alo sniffed casually at her hand for a time and then leaned into it. Collett stroked his head softly with her shaky hand. His fur was much thicker than the little ones. Gaining confidence, she dug into his hair and rubbed him just behind the ear.
After a few minutes of Collett’s affection, Alo stood and walked back to Jiya. Settling in next to Jiya, he laid his muzzle on her back and closed his eyes, trusting in Cade and Collett to watch the pups.
Collett stood up, still a little jittery from the intimidating experience, “What was that all about?”
Cade looked back to Alo, somewhat surprised himself. He understood what had truly happened here. Alo’s easy acceptance of Collett as a part of his family was staggering. Their chance encounter with Jiya had taken a surprising turn.
“Alo has accepted you not only as my mate, but as a part of his pack,” he explained, making sure to hide his astonishment.
“Really, are you sure? That seems pretty improbable. I’m not like you. I mean… you know the distant relation thing.”
Cade smiled at her nervous correction. She had no idea how rare it really was to accept a human as part of the pack. Occasionally, a pack would tolerate a human hanging around now and again, that is, after months of building trust. Even then, the humans were still considered outsiders.
Cade had never seen a pack leader so readily accept one as part of the family. There had been no posturing, no growling. Both adult wolves just acted as if Collett had always been there. It only reaffirmed how mysterious and special this woman truly was.
“Well it’s getting late. We should probably start back. I don’t want to be exposed in the dark too long,” he said absently.
Collett nodded her head agreeing with him. She didn’t want to worry anybody back at the house. They had already stayed out too long. With one more longing look back at little Dave, she turned and started back.
Cade made sure Alo and Jiya knew they were leaving, by moving loudly. When Alo looked up and stared into Cade’s eyes with his knowing animal eyes, Cade understood Alo saw something in Collett that even with his own animal instincts, Cade couldn’t see.
When he turned to leave, Cade couldn’t help himself from wondering what it meant. He
easily caught up to Collett and came up behind her. Once again, he grabbed her glove-covered hand as they headed back to the snowmobile.
As they walked silently, hand-in-hand through the woods, Collett and Cade both wondered to themselves what other surprises would come from their unlikely meeting, a little more than two weeks ago.
For Collett, today had been full of wonder, discovery, and self-realization. This day would be burned into Collett’s memory for all time. She would forever cherish what Cade had given her. When she had to let him go, the memory of this perfect day would see her through.
For Cade, this day was a complete moment of pleasure in a world of chaos. He would always remember the way a little pup named Dave changed everything for him, by bringing a curious Alo to Collett. Alo had agreed with Cade’s choice for a mate, and had easily taken her into the pack. What Collett didn’t know, that Cade and Alo did, was a wolf mated for life, and Cade was now sure that this is exactly what Collett was. She was his mate.
She had come to mean everything to him. Cade would willingly give up all that he had, all that he was, just to have a single human lifetime with her. Now all he had to do was convince Collett of that, without scaring her away. In the meantime, he still needed to stop whoever wanted Collett dead from cutting their time even shorter.
He was beginning to feel like fate was no longer just smiling on him. No, Fate was now roaring with laughter. The strangest thing was, Cade didn’t mind at all.
****
After dispatching Jeffery, The Hunter tried following the couple throughout their trip. Their trail was easy enough to follow. He just needed a little more time in order to put his plan in place. He had watched carefully this last week, and today’s trip had been very insightful. Not much longer now, he thought to himself. He only needed the perfect opportunity, and he knew if he was patient he would find it.
Timing was everything, and her time was almost up.
Chapter Twenty-Three
During the next few days, Collett continued her training. They fell back into a smooth pattern. Cynda continued to help her learn to channel her energy properly. At night, she read and studied about empathic abilities. She was consumed by the need to master her new-found skills. Each time she tried, she got just a little better, a little more resistant to the drain on her physical body.
