The Mating

  *****

  Kane seemed in a better mood at supper that night, though it was hardly possible that he could have been in a worse frame of mind than the previous evening. He announced that a call had come in saying the soil testing looked promising, and it seemed the environmental cleanup costs wouldn’t be as extensive as first predicted. Not only would this save the pack a lot of money, but they’d have even less reason to accept the compensation offered by Northern Oil.

  Everyone was happy about the news but then Marla came in and the atmosphere tensed again. No one was quite sure how she and Kane would interact, but Kane addressed her civilly a few times—nothing special, just a ‘pass the rolls’ and ‘I’ve called about getting your apartment door fixed’—and the tension in the room began to ease as everyone realised that the two had at least reached a tentative peace.

  Elise was relieved. Apparently, John was right; Kane didn’t hold a grudge—he blew up but then cooled down. It was useful information to know, in case she was ever on the receiving end of his wrath. She was hopeful, however, that such an event wouldn’t occur!

  “I’m going for a long, relaxing run after dinner to celebrate the good news about the oil spill,” Kane announced at the end of the meal. “Anyone want to join me?”

  Carrie patted her rounded tummy. “I think Junior and I will pass. I’m barely waddling as it is these days.”

  “I’ll stay in and keep you company.” Helen chimed in. “I’m getting too old for late night runs.”

  “And I’m on patrol tonight,” John said glumly. “I’ll be out already, but it won’t be for fun.”

  “That just leaves you girls.” Kane looked at Marla and Elise expectantly.

  Marla stared at her hands and responded quietly. “You and Elise haven’t had much time together lately. I’ve been monopolising your time quite a bit. Why don’t you two just go by yourselves?”

  “You’re more than welcome to come, you know.” Kane seemed to be trying to let Marla know that all was forgiven.

  “No, that’s okay. You two have fun.”

  “All right.” He shrugged and stood, extending his hand to Elise. “Are you ready?”

  “Well, I should help with the clean up first…” She hesitated looking at the table laden with dishes.

  “Elise, go and spend time with your mate! I’ll help with this.” Marla made a shooing motion at the couple.

  “Thanks, Marla. I appreciate that.” Elise smiled at Marla, while her brain raced trying to figure out if an alien had somehow abducted the other woman. It was certainly a turnabout from the woman she’d first met, but maybe the incident with Ryne had brought her to her senses.

  “No problem. That’s what friends are for and besides, I know how much you enjoy being out in the woods.”

  Kane ruffled Marla’s hair by way of thanks and tugged at Elise’s arm, leading her outside.

  *****

  A blue-black dome arched overhead, dotted with twinkling white lights and the occasional grey shadow of a cloud as it drifted slowly across the night sky. There was still enough illumination from the crescent moon to allow Kane and Elise to see easily as they crossed the lawn towards the woods. Good night vision was one of the bonuses of being a werewolf, Elise thought as she easily stepped over a large stick that would have likely tripped anyone with less acute eyesight.

  The night was extremely quiet. Frost had killed off all the insect life, so there were no comforting chirps or fluttering of wings to fill the silence, just the soft sound of their feet moving across the ground. Elise felt the familiar frisson of unease as she walked beside her mate. It was just the two of them and silence lay heavily between them. She darted a glance at Kane wondering if he felt it too, but he seemed lost in thought. Should she start a conversation? A number of trivial topics crossed her mind and were quickly dismissed as too cliché. Inwardly, she growled in frustration. Once again, it was being brought home to her that she only had a physical relationship with Kane. Tightening her lips, she resolved to try and build some depth into their lives together.

  Pausing at the edge of the tree line, Kane cocked his head and listened carefully, then sniffed, testing the scents that drifted by. As she waited for Kane to finish checking the area, Elise acknowledged the crispness of the air. It bit at her nose, cooling her cheeks, ears, and fingertips. She didn’t mind the temperature, however. It was yet another one of the perks of her wolf-like genetics.

  “The patrols have been here recently.” Kane announced. “The area is secure, so we can safely run.” With that he shifted into the form of a sleek black wolf and Elise quickly followed suit.

  The change to wolf form always made Elise feel exhilarated. Her senses were heightened and she could feel the latent strength of her muscles. Stretching first her front legs and then her back, she raised her muzzle to the sky, squinting up at the moon and sniffing the air. An exciting blend of scents assaulted her brain: other wolves, plant life, rabbits and squirrels, but most importantly, Kane.

  There was something about being in wolf form that made their bond seem stronger and hope fluttered inside her. Maybe this was what they needed—the chance to do things together just for fun, to let their inner wolves get to know each other. Already instinct was kicking in and Elise couldn’t resist rubbing against Kane and licking at his face.

  For his part, Kane seemed equally affected. He nuzzled her then began sniffing at her from head to toe. His interest in her tail had her sidestepping away though. His attentions made her skittish. Her heat cycle was almost upon her and his wolf would be acutely sensitive to the fact. If he hadn’t been so tired this past week, he likely would have noticed sooner, even in human form.

  Finishing his inspection, Kane yipped at her to follow and soon they were off, loping through the woods. Unlike the previous time they had run together, Elise let Kane take the lead. This was his territory and for all that she had explored some of it with Julia, she knew her mental map of the land was not yet sufficient to lead a midnight run.

  Kane kept a leisurely pace at first but once they reached a well-beaten path, picked up speed. Joyfully, Elise followed, happily stretching her muscles and pushing the limits of her speed. This was what she needed; the thrill of running with her mate, of being with him and experiencing nature together. Trees and shrubs flashed past as they gracefully moved in tandem, matching each other stride for stride. The sound of their paws hitting the ground, combined with their panting, created a rhythmic overture that echoed through the otherwise quiet woods.

  With his greater strength and speed, Kane finally began to out-distance her, drawing farther and farther ahead. He rounded a bend in the path, temporarily disappearing from sight. Elise raced around the corner, and then skidded to an abrupt halt. The path stretched out straight in front of her, but Kane was nowhere in sight. She stood frozen, her eyes narrowed, searching the woods on either side, while her ears strained for the sound of his running paws. Where had he gone? He couldn’t just disappear that quickly. Her heart pounded as she envisioned all sorts of calamities befalling him. Had he stepped off the path and into a trap? The patrols had cleared the area, but possibly they’d missed something.

  A twig snapped behind her and she whirled around, only to be knocked to the ground by a large, black mass of fur and muscle. Her breath whooshed from her lungs and she struggled to inhale while her brain tried to process what had just happened.

  Rolling to the side, she sprang to her feet growling only to bite back the sound as she saw who stood before her. With a shake of her head, she glared at Kane, her expression conveying exasperation at the trick he’d just played on her.

  Obviously enjoying himself, Kane bent his front-end down low, indicating his playful mood. Then, without warning, he pounced on her again. Soon they were tumbling across the forest floor, snarling and nipping in a mock battle. In no time, Kane had her pinned to the ground.

  As he loomed over her, their eyes met and then in one accord, they phased back into human form. Kane
was on top of her and he brushed her hair back from her face, studying her intently. “God, you look so sexy lying on the ground beneath me.” A low growl emitted from his throat before he leaned down and kissed her roughly. Elise kissed him back with equal fervour, raking her fingers through his hair, holding his head tightly in place.

  The kiss seemed to go on forever until they were both gasping for breath. Burying his face in her neck, Kane inhaled deeply, seeming to be trying to absorb her scent into his body. “Mmm, Elise, you smell so good.” He gently ran his teeth over her neck and she threw her head back, exposing her throat to him.

  “It’s my heat cycle, no doubt.” Through a haze of desire, she offered up an explanation for how he was feeling.

  “Maybe…” He sniffed again and she felt him quirk his lips against her skin. “I love how you smell all the time; your cycle just makes it even more intoxicating to me.”

  Elise felt her heart give a leap. He’d said ‘love.’ Mind you, it was her scent, not her, but the idea still thrilled her for some inexplicable reason.

  Kane was nibbling at her ear now, his breath tickling and sending delicious shivers through her body. She moved restlessly against him, revelling in the weight of him pressing down upon her. He gently rubbed himself against her in response. “Elise, do you think…?” He paused, sounding uncharacteristically unsure of himself.

  “What?” She shifted so she could see his face.

  For a moment he hesitated and then seemed to gather his nerve. “Do you think…? I mean… Would you be willing…?” Kane stopped again, and then suddenly rolled away from her, staring up at the night sky. He took a deep breath, and then proceeded in a detached voice. “With your heat cycle so near, I was wondering if you’d given any thought to what you were going to do. Our infirmary has the usual drugs to curb it, if you’re opposed to having pups. I know we’ve only been mated a few weeks, so you might not be ready…” He let his voice trail off and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Elise knew her face was probably expressionless at that point, giving him no indication of how she was reacting to his message, but she was completely thrown off balance by his question.

  When she said nothing, he continued in a rush. “It might not even happen, though, even if you just let the cycle follow its natural course, but I think we should talk about it. I…I hope you’d consider it though, having my pups someday, that is.”

  Elise detected something different in his voice. Hope? Wistfulness? She rolled to her side and propped herself up with her elbow, staring down at him. At first his question had shocked her—they’d only been together a short while and she was only now starting to feel more comfortable about their relationship. The idea of pups hadn’t even entered her mind. She gave herself a mental kick. Werewolf biology wasn’t a mystery to her, and she should have realisedthere was a chance she could become pregnant the following week. Truth be told though, it had slipped her mind.

  As an unmated female, she’d taken drugs to curb her previous two heats, though she didn’t react well to them. The side effects were unpleasant and almost flu-like, causing headaches, nausea, a slight fever and general irritability—but that was preferable to having all the unattached males following her around, trying to mount her. Now she had a choice, but what to do? They’d barely been mated two weeks and didn’t even have a blood bond yet, though she knew it wasn’t a requirement for procreation. On the other hand, Kane was her mate and their lives were now inextricably entwined. Did it matter if they started a family sooner, rather than later? The idea of being impregnated by Kane—his seed growing within her—was strangely erotic and after all, it wasn’t a sure thing that she’d conceive.

  She suddenly realised that Kane was looking expectantly at her, awaiting an answer and decided to speak plainly. “Kane, I have to admit that I hadn’t even considered this, which was silly of me, I know. I really don’t like taking the heat drugs—I usually react badly to them—and I’m not opposed to the idea of having your pups someday, but we’ve only been together a short time. I…I don’t know if I’m ready to be a mother yet. I know I would like to have a family someday, though.” She shrugged and smiled at him shyly. “I’m waffling here, aren’t I?”

  “Yeah, but it’s understandable.” He reached up and cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking gently over her skin. “It means a lot to me, to hear that you do want a family someday I don’t want to pressure you if you aren’t ready. How about I take care of protection next week? It won’t be one hundred percent but it will minimize the odds and then maybe next cycle you’ll feel ready.”

  “And if it does happen—if I end up pregnant this time—I’d be okay with it. A miniature Kane wouldn’t be all bad; after all, his father’s sort of growing on me.” She brushed his hair from his forehead.

  Kane grinned up at her, his eyes shining with delight and Elise couldn’t help but grin back at him. They were having a real conversation about something important, and she’d learned something meaningful about him. He wanted a family. It wasn’t earth shattering news—most wolves had a strong instinct to procreate—but it gave her a sliver of information that she didn’t have before.

  A shiver of anticipation shot through her. One of her mated friends had gone off her heat medication and had said the urge to copulate had become almost overwhelming. She and her mate had spent almost the entire week in bed. Mmm, a week of sex with Kane sounded eminently appealing. Leaning over him, she placed a lingering kiss on his lips. “Maybe we should start practising for next week.”

  “I like how you think.” Kane chuckled as he stood, pulling her to her feet, and hugging her.

  *****

  Back at the Alpha house, Kane and Elise headed upstairs, their arms wrapped around each other’s waists. The house was quiet and dark, only the light in the entryway left on. As they reached the upper landing, Marla’s bedroom door popped open, spilling a wedge of light across the darkness. She peered out at them and smiled. “Looks like you two had a good time.”

  “It’s about to get even better.” Kane nuzzled Elise’s neck, not even looking in Marla’s direction.

  Marla giggled as Elise playfully smacked Kane’s arm while giving him a dirty look. “Elise, I promise I won’t keep you away from your mate for long, but can I see you for a minute?”

  Elise looked at Kane. He shrugged and then nodded. “Make sure it’s only a minute.”

  “I promise—I just have a phone message that I said I’d deliver personally.”’ Marla explained.

  Kane gave Elise a quick peck on the cheek and then went down the hall to the bedroom. Once the door was shut, Marla turned to Elise, speaking in hushed tones. “Someone named Bryan kept calling for you tonight. At first, I just let the answering machine pick it up, but after the third time I thought I’d better see what he wanted since he sounded so anxious in his messages. Apparently, you’re supposed to meet him outside the Grey Goose tomorrow at one o’clock.”

  “Really? Wonderful! He’s an old friend from back home. I heard he was going to be in town and was hoping we could get together for awhile.” Elise felt a bubble of excitement rise up inside of her.

  “He sounded pretty pleased about the prospect, too.” Marla winked at her. “Well, that’s all I wanted to tell you. You better get going before Kane comes looking for you. I think he has some very definite plans for the rest of your evening.” Giving her another friendly smile, Marla turned and went back into her bedroom, closing the door softly behind her.

  As Elise walked down the darkened hall, she wondered what it would be like to see Bryan again. They’d had such good times together while they were growing up; he’d been her best friend for years. Pausing outside her bedroom door, a nasty revelation hit her. What kind of a person was she? She’d just been excitedly contemplating a meeting with Bryan tomorrow afternoon, and now she was off to have sex with Kane! There was something wrong with this picture. She wasn’t some sort of a slut… Was she?

  She knew she loved Bryan. They’d been tog
ether for years but… There was something about Kane that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, though she wasn’t sure what to call it. Bryan’s kisses never made her feel the way Kane’s did. She’d never ached for his touch like she did for Kane’s. The love she had for Bryan seemed totally different than the love she had for—