The Mating (The original Law of the Lycans story)

Chapter 31

Surrounded by the quiet stillness of the woods, Elise sat at the bottom of the ravine, listening to the sound of her own laboured breathing. Every square inch of her body hurt. She'd just completed what felt like a herculean task by working herself into a sitting position and sliding her way over to the base of a small tree. Now, as she leaned against the trunk, she fought against the waves of blackness that threatened to overtake her. The move had been excruciating and her immediate plan, to put as much distance between herself and this location before Marla returned, would have to wait until the urge to vomit and faint had passed.

This was a fine mess that she'd landed herself in and she had no idea how she was going to get out of it. She'd left her cell phone at home and her attempt to contact Kane, seeking him out with her mind, hadn't been successful. He was still blocking her out, but...did that necessarily mean he couldn't sense her? Did it work both ways? It was worth a try. Concentrating as hard as she could, she projected her thoughts outward. For a moment she wondered if she'd captured his attention, but then the little spark was gone, leaving her feeling empty and alone once again.

Staring up at the sky, she watched as more snowflakes began to fall. They landed on her face and caught in her lashes. It was actually quite pretty, she mused, letting her mind drift away from the pain that shot through her with every breath. If she was back at the Alpha house, she'd be sitting in the kitchen sipping a fresh cup of coffee and watching Helen bake. The mug would be warm in her hands and the smell of fresh baked cookies would fill the air while they chatted about pack life. In her dream world, Kane would come walking in and place his hands on her shoulders. Then he'd nuzzle her neck and trail his warm lips along her jaw until their mouths met in a slow, warm kiss. Elise smiled at the thought and let her eyes drift shut, cherishing the picture.

She must have drifted off, for the cry of a blue jay had her becoming aware of her surroundings with a start. Grey rocks jutted out of the dark soil that composed the sides and base of the ravine while sickly thin saplings and dried weeds haphazardly popped up here and there. Evidence of what might be a stream in wetter weather could be seen meandering down the centre of the ravine floor, but at present only the tiniest trickle of water was evident.

Looking down towards her injured leg, Elise saw that a small amount of snow had accumulated around her and she realized that she was shivering. Her warm wolf fur would come in handy right now, she thought, but she hesitated to change forms. Her leg was broken and she wasn't sure how shifting would affect it. Could the reshaping of the bone cause further damage or would it help it to heal faster? And then again, did she want it to heal faster if it wasn't properly set? Could she end up with a permanently damaged leg or one that needed to be re-broken in order to be corrected? Nibbling on her lip, she decided to hold off changing forms as long as possible, but if necessary, she'd risk being lame over being dead.

Glancing at her watch, she saw that it had broken in the fall, so she had no real idea of the time. Squinting up at the sky, a very hazy glow from the sun could just be seen through the cloud cover. From its position, she assumed it was almost noon. By now, Mr. Mancini would be having a fit that she hadn't shown up for her shift at the Grey Goose, though Kane had forbidden her to work there anymore. She wondered if he'd meant it, or even remembered having uttered the words; it had been said in the heat of the moment after all. The way Kane had ranted and ordered her around yesterday still rankled underneath the hurt of his rejection. When she saw him again—if she ever saw him again—she'd have to clear that up. She liked her job. To be sure it was just waitressing, but she was becoming quite good at it and enjoyed interacting with people. Working at the Grey Goose was her first taste of independence and she wasn't going to give it up without a fight.

She gave herself a little shake. Why was she getting so worked up about her job at a time like this? Staying alive was a more pressing matter! Her stomach chose that moment to rumble and she recalled that she'd forgotten to eat breakfast; instead she'd spent her time telling Helen her troubles. She remembered with longing the delicious smells that had been floating around the kitchen earlier. Everyone would be gathering at the Alpha house now and enjoying Helen's lunch of scalloped potatoes and baked ham. Would anyone notice she was missing and wonder where she was? Would Kane try to establish a connection with her in order to locate her? Once again, she tried to contact him, but soon gave up in frustration. If he was receiving her, he wasn't giving any acknowledgement of the fact.