The Alpha's to Share: A BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance (8 page)

But that was the thing. She didn’t have to go back. She could accept Seth’s offer of being his mate and she could live out in the peaceful bliss of the forest for the rest of her life, never having to worry about paying rent, working for an unappreciative boss, and, most of all, she wouldn’t have to face the potential of being prosecuted for something she didn’t do.

Just the thought of that made her stomach churn with guilt. She didn’t want to feel she was using Seth to escape from the troubles of her life. He seemed like a really nice guy, and the last thing she wanted to do was treat him like that.

Of course, if she fell in love with him it would be another matter. Then she wouldn’t be using him. Falling in love with him would be easy, she was certain. He was not only unbelievably sexy, with those dark, smoldering eyes and that lean, muscular body, but he was truly a nice guy. He put her needs first. He spent time with her. Although she’d only just met him, she had a feeling that he was being himself, unlike most guys she’d met who seemed to be so fake. They’d pretend to be nice guys until they were certain she liked them, and then they’d suddenly morph into some hideous version of themselves, often turning abusive.

She’d had enough of being mistreated to last her a lifetime. She was determined she’d never go through that again. And if she stayed with Seth, she believed she would truly be loved.

Callie thought about her past love life, pathetic though it was. She hadn’t dated all that many guys, and none of her relationships had been very serious. How could they be when she lacked the confidence to really be herself around them, and when it seemed like they were all cruel in some way?

The more she thought about it, the more she hoped she could truly fall in love with Seth, and just leave the misery of her past behind her. She could be happy here, surrounded by the beauty of nature and the safety of Seth and his den. She just needed to fall for him, because she wouldn’t use him. She’d rather go back and face prison time.

Before long, Seth returned with a rabbit dangling limply from between his powerful jaws. He laid the creature before her feet, and just as she was hoping he wasn’t expecting her to eat it raw, he shifted.

“I’ll build a fire and have this cooked before you know it,” he said.

She watched him gathering wood from underneath outcroppings and within patches of sunlight where it was driest. He piled the wood in a spot near the bank, which he’d cleared of debris and surrounded with large river rocks to contain the fire. He placed some kind of off fungus at the base of the wood. Then he began to strike two different types of stones together over the top of the fungus.

Tiny sparks splashed from the rocks and landed on the fungus, which quickly began to burn. He blew this gently, and the smoke ignited and began to blaze upon the fungus. He used a stick to push the fungus underneath his woodpile, and before long, he had a fire crackling and popping.

“Impressive!” Callie said.

“Humans cannot do this?” Seth asked curiously.

“Some can, I suppose,” she answered. “But I’m a city girl, and I’ve never seen anything like it. Where I come from, we just use a match or a lighter.”

“What are those?” he asked.

“A match is a stick that you just rub quickly against a strip on the outside of the box and it instantly alights,” she answered. “And a lighter is… well, I’m not sure how a lighter works to be honest. There’s some kind of fuel inside a plastic or metal container, and you can just flick your thumb across a metal wheel or push a button and you get fire.”

“Now
that’s
impressive,” Seth remarked.

Seth grabbed the rabbit, and Callie couldn’t help but wonder how he could possibly dress the animal without a knife. She watched intently as he grabbed the skin near the back ankle and made a small tear using only his fingers. Then he began to easily pull the skin away from the animal, starting with the back legs and pulling forward. When the animal was completely skinned, he grabbed it around the ribcage and began to push, and the innards were easily removed.

He found a sturdy stick to use as a skewer, and he laced it through the rabbit and began to hold the whole animal directly over the fire. Before long, the scent of roasting meat filled the air, and Callie began to drool.

Her stomach rumbled fiercely, and Seth glanced at her and said, “It won’t be long now. Just a few more minutes.”

Perhaps it was because she hadn’t eaten in hours, but Callie was certain the delectable smell of this rabbit was the most enticing scent she’d ever smelled. He poked the flesh of the rabbit in several locations, and, clearly satisfied that it was done, he handed it to her.

“Careful, it’s hot,” he warned her.

She held the skewer and realized the small animal was actually much lighter than she thought it would be. She inhaled the heavenly scent before nibbling a streaming bite from over the ribcage. The flesh was tender and nearly melted in her mouth.

“Wow, I hardly even miss the salt,” she commented, not caring that her mouth was full.

“Salt? What is salt?” he asked.

“Salt is a seasoning humans use to enhance the flavor of most of our food,” she said. “We typically use salt and pepper on stuff like this, and then we use sugar on stuff like… well, like berries.”

“I see,” he said. “Well, we don’t use a lot of that out here. We use some wild seasonings on occasion.”

She took another bite of the perfectly roasted meat and said, “Oh, I think I can get used to living without it. Although I might miss chocolate.”

“What is…”

“Chocolate is a favorite food of humans,” she said. “It’s actually a roasted bean that is ground up and mixed with stuff like milk and sugar and turned into a sweet bar that is utterly divine.”

“I will see if I can obtain some for you if you like it that much,” Seth offered.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I’m fine with whatever you normally eat.”

“Callie, if you choose to be my mate, I promise I will always do everything in my power to ensure your complete happiness,” Seth said. “But I must warn you that shifters mate for life. We do not… what is it called when you humans end a committed relationship? I can’t remember.”

“Divorce?” she offered.

He nodded and said, “We do not divorce. And once we are mated, we are usually monogamous.”

“That’s how human marriages are
supposed
to work,” she lamented. “Unfortunately most humans don’t seem to respect that anymore.”

“Is it too early to ask if I might have any hope that you will accept me as your mate?” he asked, kneeling before her as she ate.

As Callie chewed a bite of her dinner and looked down at him, she could see it in his eyes. He loved her. She’d never seen that look before unless it was directed at someone else, but she recognized it instantly. It was shocking to her how fast it had happened.

“There is hope,” she said delicately, nibbling one of the crispy edges of the lean animal.

“Then that is all I ask for now,” he said, taking one of her hands and kissing it.

“I must hunt for myself now,” Seth told her. “I will return quickly.”

“You can just have some of this,” Callie offered, extending the roasted rabbit toward him.

He smiled gratefully, but said, “Thank you, but I require a considerably more substantial meal.”

“Oh,” she said, flushing.

“I will return for you soon,” he said, shifting into wolf form and sprinting away.

This area of the forest was sparsely populated with wild animals, being too close to town for the population to be able to sustain itself. Human hunters traveled into this area from the city quite often, and they kept the deer herds culled nearly to the point of local extinction.

He’d have to settle for smaller game in larger quantities. Before long he’d gathered and devoured numerous squirrels and rabbits, along with a frog and two small pigeons. He was still rather hungry, but he had enough energy to make it through the night. With darkness rapidly approaching, he needed to find shelter for Callie to protect her from the elements.

He soon ran across a small cave. Upon inspection, the floor was dry and there were currently no creatures calling it home. In human form, he gathered some pine boughs and made a bed off the ground and then he returned to her, shifting back into wolf form to make better time.

Along the way he found a small branch that flowed from a natural spring toward the stream. He sniffed the water and found that it was clean, and he knew the stream must be contaminated further down the line. At least he had found a clean water source for Callie.

He barked at her upon approaching and bowed low to the ground. She nodded and stood, hopping over to him and climbing aboard, clinging to his fur. Then he made his way back to the spring.

Once again, he bowed low. She dismounted, and he took a long drink from the flowing spring to demonstrate its cleanliness.

“Oh, this water is drinkable?” she asked.

His wolf head nodded, and she kneeled beside the spring and gathered the cool, clear water in her hands and drank of it deeply. When she’d had her fill, she wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist, and then Seth dipped his head to drink until he could drink no more.

Again he bowed, and she mounted him. He quickly made his way toward the cave, and he ducked his way through the narrow opening and carried her to the pine bough bed he’d made for her.

She slid off his back and said, “We’re sleeping here?”

He shifted and said, “Is this alright?” He hoped she’d not been expecting more elaborate accommodations.

“It looks fine,” she said. “Quite cozy.”

“I’ve made a bed for you so you don’t have to sleep on the ground,” he told her, waving his hand toward the pile of boughs.

“Thank you, Seth,” she said. “But where will you sleep?”

“I am quite comfortable sleeping on the ground,” he told her. “I’ll be shifted into my wolf form so that I may react quickly to any danger, and it is much more comfortable to sleep in that form here, anyway.”

She snuggled down onto the pine boughs and shifted her position several times. She looked uncomfortable, and he frowned.

“Is this unacceptable?” he asked her.

“It’s fine,” she said. “It’s just the pine needles keep poking me through my clothes.”

“You will have much more comfortable sleeping quarters back at my den,” he promised. “I wish I could do more for you now.”

“Oh, don’t worry, this will do just fine,” she said pleasantly. “I just need to find the most comfortable position.”

After a while, she managed to nestle into her little nest of pine boughs and she began to relax. The night air began to creep in from outside the cave, and he noticed she was shivering.

“Are you cold?” he asked her.

“Only a bit,” she said, though her teeth were clearly shattering as she spoke.

“I must keep you warm,” he told her, and he lied down beside her in human form and wrapped his arms around her.