Chapter 8
TORIN
He couldn’t get the taste of her out of his mind. Sweet cherries with a snap of spice. The mere memory of how she melted into their kiss, the soft curves of her body pliant against his, was enough to get him hard.
Over the next week, he found a multitude of excuses to hang around the area of the cottage she was staying in, telling himself he was only checking to make sure she wasn’t doing anything untoward.
He made sure she saw him, too, especially when he was in wolf form.
She was utterly unintimidated by his magnificent wolfy self, even when he flashed very sharp teeth in her direction.
Whenever she spotted him, she gave him a sassy wave and called out a cheerful greeting.
And damned if he didn’t like it despite himself. The annoying woman was growing on him.
So far, she was following his orders to stay out of pack affairs and keep to her side of the grounds, though he didn’t expect that agreeability to last long.
With so many shifters arriving for the highland games and setting up camp in the meadow, it was only a matter of time before her innate human curiosity overcame common sense.
He needed to be there to protect her and to stop her from doing anything that might upset the fragile balance between the visiting packs.
The annual games were a chance for shifters to mingle, find a mate, and blow off steam, all in the spirit of competition and community.
But wolf shifters were a passionate bunch, and tensions ran high, especially with so many gathered in a relatively small area.
Throw in an outsider who didn’t understand the vagaries of shifter life, and a friendly event like the games could easily turn into a lit powder keg in a beat. He couldn’t let that happen.
As he finished his sweep, the sun dipped behind the mountains, painting the sky in deep pinks, oranges, and golds; the warm glow reflecting off the surface of Loch Craig.
His packmates had already set up the large white tent that would host the performers and the evening ceilidh.
Vendor areas were staked off around the edge of the meadow, and a marked path wound down the slope to the heavy athletics by the lake.
Opposite the big tent, the last of the stages were going up for the dancers.
At the center of it all were the circles for the piping competitions.
Tomorrow, the air would be filled with the sound of pipe bands and Celtic music.
On silent paws, he loped over the freshly mown meadow, checking that everyone camping near the lake was settling in.
He gave the Alpha of one of the Lowland packs a nod, his nose twitching as he cataloged the scents of their visitors, adding them to his internal index before leaving the grounds of the games behind.
Cutting through the estate’s extensive gardens, he caught the faint smell of cherry and spice.
His lip curled, his teeth flashing in the creeping dusk.
She might be growing on him, but his mate was pushing the boundaries he’d very firmly set.
Why was she so bloody frustrating? Was it really that hard to remain on her side of the grounds?
There was more than enough room for her to explore the beauty of the Highlands without venturing close to where all the activity was.
He sneezed to clear his nose and set off, following her trail.
She’d taken a circuitous route through the main gardens, past the messy, weed-filled beds he kept meaning to have restored, and all around the castle itself.
Dammit, he thought, why can’t she just stay put?
And is that Bryn’s scent mixing with Sophie’s?
He let out an irritated growl. It was as if the women in his life were conspiring against him.
He took off towards the cottage with ground-eating strides, frustration driving him. This was why he didn’t trust humans. They couldn’t even follow the simplest of instructions. He’d told her not to interfere.
At the same time, he enjoyed smelling her around his territory. It made his inner wolf happy that she was making herself at home.
As he approached the cottage, a foul scent stopped him in his tracks. He lifted his nose, breathing deeply. A human male. An unwelcome outsider. He snarled. In his territory? Did Sophie bring him here? Hot rage flashed through him, and his hackles rose. She wouldn’t dare.
Fury riding him, he shifted to human faster than he ever had before and threw on a pair of black track pants he’d stashed in the cottage’s mailbox.
A folded piece of paper with Sophie’s name written in messy handwriting fluttered to the ground.
It stank of the male intruder. He scooped it up and jammed it into his pocket.
Storming up to the stone walkway, he pounded a fist on the front door. “Sophie,” he barked, trying to tamp down the urge to break down the door and shake her until she came to her senses. And then kiss her afterwards, so he could taste those sweet lips of hers again.
He’d just lifted his foot when the door swung open.
“You bellowed?” she asked, arching a dainty eyebrow.
She was so lovely, his heart skipped a beat.
Her long red hair was piled up in a messy bun, a pair of bright blue glasses perched on her nose.
She wore loose pale purple sleep pants, thick pink socks, and a white long-sleeved shirt that cupped her breasts and clung to her curves.
She wasn’t wearing a bra, and her nipples pebbled in the cool evening air.
His mouth dried out.
Noting the direction of his gaze, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stern look. “Why are you here, Torin?”
A light breeze brought the stench of unwelcome male to his nose again, and he saw red. “Where is he?” he growled, slapping a hand against the door and pushing it the rest of the way open, his gaze sweeping the interior.
“Who are you talking about?”
“The male you have here,” he said, his hands clenching as he imagined them around that unknown human’s neck.
She reared back, her fists going to her hips. “Stop growling at me, you big jerk. There’s no one here but me. Why would you think I would have a guy here, anyway?”
“Don’t lie to me. I can smell him, Sophie.” He brushed past her and entered the house, sniffing as he prowled through the space. “There’s no one here.”
“I told you that,” she said with a very wolf-like snarl. “And you can’t just come barging in here all loud and snarly and accuse me of having a guest, male or otherwise.”
“Of course I can. It’s my house.”
She growled at him.
Smart wolf that he was, he swallowed the laugh that threatened to erupt.
She was so damned adorable when she was irritated.
He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, to sweep her into his arms and carry her off to his bed.
But first, he needed to get to the bottom of the mysterious scent.
The male wasn’t with her, but he’d been skulking around the territory, around his mate.
“On my nightly patrol, I caught the scent of an unknown human male near the wall surrounding the cottage.”
The sparkle in her eyes snuffed out. She licked her lips. “Did you see him?” she asked in a quiet voice.
His instincts went into overdrive at the scent of her fear. “Why? Is this someone you know?” He pulled the crumpled paper out of his pocket. “Is that why he’s sending you notes?”
All the color drained out of her face. Her hand trembled as she took the note and read it. She sucked in a breath, balling the paper up in her fist. “He’s here,” she whispered. She took a stumbling step and sank onto the floral print couch nestled under a square-paned window.
Her sudden change in demeanor shocked the hell out of him. His inner wolf snarled and snapped at the waves of fear coming off her. “Sophie?” he said, dropping to a knee in front of her so he could see her face. “What’s wrong?”
She swallowed hard, her bright blue eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears.
“Part of the reason I came here… well, most of the reason, actually, is that I have a stalker back home. One who likes to leave me dead plants and creepy notes. My friends were worried he’d escalate and convinced me that taking some time away from Stonyburn might help diffuse the whole situation.
But it looks like he followed me here.” A tear fell on the paper clenched in her fist.
“What about your local police?” he asked, putting a hand over hers, gently stroking her fingers until she released the note.
He scanned it. ‘You left without saying goodbye. I can’t allow that,’ it read.
His hackles raised, a ball of fury forming in his chest. How dare someone terrorize his mate.
When he found them, he would rip them to tiny pieces and scatter them across the mountains surrounding Wolfcraig. No one would ever bother her again.
“The cops were pretty much useless. Told me to change my locks. So I left. Came here.” She looked at him with those stunning eyes of hers. “It was supposed to be safe here.”
That did it. “My territory will always be safe for you. I will make certain of it.” He stood, his body vibrating with the overwhelming need to protect his mate, to keep her safe from all threats. “You’re moving into the castle.”
“What? No, that’s not necessary. Also a bit extreme, don’t you think?” She tugged her hand free of his grip and wrapped her arms around her waist, holding herself tightly. “You don’t want me here, much less in your home.”
He wanted to gather her up and tell her that everything was going to be all right.
Looking at her sitting there, looking so small and scared, tore at his heart with dagger-sharp claws.
“It’s very necessary,” he said quietly. “You’re a guest here, and you’re in danger.
It is my responsibility to make certain you’re safe and protected.
The best way to do that is to have you close, where I can better keep an eye on you.
So yes, you bloody well will be moving into the castle. ”
“Can’t you set patrols to come by on the regular or something?
I know you have them. I’ve seen them running around on my walks, just like I’ve seen you.
What I don’t need is you dragging me off to your castle and personally keeping an eye on me all the time.
” Her cheeks flushed, a bit of that fierce sparkle returning to her eyes.
Good, he thought. He didn’t like to see her so pale and jittery.
It didn’t suit his feisty mate. It was better when she was riled up.
“The highland games start tomorrow, and I can’t spare anyone.
Either come with me now or pack your bags and go home.
” Foolish wolf, he scolded himself as soon as he issued that ultimatum.
Damn his mouth for moving faster than his brain.
What if she chose to leave him? What would he do then? He couldn’t lose her.
She gave him a fierce glare that, if it had been a blade, would have sliced him in two. “You know, you are one pushy bastard.” She heaved a growly sigh. “Fine. Take me to your dungeon. For my own protection, of course.”
He chuckled, his wolf ecstatic that his mate would be under the same roof as him where he could protect her and keep her close.