then?” Remy asked. Thoughts of the night he’d met the
werewolf came into his mind. “That’s how you found me so quickly.
Did you hear my scream?”
“ I’d scented you a long
time before you arrived. I had just found you when I heard what
that asshole was doing to you.”
He’d scented him? “What’s that mean,
scented?”
“ A werewolf knows his mate
by scent. When you’d gotten close to the mountain, I got a trace
and started trailing it. By the way, why were you there with the
ranger?”
Remy’s face flooded with
embarrassment. He didn’t want to sound like he was easy or that he
had random sex all the time. But somehow, he thought Hank would
know if he lied, so he opted for the truth, at least part of it. “I
was lonely. I hadn’t been with anyone in a while. The ranger had
offered to scratch an itch, if you get what I mean.”
Hank’s shoulder stiffened, but the man
said nothing. As they walked along the wooded path in front of
Hank’s cabin, they came to a clearing, which opened up to at least
seven more cabins. “How many live up here?”
“ We have about three
dozen weres living on the mountain and our valley side. This is the main
component of the den, but there are a few more cabins scattered
across our land.”
“ And how much land is
it?”
“ We occupy the mountain
and the three shorter hills in the distance. Plus we have part of
the valley opposite the one you lived in, all the way out to the
river.”
Lived. Past tense. Remy decided to let it go. For now. He was just
too curious about the werewolf neighbors he never knew existed. “So
your land aligns the preserve almost completely.”
“ Technically, the preserve
is our land as well. We let them build the trails and the stations.
And there are fences lining our land.”
“ Why? I’d assume you
wanted to keep humans as far from you as possible.”
“ At first, we did. But too
many of your kind kept wandering onto our land, fishing, hiking and
camping. By giving a segment for human use, they contain themselves
there and don’t seem to bother leaving the borders we’ve created.
They get to hike, fish, and climb all they want in the area we’ve
deemed permissible. We avoid that land when we shift, and it makes
life easier for the most part.”
“ So, the ranger was in
your employ?”
“ Yes and no. We sublet the
area to a company who takes care of everything for us. They pay us
for the use of the land and maintain everything, including who they
hire.”
They stopped at the end of the lane,
where the tree line opened up, and Remy could see the entire valley
below. It was one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen.
“What a view.”
“ It sure is,” Hank said
gruffly.
As Remy tore his gaze from the valley,
he saw Hank staring at him. A sense of lust mixed with awkwardness
filled him. He wanted the werewolf more now than he had the night
before.
“ My brother told me I was
an asshole for not considering what that ranger did to you before I
took you last night. He was right. After everything that happened,
I should’ve been more thoughtful. I’m sorry I didn’t think. I just
wanted you so damned bad, I couldn’t help myself.”
Remy let the apology sink in, shocked
the male had uttered it. He most definitely hadn’t been expecting
it. Words escaped him as he stood there, his stare drifting to the
view once more to give him time to consider his
response.
“ Have I fucked up
irrevocably?” Hank asked quietly.
Remy shook his head. “No. I just
wasn’t expecting an apology out of the big, bad wolf. Seeing a
softer side of you has me a little rattled, to say the
least.”
Hank turned to face Remy. “I get that
you know nothing of our world, just like I know little of yours. A
claiming is a very primitive, animalistic occurrence, one where my
other head takes over and marking you as mine was the only thing
that mattered. I know that may not make it right in your mind, but
that’s what it was. Every
werewolf came into his mind. “That’s how you found me so quickly.
Did you hear my scream?”
“ I’d scented you a long
time before you arrived. I had just found you when I heard what
that asshole was doing to you.”
He’d scented him? “What’s that mean,
scented?”
“ A werewolf knows his mate
by scent. When you’d gotten close to the mountain, I got a trace
and started trailing it. By the way, why were you there with the
ranger?”
Remy’s face flooded with
embarrassment. He didn’t want to sound like he was easy or that he
had random sex all the time. But somehow, he thought Hank would
know if he lied, so he opted for the truth, at least part of it. “I
was lonely. I hadn’t been with anyone in a while. The ranger had
offered to scratch an itch, if you get what I mean.”
Hank’s shoulder stiffened, but the man
said nothing. As they walked along the wooded path in front of
Hank’s cabin, they came to a clearing, which opened up to at least
seven more cabins. “How many live up here?”
“ We have about three
dozen weres living on the mountain and our valley side. This is the main
component of the den, but there are a few more cabins scattered
across our land.”
“ And how much land is
it?”
“ We occupy the mountain
and the three shorter hills in the distance. Plus we have part of
the valley opposite the one you lived in, all the way out to the
river.”
Lived. Past tense. Remy decided to let it go. For now. He was just
too curious about the werewolf neighbors he never knew existed. “So
your land aligns the preserve almost completely.”
“ Technically, the preserve
is our land as well. We let them build the trails and the stations.
And there are fences lining our land.”
“ Why? I’d assume you
wanted to keep humans as far from you as possible.”
“ At first, we did. But too
many of your kind kept wandering onto our land, fishing, hiking and
camping. By giving a segment for human use, they contain themselves
there and don’t seem to bother leaving the borders we’ve created.
They get to hike, fish, and climb all they want in the area we’ve
deemed permissible. We avoid that land when we shift, and it makes
life easier for the most part.”
“ So, the ranger was in
your employ?”
“ Yes and no. We sublet the
area to a company who takes care of everything for us. They pay us
for the use of the land and maintain everything, including who they
hire.”
They stopped at the end of the lane,
where the tree line opened up, and Remy could see the entire valley
below. It was one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen.
“What a view.”
“ It sure is,” Hank said
gruffly.
As Remy tore his gaze from the valley,
he saw Hank staring at him. A sense of lust mixed with awkwardness
filled him. He wanted the werewolf more now than he had the night
before.
“ My brother told me I was
an asshole for not considering what that ranger did to you before I
took you last night. He was right. After everything that happened,
I should’ve been more thoughtful. I’m sorry I didn’t think. I just
wanted you so damned bad, I couldn’t help myself.”
Remy let the apology sink in, shocked
the male had uttered it. He most definitely hadn’t been expecting
it. Words escaped him as he stood there, his stare drifting to the
view once more to give him time to consider his
response.
“ Have I fucked up
irrevocably?” Hank asked quietly.
Remy shook his head. “No. I just
wasn’t expecting an apology out of the big, bad wolf. Seeing a
softer side of you has me a little rattled, to say the
least.”
Hank turned to face Remy. “I get that
you know nothing of our world, just like I know little of yours. A
claiming is a very primitive, animalistic occurrence, one where my
other head takes over and marking you as mine was the only thing
that mattered. I know that may not make it right in your mind, but
that’s what it was. Every
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