Uncaged (14 page)

“It’s all right,” she whispered. “Brother Jacob was a bad man. He hurt me and many other girls. You did the right thing. I love you for it.”

“Christy, I didn’t just make it look like a wolf attack. I killed Brother Jacob while in wolf form.”

“What?”

“I snuck up to his hiding place and attacked, as a wolf.”

“A real wolf? Fangs and paws?”

“Yes. A wolf is a big part of what I am. My ancestors claimed to share blood with the wolves. After you were stabbed and lay dying, to save your life, I shared my blood with you. The blood of Waya is why you’re healing so fast.”

“You shared blood with me? How?”

“I cut my wrist and mingled my blood with yours. You barely had a pulse. I was scared to lose you. Forgive me for doing such a thing without your consent.”

“Mitchell, are you saying you’re a wolf, or can become a wolf? As in the spirit of the wolf?”

“No. I can transform at will and take on the physical shape of a wolf. I become furry and fangy…everything.”

She gulped breath. “I don’t think I can quite believe any of this.”

He smoothed the hair from her face. Her eyes were especially bright and full of life. “You don’t need to believe in something for it to be true. Long ago, a sacred pact was made between man and wolf. I sensed the blood of Waya in your veins. Diluted but unmistakable. At least one of your ancestors was a wolf, or else the transformation would not have been possible. I brought you into our ranks, and I’ll never abandon you. When you’re ready, I want you as my mate. You’ll be cherished over a very long lifetime. Christy, you’ll change over the next months and become what I am. I hope you can embrace that fact.”

She sat in silence for a few moments, looking excited and stunned. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything now. Let the idea soak in. There are a lot of advantages. I can prove all of this to you once you’re out of the hospital.”

“How would you do that?”

“I’ve already spoken about this to our pack Alpha, Drew. You’ll need to be introduced to the pack and asked to swear a vow of secrecy. We’ll go into a wilderness area together, and I’ll help you through your first wolf-shift.”

A quivering smile lit her face. “Sounds romantic.”

“I won’t kid you. The first few shifts can be painful. You might get scared, but I’ll be at your side, offering support and my heart.”

“Mitchell, your face is so serious. You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”

He nodded.

“I’ll keep an open mind.” She took hold of his hand, weaving her fingers between his. “It sounds like something special to look forward to.”

Kissing her forehead. “It will be.”

The Black Hills, Four Months Later

The road leading to Gray Paw Mountain wound higher. The sun slipped behind a ridge casting the Black Hills into purple twilight. For an early July evening, the temperature felt reasonably cool.

Christy sat beside Mitchell in the truck. She held his hand in between his shifting gears. “How much farther?”

“Next ridge.” He glanced sideways at her as he drove. “Are you okay? I can take you back to town, and we can do this another time.”

She shook her head. “I’m nervous, but I’ve been ready for weeks.”

He laughed. “And I said ‘no’ because I wanted to make sure you were fully healed.”

The past months had presented many challenging but amazing experiences. An unusually short stay in the hospital baffled her doctors. She and Mitchell suspected the blood of Waya had taken root. Completing her first shift would confirm those suspicions.

Warmth shone in Mitchell’s eyes. “Did you wolf-dream last night?”

As soon as she woke in the hospital, lucid dreams of running free on all fours in wolf form became nightly events. “Oh, yes.”

A broad smile lit his face. “I dreamed about you.”

Squeezing his hand. “I thought about what you said, and the answer is yes. I can stay in Los Lobos until the end of the month. I want to help you work on the cabin. There’s no reason to go home sooner. The new semester won’t even start until August.”

Mitchell stared ahead. “There’s something I want to run past you.” He paused. “I enrolled in college, too. It’s time to get my shit together. We’ll be on the same campus.”

“Really!” She lunged across the seat to kiss his cheek. “That’s great. Maybe we can move in—”

“We’ll see.”

“Okay, now I’m so excited I’m scaring myself!” She laughed.

Beyond a stand of pines, golden light shimmered.

“We’re here.” He pulled the truck over to the side of the road and parked in front of Rio and Sela’s cabin. The glow of a lit porch provided a visual oasis of peace.

Rio stood on the front steps, holding a wrapped bundle in his arms. Lifting a finger to lips, he made a hushing motion.

They climbed out of the truck and closed the doors as softly as possible.

Mitchell reached the steps first. He beamed as he gave Rio a congratulatory pat on the shoulder. “Can I see him?” He spoke in a husky whisper.

Rio tugged the blanket away, revealing a beautiful sleeping baby with a head of dark hair.

With a gentle touch, Mitchell traced a fingertip across the baby’s forehead. “He sure looks like a Waya. Do you think he’s one of us?” Biting his lip. “You know what I mean. A Wolf?”

With a proud smile, Rio tilted the baby toward her so she good get a better look. “Too early to tell. It wouldn’t make any difference to me one way or another. I’m so in love with this little guy, it’s insane.”

Mitchell grinned. “I’m happy for you and Sela.”

Rio nodded toward the cabin. “Sela’s asleep. There’ll be some coffee and fry bread in the kitchen when you get back.”

“It won’t be before dawn.” Mitchell wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her to his side. “I want to shift, take a long wolf run, and then show Christy Gray Paw Ridge.”

“Great idea.” Rio leaned close and kissed her cheek. “Best wishes, Christy, with your first shift. Welcome to the Black Hills pack.” He glanced at Mitchell. “You’ll be fine. You’re in good hands.”

Rising on tiptoe, she brushed a kiss to Rio’s cheek. “I know I am.”

“By the way,” Rio whispered, “there’s a greeting party in the ravine. Drew and Betty, Jace, and Michelle, of course, Ravage and Adrie, and probably a few others wanted to welcome Christy into the pack shifter or human as Mitchell’s mate.”

A lump rose in her throat. “Thank you.”

The baby started to fuss.

Rio nodded. “I better go inside.”

Mitchell led her by the hand past the cabin and along a dirt path to a trailhead marked with a stack of stones.

Feeling a rush of anticipation. “Where does this go?”

“It’s a forested ravine with a stream running through it. It’s the perfect place for a first shift. There’s water to drink, plenty of trees to run through, and it’s safe. We can play and howl all we want, and the sound won’t carry.”

The trail was shadowy, but her eyes adjusted in an instant. They hiked deep into the ravine. Boulders and tall trees surrounded them. Mitchell held her hand, lending a sense of reassurance. “What time is moon rise?”

“In about an hour. You’ll be amazed. Through wolf eyes, dark woods will look like daylight. Close to the river, smells will be stronger, more interesting. Anything you taste or touch will be amplified. It might be overwhelming at first, but I hope you’ll come to love a wolf-shift as much as I do.”

“Anything we do together will be great.”

Mitchell led her into a circle of trees. “We can undress and leave our clothes here.”

Leaning against a tree, she pulled him close. Gazing into the starry sparkle in his eyes, she unfastened the buttons of his shirt one at a time, baring a silky triangle of hair. She skimmed her fingertips over his warm skin. “You have the most beautiful chest.”

His soft breath near her ear tickled. “I could say the same about you.”

“Kiss me.”

He tangled his fingers in her hair and pressed her against the rough bark of the trunk. His lips hovered a whisper of a touch from hers. “If I start kissing you now, I won’t be able to stop.”

“Promise.” She giggled.

“I want us to shift first and take a wild run together to bond as wolf mates. Then shift back and make love as a man and woman who shared a special experience only they understand. Does that sound like a plan?”

Her heart pounded. “That’s a mighty fine plan.”

Tugging his boots off. “Okay! Let’s do this.”

A sense of exhilaration overrode any self-consciousness as she stripped her clothing and stacked it into a neat pile. She stood naked and giddy with laughter. “Thank you.”

Mitchell stripped his jeans down his powerful thighs. “For what?”

“Saving me twice and sharing the blood-gift.” She offered her hand. “God, I’m so nervous, I’m shaking. I’m scared I won’t be able to shift.”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” He enfolded her in his arms. “Shifter or human, I love you.”

His bare skin brushed the length of her. The tiny hairs on his legs tickled her thighs. The faint scent of his musk intoxicated her senses.

“Close your eyes and take a deep breath.” Mitchell’s voice was calm. “The blood is already in your veins. It saved your life and healed you. Let your thoughts return to the wolf-dreams. It’s that easy. Shifting is remembering what you are at heart. You’ve changed. You’re a Wolf like me. Now relax and allow your body to shift.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Maybe. Or it could go the other way and turn into the biggest, baddest, adrenaline rush imaginable. Those shifts are good.” His palm smoothed her hair. “Try not to think. Your body knows what to do. Shift with me.”

“Look.” His eyes flashed amber and tipped at a steeper angle. Dark fur covered his face. Mitchell began to take on a distinctly canine look.

Her heart raced. A light sheen of sweat broke over her skin. She knelt and watched in astonishment as her fingers turned to furred paws and scraped at a layer of pine needles. The transformation to Wolf felt wonderful. A fiery sting spread through her limbs as keen as having the sun detonate in her belly. Love for Mitchell and white-hot gratitude for the experience blasted every cell. In her mind, she shouted,
Wow! Wow! Wow!
But a wild howl poured out of her instead.

Mitchell shifted to wolf form. He playfully nipped at the fur around her throat. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw she had a lush coat and a bushy tail. She’d transformed to a Black Hills Wolf, too.

Mitchell darted away to chase shadows, and she followed, howling with joy.

Hoooowl!
Other wolves in the ravine answered back in welcome.

Katalina Leon is a romance author who can’t commit to a single genre. Her favorite playgrounds are growly shifters and paranormal. She Loves hearing from readers.

Contact me at:
[email protected]

www.facebook.com/katalinaleonauthor

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Sela’s back ached from being in the car since dawn. By the time she reached Los Lobos, the hour was late. The ramshackle town appeared deserted of anything she’d call commerce. A quick glance down the main street dimmed all hope of getting dinner in a real restaurant. Apparently, even on a long summer night, the citizens went to sleep with the sun. The battered storefront slash real estate office where she was supposed to meet someone was dark. An ice-cream stand on the corner was lit, but the sole employee refused to make eye contact and scrubbed the countertops in what appeared to be the process of closing.

Her stomach growled in noisy protest.

A barn-like structure at the edge of the so-called business district was the only establishment displaying signs of life. With no other options, she drove her Jeep into the parking lot of “The Den”.

She slipped into a tight spot on the edge of an alleyway. Eager to get out, she swung the door open with too much enthusiasm. A metallic
thunk
alerted her to the magnitude of her mistake.

“Crap.” A deep scratch on the door of a hulking pickup truck was obvious along with bold white lettering,
Los Lobos National Park Ranger.

Less than three minutes after arrival, she’d already damaged the property of the very people she needed to befriend. Her introduction to the National Park community was off to a sour start. The responsible thing to do would be to go inside to report the mishap, but the delicious scent of onion rings fresh from the fryer wafted toward her, hijacking her senses. Food needed to come first. Being an honest citizen, second.

Following her nose through the front door, she was thrust into a honky-tonk time warp. Bars like this one didn’t exist in Los Angeles. The Den was cozy enough but appeared to have been decorated by a taxidermist in the late seventies and zealously preserved since. The shaggy heads of several unfortunate buffalo dominated the far wall. At the front door, two stuffed raccoons offered a mock greeting with outstretched paws. The chairs, booths, and even a few of the tables were covered in forest green vinyl. No doubt a sticky misery to come in contact with on a hot day.