Chapter Nine
Not claiming Erica at the moment of his climax took every shred of willpower within him. He fought against the wolf, who desperately wanted him to sink his teeth into her neck, leaving the mark that would seal their bond and signal to everyone who saw her she was taken. Only soul mates could claim each other in that manner, and he needed to do it soon. But after she took the chance on him tonight, he wouldn’t push it. Yet.
Once they’d both recovered a bit, he kissed her, and stood up. “I’ll be back in a second. Don’t go anywhere.” He ran across the hall to the bathroom, disposed of the condom, and cleaned up. When he returned, Erica had crawled under the covers and closed her eyes. He climbed in behind her and pulled her against him. She sighed and wiggled her bottom a little as she adjusted.
“Keep that up and we won’t get any sleep.”
She murmured something unintelligible and he realized she’d already fallen asleep. He kissed the top of her head and drifted off as well.
****
In the morning, Caleb woke to an empty bed. He jumped up and bolted to the door. “Erica?” After the explosive sex they’d had, he didn’t think she’d run away again, but she didn’t respond. He went into her bedroom and heard water running in the bathroom. Relieved, he went to the door and knocked, entering after she called for him to come in. He found her lounging in the huge tub with a smile on her face. That was a good sign.
“Want to join me?”
She didn’t need to ask twice. Caleb slid into the tub and she leaned back against him. He ran his fingers over her shoulder and arm. “How are you feeling?”
She sighed. “Better than I want to.”
What the hell did that mean? Caleb stilled his hand and looked down at her. “I’m not sure I follow.”
Erica turned to her side and snuggled against him, her head tucked against his shoulder and under his chin. “I didn’t want to give in to you. My experience with men … well, it hasn’t been great.” When she paused, Caleb didn’t speak, though he wanted to know more. The way she’d acted, running away, resisting him even when he knew she was attracted to him, told him she’d been hurt. And hell, the fact she’d been living on the streets in the city rather than with a pack spoke volumes. But he wouldn’t press. She had to tell him in her own time.
“I was with the Alpha in my old pack,” she said at last. “And he made it clear I was his property, and what I wanted didn’t matter at all. I was only seventeen when he first came to me, and I was so thrilled to be with him I ignored the warning signs and made excuses for his behavior.”
“How old was he?”
“Thirty.”
Caleb clenched his jaw. A thirteen-year age difference didn’t matter all that much if the girl was in her twenties or beyond, but when she was seventeen? The fucker should have known better. “And your parents were okay with this?”
“My dad was already dead and my mom had her own issues. She was just glad someone took me off her hands.” Erica traced small circles on his chest. For a moment, she debated telling Caleb about her sons, but then decided this wasn’t the right time. “Anyway, I’m just really scared. I didn’t want anyone else, but it’s so fucking good with you.”
He chuckled. “I’ll say.”
She gave him a light smack. “Not just the sex. Everything just feels so … right. So I’ll go with you, to your home. If that’s all right.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Of course it is.”
“I’m just not ready to be claimed yet. I need to get my head in the right place.”
“Our wolves aren’t going to like that.”
She chuckled. “I know. And I know eventually the instinct will take over, but if we can hold off, even for a little while, that would be good.”
“We should probably hit the road soon, then. I hate the city.”
She got up on her knees in front of him, a sly expression on her face. “Let’s make sure we’re really clean first.”
With a groan, Caleb drew her close for a kiss.
****
The drive home went by quickly. Caleb and Erica chatted easily, though they avoided any heavy topics. There’d be time for that later. When they arrived in the little town Caleb called home, the first stop he made was at a little grocery store. He took Erica’s hand as he led her inside. Her stomach tightened. What were the other people in this town like? The other members of the pack? How would they feel about their Alpha bringing someone home?
An older man stood behind the counter and his eyes lit up when he saw Caleb. He came around, shuffling his feet as fast as he could to embrace the younger man. “You’re back! We’ve missed you.”
Caleb returned the hug. “I’ve been gone less than a week.”
“That’s long enough. Your place is here.” He pulled away and peered through his glasses at Erica. “And who’s this lovely young lady?”
Caleb put his arm around Erica’s shoulders and pulled her close. “This is Erica. Erica, this is George, one of our pack elders.” Caleb planted a gentle kiss on her temple. “She’s going to be joining our pack.”
George looked between the two of them, a knowing grin on his face. “I’ll bet she is. So you’re wanting to call a meeting then?”
Meeting? Erica’s gut clenched. Why did they need to meet? As Alpha, surely Caleb could just order them to accept her. While Caleb and George made the arrangements, Erica peered around the store. There were only two other people: an elderly woman, and a man in his forties. Erica looked twice at the man. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. He wasn’t a member of the Demon Dogs. Maybe she’d seen him in Toronto? While she thought about it, the man looked up and saw her. A slight frown creased his brow.
“Let’s head out to my place.” Caleb took Erica’s hand and started leading her out of the store. Erica took one last quick look at the man as they left.
Caleb took Erica back out to the truck. She got in and stared toward the floor, not really seeing anything, and flicked the zipper tab on her coat as she thought about meeting the rest of Caleb’s pack. As he got in, he looked over at her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“What’s this meeting about?”
“Whenever there’s someone who wants to join the pack, we call a meeting of the senior pack members, and that person is presented. Then a month-long waiting period starts where the new person lives here and participates as a pack member. At the end of it, we vote on whether to grant full membership.”
“Oh.” Erica glanced out the window while she rubbed at her upper thigh. Maybe the man would be there and she’d figure out where she knew him from.
Caleb placed his hand over hers and she turned back to look at him. “You’ll be fine. It’s just a formality.”
“Won’t they want to know about me, though? I can’t—”
“Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to. Besides, you’ve got the Alpha vouching for you, and I hate to brag, but they usually go along with what I want.”
She managed a small smile. Caleb leaned over and kissed her, and then set off again. Erica tried to concentrate on the gorgeous scenery and not the anxiety over being presented to his pack. The land was full of dense forest, all covered with a pristine blanket of snow winking in the sunlight. There were wide, smooth swaths devoid of trees and Erica guessed there were small lakes and rivers under the snow. Aside from the little town where the grocery store stood, there weren’t many houses, and those they did pass were usually set back quite a distance from the road, barely discernible through the trees. At last Caleb turned off the main road and into a driveway with a sign out front.
“Wolf’s Lodge?”
Caleb grinned. “Subtle, isn’t it? This is where I live. The property has been in my family for generations and my grandfather was the one who decided to turn it into a business. We’ve got a big lake with ten small cottages around it people can rent out, mostly from spring to fall, but they’re all winterized so we get some visitors this time of year, too.”
Erica admired the big house in front of them, loving how it was surrounded by forest. She could make out a vast patch of undisturbed snow behind it and guessed that must be the lake. It would have been a great place for her kids. Her stomach ached with a pang of sadness that she’d never get to share this with them. “Where are the cottages?”
“They’re spread out and there’s a road around the whole place to join them. The main house here is where my parents still live.”
Startled, Erica looked back at him. “Your father’s alive? But how did you become Alpha then?”
Caleb shrugged. “He retired. He had to petition the elders and the senior members and then when they agreed, there was a ceremony to transfer power, and that was it.”
“Wow. In my pack the only way to get rid of an Alpha is death.”
Caleb squeezed her knee. “I’m glad you’re not with them anymore. It sounds like it wasn’t a great pack.” Erica remained silent as Caleb parked the truck in front of the house. He led her through the front door.
“Mom? Dad?” Caleb called as they entered the house.
A moment later, a woman who looked just like an older, more feminine Caleb, came rushing down the hall. She threw her arms around him. “I’m glad you made it back okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You know she hates it when you go to the city.” Erica turned to see a large, handsome man in his fifties standing in a doorway. He had to be Caleb’s father.
Caleb pulled Erica to him. “Guys, this is Erica. Erica, my mom, Janet, and my dad, Malcolm.”
“George already called us, dear.” His mom had a twinkle in her eye. “Erica, we’re so happy to have you here. Our home is yours and you’re welcome any time.”
Erica swallowed a lump in her throat. “Thank you.”
“You should get her to your house to get settled,” Malcolm said. “Come back for supper and we’ll go to the meeting together.”
They said goodbye to Caleb’s parents and got back in the truck. “Where’s your house?”
They started down a narrow, snow-covered road through the forest. “On the other side of the lake. I built it five years ago.”
As they drove, Erica noticed several of the little rental cottages, each with a driveway and a pier into the lake. There was enough space between them she couldn’t see one from the other. Finally, they pulled up in front of a huge timber house which sat right on the water’s edge.
Caleb grabbed their bags from the back and then led her inside. The main floor consisted of one large space, with a kitchen and island along one wall, and a huge fireplace along the other. In between was a dining table and living room set, facing out to a wall of glass which overlooked the lake.
“It’s incredible!”
Caleb led her up the stairs and into the master bedroom which featured another fireplace, and another huge window. Erica gazed out across the lake, just able to make out the backs of the other cottages. For the first time in a very long time, she felt at home.
****
Dinner and the meeting went off without a problem, and the community welcomed Erica eagerly, as Caleb knew they would. He put her to work helping him and his parents around the resort. It wasn’t a busy time of year, though they’d had a couple of guests during the three weeks Erica had been there.
One evening, he and Erica were returning from a run into town and they saw a silver BMW with Michigan plates parked in front of his parents’ house. He’d become so attuned to Erica he sensed her tension even before he smelled her fear. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s him,” she whispered before turning terrified eyes toward him. “Tank. The Alpha. Caleb, you can’t let him find me!”
Caleb clenched his jaw. How dare that bastard show up here. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. He won’t.” Caleb didn’t slow down but drove the truck down the road to his house. “Get in, lock the door, and stay in there. I’ll go find out what’s going on, and then I’ll come for you.”
Erica bolted from the truck to the house and Caleb took off as fast as he could for his parents’. When he stormed through the front door, he heard voices coming from the living room. He found his parents chatting with a big man in a leather motorcycle jacket, tattoos visible on the skin of his neck and his hands.
“Who’s this?”
“This is Tank. He’s the Alpha of Erica’s pack.” His mother raised her eyebrows at Caleb as she introduced the man.
Tank stood up and held out his hand to Caleb, but Caleb refused to shake it. “What are you doing here?”
“I got a call from an acquaintance that my old lady had shacked up with some wolf up here.”
Old lady? Erica never said they’d been married. And who was the acquaintance who’d sold them out? “Which acquaintance?”
“Guy goes by the name Ripper.”
Caleb knew right away who Tank was talking about. Ripper was a wolf who’d moved into the territory a few years back, but hadn’t formally joined the pack. Caleb had been fine with letting him hang around because he hadn’t caused any trouble. Until now.
“So why did you come here?”
“I came to bring my old lady home. I can’t let another man take what’s mine.” Tank took a step closer, glaring at Caleb.
“You treated her like shit, so she left. And she’s my mate. You have no claim on her.” Caleb stepped closer. He and Tank were pretty evenly matched in size, and neither one seemed willing to back down.
“How about our sons? Doesn’t that give me a claim?”
Caleb blinked. She’d never said anything about kids, either.
Tank smirked. “She didn’t tell you, I guess. She got up and ran off in the middle of the night one night with no explanation. Left me and the boys behind. She just couldn’t take the pressure. You should let me take her off your hands before she does the same to you.”
Caleb clenched his fists. The fear Erica had of this man was clear. If she’d left children behind, there had to be a good reason. “She’s mine now. You need to get the hell out of my territory.”
“I’m challenging you. Tonight. I’ll fight for what’s mine. Just make sure she’s here when I get back.”
Tank stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. Caleb moved to watch out the front window until he’d left the property. When the silver car had disappeared down the road, he went back to his parents.
“Erica is terrified of that man,” he told them. “If she left, she had a good reason. Dad, call the elders and gather everyone together. If he wants a challenge, that’s what he’ll get. When he gets back, bring him to the gathering circle. We’ll meet you there.”
Without waiting, Caleb took off back to his house. He found Erica crouched on the floor in the master bedroom looking across the lake toward his parents’ house. He went to her and pulled her into his arms.
“What happened? How did he find me?”
“Ripper. He moved here a couple of years ago and never formally asked to join the pack. But he kept to himself and didn’t cause trouble. I don’t know how he knows Tank, but he recognized you and called him.”
She shook her head. “The man in the store the first day. I knew I’d seen him somewhere before. He was a hang around with the Demon Dogs for a while. Fuck! So what’s going to happen now?”
“Tank challenged me for you. I have to fight him.”
“What? No!” Erica pulled back to look at him with wide eyes. “He’ll kill you!”
Caleb shook his head. “No. He won’t. There’s no way in hell I’m going to lose you. I love you.”
Her eyes shone. “I love you, too.”
A tear spilled onto her cheek and Caleb reached out to brush it away. “I’m never going to let you go. You know that. But I need you to tell me everything. He said you had kids. Were you married?”
She pulled away from him and went to stare out the window, arms around her waist. “He couldn’t bother with marrying me. It was enough for him to call me his old lady. Tank first knocked me up when I was eighteen and I had Harley. A year later, Ryder came along. They’re like little princes, revered by the others. But I was just a piece of property. Tank has a wicked temper and he’d hit me. Force me to fuck him.” She turned to face Caleb. “I made excuses. By then my mother was dead and I didn’t have anyone. He started sharing me with the other club members and some of them were pretty rough, but he didn’t care. He made it worse if I didn’t cooperate.
“One night, he’d finished beating me and forcing me to suck his cock, and had gone out to get one of his buddies for more fun. My youngest saw it and I knew I had to go. I packed the boys in the car, stole some money and a gun from Tank’s stash, and tried to leave, but he got home before I could go.” The tears streamed freely down her cheeks now, and Caleb fought the urge to comfort her. She needed space to finish.
“I couldn’t go back to him. I knew he’d beat me senseless for trying to leave, so I changed, and I ran, even though it meant leaving my babies behind. He’d always been good to them. It took me weeks to make it to Toronto as a wolf. I managed to steal a few clothes and some money, but I had nothing. Until you came along.”
She ran back to Caleb and threw her arms around him. He squeezed her and held her as she cried. After hearing her story, there was no way Caleb would let that asshole take her away. He kissed Erica, their tongues tangling together desperately.
“Caleb,” Erica said when he moved his lips down her neck. “I want you to claim me. Right now.”