Chapter Twenty-Six

Julian's legs sliced through the frigid snow. His breaths came out in labored pants but still he ran.

He had to stop Abbey as far from town as he could.

Raising his nose to the air, Julian breathed in deeply and caught her scent. It sent a jolt of awareness through his body to smell her wolf. It was still that summer rain scent but there was wild undercurrent mixed in that excited him.

It helped his tiring legs to move faster and with more purpose.

He knew that Marcus was running as well, chasing Abbey. Julian caught sight of them then. Marcus's jet black wolf running side by side with Abbey's snow white one.

Julian's steps faltered as he took in the sight of her. A solid white wolf was rare and it was breathtaking. His mate was breathtaking.

Those thoughts were pushed aside when Julian remembered that she was blood thirsty and heading toward town.

Quickly he intercepted her and slammed into her side, tackling Abbey to the snow. He hated doing that to her but it was the only way to get through to her wolf. He had to dominate her.

Abbey fought against him frantically but Julian knew a thing or two more about fighting than gentle Abbey and he flipped her onto her back before pressing his teeth tight against her neck.

Abbey's struggles ceased instantly while Marcus paced beside them, growling his displeasure at seeing Abbey in such a position.

Her tail was between her legs, her ears were back and she was whimpering with fear and submission.

(You could have done this when you first caught up with her.)

Julian reminded his agitated brother.

(No, no I won't do that to her.)

(You think I like it?)

Julian demanded. (But she has to know there are boundaries and lines she can't cross. It's either force her to submit now and clear her head or end up visiting her in prison once a week, or worse, the graveyard.)

Marcus just snorted and continued to pace around, scenting the air every few moments as if checking for threats.

When Julian was certain that Abbey was calm beneath him, he released his hold on her and stepped away. Instantly she sprang to her feet and tried to continue toward town. This time it was Marcus who stopped her when he snapped at her hindquarters.

She whirled to snap back at him and they faced off.

Julian knew that Abbey was still in there somewhere but she was having trouble focusing on anything other than the wolf's bloodlust and need to hunt and kill. This Samantha had obviously been Abbey's target and Julian and Marcus had to get her to focus on something else. When a person made their first change while consumed with fear and anger it was hard to find that person inside the wolf. The wolf tended to simply take over.

Julian should have known better than to leave Marcus in charge of Abbey in her current state. Julian loved his brother and he knew that his brother loved Abbey but what she had needed was a calm and completely tension free environment. Marcus was not good at dialing down intensity.

Julian used yips and body language to signal to Abbey that they needed to run the other way. He swatted his tail at her face to goad her into chasing him.

Abbey shook her head, snorted and attempted to turn toward town once again. Again Marcus snapped at her and disrupted her concentration.

Julian shifted to his human form and crouched down in front of Abbey, hoping that she would be coherent and human enough to hear his words, "Abbey, I know you're worried about the pups but they are fine. They are safe at Marcy's house. She closed the diner early and I locked them in myself. No one knows that they're there and Samantha won't find them."

At the sound of Samantha's name, Abbey let out a growl and tried to get around him. Julian reached out and held her in place, receiving a bite to his arm in the process. His nostrils flared as he breathed through the pain and tried his best to stay calm.

"Abbey, you can't go attacking people because Marcus and I won't be able to protect you if you do. There are rules and laws and we'd all end up dead. The pups are safe. They are fine. No one is going to hurt them. We can trust Marcy."

Abbey met his gaze, her eyes were golden brown and flecked with greens and blues. Proof that she was created by he and Marcus. She whimpered quietly and took a step back.

Satisfied that he had finally managed to reach her, Julian let himself shift back to a wolf and Abbey stepped toward him.

Julian pressed his nose against Abbey's chin before rubbing his body down the side of hers, covering her with his scent. Marcus did the same to her other side. Abbey whimpered and rubbed against them both in return.

Julian yipped again and swatted her face before taking several leaps away from civilization. Abbey seemed torn a moment but when Marcus too went with Julian she gave in and joined them.

Knowing that they had finally managed to reach her, Julian let himself go. He ran with his brother just as they had always done only this time they had their mate between them.

Julian hadn't wanted Abbey's first shifting experience to be so traumatic and painful but he was relieved that it was over. Now they could simply enjoy one another.

Together the three wolves ran as one. Their panting breath clouded the air around their heads as they made their way through the dim evening light. Julian could never remember feeling so energized and free.

They played together. Abbey seemed to really enjoy tossing up snow into Marcus's face. They wrestled together, losing all track of time and place as they became a pile of tangled limbs and fur . Of black and white.

Darkness fell, the moon rose and the urge to hunt consumed Julian. He let out a howl and Abbey and Marcus's voiced joined his, being carried away on the wind. The sky was clear. The moonlight and starlight glittered off the snow causing it to shine like a million diamonds.

Together the three took off running once again. Julian let the way, the scent of an elk herd guiding his steps. Into the mountains they ran as one. Julian yipped at Marcus when the herd came into view. Marcus split away from Julian and Abbey. Julian yipped for Abbey to stay with him.

Time to teach her how to hunt.

Abbey stayed side by side with Julian while Marcus ran straight into the herd, leading an old male away from the rest. Julian growled as the bloodlust clouding all human though.

He leapt through the air and landed on the elk's broad back. The creature stumbled under his weight and then Abbey was there nipping at it's hindquarters while it bucked and tried to knock Julian off.

Julian had a moment of worry for Abbey. He was concerned that one of those back feet would connect with her head and cause her serious harm but he shouldn't have worried. Before the elk had a chance to put up much of a fight, Marcus swept in and closed his mouth around his throat.

The deed complete, the three wolves filled their bellies with their feast of elk.

Marcus led them to a river with running water and they cleaned the blood from their fur. When they finished bathing it was nearing daybreak and the cold had begun to bite into their fur wet. Julian and Marcus would have normally dug a den into a snow bank for the night but doing so with Abbey could lead to her freezing to death.

When she finally fell asleep tonight her body would shift back to human form and without her fur she'd succumb quickly to this cold. So Julian led them to the shack that they'd taken Abbey to when they'd first found her crashed in that snow bank.

Together the three wolves curled up in the tiny bed, sharing heat and happy to be out of the cold. The wind blew against the rickety walls but none of them cared or noticed as they snuggled up together and let sleep claim their tired bodies.

***

Abbey stretched out her sore body and heard a moan behind her and a grunt from in front of her. Opening her eyes she took in the sight of Marcus snoring with his face smashed against his arm.

She smiled and contemplated pressing her fingers against his firm lips. Julian's voice interrupted her thoughts, "He looks so innocent when he's sleeping, doesn't he?"

Abbey smiled, "Looks can be deceiving."

"I'm as innocent as a nun at communion," Marcus's deep voice rumbled, though his eyes did not open.

Julian laughed but Abbey's mind was on her children, "Julian, are you sure the pups are okay? We should be getting to them."

"You just called them pups," Julian teased, pulling her back closer to his chest. "And yes, I'm sure. Do you honestly believe that Samantha woman would simply break into Marcy's house and hurt them?"

Abbey felt her anger building at the thought of Samantha. That tingling in her veins began again. That hint that her wolf was wanting out. Marcus opened his blue eyes, laid a hand on her cheek and smiled, "Come back, Abbey. You gotta learn to control that temper. It's worse than mine."

Abbey felt herself calming a bit. Her rational mind told her that Marcus and Julian were right. Her children were safe with Marcy. Samantha might be an evil woman who had laughed in her face when she'd needed help and turned a blind eye to her husband's behavior toward his brother, but she wasn't a person who would hurt children.

"Marcy was going to make sure Audrey got to school and she was going to take Tanner to Ernest at the garage," Julian assured her.

Abbey felt the rest of her worry for her children fade. She trusted the school to keep her daughter safe and Ernest was certainly capable of keeping Tanner safe should Samantha come to the garage, which was laughable. Samantha was not the type of woman who would dirty her shoes at a garage.

"Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday and last night?" Marcus asked her. "You went a little crazy, minx."

Abbey chewed her lip as she remembered the loss of control, the pain, the animal instinct that had overridden everything else. She widened her eyes as she turned her head to glance at Julian, "I bit you!"

Julian smiled and held up his arm which was free from any wound. "All better. We're mates, Abbey, so any bite you give me will heal very quickly."

Abbey rubbed her head against him, desperate for forgiveness for her actions, "I remember it all. It hurt so badly."

"Because you were so angry and then because you fought it," Marcus acknowledged. "It won't hurt that bad next time. The first shift is always the worst."

"I'm so tired," Abbey whimpered. Her body felt as if it had been run over by a truck.

"From the first shift and running all night," Julian replied, his lips brushing across her shoulder and causing her to gasp.

"Being a wolf felt amazing," Abbey added, too tired to return Julian's affections just now. "I felt so powerful, so free, so at peace.... At least once you stopped me from doing something I'd end up regretting for the rest of my life," Abbey shivered at the thought of murdering someone, of taking a life. It wasn't something she ever wanted to do.

Julian kissed her shoulder blade again and Abbey felt his lips curve into a smile when she yawned, "Sleep, Abbey. Marcus can go get the truck and some clothes so we can go to the main house and clean up. We'll all go to town together."

"Why do I have to go get the truck?" Marcus grumbled.

"Because I said so and I'm older."

Marcus growled as he rose from the bed and Abbey found herself unable to keep from taking in his powerful male physique, "By two minutes," Marcus replied holding up two fingers. "Two minutes older and if we were in a pack you'd be the one running errands. I'd be beta."

"Coulda, woulda, shoulda," Julian muttered, snuggling up tighter to Abbey. "Now go get the truck."

"Fine," Marcus stooped down and pressed a kiss to Abbey's brow, "You did good, minx. I'm proud of you."

Abbey felt her heart swell. Marcus opened the cabin door, blasting them all with cold air before he shivered and then leapt outside closing the door tightly behind him.

"Did I truly do good?" Abbey questioned Julian once they were alone.

"Yes you did. Most newly changed wolves would not have been able to stop themselves during a bloodlust the way you did. But you did stop and you ran with us and you hunted. I have never heard of anyone handling a forced shift any better."

"Julian, that woman is trouble," Abbey assured him.

"I know."

"I'll have to talk to her. I don't see any way around it," Abbey added, her thumbnail taking the brunt of the nerves she felt.

"You'll not face her alone, Abbey. No matter what you'll have me or Marcus or both of us beside you. She won't hurt you, Abbey. You aren't the same woman anymore. You are our mate, you are a wolf, you are powerful and strong. There is nothing for you to worry about."

Abbey smiled and snuggled closer to him. Sleep claimed her quickly as she lay in the warm, safe arms of her mate.