Chapter 11
He kept his final meeting with the Rock Valley council as short as possible. Their traditional pack didn’t suit him and he knew Elise was waiting for him. He’d rather spend time with her.
Thinking of the kiss he’d given her before leaving, he headed to the edge of the woods anticipating more of the same. However, as he approached he found the pup, Bryan, stroking his mate’s face! If he’d been less civilized, he would have shifted and grabbed the boy by the scruff of the neck and killed him for daring to touch her.
He paused a few feet away fighting for control. They were so intent on their conversation, they hadn’t even noticed him. It was another indication the pup was inferior. A male worthy of Elise would be aware of his surroundings, ready to protect her at a moment’s notice.
Purposely, he stepped on a twig causing it to snap. The sound made them both give a start of surprise and the pup jumped away from Elise, a sure sign of guilt.
“Elise, I’m glad you found a way to keep yourself occupied while I was finishing off pack business.” He didn’t try to hide the angry growl in his voice.
“I...I was just talking to Bryan,” she stammered, stepping back.
“So I see.” Kane shot her a brief glance, and then focused his attention on the interloper. “This is the...friend...you spoke of this morning?”
“Yes, this is Bryan. We’ve been friends since we were pups.”
“I’m glad you had someone to keep you company while you were waiting. However,” he narrowed his eyes, “it would do your ‘friend’ well to remember that you are now my mate and off limits to all others.”
Elise tried to defend her actions. “We were just talking, nothing else.”
“I do not appreciate other males standing quite so close when...talking...to my mate.” The words rumbled from his throat and Bryan retreated. Kane curled his lips at the show of subservience.
“Elise, I’d better go. I...I’ll see you around.” Bryan gave Elise another look then turned and left, his inner wolf no doubt telling him retreat was advisable.
“Yes, I’ll see you around.” Elise responded softly. Once he was gone, she turned, brows lowered, fists clenched. “You didn’t need to chase him off like that.”
“I didn’t chase him off. I merely let him know that you are my mate now and a proper distance needs to be maintained.”
“He was just—”
“I know what he was ‘just’ doing,” he interrupted. “I could sense his desire for you and I do not share my mate with anyone. We are bonded and you are mine. No other male is allowed to sniff around you.”
“Sniff around me?” Her eyes opened wide, her mouth in a perfect outraged ‘O’.
“Yes. Your next heat cycle is coming in about a month, isn’t it? Last night, I could already sense the growing pheromone levels in you. He might not be consciously aware of them yet, but in another few days he will. That boy needs to remember you are off limits before his instincts to mount a fertile female cause him to make a grave mistake.” He knew he was being crude but he didn’t care. The Alpha wolf in him was staking its claim.
Elise huffed, folding her arms. “Kane, you—”
“Elise, this conversation is over. You are my mate. Bryan will stay away. End of topic. Now, are we going for a run or not?”
She pursed her lips and he wouldn’t have been surprised if she declined. When she gave a nod and shifted forms, he was pleased she wasn’t going to draw out the fight. Some things he was willing to compromise on but not this.
He shifted to his wolf form and followed, content to let her take the lead. There were times to push and times to sit back and wait; this was one of the latter. Plus, it was interesting to see how she and her wolf worked together.
His mate was fast, leaping over logs, skirting around trunks, quickly adjusting her path and pace to suit the terrain. At some point, she began to increase her pace and he sensed she was testing him. Seamlessly, he adjusted his pace to hers, maintaining the same distance between them regardless of how many times she changed her pace.
Perhaps the fact she hadn’t bested him yet was what caused her to veer off the path heading for rougher terrain. She took them down a slope, over a stream and up the opposite bank. It was as she was about to leap over a pile of brush that a scent caught his attention. With a burst of speed, he slammed into her, the momentum knocking her to the ground with him landing on top of her. He pressed his teeth to her throat to end her instinctive struggles.
When she finally stilled, he released his hold. As one they shifted back to human form and she glared at him, her breathing heavy.
“Why did you do that?” She panted.
“There’s a leg trap directly ahead of you. A few more yards and you would have stepped in it.”
Elise turned and scanned the area ahead of her. He could tell the moment she spotted the trap by the shudder that passed over her.
He was thankful he’d been at the pack house that morning when the scouts had reported in. “Poachers were seen in the area. We’re near the edge of the property so I was on the lookout. Rest here for a minute. I’m going to spring that one and then see what else I can find.”
“I’m coming with you.” She stood and he was pleased she wasn’t the kind to cower at the first sign of problems.
“Fine, but stay behind me.” He searched for a sturdy stick and then used it to trigger the trap. It was an older model, with sharp metal teeth designed to dig into the flesh of any creature unfortunate enough to step in it. Elise jumped as the trap sprang shut, snapping the stick in two and he gave her a meaningful look. That could have been her leg.
For the next half hour, they scoured the edge of the property, discovering four more traps. Satisfied he’d done a complete search, he gathered the traps into a pile and marked the location so they could be collected later. There was no point in leaving them for the hunters to reset.
“We’ll report this to your father when we return and he can send another set of scouts out to check further afield.”
“Thank you.” Elise touched his arm.
“For what?”
“For stopping me. I could have snapped a bone if I’d stepped in one of those.”
“I’m your Alpha now. It’s my job to watch out for everyone in the pack, but especially you. As my mate, you’re the most important member to me.” He stared at her intently and she flushed.
“Yes, but I should have been watching more carefully where I was going. I know these woods. I...I wasn’t paying attention.”
“What were you thinking about instead?”
She hesitated before answering. “You, or to be more precise, I guess I was testing you to see if you’d keep up.”
He grinned and drew her close for a quick kiss. “Rest assured, Elise, no matter what you dish out, I will keep up with you.”
They shifted back into wolf form and this time he led the way to the edge of the woods. When they arrived at the cabin, Elise headed inside while he went to the main house to tell her father about the traps. By the time he returned, she was asleep no doubt tired from the events of the past twenty-four hours. They’d have to leave soon but he let her rest while he showered.
He’d just toweled off and was getting dressed when a sound behind him drew his attention. Elise was waking up, her hair tousled, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
“I see you’re awake.”
“Uh-huh. What time is it?” She rubbed her eyes.
“Almost noon. You must have been tired after our run.” He turned and grabbed a shirt only to pause when he noticed her frowning.
“What happened to your side?”
He shrugged, knowing she was referring to the scar from the challenge. While Lycans healed quickly, there was still a noticeable mark. “Nothing. Just a scratch from a fight.”
“That’s more than a scratch. Who was the fight with?” She pressed for more information much to his annoyance.
“Another werewolf named Ryne.” He gave the minimal amount of information, hoping she’d let the matter go. Luck wasn’t on his side.
She dug deeper, obviously wanting details. “Why were you fighting?”
“You aren’t going to leave this alone are you?” He finished dressing and then turned to face her, arms folded.
“No. I have an inquiring mind.”
For a moment, he considered not telling her but she’d find out sooner or later. It was better she heard the news from him rather than garnering bits and pieces from blown-out-of-proportion gossip. He walked to the window and stared outside while speaking, trying to keep the recount factual and unemotional even though the memory still cut deep. “As you know, I’m the new Alpha of my pack. Our previous leader, Zack, was killed in an accident. Ryne and I were both Betas. Some of the pack favoured me as the new Alpha and others wanted Ryne.”
“So, it went to a pack vote?”
“Usually that’s what would have happened, but Ryne pulled out the old rules and declared a challenge.”
“A challenge? That’s not done anymore. It’s ridiculous! We’ve evolved beyond that.” Elise shuddered and he understood her reaction.
“I agree, but he was still within his rights.”
“So...what happened?”
“We fought. I won.” His fists clenched as he recalled the experience.
“Did you...kill him?”
He could tell she was appalled at the idea and was pleased he could ease her fears. “No. It was a long drawn out fight and both of us were pretty beaten up by the time it was over. He made an impulsive move. I pinned him down and could have crushed his windpipe, but instead let him go.”
“And where is he now? Did he stay in the pack?”
He shook his head. “Ryne chose to leave. I told him he could stay—we’d been packmates for years—but he said he wasn’t going to grovel in front of me. He was bitter and said some crazy things.” Why he’d omitted to mention Ryne was his half-brother, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was because that wound was still especially sensitive. He gave what he hoped was a negligent shrug, but knew, despite his efforts, the tone of his voice when he spoke belied his outward lack of concern. “In the long run, it’s probably best he’s gone. There would have been too much division in the pack if he’d stayed.”
“And is the pack united behind you now? Even Ryne’s supporters?”
“Yes. The pack mentality still runs through all of our blood. The strongest member is the leader and we instinctively accept that.” He raised his chin as he spoke. “I proved myself and the others are at peace with the results.”
He turned to look at her, curious what her reaction would be to the story.
She gave him a slight smile. “I’m glad you won and that you healed well from your fight.”
“Thanks.” His heart warmed at her concern and his wolf murmured its approval.
She already has some feeling for us.
He gave a barely perceptible nod. Her reaction had mattered to him more than he thought it would. However, it wasn’t a topic he wanted to dwell on. “It was a while ago—all water under the bridge now.” Picking up his watch, he checked the time. “You need to get up and get dressed. We’ll be leaving in about an hour.”
“Leaving?” She sounded surprised.
“Yes. I need to return to my pack. It’s only about an hour’s drive but I want to get back in good time so that you can see your new home before it’s dark.”