Chapter Ten

Emily ran around the large tree in the middle of the Pack’s running grounds and pulled her shirt over her head. She had long ago learned not to be shy about her naked body, but she didn’t think that Cain would much like his brother seeing her that way. Actually, as jealous as Cain had acted the last time he’d returned, she knew for a fact he wouldn’t like it. She’d been restless all day waiting for Cain to get home. She didn’t like being away from him. It also made her realize that she couldn’t go back to school with him staying inside the territory.

Sure, she’d told him that she wanted to go back to campus and meant it, but she hadn’t understood how uneasy she’d feel when he wasn’t close. Emily wanted to be with him all the time. She’d never felt this way before, which made sense, since she was supposedly mated to Cain. It had taken all her control not to call him and stay on the phone until he pulled up in front of the house. She’d needed a distraction.

Tony had suggested she should take a good long run to calm herself. He should have already left for California but Cain had called right after his meeting asking for his brother to stay until Cain could update him.

Emily hoped that meant they had a lead and that soon this monster would be caught.

As she pushed her jeans down her hips, she heard the sounds of Tony’s shift. She needed to get out of her own thoughts and hurry up and change forms.

The wolf inside was scratching to get out, making her clumsy as she undressed. After folding her clothes and placing them against the trunk of the tree, she kneeled and welcomed the magic that would allow her to shift. The tingling started at the tip of her toes and moved over her body quickly. Her skin grew tight, until it felt like it would burst. Bones adjusted inside her, and she felt herself float like she always did.

Then, only minutes later, she stood on all fours, tilted her head back and yowled in pleasure. An answering call from the west told her that Tony was ready. She bounded for him, content to run and play until her man came home to her.

Tony wasn’t as large as Cain and his fur had red streaks over his shoulders. Her animal knew him just as well as she did Cain, but the feelings that Cain brought to the surface were much more different. Tony felt familiar, as a brother would.

Family, love, peace—those feelings flooded her as she rubbed her head under Tony’s chin. She didn’t like that he was going away. Even if it was to fulfill his dream of working with the Council. He’d told her all about his assignment over lunch. While she was happy for him, she was going to miss the calming influence he had on the Pack, her and Cain.

With Tony gone, Cain would be needed even more at his father’s side. If she asked him to go with her he wouldn’t. Couldn’t. Cain’s devotion to the Pack was one of the things that she loved most about him. Her need to finish her education was going to tear them apart. Unless she gave up her dream.

Tony nudged her, and Emily understood that he wanted to get the run started. She looked up and was surprised to see sadness in his eyes.

He was leaving. He wouldn’t be able to run in his own territory. While she was celebrating being home and getting to feel the soil under her feet, Tony was saying goodbye for a while. She had no idea how long he would be gone—if it was going to be a week, a month or longer.

Emily pawed his side then took off running as fast as she could. They weren’t on the same path that she’d taken with Cain but instead where the majority of the Pack ran. It had been so long since she’d been in that part of the woods that it took her a little while before she could orient herself.

She leaped and rolled, enjoying the feeling of being carefree and happy in her shifted form. One plus of staying in the territory instead of returning to school was being able to shift whenever she wanted.

In the city there was just no safe place for her to shift. Their existence was a secret for the protection of all the shifters in the world. She couldn’t risk someone seeing her, or worse, getting a picture or video. The increase in technology was not a shifter’s friend. Everyone carried a smart phone nowadays and just one leaked photo could put them all in danger. So Emily had never changed away from home.

As she’d stayed away from the territory for longer and longer, she’d gotten used to not transforming, but it had never felt comfortable.

It was a choice to transform. She might feel the pull of the moon because of nature and her animal, but there was no truth to the ‘weres changing at the full moon’ myth. She could shift when and where she wanted to. Except for times of extreme stress, most shifters remained in control of their animal.

Times like this where she got to let the wolf run wild were just so fantastic.

Beside her, Tony was keeping pace, and if his happy face was anything to go by he was having as much of a good time as she was. It was just the two of them out there, as it was the middle of the day and most of the Pack were at work or were busy. It was like they had the entire woods just for themselves.

They ran another mile before Tony paused, blocking her path. Emily looked around, confused. It couldn’t be time to head back yet. Cain wouldn’t be home for another couple of hours.

Tony batted his head against her side until she lowered herself to the ground. He stood over her with his ears twitching. Emily tried to calm herself so she could concentrate. The run had taken a lot out of her and she was panting. As she breathed, she sniffed the air.

There was a faint scent of someone she didn’t recognize. The person had been right where she was lying not too long ago. She jumped to her feet in alarm. Tony immediately pushed her back down.

Okay, he was too strong to fight, and he needed to stay alert. He was keeping his gaze in the direction of where it seemed the scent had disappeared to.

She whined softly. What were they going to do? Lamont and a couple of guards knew where they were, but there was no telling how long it would take before they realized they hadn’t returned. Plus, she didn’t know what the strange scent meant.

Another shifter would know by Lamont’s markings that this was Pack territory and they shouldn’t be there.

A ripple of energy emerged beside her, signaling that Tony was shifting. Once he was crouched down in human form, real fear enveloped her. Tony wouldn’t shift like this if it wasn’t one hundred percent needed.

“I want you to start heading back toward our clothes. One of the guards should be close to that spot to keep an eye out for us,” he said.

Emily nodded.

“I will be right behind you but I want to make sure no one is following,” he added.

Again, she nodded. It wasn’t like she could argue as a wolf. She whimpered even though she wanted to be strong. Lamont had told her about what had happened to Mindy and she was scared.

“Hey,” he said, rubbing his hand over the top of her head. “You’re going to be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She licked his other hand.

“Okay.” He patted her one last time. “Let’s go.”

Emily waited until he had changed back into a wolf before she started off in a fast lope. She moved quickly but was also having to be aware of her surroundings. Now that she remembered the area better, she took the most direct route.

She glanced several times over her shoulder to make sure Tony was there. She couldn’t see or hear him but she just knew that he was there.

Up ahead, she could see where she’d stashed her clothes. Emily jumped over a thick tree root then stumbled to a stop as a large wolf darted in front of her.

Emily sniffed but she didn’t recognize this male.

Growling, she tried to sound as menacing as she could. The strange shifter growled back before he launched himself in her direction.

* * * *

After dropping Adam off, Cain drove faster than the speed limit. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Picking up his cell phone from the middle console, he tried once again to reach Emily.

It rang four times before he got her voicemail. Dread filled his stomach as he tried his brother. No answer there either. He’d spoken to both only a couple of hours ago but now Cain wished he had insisted that Emily be inside the main house until he got there. Not knowing where she was and if she was safe made him feel like he couldn’t breathe.

Cain stomped his foot harder on the accelerator, and the car shot forward. Tony had been waiting on him to get there, and Emily had promised to not go anywhere alone. They should be answering their fucking phones.

He dialed Emily’s number again before tossing the phone on the passenger seat in disgust. Cain took the next turn too sharply and the car skidded. Correcting the vehicle, he took a deep breath and slowed down. Getting himself killed wasn’t going to help either of them.

His cell phone rang from where he’d thrown it, causing him to swerve again in surprise. The number of the main house showed on the I.D.

“Emily!” he answered.

“No, it’s your father. What’s wrong, Cain? I can feel your unease from here.” His father’s voice was soft but sharp, pulling him out of his panic.

Cain laughed almost hysterically. Why hadn’t he thought of calling the house? Of course his father could sense when he was worried, so why wouldn’t he be able to sense if Tony was in trouble?

“Cain, are you okay?” his father asked again.

“Yes. Yes, I’m fine. I couldn’t get a hold of Emily or Tony, and I started to freak out. I didn’t even think of calling you,” he tried to explain.

His father’s sigh of relief was audible even over the phone. “Emily and Tony are both fine. She was so restless waiting on your return that they went for a run.”

That made Cain feel better, but he just wanted to be absolutely sure she was okay. “Can you sense them?”

When his father remained silent, Cain knew he was trying.

“Yes. Emily is very happy right now, and I believe she is outrunning your brother.”

Cain could picture Emily in her small limber wolf body running from the bigger black wolf. While his brother was big and powerful, Emily was smaller and faster. She had almost outrun Cain the first time they’d gone out.

“Thanks. I’m only about thirty minutes away, but I could feel something wasn’t right.” He still had that feeling, but it had lessened. He still felt on edge, just that something wasn’t right.

“It’s probably just your bond. You’ve been away from her for too long. I’ll have Kyle go tell them you’re almost here.”

Cain felt a growl try to escape from the back of his throat at the mention of Kyle.

“Cain.” His name came out as a warning.

He shook his head to clear his mind. “That would be great. I’ll see you soon.”

He drove like a madman and actually made it in just under twenty minutes.

Cain pulled up to the gates and waved to the guard to open up. Antonio waved back as he pressed the button to let him in. Cain looked in his rear-view mirror, still uneasy.

The drive to the house seemed to take hours even though it was actually less than a few minutes. He had his seat belt off before the car came to a complete stop.

Lifting his head to the wind, he concentrated on the sounds and smells around him. Then, using the mating bond, he tried to find Emily.

He could sense her behind the house, still in wolf form. She was only about a mile away. He started to go to the house until another smell reached him. One mixed with hers. He knew that smell. It had been at the meeting. The unusual mixture of pine and sweetness.

Cain took off running while pulling at his clothes. He shifted as he ran, which was as painful as it could get. Once on his four feet, he could run faster. That didn’t stop the black and grey wolf coming up from behind and passing him. His Alpha. So Lamont could sense the trouble too.

He sped up and ran after his father into the woods. His ears picked out a loud growl then a whimper. He ran faster, jumping over fallen branches instinctively as he headed in the direction of Emily.

When he and his father broke through to where the sound of battle was already taking place, he immediately sought Emily.

His brother, in wolf form, was fighting a larger wolf while another went from snapping at the strange wolf to blocking Emily from it.

Lamont howled and headed into the fight. The strange wolf threw Cain’s brother off his back and met his father. The sound of impact when Lamont threw himself at the stranger echoed around them.

Cain ran to Emily to make sure she was okay. She seemed unharmed. Her small frame was hunched down but there was no blood. There were little whimpers coming from her and that did worry him. The wolf guarding her moved aside as Cain approached. Looking in his eyes and smelling him, Cain knew who he was. But if Larry was the wolf protecting Emily, who was his father now fighting? The only reason Larry and the stranger had beaten him there was because he’d had to drop Adam off, but that shouldn’t have given them that much of a head start. If Cain wasn’t sure that Larry had been protecting Emily he would have his fangs buried in Larry’s throat.

Cain nuzzled Emily’s neck and could have cried himself when she used her small tongue licked his paw. She knew he was there and everything would be okay. He shifted away from her and nodded at Larry. Thankfully Larry understood and moved to stand guard in front of her once again. Next, Cain checked on his brother, who was lying on his side, panting. Tony was injured but alive. He turned to the dark wolf who now stood muzzle to muzzle with his Alpha.

Lamont darted in and nipped at the dark wolf, making his opponent have to scramble around. Cain waited patiently while Lamont distracted him until the perfect moment. Then he jumped, knocking the dark wolf off its feet, causing him to stumble. The dark wolf tried to regain his footing, but Cain pounced and held him down.

They rolled, teeth clashing, as they both tried to get the upper hand. Distantly, Cain could hear Emily’s whines and his father taking care of Tony, but he couldn’t look back and give up his attention on the attacker.

The wolf made a move to get his back legs under Cain. It was just what he had been waiting for. Adjusting his body weight, Cain got a hold of the wolf’s neck. He slammed him down hard once, then again. His sharp canines sank further into the fur until the attacker gave up.

Going limp, he submitted to Cain.

Cain remained on alert as other members of his Pack—both in wolf and human forms—joined them. It was Antonio who spoke quietly to Cain, telling him to release his grip. But the wolf inside Cain wouldn’t let him. Instinct told him to rip the wolf’s throat out for endangering his mate. Then his father was there in human form, adding his voice to Antonio’s. But it wasn’t until Emily dropped next to him, human and naked, and placed her hand on his head that he could. She was back in human form and he could smell her fear and relief.

The betrayal he felt was keeping him from being able to think clearly. He knew the wolf that he held by his powerful jaws.

This wasn’t some stranger that had just happened to cross paths with their Pack or Emily. The attack against his mate wasn’t random.

Cain growled and shook his head again just so he could hear his captured prey’s pain. He couldn’t believe this was even happening.

“Cain.” Emily stroked his shoulders.

That was what he needed to make the final push at his instincts so he could release his foe. Letting go of the wolf, Cain crawled into her lap and started his own shift back, staring into her eyes the entire time. It hurt—the adrenaline in his body was so strong that he had to force the transformation.

Once he was back in human form, Emily began to cry and he pulled her into his arms as she shivered and wept. He couldn’t believe how close he’d come to losing her.

“Is she okay?” Antonio asked as he placed a jacket over her.

Cain hadn’t even realized she was still naked. He tried to help her get the jacket to cover her body but his hands were trembling. Another pair of hands assisted Emily when he could not. Not only was his body fighting to recover but he could also not believe that the attacker was Brent Simpson. Brent Simpson… what the fuck?

A man who he knew had been the one responsible for those atrocious attacks on the females. Had he always been evil? When Cain had met him had Brent already had this planned? He’d been so sure a rogue would have been involved in the crimes.

He turned and glared at the other non-Pack member present.

“You knew,” he accused Larry. “You followed him here and didn’t tell us!”

“I had my suspicions,” Larry told him, shrugging. “I wasn’t sure, so I decided to follow him when we left the meeting. There was no reason other than to hide his scent to bathe in that smell. I didn’t know where he was going so I had nothing to tell anyone. By the time I figured out his destination, I couldn’t call since I needed to keep him in sight.”

Cain was still shaking with rage at the thought of any man putting his hands on his mate. Even though he knew Larry had helped protect Emily, she wouldn’t have needed that protection if Larry had given him a heads-up.

Emily’s soft hand turned his head toward her. “He saved me, Cain. I was trying to make my way back to my clothes when the other wolf appeared in front of me.”

Cain tightened his hold on her.

“He came out of nowhere. One minute he was standing in front of me, and the next, he attacked. Tony tried to get to me but this guy was there faster and he held him off until Tony arrived. I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t…”

“Shh…” Cain ran one hand over the back of her hair, letting the silk fall through his fingers.

“No, I want to tell you,” she insisted.

Cain nodded, knowing she needed to get out what had happened.

“He had me pinned down, and I really thought he was going to kill me. Then, all of a sudden, he was gone. Larry had pulled him off me, and they started fighting. Then Tony ran in and joined the fight.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

“It’s okay,” Cain said. “I know he saved you. I just have to calm down.”

“I’m so sorry, Cain. I just wanted to run.”

“Oh, baby, it’s not your fault.” Cain let her bury her head in his chest as she cried. He looked up and met Larry’s gaze.

“Thank you.” It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough to him. But this man, who he had suspected of being involved in the attacks, had saved his mate’s life.

Larry shrugged and half-smiled. “I’m just happy that Brent has been caught and we can all move on and begin to heal.”

“Why not tell your Alpha?” Lamont asked, walking up and handing Cain Emily’s clothes.

Larry barked out a laugh. “Things run a little differently in my Pack. If Riker had come into what you had, he would have watched the fight and then offered the winner a job.”

“Sounds like you need a new Alpha,” Cain commented.

The shadow that crossed Larry’s face was brief, but Cain had seen it. He wondered if maybe Larry wasn’t as happy in his position as Cain had believed.

“Maybe I do,” he whispered softly. He looked around the area surrounded with Cain’s family and friends, his face showing a bit of longing. Then he backed away until he blended in with the trees and was gone.

Cain didn’t stop him and his father only watched him go. They couldn’t really do anything to keep him there and he probably hadn’t gotten permission from Riker to be gone.

Still, Cain now owed Larry. He hoped he could find a way to help him get away from Riker, if that was what Larry wanted. Cain would come up with a plan.

* * * *

“Cain?” Emily rolled over and reached for him as she called out his name. The bed beside her was empty. She sat up and saw him sitting on the end of the bed. “Cain?” She moved up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts into his back. He hadn’t said much once they’d gotten back inside the main house.

He’d been so gentle with her as he’d led her to his bathroom and into the shower. He’d washed her with soft strokes until all of the day’s activities had seemed to run down the drain with the water.

Knowing he needed time to process, she hadn’t pressed him to talk. Instead, she’d taken his hand and they’d fallen into bed, where they’d held each other tight. It seemed he was taking what had happened even harder than she was. But she hadn’t been hurt, at all, and she needed him to overcome the attempted attack. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” He laughed bitterly. “You could have been killed yesterday while I wasn’t even here.”

Emily sighed and crawled onto his lap. “I could have been killed even if you had been here.”

He shook his head. “He knew I was with Adam and he could beat me here. He went after you because you’re my mate.”

Emily understood. “And you blame yourself.”

“Of course I do.” Guilt laced his words. “He heard me telling someone we were going to mate so he decided to go for you!”

She placed her hands on either side of his face and made him look at her. “You love me.” When he started to respond, she put her fingers over his lips. “You love me, and you’re afraid that because of that I’ll get hurt.”

When he didn’t deny it, Emily knew she was right. “But here’s another thing. I love you too. I love you so much that when you’re gone, I find myself going crazy thinking about you.” She placed a soft kiss against his lips as she moved her hand. “There’s always going to be danger, Cain. Whether I’m with you or not. I’d rather know that you’ll always be looking out for me than have you push me away because of it.”

“That’s just it, though. I’m so selfish that I would rather have you in danger than give you up.”

Emily smiled, hoping he would understand. “I need to be with you, Cain. Always. I don’t want you to ever give me up.”

He visibly relaxed and under her bottom his cock started to come to life. She wiggled and nipped his bottom lip. “Seems to me someone is feeling better,” she said as she teased him. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of the way he responded so quickly for her. It was heady knowing that she was the reason he walked around with a hard-on.

With strong hands, he cupped her ass and pulled her tighter against him. They hadn’t dressed after the shower earlier so his shaft slid against her clit.

“I’ll show you just what I’m feeling.” And he kissed her.

Emily had never known a kiss to be so sweet and promising in her whole life. He drugged her with his caresses and tenderness. She wrapped her arms around his neck before burying her hand in his hair so she could hold on tight.

Cain broke away, and she tried to follow, not wanting to lose his taste yet.

“One more thing,” Cain said, his lips brushing hers.

“Enough talk,” she demanded, reaching to fist his hard cock.

“Just have to tell you this…” he panted as she started to stroke him.

“What?” she asked impatiently. Why did Cain want to talk at that exact moment? She was already wet and desperate to have him. She needed to show him that she was okay and had to have him inside her soon. She rubbed the tip of his cock with her thumb, trying to get him on the same page as her.

“I’m going to talk to my father and promote Antonio to Enforcer so he can take the out-of-town jobs,” Cain told her.

Emily stilled her hand. Had she heard that right? “You’re staying here with me permanently.” Joy filled her at the thought of not having to be separated from him again. This last trip had been hard and she’d already decided that she just couldn’t be away from him. Knowing he felt the same way and was making changes for her meant so much.

“Well, no.”

Emily’s heart jumped in her chest. “No? But you just said you wouldn’t give me up.” If Cain started his back and forth bullshit again, Emily was going to absolutely knock him flat on his ass.

He looked at her for a full minute before a smile broke out on his face. “I’m not.”

“But…I don’t understand,” she said, trying to slide off his lap so she could follow the conversation better.

Cain tightened his hold on her hips, which was almost as distracting as his cock against her.

“I’m going back to school with you. You’ll finish the semester and then we’ll return here together. To our home,” Cain said.

“Cain!” Emily didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, she was getting what she wanted but, on the other, he was giving up everything for her, and she couldn’t allow that. “I can’t let you do that. You love your job. To give up your position…”

“I’m not giving up anything,” he told her. “I’ll split my duties with others but I will still work with the Pack. There is a lot I can do over the computer and phone. Plus, I was hoping you’d be able to pick your classes to have Fridays off so we can come home on the weekends. Whatever we need to do to stay together. It’s only for a little while.”

She hadn’t expected Cain to want to do this for her. At that moment, she truly believed that he was ready to commit fully to her. She’d been so frustrated with how he’d changed his mind and seemed unsure, but he’d finally proven to her his willingness to make sacrifices. “Thank you.”

I would do anything for you, honey. And this is just a small thing. You want to finish school, so I want to support you. When you’re done, we’ll return here and continue our lives together. Have a couple pups when we’re ready to support the Pack.”

Once again, tears fell down her face. Her dreams were coming true. After the horrific events that had been happening, she had something to be grateful for in the end.

“No crying! This is a good thing,” he complained.

Emily scrubbed the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “Happy tears, Cain. You’ve made me so happy!”

“I’ll always try to make you happy. But, when we return, I will take my post back as the main Enforcer for the territory. When we come back on the weekends, I’ll have training schedules to oversee for the guards. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes! Yes! I know that’s who you are. I understand that!”

“Okay then, enough talk.”

She squealed as he flipped their positions so she was on her hands and knees on the bed with his body over her. His cock was still hard as he pushed against her. She wanted him to take her exactly like that. Emily dropped her shoulders to the mattress and wiggled her ass. “Take me, claim me as your mate.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait for a ceremony?” he asked. “I want to do right by you.”

Fuck! Why couldn’t he just take her at her word? She didn’t want to stop and have another heart to heart. For someone who hated to talk, Cain sure was killing her. “I don’t need that,” she told him. “All I wanted was you and I got that.”

“Yes, you did,” Cain said, sliding deep inside with one smooth thrust.

Emily clenched her inner muscles around his shaft while curling her fingers into the sheets. He withdrew slowly before he plunged in again. Sensations ran rampant through her body as each stroke took her higher and Cain began to pound her hard. The grip he had on her hips was going to leave marks, but that only turned her on even more. They might have technically already been mated but she wanted it to be a conscious decision they made together. “Bite me.”

“You’ll always belong to me. You will be under my control,” he told her, thrusting faster.

“Okay. Yeah.” She would agree to anything.

“Just like I’ll be yours and I’ll only give up my control to you.”

Emily slammed back into him. “Yessss…” she hissed. She felt his canines against her neck. He nipped her skin but didn’t bite. “Yes,” she said again.

He pierced her skin as she screamed out his name and her body exploded. He pumped his cock deeper and harder, until he was coming along with her.

Emily’s arms shook and she lowered herself down with Cain’s big body still on top. With her face buried in the pillow and her bones feeling like they’d been melted, she didn’t ever want to get up. This was the most perfect moment that she could ever imagine.

When Cain started to separate from her, she gave a little whimper, not wanting to lose his heat and weight.

“Let me get something to clean us up with, then we’ll take a nap,” Cain told her. “I’ll be right back.”

It was hard since she was so comfortable but she managed to turn her head and watch as he padded across the room to the bathroom. His fine ass flexed as he walked, and she loved the view. She heard the water in the sink being turned on briefly then off before he reappeared in the doorway.

He stopped when he saw she was looking at him. “See something you like?” he teased.

“No,” she told him. “Something I love.”

Cain laughed. “That’s sappy, but I love it and you too. But don’t expect me to start talking like that. I’m still the same asshole I’ve always been.”

Emily propped her chin up on his hand. “Oh, I absolutely believe that. But you’re sweet too.”

He snorted but strolled toward her. When he reached her, he used the warm washcloth to clean her before he tossed it over his shoulder. “If you tell anyone that I might have to gag you.”

She smiled up at him. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t want your reputation to suffer. If anyone asks I’ll still tell them you’re a complete bastard.”

“Good.” Cain nodded. He climbed back onto the mattress before he pulled her up until her head rested on his chest. “Then I can keep being sweet to you.”

“Oh, I have no doubt,” she replied. Emily closed her eyes and sighed, feeling warm and content.