The Mystic Wolves

Chapter Six

I must've dozed off because the next thing I knew I heard a thump as something small was tossed at my feet. Opening a lazy eye, I noticed Mason crouched in front of me, a small rabbit lying by my paws. He crawled forward and with his nose, nudged the food closer to me.

I took a bite of the rabbit, my teeth tearing through fur and flesh. Normally, as a human, this would make me cringe, but as a wolf, it was as natural as breathing.

Thank you, I shared with him. Thanks for taking care of me.

Always, he replied. Now eat.

I tried rolling some of what was left back toward him, suggesting we share, but with a wolfy grin, Mason trotted over to a tree and brought out his own kill. We sat in silence as we began to dig in. Eating with relish, my stomach was soon full and content, and I moved closer to Mason, absorbing the heat of his body into mine.

I slowly began the process of licking him, making sure he was cleaned after a messy meal and then laid back as he returned the favor. There was a soothing sense of "rightness" between us and I knew this was how it would always be. I felt cherished, loved and protected.

Once we were finished, I stood up and shook out my fur, stretching out my limbs from sitting down such a long time. Mason began to pull away and once again issued a command.

Come.

We broke out into a run. Careful to follow his lead, I took every chance I could to bump my body against him as we kept a steady pace. I was curious to see where he was taking me because the house was back in the opposite direction.

I came to a screeching halt as we broke free of the trees. Before us was one of the most breathtaking scenes I'd ever seen. How I'd never known this place existed was beyond me. I started the Change and stepped forward on human feet. Everywhere my eyes looked, I saw perfection and a small slice of heaven. Mason came up from behind and wrapped his arms around me.

"I've been waiting for the right time to bring you here. I've been coming here for the last couple of months since I discovered it. I wanted to share it with you." He rested his chin on my shoulder as I stood there, trying to describe what I was seeing.

Mason had brought me to a waterfall. Not as large as some I'd seen, but the cascading water fell steadily into a pool that looked deep enough to swim in. The sound of the water crashing on the rocks below resonated in me and I could feel a sense of enveloping peace. The smells of wet, fresh vegetation surrounded us and the air was the perfect temperature for a quick dip.

He must've known where my thoughts were leading because he lifted me up and carried me to the edge of the pool, gently placing me on the rocks so my feet could dangle in the refreshing liquid. Confidently, he strode into the depths, not flinching as the coolness battled with the heat of his body and he stood in between my legs.

"What about Devlin? He's not going to like being made to wait," I asked, knowing there was more important matters to take care of. I appreciated the chance to run, having needed it more than I realized, but I couldn't let my needs distract Mason from his responsibilities.

"Right now Darcy, I don't want you worrying about it. Devlin can wait. All you need to do is relax and leave everything else up to me. Just accept I know what we need right now."

I nodded, amazed at the incredible strength of the love I saw on his face.

Yep, cherished.

There was no denying it. I closed my eyes and waited for Mason to begin.

I heard trickling as he lifted my left foot out of the water, using his hands to massage out the tension in my muscles. He dripped the cool fluid over my toes, drawing a wet line up my ankle and over my shin. He followed it with soft kisses, before returning my foot to the water and starting on the right.