Chapter 32: Thirty Two

James had told himself earlier in the rehab center that he wouldn't be chasing her tail. He was going to let her come to him. That had been the plan anyways. He looked down at his watch and blinked, noticing the time. It was near nightfall, maybe about an hour to spare before the sun would dip down below the mountains. After cleaning his office back up, James had gone down to the third floor where Cassidy’s room was. He knocked and waited for a few minutes, not hearing a single sound within her room. James went downstairs and grabbed himself a sandwich while the two cooks were busy making fresh rolls for the lasagnas in the ovens. “Have either of you seen the new she-wolf?” he asked and when both of them responded no, a feeling of unease washed over him. More or less a fear deep down that she did run already.

The thought that Cassidy had left him had James moving through the house trying to track down her scent, following it outside.

--

Cassidy had ran until her lungs burned and her muscles ached. She was faster, more agile and could sense so much more around her than she remembered before they had been captured. She felt happy and free and when she finally came to a small creek with a deep swimming hole that was fed by a spring in the side of a rocky outcropping, it was just far too inviting to pass up.

The little swimming hole looked like something you would see in a travel magazine, one of the best kept secret places crowds would run to to enjoy. Crystal clear waters and lush grass surrounding the creek where large flat boulders nestled half into the water at places. Cassidy found a good perch on one of the large flat rocks and soaked her legs for awhile in the cool water. If there was ever a place she would have wanted to stay in all of her and Jett’s travels, this little fresh water spring was it.

As the sun moved across the sky, it warmed the stones she was sitting on and she had stretched out, laying down and absorbing the warmth while watching the clouds pass by. As she had allowed her mind to wander, thinking first of James and when she last seen him as he angrily threw that desperate she-wolf out of that room. She and her wolf were both wanting to chase Jennifer down when the woman ran. She wanted to stake her claim on James. But then the words she had heard a thousand times since they were spoken ran through her head again. His rejection. Her weakness. The way he had looked at her and the way he growled in the hallway, like he was one step from coming to her, had excited her more than she wanted to admit. “Mmm..” She hummed to herself, closing her eyes and vowing to not worry about it right now. She had plenty of time to think about what she was going to do or where she was going to go and when. All she wanted to do now was just enjoy being outside of that prison and take in as much sun as she possibly could.

——

James had spent nearly an hour and a half looking for Cassidy. He had asked several people in town, a few giving the direction of the forest, that she had ran off into the woods after the confrontation with his mother. He had been angry and frightened all at the same time. James was pissed that Cassidy would have ran away, leaving him no choice but to claim and mark her as his and his alone. Bring her back kicking and screaming to the pack house if necessary. He didn't want to be that wolf, but he would be if he had to. You only got one mate in your life and he wasn't going to give her up.

James had followed the scent of Cassidy through the tall pines, following no particular trail. It was growing dark and that was just amping his frustration and worry up tenfold. All the rogue attacks happened at dark and they typically happened on this side of the territory and if he didn't find her soon he was going to have to go back and get a search started for her. When he caught a flash of color through the trees, James made a direct line to it, his hopes rising that it was Cassidy and as he came to the river near the falls, he took in a breath seeing the sight before him.

Cassidy had fallen asleep, stretched out on the smooth large boulder. James approached Cassidy slowly, taking care where he stepped so nothing would disturb her. Her dark hair was spread out around her and she was completely at peace in the low light from the setting sun. He felt guilt over how he had reacted, thinking that she would have ran away when it looked like all she did was just fall asleep next to the creek. He couldn't blame her, this was one of his own personal get away from the pack places as well.

James sat himself down next to her on the rock, just watching over her for a few minutes, admiring her beauty. He didn't understand anything about the she-wolf. Jett had told him the basics of her life and where they had been. There was a lot about her that he could relate to. They were both generally good natured, but quick to temper over things that were important to them. Neither of them had friends. James had Alaric his beta and she had Jett. They were both affected by the rogues ravaging the country for years. She had been through so much in her younger life, so much more than what he would have wished for anyone.

Reaching over, he picked up a lock of her chestnut hair and gently rubbed it between his thumb and fingers, admiring the soft texture. Her wolf confused him. He had never heard of a white wolf. Your wolf was the color of the hair you were born with. As you aged and grew gray so did your wolf. But no one was pure white. The elders in the pack had been researching it from the time she shifted, even going as far as contacting every other pack they can to try and get information but so far there was no answers.

Cassidy made a soft, upset sound in her sleep, her brows drawing together and her mouth turning into a frown. James dropped the hair and he cupped the side of her face, slowly brushing his thumb over her cheek. “Cassidy.” He called out to her in a deep but quiet tone. “It is time to leave. It is getting dark.”

Cassidy stilled in her sleep, her golden eyes fluttering open as she came awake and brought James into focus. She looked up at him for a few seconds, wondering if she was dreaming or if this was real. She decided she was dreaming and rubbed her cheek into his warm hand as her eyes closed and she tried to drift off into sleep again.

James smiled as Cass tried to go back to sleep on him, his other hand lifting to gently stroke the other side of her face with his fingers. “Cassidy. Wake up.” He said louder and it did the trick, the she-wolf taking in a sharp breath as she woke up and stared up at him. “The sun is setting, we need to go back to the pack. It isn't safe out here at night.” He explained as Cassidy brushed his hands aside from her face and she sat up on the rock.

“Oh gods, what time is it? I fell asleep…” she said as she looked around. The world that was filled with light and green and warmth had failed into darkness and a chill was in the air. Her eyes went back to James as the alpha slowly stood up from the boulder and held a hand out to her to help her up.

Checking his watch, James held a hand out to Cassidy and frowned a little. “Nine Thirty…” he said and when Cassidy took his hand, he pulled her up to her feet in front of him. They were only inches apart and she gazed up at him, both lost for words. James was the first to move, clearing his throat a little and stepping back, letting go of her hand and giving Cassidy some room. He could feel the tension rising between the two of them. His wolf was eager and obsessive over Cassidy, wanting to take over and follow his instincts, losing patience with the human half of the mind that was trying to be considerate.

“Yeah.. Yeah we better get going.” Cassidy said quietly and stepped around James to head back to the pack’s town. Her wolf was just as eager as James’. The two were highly aware of each other and the pull was stronger for the animal sides of their souls. A blush crept up on Cassi’s cheeks as her wolf put the thoughts of the two of them going for a swim together. Cassidy got all of ten steps back towards the pack when a hand wrapped around her arm in a gentle way and pulled her to a stop and turning her so she was facing the Alpha who had a concerned look on his face.

“We need to talk…”