The Mating (3 page)

He extended his arm, ushering her into the kitchenette. The table was set. Bacon and eggs, juice and toast were waiting. “I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat first thing, but this is what I can cook. I hope it’s suitable.”

Elise looked at him in surprise. Her father had never set foot in the kitchen, always too busy with his work as Alpha. “You… You cooked this?”

“Yes. I am capable of fending for myself, you know.” He chuckled at her expression and helped her into a chair. “Also, I can’t have my mate undernourished. We used up a lot of energy last night.” This final remark was accompanied by a kiss on her cheek and a hand running casually over her breast to her waist. Elise momentarily froze, but Kane sat down opposite her as if nothing had happened and began serving. “We’ll need to take a few days to get used to each other—acquainted with various likes and dislikes. Is there anything you aren’t fond of eating?” He paused in the middle of spooning up some egg and looked at her enquiringly.

“Um…not really.”

“Good. I’ll eat almost anything myself. Do you like to read? Watch movies?” The meal progressed with Kane asking her questions and Elise supplying answers. When she didn’t question him back, he would fill in his own preferences. Elise had to admire him for the effort he was making. He was being friendly and polite, showing an interest in her… Apparently he was committed to making their union work.

After awhile, she relaxed a bit and found herself expanding on her answers. Kane smiled over at her, obviously pleased that she too was making an effort.

“Our territories adjoin to the east, and with our packs under an alliance, we technically have miles and miles of forest to roam in now,” he explained, leaning back and sipping his coffee. “Personally, I love a good run over rugged terrain. How about you? When I first saw you, it was apparent that you’d just come in from exercising.”

“Yes, I’d been out with…a friend.” The smile that had been on her face during their meal, faded as she recalled her last run—the last time she would ever be with Bryan.

“And this…friend. Would he be the young male who was looking daggers at me yesterday? Tall with sandy hair and about twenty years of age?”

Elise hesitated, but knew Kane could find out from anyone in her pack. Her friendship with Bryan had been no secret. “Yes. That was Bryan. He had hoped to speak to my father about being my…mate.” She looked away, her eyes misting a bit as she thought of him.

“And you?” Kane prodded softly. “How did you feel about that?”

Staring at her hands, Elise whispered her answer. “I…I was hoping for the same thing.”

Kane was silent for a moment, and then answered slowly. “I see…but I’m not surprised. You are a beautiful female and it would be strange if no one in your pack had wanted to mate you.” He sighed heavily. “You know, Elise, sometimes our lives have moments of great disappointment. It’s difficult at the time, but we have to move beyond.” He reached across the table and put a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Our being mated was of great importance to the well-being of both our packs. It’s our duty to them, to make this work, agreed?”

His amber eyes bore into hers, the authority of his position evident and after a moment she nodded in agreement. He was right. Duty to her pack, and duty to his, necessitated making this union work. He stood and extended his hand to her. Hesitantly she reached out, placing hers in his. Warmth enveloped her hand and slowly worked its way up her arm. Smiling encouragingly, he pulled her to her feet.

*****

Standing at the edge of the woods, Elise waited for Kane. After cleaning up from their morning meal, he’d headed up to the pack house to deal with a few pressing matters, saying he’d meet her in half an hour. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to run with him—that had been an activity that she and Bryan had enjoyed together—but knew that she needed to make their bonding work. Running could turn out to be one of the few things they had in common.

It was another lovely fall day. The trees were painted with orange, red, and gold while the sky was a bright clear blue. Heat from the rising sun was slowly burning off the morning fog, but wisps still swirled low to the ground giving everything a faintly magical appearance. She loved this land and knew every square inch by heart. Closing her eyes, she visualised running down the twisting paths, leaping over fallen logs, splashing through streams… It really was the best place in the world and she couldn’t imagine ever being this comfortable or at peace anywhere else.

Inhaling deeply, Elise let the fresh, crisp air invade her lungs and energise her body. Kane was later than he had thought he’d be and she began to shift around restlessly, bending to touch her toes, stretching her arms over her head then twisting side to side. She stared back towards the house and wondered how much longer he’d be. As Alpha, she knew his time would not always be his own, but did that mean that her time must be spent waiting, doing nothing. Biting her lip, she stared deep into the woods. The land was calling to her. Did she dare go ahead without him?

Her father had expressly forbidden any pack member to go out by themselves. Hunters sometime laid illegal leg traps and a wolf could be caught and shot before anyone in the pack was aware. That was how her mother had died…

“Good morning.” A voice spoke behind her and she jumped. Spinning around, she saw Bryan standing just a few feet away. The sun was shining on his sandy brown hair, giving it a golden glow.

“Bryan!” She felt her heart leap with joy and she rushed over to hug him, only to have her friend back up when she was but a foot away. His movement brought her headlong rush to an immediate stop. “Bryan? What’s the matter?”

“What do you mean, what’s the matter? You know what the problem is.” Elise frowned and shook her head. “You’re mated to Kane. I can smell his scent on you.” Bryan sounded bitter and frowned at her.

His words cut like a knife into her. How could he be so cruel? “But… You know that wasn’t my choice! The Elders decided on the need for the union. You know that. You were at the ceremony yesterday and heard the speeches just as I did.”

Bryan looked away, his face grim. “I know. It’s just…” He seemed to be waging some type of internal struggle, then sighed deeply and looked at her, his hazel eyes sorrowful. “I had hoped to be your mate.”

“I know.” Elise took a step closer and laid her hand on his arm. “I’d hoped for the same thing.” She took his hand in hers. “This union was for the good of the packs, but it doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped caring for you.”

“And I still care for you.” Bryan reached out and stroked her cheek, staring intently into her eyes before switching his focus to her lips. Silence stretched between them and Elise realised that he was leaning closer to her, his intention of kissing her evident. Her conscience pricked and she knew she should step away. Bryan was not her mate; Kane was…

A twig snapped behind her before she could act and Bryan jumped away, pulling his hand from hers. They both turned to see Kane standing nearby, his eyes narrowed and glaring at them.

“Elise, I’m glad you found a way to keep yourself occupied while I was finishing off pack business.” There was an angry edge to his voice which made Elise’s skin prickle with anxiety.

“I…I was just talking to Bryan,” she stammered. Something in his expression frightened her and she stepped back.

“So I see.” Kane shot her a brief glance, and then focused his attention back on Bryan, a look of disdain on his face. “This is the…friend…you spoke of this morning?”

“Yes, this is Bryan. We’ve been friends since we were pups.”

Kane gave Bryan an almost imperceptible nod. “I’m glad you had someone to keep you company while you were waiting, but it would do your ‘friend’ well to remember that you are now
my
mate and off limits to all others.”

Feeling her face burn at his innuendo, Elise tried to defend her actions. “We were just talking, nothing else!”

“I do not appreciate other males standing quite so close when…talking… to my mate.” The words rumbled from his throat and Bryan stepped back, instinctively acknowledging Kane’s dominance.

“Elise, I’d better go. I…I’ll see you around.” Bryan’s voice was quiet and regretful.

“Yes, I’ll see you around…” Elise responded softly, knowing that it was unlikely Bryan would approach her again. Soon, she’d be gone and it saddened her to think that her friendship was ending. She watched Bryan turn and head back to the house, then faced Kane, anger bubbling up within her. “You didn’t need to chase him off like that.”

“I didn’t chase him off. I just let him know that you are my mate now and a proper distance needs to be maintained.”

“He was just—“

“I know what he was just doing,” Kane interrupted sharply. “I could sense his desire for you and I do not share my mate with anyone. We are bonded and you are mine. No other male is allowed to sniff around you.”

“Sniff around me?”

“Yes. Your next heat cycle is coming in about a month, isn’t it? Last night, I could already sense the growing pheromone levels in you. He might not be consciously aware of them yet but in another few days he will. That boy needs to remember you are off limits before his instincts to mount a fertile female cause him to make a grave mistake.”

Elise huffed indignantly. While heat cycles and mating instincts were not kept secret within the pack—in fact they were impossible to hide—Elise wasn’t pleased to have Kane bringing her relationship with Bryan down to such a base level. “Kane, you—”

“Elise, this conversation is over. You are my mate. Bryan will stay away. End of topic. Now, are we going for a run or not?”

For a moment, she considered leaving in a snit, but then realised she’d be cutting off her nose to spite her face. She loved to run and Kane was right. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn’t encourage a relationship with Bryan any more. It wasn’t fair to him. With a brief nod to Kane, she phased into her wolf form and headed into the forest, vaguely aware of him following behind.

The leaves crunched beneath her feet, trees and shrubs a mere blur as she raced past. Leaping over logs, skirting around trunks, she ran for the sheer love of it. Her eyes constantly scanned the horizon as she quickly adjusted her path and pace to suit the terrain. At the same time, she was aware of Kane running behind her. He’d made no attempt to pass her, but she was aware that he was holding back. His breathing was slow and steady; there was no sense of exertion coming from him.

Elise quickened her pace, curious to test the limits of the wolf behind her. Within seconds, he had adjusted his pace to hers, the distance between them remaining constant. Again and again, she tested him, running faster and faster yet he never once fell behind, nor attempted to overtake her. She knew he was toying with her and vexed, she veered off the path, heading for rougher terrain. Barrelling over a crest, she headed down a slope, her claws digging into the soil as she sought to gain traction on the slippery, leaf covered ground. At the bottom a stream meandered along and she splashed across it, before charging up the bank. Her breathing was ragged now, but she wasn’t about to give in and put on a final burst of speed, intent on jumping over a brush pile ahead of her.

Without warning she was knocked to the ground. Automatically, she began to fight, snapping and rolling, trying to evade her attacker, but to no avail. Within moments Kane had her pinned her to the ground, his teeth lightly gripping her throat.

Instinctively, she froze and whimpered in submission. Kane held on for a moment longer than let go and sat back. She sat up and phased back into human form and he did as well. He was breathing a bit faster than normal but he didn’t appear spent. On the other hand, her chest was heaving as she pulled oxygen in to nourish her protesting muscles.

“Why did you do that?” She panted.

“There’s a leg trap just ahead of you. A few more yards and you would have stepped in it.”

Elise turned and scanned the area ahead of her. Sure enough, barely visible in the carpet of leaves was a steel trap. She thought of her mother, shot to death with her leg caught in such a device and a shudder passed over her.

“Just this morning, scouts reported that more poachers had been seen in the area. We’re near the edge of the property, so I was on the lookout. Rest here for a minute. I’m going to spring that one and then see what else I can find.”

“I’m coming with you.” She stood, lifting her chin defiantly when it appeared that he’d have her remain behind.

“Fine, but stay behind me.” Kane gave her a stern warning look before searching for a sturdy stick and carefully pressing it against the trigger of the trap. It was an older model, with sharp metal teeth designed to dig into the flesh of any creature unfortunate enough to step in it. Elise jumped as the trap sprang shut, snapping the stick in two. She swallowed hard, thinking of how painful it would be to have her leg caught in such a device.

For another half hour, they scoured the edge of the property, discovering four more traps before Kane was satisfied that none remained. “We’ll report this to your father when we return and he can send another set of scouts out to check.” He had gathered the traps into a pile and marked the location so that they could be collected later. Traps were never sprung and then left behind. The hunters would just reset them. At least this way, the humans would be out money and time since they’d have to purchase new ones.

“Thank you.” Elise touched Kane’s arm as he stood up after hiding the traps under some brush.

“For what?”

“For stopping me. I could have snapped a bone, if I’d stepped in one of those.”

“I’m your Alpha now. It’s my job to watch out for everyone in the pack, but especially you. As my mate, you’re the most important member to me.” He stared at her intently and she flushed.

“Yes, but I should have been watching more carefully where I was going. I know these woods…I wasn’t paying attention.”

“What were you thinking about instead?”

She hesitated before answering. “You, or to be more precise, I guess I was testing you, to see if you’d keep up.”