Alpha Wolf_A Paranormal Shifter Romance Page 8

  “Let’s eat,” he murmured, kissing her cheek just so he could breathe in more of her scent. His mind raced as he tried to come up with ways for this to work. First of all, he had to tell her what he really was. That would be the real test of their bond.

  The table was already set and Kai had the steaks in the oven. It only took a few moments to cook some eggs, make some toast, and pour the orange juice. The entire time she watched him with a curious look on her face and he knew she’d have more questions.

  The ones she’d already asked had been difficult to answer without giving anything away.

  “Bonnie is coming over tomorrow, if that’s all right. She wants to make sure you aren’t wearing my skin.”

  God the things this woman said. He burst out laughing. Her mind was a glorious, strange place that he adored. The more she showed him who she really was, the harder Kai fell. “Does my dick inside you count as wearing your skin?” he teased, throwing a look over his shoulder.

  She snorted at him, but the color was high on her cheeks and he could smell how wet and ready she was. Kai licked his lips and put the food on the table, trying to ignore the delicious scent of her and how hungry it made him.

  “If Bonnie is coming over, I’d like to set up a barbecue so you can meet my…” Kai almost said pack mates, but that would sound strange to a human. “My friends who live on the property.”

  “That sounds nice.” But already Kai could scent her anxiety replacing the arousal. “This isn’t a reservation or commune right?”

  Kai shook his head and pulled out the kitchen chair for her. When she sat he took a deep breath and then sat across from her. “Eat, and I’ll explain what I can. There are some things I can’t tell you yet, but by the end of your trip, you’ll know everything.”

  The suspicion in her eyes hurt, but Kai knew it all sounded sketchy and strange. When Amelia cut into her steak he began to explain.

  “This isn’t a Native American reservation. We sit on twenty-five hundred acres because we need the space and the wilderness. There is a pack of wolves on the property that we protect. Everyone who lives here is one hundred percent loyal to me, and I help keep them safe from their past. It’s been a rough go for most of them, but this place offers peace.”

  It was difficult to explain further without telling her about their wolf sides, but Kai tapped his fingers on the table and sipped at the orange juice as he thought.

  “None of them will hurt you, and I trust them with my life. It’s difficult to explain, but we’re healing here as friends and as the family we chose. I don’t actually know my Native American tribe because I was given up for adoption with no records. I was one of those babies dropped off at the fire station.”

  It used to hurt, but Kai shrugged. He’d been born, not bitten. Whatever his parents had been going through, he didn’t think it was a simple case of not wanting him. Taking care of a baby wolf took a lot. The entire pack was involved, but Kai had been sent to humans instead.

  Those early years were ones he didn’t like to remember.

  Amelia took his hand in hers and squeezed. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “It sounds like you had a worse upbringing than I did.”

  He grinned. It hadn’t been all bad. “I ran away when I was five and ended up finding my real family. They weren’t blood, but they took care of me.” Kai had been damned lucky the pack had taken him in and rehabilitated him instead of putting him down as a savage wolf.

  If the one he hunted had responded at all, he would have tried, but it was like the wolf went out of his way to kill humans and rub it in Kai’s face.

  He frowned. There was that little problem too. Kai had tracked the wolf back into his pack’s territory, in the Umatilla National Forest. Too close to home, but at least the wolf was out of the city. Shane was currently tracking him, sending Kai updates every few hours.

  “Is something wrong?” Amelia asked.

  He shook his head and ate some food. “There is a lot we can do if you like. There is hiking, fishing, riding on the ATVs, and I could show you around the house and the property…what would you like to do?”

  Amelia swallowed a big bite of steak she’d slathered in hot sauce. It was weird and ruined the steak in his opinion, but Kai kept his mouth shut on the matter. “I’d like the grand tour, but then some hot chocolate and a fire, maybe a book – that sounds perfect. I’m not hiking in the snow, or ice fishing. We can do the ATVs and the tour.”

  She sipped her juice and he couldn’t help the smile as he watched her.

  Somehow he’d found his mate, and for the first time in his life he felt complete. “Anything you want,” he said quietly. Kai already loved her, every nook and cranny. He would gladly die for her.

  He couldn’t wait to show her the magic of the wolves.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Amelia

  Kai showed her the entire ‘cabin.’ It was bigger than she’d originally thought. It wasn’t just the amount of rooms; it was the size of each of them. There was a laundry room with three washers and dryers, a sink the size of a tub, and counters that ran around the room. The pantry was about the size of her bedroom in her loft and was fully stocked with anything imaginable.

  Aside from the library and study there was a formal dining room that could seat twenty people, more if she was right and the table extended. There was a game room with another huge T.V., a pool table, and various board games.

  Then there was the basement which was another room that could be used for pretty much anything. Amelia couldn’t believe there were seven bedrooms and five bathrooms. The master bedroom though was a work of art. It was so big the king-sized bed almost looked small. There wasn’t much furniture other than the bed and a chest of drawers, but there could be a sitting area, or a little vanity.

  Amelia shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. There was no way she’d ever live here with Kai, at least, not anytime soon. She’d made that mistake before with David and she would never make it again. Until she was absolutely sure about Kai she’d stay on her own, though the distance was starting to worry her. Amelia didn’t like the way her chest ached at the idea of not seeing him every day.

  It was weird, the way she felt about him. Amelia was constantly aware of Kai, where he was, how close he was, and when he touched her. It was like fire when his hand brushed her lower back to direct her and she still blushed to think about how she’d taken him in the library.

  Normally that wasn’t her, but something about him made her want nothing but him. Kai was a drug and she was definitely addicted. Even though she’d made him come, Amelia wanted more. She wanted him to say her name like he did in the library at least another hundred times.

  And it wasn’t just lust. She felt it in her heart. She felt the strange way she was drawn to Kai. He took care of her. The way he looked at her, like she was something precious. The things he said about how he wanted it to be her choice no matter what…it made her melt inside.

  It was all Amelia had ever wanted in a man, and because Kai was so fucking perfect, she was wary. Something had to be wrong. Nothing ever worked out this well for her.

  “So this is the main house,” Kai explained. “And all the other houses have a similar set up even if they are smaller, but once a week everyone stays here after a night of good cooking and food. I told them to make other plans this weekend, but I just got a group text agreeing to come over tomorrow to meet you and Bonnie. They’re all excited. We don’t get newcomers very often.”

  Kai led her into the mudroom and she was glad for her fleece-lined leggings under her jeans. It would be cold outside and the wind would only make it colder. As she laced up her boots she watched Kai. God, he was gorgeous. Over six feet tall with rippling muscles and so many abs. When he put on his coat his shirt lifted and she caught a glimpse of his gorgeous skin.

  All she wanted was to taste more of him until he had to take her. Kai’s level of control was impressive, but it also made her want to challenge it – to see when she could make him give in.

  “What dirty thoughts are you having?” Kai asked, giving her a wink as he tied his hair back.

  Instantly her cheeks heated. Was she really that obvious? Amelia shrugged and put on a second sweater. “I don’t really want to drive my own ATV,” she told him, directing the conversation away from her dirty thoughts. There had already been enough driving for the day.

  Kai sobered and considered her for a moment. “You can ride with me. It’ll help you stay warmer too.”

  That she could definitely agree with. Amelia zipped up her heavy coat, wrapped her warmest scarf around her neck, and then put on her beanie. It wasn’t about being cute, it was about staying warm. Her phone said it was barely fifteen degrees Fahrenheit outside and it was midday. It would only get colder, and it was supposed to snow later in the night, getting down to the negative temperatures.

  She avoided Kai’s gaze though she could feel it like a spotlight. Amelia was embarrassed, but she was also not sure how to deal with all the emotions she could feel swirling inside. She’d never felt this way about anyone, not even David. It wasn’t normal, or at least it didn’t feel normal.

  No one fell in love in a matter of days, at least not in real life.

  It was like Kai knew her thoughts. His brown eyes watched her with a wary resignation as he opened the door for her. “We won’t be able to see the entire property, but we can see most of it. I’ll take you to some of my favorite places.”

  It was easy to nod and follow him out into the biting cold. The sun shone and the sky was blue. It made the snow glitter like diamonds and Amelia breathed the perfect, clean air deep and slipped on her gloves. It really was beautiful and it felt strange to know there was no one around for miles and miles, but it also felt safe.

  It wasn’t a sensation she’d expected. Amelia had been worried the isolation would scare her. But away from all the people and noise it was like magic among the trees and snow. There was only wildlife and a strange quiet that only snow could create.

  Kai opened his barn-like garage and flipped on the lights. It was way bigger than she’d thought. It went back into the trees and there were six different cars in various stages of repair, a few motorcycles in the same state, plus the ATVs. There were seven of them in total and Amelia couldn’t help but look around and inspect everything, curious at this peek into Kai’s professional life.

  “Which one do you want to take?” he asked, waving at the seven different four-wheelers.

  Amelia wasn’t a fan of adrenaline inducing activities, but Bonnie would love something like this. She’d talked Amelia into a Segway tour of Portland once, and it hadn’t gone smoothly, but she’d enjoyed the time with Bonnie. It was probably the only reason her friend was able to convince her to do so many things she normally never would.

  All her life she’d been told ‘no’ and Amelia was terrified that she would waste her hard-won freedom by staying in her comfort zone. So Bonnie was the perfect friend, adventurous and fun. Never had Amelia even considered something as outrageous as paddle-boarding but it had been one of the best days of her life.

  This could be like that too. If she took just one step out of her comfort zone, maybe she would find something amazing. Kai was at her side, he would keep her safe. Amelia didn’t know how she knew that, but it was a bone-deep truth.

  “That one,” she said, pointing at the blue and burgundy one. “Burgundy, Bordeaux, wine, whatever you want to call it – that’s my favorite color.” Amelia smiled at Kai, proud of herself for sharing something so stupid, yet personal.

  He grinned back at her. “If you like it so much, it can be yours to use when you visit.”

  Amelia laughed as he pulled it out and turned it on. “I don’t know about that. I don’t like to drive.”

  Kai leaned against the ATV and crossed his arms, studying her. “The engine has to warm up a bit. Why don’t you tell me about this issue with driving while we wait?”

  Amelia crossed her arms too and glared. She wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. It made her feel stupid every time, and she hated to remember how much of a victim she’d let herself be. “Or you could tell me why your eyes turn silver.”

  It was something she hadn’t been able to forget about. Her mind gnawed on it for days. Amelia had even researched it, but there was no genetic condition that caused eyes to change like that. “Are you like the Hulk or something?”

  Kai’s face closed off again and he went to pump some gas from a can. He topped off the spare gas can on the ATV and shook his head with a frown. “Can I tell you tomorrow?” he asked. “I just want one day with you where we can enjoy ourselves.”

  Every part of her wanted to scream ‘No!’ and demand answers right then and there. Amelia took a moment to try and figure out why, why was she so impatient?

  It was because she knew she was falling in love with him. Her emotions gave zero fucks about the length of time she’d known him. Something about Kai just felt right, like two puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly.

  Bonnie’s voice in her head told her she should just take it slow and enjoy him, let her heart lead her, but Amelia could only let her heart decide so much. Instead she would compromise to ease that incessant anxiety. “Fine, but you tell me tomorrow or I leave.” Ultimatums never worked with David, but that was the real test wasn’t it?

  If Kai could take it, then it would work out in the long run. If it pissed him off they really weren’t meant to be, because Amelia gave ultimatums left and right. She didn’t have time to mess around with people who couldn’t fit into her life.

  To soften the harsh statement she took a step forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. It was time for the truth. “I really like you, but I don’t want to go into this blind. Tell me everything or I have to walk.” She pulled back and saw the silver in his eyes again, just like she had when she’d taken him in the library. Amelia shrugged one shoulder, enjoying the way he felt against her. “I know I’m not perfect and I have a lot of weird shit going on, but my trust issues require that I know everything before committing to something…big.”

  And that’s exactly how it felt. They’d only been on two dates technically if she wanted to count the night at the restaurant, and already Amelia felt like this was far more serious than a simple dating situation. These four days felt like a trial period for the rest of her life.

  “Agreed,” he said; voice husky. “After the barbecue tomorrow, I’ll tell you everything.” Kai wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

  It felt amazing and warm in the cold barn. Amelia rested her head on his shoulder and breathed in that pine scent of him. Now she knew why he always smelled so good. “Why did you become a mechanic, or rather the owner of a garage?” she asked.

  Kai climbed up on the ATV and offered her his hand. Amelia could do it herself, but Kai liked to do things for her. It was strange, but she took his hand. If it made him happy, it was easy for her to accept the assistance. Once she’d settled behind him, he made sure her arms were secure around his middle.

  His hard muscles made her mouth water and Amelia scooted even closer so she was completely flush against his back. Kai muttered something under his breath but when he turned back his eyes were practically glowing, intensifying the starved look he had; for her.

  It made her feel powerful and Amelia could easily get drunk off that power. She grinned at him and then quirked an eyebrow for him to answer her question.

  “It was very natural. I’ve always liked cars and bikes and have worked on them my whole life. It wasn’t hard to go one step further.” Then Kai took off and Amelia clutched onto him as she nearly flew backward.

  He laughed as they left the barn. Amelia ducked her head into his back to hide from the freezing wind. They weren’t wearing helmets which was probably stupid, but for some idiotic reason with no substantial evidence she trusted Kai with her life. She knew nothing would happen to her as long as she could hold on.

  She turned her head so she could look as the trees whipped by. It was absolutely beautiful, and for the first time in her life Amelia wished she could stop time so they could enjoy this moment together among the beautiful, winter wilderness forever.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Amelia

  Kai had driven her around the land closest to his cabin and then stopped at the lake. They were currently in the boathouse. He’d made them stop when her shivering got so bad she could barely hold on. Amelia had protested at first, but once he’d turned the heater on in the small space she’d felt amazing.

  There was something about warming up with a blanket and a fire or heater in the cold. It was just perfect. Kai’s boathouse was super nice too. The attached room was like a small cabin – a real one, but brand new. There was a kitchen space, a couch that pulled out into a bed, and a fireplace.

  The space heater was doing a good job while Kai gathered the firewood that was outside. Amelia squidged her toes in her socks and sighed happily. The window facing the lake covered the entire wall of the house and she could see everything, including the mountains.

  She never would have thought she’d be one to fall for the mountain life, but Amelia could quickly get used to the fancy version of it. The views were breathtaking. And she couldn’t stop watching Kai. Every muscle was on display. He was warm enough he’d pushed up his sleeves as he gathered firewood and all he wore was his black thermal shirt.

  Every once in a while, he would stop and stare out at the trees like he knew something was there, but then he’d go back to work. Amelia wondered what he sensed that she couldn’t, but he didn’t look worried about it. And if he wasn’t, then she shouldn’t be. He was the one who knew this place and the forest, not her.

  There was so much about him that was beautiful. The long, black hair in a ponytail – though she’d never thought she’d be one for that. The broad shoulders and high cheekbones…Amelia could see the warrior heritage in him, and God, that skin of his. It was perfectly brown and flawless.