Chapter 17 - Reiner

I could stay like this forever, wrapped up in her arms, breathing in her scent. The sunlight streaming through the window is warm on my skin, and I can hear birds chirping outside. It’s a perfect morning, and I don’t want it to end.

Jane stirs beside me, her eyes fluttering open. She smiles at me, and my heart skips a beat.

“Good morning,” I murmur, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.

“You’re still here,” she says, her voice soft.

“Of course,” I say in surprise. “Where else would I be?”

She shrugs, and I can see the uncertainty in her eyes. At the sight, I make a silent promise to myself to do everything I can to erase that look for good. I could tell her she has nothing to worry about, that I’m not going anywhere, but I know words won’t be enough. Jane needs me to show her.

And I will.

From the nightstand, my phone pings, and I groan as I reach for it.

“Leave it,” Jane says, her voice pleading.

I check the message and see it’s from Rafe, which means her request is not an option. One does not ignore a text from their beta.

“It’s Rafe,” I tell her, sitting up. I tap on the screen, bringing up the message. “Well, shit. Looks like I’ve got another scouting mission.”

“What? Why?” She bolts upright, covering her breasts with the sheet as if I hadn’t just spent all night worshiping them. “It’s not the same rogues, are they?”

“That’s what we need to figure out, I guess.” I brush some of her messy black hair out of her face and lean in to kiss her. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She nuzzles her cheek against my palm. “Do your duty, soldier. Just, maybe don’t get attacked this time? Because then I’ll have to kill you.”

I laugh and give her a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll do my best,” I assure her.

Reluctantly, I slip out of bed and start gathering my clothes. As I’m pulling my boxers on, I notice Jane watching me, her eyes raking over my body. I flex my muscles, putting on a little show for her.

“Like what you see?” I ask, winking at her.

“Very much,” she purrs, her voice low and husky.

God, I love the way she looks at me, like I’m the only man in the world. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I promise.

“I’ll be waiting,” she replies, giving me a sultry smile.

I finish getting dressed and head out with the image of her naked body burned into my mind. It’s going to be a long day, and I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to focus.

Rafe and Jack are waiting for me when I pull up to the alpha’s house. They’re both wearing serious expressions and are quick to jump into my car.

“Where are we headed?” I ask, shifting the car into gear.

“A few miles west of here,” Rafe replies. “Right on the property line, just like last time. These assholes are really pressing their luck.”

“I’m starting to think they want us to find them,” I grumble.

“Maybe,” Rafe agrees. “Either way, we need to deal with them. If they’re dumb enough to let themselves get caught, then so be it.”

“No Gael this time?” I question.

“I think Gael has had enough excitement for a while,” Jack says. “The poor guy was shaken up pretty bad when you guys got back last time. He’s just not built for this kind of stuff.”

“He’s a lover, not a fighter,” Rafe teases. “I can’t believe I ever thought that guy was a threat.”

“What?” Jack and I say in unison.

“Oh, yeah. When Piper and I first got together and she went to work for him at the bookstore, I was convinced he was going to steal her away from me. I was jealous as hell.”

“You?” I scoff. “Jealous? No way.”

“Believe it,” Rafe chuckles. “I was ready to fight the guy. Love will do funny shit like that to a man’s head. From what I hear, Reiner, you know a thing or two about that. Heard you dragged poor Jane away from the party the other night and mauled her right there on the front lawn.”

“It was a bit more romantic than that,” I protest, but I can’t help but grin.

“You’ve got it bad, bro,” Jack laughs.

“Yeah, I do,” I admit. “I’m crazy about her.”

“I’m happy for you,” Rafe comments. “Seriously, man, I’m glad things are working out.”

“Me too,” I agree.

“Right here.” Rafe points to the side of the road, where it looks like a dog has been pawing at the grass.

I pull the car over, and we get out, looking around. There’s a definite scent of wolf, and it’s recent.

“Let’s shift,” Rafe suggests. “We’ll cover more ground that way.”

We strip down and shift, our wolves taking over. I can smell the rogues’ scent clearly now, and it’s coming from the forest.

The three of us take off, following the scent. We run for a few miles, our senses on high alert. Finally, we spot a small campsite, and the smell of wolf is overwhelming.

The rogues are here.

“Stay close,” Rafe growls through our connection. “Don’t engage unless you have to.”

We creep closer, staying low to the ground. We can see the rogues now, four of them. They’re gathered around a fire, talking and laughing.

“You think it’s the same ones?” I ask.

“Hard to say,” Rafe replies. “They’re definitely not from around here, though. I’ve never seen them before.”

“What do we do?” I press.

“We watch,” Rafe says. “We see what they’re up to. If they’re just passing through, we leave them be. But if they’re causing trouble, we’ll deal with them.”

“Roger that,” Jack grunts.

The three of us settle down to keep an eye on the rogues. It’s a long, boring afternoon, but we manage to stay hidden. The rogues don’t seem to be doing anything other than cooking and talking, and I’m starting to think Rafe’s right that they’re just passing through.

After a couple of hours, I’m starting to get antsy. I don’t know about these guys, but I have a woman I’d like to get back to.

“I’m gonna go check on something,” I tell Rafe.

“Be careful,” he warns.

“Always am.”

I slip off into the trees, making sure to keep the rogues in sight. If I can just find something, anything to indicate whether or not they’re with that Lionel guy, then we can figure out what to do next.

I’m so focused on my task that I don’t realize someone is behind me until it’s too late.

I whirl around, and there’s a man standing there, puffing out his chest. “What the hell do you want? You’re trespassing.”

I shift back into my human form, keeping my eyes on the man. “You’re over the property line,” I point out. “Technically, you’re the one trespassing into Green Lake territory.”

The man looks genuinely confused, and I can tell he has no idea what I’m talking about. “Green what?”

“Green Lake Pack,” I repeat. “This is our land.”

He eyes me for a minute. For a second, I think he’s going to charge, but then Rafe and Jack come walking out of the bushes, and he shuffles backward, raising his hands.

“Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” he says. “We were just making camp for the night. We’ll move on in the morning.”

“You should be more careful,” Rafe warns. “You’re lucky we’re not the type to just attack on sight.”

“We’re not here to cause trouble,” the man insists. “We’re not from the area, that’s all. We’re just passing through. Please, we mean no harm.”

Rafe studies the man for a moment, then nods. “All right, we’ll let you off with a warning. But we’ve had some problems with rogues around here, and I’m talking about the kind that do mean harm. So I suggest you pack it up right now and keep moving.”

“Will do,” the man promises.

Rafe turns and walks away, and Jack and I follow. To think we just wasted the whole day out here when we could’ve just had a damn conversation with them from the start.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Jack laughs.

“Yeah, well, I guess that’s what happens when you don’t just kill first and ask questions later,” I joke.

“Well, at least we know they aren’t with the same group that attacked us,” Rafe says. “That’s something.”

“I guess,” I sigh. I’m still not sure what to make of the whole situation. Something about it doesn’t sit right with me.

***

By the time I finally make it back to Jane’s place, I’m exhausted. All I want is to crawl into bed with her and sleep for a week.

I’m not expecting her to be waiting up for me, but the light is on in the kitchen, and Gwen and Richard’s car is gone. I open the door and step inside, inhaling the delicious aroma of food.

“Jane?” I call out.

“In the kitchen!” she replies.

I walk in, and my heart nearly stops. She’s standing there in front of the stove in the sexiest little black dress I’ve ever seen.

“Hey,” she says, her voice soft.

“Hi,” I say, my voice catching in my throat.

She smiles at me, and I can’t help but smile back.

“I made dinner,” she says, gesturing to the table. There’s a steaming plate of pasta and a bottle of wine sitting there, waiting for us. “And for dessert, I made those blondies you love so much. I figured after a long day of scouting, you’d be hungry.”

“You didn’t have to do all this,” I say, but I’m touched by the gesture.

“I wanted to,” she replies. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” I admit.

It only takes a few steps to reach her, and then I’m pulling her into my arms, kissing her deeply. She melts against me, her body fitting perfectly against mine.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” she murmurs.

“Me too,” I chuckle. “Now, let’s eat. I’m starving.”

She laughs and sits down across from me, pouring two glasses of wine. “So, how did it go?” she asks.

“Well, we didn’t get attacked, so that’s a plus,” I reply. “Turns out it was just a couple of packless wolves passing through. We told them to get lost.”

“I’m glad you didn’t have to fight again,” she says, her eyes full of concern.

“I’m a tough old dog,” I tease. “I can handle myself.”

She twirls her fork in the pasta, shaking her head. “Is it always like this in Green Lake? Always having to be on guard, looking over your shoulder? I’ve never lived in a place like that.”

I shrug. “It got worse when Evan took over, but that’s pretty typical. People always tend to test the boundaries when there’s a leadership change. They want to see if the new guy is a pushover or not. I’m sure it was the same in Stardust Hollow when Ram took over. But it’s not all bad. We have a lot of strong bonds here, and we take care of each other. And it’s not like we’re constantly fighting. Most of the time, it’s pretty peaceful.”

“I can see that,” she admits. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone here.”

I reach across the table and take her hand. “I’m glad, Jane. I want you to feel at home here.”

“I’m starting to,” she says, giving me a shy smile.

As we eat, we chat about everything and nothing at all. She tells me about her childhood growing up with her aunt and uncle, and I tell her about my early days in Green Lake. Everything flows so naturally between us, and I can’t remember the last time I felt so at ease with someone. The way she waves her hands around when she gets excited, her adorable laugh, the way her eyes sparkle when she looks at me… it’s all so perfect.

In spite of myself, I start to imagine what it would be like to have this every night. To come home to her, to have her waiting for me. But then I remember she’s only here for a few more weeks. In no time at all, she’ll be back in Stardust Hollow, and I’ll be here. Alone again.

The thought makes my chest ache, but I refuse to let it spoil the evening. We’re together now, and that’s all that matters.