Resounding Truth: (Werewolf Novella) (The Resounding Series) (10 page)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Their passion spilled from the water onto the shore, their bodies bathed in the light of the moon as Caleb fulfilled his promise to deliver carnality and pleasure, the two tightly woven. Dru let herself go to the rhythm of his lust, his lips soft and hands strong and demanding as he bathed her in his scent.

The night ended far too soon for her, but the idea of her sister waking up alone wasn't something she could bear. He laid another kiss to her swollen mouth, his body pressed to hers as they lay on the soft grass beside the lake. He propped himself up on an elbow and stared, his fingers absently rubbing the skin just above her temple as a peaceful glow rested on him. She didn't want the moment to end, but knew it needed to.

"Where do we go from here, Caleb? I mean … I need to get back to my sister. Do we run and disassociate with the pack?"

He kissed her chin and neck as he mumbled his response. "No, we stand up for what we believe in, baby."

"That means that you'll fight Derik, and what if he kills you?" She pushed at his chest a little, wanting the focus of his attention.

"That's impossible. My lifeline holds many more years. I'm not worried, Dru, but if you'd rather us run from here with Karis, then I would be open to that too. I only want you, and if that means I take on a pack of wild animals to have you, so be it, but if not, let's just go."

She pushed a little more until he groaned and rolled off of her, sitting up as she stood to pace around. "I mean, I think it would be a smart move to just get out of here and take Karis, but then I think about all that my mother and father did to build the family I have in the pack. They’re all my family because my parents fostered those bonds." She paused, ignoring him as he started to respond. "But if you fight Derik and he kills you, then he might as well kill me, and what would happen to my sister?" She looked down at Caleb as he stood to move toward her. "I promised my mother and father that I would always take care of her."

"Then we get Karis and run and pray like hell that this illness takes Derik out. When he dies from natural causes we return and take leadership of the pack." He pulled her against him and nuzzled her neck, breathing in deeply as he growled. "I want more of you."

She wrapped her arms around him and nipped at his exposed shoulder. "If I have my way, you can have all of me forever."

Her arrival back into the camp did not go unnoticed. She and Caleb decided it would be wise for him to remain in the woods while she gathered Karis and their things. Her sister wouldn't hesitate when Dru told her the plans, but getting to Karis without getting stopped by Derik or one of the other members of her pack would be hard. She'd been marked by Caleb, his scent and magic all over her. She was his mate, and no one could take that from him without damning themselves.

She moved quickly to her tent, the morning sun just coming up over the edge of the trees when she heard his voice, the strong command of it freezing her in place. "Where have you been?"

She turned and pulled the tent covering around her, not wanting to be naked in front of Derik. "I went for a swim. Are you well? You worried me."

He moved toward her, and she braced herself for hell to break loose. He looked better. Actually, he looked completely well—well enough to be a bastard. The look on his handsome face said that he was concerned about more than her whereabouts.

He pulled the cloth from her hands and let his eyes move across her body where small scratches, bites and bruises lined her otherwise perfect figure. She covered her breasts and tried to be modest as his face filled with fury.

"You whore. You slept with him. You mated with another wolf when you knew that I had claimed you as mine." His voice rose as members of the pack started to move from their tents to see what the commotion was.

"I'm not a whore, and I'm not yours. He loves me, which is far more than I can say for you," she yelled back.

His hand stung her face, and her nose poured blood from the hard slap. She jolted from it, falling toward the tent and slipping inside. There was nowhere to hide, but she wasn’t about to get her ass handed to her, especially while naked.

She pulled on a white cotton dress and held a rag up to her nose as the sound of yelling continued outside the tent. Members of the community were trying to talk sense into Derik, but he wasn't having it. He walked into the tent and barged toward her, Dru holding up her hands to defend herself. He outweighed her by more than a hundred pounds, and where she was fast and cunning, he was brutally cruel.

He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked hard, moving to pull her out of the tent, Dru sliding along the ground behind him as she screamed. Pain laced her scalp and she clawed at him, but his grip was too firm and his senses were lost to madness. He yanked once more, throwing her across the fire pit. She landed in the cold ashes from the night before as he approached, fast and furious.

"Do you know what our law says about adultery? It forces me to take your life. Is that what you wanted? When you handed yourself over to him? You wanted to force me to cut you down in front of Karis? Who's going to take care of her now, Dru? Who's going to keep the heart of this tribe alive while I protect it?"

She wanted to fight, and if he came closer she would physically go down swinging, but his argument was completely valid according to pack rules. Death was the only option afforded her. She backed up another step as he laughed, madness settling over his features.

"And here I thought you were the one. The great and mighty daughter of the strongest and most worthy Grayback—until me. How wrong I was. You're nothing more than a needy little whore. If you would've told me, I could've given you far more than your lame white wolf did, I'm sure." He laughed again and shook his head. "This is goodbye, my love. I hope we meet again on the other side and that I've somehow found it in myself to forgive you by then."

He started toward her and she turned to run, but her body plowed into Caleb. He looked nothing like the passionate lover she'd left at the water’s edge. His demeanor reminded her of Derik, his shoulders straight and eyes narrowed in hate. He moved Dru to the side and stepped up in her place.

"I should've taken you out the first night I got into town. This game has gone on far too long, and I'm tired of you ruling my new pack." Caleb rolled his shoulders, a wicked smile on his handsome face.

Dru knew there was no reasoning with them now that the dance of power had begun. All she could do was move back and allow it to happen. Karis ran up beside her, and Dru pulled her sister close, kissing the top of her head and quieting her down. Even though she was grateful for her sister's health, she shook at the idea of anything happening to her Alpha, the great white wolf.

"I'm going to enjoy tearing your head from your shoulders and watching Dru's face as she realizes what a mistake it was to ever turn from me." Derik laughed and started forward, his eyes narrowed and teeth bared.

Caleb matched him in force as the two clashed against one another, Derik pulling back and taking Caleb with him as he rolled to the ground. Punches and head-butts followed, blood covering the area between them as they continued to tear at one another. Neither seemed to be able to get the upper hand, and it was obvious that they had each come to that conclusion, but there would be no stopping them until one of them lay dead on the earth.

Dru reigned in her emotions, not wanting to show the terror that nipped at her essence. The fight before her would not end well, no matter what happened. Either her heart would be ripped from her chest, or she would bury someone that had once mattered more to her than life. He had become a product of the power that lived within him, but watching him die wasn't going to heal any of her own wounds.

She looked up as Derik transformed into a large black wolf. He rushed toward Caleb and latched onto his shoulder, pulling hard as Caleb grunted in pain. The tear ran deep, and his muscle lay exposed as blood poured from him, the paling of his skin scaring Dru. She got up to tell him to turn as Derik charged again. Horrified, Dru transformed into her wolf and started to charge toward the ancient battle, breaking the rules upon doing so. She didn't care.

Before she reached them, though, she pulled up short as Caleb’s gaze flicked up toward the tree line, a look of surprise on his face. Derik must have seen it too because he paused just long enough to look up toward the trees, hesitating in his attack.

Caleb grabbed his arm, holding it close to his body as he turned awkwardly, diving toward Derik. Dru was baffled, wondering why he would try to attack Derik in his human form, but instead of attacking, he dove in front of Derik, screaming, “No, this is my fight!”

As Dru looked on in horror, a large wooden arrow that had obviously been intended for Derik burrowed into Caleb’s chest. He fell to his knees, his breathing labored. 

Dru swore she felt her heart stop for a moment before it began thundering in her chest. She searched the trees frantically for their attacker as she rushed toward Caleb, but she saw no one. Meanwhile, Derik stood in shock, his body completely still.

Before Dru could reach him, Caleb rolled onto his side and jerked the arrow out, his body transforming into his large white wolf, his fur stained with blood.

Derik shook off his shock and rounded to face Caleb, snarling. Caleb moved with purpose, despite his injury. He charged toward Derik and rammed into his midsection, knocking him over as the ground shook beneath them. Without a moment of hesitation, Caleb latched his teeth onto Derik's throat and pulled hard, ripping out his throat and claiming victory as Alpha of the Grayback tribe.

It was over.

The tribe sent up a long, ceremonious, solemn howl, showing respect for the death of their Alpha while simultaneously demonstrating their acceptance of their new leader. Caleb simply gave a somber nod and moved toward Dru, his limp noticeable. She could see that his eyes were focused just behind her, and she looked over her shoulder to catch the dark curls of a female holding a bow. Dru could see a fresh scar on the woman’s face and neck, but she was most interested in the woman’s expression—the soft look of love on her face was concerning. She turned her attention toward Dru only for a moment, her green eyes filling with tears. Before disappearing back into the trees, the woman turned back toward Caleb and nodded. Dru was just able to make out the words on her lips: “Your fight.”

The Huntress.

EPILOGUE

A great feast had been held that morning in celebration of Derik’s reign of terror and dominance being over and a new life beginning. Caleb and Dru had spent a large chunk of the day in the infirmary getting patched up and made well before taking a long nap to help recover from their sleepless night.

Dru woke to the soft fingers of her mate brushing through her hair, her body curled around his, cheek on his chest.

"Hey, beautiful. Sleep well?" His finger pressed just under her chin, causing her to lift her head and meet the passion of his kiss. She leaned into him, tightening her legs around his as she embraced the promise of a future filled with hope and love.

"I did. This has been the longest three days of my life." She laughed and collapsed back onto his chest as he lazily rubbed circles on her exposed back.

"I know, baby. Let's spend the rest of our days living out the dreams we've both had of a better life."

She nodded and looked up toward him, his dark blue eyes filled with passion and love. "We’ll have to help the vampires, should they come to call. Lilith and I have a blood oath between us, so I have no choice."

He visibly flinched then nodded, his jaw locking in place. "I understand. We’ll worry about that when the time comes. I think the humans might be a bit of a bother as well, considering all of their activity of late."

"Do you think we should move the pack again? Vamps on one side and humans on the other." She sighed, her fingers playing down the strong muscles of his chest and abs.

"No, that's too dangerous. I think we just have to make our presence known and stand strong when opposition comes our way."

"Do you think the Hunters will come back for us?"

He breathed in deeply, something changing in his demeanor. "Without a doubt, they will."

"Is it because of the dark haired Huntress with the bright green eyes?"

He looked down at her, his face losing expression. "Yes."

“Was she trying to kill you?”

“No. She was trying to kill Derik in order to protect me, but she doesn’t understand that honor is the greatest trait among our kind.” Caleb reached out and touched her arm.

"Was she looking specifically for you?"

"Yes, and she has been for a very long time."

"Do you love her?" Dru asked, her chest pulling tight at the very thought of it.

"I do."

Dru pulled from him and sat up, jealousy, fear and pain slamming into her as she looked over at him. "I knew something was up. You saved her from both me and Derik during that first fight, and then last night she tried to save you. How can you be with me and love her, Caleb?"

He sat up and pulled Dru toward him, his strong fingers holding the back of her head. He kissed her with more passion than she imagined possible, and her body melted at the taste of him, despite her lingering confusion and doubt. He kissed her again, long and hard, her breath lost and lungs burning by the time he pulled back.

"Caleb, answer me. How can you love her and be with me."

He smiled and buried his face against her neck before pulling her on top of him. "Simple, baby. She's my sister."

It was a shame she’d have to die.