Page 13 of To Tame a Wolf

Alexandra could scarce believe she’d been living with the McGregor clan for over two months. The time had passed so quickly, and yet, it seemed like she’d known these people for years. Being part of a family again was wonderful. She was happy. There was no doubt about it. She was in love with Ian. She loved his strength and his gentleness. She loved his humor, and she loved his serious commitment as leader of his people. No place was so safe, so warm or so desirable as when she lay naked in his arms. Their lust for one another was undeniable, and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. All it took was a simple, innocent touch to ignite a flame. She felt totally fulfilled. Perhaps this had been God’s plan all along, that she be the Wolf’s wife and help care for his people. She wished she knew the depth of Ian’s feelings. They shared their bodies and their stories, but he seemed to withhold a part of himself.

She walked the well-worn path to Silas’s house deep in thought. Jamie and Happy ran ahead but were still within her sights. The wolf pup had grown much during these past two months and although they’d managed to teach him some manners, for the most part, he did exactly what he wanted.

The beauty of the day matched her mood as she strolled along the drying path. The foliage was coming back to life. Trees were budding and the grass was turning from brown to green. The sun blessed her with its warmth. She felt like lifting her arms out to her sides and twirling around as a child would, with her face lifted toward the sun. So she did. She was carefree this morning, due partly she was sure, to the fact she no longer had guards tagging along behind her. The McGregor had succumbed to her renewed wishes to roam freely, but only as long as she stayed within the confines of the village.

Jamie ran back down the path and skidded to a halt in front of her. “Race you to the door!” he exclaimed with a flushed face. Without waiting for a response, he turned and ran.

Alexandra laughed and picked up her skirts and sprinted after him. The excited wolf pup ran back and forth between them, yipping and grabbing at their heels. Jamie was the first to arrive at Silas’s door and slammed into it. Alexandra followed seconds behind.

“I win!” Jamie proclaimed.

“So you did, fair and square,” she puffed out between gulps of air. Leaning heavily against the door, she was almost knocked off her feet when it suddenly swung open behind her.

“What the devil’s going on out here?” Silas shouted irritably.

Alexandra and Jamie grinned at one another like co-conspirators before Alexandra answered, “Just a little spring fever going around.”

“Well, stop it! We’ve work to do,” he grumbled and moved aside to let them in.

Silas was adamant it was a perfect day to hunt for a herb he called wild garlic. He said the leaves from this plant could make a tea for intestinal disorders. He further explained there was a very short window of opportunity for finding the plant for it was rare and only found in the spring. Most years, he said, he came back from his search empty-handed. Perfect weather conditions needed to be followed by extreme luck, and today Silas felt lucky.

Alexandra agreed to accompany him on his hunt. Young Jamie declined the offer to help, stating he was going to go play with his new friends, Bryce and Brian McDouglas. They were rambunctious twins who were several years older, but the trio got along well. Alexandra was happy to see Jamie make friends, and even better, Mrs. McDouglas kept an eagle eye on her boys.

Alexandra helped Silas gather empty containers, load the bags, and sling them over his horse’s back. The old nag was a sweet girl. They wouldn’t be riding her, but she’d carry their load.

“I need to tell the McGregor I’m leaving the village,” she said as they finished up.

“We’re going to be within sight of the keep. I’m not going to waste precious time waiting for you. Either come now or don’t bother.”

She considered her options. The McGregor wouldn’t be happy, but they wouldn’t be far, and she wouldn’t be alone. The deciding factor was she didn’t want Silas to be outside the perimeter by himself.

“Okay, let’s get moving,” she said and gathered the horse’s reins and waited for Silas to lead the way.

The day was lovely she thought, if you could ignore the grumblings of an old man. With each hour that passed, Silas became more anxious in his pursuit of wild garlic. They scanned the perimeter wall of the village looking mainly at the base of trees. Brushing dead leaves away with their boots, they looked for the attractive white flower. Alexandra concluded their endeavor was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack, and it would only be by a stroke of good luck that they stumbled across this precious plant.

“I found some by the west creek once where it flows through a meadow. Wild garlic grew on the south side in bunches. I’d never seen so much all in one place, especially out in the open like that. I went back every year for at least ten years but never found it again,” Silas reminisced. “I think we should try the creek again. It’s been a few years since I last searched there,” he said.

“How far is it?” Alexandra asked, concerned about the amount of daylight left.

“I’d say an hour there and back. Plenty of time,” he said and turned away from the village to head deeper into the forest.

Leading the horse, she trailed closely behind. The deeper they moved into the trees, the less sunlight shone through the branches. A muffled stillness engulfed them, broken below by the rustling of leaves as they walked through them, and above by the occasional call of a bird.

She had plenty of time to think as they walked, and she started to feel a touch anxious about the McGregor’s reaction to her leaving the village. Hopefully, he hadn’t noticed her absence. If so, she would be tempted not to mention it. But no, that didn’t feel right. She would confess her folly and attempt to explain herself. Her guards would undoubtedly be guarding her backside again tomorrow.

They walked on and on. Alexandra stopped now and again to give the nag a handful of grain and to stroke her neck. After what she determined to be at least an hour, she called ahead to Silas, “How much farther? We should probably head back soon.”

Silas stopped and looked around as if to get his bearings, “We’re almost to the creek. Any time now,” he said and trudged off in a slightly different direction.

Where did he find the energy? She hoped if she were lucky enough to make it to old age, she would be as agile and tireless, albeit less curmudgeonly. More time passed and they still had not come to the creek.

Puzzled, Silas said, “I don’t understand. It should be here.” He squinted into the trees in every direction.

“We can try again another day. Silas…” she paused, waiting until she had his full attention. “We must head back,” she said, emphasizing each word.

Silas sighed in defeat. “Aye.”

Unfortunately, turning back turned out not to be an easy thing. She’d been deep in her own thoughts when they journeyed in, paying but the slightest attention to her surroundings. The trees all looked the same. Apparently, they did to Silas also, as he stopped and muttered under his breath every few minutes before leading them onward.

Alexandra controlled her rising anger when she realized they were lost. She was mad at herself, and she was mad at him. How could she be so stupid? She should have never left the village. What was she thinking? And Silas? He needed to admit he was an old man with failing eyesight who should know his limitations.

Trying to remain calm, she said impatiently, “We need to find shelter. It will be dark soon.”

Silas said nothing. Not meeting her eyes, he nodded in agreement.

Daylight dwindled. There was not much shelter to be found and not enough time to construct one. They settled on the hollowed out base of an ancient, dying tree. It would be snug, but with their backs against the inner wall, there was enough room to get the upper half of their bodies out of the elements. Alexandra tethered the horse and fed her the last of the grain. Thankfully, they’d also brought water for the nag and themselves. Both she and Silas drank a small amount before giving the horse what remained.

As the last bits of light faded away, they wedged into the tree. Their shared body warmth would help a little. Silas had not worn a jacket, but Alexandra had the thin shawl she’d worn that morning, and she spread it over their legs. They listened in silence to the darkness before Alexandra said, “The McGregor’s going to kill us.”

“Aye, he is,” Silas returned. After several more minutes of silence, he added, “I’m sorry, lass. I’m such an old fool.”

Alexandra’s anger melted away. She took his weathered hand in hers and said, “We are both fools.”

****

Laughing, Ian jumped up from the ground and gave his brother a hearty hug, slapping him on the back.

“You’ve been practicing,” he said.

“No, you just have your mind elsewhere. I dare to say it’s on visions of a naked, golden-haired wife?” James teased.

The McGregor tossed a fist into James’s right shoulder that would have knocked a smaller man off his feet. Still smiling, he said, “Mind your own business.”

Ian called off practice for the day and headed to the keep to clean up. His thoughts had most definitely been on his wife. She was like an intoxicating drug. The more he had her the more he wanted. Much more.

She wasn’t in their bedchamber when he returned, but that was not unusual as tending the sick sometimes went into the night. He cleaned up at the basin and donned fresher, less offensive clothes. He’d have a drink with the men while he waited.

Not as many clan members gathered in the meeting hall tonight. No doubt they were enjoying the last bits of the unusually warm day. James shared a small table with Jamie, and Ian watched them play a match of chess. His nephew was surprisingly good at it. Since Alexandra had taught Jamie how to play, he improved with each game. Ian watched the boy focus intently on his next move. He waited until it was his brother’s turn and asked the boy if he knew who his wife was healing.

“I haven’t seen her since this morning.” Wrinkling his nose to show his disinterest, he said, “They were going to find some plant.”

Ian felt the first spark of concern. “Did they take Silas’s horse?”

Not taking his eyes off the board as it was his turn, the lad nodded yes.

James looked up from the game and met his brother’s dark eyes. “I’ll gather some men,” he said and stood.

Within minutes, a group of ten, including the McGregor and his brother, met on horseback in front of Silas’s hut. The home sat empty, and Silas’s horse was missing. Mere minutes of daylight remained. The McGregor split his men up and scattered them along the outside of the village wall. With orders to work in a pattern out from the wall toward the forest, they combed the ground looking for any sign.

A sharp whistle and wave from a warrior on the west side of the wall gained everyone’s attention and the rest of the group galloped over to him. McGregor jumped from his horse before it came to a complete stop and examined the ground. Yes, there were tracks of two light-weight people and a horse. He followed the trail until it disappeared into the edge of the forest. He would have gone farther except his brother’s horse appeared to block his path.

“We cannot track them in the dark. You’ll lose it, and waste precious time in the morning coming back to find where it begins again,” James reasoned.

Ian knew his brother spoke the truth, but he barely contained himself from running in after her. Jaw clenched, he nodded to James.

James took command and shouted, “Everyone meet back here before the break of day.”

The brothers rode back to the keep in silence. In the main hall, warriors and servants whispered among themselves, shooting wary glances at the Wolf and giving him wide berth. James said something quietly to his son, and Jamie rose without protest and left the room.

Teeth clenched, Ian nursed his ale and glared into the fire. It was early spring, but the night air was still considerably cold. Was she freezing? His fear and his anger battled for victory. She had wantonly disobeyed him! Had the woman no sense? He wanted to throttle her or better yet, turn her over his knee and give her the spanking of her life. If she was still alive. His gut clenched as he thought of the many dangers they might have encountered. Predators of the two-legged as well as the four-legged variety. The McGregor held up his mug, signaling for more ale. It was going to be a long night. There would be no sleep.

****

Alexandra heard her own and Silas’s teeth chattering. Huddled side-by-side, his bony elbow dug uncomfortably into her ribs whenever he moved, but at least they were getting warmth from one another. Thank God there was some shelter from the wind. She periodically stomped her feet and wiggled her toes when they began to feel numb. She thought she heard an owl, or at least, she hoped it was an owl. The night was pitch black. Clouds must have moved in, covering the glow of the moon. As she grew attuned to the forest sounds, thoughts of the McGregor and their next meeting plagued her. She pulled the wolf ring out from its resting place between her breasts and fiddled with it. How mad was he going to be? A crawling sensation tickled the back of her neck and she quickly brushed it away. She shivered, but not from the cold. It was going to be one abominably long night.

****

Morning came with the far off sound of rolling thunder. Rain was coming. She could feel it in the air. Silas agreed it would be best to stay where they had shelter. Neither doubted the McGregor would find them, and it would happen faster if he didn’t have to track them all over the countryside. The storm moved closer and louder, and at first she mistook the galloping sound of horses’ hooves for thunder until she heard the jangle of riding gear and the neighing and snorting of horses. The warriors formed a half circle before the opening in the tree with McGregor seated at the center of the group on his black stallion. No one spoke, as first, Silas stiffly unfolded himself out the narrow opening, followed by a more limber Alexandra. Eyes downcast, they stood before the warriors like two ashamed, scolded children.

She looked up and searched the McGregor’s face. One millisecond of a glance was all it took to know she was in big trouble. His dark eyes were furious. She had never seen this level of anger in him, let alone directed at her. He turned and said something to his brother, something she did not hear, and James prodded his horse closer and stretched out his hand for Silas. Once Silas was seated behind James, the warriors turned and trotted off, leaving her alone with the McGregor.

Still glaring furiously at her, the McGregor thrust out his hand for her to accept, almost as if he dared her to take it. Thunder rolled around them and shook the ground. Her face heated with embarrassment and rising anger. She lifted her head and strode toward him while thinking of the horrible night she’d just endured and how he didn’t have to be such a beast about it. Without breaking stride, she slapped her hand into his. She was airborne before she knew it, almost slung completely over the horse to the other side. She grabbed his waist to keep from falling and had barely righted herself before the McGregor kicked the horse into a gallop.

Just as Alexandra worried their pace might kill the horse, the McGregor pulled up in front of a hunter’s cabin. So they’d not been far from real shelter last night, she thought and slid from the horse not waiting to see whether the McGregor would offer assistance. Not looking at her, he walked the horse under the lean-to and gave him food and water.

She stood in the open and watched the McGregor as lightning cracked across one end of the sky to the other, chased by the booming claps of thunder. A deluge of rain fell from the heavens. She didn’t move. She’d rather face him out here in the open and get it over with.

She waited as the McGregor finished providing for his horse and turned to dash into the cabin. He stopped abruptly when he noticed her and stood unmoving, just staring. With a loud roar, he ran full-out straight toward her. Her heart stopped and she froze a second before stepping back. He was on her in an instant. She heard herself involuntarily scream as she was hoisted over his shoulder. She was still screaming when he burst through the cabin door and tossed her onto a pile of straw. She immediately sprang back up and faced him with fists clenched. Her heart raced with fear and anger.

“Does your word mean nothing?” he roared, towering over her.

Alexandra struggled for something to say.

“Have you so little respect for me, you defy me in front of my whole clan?” he yelled, incredulous.

Tears gathered in her eyes. She released her fists and let the fight drain out of her.

“I am so sorry,” she said and looked up into his eyes, hoping he could see she genuinely meant it. “You are right. I have no excuses to give.” She spread her hands wide. “I didn’t think it through, and I made a bad choice, but I truly didn’t mean to disrespect you in front of your people.” Tears rolled down her face, and she swiped them away in embarrassment. She swallowed, “I deserve whatever punishment you see fit.”

He wrapped a hand around each upper arm and yanked her full against him.

“You deserve to be beaten,” he whispered, staring into her upturned face. She waited, holding her breath, as conflicting emotions crossed his. She knew she must look like a drowned rat with tears and raindrops falling down her cheeks. Finally, the anger faded from his face and he wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against him, bending to ravage her mouth.

Alexandra could barely breathe. He held her so tight, yet she didn’t want to move. This was where she wanted to be. Ian’s tongue plunged into her mouth and she kissed him back with everything she had. When he started removing her wet clothes, she murmured in agreement and urgently began undressing him. Garments were strewn across the pile of straw until only her chemise remained on. Ian pushed her backward and fell with her onto the mound of hay. Ceaselessly kissing her, he slid the chemise up over her hips and lifted them up, driving deep and hard into her. Alexandra moaned as his fullness stretched her taut. Moving in and out, he plunged deeper and deeper, taking her higher and higher with each thrust. She reached the pinnacle first and was floating on waves of release when she felt Ian’s tension leave him. She clung to him and took his full weight as he went slack.

****

Alexandra woke to find herself spooned tightly in front of Ian and with his arm wrapped about her waist. He lifted the hair from the nape of her neck and gently placed kisses down to her shoulder. His warm breath and tongue caressed her skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. She felt him grow between her thighs, below her buttocks. She enjoyed the languid feel of her body as she lay totally relaxed, enjoying the feelings he provoked. When he squeezed her breast and then teased her nipple by rubbing his rough thumb across its tip before tugging and pulling it, she moaned in awakening excitement.

Ian rolled over onto his back, turning her with him as he did, until she lay on top of him. He cupped her thighs below her buttocks and pulled her forward until he was in position. Releasing her only to grab her hips, he slid her along the outside of his manhood. He lifted her up and thrust upward as he pulled her down. Alexandra gasped in shock and moved her hands to cover his before she gave in to the wondrous sensation he created as he taught her how to love him.