Resounding Truth: (Werewolf Novella) (The Resounding Series) (3 page)

Seth laughed and pulled her closer. "No she won't, but I might."

Dru slipped from his grasp and stood in front of them, turning to wave before walking toward her tent. "I'm tired. See you both in the morning."

Her desire to offer assistance or gain information for the trip the following morning cooled along with the temperature in the air as she moved from the fire. Her eyes scanned the forest in hopes of seeing the new admirer that had haunted her sister’s dreams and shown up a few too many times in her day.

Was he the Savior Karis thought him to be? She hoped like hell he was … they needed one, and soon.

CHAPTER THREE

Her sleep was fitful, the welcoming waves of her favorite swimming hole turning into something malevolent and full of deadly promise. Unlike her sister’s, her own dreams were nothing more than worry surfacing as she let herself rest, her guard down and her heart exposed.

Drucilia sat up from her small cot, her body achy and in need of a good run. She pulled off her nightgown and quietly released her humanity to nature, arcane magic moving her from two legs to four.

She walked over to her sister’s bed and pressed her cold snout to the sheet, breathing in the scent of serenity as Karis lay still, her dreams no doubt holding her captive. Without wasting another moment, Dru trotted to the small slit in their tent and slipped out into the cool morning air. The forest was quiet, with only a few wolves huddled around the campfire, some in human form and some not.

The woods called to her, the birds high above her singing a song that belonged only to them. Their secrets were forever locked in the ebbs and flows of their tune. She bounced her head a few times to their song before lifting her face into the air and breathing in deeply. Summer was the time for blackberries; the small sweet morsels were hard to find, but without fail, every time she went in hunt for them, she was able to find a copious supply.

It would be a few hours before Derik would mobilize their pack. She would no doubt feel the rumblings of her Alpha calling her and everyone else to his side when the time was right. Letting her wayward dreams dissipate and leaving her cares behind to welcome her upon return, Dru set out into the forest. Her legs constricted below her as she ran with speed and agility, dodging trees and bushes, jumping over logs and stumps. The weather was brilliant, and the sun was just breaking over the edge of the mountains that hovered above them.

Soft green grass welcomed her bare feet, and the smell of tart berries drove her forward. She'd enjoy this moment and cling to it, simply because she might not be afforded another one for a time. The danger before them was ever present. It always was when the pack was on the move. She heard the shuffle of feet and looked around as she continued to run at full speed.

A small family of rabbits hurried out of her path as she focused on her intent for the run and tried hard not to follow her instincts to kill them. Dinner the night before had been more than enough, and she had even taken a few bites of Karis's leftovers after arriving back to the tent. Getting away from Seth and Derik had been a must. Sitting between the two of them left her heart hurting for one and her body screaming for the other. She slowed down, shivering in disgust at the carnal desires that pressed hard upon her where Derik was concerned. How she could even consider him a viable option for mating was beyond her. She would fight it—and him—with all that she had within her, even if she had to resort to death as a quick reprieve from falling before him.

The air shifted and she stiffened, her hind legs locking her into place. A human was nearby. The smell of his sweat and pheromones reeked of Alpha male. She backed up a little, unable to change from her current state into her human form because of her nakedness. No need to goad the man into behaving in a way that would cause him to lose his life, or at least a limb.

She snorted at the joke, turning to run the opposite way when his voice reached her. It was strong and commanding, but softened just enough to give her pause. "Hey … it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. Come over here and let me see you."

She turned and backed up a little as he walked toward her. He was tall, like Derik, and built much like him. His hair was short and dark brown, his eyes the color of the ocean, like her mother’s. Sun-kissed skin stretched across the strong muscles of his arms, his hand extended as if he expected to touch her. The slight stubble on his chin and upper lip was much darker than his hair, but sexy and masculine.

She backed up again, baring her teeth and growling a little to offer a friendly warning. Stupid humans. Did she appear to be a friendly neighborhood dog that had become lost? She growled again, snapping at him as he stopped and retracted his hand. A smile touched the edge of his mouth, his soft pink lips turning up in a beautiful grin. He wasn't at all afraid of her, the smell in the air one of complete calm.

"I won't come any closer. I promise. I just wanted to touch your coat." He moved to bend down to his knees, his dark jeans pulling tight, but fitting him perfectly. He sat back on his heels and tugged at the green t-shirt that pulled around his chest and taut abs before placing his hands on his legs.

"You're beautiful, the most incredible looking wolf I've ever seen."

She was taken a bit by surprise. He was aware that she wasn't a canine but a wolf and seemed to think she could understand him. She sat back on her haunches as well, her gaze moving over his face as she took in the regal slope of his nose, the strong set of his jaw and the intense look in his eyes.

"I'm Caleb." He smiled again and rubbed his hands on his jeans, Dru's eyes following his movement. No fear sat upon her either, but a sense of providence played along air around her. Who was he and how did he know about her people? The humans in the villages close by knew nothing of them, simply because her pack remained hidden deep in the woods and stayed in human form when interacting with the humans.

She breathed in deeply, unable to get a good reading on him. He was human alright, but was he something more? She couldn't tell without tasting the air or even licking his skin, and both of those action were out. To get close to him was a danger she wasn't willing to accept with all of her responsibilities. Protecting Karis was her number one priority. Getting lost in the dark blue eyes of the man before her wasn't part of the plan.

She stood back up and turned to leave as he called after her. "Wait … just tell me your name. I know I've seen you before, but only in my dreams."

She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes narrowing as she tried to place him. She had without a doubt never seen him before. He was simply slinging words to get her attention, and unfortunately, it had worked. Dru took a few steps in the opposite direction and paused only at the sound of him standing and moving toward her.

"Look, I know you're a wolf, and I know you can transform into a human. I have traveled a long way looking for you. Please … I'll give you my shirt and turn my back. I just want to talk for a minute."

She turned her body back around and tilted her head, studying him intensely. Honesty and sincerity sat heavy upon him. Finally, she nodded her head, jerking it up as she took a few steps back. He pulled his shirt from his body and started to walk toward her, but she growled.

He laughed and tossed the shirt her way and turned around. "I know it might sound crazy, but I've been looking for a cream-colored wolf with crimson silk woven through her hair for the last two years." He laughed, and the sound brightened the whole morning, his demeanor like no one’s she'd ever been around. He seemed strong and commanding, yet kind and welcoming.

She morphed into her human form, bent over, picked up the shirt and slipped it over her head. Her hair was a bit wild as it flew around her. The shirt swallowed her small figure and left her legs bare. She wasn't too terribly concerned with her appearance, but more with his claims of searching for her and the odd sensation that Karis would claim him to be their savior.

But he was just human, and even if he were a shifter, this dark-haired man surely wouldn’t change into a pure white wolf. Still … something wasn't right.

"You can turn around," Drucilia said as she let her eyes drag across the deep grooves of his muscular back.

He turned and his muscles contracted. The desire to touch him grew fast within her. She hardly realized the fact that she had taken several steps toward him, only a foot or two standing between them.

He inhaled sharply, his eyes widening as he turned. She waited for him to speak, but he didn't. He took a small step back, his fingers pressing to his lips as his eyes roamed over her wildly.

"What?" She narrowed her gaze, her sense of self-preservation coating her words.

He shook his head, his hand dropping from his face as he exhaled a short laugh. "You, that's what."

She reached up to smooth her hair and wrapped her arms around her chest to cover her nakedness, her modesty nearly lost to being more animal than human. He apparently found that funny or perhaps even found her appearance humorous.

"What do you want?" she barked out as his smile faded, a look of concentration moving across his handsome face.

"You. I want you, but let's simply start with a name." He took a step forward, extending his hand. "I'm Caleb. Tell me your name."

"Tell me why you think you've dreamt of my wolf and what that might mean for you now that you've found me." She ignored his hand and he dropped it, his expression not changing to show disappointment. The smell of challenge rose in the air, and she breathed in, her senses giving her the distinct flavor of an Alpha wolf in human form. She studied him—the perfection of his flawless skin and the youth he presented, and yet his eyes held years of knowledge.

"I think a lot of things, but without your name I'm not willing to bare any more of myself than I have already." He squatted on the ground before her, looking up at her with something like awe in his gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You were laughing only a moment ago and now you look like you're enjoying what you see. Which is it, Caleb?"

His eyebrows rose as his gaze burned a trail along her exposed skin, her pulse quickening as heat blossomed in her stomach. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, the action very animalistic in nature.

He slowly rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders and opening his eyes, the dark blue hues lost as they transitioned to golden orbs that seemed to glow with supernatural radiance. "I'm looking at you the only way I know how. My laughter was given as a form of awe, since you're quite simply the most beautiful creature I've ever seen—wolf or human."

Fear rushed through her at the foreign sensations that plagued her. Something about him called deeply to her, overwhelming her with a desire to be known by him, to be loved by him. She turned her head, swallowing hard and finding her center again. She needed to get away quickly. This man was nothing but trouble, and Derik wouldn't welcome a human or another Alpha wolf, if that was truly what he was.

"I have to go," she whispered, her eyes averted away from him, though she strained against it.

"I will be joining you soon. I came to find you and now that I have …"

"I am only partially human and I’m mated, so you waste your time if that is your purpose." She looked up, her voice finding strength. She didn't have time for this, and quite simply, the desire deep within her was nothing more than a clear indication that things needed to change between her and Seth.

"You're not mated. You might be partnering with someone, but you're not mated." He spoke with authority, and something deep inside her shuddered. He
was
an Alpha, and his voice called her to be under his control. She backed up another step, his words ringing too true for her to receive at the moment.

Dru turned and pulled the shirt over her head and let it fall to the ground, leaving her back to him as she walked toward the forest, her heart pounding. Fear at the idea of never seeing him again rode her hard, but she pushed against it with every step she took.

"I just want your name for now." His voice demanded so little, and yet the softness was gone. A male with the power to make her bow stood behind her, seemingly controlling his urge to do what was natural to him.

She turned her head to look at him once more. "Drucilia."

Her body transformed quickly, and she jolted toward the forest, her adventure to find berries having turned into something horrifying. The thought that a perfect pairing might exist—someone with power equal to her own, but who was sensitive enough to call to her with softness—consumed her with a yearning she couldn't afford. To desire those things while knowing that they could not exist outside of a dream was one thing, but to know that a perfect mate might actually exist but be unobtainable—torture. She raced with all of her might through the forest as an ache burned in her chest, the air painful to breathe.

After clearing a large distance, Dru stopped, her body working hard to bring in much needed oxygen as she groaned in agony. Emotions were so much worse than physical pain. The memories of her mother and father’s deaths rolled over her in a moment of weakness, and she laid down in the forest and lifted her face to the sky, letting out a deep cry of despair. Why was she left alone to care for Karis? Why was Seth weak and Derik a bastard? Why did fate have to offer her something that she couldn't have?

She laid her face on her paws and let the sadness, regret and loss roll over her in waves, her wolf form not allowing tears, which was perfectly fine by her.