The Mating (The original Law of the Lycans story)

Chapter 31

Damn him for being so stubborn and pigheaded! Her anger started to grow. If he had only listened to her, rather than believing all the evidence against her, he'd have left the connection between them open. Then he'd know she was in trouble and get his butt over here. A part of her mind told her this was unfair. If the tables had been turned and she'd seen him hugging Marla, along with reading love notes and tape recorded messages, she'd be inclined to see him as guilty too. Still, she'd like to think that she'd have checked up on his well-being now and then, especially if he didn't show up for a meal and had left no explanation.

Running her fingers through her hair, she realized that the temperature must have risen. She wasn't feeling as cold any more. In fact, a thin film of sweat was forming on her brow and she unzipped her jacket, closing her eyes and relishing the feeling of the cool air as it hit her overheated body. Ah, that felt better. Suddenly she widened her eyes. Oh no! Not now! She was becoming used to reading the signals her body gave out; one of those waves was approaching again. A frustrated growl rumbled in her throat. The heat cycles were supposed to be fun and filled with hours of great sex. So far not a single one had lived up to her expectations. Kane had been away for the first, mad at her for the second and now, who knew where he might be!

Well, she wasn't just going to take this lying down. She'd funnel all her sexual frustration into trying to escape out of this ravine. Looking around she saw a few sticks that might serve as a crutch and slowly, painfully, pulled herself over to them. After testing several, she took the longest and sturdiest one available and, using the tree for support, heaved herself up into a standing position. Once upright, she swayed precariously for a few moments until the world quit tilting and then slowly began to hobble in a northerly direction.

After only a few steps, she was bathed in perspiration, the pain shooting up from her leg was almost unbearable, but she forced herself to keep moving. She had to get away. Marla was returning with plans to kill her and no one knew where she was. No one was coming to rescue her; she had only herself to rely on. Focusing solely on walking, she repeated the patterned movement over and over in her head: balance on the good leg, move the stick forward, use it for balance while hopping ahead, swallow hard and ignore the pain each lurching step caused, then repeat.

Her good leg was starting to tremble with fatigue. Reluctantly, Elise stopped and leaned against a tree, panting for breath. It felt like she'd been travelling for ages. Glancing backward to see how far she'd come, she wanted to scream; she could still see Rose's crumpled body, now partially covered with snow. All her efforts had gained her was a few hundred yards. Tears of frustration and self-pity swam in her eyes and she brushed them away, sniffing inelegantly. She couldn't give in, she had to keep trying. Where was all that anger and frustrated energy when she needed it?

Squaring her shoulders, she made another hopping step forward and then cried out in fear as her makeshift crutch slipped on the snowy ground and she fell forward. Twisting midair, she managed to protect her face by landing on her shoulder. The air left her body in a whoosh as she hit the partially frozen earth and she wheezed, trying to catch her breath. This time she allowed the tears to fall, beating the ground as she vented. She knew it was totally unproductive, but at that moment, didn't really care. She was scared. She hurt. Her hormones were raging, and quite frankly, life sucked!

When she was finally done sobbing, she felt only marginally better. While the crying jag seemed to have curbed the heat, she still hurt all over and was more scared than she ever thought possible. Lying on the ground she gave a forlorn hiccup and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. She had to get up and keep trying. Waiting for Marla to come and finish her off wasn't an option. Rolling over, she manoeuvred herself into a sitting position and began to look around for something to use to help lever herself upward. The faintest of sounds reached her ears and she froze, listening intently as she tried to decipher what it might be. Heavy breathing, footsteps—no, make that paws—and a slight snuffling sound. Someone was coming in wolf form and they were sniffing, following a trail.

Who could it be? Was Marla back already? Or maybe Julia had decided to join her and Rose? Could it be Kane finally coming to rescue her? Elise hesitated. Should she call out, assuming it was a friend? But what if it was Marla? No use in tipping the woman off.

Scooting herself back towards a tangle of shrubs, Elise attempted to conceal herself just in case. She'd watch and see who appeared. If it was rescue, she'd call out. If it was Marla... Well, she'd stay hidden as long as possible, and then fight tooth and nail for her life when the time came.

Minutes passed like hours as she listened to the sounds growing louder. Whoever was coming was approaching with caution, picking their way along, sniffing carefully. Elise forced herself to breathe slowly and lightly in order not to make a sound. She kept her eyes sharply fixed on the point where she felt the wolf would first appear.

Her vigilance was finally rewarded and she gave a slight gasp of relief. A large black wolf was coming into sight. Kane was looking for her! She began to lean forward, but then paused. Something was wrong; the way the wolf moved, the set of his ears... It wasn't Kane, nor was it any wolf she'd encountered before. Sniffing, she tried to pick up his scent, but the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. Narrowing her gaze, she studied the animal.

It stood poised at the top of the ravine almost exactly where she and Rose had tumbled over the edge. Slowly the wolf scanned the area and Elise resisted the urge to move backward, aware that any movement on her part would draw the beast's attention. Thankfully, its gaze passed over her and fell upon Rose's body. With a yip, the wolf made its way down the steep slope and nuzzled the corpse.

Biting her lip, Elise considered her options. She could stay hidden or call out for help, but she didn't know who this person was. Were they a friend, someone just passing through, or possibly even an accomplice of Marla and Rose that she hadn't yet heard of?

The decision was taken out of her hands when the wolf began to sniff around Rose's body and then, obviously picking up her scent, began to head her way. Reaching around for her walking stick, Elise held it firmly in her hands. It wasn't much protection, but it was better than nothing.

Closer and closer the wolf came. Elise could feel her heart beating faster and her palms becoming sweaty. She shifted her grip on the stick and raised it in preparation for swinging as hard as she could. The wolf stopped a few feet from her hiding spot and gave a whine. Licking her lips, Elise hesitated. It was a friendly, non-threatening greeting. She opened her mouth to speak, and then blinked. The wolf was looking directly at her and had the most incredible blue eyes.

The air shimmered and the wolf disappeared, only to be replaced by the best looking man she'd ever seen, after Kane. In fact, the man was almost a carbon copy of Kane, except for the eyes and a few very subtle variations in the slant of the nose and breadth of shoulder. This had to be the mysterious Ryne!