My Mate's Embrace (21 page)

“Did you notice the door handles are all levers?” Anton said. “That’s so you can open the door in your wolf form.”

Laurel nodded her head. He stepped outside and listened to the sounds of the night. They had a couple of hours before daybreak. There would be enough time to play with Laurel and show her the amazing feeling of being a wolf.

“Use your senses, Laurel. Notice how well you can see in the dark. Listen to the night. Smell the air. Feel the earth as she communicates to you and welcomes her children. I’ll be right beside you, there’s nothing to worry about. You’ll love being a wolf.”

Anton called the change and felt his body transform. He noticed that Laurel watched carefully as the process took a few moments. Then, he was standing next to her on all fours, a large silver-and-gray wolf. He licked her face and laid his head over her back. He nudged her shoulder toward the trail leading deeper into the forest.

It wasn’t long before Anton picked up the pace. Laurel kept right behind him on the trail. Feeling playful, he began to run, jumping over fallen trees and letting the wind blow through his hair. He circled a large tree and came at Laurel from the side. She dodged and leapt away, running down the trail a little way before stopping and wagging her tail.

Anton reached for the mating bond, merging their minds as he leapt after her. He felt her amusement and heard the quick laughter in her mind as she sped away. Anton followed, giving chase. She ran through the woods, turning and dodging, keeping out of reach.

Laurel couldn’t believe how alive she felt. She could hear the whisper of the wind in the trees and the scratching of little creatures moving around in the underbrush. The odors of various plants and animals flooded her senses, but with a little concentration, she could differentiate each smell and follow its trail. The earth beneath her was alive, and she could feel the vibrations of the animals hiding deep in their burrows. The information available to her was amazing. It seemed as if the earth was talking to her and sharing its secrets.

Running and playing chase with Anton was exhilarating. Laurel felt more connected to her body than ever before. She knew just how to jump far and run fast. Each muscle was strong and sure. What a wonderful gift Asena had given her. There was so much joy in being a wolf. Laurel felt carefree and happier than ever.

Trying to stay ahead of Anton was difficult, but challenging. Wanting to achieve an edge, Laurel turned to the pathway up the mountain. The trail was smaller and wound around boulders as it climbed higher. She hoped that her smaller size would give her an advantage. She gained a good distance in front of Anton, then paused to look back down the path.

The rock next to her head exploded. Granite projectiles hurtled through the air. The sound of a gun was loud in her ears, while at the same time Laurel heard Anton’s telepathic shout. She automatically ducked and dodged, letting her wolf senses guide her. Finding her way between two boulders, she dove off the path and behind a small pile of rocks.

“Dammit, I missed. Hope nobody heard the shot in the village.”

Laurel heard growling and a shout, before the sound of a man’s scream ripped through the air, then was suddenly cut off. She crouched behind a boulder, shivering. Her mind had merged with Anton’s. She knew who had shot at her, who had been standing upwind on the trail. She knew who now lay broken off the side of the mountain. Anton was calling for the pack to come, sharing telepathically with the Alpha what had happened. Still, she couldn’t move.

Strong human hands grabbed her and pulled her into Anton’s embrace. He held her close and buried his face in her ruff.

“I’m so sorry,
Detka
,” he said, petting her back. “I was so worried for you. I jumped out in front of him, and he stepped back off the side of the mountain. He’s dead. Your stepfather. Can you ever forgive me?”

He held Laurel close, trying to ease the panic in her mind. She was trembling and in shock, trying to come to grips with what had happened. The pack patrol was on the way. They would see the body removed.

Anton could still feel the rage and horror of knowing that someone had been shooting at Laurel. His fear of losing her had been terrifying. They were finally mated, tied together, heart, mind and soul. Losing her would have destroyed him. Driven to assure her safety, he had raced up the mountain.

He hadn’t known it was her stepfather. They were close to the edge of the pack’s territory. He thought it was a hunter wandering onto pack lands. When Anton jumped out at the man, he thought
he
would have to worry about getting shot. He was trying to scare the man, to drive him off pack property. The property line was clearly marked with no-trespassing and no-hunting signs.

But it
was
Laurel’s stepfather. He looked a little worse for wear, covered in dirt and had smelled of alcohol and drugs. Raising the gun in his hand he stumbled backward, and had fallen off the side of the mountain. Anton heard the sound of the man’s last breath leave his body after landing on the rocks below. He had accidently killed Laurel’s stepfather. Would she forgive him?

Anton never would have thought the confrontation with her stepfather would happen like this, a freak accident ending his reign of terror over Laurel. He couldn’t feel sorry about it. Now Laurel was safe.

Laurel, it is done. You are now free to follow your destiny.

Both Anton and Laurel looked up to see the ghost of her mother floating over them.

Mother?

You have found your protector and your divine mission. I won’t appear to you again. I am guiding Charlie to the other side. I hope you can forgive him and move freely into your future.

I’ll never see you again?

I am always close to you. If you seek me out, I will come. I love you, dearest Laurel.

Laurel gazed at where her mother’s spirit had disappeared. Still shaken from her stepfather’s attack, she couldn’t begin to think of losing her connection to her mother. But maybe that’s not what her mother meant. Her mother had said they were always close, but that she wouldn’t appear to her again.

Shaking her head, Laurel looked up into Anton’s silver-gray eyes. He seemed to be waiting with bated breath to hear if she was going to forgive him. She wished she could wrap her arms around his neck and kiss the look of worry from his face. He was her future, her mate. His embrace sheltered her and made her feel safe. She wanted to let him know how much she loved him. She wanted him to feel safe in her arms.

There is nothing to forgive, lyubov moya. It was an accident,
Laurel sent.

Sparks of rainbow and white light coalesced around her wolf form . . .

Epilogue:

Laurel reached for the shift and let the sparks of rainbow and white light coalesce around her body and transform her into a wolf. Finally, standing on all fours, she glanced around. Anton should be coming any moment. Flipping her tail up in the air, she sauntered down the trail to meet the rest of the pack. Asena’s amulet rested around her neck like a collar.

They were hunting for meat this afternoon. Winter was quickly approaching. The freezers needed to be filled to feed the pack through the coming cold. Before joining in the hunt, Laurel had asked Asena for blessings in their pursuit.

Laurel was getting quite good at flushing out prey, even giving Alena a run for her money.

Fortunately, the males took care of it from there. Laurel didn’t think she could actually kill a deer in her wolf form. But she understood the need. The pack needed to eat.

Laurel had started her online medical research courses from Oxford University. Once she completed the courses, she and Anton would begin the search for why the pack wasn’t having enough children. Where the search would take them, she didn’t know. But as long as Anton was with her, she knew they could find the answers.

Laurel turned as Anton’s large silver-and-white wolf form trotted up to her and licked her face. She rubbed against him in return, needing the touch. Being a wolf gave her so much freedom. Laurel loved it. Being Anton’s mate was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Whatever occurred in the future, they would face together. The safest place in the world was in her mate’s embrace.

§ § §

Coming Soon in 2013

My Magic Mate

Brencis Solovyov, a Siberian lycanthrope, isn’t looking for a mate. When he runs into the local metaphysical store, he is repulsed by the owner’s purple hair and combat boots. And when she gives him a potion that accidently poisons him, he fears for his life. The fact that she is his mate can only be a trick of destiny. After she claims to be a witch, he knows she is truly crazy. But there is something magical about the woman, and he isn’t the only one who has noticed her strange powers. Can he keep her safe from the danger surrounding her? Will he get over his prejudice and let his magic mate cast a spell of love on him?

About the Author

Caryn Moya Block burst onto the paranormal romance scene with her debut e-book
Alpha’s Mate
in January of 2012. Since then, she published a second book,
A Siberian Werewolf in London
, was named one of the “Top 50 Indie Authors for April 2012,” and won the “Global E-book Awards for 2012” in the contemporary romance category. Caryn is also one of the contributors to “Interviews with Indie Authors, Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors” by Claire and Tim Ridgeway. She lives with her husband of over thirty years and has two adult sons. For more information go to CarynMoyaBlock.com or you can write to her at [email protected]