Chapter 2

Arik couldn't take his eyes off of her. He'd heard someone was staying at the Connor cabin and intended to do a little snooping when he had departed his own cabin early that morning. The Connors had been trusted friends of the loup garou wolf pack that inhabited the remote mountain range and he knew it was unlikely they would allow anyone who might be a threat to his pack to stay in their cabin but he still had to be sure. He wanted to judge this newcomer himself before the others got wind of an unknown human living on the mountain.

Many in his pack were very traditional and set in their ways and as a result were prone to react without thinking, especially when it came to humans, and such actions always brought unwanted attention from the very humans they were constantly trying to avoid. Most of them, anyway. Not all of the pack clung to the Old Ways.

He was up before anyone else stirred and was at the cabin in time to see the stranger depart for the lake, assuming that was her destination given the direction she walked in and the towel she carried. He had noticed all she wore was a thin robe as well. Noticed it quite intently actually. It was far too easy to let his thoughts linger over what she looked like without the robe.

He was silent in the woods, a predator in his natural habitat, and his eyes never strayed from her softly swaying hips as he shadowed her path to the lake, hidden by the trees and brush on either side of the narrow trail. When they arrived at the lake he began to ease his way through the trees that bordered the clearing until he was positioned across the way from her, his view completely unhindered. He settled himself behind a tree with a lot of underbrush to shield him while he watch through the leaves and turning his attention back to the woman his eyes locked on her just as she let the robe slide from her arms to reveal that he had been right, she was naked beneath the thin silk.

He remained crouched where he was, transfixed by the sight before him as she stepped to the edge of the lake and tilted her head back to greet the sun, golden skin picking up the shining light and seeming to glow before his very eyes. The moment had him spellbound until he made a mistake even the clumsiest cub could avoid; he stepped on a twig that broke so loudly he was sure they had heard it back on the mountain. She definitely heard it and going as still as the forest around him he watched as she searched the tree line for the source of the sound, the moment growing tense as the minutes stretched between them.

Eventually he saw the tension slowly drain from her body, her inspection seeming to assure her she was alone or at least in no immediate danger, and she dove into the lake, his own posture relaxing as she disappeared beneath the surface of the water. He knew how cold the lake could be, even this time of year, and wasn't surprised by the gasp he heard when she surfaced from the water. He couldn't seem to tear his gaze from her lithe body as she swam laps across the lake and was still watching, transfixed, when she rolled onto her back and began to float.

Instantly he felt his cock harden in the faded denim that encased his legs until it throbbed painfully. As he watched her hands begin to tentatively caress her body he could feel hunger rising within him, fast and heated, the wolf demanding that he move forward, make his presence known, and claim the woman they both lusted after. Would he have done what the wolf demanded? His control was usually iron clad but he was beginning to doubt his ability to resist the sight of her when he saw his left hand curl into the the tree next to him. His nails had become claws digging into the bark while the woman only a few feet away remained oblivious to just how close she was to becoming prey. He didn't want to hurt her though, quite the contrary in fact. The things he wanted to do to her centered around screams of pleasure, not pain.

Pale blue eyes took on a predatory glint as he watched her fingertips begin to caress her body, stroking skin he longed to touch, teasing flesh he just knew would become rosy when flush with passion. The sudden craving for her was overwhelming and when it seemed she would touch herself in the most intimate manner possible he made yet another rookie mistake. He moved without thinking around the tree and into the brush that had been hiding him, his actions causing an incriminating rustling of the once protective foliage.

He knew the exact moment that his mistake registered to him. Just as he realized how much noise he had made he saw her jerk in the water, sinking beneath the silvery surface of the lake to shield her nudity from whomever made the noise and may be spying on her. Preternatural speed gave him an advantage luckily and he was back behind the tree before she could resurface. Hearing the splashing that indicated she was swimming hell bent for shore he told himself to leave, to go the other way and head back to the pack's lands, to his own cabin and forget about her. Just as soon as the thought surfaced it was discarded. Irrational though it may be, he knew he had to see her, get closer to her ... touch her.

Risking a glance around the tree just as she reached the shore he took advantage of the fact that her back was turned to his location and took off like a shot, running through the trees with a grace and speed that easily betrayed the fact he was not human. He managed to reach the path that would lead her back to the Connor cabin before she did and quickly he slipped the pants and shirt he wore from his body to leave him fully nude. Rolling the clothing into a bundle he stashed them in an old hollowed out tree and silently he prayed the woodland creatures would not find the items and turn them into a nest of some sort, though as they smelled heavily of lycan he doubted it would be appealing to any of them.

The moment his clothing was stowed away he began to shift, the shimmering mist that heralded the magic of the change swirling around him as his body shifted, forcing the figure of the man into the guise of the wolf. When the transformation was complete a large white timber wolf stood in the place of the man he had been only moments before. Moving out into the road he waited for her to reach him.

He did not have long to wait as only a few seconds later she was rounding the bend and coming to an abrupt halt at the sight of him. He could sense that she was afraid of him and on impulse he did something that as an alpha wolf he would never do, he lowered himself down to his front paws in a gesture of submission and gave a little whine to show he meant her no harm. It was unthinkable that a wolf of his stature should show such subservient behavior but he didn't want her to fear him. In either form.

It worked and soon he was walking at her side as she led the way back to the cabin. He was familiar with the Connor cabin having been friends of the family for years, their son Caleb especially, and was comfortable enough following her in though she graciously left the door open for him should the "wolf" need time to adjust to the confined space. She was adapting to the presence of a wolf quite well and it only served to intrigue him further. The cabin had been built for weekend retreats and hunting expeditions though it was an ongoing joke between Arik and Caleb that his family was secretly preparing for the apocalypse. Fully self contained the main body of the cabin consisted of a large open room with the kitchen to the right, the large double bed, two chests of drawers, and an armoir to the left. In the center of the room was the sitting area, a couch and two armchairs situated around the hearth which was located directly across from the front door. A door to the right of the fireplace opened into the bathroom, the shared wall between the bathroom and the fireplace ensuring proper heating of the bathroom. A structure built onto the back of the cabin and just a little apart held the generators which allowed for hot water and refrigeration as well as a fortified supply room holding food, candles, lamp fluid, anything the occupants might need.

He watched her move around the large room as she gathered her clothing in preparation of taking shower. As his eyes lingered over the body he had seen in all it's natural glory only a half hour before he wondered about this woman. Had Caleb mentioned her before? Why was she here? Who was she to Caleb? He doubted they were lovers. Caleb was married and so devoted to his mate you would think he was a wolf. He wondered what her story was and cursed the fact that he was in wolf form and had no means of asking her without freaking her out.

She paused at the doorway to the bathroom to look back at him, a hesitant smile on her lips as she spoke, as if mentally castigating herself for speaking to an animal as if he would understand her. "I'm going to take a shower, Wolfie. I'll be really quick so please don't panic if you can't get out. I promise I won't trap you here."

Of course he understood her perfectly and he gave a soft yip in response as if trying to reassure her that he would be fine in her absence. Her gaze grew quizzical, unsure, as if she were truly wondering if he understood her but she soon gave her head a shake and retreated behind the bathroom door, closing it firmly behind her, but not before he heard her mutter to herself, "You're losing your mind Sadira ... he doesn't understand you, at least not on that level."

Sadira. Her name was Sadira. Vaguely he recalled Caleb mentioning her long long ago, the girl was like a sister to him if he recalled correctly and that knowledge went a long way towards easing his mind about her intentions on the mountain. The sound of the water started and the mental image of her disrobing and stepping into the spray of warm water tormented him. The only thing separating them was a flimsy piece of wood, a door that wasn't even locked, and still he could not reach out and touch her. Without thinking he allowed himself to transform again, back into the body of a man, and before he knew what he had intended he was at the bathroom door, his hand on the doorknob. The change in the water pattern made it clear when she stepped into the shower and after several heartbeats he slowly turned the knob and eased the door open a few inches.

Though he longed to push the door open and pull her into his arms he managed to refrain from doing so only by the knowledge that she would be terrified and that was the last emotion he wished to instill in her. He contented himself with letting his eyes pass over what was visible of her lush figure, the shower curtain hanging in the large claw footed bathtub only partially obscuring his view. The water cascaded over her and for the second time that day he felt his cock harden with need for this woman.

It was when she turned her back fully to him that he finally noticed the tattoo's at the base of her spine. Two wolf paw prints had been inked into her skin on either side of her spine, as if marking the place for his hands to grip her body and pull her back into him. The image filled his mind unbidden and as he fixed his hungry stare on those paw prints he couldn't seem to stop the low moan that escaped the confines of his lips.

Instantly he realized his mistake and backed quickly away from the door. He had pulled it closed as he moved but in his haste it had not latched completely. There was no time to fix it as he could hear her moving about in the bathroom. She'd heard the noise and it had alarmed her, he could smell the fear that had claimed her instantly and he wondered at the source of it because instinctively he knew it wasn't just the random sound. Hearing an unusual noise might cause someone to feel the need to inspect but it was no cause for the instant panic he could sense within her now.

Quickly he changed back into wolf form though he knew he would need to be careful with such a thing lest he grow fatigued and be incapable of maintaining one form. The last thing he wished was to shift in front of her and cause her to fear the man he would become. The shift had just completed, the magic of it still hanging thick in the air, when she appeared at the door to the bathroom, eyes reflecting her fear searching the cabin for the source of the noise and finding only her new wolf companion.

"I know I heard a sound ... and the door wasn't latched ... I'm not losing my mind ... am I?"

Whether she was speaking to herself or to "Wolfie" he wasn't sure but he knew he didn't wish to see that look of distress on her beautiful face so he padded softly to her side and nuzzled at her hand, the action one of reassurance that she wasn't alone, wasn't unprotected, if nothing else. After a few moments she began to calm, her shaky laughter breaking the tense silence as she finally left the bathroom doorway.