The Mating(9)

Elise quickened her pace, curious to test the limits of the wolf behind her. Within seconds, he had adjusted his pace to hers, the distance between them remaining constant. Again and again she tested him, running faster and faster yet he never once fell behind nor attempted to overtake her. He was toying with her. Vexed, she veered off the path heading for rougher terrain. Barrelling over a crest, she headed down a slope, her claws digging into the soil as she sought to gain traction on the slippery, leaf covered ground. At the bottom, a stream meandered along and she splashed across it, before charging up the bank. Her breathing was ragged now, but she wasn’t about to give in. Intent on jumping over a pile of brush ahead of her, she put on a final burst of speed.

Without warning she found herself knocked to the ground and began to fight the assailant. Snapping and rolling, she kept trying to evade her attacker but to no avail. Within moments Kane had pinned her to the ground, his teeth lightly gripping her throat. Instinctively, she froze and whimpered in submission. Kane held on for a moment longer then let go and sat back.

As one, they phased into human form. Kane was breathing a bit faster than normal, but he didn’t appear spent. On the other hand, her own chest was heaving as she pulled oxygen in to nourish her starving lungs and protesting muscles.

“Why did you do that?” She panted.

“There’s a leg trap directly ahead of you. A few more yards and you would have stepped in it.”

Elise turned and scanned the area ahead of her. Sure enough, barely visible in the carpet of leaves was a steel trap. She thought of her mother, shot to death with her leg caught in such a device. A shudder passed over her.

“Just this morning, scouts reported that more poachers had been seen in the area. We’re near the edge of the property so I was on the lookout. Rest here for a minute. I’m going to spring that one and then see what else I can find.”

“I’m coming with you.” She stood, lifting her chin defiantly when it appeared that he’d have her remain where she was.

“Fine, but stay behind me.” Kane gave her a warning look before searching for a sturdy stick and carefully pressing it against the trigger of the trap. It was an older model, with sharp metal teeth designed to dig into the flesh of any creature unfortunate enough to step in it. Elise jumped as the trap sprang shut, snapping the stick in two. She swallowed hard, thinking of how painful it would have been to have her leg caught in such a device.

For another half hour they scoured the edge of the property, discovering four more traps before Kane was satisfied that none remained. “We’ll report this to your father when we return and he can send another set of scouts out to check.” He had gathered the traps into a pile and marked the location so that they could be collected later. Traps were never sprung and then left behind. The hunters would just reset them. At least this way the humans would be out money and time since they’d have to purchase new ones.

“Thank you.” Elise touched Kane’s arm as he stood up after hiding the traps under some brush.

“For what?”

“For stopping me. I could have snapped a bone if I’d stepped in one of those.”

“I’m your Alpha now. It’s my job to watch out for everyone in the pack, but especially you. As my mate, you’re the most important member to me.” He stared at her intently and she flushed.

“Yes, but I should have been watching more carefully where I was going. I know these woods. I...I wasn’t paying attention.”

“What were you thinking about instead?”

She hesitated before answering. “You, or to be more precise, I guess I was testing you to see if you’d keep up.”

A crooked smile appeared on his face and he reached out, cupping the back of her head and drawing her in for a quick kiss. “Rest assured, Elise, no matter what you dish out, I will keep up with you.” Somehow, she knew he was speaking the truth.

They shifted back into wolf form and this time Elise followed as Kane led the way to the edge of the woods. When they arrived at the cabin, she headed for the bathroom while he went to the house to tell her father about the traps.

The run had left her hot and sweaty and she couldn’t wait to be clean. Leaving her clothes on the bedroom floor, she padded naked into the bathroom and turned on the water, adjusting the flow and temperature. As the water cascaded down on her, she pondered the morning’s events. Kane had been polite to her, even kind. He’d saved her from severe injury in a leg trap and while he’d been a bit bossy, telling her to follow behind, she couldn’t really fault him. As Alpha, he needed a take charge attitude.