"What are the chances that Cain kicks Xander's ass?" Darryl asked, twirling a stick around in his hands.
Paul shrugged. "Fifty-fifty. You remember what a dick Xander is."
Lou looked between the two male wolves, both of whom were sitting a respectful distance away. Fortunately, they'd both brought clothes to change into and were clothed in jeans and thick jackets. They'd been at the cave for at least a few hours now, and it was oddly warm inside. No, warm wasn't the right word, but it didn't have the chill of the outside, nor were the walls freezing to the touch.
Upon their arrival, Darryl had explained that the cave was connected to a system with hot springs, and the warmth of the water transferred to the cave as well. Because of that, Cain had chosen it as sort of a panic room, and there was a supply of blankets already there, tucked away in a trunk near the back. Each of their trio sat on a blanket to protect their butts from the hard stone of the cave.
Lou hadn't said much, she wasn't exactly comfortable being alone around the two male wolves, but it helped that Cain trusted them. She believed him when he said that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. And so far, neither male had done anything to make her doubt their trustworthiness.
"I do, although he left me alone for the most part."
"Wish I could say the same," Paul growled softly, leaning his head back against the stone wall. "Thankfully I only had to deal with him for six months."
Lou cocked her head to the side, curiosity getting the better of her. "You weren't born into Xander's pack?"
Paul scoffed and shook his head. "Nope. I was born a human, actually. In Montana, where their pack is from."
"You were bitten," she stated with wide eyes. Surviving the shift was a rare thing, so she'd met very few Lycans who had been bitten. In the eyes of the Purists, they were even lower than half-human, half-wolf Lycans. At least those with a human parent still had some Lycan blood running through them, those that were bitten had been completely human.
Paul nodded. "Yeah, when I was twenty-three. Pissed off the wrong guy at a bar. He jumped me in the parking lot as I was leaving." He tapped his forearm with a sigh. "Bit my arm as I was trying to defend myself."
"I can't believe you survived the shift," she shook her head. She had never shifted herself, but she knew that the first shift for any wolf was a terrible, painful experience. Pure-bloods had the easiest go of it because every part of them was built for such an occurrence, half-bloods it was a little harder, but for those that were bitten she doubted there was much worse pain they could experience. It was why so many of them died during the shift: their bodies simply couldn't handle the stress.
"Trust me, I wanted to die during it. And after wasn't much better," he admitted. "I was alone, confused. But then Cain and Will found me while they were passing through town. They smelled I was a lone wolf and came to make sure I wasn't a threat. Instead they found a pathetic mess. Going through a change like that and not having someone waiting on the other side isn't something I'd wish on anyone. Anyways, Cain and Will took me back to the pack. Upon our arrival, I met Xander and I thought he was going to attack Cain then and there for daring to bring me to the pack."
"Obviously it worked out."
"That's debatable. Cain never took Xander's shit, but that didn't mean Xander left me alone."
"I've only met him once, but I can't imagine he was any better back then," Lou said softly.
Paul's mouth tightened. "No, he wasn't. I can only imagine that getting on the High Council only boosted his ego."
"Lou, we mean it when we say that Cain won't let Xander near you."
She nodded. "I know." She understood Cain's position exactly. Xander reminded her of her oldest brother, Lance. Lance had an ego problem, he hated anyone who wasn't of pure-blood, and he tormented those around him. She hugged her knees to her chest. She never understood why Lance was so adamant about her being turned over to the High Council. It wasn't as though he would benefit from her becoming the Purists' breeder. But he had been the one to set up this drop off with Xander, to hand her over. It was supposed to be him instead of Joey who had gone to hand her over, but he and her father had been called away on Alpha business. Joey had always been careful to hide how much he cared for her, and it was for this exact reason. He had helped her escape, and if it had been Lance with her instead, she would be at Xander's mercy.
"I just hope that he doesn't hurt anyone if he realizes I'm here," she told them.
"Honestly, Cain's probably itching for a reason to tear him to shreds," Paul told her. "Xander going after a pack member will give him that excuse. Alphas have the right to protect their pack if they feel they're in danger, even if it's from a High Council member."
She smirked. "I don't doubt that Cain could beat him. Xander is big and scary, but Cain is big and scarier."
Both men laughed their agreement. "That's true," Darryl chuckled. "Really the only difference between them is the fact that Cain cares about others. Xander doesn't."
The more she heard about Cain, the harder it was to convince herself to stay away from him. His pack loved him, trusted him with their lives. They would do anything for him, that was plain to see.
And then there was what he said to her earlier. The honesty in his gaze told her he really meant it: he was finding it difficult to stay away from her. She was glad that she wasn't the only one that felt like a moth with a flame. She should have been scared, and her reaction obviously made him think she was, but she'd been reacting to the sparks of desire that his words evoked. He didn't scare her, but her reaction to him did.
Two long howls echoed in the distance, from the direction of the pack house. The two howls were followed by one shorter one. It was obviously code for something, and from the looks on Darryl and Paul's faces, it wasn't good. They both got to their feet and looked down at her.
"Lou, you have to stay here," Paul told her.
She frowned. "What, why?"
"We're being summoned back to the house. That pattern means "danger", and we don't use it lightly," Darryl explained.
Her eyes widened. "You don't think Xander's done anything?"
"We won't know until we get there. But we do know that you have to stay here. Just don't leave the cave, okay?"
"What, you guys will come back right?"
"Yes, we'll come back when it's safe for you, okay? Just please stay here."
"Okay, okay, just go!" she shooed them away. She looked away as they quickly stripped out of their clothes and shifted into their large, beautiful wolves. The red wolf, Darryl, whined in her direction. He didn't want to leave her alone, but Paul nudged him once and they took off at a run back to the house. And she was alone.
Ironically, she'd been waiting for the perfect opportunity to run away. If this wasn't it, she didn't know what was. But in all honesty, she didn't want to leave. Her wolf tucked her tail at the thought. She didn't want to bring the wrath of Xander down on these wonderful people, but where else would she find a group of wolves so dead set on keeping her safe? Where else would she find a wolf like Cain, an Alpha male who didn't care that she was a purebred female?
"Don't be stupid, Lou," she admonished herself. "It isn't about Cain." It wasn't about his strong arms or piercing blue eyes, it wasn't about the way he actually seemed to care about what she felt. He had apologized to her. Twice! She'd never met anyone like him before.
Her wolf purred and conjured up an imagine of Cain in his tight-fit black sweatshirt. The beast actually started drooling, and if a wolf could swoon, she would have swooned. Lou rolled her eyes in embarrassment for her wolf, but knew that the creature had a point, one she had been making in a sort of roundabout way. Who was she to throw away the opportunity to be in such an accepting pack? Who was she to rub their kindness in their faces?
So, she would stay.
She gathered up the blankets that Darryl and Paul had left behind and made a makeshift bed out of them. She snuggled in under the warmth, still clothed in her hat and jacket. Although the cave wasn't freezing, it was still chilly and she'd been in there doing nothing for at least six hours she had to guess. She was bored, tired, and cold. There was hardly anything better for her to do other than sleep until someone came back for her.
<><><><><><><><>
Lou whimpered as a hand ran up her thigh, but it wasn't a sound of fear. No, it was a whimper of desire. She was on her side, facing away from the large male that was tucked behind her. She'd never let a male get this close to her before, not in this way. But in this instance she couldn't get close enough to him. Her stomach flipped in anticipation as his hand ran along her side to caress her breast. Lips tickled her ear and the side of her neck, kissing and tasting in slow, tender movements. In a move she'd never thought she would make, she turned her head to expose her neck to him. Neither she nor her wolf cared that it was an act of submission, that they were effectively telling this male that they were his to take. They both wanted him to keep touching Lou with his strong, capable, yet gentle hands.
The male buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply as his hand tightening on her waist. His chest rumbled in approval as he pushed his hips into her from behind, letting her know exactly how much he wanted her. And it seemed like a lot. Lou grinned and wiggled her ass against him, pulling another deep groan from his large figure. His strong arms tightened around her, his hands sliding beneath her shirt to rest against the bare skin of her stomach. She didn't even flinch away, knowing that he wanted her no matter how soft she was.
Soft lips found her neck again, nuzzling and kissing her as her core heated in desire for the male behind her. She reached back to pull his hips tighter against her, and was amazed to find warm, bare skin instead of denim as she had expected. The male was completely naked behind her. Wait a second... her clothes had disappeared as well. How had she missed that crucial turning point in their encounter? She racked her brain, trying to figure out how she had missed that, but as her head was turned and her lips collided with the male's, her brain effectively turned to mush. She forgot where she was or that she should care about the identity of the man whose hands were playing her body like an instrument. Losing all sense of control, Lou arched back into the male, opening up to him as his hand slid down her stomach, lower, lower... She gasped at the contact. Her eyes flew open to look at him for the first time, finding bright blue, lust-filled eyes staring back down at her.
"Ah, no!" Lou outburst, sitting straight up as she was torn from her dream. She shouldn't be having dirty dreams about Cain! Her wolf highly disagreed. In fact, she was urging Lou to make her dreams a reality.
Lou shook her head and stood up, still groggy from her nap. She paced around the cave, trying to work off the tension still in her body from the thought of Cain touching her, kissing her, loving her... Damn it, there her mind went again. His strong hands had felt so real, as had his mouth on hers.
"Stop lusting after Cain," she snarled to herself. What was supposed to be a relaxing, time-consuming nap had instead left her hot, bothered, irritated, and incredibly confused. She'd never had a dream like that before, nor had she ever desired a male the way she desired Cain, and that scared the bejeezus out of her.
Snow crunched outside the cave, pulling her from her thoughts. She turned and looked at the entrance, on high alert now. Another footstep had her walking toward the entrance.
"Paul, Darryl?" she asked and then winced. If it wasn't them, she definitely just let whoever was out there know exactly where she was.
Whatever was outside the cave didn't move. Well, that left out someone who was trying to hurt. But it also ruled out anyone who was there to bring her back to the house. They wouldn't be lurking outside the cave without making themselves known.
"Shit," she muttered, stepping toward the entrance. She still couldn't see anything, but she certainly didn't want to find herself cornered in the cave. It was still light outside, but that hardly gave her any idea about what time it was. Since it was late April, the sun was out until almost ten o'clock at night.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the entrance of the cave to face whatever was outside.
She should have stayed in the damn cave.
Standing at a height that would cause even the massive Cain to hesitate was the largest bull moose Lou had ever seen. She was hardly as tall as one of his legs. The herbivore was watching her closely, and she knew this could go one of two ways. Either he his flight or fight response would kick in. She prayed it was the former. But, because that was simply her luck, the moose flared his nostrils and charged.
Lou took off in the other direction, thankfully able to follow a path the wolves had made so she wasn't trying to trudge through so much snow. She wished now more than ever that she could shift. At least then she'd be able to use her teeth to deter the bull moose. He'd probably smelled that she was a predator, human form or not, and decided to show her exactly who was boss. Well, she'd tell him that he won, but she didn't want to waste her breath.
"Paul, Darryl!" she cried as she fled, the moose in hot pursuit. He would trample her if she gave him the chance, and he was certainly getting close. Her boots and heavy jacket weren't helping her run any faster. She shed the jacket as she ran, leaving her in her hoodie, leggings, and boots. She glanced over her shoulder and was gratified to see her jacket give the moose pause as it landed right in his path.
The trees suddenly gave way a massive, clearing and she hesitated at the edge, knowing she should keep to the trees, where she could weave in and out faster than the moose. At least, that was the plan until he was close behind her and she jumped forward on instinct. After only about five steps she realized her crucial error.
Her boot sunk down into deep slush and the ground beneath her groaned.
"Shit, shit, shit," she whispered, spinning around to find the moose snorting at her from the shore. The heavy animal had taken one step and his hoof had broken through the ice. She stood on a frozen lake, and an angry moose stood between her and the shore.
Lou tried to take another step but the ice popped at the change in pressure. The weather had been really nice before the blizzard, nice and sunny and most importantly: above freezing. The ice had melted and gotten really thin, then the weight of all the snow had landed on it. Any extra pressure she added could be her doom.
The moose paced back and forth on the shore a few more times, not leaving her alone.
"I didn't do anything to you! Get out of here!" she growled, waving her arms at the beast, but it didn't heed her words. Instead, his head swung around as a massive blue roan wolf launched himself out of the trees. Cain. Cain had come for her. She couldn't describe the relief that washed over her at the sight of him. It not only meant that Xander was gone, but it also reinforced the idea that he cared for her.
Two more wolves, Paul and Darryl, appeared as well, chasing the moose as Cain's wolf whined from the shore. The animal paced nervously, his eyes never leaving hers. Her own wolf called to him, completely thrilled that he'd come for them. He lifted a tentative paw as if to start walking out to her, but then decided against it. He whined louder and took a few steps backwards. He was trying to summon her back to shore. As if she needed any more encouragement.
"I know," she swallowed nervously. "I'm okay. I'm coming."
She looked down at the snow in front of her and squeezed her eyes closed for a minute. She should walk back exactly the way she had come. Her booted foot lifted step into the boot print she had already left, but she wasn't fast enough. The ice beneath her planted foot gave away, and she plunged into the dark, freezing water.