relieved. Satchel and I were in the clear, no longer potential
suspects,and I felt like a huge weight had lifted of my shoulders.
He'd been found under a hedge bush by the local search party, with a
clear report of a rabid dog attack, that he might possibly have had
avoided, had he not been in that particular part of the woods. Since
they'd found his shot gun by his side, officer reports claimthat he'd
been illegally poaching in the area. No one had tied him to the
killings that Grams had instigated, but had he been alive, he would
have been imprisoned for treason. A formidable death sentence in
itself if Peter was alive to tell the tale, death was probably
something he'd rather be, than serving a life time sentence in a jail
cell. Knowing him, he'd think he was too pretty to be jailed. Still,
the thought of him gone forever still didn't sit wellwith me, and the
weirdest part of all, is that Veronica—my red haired dramatic
ex-bestfriend—turned out to be the grieving girlfriend of said victim
according to reports. Go figure.
Satchel had later told me about Cairo being the mysterious guy who'd
brought Satchel home the night he almost froze to death. He also did
him a favor with keeping Peter's body out of our territory, in
exchange forSheeba's wolf and a permanent truce on behalf of his
family, so that we could all live in perfect harmony together.
I still didn't entirely trust the guy, since he was after all the
cause of the permanent scar I had scored into my flesh, but Ilet it
be, for Satchel's sake. Over the past month, they'd performeda
customary Native American ritual, by burning Sheeba's wolf form on the
old Native American burial grounds just west from Denvers Drove, with
Trench by her side. Satchel being the new Alpha of the state of
Colorado made it impossible for Cairo to beanything but nice, and
hehadn't caused any trouble since. Satchel's mom was the hardest to
say goodbye, after Satchel had spread the rest of her ashes over Point
Lake, he'd taken to his wolf form a lot. I think he refused to talk
about it, and I didn't push him either.
"You need any help over there?"Satchel's soft Southern drawl brought
me out of my reverie.
I swiped the back of my hand over my forehead, wiping off excess sweat
that had conjured up over the hours I'd been digging the hole.
Narrowing my eyes over at Satchel, as he relaxed against the willow
tree, one knee up, one leg down, while I continued digging a hole in
the ground.
He was still missing the bottom half of his left limb, but somehow, it
reattached itself every time he changed into a wolf. Since that night
of the Moon Ceremony, he's been in his wolf form more often than I
liked toadmit. Today, I made himstay in human form, if I agreed to do
his chores, and mine for the day, and because of it, he's making me
pay for it. I was starting to regret mentioning such things as he
pointed out things like 'you missed a spot', and 'my grandma could dig
faster than you'. I was this close to throwing something at him.
"You know I could get used to this, women doing the hard work, while
us men sit and watch," he said, with a teasing smirk.
I flicked dirt at him. "Wellyou better not, because I sure as hell
ain't gonna give you a free show."
His eyebrows knit into a frown. "You mean you pay by the hour?"
I shot him a droll look. "Shut up," I said, lightly pushing him in the
shoulder. He toppled over chuckling, pulling me down with him and the
rumble sent a delightful tremor through my arms. The shovel soon
forgotten, as I fell on top of him, straddling him by the waist. His
blinding green eyes making my heart palpitate on its own accord.
He smoothed his hands up my legs, stopping just inches from my hips,
and pulled me forward. He regarded me with a longing gaze, flicking
his eyes over me like he enjoyed the view. I liked the way he looked
at me,even the gentle caresses of his fingers never failedto amaze me,
as a warm shiver traveled up my spine.
"You're a fine piece of art, you know that? I can't stop staring at
you."My face hovered over his,making my hair dangle like a veil, my
breathing matching his pulses. I could just make out the slow circles
he was making with his thumbs at my waist.
"Hmm, that's funny, I could've sworn you said it's rude and annoying
tostare," I said, poking him in the side abdomen, andhe grunted,
catching a hold of my wrist.
"That's true," he murmured, beaming a smile. "But I can't help it if
you insist on throwing yourself at me."
"I did not throw myself atyou, you pulled me down."
"How do you explain thattime you first came here, and you fell out of
the carriage, then? Are you gonna say I pulled you down, too?" He
laughed when I hit him in the chest.
That seemed like a long time ago, now that I thought about it. I can't
believe he remembered that.
"That was an accident, and you know it," I protested.
"Right, I know the drill. You pretend to fall; so I can catch you and
swoopyou off your feet. Just admit it; you can't keep your hands off
me."
I scoffed, knowing very well it was him who couldn't keep his hands
off me. "Oh really? So the second I do this," I asked,hovering over
his mouth,straddling his hips, molding my body with his. Though we
both had our clothes on, I could still feel the heat simmering between
us, "You'll keep your hands to yourself?"
The hungry look in his eyes as he gazed at my lips longingly made me smirk.
"I never said anything about my hands," he said, squeezing the side of
my hip to pull me closer, all the while keeping his lips tilted up
into a crooked smile. "You're the one who can't resist me."
I laughed, my lips twitching into a sly smirk when he lifted his head
to meet mine, but I was too fast, slamming my index finger over his
pouted lips.
"Well, this is me, keeping my hands to myself," I said, swinging my
legs off him, to stand up, leaving him to the likes of the ground. I
shot him one last teasing smile, picking up the shovel to continue
with my digging.
"Oh come on! You can't do that," he groaned.
I laughed, whacking his hands away playfully when he tried to reach for me.
He rushed to his feet—though it took a lotmore effort since his
prosthetic foot refused tocomply with him—picking me up by the waist,
and wrapping me up from behind. "I was kidding; you can have free
range to put your hands wherever youplease."
I shook my head, giggling out of his arms. "Satchel, we're burning
daylight, and this fence isn't going to fix itself."
He only hugged me tighter, pressing light kisses to my ears, "But
mywounds need attention, and only you can heal them."
"Wounds, where?" I asked, fretting over his face and body with my hands.
A smile flirted with his lips, "A couple over here,"he said pointing
to his cheek. "And a couple over here," he dotted at his lips, nodding
eagerly. "Definitely there."
Rolling my eyes, I pushed at his chest, reluctantly so, though I
couldn't keep my smile off my face. "Not a chance."
"They're throbbing with pain."
I laughed harder.
"Willy, you're making me crazy."
He caught me, pinning me to the willow tree, hissix foot two
completely swallowing my stature.
"Satchel, I need to get this done." I giggled, as he started a trail
of kissesdown my neck, tickling me senseless.
"It can wait," he said between kisses, as he picked me up off the
ground, wrapping my legs around him. I gasped when he captured his
lips with mine, catching me by surprise. The force of his lips
devoured any sense of rational thoughts I had, and the chores, and
everything briefly dissipated from my mind in that kiss. I pulled
awayreluctantly, and he growled in protest, catching my bottom lip
between his teeth.
Ever since he'd marked me as his mate, he couldn't seem to keep
hishands off me, or his lips, though I wasn't one to complain, but
chores did not get done by themselves. And I will notgive him the
satisfaction of giving up, since his earlier comment about girls not
being able to handle hard labor.
I stifled a laugh, delving deeper into the cavern ofhis mouth, as I
explored the sweetness of Satchel.
"Satchel, this fence isn't going to build itself," I said through kisses.
He mumbled something incoherent against my lips, something like
'urgent needs, call for urgent matters' as his tongue swiped my lower
lips, asking for invitation,and I caved. I gave in to his sweetness,
his gentle caresses. I was lost in all his six foot two glory, as
Iwrapped my legs around his waist to pull him closer. My hands weren't
a stranger to his chest, as they explored every ripped surface of his
smooth stomach, pushinghis shirt over his head. We lost ourselves in
the midst of the spring morning, and got lost wrapped up in each
other's embrace, I felt Satchel inside me, and not for the first time,
but the second, I felt a terminal lust and need for him to have his
way with me. Just me, Satchel,and the bare-naked sanctuary of the
forest at the tip of our fingers.
After Satchel and I made love, I put his shirt on, while he sat on the
picnicblanket with a pair of slacks. I nibbled on a few sandwiches,
while he polished off nearly a whole chicken to himself.
"Remind me to catch a deer for you, next time."
He grinned. "Well, you know what they say, 'food is a way to a man's heart'."
I laughed, and his arms wrapped around me from behind, and the both of
us just sitting in comfortable silence, as we listened to the slow
hush of Point Lake stream by in front of us.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you."
This piqued my curiosity, and I whipped my head around, as he
presented a bamboo scroll with a plaited string of flax tied around as
a makeshift bow.
I raised my eyebrows. "What is it?"
"Open it," he urged.
I did, and I had trouble untying the knot, so Satchel cut it off with
his handy hunter's knife he kept in his steel caps. I unrolled what
looked like leather, and frownedwondering what I was looking at.
Tilting my head, I could just make out a picture burnt into the
leather, of some girl, with her neck craned in the air holding out her
arm to show off the little butterfly that perched on her index finger,
while a swarm of butterflies were airborne, that connected to the name
scrawled on top: Willow.
I looked up at Satchel, who'd been watching meclosely, and I raised my
eyebrows. "You did this?"
He nodded, and before I could ask the question of how, I noticed a
blush forming on his cheeks. It's probably the first time I've seen
him nervous. "Coal and a very hot metal blade."
I let my fingers run over the picture, liking the ruddy feel of it, as
I studied it in awe. The intricate design and detail of every line
made memories of that day flit through my mind. I counted eleven
butterflies, and he stifled a wistful smile.
"A butterfly for every year you were gone."
Saying it was beautiful is an understatement. There was really no
words to describe how I felt then. Sighing, I struggled to keep my
tears at bay, this was not a time to cry, but I was moved by this huge
gesture, I felt I had to repay him. Satchel just swiped my hair to the
side, and placed a gentle kiss on my shoulder, inhaling my scent that
I was sure had mixed with his. He'd somehow endedup behind me again,
as we both studied the picture before us. I looked so innocent, and so
carefree, I wondered where that girl had gone.I wished I had
somethingto give to him in return.
I wondered what gave him the motivation to take the time out to create
such a masterpiece, and didn't realize I'd spoken out loud, when he
replied, "Because, I love you, Willy," he whispered against my ears.
I froze, wondering if I was having trouble with my hearing, and had
dreamed up those very words, but as he burrowed his lips deeper in the
side of my neck, those five words sounded like an echo in my chest,
making my heart spasm. I gasped, pulling back, regarding him
speculatively over my shoulder.
"What did you say?" I rasped.
He chuckled. "You look surprised, is it that hard to believe?" My face
was a sure give away, I could tell by the look on his face.
"No, it's just…" I stammered, shaking my head in bewilderment. I'd
been so caught up in wanting to say those three words since forever, I
hadn't thought about what it would be like hearing them from his mouth
first.
He raised his eyebrows. "Falling in love with you wasn't a choice,
Willy. Neither was choosing you as a mate. I just didn't understand it
until now."
Gulping down that lump in the back of my throat, I just blinked in
confusion. I'd been tryingto tell him for ages abouthow I feel, but
somehow he'd stolen the perfect moment, and shocked mybreath out of
me. Saying that it was unexpected was the understatement of the year.
I was stumped speechless, and I forced myself to say something, though
it wasa lost cause.
"Willy, you okay?"
I blinked, shaking my head, and then nodding. My mouth opened and
closed, but nothing came out.
"You're making me nervous, say something."
"I'm just...that was unexpected…"
He chuckled. "You look pale, are you sure you're okay?"
"No, I'm fine. It's just…I'vebeen wanting to hear that for so long…it
feels alittle surreal right now, and…"
"And?" he prompted.
"I kinda wanted to be thefirst one to say it," I said finally. It was
a stupid thing to say, but my mouth tended to ramble whenever I was in
current company.
He stifled a smile. "Well, technically you did. WhenI jumped out of
your window that night, I heard you." He smiled as if he was hiding
millions of secrets in his eyes. "I was an idiot for not saying it
back, and from now on, I'll work on saying it more often. Deal?"
"Deal," I agreed and we sealed it with a kiss. "I love you, too," I whispered.
"Willy and Satchel up the tree! K.I.S.S.I.N.G!" We broke apart at
Derryn's soft teasing voice, as she stood poking her tongue."First
comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes a baby in a baby
carriage!"
"Derryn, don't you have homework?" Satchel grumbled.
"Nope, I finished. Mrs. Steeple said I could take a break," she sang,
throwing a handful of pine that showered our faces. "I have an hour to
do whatever I please." We'd hired a tutor for Derryn, since Mrs. Heins
used to home school her and Satchel, and though we barely afforded to
have a tutor five times a week, three days would have to do, since she
couldn't go to a public school with her unstable condition. We'd have
trouble trying to explain why a red wolf would be running around
campus, since she liked to change when it suited her, and not anyone
else.
Satchel grunted in annoyance, wiping at his hair and clothes
muttering, "Just don't go too far," when Derryn ran into the trees,
her clothes destroyed in seconds, as she transformed into a wolf.
"Derryn!" he bellowed, shuffling to his feet. He was about to run
after her, but I stopped him.
"She's going to be okay, you've gotta start trusting her."
Derryn now in wolf form looked back, and bared her teeth, and it
almost looked like she was grinning.
"I know, it's just…did yousee that? She changed faster than I've ever
seen a wolf change."
I nodded, stripping free of my clothes. "She maybe fast in her
transitioning, but she's not fast on her legs." I knew as much when
I'd go running in the woods with her, I'd always have to hang back so
she could keep up.
"What are you doing?" He looked at me now, his face knit into a
confused expression. I unbuttoned his large shirt I was wearing, as I
smirked up at him.
"A lot happened while you were gone Satchel, but there's one thing
thathasn't changed. I'm still a fast runner."
"Yeah? You wanna put money on that?" he challenged.
I shook my head. "Nope. Taking your money is tooeasy."
"Okay, what are the stakes?" he asked, shrugging off his suspenders.
I shrugged. "I beat you, and you do my chores forthe rest of the week."
He frowned. "And what ifI win?"
"Not gonna happen," I said, throwing his shirt into his face, giggling
at his frustrated grunt.
I ran through the pine, and leapt in the air, letting my white fur
sprawl out around me, and let my wolf instincts kick in, as a muzzle
formed, and the familiar brown paw was visible asI pounded into the
earth.Satchel's footfalls sounded seconds behind me, and I felt a
light playful nip on my tail thatreminded me that Satchelcould keep
up. I made a point to kick up mud andpine needles with my back limbs,
and I could hear a rough chuckle coming from behind me. I'll get you
for that, he sent me through his mind, shaking the pine off his coat.
Oh yeah? You have to catch me, first, I taunted. Shaking my head, I
scooped up a pile of pineneedles in my mouth, and spat them over my
back so they could go flying in Black Wolf's direction. He dodged it
ofcourse, gunning for me. You're smart, I'll give you that, he
commended, but his praise was short lived as he leapt over me.
I huffed, slightly unimpressed as he looked back with his glowing
green eyes in triumph. His wolf-like chuckle rumbled throughthe
forest, and I liked the sound of it.
We raced through the trees, leaving our mundane worries behindus,
keeping our eyes on the path ahead of us.
The feel of freedom within arms reach, the world at the tip of our
paws, and the smell of home wafting through our muzzles as we
passedthe sign of Moon's Peak, that marked the forest of our newfound
kingdom.
I nudged him in his hind, causing him to stumble off track, and I flew
past him as following the soft melodic cadence of our pack in the
distance. We sent our replies with a croon of our own, and pounded our
paws in theEarth.
My wolf found freedom, and looking back at the Black Wolf trailing
behind me, for the first time, she found peace.
THE END
---
This chapter seemed less cheesy in my head, but after rereading it, I
don't know. LOL
I'm going to be editing this over the next few weeks, and probably
change a few things in here to make it clear, andcheck spelling errors
and stuff. This book will be renamed Moons Peak, and I'll be playing
aroundwith a cover too, so yeah.
THANK YOU to all the readers who've supported me through the long
journey, and continually expressed your enthusiasm throughout. For
ignoringmy grammar errors, and for your undying attention and
patience. It's been so long since I started this book, and I didn't
think I'll ever get to finish it. Thank you from the bottom of my
heart! Because of you, I have made it this far. Although I am sad to
see that Willow's and Satchel's story is over, I am somewhat relieved
that I've finished a book (eventhough it is a short story, it took so
long to create it). I'll probably post some fun facts for this story
over the next day or two, just to give you an idea of what it took to
get me this far, and my inspiration for writing this book.
xoxo Tiny.
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