Moonsong (23 page)

“Which means what for us? When you get tired of me then you’ll just be done with that phase of your life and move on with a new woman?”

When she said it like that, it sounded bad. “No…” he was explaining it all wrong and he shot a murderous look to Adele who watched them with glittering eyes. “She wasn’t my true mate. Does that make you happy for me to admit it now, Adele?” They’d fought so bitterly over it at the time and it had driven a wedge between him and the woman he’d followed without question his entire life. “You were right, she was vain, spiteful and selfish; unsuitable for the mate of the next Alpha, and I should have listened to you. But I don’t regret marrying her, because she gave me my son, even though I only had him those short years.”

“But you are still married to her?” Amelia looked up at him with sadness in her eyes.

“Only technically. There never seemed to be reason enough to take care of it before, until now,” he stroked her hair lightly. “I have filed the papers incidentally, they just haven’t gone through the process completely yet.”

“You did?” Millie looked up in surprise, as did Adele. “When?”

“The day I delivered that sculpture into town, I drove into the City to get the process started. I can give you the number of the attorney if you don’t believe me.”

“No, I believe you,” Millie replied instantly, the words warming his heart.

“Be that as it may, in the eyes of the pack you are still mated,” Adele pointed out peevishly.

“Oh screw it, they aren’t my laws anyway,” Amelia’s eyes flashed with anger. “I’ve had nothing but pain and loss from your stupid laws and prophecies. This is
my
life, and I’ll spend it with whoever I choose,” she declared hotly, and the corner of his mouth tugged up into a lopsided grin.

“Then you’re still choosing me?”

“That’s a stupid question, but then again, you always were kinda slow on the uptake,” she teased, reaching up to stroke the side of his face tenderly. Cutter caught her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm.

“This isn’t over,” Adele insisted. “The pack does govern this valley whether you choose to obey the laws or not.”

“Govern all you want if it makes you feel better, but she’s coming with me, now get out of our way,” Cutter growled, advancing on the front door, holding Amelia loosely in his arm, prepared to push her out of harm’s way if necessary. Adele held her position, eyes narrowed with hatred. “Don’t make me move you, Adele. It’s been a while, but I still know how to dance. You remember what I can do, don’t you?” his eyes bored a hole through her. The tension stretched between them for long, unbearable moments until Adele stepped away from the door without another word.

Eyes on Adele, Cutter pulled Amelia along until they were over the threshold and then even faster, hand on the car remote before they even reached the bottom step from the front porch. The dark SUV chirped merrily, lights flashing as he opened the door and quickly ushered Amelia inside, still wary as he loped around the car to the driver’s side and fired up the engine. It wasn’t until they were well off the property and on the road to his cabin that he allowed himself to look at her, luminous in the soft glow of the dashboard. “Are you okay?” he asked simply.

Millie pulled her gaze from the dark window to give him a smile. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she covered his hand with hers on the gear shift and Cutter brushed his thumb over her petal soft skin.

“I mean really, are you okay? They didn’t… do anything to you did they?”

“Do anything?” she gave him a puzzled look.

“Yeah…” he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not quite sure how to broach the subject. “I mean did Chase, did he… force his attentions on you?” he asked, hating the thought of Chase or anyone else ever touching her.

“Oh, no,” Millie was quick to reply. “No, he didn’t try anything like that. In fact, I haven’t even seen him since I got back home after work. Scarlett said Adele sent him off on an errand to gather some people I think.”

“Right, he’s going for Briar,” Cutter scowled, thankful Scarlett had come when she did. If she’d been even an hour later, it might have been too late.

“Who’s Briar?”

“He’s our… holy man I guess you could call him. He officiates for all the big ceremonies. Not that we have a lot of those; Adele doesn’t like anyone else being the focus of things. He’s pretty reclusive, so it’s not surprising you haven’t met him yet.”

“Adele was calling him over to officiate what? Chase and me? Can they really do that without my consent?”

Cutter gave an uncomfortable shrug. “Maybe. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s officiated over a shotgun marriage so to speak. Only usually it’s the male who has to be convinced.”

A long drawn out breath left his lips. “I don’t know. I was planning on asking Briar about it before everything blew apart but… I just don’t know. The traditions are outdated, but they’re still traditions. Some things you can’t go against.” Cutter really wished they weren’t talking about it in the car so he could study her face as they spoke. Did she even want to go through the mating ritual? Or would a traditional wedding ceremony make her happy once his divorce was final? Once again he cursed the luck that brought things to a crisis before he had the luxury of asking her to be his wife.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Millie remained silent for the remainder of the ride, her mood somewhat subdued after the events of the day. The wind had picked up considerably since nightfall, and as Cutter guided the four wheel drive vehicle onto the smaller dirt road that led up to his cabin, the first fat drops of rain began to fall from the sky. By the time the cabin came into sight he had had to switch the windshield wipers to their highest setting as the heavens opened up and wept.

“Stay here, I’ll find something to cover you up with,” Cutter ordered, killing the engine and pushing open the driver’s side door which was immediately yanked from his hand and blown open to its full extension.

“No, don’t be silly, I can make a run for it,” Amelia insisted, pushing open her own door, the wind instantly whipping her hair around her head, the rain plastering it to her face.

“Amelia…” Cutter cried out in frustration. “Women…” he muttered, pushing through the inclement weather to get to her side where she still struggled to push the door shut against the wind. “Go and get inside,” he yelled over the wind, peeling her away from the door handle and sending her in the direction of the front door with a gentle push.

In no mood to argue the point, Amelia darted to the door, grateful for once that he never seemed to lock it. In fact, she wasn’t even sure if the door
had
a lock on it. She stumbled into the dark cabin, shaking the rain from her hair and clothes. The inside of the cabin didn’t offer much more warmth, but the shelter from the wind and rain was enough while she waited for Cutter to join her.

Only moments behind, Cutter immediately went straight to the hearth to get a fire going. “There’s a quilt on the end of the couch if you want to warm up, or shit, no it isn’t,” he frowned.

Millie peered through the darkness, trying to make her way to the couch when she stumbled over the quilt in a heap on the floor. “Found it,” she exclaimed, wrapping it over her shoulders.

“Your cousin needed it,” he said shortly as he lit the kindling.

“Scarlett? When she came by to get you? Oh…” Amelia realized suddenly why the quilt was needed, a faint smile curving her lips as she imagined how uncomfortable that must have made him. “And you gave her something to cover up with? That’s very chivalrous of you.”

“I didn’t look…”

“No, of course not, why would you?” she replied, shuffling in the long blanket to his side. “A hot blonde shows up naked on your doorstep; you’d have to be blind not to ogle her goodies a little bit.”

“I swear, I never ogled… her… goodies,” he bit the words out almost painfully.

“My knight in shining armor. Well, only slightly rusty armor,” Amelia smiled, smoothing her hands over his damp shoulders as the fire started to catch on, the dry kindling bursting into life.

Catching up her hand, Cutter pressed a kiss to the back of it before he covered it with his. “Hey, your hands are really cold,” he frowned, picking up its mate and holding them between his much larger hands.

“Yeah well, it’s cold outside and we’re not all blazing with heat like a freak of nature.”

“We tend to run hotter than normal people. Come here.” Enveloping her into his embrace he held her close, offering his warmth.

“I’m not complaining, you’re better than an electric blanket.” Slipping her hands under his shirt, she pressed them right against his warm flesh. Cutter hissed at the icy contact and she half expected him to pull away, but he held still, allowing her to use him to warm up. Resting her head on his shoulder, her face turned towards the dancing flames, a sigh of contentment leaving her lips. Cutter held her close, until she sneezed and he froze.

“I should get you something warmer to wear.” Letting go, he took off for the bedroom before she had time to react.

“Ah, sure…” Truth be told she’d been much warmer in his arms, but if he wanted to find her some dry clothing she couldn’t really complain.

“I’ve got a t-shirt, some flannel, sweatpants; I’m not sure what’s going to fit you,” he frowned. “I brought an extra blanket too.”

“Are you trying to warm me up or smother me?” The corner of her mouth tilted up into a smile, letting go of the quilt to sift through what he’d brought out. The shirts would be big but not too bad, the sweats however, even with a cinching waist she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep them up and they were far too long.

“I don’t want you to catch cold, you’re so… delicate,” he grumbled.

“A little bit of rain isn’t going to hurt me, Cutter,” her laughter was light as she peeled off her shirt. Cutter immediately turned to face the other direction, not wanting to ‘ogle her goodies’.

“I’ll get the woodstove going, put some coffee on,” he offered, giving her a bit of privacy.

Smiling over his bout of chivalry, Amelia quickly stripped out of her clothes and donned his, feeling much warmer, if a little like she was drowning in fabric as she hung up her clothes to dry. Done with the woodstove, Cutter watched her before the fireplace doing that mundane task. He came up behind her, picking up the blanket to wrap it around her shoulders.

“I’m fine really, much warmer,” Millie smiled over her shoulder at him.

“I can’t help it; I don’t want anything to happen to you now that I’ve found you. It would be just like the Gods to taunt me with the promise of this new life… and then take it away,” he frowned, fingers tightening around her shoulders protectively.

“Cutter, I told you I’m fine. I’m stronger than I look,” Amelia turned and wrapped her arms around his middle.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered, and Millie hands wandered across the strong planes of his back as his fingers traced over the curve of her cheek.

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

“I’m so much older than you,” the pucker of worry returned to his brow. “I’m old enough to be your father.”

An inelegant snort escaped her. “Sure, if you were a perv and had kids when you were a preteen. Cutter I’m not all
that
much younger than you are.” He made it sound like he was robbing the cradle. She was an adult after all, not a child.

“Are you sure though? What do you want with a broken down, wreck of a man like me?”

“Hey… watch what you say about the man I love!” Millie poked him in the chest for emphasis and his lips curved into a lopsided smile.

“Well, you are pretty tough to take sometimes.” Her fingers rose to toy with the hair at the nape of his neck. “But I guess I do have those masochistic tendencies.”

“Amelia…” her name was reverently spoken as he stroked her smooth cheek. “I can’t believe you’re really here with me; that you’re really mine.”

“I’ve always been yours, since the first day you rescued me. That was a pretty smooth pick up move by the way.”

“Because
that’s
what I was going for,” he chuckled, drawing her closer to brush his lips over her brow. “Anything to get you into my bed.”

“Speaking of beds…” Millie tilted her face up, lips parted invitingly. When Cutter scooped her up into his arms, she was sure he’d taken the hint, but instead of carrying her to the bedroom, he laid her back onto the blanket in front of the fire.
Even better.

“I love you… in case that wasn’t absolutely clear.”

“I love you too, Amelia, never doubt that.”

“I never will,” she promised, shifting to accept him as he covered her body with his. Cutter kissed her slow and deep, as if they had all the time in the world. His hands dipped to skim over her bare skin, pushing away the fabric with deliberate care. A little less patient, she tugged at his shirt, scowling when he wouldn’t let go of her long enough to pull it over his head.

“Hey, slow down, what’s the rush?” he propped himself up on one elbow to peer down at her.

“Easy for you to say, I’m already half naked. I want to
see
you Cutter.”

“Always trying to get my shirt off…”

“Isn’t that the point? Otherwise what good is it to choose you if I can’t see you naked whenever I want to,” she teased, inordinately pleased at the slightly miffed expression she got from him.