“Listen to me. Please.” His whispered plea froze her.
“You lied to me.” Yes, she should have figured it out, but she still felt betrayed and hurt.
“No. I didn’t. I just didn’t tell you everything because I knew you would run. You know it’s the truth. You would have never come to Michigan with me, and I would have been forced to chase after you.”
He was right. Had he told her that she was his mate back in Atlanta, she would have run. This could not be happening to her. She couldn’t deny that she was starting to care for Brent, but he was a werewolf. She knew deep down he was a good guy, but her mind had trouble differentiating the man she’d just made love to from the monsters that had killed her family.
“I don’t want to be with you just because we are fated to be together.
What about love?”
“Don’t you get it? I do love you. Fate cannot force love. It may be able to force us together, but it cannot dictate my feelings or yours for that matter. But I do love you. I think I’ve loved you from the moment I was born.” He cupped her cheek. “I’ve dreamed of you, longed for you, prayed for you, and when I finally found you, I knew there could never have been a more perfect woman than you created for me.”
“This is too much, too fast. I can’t deal with all of this right now.” She tried to leave once again, but he stopped her.
“There’s more. I want to change you. I want you to be like me. Lycans live much, much longer than humans. I don’t want to have to watch you die.”
“You want to make me into a monster?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back. She’d hurt him.
He let her go and slid out of her body. The instant he left her, she missed him. How could she feel that way when he’d betrayed her?
“I’m not a monster, and neither would you be. I’ve told you before, there are good and bad lycans, just like humans. I consider myself one of the good guys. I love you, and I hope that one day, you can love me back enough to want to be with me as much as I want to be with you. But you have to know that I cannot ever let you go. You are a part of me now, Rindy.” He gave a ragged sigh and leaned back against the wall of the tub.
“I don’t know if I can ever become like you. And, as for the love, I cannot lie. I do care for you, but I’m frightened, I’m tired, and I’m angry that you didn’t tell me all of this. I feel betrayed, Brent. I need some time to think.” And she still wanted him, but she couldn’t be with him until she figured all of this out.
He nodded, and she hurried out of the tub, grabbed her clothes, and ran back to her room. What was she going to do? She liked this place. She liked spending time with Brent. She liked feeling safe. She liked not running. But the thought of becoming a werewolf scared her to death. Would he try to turn her even if she refused? She couldn’t do it. She would feel as if she were betraying her mother and sister by becoming the same thing that had killed them.
She had to get out of here.
Chapter Eight
Brent’s fur ruffled in the slight breeze. He stood under the trees, staring up at the full moon. He’d always found it amusing that most humans thought lycans could only change during a full moon. They controlled when they shifted, not the moon. He’d needed to run after he’d told Rindy that she was his mate. When he’d told her he loved her, the look on her face had broken his heart. She didn’t love him. He believed her when she’d said she cared about him, but he wanted more.
What would it take to get through to her? Was it even possible? Or had she been too deeply scarred by past experiences to be able to see that he wasn’t the same as the bastards that had killed her mother and sister? He was so deep in thought he nearly missed the soft footsteps leading away from him. He sniffed the air. Rindy. She was trying to leave him.
He howled in denial and ran after her through the softly packed snow.
He could give her space and time, but he couldn’t let her go. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her. She was his responsibility, and he’d never let anyone or anything hurt her ever again. When he got close, he caught another scent. He was not the only one chasing Rindy. He growled and increased his speed.
Just as he reached her, a gray wolf jumped on her back. She sprawled to the ground and cried out. He heard a loud pop and wondered if she’d broken a bone or merely sprained something. He hoped the latter. He leaped in the air and hit the gray wolf from the side. It let out a yelp as they tumbled several feet away, snow spraying in every direction. When Brent regained his footing, he glanced at Rindy. She was sitting up now, holding her knee.
He lowered his head, laid his ears back, and growled at the son of a bitch he was about to kill. The gray wolf arched his back, and the hairs stood straight up along its back. Brent leaped into the air, came down hard on the gray wolf’s back, and clamped his teeth on its neck. It struggled under him, but Brent knew the wolf had no chance. Just as he heard the snapping of neck bones, Rindy screamed. He tossed the wolf’s lifeless body aside and turned to see two more wolves circling his mate.
Get the hell away from my mate, you bastards! Brent knew his words would be laced with venom, even telepathically.
The biggest wolf of the two lifted one side of his mouth to release a low growl, showing off a huge fang. We’ve been after this bitch for too long to just let her go now. I wonder if her pretty little neck will snap as easily as her mother’s did.
Brent’s blood boiled with rage, but he refused to let his anger make him do anything rash that might get Rindy hurt. He had to get the wolves away from her, and unleashing the fury swirling deep in his chest that begged for release wasn’t the way to ensure Rindy’s safety.
Rindy watched in horror as two wolves surrounded her. She’d instinctively known the dark brown wolf was Brent, and although he’d killed the first wolf that had attacked her, she didn’t know if he’d be able to take on two more at the same time. Brent walked slowly toward the other two wolves, teeth bared, low growls emitting with each step.
Just as she thought she and Brent both would surely die, another wolf broke through the thick trees. It was black and huge. It stood beside Brent, and they both advanced on the two wolves circling her. The two wolves seemed to realize they were in for an ass-kicking, so they turned and fled as Brent and the black wolf closed in.
She clutched her throbbing knee as Brent and the black wolf stared at her. Brent shifted back into his human form, and she could barely keep her eyes from his magnificent nude body. He knelt beside her.
“Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but I twisted my knee pretty bad.”
“Let’s get you back home so I can take a look at it.” He scooped her up and carried her toward the cabin.
She looked over his shoulder, and the black wolf was following them, now with a golden wolf bringing up the rear.
“They are friends,” Brent said, as if anticipating her question.
“I’m glad they were here. I was worried that you were going to get hurt.”
She sniffed. “And it would have been my fault. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t worry. I would have been okay. I can take care of myself, although I can’t say I’m happy that you were trying to run away. Rindy, you should have known better than to take off by yourself in the woods after dark. It’s too dangerous.”
“I know. I wasn’t thinking straight. I really am sorry. Please don’t be angry with me.”
“I could never be angry with you. You might make me crazy over some of the things you do, but I can’t find it in me to be mad at you—although it did cross my mind that you might need a good spanking.”