River Wolf (24 page)

“We can go anytime you like.” The subtle encouragement snapped the restraint keeping her rooted to the spot.

“You sure?” If she took off, if she trusted the instinct, would he follow her?

“Yes.”

The confirmation empowered her and she glanced at the envelope, snatched it up and took off. There were people between her and the woods, but they all moved, parting like the Red Sea as she ran and exhilaration burst through her. The breeze on her face and the land beneath her feet. Her muscles pumped and adrenaline flooded her system and she wanted to laugh even as she refused to slow. With a burst of speed she fled the gathering and joy suffused her because behind her, she could
feel
him.

She ran and Brett chased.

H
e’d intended
to give her a head start. The need vibrating off her in waves beckoned to him, however, and no sooner did she take a dozen steps than he was on his feet. The pack hooted and whistled and cheered. More than one howled. Their joy had eddied through him, reminding him why he’d fought so hard for all of them. His pack was happy, the illness expunged with the death of Marco. What had upset them, however, was his isolation and distance. Wolves craved touch and contact, the farther he’d pulled away, the worse the situation had grown.

The happiness he’d found with Colby echoed to his pack and their joy for him returned twofold. Lesson learned. They would survive. They would thrive. And Colby would be with them. Letting her run ahead of him, he followed and drank in the scent of her desire and elation.

Woman and wolf ran. Woman and wolf wanted him to chase. His wolf surged beneath his skin. They could catch her, they both knew it, but what their mate wanted—what their mate deserved—was more than they’d shared so far. Understanding flooded him and he paused, stripped and shifted. The change came over him blindingly fast. On four legs, he was even faster than two.

His wolf wanted to play, to court hers, and to prove they were her mate. Traveling at an angle, he got ahead of her and then when she burst through the trees, she halted at the sight of him.

“Oh.” The catch in her voice flooded him with tenderness. He posed and raised his tail. “You’re beautiful.”

The wolf in him opened his mouth into a canine grin. He basked in her compliment. Still panting, she took a hesitant step toward him. “Can I…?” Her hand was out. Could she touch him?

Padding forward, he butted her hand with his head and she dropped the envelope and knelt down to stroke him. The caresses felt right and he preened against the contact. Rubbing his face against her hands, then her arms and finally her shoulder and chin, he marked her with his scent. He wanted her to always wear him on her. She did carry his scent, in small part, he’d seen it in the reactions of his pack, and tasted it in every kiss. But not enough, not enough to make it clear to any interlopers she was off limits.

Soon.
He soothed his beast.
First we court.
His wolf agreed. Darting away, he dropped his legs and waved his butt before charging toward her and away again.
Come and run with me,
he invited.

“I don’t understand.” While not a lie, the confusion he scented and the reluctance in her eyes suggested she did, but she wasn’t sure how to answer.

He dashed at her again, then scrabbled away.

“You want to run?”

He nodded, then waited. Better for her to work it out. They’d made her a promise. They would control her wolf till she could, but—they also wanted her to learn, and to be a part of them. Her wolf was their mate as much as she was.

“I don’t know if I can change at will like you did.” She licked her lips. It wasn’t a no, but the trepidation and worry drew him back to her. He rubbed against her and wrapped around her legs. She sank her fingers into his fur and he exulted at her touch. “Can you...Call my wolf? And then I can run with you?”

He nodded once, he could, but then shook his head because he wouldn’t. Choice mattered in mating. He could claim her all he wanted, but if she didn’t choose him, it wouldn’t work. No mate could be forced. It was what his grandfather had told him—he would never be Alpha to his mate. If her wolf needed the Alpha, their mating would have to wait.

Withdrawing, he sat and willed her to meet his gaze. She obeyed, an instinct more than a command. Shifting was a choice, too. One she had to make on her own. He could help, but only if she were willing.

“I want to,” she admitted, then bit down on her lip. The indecision ate away at the joy in her scent. “But I want to remember this, too. I want to remember running with you. I know, I’m selfish.”

His tongue lolled out. He was equally selfish, so he had no problem with her demand. Still, he had faith in her. Colby was strong, determined, and she’d stood up to him regularly. She could
do
this.

Believing in her was the single easiest choice he’d ever made.

“Okay.” She blew out a breath then tunneled her fingers through her hair and flipped it. “But if we lose another day because I can’t remember, you have to make it up to me.”

A laugh wound through him and came out a half-bark and she grinned. The smile made his heart soar. When she glanced around, he tested the air. They were alone, but she still looked to him for confirmation and pride flooded him. His mate trusted him.

What a precious gift she bestowed upon him. At his nod, she began to strip out of her clothes. She’d hijacked one of his t-shirts again and wore it tucked like a crop top over her capris. The effect, he had to admit, worked for him. In fact, she should always wear his shirts if she had to get dressed. Once she’d stripped to bare skin, she knelt down and he darted forward to slurp her face.

The bubble of tension around her burst with her aggravated laugh. She gave him a light shove and then snapped her teeth at the air. Another wave of happiness danced through him. Returning to his seated position, he waited. Though he and his wolf alike longed to run with her at their side, he hadn’t lied when he said he’d wait forever.

“All right.” She rubbed her palms together then pressed her hands against the grass. “I can do this.”

Yes, you can.
He kept his play to himself for now, refusing to interrupt her concentration. One minute stretched into the next and a bead of sweat trickled down the line of her shoulder then over one breast. Willing to share his strength, he opened himself to her, and she closed her eyes. Her fingers clenching the blades of grass were his only warning before her muscles began to spasm. The brutality of her change took a couple of minutes, and he endured all of it in silence, willing her to finish. Only once she stood before him, trembling on all fours, did he let his grin show.

Rising, he padded toward her and rubbed against her. She snapped once, and he replied in kind then rubbed her again. She leaned into him on the second pass, still panting and, when their gazes locked, cunning intelligence showed in her eyes.

Nipping the side of her neck once, he darted away then danced back. She shook once, then bounded after him. When she tackled him, he let her take him down, then flipped her over and nipped at her hind quarters. Her sudden burst of speed to run away left him wanting to howl. They romped, chased and played. She never tried to outdistance him and once, when he pretended to give up pursuit and turned away, she chased him.

Late afternoon bled into evening and finally into night before he herded her toward the house. One day, they would spend a whole night together under the stars, just them and their wolves. But tonight, he had other plans for his mate. The front door opened at their approach and she shrank back, startled.

Luc leaned against the door jamb and grinned. “I found the clothes and the envelope. They’re all inside. I even chilled some champagne and your mother sent strawberries. The pack has dropped off enough food to feed an army. I’m going to stay at my parents for the week while I look for a place to live. Four Hunters are stationed around the property and I have this…” He held up Brett’s cellphone. “The next week is yours, a gift from the pack to you both. I’ll handle everything until then. I promise it’ll only be a little bit of a mess for you to clean up.”

Brett shook his head at him, then nodded once. Luc stepped out of the door and pushed it wide. Colby wouldn’t move through it till Brett took a stance between her and Luc. He’d won her trust. It was enough for now.

His best friend glanced at him and said, “Congratulations. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” The smartass remark was followed by the wisdom of running down the stairs. Shaking his head again, Brett let it go. He’d get even next time. Inside, he shoved the door shut with his shoulder and glanced at the sitting room. Colby was already changing.

Pride flooded him and he let go of his wolf form in a rush. He wanted to be able to help her if she needed it. It took her longer and twice he thought she’d nearly given up but she finally sat on her hands and knees trembling. Careful to not touch newly shifted skin, he closed the distance between them.

Head raised and tears in her eyes, Colby whispered, “I did it.”

“Yes,” he beamed. “You did. Do you remember?” If she didn’t, they had their whole lives to run together and repeat the experience until she did.

“I do.” She reached over and licked his cheek. Laughter flooded him. Then her arms were around him and their mouths fused together. He wanted to spoil her with champagne and soft sheets, but she climbed onto his lap and sank onto his cock with such speed, it robbed him of breath.

Every touch sent shivers over his skin and electricity along every nerve ending. She’d never been shy, and tonight she was a woman possessed. But then what did he know? He couldn’t sate himself enough. Her lips. Her breasts. Her hips. Everything about her drew him, every thrust drove him closer to her and every grip of her nails against his back dragged him to her, binding him. When her orgasm crashed over her, he didn’t slow his rhythm, drawing it out for as long as he was able. As his balls drew up tight, he sank his teeth into the tender spot between her neck and shoulder.

Bliss exploded within him as his world righted to perfection. His mate. His woman. Their wolves.

Mine.

O
n the third
morning of their honeymoon, Brett woke to find Colby standing at the edge of the bed with a tray of food in her hands. Cereal. Toast. Milk. Coffee. “It’s not bacon and eggs like the master, but I thought this would do.” They hadn’t left the house, barely leaving the bedroom except to eat.

Sitting, he tugged the tray from her hands, placed it on the bed, then caught her and tugged her into his lap. The morning kiss was well above and beyond any food. That she’d gotten up at all when the sun was barely a thought in the sky told him how important he was to her.

“Good morning,” he murmured against her lips. She opened to him for a long, tongue-stroking kiss that left him stiff and ready to sink into her again. Colby, however, was sore and he could wait. Having her skin against his, her hands in his hair and her mouth open to him was more than enough. Later, he’d pamper and soothe her until they were both drunk on the pleasure.

“Morning.” She gave him another kiss. Still snuggling her, he leaned against the headboard and pulled their breakfast over. They took turns eating and feeding each other, a habit he found he wanted to maintain even when they left their sweet escape from reality.

True to his word, Luc let no one in the pack bother them. No one came to the door. The phone didn’t ring, yet Brett could sense his pack’s happiness. The bonds were strong again, refresh and renewed. His own contentment returned threefold.

When they were left with only the coffee, she twisted and retrieved the envelope. Saying nothing, he watched her turn it over in her hands.

“I think I’m ready to read this, but…whatever it says. I don’t think it matters. Even if my mom is a latent, she probably won’t change will she?”

“Not likely. She is much older and more settled. We can check when we go to meet her.” He still wanted to, and if it took them a decade to get there, that was fine, too. Colby’s parents were his responsibility, whether she understood what it meant or not. If she was a latent, he wanted her protected. Nothing would come at Colby through them and they had given him a precious gift. It seemed only fair to repay them.

“Does it matter if it lists my biological father?”

“Only if you want it to.” Nothing would touch his Colby.

“Well, I’m done with me being a weenie about it.” She slit the top of the envelope open and pulled out the reports. As she read, he glanced at them over her shoulder.

“Huh,” she murmured. “Colby isn’t my real name. I wonder why she changed it.”

“It’s not unusual for immigrants to do it, especially if they are starting a new life.” The pages include details about her mother’s home in South Korea. Colby let out another sound. “My birthday isn’t in January.” That date was the one for the legal filing of Colby’s name. She’d been born in summer.

“You can have two birthdays,” Brett grinned, and kissed the tip of her nose.

Deeper in, they found a single page regarding her biological father. The name wasn’t familiar, but Pierce had added a notation—Yukon Pack—beneath it. It also listed the date of his death as a month before her mother left South Korea. Colby blew out a breath and her relief filled his nostrils.

“It says he died saving people from a fire,” she whispered. “He died, he didn’t abandon her and she didn’t run away from him.” The next sheet included what looked like a news article, but it was written in Korean. That didn’t stop his gorgeous mate, she devoured the information. “A fire raged through the Tuan School for Children today. Seven lives were lost including American, Colby McDowell.”
Colby.
Her mother had renamed her after her father. “McDowell rushed into the building and evacuated nearly every classroom, but was himself trapped by the fire when he went in one last time. No remains have been located though the search continues. McDowell is survived by his wife, Sun-Ha, and their daughter, Xiaolang.”

The rest included notes on their life in Maine, her mother’s emigration and legal name change. The birthday she’d grown up celebrating was also listed as the day of her father’s birth.

“I never knew,” Colby whispered, finally done reading. She leaned her head against his shoulder. “My whole life, she never told me. It was always about rules and restrictions. It says he was there building homes for people when he met her, helping to bring a better life to villagers. She left and came to the states and married an accountant. Dad was a good dad, and I love him. But why wouldn’t she tell me?”

“It is possible for mates to survive each other, if one dies. Not all mates are willing, sometimes they have to have a reason. If she survived for you, then telling you would…”