WithHerCraving (14 page)

She froze, instinctively crouching. Her chest pressed
against the hard, cold ground. The bears raised their heads, shifting their
attention from the water. They were no longer alone on this hunting
ground—hunting ground they probably viewed as their own. One of them raised his
head higher. Katrin saw its profile through the tall blades of grass. It
sniffed hard with its long snout and she stared at black nostrils as they
flared. She was sure they breathed in her scent.

They were young, although old enough that mama bear might
have let them wander off to play and hunt without being too protective of them.
Fucking tail, please let that be the case
.

She masked her fear, doing her best to keep her heart from
pounding in her chest. Panicking wouldn’t help. Letting the bears smell fear
would definitely make matters worse. It was two to one and she didn’t want them
deciding there might be better prey out there than fish. She was more
intelligent, but they were bigger and stronger.

Katrin took her time looking around her. She searched
through every blade of grass, glanced up at the steep, rocky inclines around
them, but never let her attention stray from the two bears for more than a few
seconds. She didn’t smell another bear, or any other creatures around her. That
didn’t mean mama bear wouldn’t appear if one of them cried for help. It wasn’t
a fight Katrin wanted to chance.

The bears would stalk her if given the chance. She’d never
smelled fear on a bear. Curiosity, definitely. She’d smelled anger, and the
worst scent that could ever be picked up off a bear—excitement over a hunt.

Her one definite advantage over a bear was speed. In the
tight confines of the cliffs surrounding the meadow, she’d stripped that
advantage away. Her only defense now was to outthink them.

The bears appeared to be mulling over whether or not they
should leave their game of capturing fish to learn what other creature just
entered their meadow. She needed a plan of action.

Katrin lay flat on the ground and watched the two bears
through arthritic-looking twigs and tall, thick blades of grass. They had
abandoned their fishing expedition and now stood with their backs to the water.
One of them went up on his hindquarters to get a better view across the tall
meadow grass.

Inching back between two mushroom-shaped large rocks serving
as the doorway into the meadow, she glanced behind her then up at the flaky
shale and limestone walls stretching toward the gray, cloud-filled sky. One of
the bears leaped and the ground shook under Katrin’s paws. Her hairs bristled
down her spine as she tensed. Her heart almost exploded in her chest. Katrin
found it hard to breathe. The smell of her fear clogged the air around her. She
had seconds to decide what to do.

There really was only one thing to do. Katrin leapt backward
then jumped up the rocks on to a ledge, getting the hell out of their way. With
the advantage of height, she saw both of them easier as they bounded together
across the meadow toward her.

The bears had a rich, ripe scent that was easily
distinguished. Her hackles rose even further when another smell filled the air.

I’m really not in the mood for a battle tonight
, she
snarled, and searched around her to see who had joined the party.

Whoever it was bounded up the mountain, coming from the
direction she’d just run. Turning and searching the rocky terrain, and the
steep path she’d climbed to reach the meadow, she narrowed her gaze.

There in the darkness, just at the top of jutting rocks and
sheets of flat stone, were two male Cariboo.

The bears picked up on their scent at the same time the
males sniffed them out. Suddenly it was a standoff and Katrin was stuck right
in the middle.

Letting out a low howl, Katrin breathed in Jarvis’ scent.
Her heart was elated and at the same time every inch of her tensed. Jarvis
lifted his head, his ears alert. His silver eyes seemed to glow in the thick
darkness of the night. Another male came to a stop next to Jarvis. Both had
saddlebags draped down their sides, which definitely would have slowed their
pace. The two of them stared at her.

Jarvis let out a fierce roar.

Don’t get too macho against two bears!
Katrin roared
in response, turning on the ledge to warn Jarvis.
We can scare them away
without attacking.

The tart smell that suddenly filled the air wasn’t
unfamiliar. Just because she grew up in the mountains didn’t mean she hadn’t
been around male Cariboo when they were close or had just reached their prime
as adults. Katrin had picked up on the scent of males before when they reached
that moment right before claws and teeth were bared, hackles went up and the
thrill of the fight tightened within them. Cariboo seldom turned down a good
fight.

The energy coursing through Jarvis was a mixture of rage and
testosterone, of excitement and determination. The result was this tart aroma.
When a male or female smelled of the fight, they brought to it their own scent
as well. Katrin had never smelled the rush of adrenaline and testosterone mixed
in with Jarvis’ unique aroma. As it reached her nostrils and she breathed it
in, it was intoxicating. It was as if she’d tried a drug for the first time and
realized she was already addicted to it.

The bears hesitated and Katrin took that moment to leap to
the ground toward the two male Cariboo. Before she could position herself, the
males bounded toward her and pushed her behind them. Now both Jarvis’ and
Jaeger’s scents overwhelmed her. Katrin tried to breathe in only Jarvis, to
distinguish him from his littermate so she could have her fill, but it was
pointless. Never in her life had she smelled so much raw energy, such a primal
urge to fight and protect.

Katrin responded on instinct. As much as she wanted
everything that was Jarvis inside her, she also felt the pull to protect what
was hers. And she’d be damned if she would be shoved out of the fight. She
leapt off the ledge.

I don’t need to be protected. I can fight as well as you
can.
Katrin snapped at Jarvis.

The two of them were nuts if they thought they were taking
on bears while weighed down with saddlebags. She might as well train both of
these males now. She would attack the bears to protect Jarvis and his littermate,
if necessary. But she believed she smelled the situation accurately. She could
scare away the two bears and not kill them.

Jaeger turned and snarled at her. Jarvis also looked over
his shoulder and did the same, letting out a low warning growl.

Stay where you are
, both of them informed her.

Katrin curled her lip, disgusted and getting pissed. She
wanted to be alongside Jarvis. She wanted to be close and up front so she would
see the moment the bears decided to fight, or when they turned away. All she
saw at the moment were the asses of two males who needed a good lesson on how
to treat her.

The bears suddenly smelled a lot stronger. They felt their
hunting ground was being challenged. Good kill was imperative to survive. They
would fight to maintain their food supply. And these two fools in front of her
weren’t helping matters. The last thing they needed was an incredible supply of
bear meat they wouldn’t be able to haul along with them.

It was damn hard to see over the shoulders and large bodies
of the two males creating a wall of fur and muscle in front of her. One of the
grizzlies roared and Katrin jumped in spite of herself. Jarvis let out a
fierce, bloodcurdling snarl in response and planted himself firmly where he
was. Jaeger took a couple steps forward, the two males spreading out. They were
preparing for battle.

Katrin moved to stand next to Jarvis, filling her lungs with
his rich, dominating scent. The saddlebag bumped against her, swollen with
contents that made it hard and lumpy. Jarvis angled himself so their front legs
touched. Katrin almost went weak from the smell of his concern and affection.

There was so much powerful muscle rippling underneath
Jarvis’ thick white fur. Streaks of pale burnt orange stretched through his
otherwise completely white coat. He was head and shoulders taller in his fur
than she was but Katrin didn’t need his size to be equal in battle.

Not that Jarvis and she would battle together today. Katrin
didn’t believe in unnecessary bloodshed. It wasn’t honorable and not how her
sire and mama had raised her. She smelled that same honor in Jarvis. He was too
wrapped up in protecting her after smelling the incredible danger when he’d
first found her. He would learn she knew how to protect herself, although she
had to admit she was a lot more comfortable now that he was here.

Jarvis took a brief moment to look at her, turning his head
from the two bears and glancing down. His silver eyes were warm, and his
emotions shifted enough for her to smell how clean his happiness was at seeing
her.

Katrin wagged her tail once but that was all she allowed
herself to do. As much as she ached to run her fur against his and share his
warmth, they had a situation. She would much rather tumble with Jarvis over the
meadow grass then deal with the bears. Just the thought of rising up on her
hind legs, baring her teeth and leaping at Jarvis, then the two of them falling
to the ground, damn near had her wet between her hind legs.

Katrin ached to drag her claws through his fur, to instigate
roughness before settling into passion. She would challenge him, draw Jarvis’
incredible potency out from within him. He would attack and she’d be ready.
Together they would ride each other and grow stronger with their carnal heat.
Jarvis would fuck her. She would submit, but the moment he began to smell too
dominant, she would roll him over and ride him until he came.

First we need to get rid of the damn bears,
she
grumbled to herself.

Jarvis had already returned his attention to their two
obstacles. Katrin hadn’t been able to see them during her moment of craving
this adventure to be over. She so desperately wanted to fuck her male until he
was sated and lazy. When Jaeger stepped to the side, the two bears were once
again in her line of vision.

Jarvis glanced at her, but this time his eyes were narrowed
and his growl fierce with a command.
Jump! Up on the rock. You’re safer up
there.

The grizzlies might be able to bound over rocks with
noticeable speed. But Cariboo had the advantage of leaping from one ledge to another,
something the bears’ weight made it harder to do.

Katrin leapt on top of the rock, returning to her ledge
where she’d first had a good view of the two bears. She was almost crushed
against the flat sheet of rock alongside her when Jarvis leapt on top of the
rock next to her. Jaeger sprang onto the rock as well.

Jarvis stabilized himself on the outside. At the same time
he snarled a warning. Katrin barely had room to move and seeing over or around
Jarvis was impossible. But when she looked straight ahead the bears were in the
middle of the meadow. They slowed, looked around, then up at the three
werewolves perched on the narrow ledges.

One of the bears roared. They might barely be grown,
possibly close to a year old by the looks of them, but they were larger than
Katrin—larger than Jarvis. Bears weren’t as stupid as some creatures. They
didn’t possess a werewolf’s intelligence, but being smarter also meant knowing
when to choose battles. She was glad Jarvis made the right choice.

The three of them could leap, attack the bears, and it would
be a powerful fight. Katrin’s mind raced over possible strategies. She didn’t
realize she was growling with each breath until Jarvis pressed his body harder
against hers. It left her with a tunnel-vision view of the two bears. One of
them continued standing, watching the three of them. The other remained on all
fours, his round, thick body appearing to roll as if possibly he too growled
with each breath.

She wasn’t sure if moments passed or minutes, but every inch
of her was stiff. Her mouth was dry from panting. Her eyes were dry from
staring, not daring to blink. She was ready to leap, to pounce if need be, to
do whatever it took to protect the three of them.

When the bear on his hindquarters fell to all fours, Jarvis
straightened and almost crushed her against the cold, flat rock wall. The bear
nudged into the other one and turned them around as a single unit. Then without
so much as a warning growl, the bears walked across the meadow and disappeared
around a ledge by the creek.

Jaeger was the first of the three of them to hit the ground.
He did a triumphant dance but Jarvis snapped at him and his anger spiked
instantly. Jaeger spun around. Katrin swore she saw confusion on his face. She
easily smelled it.

Jarvis might not be able to get his point across to his
littermate while in their fur. Katrin was pretty sure she understood. There was
no victory to celebrate, no battle won. The bears might have disappeared but
she doubted they were gone. The three of them hadn’t chased the bears away;
they’d simply waited until the two of them had decided to leave.

They caught fish where the bears had been hunting then
Jarvis nudged all of them on. There were plenty of fish in the fast-moving
water and Katrin believed the bears would return to hunt there again soon. In a
way, she believed they had decided to walk away but not retreat. For that,
Katrin was grateful. The bears had shared their hunting ground with the three
of them.

Which was why Jarvis had snapped at Jaeger. They hadn’t won
a battle. If they had attacked it would have been selfish. Katrin wasn’t sure
if the bears had thought the same way, or not. She would never know but that
was okay. Jarvis had done the honorable thing, waiting until the bears had
gotten bored and went somewhere else.

For that, Katrin not only honored Jarvis, she loved him.