Cat's Wolf (A Shifter Romance Novella) Read online

  “Is this yours?” She asked, eyeing the one storey wooden shack.

  He shook his head. “It’s one of the wolf clan’s many safe houses.”

  “Is it safe?” She asked, eyes going to the surrounding forests, wondering if they would have any hostile visitors.

  “With how remote it is, it’s not used very often. In fact, I’ve never known it to be used.”

  It would only likely be used by them for a night, maybe two. It seemed unlikely anyone would come by.

  Moving up the porch steps that squealed under their weight, she waited for Rhys to unlock the door using the key he’d found on top of the door frame.

  The door creaked open and an overwhelming smell of damp hit them and she gagged. Rhys brushed past her and moved inside to check out the interior and she reluctantly followed. It looked like it hadn't been lived in since the late nineteen-hundreds with the old fashioned furniture and the amount of dust on everything.

  Rhys waved his hands to try and avoid breathing in the dust they’d disturbed.

  Kaitlin grimaced. To think she’d be spending her first needing here of all places. So romantic, she thought wryly.

  As if sensing the direction of her thoughts he glanced back at her, “Sorry about the state of this place. If I’d known it was this bad I wouldn’t have come.”

  “I’m sure we can spruce the place up a bit before we…” she trailed off as a blush heated her skin.

  He grinned across at her. “When midnight comes, I don’t think you’ll be bothered about where we do it but the number of times we do.”

  Shifting on the balls of her feet self-consciously, she glanced down at her converse trying desperately not to replay scenes of their earlier sex in his car. It would likely spark her puma’s lust and she’d prove him right, taking him on the dusty floor without a second thought.

  “I wonder if there’s any food here.”

  Running a hand through his hair he glanced at the kitchenette and frowned. “You know I never thought of food when I came up with this idea.”

  Shifters need food when they shift to their animal forms as it takes a lot of energy and leaves them weak for a while afterwards. Shifting back to human could be equally taxing if not more so.

  “I’ll check the cupboards, why don’t you see if there’s anything in the bedroom.”

  Her brow crinkled in confusion. “Like what?”

  Rhys winked, “I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

  Turning from her, he moved to a cupboard and pulled it open. His back and shoulder muscles rippled with the movement and memories of her digging her nails into those hard muscles and what happened afterward had the smoulder flaring into a raging inferno once more.

  She wanted him again.

  Kaitlin’s needing scent eased from her pores and she saw the exact moment he caught it. He stopped what he was doing and took a deep breath. Rhys’ entire body rippled as he instinctively reacted to the scent but held himself in check.

  “Kaitlin…Cat…we need—I haven’t—protection,” he eventually growled.

  It spurred her into action and she slammed the door to the bedroom open and was rummaging through the bedside table in the next second.

  No! There weren’t any. Hurrying to the other side she searched that one too.

  “Nooo!” She groaned, unable to find anything in that one either.

  “Anything?” He asked tightly.

  “No.”

  She heard him swear colourfully and then the slam of the door. Had he gone? Left her here alone? Walking back through to the main part of the cabin she saw it was empty and then went over to the window, mildly surprised to find the black car still outside but no sign of Rhys. He must have shifted and gone into the woods.

  That was a good thing, she told herself, as she forced her feet to move back across the room. Opening one of the top cupboards she found some tinned goods and a few dried spices. At least it was something.

  Crouching she looked in the one Rhys had left open and found some pots and pans. Pulling one out she set it on the counter, upsetting some dust which then caused her to have a sneezing fit. Rubbing her nose, she got up and surveyed the cabin.

  Planting her hands on her hips, she decided to clean the place up a bit. Opening all the cupboard doors she searched for a dustpan and brush and a cloth and finally found them.

  Half an hour later she had managed to remove most of the dust, though there was still a lot floating in the air; swept the floor and cleaned the windows, which were now letting the soft afternoon sunlight into the room and giving it a more homely air.

  Wiping her sweaty brow, she surveyed the room and smiled proudly. At least it looked liveable now or at the least, ready for a romantic interlude.

  A car engine rumbling to life outside had her tensing. Stealthily moving to the window she peeked around the sill and saw Rhys sitting behind the wheel and let out a relieved breath. He was back.

  Kaitlin walked outside and waited.

  “I’m going to head back into town and grab a few things,” he called through the open window.

  Condoms?

  She raised her chin slightly in understanding and watched as he spun the car around and then drove away from her, whipping up a dust cloud as he sped off down the dirt road.

  Her lust was under control once more and it seemed so was his. If only for a couple of hours because when midnight came she would shift to her puma form and he to his wolf form and they would mate, probably for hours.

  If her puma submitted to him, that was.

  Female puma’s were very particular about who they mated with and would only submit if they believed the male was good enough for the job.

  She had a feeling both herself and the puma would quite happily spread their legs to have Rhys inside them. He was alpha material after all. But then again, she didn’t have full control of her puma so who knew what might happen.

  Shaking her head to clear those types of thought, she went back inside. Maybe she should make dinner?

  Fifteen minutes later, she was just pouring a tin of stewed steak into a pan, to make some sort of curry, when her phone started ringing. With a frown she pulled it from her pocket and checked the caller ID. It was Tito.

  Biting her lip with indecision she played out how the conversation would go if she answered and then what might happen if she didn’t. Her parents were expecting her to be with Tito during her needing and if they found out she wasn’t…well, things could get ugly.

  Decision made, she accepted the call. “Hey?”

  “Hey, babe,” Tito drawled in his low voice. “Where are you? The full moon will be on us in a few short hours, why don’t you come over now?”

  “Actually, I’m busy right now,” she hedged, biting her lip in the hopes he’d believe her.

  “Doing what?” He asked, his voice clearly letting her know he thought she was deranged, giving up sex time with him for something—anything—else.

  “Stuff,” she told him lamely.

  The growl of Rhys’ car coming back up the drive had her pausing. She watched as the car pulled up outside and he climbed out. Her breath caught. He’d removed his shirt somewhere along the way and her mouth watered at the sight of his muscled chest glinting in the late afternoon sun.

  Rhys’ gaze locked with hers and an involuntary sound left her. He started towards her purposefully, the small box of condoms visible in his hand and she trembled.

  “Are you masturbating? Seriously, babe, come over and I’ll take care of it for you. I’ll take care of you,” his voice went low and smooth but it didn’t affect her the same way Rhys’ did.

  She blinked slowly; suddenly realising she was still on the line with Tito.

  Kaitlin opened her mouth to say something but gasped when hands fastened on her waist from behind.

  “Babe, your little moans and gasps are turning me on big time. Come over already.”

  A growl vibrated her back as Rhys heard Tito’s words. He reached for th
e phone and snapped it shut, affectively ending the call, before throwing it onto the old sofa and turning her in his arms.

  “You belong to me now, Kaitlin,” he urged before covering her mouth with his possessively.

  Chapter 6

  Kaitlin awoke with a start and checked her watch. Eleven twenty.

  Her needing scent had perfumed the room during her sleep and it hung heavy. She was surprised it hadn't woken Rhys yet, but maybe he’d become attuned to it since he’d been in her company for the last twelve hours or so?

  It was time to go for a run.

  Rhys would find her and mate with her in animal form but only after winning her puma over.

  She glanced across at his sleeping form and smiled. They’d certainly worked each other into a frenzy earlier and she had to admit she’d had the most mind-numbing orgasm of her life. Maybe he’d be worth the hassle in the end. Her parents would most likely disown her but he seemed the type of guy who’d stand by her whatever happened.

  A cloud moved and bright moonlight lit the room. Her needing scent intensified and she felt her body twitch with the urge to shift. For a second, she considered fighting it. It was stupid of her to shift when she still didn’t have one hundred per-cent control of her puma but she also knew it was futile. The full moon was impossible to resist.

  Rhys moved under the covers and she knew she had to leave now.

  Nude, she stood and silently made her way outside. Crouching on the wooden porch, she relaxed her body and reached out to the power of her puma. She gritted her teeth against the pain of the shift as muscles and bones lengthened and stretched to accommodate her feline form. A few minutes later the shift was complete and she yowled and shook herself out, getting the feel of her new body.

  Rustling came from inside the cabin and she turned to see Rhys coming out of the bedroom looking dishevelled but extremely hot. His amber gaze locked with her grey and the puma hissed at him before turning and running.

  It was strange for her when she shifted to puma form because it was like she was having an out of body experience, she could hear and feel the puma’s thoughts and feelings but they weren’t her own. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Her mind and the puma’s were supposed to be one and the same, she was supposed to have some control of the animal’s actions but she had none as the puma weaved through the trees at a steady run.

  Kaitlin could sense Rhys closing in behind her and the increasing distress of the puma. That wasn’t good news.

  Minutes later they reached a steep cliff overlooking a murky river and the puma backed away. Rhys skidded to a stop behind her and the puma hissed a warning and backed up a few steps, the cliff crumbling a little beneath her feet.

  No, no, no…

  The puma couldn't seem to decide which way was safer; past the wolf or into the water. It seemed to choose the water, turning to leap.

  “Kaitlin, stop!”

  Her entire being froze at the command in his voice and she breathed an inner sigh of relief. He was using his alpha tone and it was working. The puma glanced over her shoulder and she saw he was stood there naked in the moonlight, his eyes bright with some emotion.

  He must have pushed himself hard to perform an almost instant transformation from wolf to man. It must have hurt immensely but he’d done it to save her.

  “Back away from the edge and shift back,” he ordered, his voice wavering slightly.

  She held her breath waiting to see whether the puma would obey. After a few tense seconds it stepped forward and she felt it give itself over to her and she quickly reached for the energy that made her shift possible. This time it seemed more painful and took every bit of energy she had to shift back to human form.

  Kaitlin curled in on herself on the hard ground and shivered, too tired to do anything.

  “Fucking hell, Kaitlin! Why the hell did you come to me if you don’t have control over your puma?! It’s suicidal—as you nearly found out! Wolfs and pumas are natural enemies so to have me chasing you was a stupid idea.” He dropped to his knees beside her and pulled her into his chest. “I nearly lost you,” he whispered.

  “S-s-sorry,” she managed to say through her chattering teeth.

  Her eyelids fluttered closed and she fell into a consuming blackness.

  Kaitlin shifted and winced. She hurt everywhere.

  Opening her eyes, she instantly knew she was alone and in an unfamiliar bed. Glancing around, memories came back to her of the previous night and she cringed.

  She’d hoped it had all been a bad dream but obviously not.

  “Ugh,” she groaned, rubbing a hand over her face.

  The bed beside her showed no sign of being slept in and she wondered where Rhys was.

  Rising from the bed she moved into the other room and found him sat at the kitchen table. His gaze was fixed on a point across the room and his face was tense. “Why?” He growled.

  Kaitlin shifted stance slightly. “Why, what?”

  “Why can’t you control your puma?”

  She shrugged. What could she say? She’d never been able to. “I don’t know.”

  “Who trained you?”

  Kaitlin frowned at him. “What’s that got to do with it?”

  “Who?!” He shouted, his voice taking on an inhuman rumble, startling her.

  “M-my father,” she stammered.

  Rhys let out a ferocious growl and she shrank back from him, her fingers latching onto the door frame as she noticed his fingers had shifted to claws, digging into the table top. “I should have known.”

  Anger spread through her, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  For the first time since she’d come out of the bedroom he looked at her. A tic was pulsing erratically in his jaw and his eyes were dark and stormy. “Have you not wondered how I managed to stop you from…” he broke off and swallowed, “to stop you?” He eventually finished.

  That was an easy question. “You used your Alpha.”

  He nodded and raised a brow, waiting for her to get what he was saying. She thought it over carefully and it suddenly hit her like a runaway freight train.

  Her father was an Alpha! He should have had the same control over her as Rhys had!

  “Oh my God! Why didn’t he…?”

  “I think he wanted to control you. A female shifter is becoming rarer all the time so for him to be able to control you, by you being afraid of shifting, he can decide who you mate with.”

  “Tito…”

  Rhys’ lip curled at the name. “Probably in on the plan.” Kaitlin shook her head vehemently. “Cat,” he said softly, “you heard what he said that night. He was bragging and not in a good way.”

  Kaitlin knew he was right. Things had always felt strange between herself and Tito; like it had been planned. Her whole life suddenly seemed like a lie. Closing her eyes she dropped her head into her hands.

  “Cat…Kaitlin…I’m sorry you had to find out like this.”

  The whole thing was playing havoc with her head the more she thought things through and she could feel a headache coming on, so decided to change the subject, mumbling through her fingers, “Where did you sleep last night?”

  His amber eyes blinked slowly, thrown by the sudden change in conversation. “I didn’t sleep.”

  “You didn’t? Not at all?” Grimacing, she said softly, “Afraid I might throw myself off a cliff?”

  His voice was soft, “You were unconscious so that wouldn’t have happened.”

  But he’d obviously thought about it!

  Ugh, could she have made a bigger fool of herself last night? In front of her supposed mate as well.

  Remembering that gave her an idea. It was still early and her scent was still lingering in the air. She eyed him appreciatively. “Since we didn’t get around to it last night…why don’t we pick up where we left off?”

  Rhys’ eyes cooled considerably. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We should be heading back.” He stood. “Get your stuff and we’ll go.”


  Kaitlin stood there feeling like a failure. Both as a woman and a shifter.

  What did it say about her if she couldn't even tempt her mate into bed?

  Fighting back tears, she collected her belongings, went outside and climbed in the SUV, not daring to look at him in case the dam broke inside her.

  Chapter 7

  Two hours later the car pulled up on the outskirts of the cat clan boundary and she reached for the handle, eager to get away.

  “Wait.”

  She hesitated for a second, her fingers still holding the door catch. “Why? So you can have another go at me?”

  Rhys sighed, “I wasn’t angry with you. It was your father—”

  Pulling the handle, she pushed the door open and climbed out. “Whatever,” she muttered, still too upset to listen and slammed the door before starting a brisk walk down the street.

  “Kaitlin,” he called, “wait up.”

  If anything she sped up, hoping he’d be deterred by the thought of running into a group of cat shifters. She heard the car door thud shut and then footsteps closing in behind her.

  Or not, she thought grimly.

  “Go away.”

  “No.”

  “Rhys!”

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him. “We need to talk about this.”

  “About what? The fact that I’m a failure?”

  Rhys glared at her. “You are not a failure!”

  She snorted and wrenched her arm out of his hold. “Just leave me alone!”

  Turning, she walked away quickly, feeling the calming effect as she passed over the boundary and into the cat clan compound. Taking a deep breath, she tried to forget about the man she’d just left on the other side.

  It didn’t stop her hearing his curse or the rev of his car’s engine as he drove off.

  “Bastard!” She muttered darkly.

  Kaitlin stopped off at Misha’s on the way home so she could calm down. Her mum would smell the anger rolling off her and jump to conclusions while her dad would probably question it at length.