Chapter Eight

Cara didn’t stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks, but she refused to vocalize her worry, her fear. She didn’t sob, she simply let them fall silently while Titan ushered her toward his cabin. He was stoic, unable to tell which way his mood was swaying, Cara couldn’t wait for them to be alone.

Titan let her inside and closed all of the shades on the windows. It was almost as dark as a cave when he did. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but he lit a lantern and set it on the table.

“Who’s out there, Cara?” he asked her in a subtle voice.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged wiping the tears away. “It’s been so long since I’ve been near anyone outside of this pack, my senses are off.”

“But you’ve smelled the scent before?”

“It’s familiar but the only person who would be looking for me is Cairo. I know my brother’s scent and that wasn’t it,” she told him.

“Could it be someone is with him? Or maybe he sent someone in his place?”

“It’s possible. I don’t know. But I don’t think Cairo would trust too many others with helping him find me.”

“And it wasn’t his scent?” he asked her again.

“No, I would know my own brother’s,” she huffed, “This is pointless. Shelly’s got everybody turning against me when I didn’t do anything wrong. Whoever is out there has nothing to do with me! I just wanted a pack, a family that I could trust and I wanted that to be here. I thought I could just be still for once. I can leave Titan. If you want me to go I will. I won’t stay.”

“I can’t let you go, Cara,” he told her glancing toward the windows. “It’s out of my hands.”

“But what about us? What do you feel? Can’t you see that I’m telling you the truth?” she moved toward him, grabbing his wrists, forcing him to gaze into her eyes. He turned away, she grabbed his chin pulling him back to face her, “Look at me! TITAN!”

Titan fell to his knees, “I can’t just turn my back on my family.”

“What was all that shit about a bond that’s secure enough to get us through anything? Did you mean that or were you talking about someone else?”

Her heart raced as she fought for the answers she deserved.

Titan pushed himself off of his knees, sliding toward the door until his back hit the wall. Running his fingers through his hair, he stared up at Cara, “This is too much for me.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Cara sat down in front of him.

“You’re asking me to choose my family, my pack over you when I know what’s happened to you. I’ve been in this situation before. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want you to leave. Not just because it’ll defy my father’s orders, but because if you do go it will only prove Shelly right. If the intruders have nothing to do with you, then you can stay put. If they have come searching for you, then they should come peacefully.”

“If my brother’s involved, he gets beside himself if he thinks I’m in danger. I don’t think peaceful will be an option, especially with Taylor out there.”

“But Taylor’s not by himself. My brothers are with him,” Titan reminded her.

“Drew, Chase, they know me well enough to know-”

“To know that you can be one hell of an actress,” Titan eyed her with an expression she felt was akin to betrayal.

Cara was shocked to hear the words come from his mouth. He believed Shelly … his father … all of them. Insulted and hurt, she told him, “Leave.”

“I’m not allowed to,” he said flatly.

She slapped him across the face, “Tell me why you believe them over me especially after what we shared?! And you don’t have to be inside.”

“Cara,” he snarled rubbing his reddening cheek. “Don’t do that again. And I don’t want to wait outside.”

She didn’t slap him this time but got on her knees shoving him hard wanting him to take it back. It forced him to jerk his back against the wall. Titan pressed his lips together tightly trying to keep his anger at bay.

A low growl rumbled under his breath, “Cara, stop.”

“You know I would never act. It’s crazy to think I would let any of this happen to me! For what? For a few acres of land!? I didn’t ask you to bring me here!”

“So you would have preferred me leave you for dead!” he shouted back with his anger boiling over. 

“NO! But if you were going to bring me here… If you were going to rescue me… If you were going to let me care about you … Then I’d expect for you to at least stand up for me! Say something! Anything!”

“Like what?!” he threw his hands in the air pushing himself off the floor.

Cara went after him, pulling him back by his shoulder, she refused to let him run. That was her thing. She’d run from everyone, everything that scared her but when she was with Titan, something was different about her.  While she couldn’t say what was certain, her heart wanted what it wanted, and she couldn’t deny how much it wanted him.

“Anything!” her tears began to mingle with her words, “You could have told them how severe my attack was! How no one would fake such a thing!”

“My father and mother both know, but never underestimate how sinister some wolves will get on their conquest of territory. I’ve already been through this before. I told you! It’s hard for me to trust this! Us! You weren’t even sure you were staying!”

“That’s not the point!” she fought back, “You’re supposed to care so much about me! Who cares if I was staying or not?! I let you touch me. I let you touch me in places I haven’t let anyone in a long time. I trusted you!”

Titan faced her with his own eyes on the verge of tears, running his fingers through his hair, he stared at her, “You’re not being fair.”

“Well then you shouldn’t have saved me,” she growled with anger drenching every single word.

“You don’t mean that,” he shook his head.

“If it was going to be so hard for you to do the right thing, then you should have left me. Or even better, you shouldn’t have tried to fuck me.”

“Oh,” his sympathy began to fade, “Is that how you remember that? Do I need to remind you what happened when we were sitting on that couch? Or better yet, you remind me.”

He pulled his shirt off, revealing his chiseled body and tattoo to her once again. Cara took a deep breath trying to stifle her fantasies and her anger. Whether it was the heat of the argument or the pure aesthetic of his body, she was turned on. The fire between them could never be extinguished, even when they were furious with one another. She watched him walk toward the couch. Sitting down, he motioned for her to come to him.

“I’m not going to do this with you. It’s ridiculous,” she twisted her neck, turning her gaze away from him.

“You’ve just accused me of a lot of things,” he actually snickered under his breath with disbelief, “And all I’ve done is be honest with you about myself, the way we do things here and the way you could live. In any of that time, have I EVER done anything to you, that you didn’t initiate? That you didn’t want?”

“No, but-”

He held his hand up to silence her, “Show me.”

“What? You’re crazy,” she shook her head folding her arms across her chests shielding the hardening of her nipples. Cara knew she’d just been spewing words in the heat of the moment. Titan had been a gentleman every step of the way until it came time to stand up to his father.

“Show me!” he commanded her with a deeper tone in his voice. It was assertive. It sent chills down her spine landing right between her thighs.

Refusing to be the one to back down was going to land her in something she had no business doing as his prisoner. His finger beckoned her again with his gaze never wavering. Cara finally did as she was told, walking toward him with uncertainty in her gait.

“Sit, but take those off first,” he motioned to her pants. “You’re going to show me exactly how I tried to seduce you. I want everything to be the same so nothing is misunderstood.”

“You have to take yours off too,” she told him not wanting to be the only one riddled with anxiety and anticipation.

Titan lifted his hips just enough to slide his jeans off. Cara slipped his t-shirt on and her panties off. A part of her was sure that they’d stop from going any further than they did before. However, the look in his eyes made her question that theory.

Taking a deep breath, she straddled his lap. Titan couldn’t help but let the corner of his mouth curl up with a smile, “Now at what point exactly did I try to move things further with you. Was it before or after you kissed me?”

Cara sat there, with their skin touching, her pulse racing, and Titan’s hands sliding delicately up to her waist. Staring into his eyes, she told him, “After.”

Kissing him unleashed her passion and anger that had been pent up since she was banished to his cabin. Since he didn’t stand up for her. But all of that subsided with each pass of his tongue over hers. Grabbing and guiding her hips, she rode him just as passionately as the first time. They couldn’t deny the chemistry, the spark between them getting lost in their embrace.

“So is this what you meant when you said I started things with you,” he growled low under his breath.

“I was wrong,” she admitted.

Titan smirked as he flipped her onto her back with his weight between her legs, “Say that one more time.”

“I was wrong,” she blushed. “I’m sorry Titan. You were right, about everything. I’m being selfish and scared and I just felt so alone that I wanted you, anyone, to stick up for me.”

“Me siding with my father isn’t the same as not defending you. The very fact that you’re still here is a result of me fighting for you. Let me do this my way. Cara, I will never intentionally hurt you. I’m not any of those other guys. I really do care about you. More than you can possibly know,” his sincerity washed over her making her stony facade melt away.

She pulled him down and kissed him deeply before telling Titan, “You can do things your way. I’ll trust you. Do what you want with me.”

“You definitely don’t mean that,” he quipped with a seductive glare.

“I do,” she assured him sliding her hand into his boxers, wrapping her fingers around his budding erection.

“Cara you know we sh-” Titan stopped himself, “Fuck it.”

Letting go of their inhibitions, they gave into every urge. Cara stroked his cock slowly. Letting it harden under her grasp, as their lips pressed against one another. The sliding of their tongues in and out … their bodies moving together … Cara pushed Titan up and back to pull him out. Seeing his length, she licked her lips inhaling as the smoothness of his erection touched the inside of her mouth. Her tongue ran along the bottom of his shaft while her hand twisted slowly, delicately. His groans filled the silence of the cabin as the pleasure of her mouth brought him to the brink of climax.

“Cara,” his voice trembled.

She moaned and hummed sending sweet vibrations through his body that made his toes curl and his eyes roll. Not wanting their time to end, he pulled her up to him kissing her deeply. Titan moved his hand between her legs, sliding a finger inside of her, and then another and another. He moved in and out of her it drove Cara practically out of her mind writhing under his touch.

“Please, just do it. Let us be together this once -”

“You don’t have to convince me,” he told her. And with swiftness, he slid himself inside of her. Cara gasped at the subtle pain of the immense amount of pleasure. His first strokes were tender, smooth, deliberate so he could watch her face emit a lustful gaze that he was in complete control over.

 Pushing themselves off the floor, Cara sat on top of Titan, moving her hips back and forth, up and down. Her body contracted as she climaxed over him. He grinned with the joy knowing he was responsible for that moment, that expression on her face. Wanting to be responsible for another, he slipped out of her for a moment to bring them to their feet.

“Hold on tight,” he whispered.

Cara smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck while Titan scooped her up into his arms. Sliding her down onto his erection, Titan pushed her against the wall, into her, up into her, over and over again. Cara could barely restrain herself as she panted with every stroke. Her back moving against the wall wasn’t the most comfortable, but it was overshadowed by his mouth, his teeth lightly grazing her nipples. Flicking his tongue back and forth as every inch of him thrust into her. Biting her lip and closing her eyes, he growled into her ear, “Don’t do that. Look at me.”

Their eyes locked with their mouths barely touching and she came over him again. Switching positions, Titan let her down, spun her around and bent her over the arm of the couch. Sliding inside of her again, he pushed his hand gently into the small of her back while his other wrapped her flowing red strands around it. Pulling her hair taut, he moved in and out of her pussy easily. Her walls clenched around him as he began moving faster and faster, pounding himself into her with ferocity and passion she’d never known.

Cara wasn’t sure how much longer she could last, but it felt like Titan had hours left in him. It wasn’t until they moved to the bed that he finally began to wind down. His strokes slowed and his stare elongated. Their bodies, sweaty and red from heavily groping at one another. Titan released himself inside of her and Cara sighed with relief. She wasn’t scared anymore. Their bond was cemented. It was so real that she didn’t flinch as she felt the sharpness of his teeth along her collarbone. Tilting her neck, she began panting with anticipation as his mouth grazed her shoulder. She could feel it coming, but before he marked her there was a jolt between them that made them stop.

“We can’t do that!” they said simultaneously.

Falling out next to each other, Titan and Cara stared up at the ceiling. Silence filled the room as the magnanimity of what was about to happen coursed through the air. It wasn’t planned. They’d never discussed it. But it was there between them.

She rubbed her hand over her shoulder, “You didn’t right?”

“No,” he shook his head, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“I know, that was great but that? You can’t,” she said out of breath, “We can’t…”

“We can, just not while..”

“While I’m supposed to be imprisoned in your cabin. Although I’m sure they heard us. The hearing thing, remember?”

“The pack’s concerns are elsewhere. And even if they did hear, no one would be so brazen as to mention it to me. I’m not sure if you’re aware or not, but I’m not the most sociable Finnegan son,” he said rolling his eyes.

“Oh I know,” she chuckled. “But what are we going to do? What if it’s Cairo out there? What if he doesn’t come peacefully? What if Shelly manages to convince everyone, your folks included, that I’m here to betray you. I can’t live with the idea of us not-”

“Relax, Cara. I swear. I know I’ve had my doubts about your intentions, but I’ve never doubted my feelings toward you. Just understand that there was a time when I was in a similar situation. I let someone in close to me and they hurt me. They hurt this pack and destroyed one another. I don’t want to go through that ever again.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“How could you? No one talks about it. Everyone ignores the fact that our pack has grown exponentially since then but it was a mess. I was a mess. I don’t like who I was back then and since then I’ve done everything in my power to be careful. Careful about who I trusted, who I cared about, and then you happened.”

“Me, a lone wolf fighting with a bear?”

He laughed, “No. It was you recovering, sparring with my brothers, the comfortability I feel when I’m around you. I’ve never felt this before. It’s hard to explain.”

“No I get it,” she turned to lay her head on his chest, “It’s like you feel at home. It wouldn’t matter what happened, or where we were, or who we were in front of, our bodies, spirits, it’s all connected. A feeling of being safe with each other even when everyone else doubts me, us. So what happened with that other pack?”

“Long story short? I thought I bonded with this girl. She was the daughter of a neighboring pack. The closer we got, the more her alpha tried to weasel into my father’s territory. When everything came to a head, things got violent and people got hurt. One was killed and the other pack was banished. The nonviolent ones of their pack were offered leniency and were able to stay. The girl I chose, chose her pack and never cared for me. She only wanted me to be the alpha of her pack when they finished taking over. They simply underestimated the lengths my father would go to in order to protect his pack, his family, and his land. Not to mention, with my mother by his side … they were stronger together. They showed me what I wanted and I’ve been learning and striving for that ever since. But with women like Shelly, and just a lack of options I wasn’t bonded to, I never thought I’d get that. I never thought I’d find someone to build a pack with, or even lead this one with… with the same dedication as my parents. And then I saw you… fighting a bear.”

“I’m happy you saved me, Titan.”

As Cara and Titan drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms, she swore she could hear him murmur, “I think you saved me.”

_