Scarlett
I had never seen Reese’s wolf before, but I would have bet everything I owned on the long-furred, gray wolf who appeared out of thin air being my mate, anyhow.
Initially, I felt elation at his arrival, but it was overshadowed by the ensuing pandemonium unfolding after his advent. I wasn’t able to process the events transpiring around me until after I made Jace help me get Reese back inside the cave when he lost consciousness after the fight.
I hadn’t noticed the dark shadows under his eyes before, but I couldn’t unsee his worn-out countenance now that I had, not feel horrible for putting him through the wringer when he had done nothing wrong.
I searched my mind for another topic. I wasn’t ready to confront my inner demons, but I wasn’t thrilled with the alternate path I latched onto in my desperation either.
It wasn’t easy to accept my former friends had completely changed from when I knew them. The bear shifter had stunned me more than the rogues launching an assault. I averted my eyes from the corpse before Jace disposed of it, not wanting to know if I recognized the male’s face.
In any case, Jace did not let me get away without answering his queries. I hated laying my personal business on the table when all I wanted was to wrap my arms around Reese’s unconscious figure, but I felt I owed the other male my honesty after all he’d done for me.
Jace kept me in the moment enough to be able to resist following through on my urges, but I couldn’t say I was happy with the outcome of him learning the truth.
Jace and I’d had a good time before, but I never wanted to revisit that part of my past. He helped me through one of the darkest times of my life, but he couldn’t compete with a soulmate.
The last thing I wanted was another male bearing down on me, but I could at least accept trekking through the forest with Reese in tow was my best option to remain safe after seeing the danger up close and personal for myself.
I wasn’t thrilled about our destination, but I was resolved on using the time to decide where I wanted to go with my future. Luna seemed hellbent on driving Reese and I together, and my wolf was equally as determined to get me to change my mind about keeping my distance from him.
We still had several days to travel before we made it to the pack house in the Western Province. It would have gone much faster if we had taken a car, but my dumbass had decided to flee on four legs.
We didn’t go far the first night before we were searching for a safe place to recuperate. I was still recovering from the original ambush that had left me down for a day, but my werewolf genetics had sped the process along extensively.
On the other hand, Reese looked like he had been going for days on end, and it was obvious he had fended off more than one stray rogue before he found me.
Truthfully, we probably should have stayed with Jace another night before attempting to make it anywhere, but I was more than ready to leave right alongside Reese when we kicked up the dust behind us.
Howbeit, I didn’t miss the way Reese was constantly scanning our environment, or the alert repose he maintained even after we stopped to rest. I didn’t blame him for his caution, but I chose to keep my opinion to myself, irrespective.
I mean damn, I was doing the same thing ever since the rogues had managed to catch me off guard that first night, even if my mate’s absence had played a large role in me being caught unawares.
It was a hell of a lot easier to concentrate with him at my side, rather than occupying my mind, and we were able to successfully fend off the only group of rogues we came across the first two days without any issues.
At present, we were devouring our meals around the small fire Reese built to cook the rabbits I’d snagged earlier during our run. I couldn’t deny the feeling of camaraderie that had developed with the male resting casually next to me on the ground.
We had remained in our wolf shapes for the majority of the trip, so it had been simple enough to avoid the simmering attraction brewing between us the few times we were both in our human forms.
I thankfully remembered my bag before leaving Jace’s den. It sucked having to carry the damn thing while shifted, but I would take that any day over going au naturel for now.
I was barely managing to resist my mate as it was. I didn’t need to add nudity to the mix to make things even more awkward while I was trying to resist him.
Be that as it may, I had a feeling my period of reprieve was almost over. I knew we would make it to his province tomorrow, but the look in his eyes tonight told me I was in for some trouble.
To his credit, he didn’t once ask me about the bombshell Jace dropped a couple of days ago, but I somehow knew it was eating away at him on the inside. I wasn’t ready to tell him the whole grisly story, but I felt he deserved some of the truth at this point.
I polished off the succulent meat in my hands, licking the piquant juices from my fingers without thought, but I froze in the action as my eyes caught on Reese’s silvery gray orbs.
His scorching stare was like a direct line to my center.
I squirmed while clearing my throat, trying to get back to what I had meant to share with him, as I croaked out without preamble, “I know Willow and Jax were supposed to be the first pair blessed by Luna in decades, but as Jace mentioned before, I’ve had a true mate in the past.”
The growl he emitted when I spoke Jace’s name did nothing for the arousal coursing through me, but I was able to follow our discussion as his voice pulled me in, asking, “So, I would be your second chance mate, then?”
A slight nod was the only answer I could manage, and I flat out refused to meet his eyes, feeling even worse as he went on.
“Are you just not interested in settling down? I don’t understand why you would refuse such a beautiful gift.”
My gulp was audible as I prepared myself to tell him the truth about why I had been running from him at every turn. I could privately concede my original plans to reject him outright had been foolish, but I wasn’t ready to give myself to him wholly either.
I resisted the urge to clasp his large hand within mine as I glanced around at the majestic trees, replying, “Not everyone revels in the connections Luna forges between us. I didn’t reject my first mate until long after I should have. He started as a friend, not showing his true colors until after we were mated.”
Subsequently, we continued conversing late into the night, but he backed off once he realized Hunter had been abusive, though I didn’t go into many details. Yet, he also made it plain he had no intentions of backing off.
My wolf wanted me to forget my past entirely and throw myself wholeheartedly into the second chance Luna had granted us.
I battled with her and my churning thoughts all night as Reese and I exchanged more personal details, but I didn’t notice the space shrinking between us until I felt his strong thigh pressing into mine.
I looked up when his large hand cradled my face, seeing his lips mere inches from my own. My breath quickened, and my thoughts muddled until there was nothing but his intoxicating presence.
I didn’t know what I wanted, despite my adamant decision to reject him from the get-go. Reese had already wormed his way into my heart, and it seemed he wasn’t giving me the opportunity to say no.
Instead, he hauled me into him, smashing his lips over mine and using my gasp of surprise to drive his tongue into my open mouth. Cinnamon flooded my taste buds, and I was kissing him back before my brain realized what I was doing.
I pulled away in a flash, not sure how to feel as I awkwardly bade him goodnight and shifted into my wolf to sleep before I lost all control. I didn’t miss his quiet laughter or the soft, “Good night, Fire.” He whispered as I settled in for the night.
We made it to the Western Province’s pack house the next day after sprinting hard the remainder of the distance. We stayed vigilant, but there weren’t any signs of rogues as we crossed through the mountains.
I was ready for a hot shower and a comfortable bed when we finally made it, which Reese was mercifully more than willing to provide. I shoveled the delicious stew into my mouth, not caring when I scalded my tongue as Reese convened with his beta, Oliver, on the other side of the table.
I retired early after filling my belly, but I couldn’t help as my mind analyzed the calculating, collected male who I had observed running his pack so efficiently the second we arrived.
I hadn’t seen this side of Reese in the woods or in the South, but I knew I had a lot to learn yet if the tiny sliver inside me that desperately wanted to see what we could be together had a prayer of seeing the light of day.
Reese I’d fought right alongside my males and the other alphas for two long years against the invading bears, and those years had been fraught with danger and death around every corner. Many wolves hadn’t made it through the darkest times in our recent history to be able to forge new beginnings. Even so, I honestly believed my jaunt through the forest with my mate to my home base would be what finally did me in. Our progress was slow at first due to our injuries and exhaustion, but we eventually made it to the pack house in the Western Province a few hours ago. It had been hell keeping my hands off of Scarlett, especially with Jace’s scent still clinging to her skin the few times we shifted shapes, and I was ultimately unable to resist at least kissing her enticing lips once more. She may have fled afterward, but it didn’t escape my notice that she returned my affections until she tore herself away, fleeing in a flustered stat
Reese The renovations were coming along nicely, and there hadn’t been any more rogue attacks nearby since we arrived in the Western Province a few days ago. I idly wondered how long the calm would hold before everything went to shit again. Once I was sure Oliver was prepared for my absence, I found Scarlett, wearing a new path through the front lawn as she anxiously paced back and forth. “Are you ready to go, Fire?” She froze, stiffening as I approached, but she relaxed a second later, answering, “Yes. My wolf needs to run.” She didn’t dither, pulling the hem of the striking blue blouse she was wearing up and over her head as she finished her statement. I ripped my gaze away from her tantalizing curves on full display, knowing we would never make it to my personal refuge if I let myself drink in her figure. “Remember to stay with me. I’m not taking any risks with your safety, and you’re going to love the place
Scarlett My mind was racing a million miles a minute as I moved my feet over the rocky earth, wearing a path into the ground with the number of times I had already traversed it waiting for Reese so I could finally shift into my wolf de novo. I hated not being free to do as I wished, but I was used to the limitations after living under Zeke for so long. That wasn’t to say I was a stranger to breaking the rules, but I understood the importance of them this time, so I restrained myself from sneaking off for a sprint on my own. We had been here for a few days, but I hadn’t seen much of my mate. He crept into my room each night and slept near me as his wolf, but I made a concerted effort to avoid him at all costs each morning after. I knew it wasn’t the mature thing to do, but I was still struggling to come to terms with the idea of having another male in my life for any period of time, let alone another true mate. R
Scarlett Communication was hard while I was on four legs rather than two without mind link to connect Reese and I as we ran in sync after the scout. It was near impossible with us stealthily tailing the wolf who had been spying on us, and it made interacting with one another difficult, to say the least. I wasn’t sure if Reese had seen the same thing as me, but he followed after me without a second thought, regardless. Nonetheless, I didn’t need his deep voice constantly cautioning me in my head through mind link to know I needed to fall back as I began to comprehend the magnitude of what our sleuth led us to sometime later. Reese stayed shoulder to shoulder with me as I dashed back to the vehicle, but I didn’t bother shifting shapes when we got there. My mind was still reeling with the unmistakable indicators of the impending battle heading our way that Reese and I had uncovered. I registered him speaking
Reese My mind had been a muddled mess ever since the first second I’d laid eyes on the fiery vixen soaking in the hot springs before me in Jax’s lodge about a month ago, but I had felt more myself over the last several days as I used my analytical side to give the others the best chance to fend off the incoming attack. I hadn’t originally been sure if the infiltrators would follow the same pattern as they had been, but my beta had kept me updated about their movements on the fringe, so it was music to my ears when Oliver informed me the bears had funneled in through the North as we intended when they launched their assault. I had been consumed with dealing with all the information filtering in from elsewhere since the evacuation went off without a hitch. Consequently, Scarlett had been able to successfully avoid the topic of how she was so familiar with the bear shifters up until now. I slipped into the temperate water beside her, wad
Reese I awoke in the morning feeling better than I had any other day of my life, the difference being Scarlett had allowed me to ensconce her in my arms for the remainder of the night as we found the land of dreams together. The pleasant feeling coursing through my blood put an extra pep in my step as Scarlett and I set off for the bears’ territory. I had rigged up a bag I would be able to carry on my shoulders as we traversed the country, but I needed my mate to secure it in place before she shifted. I didn’t let myself admire her mile-long legs or other desirable assets, knowing we would never make it to the bears before the elder if I started down that path. I was thrilled with the progress I made in getting my other half to fully accept me, but my wolf was antsy to advance to the claiming stage. I couldn’t say I blamed him, it had been over a month at this point, and there were times when I thought I would go mad with the
Scarlett My limbs grew heavier as we ran onward in the direction of Jace’s hideaway, but the exhilaration from hurtling through the forest as my wolf served as a balm for my exhaustion. Reese’s huge gray wolf kept stride with me as I took the lead position. The glimpse I caught of him out of the corner of my eye had my mind flying back to our conversation from last night. His reluctance then and now to seek out Jace again was palpable, but I saw the effort he put into trying to set aside his differences after my entreaty. I refocused on my environs then, knowing we were getting closer to Jace, but my mind never strayed far from my mate. I slowed by a fraction, letting my senses roam out further, but I suddenly crashed into Reese’s massive beast as the following events ensued. My ears picked up on the sounds of something heading in our direction. I instinctively hesitated with the clear signs we were no longer alone, but the di
Reese I felt more secure here in Jace’s den than I ever thought I would, and I could grant this was the first time I had the chance to let my shield slip a little since we had departed the Western Province. My tired state had me feeling worn out down to my very bones, and our relative safety had my eyes drooping as my mind analyzed Jace’s behavior from prior in the forest where he found us and afterwards here in his concealed cave. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind he’d had designs on making Scarlett his before I came into the picture, and who could blame him? Pairings molded by Luna had been extremely rare up until now, so it was reasonable to believe Scarlett would remain unattached, especially knowing she had already rejected her true mate. Anger trickled through my system as I was reminded about the trauma my mate had endured at his hands, not to mention the fact that he might still be alive. I forced myself to focus on Jace