25 comments/ 50712 views/ 142 favorites Winter with the Wolf Ch. 01 By: DesireableLust "What do you mean you don't have any chocolate croissants left?" The perturbed looking mother glared at Mia while the eight year old attached to her arm smeared her grubby fingers all over the pastry display case. "I'm sorry ma'am, we've sold out for the day and we aren't stocked up in the back because of the storm coming." Mia plastered a sweet smile on her face. "I don't know why everything is so upset by just a little snow..." The woman shook her head and wandered out of the store. Mia gave a soft sigh. Many tourists came to the area without really understanding how bad the winter weather could get up here in the mountains. The town of Lake Placid attracted people from all over for winter sports, specifically ice skating at the moment. The main strip of town was littered with young children decorated in skating skirts and team jackets, whining to their parents or staring at store windows. Thankfully it was getting on in the evening and Mia was getting ready to close up the bakery. Locking the front door behind her last customer, she wiped down counters and counted down the register before crawling into her Toyota Rav4 for a forty minute drive home. Snow sprinkled Mia's windshield as she made her way out of town and onto the mountain road that eventually took her to her little slice of solitude in the woods. She carefully turned off the main road down the winding path that her house was on. She braced herself as her tires slide a bit before catching again. Mia had put off getting her snow tired put on and this year the snow beat her to it. Why I took snow tires off in the first place is beyond me...it's nearly winter all year long. She thought as she drove past the only house on the same street as her. She slowed her car as she noticed a large red pickup truck pulled up to the house and a moving van. The wooden cabin house had been for sale for as long as she could remember but now the sign was missing. She was curious but there was no other activity outside so she continued on to her home to be greeted by her dog, Moose. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Keenan dusted off his hands as he shoved his small couch into place around his new wood burning stove. His new place needed a lot of work but it was comfortable. It was set deep in the woods away from many people except one other house down the street. He'd seen a small blue SUV around that house and as he thought about it he picked up the sound of a vehicle driving past his house. His keen wolf hearing allowed him to hear much more than an average human ever could. Two movers inched in through the front door balancing his coffee table between them. Keenan reach over and took it from them, lifting it with ease and putting it into place in his living room. That was another plus of being a werewolf; super strength. Keenan felt his wolf stir inside him. He knew it was eager to explore their new found territory and take a run in their piece of forest. Before he moved here, Keenan had lived in the city as part of a pack. Many of his pack mates loved it there but it wasn't for him. He needed the fresh air, open space to run and nature to soothe him. Sure he didn't have a pack anymore...but sometimes it was nice not having to deal with the politics that came along with it. The movers were unloading the last of his things and Keenan knew he had to take a run to ease his wolf. As he shut the door behind them he made his way to the back of the house and exited through the door in his kitchen into the woods behind the cabin. He jogged lightly into the cover of the forest and went a little farther before he began to strip, his eyes changing already to that of a predator. The moment he was unclothed he ran, urging the shift to take over him as he flowed almost effortlessly into the shape of his wolf. Keenan shook out his black fur and lifted his nose to the air taking in all the smells of the fresh clean woods surrounding him. His muscles trembled with energy and power. He resisted the urge to prance with excitement and instead he turned back to circle his house, marking his new territory for all other creatures to know. Once business was done, he bounded freely into the newly fallen snow, deep into the woods. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mia opened her door to a very excited Akita. Moose paced eagerly by the door, wanting to be let outside. She quickly let him out and watched him romp in the snow. His dark brown brindle coat made him stand out in the pure white landscape. She watched carefully as Moose stopped instantly and froze with his ears held high. After a moment he whirled around and ran towards the house, dancing outside the door to be let back in. Slightly odd behavior for him but Mia thought nothing of it. After relaxing for a few moments, Mia set to work. She was a baker and she had manners. That meant welcoming the new neighbor and she was fully equipped to do just that. A fresh baked apple pie sounded like the perfect thing to bring her newcomer and she began working her magic in the kitchen with Moose by her feet waiting for things to hit the floor. In no time at all Mia was gearing up in her coat and boots to make the walk through the snow to her neighbor's house, hot apple pie in hand. Moose whined as she walked out the door. "Don't worry boy, I'll be back soon!" She called behind her. Her nose red with chill, Mia trucked through the snow up her neighbor's driveway. She tried to follow old tire tracks from the movers but they were already filling in with more snow. She paused for a moment as she noticed large canine tracks running across the drive. Hmm...maybe they have a dog. I should have brought treats. She thought absently as she continued towards the house. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A few hours later Keenan flopped down on his couch with a sigh. Boxes lined the hallway by the stairs but he would deal with them later. Just as he was about to close his eyes for a moment he heard footsteps crunching in the accumulating snow on his driveway. He got to his feet and peered out one of his front windows and quirked his eyebrow up at the sight of the woman carefully walking inside the packed down snow from tire tracks with a foil covered pie dish in her hands. Dark brown hair covered her shoulders from under her knit hat. He couldn't tell much about her body because of her bulky coat but her hips generously curved out from under the coat and looked beautiful in her snug jeans as she swayed towards his porch. He snapped out of his stare when her fist struck his front door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mia waited patiently and took a deep breath while she inspected the outside of the cabin. It had some years on it but it was beautifully crafted. Her gaze jerked back as she heard the door open and she sucked in a breath at the sight of the man on the other side. He took up the entire doorway and stared at her with icy blue eyes. His tussled black hair and light scruff of facial hair did nothing to soften the raw power that seemed to surround his body. His...body... Mia's mind was blissfully empty as she ogled him. He had to be at least 6 ft 4in and his muscles filled out his frame with a small amount of cushion where it mattered. She caught herself and blinked quickly. "Hi! I uh...I live next door to you. I made you an apple pie." She tried desperately to gather herself as she nearly shoved the pie towards him. Keenan looked down at the pie briefly before staring into her brown eyes again. His wolf was restless and running just beneath his skin the moment he opened the door and her scent hit his nose. For a moment he thought it was the pie but he quickly realized that the vanilla honey smell was purely feminine and the source was the woman. "And your name is?" He asked her gently. His voice washed over her and her skin prickled with goose bumps. "M-Mia." She replied, holding the pie outstretched awkwardly. Mine. Keenan's wolf growled inside him but he shook himself hard trying to remember to be normal. "That's a nice name, I'm Keenan." He took the pie from her and backed away from the door. "Would you like to come in? It's cold out there." Mia glanced at the opening into his house and saw the boxed piled up. She looked back at his face and tried to find an answer. Accepting his invitation would require walking past him to enter the house. She wasn't sure if she would run away terrified or jump his bones if she got any closer to him. He looked like a combination of lethal and sexual all at once and she just couldn't think straight. "Ah...no, no that's fine, I'm sure you would like to rest after moving. Please, enjoy the pie and if you need anything feel free to ask. Welcome to the lonely neighborhood of two!" Mia chirped like a teenage girl and began retreating off his porch. "Thank you Mia." Keenan said to her back. The sound of her name sent another shiver down her body. His voice was like hot caramel sauce dripping off of creamy ice cream. Keenan couldn't help but stand in the doorway watching her heart shaped ass wiggle as she walked away from him as fast as she could. He could see his hands fitting around those cheeks perfectly, groping them as she pressed up against his- he shook his head hard and took a deep breath. That woman was trouble if he'd ever seen it. He closed his front door and for the first time took notice of the pie in his hand. It smelled amazing, though it probably didn't help that he hadn't eaten in a few hours. Wolf metabolism required a lot of food. He placed it on his coffee table and began digging in his boxes. Finally retrieving a fork he sat down and began eating the heavenly pie right from the dish, his mind wandering back to the human woman who shook his world today. His neighbor. Mia. He tested the name on his tongue again, groaning as his wolf shook its fur and leaned against his conscious, voicing his pure satisfaction with Mia. Winter with the Wolf Ch. 02 Hey everyone, thanks so much for the positive feedback on chapter 1. I found some typos after I posted it and I apologize, I don't use a editor so I'll have to proofread more carefully. Also on a note, all thoughts from characters were originally in italics but when I pasted it to the submission box it made them normal. I'm sorry if its hard to follow thoughts in the story! Again, thank you all for being so kind =D I'm having a great experience writing this first ever story and I hope you continue to enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Donovan resisted grinding his teeth as he crawled down the snow covered main street of Lake Placid. It was pretty much deserted except for a few stragglers fighting their way through the snow on the sidewalks. Even with his heavy duty snow tires on his four wheel drive truck it was very slow going. It was such a drastic difference up here from his home in New York City. The wild nature and forests called to his wolf but he knew he liked the city better. Plenty of women begging to be prey, money to be earned by whatever means necessary and the party never stopped. Only his devotion to his alpha and duty to his pack had dragged him all the way up into these mountains. His assignment was simple. Locate their deserter beta and eliminate him as ordered by his alpha, Eric. Hopefully it would be just as quick as it was simple so Donovan could get back to his city. As the enforcer for the Manhattan pack, it was Donovan's job to do all of his alpha's dirty work and at the moment, his alpha wanted Keenan dead. Eric always considered Keenan a threat. He was a stronger alpha at heart then Eric would ever be. The only reason he remained beta was because he had no desire to lead. Eric was taking full advantage of Keenan's departure as an opportunity to turn the pack against him and justify killing him. Rumor was that a lone wolf without a pack went rouge and was dangerous. Donovan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Whatever Keenan's mental state was, he would obey his alpha and complete the assignment. Keenan was meant nothing to Donovan and he was a coldblooded killer. He had no problem making people disappear. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mia sighed and looked at the tiny bit of progress she had made on her driveway. The snow had stopped falling sometime earlier this morning, leaving a good 8 inches or so covering her property. It was gorgeous and she loved it to death but when a single woman living by herself didn't own a snow blower, the whole situation turned into a love-hate relationship. She cursed herself as she looked at all she had left to do. "Moose, you are my witness. See my suffering right now and when I start spending my money on silly things, you remind me of how much I need that snow blower." She called to Moose as he sat perched on top of the snow bank the city plow had created at the end of her drive. Moose looked at her at the sound of his name but gave her no answer. She hefted her shovel up again and bent over to scoop another load of snow into the grass. "I swear I'll cut back on the wine and eating out. It'll be good for my figure too." Moose gave a gruff woof and growled, coming to attention on top of his perch. "What's up boy? C'mere." He looked at her for a moment and turned to stare at whatever caught his attention before he came bounding up the driveway to stand by her side. Looking out onto the road Mia's breath caught in her throat as she saw her new neighbor walking towards her house. "Shit..." she muttered under her breath as she tried to put herself together. She was in her flannel pj pants tucked into her pack boots with only a t shirt and jacket on to cover her lack of a bra. She didn't have to go to work today so she damn sure wasn't getting out of her pjs until absolutely necessary. Moose whined at her feet as she tried to tame her frazzled hair and wipe the sweat from her brow. Keenan was halfway up her driveway at this point. Of all the times he would come to see her... "Good morning!" He called as he reached her. Mia stared at him breathlessly. He seemed to glide over the snow with such grace. A friendly smile spread across his attractive face making him seem much more approachable then he did yesterday. "Hi..." she said, lost for words. "I just thought I would bring your pie dish back. It was absolutely delicious, thank you so much." Keenan gave her his best smile that he could manage. He knew he didn't leave the best impression yesterday. She looked perfect, her hair loose and wild and her clothes all rumpled but cozy looking. He was sure she was hiding some beautiful curves under all that flannel. "You ate that whole thing already?!" Mia blurted out before she could stop herself. There she goes, insulting the attractive man in front of her. Maybe this was why she didn't have a boyfriend. Keenan gave her a wolfish grin. "What can I say; it was that good I just couldn't stop." He handed the pie dish over to her. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much." Mia met his gaze sheepishly and shivered. His eyes bore into hers with such intensity it almost scared her. As she took the pie dish her snow shovel slipped out of her grasp and started falling towards Keenan. He swiftly grabbed it before she could barely blink. "Oh! My god, I'm sorry. Let me just run this dish in before I drop that too." She scurried away to put the dish in the house. Moose stood abruptly at her exit and stared at Keenan. He had been unusually quiet the whole time and without Mia there he was on guard. Keenan looked at the brave dog and smiled at his loyalty. "Don't worry boy...I won't hurt her." He mumbled to the dog softly. He looked away, giving the dog respect since he was on his territory and surveyed the progress Mia had made on her driveway. He juggled the shovel in his hands and put it to use, shoveling the snow like it was cotton. By time Mia came back outside Keenan had a little over half her driveway cleared. She stared wide eyed as she watched him throw shovel fulls of the heavy wet snow as if it was nothing. His arms flexed with each lift and she couldn't help but appreciate the view. Suddenly she realized she had such a great view because he wasn't wearing a coat or jacket. Mia rushed over to his side. "Aren't you freez-" Her question cut off into a squeak as she hit a patch of ice underfoot and felt herself go flying. That was, until she hit the set of arms under her that broke her fall and brought her back up, curled tightly into a wall of solid masculine chest. Mia had squeezed her eyes shut at the first sense of falling. Slowly she peeled them open and saw the navy blue of Keenan's shirt. She inhaled gently taking in his cedar and pine scent. Without thinking she nuzzled his neck for more of the comforting smell. Keenan held her chin gently and looked down at her as her eyes met his. He leaned in slowly and brushed his lips against her parted ones, shivering at the sensation. Mia gasped but didn't back away. It felt like tiny little sparks were tickling her lips and she pressed them against his more fully. She nearly moaned when he nipped her bottom lip with his teeth. His tongue eased teasingly into her mouth, striking her with a desire that shot right to her core. Mia sucked at his tongue gently, completely at his mercy as he held her. Just as his hand started to feel along her body she came to her senses. Panting for air she pulled back and looked up to see him smiling down at her with a lazy look in his eyes as if he was the cat that caught the canary. "I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy." Mia struggled out of his arms and righted herself on her own two feet. "I'm definitely not sorry..." Keenan replied, still looking at her as if he wanted to devour her. Mia blushed deeply and couldn't meet his gaze again. "I was going to say...you must be freezing. Please, would you like to come inside? I can get you some tea or coffee or something." She knew darn well that he didn't feel cold and she had proof he could make her burning hot. She turned and gestured towards the house where Moose sat waiting by the door. "Sure, some tea sounds good...or something." Keenan knew he was barely concealing the huge erection he had but he felt no shame in showing off what she did to him. As she turned he followed her into the house, enjoying the scent of her desire. They began kicking their boots off at the door and Mia got her coat halfway undone before she remembered her lack of underwear. There was no way she could go parading around with her voluptuous double D breasts free for all the testosterone next to her to stare at. She wasn't sure which one of them would be more uncomfortable. She quickly zipped her coat back up and led Keenan to the kitchen. "Is earl grey okay?" Mia busied herself in the kitchen getting the cups and tea pretending that the incident in the driveway didn't just happen. "Of course, a little milk if you have it would be good." Keenan sat himself on one of the stools around the island in the center of the kitchen and watched her dance around. "Can I take your coat for you?" "No! Ah...no, thank you." Mia could feel his eyes on her and knew he was watching her every move. She set the cups out on the island and placed the kettle on the stove. Making her way over to the fridge she pulled out the half gallon of milk she had. Just as she closed the fridge door she nearly jumped as a giant hand appeared on the door just beside her head. She turned and found Keenan towering over her. He gently took the milk from her with his other hand and placed it safely on the island before bracing himself on her other side, trapping her against the refrigerator. "Mia..." He leaned in closer and watched her as she licked her lips nervously. Mia looked up at him helplessly. How on earth could this man make her melt so instantly? She didn't know anything about him but here she was so ready to get in his pants. She thought briefly about the last time she'd gotten laid and realized she couldn't remember how long ago that was. What the hell she thought and snaked her arms up around his neck, finding her confidence to kiss him hard. Keenan groaned at her surrender and ran his hands down her sides and around her back to grip her ass just as he dreamed. Her soft pajama pants gave way easily to let him grope and feel every curvy of her sexy bottom. He grabbed her hips gently and picked her up. Spinning her around he placed her on the island, never breaking their kiss. Her tongue tangled with his while he his exploration of her was greatly hampered by her coat. "Show me what you're hiding from me Mia." He mumbled into her mouth huskily. He unzipped the coat and slipped it off her shoulders but couldn't take it off completely as her hands were glued to his body trying to pull him closer. Her breasts were finally free and Keenan took his first eager feel of them, groaning into her mouth they filled his hands, heavy and soft. His thumbs brushed against her nipples, just barely separated by the thin scrap of her shirt. Mia gasped for breath and scooted to the edge of the table, spreading her legs so he stood in between them. All of Keenan's petting and squeezing was making her ache and she pulled herself against him nestling his hard cock right up against her core. A low growl sounded next to her ear and she froze. Keenan paused at her reaction and gave a soft cough. "Sorry..ah..." A low squeal turned into a shrieking kettle as the water on the stove began to boil. It was enough to pierce through Mia's haze of lust for...the second time today? Keenan's wolf snapped its teeth at the damn kettle and whined as Mia wiggled from their grasp to silence it. He didn't mean to scare her. She felt so right in his arms neither Keenan nor his wolf could seem to control themselves. He sat down slowly while Mia poured the tea. They waited in silence for a while, unsure where to go from there. Keenan noticed she had again zippered her coat protectively and she stood awkwardly with her tea on the other side of the island. He scolded himself for not saying something and making her so uncomfortable. "Mia, I'm sorry I've come on to you like this. It was inappropriate and I swear it wasn't my intention. Can I make it up to you? Would you allow me to take you to dinner?" He asked carefully. Mia met his gaze and considered his offer. This man echoed of danger and wild power and she wanted him, that was for sure, but it was the intensity of her need that scared her. At least a dinner would be public and maybe she could learn more about who he actually was instead of how great his body felt against hers, not that she wanted to forget that anytime soon. "Sure, I would love to." Winter with the Wolf Ch. 03 Hi guys, I know its been a very long time. I apologize sooo much, I'm just terrible with continuing projects. I'm also having trouble deciding where to take this story, its my first time writing and I find developing a plot very difficult. I kind of consider this chapter a "filler". I hope you enjoy and hopefully I will finish the next chapter soon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Donovan climbed back up into his black truck and turned the heat on to warm up. Werewolf blood can only do so much against the bone chilling temperatures up here. Being naked temporarily didn't help the situation. This assignment was going to take longer then he initially had planned. He had done a drive by on the address Eric gave him yesterday and found Keenan holding on to a human female in the driveway next door like a dog holding its favorite toy. Donovan had no idea what kind of involvement the female had with Keenan but he needed to know before he acted. Keenan hasn't been here long but there's no telling what kind of ties he has established already. Has he revealed himself to this woman? Has he gone rogue and has his sights set on the female? Would this human cause trouble with the police when Keenan disappears? All of these were things Donovan had to figure out before he could eliminate his target. And that's the reason he got a great peek show this morning. He prepared early this morning to watch her house and track her if she left. He built a small tree stand post deep in the woods away from the trails that gave him a clear shot through the forest to see the back of her house which offered the most visibility into the inside of her home. If she left out the front or started her car he'd be able to hear it and pursue her. He was armed with his military grade M24 sniper rifle just as a precaution and the detachable scope let him see through her windows with ease. It was the very same gun he planned on using for his hit on Keenan...before this pretty little bump in the road came along. When the human had left for her walk Donovan abandoned his post, shifting to his wolf to track her on the ground. That damned dog of hers knew something was stalking them but of course a human lacked the natural instinct to know any better and she didn't seem to believe her dog. It was slightly exhilarating being in his wolf's natural habitat but he was here for business. He had let her stray towards Keenan's home by herself. He gave the area a wide berth so he wouldn't leave a scent behind in the area that Keenan had marked as his. Donovan had shifted back to human and made it back up to his post in time to catch the female pawing at herself in her mirror before she showered. What a delightful little show she put on. He could see why Keenan was attracted to her, she was very fine; curves in all the right areas and a nice ass to boot. It'd be a shame if he had to kill her too. A loose human running around with werewolf secrets was unacceptable. If he had to take her down, he'd be sure to have a little fun with her first. Donovan was distracted from his plans by the vibration of his cell phone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eric waited impatiently as the phone rang against his ear. After a moment his enforcer picked up. "Yes Alpha?" Donovan's gruff voice came through on the other end. "I expected to hear from you sooner. How are things going?" Eric asked. "There's been some...complications. But it's all under control; will just take a little longer. I might have to silence a human." "He's gotten involved with someone already? And a human?! He must be going rouge, just like we thought," Eric clenched his free hand in a tight fist. He knew Keenan was sound and stable. He just needed to justify killing him to the pack. Eric would love to kill Keenan himself but knew his chances of that were slim. Besides not having an excuse to travel away from the pack for some time, Eric was no match for Keenan in a fair fight. He had to settle for sending Donovan after him to return with his body. Keenan thought he could just walk away from the pack after what he did? No. "The facts are unclear, Alpha. I will find out soon though. They apparently have a date tonight," Donovan offered. "Alright...call me when there is news," Eric hung up the phone and resisted a growl. He glanced down at his desk to the picture of his father. "I will avenge you Da, I promise." "Eric? What are you up to in here?" his mother's voice carried into his office. "Nothing Ma, just checking on business," he replied. His back was turned to the doorway and he missed the suspicious look on his mother's face as she stared at him. Sometimes it scared her just how much Eric looked like his father. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mia paused to glance in the mirror for the hundredth time as she scrambled to get ready for her date. It had taken her three outfit changes and two attempts on her make up until she was semi-satisfied with the result. Unsure of where they would be eating, Mia kept her outfit presentable but simple, grey pants and one of her favorite purple sweaters that was mostly fur-free. You could never be completely fur-free when living with an Akita. Mia thanked her lucky stars everyday that she wasn't allergic to canine fur. She had just finished packing the last bit of odds and ends into her purse when she was alerted to Keenan's arrival by Moose's small woof from downstairs. She scurried down the stairs, grabbing her coat off the hook near the door. "Be good Moose!" she called as she hopped out the door, locking it behind her. "Hey there." Mia's breath caught in her throat at the sound of that rich voice behind her. She turned to see Keenan halfway up her walkway smiling kindly at her. "Ready to go?" he asked and extended his hand to her. "Sure," Mia uttered faintly and placed her hand in his. Would she always lose her breath every time she looked at him? Keenan escorted her to his truck, helping her into the seat before climbing in himself. "So where will we be dining tonight?" Mia asked trying to break the tense silence. "Well, I made a reservation at Mill's Tavern. I don't know much about the restaurants in town yet so I hope that was a good selection." Keenan replied as he started the truck. "Oh, I love Mill's. They've got an amazing prime rib dish!" Mia's smile faltered for a moment as she realized that maybe she shouldn't pig out on a big steak on the first date. Surely that wouldn't be very attractive would it? She continued to ponder the best course of action while Moose watched their truck pull out of the driveway from the front window, leaving wet nose marks everywhere as usual. He remained at his post long enough to see the black truck drive by shortly after they left, traveling down the road in the same direction. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Hello, we have a reservation for two please," Keenan addressed the smiling hostess. "The name is Burke, Keenan Burke." "Ah yes, we have you right here. Please come this way," the hostess responded. Keenan shifted to let Mia follow the hostess to their table near a front window so she could pick her seat first. It had nothing to do with the fact that he could watch her ass anytime he walked behind her. Her pants were tight and her sweater softened all her curves to make them appear even more luscious. His mouth watered just thinking about exploring every inch of her. As they sat deciding on what to order, Keenan barely glanced at the menu. Instead he was focused on Mia, trying to read her body language and smell her emotions. Courting a human was new territory to him. Things were simpler within the pack. If a female wanted to have sex he could smell it. If she was his mate, he could smell it. The act of sex itself was more carefree and open with wolves than it was with humans. He was unsure how to act to win Mia's favor. "Are you all set to order?" Their server's voice pierced though Keenan's thoughts. He looked at Mia for confirmation. At her small smile and nod he ordered the prime rib for himself since he didn't actually read the menu. "I'll have the berry spinach salad," Mia said. "I thought you loved the prime rib?" Keenan asked as the waiter took their menus away. "It is very good but I figured it's a little too heavy to have tonight," she replied. Keenan watched her closely noticing how she fidgeted. Was she nervous? "So, what do you do for a living?" "I'm a baker at the bake shop that is just down the street. You will probably end up there at some point; it's the only bakery in town. What about you?" "Aha, so you are a professional. I thought that pie was a bit extraordinary. I actually don't have a job yet, I came here kind of spur of the moment. I moved from New York City where my...family is." Keenan made a mental note to word things carefully as to not raise questions. "Oh wow...I've only been to the city once but I wasn't a big fan. What made you come all the way up here?" "We had a...death in the family. It kind of tore us apart a bit so I came up here to get away. I'm not much of a city person either. Too smelly." He smiled broadly hoping he was coming off as friendly. He had never had to talk about himself to another person before. Mia matched his smile and she seemed to be a little more relaxed than before. Keenan turned his head as he caught a whiff of fresh hot meat exiting on a plate from the kitchen. Their waiter placed the giant steak down in front of Keenan and gave Mia her salad. "Wow this looks amazing." His mouth watered so fast he actually had to make sure he didn't literally drool. Sometimes the wolf's senses didn't work in his favor. Though his nose and taste buds were overwhelmed with the feast in front of him he didn't fail to notice Mia staring at his steak. They continued on with their small talk while Mia picked at her salad and Keenan attempted to attack his steak in a civil manner with a fork and knife. He kept watch carefully looking for any signs from Mia that let him know how she was feeling. She didn't seem to be making much progress on her salad and she stole quick glances at his plate occasionally. "Would you like some of my meat?" he asked seriously as he watched her play with a leaf of spinach. She looked up quickly with wide doe eyes and stared at him for a moment. "Uh...what?" she asked, taken aback. He wouldn't really be that bold would he? She had hoped he was at least a little bit well mannered. "My prime rib-oh...oh no, I didn't...you thought I meant? No!" he had a horrified expression for a split second before apologizing. His response was rewarded with giggles from Mia as she embraced the humor of the misunderstanding. His heart clenched at the sound of her laughter. His wolf chuffed contently inside him. He was so screwed. "Here, please have some," he said as he cut a bite sized piece off and dipped it gently in some horseradish sauce. He extended the fork to her. "I've noticed you looking at it, don't deny it." Mia's face turned crimson red but she still reached forward to accept the fork from him. Until his hand caught hers midair and slowly pulled it back down to the table. She looked up at his face to see his eyes soften and but still serious as he moved the fork closer to her lips. Keenan held his breath and willed her with his eyes to lean forward and accept the food from his hand. He could feel his skin tingling with goose bumps, a projection of his wolf's fur standing on end as he too waited to see how Mia would react. To take food from his hand would mean so much to them. Their mate accepting what they provided for her would bring them great fulfillment. Time seemed to stop for Keenan as Mia started to lean forward. He memorized every second of the movement, her breasts pressing against the table, her hand slightly tightening in his, the way her eyelids drooped halfway while her tongue peaked out to make the first contact with the juicy piece of steak on his fork. Her lips closed around it and her face melted into satisfaction as she savored the flavor. Her eyes cracked open at the same moment that Keenan's wolf swelled with pride so strong that his eyes flickered to their silvery wolf form for a split second. Mia barely caught the change and quickly forgot it as she saw him cutting her another piece. "I can just order my own, it's okay," she said quickly. "But I would much rather feed you mine" he replied with a sexy grin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Donovan sipped at his coffee to avoid scowling at the scene before him. He watched Keenan cut his food into bite sized pieces to feed to the human female from the local coffee shop across the street. The only time he'd ever seen wolves do that was with their mates. Was that plump human actually Keenan's mate? The thought of that plus the public display of affection before him made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. As much as he didn't care for the female he still wasn't set on killing her. Killing females was never easy for him. Maybe if he sent her a little warning she'd go running off for a while and remove herself from the picture. Winter with the Wolf Ch. 04 Hey guys, I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer for ya! Chapter 3 took almost 3 weeks to get approved so I'm sorry if this one takes a while too. At least it didn't take a whole year ahaha. It's 4am right now and I can barely keep my eyes open to proofread so I'm terribly sorry if there are mistakes. Also, there has been some concern from some readers that I might kill off Moose. I don't want to ruin any suspense but I promise that there will be no intentional murder of any animals in any of my stories ever. Thanks for reading, always love feedback! Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The day couldn't have gone by any slower for Mia at the bakery. Just an hour away from closing Mia was eager to check her phone and get home. She resisted the urge to go sneak a peek at it right now. Her and Keenan had exchanged phone numbers at the end of their date last night and she felt like a higher school girl waiting for her crush to text her. Keenan had said he wanted to see her again after he gave her a hot goodnight kiss on her front porch. Their date last night had been wonderful and she couldn't wait to see him again. She still needed to get to know him better, it seemed like she barely learned that much and before she knew it the night had been over. Why hadn't she asked more questions? Oh right, she was too busy being hand fed by the giant hunk of male in question. "Earth to Miaaaa," her coworker's voice called from the door to the front of the bakery. "Sorry! What?" Mia snapped back to attention. "I said someone has a delivery here for you, they wouldn't let us take it, said it has to go directly to you." "Oh, okay I'll be right there!" Mia carefully placed the end of the wire holding her gumpaste rose into the block of styrofoam and washed her hands before emerging from the back of the kitchen. A delivery man stood by the end of the register with a package in his hands. "Mia Gary?" he asked, making eye contact with her. "Yep thats me. What's this?" she asked, accepting the package from him. "Special delivery, have a good day!" Mia was left staring at his retreating back before she glanced down at the package in her hands. She took it into the back of the kitchen away from customers and peering eyes and removed the brown paper. Underneath was a box of gourmet chocolates and a small card. "Thank you for the wonderful date last night" it read, without a name. Mia couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face as she took a closer look to see what the assortment of chocolates had. How did Keenan even know she liked chocolate? She gave herself another minute longer to feel like a smitten teenager before she ran the chocolates out to her car to keep safe. She would definitely enjoy those later. Thank god she was almost done for the day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Thanks for coming in, we definitely need an extra hand with the winter season just about here. The snow brings down a lot of trees when it gets bad. All of your muscle will be a good addition to our team." Keenan shook Rick's outstretched hand and grinned. "No problem, just call me when the paperwork is done and let me know when to start." "You will be hearing from us soon." Rick nodded at him and returned to his work at his desk nestled in the back of the lumber yard. Keenan exited the trailer and walked back to his truck. He stole a look at his phone wondering if Mia had called him or not. How long was he supposed to wait before talking to her again? Was he supposed to text or call? He had no idea what was acceptable for human courting. Either way, there was nothing new on his phone. Keenan debated stopping by the bakery to see Mia on his way back but after some quick calculations he figured she would be on her way home already. His day had been pretty easy so far. He'd stopped at some places looking for a job. His savings wouldn't last him forever. He was lucky enough to get such a good deal on the cabin he bought. Apparently the market was terrible up here in the middle of no where. His travels had finally brought him to a lumber mill not far from town. He figured it would be a good job for a man of his abnormal strength and resistance to the outdoor weather. Keenan continued to debate what his next step should be with Mia. Perhaps he should make her dinner? If he were trying to impress a werewolf mate he would present her with the largest prey he could find. Now he just needed to learn how to cook it first. Keenan changed his route to the nearest grocery store. Putting his truck into park he sent Mia a text. "Would you like to come to my place for dinner tomorrow night?" He read it back to himself and wondered if he should say anything else. He hit send quickly before he let himself over think it. The air was brisk against his face as he made his way into the store. He was sorting through what he knew how to cook in his head and making a mental grocery list. Meat of some sort was what he was most comfortable with. And he had no idea what Mia's favorite food was. Moments later Keenan was loading half of the grocery store into his truck when Mia responded to his message. "Sure, sounds great. Want to come over for some coffee?" Keenan raised his eyebrows at his phone. She wanted to see him again before tomorrow night? The corner of his mouth twitched up in a sly smile. He must be doing good so far. He quickly responded, accepting her invitation and started up his truck. His thoughts drifted again as he made his way towards home and Mia's house. The one question that was in the back of his mind since he met her came forward and plagued his conscious. How was he going to tell her what he was? His hands tightened around the steering wheel as he tried to imagine it playing out in his head. "Oh by the way, I'm a werewolf, aaaahhhhh" he imitated a high pitched screech into the silence of his truck and imagined Mia running for the hills. His only hope was that she felt the mating bond strong enough even though she's human. It might be the only thing that will make her stay. But it would also be the death of him if she didn't. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Donovan puffed out a breath of impatience and watched it form a cloud around his face before disappearing. Thankfully his wolf blood kept him warm for situations like these but it still got pretty boring waiting for his prey. He'd taken up a spot on the ground this time that gave him a clear shot to the back of Keenan's house. He had his rifle at the ready just waiting for Keenan to step out his back door or linger at a window too long. To pass time Donovan thought back on everything he had observed of Keenan since he got here. He didn't seem to be acting any differently compared to how he acted back home. Given the violent attack before he left and not being with a pack up here, Donovan expected a lot more mental instability then what he was displaying so far. According to Eric, rogues were supposed to be high strung, violent and spent a lot of time in their wolf skin in the wild, most resorting to living like that permanently. He had heard a car pull up to one of the houses not long ago so he was at full attention now. It was either Keenan returning from wherever the hell he went for the day or it was Mia returning from her work and running for the bathroom, hopefully. He snickered at the thought of seeing Mia running into her house and straight to the toilet. It had been too easy. He had plucked her full name from a piece of her mail, followed her in the morning to find her work address and written a sappy note to make it sound real. Those chocolates should keep her away from Keenan for at least a full day, maybe longer if she didn't eat them all at once. No female would want their intended male around when there were horrid noises, smells and substances exuding from their body. Hardly anyone dies from food poisoning right? He only wanted her to get out of the way for a while. With Mia incapacitated and refusing to see Keenan he'd finally be able to get his target alone and wait for his chance to take the shot. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Keenan couldn't help but smile when he heard Moose woof at his knock. It was even harder not to smile more when Mia's beautiful face was in front of him. "Hey there," he said lightly, wondering when he turned into a love sick pup. He could feel his wolf's content at having their mate close again. He took a deep breath, inhaling her wonderful scent. He would have wrapped his arms around her in a second but she stepped back to let him inside. "Hi, come on it, its so chilly out there," she held the door open for him but Moose took the chance to fill the doorway instead. He sniffed intensely at Keenan's pants, giving him a thorough check before he approved the entry into his home. "Oh Moose, be polite." Keenan chuckled and finally stepped into the cabin giving Moose a good scratch around the ears. He knew he loved the scratches but being the good guard dog that he was, Moose didn't falter in his tough appearance for a second. "He doesn't want to show it but I think Moose actually likes you," Mia said while she led him into the kitchen. "Moose c'mon, you want to go outside?" She'd forgotten to let him out right when she got home so she knew he wouldn't refuse the offer. She opened up the back door and let Moose slip out to romp in the snow. "So how was your day?" Mia asked Keenan, seeing he had settled himself into a stool at the island in her kitchen. She hoped the poor thing didn't collapse under his huge frame. "Nothing spectacular, I managed to get a job down at the lumber mill hopefully. What about you?" "Mine was the usual," Mia replied as she set some water on the stove and got out two mugs. "Picky customers at the shop, dough stuck under my fingernails, and-oh! The chocolates! Thank you so much, you didn't have to do that." Keenan looked at her carefully. "Do what?" "The box of chocolates you sent me today, that was so sweet." "What...I didn't send you any chocolates Mia." Should he have? he wondered but was more concerned about who really did give her the chocolates. "May I see them?" "Um...sure just a second," Mia disappeared into the other room for a minute before returning with a box that she handed over to him. Keenan lifted the lid off and looked at the assortment inside. They seemed harmless enough to the human eye but with one long inhale he could detect the wrongness about them. Something about the scent was off, there was something in those chocolates that wasn't normal. "I'm assuming you didn't eat any of these right? There aren't any missing from the box." "No, I didn't eat any. I was going to save them. What is going on? If you didn't send those to me then who did? The card that came with it referred to our date last night." "I don't know. Do you have any crazy ex-boyfriends?" Keenan chuckled trying to keep the mood light for Mia's sake but inside he was furious. He would find whoever did this. He picked up the card that was with the box and brought it up to his nose, inhaling long and hard but there was no scent with it. "Did...you just sniff that?" Mia asked incredulously with an eyebrow raised. He gave her a light laugh and smiled. "Some people have strong colognes so I thought why not. Nothing to lose right?" The kettle on the stove began to whistle. "Would you like your earl grey tea again?" Mia asked as she removed the kettle from the burner, silencing it's scream. "With milk? So strange," she said with a teasing smirk. "Yes please ma'am," he responded with his own smirk to match hers. "Tell me which cabinet and I'll get it." He rose from his seat to find the tea when they both paused at a noise coming from outside. A cluster of barks, yips, growls and yelling seemed to be coming from the back of the house. "What on earth?" Before Mia could reach the back door, Keenan was already there and outside to see Moose running from the treeline towards the house. He didn't stop until he was at Keenan's feet where he dropped something from his mouth, sat down and huffed as if presenting a prize and waiting for his reward. Keenan crouched down and picked it up. A piece of denim? He flipped it over to inspect it and gave it a good sniff. The second the scent hit his nose he froze and stared back into the woods. Donovan. What was he doing here? "Keenan? What is it?" Mia's sweet voice broke his concentration. He tucked the denim into his pocket and turned back to her. "I think Moose got into something. Probably another animal. You want to take him inside and make sure he isn't hurt and I'll go take a look in the woods? Don't come out until I'm back." He gave Moose a good scratch and a firm nod as if to say he'd take it from here. Once Mia had Moose inside and the door close he charged over to the treeline and dove into the woods trying to follow Moose's scent with his human nose and follow the paw prints. He broke out into a jog once he caught the trail. Keenan crouched behind some brush and froze as he saw Donovan rolling around in the snow. He was about to stand and confront him when he caught sight of the gun. Thinking twice, Keenan began to strip and shifted to his wolf as quickly as possible. The change ripped through him with a surge of strength that made him curl his claws into the cool snow. He crouched and slinked away to flank Donovan and get closer before attacking. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Donovan cursed and scrambled in the snow. "Damn fucking dog!" He resisted the urge to yell. How the hell did a pet sneak up on him without him knowing? Domestic dogs weren't hunters like that! The stupid fleabag was apparently smart enough to circle around him to be downwind and was nimble enough to approach silently. Donovan ripped a strip off his shirt and tied it around his bleeding calf. Even took a good bite out of him too! He quickly tied it off so he stopped leaving his blood all over the white snow and he scurried to pack up his gun and get the hell out of there before that damn human came to investigate. The small growl was the only warning Donovan got before the giant wolf exploded from the bushes behind him. He managed to roll once but it landed on his arm and still got a hold of him. He caught a glimpse of the eyes behind the black mask of fur. Keenan. He quickly tried to take note of any other signals that would let him know just how feral he had become. No frothing at the mouth, not crazy eyes, no mangy fur...he looked like one normal shifter. A pissed off shifter at that. Shit. Donovan struggled to reach for his gun with his free arm. He was just inches away from it. The rifle wasn't made for close combat but it might be the only chance he had if he could just reach it. But Keenan saw his every intention. He still seemed intelligent, calculating. With one leap Donovan's arm was free and instead the large black wolf blocked his path to his gun. With one backward kick Keenan sent the gun spiraling even farther away and it discharged a shot harmlessly into the woods with a loud bang. Donovan scrambled backward when the wolf snapped at his outstretched arm. "Shit...Keenan? Are you in there? Listen to me man..." what could he tell him? He was just there to kill him? He was just doing his job? Somehow Donovan didn't seem to think that would be good enough to save his skin, which was definitely in deep trouble. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this close to panic. Donovan watched as Keenan paused waiting to hear what he had to say. "Keenan!?" A woman's voice pierced through the showdown. Keenan's ears perked and he raised his head to listen again for Mia's call. That was all it took for Donovan to snatch the knife from his boot and take one drastic swipe at Keenan, catching his front leg but nothing more. The giant black wolf yelped but attacked full on, biting at Donovan's feet and ankles. Donovan struggled to his feet and took off running, stripping out of his clothes in case he had to shift to escape. Keenan gave chase excitedly until he heard the crunching of a second pair of footsteps running towards him, not away from him. He slowed and finally came to a stop, listening as the newcomer came into view. His brilliant icy blue eyes stared straight at Mia as she stood bravely before him with a shotgun pointed directly at him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mia stood, trying desperately to steady her gun but she couldn't stop shaking. This was the biggest fucking wolf she had ever seen in her life and she wanted to run screaming. And it was staring at her like she was a piece of meat. Its eyes were so blue...so familiar. Shaking the thought from her head, Mia carefully stepped backwards slowly. She didn't want to shoot the thing. It probably wouldn't go down with just one shot anyway so she'd royally piss it off if she shot at it. Her best bet was to retreat slowly but it was damn hard when she was battling every flight or fight instinct. Her teeth chattered noisily, not from the cold but from nerves. The wolf continued to stare at her for a heartbeat longer, glancing at the gun again before making one last eye contact and it dashed away in the opposite direction. The sudden movement was like a shot to Mia's legs and she bolted away as well, running like mad for her cabin. She burst through the door, slamming it behind her and stood watch by the window, still holding her gun. Where was Keenan? Was he okay out there? She cracked open the door to call his name out again. About five agonizing minutes later she breathed her first sigh of relief when Keenan emerged from the woods, and walked towards the cabin all calm and cool. Didn't he see the wolf out there? Mia quickly let him in and he stared at her gun. "Going duck hunting?" he asked with his usual little smirk. "What? No! You didn't....there wasn't? A wolf? And a gun shot? Black, and huge!" She could barely form a full sentence. Keenan gently reached out and took the gun from her, propping it in the corner by the back door. "I didn't see any wolf outside. Are there even wolves left around this area? I thought I told you to stay inside, you are shivering." He reached out and pulled her against his body to warm her. He had rushed the change back to human to return to her and his wolf wanted her close. He could still smell her fear in the air and wanted to comfort her. "Hey, its okay, there was nothing out there." He rubbed her back gently, still holding her close. He grabbed her tea off the island and handed it to her while steering her towards the cough in the living room. "What happened Keenan? I swear I heard a gunshot, didn't you hear it?" Mia began to wonder if she was acting crazy. Everything began to wash over her. The mysterious chocolates, Moose's weird behavior, gunshots in her backyard, and that giant wolf. She suddenly felt exhausted and exposed. She crumbled against Keenan when he set her down on the couch. He took her tea from her, placing it on the coffee table and leaned back, pulling her with him to let her rest on his chest. "Its okay, I promise you are safe with me." He whispered in a soothing tone to her. He knew she had an adrenaline rush when she saw him in wolf form outside. She must be crashing hard right now. He inhaled her scent from her hair and kisses her forehead gently. Mia looked up at him with sleepy looking eyes before she stretched up to reach his lips with hers. She sighed as she felt his lips against hers and resisted the urge to moan at the taste of him. She could drown in his kisses forever if possible. She didn't hesitate at all when his tongue parted her lips gently and slipped inside her mouth. She sucked at it and squirmed with desire for more of him. Lazily, she snuck her hands up his shirt and felt his well sculpted abs underneath. She never broke their kiss as she dragged her nails down his chest and pawed at the top of his pants, wanting to undo them to reach the wonderful hardness that she could feel against her hip as she laid on top of him. Winter with the Wolf Ch. 04 Keenan held her tightly against him, gently trying to rub his erection against her but still trying to exercise restraint. His wolf was just below the surface, if he did much more his eyes would surely change. He let out a gasp when her hand cupped him through his pants and squeezed. He grabbed her hand away quickly and kissed her again to distract her and close his eyes. He breathed quickly, trying to gather the strength to turn her down despite how badly he needed her. He could smell her own desire and it was driving him insane. "Mia...please, I don't want to go too fast." He barely managed to not move his hips when she squirmed on top of him like a lazy cat after he denied her her goal. "Okay..." she responded in barely a whisper. Her eyelids were half closed, partly with exhaustion and part a sexual haze. Keenan wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her so she couldn't continue to torture him. He closed his eyes for a moment and by the time he opened them again, Mia was sound asleep. He gently rolled off the couch with her in his arms and carried her upstairs to her bed. He tucked her in tight, leaving her with one last kiss before he returned downstairs. He locked all the doors, gathered the chocolates from the kitchen and cleaned up their failed tea date. His heart ached terribly but he had to leave her. He had a mess in the woods to clean up and he had to track down Donovan before he came back. Moose huffed at him from his spot by the fire place. "Take care of her while I'm gone," Keenan said to him, quite seriously. He knew Mia was in excellent protection with Moose but he still hated leaving her. The sooner he got this mess fixed, the sooner he could have her back in his arms. Winter with the Wolf Ch. 05 Once again thanks for your patience guys, I've been busy with the holidays. Hope you enjoy this chapter! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "What the fuck do you have me doing up here?!" Donovan's voice snarled through the earpiece. "How dare yo-" Eric's response was cut short. "Don't you even go there. You told me I'd be hunting a were that had the mentality of a wild animal, not a fucking predator with all his human wits about him!" Donovan barely restrained his voice from yelling. Calling Eric before he calmed down from his close encounter with Keenan probably wasn't a very good idea. "If I give you a task it is your job to complete it without question. Do you find yourself incapable of the job?" Eric's voice went cold as steel as he tried to push as much alpha influence into it as he could. "If so I don't want to see your ass back here again. There is no room for weaklings in this pack." "I am far from weak. I am not happy that you led me to believe there was less danger about this mission then there really is. And why am I killing a perfectly healthy wolf? He seems fine to me." It took all of Donovan's strength to speak as calmly as he could, his wolf wanting to snap at the challenge. No one should think of them as weak. "Why don't you get your ass up here and do the job if its so important to you?" Eric paused for a moment in shock. No one spoke to an alpha that way. "Don't come back," he said in a low voice. "I will find other ways to get to Keenan since you can't seem to do it. If I see you again I'll kill you." Eric disconnected the call. Eric's mother, Kathy, scrambled away from her son's office door and fled from the house. She had to warn Carla and Tracy. She couldn't sit by and let anyone else get hurt. She just barely heard Eric calling for one of his betas to carry out his order as she slipped out the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Keenan jogged through the woods, his arms full of Donovan's clothing. He picked up another sock and followed the trail of footprints until they came out of the woods to the road, half a mile down the street from his and Mia's cabins. He could see the tire tracks from a vehicle parked on the side of the road, now long gone. "Shit..." Keenan muttered under his breath. He had hoped his past wouldn't chase him here but apparently it did. Eric must really want him dead to go to these lengths. It wasn't as if he didn't understand why Eric hated him. He would hate anyone that killed his father too. The thoughts threw Keenan back to that day. He had been on his way home from work one night when his sister Tracy texted him that the alpha, Eric's father Dale, was at their apartment. Keenan had quickened his pace to see what their alpha could possibly want from his family. He could hear the yelling from the second floor as he sprinted up the stairs to the fourth floor. A dish shattered against a wall as he had burst through the door. Tracy was screaming and throwing plates at their alpha. Keenan had rushed to subdue her but froze as he realized the whole situation. His mother was pinned beneath Dale, thrashing and fighting against him. Her clothes were torn to shreds and claw marks scored her body. Dale was moments away from raping her when Keenan had instantly shifted in rage and flung himself at their alpha. The fight that ensued he would never forget. He had never killed another person before, wolf or not. He had never felt such a fierce rage that he couldn't control. Keenan didn't stick around to see what happened after that. His mother made him pack his bags immediately and urged him to run away so the pack wouldn't kill him for what he'd done. It didn't matter if it was in self defense or not, he had killed the alpha in an unofficial challenge and the only witnesses were his own family. He had hopped from town to town for a few months after that before finally settling here. He'd only spoken to his mother once since that day, just to make sure they were okay and to learn that Eric had taken his father's place as alpha. The smoke from Keenan's small fire started to clear and he dragged himself out of his memories. He had burned Donovan's things to destroy the evidence. Shoving snow over the remains of the fire, he turned and made his way back to Mia's cabin. Approaching his truck in the driveway, he contemplated the situation for a moment before deciding to unload all of his groceries into Mia's kitchen. He wanted to be as close as possible to protect her and he had bought the food to cook for her anyway. Moose lay in the hall connecting the kitchen to the stairs where he could watch Keenan and the food but still be attentive to Mia upstairs if she stirred. A while later it had grown dark outside but the warm glow of the fire Keenan had started kept the cabin cozy. The first creek in the ceiling had both Moose and Keenan looking up, acknowledging that Mia had awoken. Keenan kicked the heat on the stove up a notch to hurry the food along so he could feed Mia the dinner he prepared when she came downstairs. He was just pulling the chicken out of the oven when he heard her padding down the hallway and she emerged in the kitchen door. He stared at her while she took in the situation in front of her. She looked more appetizing than the chicken in his hands. Her face had that fresh sleepy look to it, her hair slightly rumpled and she had changed into some loose fitting comfortable clothes. He paused for a minute as it occurred to him what he must look like. His face was probably scruffy at this point and his plaid and jeans definitely didn't go well with Mia's apron that he had tied around his neck. He saw her crack a small smile as she read the saying on the front of it, "The more people I meet, the more I like my dog." "How are you feeling?" Keenan asked to break the silence. "Much better, thanks. Why are you still here?" she asked quietly. "I didn't want you to be alone when you woke up. And I thought I could make you dinner in the mean time...I can leave if you want?" He set the chicken down on the counter and pulled the lemon herb sauce off the stove. He quickly stashed the cooking magazine he picked up into the nearest grocery bag. "No, no its fine I didn't mean to sound like I didn't want you here, I just am surprised that you'd want to stay." Keenan looked at her standing in the doorway, lightly hugging herself. He tentatively stepped toward her and slowly slipped his arms around her, pressing her body fully against his and pulled her into the warmth of the kitchen. He felt her relax in his arms and he could barely contain his smile. This felt normal and natural to him and his wolf but he could tell from her body language that this was still strange to her and she wasn't used to such easy and close physical contact with another person. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a soft and gentle kiss that made his skin tingle. Just before he could deepen it she pulled away and slipped from his arms. "I have to feed Moose." A small huff sounded from the area by the fireplace and a furry curled tail followed Mia to the closet that contained the dog food. Keenan busied himself by building plates of food for Mia and himself and setting the table. Mia glanced over her shoulder as she filled Moose's bowl, stealing glimpses of Keenan moving around her kitchen. He seemed so relaxed and normal in her home, like he had been here all along. Her defenses were screaming at her to be careful, that he was going to hurt her in the end. Something would happen, he would lose interest, she was boring, another woman would come along...but she couldn't bring herself to listen. She stared at him as he concentrated on placing her piece of chicken just right on the plate, wearing her apron, searching her drawers for silverware. She couldn't miss out because she was afraid. She shoved all of her insecurities and doubts in the back of her mind and felt her heart swell as she embraced the idea of him in her life. "Mia if you don't put that bowl down soon we are going to have to mop the floor." Mia started and looked down to see Moose drooling heavily in front of her. "Ahaha, sorry Moose." She put the bowl down and turned, pretending to busy herself in the closet as she swiped at her eyes to remove the unfallen tears. Her sight clear, she spotted a bottle of wine on a shelf and grabbed it. "Do you like wine Keenan?" She held up the bottle of reisling. "Sure, I'll grab the glasses." Moments later they had poured their wine, drank some, and sat side by side at the kitchen island, chatting and eating like they'd been doing it for years. Though there was space between their chairs Keenan sat with his long leg stretched to gently touch hers and his arm brushed her side. "The food is really good, better than what I usually have the energy to make after work." Mia said between mouthfuls. "I'm glad you like it, I'm not much of a cook really..." He cut a piece of his chicken and held his fork to her. "May I?" His blue eyes pierced into her. "I have my own silly, I don't need to eat your dinner this time." Mia blushed and looked at her plate to avoid his intense gaze. Keenan felt his wolf bristle but he ignored him. "Please? I love to feed you." Mia smiled in embarrassment as the thought crossed her mind that he was a little strange and wondered if he was into weird things in bed too. She slammed the mental door on that thought and leaned forward to take bite he offered. The smile that spread across his face when her lips met his fork was enough to make her melt. She quickly chewed and followed it by a huge gulp of wine. Maybe if she drank enough his charms wouldn't make her feel like a squishy girl. "Mia I wanted to talk a little bit about us." He said as he put his fork down and slid a hand on to her leg, rubbing it gently. Mia barely caught herself from expecting the worst at this words. "What about us?" She clutched her wine glass a little closer to her chest, silently wishing it had more wine in it. "I really like you and...I just, sorry I'm terrible with this kind of stuff. I just don't want to push you away if I'm being too forward or fast for you. I've never really dated before, I don't know what the general standards are and I don't want to screw anything up." Another gulp of wine and Mia let out a sigh of relief. She stared at his hand on her leg, not sure of how to respond. She had never been with a man so interested in her and genuine. She looked up at his blue eyes that seemed concerned to hear her response and she made her decision. She drained her wine glass, slid out of her seat and stepped into him, between his spread legs. Standing on her tip toes she kissed him hard, not holding back. Keenan let go of his breath that he was holding and felt his cock jump to life at her bold advance. He met her kiss with the same ferocity, tangling his tongue with hers. She was crawling on to him so much he could barely get out of his chair. Snaking his hands down to clutch her bottom he lifted her up, her knees squeezing his hips. He clumsily stumbled towards the couch again with her in his arms. She seemed so confident, he sat back on the couch and let her have her way on top of him. He knew it was the wine talking, he knew he couldn't mate with her yet, but he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy as much of her as he could. Keenan suppressed a groan and squeezed his eyes shut when Mia ground herself against his erection. He kept them shut when he knew that his eyes had changed to the silvery blue of his wolf. He used his other senses instead, his hands feeling their way up Mia's soft belly towards her breasts while she nibbled and bit at his neck. His balls ached at the thought of her biting him in a mating claim and he rolled his hips against her. He could smell her arousal thick and heavy in the air and he didn't know how on earth he was going to put an end to this. Mia leaned back in his lap for to catch her breath while she gently rubbed herself against the bulge in his pants. She was just about to reach down to pull his shirt off, barely getting a peek at his chest before she noticed he had his eyes closed. Uninhibited by the wine, she smirked "Don't you want to look at me?" Keenan froze and struggled for something to say. Should he lie to his mate? Make an excuse? Show her the truth? "I...I like to be blindfolded?" he said hesitantly. Mia's subtle movements in his lap stopped. "You what?" Nope, not the right thing to say. Keenan chuckled and tried to shrug it off as a joke. "I'm just kidding, I've never been blindfolded." "Okay...then open your eyes." Mia's confidence was slowly waning the longer Keenan kept them closed. She didn't want to make a thing of it but...why wouldn't he look at her? The silence was deafening for a moment before he finally responded. "Alright, just...don't be frighten okay? My eyes look different sometimes." He cracked his eyelids open just a hairline. "What do you mean different? People's eyes can't look different." Mia looked curiously at him as he opened his eyes painfully slow. He looked down at their laps, not wanting to raise his eyes and pin her with a wolf's gaze. "What..." Mia was lost for words. She leaned closer and saw the silvery ice blue color of them. They seemed almost iridescent and definitely spooky. They didn't look human. "How...?" She leaned back slightly when he looked up at her. His eyes pierced through her like no one else's ever had and she felt unsure seeing such an inhumane feature on his face. Keenan felt her withdrawing from him and he shut his eyes again, gently loping his arms around her waist hoping to keep her from pulling away completely. "Its...kind of a family thing. I don't know how to explain it. I'm sorry." Mia tried to focus on what was happening in front of her. Her wine haze was clearing and she saw Keenan with his eyes shut again, for her comfort. She recognized the feeling of insecurity from him and something within her roared at her to fix it, to make him feel safe with her. Insecurity had no place on a man like Keenan, so strong and loving. Mia reached out to gently touch his face and he tilted his head up to her in response but still kept his eyes closed. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips, not sexual or lustful but reassuring him. "I...might take a while to get used to it...but-" Mia was cut short by a vibration coming from under her. "Shit...sorry" Keenan retrieved his phone from his pocket and opened his eyes to stare at the caller ID. "Uh...I have to take this." Mia crawled off his lap and wiggled over to sit on the other side of the couch. "I understand." Keenan took a deep breath and took Mia's hand, not wanting to lose all contact with her. The call had brought him to his senses and his eyes had shifted back to human. He flipped open his phone. "Mom?" "Hey big bro! Hows it goin furball? Look so, Mom and I are gunna come bunk with you for a while, we need your addy." "Tracy? What...? Why? You need what?" "Addy. You know, your address? Where you live, slash sleep, slash eat? Eric is being a bad boy and we needed to hightail it out of smogville. We are driving up the mountains now, can we get some directions please?" His sisters peppy voice sounded over the phone. Keenan stared at Mia for a moment, lost for words, wondering what the full story was and not his sister's usual to-the-point highlights. "Are you okay? I don't have any beds for you to sleep on and I...am with a friend." "Oooooooo what kind of friend? Mom, Keenan's got a lady friend! What's her name?" Tracy asked. Keenan heard his mother in the background scolding Tracy and asking her again for directions. Tracy was so loud he knew Mia heard the whole thing. "Its your family? I have an extra bed if they want to stay here." Mia whispered to him. "We have plenty of food too." The words were out before Mia could consider why she would invite strangers into her own home. She couldn't even believe she had met Keenan only days ago. "What's that? Your lady friend says you can sleep in her bed and we can have yours Kee?" Tracy snickered, knowing full what what Mia really said. "Tracy..." Keenan growled through the phone. "Oh hush and give us directions you big grump." A few minutes later Keenan resisted throwing his phone across the room. He ran his hands through his hair and exhaled trying to not let the stress of the situation build. His mom and sister in Mia's house? Three wolves with a human? With his mate who he was just getting to trust him? With Donovan lurking around? How much worse could it get? He almost flinched when he felt a small hand touch his stomach. He looked down at Mia's concerned face as she crawled closer and held him. "How soon will they be here?" she asked. "A little less than an hour." "Alright...we should probably put some food away and keep some warm for them." She started to get up and Keenan immediately missed her warmth. "Wait!" he caught her wrists before she left. "About the...eye thing, it doesn't bother you?" he asked carefully. Mia took a moment before answering, smiling gently. "If I can't learn to live with it I'll just blindfold you."