“Did I not tell you to keep your distance?!” Grange snarled after he had changed back into a man. Trig grinned sheepishly, he too had changed back, and rubbed at his bleeding, swollen arm.

“Sorry.” he mumbled. “I think you nearly bit my arm off.”

“Better than your head!” Grange warned and Trig nodded with whole hearted agreement. “She is mortal and could have been killed when she fell off that horse.” Grange reminded him. Grange knelt beside Dawn and prayed she wouldn’t wake up too soon. It would be hard to explain why he was standing over her naked in the woods.

He flared his nostrils and took in her scent. She would be okay. A mixture of fear and the bump to her head had caused her to fall unconscious. What had she been doing out in the middle of the woods at night?

“Go back to town, Trig. You could have caused worse to happen to her and I would have killed you for it.” Trig lowered his head.

“I was just trying to play with her.” he said guiltily. “I get carried away sometimes.”

Grange just shook his head and pointed toward town and Trig nodded, before changing back into a wolf and loping off.

Grange picked Dawn up into his arms, pulling her soft, full body against his and relishing in the way she felt against him. There was no raging desire from the wolf at this point, only an urge to care for the mate and hold her close to his body. She was sick and the wolf wanted to make her better.

Grange found himself kissing her reddish/gold hair and then his heart did a slow roll in his chest when she moaned and snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was so small, so fragile, so weak… Too soft for the life he was so desperately beginning to yearn to bring her into.

Grange had no choice but to take her back to his cabin. His wolf would not allow him to be anywhere but by her side while she was unconscious and he couldn’t very well drop her off in town while he was stark naked. They were a good half mile from his cabin so Grange held her tighter and got started on the walk.

***

Dawn snuggled deeper into the warm fur blanket she was wrapped in and stretched out her legs. She didn’t remember her bed at the bakery being so large or so warm.

Then she took a deep breath and breathed in the scent of eggs and ham. She certainly didn’t remember being able to smell the diner from her bedroom. Had she left the window open?

She rolled onto her back and the let out a cry of pain and sat up quickly when the back of her head rubbed against the pillow. She touched the large welt that was beneath her hair and frowned as she looked around the tidy, unfamiliar cabin she was in.

She was in a small bedroom but she could see through the open door into another room that seemed to serve as both living room and kitchen. Where was she and how had she gotten here?

Memories of the night before came flooding back. She’d been going to talk to Grange and that monster wolf had appeared and chased her… Then another wolf had come and she’d been thrown to the ground. The big black wolf had been stalking toward her and she had known he was going to kill her…..

So why was she still alive?

She nearly cried out again when Grange suddenly appeared in the doorway holding a plate full of more eggs, ham and potatoes than she could ever hope to eat, wearing his tunic and dark buckskin pants.

“Grange?” she asked hesitantly as she raised her hands and tried to smooth out her messy hair. “What am I doing here?”

“I found you on the road last night.” he replied as he entered the room and sat the plate on the nightstand beside the bed. Dawn suddenly had trouble breathing. He seemed to fill the entire room with his heat and power. It became apparent to her that she was sitting in a bed, his bed, and they were seemingly alone in his home……

“What happened to the monster?” she asked. Grange picked the plate back up and held it out to her until she took it.

“Eat.” he ordered and for reasons that Dawn did not understand she found herself obeying. She was surprised to find that the food was actually quite good and she quickly scooped a second spoonful of scrambled eggs into her mouth.

She looked out the window and realized that it was early morning. A misty fog was still clinging to the treetops and birds were ringing in the new day with their beautiful music.

“Grange, I saw the monster. It was a wolf, a giant wolf, and it attacked me.”

Grange shook his head as he stared down at his arms folded over his knees. He had not been attacking her. He had only been trying to send she and her horse on a quick track back to town, where Dawn belonged. It was that stupid pup that had spooked the horse into rearing and caused Dawn to be injured. Trig was lucky all he’d received was a bite to the arm.

The anger was coming back and Grange took a deep breath, filling his senses with Dawn’s sweet scent and felt himself relaxing.

“I didn’t see any monster, Dawn. All I saw was you lying in the middle of the road. What were you doing out there alone at night?” Dawn smiled guiltily as she took a bite of ham.

“I was coming to see you.” she replied and Grange raised a brow.

“Do I not come to your bakery every day? You couldn’t have waited until today to see me?” Dawn flushed at the way he said that and after taking another bite of potatoes she sat the plate on the table. At his curious look she patted her stomach.

“I’m full.” she assured him. Grange shrugged and grabbed the plate, shoveling spoonfuls of food into his own mouth.

“And I was worried about you!” she informed him. “You growled like some kind of crazy person, grabbed a man by his throat and stormed out of town and I never saw you again!” Dawn was caught off guard by the sheepish grin that split Grange’s face and then he shoveled a heaping spoonful of potatoes into his mouth.

“I apologize.” he said through the mouthful.

“Why did you act that way? Did you and that man have bad blood between you or something?” Grange shook his head.

“I’d never met the man.” he admitted. Dawn frowned.

“Then why….?” her question was cut off when Granges’ nostrils flared and he stood quickly. He stalked out of the room and something in his movements reminded Dawn of the big black wolf from the night before.

She heard the front door open and looked around him to see the man from her bakery the day before. The sleeve of his blue chambray shirt was rolled up and his forearm was wrapped in a white bandage.

He ran his hand through his tawny colored hair and grinned at her as he waved.

Dawn rose to her feet and covered her heart with her hand. Surely the suspicions in her mind had to be crazy… didn’t they? The tawny colored wolf with the same fur as this mans hair. The whimpers. The growls. The bandaged forearm…

“What are you doing here?” Grange demanded with a snarl that only served to cause Dawn to take a step back.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Trig replied. “About what happened last night.” he added as his eyes darted to Dawn.

Dawn froze when Grange turned and captured her in his gaze. That intense gaze that reminded her of a predator. It reminded her of the black wolf from the night before. Her mind swirled.

Was that possible? Was it werewolves that had killed that girl and that preacher man and was Grange a wolf? She didn’t want to believe that he was a monster but all the signs were there! His appetite, his speed, his strength, the growling, the predatory way he looked at her and the agility with which he moved. His refusal to talk about his life…..

The wolves had fought last night and now the man from the bakery shows up speaking about the night before while wearing a bandage on his arm.

Suddenly Dawn knew what it felt like to be a tiny creature caught in a predators trap as Grange took a step toward her.

“Stop!” she cried out as she pushed herself against the rough wooden planks of the wall. Grange did and he tilted his head, his blue eyes searching her own.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Are you the monster?” she whispered, her voice trembling and her knees very nearly knocking together beneath her blue calico dress. Grange shook his head.

“I already told you there are no such things as monsters.” he assured her, but Dawn wasn’t convinced.

“I’ve heard people talking about how you don’t age…. I’ve heard you growl, you’re stronger than any other person I’ve ever met and you look at me just like that wolf did last night. The big black one. Oh my God…. You killed those people!” she exclaimed as she covered her mouth with her hand. Dawn knew she sounded crazy but now that she had this idea in her head it simply wouldn’t quit.

Grange shot Trig a look and the man nodded and backed out of the house. Grange turned back to Dawn and sighed.

“Dawn, please don’t be afraid of me. I don’t know what put this idea in your head but you’ve known me a month now. Have I ever acted like a crazed murderer to you? I’m strong because I’ve spent my entire life working hard and I’ve always been too intense. I’ve been told that makes people nervous when I look at them. As far as the aging thing goes,” Grange shrugged. “I’m lucky I guess.”

“Then what was he talking about that happened last night?” she demanded, still unconvinced.

“I admit I overreacted but there was something about the man I just didn’t like.” Grange replied with a shrug.

“And his arm?” Dawn asked, beginning to feel more than a little foolish.

“I have no idea. And I have no idea why he‘s here now.” Grange felt guilty for lying to Dawn and the wolf in him was rebelling strongly to doing so but he had seen the fear in her eyes. She would never accept what he was. In her eyes the wolf was a monster.

“I’m sorry.” Dawn said, her eyes locked on Grange’s feet. She felt like a million kinds of a fool.

“Don’t be sorry.” Grange replied tenderly. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her head. His mate never needed to be submissive to him. She was Alpha female.

Grange shook his head to clear those thoughts. Dawn had not agreed to be his mate, and if her reaction to thinking him the ‘monster wolf’ was any indication, she would never agree to be. And Grange had no interest in having a pack and being an Alpha. Did he?

“Now I need to get you to town and let the doc look at your head. You have got a pretty nasty lump.” Dawn raised her hand to her hair and winced, which brought a small growl from Grange.

Dawn frowned and watched him as he grabbed the now empty plate from the bed and walked out of the room. He waved to indicate that she was supposed to follow him and so she did but the whole time she was thinking.

What if he was the wolf she had seen last night? It all was so crazy, so insane, so impossible and yet it would make perfect sense! Except for the two dead bodies that had been found when she’d first come to town.

Was she falling for a man who was really some sort of creature of the night that was a cold blooded murderer, capable of killing a young girl? She didn’t want to believe that was possible.

She followed him through his cabin, which was tidy but contained minimal possessions. When they stepped outside she realized they were completely in the wilderness with thick forest pressing in on all sides. She saw that man standing beside the barn.

“Trig, why are you still here?” Grange grumbled and Trig stood up straighter.

“I need to talk to you about something I smelled.” he replied.

“Smelled?” Dawn asked with a frown. Grange just shook his head and sent Trig a look that had the other man looking down at the ground.

“I’m taking her to town, we’ll talk when I return.” Grange replied before going into the barn. Dawn stayed out in the open, suddenly unsure that she wanted to be in such an enclosed place with Grange. A werewolf? A shape shifter? Dawn had read stories, she heard tales but she had never actually believed they were real.

She glanced at Trig and saw him unwrapping his arm. As his skin became revealed to her she realized that it looked perfectly smooth, unmarked other than a small white scar. The bandage was covered in blood on the inside… How was that possible?

She chose not to say anything. Maybe it was an old injury and bandage. Maybe he’d been wearing it yesterday at the bakery and she just hadn’t noticed.

Grange came out of the barn several moments later with two saddled horses. They didn’t seem to be bothered by Grange so that had to mean he wasn’t really a wolf monster didn’t it? Or maybe they were just used to his scent.

Grange gave her a leg up and helped her into the saddle of the smaller of the two horses.

The ride into town was quiet and tense. Dawn kept trying to convince herself that she was just thinking crazy. That there was no way Grange could be anything more than just a man and her imagination was simply running away with her.

Grange glanced over at her. He wanted her. His wolf wanted her. But to admit what he was would be risking would be risking her rejection and tough as he was, he wasn’t sure he could stand that. He liked having her near him. He liked seeing her everyday, even though it was a constant fight to keep himself in line around her.

And even if she did accept him, that would mean he would be taking a mate. He would start a pack and no longer be a lone wolf. He knew that Alpha blood flowed through his veins. The Alpha that had created him had been a powerful one and Grange had killed him shortly after being created. He had ripped out his throat and he had escaped.

Grange had wanted to ignore what he was, the blood he had, but it was getting harder. He was beginning to want a mate. To want a pack. To be the Alpha that he knew he was meant to be, but that would only bring trouble.

Rival packs would come. They would be determined to wipe out the rising competition and Grange would have two others beside himself to defend. Dawn and Trig. While he wasn’t very fond of Trig he knew the pup would want to stay.

Would Dawn accept him? Would she let him mark her? Would she become his Alpha female? His real mate?

Dawn turned to face him and he saw her eyes widen. He realized just how intensely he had been staring at her and forced his gaze to soften.

“I trust you can get to town from here?” Grange asked as the sound of the sawmill came to their ears.

“Yes.” she replied quickly.

“Just put the horse up at the livery. I have to take care of a few things.” Dawn nodded and Grange turned his horse, he never went to the livery. His own horses were used to his scent but other horses were not. That alone made it hard to walk down the street without drawing attention, the livery would be impossible.

“Grange…” Dawn whispered and he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. “Promise you won’t hurt me?” Grange frowned.

“I don’t understand what you’re asking.” he admitted. Dawn swallowed hard and met his gaze.

“Whatever you are, do you promise not to hurt me.” Grange froze and his eyes widened as she looked at him with a mixture of fear and confusion. She knew. Even though he had tried to tell her she was wrong at the cabin, she knew what he was. Or at least what she thought he was.

“I promise I won’t hurt you.” he assured her, his voice softening. He wanted to reach out and touch his hand against her soft cheek but right now she looked as if she were just barely keeping herself from bolting away from him. “I could never hurt you, Dawn. You are special.”

Dawn swallowed hard. He had just admitted that he wasn’t human. That he was something different and instead of running, like any mentally sound person would do, she wanted to ease the fear and worry in his eyes. She chose not to investigate the fact that she was special to him any further just now. Her mind was reeling enough without adding to it.

“And those bodies?” she asked, though it was barely more than a whisper. She knew she was probably putting herself in danger by asking the question but she found that she needed the answer and, oddly enough, she trusted Grange to give her the truthful one.

“The man was killed by a wolf.” he replied with a tip of his head. “But not the girl. A wolf, a decent wolf, never sheds the blood of an innocent. The girl was killed by the man.”

Dawn saw the golden flecks again appearing in Grange’s eyes as his muscles tensed. She recognized the signs that his temper was rising when his fists became clenched and a low growl emitted from the back of his throat.

“I’m not sure what to think, Grange.” Dawn admitted. She saw doubt and dread fill his eyes and it was so foreign an emotion to see in them that it shocked her more greatly than his admission. Grange was always confident, always sure of himself. She had never seen him seem so lost.

“Just find me once you’ve had time to think, Dawn. Just make sure you don’t come after dark.”

“Do you lose control after dark? Is that why you attacked me last night?” Grange appeared to be insulted.

“I never lose control and I would never attack you. I was just trying to get you and your horse back to town since you weren’t supposed to be wandering the woods at night.” he reminded her. “It was Trig’s foolishness that caused harm to come to you.”

“He’s a…. werewolf too?” Dawn whispered, finding that the word was hard to say aloud. Grange nodded.

“Yesterday was the first I had seen him and I didn’t appreciate having another male in my territory… In your bakery.” Dawn shook her head and pressed her fingers into her temples, almost painfully.

“No more, please!” she exclaimed. “Just let me process what you’ve already told me.” Grange nodded.

“Like I said before, find me when you’re ready to talk more.” Dawn watched him until he rounded a corner and was gone from sight.