Page 13 of Vicious Wolf Mate

About thirty minutes into our trek to the other side of the canyon, Mckenna slows down to walk next to me. My heart stops for a moment as she does.

“Can I ask you a question?” Mckenna looks at me and I feel an intense urge to not disappoint her.

“Of course.”

“So, what is the history between Big Sky and Sand Rock? Even us regular humans hear the whispers that you two don’t like each other, but we don’t know the specifics.”

“Hmm…” Do I tell her? Our clan’s history is none of her business - we keep to ourselves for a reason. But still, a voice in the back of my head is telling me to fill her in. A part of mewantsto tell her. What is that about?

“If that’s too personal, I understand. I just-”

“No, no. It started about twenty years ago, when my father was the alpha of Big Sky Clan. He got into a fight with the alpha of Sand Rock about territory.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you see, Sand Rock was breeding at a faster rate than we were. So, they thought they could expand into our land. Obviously, my father wouldn’t stand for it. But he thought that Sand Rock would be willing to negotiate and get out of our land.”

“I assume the negotiations didn’t go well.”

“No, not well at all. A fight broke out almost immediately. Since then, our clans have been in a constant war.”

“Oh wow, I had no idea.”

“The conflict tends to ebb and flow, with long periods of silence as tension builds up more to a big explosion every now and then. It’s best to not antagonize them…” I look around at our surroundings. “Especially by going into their territory without back up.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. It must have been rough growing up with your clan in the middle of a war. When I was a kid, I remember some bumpy times as my father went against business rivals, but nothing quite like what you’re talking about.”

Mckenna looks up at me and I can tell in her eyes that she’s being genuine. It’s sweet of her to care like this, we only just met after all. She’s time and again really proving to not be what I expected from the CEO of Insignys.

“It really was terrible. When the war kicked off, it tore people apart. Growing up, my best friend was actually Drario, the son of Sand Rock’s Alpha. We used to play together all the time. I don’t think I’ve seen him since it all started.”

“Really? In twenty years? Not even once?”

“Nope. I don’t even know if he’s still alive, let alone if I’d recognize him if I saw him.”

“It’s crazy how fast things can change,” Mckenna says with a sympathetic look. “One day you’re just two kids playing together and the next you’re supposed to be enemies.”

“Or one moment you’re leaving work and the next you’re kidnapped by some shifters.” We both chuckle.

A cool breeze sweeps across the land. Mckenna’s body shakes for a moment as she shivers. I always forget how fast regular humans can get cold. They aren’t built to survive in extreme conditions like this.

I instinctively start to reach an arm out to wrap around her and keep her warm, but stop myself. Now is not the time or place to do that. She’s still our captive. What am I thinking?

As we continue, the sun gets lower, the air gets cooler, and Mckenna starts shivering more and more. To her credit, she doesn’t complain, she just keeps walking. But we need to stop soon.

Jax and I will be fine in the desert at night, a perk of being a wolf shifter. Mckenna, however, is not dressed to survive the night. Her outfit is perfect for the day time, showing off her athletic yet curvy body, but at night she’ll freeze fast.

My eyes linger on Mckenna’s body a bit too long and I quickly look away. I hope she didn’t notice. I save myself by looking around us, for some kind of shelter for the night. The problem is we’re in the middle of nowhere.

“Jax,” I call out. “We need to find some cover. Somewhere to hunker down for the night.” I gesture to the shivering Mckenna.

“I-I-I’m f-fine,” she protests. “L-l-let’s keep go-going.”

“I know a place nearby actually,” Jax calls back. “A friend of mine, Natalie.” A smile breaks out on Jax’s face and I instantly know what he’s getting at.

“You gotta be kidding me. I don’t… come on. Really?” This will just further complicate an already complicated day. I really don’t want to deal with whatever this becomes.

“She’s a…” Jax looks off into the distance. “A nice girl. Reallynice. She’ll let us stay the night. Besides, do you know anywhere else near here?”

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