Carly
"Do you think I'm going to steal something?" Carly asked, getting tired of the silent sentinel standing next to her as she sat, waiting for a gray-haired, grizzled-looking mountain man to tell her Kiernan was okay. She'd ask Kiernan, again, but he was just going to tell her something manly. What she wanted was the God's honest truth.
Sean grinned at her, and for some reason, it just made Carly more pissed off. "Haven't you already?"
"What? No," Carly said. "I haven't touched a damn thing."
"The way he looks at you? I doubt that," Sean replied.
Carly was already weirded out by everything around her. The strange doctor, the not-exactly-hoppin' resort, the guy who thought he was all big and bad who ran the place. And the people in it. "Is this some kind of cult?"
Sean choked on a laugh. "Oh, I like you," he said. "I can't wait to hear the conversation you're going to have with Kiernan. It's going to be a real treat."
Chalking that one up to a yes. "Religious?" Carly asked. "Earthy? Oh my God, is this some kind of sex cult?! Because I am so not doing your leader. I don't care how hot he is."
"Ouch," Kiernan said from the bed. "Carly, could you at least wait until I'm dead before you find another man hot?"
"Every man here is hot. It's not normal," Carly said. She realized now that was what bothered her the most. Every one of the men who'd accosted them could have walked off a magazine cover. Or rather a centerfold. Not that any of them could hold a candle to Kiernan.
Sean laughed harder. "If I weren't looking for my own mate—"
"You'd still be dead for even thinking about it," Kiernan growled.
"You're lucky to be alive yourself," Doc said. "A few inches down and to the right and we'd be burying you out in the woods."
A cemetery in the woods? Mated? "Kiernan, did you bring me to your cult because you didn't want a doctor to find out you haven't had all your immunizations or something?" Carly asked.
"He didn't bring you to his cult. He brought you to his pack, Hunter," Doc spat, looking over his shoulder at Carly. He'd been prickly to her since she walked in the room. Now he was being downright rude, and Carly had no idea why.
"Who peed in your bran flakes?" Carly shot back.
"Carly, please," Kiernan said. "I'll explain everything in a minute." Then he hissed as Doc began roughly sewing him up.
Carly marched over and swatted Doc's arm. "Don't be an asshole just because you don't like me. Sew him up nicely."
"I'm not being an asshole because I don't like you, though I don't. I'm being an asshole because I don't like HIM," Doc said.
"Carly, go sit down. I can take it," Kiernan said.
"Look you cantankerous old fart—" Carly began.
"Old fart?!" Doc said. He dropped the needle. "Fine. You and your medical degree can go ahead and sew him up yourself."
Sean started to object, then his eyebrows shot up when Carly replied, "Fine, I will." She plopped herself down on the edge of the bed, dabbed some lidocaine on the wound, then began gently sewing Kiernan up.
"This is a surprise," Kiernan said while Doc squawked.
"I have a very accident-prone brother," Carly said. "Mom taught me how."
"Nice of her." Kiernan put a hand over Carly's when she was finished. "I would like you to try to get along with my pack, though. At least as long as we're here."
"You're all sewn up. We can leave now," Carly sniffed, sliding off the bed and setting the medical supplies aside.
Doc snorted. "Not with Hunters on your tail, you can't."
"Hunters? Mates? Pack? Jesus, Kiernan, what are you into here?" Carly asked.
"Thanks, Doc. I've got this," Kiernan said. "Sean, you can go, too."
"You're welcome," Doc grunted, snatching up his equipment and lumbering off.
"Not a chance," Sean said. "Alec was really specific about what kind of punishment I'll be getting if I don't stick to her like white on rice."
Kiernan laid his head back and groaned. He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Fine. Just... fine. Carly, we're here because my pack is here. I can't go to a regular hospital, and there was no guarantee the Superior Pack would take us in if we'd driven to Grand Marais. You see... I'm a werewolf."
* * *
Kiernan
Kiernan was prepared for any number of responses from Carly. Or so he thought.
"Werewolf?! Are you JOKING?!" Carly yelled so loud that both he and Sean winced.
"No," Kiernan said.
"You're in some weird cosplaying cult?!" Carly went on, and that was when Sean had to sit down because he was howling with laughter, so much so that he was actually almost howling. "What is he, a vampire?!"
"No, Sean is a werewolf," Kiernan said patiently. "Just like me."
Carly rolled her eyes. "Do the 'vampires' have a 'coven' across the lake, and you play fang-y water polo on Sundays?" She used air quotes to punctuate her words.
Sean was now taking in great gasps of air, almost unable to breathe. "Fuck me, your mate is a stitch and a half!"
"Thanks," Carly said. "Mate? When did I ever agree to be anybody's mate? I'm not staying in a cult, I don't care how much I like you or how good the sex is."
"You stay with the Hunters," Sean pointed out.
Confusion clouded Carly's face. "The who?"
"The Who is a band. The Hunters are a pimple on the ass of humanity," Sean said.
Carly threw up her hands. "You aren't making any sense. You're crazy. BOTH of you are CRAZY." She started to leave.
Kiernan caught her wrist. "Where are you going?"
"Home. I'm going home. I don't even know how I got caught up in this to begin with," Carly said. Her eyes were brimming with tears, but her jaw had a determined set to it.
Sean, meanwhile, had moved to guard the door. "Sorry, can't let you do that."
Seeing Carly cry made Kiernan's soul hurt. "It's fine. She's fine. She can go home," he said. "I haven't marked her."
"She smells like us now," Sean said.
"That, and she knows where we live," a new voice added.
Kiernan tugged Carly so she was sitting on the bed again, then slid her behind him protectively while she protested and beat on his back. Kiernan winced, but did not loose his grip on her wrist. "What do you want, Alec?"
"Six million dollars and a lake home in the wilds of Canada, away from all the tourists," Alec said. "But it doesn't look like anybody's getting what they want today."
"If Carly wants to go home, she can just go home. Just let her go home, Alec. We'll work it out between ourselves—" Kiernan began.
"Let the Huntress go home to tell all her Hunter friends and family where the werewolves are? Yeah, not happening." Alec stalked over by Kiernan and leaned over to sniff Carly.
Kiernan growled and shoved him in the chest with his injured arm. "Leave her alone."
"Still smells like wolfsbane," Alec said with a grimace. "Huntress, you need to take a shower."
"Excuse me?!" Carly said. "What, now you're planning to keep me here?!"
"Sure am," Alec replied. "Unless you'd rather I... fed you to the wolves." He laughed at his own little joke.
Neither Kiernan nor Carly were laughing. In fact, Kiernan's fingers had begun to elongate and grow claws. He felt the change, and tried to force it back, but it was too late.
"Oh my God," Carly gasped, trying to twist away from him. "Oh my God, Kiernan, you weren't kidding!"
Alec gave Carly a fang-y smile. "I think your mate wants to challenge me."
"Are you going to let us stay?" Kiernan growled, a real growl this time.
Alec looked Kiernan up and down. Then he looked at Carly. "You can stay. But she's staying in the basement. As a prisoner."
Kiernan let out a roar. "You're not keeping her in any damned basement!" He tried to think of a way out. He never should have brought Carly here.
"What are you going to do about it?" Alec retorted.
Kiernan began to shift more, the seams of his pants ripping.
"Yeah, I thought those pants were too tight," Alec said. "Now you're going to go all wolfy on your mate. She's scared out of her mind, can't you tell?"
Kiernan whipped his head around to look at Carly.
That was all the opening Alec needed. His face contorted, and his head became that of an oversized wolf.
"Kiernan!" Carly said, tugging his arm, and it was all that kept Alec's jaws from snapping around the back of his neck.
SUBMIT, Kiernan heard the order in his head, his wolf picking it out of Alec's thundering growl.
NEVER, Kiernan snarled back. He shredded his clothes when he fully shifted, as did Alec. Kiernan stood protectively over Carly on the bed.
Kiernan knew he couldn't exactly challenge Alec for the Alpha spot—he'd left the pack, after all. That meant he'd have to fight all of them, which he was not capable of, but for Carly, he was sure as hell going to try. Kieran settled himself back for a pounce, then felt his heart beat double-time when Carly popped out from behind him.
"You asshole!" she yelled and punched Alec, Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, right in the furry face.
Startled, Alec sat back on his haunches, shaking his head and snorting.
Kiernan knew they were probably going to die in the next few seconds, but he couldn't help but be proud of his mate. He licked her cheek.
Carly touched the spot, frozen for a moment. Then she looked in Kiernan's eyes and took a deep breath. "You and me, we're having words later. But right now, I just want to smack that smug look right off that fucker's face."
She had certainly done that, Kiernan reflected. It might be the last thing she ever did, but Alec certainly no longer looked smug. He looked bewildered.
Confusion melted into anger, however, and Kiernan's back hair stood up.
"We're gonna die, aren't we," Carly whispered, seeing other men gathering just beyond the door where Sean stood.
Kiernan sighed.
And nodded.