The Omega's Heart (Wilde Creek Four) (22 page)

Her wolf surfaced and she shifted. She opened
her eyes and inhaled slowly, filtering out the scents around her.
Lowering her head, she began to move. It didn’t take long for her
to find the scent of rabbit. She let go of her fears and
insecurities and took off. The wolf didn’t care what Kammie’s human
body looked like. She often wished she had the same carefree
attitude in her human form that she did in her shift.

As she darted through the woods following the
scent of rabbit, she pushed all her thoughts away until it was just
her and her wolf. She gave herself over to the wolf, salivating at
the thought of the tempting rabbit she would soon be snacking
on.

And then she smelled something that made her
stop short, the snow fluffing up around her as she skidded to a
halt. She inhaled. It smelled like peppermint. Tilting her head,
she closed her eyes and inhaled slower. There it was again.
Peppermint. Before she could figure out why something smelled like
peppermint in the middle of the woods, she heard something moving
swiftly through the woods toward her. Her eyes popped open in time
to see a reindeer rush by.

Reindeer?

Don’t care
, her wolf whined, and
before Kammie knew what she was doing, she was tearing off after
the reindeer like her tail was on fire. The reindeer was very fast,
but Kammie was a good runner and was closing in on it, when
something heavy slammed into her from the side.

She felt rough fur slide into human skin and
she shifted, finding herself pinned against a thick tree by a
large, unfamiliar male.

“She’s not prey, she’s my sister!” the male
snarled, his face inches from Kammie’s.

The moon shone brightly through the trees
overhead and Kammie could see him clearly, thanks in part to her
wolf’s enhanced eyesight.

“She’s a reindeer,” Kammie said, wheezing
slightly as he pressed a thick arm into her chest. Her feet weren’t
even touching the ground.

He snarled angrily. “I know that!”

He bared his teeth and she was sure in that
moment that she was going to be ripped to shreds. She didn’t want
to die, naked in the woods, torn apart by some big furry creature
who had a reindeer for a sister. Putting her hands on his cheeks,
she fought the tears that stung her eyes and said, “Please don’t
kill me.”

He went very still and then dropped his face
to her throat. She winced, expecting teeth to bite and tear, but
instead he inhaled slowly and a shiver raced up her spine that had
nothing to do with the freezing temperature.

The restraining arms moved swiftly and she
found herself in his lap as he sat heavily on the ground, his arms
around her and holding her close. She was so stunned by his actions
that she didn’t protest that they were both naked.

His fingers stroked down her throat and he
made a gruff purring sound. “
Adara
mine. I found you. I
can’t believe I found you.”

“I’m,” she opened her mouth, but he pressed
his lips to hers, stifling the words with a kiss that would have
knocked her socks off if she’d been wearing them. His tongue slid
along hers and she couldn’t stop the moan, or her hands that
tangled themselves in his thick hair and pulled him closer. Her
wolf howled in happiness, but then she felt one of his hands trail
down her bare back and his fingers stopped on one of her bigger
scars. He growled deeply, pulling away from the drugging kiss.

“Who hurt you? I’ll slaughter them!”

She wiggled, trying to get off his lap and
find some semblance of modesty, but he wouldn’t release her.

“Who are you? Let me go right now!” She put
her hands on his muscular chest and pushed, but his arms were like
bands of steel around her.

“I’m Row, and you’re mine.”

He stood swiftly and tossed her gently over
his shoulder. Her head spun at the sudden change in direction and
she blushed sharply as her hands landed on his butt. “Put me down,
you loon!”

One of his hands gripped the inside of her
thigh to hold her against his shoulder, and he began to walk. “Not
now,
Adara
.”

“My name is Kammie.”

“Kammie,” he said, rubbing her inner thigh.
“
Adara
— my mate.”

As her wolf shouted in happiness, Kammie
exhaled sharply. She couldn’t be his mate; she wasn’t anyone’s
mate. When he saw the damage to her body, he wouldn’t want anything
to do with her. Her wolf whined pitifully, and Kammie closed her
eyes as she bumped uncomfortably over his shoulder. Row might think
they were mates, but the evidence of her abuse would change his
mind fast. She was damaged goods inside and out, scarred beyond
repair or hope.

Tears welled behind her closed eyes and she
let them fall as he carried her deeper into the woods.

* * * * *

Jeremiah knew that Honey wasn’t running as
fast as she would normally. He was just too bulky to be swift. But
he was having the time of his life stalking prey with his mate. His
senses were heightened in his partial shift, so he could sense prey
the same way that she could, but she was just smaller and faster
and could catch what they hunted. She had purposely missed the last
two rabbits that they’d been chasing, but he hadn’t been able to
catch the furry buggers either. He saw something dart to the right
and he lurched that way, slamming his muzzle into a tree trunk.

The pain made his eyes water and he sat down
hard and rubbed at the mark. At least it wasn’t bleeding.

Honey hopped over looking like a puppy,
shaking her hindquarters in the air as she ducked her head to her
paws.

He scratched her head. “Ouch.”

She crawled forward on her belly and rolled
onto her back next to him. She was beautiful in her shift. Her
belly was snow-white, the fur thick and soft, and the rest of her
coat was a pale gray sprinkled with black and white. Her amber eyes
were shining with happiness as he scratched her gently with his
claws.

“Pretty,” he said, finding it hard to talk in
his shifted form.

Her jaws snapped together and she looked like
she was smiling. Picking her up, he nuzzled her neck and inhaled
her sweet scent. Putting her down, he said, “Hunt more?”

She shook her head and motioned in the
direction where their clothes lay. They could probably have hunted
for a few more hours, but he didn’t want to tire her out. She
trotted next to him as he walked, and he found himself enjoying the
solitude of the woods. His wolf was happy that he could hunt, and
for the first time, he really felt like he was a true pack
member.

Honey shifted into her human form and
straightened, stretching tall. “Did you have fun, Jer?”

He pulled her clothes from the tree branch
and handed them to her, allowing himself to shift back into his
fully human form. “I did. Thanks for sticking with me.”

She shivered as she pulled her cold jeans and
top on. “I’m just sorry I’m not a very good teacher.”

He pulled his shirt on. “You’re a great
teacher.”

“You didn’t catch anything.”

She looked disappointed, but he didn’t think
she was disappointed in him. Pressing his lips to hers, he smiled
when she made a soft, pleased sound in her throat. “It’s just our
first time. I need more practice.”

“I’m sure there are males who would go out
with you and teach you better than me.”

He snarled at the idea. “You and me, Honey.
Hell or high water. Good hunts and bad. I don’t want to hunt with
anyone but you.”

She slipped her arms around him and hugged
herself close. “I don’t want to hunt with anyone else either.”

Kissing the top of her head, he wrapped his
arms around her. “I’ll get the hang of hunting. September isn’t too
far away, you know. If I’m going to provide my mate with plenty of
venison and rabbit meat while she’s carrying my pup, I’ve got to
get good fast.”

“You’re already a great provider.”

He swung her up into his arms and she rested
her head on his shoulder. He carried her through the woods and back
to the alphas’ home. The lights were still on inside, which told
him that the higher-ranked males hadn’t gotten back yet.

After settling Honey into the passenger seat,
he climbed in behind the wheel and started the engine. She leaned
against him and said, “This has been a great day. I think it’s a
tie for the best full moon I’ve ever had with the January moon,
when I followed your scent and found you in your backyard.”

“It is for me too, sweetheart.”

She fell asleep before they got home, and he
carried her into their house and back to their bed. After
undressing her and tossing both their clothes in the hamper, he
slid under the covers next to his mate and hugged her close. He’d
learned something about himself that night as he’d traipsed through
the woods with his mate — he was right where he needed to be. It
didn’t matter what he could or couldn’t shift into. It didn’t
matter what her life had been like before she came to Wilde Creek.
The only thing that mattered was that they were together. All his
insecurities about himself — as a man, as a wolf — couldn’t stand
against the simple truth that he loved his mate with every fiber of
his being, and she loved him, too.

Someday they’d have pups. Maybe they would
shift, and maybe they wouldn’t, but in the end it wouldn’t matter
because he and Honey would love them. They’d never abandon them or
make them wonder if they’d ever been wanted or loved.

He smiled in the darkness and listened to the
soft sound of Honey breathing deeply in sleep. In his wildest
fantasies he’d never imagined that his mate would search him out in
the woods, or that their mating would change both of their lives
forever. He wouldn’t trade a second of their time together for
anything in the world. He’d found his heart in the snow-covered
woods, the piece of himself that had been missing for so long.
Honey was his heart, and that was all that mattered.

The End

* * * * *

Contact the Author

Website:
http://www.rebutlerauthor.com

Email:
[email protected]

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* * * * *

Also from R. E. Butler

Wiccan-Were-Bear Novella Series

A Curve of Claw

A Flash of Fang

A Price for a Princess

A Bond of Brothers

A Bead of Blood

A Twitch of Tail

A Promise on White Wings

A Slash of Savagery

The Wolf’s Mate Series

The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason &
Cadence

The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The
Angel

The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The
Cats

The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael &
Shyne

The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika

The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna

The Wolf’s Mate Book 7: Lindy & The
Wulfen

The Necklace Chronicles

The Tribe’s Bride

The Gigolo’s Bride

Ashland Pride Series

Seducing Samantha (Ashland Pride One)

Loving Lachlyn (Ashland Pride Two)

Marking Melody (Ashland Pride Three)

Redeeming Rue (Ashland Pride Four)

Hyena Heat Series

Every Night Forever (Hyena Heat One)

Every Dawn Forever (Hyena Heat Two)

Every Sunset Forever (Hyena Heat Three)

Wilde Creek Series

Mate of Her Heart (Book One)

The Alpha’s Heart (Book Two)

The Protector’s Heart (Book Three)

The Omega’s Heart (Book Four)

The Scarred Heart (Book Five)

Coming Soon… The Scarred Heart (Wilde Creek
Five)

Kammie Townsend has always kept to herself.
She doesn’t want anyone to see the scars of her childhood, left
behind by her abusive uncle. Everything changes on the night of the
full moon, when she follows a reindeer and gets tackled by a bear
shifter. He says they’re mates, but Kammie knows that once he sees
the evidence of her painful history, the sexiest male she’s ever
met won’t want anything to do with her.

Row Grayson has lived a hard life, forced to
fight in tournaments for the amusement of the kings of neighboring
bear sleuths. The bright spot in his life is his mother and his
adopted sister, who is a reindeer shifter. When Row’s king
announces that all eligible males and females will be participating
in the ancient mating challenge, Row knows it’s time for his sister
to find her own people so she doesn’t wind up the mate of a male
she doesn’t love.

On the way to take Dani to her people, she
takes off and leaves Row behind. As he attempts to keep up with
her, he senses his own mate in the snow-covered woods of a town
called Wilde Creek. His mate is anything but receptive to his
touch. Her skin is as scarred as his heart is from years of brutal
fighting, but he knows he can convince her he finds her beautiful
inside and out. When he takes Kammie back to his people to make her
his mate, things go sideways fast. His king orders Kammie added to
the single females to be chosen by winners during an ancient mating
battle. Row has to fight better than he ever has in his entire life
to save her.

When a determined bear tangles with an
equally determined she-wolf, things will heat up fast. Expect torn
clothes, naked conversations, and a bear who will kill to keep his
mate by his side forever.

* * * * *