A Wolf's Pride (9 page)

“
I think that
you and I will work out perfectly Chloe.”

Snapping out
of her lust induced daze, Chloe quickly pulled the hem of her skirt
down, pressed her hands together tightly so that the trembling
wouldn’t be so obvious and turned to look out of the window. “Just
because you can make my body react to you, it doesn’t mean that
anything between us is going to change.”

“
We’ll see,”
Ryan crooned before turning the engine back on and continuing the
long drive to their destination.

Chapter
Eight

The car had
stopped working and Ryan couldn’t understand why. He had been
driving along the road determined to reach the safety of the clans
as soon as possible when the car had slowly ground to a halt. He
had checked the tyres, they were still full of air. He had checked
the engine, which to his eyes looked fine, nothing was smoking and
yet when he turned the key to start the car he didn’t receive a
response. The car’s failure only served to reinforce his dislike of
technology that was trying to replace actions that he, as a wolf,
could do better. It was mandatory for wolves to be taught the basic
necessities of the human world outside of the clans so that when
they ventured out, they could fit in. He had never particularly
enjoyed the lessons and had forgotten them as soon as he was able.
Grumbling about the failings of human technologies, Ryan had
stepped out of the car and pushed it to the side of the
road.

Chloe had
watched Ryan as he attempted to discover what was wrong with the
car, amazed that he was overlooking such a basic piece of
information. He knew how to drive so she had just assumed that he
would understand why the car had stopped but as he moved the car
with ease, reminding her of his great strength, she finally
understood that he wasn’t going to realise what had happened unless
she told him. She pursed her lips, determined not to say a
word.
Maybe he’ll just give up and leave
me here.
Her hopes were quickly dashed as
he rounded the car after gathering her small suitcase and opened
her door.

“
Come on love,
the car’s broken down so we’re going to walk to the next city and
get a new one. After that it shouldn’t take us more than a few
hours to get to the clans.”
If it were
just me and I were running alone I could probably make it there
within the hour.
He mused but chose to keep
that fact to himself, his mate was already afraid of him, there was
no need to scare her further.

“
What?” She
looked around at the long road ahead of them and the bare tracks of
land either side of it, astounded that he wanted to walk. “The next
town must be miles away, we can’t walk that far.”

“
We don’t have
much of a choice love, we need to get back to the clans and the
stupid car won’t work.” He reached across her and unbuckled her
seatbelt before pulling her from the comfort of the car.

“
Are you just
going to leave that here?” she demanded, eying the expensive car as
he pulled her further and further away from it.

“
It’s broken,
we have no need for it if it’s not going to work.”

“
It isn’t
broken you idiot! It’s run out of gas. How stupid can you
get?”

“
Chloe, don’t
insult me,” he growled and she immediately shrunk away from him,
remembering the tremendous strength that was hidden in his arms. “I
don’t want you to be afraid of me either,” he crooned, gently
rubbing her cheek.

She didn’t
lean into his touch but she didn’t pull away either and Ryan
supposed that he would have to be content with that. More would
come later.

Entwining their
fingers, Ryan led her along the road, remembering the nearest city
wasn’t very far away and hoping that his mate wouldn’t be too
exhausted by the journey. They walked in silence for a few minutes
before Chloe gathered the courage to speak.
It’s probably in my best interests to make sure that he likes
me,
she decided.
If he likes me, then he’s less likely to hurt me.

“
I can’t
believe that you didn’t realise that the car was out of gas,” she
grumbled.

“
What was
that?”

Her voice now
clearer, she repeated what she had just said. “I said, I can’t
believe that you didn’t realise the car was out of gas. It was the
most obvious thing to look for.”

“
It didn’t seem
that obvious to me.”

“
I don’t
understand. You can drive just fine so you clearly took lessons and
that means someone must have explained that without gas, cars don’t
work.”

“
I learned to
drive in a different time Chloe, when cars were new and haven’t had
to make much use of the skill in recent years. I’ve brushed up on
how the things work, but if I’m honest, which I’ll always be with
you, I don’t like them, so I don’t use them.”

“
When cars were
new?” she questioned confused. “Just how old are you?”

“
Two hundred
and four.”

“
You’re
kidding,” she laughed nervously. “Right?”

“
No, us
werewolves have amazing longevity, if nothing tries to kill us, we
can live forever.”

“
Wow, you’re so
old you should be living in a museum.”

He laughed,
“I don’t think that I would like to live in one of those. I much
prefer the wild outdoors. Cities make me feel trapped, like I’m in
a cage.”

“
Is that just
you or do all werewolves feel like that?”

“
Most that I’ve
spoken to don’t like cities either. They’re too noisy and it feels
as though you’re living on top of one another.”

“
So I’m
guessing that you guys don’t live together, more the lone wolf
thing right?”

“
Wrong. We live
in clans and everyone within them is very close to each other but
not so close that we feel suffocated by the presence of others. The
clans themselves are fairly spaced out so that we have even more
space.”

“
I thought you
didn’t like cars, how do you get from a to b?”

“
It’s much
faster for us to simply run.”

“
Why don’t you
just run now? Why even bother with cars if you don’t like
them?”

“
You aren’t a
wolf Chloe, you couldn’t run like me and there isn’t enough trust
between us for me to leave you and come back and collect you later.
Even if there were, I’d be reluctant to leave you. The world isn’t
a safe place and I can’t have anything happen to you.”

Darkness was
beginning to fall and she had to strain her eyes to see exactly
where they were going. Ryan had silently directed them away from
the well-established path the road had provided and the terrain
beneath her feet was becoming increasingly treacherous. Her eyes
downcast to survey the rocky ground, she started another round of
questions. “Why? Why are you so insistent that nothing happens to
me? You don’t know me.”

“
You’re my
mate,” he replied simply as though his short statement was
self-explanatory and answered her question.

“
I still don’t
get it.”

He sighed.
“The fact that you’re my mate means that you’re the perfect woman
for me, the only one that my wolf will truly accept, the other half
of me and I personally think that you’re the better
half.”

“
You don’t know
me Ryan, how can you be so sure.”

“
The instinct
is never wrong. It guides us to the one that will bring us the most
happiness in our long lifetime. Eternity is just another world for
hell when you have to spend it alone. With you by my side the
possibilities are endless, everything seems brighter now that I
have you in my life.”

“
Even though
I’ve attacked you and done nothing but try and run away from you?
You are crazy.”

“
Yes, even your
attempts at rebellion please me. Wolves like nothing better than
the thrill of a run, the adrenaline that courses through us during
a chase and you Chloe are giving me the high of my
life.”

“
I still don’t
understand how you can feel this way about a stranger.”

“
We won’t be
strangers for much longer love.”

Unsure of how
to respond to his accurate statement, Chloe decided it was best not
to say anything and continued walking. Her poor night vision
however was increasingly problematic as she stumbled continuously.
Cursing the terrain, she refused Ryan’s hand of assistance
determined to walk under her own steam. Her stubborn determination
however was her literal downfall. Her feet tripped over a large
protruding rock and the ground rushed up to meet her. She twisted
instinctively but as pain shot through her leg she realised that it
had probably been an unwise decision to do so.

“
Chloe, are you
ok?” Ryan demanded, immediately at her side, trying to help her to
her feet.

“
I’m fine,” she
shooed, standing. Her legs buckled beneath her as pain once again
speared her and she couldn’t prevent a hiss from leaving her lips
as her ankle throbbed painfully.

“
Liar,” he
scolded though his voice was filled with concern. Crouching at her
side, he ran his fingers gently over her legs, applying pressure
periodically and noting when she winced. “It’s not broken,” he
declared. “Just twisted.”

“
So you’re a
doctor then?”

“
No, but I’ve
lived a long time and I know the basics of how to treat an injury,
besides, I’ve had lots of broken, sprained and twisted bones in my
life. I know how to identify which is which. It will get better
soon, I want to take you to the clans and have someone look you
over though.”

“
How are we
going to manage that? I can’t walk.”

“
I’m going to
carry you of course.”

“
From wherever
we are now all the way to your home?” she snorted in disbelief.
“You’ll give yourself a hernia.”

“
This derisive
attitude you have towards yourself has got to stop Chloe. You’re
perfect and I’m going to convince you of that someday.”

“
If that’s what
you think then fine, you’re entitled to your own opinion just as
I’m entitled to mine.”

“
You’re being
stubborn.”

“
You’re going
to have to get used to it if you want to stay with me.”

He smiled at
that, surprising her. “I’m glad that you’re finally thinking of our
relationship in the long term. And just so you know, I have over
two hundred years experience of being stubborn, so if you think you
can beat me, you’re wrong.” With that he placed his arms under her,
lifting her into his arms before reaching for her suitcase and
holding it within his fingertips. “I think it might be for the best
if you close your eyes.”

“
Why?”

His smile
widened before he sped off at such a speed that her eyes were
instantly watering as air rushed into them. Yet instead of closing
her eyes as he had requested, she was determined to keep them open.
The world around them was a blur as he moved and the feeling was
exhilarating. Her arms lifted to his neck with great difficulty as
the wind tried to force them down but she managed to reach him and
wrap them around him for additional purchase.

“
Why I didn’t
do this in the beginning instead of making you walk I don’t know.
I’m sorry, it’s my fault that your ankle is in the state it’s in.”
She didn’t respond to him, content to simply enjoy the feeling of
the wind whipping around her body as he continued to run. “I think
this is another thing we both enjoy Chloe. Once we get back to the
clans I’ll take you running everyday.” Again she didn’t respond but
he wasn’t offended, he could feel the sensations running through
her and knew that she was just savouring the moment.

The slight
jostling movement that Ryan made as he ran was soothing Chloe
decided as she took in the brilliant blur of colours that passed
her. Time passed in a blur just as quick as the surroundings and it
eventually became a struggle to keep her eyes open. The warmth of
Ryan’s body seeped into her, making her feel surprisingly secure
despite the circumstances that surrounded their meeting. The steady
beat of his heart against her ear was reassuring and calming. As he
ran, he was unintentionally rocking her, the movement slight and
gentle, pushing her further into the depths of sleep. Everything
about him combined to ease her into unconsciousness and she was
soon deeply sleeping. Glancing down at the sleeping beauty within
his grasp, Ryan still felt it difficult to believe his luck. Though
she was still hostile towards him, he could feel that once that
small obstacle had been overcome, he would be happier than ever.
The instinct was after all never wrong.

When Chloe
next opened her eyes she was surprised to see that there were once
again people, flowing around them. Apparently Ryan had managed to
reach civilisation while she had slept. Her ankle was still
throbbing and she was unexpectedly glad that Ryan had offered to
carry her instead of insisting that she walk. His breathing was
steady and there was no sign that he had run miles to reach their
new destination, it appeared that he was justified in dismissing
her concerns over him carrying her.