Snow Wolf: Wolves of Willow Bend (Book 9) (13 page)

Pausing behind her, he canted his head to try and see what she saw. The rocks stretched up the walls, then the ceiling widened out. The UV lamps along the day lamps created a brightness which left him squinting.

“A lot of thought went into this construction,” was all she said, before pointing at the counter. “Coffee is made.”

“Thank you.” Giving into the temptation, he rested his hands lightly on her shoulders and brushed a kiss to her cheek. She went absolutely still under the contact, her muscles stiff. Not insulted, he kept the contact brief before releasing her and continuing to the pot for his coffee.

“Do you have to keep doing that?” The quiet question radiated with suppressed anger and more than a hint of anxiety.

“No,” he admitted, keeping his back to her. “I don’t
have
to keep doing it, but I like touching you.”

“So I’ve seen.”

He couldn’t help but feel she edited herself. Not a reaction he wanted her to have. “Dove, feel free to speak your mind.”

“I would, except you’re the Alpha and I’m your guest. I have Willow Bend to think of.” A politic answer.

And damned if it didn’t aggravate the hell out of him. Containing the reaction, he took his time to fill his cup before he turned to look at her. “Dove.” Command filled the syllable, and her gaze jerked to his. “If you obey no other order I give, I want you to obey this one.” He held her gaze, letting his power suffuse every word. He was Alpha, but he was also a man. “Always speak your mind to me. Never feel the need to curb your words or dilute the sentiment out of fear that I will react badly. You may say anything to me.”

The moment hollowed, even time seemed to slow as her pupils dilated then contracted. Her lips compressed into a thin line, and her scent took on a distinct sharp edge. Anger. A beautiful hot house fragrance, like roses.

“Really?” Skepticism lived within her snarl.

“Yes, really.” Keeping his distance, he leaned against the counter. “I want to know you.”

“And if I don’t want to know you?”

Well, he had told her to speak her mind. “Then it is up to me to convince you I’m worth knowing. I thought we’d gotten off to a good start during our dinner.”

“You mean after my meltdown and the kiss where you seemed to take control of my soul?” Flushing, she glanced at her coffee. Her soul, eh? He’d take it.

“Yes. I liked kissing you—I didn’t like that you were afraid and hurting. The kiss was not meant to imprint, but to help you find your way back to yourself.” For him as well, but that had been the lesser concern at the time.

“Then the second kiss at the stairwell?”

“You needed to wear my scent around the wolves. The attack left everyone on edge, and you were a stranger to them.” He wouldn’t apologize for wanting her safe.

“Last night when you climbed into my bed to sleep? Who were you protecting then?”

“Me.” He took a sip of his coffee as she digested his answer. Shock rippled through her expression.

“You?”

“I’d been away from you for nearly twenty-four hours. Members of my pack died, others are injured. I wanted—no, I needed—the peace of mind that came from knowing you were all right. Since you insisted on sleeping in that room, I wanted to be there, too.”

Her mouth opened then closed again twice before she too took a drink of her coffee. “Alphas rarely admit a weakness.”

“Most wolves won’t admit to one unless they trust someone.”

“How the hell can you trust me that much?” Was it really such a mystery to her?

“Because you are my mate.” He loved the way it sounded.

Dove scowled and shook her head. “You don’t know that—you can’t. You also can’t just decide something. Mating takes two people, and I don’t know you.”

Well, they had come a long way since that first night. Warmth unfurled within him and his wolf stretched. “Then get to know me. For you, I’ll be an open book.”

“That’s a lot of confidence when I’m loyal to Willow Bend.”

“Loyalty should be treasured in all its forms. You are a good Hunter or Mason would not have sent you on this mission.” As annoying as Dylan had been on his various visits, he’d also proven to be very capable. His choice of an Omega as a mate demonstrated more about the wolf than he might realize.

“I wouldn’t assume that. I’m half-convinced Mason sent me here to get rid of me.”

No, she didn’t believe that…she feared it. “Will you tell me why you think that?”

She sighed then drained her coffee. Even from across the room, he could hear the gurgle of her stomach.

“Perhaps over food? Or would you rather go hunting first?” The offer was made before he fully considered it, but his wolf wanted to see hers. Wanted to run with her.

“Hunting? You’re planning to let me leave your…what do you call this place?”

“Our sanctuary and, of course. You’re not a prisoner, Dove.”

She made a face.

“This surprises you?” He finished his coffee. “Would you like another cup or to get out of here?”

“Yes and yes—to another cup and to getting out of here.” Extending the hand with the mug, she crossed the room. “I’m not human on only one cup.”

“You’re never going to be human on two. You’re a wolf,” he said, refilling the mug.

The corners of her mouth curved and the frown abandoned her expression as she chuckled. “Okay, that was funny.”

“Thank you.” After he filled hers, he filled his own. “Why does it surprise you?”

“Cause the pack was attacked, your people were hurt and you think I’m your mate…but you’re just going to let me go running with you without fear of something happening?”

He returned the pot to its stand before he answered. “The sanctuary is meant for our vulnerable and for any wolf who doesn’t wish to travel to the cities or roam with the pack during the long winter.”

“Exactly my point.”

Oh, he understood her point. “Do you see yourself as vulnerable? In need of my protection and shelter?” She had his protection, whether she needed it or not.

“No.”

“Nor do I.” He let those words sink in a moment. “You are a Hunter, you are trained, yes? You understand combat? The need to stick together on a hunt? To work with the other wolf?”

“Yes. I used to tag along with my brothers when I was younger. They never let me do anything, but I watched them. I learned. I’ve done requisite apprentice training and, for the last year or so, I’ve been working as a journeyman assigned to different circuits with the other Hunters.”

“Then you’re more than capable of joining me on a hunt.”

“You’re not what I expected,” she said, then leaned against the counter near him. Close, but not touching.

“What did you expect?”

“At the risk of being insulting,” she said, staring at her coffee cup. “An old wolf, set in his ways, who wouldn’t bother to shift or have more than a shack and a pot to piss in.”

He laughed. “We have some who live like that, Dove. In the summer months, I have a cabin not far from here, deeper into the woodlands. It has no electricity, no… modern conveniences. It has all that my grandfather had when he first built it. It’s peaceful. The game is plentiful and the river is well-stocked with fish. But I am one man, and I have an entire pack to protect.”

“You make that sound natural, yet you do everything to make sure no one outside knows about it. But you let Julian come here.”

“Yes, Julian has been here before. He’s my cousin. His mother, my aunt, could return to our pack whenever she desired.”

Dove stared at him. “I didn’t know anyone would willingly claim to be related to Julian.”

“He’s not so bad. Old, set in his ways—and I am fairly certain he also has more than a shack and a pot to piss in despite never letting anyone see it.”

She bit her lip then, one-by-one, giggles escaped.

He held up two fingers and a question danced amidst the laughter in her eyes.

“That’s twice I’ve made you laugh. If I can do so a third time, will you give me a prize?”

“Maybe.” It came out almost coy. “Depends on what you want.”

“To see your wolf.”

She grinned. “Very well, if you can make me laugh a third time, I’ll go hunting with you and you can see my wolf.”

“Excellent.”
Small victories
. “Breakfast?”

“Do you have anything in here?”

“Possibly.” He pursed his lips and turned to study the counters. Montana likely had the cabinets stocked as soon as he told her where Ranae would be staying. He’d rather take her out for fresh meat, but he set the coffee cup aside and began to inventory the cabinets.

“Don’t you know where you keep things?”

“Not particularly. I don’t stay below often. I prefer the freedom to roam.” He found the cold storage stocked with different cuts of meat including… “Bacon.” He held it up like a triumph and eyed Dove. She burst out laughing.

Well that proved easier than he’d expected, but her enjoyment pleased him.

“You approve, yes?”

“Oh, I like bacon fine, but you look like a little boy who just discovered the cake hidden in the fridge.”

“Why would anyone hide cake in the fridge?” He set the bacon the counter. He could fry up all of it, but likely they should add something else to it.

“It’s just a saying…” She waved off the comment. “If you have any mix or flour, I could make pancakes, maybe.”

“You would cook for me?” It humbled him.

“Aren’t you going to cook for me?” She pointed at the bacon.

“Fair point. We’ll cook together.”

“In that case…” She returned to the coffee maker. “I’ll get another pot started, and you can explain Diesel to me.”

“Me?”

“No. Well, yes, eventually I guess, but I meant the name. Chowder told me how he got his, but please don’t tell me you liked to eat gas and that’s why you have the name.” The mock horror in her tone elicited a laugh, from him this time.

“Perhaps you’ll have to earn that answer.”

“That sounds like a challenge.” Despite her earlier reservations, she didn’t seem to mind. The coffee started, so she began rummaging through the cabinets and he joined her. They needed pans, and at least one plate—maybe two.

“I like challenging you,” he said, not minding when she squeezed around him and her fingers brushed his back.

“Not sure whether to be worried or excited by the prospect.”

“Be excited.” He advised. “It’s more fun.”

Her grin lit up the room and Diesel and his wolf both wanted to sigh. It had been a long time since he enjoyed something so mundane as cooking or searching for cooking utensils.

“Do you mind if I ask you about what happened last night?”

A darker cloud than he cared to cast, but he’d told her to speak her mind. “Not at all. What do you want to know?”

“Everything?”

He nodded as she set a bowl on the counter and began to mix ingredients together to create a batter. “Better we discuss this before we eat.”

Setting the pan on the stove, he turned on the heat and began laying strips of bacon along it. Once it began to sizzle, he told her of the attack, the hunt, Amaruq and his plan for Yury.

Definitely not a conversation for a meal.

N
ot only did
Diesel answer her question about the attack, but he gave her intimate details of the deaths in Amaruq, his suspicions about the Russian pack behind them, and his plans for the wolf they’d captured. Settled on the sofa once more with their pancakes and bacon, she listened in quiet awe as he laid it all out for her.

When he finished, she said, “So that’s it? You’re going to send each of his organs to one of the packs in Russia, along with a personal note?” She wasn’t sure whether to be horrified or impressed.

“It’s a kind of blunt honesty they will appreciate. Dipping into the North American packs might seem a sport to some of their young, but older wolves understand that if we do the same to them—we would be wise to wipe them out.” Diesel shrugged. “My ancestors were Russian. I know how they think.”

At this point, she should be used to the shocks but they kept coming. “The Yukon pack is Russian?”

“Some, not all.” He tipped his head. “Is that a problem for you?”

Opening her mouth, she started to say ‘no’ then paused. As direct as he’d been with her, he deserved honesty. “I don’t know. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about Russian packs.”

“The brutality? The way they take over another pack through assassination of the males and the conquest of the females?” Maybe he was too direct.

“Yes.” The dark terrified her, and the Russians reminded her of the dark. A boogeyman waiting to ambush them when they least expected it. “We don’t really know much about them other than avoid them at all costs…a few of Willow Bend’s wolves have gone overseas and staying away from them is on the top of the list.”

“It’s a wise piece of advice. They don’t like outsiders and tend to kill first and ask questions never.” The ease he had with the danger soothed her in a way it shouldn’t. “It comes from having limited resources and very difficult winters. Survival depends on access to resources, and outsiders can chip away at those resources.”

“You don’t have that problem here?” Winters at home could be hard, but she couldn’t imagine the long hours of night they endured in the deepest part of winter, not to mention the brutal cold.

“We don’t have much competition here.” Though he’d finished his meal, he sat with her as she nibbled her way through the bacon.

“Was there competition here when your people migrated?” Sober thought. “And…didn’t the other packs have an issue with Russians moving in to this area?”

“First, no wolf pack was displaced when my people migrated. One of the reasons this region was chosen was for the lack of all but maybe a small handful of lone wolves. Most of those moved on of their own volition.”

“Or at least that’s what you were told.” Over the years, she’d heard her share of tall tales. Toman had told her family it was better for A.J. to do the penance asserted by human law for his killing of a human rather than bring him home where he would face certain execution.

“I will grant you, it is what I was told. The migration happened in the early part of the 19
^th
century, the other North American packs weren’t here. It wasn’t considered a very hospitable region then.”

That earned him another laugh and she pointed her bacon at him. “I have news for you, it’s not considered much of a hospitable region now.”

Leaning forward, he snagged the bacon with his teeth and she tugged. He won more than half of the crispy slice. The way he chewed it sent a frisson of awareness through her, but she ate the rest of her piece herself then shook her head.

“Perhaps it’s not, but we like our isolation. Even with the changes wrought by technology and many of the younger members of the tribes moving on, we still have the many.”

Rubbing her jaw, she held out her plate with a few slices of bacon left. “I’m full if you’re still hungry.”

“I’m hungry for a great many things, but I will settle for bacon.” The playfulness wasn’t her imagination. He caught her wrist before she could withdraw it, then fed himself from her hand.

He nibbled all the way down the slice. Though loose, the warmth of his grip on her wrist kept her still. She could pull away, but he’d been so giving and open—she didn’t want to. His eyes were so vivid blue, and even though she was aware of his breath and nearness, the lap of his tongue against her fingertips made her shiver.

“Delicious,” he sighed with satisfaction, stroking his thumb over her pulse point before he released her.

Her face warmed and she wanted to growl, but the laughter in his gorgeous eyes silenced the rejection. “I hate that I’m blushing.”

“I don’t.” He stood then, setting the plate down and extending his hand to her. “Come…let’s go run, I’ve won the right to see your wolf, and I would show you my territory.”

Accepting his hand, she let him pull her to her feet. “I don’t know where my jacket went.”

“You won’t need it.” He padded on bare feet to the door.

“Or my shoes.”

He chuckled. “You won’t need those either.”

At the door, she tugged once and he halted. When he turned and faced her, she studied his expression. “Are you for real?”

“Define for real.” If not for the earnest way he studied her and the careful way he cradled her hand in his she might have thought he was joking.

“Most of the males I know…they can’t help themselves. They have to protect me from everything, even myself. Are you for real about going out there? To run on the tundra? Even with the danger?”

“If you mean do I trust you to be capable, yes. If you mean do I trust myself to watch your back, then also yes.”

Her heart sank. Watch her back? Of course, he was just like…

“Dove,” Diesel said, closing the distance between them and cupping her face. He urged her gaze upward, and stared at her with that same earnestness. “I trust you to watch my back as well.”

Surprise buoyed her above the disappointment. “You don’t know me.” All the wolves in her life who did, yet this one stranger,
he
believed in her.

“When you’ve lived as long as me, you become a good judge of character.” With a squeeze of her hand, he guided her through the underground compound passing groups of chattering children and more.

They waved to Diesel, called out greetings, but none intercepted them. His pack seemed confident and calm. Even with all the people calling out greetings and the peace in their scents, something still struck her as odd. Keeping her questions to herself, she padded barefoot along the stone and grass pathways winding through the sanctuary.

At the door to the stairs, she braced herself. She needn’t have worried though, because the lights were on. “You’re going to run the bill up at this rate.” It wasn’t exactly a thank you, but he grinned at her nonetheless.

“So much doubt,” he said. “You are going to really put me through the ringer to prove my worth, aren’t you?”

Her face warmed once more, but she couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped as they took the stairs at speed. He matched strides with her so they stayed side by side. At the top of the stairs he released her to open the door for her. No one remained within the cabin, and all the signs of their patients had been cleaned away. She couldn’t even smell the blood.

“Damn,” she murmured. “Your cleaning fairies are way impressive.”

Diesel snorted and gave her a light nudge. “Shift for me in here, where it’s warm.”

It wasn’t exactly hot in the room; a low banked fire gave the room a warm glow and a couple of oil lanterns added to the illumination. “I see, you brought me to a freezing room to get me naked.”

Folding his arms, the Alpha leaned against the wall nearest the outer door. “Delay all you like, I will wait.”

Pivoting, she faced him and pursed her lips. “I’m not shy.”

“I never said you were.”

Gripping her shirt, she tugged it off over her head, then freed the bra before she stripped out of her yoga pants and panties. Nude, she eyed him and raised her chin. One thing having three brothers taught her—
don’t back down from a challenge.

Ever.

For several long heartbeats, Diesel kept his gaze zeroed in on her face. While she’d never been an exhibitionist, she expected a little more notice than he gave her. Hands on her hips, she tapped one foot and waited.

“Problem, Dove?” The faintest curve to his lips betrayed his entertainment at her predicament.

Dodging the bait, she reached for her wolf and the rush spilled over her. Faster than nearly anyone in her pack, save perhaps her Alpha, though she’d never compared it, she went from two feet to four in a twist of blissful agony. Her bones didn’t crack and snap like others; she’d always been far more fluid.

“Oh, Dove, you are a beauty.” He’d abandoned his post at the wall and approached her. The praise had her lifting her head and testing his scent. He crouched before her and brought his head level with hers. His wolf was huge, hers was far more average. One exchange of being so swift to shift was she didn’t quite have the bulk of her brothers.

She might be smaller, but she had strength and speed. With his hands on her head, he canted his to study her and she took advantage of his distraction to slurp his face. Dancing away, she bounded around the room then skidded to a halt at the door.

The freedom of being in her wolf form offered a wild pleasure. It had been far too many days since she’d had the opportunity.

“As my lady wishes.” Diesel stripped out of his clothes and she didn’t pretend to look away. The wolf assessed the male as only a wolf could. He was tall, broad shouldered, and densely muscled. She expected more scars, but the flex of his thighs distracted her.

His change was a revelation. Deep breaths carried the rich, masculine scent of snow on fur. When he completed his transition, he stalked forward and she flicked her ears toward him. He butted his head to hers, then rubbed all along her side. If his nose went anywhere near her…he nipped her hip and she whirled and snapped at him.

Undeterred he pounced her and they tumbled. She slid free, and rolled over to land on her feet. Twice more they faced off, pouncing and breaking apart. He was more than a third again larger than her, but not once did she feel the threat of his age or his dominance. It was downright liberating.

More than ready to abandon the cabin, she raced over to the door then back at him. With a bark, he ordered her to follow and she fell away from the door to let him open their exit. He hit a pad with his paws, then they were inside the mudroom antechamber and the heat shut off and the red lights began to tick down.

Antsy, she danced back and forth. Diesel flicked one ear to her then the door. At the hiss announcing the door release, she focused and readied to face whatever challenges awaited them. Diesel strode through the open door first and she gave him a beat then followed on his heels.

T
hey emerged
into the darkness of the day, and Diesel halted three steps from the door to let her eyes acclimate. She made a fierce, compact and definitely beautiful wolf. Her pelt had hints of gold and brown mingled with white and grey. The mottling affect reminded him of the hint of freckles he’d spied along her torso and arms. A sprinkle of them decorated her nose, but her soft golden skin tone rendered them nearly invisible.

He’d spent a lot of time studying her face earlier and counted each one. Dove paused then turned in a slow circle, her nose rising to test the breeze. The bulk of his pack still roamed near Tikaani with a select few having encouraged their younger members to return to the sanctuary. The rest? They would do as they’d always done, but they kept their numbers up to avoid ambush and his Sentries stretched themselves out to keep the pack protected.

Dove slowed her circle then paced to his side and bumped him. When he nipped at her muzzle, she rewarded him with a show of teeth. Yes, she proved a delight. Her simple joy at not being closeted away firmed another opinion within him, one he’d understood all of his life. To be a mate to an Alpha was not the same as choosing him as her Alpha. He could be her mate or he could be her Alpha—he far preferred the former to the latter.

Together, they set off across the empty village. The storm he’d scented the day before must have blown through while they slept. Fresh powder puffed beneath his feet and only the faintest of breezes stirred his coat. It was a perfect day, one he intended to spend exploring. The sun rested on the horizon, a sliver of light to illuminate the day. It would dip again soon, but he kept watch over his companion.

If the shadows bothered her, she didn’t let on. For now, he would keep watch and, if necessary, angle their path toward Tikaani again. Though he didn’t doubt her strength or her skill, he didn’t believe her ready to roam for days on end.

His wolf snapped at his wandering thoughts and Diesel halted. The breeze carried no scents he didn’t recognize. Flicking his ears, he listened. Some change alerted his senses, and he refused to allow surprise to cut into their day. Dove stilled next to him, her position moving to cover his flank. Her side brushed his, and it was so natural, bliss filled him.

Too long he’d run alone, with an emptiness in his soul that not even the care of his pack could fill. The same void pressed him to walk closer and closer to the fade—an urge he no longer experienced. Dove filled the vacancy within him and it overflowed the brim.

When he claimed her…

Movement sharpened his focus, and he swung his head that direction. Something roamed the woods he’d been leading her toward. His woods. His territory to roam.

Slapping her with his tail, he glanced back to catch Dove’s golden gaze. The weight of her regard struck him with a potent force. He flicked his ears toward the woods then her before he flattened them and peeled his lips from his teeth. He expected her to understand the body language.

She’d cocked her head at his initial request then gave him a single nod.

Ferocious delight fisted in his chest. No argument, no stubborn refusal, merely acceptance. Certain she understood, he set off on a diagonal trajectory into the woods. Dove followed behind him, her path settling directly into his footsteps in the snow. Clever girl. If someone detected his path, they’d only see one wolf.