Chapter Five

She looked down at the chocolate brown wolf curled up at her feet. She stroked his soft fur. Why was it whenever she saw him she felt safe and loved? He never seemed to leave her side. Where did he come from? And where was she? She looked around at the vast meadow, the slight wind rippling across the tall grass. It was so quiet and serene here. Sometimes she caught a glimpse of a wolf nearby, but none came close. If they dared, a low growl would rumble through her guardian's chest and they would quickly leave. She was so sleepy all the time, but there was no better place to sleep than next to her wolf. He kept her warm, and she knew no one would touch her with him near. No one would hurt her ever again.

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Jeff was scanning through her medical chart and looked up at his patient, still in a drug induced coma. She was slowly improving, but now he was starting to worry about Cole. He hadn't left her side for more than a few minutes at a time, and he looked like hell. And his wolf was so close that none of his assistants even dared to come close to her when he was there. Jeff shook his head, thinking back to yesterday when Trina had tried to change Karen's dressings. Karen had stirred a little and moaned, and Cole had grabbed Trina's arm and threw her across the room. Good thing that werewolves were strong in their human forms or she would have had some broken bones. But now she refused to come into the room unless Cole was gone. It was understandable that he'd want to protect his mate, but he had to let them take care of her medical needs. He'd have to talk to Carr.

He looked up to see Carr walking into the room. Carr always seemed to know when Jeff needed to talk to him. "Just the person I wanted to speak with. Carr, I can't get any of my nurses to walk in the room anymore. He has to leave at least for 15 minutes four times a day so we can treat all of her wounds."

Carr let out a long weary sigh as he looked at his brother, so intent on his injured mate. "I know Jeff, I'm sorry, I heard about Trina. Glad to hear she's OK but I know it could have been worse. That's why I'm here." Carr walked slowly towards his brother, not wanting to startle him or his wolf. He stopped a few feet away from the bed and quietly spoke. "Cole, I need to talk to you."

Cole's head whipped around, his green eyes swirling with amber flecks. His wolf was always near. He wouldn't let anyone hurt his mate, not even his brother and Alpha. if he took a step closer, he'd tear his throat out.

Carr continued to speak calmly and quietly. "Cole, I know you're worried about Karen. She's here now, she's safe. No one will hurt her. Gary can't get near her. And you have to let Jeff and his people take care of her." Carr stared into his brother's wild eyes. He had never seen Cole's wolf so in control of his brother. As Alpha, Carr could exert his influence on Cole's wolf. He'd never had to in the past, but he had no choice now. He gave Cole a gentle mental push and felt Cole's wolf push back. If this was any other pack member, Carr would have taken that as a challenge to his authority, and the fight would have been on. But this was his brother, his second, and he knew it was the mating instinct at work. He gave more of a mental shove now and saw Cole's eyes flicker for a moment and go back to their normal green hue.

Cole seemed to just now notice his brother standing there. He looked back at Karen and smoothed her hair, his finger brushing across her cheek. "She's so strong Carr. She won't give up. I think she knows I'm here. She needs me here with her."

"Cole, it won't do her any good if you terrorize her nurses. You have to let them get close to her. If not, I'm going to have to order you to leave every few hours so they can get their work done without you tearing anyone's arm off." Cole approached slowly and and grasped his brother's shoulder. Cole looked up and gave a weak smile. He seemed to draw strength from his brother's touch and stood up.

"You're right, I know you're right. But my wolf would disagree. Guess I need to have a talk with him, huh?" Cole smiled at his brother, but he kind of agreed with his wolf too. He didn't want to leave her alone for a second. But his pack would take care of her. They would never let Gary near her and would protect her with their lives. He had to get a grip on himself AND his wolf. Jeff wouldn't be able to take care of Karen if Cole was giving him more patients to take care of.

"Why don't you go clean up? You look like hell and no offense bro, but you smell like it too. Take a shower, get something to eat, and let Jeff do his job. You know you can trust everyone here. This is your family. And her family now. At least give them 30 minutes. If she needs you, Jeff will send for you. Right?" Carr looked over to the doctor who emphatically nodded his head. "Then it's settled. Go. Now!"

Cole reluctantly turned to leave, his hand gently resting on Karen's. He lingered for another minute but felt his brother's stare and slowly walked away. Carr was right. He needed a shower. What if Karen woke up and couldn't stand the stench of him? That wouldn't be good if his mate thought he was disgusting. Guess he should make it a daily thing to leave long enough every day to clean up just in case she came to. He wanted her to smile when she saw him, not wrinkle up her nose cuz he smelled.

Cole had to admit, it felt good to get out of those clothes. He'd been in them for three days, and even he wrinkled his nose as he threw them in the hamper. He really hated being away from Karen even for a few minutes, but he forced himself to take his time. He scanned the room and realized that he'd need a bigger one for when he brought his mate home. Maybe he should build his own private home nearby like some of the other pack members had. Or maybe reopen the other wing of the house where their parents used to live. Carr hadn't wanted to move out of his rooms after they'd died, and the rooms had just been closed up. Maybe it was time to forget the past and move on. He'd talk to Carr later, after Karen was farther along in her recovery.

Of course, he thought to himself, that was if Karen agreed to be his mate. For all he knew, she could reject him and run away as soon as she was physically able. Whether she wanted to mate with him or not, he would make sure she was safe until that fucking lone wolf was taken care of. Then if she wanted to run from him, like it or not, he would have to let her go. The thought of that stopped him in his tracks. Would she run from him? Would she blame his whole kind for what one rogue Were did? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn't let himself think about that now. He'd think positively that she would love him for who he was and want him regardless of what happened to her. He had to think that or go crazy with the "what ifs".

He scrubbed himself raw in the hot shower. His mind was totally on Karen, and he didn't notice the door opening or the figure who slipped into the bathroom. His eyes were closed as he pictured that night in the park, his arms around her tightly, his lips pressing to hers, their tongues dancing in unison. At first when he felt the light touch of a hand on his back he moaned, thinking it was her. And then he whirled around to see Lila, nude, in his shower with him.

"What the fuck are you doing in here Lila? Get out!" The look of rage on his face was a shock to Lila. She hadn't seen Cole since she left on a business trip two week prior. They had been on great terms up til then. The last time she saw him they'd fucked for hours, and he had begged her to stay longer. He'd told her to hurry back from her trip. She thought they would pick up where they had left off.

"Cole, what's wrong? What happened?" Lila grabbed a towel on her exit from the shower. She didn't understand what was going on. What had made him change his attitude towards her so much in just two short weeks? They had been friends for ages, had been lovers on and off for years. Even when they were off they were still friends. He'd just tell her he wasn't interested. She was fine with that, she never asked for reasons. That's the way it was in the pack.

Lila grabbed her clothing and ran out of his bedroom just as Carr and Lee walked down the hall. They could hear Cole's voice loud and clear, "Get the fuck out of here Lila!" They glanced at each other as Carr went into Cole's room and quickly shut the door. Lee followed Lila and caught up to her as she was slamming her own bedroom door.

"Lila, we need to talk." Lila let her Alpha Bitch in her room and sank down on the bed, tears streaming down her face. She was still soaking wet but she didn't care. She and Cole had grown up together. They had done everything together. Why did he look at her like he hated her? Why was he being so cruel?

Lee sat there and looked at her good friend. Lila was her Beta and second. She took care of a lot of the business dealings out of town for the pack. Lee and Carr depended on her astute business sense and keen mind. And they were like sisters. Lee had hoped for years that Cole and Lila would realize they were mates, but obviously, it never happened. Lee took the towel out of Lila's hands and started drying her long blond hair for her, like they used to do for each other years ago. "Cole found his mate Lila. Things are kind of a mess at the moment. You literally walked in at the wrong time."

Lila stopped crying and stared at Lee. "Is that all? Why didn't he just tell me?" Lila sniffed and used the corner of the towel to wipe her eyes. "What's the big deal? We both knew this could happen anytime. Why'd he have to be such a prick about it?"

Lee gave her the quick version of what had been going on and then waited for Lila to say something. Lila just stared at her for several minutes. It was starting to make Lee uneasy. She was about to ask her what she was thinking when Lila finally said what was on her mind. "I was planning on asking for a meeting with Carr and Cole about some things I heard while i was away. There were grumblings from some of the northern packs that some rogue Weres had banded together and were planning on forming their own pack. Their plan was to take human females, by force if necessary, if they decided they met their requirements to be their mates. They were looking for virgins or older women that they felt were pure enough for them. Lee, it sounded like they were ready to turn these women without their consent! But I had heard they were still in the northern areas. They didn't mention them coming here."

Lila had calmed down and was back to Beta mode, filling in her Alpha on all she had heard. While they talked she got herself dried off and dressed, and made herself presentable. If her best friend was stressed out because of what had happened to his mate, she would never hold it against him. As soon as she got a chance she'd let him know. But for now, her pack was number one and she waited for Lee to tell her what she wanted her to do next.

A soft knock on the door interrupted them. Lila answered the door and opened it wide for her Alpha to enter. "Is Cole OK?" After all that had happened, Lee and Carr wouldn't have been angry if Lila had held a small grudge. But they knew how much she cared about him and how happy she'd be that he found his mate.

Carr smiled at Lila fondly. She was like a little sister to him. "He feels like an ass. He's calmed down for now. He's having a really rough time with his wolf and his emotions right now Lila. I knew you'd understand. He's pretty embarrassed at his reaction. But just to be on the safe side, it'd probably be best if you stayed away from him for a while." Lila nodded in agreement. Carr's smile turned to a frown as Lee filled him in on Lila's information through their bond. "Lila, did you hear any names mentioned of rogues that were joining this pack?"

"Only one, the leader. His name is Gary Saunders." Lee and Carr exchanged meaningful looks. "You know that name? Is he the one that attacked Cole's mate?" Lila looked from one to the other, seeing the confirmation on their faces. "What do we do now?" She looked expectantly to her Alphas for instructions.

Carr leaned into Lee, putting his arms around her, his hands clasped over her stomach. Lee laid her hands over his, gaining strength from his touch. She knew they were going to need all the strength they could get in the coming days. She had a feeling that this rogue pack was going to take all of their attention for a while. And she wanted them as far away from her pack as possible!

"Well I better talk to Brett and Trey and see what they've been able to find out so far. Lee, fill in the gaps for Lila so she's up to speed. Then I better start calling the northern pack Alphas and see what else they know about this so called pack." Carr wasn't happy to hear there was more than one rogue wolf to worry about in his territory, but he had a hell of a lot more information to go on now thanks to Lila.

After grabbing some food from the kitchen, Cole made his way back to the hospital. Karen had fresh bandages but looked uncomfortable. Her brow was furrowed, like she was worried about something or in some kind of pain. He immediately took his seat next to her bed and leaned down to brush his lips against her forehead and whispered so only she could hear. "I'm sorry pet, I had to get cleaned up. I didn't mean to leave for so long." He could swear her face relaxed.

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She looked around and her wolf was gone! She spun around and around, looking all over the meadow but he was no where to be found! What would she do without him? And then she saw him, bounding across the meadow towards her. She ran to meet him half way and fell to the ground, hugging him fiercely around the neck. "Where have you been? I was so scared while you were gone. Don't leave me, please don't leave me ever again." She rubbed her face in his furry neck, loving his musky smell. Could someone love a wolf? Why not.

His wide tongue lapped at her face. She giggled as it tickled a little but she didn't care. She stroked his velvety muzzle as he flicked his tongue down her neck. She shivered and closed her eyes. When she looked down again, it was Cole kissing her skin, moving from her neck to her heavy breasts, lingering on her hard nipples. She gasped when he latched onto one and started to suck, gently at first and then taking more and more of her breast into his mouth, almost feasting on her. Her breathing deepened and she sighed in contentment, knowing this is where she belonged, with Cole and her wolf. His hand moved to her other breast, weighing it, grasping it tightly, pulling on the nipple, making it just as hard as the other. And then he stopped sucking, just for a second, so he could exchange one breast for the other. She moaned and pushed herself up into him, pushing her breast into his mouth.

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Her breathing deepened and she was moaning. Was she in pain? Cole jumped up and leaned over her, trying to figure out if she was OK. He was about to call Jeff over when he smelled it, the unmistakable scent of her arousal. Was she dreaming? What was she dreaming about? Or maybe more important, who?