The Alpha's Temporary Mate (Fated Match) (15 page)

“Another chair,” he said.

The man bowed and hurried away to carry out the order.

“Chloe can sit beside me,” Julie said with a smile. “I’m sure we can make room.”

“Thank you,” he replied. “But I rather she stay beside me.”

Even she could see those words were like gas on a fire. As a chair was set beside Kieran’s at the head of the table, she could see this move was winning her no friends. After all, in the eyes of the pack she wasn’t his mate, just his girlfriend. She had no claim to the respect an alpha’s partner could demand.

Still, she took her seat, not wanting to cause more conflict. Plates of food appeared before them like magic and, despite her nerves, her mouth watered in anticipation.

“Has everyone arrived?” Kieran asked one of the men at his side. “Traffic delayed us.”

“A few families are due this evening. We’ll leave the guide fires lit until midnight.”

“Chloe.”

She turned to her left and saw a familiar face at her side.

“Niall,” she said with an honest smile. “It’s good to see you again.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d really come.”

She smiled, falling into her role. “Kieran took some convincing but I held my ground. I’m done hiding in the shadows while he decides whether we’re serious or not.”

“Good for you,” he said, pointing a fork at her. “So what do you think of this gathering so far?”

“That was quite the welcome. Do all Kieran’s guests stun the entire room to silence?”

Niall chewed a mouthful of potatoes as he watched her. “He hasn’t brought anyone to the retreat. Not since…”

“Lisette,” she said, thanking her stars she’d been filled in.

Niall’s expression lightened. “Yes, since Lisette. She broke him pretty badly.”

Chloe dropped her gaze to her dinner. “I’m putting him back together.”

“Then this might be an eye-opening week for you, witch.”

She swallowed a piece of chicken before replying, “He’s worth it.”

As she ate she found her words were no lie. The line between her role and her desires was growing more and more blurred. One thing both sides of her agreed on that Kieran was a man worth fighting for.

Chapter Fifteen

T
hough she’d retreated to the cabin after dinner to give Kieran a chance to catch up with his people, there was only so much one could do alone in the woods.

Chloe lay on the bed, staring up at the wooden ceiling. Beyond a pack of cards and a few worn books, there wasn’t any sort of entertainment up here. Wanting to really immerse herself in this experience, she’d left most of her technology at home, figuring the lack of wifi would make it largely obsolete anyway.

Now she wished she’d loaded her cell with games.

Sighing, she pushed herself off the bed and did yet another circle around the cabin’s interior. It had been hours since dinner. Surely Kieran was done with his meetings for the night.

“They can’t expect me to stay cooped up in here,” she reasoned, grabbing her hoodie. A walk around the camp would do her good, as long as she stuck to the main paths.

Mind set, she shrugged into the sweater and stepped out of the cabin.

Cool night air hit her as she jogged down the steps. All the paths around the camping zone were lit with small garden lamps so at least she didn’t need to worry about falling down a hill.

The stars twinkled overhead as she walked along the dark path. Though not yet full, the moon’s light helped illuminate the woods. It was beautiful here. It’d been years since she’d ventured far from the city, and she was beginning to understand the desire to travel, to see new and changing sights. Maybe she’d been caught in a rut. One Kieran was succeeding in shaking her out of.

Rounding the bend, she saw a group of dark shapes milling before the main hall. Chloe paused, not wanting to intrude. She was about to turn away when a hand shot up into the air, waving at her.

Adjusting her course, she closed the distance between her and the group. Excitement practically vibrated in the air. Whatever they were doing, the wolves were in high spirits.

“Hey,” the waver called, pushing her way to the edge of the group.

“Kate,” she said, recognizing the young woman from Kieran’s soccer group.

“You made it.”

Chloe stopped beside her. “To what?”

“It’s the opening of the mating moon season,” one of the nearby wolves told her. “We always play a game.”

“Cool,” she said. “I love games.”

That earned her a few more smiles, though she could have sworn from the knowing looks in the women’s eyes she was missing something.

“Yes, you do,” a deep voice rumbled in her ear as hands descended on her shoulders. “But I’m not sure you want to play this one, my Chloe.”

She leaned back into Kieran’s touch, not surprised to find him in the crowd. “Why not?”

“Gather around everyone,” Darrel called out. “We’re about to start.”

Chloe moved with the crowd, rising to her tiptoes to see the older man.

“The rules are simple. Our lead runners will get a five-minute head start before their partners give chase. Should you need help, simply howl; someone will be along to assist you.”

That instruction brought a round of chuckles from the crowd.

“We run?” she asked, frowning.

“And we chase,” Kieran said into her ear. “Still want to play?”

“But that’s the objective? How do we win?”

Snickers were quickly covered all around her.

“That’s two different questions, dear,” the woman by her side said.

“There’s a natural spring in the middle of the woods,” Kate explained. “Beside the pool is a white flag. If you reach it, you win the game.”

“Got it,” Chloe said.

“But no one ever reaches the flag,” one of the nearby men said.

“Why?”

All around her couples exchanged lust-filled glances.

“Oh,” she whispered, understanding dawning. This wasn’t capture the flag, this was the werewolf version of foreplay. No one ever reached the flag because that wasn’t the objective of the game. Glancing around she realized there were no children present. This was definitely an adult pastime filled with only happy couples.

“Told you this wasn’t your kind of game,” Kieran whispered to her.

No, it wasn’t but how did she extricate herself without sending the message loud and clear that she didn’t want to have sex with their alpha in the woods?

“Witches are too weak for such activities,” Darrel said as she tried to puzzle out a solution. “You can wait with the younger wolves inside the main hall.”

She stiffened. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m merely stating fact,” he replied. “In a few minutes these woods will be filled with wolves. Do you really want to sprint through them?”

No, but there was no way she’d admit that to her biggest fan.

“No one here would hurt me. Kieran would eat them if they tried. Plus once I got my hands on them I’d turn them into something far less pleasant than a wolf.”

Good-natured laughter answered her words as Darrel’s frown deepened.

She spun to face Kieran, giving her back to the upset wolf. “Bet you I can reach the flag before you reach me. If I win, you escort me back to the main hall like a gentleman.”

It was a good plan. If she won the flag, the game was over, for her at least. No one would question why she’d then march out of the woods alone.

But the look in Kieran’s eyes was far from understanding. Heat snapped in his dark gaze as a slow smile curved his lips. “And if I win?”

She swallowed.

Reaching out, he caught her hips and pulled her close. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

Staring up into his hungry face, she realized she’d made a tactical error. Challenging him may have gotten Darrel off her back, but her taunt had been very public. His people would be expecting him to win.

And Kieran was not one to lose on purpose.

“Kieran,” she whispered in warning, for his ears only.

“Hush,” he said with a grin. “You should know better than to dare a wolf. We love to play with our mates.”

The words arced through her like lightning. Judging by his stunned expression, it’d caught him by surprise, too. Chloe didn’t need to turn her head to hear the whispers rippling through the crowd. No doubt Darrel would be glaring daggers at her.

Trying to cover his slip, she said, “I don’t know where the pool is and everyone else does. Aren’t I at a disadvantage? You could run straight there and lie in wait.”

“The pleasure comes from the chase,” one woman said to her. “He’s not going to cheat himself out of the best part, never fear.”

“All runners to the starting line,” Darrel called.

The crowd started to split up as she glanced at her partner.

“Go,” Kieran said, looking more like his old self. “I’m counting on you giving me a good chase.”

She tossed a few curls over her shoulder with a mock scoff. “The day a wolf can catch a witch is the day the sun rises in the west.”

Kate grinned at her as she tugged Chloe to the starting line. “Run to the left,” the girl whispered. “The pool is about a mile in, but trust me, it’ll be a long mile with a wolf like Kieran on your tail.”

Chloe nodded her thanks as she glanced around at her fellow runners. Though she’d expected the crowd to be all women, it appeared to be a mix of both sexes.

Dominance,
she realized. Whoever had the more submissive wolf in the relationship ran first, giving the stronger predators the chase their wolves craved.

“Who’s your partner?” Chloe whispered to Kate.

“Trevor asked me if I wanted to play tonight,” she replied with a shrug.

“Are you dating?”

Kate cast her a questioning look. “No.”

Chloe blinked, once again reminded of the difference between their races. Weres were so tactile that sex was more sport than love.

“On your mark,” Darrel called.

The frenzied energy picked up as the runners took their positions.

“Get set.”

She glanced back at Kieran to see his heated eyes on her.

“Go!”

She took off for the tree line, zipping around the people in her path. The dozen of those running had barely gone the length of the cabin when clothing started flying. Chloe jumped over a discarded blouse as the woman who had tossed it transformed into a wolf right before her. The sight nearly sent her tumbling to the ground. In a shimmer of light, the woman was replaced by a charcoal gray wolf that streaked past her at double the speed.

All around her the runners were transforming, jetting off into the woods. Kate cast her a happy wave before morphing to a small brown wolf.

Alone, Chloe crashed into the trees and realized that while the rest of the inhabitants of these woods could see in the dark, she was outmatched.

“Think, think, think,” she said. The clock was ticking down. Kieran would be after her soon.

“Light.” Snapping her fingers a small blob of light appeared. It bounced several feet in front of her, chasing back the gloom. Unfortunately for her, it would also be visible from a distance.

“Take me to water,” she whispered to the ball, adding a touch more magic.

The light hesitated for a moment before zipping off to the left. Not wasting any time, Chloe raced after her guide.

Luckily, the forest was clear enough that she didn’t have to battle through thick brush, but still, even pushing herself as fast as she could go, she’d never beat a determined werewolf.

Veering away from the light ball, she shrugged out of her hoodie and hid it under a pile of leaves. Hopefully the scent of it would draw her tracker away from her main path for a few precious minutes.

What she needed was a way of masking her scent, she thought as she ran back on track. Darrel was right about one thing. Her near human body had her at a disadvantage in chase games.

Movement raced by her right side, though a flash of white fur assured her it wasn’t Kieran. That glimpse of another wolf reminded her she was not alone out here—as did the happy yips and growls rising on the air, hinting that several of the couples had already given up the hunt for the white flag.

Not alone out here
. A smile curved her lips. Perfect.

Pausing long enough to concentrate, Chloe pressed her palms together as whispered words dripped from her lips. Magic surrounded her, coating her skin in a comforting mist as it twisted under her command. Slowly she drew her hands apart as the shimmering power took solid form.

Opening her eyes she grinned at the two identical versions of herself staring back at her. Though made of magic and not flesh, they would pass as her twins right down to her scent.

“Run,” she commanded them. “Don’t let Kieran catch you.”

Mute, her doubles nodded before dashing off in opposite directions, each with their own blob of light leading her. Let Kieran try to figure out how her scent trail had managed to break into three separate paths.

Triumph surged through her as she pressed onward. She might not be as fast as a wolf, but she was just as canny.

I
n wolf form, his other half was far stronger than normal. All it wanted to do was run straight after Chloe, to hell with giving her a fair head start.

She’s not like us,
Kieran tried to convince his wolf.
Give her a chance at least.

He padded through the forest moving with near silence. Large black paws instinctively avoided the twigs that would snap and the leaves that would rustle. After centuries of practice, he could be a deadly hunter when he wanted to be.

Lifting his nose, he inhaled the myriad of scents filling the air. There were those from the woods, those from the pack, and somewhere, one from a witch. As he walked he tried to unravel Chloe’s path. In his wolf form, every sense was heightened. He heard the scratching of a field mouse running for its hole. To him, the woods were not dark but lit with the type of light humans would see at twilight. It allowed him to see the cracked branches caused by someone fleeing. The breaks were too high to be caused by a wolf, which meant they had to have been hit by someone of mortal height.

Padding over to the tree, he inhaled deeply. Lavender and magic. Chloe.

He would have grinned if he could. Every good intention to give her a chance by chasing slowly dissolved. She’d wanted to play a hunting game. Time to learn what it meant to be prey.

His claws dug into the soft earth as he shot forward. Though he was fast in human form, it was no match for his wolf’s strength. Trees flew by as he raced through the underbrush, following Chloe’s unique scent.

The trail led him to a discarded hoodie.

Clever girl.
Pride swelled within him. She wouldn’t make it too easy on him. Just like an alpha female—when she was challenged, she played to win.

Too bad I have the advantage.
Leaving the hoodie behind, he backtracked until he caught her scent once more. Again he took off, racing after his witch. This time it wasn’t long at all until his keen eyes picked up the soft glow of a light source.

Got you
. Slowing his speed, he prowled through the brush. Sure enough, the tiny glowing blob of light bounced over a curly blonde head. Chloe glanced behind her, as if sensing her danger, before sprinting forward.

Giving into his wolf’s desire, Kieran raced after her at full speed. He jumped onto the path, seeing Chloe whirl to face him.

Her jaw dropped in shock as he launched himself at her, transforming in mid air so that human hands hit her shoulders.

Or would have if she’d been corporeal.

He fell through Chloe to hit the ground hard. Turning, Kieran caught a hint of a smile before the apparition vanished.

“Magic,” he breathed, laughter bubbling up within him. And he’d thought Chloe would be easy prey? More the fool him.

Transforming into his wolf self, he raced backward, trying to find the spot where Chloe’s scent had split into magical bodies. He was wasting time trying to decipher this riddle, just as she must have intended. One way or another, though, the witch was not going to best him.

The lavender left from her shampoo intensified, and he came to a halt. Sniffing the ground, he discovered three trails all leading in three different directions.

Clever, clever, clever.
If he chose the wrong path he wouldn’t have time to double back again before she reached the pool.