His pack traveled as they wished, moving about from town to town. Still, for the most part they stuck together, within the same areas and in distance if there should be an emergency. There were still tons of land for them to roam, and many people who’d take them as they were without lifting a weapon over their head at first sight.
Those in the village were such people, and he hoped that Kiley would succeed with them. He didn’t hate Vikings in general, just those that killed his people, and those numbers had been increasing as of late. Strange, considering that their gods were full of magic and shape shifting beings. Killing Vampires was one thing-even Jensen was guilty of that occasional pleasure-but to murder Werewolves…
He was moving at a pace now too fast for the human eye to catch, but he felt someone watching him now. Slowing, he acted like he was just taking a break, moving his head lower to lick at the black pads on his right paw.
As he did so, he tried to reach out with his mind, sniffed at the air and tried to sense where the perpetrator was. Could it be someone sent by his brother? It would be stupid, no wolf could take Jensen in a fight, sides Jericho himself perhaps. There was only one that was for sure, but he still couldn’t figure out where exactly they were.
There was the tiniest sound of crunching leaves ten or so feet behind him, and his ears twitched easily picking it up. He let out a low rumble and spun, getting into a crouch so that he could pounce.
A medium sized gray wolf stood out in the open between two large trees, not even bothering to stay hidden. Her eyes, a deep cobalt blue, were locked onto him, a mixture of curiosity and wariness in their depths. She cocked her head at him, then took a single step forward, when he growled again she paused.
“ Who are you?” He sent the message telepathically to her, the only way to communicate in this form. Within seconds her own voice was vibrating through his head as she if were speaking directly into his ear.
“ They call me Olivia. I was sent here from the east. I’m of the Moonshine clan and search out the leader, Jensen Kalen. I was told he’d made camp around here?”
“ Who sent you?”
“ Two elders. My parents were killed by Vikings three weeks ago. They said the safest place for me was among the majority of the pack. So I came here.” She seemed to sigh in his head, and stretched her legs out before her. “I’ve been traveling for a long time, so if you could just point me in the right direction…”
“ How do I know you weren’t sent from the king’s brother, Jericho? He’s attempted to send spies before.” Just because she was female didn’t mean that he trusted her. A female Were could be just as vicious and skilled, take Kiley for example. He had firsthand accounts on just how capable female wolves were.
She frowned. “I don’t even know what he looks like. My family wasn’t around when…the old king died. My parents were overseas and I hadn’t been born yet. This is the first time a member of my family has stepped foot near the royals.”
“ Can you prove that?”
“ How do I even know that he’s here? You could just be stalling for other purposes. Maybe you work for the fallen prince,” she hissed back, clearly getting annoyed with the third degree.
He quirked a brow. “Alright. I’ll take you to him. But be warned, if this is a trap, I’ll figure it out soon enough. Jericho doesn’t know everything, and there are people among Jensen that can identify the Truth soldiers.”
“ Understood.”
Jensen stopped at the lake, shifting form with ease. He began to undo the ties on his shirt, and had it over his head and off in a matter of seconds, long before she had enough time to comprehend what he was doing.
Werewolf magic was strong. They could easily maintain their clothing in their animal forms. The second their human bodies disappeared, so did what they were wearing, but the second it reappeared so did everything else.
The lake would be chilled at this time, and after his long run the thought of cooling off in its calm water seemed like heaven. A soft breeze blew by, sending the dry leaves on the surrounding trees tinkling against one another in a symphony of nature. There was nothing he loved more than fresh air.
“ You’re swimming? Now?” she asked as she too switched to her human form.
He turned to give her some snide remark but frozen the second she came into view.
Her blue eyes were hooded in dark silky lashes, and raven hair pooled over her shoulders. She was shorter than him, probably around 5’6” or 5’7”, but she held her spine straight and her chin tilted up in a stance of defiance and power. This wasn’t a wolf used to being pushed around.
She was wearing a dress made of deep green velvet and black silk, odd for one of their kind. Kiley wouldn’t be caught dead in such an outfit. Witches were the only ones who had materials of such wealth, far ahead of the times and smarts of the humans.
“ You’re staring,” the she wolf stated, though she didn’t sound offended by it in the least.
Forcing the lump in his throat down, he licked his suddenly too dry lips and shifted on his two feet. His hands were still on the straps at his pants, and when she glanced pointedly down at them he snapped out of it. He was over a thousand years old, yet he could still be made speechless by a girl.
“ Coming in?” he asked, finally undoing the strings. When she shook her head, he shrugged then dropped his trousers without a second thought. He turned and headed away before she could catch his smirk.
He felt her eyes on him the whole way, and once he reached the edge he sent one last teasing glance over his shoulder before diving. The water rushed up to meet him, soaking his hair and slicking against his skin in a loving cool embrace. He sighed, still under, then shot up to the surface with a laugh.
She’d moved closer and was standing in the same place he’d jumped from. There was a curiosity in her eyes that he couldn’t figure out.
“ Never seen a naked man before?” It was mostly a joke, but when she bristled he realized his mistake. It wasn’t wise to tease a woman one didn’t know. “You must be hot in that dress. Come in?”
“ Olivia,” she responded back, crossing her arms over her chest haughtily. “And I think not.”
“ Really? So you’d rather stand there and watch then?” He quirked a brow. “I see. You’re one of those. Alright.”
She glanced around uncomfortably, thrumming her fingers against her arm as if impatient for something. She’d also stopped looking at him, looking in every direction but his.
At first, he began to think this really was a trap and that his brother or the Truths would leap out of the woods any moment and attack while he was naked in the lake. But then the direction of the wind shifted, bringing with it a tangy scent that tickled his nostrils and sent pangs of electricity shooting down his back.
How had he not noticed she’d been purposefully standing downwind from him this entire time? They’d been traveling now for a few hours, and every time she’d shifted around him he hadn’t caught on that she’d been playing keep away with the breeze.
Werewolves weren’t the same as their only animal counterparts, but there were similarities that they could escape. Going into heat was one of them. They could easily have sex and enjoy it like a human woman would, but at the same time once a month they were overcome with the need to copulate.
The smell usually sent any male Were’s around in a wild sex craze.
Jensen felt the heat fill him up, and was glad for the shield of the water over his mid section. The last thing he wanted to do right now was scare her away. Still, he couldn’t help the blood that rushed through him, turning his cock hard as stone in a matter of seconds.