Dante kept his face straight not saying anything. He didn’t move as they began walking towards the door. Dante picked up a card from the counter and handed it to Renea as she passed him. “If you need anything, and I mean anything, do not hesitate to call me and I will be there.” Renea nodded as she grabbed the card, their hands touching for the briefest of moments leaving tingles throughout their bodies.
Dante watched as they walked through the door, and continued to watch through the window as they got into Caleb’s SUV and drove away. Dante locked the front door, moving into his office he looked around at the mess that he had made. He smiled remembering why he had made this mess in the first place. He began cleaning the mess up only to become frustrated and sit at his desk. Looking around he growled and shifted into a large wolf. Bones snapping loudly and reforming, the movements untraceable to the human eye as the shift completed before it had barely begun.
The wolf was almost as big as the room itself causing the desk to flip when he transformed, throwing things all over the room. When standing the wolf was an impressive height, standing about 7 feet tall. Extending his neck meant he could easily touch the ceiling without even trying. His hair was a graying silver much like his human hair. His eyes were more yellow now than in human form as the wolf was fully present. It is always the eyes that would give him away when the wolf was close to the surface.
The wolf was restless, he wanted to make sure Renea was safe. He wanted his mate by his side. Dante wanted nothing more than to ensure that she wasn’t in danger, but he also wanted to know what he felt earlier was real and not something he was dreaming of. Dante wanted to see where this would go. He wanted to know that she was the one, the one he had searched nearly a century for.
Wolves tend to live longer than humans. They age slower and unlike other shifters, they controlled the rate in which they aged. Many chose to live shorter lives and some chose to live as long as they wanted, dragging their lives into other ages. Dante was one of those that had not found his mate yet, though he had dreamed of it for many years. He chose to stick around hoping to find her one day.
Now that his wolf was sure that Renea was his mate, Dante would do anything to keep her safe and make her his. He didn’t want to spend another hundred years alone. Sitting here pining won’t change anything though. He needed to be with her and soon, or his Wolf would be tearing the entire city apart to find and protect her.
Dante shifted back into his human form. After many years, he had learned how to shift without destroying his clothes each time. This time was no different and he was still dressed perfectly. Not a stitch was out of place. It had only taken him seven decades to learn the trick to this, but once he had it was a game changer. No more waking up naked after a late night run in the middle of the woods.
Dante straightened up, stepping over the pile of papers that had flown off his desk, and walked out of the building not waiting for something else to happen. Dante chose to be active and look for this man before he could hurt his mate. He was never one to sit still and wait for bad things to happen.
Renea
Renea stepped out of the shower, now back at her apartment, drying her body off with the towel. She dressed, walking out of the bathroom into her bedroom. She sat on the bed and flopped back spreading her arms out wide. Letting out a sigh, she stares at the ceiling hoping to make sense of the mess that her life has become.
Caleb was waiting in the other room for her to finish and to pack a few things. He wanted her to go with him to some cabin in the woods. He wanted to keep her safe, he said while his team hunts down this mystery man. They had been having trouble keeping location tabs on this man. He is essentially a ghost, that no one can make heads or tails of.
What do I even do? I can’t just uproot my entire life and run away from this. Why is this man chasing me and what does he want? This makes absolutely no sense.She sat up running her hands through her hair in frustration, causing the wet hair to stand up in different directions.
And then there is the fact of the feelings I have for both Caleb and Dante.Renea drops her head into her hands wanting to scream in frustration.How can I feel as I do with both of them, albeit they both make me feel different? Caleb makes me feel warm, safe, carefree. He shows me that I am worthy, that I am queen in his eyes. He wants to take care of me. A slow burn of desire that we could spend hours upon hours exploring.
On the other hand, there is Dante. Oh, how that man makes me feel. He makes me feel dangerous, adventurous, but safe also. He makes me feel submissive and tender. He exposes my inner submissive. He makes me want so much more from him. I want it rough and fast just as our desire burns.Renea blushed at her thoughts but smiled all the same.They are both complete opposites and that is fine but how would I ever choose just one.
Renea shook away her thoughts and stood walking to her closet to pack a bag. Dita had been here when she had returned with Caleb. Renea had brought her up to speed on the events of the morning and Dita was not happy. She pushed Renea into accepting Caleb’s offer of safety. Renea finally agreed after an hour of arguing with her. There was no point continuing an argument with two people that were determined to win.
Once packed she looked around the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Satisfied she turned out the light and went to join the others. Caleb sat at the kitchen table typing away on his laptop he had brought in with him. He had his Bluetooth in his ear and was chatting with whoever was on the other end of the line. Renea sat her bags on the table and waited. Caleb glanced at her and he, at least, had the smarts to look upset about the situation. He knew it was hard for her to follow along blindly when she didn’t really know him that well.
While Renea knew Caleb would never hurt her, she still had only just met him. This was not her ideal situation but she could see why Caleb and Dita were concerned. There was no information on this man and they had no idea what he wanted.
Caleb hung up his call and closed his laptop. “You ready?” he asked her quietly. Renea nodded her head yes and grabbed her bags from the table, heading for the door.
Dita walked them to the door and wrapped Renea in her arms. Dita was tearing up as she hugged her tightly. Dita kissed her on the cheek. “You better stay safe, girl. I do not want to have to kill this man of yours.” Dita glances at Caleb.
Caleb holds his hands up in surrender at her words. “You have my word I will protect her.” Caleb grabbed Renea’s bags from her and opened the front door. He stepped out and left them to say their farewells before they headed to the car.
Dante
Dante scanned the park, checking for any people that may be present in the area. He sniffed the air as an added measure. Satisfied that no one was near, Dante shifted into the wolf in mere seconds. New wolves could not shift nearly as fast as he could. It takes new wolves nearly five minutes to change. As he had aged, he found the change coming on quicker and quicker each time he would shift, and Dante shifted a lot. He preferred wolf form for many decades now. Humans can be a lot to handle sometimes.
His wolf lifted his nose into the air taking in a deep breath. Separating the scents in the air, it found a faint whiff of Renea. The wolf didn’t hesitate and took off to find the correct trail that Renea had taken just a few short hours ago. When the wolf found the trail, he stopped and sniffed the air again. Separating the smells was a little more difficult this time as more humans had entered the trail not long after Renea and left different scents behind.
After a few more sniffs and waiting, his wolf recognized it. A shifter scent that was near the trail but not as close as you would think. It was very faint, which was odd and made it difficult to follow.
The wolf tore through the underbrush easily and stopped at a spot about two hundred yards away from the point that Renea had passed. The wolf sniffed the tree and growled low under his breath. This was the shifter alright. He had stood here and left a deep scent on the tree as he crouched ready to chase her at any moment. Dante did not know how long he had been there or if he had planned this point in which to stop.
Dante looked around and checked the air again for any approaching humans, satisfied he took off in the direction that the shifter had taken in his chase of Renea. When they reached the edge of the woods, Dante shifted and walked from the woods and continued on his path of chase.
The chase for a wolf was one of the best things he could ever feel, or at least he thought so until he ran into Renea. Her kiss left him breathless, like he had run a hundred miles, at top speed, in wolf form. His adrenaline spiking at just her nearness to him.
Reaching the edge of the park his journey continued through the streets of the city and down to his store. A few alleys up though the scent disappeared into a side street. Dante turned and followed it onto the street, looking at the store windows as he passed. He looked to be just window shopping if anyone bothered to look his way. He doubted anyone would though. It was a perk of being an Alpha wolf. His dominance did not allow even humans to look at him for long without lowering their eyes or looking past him. It offered him a bit of safety at times and them as well.
He walked for a few more minutes before the scent completely vanished. Confused Dante looked around. He was standing in front of a Chinese restaurant. Nothing fancy, just a typical everyday food place. Next door was a cleaners, and the other side was an office building. He sniffed the air again, hoping he had missed something. Even his wolf growled in frustration as he realized there was nothing left of the scent.
Dante scrubbed a hand through his hair in frustration tugging slightly. He let out a little growl. “How the fuck is this even possible?” he asked quietly. He turned and walked back towards his shop. He needed to call Caleb. Something wasn’t right here and he was sure that Renea was in some serious danger.
