The Gathering (2 page)

She didn’t know what was expected of her
being the mate of the pack leader. She was sure some of the looks
she got from the others were due to their disappointment in her.
Garrett was the one they turned to, the one they trusted. She was
just the human who was on the verge of becoming a wolf. Becoming
something they all knew she didn’t want to be. A werewolf. One of
the monsters.

Crossing her arms under her breasts, Rayna
turned to Judith. “Will you walk me back to the house? I don’t
think Garrett is coming back.”

* * * *

The digital clock on the nightstand by the
bed read four fifty-five. Rayna had lain awake half the night,
waiting for Garrett to come back. The house had filled with the
noise of others returning from the hunt but so far, her door hadn’t
opened.

Tossing the blankets back, she dressed,
slipped on her sneakers, and walked across the room to the door.
She stopped as she reached it, picking up Garrett’s scent. She was
amazed at how easily she could distinguish it now. She could tell
every nuance of it, how long it had been since he’d been there and
from what she was sensing now, she knew she must have fallen asleep
at some point. The scent was fresh. Only hours old.

She opened the door, following the small
trace of Garrett’s scent down the stairs and out of the house. The
moon was still shining brightly, leaving the earth washed in
iridescent light. The treetops were painted with a soft glow, the
dew settling on the branches shimmering like small diamonds.

Rayna traced his steps to the forest before
stopping. She stared past the tree line and listened for any sign
of movement. The thought of walking into the forest, alone, was
unsettling. She had no reason to be afraid. There wasn’t anything
waiting for her in the darkened forest scarier than she was. A
newly turned werewolf, just waiting to be born, lurked beneath her
skin.

Glancing behind her at the house, she debated
on going back to her room and waiting, but the small thread of
doubt she’d created in thinking Garrett would leave her for someone
else wouldn’t let her. Choking down her fear, she turned and walked
into the forest.

His scent led her in a weaving pattern that
told her he hadn’t known where he was going. He’d walked aimlessly
through the woods, turning several times to go back the way he’d
come before his scent led her in the other direction again.

When the sound of the creek reached her ears,
she quickened her pace. She spotted him moments later.

He was sitting in the shallow creek bed,
elbows propped on his knees, with his hands buried in his hair. His
tanned flesh looked pale under the glow of the moon, beads of water
still shining on his skin. As she neared him she could see the
slick remnants of the wolf still present on his back.

Rayna walked into the water, mindless of it
filling her shoes, and sat down on her knees behind him. She washed
his back, her hands sliding over his skin and erasing every trace
of the slimy substance the wolf always left behind. When she’d
removed the last of it, she touched the claw marks she’d left on
the side of his neck. The gash had closed, already healing, leaving
only angry red lines as evidence to what she’d done to him.

She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around
his shoulders before tracing the healing cuts with her lips,
peppering small kisses against the side of his neck. “I’m
sorry.”

He moved then, raising his head and turning
to look at her. His eyes were bloodshot, the guilt and remorse
she’d seen earlier still present. “You shouldn’t be out here.”

“Neither should you. It’s five in the
morning. The others have been back for hours.”

Garrett stared at her for long moments before
turning and wrapping his arms around her waist then pulling her
down to sit in his lap. He stared at her, his fingers threading
into her hair before he leaned down and kissed her, forcing his
tongue into her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck,
kissing him back until the soft growls coming from his chest grew
louder.

He broke the kiss and lifted her shirt over
her head, unsnapping her bra before removing it and tossing the
garments to the creek bank. His gaze devoured her bare flesh, his
fingers teasing her nipples until they stiffened and ached for his
touch.

“I never wanted you hurt, Rayna. I’d take a
bullet to the head first.”

“Garrett…”

He looked up at her face and the sadness in
his eyes broke her heart all over again. “I love you.”

“And I love you. I didn’t mean what I
said.”

He watched her for long moments. “Yes, you
did.” He kissed her again, his palms flattening over her breast and
squeezing it gently. He pinched her nipple between his fingers,
breaking the kiss and lowering his head. The feel of his tongue
swirling against her skin caused a shiver to race up her spine. She
arched her back, moaning when he pulled her closer, his mouth
covering as much of her breast as he could suck in.

He unsnapped her jeans, his hand delving
inside the material and into her damp curls, her moans becoming
louder as he flicked her clit with one finger.

She let him do as he pleased, never once
trying to stop him when he placed her on her feet, stood and
ushered her to the creek bank. He pulled her jeans off, her soggy
shoes and socks, and covered her body with his own before he slid
inside her warmth moments later.

Rayna stared up at him when he started to
move. He was still watching her, his gaze locked with hers, and the
pain she saw in his eyes slowly began to recede. His thrusts came
harder, his arm tight around her waist and never once did he look
away from her.

The moon caused a bright halo around his
body, the light making him look ethereal. Shadows fell across his
features, the stubble on his jaw a dark edging that framed his
face. She reached up, her fingers sliding into his hair before
pulling his head to her and kissing him.

Garrett’s hand slipped between, his fingers
finding her clit. They both came together moments later; their
mingled shouts the only sound in the forest. When he rolled off of
her, Rayna stared up into the lightening sky and tried to catch her
breath.

She looked over at him a few minutes later.
His eyes were closed, his chest rising quickly as he gulped in
lungs full of air. The claw marks on his neck looked swollen, the
skin puffy. Those angry red slashes forever changed the landscape
of his body. She noticed the marks ended over his heart. “That cut
looks nasty.”

He opened his eyes, turning his head to look
at her. “It doesn’t hurt, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m sorry.”

He smiled, the first she’d seen from him
since before the meeting at the ritual grounds. “I’m not.”

She raised an eyebrow as he leaned over and
pulled her into his arms. “You’re not sorry I nearly ripped your
throat out?”

He chuckled, his lips teasing the mark he’d
given her the night he claimed her as his own. “No. There won’t be
a female who ever looks at me who won’t know I’m taken now.” His
tongue swiped across the mark he’d given her before he sucked the
skin into his mouth. “You’ve marked me for life, Rayna. It might
have hurt like hell at the time, but I’ll wear it with pride.”

She shook her head at him. “Leave it to you
to turn something so brutal into a love bite.”

He laughed and hugged her to him, resting his
head against hers. They lay there for long minutes, just enjoying
the silence. Rayna’s head was still filled with doubts. “You’re not
mad at me, then?”

“No.”

The entire night replayed in her minds eye
and the reason for getting out of bed left her stomach queasy
again. She could faintly smell other wolves on him. Their scents
were mingled. They’d brushed against him at some point and she
hated not being able to distinguish who exactly they were. “What
did you do tonight?”

“The usual.”

“Which is?”

He grinned. “Chase anything that moved.”

“Oh.” Rayna ran her fingers lightly over the
claw marks on his chest. “Did you chase anything in
particular?”

“Not that I can recall.”

She made a “humph” noise in response.
Thoughts of Charlotte played at the edge of her mind and Rayna bit
her lip. “Did you see Charlotte?”

“Charlotte?”

“Was she out here?”

Garrett lifted his head and Rayna lowered
hers, avoiding eye contact. “Everyone was out here, Rayna. What’s
with the twenty questions?”

“No reason.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Just curious.”

His hand under her chin brought her head up
and she had no choice but to look at him. “Whatever it is you want
to know, just ask. I don’t have anything to hide.”

Laughter was dancing in the tawny depths of
his eyes and anger flashed hot and vibrant across Rayna’s skin. She
tried to rein it in but failed miserably. “Did you chase another
wolf?”

“I might have.”

She felt her own wolf then. It slid against
her bones and the noise that suddenly came from deep in her chest
startled even her. “Any of those female? Did you chase
Charlotte?”

He chuckled, his eyes sparking bright amber
before returning to normal. “You sound like a jealous wolf,
Rayna.”

Rayna grunted at him before pushing away and
standing. She searched for her clothes, picking the soggy garments
up off the ground while Garrett’s light laughter rang through her
head. She shook out her jeans, wrung the water out of them best she
could, and gasped when she was grabbed from behind, Garrett’s arms
wrapping around her waist.

“There’s only one female I want.” He kissed
her neck, his tongue darting out to caress the mark he’d given
her.

She dropped her clothes and turned in his
arms. “Promise?”

He kissed her, a smile playing at his lips as
he peppered kisses across her face. “I only want you, Rayna. You
don’t ever have to worry about me straying. I promise. The wolf
wouldn’t let me if I tried.”

Her muscles relaxed, the irritation she felt
slowly ebbing away. She smiled up at him, feeling ridiculous all of
a sudden and wondered if her cheeks turned red when her face
heated. She wrapped her arms around him, hugged him to her, and
glanced over his shoulder. Her pulse leaped when she saw someone
watching them from the trees. It only took her seconds to realize
who it was. Jacob, the young wolf who had been missing since the
day Malcolm had captured her and Garrett. When he turned and ran,
she yelled his name. “Jacob!”

Garrett turned, looking behind him.
“What?”

“It was Jacob.”

“Where?”

“Standing just beyond those trees.” She
raised her arm, pointing out where he was before turning to grab
her clothes. She jerked her pants on, jumping to get the wet denim
up over her hips. Garrett ran to the trees as she slipped her shirt
on, her bra forgotten. She’d just stepped into her sneakers when
Garrett disappeared into the forest.

Her newfound skills, thanks to the wolf,
allowed her to keep up with Garrett as he streaked through the
woods. His naked backside was easy to follow. She smiled as she
watched him, pumping her arms at her side to try and catch up.

They ran half the mountain and Rayna heaved
in a deep breath of air when she saw where Jacob’s scent had taken
them.

She followed Garrett into the cabin Jacob
lived in. “He hasn’t been here all this time, has he?”

“No. We’ve been checking in case he came
back.” They entered the small cabin, Rayna flipping on the lights
when Garrett disappeared into the hall.

The cabin looked exactly as it had the last
time she’d been there. Nothing seemed out of place. It was still
unlived in. The musty smell told her no one had bothered taking up
residence.

Since the day her and Garrett had been
captured three months ago, Jacob’s whereabouts had been a mystery.
They’d searched the mountain with no trace of him. And now, here he
was. Back in Wolf’s Creek.

What was he doing on the mountain and not
living in his cabin? Why hadn’t he come home? Come to them when
Malcolm was destroyed and the pack fell under Garrett’s
protection?

She wandered down the hall, stopping at the
bedroom Jacob had used and peeked in. Garrett was standing in the
middle of the room, his brows drawn down over his eyes. “What is
it?”

He turned toward her, frowning, before
motioning her back into the hall. He grabbed her arm above the
elbow and led her back to the living room. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s been here.” Garrett flipped the lights
out and stepped onto the porch. The sun had come up, the first rays
shining above the mountain and painting the sky in brilliant shades
of pink and orange.

Rayna turned to him when he shut the door
behind them. He had a worried expression on his face. He’d scented
something inside the cabin. Something he wasn’t going to share with
her.

She stared at him, her gaze lingering on the
set of his shoulders, his bare chest rising quickly before she
looked down the line of his body. “Are you going back to the house
like that?”

He looked down at himself before shrugging
his shoulder. “It isn’t like they haven’t seen me naked
before.”

Folding her arms under her breast, Rayna
raised an eyebrow at him. “That may have been true in the past but
I’d prefer you didn’t go flaunting yourself in front of the entire
pack.”

He grinned. “Still jealous?”

She scowled at him and walked back to the
door, flinging it open. “Go find something to put on. We’re not
leaving until you do.”

Garrett laughed and walked back into the
house, his quiet, “yes, dear,” causing her to finally smile. When
he came back out a few minutes later, he was wearing a pair of
jogging pants, obviously belonging to Jacob if the length and size
of them were any indication. “Better?”