by C. D. Gorri
“Yours is too. Now, go on, finish your story, I really want to know what your grandmother told you. Was it a family secret or something, a fairytale maybe?”
She hesitated at first, not sure if he was really interested or not. Tate kissed her on her head and insisted again. So she continued. Confident he did want to hear.
“She told me the tale of the first of Wolves who founded the Macconwood Pack. They travelled over from the British Isles hundreds of years ago. Their names were Alice and Owen. She had this old cloth with her, like a tapestry I guess. It was thin and faded, and she kept it wrapped up in tissue paper that smelled like lavender. On it were two Wolves on one side and a man and woman on the other holding hands. It was beautiful. I didn’t understand what it said, but she explained that it said their names. It said A-i-l-i-s and E-o-g-h-a-n, old Celtic spellings for their names.”
“I have heard Rafe mention them, but I do not know their story. Will you tell it to me, Catriona?,” Tate’s voice was deep and it rang with sincerity. As a cop that much would have been obvious too her. As a Werewolf it was more than that. His desire to learn more and to hear her tell it inspired confidence in her. He wasn’t feigning interest, he really wanted to know. Cat kissed him once on the lips and continued.
“Okay. Well, what I remember is that Eoghan was a young dominant Wolf. The son of the Alpha, strong and brave, destined to take over his Pack. He was betrothed to a very beautiful female Wolf. The daughter of a high standing Wolf from a neighboring Pack. Her name was Ailis.”
“She was tall and willowy, with hair like golden thread. Unlike most She-Wolves who were thin and muscular, Ailis was all things feminine, which were to the tastes of the time. She was soft and curvy with a voluptuous figure. Pink lips, noble cheekbones, wide eyes the color of bluebells. But most of all she was honest, obedient, and loyal. The perfect bride,” Cat was never one for long speeches. She ducked her eyes as she spoke, but Tate reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear at the same time lifting her chin to look at him.
“You know, I rather like thin and muscular. And Cat, there is absolutely nothing un-feminine about you,” she felt the blush heat her cheeks and ducked her face. But Tate was having none of that. He lifted her face by the chin with a gentle but firm grip.
“You are beautiful. Got it?”
“Uh huh,” she licked her lips. If he kept looking at her like that she’d never finish her story.
“What happened next?”
“Well, on their wedding night Eoghan’s younger brother, Lyall, became jealous of all of his brother’s good fortune. Like insanely jealous. So Lyall bargained with a dark Witch and had his brother cursed. While Eoghan struggled through a terrible fever dream, his younger brother stole his bride on their wedding day.”
“Now this is where it gets tricky. You see, no one knows for sure how Eoghan fought through the dark Witch’s trap, but he managed to break free of the fever dream and upon finding Ailis gone, he went after his brother and his bride.”
“I’d kill him. Brother or not,” Tate growled the words and she watched as his Wolf shined from his eyes. God, he was amazing. Powerful and beautiful. She wondered if he meant that for her sake. Neither of them said anything about love or commitment, but Cat was Wolf and she knew what those bites had meant she only wondered if the man felt the same way as his Wolf. Marked. Mine.
“The couple had not consummated their marriage. In fact, they spent precious little time alone as was the custom back then. Lyall’s plan was to mark Ailis and take her away from Eoghan. As far as he knew the couple had no matebond. He figured he was safe under the dark Witch’s protection and without the matebond Eoghan would never find his bride.”
“I’ve heard of that. Matebonding. Does it even happen anymore?”
“I don’t know. I think so. We should ask Rafe.”
“Well his might be different since his wife is a normal. But anyway it sounds beautiful, right? Having a perfect communion with another? Like pieces of your soul and theirs have mixed into something else, something new,” Tate lifted her hair to his face and breathed it in. Cat wondered if that was longing in his voice. Whatever it was it made her heart pound almost as much as his words did.
Matebonds were something of a myth to modern Werewolves. They seemed to happened less and less often. But, oh boy, you better watch out when they did! They were the stuff of legends. Cat knew that if Tate and she were to be together, they would matebond. Without a doubt.
“Well, to Lyall’s surprise Eoghan managed to catch their trail. Lyall had her locked in a dungeon in the Witch’s dark fortress. Now this place was built to stop all manner of man from entering. A cop’s worst nightmare, you know, high walls, few windows, one door heavily manned. And it was three weeks till the full moon.”
“Lyall figured he was safe. As he made his way to Alilis’ chamber he pulled open the curtain from the window and shoved her beautiful face through the metal bars so she could see her husband as he paced below them, helpless and impotent. He had his men hold her down as he yelled down to his brother whatever the obscenities there were at the time. Lyall told Eoghan how he planned to rape her right there within hearing. And he promised to name their first born after Eoghan.”
“As Lyall neared her the strangest thing happened. Ailis snarled and snapped her teeth. She threw her head back and again form side to side. As if she were possessed or having some kind of unholy fit. You know people were very superstitious back then. Even the supernaturals. So, the guards backed away and she crouched down on the cold floor on all fours. Ailis threw her golden head back and in her human body, she howled. A cry so loud and so fierce that the other men in the room fell to their knees and covered their ears. She persisted on and on despite Lyall’s shouts for his guards to restrain her. Within minutes Eoghan charged up the hall, but he wasn’t just Eoghan. He was his Wolf. Fully formed. Huge with black fur and one white forepaw.”
“His ice blue eyes found his brother half naked and on the floor, blood coming from his ears. Of course, that didn’t stop him from ripping out Lyall’s throat. Ailis stopped howling and stood with her hand on her Wolf-husband’s back. Together they left the fortress, but not before setting it on fire. With Lyall’s body inside of course. His father, the Pack Alpha, forgave Eoghan his crime, but he was forced to make a home across the ocean. And so he did. In the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.”
“Wow,” Tate’s one-word response was truly appropriate.
“Yeah, isn’t it great? It’s one of my favorite childhood memories.”
“And this is your ancestor?”
“Well, yeah, I guess. But even if they weren’t, isn’t the story awesome?”
“Heck yeah! Bloody and romantic! My favorite,” but Tate wasn’t thinking of forgotten tales or faded memories. He was looking at the woman beside him. Mine.
CHAPTER 11
After eating some surprisingly awesome peanut butter and strawberry jelly crackers made by Cat herself, she stretched out on the soft carpet in front of the fire. Every dream she had ever had from the time she was in junior high had been culminated that night. Tate was in a word, amazing.
He didn’t mention love or commitment, but she felt something, some strong emotion, radiating from him in waves like rays from the sun. She didn’t care what it was as long as it was something.
She didn’t know if that made her stupid or weak. Cat just knew that she finally had what she had always wanted. Tate. And if she was really being honest with herself, she’d admit it. She loved him and her Wolf had accepted him as mate. Heck, she demanded he be her one and only mate.
The only problem was Tate. He didn’t say one word about it. Maybe it was just a matter of formalities, or maybe he didn’t want commitment. She’d deal with that when the time came. Enjoy this time however long it lasts, she told herself.
For her, it could only ever be Tate. She felt energy coursing through her veins in a sort of frenzied contentment at being near him. She couldn’t imagine
herself feeling that way with anyone else.
A crash sounded outside and Tate vaulted up from his place beside her, a growl deep in his throat. Cat was right behind him fully awake and alert. His hand was stretched out in front of her. An act of protection. It should have antagonized her feminist nature.
But she didn’t feel upset or angry. She rather liked the idea that he thought of her as his to protect. Besides if she was honest, she thought of him the same way. It was a Werewolf thing.
“Wait here,” his brisk command, however, did rub her the wrong way.
She yanked on his shirt and her still damp pair of leggings. As he buttoned up his jeans and went for his weapon. She walked over to the backpack she had hauled through the woods and pulled out her semi-automatic.
“Not on your life,” was her response.
His black eyes glowed as he turned to her then he tilted his head. His Wolf was speaking to him in a way he had never communicated before. Tate felt his connection to his Wolf rush through him as strongly as it did on any full moon. His heart pounded through his Wolf’s words. She is strong. She is a warrior. Protect her, but do not hinder.
He nodded gruffly. Struggling slightly with the loss of that connection, but also reeling from the fact that it had happened at all. What did this mean? He didn’t know. He had no words for it, but he was feeling anxious now. He hardly noticed as Cat nodded back.
She moved behind him and her scent filled his nostrils. Refocusing him. Mine. Protect. Honor. Together they quietly exited the cabin through the side door. They stepped barefooted onto the snow laden floor. It must have started hours ago. A few inches had already accumulated on the frozen ground.
It had been too cold most of the winter for snow. But the last few weeks the temperature had evened out. Ever since Rafe had them fight alongside the teenage Werewolf against the Scarred Sisters, a coven of Dark Witches who had been dealing with demons and in doing so they had a severe effect on the weather. But the snow was finally here. And in full force. Heavy flakes fell from the air and the entire forest was whited out.
Cat imagined for a second that she was trapped inside a snow globe. The entire world seemed to be covered in white. The pale glow of the moonlight made it even brighter than usual for that time of night. But her Wolf eyes needed little light to see. She crouched beside Tate as he examined a broken branch.
“Someone was here. Watching us through the window. This branch has been cut,” his voice was tense.
Cat knew what this meant. They were here and they did this deliberately. Bastards! They thought they could frighten them with stick? They didn’t know them.
She turned around to guard his rear. Back to back they squatted behind a large oak tree as Tate closed his eyes. He needed to focus so that his senses could tell him where danger lurked.
It took longer than usual. His focus was not as clear as it should be. That brief communion with his Wolf left him a little raw. And he was too concerned with Cat’s well-being. That was not something he was used to or that he necessarily liked. Doubts and old fears crept into his mind. Not good enough. A nobody.
He felt the pressure from her body as she leaned into him. It was as if she knew what he was thinking. Whatever the reason, the heaviness of her body felt good. His Wolf was reassured and Tate let his senses take over.
Slowly he felt peace and a supernatural hum of power settle over him. He drew strength from his Pack bonds as he reached out with his mind.
Suddenly he opened his eyes.
“Cat, there are at least three of them. I can smell them. They are Wolves, males, but not Pack. You need to get back to the cabin. There is a room, a root cellar really, underneath the floorboards of the kitchen. Go and lock yourself in.”
“No. I want to stay with you.”
“Look, I can’t do my job if I am worried about you. And I can’t help but worry about you, Cat. Please.”
It was the please that silenced her. She nodded her head and Tate left her with a gruff shake of his head. He thought she’d be safest in the cabin. But Cat had no intention of going back there. She needed to prove to him she could be an asset. She could be a Wolf Guard.
Lost in her own reverie, Cat didn’t catch the scent before it was too late. He came out of nowhere. His greasy hand cupped over her mouth and the putrid stink of his foul breath entered her nostrils as he hissed in her ear.
“I knew you’d be easy to catch, bitch. Skoll will be so happy when I bring you to him.”
Tate roared in the distance and she heard the sounds of his fight from where she stood. She thought of every maneuver she knew but it was useless. The grip he had her in was too tight. She’d never be able to get loose.
“I’m going to ask for some time with you before the boss slits that pretty throat! What do you say sugar, a little thrill before you die? Ha ha ha,” he squeezed her ass as he wrapped her legs and wrists in shackles and heavy chains.
Cat had to work hard not to puke all over him. She spat right in his face when he squeezed her left breast with his greasy hand. She didn’t even flinch when he backhanded her.
“Don’t touch me, you bastard!”
“Goddamn, bitch, you’ll pay, but first, we see Skoll,” he sat down and revved the engine of an ATV that was hidden nearby. Cat bit back a whimper. He was going to take her away!
She’d need to bide her time. She allowed herself to be pulled down behind him. She could never run away with the shackles and chains. They were just too heavy and he had locked them to the ATV. But she had to do something! Without him seeing, she ripped the hem of her shirt and dropped it on the floor. The white blended in so her captor didn’t notice it. But Tate would! She’d lead him right to them.
Tate circled the pair of Wolves who had invaded his property with barely contained rage. Werewolves were highly territorial and his Wolf was growling for their deaths. They trespassed on what was his and he’d make them pay.
The sound of a motor made him pause. His heart pounded heavily in his chest. Danger. Cat. She was in danger! All his restraint left in that single moment.
There was no time for subtlety or to think about tactics. He called on all his inner strength and with a mighty roar form his lips he attacked. The younger man was easy to take down. He was careless and cocky.
A roundhouse kick. A few punches to his stomach, then his face. The third punch broke his nose. Blood spurted everywhere and as the young Wolf looked at it on his hands his eyes rolled into the top of his head and boom. He crashed to the ground.
The second Wolf was not so easy. He had watched Tate defeat his companion from the sidelines. He understood Tate’s urgency and he used it against him.
“So, you wanna play with me now, Injun Joe? Let’s go! In my day we killed fuckers like you for breakfast and pushed the rest of you into places none of us wanted! I was there, I fought alongside Custer! You won’t get the best of me,” Tate listened to the insults and let them slide right off of him. He meant to make Tate careless. To waste his time. But Tate knew better.
“You’re all talk, son, and I don’t have time right now,” Tate advanced and with an old boxing one two punch the old Wolf with the bad attitude went down.
Tate didn’t bother tying either of them up. Cat. He needed to find Cat. He searched near the house for a trace of her. Tate bit back a string of curses when he found none. He couldn’t afford to lose focus. Of course she wouldn’t have done as he said! Not her. No his Cat.
He circled back to the oak where they had last been together and he sniffed around. Literally. His Wolf bond was coming and going in waves. It would come in strong then abruptly fade. Like bad satellite TV or a screwy WIFI connection.
Tate stopped pacing. He was getting nowhere. He needed to refocus. Okay, he last saw her here. What happened next? That’s what he needed to find out.
CHAPTER 12
The second slap stung Cat’s left cheek and she tasted blood inside her mouth. Her head pounded and she knew she wouldn’t stay conscious mu
ch longer. That would be a relief in ways. Cold water forced her eyes open and she gasped through her pain.
“Oh no, no sleep for you bitch. The boss says you’s all mine to play with just after you tell him the security codes to that cocksucker brother of yours’ house! Now what’s the codes? Hmm? Sweet pie! What are they?”
Spit flew from his lips as Cat’s abductor screeched in her face. She could see his madness peeking out through his muddy brown eyes. This Wolf had been without a proper Pack for too long. He was not in his right mind. Probably would never be again.
“I want to speak to Skoll.”
“You ain’t fit to speak to him, bitch! I says when you can and can’t. Tell me the codes and I’ll tell him and then you and me gonna have us a party!”
“I’d rather die!”
“Oh, you will, sweet pie, that you will. But not till I stick you good! I’ll have you squealing like a little piggy,” he growled the last word and a long string of saliva spilled from his crooked teeth.
Cat had to force herself to not back up in her chair. No, not in front of him. She needed to maintain some control if only for her self-preservation. Inside she was beginning to lose her nerve.
It was a relief when he walked outside of the broken down wooden shack where he was holding her in order to take a phone call. Stupid old Wolf. Didn’t he know she could hear through the thin wood walls? She knew Skoll. She didn’t quite get his endgame, but she knew he wouldn’t want this cretin to rape her. Not if he planned on using her to get to Rafe.
She stilled herself to better hear the conversation. A well timed yell might be her only chance to stop this guy. It didn’t matter though. He was on the phone with another lackey. Not Skoll. She pictured the cruel Wolf with his slicked back black hair in a low pony tail, his black shirt paired with black pants. Like some pseudo Miami Vice villain. Sure, he gave Cat the creeps, but he played by rules. This guy, not so much.
Dammit! Cat knew from her police training that her captor had no control. Added to that, her Werewolf senses told her that he had lost his mind years ago. Some Wolves did. It was one of the side effects of the curse of St. Natalis. The one that kept them from changing but once a month.
