“Bass!”
He answered by pressing a cold wolf nose against her leg.
“Fine!” she snapped, carefully putting her coat on top of his clothes so it wouldn’t get dirty. The rest of her clothes followed. Right, Kat, easy peasy, you’re a shifter, changing should be a piece of cake.
Bass barked at her.
“Okay, okay, grumpy wolf!”
She closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and pictured her wolf. The pain wasn’t so bad. She bit her lip as she collapsed onto her knees, and seconds later, took a step forward on wolf paws.
Bass had been right. She felt instantly better. It wasn’t that the pain and grief she felt had gone; rather, it dulled. It was as if the wolf couldn’t process her feelings, making them easier to deal with. Bass took off at a steady run. Following him, Katarina marveled at the simple pleasure of feeling the wind weave through her fur, and the feel of dirt between her paws. They couldn’t run very far; the crop of woods wasn’t large and they easily covered the length of it in minutes, but it was enough. Twenty minutes of leisurely running backward and forward between the trees helped Katalina cope with her emotions better.
“Feel better?” Bass asked as he slung his coat on.
Katalina turned, now fully dressed, to face him. “Yes, but I’m ready to go home now.”
“As you wish, my Queen,” he replied with a devilish smile and a bow.
“Stop, with the queen, Bass,” she said, hitting him playfully on the arm.
Bass stopped suddenly, dragging her into his arms. He dipped her low, whispering, “Why? You are the ruler of my heart, Katalina Winter. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. No line I wouldn’t cross. You are mine. The soul mate for both my halves.” He kissed her hard and fast.
Katalina shook her head, clearing the desire fogging in her mind. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re even real. People don’t talk like that in the real world.”
“Why do you want to live in this ‘real world’ then, Kat? Come with me into the world of wolves and soul mates.” He spoke in a joking tone, but she could tell by the look in his eyes, he was deadly serious, and it scared her. She wasn’t afraid that he may lead her into another life; rather, she was worried that she’d want this new life too much and forget she’d once lived as if human.
Katalina searched for something meaningful to say. ‘I love you’ just didn’t seem to do Bass justice, but before she could open her mouth, she found herself twisted around, air whipping past her as Bass spun her behind him with a savage growl.
“Bass?” Katalina gasped.
“Someone is stalking us. Stay behind me, Katalina.”
Katalina scanned the trees, her heart kicking up a gear when she imagined Jackson and the enforcers racing from the trees and taking her away. But it wasn’t Jackson who appeared. It was Cage, his hands held up, in a submissive gesture.
“I just want to talk,” he said in a soft voice.
“How can I trust you?” Katalina asked, placing her hand on Bass’s shoulder, hoping to calm him.
Cage actually looked hurt. “I guess I deserve that. The last few days I’ve not been very kind to you.”
Katalina didn’t confirm it. There was no need.
“But, please, Kat, I’ve come to warn you and to apologize. Can we talk? Alone?”
“She’s not going anywhere with you!” Bass growled, still not moving from his defensive stance.
“Please,” Cage begged.
“Talk, Cage, whatever you’ve come to say can be said in front of Bass.”
Cage took a step forward, a small smile of relief on his lips. “Okay.”
“Stay where you are!” Bass ground out.
“Bass, he’s hardly going to attack me in broad daylight, with you beside me. I’m sure he can come closer.”
“As you wish.” Bass took a small step, putting himself beside Katalina, but his eyes never left Cage.
“I’m sorry, Kat, okay? I’ve really messed up. All I ever wanted was to protect you, and I went along with Jackson, not because I thought he was right, but because I didn’t want to go against my alpha. I see now that was a big mistake.”
“I thought you were my friend, Cage, but you treated me as a prisoner, just like him.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I came to make it up to you, to warn you. I’ve gone against your father’s wishes to do this, Kat. Even now my wolf is pacing.”
“Warn me, about what?” she asked, feeling on edge.
“Jackson’s…he’s…he’s sent his enforcers to bring you back, three of them. They’re to snatch you when you’re alone.” He spoke the sentence in one big rush as if it pained him to tell her.