Chapter 4

I found a place to park a few blocks away near a treeline. I went into the thickest part of the trees after making sure no one was nearby, removing my clothes and folding them before placing them in a plastic bag I set on the pine needles. I shifted into my wolf and shook out my fur. I stalked closer, alert for movement. When I got close to the window, I heard voices.

"Marcus, I left some dinners for you in the freezer. I need you to eat better! I don't like how you're losing weight. You can't exist on microwave food and potato chips."

"I'm trying, Mary. I forget to eat sometimes when I'm studying for an exam."

I started to growl low in my chest. My man was in there with another woman, and my wolf saw red.

"I'll be back to check on you this weekend. You need to unpack and settle in, Marcus. This apartment looks like you're living out of a duffel bag."

"That's because I am. It's just another place, and I'll be moving along soon enough."

"Until when? When do you settle down and get back to normal, Marcus?"

There was silence for a few moments. "This IS my normal, Mary. I'm not the idealistic young man I was when I left for the Army. I'm damaged goods. I can't cope with people, I can't stop the nightmares, and nothing the VA can do helps me. Not the drugs, not the therapists, not the groups. I have demons, Mary. When they come out, I don't want anyone around me. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"When was the last time you had a good night's sleep, Marcus? You're like a zombie sometimes."

He laughed. "It's been months. The last time was at the end of the summer while I was hiking up north. The nightmares haven't gone away, Mary; they are getting worse. The only place I feel at home is in the mountains."

"Well, you can't live in some remote cabin like the Unabomber. Let me help you, Marcus! I love you, and I'll never turn my back on you." She pulled him into a hug. "I better get going."

I had moved to the front door by then, and my growling was getting louder. When the door opened up, it surprised both of us.

"AAAAGH! MARCUS! THERE'S A HUGE FUCKING WOLF ON YOUR PORCH!" Mary screamed and ran back into the house, running into his arms as he came out of the kitchen. I growled even louder as she touched MY man. I was standing in the open doorway, slowly advancing. He looked at me and smiled.

"It's all right, Sis, this wolf is my Raven. Raven, my sister, Mary." Sister? I stopped growling and sat down, my head to the side and tongue out as I took in this change in status. She wasn't a threat to take away my mate.

Marcus put her behind him and walked up to me. I wagged my tail and shivered with excitement as he came closer. I leaned my head against his leg while he scratched my ears. "Raven, what in the hell are you doing here?"

Mary was hiding around the corner in the kitchen, peeking out with a carving knife in her hand. She saw Marcus leaning down for a face lick. "You know that wild beast?"

"Yep. Raven is my friend. We met on a hiking trip last year. Smartest wolf I've ever seen and strangely friendly to me. Of course, I did save her life. When I stumbled across Raven, she'd been gored by a deer. I had to remove the antler embedded in her chest." He rubbed my chest, feeling the scar tissue where the wound had been. "She looks to be fully healed. Want to say hi?"

"Uh... no. I'll just be going. John is taking me to Salt Lake City tomorrow, and I need to get packed." She moved slowly past me, keeping Marcus between us. She kissed her brother on the cheek, then walked out the door. "Give me a call tomorrow. I need to know that dog didn't eat you."

"Wolf... she's all wolf. I'll be fine, though. It won't be our first night in bed together."

Mary shook her head as she walked to the car. "You're certifiable, Marcus, but I love you. Have a good week."

We watched her go, and then I looked up at him. "Come on, girl. It's late, and you are all wet. Let's get you dried off and ready for bed." I followed him to the small bedroom while he continued into the bathroom to get towels.

The whole time I focused on finding him, I never once figured out a good way to tell him who and what I was. How do you explain that you are a werewolf, much less that you followed him here because Luna had decreed him to be your mate?

Throwing caution to the wind, I quickly ripped off the bandaid.

He walked out of the bathroom, having stripped down to his boxers so his clothes wouldn't get wet. I reared up on my haunches and put my front paws on his shoulders. I looked in his one eye as he looked in mine. Then I closed my eyes and focused on the change.

The sound of bones cracking and realigning filled the room for a few seconds, and then my naked human form was in front of him, my hands behind his neck.

"What. The. Actual. Fuck." He stared at me, then looked down my body and back up to my face. He touched my face tentatively, not accepting that what he'd seen was real. I kissed his lips, pressing my naked body against his.

His body reacted to this faster than his mind did.

"I'm not trying to scare you, Marcus. I'm Rachel. I'm also Raven. I'm a werewolf." He stepped back from me, and I could sense his fear. "I'm not going to hurt you, Marcus. Far from it. I'm here to help you."

"Why?"

"Because I love you. I've loved you since the first time I saw you."

I watched as he walked over to the bed and sat on it, placing his head in his hands. "Please, don't say anything. You don't have to. Just let me be with you tonight."

It took a few minutes before he sat up and extended a hand to me. I sat down on the bed next to him. "I guess this explains a lot. You were too big and smart to be a real wolf."

"Oh, I'm real. I'm here. But we don't have to talk about this until tomorrow. Let's ignore the whole werewolf thing and get some sleep. You look exhausted."

"I stink, too. I need a shower." He stood up and walked over to the bathroom, closing the door on me as he went in. My wolf didn't appreciate having him out of our sight. I stood up and walked into the bathroom, surprising him as he stood naked with his back to me. I was already naked, and his backside was his best feature. He had just taken off his artificial leg and was about to hop into the shower, using the handrails installed in his bathroom. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Rachel. I'm sure I'm not what you expected."

"I'm not sorry, Marcus. I'm enjoying the view quite a bit." I walked past him, opening the shower curtain and stepping into the large clawfoot tub. "Grab my shoulder and get in here with me."

"You can take my weight?"

"You'll find werewolves are much stronger than humans. Don't underestimate my strength." Marcus put his arm on me while holding the bar in his left hand. He sat on the tub edge before swinging his legs inside. I helped him stand on his good leg.

I turned on the water while he was staring at me. My wolf loved our progress; we were naked in his den, and I could smell his arousal already. "Why don't I get you clean, and you can get my back?" I looked at his face and thought I could see embarrassment. He was waiting for something. "Marcus, what do you think I see when I look at you?"

He sighed. "I don't know. My sister and my friends from before? They see me as I used to be, and I can tell they see the loss. Strangers look at me, and sometimes I see their fear, others their pity." I used the portable shower wand to soak his head, then used his shampoo. "I haven't figured you out. Even as a wolf, there was something about you."

"Werewolves have dual natures, our civilized human half and our more primal wolf half. When we look at someone, we see different things than beauty or imperfection." I soaped a washcloth and started with his face. I didn't avoid his missing eye. Instead, I traced the scars as I cleaned him up. "When I look at you, I see many things my wolf and I admire."

I squeezed his bicep. I couldn't get my hand around half of it! "I see your strength." I moved to his chest, running the cloth and my fingers over the long scars. "I see your courage and toughness." As I got to his legs, I continued to soap him down, avoiding his private parts. I washed the end of his stump carefully as I knelt before him. "I see your willingness to sacrifice yourself. Your courage to put the needs of your country and your friends ahead of your survival."

I finished with his feet and then had him turn around. I continued cleaning his neck. My fingers and the washcloth worked past his strong shoulders and down his body. My hands tingled as I played with my mate's body, tracing his muscular back. When done, I reached around him, pressing until my firm breasts smashed against his back and my hips spooned into him. I reached around with the washcloth, cleaning his equipment. I gripped the girth of it, my wolf jumping in my head as she imagined what pleasure it would bring us. "And when I see this, I see our future. I see a strong mate, a loving father who will satisfy me like no other man." I turned him around and hugged his waist while looking into his eye. I wanted him to see in mine the truth of what I was saying. "I see the man I love. I see the man I want to share my life with."

His hands moved to my back, pulling me closer and pressing his erection into my stomach. Tingles exploded along my body as he leaned down and captured my lips with a kiss.

It wasn't just a kiss, though. It was a 'fireworks going off while the orchestra plays in the background and the credits roll' kind of kiss. Marcus moved his hands up to cup my face, all while his mouth took possession of mine. I pulled myself close, unable to tell where his body ended and mine began. It was amazing, epic, and the stuff of little werewolf girl dreams.