who had her eyes closed, basking in the sun.
“I think so. Hey Mera! Do you-”
“Shhh!” Cass splashed Nia.
“Oh right. Inside voice.” Nia returned to sunbathing and drowsing.
Cass didn’t know how long it took to remove Rey’s scent from her but she wasn’t taking any chances. The werewolves had no soap so she’d resorted to rubbing her body with handfuls of gritty sand from the bottom of the spring.
As a ritual it calmed her but in that calmness her mind began chattering like crazy. She feared Edon and Rey would fight and the first she’d know about it was when the blood-soaked victor came hobbling down the hill, half-dead and seeking to mate with her to secure his claim. Shortly thereafter more werewolves would come bolting out from the trees and slaughter them all. She’d either die or be claimed by another Alpha and turned into breeding stock.
Deeper than the fear of getting something she didn’t want was the fear she’d get exactly what she wanted. Some quiet part of her stated she’d mate with the Alpha, whichever one that was, bear his children and live as Pack Mate in the den.
Cass had known how werewolves mated but she’d pushed it off to the side as she’d moved through selling her possessions and travelling to Hinton. She realized now she’d been in denial, even with all the books and websites she’d read.
In her mind, an Alpha had been a strong man. Perhaps gruff but loving and kind.
Rey was nothing like that. He was downright terrifying. A wild werewolf who did what he wanted when he wanted. He seemed as likely to kill her as mate with her. And Edon - on the surface he appeared more civilized than Rey, more open to expressing his feelings but after seeing him fight Rey and then destroy the invading werewolves she realized he was a dangerous Alpha too. He was strong and brutal, the same wild animal underneath but better able to cover it up.
Both of them were utterly overwhelming.
The morning drew on, Cass planning on staying in the water until she turned into a prune or Rey’s scent washed away. She managed to get Nia off the topic of cubs and how excited she was to be raising Cass’ cubs and how cute cubs were and on to random pack gossip.
Nia was chattering away about some werewolves she didn’t know when two small children came running out of the forest, laughing. A boy and girl, about four, stark naked and both with dark hair and blue eyes. They stopped when they saw Cass watching them from the pool and then shifted, turning into cubs. Barking and yipping they took off, back into the forest. Cass had assumed the entire pack were adults and given there were no human mates, there wouldn’t be any children.
“Who were those children?”
“Cubs,” Nia corrected. “Yola and Jara. They’re Rey’s.”
“Those are Rey’s… cubs?” It felt strange to call children cubs but Cass went with it, desperately trying to hang on.
“Yup,” Nia said, apparently oblivious to the look of shock on Cass’ face.
“Rey’s cubs?”
“Why is that so hard to believe?” Nia asked and lay back on the sunbathing rock.
Cass stared into the forest as the sound of the cubs’ excited barking faded away. Just when she thought she was starting to understand, everything got flipped upside down again.
Rey already had cubs. He’d already taken a mate. But where was she? What had happened to her?
“Where is their mother?” Cass asked.
“Dead. She died in the wilderness. Froze to death.”
Cass felt an icy fear grip her heart. Maybe everyone was wrong about Pack Mates and the supposed position of privilege they enjoyed in the pack. Thus far she’d been ignored or glared at. Perhaps love ‘em and leave ‘em was Rey’s M.O. and she could be his mate as long as she pleased him. But when she didn’t…
She made a sudden decision.
She had to leave.
But how?
*
Edon climbed higher up the mountain, the chill of the thin air battling with the glare of the sun that had seared away
“I think so. Hey Mera! Do you-”
“Shhh!” Cass splashed Nia.
“Oh right. Inside voice.” Nia returned to sunbathing and drowsing.
Cass didn’t know how long it took to remove Rey’s scent from her but she wasn’t taking any chances. The werewolves had no soap so she’d resorted to rubbing her body with handfuls of gritty sand from the bottom of the spring.
As a ritual it calmed her but in that calmness her mind began chattering like crazy. She feared Edon and Rey would fight and the first she’d know about it was when the blood-soaked victor came hobbling down the hill, half-dead and seeking to mate with her to secure his claim. Shortly thereafter more werewolves would come bolting out from the trees and slaughter them all. She’d either die or be claimed by another Alpha and turned into breeding stock.
Deeper than the fear of getting something she didn’t want was the fear she’d get exactly what she wanted. Some quiet part of her stated she’d mate with the Alpha, whichever one that was, bear his children and live as Pack Mate in the den.
Cass had known how werewolves mated but she’d pushed it off to the side as she’d moved through selling her possessions and travelling to Hinton. She realized now she’d been in denial, even with all the books and websites she’d read.
In her mind, an Alpha had been a strong man. Perhaps gruff but loving and kind.
Rey was nothing like that. He was downright terrifying. A wild werewolf who did what he wanted when he wanted. He seemed as likely to kill her as mate with her. And Edon - on the surface he appeared more civilized than Rey, more open to expressing his feelings but after seeing him fight Rey and then destroy the invading werewolves she realized he was a dangerous Alpha too. He was strong and brutal, the same wild animal underneath but better able to cover it up.
Both of them were utterly overwhelming.
The morning drew on, Cass planning on staying in the water until she turned into a prune or Rey’s scent washed away. She managed to get Nia off the topic of cubs and how excited she was to be raising Cass’ cubs and how cute cubs were and on to random pack gossip.
Nia was chattering away about some werewolves she didn’t know when two small children came running out of the forest, laughing. A boy and girl, about four, stark naked and both with dark hair and blue eyes. They stopped when they saw Cass watching them from the pool and then shifted, turning into cubs. Barking and yipping they took off, back into the forest. Cass had assumed the entire pack were adults and given there were no human mates, there wouldn’t be any children.
“Who were those children?”
“Cubs,” Nia corrected. “Yola and Jara. They’re Rey’s.”
“Those are Rey’s… cubs?” It felt strange to call children cubs but Cass went with it, desperately trying to hang on.
“Yup,” Nia said, apparently oblivious to the look of shock on Cass’ face.
“Rey’s cubs?”
“Why is that so hard to believe?” Nia asked and lay back on the sunbathing rock.
Cass stared into the forest as the sound of the cubs’ excited barking faded away. Just when she thought she was starting to understand, everything got flipped upside down again.
Rey already had cubs. He’d already taken a mate. But where was she? What had happened to her?
“Where is their mother?” Cass asked.
“Dead. She died in the wilderness. Froze to death.”
Cass felt an icy fear grip her heart. Maybe everyone was wrong about Pack Mates and the supposed position of privilege they enjoyed in the pack. Thus far she’d been ignored or glared at. Perhaps love ‘em and leave ‘em was Rey’s M.O. and she could be his mate as long as she pleased him. But when she didn’t…
She made a sudden decision.
She had to leave.
But how?
*
Edon climbed higher up the mountain, the chill of the thin air battling with the glare of the sun that had seared away
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