The Mating (The original Law of the Lycans story)

Chapter 33

I'm so glad you are enjoying this story.  Sadly there are only a few chapters left so be prepared for a rollercoaster as events draw to a close....

Elise stared at the carbon copy of her mate, unsure of what to say. The strength of his muscles was evident by how the material of his clothing stretched tautly over his body. Dark, faintly damp hair hung shaggily over his forehead and there was the faintest curve to his nose as if it had been broken at one point. His mouth was firm and set in a straight, unyielding line. It was amazing that the man could look so much like Kane at first glance yet exude such a different aura. Kane was strong yet caring, while Ryne was...dangerous? A part of her mind acknowledged that the rocky, uninviting atmosphere of the ravine seemed to suit him and Elise found herself vaguely reassured to know that, by Marla's admission, he was not the psycho rogue wolf that she'd been led to believe. Still and all, he was an unknown quantity and needed to be treated with caution. Clearing her throat, she gave the lamest greeting possible. "Hi!"

No response was given. Instead, the man's gaze seemed to be assessing her, taking in her appearance from head to toe. Elise felt inexplicably self-conscious, aware that she was far from looking her best. Her clothes were dirty and torn, scratches and smeared blood stained her hands and probably her face as well. She resisted the urge to finger comb her hair and straighten her jacket, instead forcing herself to meet his gaze. Showing weakness was not an option, despite her vulnerable position.

When he spoke, his voice was deep, similar to Kane's, but harder and lacking the caring quality that she had come to expect from her mate. "Did you kill her?"

"Kill who?" Elise was startled. It wasn't what she'd been expecting him to say.

"Rose." He gestured with his head towards the dead woman's body. "Did you kill her?"

"No! Of course not! I was running and she was chasing me and then she jumped and we sort of rolled down and..." Elise let her voice trail off as his blue eyes narrowed and a growl rumbled in his chest.

"I don't know if I should believe you or not. Rose was part of my pack and she wouldn't hurt anyone."

"It was all an accident!" She hastened to reassure him, while thinking that here was another person Rose had managed to fool. "I broke my leg during the fall ..."

He leaned forward and touched her leg as if to check the veracity of her claim. Elise bit back a cry of pain. Immediately he withdrew his hand, but instead of moving away, came closer and sniffed her. A puzzled frown appeared. "Kane's?"

She nodded. "Kane is my mate."

A smirk appeared. "He works fast. He wasn't even seeing anyone when I left."

"We've only been together three weeks. It was an arranged mating. My father is Alpha of the territory to the west of here."

"I wondered if a political pairing would be needed on that front." He was silent for a moment, and then stuck out his hand. "I'm Ryne, Kane's half brother."

"Elise." Her small hand was engulfed in his and comforting warmth came over her. It wasn't the same tingling awareness that she got from Kane, but still it was...nice.

"So, care to tell me what happened here?" He sat down and looked at her expectantly.

"Um... I will, but could you possibly help me first?" Elise wanted to get away before Marla returned.

"No. Tell me your story and then I'll decide." Ryne folded his arms and seemed prepared to wait as long as necessary.

Elise was in a quandary. She wanted to get away, but didn't dare push too much. He looked like he was used to getting his own way and right now Ryne was her only hope. Giving an exasperated huff, she launched into a much edited version of what was happening.