Winter (Rise of the Pride, Book 2) (24 page)

Her panther moved slowly, belly crawling up
to his side. He didn’t move when she nudged his arm. So the panther
stuck her cold nose to her mate’s cheek. Winter’s eyes flew open
and he gasped when his eyes cleared.

“Nova!” He smiled, letting out a long breath
as the tension released from his shoulders. “Your panther is
beautiful.”

Winter’s eyes roamed her body. At one point,
he frowned, but quickly righted his features. She tilted her head
sideways, but Winter didn’t say anything. Her panther moved closer
to his side, purring when his warmth surrounded her.

“You need to shift, Nova,” Winter announced.
“I need you back.”

How the hell was she supposed to shift?

“You can do it,” Winter urged. “Push your
panther back. Come on, little one. Come back to your mate.”

Her heart swelled when he reached out and
touched the side of her panther’s face. Nova did as he said,
mentally pulling at her human side, imagining being human
again.

And that was when the pain began anew.

She felt every bone break and reshape,
causing her to cry out, but it was too late to stop. The shift was
happening. Winter sat up on his knees, his hands held out as if he
were waiting to catch her when she fell.

Laying on her side, Nova panted, squeezing
her eyes closed as she felt the fur recede back into her human
skin. Her canines disappeared into her gums. Her face reshaped and
she felt her long hair tickle her back as it reappeared.

“It hurts,” she whimpered, curling in on
herself. She felt like she’d been hit by a truck, her muscles and
bones screaming in pain. “Oh, God…it hurts, Winter.”

“I know it does,” Winter said sadly, pulling
her body into the safety of his arms. He let out a sigh of relief
and held her just a little bit tighter. “It won’t hurt like that
the next time, I promise.”

“I can’t move,” she mumbled into his
chest.

“You don’t have to move, Nova,” he said,
kissing the top of her head. “I will do everything for you until
you can do it for yourself.”

“Thank you,” she yawned. Just as she closed
her eyes, a knock at the door had Winter growling.

Dane poked his head into the room, a smile
lighting up his face when he saw Nova as a human. She tried to move
closer to Winter to cover her nakedness, but Dane didn’t even seem
to notice.

“Food’s ready,” he announced. “Want me to
bring you two a plate?”

“I’m hungry,” Nova replied, her growling
stomach backing up her confession.

Dane nodded and backed out of the room. Nova
tried to make a move to get up. She needed to find some clothes.
“Where are you going?”

“I need clothes,” she said, falling back
into his arms. “God, I hurt.”

“Let me dress you,” he offered with a smile,
sliding out of the bed.

Nova was too tired to argue, allowing him to
cover her with one of his soft shirts and a pair of her cotton
shorts. She snuggled into Winter’s arms as they waited for food to
arrive. It was only a matter of minutes before she succumbed to
sleep, promising to eat when Dane returned.

“Her face healed,” Dane observed as he
entered the room. Winter didn’t even want to think about the damage
she’d caused to herself when her panther had started to make itself
known.

Savage had honored his request, placing his
sedated body next to his mate. They’d had to sedate him only once
over the entire transformation. He didn’t even know how he had made
it through all of those hours she’d screamed in pain. Maybe it was
because he’d known what to expect. He also knew that his mate, even
for as small as she was, was strong.

“I’m relieved, but her panther does have a
scar,” Winter admitted, taking the tray of food from the
Guardian.

“How bad?”

“Not bad, but it does cut across her cheek,”
Winter sighed, casting a glance at his mate sleeping in the bed.
One more look at her face and he released a deep breath. “I’ll tell
her.”

“You better before her sister sees it,” Dane
said. “I’ll leave you two. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Hey,” Winter called out, stopping his
brother from leaving.

“Yeah?” Dane asked, his longer hair falling
over his damaged ear.

“Thank you,” Winter replied, holding out his
hand. Dane smiled and took his hand for a hard shake.

“Anytime.” Dane nodded as he closed the door
with a soft click.

Winter turned, setting the tray at the end
of the bed. The females had made meatloaf, potatoes, and steamed
vegetables for a hearty meal fit for a new panther.

He leaned over and kissed Nova’s brow. “Wake
up, little one.”

“Mmm, food?” she mumbled. When she opened
her eyes, Winter smiled at the ice blue color. She looked
different, but still beautiful. Nova’s eyes almost glowed from the
contrast with her dark brown hair.

“Yes,” he smiled, watching as she stretched
lazily.

Nova ate in silence, her eyes occasionally
closing from exhaustion. He knew she was beyond tired and would
probably be off her feet for another day or two.

“Tell me what I missed while I was
changing,” she inquired.

“Talon has put all of the males on a
rotation to watch the land. He’s ordered a fencing system and
cameras to be put up.” Winter frowned. “Our land is no longer
secure.”

“So, he’s turning your land into a
compound?”

“It’s your land too, Nova,” Winter reminded
her.

“I guess it is.” She smiled, taking another
bite of meatloaf.

“Even though the threat of the wolves is
gone, Talon is worried that others may try to take us out since we
were the ones to break the news to the humans.” Winter sighed.
“It’s only a matter of time before someone comes after us
again.”

“Is it safe?” she asked. Worry clouded his
mate’s eyes and all he wanted to do was hold her and tell her it
would be okay.

“No,” he growled. “I’m not going to
sugarcoat it, Nova. Someone out there will want to harm us. It’s
part of our animal nature. We have the bears on our side, but there
are others out there who want their secret to stay just that.”

“Others?” she gasped. “What other type of
shifters are there?”

“You’ve read your romance novels,” he
smirked. “All myths come from some sort of truth, Nova. There’s
more than just us out there.”

Chapter Twenty

Evie handed Calla another spoon to place in
the dishwasher. Everyone in the pride had been coming in and out of
Winter’s home, bringing food and helping out, since his mate, Nova,
had been going through her change.

“After we are done, would you like to go for
a run?” Calla asked, staring out the window over the sink. The new
girl was quiet and seemed to always want to be outside. Evie didn’t
blame her because she’d been feeling the pull of her panther a lot
since she’d been held prisoner.

“I’d love to,” Evie said, handing her a
plate. “I’m sure Kye and your brother will want to go too.”

“That’s fine.” Calla smiled. “I don’t mind
them going with us. I’d feel safer anyway.”

“The alpha is having that huge fence
installed,” Evie announced, looking out over the woods behind
Winter’s home. There was enough daylight left so they could spend a
few hours in the woods before it got too dark. “It’ll make things
safer for us.”

“I don’t like cages.” Calla shivered, but
seemed to catch herself. “Sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Evie
said. “I understand, Calla.”

“I mean,” she paused. “I know it’s for the
best, and it’s not like I’m a prisoner here either, but the idea
that my panther will be limited honestly makes me nervous. And
before you say anything, I know…it’s my PTSD.”

“I have the same fears some days,” Evie
admitted on a whisper. She was trying to be strong for the new
member of the pride, but she was still having her own issues.

“Do I need to call Kye for you?” Calla
asked, her brow crinkling as she dried her hands.

“We are a pair, huh?” Evie laughed. Calla
was also looking out for her. They’d become great friends in the
short time they’d known each other. Kye and her brother, Malaki,
had been getting along great too. “I’m fine. He’s usually not far
away.”

“We are going to be okay,” Calla declared,
reaching over to squeeze her hand.

“Everything okay?” Kye asked, walking into
the kitchen. Evie gave Calla a little smile as Kye watched the two
with sharp eyes.

“Are you up for a run?” Calla asked.

“Actually, yes,” Kye nodded. “Your brother
is grabbing a shower at the pride house and should be here
soon.”

Calla folded the towel and hung it over the
faucet, making an excuse to give Kye and Evie a moment to
themselves. As soon as Calla left the room, Kye pulled Evie into
his arms and placed a sweet kiss on her lips.

“Hey,” he smiled.

“Hi,” she blushed, resting her cheek right
above his heart.

“My brother has ordered a ton of supplies
for this fence,” he cursed. “I will be working until next
winter.”

“No, you won’t,” she giggled.

“How are you?” he asked, tucking his crooked
finger under her chin. His little nudge had Evie tilting her head
back.

“I’m good,” she sighed. “It’s nice to talk
to Calla. She seems to understand.”

“That’s good.” He frowned. “I want you to be
able to talk to me, too.”

“I do,” she promised. She just didn’t want
to burden him with her issues of being alone. She felt like such a
sap whenever she’d call him and ask if he’d walk with her to
another cabin, or when her parents would be away from the house.
She’d call Kye to come stay with her if her brother was gone, too.
She couldn’t keep doing that to him.

“Ready to go?” Calla asked, walking back
into the kitchen with her brother in tow.

“Come on.” Kye smiled, taking Evie’s hand.
“Let’s run.”

Evie followed her friends and the only boy
who would ever own her heart out into the woods surrounding their
homes. Once she shifted, she let her panther go…let her run free.
If only for a little while, Evie relaxed and forgot all of the hell
she’d been through.

Christmas was only a week and a half away
and Nova had adjusted to her new status pretty well. Winter had
been nothing but loving ever since she woke from her three days of
hell. He’d told her about everything that had happened and even the
scar her panther sported from when she’d partially shifted, clawing
at her own face. She’d shifted last week and stood on her hind legs
in their bathroom so that she could see the damage for herself. The
scar was only a few inches long and was mostly covered by her
panther’s fur. She shook her head when she realized Winter was
overreacting about the damage. Her human skin was flawless and had
healed almost immediately.

After the Guardians had talked with the boy,
Malaki, they realized there had only been two females missing from
the home the night they killed the small wolf pack and rescued the
children. Talon was certain the two females had either died or had
moved on to find another pack to take them in.