chapter ten
Picking up Kallie’s wolf scent, Wolfrik leaped off the trail and ran through the forest toward the Sakhir River. She’d gone along the water’s edge then back into the woods, circling around to the river again. As Kallie’s earthy, feminine scent became stronger, Wolfrik pushed forward. He found her standing beside the water’s edge, facing him as though she’d been waiting for his arrival, but as he neared, her lips lifted, baring fangs, and she growled.
Wolfrik stopped in place and wagged his tail.
Abruptly, Kallie’s growl cut off as she blinked and stared at him with curiosity.
When Wolfrik started toward her, she resumed growling.
He kept walking and wagging his tail until he reached her. That’s when she nipped him above his front leg, not hard—a warning bite.
Adrenaline coursed through Wolfrik’s veins. He ran, circling her, while she whipped around in place, snarling at him in irritation. Wolfrik kept on running, energy and a sense of playfulness building inside him.
When his circuit narrowed, bringing him closer to the spirited female, she snapped at the air near him. It made him want to get closer—nearer, against her . . . on top of her.
Before he could, Kallie lunged, ramming into his side. She jumped back and flashed him a wolfish smile before darting into the forest. Her injured foot slowed her down, but in a dense thicket full of obstacles, their speeds were almost evenly matched.
She led him through a maze of brambles, boulders, fallen logs, and tall grasses that swayed as she blew past.
They entered a clearing, and Kallie leaped atop a rock, whipping around to stare down at Wolfrik. He slowed his gait and slunk forward, smacking his chops. Kallie lifted her head regally as though she were an alpha queen and he a lowly runt.
At the base of the rock, Wolfrik beckoned her to join him. She blinked once then jumped, landing beside him. They raced around the clearing, nipping at one another playfully as the sky darkened.
As the stars flickered to life and the moon shone bright, Kallie lifted her head and howled. Wolfrik joined her, their howls intertwining and rocketing toward the heavens. They both huffed deep breaths in and out. Their tongues lolled, eventually sliding back between their jaws.
Kallie trotted into the woods, Wolfrik on her heels. She sniffed around and pawed at the dirt until finding a spot she liked. There she dug with her front paws before lying on her belly and curling into a ball.
Wolfrik stood, watching.
Ignoring him, Kallie closed her eyes and kept them shut even when he closed in and settled against her.
Wolfrik didn’t mean to sleep—he planned to watch over her—but the gentle rise and fall of her body lulled him into a place of heavy slumber where even dreams could not reach.
When he awoke early the next morning, Kallie was gone, and he wondered how he’d slept through her departure when normally nothing got past him.
He shifted, dressed, and swaggered into the glade as the gong rang for breakfast.
Kallie was there in her yellow dress, refusing to meet his eye, which made Wolfrik more determined to catch it. She’d have to look at him eventually. He accepted a bowl of porridge from Maureen then sat beside Aden, who lifted his chin in acknowledgment. Wolfrik grinned as he sat, eyes still trained on Kallie, who sat across the clearing with a small group of females, continuing to ignore him. She watched her friends’ faces instead and ate slowly, bending every few minutes to rub her ankle above her damaged foot. Every time she leaned forward, the gap in her dress opened wide and her breasts surged out. Wolfrik half expected them to pop out altogether, but somehow they settled back into place when she straightened up.
“You gonna eat that?”
Aden’s question made him realize his mouth was hanging open and his porridge was getting cold.
“Yeah,” Wolfrik muttered, irritation replacing his earlier good mood. He had no right to be grumpy. He’d told Kallie to stay away, and as soon as she’d awoken, that was exactly what she’d done. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t look at him just once before breakfast ended.
Grumbling to himself, Wolfrik shifted his attention to the mushy gruel in his bowl. As his eyes darted around the glade, he noticed a shifter named Justin gaping at Kallie’s breasts when she rubbed her ankle. The skinny scrap of a male shifter nudged his buddy, Wiley, and pointed at Kallie. The two males exchanged words then laughed.
Wolfrik snarled and got to his feet. Aden stood.
“Ready to go?” the werewolf shifter asked.
“Go where?” Wolfrik asked, eyes locked on Justin.
“Jager wants us to take over the southern border patrol.”
“Fine, just give me a sec to take care of something.”
As Wolfrik stomped toward the two males, Aden fell into place beside him. Wolfrik turned his head and glared at him. “What are you doing?”
Aden scratched the back of his neck. “You said you only needed a second, so I’ll come with you and then we’ll go.”
“We’re not on duty yet, werewolf. I don’t need a second tail.”
Aden shrugged but didn’t back off. Undeterred, Wolfrik strode up to Justin and planted his feet wide, hands on his hips, and stared down. “I hear you’re a troublemaker.”
The boom of Wolfrik’s voice made Justin jolt in place.
“Me?” he squeaked, eyes darting to his friend Wiley, followed by Zackary. All three of their foreheads wrinkled in confusion.
Wolfrik stepped forward so fast, Justin gasped. He got in the scrawny shifter’s face and demanded, “Are we going to have a problem?”
Justin leaned back, nearly toppling backward off his log. “No,” he said, “no problem here.”
Wolfrik stood back and huffed. “Yeah, that’s what they all say. I’ve got my eyes on you; just remember that.” He stayed in place, drilling into Justin’s eyes, which wouldn’t meet his. Once Justin bowed his head, Wolfrik backed away, reluctant to take his gaze off the cowed male.
When he turned, he caught a brief glimpse of Kallie and her friends on their feet as they handed their dirty bowls over to Maureen.
“Want to tell me what that was about?” Aden asked when they’d cleared the glade and entered the forest.
“Nothing.” Wolfrik wrinkled his nose. “I don’t like the way that shifter behaves. You never know what someone is capable of until it’s too late—just look at Sydney.”
Aden frowned. “She regrets what she did.”
“She should have been chased out rather than given a new home. I don’t believe in second chances,” Wolfrik said.
“You should. They’re all anyone’s got.”
Wolfrik rolled his eyes. “I’ll leave second chances for the afterlife. Ready to shift? I like it better when we don’t talk.”
After Camilla and Olivia walked off to join their patrol partners, Rosalie pulled Kallie aside. “Where were you last night?” she asked with a pout.
Remembering Palmer’s ambush inside her shelter, Kallie winced. “I got held up in the den.”
“Well, I could have really used your support,” Rosalie said. “Thanks to your boyfriend, Wolfrik, Aden brushed me off. I bet he would have thought twice if you’d been there to distract the moody brute.”
Kallie blanched. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she hissed, taking a quick look around to make sure no one had heard.
It was embarrassing enough that Wolfrik had rejected her. She wasn’t sure why he’d spent the night frolicking with her wolf and sleeping beside her, but she didn’t want to scare off a possible friendship between their animals if packmates started whispering about them.
Luckily, most shifters had finished breakfast and were headed off on patrol, but as Kallie completed her scan, her heart dropped to her toes when her eyes landed on Raider not four feet away, mid-step toward the cauldron with a dirty bowl—probably fetching seconds for his mate. His eyebrows slanted in dismay as he stared at Kallie.
Just great. He’d heard everything Rosalie said.
“Boyfriend, bedmate, whatever,” Rosalie said, unaware of Raider standing frozen behind her. “I saw the way he undressed you with his eyes all morning. Just be a good friend and show up next time.”
Rosalie flipped her hair over her shoulder and strode off, leaving Kallie facing Raider, cheeks burning.
She swung around and hurried away, her damn foot dragging against the earth like a broken branch.
“Kallie.” Her name on Raider’s lips still had the power to flutter inside her stomach.
Why did he have to be so sexy, so good-natured, so—mated? Being near him hurt her in ways the vulhena never could. She had to get away. From Raider, Wolfrik, Palmer, and the rest of the pack. She launched herself forward, willing her bad foot to either keep up or get out of her way.
“Kallie?” His voice was close. Too close. There was no getting away. She turned slowly, facing Raider’s searching gaze. “Has Wolfrik been bothering you?”
She wanted to laugh at how blind Raider was to everyone besides Jordan, especially considering the shifter bothering her was his mate’s father.
She straightened her spine. “Forget what you heard. Rosalie says a lot of things—many of them untrue.”
Raider twisted his lips to the side and nodded slowly. “Okay, but if Wolfrik ever bothers you, come find me and let me know. Okay?”
“Sure,” Kallie said, wanting him to go back to his mate and leave her alone.
Raider stood a moment longer as though she’d confide in him, but she stood tight-lipped and resolute.
Raider gave another nod before striding away.
Kallie had half an urge to stick her tongue out at his back. Raider was the last shifter she’d run to for help.
“Hey, Kallie!” Elsie jogged over.
Kallie smiled at the smiling shifter.
“Tabor and Sasha invited me to patrol with them today.” Elsie’s smile faltered. “I can tell them no if you need my help in the garden.”
“There’s barely anything left to keep one person busy after the job we did yesterday. Go ahead,” Kallie said. “Just be safe.”
Elsie nodded eagerly and gave Kallie’s arm a gentle squeeze before running back to her brother. Her heart clenched. How nice would it be to have a brother looking out for her? Tabor was a sweetheart. He’d cleaned up her leg after the attack and used one of his salves to bring her relief. Kallie was glad to see he’d invited Elsie to join his patrol. There was no reason for her to stay in the den all day. Hopefully it would give Elsie an opportunity to open up to her brother about their father’s curse. She only wished patrol didn’t take up so much of Tabor’s time.
He smiled warmly at his sister then looked at Kallie and walked over.
“Do you know how to read?”
“Yeah, my mother taught me when I was little.” Kallie squinted at Tabor, perplexed by his question.
He grinned and jutted his chin. “My mother left behind several books on medicinal herbs—uses and recipes. They’re on the bookshelf in my cabin if you want to read ahead. I’m sorry I don’t have more time to teach you myself.”
When she realized he was offering her permission to enter his cabin—the one he’d inherited from his mother—and read from Lucinda’s collection, she beamed. An urge to throw her arms around the gallant shifter came over her, but she resisted. Tabor was neither her brother nor mate, and she felt uncomfortable embracing him with Sasha watching. The pureblooded female might not be all over him like Jordan on Raider, but Sasha was crazy about her mate. She’d defied the elders to claim him and torn off across the wastelands to find him after he’d been abducted.
Kallie might have sighed wistfully if she weren’t already bubbling over with gratitude. Tabor was the first packmate to recognize her potential.
“Really? That would be wonderful,” she gushed.
Tabor nodded. “You can check out the herb gardens around the cabin while you’re there. It will be nice to have some help. I haven’t had as much time to maintain them as I once did.” He looked over at Sasha with a sly grin.
“Thank you,” Kallie said.
Tabor chuckled. “I should be the one thanking you.”
As the glade emptied of shifters, Kallie made her way to the hollow’s communal cabin, where she would undress, shift, and run the remainder of the way to Tabor’s cabin. It had belonged to his mother, who had lived isolated deep in the hollow’s western hunting grounds neighboring the Forest of the Ancestors. Kallie had gone near it before during patrol, but never inside.
The communal cabin was furnished with a bed, table, and bookshelves filled with worn paperbacks. It also stored tools, ceremonial masks, and odds and ends for the single shifters.
All was quiet around the cabin when she approached. The door had been left propped open with a rock, air flowing in and out freely. The windows were also open. There was no glass to cover them, but there were thick moss-colored curtains inside to block out the light—and signal that the cabin was in use.
The last time Kallie had been there it was to bring bland food to a violently ill Emerson who, it turned out, had been poisoned by her youngest sister, Sydney. Kallie shook her head, still in disbelief that Sydney had resorted to such treachery for a chance at winning Raider as her mate. Sydney had also led Jordan out of Wolf Hollow and pushed her into a human trap, attempting to get rid of her newest competition.
And then there was David, a young pack member who had died after getting caught while he and Sydney were on patrol. She’d lied to the council when he went missing.
“She was a bad seed,” Jager had said after Aden took her to live with the Glenn Meadows shifters on probation.
A bad seed that had originated from Palmer—one in a million, trillion reasons why Kallie would never submit to him.
The floorboards creaked as she entered the cabin.
What she needed was a useful skill, and Tabor had offered to help. She’d absorb everything she could on her own and show him how serious she was about learning. His cabin was a fair distance, but her wolf could get her there easily. Kallie wasn’t the only one feeling cooped up in the den; her animal desperately needed out.
Without another thought, Kallie limped to the cabin’s bed and sat on the edge to pull off her dress before lying it gently over the blankets. She limped back outside and got onto the ground carefully to shift. Once in fur, her wolf bounded off toward the western woods.
The morning and afternoon flew by with the flip of pages and new knowledge filling Kallie’s brain. She sat cross-legged on the ground outside Tabor’s cabin, reading in the sunlight. Insects hummed from the flowering herbs in the flourishing garden beside her, almost as though offering encouragement. She’d learned that arnica was good for sore muscles and joints, and that chamomile and peppermint helped with morning sickness. The pictures in the book helped her identify the herbs growing in the garden. She leaned forward, staring from the open book to the garden. A real sense of excitement burbled up inside her. Anyone could patrol, but healing required experience and expertise—plus it was fascinating. Mother Nature truly was amazing and kind—providing everything they needed to live well.
All too soon, it was time to go. Kallie closed the book and stroked its cover lovingly before replacing it on the shelf inside Tabor’s cabin. She didn’t linger long, feeling like she was invading his and Sasha’s personal space. Back outside, she got on her hands and knees and shifted.
The first thing Kallie noticed when she returned to the cabin was that her dress was missing from the bed.
“Looking for this?”
Her heart jumped into her throat and felt like a fist strangling the breath from her lungs.
Palmer half sat, half stood, leaning against the table. Her yellow dress dangled over the edge beside him. At least he had on pants and a partially buttoned shirt. He leveled a steady gaze on her, and even though he didn’t smile, his teeth still seemed to gleam at her.
She swallowed past the lump and glared at him. First, he’d ambushed her naked in her shelter, now inside the cabin while she was naked—it was too much.
As much as Kallie longed to cover herself with her hands, she resisted. “What are you doing here?” she gritted out.
“We never got a chance to finish our conversation from yesterday. Where have you been?”
“None of your business.”
“You’re right.” Palmer nodded. At least he kept his distance, and the door was to Kallie’s back. She could leave at any moment. “I’ve been too forward,” he acknowledged, training his eyes on the floor and bowing his head slightly.
Kallie wasn’t fooled by his remorseful act. She held her ground and stood tall, ignoring the throb that pulsed like a heartbeat inside her bad ankle. If she didn’t face Palmer now, she’d have to the next day and the next.
“I know I’m supposed to love my mates equally,” Palmer continued, “but there’s something extra special about you, Kallie. I wish I’d seen it earlier. Then things might have been different.”
Kallie laughed roughly, and Palmer’s gaze flicked up to hers.
“I can make you happy.” He spoke the words with conviction and a hint of defiance, as though he were a pup insisting he was the fastest runner in the den. “Let me prove it to you.” Palmer stood up straight.
Kallie flinched before she could stop herself and wobbled backward.
Palmer started forward, concern in his eyes.
“No!” Kallie cried, slamming her palms into the air in front of her. “I’m fine.”
Palmer stopped and nodded slowly. “I know you’re still capable, still strong. No one else sees it besides me. The other males pass you up because of your injury. How many of those scoundrels have you let between your legs in the past? Where are they now?” Palmer glanced around the cabin as though the empty space surrounding them proved some kind of point. “Give me the same opportunity you gave them. You won’t know if you like it unless you give me a chance.”
Kallie’s stomach heaved with disgust. Palmer would never let up, never leave her alone, not until Kallie relented or gave him a reason to back off.
“Fine,” she said, straightening her spine and leveling a cool gaze at Palmer. “Tonight, after supper, meet me here at the cabin and we’ll discuss it more.”
Palmer went utterly still as though he’d stopped breathing. His eyes locked on Kallie’s. “You promise you’ll be here.”
“I promise.”
Palmer rubbed his jaw and continued staring at her. At least he kept his gaze off her breasts. Finally, he lowered his arm. A smug smile appeared over his lips, and his chest expanded now that he thought he’d won.
He ran a hand over Kallie’s dress and stroked the fabric. She clenched her jaw and managed to suppress a shudder. She held herself steady as Palmer scooped up her dress and came over to hand it to her. His eyes never left hers. “Until tonight,” he murmured softly.
She took her dress from his hands and held it against her chest, waiting until he’d left the cabin to put it on.
Kallie would be there all right, but she didn’t plan to be alone.