Chapter 3

Max wondered if Joe had any notion of what he'd done when he asked Max to look after the magazine journalist. It had seemed simple enough. The woman was from the lower forty-eight and wanted to write an article about Kodiak Island. Simple enough. Except for the fact that Joe had broken his leg leading a group of inexperienced mountain climbers up a steep incline and wouldn't be able to put her up at the loft over his store that he rented out for extra income. Joe had asked Max to let her stay out with him and act as her guide. That should have been easy enough to do, only it wasn't.

Long before he saw Alexa or heard her call his name, Max had known she was there. More than that, he'd known who she was. When he'd turned and come face-to-face with his fated mate, it was all he could do not to go all primitive alpha male, swing her up onto his shoulder, and take her to his cabin, taking her to bed and claiming her then and there. Sure, he'd brought her to his cabin, but there had been no carrying her out of the airport caveman-style, much less taking her to bed, marking and claiming her as his. There might have been a time that kind of thing was overlooked in Alaska, maybe even embraced and cheered, but now was not that time.

Max's wolf had been prowling in his mind, looking for a way to escape and take over. That wasn't really how it worked with shifters—the human side always had control except when there was extreme danger and the only way to ensure survival was for the beast within to come forward.

Max knew that in this day and age, he needed to build a relationship with Alexa first. Talk to her about what it was to become a she-wolf and live her life with him. His wolf didn't give a damn about talking or building relationships, though, and neither did his cock. His wolf wanted to claim her, and his cock was in complete and total agreement. Not only did it want to thrust in and out of her repeatedly, but it also wanted to form a knot and breach her with it before tying her to him for hours.

At this point, his wolf was snarling and growling at him. Max could sense Alexa was attracted to him on both a physical and an emotional level, but he was pretty sure she didn't have a clue as to his true nature. Knowing she was so close and yet so far away was nothing short of torture. A cold shower hadn't helped at all.

He banged his head quietly against the handmade tiles of the enormous shower that was part of the bath attached to his bedroom. The water was as frigid as he could make it, and considering it was well water in Alaska, that was damn cold, but it seemed to have no effect whatsoever on his unruly cock. It was fully engorged and had no intention of doing anything that didn't get it inside Alexa's pussy.

Wrapping his hand around it, he leaned into the tile, standing under the water as it pelted down, and he began to stroke from the root to the tip and back again. Adjusting the pressure of his hand so it was just this side of painful, he picked up the pace, imagining that it was Alexa's pussy that was squeezing him.

He meant to have her. Hell, he meant to claim her, and he didn't much care what anyone thought, including her. It was so easy to fantasize how she would feel. He'd been fantasizing about his fated mate for years. It was as if in the past he had fantasized about the outline that depicted her. Now he could color her in. He had a whole new box of crayons and didn't even have to stay between the lines.

Alexa would take everything he had to give her—wanting even what she didn't know he had. Max squeezed harder and pumped his fist around his cock faster. He could hear her calling his name in the sound of the wind coming through the exterior bathroom door he'd deliberately left open to try and chill his lust. It hadn't worked. The door led out onto a small deck with an outdoor shower.

He ruthlessly shoved down his need to howl. He wanted the world to know he had taken a mate, and she was his. The fact that she didn't know it didn't mean much—she would in a short amount of time. Max's body stiffened as he imagined Alexa wrapped around him as he pumped into her, filling her up and emptying himself until there was nothing left to give. Warm cum shot out of his cock, covering his fist, falling to the floor and being rinsed away.

When the need to be with her abated slightly, Max stepped out of the shower and dried off. His cock almost immediately began to stiffen again as he detected the faintest trace of her scent. Maybe letting his wolf run and plunging into the almost frozen lake would help.

Maybe, but doubtful.

Naked, Max stepped out and within the confines of the outdoor shower, he called forth his wolf, relinquishing his physical hold on his humanity. A maelstrom of lightning, thunder and color swirled all around him. The mist churned in spinning spirals with Max at its center, starting at the ground and then swirling up around him. His wolf charged forward, ready to run.

Max bounded off the deck onto the cold, almost completely frozen ground, galloping towards the trees. The need to howl was riding him hard. He wanted to put enough distance between himself and his cabin to keep Alexa from feeling threatened or frightened.

He headed into the trees, where snow was still present and would be for months. In his human form, he could not have survived in the harsh Alaskan wilderness. The chilly air filled his lungs and allowed him to stretch out into a full run. He jumped fallen trees and boulders on his way to a rocky promontory overlooking the lake. Lifting his muzzle to the moon, Max howled in the same way wolves had been doing since time immemorial.

* * *

The long, mournful howl of a lone wolf wafted along the chilly breeze and seemed to fill her with a feeling of both foreboding and sensual need. Alexa wondered why this wolf's song resonated so deeply within her. She'd heard wolves howl before—lots of times. But there was something about this one that haunted her and awakened a feral side of her she hadn't known or experienced before.

"Good night, sweet prince. May the night keep and protect you," she whispered to the wind as she closed the window in her bedroom.

Removing her clothes, she grabbed the t-shirt she slept in and crawled into bed. The room should have been cold, especially the floors, but it wasn't. She wanted to try and remember to ask Max about that in the morning. She also wanted to know if he'd heard the wolf and if he knew whether or not it had a pack to whom it belonged.

The following morning, Alexa woke early, eager to explore more of the vast wilderness that lay beyond Max's cabin. She had dreamed of running along the shoreline, up into the forests and through the shale-covered mountains. Curiously, she hadn't seen herself as a human. She had run as a she-wolf, and she had run beside the great beast she was sure she had heard the night before.

Dressing in her outdoor gear, she exited her room and found Max already in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon filled the air, making her stomach growl in anticipation.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a smile. God, he was truly beautiful. "That smells amazing."

"Morning," Max replied, glancing over his shoulder and returning her smile. "I hope you like fresh-caught rainbow trout hash."

"I don't know that I've ever had rainbow trout hash, but I love trout, and I love hash, so I'm sure it's going to be great. Sounds like the perfect way to start my day. Did you hear the wolf last night?"

Alexa wasn't sure, but she could almost swear Max's whole body had tensed up, but when she looked again, he was completely relaxed. He nodded as he finished the hash, divided it between two plates, and then added what smelled like fresh cornbread.

"We have wolves here on Kodiak. Not as plentiful as they once were and they're pretty reclusive, but we do see them occasionally."

"I only heard one wolf. He sounded kind of mournful and lonely."

"That's interesting. I thought he sounded alone, but as if he had found his mate and was courting her."

Alexa laughed. "And that's why I'm a journalist, and you're an artist."

"I'm just a wood carver," he said, setting the plate down in front of her.

"No Max, you're not. You are a true artist. I've never seen anything of yours that I didn't just love. Each piece has a way of speaking to those who are viewing it."

"Now, who's the romantic?" he chuckled. "Since you traveled all day yesterday, I thought we'd stick close to the lake. I have a nice canoe, and we can use it to get to various egresses and do some easy, minimal elevation gain hikes."

"That sounds good."

As they ate, Max told her about some of the best trails and scenic spots on the island and gave her a kind of itinerary for her stay, emphasizing that she could and should make any changes she wanted. Alexa listened intently, eager to see everything Kodiak had to offer.

After breakfast, they set out together, Max leading the way down to the lake, where they took out probably the most beautiful canoe she'd ever seen and moved across the mirror-like water with the same grace and skill that a swan would. They picked their way over some rocky ground, with Max taking her hand to steady her.

The beauty of the island was even more breathtaking than pictures showed it to be, or Alexa had imagined. They hiked through dense, towering old-growth trees, with sunlight filtering through the canopy above. They crossed babbling brooks and climbed rocky outcroppings that offered more unobstructed views than the lake itself. Everywhere she looked, there was something new and awe-inspiring to discover.

Throughout the day, Alexa couldn"t help but notice the ease with which Max navigated the wilderness. He moved with quiet confidence, his knowledge of the land evident in every step he took. It was clear that Kodiak Island was not just his home, but a part of him—a place that had shaped and defined him in ways she was only beginning to imagine, much less understand.

As they rested by a secluded beach, Alexa took out her notebook and began jotting down observations and ideas for her articles. Max watched her with a curious expression.

"You really love what you do, don"t you?" he said.

"I do," Alexa replied, glancing up at him. "There"s something incredibly fulfilling about capturing the essence of a place like this and sharing it with others—perhaps inspiring them to come and see for themselves. It"s like I"m preserving a piece of it for people who might never be able to experience it."

Max nodded, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I feel the same way about my carvings and sculptures. It"s a way of capturing the soul of a place, or a piece of wood, or even a moment in time. Something that goes beyond words."

Alexa smiled, feeling a deeper connection to him in that moment. Despite their different mediums, they shared a common passion for capturing the world around them and expressing it through their work.

As they continued their hike, Alexa couldn"t help but feel a growing sense of anticipation. There was something about Kodiak Island that felt almost magical, as if it held secrets waiting to be uncovered. And she had a feeling that Max Renner would be at the heart of unraveling those secrets.