Wolf's Haven (13 page)

Tamara’s scent took him in circles. She’d roamed in loops. That made it harder for him to trail her. It was an indication that she was lost in the forest. Anything could have happened to her by now.

He should have killed Darius, but those actions wouldn’t have earned him any prizes. It served the scoundrel better to live the rest of his days as a failure.

It was time to move forward with only good intentions for the Caedmon pack, and leave behind only those who would bring harm to them.

Devin’s intuition led him to a stream. Sure enough, at the water’s edge, her small form lay in a heap on the grass. Her hair was mated to her face. The clothes she wore clung to her like a second skin. Her lips looked dried and parched. Her breast rose and fell rapidly as she clutched tightly at the pendant that he’d gifted to her.

It pained him to see her in such distress.

He whined and nudged at her cheek with his nose. Tamara was beautiful still, even through his wolf eyes. Even in her state of mishap. Her lids peeled open slowly, and she lifted her small hands to his neck and pulled herself up to a sitting position.

 “Wolfie, you’ve come to save me from this all over again.” Her breath was rushed, and he could tell she was dehydrated. “I knew you’d come.” She swayed slightly as though she were disoriented.

He shifted from wolf to human form, and allowed her to fall into his open arms. “Tamara, please…don’t ever run from me again. If anything had happened to you, I would have been devastated.”

“You scared me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare you, but this thing had to be done.”

When he looked down again, her eyes were completely closed and she went limp in his arms. He bit back the pain as he hoisted her up, carrying her through the forest back to his haven.

***

Tamara rose to the smell of homemade soup. She drew in another deep breath and her insides warmed. It was a familiar fragrance of broth, herbs, and freshly stewed vegetables. Before she even opened her eyes she knew exactly where she was.

The interior of the cabin hadn’t changed since the day she and Devin had left for the Caedmon village. She felt safer here than she did anywhere else in what seemed like a very long time. Clutching the soft sheets up against her chest, she lifted herself up to a sitting position.

There were candles on almost every flat surface throughout the cabin. It was dark out, but she noticed that none of the lights were turned on. She reached out and clicked the switch in an attempt to turn on the lamp beside the bedside. Nothing happened.

“The freezing rain turned into snow shortly after we got here. Most of the town’s power lines are frozen. We’ve been powerless for several hours.”

Tamara turned in the direction of Devin’s voice. He sat in the oversized leather chair in front of the fireplace. She couldn’t see him until he swiveled around in the chair, coming into a clearer view.

He was alright. Why had she been so scared? It was in a wolf’s nature to be aggressive. Although, Devin wasn’t just any wolf. He was a man. A man who’d made her feel safe and welcome from the very beginning.

Devin seemed to be studying her. Maybe he thought she was a complete crazy person the way she ran off in the forest out in the middle of nowhere.

Tamara looked down at the sheets. “I acted childishly.”

“You did what any normal person would have done.” As he sat on the bed next to her, the mattress sung deeper. “You’re not accustomed to seeing wolves battle it out like that.”

“Seeing the fight triggered really bad memories. In escaping Brad, I was hoping I could forget my past.”

Devin sighed. “You might not easily forget, but you can learn from it.”

Tamara squeezed her lips together, but then realized she couldn’t resist voicing her thoughts. “How can I learn from an abusive past?”

When he didn’t respond, she continued. “It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“I’m sorry for what happened to you. The abuse was not your fault. You left the situation which is the bravest thing you could have ever done in those circumstances.”

She swallowed. “I should have left earlier.”

He slid his hand between hers. “Tell me what I can do to help.”

“You’ve helped enough already.” She smiled. “You delayed your plans and nearly risked your leadership position within the pack because of me.”

“A wolf always places his mate above all others.”

“
Mate
,” she whispered. “How do you know I’m your mate?”

“For me, there were several clues from day one.”

“Like what?”

“When wolves find their true mate, they gain more power and confidence. I hadn’t really thought about it until recently, but I was never supposed to make it over that fence at the museum with you on my back.”

Tamara’s mind went back to the night at the museum. It was undoubtedly one of those memories that she would carry with her forever. The fence in question had to have been at least twelve feet tall. She vaguely remembered because while planning the burglary, Brad and his crew ruled out escaping through the back of the museum due to the height of the fence.

“What kind of powers would allow you to jump so high?” she asked.

“The same powers that allow me to shift between man and wolf involuntarily, only mine have become stronger since the day I met you.”

Her mind flashed back to evening when she first discovered that Devin was a wolf. “The same powers that allowed you to heal so quickly after you saved me from the wolf attack.”

“Precisely.” He turned her hands over, palms facing up. “If you are my mate, you should now have powers of Caedmon. The night you made the declaration that you believed was probably the night the powers came to you. Although, I suspect your powers will be limited…because you are human. For example, you have to be born of a Caedmon wolf to be able to shift like one.”

“No way.” She laughed, nervously. “There’s no way I have…powers.”

Devin turned around to reveal the nasty claw marks on his back.

She gasped in shock. During the fight, she’d zoned out so much that she’d missed the part when this happened. Or maybe it occurred when she ran off. He’d needed her…asked her to be present, yet she’d run off selfishly.

“Put your hands on my back.”

Tamara shook her head. She wanted to. Something within her wanted to erase the scars on his back. She just didn’t believe she could help him quite the way he helped her. What had she done to return the favor besides try to run?

“It will only work, if you want it to.”

She placed her hands on his back, near but not touching the wound. “This is silly.”

“It doesn’t work unless you believe.”

Tamara took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She ran her fingers along the deep gash. It formed a jagged line horizontally across his spine. She wished the fight had never broken out between them, but Devin was right. It was the way of the Caedmon wolves to challenge their opponents. But what she really hoped for was less sparing within the pack circle? If only Darius’ agenda had been in the best interest of the Caedmon people, it would never have come to this. Or maybe she was wrong.

“Open your eyes, Tamara.”

Just before she did, she ran her fingers along the cut again. The lesion was gone. Her eyes flew open to find that the wound had healed as if months had passed by. There was still a pale scar, but no scab or open skin.

“Oh, my…” her hands flew to her mouth.

“There should still be a scar. The wound was pretty deep…” His voice trailed off.

“What does this mean?”

He turned to face her. “Will you accept me? As I am?”

“Yes.” She nodded. The pull he had on her and the feelings that overcame her whenever he was away was something she’d never had before.

“It’s not as simple, and accepting me requires more bravery on your part.”

“I don’t know if I can be as brave as you think, but still I don’t know what you mean.”

“There is a final step to the mating process,” he said. “And it involves bonding.”

“Bonding. Like confirming our love and affection. Kind of like marriage.”

“It’s kind of like a marriage, but we will have to do more than declare our union with a ring. This will make us stronger. It will be an honor to lead the Caedmon people with my mate right alongside me.”

A fairytale wedding had been in Tamara’s dreams once, but those dreams had been shattered long ago. Now that she’d found a man that truly cared for her, she had hopes again. “How, then, will we complete the process?”

“Wolf mates bond through the bite.”

*

Her brown doe eyes widened slightly with this knowledge. Devin’s intentions were never to frighten her. But fear wasn’t the expression written on her face. No. He could smell fear, and this wasn’t it. This was anticipation and lust.

“Show me.” Tamara pulled the covers back revealing the thin negligee she wore.

It was all the encourage and confirmation he needed. It took them mere seconds to rid themselves of the clothing in the way. Her nipples were perfect and he enjoyed the silky soft feel of them between his lips. Bending over her, he teased the tightened little buds with his tongue. He loved the way she arched her back as he tugged gently on her nipples.

His fingers drifted down past her abs, navel, and mound to find that she was already dripping wet for him.

She moaned as he stroked her and her body writhed on the bed. “I want you to take me hard. Mate me like you really mean it.”

He dragged himself up slightly to kiss the creamy crevices of her neck. “I want to be gentle. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me. You’ve been gentle enough. Tonight, I don’t want you to hold back.”

He sipped at her neck. She tasted of cotton candy and cherries. “Tamara, you don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I’m not asking, Devin. Make me yours. Complete our union.”

His hands molded to her ass and pulled her forward until the head of his dick brushed against her pussy. She wrapped her legs around him and heat radiated from her against him. He pet her pussy, sliding his fingers between the soft lips. Her juices coated his fingers as he thrust in and out of her.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, admiring the look of bliss on her face while he pleasured her.

“Please, I need you inside me.”

“Patience. One taste and then I will give you what you want.”

The moment he sucked her clit into his mouth, she raised her hips from the bed. He tasted her like a hungry man who hadn’t eaten for days. Her pussy was a sweet drug that he was addicted to. Her fingers gripped the top of his head and he applied more pressure to her bud of desire with his tongue. He could prolong her release, if he wanted to, but the wolf within urged him to complete the union.

Her breathing became uneven and her legs shook as she experienced orgasm. The sounds of her moans rang like musical notes throughout the cabin.

Tamara brought herself up to a sitting position, dragging him in for another kiss. She turned on the bed, holding herself up on hands and knees. How had she known that he wanted to take her this way, in this position? Her ass was beautifully rounded, just enough flesh to grab hold of as he took her. He glimpsed her pussy as it glistened from her honey. Just the sight of it had his dick pulsing in excitement.

Devin gripped her hips with both hands, and pushed into her a couple inches. Tension spread through his core when her pussy squeezed around him milking him. Tamara slid backward, accepting his entire length. He bit his lip as pleasure consumed every nerve ending in his body.

He pumped into her with long sure strokes and she met his thrusts again and again. The carnal sensations not only ran across the surface of his skin, but also surged deep within him and down to his wolf soul.