Chapter 15 - Kane

"Grandma Peters, I think that is the best pecan pie I have ever tasted!" Kane admitted, leaning back in his chair.

Miley"s grandma certainly knew how to bake, and pecan was his favorite, but it wasn"t half as pleasurable as what he and Miley had done in the orchard.

He only wished she seemed to think so, too. She had been even more standoffish than usual ever since and was practically silent at the kitchen table as they ate.

In fact, she spent half of dessert just staring into empty space as if she were thinking hard about something.

Does she regret it that much? Kane thought, examining her face closely. Her expression was unreadable, but she seemed to be growing paler by the minute.

"Do you agree, Miley?" he asked, hoping for some reaction. "Miley?"

"Hmmm…oh, yes, let me get the plates," Miley said, clearly in a world of her own.

Grandma sent a worried look in Kane"s direction and he shrugged.

The two of them watched as Miley picked up their empty plates and carried them over to the sink, stepping over Moses with a small stumble as she went.

Kane"s chest tightened. Something was wrong. He could smell it. Miley"s scent had changed again since that morning.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Grandma asked, as if she had sensed something was off.

The plates clattered into the sink as if Miley had dropped them, and the second she clutched hold of the large porcelain sink basin, Kane jumped to his feet.

"Oh heavens!" Grandma cried as Miley started to sway.

Even Moses jumped to his feet, though it was likely more to do with Kane"s speed having spooked him than Miley's stumbling backwards from the sink.

Kane reached her just in time to pull her up into his arms before she could hit the floor.

"Goodness! Do I need to call for someone?" Grandma asked.

Thinking quickly, Kane shook his head. Cradling Miley in his arms, her head lolling helplessly against his shoulder, he knew that no human doctor could see this.

"Don"t worry, Mrs. Peters. She will be fine. She has dizzy spells," Kane said, hoping it would be enough. "She just needs to rest. I"ll take her to her room."

"Are you sure?" Grandma asked, rising from her chair. "I can call a doctor if need be. There is one in the next town over."

Kane shook his head again and forced a smile. "Please, don"t worry, Mrs. Peters. I"ve got her."

He squeezed Miley just a little more tightly. Nobody was coming anywhere near her. Not until he was certain she was okay.

Before Grandma could protest or offer any more help, Kane hurried down the hall, followed by Moses.

Slipping into Miley"s room, he kicked the door shut before the dog could follow. A growling match with a collie dog was the very last thing he needed right now.

Gently, he laid Miley down on the bed. Even before he laid the back of his hand on her forehead, he could feel how hot she was.

"Miley, can you hear me?" he said gently, unable to resist the urge to stroke her cheek.

Though her brow was furrowed as if in torment or pain, her expression was much more peaceful than he had ever seen it. And she was even more beautiful than before.

Breathing deeply, he took in her scent. It definitely had changed since he had arrived at the farm. It smelled as if it were changing more by the hour. Though she still smelled sweet, there was a muskier, earthier, more animalistic scent to her.

Fearful, Kane grabbed her wrist and turned her arm over and over, looking at every inch of her skin. When he found nothing, he checked the other.

Then he checked her legs, her stomach, and rolled her onto her side to check her back.

Nothing.

He was just considering removing her clothes altogether to be even more thorough when Miley gasped, her eyes fluttering open.

Still on her side with his hand holding her in place, she fought against him, trying to roll onto her back.

"What the hell are you doing, Kane? How did we get in here?" she demanded, forcing him away from her and sitting up, wrapping her arms around her knees.

It was a good thing Grandma had a no shoes inside the house policy or her linen sheets would be ruined.

Instead of answering her, Kane demanded, "Were you bitten?"

Miley"s gaze darkened, her brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, were you bitten?" Kane asked through gritted teeth, hands tightening into fists at his sides.

"How…how did you know?" Miley stammered. It wasn"t an answer, but it was enough.

"Fuck!" Kane ground out, running his hands through his hair in exasperation.

He turned away from Miley. The anger, frustration and downright mindless aggression he felt was too much for her to witness.

He threw a fist at empty air and kicked the mahogany bedside table.

"Fuck!" he growled again.

"What is it? What is happening, Kane?" Miley demanded. She slipped to the end of the bed and got up onto her knees, looking at him expectantly. "Kane?"

He half-turned back to her, pain lancing through his heart.

She had no idea what was happening to her. That was the worst part. Her entire life was about to change irreversibly, and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

He shook his head, unsure he had the strength to admit the truth. "You wouldn"t believe me."

"Try me," Miley bit back, already sounding like a badass shifter. And yet, the truth was, she wasn"t one. Not yet. And she might never be.

"I can"t," Kane said, shaking his head. He lowered his gaze in defeat and dropped into the chair beside the bed.

"If I didn"t know any better, I"d say you were the one who was bitten," Miley said, and her words made Kane's gaze snap to hers.

"If only you knew," he scoffed.

"Then tell me!" Miley growled at him. She was sounding more animalistic by the minute. And it did things to Kane, things that really shouldn't be happening right now.

"Miley, I was the wolf who rescued you that night," Kane admitted in a heartbeat. "The night I"m guessing you were bitten, so I guess in truth I didn"t really rescue you at all."

Guilt bit into Kane"s stomach so violently he felt like his insides might spill out.

"That"s impossible," Miley protested. "How could you be?"

"You said you read, didn"t you? You tell me," Kane growled back at her, his hands gripping the arms of the chair.

Miley shook her head as if she didn"t want to think about it.

Kane pulled himself forward to perch on the edge of the chair. "Werewolves are real, Miley. I am one."

Her gaze snapped back to his, and he thought he saw fear flash through her. He half expected her to scream or yell at him, maybe even tell him to get out.

Instead, she laughed. She actually laughed. And the sound made every nerve in Kane"s body light on fire with anger.

"That"s ridiculous!" she said, struggling to speak for her laughter.

Kane couldn"t control himself any longer. He pounced to his feet, his hands tightening until his elongating claws cut into his palms. His fangs bit into his lip, but he refused to show them to her. The last thing he wanted was to scare her, even if she was pissing him the hell off.

"Get out!" she said so suddenly that it took his breath away. "Get out or I"ll scream!"

There was the reaction he had been expecting. It was late, but it had come at last.

For a second, he was unable to move. He was frightened of what he might do if he did. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply in an attempt to regain control of himself. "Miley, I would never lie to you."

"Are you deaf as well as insane?" Miley demanded angrily. "I said, get out!"

Fighting the urge to dominate her, to pin her to the bed and make her listen like he would another wolf, he stepped backwards toward the door.

Opening his eyes, he found her glowering back at him. She stared at him without blinking, as if she wouldn't dare to do so until he was gone.

She was angry, but Kane could see fear, too. She didn"t want to believe him because the truth frightened her. He couldn"t blame her for that. And so, he dipped his head and sighed, "I"ll go."

With that, he turned and left the room, clicking the door closed behind him.

"Fuck!" he cursed under his breath again. Even with the door closed behind them, he could smell her ever-changing scent. It had been sweet and seductive before, but now it was downright intoxicating. And that was even more infuriating, because he knew the truth.

She had been bitten. That meant one of two things. Either she would transition and forever be a mongrel like him, only the entire pack would know it and hate her for it. Or the transition would kill her, and she would be lost to him forever.

For the life of him, Kane couldn"t decide which would be worse for her. Yet he knew without a doubt which would be worse for him.

He had just found her. He had just made love to her. He had offered himself to her without thought or regret. And now he might be forced to watch her succumb to pain and agony and a torturous death, one he had seen all too many times in his early years as a wolf.

He couldn"t leave her. Under the watchful eye of Moses, he slid down Miley"s bedroom door and sat propped against it.

He would sleep there all night with one eye on the damn collie if he had to. He wasn"t leaving her, whether she liked it or not.

And first thing in the morning, he was taking her home. Now more than ever, she needed to be in Nightstar.

All Kane could do was pray that the pack would accept responsibility for her, that they would welcome her into the pack to die or transition as the wolf gods saw fit. And after that, if she survived, he only hoped they would be more welcoming than the packs he had first approached when turned, those that tried to kill him or run him off when they learned of his origins, when they began to fear he might become feral.

That was how he had ended up in the army. It had been the only place that would have him. Until Jack. But even he did not know the truth. Would he accept Miley back into Nightstar even if she wasn"t human anymore?