Mark of the Wolf (19 page)

When she was done, she held him tight, her
arms shaking, her entire body lax and shivering in the aftermath.
She was barely coherent. He gently straightened her out and laid
her down on the bed, then curled next to her, his long body
practically smothering her own. She liked the warmth, though. The
warmth and the way his hand played across her stomach, his fingers
brushing over her tiny scars then traveling to her back, touching
the longer marks that were there. She blushed again and closed her
eyes, pushing her head against his shoulder, not wanting to see his
face.

He didn’t mention the scars. When he next
spoke, his voice was gentle. “Now, what is all of this nonsense
that Yvonne told you?” he murmured.

She stiffened immediately, feeling stupid and
ashamed even as the anger returned slightly. “You dated her,” she
said, and her voice sounded small and pitiful. “She said you were
going to settle… that you guys were… you know….”

He didn’t laugh, but she got the impression
that he was smiling, even though she didn’t look at his face.
“That’s been over a long time,” he said.

“
But you said we were lifemates! Hell,
I don’t even know what that means.” Maddy finally looked up at him,
remembering her reason for being upset. She glared. “I don’t know
who to believe – you or her? Because if I believe you, then
apparently this lifemate thing isn’t so important after all, and if
I believe her….” She trailed off. “Well, I guess it’s kinda the
same.”

“
Maddy, not all wolves meet their
lifemates,” Gareth said slowly. She had pushed away from him, but
he gathered her up in his arms again, forcing her closer. “I didn’t
know I would meet you. I was young, all of this was seven years
ago, and Yvonne’s father was the pack leader… it made sense at the
time.” He shook his head slowly. “But thank god things
changed.”

“
What, couldn’t stay together when you
lost your pack?” Maddy couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice.
“I guess that really tore you up, huh? Losing your family
and
your lover. Must
have been tough.”

“
She left me before that,” he said
softly. “Actually, she went with Kane, or did she tell you that
part? She’s nothing but a two-faced backstabbing whore, Maddy.
She’s only after me now because I might be the next
Alpha.”

Maddy was silent. Actually, Yvonne had
mentioned something about 'needing a real man,' but in her anger
Maddy hadn't focused on that part. It just seemed that Yvonne had
so much to offer – what did some eighteen-year-old high school
student have over a strong, attractive werewolf? That brought
another thought to her head. “What about the pack, then?” she
asked, softer this time. “I’m a human, Gareth, and it seems like I
keep getting reminded of that. The pack isn’t going to accept me.
I’m still an outsider here, just like I’ve always been.”

His hand was playing with her hair. “Don’t
think of that,” he murmured. “Trust me. It will all work itself
out. Don’t worry about it.”

“
But how?” Maddy shook his hand away
and propped herself up, looking at him. His green eyes almost
glowed in the dark, his expression lazy, a slight smile hovering
around his lips. On any other man, she would have thought that he
wasn’t taking her seriously, but she didn’t miss the attentiveness
in his gaze. “How are they ever going to accept that I’m a human
and your lifemate? It seems to be a big deal.”

His smile stayed, but his eyes grew darker,
somehow closed off. “They’ll accept you,” he murmured. “I'll make
sure of that. There are ways to initiate you into the pack.”

“
Like what?”

“
Why so many questions?” he asked, and
kissed her forehead again, laying her head against his shoulder.
“You worry too much. I have it all under control. Just trust me,
alright?”

“
How can I trust you after everything
I heard in there?” she murmured. “I'm not used to any of this. Your
world is so different, Gareth... and so....”

“
Violent?” he murmured, echoing her
earlier word.

She nodded. “I'm sorry, I just... I can't
accept what I saw tonight. It wasn't right.”

He kissed her forehead, leaning his cheek
against her. “I will never apologize for protecting you,” he
murmured. “And the more you understand werewolves, the more you
will see how very right it was. I am not cruel, Maddy, but an Alpha
must be strong.”

She nodded, willing to listen, though she
wasn't sure if she agreed. Maybe he was right. Maybe she really
didn't know how different things were in his world. These were
animals they were dealing with, not people with governments and
court rooms... the only laws that existed were the laws of the
wild.

Or maybe he was playing her for a complete
fool.

She didn't really have a choice, either way.
She was stuck here with him — nowhere else to go.

A yawn suddenly overtook her, and she
realized that she was growing tired. Sleep tugged at her senses,
especially now after her body’s release. All of the excitement of
the day had taken its toll on her.

“
I haven’t let anything happen to you
yet, have I?” he asked quietly, and she couldn’t help but smile.
That, at least, was true.

“
Maybe,” she muttered.

He laughed, a startling sound, rumbling from
his chest and into her ear. “Go to sleep, Maddy,” he said.

She wanted to say something more, something
to make him answer her questions, to explain this whole process of
joining the pack and how they would accept her as a human… but he
was right. She really did want to go to sleep. She was frustrated
and tired and couldn't keep her eyes open. With a soft sigh, she
let the tension run out of her body and curled up against him. She
hadn’t gotten any real answers, but at least one thing was true –
she was safe, and she knew that as long as she was with him, things
would stay that way. He had promised her, hadn’t he?

With that, she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 11

Gareth slammed the car door with an extra
hard shove; it was the only way to get it to shut. Despite its many
deficiencies, he loved the old car. He had rebuilt it from the
ground up – saved its life, in a way – and it hadn’t let him down
yet. Plus he was the only one who knew how to start it.

But he wasn’t at the garage for car repairs.
This was the place he was to meet Kane.

It was a familiar spot. He had spent his
youth working in the old shop, tuning up cars and changing oil,
doing all the other mundane things that apprentices do. The old
pack leader, Isak’s father, Devon, had owned the place… but since
his death, it had turned over to the new Alpha’s hands. So Kane now
owned himself a car garage, though the fool didn’t know anything
about cars.

Gareth felt his hackles rising just from
stepping foot on the property. It smelled like old pack and a rush
of memories assaulted him; the familiar scent of warm bodies and
musk, of forbidden comfort.

He already knew where Kane was. He could
easily sense the other man’s presence in such a secluded area. He
walked behind the old gray building. It was strangely deserted at
this time of day, just before noon. Tall evergreen trees lined the
parking lot and the back of the garage connected directly to the
forest. It made the perfect hideout for wolves.

Kane was standing behind the building now.
Gareth turned the corner casually and slid his hands into the
pockets of his worn leather jacket. The man standing between the
water heater and a heap of junk metal was short and stout with
fiery red hair, and had a way of moving that spoke of a quick
temper. The man looked up at his approach but didn’t smile. There
was no welcoming glint in his cold, hazel eyes.

Gareth had expected as much. “You got my
message?” he said, not hiding the smirk on his face.

Kane’s eye twitched, but that was his only reaction. “You
better get out of my town before I run you out,
pup
,” he growled. His canines were
extended.

Gareth felt his own teeth lengthen in his
mouth, the wolf coming to the surface. He smelled the threat in
Kane’s words. “I hoped we could be civil about this,” he murmured
back. “You know why I’m here. Tonight’s the full moon.”

“
And you dare to challenge me a second
time?” Kane’s eyebrow rose. “I figured the last time was enough for
you.”

“
We both know what happened last
time,” Gareth returned. “And as I recall, someone wasn’t playing
fair.”

“
That’s how it works, pup, or have you
not figured that out yet?”

“
I’ve figured out quite a few things,”
Gareth growled.

Kane glared. There was a hint of Southern
accent to his voice. “Alright, so what d'you want? I came out here
to meet you. We’re alone, as the laws state. You can’t seriously be
considering challenging me, you know what consequences if you lose.
You ain’t gonna be going home this time.”

Gareth had known the consequences for a long time now, and
the man’s words meant nothing. “I
challenge
you,” he said, his voice dark. He thought
back to Maddy's abduction the day before and almost launched
himself at the man's throat. “You threatened my lifemate;
therefore, you threatened me. I’ve come to take what’s
mine.”

Kane paused for a moment, as though not truly
expecting Gareth's determination, then he let out a sharp laugh.
His eyes glinted. “What, a puny human girl? And you’re all bent out
of shape about it? That’s not the Gareth I knew.”

Gareth had to struggle to stay calm; thinking
about what would have happened to Maddy in the basement if he
hadn’t arrived in time made his gut churn. He took a threatening
step forward and growled, then whipped out the knife that had been
tucked in his belt. It was time to get this show under way.

“
You’re right, Kane,” he growled, and
he held the knife to his own arm. “This isn’t the Gareth you knew.
If you know you’re gonna win, then how about you show me in the
ring tonight.” And he drew the knife across his arm, blood blooming
from the shallow cut, drenching the blade. Then he flipped the
knife back and flung it to the ground – it embedded an inch from
Kane’s foot. “I challenge you,” he said, “with my own blood. I
challenge you for leadership of the pack.”

Kane stared at him for a long moment, and
Gareth’s senses flared, the wolf howling within him, dying to
Change right there and rip out the man’s throat. But he couldn’t do
that, he couldn’t allow himself the pleasure – rules had to be
followed, or else he’d lose everything, the pack’s respect and his
claim to the Alpha status.

Finally Kane moved. He bent over slowly,
tugging the knife from the ground and studying it, running his
thumb over the bloody blade. Then he drew it across his own skin,
his blood drenching the blade in turn, and flung it back to the
ground. It skidded across the packed dirt to bump against Gareth’s
boot.

“
Challenge accepted,” the man murmured
darkly. “It will mean your death, pup. You better be
ready.”

“
I’ve been ready,” Gareth growled
back. Then he picked up the knife and pocketed it. “And Kane, it
won’t matter if you use Wolfsbane this time.”

The Alpha didn’t say anything.

Gareth turned and left, zipping up his jacket
against the chill wind, his thoughts heavy on his mind. It was the
one thing he hadn’t told her yet, and he couldn’t be sure of her
reaction. He had promised Maddy that he would protect her, and
although he knew that Isak was reliable, he couldn’t be sure of her
welfare if he was dead. And that’s what losing this fight would
mean. A wolf didn’t walk away twice from a defeated challenge. He
would either fight to the death, or be chased down by the pack if
he decided to run. He didn’t have a choice anymore. It was
everything or nothing.

His thoughts turned to Maddy as he got into
his car. Her sounds had been intoxicating when he had pleasured
her, and the feeling of her hands on him had driven him close to
insane. He knew he had been rough, but it had been the wolf inside
of him, begging him to release the fire. With each passing day the
moon had been growing more full, and the wolf was getting harder to
control. It demanded that he take his mate, claim her as he should
have by now, put a permanent mark on her soul. But he couldn’t use
her that way – and besides, her virginity needed to be spent
securing her place in the pack. She would probably hate him for the
claiming ritual, but he couldn’t tell her about it now; she would
never agree to it, and he couldn’t waste the time chasing her down
if she decided to run. She would understand once the deed was done.
He would ensure that.

He turned onto the main street and headed
back to the hotel, wondering if she was awake. She would probably
be hungry by now – she had been sleeping when he had left, and it
was already past noon. He would take her to an early dinner, and
then they would have to prepare for the fight, which would happen
once the moon was fully visible. He would tell her the truth then,
tell her what he was really risking, and hopefully she wouldn’t be
too upset.

He focused on driving, trying not to think
too much about the night to come. He would spend these last few
hours with her; at least then he’d have something to cherish if the
worst came to pass.