Chapter 11

Karter

“ K arter?” Kylian calls from downstairs.

“Yeah?” I answer as I walk out of her room.

“Where is she?” She glances up at me from the base of the stairs.

“She’s not in the kitchen?” I sniff and catch her scent hanging faintly in the air.

“No, and I don’t see her on the porch.”

“Maybe she’s in the garage?” I jog down, my bear grumbling at full volume to remind me that this wouldn’t be a question if I’d marked her.

Shut up!

But I don’t make it to the garage, because I smell her with my brothers, their scent heading into the woods.

No fucking way. They aren’t this stupid.

“Uh.” Kylian walks out with my phone in her hand. “Looks like you missed a text.”

Kit: Meet us at the pit. Don’t freak out. We’re taking your mate to the party. Promise she’ll be safe.

Yep, they’re fucking morons.

“I’m going to kill them.”

“Let’s go.” Kylian jogs forward to the tree line.

“You should stay here,” I say, the words flying out of my mouth on autopilot, while running after her.

“Are you kidding me? Someone needs to protect the boneheads from you and themselves. Besides, I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

We jog through the trees; the music pumping and telepathic conversations about my mate overpowering the actual voices.

“A human as the Pack Alpha’s mate. Are you serious?”

“I think it’s cool. He should be mated.”

“But to a human?”

“It’s not like there are a lot of choices for us around here. That’s why opening up the community is a good thing.”

“The cats and bears can dilute their gene pools if they want, but the wolves will keep it pure.”

“You don’t know that. If the Fates bless you with a human mate, you won’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“Ye of little faith. I hope the Fates bite you in the ass.”

“Whatever. She shouldn’t be here. Simon and Siren will never let her stay.”

At the veiled threat my bear roars, all conversations ceasing as Kylian and I break through the bushes. Kason and Kit jump up from the stump they’re sitting on, each one sandwiching Valery, who is talking animatedly with Alyssa and Lana crouched in front of her.

“Be cool, Bro. She’s fine.” Kason puts his hand up.

“I’m going to skin your fucking hides.” I growl, my gaze locked over their shoulders on my mate.

Valery looks up, a giant smile spreading her lips as she jumps up and runs into my arms. “You’re here!”

Her heart is racing, pupils dilated, and there’s a bead of sweat at her temple. I can’t tell if she’s reacting to my pheromones or something else. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She bounces on her toes. “I missed you.”

“What did you give her?” I growl to anyone listening.

And that’s when Siren steps out of the shadows, his shirt off, black jeans slung low on his thin hips. “I didn’t give her anything. She, however, snatched my drink out of my hand and chugged it down. Rather rude, honestly.”

“What’s in it?”

He smirks. “Nothing really. Mountain Dew with a couple drops of wolf run to heighten the senses.”

My vision goes red as I pull Valery tighter against my body. I’ve heard rumors that the wolves in big cities deal a drug that’s untraceable and irreproducible in human labs, but I never thought they would bring it here. Supposedly it’s a derivative of our natural adrenaline, so it doesn’t do much for us other than act as an energy drink.

What it does to humans, I have no idea.

Surprisingly, Valery wraps her arms around my waist, nuzzling her face into my chest. “You smell good. Have I told you that?”

Her blatant clinging to me should calm my bear, but all I can think about is ripping Siren to pieces and wiping the smug look off of his face.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Actually, I’m better than fine. I’m so amped right now, I feel like I could run a marathon or something.”

“You should run. Someone might even chase you.” Siren quips, his wolf pack laughing around the bonfire.

Valery ignores him and continues. “Alyssa and Lana were telling me about their handmade goods and I was telling them how I have a background in marketing and if they’d like me to look at their stuff, I could help them advertise.”

Tearing my eyes off Siren and my brothers, I look down at her flushed cheeks. “You’re burning up.”

“It’s warm with the fire.”

Yeah, the fire is not what’s causing her to overheat. How long will this shit last and are there any long-term effects? “Let’s get out of here.”

“Let’s go.” She smiles up at me like I’m the only person in the room and wraps both of her hands around mine.

And that’s all it takes. One look from Valery and everyone else fades away. Fuck Siren and his taunts. Fuck my brothers and their stupidity. Fuck my responsibilities to the pack and their bullshit.

All that matters is my mate.

I turn my back on them and guide her through the trees toward the cabin, my bear clawing to get to her as Siren taunts me telepathically. “Wait! Don’t go. We want to play.”

Fuck Siren. And right now, fuck my bear. It’s exhausting fighting him constantly throughout the day. Coupled with the fact that I haven’t slept in over thirty-six hours, it’s getting harder and harder to keep him under control.

“Where are we going?” Valery practically skips next to me, her body radiating the kind of heat I kick off.

“I’m taking you to the hidden waterfall.”

“Ohhhh.” She jumps in front of me—causing me to stop—and presses her palms against my chest. “Are we going skinny dipping?”

“Do you want to go skinny dipping?” I quirk my brow.

“With you?” She lifts up on her toes, her lips close and breath tickling my beard. “Yes.”

I cup her face, an overwhelming desire to kiss her warring with my annoyance that I don’t know what exactly was in Siren’s drink. If she did take it from him, would he have dosed himself with something toxic?

No, he wouldn’t. One thing I can count on is his survival instincts.

But he would indulge in something that made him feel loose, raw, and uninhibited—which ironically, I think he is all three of those things all the time. “I wish I knew if this was you or the drink.”

“The drink?” She wrinkles her nose. “The energy drink isn’t making me want to get naked with you. I’ve been thinking about it all day, ever since you pressed your amazing body against mine.”

Take her. My bear whines.

Shut up!

Taking a step back from me, her smile fades. “Do you not want to get naked with me?”

“Of course I do. I just want to be sure it’s what you really want.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she points in the distance. “How much further to the waterfall?”

“It’s about three-quarters of a mile in that direction.”

“I’ll race you there,” she says before taking off, running through widespread trees and tall ryegrass.

I jog after her, easily keeping up and guiding her toward our old cabin nestled against an abandoned cave. This late in the season the waterfall is more of a trickle as everything in the mountains freezes. The pond is deep but narrow, quickly whisking the water downstream.

“Is this the waterfall?” She stops near the cave that’s been abandoned for decades. Or at least, I thought it was, but considering the hammock hanging near the entrance, the kayak propped up against the rocks, and the giant tires stacked like a jungle gym, I’m guessing the terrorists have been busier than I realized.

“The water’s freezing up top, but it comes back late spring and summer.”

She frowns. “Guess I’ll have to come back in the summer. Think the water is safe?”

“It’s clean, but it’s wicked cold.”

Valery bends forward and unlaces her boots. “I guess you’ll have to keep me warm.”

I know I should stop her, but instead I’m transfixed as she sheds her clothes. Her body is perfection, soft and round in all the right places. My mouth waters with a need to taste her as she pops the hooks on her bra and throws it in my direction. But it’s the shimmy of her hips as she slides her panties down her legs that has me subconsciously moving to shed my clothes as she dives into the water.

This is insanity, but my bear won’t let me stop it, and honestly who am I to deny what is biologically driven and divinely gifted between us?

“Holy shit, it’s cold!” she screams as she comes up for air. “Get in here, Karter!”

I wade in and swim the few feet to her, pulling her into my arms. “You are wild, you know that?”

She wraps her arms and legs around my body, the heat of her pussy pressing against my awakening cock. “Kiss me?”

Fuck me. I can’t deny my mate whether she’s in her right mind or not. My lips crash down onto hers, the first of many claimings my bear and I desire. She wraps herself tighter around me as her lips part and tongue teases out to meet mine. The first true taste of our mate sends my bear into a frenzy as I wrap my hands around her hips, my fingers kneading her soft curves.

Pulling my mouth from hers, I trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck, her skin prickled with goosebumps. Her teeth chatter as her adrenaline wanes from Siren’s drug, and she clings to me tighter.

“Come on, babe. Let’s take this inside.”

“Is this your cabin?”

“It’s the family’s.” I carry her out of the water, across the small field to the front porch. I have no idea where the keys are and take a chance that the boys have not locked the front door. The living room looks like a frat house—unused camping gear, wilderness magazines, cases of soda and beer stacked in the corner, and unopened packages all over the tables—and it’s obvious they have been spending most of their time here when not playing video games in the living room or terrorizing me at home. It’s also obvious they have been spending money I didn’t realize they had. We are definitely having a talk. I was so happy they were busy doing something other than bothering me, that I never thought to be worried about what they were actually up to.

Now I know.

Bypassing the messy living room, I climb the stairs to the loft and lay Valery down on the only bed that is miraculously clean and made.

I wonder who did that and when?

Probably Koran. Anything neat and tidy is usually his doing.

“Is this where you bring all your women?” Valery sprawls out on the bed with one hand tucked under her head, the other on her soft belly under her full breasts. She waggles her brows and flashes me a seductive, come-hither smile.

“I haven’t been to the cabin in years, and I’ve never brought a woman here or to my bed at home.” I stretch out beside her, my fingers lightly gliding over her ribs and under her breasts. Should I tell her that part of my hesitation is because I lack experience and I’m worried about pleasing her like a man should pleasure his mate?

Will that admission turn her off?

She bites her lip and arches into my touch. “I’m teasing you.”

“And I’m serious.” Plucking her nipple, I lower my head and suck the tight bud into my mouth before laying kisses between her breasts. “Would this be easier if I was some smooth-talking guy who knew how to seduce women into my bed?”

Valery runs her finger through my hair. “It would be hard to take you seriously if you were that kind of guy.”

I arch my brow. “Do you take me seriously?”

She smiles. “It’s crazy to think I’m special, but for some reason I think I might be. You definitely make me feel special.”

Crawling up her body, I hold myself up on my forearms and stare down into her stormy blue eyes. “You are special—to me. You’re my one in a million, Valery. Someone I can’t live without.”

“Those are bold words, Karter.”

“I mean every syllable. You’d believe me if I could tell you about everything there is to know, but that would be a lot to unpack tonight.”

“How would this work?” She motions between us. “Do you expect me to stay in Fortune Falls?”

I roll to her side, my bear grumbling in my ear. He is staunchly against all of this talking, and I’m betting most men would agree with him. But is it better to have and then lose her, or never have her at all? Regardless of what my bear or cock think, I don’t have the answer to what feels like a very important question. “I could come with you, wherever you want to go.”

“What about your family?” She rolls to her side and props her head up on her hand.

I rub my thumb across her bottom lip. “They’d figure it out. For me, you’re all that matters.”

A giant smile blooms on her face. She pushes me to my back and swings her leg over my hip to straddle my waist, my cock hardening with proximity to her pussy. I might not be sure about what to do, but the lower half of my body is operating on pure instinct. She runs her fingers through the hairs on my chest and leans forward to press her lips to mine. “I’ve never been in love, but I’d like to think this is what it feels like. Comfortable—like coming home—easy and natural with a few butterflies, but only the best kind that makes you feel like you’re floating, not queasy or falling. That’s crazy, right?”

“Not in my world. We believe every one of us has one fated mate—a gift from the gods—and I knew the moment I scented you that you were it for me.” I slide my fingers into her soft hair, holding her face in my palms.

Fuck it, I might as well tell her the truth—up to the whole ‘I’m a bear’ part. The fewer lies I have to untangle later, the better.

“You scented me?” She frowns. “Do I stink?”

“Not at all. To me you’re irresistibly delicious.”

“What do I smell like?”

I smile, a warm memory settling in my belly. “Like jasmine tea cookies.”

“I’ve never heard of those.”

“My mom used to make them when we were kids. They’re one of my favorite treats and makes my mouth water while filling my soul with pure, unsoiled love.”

“No one has ever told me I smell like cookies.”

“That’s because nobody else smells it. That’s my scent, made specifically for me by my mate. I’m sure you smell something around me that you like.”

“Actually, I have been smelling cinnamon apple pie. But it’s not just pie, it’s woodsy—like baked apples and hot cider and a freshly cut Christmas tree. It makes me think of warmth and home and family. I never would have guessed it was coming from you, even though it is strongest when I’m in your arms. How’s that possible?”

“That’s how fated mates work, babe. Our pheromones attract each other on a primal level. My scent is made for you. I’d recognize you as mine even if I were blindfolded. There is no one else. Never has been and never will be.”

“Are you saying you’ve been waiting for me?”

“No one has interested me, but I was getting anxious to meet you. Thankfully, the Fates always provide when we most need it and least expect it.”