*****
Afterwards, Kane had carefully dried her off and carried her to bed. He was exhausted from being up all night and had said he just wanted to rest for a little while. Within moments of his head hitting the pillow, he was asleep. Presently he was spooned to her back, his breath warm on her neck and his arm was wrapped around her waist, effectively trapping her in place. She’d dozed a bit herself, feeling pleasantly relaxed from their earlier activity. Now half awake, she idly stroked Kane’s arm, thinking that she could become addicted to experiences like that.
Sounds from outside drifted in the partially open window. Somewhere a car door slammed, reminding Elise of her encounter with the red sports car and the puddle. She was curious to find out who owned the vehicle. When she did, she’d give them a piece of her mind for the idiotic stunt they’d pulled. The memory reminded her that she had a pile of muddy clothes on the floor that needed attention. With a sigh she realised that they weren’t going to get washed if she just stayed in bed.
Carefully, she eased out from under Kane’s arm, trying not to wake him. He muttered slightly and rolled over before settling back down, his breathing deep and even. For a moment she stared at him. His face was relaxed and the controlled edge that always seemed to be a part of him was temporarily erased.
He was certainly good looking; strong and dominant—much more so than Bryan had ever been. Elise scowled at herself. It was instinct for a wolf to be drawn to a dominant mate, but she felt guilty for comparing the two men. Of course, Kane would seem appealing. He was older, an Alpha… But, she retorted, who knew what Bryan might become in the next few years? Not that it mattered anymore, the voice of reason ruefully acknowledged. She was bonded to Kane and nothing could change the fact. It was best to put her old friend out of her mind and look to the future.
With a determined nod, she quickly dressed, grabbed the laundry, and headed downstairs, leaving her mate to catch up on his rest.
*****
Elise had just finished the laundry when she heard a sound behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Kane leaning in the doorway, his shirt hanging open and his hair messed from sleep. He looked incredibly sexy and her heart beat faster at the sight of him. Sliding her eyes over his body, she noted his toned stomach and long denim encased legs. The jeans rode low on his hips and she forced herself not toblush as she recalled those same hips moving against her. A wave of desire unexpectedly rolled through her and she found it unsettling. Was she turning into some sort of sex-maniac? How could just looking at the man have that effect on her? She’d admired good-looking males before, but this attraction for Kane was somehow different, more uncontrolled, more intense…
Did he find her attractive too, she mused. He’d said she was a lovely female, but was that just mating talk or did he really mean it? She wasn’t quite sure why it mattered to her, except that it would make for a level playing field if they both had an equal physical attraction to the other. Until she knew how he really saw her, she certainly wasn’t going to tip her hand! Trying to sound unaffected by his presence, she casually addressed him. “I see you’re up. You must have been tired after being out so late last night.” She busied herself with folding her towels, keeping her eyes firmly averted and her body angled away from him.
“Yeah. We didn’t find Thomas until almost two-thirty and then, by the time we got him back to the infirmary, it must have been after three. I stayed with Julia, his mate, until he woke up. He was pretty groggy, so I need to head back there in a bit and, if he’s awake, question him about what exactly happened.”
“Did he need a doctor?”
“No. He was lucky. The bullet went straight through, missing any vital organs, so it only needed cleaning and a few stitches. Blood loss was the biggest problem, but thanks to his werewolf genetics, he’ll be fine. Nadia, our nurse-practitioner, was waiting for us when we got back. She gave him a transfusion, cleaned the wound and stitched him up.”
“Is she one of us?”
“Uh-huh, we’re fortunate to have her, and if something really serious is wrong, there’s one local doctor who knows about us and can be trusted. “
“We have a similar set-up back home.” Elise nodded in understanding as she tidied up the laundry area, still avoiding looking at him. Her heart rate was back to normal and she wanted to keep it that way. Grabbing the box of soap and the fabric softener, she put them back on the shelf, then started to clean the lint trap in the dryer. “I’m glad your man is going to be okay and that he’s receiving good care.”
“Would you like to come along, when I go to see him?”
“Sure. I’m almost done here. It will be good to meet some more of the pack.” She rinsed her hands, then stared blankly at the wall for a moment, wondering if she’d see the red sports car parked somewhere. If so, she could pretend a casual interest in the make or model and that might lead Kane into revealing who owned it. He wouldn’t have to know the real reason she was interested.
She sensed Kane straightening up from his position against the door jam and walking over to her. Lightly, he put his finger under her chin and guided her around until she was facing him. “You seem to be avoiding looking at me, Elise. Why?”
“No reason.” She prevaricated, darting her eyes everywhere around the room except towards him. “I’m just busy with the laundry.”
For a moment Kane seemed to consider her answer. He opened his mouth to speak, then frowned. He stroked her cheek with his finger. “There’s a cut on your face.”
“Oh!” Elise quickly moved her hand upwards, knocking his aside and covering the cut. He hadn’t mentioned it earlier on, apparently more interested in other parts of her anatomy. She’d forgotten it was there.
“I didn’t notice it earlier. What did you do?” He brushed her hand out of the way and examined the cut, his breath warm against her face. Elise felt her heartbeat quicken again in response to his proximity.
“I…I must have scratched it on a branch or something when I was out earlier, looking around the yard.”
“Hmm… It doesn’t look like a scratch to me—it’s deeper than that; more like a puncture wound. Are you sure you just got too close to a branch?” The weight of his stare forced her to look at him. Kane gazed down at her, his face passive, his eyes unblinking.
Elise felt herself waver under his intense scrutiny. The wolf inside of her screamed for her to confess, but she didn’t want to. Gathering her courage, she boldly pushed past him, grabbing the pile of folded laundry, and walking towards the door. “Of course I’m sure. It’s nothing to fuss over.” Inwardly, she trembled. Turning your back on the Alpha and walking away when he’d asked you a question just wasn’t done without some form of retribution, but she needed to get away. Kane was too close, too compelling, and she wanted to keep her thinking clear.
“Elise!” Kane growled a warning and she stopped, slowly turning around. Her mouth had gone dry and she felt a frisson of fear in her belly. So far Kane had only been kind to her; his dominant Alpha personality had never been directed at her before. Now, she was getting a taste of what made him the leader of the pack. His eyes were cold and stony, seeming to bore a hole right through her and leaving her in no doubt as to his displeasure over her actions. She clutched the laundry to her chest as if it were a shield and raised her chin slightly, exposing her throat in an age-old sign of submission.
Licking her lips, she replied shakily. “Kane, it’s nothing—just an unfortunate accident while I was outside. Now, why don’t you get something to eat—I’m sure you’re famished since you weren’t here for breakfast. I’ll just put these away and be back in a few minutes, and then you can show me where the infirmary is and introduce me to Thomas…” As she babbled on, she used her eyes to plead with him not to make a federal case out of it. For some reason, she just didn’t want him to know about the sports car. It was her problem to solve—she had to be able to hold her head up around these people and not always be taking refuge behind her mate.
Kane continued to glare at her for what felt like ages and she was sure he was going to press her for details, but then he seemed to rein in his temper and sighed loudly. “Fine. I’ll meet you at the back door in fifteen minutes.”
Giving a sigh of relief, she started to leave but he spoke again and she froze.
“Elise? Don’t make it a habit of pushing me too far. You might not like the results.”
She gave a quick nod and ran upstairs, thankful for the reprieve she’d just received.
Chapter 8
Once she was in the bedroom, Elise dropped the laundry on the bed and flopped down beside it, staring at the ceiling. It had been a foolish move on her part, refusing to tell Kane about the sports car, but at the same time, it was such a minor thing and she needed to show him that she wasn’t a complete pushover before he took it into his head to walk all over her.
Taking a calming breath, she tried to figure her mate out. As she’d just witnessed, he was definitely in control and not one to put up with insubordination. He was strong, dominant, and cool—he hadn’t raised his voice at all, but his message had been as clear as a bell. On the other hand, he hadn’t forced her into submission either, giving in to her silent plea that he drop the matter. That must indicate he had some consideration for her and was willing to allow his pack members some autonomy.
Yesterday, as he’d shown her their suite of rooms, he’d actually been quite kind, acknowledging that she was probably feeling homesick and unsettled. Even when they’d first mated, hadn’t he tried to ease the situation for her? And the morning after, he’d seemed to understand that losing her dream of a relationship with Bryan was difficult. How had he put it? ‘Sometimes our lives have moments of great disappointment. It’s difficult at the time, but we have to move beyond.’ Yes, Kane definitely had a more sensitive side.
Hmm… But then he’d talked about making their bonding work because it was their duty to the pack. She, of all people, knew that theirs was not a love match, but still… Her young heart couldn’t help but hope for some tender sentiments and affection from her mate. Of course, as Alpha, his first duty was to the pack. She knew that from her own father, and if she’d had any doubt on the matter, the fact that Kane had all but abandoned her on her first day in order to deal with pack business, would have straightened out her thinking. Looking back on last night, she recalled how he’d left the supper table and stayed out all night, searching for Thomas. Yes, Kane really did seem to have his pack’s best interest at heart. The pack was devoted to him too, though. She only had to look at how everyone had gathered to greet him yesterday afternoon when he’d arrived back.
Rolling over, she propped her chin on her hands. So Kane was strong and dominant, insightful and considerate, dedicated to his pack… What else did she know about him? A giggle escaped her as she considered the towels waiting to be put away. He was sexy as hell, liked showers and they really seemed to turn him on—in just two and a half days, he’d already initiated sex in the shower twice! She grinned. Most certainly, he enjoyed mating with her as his actions just hours earlier had shown…
Oh, wait… Frowning, she stopped and reconsidered that point. Possibly, he just enjoyed mating, regardless of who it was with. There was nothing to indicate that he was particularly drawn only to her. To be sure, he’d warned Bryan off, but any male wolf would instinctively have done the same.
Feeling miffed, she sat up. Physically, she was drawn to him and it was only fair that he should feel the same way back! Elise chewed on her lip as she considered the situation. She knew she wasn’t beauty queen material but neither was she repulsive. Her skin was lightly tanned and clear. Her dark brown hair was long and shiny, complimenting her wide green eyes, and her figure wasn’t bad. Kane obviously didn’t find her unattractive, and he had some small liking for her, she was sure. He had sought her out and asked her to go see Thomas with him…
Yikes! She’d forgotten that she said she’d meet him in just a few minutes. Jumping up, she quickly put away the laundry. Kane hadn’t been overly pleased with her when she’d left. No point in trying his patience any further today by making him wait! Tossing her clothes in her bureau and the towels in the linen closet, she clattered down stairs in search of her mate.
*****
By time she met him at the backdoor, Kane seemed in a better mood and didn’t mention their little confrontation, for which she was extremely grateful. By pack standards, he would have been justified in ripping a strip off her and she still wasn’t sure why he’d let her go, however Elise wasn’t going to question her good luck. At least her mate didn’t seem to be one to carry a grudge, she decided.
They walked to the infirmary, since the building was just a short distance from the main house. She learned that the driveway wound in a long narrow oval that started at the highway, came around by the Alpha house, and then worked its way through the front edge of the woods with various houses and buildings located along the way. After that, there were various paths that ran through territory—some well travelled and others barely visible, leading to the more remote corners of their land. These were often partially overgrown and seldom used, except by the most adventurous pack members.
The particular path that they used when they left the building, was basically a short cut between the Alpha house and the infirmary. As they walked along, Elise was very aware of the fact that Kane was almost a foot taller than her, yet for all his size, he moved gracefully, barely making a sound except to occasionally point out various features, pride in his land obvious. Sunlight was streaming down through the trees and the gentlest of breezes caused leaves to drift lazily downward, carpeting the ground in gold and orange. Elise could smell the faint mustiness that wafted up from the decaying foliage as it was crushed underfoot, and the faintest scent of water could also be detected. She questioned Kane about its location.
“Just over that rise, there’s a small stream that feeds into the river. If you follow it along for a few miles, you’ll come to our lake. It’s not overly large but sufficient for us do to some swimming and a bit of fishing in the summer. There’s also a bit of a waterfall—I think I mentioned it to you yesterday—but it’s hard to get at due to the ravines. I’d advise you to go there onlywhen accompanied by myself or one of the more experienced runners. It can be quite dangerous; wolves have fallen and died there before.”
The challenge of climbing through the ravines sounded rather appealing, and Elise made a mental note to ensure that Kane took her there in the near future. “I can’t wait to go exploring.” Elise grinned up at him, her joy at being near the wilderness eclipsing any awkwardness that might have remained from their earlier conflict. Like all wolves, the call of nature was simmering just below the surface, and being outdoors in a wooded area always gave her a feeling of excitement and home-coming.
“Yes, I’m sure you’re eager for a good run.” He paused and seemed about to add to his statement, when someone called his name.
“Kane! You’re back already. I thought I told you to go home and get some sleep?” An efficient looking woman in her forties stood outside a simple, white vinyl-clad building. Her brown hair was drawn back in a long braid and she was wearing a lab coat.
“I did go home, Nadia, and now I’m back.” Kane nodded at the woman and then put his hand around Elise’s waist, drawing her forward. “Elise, this is Nadia, our nurse-practitioner. Nadia, this is Elise, my mate.”
Nadia looked Elise up and down as if she was trying to decide whether or not this new wolf passed inspection. She must have met the nurse’s standard because she gave the briefest of nods before turning and addressing Kane with a smile. “Thomas is awake now and doing well. He’s fortunate that he’d shifted back into human form just before getting hit. The extra chemicals in his blood helped minimize the damage.”
Elise puzzled over that statement. She didn’t know a lot about werewolf physiology. Of course, she knew that the transformation from wolf to human, or human to wolf, was accompanied
by the release of certain chemicals that allowed their bodies to complete the change, but she’d never heard about it having healing properties. While she was proud of her heritage, she wasn’t the best of students and had skimmed over her books only doing enough to pass the Lycan correspondence courses that her father had insisted all the young take. Maybe she should see if Kane had any copies of the textbooks in his library…
She was pulled from her reverie by Kane taking her hand and leading her up the steps of the infirmary. Nadia was holding the door open expectantly, and Elise murmured her thanks as she passed by. The other woman just raised an eyebrow and hurried off to a desk in the corner where she immediately became immersed in paperwork and files.