In the Shadow of the Wolf Read online

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  Sayuri woke up in bed alone. The distinct feeling of being abandoned crept over her in cold waves of embarrassment and disbelief. She didn't understand, they'd had great sex. She lay in bed, searching her mind for answers. For a long time she didn't understand what went wrong. There weren't any doubts in her mind that he had enjoyed their night as much as she had. If he hadn't enjoyed it surely he wouldn't have acted like an animal possessed, surely they wouldn't have had sex over and over again.

  Well, maybe he hadn't enjoyed it quite as much as she had, but he sure as hell didn't have anything to complain about, or at least she hadn't heard him complaining when everything had gone down. But, as she let her bed sheets fall around her and got out of bed, she realized that, even before anything physical had happened with Ulrich, she had anticipated what would eventually come next if on nothing but a subconscious level. She tried to tell herself not to take what he'd done to heart.

  She should've known that a man that looked as good as Ulrich did would act this way. She should've known that he wouldn't be the type that hung around the morning after to snuggle. He was undoubtedly a player. He wasn't a one woman kind of man. He probably fucked all the women that came to the resort that he got a chance at. It didn't make her feel better to realize that she probably wasn't the only one that had fallen victim to his charm. It only served to make her feel worse, like a fool for being naïve enough to believe that he had actually wanted her and not just a quick and easy fuck.

  Even though she told herself she shouldn't be upset about it, it was hard not to feel that way, especially since he'd been so careful not to wake her up when he left. He must have worked hard to be quiet so that he wouldn't have to talk to her about anything that had happened the night before. Perhaps she'd been putting too much stock into what he'd said at dinner the night before. But she had felt such a connection with him, and, for some idiotic reason, she had been sure that he had felt it too.

  She got up and showered away her blues, trying not to think about how wonderful Ulrich had made her feel as she got dressed. Her body began to grow warm as she recalled the way he had touched her, the way he had made her body come to life. Despite all of her efforts to put all of that behind her, though, she was still smarting when she got to the lodge for breakfast. While in the food line, she caught a glimpse of Ulrich and Faolan sitting down and having breakfast together at a table not far from the buffet.

  Ulrich had been morosely staring at his food and pushing it around with his fork for a good ten minutes. He wasn't really in the mood for eating, not after what he'd done. His stomach was tied up in knots. He felt just awful inside. And he couldn't begin to imagine what Sayuri was thinking and feeling after waking up alone, without a word from him, nothing. She must hate his guts. She must think he was the lowest man on Earth. After a moment, he noticed that Faolan had stopped talking, he looked up from the food on his plate and turned around to see what he was staring at behind him. His heart leapt into his throat when he spotted Sayuri standing in line, a tray in her hands. He couldn't help but stare as well.

  Sayuri glared daggers at Faolan and Ulrich. Bastards. She hadn't done anything to deserve the way they had treated her. She looked away quickly and took her tray of food to a table on the far side of the room, trying her best to pretend the two of them didn't exist, doing her best to snub them. It probably wouldn't do any good though. They probably had forgotten about her completely as soon as she was out of sight. God she was a fool! What had she been thinking! She had obviously underestimated the degree of difficulty a person to person sperm collection would be.

  Well, she was sure that Ulrich had come in her at least one of the many times they'd had sex. She should count herself lucky she'd been able to get that. She probably wouldn't have any more pity fucks the whole time she was here. For a minute, she debated leaving with her tail tucked between her legs, and then thoughts of a baby came back to her. No, she wouldn't let what had happened get in the way of her getting pregnant. Once she was pregnant, she could leave and forget that these men ever existed. She wouldn't have to think about them anymore. She could bear with it a little while longer, for the baby's sake.

  She poked at her bacon and eggs on her plate, and her stomach growled uneasily. Although she didn't feel much like eating, she knew better than to think that she could get around the lodge and immerse herself in all kinds of physical activities without refueling, so she grudgingly ate what she could. While she ate, she decided that she had sort of struck out with the skiing and the sleigh ride. She pulled her PDA from her pants pocket and pulled up the activity list she'd entered into it after she'd examined the lodge's pamphlet. She frowned when she realized that much of it was very couple oriented, like the sleigh ride had been. But, finally, she came across ice skating. That should be easy enough. It didn't require a partner. And, she was great at roller skating, well, at least she had been when she was a little girl. It would be like riding a bike. She tried to shake off the memory that she had thought the same thing about skiing. Ice skating was nothing like skiing though. It was definitely more like roller skating.

  She felt a renewed sense of confidence as she toted her tray to the exit. Setting it down above the trash bin, she didn't give Faolan and Ulrich a second glance as she left the lodge.

  She left the main lodge and headed toward the ice pond, which she had seen the first day from the kiddie slopes just before she'd nearly killed herself. The walk wasn't a long one, but she was glad for it. It felt great to stretch her legs after her late night rendezvous with Ulrich. She tried not to focus on the interesting places he had left feeling punished.

  From a distance, she could see that a lot of fellow guests were already whirling around on the ice. By the time she got to the pond, she noticed a line formed to get skates and walked over and waited in it for a few minutes. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long before it was her turn.

  "And what size shoe do you wear, ma'am?" the lodge employee asked.

  "I wear a size six," she told him.

  The man went to grab her skates from a rack and then handed them to her.

  "No pads?" she asked, looking at the skates in her hand a little skeptically.

  "Sorry, we don't have any elbow or knee pads. If you're a little unsure about your skill, hang on to the railing until you get the hang of it," he offered with a smile. "Or we could get one of the employees to ski with you, if you want."

  She smiled back at him a little uneasily. "No, that's okay. I can manage myself. But thanks for the advice about the railing. I'll be sure to keep it close by."

  "Oh, and one more thing," the man said before she turned away. "When we tested the ice this morning it checked out to be safe to skate anywhere on the right side of the pond but avoid the other side of the pond that's roped off since there is some thin ice on that side."

  There was a light snow falling by the time she got her skates on, but she didn't care. It only served to make it more like the childish endeavor she had been craving.

  With her skates all tightly laced up, she stood up from the bench she'd found and held the metal railing that encircled the pond, using it to help her walk until she made it the few feet to the ice. When she got out onto the ice on the skates, though, she discovered ice skating was nothing at all like roller skating.

  She was having a really hard time getting the hang of it and mostly clung desperately to the railing until she felt secure enough to skate without its assistance. For a long time she thought she wouldn't be able to get away from the railing but after a while she seemed to be doing a little better and ventured away from her crutch. She was so happy that she was able to maintain an upright position she was positively glowing.

  After a few minutes without incident, she relaxed, and became more confident in her ability, infinitesimal though it was. Perhaps this wouldn't be so hard after all. She was suddenly glad that she'd decided to give it a try.

  Just about the time she started to really have fun, an
other skater slammed into her. The other skater hit her so forcefully that she hit the ice hard, sliding under and way past the ropes that guarded everyone from the thin ice. She didn't want to make a scene, at first, but when she realized that she had gone under the safety ropes and that she was on a patch of thin ice she started yelling.

  "Help," she yelled a little frantically, waving her arms above her, trying not to move too much.

  But it was too late. Fear rippled down her spine when she heard the first terrifying crack of the ice. She felt the ice giving way, heard the horrifying sound of it breaking up beneath her weight as she tried to inch away. Realizing there was no way she wasn't going to be submerged, she started screaming with everything she had. She felt certain she was going to meet an icy death.

  * * * *

  Torolf's ears pricked up when he heard screaming. He instantly recognized that scream from the day before. It was Sayuri! He rushed to her rescue from his place on the kiddie slopes.

  From a distance, he could see everyone on the ice pond gathering around the rope that sectioned off the half of the pond that was unsafe. He could also see a figure on the thin ice side laying down. He knew instinctively who it was. Fear gripped him. He wasn't sure if he could make it in time to save her. He pushed his skis harder, his breath coming in short bursts as he pushed himself to the limit. If only he could shift, he could get to her so much faster!

  Finally at the pond, it only took him seconds to get out of his skis. "Sayuri, stay still, I'm coming!" he yelled. His heart was beating so fast he thought it would likely burst out of his chest. The only thing he could think was that he had to get to her before anything happened. He had to save her.

  Laying flat on his belly, he crawled across the pond until he got to where she was, now half in and half out of the ice.

  Sayuri was so glad to hear that someone was coming to save her. She'd thought for a while that no one was going to help her. She'd seen everyone gathering by the ropes, but no one had done anything. She realized when the man coming to her aid got closer that it was Torolf. "Help me," she said in a trembling voice filled with desperation, trying hard to maintain her grip on the slippery ice with her gloved hands.

  "Hold on, I've got you," he said. He grabbed her arms and managed to pull her from the water and away from the broken ice before she fell in completely. He pulled her the rest of the way to safety. Thankfully, when they reached the edge of the pond, another employee was standing by with a thermal blanket.

  Torolf wrapped Sayuri in the blanket and held on to her tightly, whispering calming words in her ear.

  She was shaken. She couldn't believe what had just happened. One minute she'd been doing just fine and the next . . . . What could have happened had Torolf not saved her didn't bear thinking about. She shook uncontrollably from fear, from the cold of the water seeping down into her bones. She was so cold that she couldn't feel her legs anymore.

  Through teeth that chattered uncontrollably, she tried to talk to Torolf. "Th-hank y-you," she managed.

  Torolf blushed and held her tight against his chest, whispering in her ear, "You don't have to thank me." He didn't know why, but he felt more relief at saving her life than he had anyone else since he'd started rescuing people. The thought of losing her had reached him on a personal level. It was inexplicable. He didn't know her. She was a stranger to him, and yet, like his pack, he was drawn to her. Her scent filled his nostrils as he held her close, the scent of Faolan's mark, the scent of Ulrich's mark. His beast built inside of him, raging against the surface of man until he thought he was going to loose all semblance of control right in front of the crowd that had gathered. He needed to escape. He needed to get away, away from all of the humans, all of them except for Sayuri. He couldn't leave her, especially not after what she'd been through. He leaned back and stood up before reaching down and picking her up, cradling her tightly against his chest. In a soft voice he said, "I'm going to take you to the medic to get checked out."

  Sayuri didn't argue. At the moment, she didn't think she could have if she tried, she was so weak and cold, and it was so nice being held against his warm body, feeling safe and secure in his arms. She was surprised at his strength. She'd never had a man carry her for any length of time and certainly not encumbered by snow and with her weighed down by dripping clothing.

  By the time they got to the medical building, her shivers had subsided to slight tremors and all she had in mind was a hot shower.

  "Look, Torolf, is it? I'm just fine. I don't need to see the doctor. I don't want to waste their time. I'm not really a big fan of doctors anyway. I just need to get back to my cabin and get a nice long shower. You've done enough, more than enough. You can just let me down and I'll make it to my cabin on my own. Besides, I'm sure you're tired of looking at me. This morning at breakfast I think the lodge manager was hinting about giving me a refund if I left early and didn't die on the premises."

  Torolf tried hard not to smile at that comment. He wasn't surprised by what the manager had said. It seemed as if this woman was constantly in trouble. But, despite what she said about feeling fine, he didn't want her to leave. He told himself it was because he wanted to make sure that she was alright. He didn't want to analyze why that was so important at the moment though.

  "The hot tubs are not far from here. Why don't I take you there instead?"

  Sayuri hadn't been to the tubs yet and the idea of being able to sit back and be completely enveloped in warmth instead of standing in her shower sounded great to her.

  "I'd like that," she said but paused after a minute. "But I don't know. Knowing my luck I'd probably fall asleep and drown in the damn thing."

  Torolf tried to stifle a chuckle.

  Sayuri looked at him pointedly. "I tell you what. I'll go if you are going to join me," she said, looking at him carefully to gauge his reaction to her bold suggestion, worried it might frighten him away. She had been right about what she had suspected when she'd first seen him in the gym. He was shy. But now that he was close and she had the chance to examine him, she noticed a lot more about him. He was very handsome. His chestnut brown hair had come undone from its place at the nape of his neck and was falling in strands around his classically chiseled chin darkened with five o'clock shadow. She noticed that, like Ulrich, his hair fell just below his shoulders. His eyes, she noticed when he looked down at her, were a dark chocolate. And she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination or not, but she thought she'd seen them smoldering with passion. Or perhaps that was just her accident addled mind that had created that impression? She couldn't be sure, since he wouldn't look at her for more than a few seconds at a time. But that was okay, because it gave her the opportunity to examine him at her leisure and, as she pressed herself against his chest, she realized that she really enjoyed looking at him.

  Torolf did laugh this time. "I will go with you to the hot tub but only in case you need me to rescue you again."

  Sayuri smiled at his laugh. She liked the sound of it. She had the distinct feeling that he didn't laugh very much and was glad that she'd gotten to hear it. But her smile soon faded as they reached the hot tub. With dismay she realized that she couldn't get in the tub, she wasn't wearing a swim suit.

  "Oh, Torolf, I'm sorry. I just wasn't thinking. I can't get in. I don't have a swim suit with me," she said, disappointment evident in her features.

  Torolf blushed and turned away as he looked at the tub, then turned to her and said in a quiet voice, "You can go in in your underwear. I promise I won't tell a soul."

  Sayuri gasped at the suggestion. It was so naughty. Why hadn't she thought of it? She smiled reassuringly at him. "That's a great idea. You're going to get in too, right?"

  Torolf looked torn for a moment, but then disrobed down to his boxers and got in, putting his back to her so she could get undressed without him watching.

  She couldn't help but notice that he was polite enough to give her his back while she took off her clothes. What a gentlemanly thing to
do! Qualities like that in a man were rare indeed.

  She carefully eased down into the wide spa tub, dispelling the mist-like steam that hovered in the air above the water. The hot water caressed her skin in soothing ripples, easing above her breasts, seeming to erase the ordeals she'd faced from her body and mind. It felt like it had been quite a while since she'd been able to rest her tired, aching body. It was difficult to believe so much had happened since coming to this place, that her life had been so completely altered in the short time since she had made the decision to come to the resort.

  She dipped her head back, soaking her hair in the water, watching it float around her.

  Torolf couldn't help but notice that black tendrils of her hair clung to her breasts and arms like vines.

  Sayuri noticed that Torolf was being very quiet. When she looked at him, she saw that he was staring at her, his gaze intense, hungry. There was no mistaking the fever in his eyes.

  It wasn't right that any man should ever look so desirable, so dangerous . . . so forbidden.

  He raked his heated gaze over her, lust dilating his pupils and darkening his eyes as he looked his fill of her near naked body.

  She didn't make any move to cover herself. Instead, she felt compelled to remain completely still for a moment, felt her blood begin to pulse with near pain between her legs.

  She didn't trust herself to speak. Instead, she moved across the spa tub until her face hovered mere inches from his, closed her eyes, and nudged his nose with the tip of her own, then placed a faint kiss on his lips, his cheek, and finally touched the tip of her tongue to his ear lobe. Sucking the lobe into her mouth, she bit down on it gently, experimentally.

  Thoughts of marking the woman for his own immediately emerged, followed by thoughts of Faolan.

  "I should leave."

  Torolf got up and turned to go, but she grabbed his arm, half rising from the water herself.