He had shifted into his human form as well, and it was all Indigo could do not to stare at him with her mouth hanging open. Never, not in her wildest fantasies, had she pictured him being so beautiful. He was as tall as Zane, and impressively muscled, but Indigo only had eyes for his face. Her mate’s facial bones were elegantly arrayed, creating sloping cheekbones and a broad jawline that angled downwards into a handsomely clefted chin. His brow was strong, without being too prominent, and set beneath it were eyes like amber flecked with gold dust.
Eyes that were glaring down at her.
Chapter 2
Sten was in a foul mood.
It had been three days since Erik had flicked his wrist, sending Sten across the tundra to do his dirty work. The trip to Siluit territory had done absolutely nothing to cool his temper, and he’d found himself getting progressively more pissed with each day that passed. It wasn’t like him to seethe or brood over something that angered him. If he had a problem, he found a solution.
Sten had not been present for much of Erik’s brutal conquest of the region, but his brother had always had a ruthless streak. Sten had one as well, though it was hidden behind a magnanimous façade. Lately, he seemed to be wearing the mask too closely, because everything about what he was doing felt wrong.
His irritation was dampened as the Siluit wolf shifted. He’d been prepared to give the sharp end of his tongue to one of Zane’s betas, but the female that appeared beside him was barely more than a juvenile. She gaped up at him, an expectant look in her wide eyes.
“What were you thinking?” Sten asked, his tone stern.
The Siluit female blinked several times, and then looked between Sten and where the bear had disappeared. “The bear shifter… I thought he was going to hurt you.”
She sounded apprehensive. Sten gave her a cursory once over. Tall. Doe eyes. Small, high breasts. Wet hair. Slashed arm. Not a hint of muscle tone. Smelled of salt water, fish, blood, and arousal. Trembling like a newborn calf.
In spite of his incredulity, Sten softened his tone. “That was not a shifter, it was just a bear. A female, likely posturing to guard the cubs on the other side of the hill. How did you not smell any of that?”
The bear had accosted Sten a short while back. He could have easily killed her if she’d made any real attempt on his life, but it was clear that she only wanted to ward him away from the hills.
More blinking from the female. And why was she shaking like that?
“I… I couldn’t… You…”
While she stumbled over her words, Sten left her standing and headed back to where his pack lay on the ground. He picked it up and dusted the snow off, before loosening the bindings and unwrapping the pelts. He wrapped one around his shoulders, securing it at his neck. He walked back over to the female, and almost tossed her the pelt. He took in the glazed look in her eyes and decided that she probably wouldn’t catch it, so he put it around her neck himself, tying the strings in a knot.
Brows rising, she looked down and ran her hand over the pelt. “This is… I can keep this?”
“Until you get your own clothes. Come, you can answer my questions on the way to your den. It’s beyond the hill?”
Sten was already walking as she spoke, and she trotted to keep up. “Do you recognize me?”
He considered her scent, though it was difficult to get past her heady arousal and the smell of fish. He thought she smelled similar to the Siluit alpha, but she was too old to be his daughter.
“You’re Zane’s sister?” he deduced.
She appeared confused, and then disappointed. “Yes, but… I’m…”
Sten’s gaze swept over her head, searching for a wound. He saw no apparent sign of injury, but decided she must have hit her head. He couldn’t imagine why else she would be incapable of completing a substantive thought.
He continued along the path, not bothering to engage her in conversation. She kept pace alongside him, saying nothing, but openly gawking at him. When he returned her stare, she didn’t shy away. She looked him directly in the eyes without flinching, even when he marshaled his expression to the cool austerity that could unnerve even the most defiant wolves of his pack. In the end, it was Sten who averted his gaze, feeling oddly disconcerted.
As they neared the water, Sten picked up her movement in his peripherals. Putting a hand to her chest, she said, “My name is Indigo.”
He tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Sten.”
“Sten.” She repeated his name, her tone reverent. Then she smiled, revealing a set of pretty, white teeth with small, pointed canines. “Wait… Henna told me about you. You’re Erik’s younger brother.”
“Older brother,” he corrected. “How are Henna and the others?”
Henna was one of the six betas that Erik had sent to Siluit, per the terms of their alliance. They had been in the Siluit den for nearly a month, aiding them in the defense against the invading bear clans, as well as covertly spying on the pack. They had been due to report back to Amarok for changeover in three days time, so it would not seem too suspicious if Sten extracted them early.
Indigo gave a brief purse of her lips, before saying, “They’re okay. Sometimes Brynn can be… How old are you?”
If she couldn’t be bothered to properly answer his questions, he was under no obligation to answer hers. He peered ahead, to where a dock lay partially obscured by fog. He could hear the knocking of wood as the current batted the boat against a post.
“Is that the only way across?” he asked, motioning towards the dock.
Indigo dashed ahead of him. “I’ll get one ready for us. I can paddle. I’m very good at it. I’m good at a lot of things!”
He followed after her, rubbing the space between his eyes. Only hours after setting out, he’d been wishing that he’d brought along Sylvestre, Ciel, or even Yves, anyone so that he wouldn’t have to endure three days of nothing to listen to but the wind and his own breathing. Now, he was grateful for the long days of silence, because it made Indigo’s company at least moderately bearable.
When he reached the dock, Indigo had already bent to unhitch one of the rowboats. He eyed the small vessel dubiously. It appeared sturdy, but he was not familiar enough with boats to know if it would hold his weight, let alone both of theirs. He glanced over at one of the other boats and considered telling her he’d row himself, but when he looked back at Indigo, she was already inside, motioning for him to take the seat across from her.
Reluctantly, he put one foot inside, and then the other. The boat dipped considerably, and didn’t regain much of its stability as he sat. If his weight was a problem, Indigo didn’t say as much. She stared across at him, smiling with the same expectant look in her eyes as before. The scent of her arousal mixed with the blood from her wound, and he wasn’t sure which bothered him more. Lips tightening, he cast a pointed glance at the oars. Her brows rose, and with a murmured apology she took them into her hands and pushed off.
Sten couldn’t fathom what she expected from him, or furthermore, why she was so eager to aid him. Their packs had been at war for years, only recently becoming allies when Erik had decided to take Astrid as his mate. Even having the sisters for mates, Erik and Zane would have been unlikely to resolve their differences if it had not been to their mutual benefit. There had been far too much blood shed between their packs.
“Why were you sent to greet me?” Sten asked, keeping his eyes on the rolling fog.
“I followed your scent,” she told him. “I don’t think anyone even knows you’re here except for me.”
Sten inwardly groaned. Why would she tell me that?
“Where are your patrols?” he asked.
“Back at the den having dinner. Even so, they don’t patrol past the island anymore. The only fighters we have left besides my brother are Kuva, Roch, and Tallow, so they can’t afford to spread themselves too thin.”
Three fighters?
“Henna and the rest of the betas from your pack will sometimes go
scouting, but Zane mostly has them training the males to fight. I wanted Vale to teach me how to fight, but my brother wouldn’t let her, so I’ve had to settle for private lessons with Roch. He’s teaching me how to…”
She trailed off as Sten held up a quieting hand. He tried to give her another stern look, but it was difficult when her arousal teased his senses.
“Stop being so forthright,” he told her. “You don’t know who I am.”
Her brows drew together. “But I trust you.”
“You shouldn’t,” he said. Once he’d thought better of it, he added, “You shouldn’t trust anyone outside of your pack.”
Indigo was quiet, while Sten mentally berated himself. He was lecturing her as though she was one of his wolves, but he couldn’t help it. Her naiveté would lead her to an early grave if no one taught her better.
The scent of her blood was stronger now, overpowering even the arousal, and Sten could see that some of the color had left her face. He reached out and grabbed the oars, pulling them from her mid-stroke. He laid them across the boat and then gestured towards her arm.
“Let me see.”
She cocked her head to the side. “See what?”
With an audible sigh, Sten leaned forward and tugged at the string tying her pelt together. Her heartbeat rapidly accelerated, as though he hadn’t seen her completely naked only a short while ago. Juveniles could be so strange about nudity.
“This,” Sten said, lifting her arm by the wrist. The wound was deep and still oozing fresh blood. It was not so bad that it would kill her, but she would likely pass out before it cauterized. “What did this to you?”
She was looking down towards the wound, but she didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed the pelt, her jaw slackening. “I’ll clean this, I promise.”
Sten looked at the pelt, the inside now matted with blood, and then at her, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not concerned with the pelt, now answer my question.”
“It was a rock. I cut it while I was climbing.”
Sten had brought along a regular outfit to wear, and he briefly considered tearing the sleeve of his shirt off to bind the wound, but then decided against it. He was already down to only a few articles of human clothing, and he doubted he’d be anywhere near a town until summer.
“How far are we to your den?” he asked.
“Not too far once we dock,” she told him. “But we don’t have to rush.”
Sten pulled the pelt back up over her shoulder, and then retied the strings, this time into a neat bow. “We’ll need to suture your wound as soon as possible. I don’t have the supplies to do it here.”
She was smiling again, and as she spoke to him, she leaned forward to place her hand on his knee. “You know how to do stitches? I have a kit you can use. It’s in my room.”
Her touch held no seductive guile, but Sten’s body responded as though she’d just mounted him. A wave of desire flooded him, and all at once, he was uncomfortably hard. He leaned back, seizing her offending hand and depositing it back in her lap. For the first time since he’d met her, she averted her gaze. Her hand went to her ear, tugging it in what looked like a nervous gesture.
Guilt crept over him. She was young and clearly still learning to control herself. He thought back to when he was a juvenile and constantly being assailed by desires and urges he did not fully understand. She found him attractive. Most females did. But unlike an older female, she had no concept of how to navigate through the subtleties of sexual attraction, nor recognize that despite his physical arousal, he was not the least bit interested in her.
“I will suture your wound for you,” he told her, softening his tone. “Unless you have a healer who could do a better job.”
She looked at him, the smile slowly returning to her face. “I’m our healer, and I would appreciate that very much.”
Sten arched a brow, but didn’t question her further. He had a feeling that if he engaged her in conversation again, she would continue to spout details about her pack, which would annoy him. He wanted to believe that his words had had some sort of effect on her, and that in the future, she would have more discretion about what she revealed.
He managed to row them to the far dock, all the while contemplating the absurdity of his situation. How could he be concerned for her future when he’d been sent to ensure the downfall of her pack?
* * *
He thinks you’re a complete idiot.
Indigo had never felt such a mix of elation and utter despair. She had found him, finally found him, and while she was basking in his incredible scent and the force of his presence, she was also stewing in her own self-loathing.
No matter what brilliant, witty response she crafted in her head, each time she opened her mouth she either couldn’t complete a sentence or she said something completely asinine. And worse than her mouth were her eyes. She could not stop staring at him. The more she looked at him, the more handsome he became.
The memory of his naked body, with his long limbs and hard muscles, still made her feel hot all over. She could hardly stand it, and all she wanted during the too-short walk to the den was for him to pin her to the ground and claim her.
He didn’t even want you to put your hand on him, she thought dejectedly.
But she had smelled his arousal when she’d touched him. It had been brief, and was long gone now, but it had to mean something. She clung to that hope as they neared the entrance to the den.
Sten’s scent overpowered everything else, and she didn’t smell Zane until a moment before she saw him. He was standing in the wide mouth of the cavern, his expression hard. Indigo fought the urge to scoot closer to Sten.
Zane stalked out to meet them halfway, his steely gaze alternating between the two of them. He looked prepared to address Sten, but then his nostrils flared. Indigo felt a flash of panic as he approached her, sure that he could smell the arousal that she couldn’t seem to squelch, but when he reached her, Zane pulled up the side of the pelt, revealing the cut on her arm.
“What happened?” Zane asked, glaring accusation at Sten.
“Sten didn’t hurt me,” Indigo said hastily. “I cut my arm on a rock.”
“Sten,” Zane repeated the name, looking the other male up and down. “You’re Erik’s brother.”
Sten gave a slight incline of his head.
“What are you doing here? And why were you with my sister?”
Indigo went to answer, but Sten spoke first. “I was sent to give you information about the tribe that has been assaulting your pack.”
Indigo mentally kicked herself. All of that time they’d been together, and she’d never once asked why he’d come to their pack.
Because you thought he was here for you. Stupid idiot.
“And as for your sister,” Sten said smoothly. “I cannot say why she was out here, but I am grateful. There was a rather ferocious bear roaming the hills. If it were not for her coming to my aid, I might not have gotten away unscathed.”
Indigo blinked at him several times before it hit her. Sten was teasing her.
“Is this true?” Zane asked, looking at her incredulously. “You fought a bear?”
She knew that Zane was referring to a bear shifter. Bear shifters were much larger than wolves, and when they were in their animal forms it took a well-coordinated pack to take them down. Her brother was the only wolf she’d known that had killed one on his own.
She would have told Zane the truth, that it had just been a moody animal warding Sten from its cubs, but she’d probably die of humiliation on the spot.
“I mostly distracted it from Sten,” she said weakly.
Zane ran a hand through his dark hair. “Indigo… What were you even doing outside of the den? We’ve talked about this. You promised.”
Her cheeks heated with shame. “I…”
“She’s lost a lot of blood,” Sten interjected. “Perhaps you should have this discussion after her wound has been tended to.”
He phrased it like
a suggestion, but it was laced with calm logic that Zane couldn’t have argued with.
Zane smoothed out her hair. “Fine. We’ll talk inside. Are you able to stitch this up on your own?”
“Sten offered to do it.”
Zane looked between them again, his lips compressed. “I’ll come with you.”
Chapter 3
The Siluit alpha nudged his sister forward, making her lead the way down the tunnel. He walked alongside Sten, eying him with open suspicion. He was right to be suspicious, though Sten knew that it was for all of the wrong reasons. Indigo smelled so strongly of arousal that anyone would have reasoned that she’d been intimate with a male. The only thing that vindicated Sten was the fact that her scent was nowhere on him.
Heads turned in their direction as they passed through the dome-shaped main room. Most of the shifters he saw were female juveniles, much younger than Indigo herself. There were a few male juveniles, as well as a handful of adults. He noted that they were all in their human forms and clustered into separate social groups. As Sten returned their stares, they looked away anxiously, resuming their conversations.
One of the males broke away from a group of females and headed towards Zane. Sten gave him a cursory glance. Young adult. Brown hair. Green eyes. Confident gait. Unblemished skin.
“What happened?” he asked as he approached. “And who’s he?”
Zane didn’t slow his pace. “Everything’s fine, Roch. This doesn’t concern you.”
Instead of falling back, the male inserted himself between Zane and Sten. He looked up at Sten, brows furrowed. “You smell kind of like Vale and her friends. Are you from Amarok? Will you be replacing one of the girls?”
Girls?
Sten ignored him.
“I told you, it doesn’t concern you,” Zane repeated. “Why don’t you go get Kuva and scout the hills? There was—”
“The hills?” the male groaned. “At this time of night?”
“Either that, or you can go back to scrubbing the floors.”
Chasing the Alpha: Shifters of Nunavut, Book #3 Page 2
