Page 98 of Big Bad Wolf

Her heart stuttered at the sight of his smile. “So, what should I expect when we get there?” she asked, needing to change the subject, needing a distraction from everything swirling through her mind.

Rafe shrugged, slowing even further and walking beside her again. She squeezed his hand in reassurance.

“When my father was Alpha, things were pretty rough. The pack didn’t have a lot. He hated any mingling with humans, but it’s become more and more necessary. He hated change.”

Ruby nodded, taking it all in. “Are all werewolves artisans like you? How do they survive out here?”

“Artisans?” Rafe raised a skeptical brow. “I make tables, Ruby.”

“Beautiful tables.” She nudged his arm.

He paused to lean down and kiss the top of her head. Ruby felt it all the way to her toes.

“We mostly live off the land, but a lot of wolves do jobs in town. Day laborer type stuff.”

He helped her over a fallen tree blocking their way. The trail was barely a trail anymore, and the white pines towered over them.

“It’s so peaceful here,” she said, breathing in the damp air of the woods. She tipped her head up to the sky. It was another clear blue day.

“It is.” Rafe came up behind her and nuzzled her neck. God, if they could just stay here like this all day and forget everything else…

“How long has the pack lived here?” she asked, trying to focus on her question and ignore the heat pooling in her core.

Rafe released her, his hand sliding around her waist, his fingers coasting over the skin beneath her shirt. Ruby shivered.

They started walking again, Rafe in front, Ruby behind, the path too narrow now to walk side by side.

“A while. We moved around the County a lot when I was younger. But we’ve stuck in this general area lately. Nobody bothers us too much out here, as long as we don’t cause any trouble.”

“That’s good, right?”

Rafe scanned the trees ahead, his body becoming more rigid as they went. Using those wolf senses apparently.

“It’s good. It’d be better if the land wasn’t always under threat of being developed.”

Right, because he needed to run and hunt and generally be a wolf. Because he was a freaking werewolf. Sometimes she could almost forget, but the reality slammed back into her. This doesn’t end happily for us. Rafe’s words from yesterday ran through her mind. Could they even have a future together? Was it even possible? Panic raced through her at the thought of being separated from this man she’d only known a few weeks. What was happening to her?

“Rafe, look. I know this isn’t the best time, but after last night and everything, I just think we need to talk about what we are…”

The words died on Ruby’s tongue as the first few tents appeared in front of them. Glowing eyes watched them from the trees. A few people emerged from their homes and tracked their approach like they knew they were coming. Like they’d sensed it. Ruby swallowed hard, her heart thrashing in her chest.

One glance at Rafe as she came to stand beside him and she knew the smiling, laughing man from this morning was gone. His jaw was set, his eyes flashing in the sunlight, every muscle tense and ready to pounce. He was still human, but his entire demeanor had transformed.

“We’re here,” he growled, and Ruby braced herself for whatever happened next.

Chapter Forty

It had been a long and lonely year since Rafe had left his pack. He didn’t think he’d missed it. The posturing, the fighting, the bullshit with his father. But now that he was here, all the rest of it came back too. The companionship, the loyalty, the feeling that someone else understood who and what you were. Maybe he had missed it. A little.

They walked toward the encampment; Ruby tucked close to his side. The weight of his people’s gaze on him was heavy enough to slow his footsteps. What if they turned him away? He swallowed hard, half expecting his father to emerge from the shadows. If anyone was going to come back as a vindictive ghost, it would be him.

The camp looked the same as when he left it, clusters of tents around fire pits, a few trailers for the colder months. Nothing was permanent. The pack had been here for years now, but they still lived as though they might have to leave at any moment. Rafe remembered the times they’d had to leave in a hurry, usually after too many confrontations with local humans. Eventually, their neighbors fought back, and the wolves became the ones being hunted.

Rafe recognized the faces, wolf and human, peering at him as he and Ruby walked into the camp. He watched as their expressions went from shocked to questioning. No one looked outright hostile, which helped ease the tension in his muscles.

The old man is dead, he reminded himself, letting out a long breath. He grabbed Ruby’s hand and she hung on for dear life. He was an idiot for bringing her here, but there was no turning back now.

One of the older women of the pack approached them first. Dina had known him longer than most. Her tan face was creased with age.