Chapter 9

9

Tami

One Week Later

I pace the living room floor of the cabin, thinking about how to talk to Kane. I've been stuck here for a week, and the storm has finally passed.

My hair is a tangled mess, and it badly needs washing. I packed in a hurry and only packed some light toiletries, a toothbrush and some soaps along with clean underwear and pajamas. I need real clothes.

Kane has been mostly wonderful, though he has a temper. He feeds me and tries to bathe me, which I strongly resist.

He eventually gives in to my demands for privacy, and I do feel protected with him. But I look like a cavewoman now, and while Kane doesn't seem to mind, it's driving me crazy.

Kane spends most of his day in his work shed, leaving me alone in the cabin, bored and irritated. Whenever I ask to go into town, he gets grumpy. Otherwise, he's sweet and loving. Why is he keeping me here?

“Enough! I need to do something!” I shout in frustration. I grab my coat and boots, open the front door, and step outside. The biting winter air hits me, and I shiver. I zip up my coat and carefully make my way down the snowy steps, my boots sinking into the snow. I head toward the workshop. When I arrive, I push the door open and find Kane standing right in the doorway, glaring at me. I jump at the sight of him, his green eyes blazing.

“It's freezing! What the hell are you doing?” he growls. I step around him, knowing his bark is worse than his bite. His tone is harsh, but his touch is always gentle.

“I need to do something!” I snap. He turns to face me, a small smile playing on his lips, as if amused by my frustration.

“I need stuff! My hair is a mess. I've been wearing nothing but pajamas all week. I'm bored out of my mind sitting in that cabin with nothing to do. Not even a book to read, just waiting for you to feed me, try to bathe me, and hold me all night until I fall asleep!” I point a stern finger at him. “You will take me into town so I can get some supplies. I can't walk around looking like a ragdoll all day.”

He chuckles and gently pats my head. “I like your hair this way, natural.”

“Even women in your time had a comb. I’m using my fingers!” I growl at him. He laughs and walks over to his worktable. My eyes scan the shed, taking in the beautiful hand-carved furniture.

“Alright. I'll take you into town tomorrow for supplies. Now, please go back into the cabin where it's warm,” he says. I ignore him, unbuttoning my coat and sliding it off my shoulders. He slams his hammer down on the table, letting out a low growl.

“Tami,” he grumbles, but I cut him off.

“There’s nothing for me to do in there while you’re in here working. Can’t I just sit in here with you for a little while? It’s lonely without you in the cabin.” His face softens at my words, and he walks around the table, grabbing my coat and pulling it back over my shoulders. I sigh, feeling defeated because I know he’s about to send me back to that lonely cabin.

I squeal when he grips my waist and carries me over to the table, gently sitting me down beside his current project, a small dollhouse.

“Stay next to me so you stay warm,” he commands. I nod quietly. His focus returns to the dollhouse, carefully nailing the doors onto it.

“You made all of this?” I ask. He smiles briefly at me before going back to work.

“This dollhouse is for my future niece. My Luna is expecting the first child of our pack. It’s a girl,” he says proudly. I smile at him. He’s such a sweetheart, always proud of his family. He talks about his pack, the village, and how he and his three brothers have endured so much together.

“Why do you stay here when you could be with your family? From your stories, you all seem so close.” He sets the dollhouse down and stares at me for a moment. I can see the wheels turning in his eyes. He’s going to make me talk. Damn it.

“Why won’t you tell me about your family?” he asks. I shrug.

“I don’t have a family, Kane,” I say, not meeting his eyes. “My mother gave me up when I was five. She dropped me at my grandmother’s house and never came back. My grandmother raised me the best she could, but she passed away when I turned thirteen. I spent the rest of my teens bouncing from foster home to foster home until I turned eighteen. Then my social worker cut me a check, and I was on my own after that. I made friends with a girl named Tiffany while in the system, and we were roommates before…” I trail off, unable to finish.

I feel like I abandoned her by not going back for her. She doesn’t know that Julian and his friends are using her, preparing to sell her into sex trafficking, and I just left her. I should have fought for her, but something told me to run.

I felt this pull I can’t explain it—something drew me to drive up to Wintermoon, to seek safety here. And when I look at Kane, I’m slowly starting to understand why. I feel safe with him, safer than I’ve ever felt in my life.

Kane walks around the table, his large warm hand gently cupping my face, lifting my eyes to meet his.

“There you have it, I’m a broken mate,” I say, but he shakes his head.

“You’ll never be alone again, Tami. That, I promise you.” I close my eyes, leaning into his touch. What is happening to me? The more time I spend with Kane, the more I feel drawn to him. When he left this morning to come here to his shed, I felt a sense of loss. I hated it. I haven’t left because I’m bored. I’m still here because it hurts to be away from him.

“I think you’re finally starting to feel the pull ,” he announces, bringing me back to focus.

“ The pull ?” I manage, closing my eyes again and leaning into his touch as he gently massages my cheek.

“That’s right, you don’t know much about the lore of my people,” he murmurs. I moan from his touch. The feel of him, his warmth, the softness of his touch—it’s like I’m falling under a spell I can’t escape.

“ The pull is an invisible band created by our Goddess Fate. It’s magical, binding us together. The pull keeps us from separating, and it becomes painful when fated mates are apart for too long. You’ll feel it even more once we’ve claimed each other.”

“Oh,” I whisper, intoxicated by his nearness.

“I cannot wait for the night I get to claim you.” He moves closer, his face just inches from mine, his sweet breath brushing against my lips. My eyes roll back, my entire body heating up, feeling like it’s on fire. My breathing quickens, and my heart races. He closes his eyes and inhales, then a low growl escapes him as he presses his forehead against mine.

“I can smell your arousal, Tami. You’ve been torturing me with it for a week now. I need to mate with you,” he says, his breathing quickening. I swallow, leaning back against the table.

“You need me, Tami. You need me to ease the ache between your legs. Do you want me to take care of you with my mouth or my dick?”

“Oh, my god,” I moan, letting my head fall back against the table. He moves with me, gently pressing his lips against my forehead.

“Give me permission to eat your pussy, Tami,” he murmurs, his lips moving to my cheek. His hands start to explore my body, heightening my arousal even more, but he pauses when his hand reaches my belly and my stomach growls, completely ruining the moment.

One thing I know about Kane for sure, he treats making sure I’m well-fed like it’s his top priority. I’ve watched him stop whatever he’s doing at the sound of my hunger pains just to feed me.

“No, wait!” I say, gripping his shirt as he pulls back, but it’s too late. The mood is ruined. He scoops his arm around my waist and lifts me effortlessly from the table.

“I’ve waited over a thousand years for you, Tami. I can wait a little longer to have you. You need to eat, and I’m going to feed you,” he says. I groan, letting my head rest against his chest as he carries me out of the work shed.