Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

O livia made a hasty decision, turning in an unfamiliar direction and hurrying away, not considering that she might get lost, and she did quickly. With the short robe her only clothing, she chilled fast and got annoyed with herself for not stopping in her room to get her slipper socks. She hadn’t been thinking clearly, or had she? Had she been hoping to find Tiernan and have him warm her?

This section of the castle had only sporadic lighting and soft lighting at that, which made finding her way around difficult. She shouldn’t have been so quick to hurry off. But the encounter with the teen wolves had left her more shaken than she admitted to herself and instinct kicked in. If she had spared a moment to give it thought, she would have surmised that what wolves were in the castle were only there because Tiernan had allowed it. And while she might be lost, it wouldn’t take him long to find her once he discovered her gone from his bedroom and he picked up her scent.

She decided to find a room and stay put until he found her, though she hoped it was soon since she was growing colder. She wandered into a room, the only light a soft nightlight type of glow, though it managed to cast enough light that she was able to see a wall switch and she tapped it.

She stood with her mouth agape. It was the armory, and ancient weapons from swords to daggers, crossbows, spears, long and short-handled axes, shields, metal helmets, chainmail, long bows, and more. Some weapons she didn’t recognize covered all the walls. She wondered how many of the weapons Tiernan had used in his long life. There was also a bookcase that ran halfway up one wall, and a quick perusal of the titles showed they were about weapons and battles throughout history. A sizeable fireplace, though cold, graced a good portion of another wall, and a few leather chairs, footstools, and small tables were placed strategically throughout and atop two worn Persian rugs. A tapestry hanging amongst the armory caught her eye and she went to get a closer look.

She rubbed her arms, growing chiller by the minute and was brought to an abrupt stop before she reached the tapestry when she thought she heard a growl. Then she heard the floor creak outside the open door, and she turned slowly. Two bold green eyes stared at her from the doorway, then Laird, the large black wolf, entered the room, his slow strides filled with grace and power.

She stayed where she was and Laird continued his approach, grazing her legs with his fur as he circled her then he came to a stop in front of her.

“I woke to find you gone. I heard more than one growl when I approached the kitchen, got frightened, rushed off, and got lost,” she hurried to say while thinking how crazy she must sound, speaking to a wolf, and shivered. “I’m cold.”

Laird brushed his face against her hand at her side, then left the room. After a few moments, Tiernan walked in completely naked, his strides as powerful as Laird’s and he walked straight to her.

“I’m going to warm you fast,” he said and undid the cloth belt at her waist to spread her robe wide and with his hands at the sides of her waist lifted her. “Wrap your legs around me.”

She did so without hesitation, feeling warmth radiating off him and relishing the heat as soon as their bodies touched. He walked to the closed door and braced her back against it, then nuzzled her neck with sharp, quick nips. Her passion ignited further since it had flamed when he walked naked into the room.

He entered her so fast that she gasped, and her body heated fast, and her passion climbed rapidly. She came quickly, basking not only in the extremely satisfying climax but loving the heat as well, not to mention the well-satisfied look on Tiernan’s face.

Olivia wanted to stay wrapped around him, the thought of losing his body heat already sending a shiver through her. He slipped out of her but kept her pressed against him as he walked to a nearby chair.

“I’ll be right back,” he said and went to the far end of the room and returned with a blanket.

“I didn’t spot that,” she said annoyed that she hadn’t but sighing when he wrapped the soft wool blanket around her and scooped her up in his arms to sit on one of the chairs with her in his lap. She cuddled against him. “You could have just slipped the blanket around me to get me warm.”

“Where would be the fun in that?” he asked with a wicked smile and a playful squeeze to her backside.

“True,” she said with a smile of her own and rested her head on his shoulder. “Did I hear wrong or were there two other wolves in the castle?”

“Werewolves,” he corrected.

She shivered. “That makes it sound too terrifying, and I thought you didn’t allow them in the castle.”

“There are exceptions, and tonight was one of them. I woke and felt the need for a run. Henry was waiting for me by the garage upon my return and with him were Chad’s parents.”

“Oh,” Olivia said, understanding.

“When they learned what their son had done, they hurried here. They were worried and they had good cause to be. They traveled the whole day. They needed hot tea, so I brought them and Henry into the kitchen to talk and have tea. The growls you heard were us bidding each other goodnight. They are staying with Fay and Henry and will leave in the morning.”

“Did you calm their worries?”

“As I told them, that’s for Chad to do, not me. But I discussed his punishment and advised them that if he completed his punishment and learned to discipline himself, he could make a good pack leader. I did not tell them anything they didn’t already know, though I did mention the warning I gave their son.”

“Don’t force me to kill you,” Olivia said, recalling the warning. “And no one doubts that you would, if necessary.”

“I am the alpha in the pack. Refuse to obey me and there will be repercussions. It is the reason Clan MacMadadh has remained safe throughout the years.”

“More like centuries,” she said, lifting her head to glance around at the weapons on the walls. “Are any of these personally yours?”

“Aye, quite a few are mine, others belonged to clan members throughout the years, and some were collected from battlefields that were victorious for Clan MacMadadh.”

“These are all ancient weaponry. Do you have any modern ones?”

“Aye, but they are kept separate. This room is a nod to the clan’s past, a reminder of what so many suffered for us to grow and thrive as who we are… werewolves.”

She shivered not from the cold, being comfortably warm, but from the truth she continued to face, and the decisions that would have to be made.

“You remain chilled. This room is too cold for you. Many rooms are kept at a minimum temperature during the winter months.”

She stood. “Wolves don’t need heat.”

“But humans do,” he reminded.

She shook her head. “There is so much for me to learn about werewolves.”

He stood and nuzzled her neck. “I can teach you much.”

“You already have. I now know that a werewolf’s sexual appetite can be—” She smiled. “Ravenous.”

He scooped her up in his arms and laughing asked, “What’s your excuse?”

“I have several virtual business meetings today, so you are on your own for quite a while,” Tiernan said after finishing breakfast the next morning.

“If there is anything that requires attention with the preserve, I would be only too glad to help,” Olivia offered, eager to learn more about the workings of the preserve.

“I would love to have you work with me, but until you hold a position here, I cannot open the inner workings of the preserve to you. I would leave my pack far too vulnerable.”

“I would never betray your secret,” Olivia said, just the thought of doing so upsetting her.

Tiernan reached across the table to rest his hand over hers. “I trust you, Olivia, or I never would have revealed so much to you.”

“You haven’t revealed everything,” she reminded, threading her fingers with his. “There is still that mystery to figure out.”

“I have faith in you. You’ll figure it out. Besides, you have time to do so. It started snowing again. So, you won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.”

She released his hand to drop back against her chair. “I have a job. Responsibilities back home. Even if I accepted your offer, I would need to give at least two weeks’ notice and then there is my apartment, packing, moving a distance, my parents and two brothers?—”

“All who extensively travel,” he said, smiling. “I did my homework on you as no doubt you did on me.” He continued when she confirmed it with a smile. “Your mom and dad are well-known and well-respected wildlife photographers, journalists, and book authors who travel extensively. Your one brother is a journalist working in Europe and living with a longtime girlfriend, and your other brother is a speech writer for major political figures and married to a lawyer. You are the youngest sibling by ten and twelve years, and you were raised predominately by your grandmother and grandfather.”

Olivia nodded, smiling happily. “My grandma and grandpa were the best. My grandpa passed in my last year of high school and my grandma shortly after him. I knew she wouldn’t live long after him. They loved each other too much to be separated. I believe she held on until I finished high school so I wouldn’t be alone. I still miss them both. While I traveled some with my parents when I got older, I much preferred being home with my grandparents. They taught me so much, including how to cook and how to tend to the animals on their small farm.”

“I am grateful she taught you how to cook,” he said with a chuckle as he glanced down at his empty plate.

“She would be pleased to hear that. My brothers are pleased as well since when I visit them and their partners, they beg me to cook. I jokingly said that their future children would have to rely on their aunt to teach them the art of cooking. They told me I didn’t have to worry about that. They had no intention of having children. Their lives are fulfilled enough with their work.”

“Do you feel that way?”

“No,” Olivia said, shaking her head. “There were several times my parents and brothers didn’t make it home for Christmas, and I rarely saw them on my birthday. It made me want to have children, have a family, do family things together. How about you? You must have fathered many children through the years?”

“I did, but that was far in the past. I’ve been too busy with the preserve and making sure it prospers, survives, and thrives in different ways in the future. I will mate again soon, and I hope to have many children. Children who will take over the running of the preserve and the care of the pack.” He glanced at a clock on the wall. “I need to go.”

She wrinkled her brow. “How can you have a virtual meeting if there is no Internet?”

He smiled as he stood. “You are observant. I have a satellite link in the preserve’s office, so we are never completely isolated since emergencies do happen. If you feel the need to use it for anything just let me know. There is also a phone in the small den not far from the intimate dining room you dined alone in on your first day here. It connects to my office in the preserve if you should need me.” He walked around the table to her, took hold of her chin, and kissed her soundly. “Until later, mo ghràdh .”

She was not surprised when he grabbed both their dishes and deposited them in the sink. He might be the alpha of the pack, but he was a considerate one. She finished in the kitchen and was about to head to the library when for some reason she recalled the tapestry in the armory that she never got to see last night. She was not sure if she could find her way there again, but she wanted to see the tapestry bad enough to give it a try.

It wasn’t as difficult as she thought it might be to find her way there and she was even more impressed and intrigued when she entered the armory once again, except for the chill in the room. She was glad she wore her bulky sweater over her knit top and extra warm leggings, as well as her thick slipper socks over her regular socks. She was shielded against the chill, though not against the shock that had her gasping when she stood in front of the tapestry.

It depicted a battle scene. Victorious warriors stood over fallen ones and in the middle stood a younger Tiernan, his dark hair long with braids on each side of his head, holding a sword. At the top of the tapestry was a forest scene, and spotted among the trees were wolves, looking as victorious as the warriors. Were they all werewolves sharing in the victory?

Olivia took a step back, realizing how old Tiernan was and the battles he must have fought to protect his kind. She wasn’t his kind though, she was human. What would that mean for them?

The question haunted her as she made her way to the library with only a couple of wrong turns. She added more logs to the fire that burned in the fireplace, then sat on the couch, tucking her feet beneath her.

How could she have any kind of normal life working here on the preserve, especially after being intimate with Tiernan? He told her he would never have sex with an employee, so once she accepted the position that would end. He said he would mate again, meaning he would take a partner, and he said himself that he wanted many children. Considering all that, what would life be like for her here alone with werewolves? And yet, she had feelings for Tiernan, strong feelings, so much so that the thought of leaving him upset her which, of course, reminded her of what she had thought, now possibly feared, that she had fallen in love with him.

She needed to be sensible about it. Life would be too difficult, and she would be far too isolated to accept a job here, even though it appealed to her. She only saw her parents or brothers if she traveled to see them. They never traveled to see her, and they only called occasionally, all of them far too busy with their lives or at least that was their excuse. It was like she didn’t even have a family, at least not since losing her grandparents. She had no close friends, though she did stay in touch with some coworkers after leaving jobs, something many in the field did, to keep connections and for networking. So, what would she be returning to when here she could study a different wolf species that has been around for who knew how long?

She couldn’t publish her findings, at least not about werewolves, but with Tiernan having published articles and books on wolves, she doubted he would mind if she published articles that would help the preserve flourish. So, the job here would be a good step for her to take in her career, not so relationship-wise. So, what then did she do?

With no clear answer, she decided to lose herself in her assignment. She did not stop for lunch, though she did stop to make a pot of tea for herself and sneak a cookie or two.

She sat in thought as she sipped her tea, thinking about the heart of her assignment… what was the sexual appetites of werewolves? To start she had provided information on wolves, a relative of the werewolf, but the heart of the piece was basically about a werewolf’s sexual appetite. But just like humans, were all werewolves equal when it came to sex? Did their sexual appetite lessen as they aged?

She laughed. If Tiernan was any indication, then the answer would be a resounding no.

Her brow wrinkled as a thought hit her and she placed her mug back on the tray, stood, and went to pace in front of the fireplace, her mind busy with thought.

“What troubles you, Olivia?”

Olivia stopped and turned to Tiernan, who was turning on the lamps in the library, the room having grown dark with the evening falling.

“How many werewolves do you have here, Tiernan?” she asked.

“Quite a few.”

“That’s not an answer, though if I were to take a guess, I would say not as many as I would expect for all the years the preserve has existed, which means you are losing werewolves. With humans being the biggest threat to wolves, causing them to lose their habitat and food supply, I’d say that is not a problem for the preserve. That would lead me to believe the loss has something to do with the werewolves’ genetic material. After careful thought, I also think that your younger wolves are finding the preserve too isolated and wish to explore beyond the preserve, possibly live a life beyond it. Though knowing the strong connection, a wolf has to its pack, I wonder if they would eventually return. You’re too intelligent not to have seen this coming and must have made plans for it, but it is the genetic problem that worries you and you want it solved before you make the necessary changes. And I would guess that the genetic problem is with the younger ones.”

“You’re right on all accounts. Through the years some werewolves left the preserve with disastrous results, and those who did return warned others to cling to their pack that the outside world was not made for them. So, rules were made and enforced, fearing the harm werewolves could suffer or, worse become extinct. But I knew it was only a matter of time that the young ones would take it upon themselves and leave. So, I devised a plan for a leave of absence so to speak, but before I could implement it, an illness struck, and we lost more werewolves than I care to admit. After that was when the younger werewolves weren’t living as long as their elders and I didn’t want them to leave and fall ill away from the preserve and their family and accidentally shapeshift.”

She went and sat on the couch when he pointed to it, knowing he wished to continue to talk. “Has this ever happened before to the werewolves?”

“It did a long time ago.”

“Before science existed?”

“Aye, way before then,” he said.

“Something must have happened to stop it since you’re still here.”

“It did.”

“What was it?” she asked anxiously.

“A werewolf mated with a human and they had children, and those children strengthened the bloodline. More werewolves mated with humans after that for several years until our bloodline was stronger than it ever was, leaving many of us to live longer than usual… until now. Our bloodline needs another infusion.”

She stared at him. “You can’t mean?—”

“Think about it, Olivia, and you will see the truth for yourself. Only then will you be able to decide.”