Feral Love (Paranormal Alpha Werewolf Shifter Romance) (5 page)

Snug in
Blake’s arms, Remy found herself caught between a rock and a hard place. She never thought she’d ever find someone that stole her heart and soul as completely as Blake Christensen did and even now she still could not believe that they had made love not once but three times already. He seemed utterly insatiable in his carnal hunger and for a few moments Remy thought that she might not be able to satisfy him to the best of her ability.

But it was something more than just pleasure. In his arms, Remy felt safe, she felt wanted and loved. Her whole life had been a series of appeasement and pleasing others. With Blake, it was the first time that she was given the opportunity to enjoy herself, to truly do something that
she
wanted to do.

The fact that it drove him over the edge was just a bonus.

It was freedom, pure and simple. The freedom that she craved for her whole life.

Which made it that much more difficult for her to say the words. “I have to go back.”

His hand was running through her hair, brushing the tangles and dirt and leaves out of them. Steely blue eyes looked at her in puzzlement and he asked. “Why?”

I don’t know.
But she knew and she answered truthfully. “My parents. They don’t know that I’m here.” She smiled sadly. “They don’t even know that I left.”

“So tell them.” He whispered and kissed the tip of her nose. “Speak to them as a wolf would speak.”

She ran her finger down his chest. “I can’t, remember?”

“I can teach you how, Remy.” He took her face and pulled her closer to him. “I can teach you how to live like a wolf, how to hunt like a wolf, and how to love like a wolf. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

Yes…
But she could only smile stupidly at him and shake her head. “My parents are worried, Blake. Don’t you think they have the right to know that you’re my mate?”

“Mm.” He nodded and pressed his lips to hers, filling her mouth with his taste and she was drowning in him again.

When they broke apart, she looked into his eyes with deadly seriousness and said. “Do you understand?”

He took her hand and held on tightly. For a moment Remy hoped—prayed even—that he might ask her to stay, that he might pull her in for a second kiss to drown out the voices in her head telling her to go back. Anything, any reason at all, and she would have gladly stayed with him and gone with him to his pack.

But he said nothing and stood up, pulling her up with him. Sunlight bathed his wondrous physique and Remy blushed despite herself. She saw the hurt in his eyes at the thought of parting and heard her wolf crying for her to stay and comfort him.

She cradled his face, feeling the stubble along his chin and smiled. “It’s only goodbye for a little while. After I go back and tell my parents, I’ll come back here.”

“Remy.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “Before we part, you need to learn to speak as a wolf. So no matter how far apart we are, we’ll always be right next to each other.”

She closed her eyes at the thought.
Blake always next to me…
It would make the conversation with her parents easier. It would give her courage to tell them that she’s found her mate—her
real
mate—and that he’s a wild wolf.

She opened her eyes. “Show me.”

“It’s easier at first if your eyes are closed.”

She did as he was told and felt his hands on her shoulders.

“Reach for your wolf, Remy, reach for your wolf but don’t let her take you over.”

Remy tried but somehow her wolf fought her. She had always slipped in and out of the beast skin without problem, but now that she was asked to pet it, she found it more difficult than anything else she’d ever done.

“I… I can’t.”

“Talk to her, Remy. Let her know that you’re only going to come so close to her without letting her out. She’ll fight it at first but you’re stronger.” His voice washed over her. “You’ve always been stronger. She’s
your
wolf, not the other way around.”

Easy girl…
She told her wolf as she reached for the beast. The wolf growled at first but Remy persisted. It was strange, almost as if she was looking at herself from above, reaching down to pet a beautiful silver-furred wolf in the snow while the black wolf prowled around them both.

She reached out with trembling fingers and touched the wolf on the head and suddenly the forest seemed to come alive like she was shifting. But she still felt Blake’s hands on her shoulders. She still felt the cold air brushing against her bare skin.

The black wolf came closer.
Can you hear me, Remy?

Could she speak? Her eyes remained closed but she could see the black wolf clear as day. Reaching out hesitantly, she spoke in her mind while her lips remained shut.
Yes.

“You did it.” Blake’s voice kissed her ear and Remy opened her eyes. He was smiling from ear to ear.

“I did it.” She repeated and smiled at him.

“If you need me, reach for me and I’ll come to you.” And then their lips pressed together again and a flood of images rushed into Remy’s mind.

A man held his newborn son. A mother comforted a boy and gingerly picked out a splinter in his arm. Laughing children shifted and chased each other around the woods. A circle of wolves bowed their heads, howling mournfully at the full moon overhead as a pyre burned away the pelts and bones of an old couple.

Remy found herself falling, falling deep into Blake’s kiss. Their tongues coaxed and twined around each other, dancing as their bodies pressed closely. Heat flared through Remy and the images came faster and faster until they were nothing but a continuous blur.

When they finally broke apart, Remy was left breathless. Beside Blake was the great she-wolf Emma. Before Remy could say anything, Blake pressed his finger to her lips.

“Emma will guide you through these woods to your territory. When you are done with what you need to do, come back.”

In her mind she heard him say.
I’ll wait for you here Remy.

What did you just show me?
She asked, delighted at the fact that the two of them had their own private means of communication. A secret language all their own.

Blake smiled as the trees swallowed him.
Our future.

Alone now, Blake shifted and made his way back to the pack.

He’d shown her
the vision of things to come that the old wise wolves had shown him when he first took the pack.
Ulfurdraumurs—
wolf dreams—the Old Ways called the visions and such visions do not lie. But a wolf who grew content with thoughts of
ulfurdraumurs
without taking appropriate action risked having the dreams come true under different circumstances.

He wondered if he did the right thing to send Remy back home accompanied by Emma rather than himself.

He fought the urge to turn around and rush after Remy. Each step was more torturous than the previous one. His sharpened sense of smell made it worse. Remy’s scent lingered in the air, teasing him and beckoning him to turn around and run towards her.

No.
he told his wolf.
There are more important things at hand.
If what Remy told him was true, then there may very well be collared wolves prowling where they shouldn’t be. The pack must be told and appropriate measures must be taken.

He sniffed the air again as he quickened his pace. Remy’s smell was dwindling but somehow she still remained. It wasn’t until he splashed through a gurgling stream and re-emerged—sodden and shivering—did he realize that her scent was in his coat.

If he closed his eyes and sniffed himself deeply, it was as if she were here with him.
Come back soon, Remy
. He thought and pushed deeper into the trees.

The lands of his pack were widespread and poorly defined. Individual wolves often came and went as they pleased, marking whichever tree they saw fit. While Blake had a good idea just how much land his pack could cover, the exact borders were always shifting.

By sundown he came upon the vast circle of pines stabbing into the winter sky that marked the Wolfden—the place where his pack settled twenty years ago as he began his search for his mate. A pair of sentinels saw his approach and howled at the Alpha’s return. They came to him tails wagging and heads bowed.

Though wild wolves preferred to live on all fours, in the circle of the Wolfden, all were expected to shed their skins—a sign that they existed both as man and beast. With a graceful leap, Blake shifted and walked through the approaching ranks of wolves to the great fire burning in the middle of the clearing.

Several benches were arrayed beside the fire. Sitting on the highest bench was Locke. In the crook of his arm was the pelt of the fawn that they brought down a night ago.

Upon seeing Blake, Locke rose from the bench and took his Alpha’s hand in greeting.

“Was wondering when you’d show up.” He grinned. “Where’s Emma?”

“I sent her off on another job. Ask her if you want, but I doubt she’d tell you much.” Blake replied. “We’ve got collared wolves encroaching on our territories.”

Locke snorted. “I know that, I was there, remember?” He stopped and sniffed deeply, eyes fixated on Blake’s neck. “There’s a queer smell to you, Alpha.”

The mark!
He knows!
His wolf snarled. “It’s nothing.”

But Locke’s hand pointed at the mark—red and pulsing. “Nothing, is it?” Locke smirked. “Well, well, my Alpha is mated. It wouldn’t happen to be that plump little girl, would it?”

The casual insult Locke threw about Remy made Blake’s anger flare up and he wanted nothing more than to pummel his Beta into the dirt for speaking out of line. But in sight of the rest of the pack, it would be inappropriate. Instead, he held his gaze steady and swallowed the insult.

He knows, he knows and he’s taunting me, probing for a reaction—an excuse.

“Does it matter?” he asked Locke.

Locke shrugged. “No, it makes no matter. I just wanted to know if my new Alpha is a
collared
wolf.”

A collective gasp rose up all around Blake. Some were looking at him in shock while other shook their head in disgust. A crowd was starting to gather. Some of the bolder ones could sense the sudden shift in power between the two while the more timid ones resolved to simply observing. Blake knew that he needed to take control of the situation fast before all order broke down.

Blake kept his voice low. “She’s more wild than collared. I promise you that.”

The smile on Locke’s face widened. “We’ll see.” Then he clasped Blake by the shoulders and laughed. “My Alpha has found his mate; don’t you think the rest of the pack ought to know?”

Just like that, the tension was broken. The other wolves saw that no fight was to happen and walked away. Some continued to watch and a few scampered away, whispering the words ‘
The Alpha has found his mate’
to the rest. Blake knew what Locke had done. A single clasp on the shoulder and a few calm words did more damage than a thousand bites on the neck ever could.

“In due time.” Blake replied tersely.

Locke continued smiling. “Of course.”

Blake cursed silently. He needed Locke by his side, needed the ruthlessness that the old wolf brought to the table, but he didn’t need Locke probing into the possibility of becoming the new Alpha.

As much as Blake Christensen hated to admit it, the only thing he could do for now was to keep Locke under close observation and hope beyond all hope that everything else would turn out in his favor. For his sake and for the sake of the
ulfurdraumurs
he’d shown Remy.