Hell Hound

Chapter Twelve

Chapter twelve.

Kiara could feel the Moon reaching its peak in the sky. Her wolf was getting impatient. She could feel her fur brushing against her skin. Her gums and fingertips tingled, getting ready for teeth and claws. It was nearly time. Kiara shifted nervously from foot to foot. She was used to being locked inside during the full moon. Silver hadn’t wanted to risk her being exposed to the pack. But Kiara was always somewhere familiar. She glanced at the bed. She had taken all of Nick’s dirty laundry from the hamper and tossed it on the bed. His scent was strong in the apartment, and she was trying to fucus it on the bed. Hoping that her wolf would be content to just nuzzle down and nest. Like what Terra was supposedly doing. She could feel a shiver running over her body. Kiara gave into it, and after a brilliant flash of light she was on all fours. The large black wolf shook out its fur, loving the feel of the plush carpet under its paws. It was a new sensation for the wolf. She sniffed out the bed scattered with Nick’s scent, that her human half had prepared. She got the faintest idea that that side of her would be embarrassed in the morning. But at that moment the wolf leapt up onto the bed and joyfully rolled around in the male’s sweaty socks.

Terra felt the shift ending. She was locked in her room. Several layers of webs over the door to prevent any nosey shifters from trying to peek at her. She looked down at her body and saw only two pale legs coming out from under her dress. Ten little toes at the ends that felt weird on the carpet. Tarra sighed. She hated the full moon. Feeling a little unsteady, and way too small, she flopped down on the lounge and threw a blanket over her fleshy pink legs. She may have had them, but that didn’t mean she had to look at them. Terra grabbed the TV remote and settled in for a long night.

Nick crashed through the forest. The night’s usual tranquillity ruined with the sound of running feet. Over three hundred and fifty animals were running around in that forest. It made for a noisy mess. Various birds flew circles above them. Nick spotted eagles and albatross. Even a peafowl or two glided above him. The snakes had all taken to the trees. As had a lot of the cats. He could hear a bundle of bears playing in the stream. Wrestling playfully in their big furry bodies. There were almost forty of Nick’s own pack members out there as well. Including his little sister Annabelle. The Scarlett River members weren’t just running though. They had the fantastic job of making sure the visitors stayed within the marked boundaries and broke up any fights that broke out. Nick had already had to break up three confrontations. A wolf and a fox, a wolf and a leopard, a bear and a snake. He had no idea what the chaperones were doing. But it definitely wasn’t watching their kids. He heard the crashing growling sounds of another fight. Great, he thought, changing direction. At this rate he wouldn’t be able to return to Kiara until after the sun came up. His wolf wanted to get back to her as soon as it was physically able. He had promised not to disturb her during the full moon. But the second the sun rose, he wanted to be near her again. A sudden awareness drifted through his mind. Nick didn’t have time to dwell on his sudden realisation before he found the fight. This time it was a tiger, a lion, and a wolf. Awesome.

Marcus Hunter watched the forest edge from the hotel bar on the second floor. He had been watching since moon rise, for the Rising Moon wolf. Elaine had been a stunningly beautiful white wolf and Marcus wanted to know if her daughter was the same. He doubted it. With her dark hair and eyes, it was likely her wolf was dark in colour as well. He had been sorely disappointed with the girl. She was nothing like her mother. Elaine had been a strong, dominant, maternal female. She commanded respect and drew adoring gazes wherever she went. She was his. Elaine had belonged to him right up until the moment she met him. A stray mutt that had invaded Marcus’ territory. Elaine had been tricked by that man and given herself over to him. Marcus had been blind with rage. She was his! He had tried to protect Elaine. Had tried to keep her away from the invader. But he had broken into their den, their home and stole her away in the middle of the night. Marcus had tried to get her back. But he could never find her. Every wolf he sent out after them never came back. And in the end, it was a bear pack that had finally caught them. Marcus had heard how they had killed Elaine and her filthy lover. Silver had found a baby. At first Marcus had wondered if the child was his. But Silver had been adamant that the child didn’t belong to Marcus. He had still had his doubts until that day in the lobby when he had come face to face with her. She was weak and submissive. His wolf hadn’t recognised her at all. The girl smelt wrong. The way her father had. Even if she wasn’t his daughter Marcus had entertained the idea of taking her as a lover the way he had her mother. But again, that strange smell had turned him off.

Movement caught Marcus’ eye. The sun was starting to rise, and the shifters were coming out of the trees. He caught sight of Siena Blake’s pale golden wolf. She looked far more like her aunt than Kiara did. She was far more graceful in her movements as well. He had secretly been watching the Blake girls over the past week. Though Helena was much like her sister, Sienna stood out to him. She was beautiful. And with a little help from him, she would be stunning.

Nick dressed quickly in his previously discarded tee-shirt and shorts then jogged towards his room. He hoped Kiara had been all right locked indoors all night. She didn’t seem at all bothered by the thought of spending the full moon locked up and Nick got the impression that it wasn’t the first time. He tapped his finger on the railing nervously as he waited for the elevator to reach his floor. There was a ding and a woosh as the doors opened to the nice, polished marble hallway of the top floor. He hurried through the doors before they had even finished opening and reached his room. Unlike the other rooms in the hotel, Nick’s was keyed into his fingerprint. He and he alone could control who entered and when. He had locked everyone out before leaving the night before. None of the hotel staff had had access. Kiara had been safe from anyone who might have accidently wandered in. Nick quickly scanned the living area. Nothing had been disturbed. He went straight to the bedroom. The door was open, and he could see the wolf asleep on his bed. She was massive. A big ball of shaggy black fur, nestled amongst his ripped sheets and what looked like his dirty laundry. She had completely destroyed the pillows. Feathers littered the entire room like fluffy snow. All he could do was stare open mouthed. He had expected some destruction, but he hadn’t expected the beast that caused it. As if sensing him, Kiara stirred. She lifted her head off her large front paws and big red eyes met his wide dark ones. s**t! She saw the moment Nick realised what he was looking at. Confusion, shock, panic. So many emotions crossed his face. He turned from her then. Needing space to think. Cursing, Kiara changed back to her human form. “Nick!” She yelled after him. “Wait. I can explain!” She paused just long enough to grab a shirt to cover her nakedness and ran after him. He hadn’t gone far. Nick was standing in the living room looking out the massive window at the impressive view, his back to her. “Nick?” Kiara paused six feet away from him. He had just come face to face with her biggest darkest secret. She was terrified about what he might do. “Please?” her small plea caught his attention. Nick looked back at her and emotion sucker punched him right in the gut. In her haste, Kiara had slipped on one of his shirts. It hung off her curvy frame, only just long enough to hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing underwear. He took in her wide frightened eyes, briming with tears. Her posture was tense, her hands twisting Infront of her. Her feet turned to run if she needed to. She was afraid of him. Of what he might do. She didn’t need to be afraid of him. And Nick wasn’t afraid of her. He moved towards her gently, pulling her into his arms. “It’s okay.” He whispered into her hair. “You’ll be okay.” He felt some of the tension ease from her body. “Everything will be okay.” He placed a small kiss on her hair. Kiara snuggled into his warmth. She was struggling to comprehend what was happening. Someone had just found out what she was and instead of trying to kill her, he was comforting her.

“You’re not afraid of me?” She asked hesitantly. Nick scoffed.

“No. I’m not afraid of you.” He didn’t smell like he was lying. But then Kiara had never mastered that skill.

“Why?” She asked looking up into his face. Why? Because she was his little Rabbit. The girl who had run circles around some of the most dominant juveniles, who had won sparing matches with opponents twice her size. She had argued back to a future alpha, and she drove his wolf crazy. Kiara was strong and stubborn and sexy. And apparently one of the most deadly killing machines nature had ever created. And she was his. She had been from that very first day when she had smiled up at him. Cheeks flushed with the excitement of just winning a simple game of wolf and rabbit. His wolf had known. That was why he’d bitten her. It had always known. Kiara was the one. The one he’d do anything for. Kiara was his mate. Nick lent down and kissed her. Pouring all his answer into that one deep kiss.

She kissed him back, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Kiara pushed herself closer to Nick as he pulled her in close. This kiss was different from the others. Their wolves were no longer fighting for dominance. Instead, they were being quiet. Sitting back while their human halves figured it out. Nick bent and scooped Kiara up in his arms to carry her back to his bedroom. Kiara let him lay her back down on the bed. He paused for a moment to push off all the laundry. “Sorry.” She blushed, suddenly embarrassed. Nick fingered the hem of his shirt that she was still wearing.

“Don’t be. I love that you surrounded yourself with me. That my scent is all over you.” He pulled off the shirt she was wearing, then his own. “And I want your scent on me too.” It already was. Kiara’s soft scent dusted him. But he wanted it deeper. So deep, that she would never come off. He and his wolf both wanted to make it obvious to any shifter he met, that they were a couple. Regardless of all sense or reason. Nick removed his shorts then lowed himself over her. Their eyes met as Nick stroked her cheek with his thumb. Kiara’s hands rested on his hips. Her hold warm and feather light on his skin. She opened herself to him and he kissed her slowly as he slipped inside.