Chapter 207

She remained motionless, only her alert eyes tracking my movements as I sat on the cave floor. Despite my unthreatening position, she kept her distance, muscles tensed like a coiled spring ready to flee at the slightest provocation.

I stood slowly, hoping to make some progress with her. The moment I moved toward her, she released a low warning growl that echoed through the cavern, forcing me to halt my approach.

"I brought you a shirt," I said, tossing the garment in her direction.

She jumped away as if I'd thrown a grenade her way. Her reaction seemed excessive even for a frightened wolf. I watched as she cautiously approached the shirt, sniffing it tentatively. The fabric carried Ethan's scent - harmless enough, I thought.

Next, I pulled out a sealed bag from my pack. "Here's a sandwich," I offered, but she made no move to approach.

"You like apples?" I tried, rolling the fruit across the cave floor toward her. The apple stopped halfway between us, but the she-wolf remained perfectly still, watching me with those piercing blue eyes.

Hours passed with no progress. She wouldn't shift forms, wouldn't eat, wouldn't come any closer. My eyes burned from lack of sleep, but I was determined to wait her out.

I leaned back against the cave wall and closed my eyes, hoping to appear less threatening. The soft sound of movement made me peek through my lashes. The she-wolf had finally approached the apple and was eating it cautiously, using her paw to hold it in place while carefully nibbling at it.

Her scent filled my senses, and I felt myself relax. Something about her presence was oddly comforting, and despite my exhaustion, I drifted into a light sleep.

I was woken by the sound of stones rolling across the ground. My eyes snapped open to find the she-wolf trying to sneak past me. She froze completely when she saw I was awake, her tail tucked between her legs. She lifted one paw, seemingly too frightened to continue moving.

She was close enough to touch, but I remained still. I could feel the rapid beating of her heart in her chest, which kept me motionless.

That's when I noticed she had the chain in her mouth. "I can help you take off that chain," I offered, suspecting its weight was causing her neck pain.

Her eyes widened slightly, but she remained wary.

"I'm going to get something from my bag," I explained carefully. "It's a tool that can cut through the chain."

She cautiously dropped the chain, and it fell heavily to the ground, confirming my suspicion about its weight. She kept her head lowered, apparently to relieve pressure on her neck.

When I pulled out the wire cutters, she suddenly growled and backed away. "I surrender," I said, raising my hands. "I can help you take off the chain, or I can give you the tool, but you'll need to shift to use it."

I tossed the wire cutters to her feet. She pulled the tool closer with her nose, then grabbed it in her mouth and retreated to the corner of the cave.

I watched her shift. She remained hunched over, using her long hair as a veil to cover her body from my view. I watched her struggle as she tried to position the wire cutters on the chain under her chin.

"If you let me, I could help you," I offered again, but she only growled at me.

The metallic snap of the chain breaking echoed through the cave. Almost instantly, she shifted back to wolf form so quickly I almost didn't see it.

I growled in frustration. "She hasn't said a single word. Not even her name," I muttered to myself. "She hasn't even acknowledged that I'm her mate."

"Can you say something? Or do anything?" I demanded.

Max growled in my head, displeased with my tone toward her.

"Fine. I don't need you," I said, standing up abruptly. "I've sat here for hours, and you still won't talk to me."

I strode past her, ignoring her defensive posture, leaving the cave and walking through the waterfall.

"Go back, Samuel, I want her," Max demanded, fighting for control.

"Well, she doesn't want us, so I'm giving up. I'm not going to force her to come back with us," I argued, climbing out of the water and starting toward home.

Yet with each step, I could feel something pulling me back to her. I cursed before turning around, and to my surprise, I found her behind me. She had completely frozen when I turned around. Max was jumping up and down excitedly in my head.

"Stay close," I warned as we began walking. "There are traps set around here."

I turned and continued walking, hearing her soft footfalls behind me. She sniffed at everything she came across, but kept enough distance that I couldn't reach her.

When we reached the edge of the trees, I noticed she had stopped again. "Are you coming?" I asked.

Max suggested, "Maybe if we could get her inside, we could ask Margaret to come see her. She might be able to mind-link with her and learn what's in her thoughts."

But as soon as she saw the Pack house, she immediately froze. She retreated to the cover of the trees.

"Wait!" I called out, but she only cocked her head, seeming confused by my outburst.

Her fur was such a deep bluish-gray color that I found myself staring at her. When I took a step toward her, she lowered her head, baring her teeth and growling at me.

I stopped, feeling ridiculous. "This is absurd. I'm her mate. She should trust me completely."

"Listen," I tried again, "this is my home. I'm not going to hurt you. Can you shift back to human form?"

She suddenly stiffened, her head snapping to the side as she noticed someone approaching. One of my Pack members was walking toward the edge of the forest, not far from where she was.