Darkness Unleashed (14 page)

It would always be my actions that would prove, time and time, again, that she was the center of my universe. Deepening the kiss, flooding her mind with what I was feeling, her arms wrapped around me and she knew. She knew it all and didn’t hold back, either.

Our mating bond had connected us, but communing this closely, intimately, was what strengthened that forging into an unbreakable promise. It didn’t matter what happened or who came to destroy us. Because of our love, they would never succeed.

“
Wow,” Darcy whispered a little breathless. “Where did that come from? Not that I’m complaining, but just . . . wow.”

“
I was just thinking and one thing led to another,” I grinned, sheepishly. Yeah, weakness or not, there’d never be a time when my girl wouldn’t know how she made me burn.

“
I like the way you think. Feel free to do that any time.” Rising up on her tiptoes, she kissed me, again. “You ready to get wolfy with me?” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“
I thought you’d never ask.” Without regret, I let her go and stepped back, giving us both the room needed to shift.

Not breaking eye contact, Darcy smiled. “Together.”

“
Together.” And in perfect unison, we let go of our control and allowed our wolves to come forward, losing our human forms as skin faded into fur.

I expected hesitancy on her part, now that the time to change was here—even a sense of fear. She’d changed after the spell, but that had been more out of survival and the need to heal than anything else. It would’ve been understandable to worry whether something was still wrong.

There was none of that. Demonstrating the deep trust Darcy had for her wolf, she simply gave herself over to the one thing that came as easy as breathing. There was no tensing, no last minute hedging. The last glimpse I had of my incredible mate before my own change dropped me onto four paws, was the look of pure joy as she did the same.

She was complete, whole.

As her howls echoed in my ears, I joined in with her gleeful song.

Everything was exactly as it should be.

****

Freedom.

That was the thought thrumming through our connection as we ran side by side. We hadn’t stopped in the past ten minutes, even when we caught the scent of deer. It wasn’t about the hunt right now. It was more about the reunion of two souls who’d been kept apart and the fear of never experiencing this precise feeling, ever again.

We fought and died for the right to claim it. Whether it was done as a human or supernatural creature, it was something we both valued, now more than ever.

Leaping through the air and playfully nipping when the other failed to keep up, this was the perfect way to spend the morning. As I raced beside Darcy and our bodies gently bumped, weaving in and out between trees, it was easy to forget there was a world out there filled with responsibilities.

Each time we shifted and ran together, it was tempting to just leave it all behind and never return. Things were simpler this way. There was no danger other than what we presented as the top predator on the property. Miles and miles of lush, thick greenery—pines, trickling rivers, and our favorite spot, a waterfall. It was all ours to possess and enjoy.

There’d been times when all I wanted was to build Darcy a log cabin deep within the Mystic Wolves’ territory and hide away. Locked within our own private love nest, I could give her those moments to breathe, that peace we desperately craved. We could celebrate our marriage and the future before us.

I could protect her from the life that came with being mated to an Alpha.

Despite her assurances last night, and how she’d chosen me, chosen to marry me; knowing that her life would never be perfect, I still wanted to give that fairytale life to her. She’d used the words ‘boring’ and ‘quiet’. I would’ve used ‘safe’ and ‘predictable’.

There was nothing wrong with wanting those things. I think any man—werewolf or otherwise—would want to create a world where he could guarantee his family remained untouched from drama and threats. It was just like those who questioned a man’s masculinity when he cried.

Only a fool would treat the ones he loved as though they weren’t his most valued possessions. It was the fool who didn’t constantly have their welfare at the forefront of his mind. It didn’t make Darcy something I owned; in fact, she owned me. I’d known that from the second I’d seen her and recognized her from my dream.

But the instant I’d claimed her as mine, she’d entrusted herself into my care.

It wasn’t something to take casually, with the boastful shrug of ‘I’m a big bad wolf. What’s the worst that could happen?’ If anything, the last few months had shown me life had a way of surprising and not holding back the punches. It was that knowledge that kept me up at night, mentally checking off my never-ending list of concerns. Even with the best of intentions, Darcy had been placed in danger.

My protection hadn’t been enough, but my heart had been. It would always be the driving force that guided me. It would be what kept me going, even when all the odds stacked against us and voices of doubts whispered, “Give up”.

As tempting as it was to live out the rest of days like this—running as wolves during the day and making love through the night, it wasn’t who I was.

I was more than an Alpha.

I was a fighter, warrior.

I would face each challenge and look it in the eye, never shying away from what needed to be done.

She’d chosen me knowing that.

In as much as she honored me, it was how I honored her.

Are you going to spend your time thinking, or are you going to help me find something to eat?
There was a touch of humor to Darcy’s light scolding. Bumping my shoulder a little harder than earlier, she jostled me from my thoughts.

Hungry?

A little; but I was just thinking I needed to feed my man,
she answered playfully, revealing she’d caught the gist of my musings.

Then I leave the meal choice to you, woman.
I chuckled, inwardly.

Darcy broke away from the path, dashing into the trees until I lost sight of her. There was no need to fear being out here in the woods, where the nearest neighbor was miles away. Daniel and I always made sure the property was teeming with wildlife, careful that we didn’t deplete the population of creatures that also called this place home.

Flashes through our mental link came; revealing the prey Darcy had chosen was a large, unsuspecting jackrabbit. Catching her scent in the air, I slowly followed, anticipating the kill would be complete by the time I arrived.

She was an expert hunter, a surprising fact I’d discovered during the first months of our relationship. I’d seen females within the Pack who resisted that more savage part of our nature, letting the males perform the kill whenever they ran. I’d expected Darcy to be the same and would never forget the way she’d snapped at my snout when I’d suggested she hold back while I brought down a deer for us to share. She’d been the one to deliver the deathblow that day, effectively putting me in my place.

That was when I knew she’d be okay as the Alpha’s wife. She’d earn the respect of the Pack and they’d adore her as much as I did. My instincts had been right, so I took my time heading toward her, now.

This was her moment to enjoy.

And then a crushing blow struck me hard, sending warning bells ringing inside my head. Something was wrong. In the space of a breath, Darcy had gone from executing a routine kill to experiencing a savagery that I’d never felt from her before.

Tearing up the ground beneath my paws, I flew toward her, howling I was coming as I sent her mental urgings to hold on. I didn’t hesitate in locking into her mind to see what was happening, to get some kind of foreshadowing of what I’d find when I arrived. There was no need for this kind of reaction—the level of blood thirst that was all but consuming her. Rabbits weren’t predators, unless you were a frightened piece of vegetation. They weren’t a threat in any way, yet Darcy was in danger of losing herself to her wolf.

Not her wolf—her vampiric nature.

Blood had triggered her. The adrenaline pumping through the veins of the rabbit as it accepted death had sealed the deal. The frenzy coursing through my mate was her inability to control the new powers and thirst that had come with her conversion.

The sight in front of me, as I entered the small-enclosed circle of trees, stopped me cold. With the rabbit tightly secured between her teeth, Darcy’s snout was caked with blood as she shook the animal back and forth. The small body was already limp, the trauma of being handled so roughly no doubt killing it instantly. Dropping it to the ground, only to snap it back up, gore flew from the small creature.

“
Darcy,
I barked, desperate to get her attention.

Her only response was a snarl as I tentatively padded forward, my gaze never leaving her. She wasn’t my wife right now, but a crazed predator. Soft words and gentle kisses wouldn’t subdue her, either. She didn’t need her husband’s help.

The wolf before me needed her Alpha.

Stop
, I ordered, allowing my authority to blast out with just one word. It caused her to still, but she refused to release the now shredded form between her teeth.

Leave me,
she growled through our connection.

Drop the rabbit.
Even with the weight of my command, Darcy appeared reluctant to do it.

Drop the rabbit.
Another refusal.

This time I growled, long and low, my lips curling up from over my teeth.

Relief hit when she begrudgingly obeyed.

Approaching her, I locked gazes with her, refusing to let her look away. The crisis was averted with the wolf, but it was my mate that I now worried about.

Mason
, her horrified whisper confirmed it.

You’re okay. Your thirst caught you by surprise.
She trembled as I nudged her, licking her snout for comfort.

I’m a monster.
She tried to back away, but I wouldn’t let her.

No.
I answered, forcefully. When she nervously glanced down at the rabbit lying at her feet, I nipped at her ear.
Don’t look at it. Look at me.

I couldn’t control the thirst.

You didn’t know. We do now; and we’ll get through this. You’ll learn to adjust.
If there was one thing I was good at, it was communicating. I needed her to make my truth hers, especially if she was going to be able to let this pass.

Mason.

This is a side effect to the conversion. You didn’t know.
I repeated.

But
. . . her voice faded away.

Trust me, sweetheart.
Taking a softer approach, the tension that kept her body rigid slackened. There was a hint of a thought and then nothing. Nodding, Darcy relaxed and I quickly picked up the rabbit’s remains and tossed it to the side.
You’re okay. Breathe.

Can we go home?
Her tired response revealed how much this had drained away her energy and happiness.

Let’s go clean up.
Nudging her affectionately, there was nothing more I wanted to do than get her back to her room and hold her to me in my human form. The freedom we reveled in, as wolves, was not without its restrictions—and right now, I felt those limitations keenly.

I needed to comfort my wife.

The run home was quiet and without interruption. As we slipped inside our room, freshly changed and in desperate need of a shower, I let the silence envelope us. Words wouldn’t fix the new pain that filled Darcy’s eyes.

As I cradled her in my arms, I just hoped that the love I showed her next would.

Chapter Twelve

Darcy

“
You can stop looking at me from the corner of your eye, Mason.” Sighing, I glanced over at him as he, not so subtly, pretended to be focusing on the road. After returning to the house and enjoying a shower together, we headed off to the Council building to meet with Zane. With everything that happened this morning, and the way I’d reacted to killing that rabbit, I was anxious to talk with him. The incident had left me rattled; but putting on a brave face, I rolled my eyes at Mason. “I’m not going to freak out. Promise.”

Smiling like he had no doubts, he lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I know.”

“
Then why do you keep looking at me?”

“
Because you’re beautiful?” he answered, chuckling low.

“
You’re not sure?” I retorted, grinning back at him. “Having second thoughts, huh?”

“
Never. And if you think that, I obviously didn’t do a good enough job at convincing you in the shower.” Mason wiggled his eyebrows, causing a heated blush to flood through me. The hot water had done wonders on my tight muscles, but it was the way he’d taken control and reduced me to mere sensations that had soothed my nerves. He’d helped me refocus and brought clarity to the forefront of my mind.

There was no need for him to keep checking to see that I was okay. I was. His staring at me only made me want to reach over and smack him.

“
You know you’re amazing. Quit angling for a compliment.”

His throaty laugh filled the car. “It never hurts to hear, though.” Placing both hands on the wheel again, Mason made the necessary turn off the freeway, our destination only minutes away. “You want me in the room when you talk to Zane?”

I did. It always helped when he was close, like he was my security blanket or something. Having him within touching distance made talking about difficult things easier. “I should be fine. I’m sure he’ll want to see whether having Amber inside my body affected the conversion in any way.”