Page 14 of Cree & Dawn and the Wolf

Dawn brightened her smile and nodded, wishing to gesture yet knowing her gestures might not be understood.

“If there is anything you need, please let me know,” Olwen said and with that she left the room.

“Olwen will provide you with anything you need during your stay here.”

Dawn was startled by Lord Tiernan’s sudden presence. She had not heard him return. She nodded her thanks and expected him to take his leave.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

She maintained her smile as she pointed to the bench opposite her.

Lord Tiernan sat. “I believe you would find the wolves in the area interesting.”

Dawn raised her brow and shrugged, hoping he understood that she asked why.

Lord Tiernan smiled. “For that very reason… your gestures and expressions. Wolves mostly communicate through their howls, but they also communicate through gestures and expressions. Baring their teeth, ears straight up, and a wrinkled forehead warns, nuzzling shows affection, a head held high shows dominance, and the position of their tails tells much. A tail not held high or tucked between the legs but somewhere in between is a threatening expression.”

Dawn creased her brow, then tapped it, and pointed to Lord Tiernan.

“You wonder how I know this,” he said.

Dawn nodded, realizing he was more observant than most.

“As I said before, knowledge of wolves is essential to surviving with them. When you live as closely with wolves as my clan does, we had no choice but to learn all we could about them. I have also come to respect the wolves. They protect their packs as we protect our clans. They mourn the loss of pack members as we mourn the loss of clan members. They rear their young to survive just as we do. We are similar in many ways even when it comes to mates. The female is well-loved and protected and she in turn gives the same to the male. They work in unison much like you and Lord Cree… from what I have heard about you and your husband. He is a lucky man to have such a wise and courageous wife.”

Dawn smiled and patted her chest just above her left breast.

Lord Tiernan smiled graciously. “Your gesture tells me that you love your husband very much.”

She nodded firmly, and the strong movement sent a shot of pain through her head, though she did not cringe. She would not show weakness in front of this man. Instead, she patted her chest again and pointed to him.

“You ask me if I love someone?”

Dawn nodded, this time slowly.

“I have not been as fortunate as Lord Cree to find such a powerful love, though I am sure I will one day.”

Dawn smiled softly and nodded just as softly. Lord Tiernan seemed nice enough, a mannerly man, though his intense eyes unsettled her. She felt as though he was trying to see inside her, gain a closeness that was for her husband alone and it caused her to shiver.

“You are chilled,” Lord Tiernan said and went and grabbed a cloak hanging on one of the many pegs by the door and stepped behind her to drape it over her shoulders.

He tucked it around her and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze when he was done and, strange as it seemed, she could have sworn he sniffed her hair when he leaned a bit closer to tuck the cloak around her. She was relieved when he stepped from behind her and around the table to face her. “Please consider this your home while here. I enjoyed our chat, and I hope to talk more with you. Until later.” He bobbed his head and left.

Dawn shivered again. There was something about the man that unnerved her. She could not quite figure out what, but she intended to keep a keen eye on him and her surroundings.

Dawn sniffed, a familiar scent teasing her nostrils. She sniffed again, the scent a bit stronger. She turned her head and sniffed her shoulder. The scent was stronger there. It reminded her of Beast’s scent when she would hug him tightly and bury her face in his fur to let him know how much she loved him. Why would an animal scent be on the cloak instead of a humanscent? And why had Lord Tiernan spoken about the wolves in such detail? It was as if he was preparing her for an encounter with them.

She shivered again and quickly slipped the cloak off her, placing it at the end of the bench. She did not know what was going on here and she did not know if she wanted to find out. She wanted the fog to lift and Cree and her to take their leave. She rubbed her head, a low pain lingering there, reminding her of her wound. She was not her usual self because of it, and that left her feeling vulnerable, not as strong as she usually felt, and at that moment she wished Cree was there with her.

CHAPTER 5

Cree wasn’t surprised when the man who resembled Lord Tiernan was introduced as his brother, Sim or that Lord Tiernan had his brother escort him to the stable. It told Cree that more than an eye was being kept on him. But why? He posed no threat to the clan. Or did he?

The fog had dissipated a little or it could have been that it was daylight that made it appear so. He could at least make out shapes and the sound of people talking which meant the clan members managed to see to daily chores even in the fog.

“I am glad Tade was found,” Cree said, taking the opportunity to learn what he could.

“Aye, it is not the first time he has gone missing and probably won’t be the last.” Sim smiled. “Only four years, and he has a distinct mind of his own and an adventurous soul.”

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