The Siege of Kadenburg (3 page)

“Yes, you can,” Dimitri said reassuringly. “Stop thinking like that.”

Right. It was easy to forget Dimitri could read his mind sometimes. Rutley had no idea that an alpha wolf had that capability, but the more you know, right?

Closing his eyes, Rutley pushed everything else out of his mind, focusing solely on the sweet scent as it teased the tip of his nose again.

“Mmm,” he hummed, pursing his lips together. “She doesn’t smell like Presley or Mrs. Bamey,” he finally said after a few more seconds. “She kinda smells like you.”

“Like me?” Dimitri asked with a grin. “And what do I smell like?”

Rutley opened one eye to stare at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I dunno….you smell like dirt.”

“Well, gee.
Thanks
,” Dimitri snorted as he dropped a gallon of paint against the countertop. It made a loud noise, causing several people to look their way.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way!” Rutley insisted with a broad smile. “You smell like the earth, okay? Warm and sweet. It’s a good smell.”

“Uh huh,” Dimitri smirked. “So does she smell like dirt, too?”

“Kind of.” Rutley wrinkled his nose a bit, turning to face Dimitri as he gazed over the other male’s shoulder. His eyes landed on a rather pretty little number with purple strands in her light brown hair and he momentarily forgot how to breathe. She couldn’t have been over five feet nothing, in his opinion, and she had a bit more meat on her bones than most of the women he’d known in his lifetime.

Holy shit,
he thought as his eyes travelled over her face.
Holy shit, holy shit! She’s pretty!

But he couldn’t think of her like that. It wasn’t really
him
thinking at all. There was something deep inside of him going crazy over her scent, and he couldn’t seem to control it as a low growl rumbled in his throat.

“Easy there,” Dimitri said softly, reaching his hand out to grip Rutley’s arm. “This is another lesson I’m going to have to teach you.”

“What do you mean?” Rutley asked, keeping his eyes on the pouty lips of the girl. She was looking at snow shovels. How cute. Maybe she’d need help shoveling her driveway during the storm they were supposed to be getting…..

“Your wolf is attracted to her,” Dimitri replied. “Would you like to know why?”

“Because my wolf is a hormonal little prick who realizes I haven’t had sex in almost half a year?” Rutley retorted as he licked his lips.

“Well, perhaps,” Dimitri chuckled lowly, his grip on Rutley’s arm tightening. “But it might have something to do with her being in heat, too.”

And that’s all it took to snap Rutley out of his daze-at least for the time being.

“I’m sorry, what? Come again?”

“She’s in
heat
,” Dimitri repeated. “She’s giving off that scent because her wolf wants a pup. She’s basically putting out an S.O.S. for a mate…even if she doesn’t realize it.”

Rutley gazed at him, horrified.

“Don’t act so surprised,” the more experienced wolf mused. “That’s just how nature works. She’s a female and she wants a pup. We’re males, and we want to do terribly inappropriate things to her because women always have an upper hand when it comes to sexuality.”

Rutley shook his head, daring to sneak a peek at the female wolf once more as she busied herself with picking up a bag of salt. Man, she must’ve been really paranoid about the snow…..

“
Focus,
” Dimitri’s hands were suddenly on either side of his face, forcing him to meet his gaze. “Just give her time to leave the store and you won’t even remember her.”

“How is that possible?” Rutley asked as he searched Dimitri’s hazel hues. “You smell the same thing I smell, right? How am I going to just forget it?”

Dimitri sighed, shaking his head slowly.

“You just get used to it,” he murmured. “Do you want a pup?”

Rutley quirked a brow, “You mean a pup that occasionally turns into a little tiny person? I mean….I wouldn’t
mind
having children someday, but-”

“Do you want to mate with her?” Dimitri asked through clenched teeth. He was suddenly angry, and Rutley could feel the agitation rolling off the wolf in gigantic, unforgivable waves.

“N-no,” Rutley stammered, frowning. “I’m just saying, I’d like to have kids one day, dude.”

“Yeah,” Dimitri turned away from him, smacking his hand against the top of one of gallons. He stared at the clerk behind the counter sternly. “I’ll take this one, please and thanks.”

Rutley fell silent as he hung his head and kicked himself mentally. He’d offended Dimitri. He didn’t like the thought of that. Dimitri had done so much for him lately. Not only had he saved his life, but he’d also opened his eyes to an entirely new world. Werewolves
weren’t
that bad….at least not ones like Dimitri. And maybe that girl wolf wasn’t so bad either.

‘
Think of her one more time.’
Dimitri’s voice growled in his mind.

‘
Sorry.’
Rutley frowned.

“I’ll be out in the car.” Rutley mumbled as he brushed past Dimitri and stalked towards the automatic doors. He needed some air. He needed to make the tingling sensation on his skin go away. There was no way in hell he was ever going to shift again, and especially not over a petty argument about a girl.

He was almost home-free when he heard a very soft voice calling out to him.

“Excuse me!”

He stopped mid-step, wincing as he contemplated what to do next. He should keep walking, right? He didn’t need to talk to
her
. Talking to
her
meant being close, which meant he’d be catching her scent full blast. He wasn’t sure he could handle it.

“Excuse me, Sir.”

Shit,
he slowly turned around to stare down at her, smiling a little nervously.

“Yeah?” Rutley asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“Hi,” she smiled, and damn it, she had such a pretty smile. He took note of the two little dimples on her cheeks, and the way her light brown eyes sparkled as the sunlight flooded through the windows.
Damn
. “I was wondering if you might know anything about kerosene heaters.”

“Kerosene heaters?” Rutley echoed as he felt another set of eyes burning right through him. He knew who it was, and it made him cringe again. What did he know about kerosene heaters? His grandma always kept one on standby in case the storm of the century arrived, but he couldn’t recall ever learning how to use it.
Shit.

“Yeah, I just moved here and I’m not really used to rough winters. I want to make sure I don’t get snowed in without power. Can you help me?” She batted her lashes, smiling at him again as her hands rested against her waist. Jesus Christ, she had a nice body beneath that t-shirt and those so-tight-they-were-like-a-second-skin jeans.

Rutley swallowed hard, licking his dry lips before lifting his eyes to gaze at her again. God, had he been staring at her chest? Was she going to smack him?

‘
Get a hold of yourself,’
Dimitri growled. ‘
Just tell her you don’t know anything and walk away. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.’

He watched as the massive wolf walked by, exiting the store without glancing at him. Why was Dimitri
so
mad? It’s not like he was doing this on purpose. She asked for help and Rutley wasn’t a dick. If he could help her, he would.

“I don’t really know all that much about those types of heaters,” he finally admitted with a scratch to his scruffy cheek. It was seriously annoying how fast his hair seemed to grow now. He could usually go two days without shaving his ‘barely there’ five o’clock shadow, but since Dimitri turned him, it seemed like hair was popping up everywhere. “I’m sure there’s a manager that can give better advice than me.”

“Oh,” the girl sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Thanks anyways.”

He watched as she turned away from him, heading for the cash register.
Damn
. He didn’t want her to think he was inadequate-because he was far from it. Rutley knew lots of things about…well, lots of things. Hell, he could sprout off random facts for hours. Why did it have to be
kerosene heaters
?!

She suddenly stopped and Rutley’s eyebrows lifted slightly. She turned around to face him again, smiling.

“I’m Kia, by the way.”

“Rutley,” He replied with a small nod. “Welcome to Kadenburg.”

“Thanks, Rutley. That’s a pretty unique name…..”

“Yeah,” he grinned goofily, rolling his eyes. “I guess my mom just really liked it or something. But hey, at least I wasn’t named after an embarrassing celebrity or something.”

“Or an annoying book character,” Kia laughed gently as she gazed up at him. “And I wasn’t named after the car if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s a family name. I think I’m the fifth woman in my family to receive the honor.”

“I see, I see,” Rutley nodded, rubbing at the back of his neck vigorously. So maybe a conversation wasn’t the best idea in the world. Being this close to her made his inner wolf howl in excitement. It was bad enough to listen to his own thoughts-let alone those of a horny fur ball. He needed to get away from her. “Well, it was really nice to meet you, Kia. I should probably get going.”

“Oh, sure,” Kia nodded. Her smile grew bigger as she reached her hand out towards him. “Hopefully we’ll see each other around.”

Rutley stared at her hand for a full five seconds before hesitantly reaching out to obligate the handshake, “It’s a small town. I’m sure we will.”

By the time he made it out to the car, his pants were way too tight and his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. He opened the passenger door and climbed in, staring at the dashboard in silence.

“Did you have fun?” Dimitri asked in a tone that suggested he actually didn’t care for a response.

Rutley wrinkled his nose, turning his head to stare at him, “Not really, no,” he replied. “I didn’t know anything about kerosene heaters.”

Dimitri scoffed, turning the key over in the ignition of Liam’s Mustang before he shifted it into reverse. Rutley didn’t mind riding around in his dead friend’s vehicle. In fact, he took comfort in being able to smell Liam on the seats. Since his car was out of commission, and Dimitri didn’t have a vehicle of his own, Mr. Bamey had been kind enough to lend them Liam’s pride and joy.

“Ain’t anybody getting any use out of it anyways.”
Mr. Bamey had said when he handed over the keys.
“Be good to it.”

Rutley liked to think they were being good to the car Liam had worked so hard to get. Hell, he remembered Liam saving up for it in high school. It was his main goal throughout two summer jobs and a part-time job after school. Rutley knew how much this car had once meant to his friend.

Dimitri was unusually quiet as they drove in the direction of Lorcan and Presley’s house. Rutley couldn’t help but feel that the wolf was still irritated with him-which sucked. He didn’t want to do anything to piss off Dimitri, like,
ever
.

Rutley leaned over, his fingertips and thumb gripping the dial for the volume of the radio. He turned it up a few notches before glancing at Dimitri. The wolf didn’t seem to have any qualms with listening to music. Good.

As Copperhead Road, one of Rutley’s favorite songs, blasted within the confines of the small vehicle, he tried to relax despite the tension surrounding him. Why wouldn’t Dimitri just say something? Anything would be good at this point. Rutley couldn’t stand the silence between them.

“Are you mad at me?” He finally asked, turning his head to stare at him.

Dimitri’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. His jawline visibly tensed as he shook his head, “No.”

“Then why are you being like this towards me?” Rutley asked. “Come on, Dim. I’ve known you long enough now to know when you’re upset. Are you mad that I talked to her?”

“No,” Dimitri repeated with a roll of his eyes. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Well, obviously it is,” Rutley argued with a frown. “You’re making that face.”

“What face?” Dimitri scowled.

“
That
face,” Rutley pointed at him. “Dude, I’m sorry, okay? I’m still getting used to all of this. It’s not like I was going to sleep with her or something.”

Even
if
the thought had crossed his mind, why did Dimitri care so much? They’d already had this discussion. They were friends-
just
friends. Dimitri was his alpha, and Rutley was the beta. He knew how it worked. They agreed it would be wrong for anything more to happen. They had to respect Liam.

“I don’t give a damn about it, okay?” Dimitri snapped, glaring at him before focusing his eyes on the road again. “She’s just some little bitch in heat, Rutley. I’m sure she’s got a pack and she’s probably already back with them. Don’t waste your time.”

Rutley huffed, sinking back in his seat as he crossed his arms over his chest. For someone who didn’t give a damn, he sure was being awfully touchy over the subject.

He decided to drop it, settling for the music serving as the only sound in the car as they arrived at the new Bamey residence. As they pulled into the driveway, Rutley spotted Lorcan and Mr. Bamey busily at work on the porch. Damn, this was a fixer-upper if he’d ever seen one. But home was where ever the honey was, right?

L
ife was finally getting easier for Natalie. Since returning to the ursithrope clan in Kadenburg, she was noticeably happier. She’d turned over a new leaf, mended her friendship with Charlotte, and finally received the chance at having a relationship with her niece.

She easily landed a job at Nana Hettie’s, serving as a Jane of all trades for whatever shift was open. She didn’t mind. In fact, she appreciated working different hours throughout the week and on most days she could avoid
him
.

Arnold Goult was none too thrilled with Charlotte Bamey’s insistence on Natalie sticking around, but Natalie was determined to stay for Presley. Besides, why did she have to have
his
permission to stay in
her
hometown? Exactly. She didn’t have to have it. Screw him!