Reluctantly Lycan (Dakota Wolves Book 1)(19)

On most days, Kaden left the door unlocked. He'd trusted his pack and  there wasn't much he cared about going missing. No one else had lived  there besides him since his parents had met the moon. Wolves tended to  lose their clothing and along with it keys and wallets. Unexpected  shifts could be a real pain in the ass.

He tried the knob and exhaled a sigh of relief when he found it still  secure. His family was safe inside. He walked into the house, noticing  the light in the living room was on. Jak was sprawled out on his stomach  with one arm dangling off the couch. Carefully, not knowing what he was  doing, Kaden lifted Jak's arm and placed it in what he thought was a  comfortable position. Then he covered his son up with a quilt made  several generations ago by his great-grandmother. He briefly placed his  hand on Jak's head and smiled. It was strange and overwhelming to  suddenly be a father after hiding from his responsibilities for a  lifetime.                       
       
           



       

Marala sat in his recliner. The shotgun had been leaned against the wall  nearby. Mud still covered her, only now the smears were dried.

Kaden headed for the bathroom and started the bath. The village had come  a long way in regards to amenities even from the time of his youth.  Though the power was finicky, his pack had most conveniences people in  the city did. Though not having bubble bath or even body wash made him  frown. Bar soap would not make a suitably relaxing bath for his mate. He  grabbed the shampoo and squirted a large amount into the bath until  suds began to form.

He returned to the living room and picked Marala up out of the recliner.  At first, she appeared startled, so he whispered, "It's me."

She relaxed immediately when she heard him speak. "Did you find him?"

"No."

In the bathroom, Kaden lowered the toilet lid and placed her on it so he  could take off her dirty clothing. He tossed her shirt toward the  hamper. It landed in a small pile where his clothing had missed before.  He started to remove her necklace, but Marala clenched the paw pendant  in her palm and wouldn't let him. She looked down at her hand, tears  leaving streaks of mud along her cheeks.

"It's my fault," she said as he took her hand, standing her up to remove  the rest of her clothing. He scooped her up and sat her in the warm  bath water. It almost looked like a bubble bath and smelled fresh.

"Taylor came looking for you. You didn't ask him to. It's not your  fault." His tone wasn't particularly soothing, but firm. He undressed,  climbing into the tub behind her. It was an awkward fit at first. The  large man always showered instead. He was nearly too big for the  bathtub.

"Two people missing, Kade. What does it mean? How did it happen?"

Unsure about bathing a woman, he wet her hair. The water made it a  deeper shade of red. Then he filled his palm with shampoo and lathered  the locks. Gently, his fingertips massaged into her scalp.

"Tell me what you're thinking," she said, moving back a little, closer to him.

"I think we have a traitor. Either someone wants to out me as leader or  they want to destroy the pack." He rinsed her hair with fresh water from  the faucet as he spoke, trying to be careful. Though, if he hadn't  broken her during sex, he figured she could certainly survive a bath.

"That's hard to believe, but I have been gone a long time. I can see things have changed."

"Yes, as pack leader I have been a failure."

"No, Kade. I didn't mean it like that!" She started to apologize further, but he shushed her.

"Stop." He used a cloth to wash along her shoulders and neck, down her  arms. The man didn't own a loofa either. He made a mental note to take  her shopping after life returned to normal. If it returned to normal.  "I'll make the pack whole again. To do that, I've broken it apart."

Marala lightly rested her hands on his legs. "How?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning in to hold her. "I disbanded the high pack."

Her gasp was audible. He could feel her stomach suck in at the shock of his words. "Kaden … ."

"I know, but it had to be done. I don't trust them." His chin rested  against her shoulder. "After you and I finish with the bonding at the  full moon, fights for rank will be held. Maybe it'll help me figure out  who's doing the kidnappings."

"I hope so." She hesitated. "About the bonding … ."

Kaden released her from his embrace and leaned back, dreading her words. "You've changed your mind."

"No, no. Not at all, but I don't want a big ritual or anything. Just us,  in this house. It's not right with everything that's happened to make a  huge celebration so soon."

"You're right. That's fine." He relaxed again. "I don't want you or Jak  leaving the house without me. Don't open the door for any wolves."

"I want to help, Kaden."

"Unacceptable. Please obey me with this one thing and I'll try never to  ask again. For all I know, Nashoba or Levi could be the culprit."

Marala bowed her head. "I'll do as you ask, but this will not become a habit. I'm only obeying because I need to protect Jak."

Kaden ran his strong, calloused hands up her back and massaged her  shoulders, easing some of the tension away. Running around on all fours  was not only hard on the paws, but the hands as well. "We will," he  promised.





12


Marala awoke and reached out to squeeze Kaden in an embrace, but he was  far too soft. With a groan, she opened her eyes to see the large pillow  in her arms. She propped herself up on her elbow and thought about the  night before. So much had happened.                       
       
           



       

Making love with him again had been one of the best moments of her life.  She didn't want to know where he learned all those moves, but she was  glad he knew them. The smile on her face faded when she thought about  Taylor. While she was out being ravaged in the woods, someone had taken  him. The guy was crazy and unpredictable, but she regretted the  unwitting part she'd played in his disappearance.

She slipped out of bed and opened one of the Hefty sacks holding her  unpacked clothing. After rummaging around for a minute, she found all  the apparel needed for the day and carried the clothes over to the  dresser. The surface was cluttered with Kaden's possessions. It was a  man's mess, through and through. She extended her arm and raked the  items aside far enough to make a place to set her clothing. A  half-filled can of soda toppled off and began leaking onto the hardwood  floor.

"Shit … ." She grabbed a roll of toilet paper sitting on the dresser next  to a bottle of lotion. It wasn't hard to guess what those supplies were  for. Using the tissue paper, she dried up the spill and sighed. The  place needed a womanly touch.

She poured the rest of the soda that hadn't spilled into the bathroom  sink and tossed the can in the trash. Her eyes went to the bathtub. At  least that much was clean since he'd bathed her last night. She closed  her eyes, remembering his caring touch. Kaden wasn't the monster she'd  told herself he was for so many years. Nowhere close.

She shook herself from her thoughts and went back into the bedroom to  dress. She lifted her hair, examining the scar on her shoulder. The mark  had been a badge of shame for so long, now it filled her with pride  once again. This had her thinking about the bonding.

Bonding was one of the most sacred and respected ceremonies in wolf  society. The most important to a she-wolf. A female lycan reached  maturity at her eighteenth birthday, but unlike the males, girls did not  shift automatically at the full moon. The tradition was a bit different  for her since she'd been promised to Kaden on the day of her birth. The  basics still held true, though.

During a full moon, male wolves release a bonding pheromone when they  ejaculate. This signal tells the female's body she's ready for the first  shift and she will go through the transition. After the transformation,  she can go from human to wolf form at will.

Marala couldn't believe after all these years she would be experiencing  it. No wine and cigarettes this time. Hopefully never again. The promise  of relief from the anxiety of needing to go through the shift  overwhelmed her fear of it.

She finished dressing and cleaned up the room for about an hour before  exiting it. It had taken longer than expected. Jak was still sound  asleep on the couch. A quilt had been kicked off him onto the floor, the  corner the only part hanging over his foot.

"Jak."

No indication he'd heard her.

"Jak!" she said louder and he groaned. "Get up and help me clean. It's nearly noon."