by Mel Favreaux
Braedyn remembered the first lessons he and his mother had taught Amber when she’d first come to seek sanctuary in Walker’s Run from her abusive clan. Tolerance and acceptance of things without question. There wasn’t always a reason for people to be the way they were.
His own mother was a unique woman who could heal with her hands and her herbs. Some of that gift presented itself in him with his ability to remove pain or ease it.
“What are your plans now that she’s safe from unplanned shifts until the next lunar cycle?” She peered at him through her long bangs.
He moistened his lips and readjusted his thick coat. “I’ll have to play it by ear while her family is here. I’d like to take her to Walker’s Run.” He sighed. “I will be back to the pack soon. Hopefully, I’ll be bringing Casey along.”
She nodded. He knew Amber well enough to know she wouldn’t ask any personal questions about his relationship. Though they were close friends, because of the abuse she’d endured from her former clan, emotional attachments and discussions of that calibre were difficult for her.
“Your mother sends her love.” Her hand paused a moment in the air as if to pat his shoulder, but then she seemed to think better of the gesture and stepped back. Changing into the Tigress, she hurried off.
Braedyn rubbed his cold face and made way back to the camp. He was alert, listening to find out if either of the men had awakened yet. His nose and senses told him all were resting but for Casey. He slipped back into the tent, the warmth generated by the heater was welcoming, but no more so than the expression on her face.
“Your friend checking in again?”
“Yes, making sure all was well with your family and letting me know my mother misses me.” He sat down beside her and pulled off his boots and coat. “You're safe now from the forced transformations until the next lunar cycle. You'll just have to remember to try and keep your anger in check now.”
Nodding, she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. The blanket she held to her chest drooped some, giving him a peek at the treasures hidden beneath.
He tried to disguise his desire for her but knew it was useless. Braedyn was powerless to her seductive abilities, as was his wolf.
Seeing the sexy grin that played across her lips, he couldn’t prevent his gaze from dropping to catch a glimpse of her. Never in his life had a woman ever had the effect on him that she did. Braedyn couldn’t help wonder if Casey felt the same by the way she reacted to his touch.
The blanket slowly began to slide downward, revealing more for his eyes to see.
“If you keep this up Casey, we’ll never leave the tent,” he growled, leaning closer.
That grin came again. She reached over and stroked a finger down his cheek. Braedyn closed his eyes, and the wolf in him turned to putty in her hands. If Casey only understood how the alpha beast was calmed with her presence, her touch. She’d changed him in ways Braedyn didn’t know were visible until he’d seen the smile on Amber’s face.
He felt Casey’s breath when she nuzzled his cheek. She rained gentle kisses across the side of his neck. The muscles in his jaw twitched. He struggled to remain stoic. When she latched onto his earlobe with a gentle nip, he couldn’t prevent the low growl that came forth.
In a flash he was naked, pulling Casey to him. Her laugh was like soft music when he ripped the blanket away. She rolled out from beneath him at the last moment. The soft rumble from his chest rose again when he reached for her. Her brows rose, she gave him a purely dominant gaze. Holding her head high, Casey put a hand against his shoulder, urging him onto his back.
Not used to taking a submissive role, Braedyn relented at her gentle insistence. He lay back with his jaw tensed and watched. She leaned over him, teasing his chest with her lips and breasts. Her hands roamed over his body. Closing his eyes, he allowed her torture. Turn about was fair play, and he had played the morning before.
Casey’s motions were deliberate, she stroked his belly and thighs. He struggled not to shudder when her caress moved along the length of him. If she was curious about his body, Braedyn would let her have her fill until he could take no more. Kisses trailed toward his hip. Before he knew it, she had taken him into her mouth. He gasped, then moaned, sliding his fingers into her hair. Her mouth, tongue, and hands worked in glorious tandem. The wolf in him swooned.
Braedyn could tell her teasing had taken its toll on her when she nibbled her way up his chest. The tangy scent of her arousal was in the air. Her mouth fastened to his in a kiss so full of passion he saw stars when she settled herself astride him.
He sat up, returning her scorching kiss while she angled her body to take him. He thrust his hips, burying himself into the moist depths. Watching her bite her lip to keep from crying out, he remembered her father and brother were in a tent not far from them. She whimpered, lying her forehead against his and closed her eyes. Her fingers stroked through his hair. The emotion conveyed through the gesture was unbelievable, his wolf sidled up next to hers.
Casey set a grinding pace that drove him wild. Braedyn knew then, he would take the submissive position more often, but only for her. The wonderful sensation of her silky breasts brushing against his chest made him harden all the more.
Laying back, he watched her work. Her breasts swayed with her movements and drew his hands. Drawing them together, he thumbed the nipples watching her face contort with pleasure. She was an erotic sight, riding him. Sliding a hand down to toy in the curls, his thumb stroked her tiny bud. He hissed when Casey’s nails dug into his chest while she shuddered through her first orgasm. Clenching his jaw, he fought for composure, not ready to end things yet. Cupping her bottom, he held her to him and rolled them over, slowing the pace.
Braedyn wanted to make love to her, show her how much he felt for her. His heart soared when she looked into his eyes and took his face in her hands.
Did Casey have any idea how much he felt for her? He wasn’t sure, but for the first time in more years than he cared to remember, Braedyn felt the sting of tears in his eyes. She kissed him and held him close.
* * * *
When she looked in his eyes, Casey saw the tears glistening on his lashes. During their lovemaking, his feelings had been more clear than any sign in her life. His gentle caresses and tender kisses...she’d never felt anything like it and was surprised to find herself returning each one.
She loved this man. It scared her, feeling this way when she only knew what he was like around her. But wasn’t that all that mattered?
“Casey...” he whispered, she could see his struggle for control.
She kissed him and felt such a burst of emotion, it was like an explosion. Tears came to her eyes, too. “You don’t have to say it, Braedyn.”
“Not saying it is holding it in and not making it real.” He met her gaze. “I have hungered for you, so long. Kissing, touching, and making love to you has only confirmed what I’ve always known. I could never love another woman the way I love you.” His hands were gentle, stroking away her tears. “I told your father last night I couldn’t go back to my life without you.”
“You’ve shown me things I didn’t know existed.” She stroked his shoulders. “I’ve been so afraid of myself, of hurting someone else, I didn’t realize I was already causing pain. My biggest fear is disappointing you, Braedyn.”
“No. No.” He shook his head and kissed her. Pulling her to him, he settled on his side next to her. “You can’t disappoint me. I’m afraid once I introduce you to the pack, you won’t feel I’m worth the trouble.”
“Trouble?” She looked up at him raising her brows.
“I’m the alpha, I have members of my pack coming to me day and night. It could be difficult to find time alone. I have to take trips across the country and even other countries to meet with other packs who wish to join mine. This time with you has been a vacation for me, to be away from the pressures of my responsibilities. Being with you has brought me a peace I haven’t felt in years. Part of me wishe
s I didn’t have to go back, but I have my responsibilities to them. I fought a long, hard battle to become the alpha, I can’t throw that away now.”
Casey could feel how torn his emotions were. It all centered on how she felt about him.
“It’s going to be a sudden change for you. There is so much for you to learn about what you can do now. My worry is that it will become too much pressure on you as my mate, and you’ll pull away.”
The wolf in her snuggled against him, not liking the feel of him being emotionally torn. She yearned to comfort him.
“I’ve never been one to walk away from a challenge.” She stroked his cheek, holding his gaze. “I can’t go back to who I was. Not now. Not even if I'd wanted to. Go back and watch the men and women in Hollywood destroy themselves some more?” She shook her head. “I came here to make up my mind as to what I was going to do with the rest of my life and wound up finding something I never thought possible. The love of a genuinely great man.”
“How do you feel about me?”
Casey could see he’d laid his soul bare to her, something she’d never seen a man do before. For all of his good qualities, she could see he was honestly as clueless as any man.
“No one has ever made me feel the way you have. This is something new for me, but I think...I think I fell in love with you a long time ago. Every time I’ve come home I’ve looked for you as you’ve searched for me. That has to mean something...” She closed her eyes when he crushed her to his chest, burying his nose in her hair.
“You two awake in there?” Dean called from outside the tent.
She sighed. Braedyn pulled back to look in her eyes. “We’re up Dean, we’ll be out in a few.”
“Minutes or hours?” came her brother’s retort.
Casey giggled. “Minutes, you jerk.” She listened to her brother chuckle when he walked away from the tent. Turning to see Braedyn smiling caused her heart to lift again.
She hurried into her clothes and watched with envy as Braedyn clothed himself with magic again, looking this time like the consumate Native in pale leathers. His jet black hair was in a thick braid down his back. With a final kiss, he unzipped the tent, and they slipped out.
Her father was sitting at the fire, stoking it to burn brighter. Dean was making coffee.
“The propane was a blessing, Daddy, thank you,” she said walking over to the fire.
“No problem, honey.”
She felt her face burn red for a moment and looked away from him at the grin cast her way.
He gave a small laugh and then sighed looking at both her and Braedyn. “The Rangers may try to send a chopper since they know the location of the camp. With the extra snow from the storm last night they may be worried and step up their rescue procedures. Do you two want a ride, or would you rather continue to tough it out like a couple of newlyweds?”
Braedyn laughed, a deep rumble from the bottom of his stomach. Casey flopped onto the log next to him and buried her face in her hands.
“Dad!” she exclaimed, looking up at him.
“What?” He raised his brows. “I came out here risking frost bite because of a stupid dream to find you healthy, whole, and happier than I’ve ever seen you.”
Dean grinned and poured a cup of hot water from the pot into one of the steel mugs. “I have to admit I expected to see you in worse shape than you are, given the weather,” he admitted. “But I knew you were tough, which was why I wasn’t too worried.”
“She’s an impressive woman,” Braedyn agreed with a nod.
Peyton smiled. “So, young lady, have you figured out what your plan will be? I know you came out here to get things straightened out in your head.”
She nodded and looked at her father. “Yes, I have. Going back to L.A. and Hollywood is no longer in the picture. I can’t handle it anymore. The money was outstanding, but there are more important things than money. It can’t buy the one thing I need most.”
He smiled again. “What would that be?”
Casey looked at Braedyn. “Happiness, Daddy. It was what I couldn’t seem to find out there.”
“And you think you’ve found that here.”
She smiled, looking into Braedyn’s eyes a moment before looking across the fire at her father. “I have.”
Braedyn reached over and took her cool hand into his, brought it to his lips, and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “We both have.”
Peyton cocked a brow at Braedyn’s directness when he gazed cooly at him and Dean. He was an incredibly brave and strong man to be so bold as to claim her so blatantly in front of them. Casey’s heart swelled. No one had ever challenged her father or brother before.
Dean laughed and raised his mug. “Well, that at least makes one of the Maynard clan happy.”
* * * *
With Casey’s help, Braedyn threw together some stew using the left over venison. Peyton and Dean had ventured out to see how bad the accumulation of snow was.
Shivering, she looked up at the sky and sat next to him on the log. “I hear a faint humming.”
“That would be the helicopter your father spoke of earlier.”
She furrowed her brows. “How far out is it?”
“A bit. It should be here in the next twenty minutes or so.” He stirred the stew and watched her take a sip of her coffee.
“Should...should we get a lift to your cabin?”
He let out a deep breath. “I was contemplating the same thing. I do need to get back as much as I hate to.”
She looked down at the cup in her hands. He felt sadness coming from her and steeled himself for her response to his next question.
“You are coming with me, aren’t you?”
The look she gave him was one of surprise. “I don’t think I could go anywhere without you,” she whispered, looking in his eyes. He saw her struggle to keep her emotions in check. “In a short amount of time, you’ve become a part of me. Not going with you would feel like I’d cut a part of myself out and left it behind.”
He set down the spoon he was using to stir the stew and took her hands into his. Kneeling on the ground in front of her, he brought her hands to his mouth. “Thank you,” he said knowing her wolf would understand his gesture of submission. Yes, he was the alpha, but showing her this pose let her know there was only one person he would get on his knees for.
“For what?” She furrowed her brow at him.
“For being who you are. Being with you calms me. I’m not tense and ready for a constant fight. I can’t even begin to describe what you’ve done for me and my wolf.” He laughed. “I’m not ready for that to go away once we go back.”
She smiled and stroked his cheek. “We can’t stay out here forever.”
“Only because of my obligations to the pack. If not for that, I’d be willing to stay here forever.” Leaning forward, he gave her a tender kiss.
“We can always try to come back whenever we can.”
He grinned. “You can bet on it.”
Looking up into the sky, she frowned, and he could tell she was still unable to put distance together with the sounds.
“It will be here any time now. There’s enough stew to go around at least.”
“I guess we should let them take Daddy and Dean back first while we take the camp apart.”
Braedyn nodded and lifted his nose into the air, scenting for them. They weren’t far by the way the wind carried their scent to him. “They are on their way back now.”
Casey stood and buried her face against his chest.
Wrapping his arms around her, she drew in a shuddery breath. Her rolling emotions went through him. He felt her anxiety. “There’s nothing to be worried about,” Braedyn murmured, stroking her hair.
“I don’t know how the pack will accept me, and then...there’s meeting your mother.”
“It will be all right, I promise you. No one will mess with you, because you are mine, and I am the Alpha. They will accept you. There may be some jealousy, but they will get over it.
” He stroked her cheek and kissed her, holding her close.
“Hey now!” Dean called out when they approached.
Casey giggled at the low growl Braedyn released when he reluctantly pulled away from the kiss.
“The copter’s on its way,” Peyton said setting down an armful of kindling. “Saw it from the top of the rise back there.”
Braedyn nodded. “We’re going to let you two go back first, and we’ll take the camp apart. When they return we’ll have them take us onto Walker’s Run.
Chapter Thirteen
It had been harder than Casey thought to hug and release her father and brother before they boarded the helicopter that would take them back to the Ranger Station. She hated being unable to tell them the truth. There was nothing she’d ever kept from them. But if they knew she was hiding something, neither gave voice to it.
Casey took a deep breath as Braedyn reached his hand down to help her into the helicopter. Everything had been loaded. This was the next step that would change her life. It was time for her to meet the pack and to see with her own eyes what she’d become.
“Are you all right?” Braedyn shouted near her ear once she settled in the seat next to him and buckled up.
She swallowed and nodded.
“Nervous?” He gave her a gentle smile and took her hand, holding it over his heart. She read the gesture without him speaking, reading the cues in his body language similar to that of the wolf.
I’ll be with you every step of the way, his motions spoke to her. Nothing to worry about.
Jazzy was up front, and he passed back helmets with microphones and speakers so they could hear each other. “Ready to go Braedyn?” he asked, turning in his seat to look at them.
“Not really, but go ahead and take us home Jazzy.” His eyes travelled to where their camp had been, and he sighed. Casey knew how he felt, she was sorry they were leaving, too.
“Your family is concerned about you,” Jazzy said furrowing his brows. “Is everything all right?”
Braedyn sighed and squeezed Casey’s hand. “Things are better than they have been in a very long time. This has just been my first vacation in twenty years. You can’t blame me for not wanting to go back just yet, can you?”
