Authors: Scarlet Hyacinth
Tags: #Romance
At that, Graham could no longer contain his temper. “Oh, aren’t you generous, Alpha Crane? Weren’t we all in danger when you pushed us away?”
“My choices as Alpha aren’t being debated here,” Hugh shot back, his eyes flashing with anger. “I did what I had to do to keep the pack safe. Large packs never survive, as they are weeded out by the draechen.”
“Agreed,” Graham replied. “So how long do you think you can accept that risk for the benefit of the members of my pack? One day? One week? How long until you decide to leave them to their own devices?”
Hugh snorted. “Rather than dwell on that, why don’t you ask yourself how much time you and your mate have until the Dog-Catcher finds your trail?”
As much as Graham hated to admit it, Hugh had a point. He wanted to believe he could protect his pack and his lover from Shtamakarein, but he didn’t have that certainty.
In the end, it was the rest of the wolves who had to decide. Turning away from Hugh, he faced them once again. “Well?”
It was instantly noticeable that all of those present remained silent. Awkwardness and regret practically irradiated off them. Or perhaps it was Caelyn’s emotion Graham felt. Either way, it hurt just the same.
His brother came to his side and hugged him tightly. “I’ll come with you. I’ll follow you wherever you go.”
Stuart might not have known it, but his honest affection shattered the ball of dismay and loss gathering in Graham’s chest. He knew in that moment what he had to do.
Breaking the embrace, Graham shook his head. “They’re right in their own way. This is my battle, and Caelyn’s. It’s not fair for us to draw all of you into it. But I don’t trust Hugh with my people. You have to stay to take care of them, like you did in my absence.”
“I’m no Alpha, Graham,” Stuart countered. “I’m not you.”
“No, but you’re a good wolf and a good brother. I have faith in you. Take care of them.”
Stuart’s expression of panic melted into decision. “Yes, Alpha. So I shall.”
Glancing one last time at all the men and women he had led for years, Graham offered them a small smile. “Good luck. Perhaps we’ll meet again one day.”
He’d never been one for excessively heartfelt good-byes, so that would have to do. He just nodded at his mother and father, and, at the last moment, decided to be the better man and mend the broken bridge with Hugh as well. “For as long as you can, protect them,” he told the other Alpha.
“I will,” Hugh promised. “Farewell, Graham. You were a good wolf.”
Graham had nothing to say to that. Clearly, Hugh thought Graham was heading toward his death. Graham was too frustrated to even grant that comment an answer.
Turning away from the group, Graham started to walk away, his mate trailing after him. He didn’t look behind once, and didn’t stop until the camp was behind them.
He might not have stopped at all, but Caelyn’s feelings started to overwhelm him. Pulling Caelyn into the shade of a nearby tree, Graham gazed deeply into Caelyn’s sky-blue eyes. “Angel, will you stop tormenting yourself? It’s better this way, for everyone.”
“I’m sorry,” Caelyn murmured, seemingly fighting back tears. “It’s my fault you lost your pack.”
It was a serious issue, something that needed to be addressed at once, but Graham couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Oh, Caelyn, we’re being ridiculous. I’m blaming myself for you having to leave your parents, and you’re doing the same thing now that I had to hand over my pack to Stuart.” He kissed Caelyn’s nose. “Don’t you see, angel? Both of us had to make a choice, and we chose each other. You don’t regret it, and neither do I. Sure, I’ll miss being an Alpha, but I have you now. You’re the single most beautiful thing that happened to me. It might be selfish, but I’m willing to throw all else to the wind as long as I have you.”
Those words quieted the guilt rushing through Caelyn and drew a small smile from the sprite. “I don’t think it counts as being selfish since I’m the one who gets all the advantages.”
The answer held a touch of the shy seductiveness that drove Graham insane with lust. Graham’s dick instantly responded. “I beg to differ, angel. And watch yourself. No matter how much I want to, I can’t fuck you here. It’s Hugh’s turf.”
The reminder of their reality did nothing to quiet their passion. Caelyn’s smile grew a little lazier, a touch wicked, and he pulled away from Graham. “Well, then, we should go. As soon as possible.”
It seemed incredible, but as they left the forest, the two of them were laughing, teasing each other, all sadness forgotten. And as they headed toward their new future, they left behind the shadow of tears and regret in the shade of the trees. They had their work cut out for them to make this relationship survive, but Graham believed in it. He believed in their love, and he’d willingly set his life on the line to protect it.
“Come on, baby. Don’t do this to Daddy. Come on.”
Caelyn rolled his eyes and released a heavy sigh. “Would you stop baby-talking the car?” he asked his mate in frustration. “It’s not going to start because of it.”
Graham ignored him, repeating the litany of endearments for the vehicle. “Come on, sweetie. Prove him wrong. You can do this.”
But as he turned the key in the ignition, the vehicle just huffed, spluttered, and refused to work. Cursing, Graham turned toward Caelyn and glowered. “You jinxed it.”
“Oh, for Jenarra’s sake.”
Caelyn pushed the car door open and stepped outside onto the tarmac. If they kept at this, he was either going to strangle Graham or fuck the nonsense out of him. The latter option appealed more to Caelyn’s libido, but his pride refused.
As he stalked away from the vehicle, Caelyn considered his options. There was a town nearby, but they were still a good forty miles away from it. The idea of walking there didn’t fill Caelyn with enthusiasm. His only hope seemed hitching a ride from someone and maybe finding a mechanic in the town. He couldn’t understand why Graham was being so absurd and stubborn about this.
Behind him, the sound of cursing and banging alerted him to the fact that Graham had decided a little tough love was the next step in his relationship with the car. As the werewolf lifted the hood of the car and leaned over, presumably to investigate what was wrong with the confounded thing, Caelyn allowed himself a few moments to admire the sight of Graham’s delicious ass, then returned to his mate’s side. “Do you even know what you’re doing?” he inquired.
Graham speared him with a dark look that could have crushed diamonds. “Actually, yes. Unlike you privileged folk, my people always have to make do on our own.”
Shocked, Caelyn recoiled, the venom in Graham’s voice sending a thousand needles in his heart. He took a step back, but Graham stopped him before he could move away. “I’m so sorry, angel,” Graham whispered, pulling him close. “Gods, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
Caelyn believed that, but he also knew there was some truth in Graham’s words. They were used to different ways of handling things. But that was bound to happen for any relationship. Even mates needed to take time to adjust to each other. Given their different backgrounds and circumstances, this explosion should have happened a long time ago.
“You didn’t, and you did,” he replied softly, hugging Graham back. “But that’s all right. I understand.”
They were both irritated and tired after having been on the road continuously ever since they’d left Graham’s pack. Graham had promised they would stop to catch their breaths once they reached a safer location, but so far, nothing seemed to qualify to his standards. And now, the car had broken down in the middle of nowhere.
“Yeah, okay,” Graham said with a sigh, “but I’m still sorry. I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you.”
“I’m sorry, too.” Clearing his throat, Caelyn pulled away from the embrace. There was still a measure of awkwardness between them, but they’d just have to deal with it later. “Now, have you figured out what’s wrong with it?”
“I can’t be sure just yet, but it looks like dirty fuel clogged the injectors. That’s why the engine stopped.”
“Err…okay,” Caelyn answered. “So can you fix it?”
Graham shook his head. “I could, but I need to replace the fuel filter. It’s not a hard part to come by, but I don’t have it here.” He smiled sheepishly. “So basically, you were right. We have to go to town.”
Caelyn almost wanted to burst into laughter, the tension starting to drain out of him. “Okay. Should we grab the bags and go, or wait?”
“Let’s just go,” Graham answered. “I’ve never liked just standing there, twiddling my thumbs in hope that someone would drop by to offer me the solution to my problems.”
Of course he hadn’t. He was an Alpha, after all, a problem solver. Suddenly feeling much better about the entire situation, Caelyn walked to the trunk of their car and grabbed one of their bags. As Graham shouldered the second one, they locked the vehicle up and started to walk in the general direction of the town.
The first milestone they saw read Youngsville, forty-one miles. With a silent sigh, Caelyn prepared himself for a long trek. And since he didn’t want to leave anything poisonous between them, he hesitantly said, “Please, let’s not fight again. I hate it when we do.”
“Me, too, angel,” Graham answered. “I suppose it’s inevitable for our tempers to clash, but I need you to realize that whatever I said back there, I do value you, as my mate and my partner.”
Graham sounded genuinely regretful, and the last traces of the Caelyn’s anxiousness disappeared. Through their bond, he felt the true extent of Graham’s emotions, and he knew that his mate not only desired him, but also loved and respected him. “We’ll get used to each other,” he replied, brushing a light kiss over Graham’s cheek. “We’re just in a difficult position right now, but I’m convinced it’ll happen. After all, we’re mates. We belong together.”
He could almost see Graham’s wolf perk up and wag its tail, which really made him smile. He was actually tempted to stop for a little fun romp, but they had to deal with the more immediate problem. “So is this a complicated repair?” he asked his mate.
“Nah,” Graham answered. “If I find the part, we’ll be out of here in a couple of hours.”
Relief swamped Caelyn. The last thing they needed was to be stranded here with no means of transportation. True, their new documents would allow them to buy a new vehicle or use busses and trains, but they needed to keep a low profile. So far the draechen hadn’t found them, and Caelyn wanted to keep it that way.
“So where are we going next?” he inquired. “If we go any further north, we’ll go into Canada.”
“Actually, I was thinking of finding a place to lie low for a while, here in Vermont,” Graham answered. “We both need to recharge our batteries, and sometimes, hiding in plain sight is the best solution. But I’m not sure where yet.”
Before Caelyn could reply to that, Graham startled, making a sound of realization. At first, Caelyn himself couldn’t hear what Graham had. While his senses were better than those of humans, they weren’t nearly as finely tuned as Graham’s. He did, however, acknowledge the reason of Graham’s behavior because of his bond with the wolf. A car was quickly approaching. Soon, Caelyn’s hearing caught it, too. They stopped, hoping they could get the driver to help them.
As the vehicle appeared in the distance, Caelyn started to wave at it. Fortunately, they seemed to be in luck. The driver slowed down until the car finally came to a halt straight next to them. The window rolled down, and a pretty, dark-haired woman stuck her head out.
“Oh, hi there,” she said, smiling warmly. “You boys look tired. What’s up?”
“Our car broke down,” Caelyn said. “We need to get to town for a part. I don’t suppose you could drive us there for it?”
She arched a brow at him, then stole a look at Graham.
“She’s going to say no,”
Graham whispered through their bond.
“I’m too big and threatening.”
Sadly, Graham had a point. Human women had to be careful with whom they helped out, as there were all sorts of bad people roaming about. In spite of this, though, the unknown woman slid out of the car, still smiling. “Tell you what. I know the town mechanic well. I can call him and ask him to pick your car up. How does that sound?”
“Really?” Graham asked. “That would be great. We’re just a little down the road. It looked like there was a problem with the fuel injectors, but if we change the filter, it should be all right.”
“But we’re being rude,” Caelyn piped up. “I’m Lincoln Farrington and this is my…uhh…friend, Graham York.”
Yeah, that sounded convincing. Raul had created an entire history and educational background for the two of them, and Caelyn had gotten used to the new name, but he always had problems when explaining the relationship between him and Graham.
The human woman didn’t even blink or acknowledge his awkward comment. “Caroline Connors. Come on, get in. Let me just call Bill, and we’ll be on our way.”
“She’s a strange one,”
Graham commented as they obediently slid into the backseat.
Outside, their new friend dialed a number and soon started a conversation. “Hi, Bill. Carol here.”
Caelyn’s hearing caught the answer to her greeting. “Hello, Carol. You okay, girl?”
“Yeah, fine.” Caroline laughed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”