Primal Heat(Wild Lake Wolves Book 3)(30)

I nodded and Bas pulled me into an embrace. Heat flared through me,  burning hottest at the new mark at the base of my neck. I felt Bas's  heart slow as he kissed the top of my head. He hadn't lied; my desire to  be with him felt even stronger. I hoped the trip up to Kane's pack  lands wouldn't take very long. Sensing my urgent needs, Bas hooked a  finger under my chin and tilted my head toward his.

"I know. I feel it too. I promise I'll find time for us in a couple of hours. And hopefully, this will be a quick trip anyway."

I smiled and swatted his rear end. Then, he lifted me with strong hands  at my waist and delivered me into the helicopter. He gave a wave then  dropped back, joining the rest of the pack near the tree line. They  waited until Callum got airborne, then they shifted and burst through  the trees. Once again, Seth's wolf took the lead and Bas took up the  rear.

We flew up and over the towering pines, leaving Wild Lake behind. The  wolves moved swiftly, not stopping for game or any other diversion this  time. We made quick time and reached the northern point in less than an  hour. Callum brought the bird down on a helipad next to a small  airstrip.

"The pack will catch up with us in about an hour," Callum said. "We're going to drive up to Kane's by Jeep."

While Callum made his post-flight checks, I scrambled out of the vehicle  and helped Pat down. She pointed to a small hangar and moved with that  same alarming speed and purpose that belied her size and age. She  whistled to Callum and he tossed her a set of keys. She caught them  one-handed and led me into the hangar. Sure enough, a shiny, black Jeep  Wrangler waited for us.

Pat scrambled in while I took the passenger seat. She drove back out to  the helicopter just as Callum seemed ready to go. He climbed into the  back, and we headed out. Pat took a strip of highway off the airfield.  Then, she turned down a gravel road, following signs for state lands.  Open fields gave way to dense woods, and the gravel beneath us turned to  dirt. Then, the dirt gave way to little more than beaten down grass as  Pat went deeper into the woods, maneuvering the Jeep with speed and  skill over the rough terrain.

Finally, we came to a stop just outside a state park outpost. A carved  wooden sign swung from a large log cabin, and the letters soldered into  it read "Pine Crest State Park."

"Kane's pack runs the ranger station up here," she explained. "Of all the Wild Lake packs, they keep to themselves the most."                       
       
           



       

"He's kind of an asshole, if you ask me," Callum offered.

"Yeah. Well, we're about to see how much of one he is."

"Sit tight, ladies," Callum said as he climbed out of the back seat.  "Lemme see if Kane's in a welcoming mood today. Bas and the others ought  to be here any minute."

Pat sighed and pressed her back into her seat. "I don't like this."

The air around us seemed to crackle with an energy I didn't like either.  Closing my eyes, I reached out for Bas, testing our new connection. I  felt him, his pulse beating strong and steady, but faster than before.  He was keyed up. Hostile.

Pat put a hand on my arm. "They always get like that when they get close to another Alpha," she said.

"You feel it too?"

Pat smiled. "A little. But I've also been around them long enough to know."

"What about you? Did you have someone like Bas?"

She smoothed an errant gray curl behind her ear and looked off toward  the woods. "Oh, yeah. A couple of them, actually. And my son's were.  That's how I know what the marking feels like. And how I recognized you  for what you were the second I saw you."

"What I am?"

"Bas's fated mate. It must have been a tense few minutes when he first  laid eyes on you. I'm surprised he managed to control himself."

A blush heated my cheeks, and Pat laughed kindly when she saw it. "You  could say that," I answered. "It was in the middle of Congressman  Foster's office with Dale Thorp standing between us."

"Well, shit. So that fucker has been trying to use you against Bas from  the very beginning. I think one ass kicking isn't going to be enough for  dear old Dale."

"It appears so."

"Well, here they come. Bas isn't one to mince words. Now, I'm going to  warn you. When Kane shows himself, don't be surprised if it sets your  blood humming a little bit."

"What do you mean?"

Pat narrowed her eyes. To the west of us, around a group of cabins, Bas  and the others came through the trees, loping slowly but with their  tails up and their ears pricked. Pat leaned across the back seat and  pulled out a plastic bag. Before we left, we'd packed clothes for Bas,  Alec, and Seth.

"Hold that thought. And stay put." She unbuckled her seatbelt and exited  the Jeep. As Bas's red wolf, Alec's white, and Seth's gray approached  her, she set down the clothes and came back to the car. Bas and the  others shifted and dressed. He shot me a quick wink that sent a thrill  to me, then they went around the cabins while the rest of the pack  disappeared back into the woods. They were close, though. Along with  Bas's presence, I was starting to sense them too.

"What do you mean about Kane?" I asked Pat as she settled herself back into the driver's seat.

"Oh. He's an Alpha, honey. You're an Alpha's mate. It's gonna make you  feel drawn to other Alphas now too. It's nothing to worry about. It's  just a kind of hyperawareness. It's just some evolutionary throwback. If  anything ever happened to your Alpha, you'd be naturally drawn to the  next strongest wolf around."

A pit formed in my stomach, and fear clawed through me. If anything ever  happened to Bas, my God. Pat put a steadying hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, honey. Bas is one of the toughest Alphas I've ever seen. And  I've seen generations of them. Not many others could lead a pack as  large as his. Kane's not going to try anything."

"I think I know what you mean, though. About different wolves making me  feel different things. Like Dale. From the beginning, Bas attracted me  like a magnet, but Dale repels me. They're like opposite poles."

"Expect that to get even more sensitive for you."

"Alec feels different too," I said without even thinking. But it was  true. Next to Bas, I seemed able to sense him stronger than the other  members of the pack.

Pat's mouth formed a grim line as she looked toward the woods. Had I  said something wrong? My own face must have transmitted my thoughts  because Pat reached over and patted my knee. "Don't worry about it,  honey. Bas and Alec can sort that all out."

She kept talking, but Pat's voice seemed to recede to a distance,  replaced by a familiar hum in my ears as Bas came back around the cabin.  Alec and Seth were with him, but they weren't alone. Two large men came  with him.

Kane.

Pat had just warned me, but I still wasn't prepared for the sensation I  felt. My pulse jumped and the air left my lungs. Nearly Bas's size, Kane  Matthews had thick, dark hair, cold, gray eyes, and legs as thick as  tree trunks. He looked like a straight-up lumberjack with a full beard  and muscled forearms. I sank into my seat, but Kane tilted his head,  sniffing the air. Then, he slowly turned his head and focused his gaze  right at me. His silver eyes went briefly dark than swirled and flashed,  his wolf rising almost violently to the surface.                       
       
           



       

Bas moved. He put his body between Kane's and the Jeep, blocking his  view of me. He put his hands on Kane's shoulders and shoved him backward  hard. Fear speared through me. The two Alphas squared off; the instinct  to kill churned inside of Bas, making beads of sweat trickle down my  back.

"Take it easy, boys," Pat whispered.

Alec put a hand on Bas's shoulder. Kane's man did the same. Then, the  moment passed. Bas took a step back. Bas's eyes went human again, and  they picked up their conversation as if nothing had ever happened.

"Glad they got that outta the way," Pat said as she unlatched her door.  "Now let's see what other trouble those boys are trying to get into."

I hesitated before opening the door, but Pat seemed sure. I walked with her up the wooded trail and met Bas on the cabin porch.

"Abby, this is Kane Matthews," Bas said, through tight lips. When I  brought my hand up to shake Kane's, Bas put a hand on my shoulder,  stopping me. He didn't want me touching another Alpha even that much.

Kane loomed over me, his mouth lifted into a half smile, and he dipped his head in greeting.

"Good to meet you," he said. "Pat, you're looking well." Kane took a  step forward and hugged Pat. She stiffened and narrowed her eyes at him,  but didn't pull away.