It had been two days since Dawn had learned what Grange was. Two days since she had seen him, other than catching glimpses of him coming and going from the sawmill.

He had been true to his word and kept his distance, giving her space and waiting for her to come to him. The same could not be said for Trig who had been spending every minute of every day hanging around the bakery and had even been sleeping downstairs. When Dawn questioned why, he had simply said that the pack had to look out for one another. Which Dawn figured translated to ‘Grange wants me to keep a constant eye on you just in case the boogie man jumps out of your closet.’

Dawn opened her apartment door and started down the stairs only to find herself tripping over a body sprawled across them. She let out a scream as she found herself tumbling through the air. She tried to prepare herself for the pain and she squeezed her eyes tight only to find herself suddenly being snatched from the air and pulled against a warm body.

“Thank God you were there, Nickolai.” Dawn heard Trig’s voice behind her. If Trig was what she had tripped over and he was now behind her then who the hell was holding her in their arms?!

Dawn opened her eyes and nearly screamed. It was the man from outside her window two nights ago. He was pale, with dull blue eyes, a cleft chin and small scars littering his face. He was scary and emotionless as he looked down at her.

“Put me down!” Dawn ordered, though she had no idea where her brave words were coming from. The man, Nickolai, gave a barely perceptible nod and then walked backward down the remaining stairs before setting her on her feet on the floor below.

“Are you okay!?” Trig exclaimed as he ran around her, checking her for injuries. Dawn smoothed out her hair which was pulled away from her face by pins and hanging down her back and then ran her hand over her brown wool skirt.

“I’m fine, Trig. I would be better if you would stop sleeping on my stairs.”

“That really is an unwise place to sleep. She is weak and easily injured.”

“And who exactly are you?” Dawn demanded as she once again looked up at Nickolai. He wasn’t tall, a few inches under six feet, and he was lean but she had felt his strength when he had caught her in his arms.

“That’s Nickolai.” Trig replied with a grin. “He’s our newest pack brother.” Dawn covered her face and shook her head.

“It’s not our pack!” she exclaimed. “I haven’t decided that I want to be a part of your particular brand of crazy.” She pushed past the two men and walked into the kitchen to get her ovens fired up.

“She is feisty. She will make a good female for the Alpha.” Nickolai observed aloud. Dawn struck a match and lit her first oven.

“Can we please call each other by our first names instead of alpha and pack brother? I don’t want a customer walking in and hearing that!”

“When are you going to talk to Grange?” Trig asked as Dawn went about lighting the other three ovens. She sighed as she stood straight and looked at the two men standing in her kitchen.

“I don’t know.” Dawn replied honestly. She wanted to see him. She wanted to hear his gruff voice talking to her. His soft lips caressing her cheek again…. But could she accept him? And all of this mate talk, she was smart enough to understand that she was supposed to become what he was. Could she do that? Could she allow herself to be turned into something that wasn’t human?

“If it’s fleas you’re still worried about, we really don’t have them.” Trig assured her and as if on cue, Nickolai scratched at his dark brown hair.

“Yes I see that.” Dawn replied dryly.

Dawn had things she wanted to know. Questions she wanted to ask. The only problem was that being around Grange made it hard for her to think. The attraction she felt for him, the intensity with which he looked at her, caused her to forget things that she needed to say.

But there were two other werewolves she could talk to and both were standing in her kitchen.

Trig was sticking his fingers in the icing on the cookies she’s baked last night and licking them clean with a childish grin while Nickolai stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes seeming to take in every movement and his ears seeming to hear everything around him.

Dawn had thought that Grange was intense but even Grange knew how to lounge, how to smile, how to relax at times. Nickolai reminded Dawn of a soldier. Of a man who had been trained to be on high alert at all times and never let his guard down.

“Trig, can Nickolai and I have some privacy for a while? I have some questions for him.” Dawn stated suddenly. Trig was just shoving a cookie in his mouth and he frowned the best he could around the mouthful.

He pointed to himself and nodded. Dawn shook her head.

“You are a nice guy and all but you annoy me a little bit. I want to talk to someone a little more…. Mature?” Trig swallowed down the cookie and looked hurt.

“I’m mature. I’m older than you.” he mumbled.

“Don’t be mad.” Dawn said as she stepped forward. “I like you and you’re cute but I want to talk to Nickolai.” Trig smiled broadly and punched Nickolai in the arm. The man showed no reaction other than the slight raise of a single brow.

“She called me cute!” he exclaimed and then he grabbed a handful of cookies and all but danced out of the kitchen. Dawn waited until she heard him leave the bakery and then she turned back to Nickolai.

“If he was in wolf form his tail would be wagging.” the stern man said, though he did not smile. “I do believe you made his day.”

“I do believe he’s been driving me crazy for the past couple of days.” Dawn replied with a sigh. “I’m not sure I understand why Grange has him staying here with me but nothing I say makes him leave.”

“The Alpha, Grange, worries about you. You are his mate and he will always be protective of you. It is the way of the wolf.” Dawn put her fingers on her temples and squinted as she looked up at Nickolai.

“But I haven’t agreed to be anyone’s mate.” she reminded him and he shrugged.

“That does not matter. Whether you accept him or not, his wolf has chosen. You are his mate and he will not ever find another.” Dawn sat down on a stool as that fact sunk in.

“You seem surprised by this.” Nickolai stated and Dawn nodded as she looked at her hands folded on the dark stone counter.

“I am. I admit I know nothing about werewolves.”

“I am older than Grange and I have been around many more werewolves than he has. He may not realize what I know to be fact and that is probably why he is giving you a choice on whether to accept him or not. I know my mate would not get that choice.”

“Why?”

“Because if you refuse him, not only will he never find another mate but he will also never be able to take another woman at any time for any reason.”

“You mean he wouldn’t be able to….” Dawn let the question hang and Nickolai nodded.

“That’s correct. The wolf would not let him because wolves are loyal to their mates.”

“Thanks for the added pressure.” Dawn mumbled and Nickolai shrugged.

“You ask a question and you will get an honest answer.” he replied. Dawn nodded.

“So Grange is the Alpha, that means he’s the boss?”

“That’s right.”

“And you and Trig are loyal to him?”

“Yes.” Nickolai replied without hesitation. Dawn scrunched up her forehead and shook her head with doubt.

“Really? After just a couple of days?” Nickolai nodded.

“Wolves do not have the same social needs as humans. As time passes our bonds may grow stronger but the loyalty is immediate.”

“And because I am his mate….”

“We are loyal to you as well, of course that loyalty will be solidified once you are fully mated to Grange.”

“And that would mean I become a werewolf.” Dawn stated. Nickolai shrugged one shoulder.

“There are worse fates.”

“Why are you being drawn here now? Trig said you’ve been drawn here but Grange has lived here for years.”

“It has been happening for a long time I would assume. Though in the past Grange ran any newcomers off because he wasn’t interested in sharing his territory. Meeting you brought out his urge to have a mate, to have a pack. And his Alpha blood just makes it natural for him to take over that role.”

“Are there other packs?” Dawn asked and Nickolai nodded.

“Of course. There are several well established packs and several more start-up packs that are fighting for dominance.”

“They have to fight?”

“More packs equals more competition for the alphas. More competition for territory.”

“Are they going to fight with Grange?” Dawn whispered as she chewed at her fingernail. Nickolai tipped his head.

“They may. Probably not as long as we’re just a rag tag group of lone wolves gathering together. They will sense that something is happening but we’ll just be a tiny dot in the broad scope of things. But when, or if, he takes you as a mate; when he marks you as his own then things may change.” Dawn swallowed hard and crossed her arms tightly around herself.

“Why?” she managed to squeak, though the thought of being ‘marked’ had caused a nearly unbearable heat and yearning deep in her body. Why? She had no idea. She was almost certain that she did not even know what ‘being marked’ entailed but maybe something deep inside of her did….

“Because that would send a message throughout the werewolf community. The other alphas would feel it instantly that a strong alpha wolf was taking a mate, furthering his blood line, they won’t like that.”

Dawn slumped down in the stool and felt tears pricking her eyes. Instantly Nickolai stiffened. He stepped toward her and his hand fell gently on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” he asked awkwardly.

“Grange must hate me.” Dawn mumbled as she looked down at her feet.

“I don’t understand.” Nickolai admitted and Dawn sighed as she covered her face with her hand and tried to fight back her tears.

“I ruined his life.” she stated. “He had a good life here and then I showed up and now either way the man’s life is ruined.”

“Ma’am?” Nickolai asked, sounding like he would rather be anywhere than here.

“If I refuse him then he’ll be a monk the rest of his life and if I accept him then other wolves will come to kill him.”

“I do not know the inner feelings in the Alpha’s heart so I cannot say whether or not he hates you, but in answer to your other comment, you would actually be the bigger target since you would be what he needs to further his bloodline.”

“Great!” Dawn exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air, inadvertently smacking Nickolai in the nose. The man growled and took a step back and Dawn’s eyes widened as she stared at him with a mixture of shock and fear.

“I’m sorry!” she gasped. Nickolia’s lips split in a smile that looked somehow out of place on his stern face.

“You pack a good punch for a mortal woman.” he admitted.

“I need to go for a walk.” Dawn stated. “I need to think.”

“I will accompany you.” Nickolai replied and Dawn shook her head.

“Please, I haven’t been alone in days. I just want to be alone for a while to think.”

“As you wish.” Nickolai conceded. Dawn frowned.

“Really?”

“You are the future alpha female so I am bound to obey you. That and I wasn’t given the order from the alpha to watch you. That was given to Trig and he has already left.”

Dawn just shook her head, chose not to argue about the alpha female comment and then she slipped out the back door of the kitchen that led almost directly into the forest behind the bakery.

A good long walk is what she needed to clear her head and come to terms with all she had learned.

***

Grange could not stand it any longer. He had to be around Dawn. He needed to fill his senses with her scent and fill his eyes with the sight of her. Strange that when she first came to town he had thought she wasn’t beautiful when now all his eyes wanted was to see the sight of her bright smile, her blue eyes, her freckled cheeks and that single deep dimple that showed itself when she was amused.

He wanted to feel her soft body against his again just like he had felt it when he had carried he through the woods. It had been the closest to heaven that a werewolf had ever been and he wanted to experience it again.

He wanted to hear her speak. That sarcastic, sometimes dry wit, that could always leave him chuckling. Now that he had come to terms with what his life was going to be he was eager to get it started. He wanted his female with him. He wanted to have his mate by his side.

Surely she had had plenty of time to think about things by now. It had been days! Maybe he would just go to the bakery, using hunger as an excuse, and while he was there she would decide to talk to him.

It was worth a try.

Grange tossed the axe down that he was using and headed around the mill. He stopped at the water pump, filled a bucket and went about cleaning off his face, hands and arms. It was a little past noontime and he was happy when he felt his stomach growl. He wouldn’t be lying when he told Dawn he was hungry.

As he got to the bakery and opened the door, he knew instantly that something was wrong. He smelled Trig and Nickolai but Dawn’s scent was faint. She was not here.

“Nickolai! Trig!” he exclaimed as he stood inside the door. The two wolves came out of the back and Grange tilted his head at the strange sight. Nickolai was wearing a white apron and mitts on his hands as he carried a pan of freshly baked pastries and Trig was balancing a basket of cookies in both hands and one on his head.

“I don’t know how she does this all day. There are orders coming in like crazy. Thankfully Nickolai here is a damn good cook. Not as good as Dawn but I doubt the humans will notice.”

“Where is Dawn?” Grange growled. He smelled someone approaching the bakery and moved out of the way to allow a woman with three young children running in circles around her to enter.

She raised her brow at the sight of Trig and Nickolai but then one of her children smacked another and screaming ensued. She blew out a tired breath and asked for the cookies she had ordered.

Trig handed her a basket, she handed him the money and then she was ushering her children back out while Grange held open the door. When they were once again alone Grange turned back to Trig and Nickolai.

“Where is Dawn?” Trig whimpered at the anger in his voice and lowered his head. Nickolai kept his eyes cast downward as he stepped forward.

“She said she needed some time alone to think about the talk that she and I had this morning.” he admitted.

“Talk?” Grange asked.

“Yes. She wanted to discuss werewolves, packs, what it would mean to be your mate.”

“She wanted to talk to you about that?” Grange asked, surprised by the hurt and betrayal he felt. She was his mate, not Nickolai’s. She should come to him, she should be able to confide and trust in him.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped.” Nickolai conceded. “I was merely trying to help her and she demanded answers.”

“She made me leave.” Trig added. “When I got back she was gone.”

“And neither of you thought to follow her?” Grange demanded and Trig and Nickolai shared a look before Trig shrugged.

“She wanted to be alone.” Grange growled and left the bakery. He walked to the back and caught Dawn’s scent going into the woods. She was going to talk to him. He had given her time but he was tired of waiting. The wolf needed her. The man wanted her. Grange was an alpha and he was not going to be kept waiting forever.

Whether her answer was yes or no, he was going to have it today.

***

Paranoid men were dangerous, Dawn decided as she sat in the bottom of the deep hole that had been dug and covered with sticks and leaves as a trap to catch the ‘monster’. She was dirty and wet since the bottom of the hole was full of water. She was beginning to get cold and this hole was deep, she had to crane her neck just to see the opening that seemed to be miles away.

Add to that the pain that was radiating from her swollen ankle, that she suspected might just be broken, and Dawn was having a bad day.

“Help!” She yelled, though she doubted anyone would hear her. She was far from town, the hole was deep and no one knew where she had been walking.

She heard a noise above her and looked up but saw nothing.

“Is someone there?” she called cautiously. Hopefully it wasn’t some kind of animal looking for an easy meal. She nearly screamed when a big black furry head was suddenly looking down at her.

Golden eyes locked on her and Dawn felt a tremor rush down her spine.

“Please tell me that you are Grange and not a wild creature wanting to feast on my rotting corpse once I die down here in this God forsaken pit.” Dawn heard a snort and she would swear it sounded like the wolf was chuckling. Suddenly she knew it was Grange and her fear melted away.

“Never thought I’d be so happy to see that furry face.” she said with a sigh as she relaxed against the muddy side of the hole. Grange suddenly disappeared and when he again looked down the hole, he was a man and Dawn nearly choked on her tongue.

“Where are your clothes?” she squeaked. She couldn’t make out details but she could see his bare shoulders and the muscles of his broad chest.

“I destroyed them when I shifted. I hadn’t planned on shifting but I was still a good distance away from you when I smelled your fear and your pain. I lost control of the wolf for a moment.” Grange admitted.

“So you’re naked?” Dawn asked as she swallowed hard. Had she been cold a moment ago? She couldn’t seem to remember now.

“Yes.” Grange replied as if it was no big deal. “But if that makes you uncomfortable you can close your eyes when you get out of the hole and I will shift and lead you back to my cabin as a wolf so I can dress before taking you to town.”

“Okay.” she mumbled. She shifted her weight and then nearly cried out in pain but managed to bite her tongue to hold back the sound, though her brow became covered in sweat and her heart began to pound.

“Where are you hurt?” Grange asked and Dawn could hear the tension in his voice.

“My ankle. I landed on it wrong when I fell.” she replied.

“I’ll be right back.” Before Dawn could beg him not to leave, he was gone. She felt herself filling with panic. She had never been the panicking type but something in her needed his presence. She needed the reassurance that her mate was near. Her mate?!

Oh dear.

“Calm down, Dawn. I’m back. I wouldn’t leave you.” Grange assured her. Dawn looked up at him as relief flooded her.

“I wasn’t worried.” she lied. He raised his brow and gave her that lopsided grin, as his hair fell carelessly across his forehead.

“Whatever you say.” he replied. Dawn had a sneaking suspicion that he could smell her emotions, which was incredibly odd.

She let out a squeak of surprise when a brown dried out grape vine was suddenly dropped down beside her. She saw Grange holding the other end and smiling reassuringly at her.

“I made sure it was strong enough.” he promised. She had no choice but to trust him if she wanted out of this hole and so she grabbed the end tightly and then nodded up at him.

Dawn nearly screamed with surprise when she began to be lifted into the air. Grange was strong! She was being lifted effortlessly and within seconds her head was popping over the top of the hole. Her eyes took in something other than dirt and mud and she couldn’t stop the happy smile that lit up her face.

She pulled herself up onto the ground and then cried out in pain when her ankle hit the side of the hole. Instantly Grange was crouching beside her and taking her foot in his hands. Dawn took in the sight of him. Every inch of him was long, tanned and lean. A dark dusting of hair ran in trail down his chest and stomach to his…..

Dawn closed her eyes tightly and felt herself flushing bright red.

“I don’t think it is broken.” Grange assured her. “Though I will be able to tell more when we get your boot off.”

“Uh-uh.” she squeaked.

Grange looked down at himself and then back at her. Her eyes were closed tight and her cheeks and neck were flushed red. He smiled when he realized she was embarrassed because he was naked.

Being naked was natural for Grange. It wasn’t something he even thought about but clearly his mate was not used to seeing men without their clothes on. This made him happy.

“I’m going to shift now. Please don’t be afraid.” he said and he stepped away from her. He welcomed the wolf and the change happened quickly. He let out a yip and Dawn jumped as her eyes flew open.

Dawn gasped as she took her first up close and personal look in the light at Grange in wolf form.

He was huge, she knew that if she stood his head would be nearly at the same level as her own. His body was muscular and his fur was thick, dark and was glowing in the sunshine.

“You’re beautiful.” she gasped and then she laughed when he snorted and shook his head. “Handsome?” she amended and she would swear that he grinned.

“Can I touch you?” Dawn whispered and Grange stepped forward and lowered his head. Dawn’s hand was shaking as she reached out, hovering over him momentarily before dropping her fingers into his thick fur.

She was amazed by how soft he felt and then she realized that his eyes had slipped closed and his body was trembling beneath her touch. He leaned against her hand and Dawn felt her heart swell.

Was she in love with Grange? Even this part of Grange? She wasn’t repulsed as she thought she would be. She wasn’t afraid either. She realized with a shock that she was in love. She had known him for about a month, she knew him, how he would react in situations, his smile, his laugh, all the little things. She may not know much about his past but those were things that would be learned over time.

Grange was her mate.

Suddenly he moved away from her and pressed his nose to her ankle causing her to whimper. He moved toward her and tossed his head. Dawn frowned. Grange grabbed her arm gently between his teeth and put it over his neck before tossing his head again.

“You want me to climb on your back?” Dawn exclaimed and Grange nodded. “I’m too heavy!” Dawn warned and Grange snorted and she was sure his eyes rolled.

Dawn knew she had no choice. She couldn’t walk and they were in the middle of nowhere. If Grange was sure she wasn’t too heavy then she was going to trust him. She felt awkward as she climbed up on his back, wrapping her arms tight around his neck.

He let out a yip, that Dawn thought sounded happy, and then they raced off through the trees.

Dawn held on to him for dear life and yet had to admit that it was fun. She was almost disappointed when his cabin came into view. Dawn was surprised when he gently eased her to the ground and then he ran into the house.

Dawn stayed where he’d left her and waited. Several minutes later he came back out, dressed once again in a black tunic and buckskin pants, though he was barefoot.

“Are those the only kinds of clothes you own?” she asked as he ran his hand through his thick hair.

“Clothes aren’t important to me.” he admitted. “Now let me look at that ankle.” Dawn yelped with surprise and then wrapped her arms around his neck when he lifted her into his arms and carried her inside. She found herself nuzzling her face against his neck, breathing him in. He smelled like the forest and of sweat and there was something else. A unique scent that was unlike anything she’d ever smelled before. Something inside of her knew that the scent was his and his alone.

“Stop doing that.” Grange growled and Dawn pulled away enough to see that his face was tense and his eyes were turning golden.

“I’m sorry.” she gasped, though she could feel the heat coming off of him and it was heating her as well. Grange said nothing as he sat her down on the small sofa and knelt in front of her.

Grange wondered if she knew what her simple touch did to him. Nuzzling his neck was something the wolf in him took as a mating sign. He was fighting very hard to get control before he ended up marking her right here and now.

Grange pulled off her boot and her stocking and examined her ankle. It was red and swollen but did not appear to be broken. She had only sprained it. He stood and walked into the bedroom, coming back out a moment later with a long white strip of cloth.

“What’s that for?” Dawn asked. Grange knelt back down and began to wrap it tightly around her ankle.

“You’re going to have to keep that boot off of it for a couple of days. And you’ll have to stay off the foot.”

“But the bakery….”

“Nickolai can handle that. He’s been handling it all day.”

“He has?” Dawn asked and Grange nodded. “Just the same as he’s been handling your issues that you talked to him about.” Dawn grinned guiltily and folded her hands in her lap.

“I’m sorry.” she whispered.

“For?” Grange asked as he finished wrapping her ankle and looked up into her eyes.

“Ruining your life.” Grange tilted his head and studied her.

“What are you talking about?”

“Nickolai told me that I’ve ruined your life.” Grange growled and his eyes flashed.

“He told you that?” he snarled. Dawn was taken aback by his temper and quickly touched her hands to his to calm him.

“Not like that he didn’t.” she promised. “He just said that if I refuse you that you could never have another woman but that if I don’t refuse you, if I accept you, then it will bring other wolves here to destroy you. Either way I’ve ruined your life.”

Grange took her hands in his and rubbed his rough calloused thumbs along her wrists, causing shocks of awareness to shoot through her. She forced herself to look into his eyes and was shocked by what she saw there.  Was that... love?

“If you accept me, my life would not be ruined, Dawn. Was I happy when my wolf first saw you and decided that you were what it wanted? No, I wasn’t. I liked my life the way it was. But then I got to know you. Be around you. You are what I want. Me, Grange, the man, not just the wolf. If you accept me then things could get complicated around here but to have you by my side, as my mate, it would all be worth it.”

“I want to be with you, Grange.” she whispered and Grange’s eyes widened with surprise. “But can we take it slow…” Grange nodded as he caressed her cheek with his hand.

“As slowly as you need, love. But please don’t make me go days without being near you again.” Dawn smiled and leaned into his touch.

“I promise.”