Fated Hearts(In Deep Editing)

Chapter Four

Kane's POV

"Goodnight, Kane."

I could do nothing but watch as the angel walked inside, shutting and locking her door. I felt like kicking myself for making her cry. I knew she hadn't flirted, I was just angry at how easy everyone else could talk to her.

I, on the other hand had to fight every instinct not to claim her. My mark on that bare shoulder of hers would have kept those fucking mutts in check. Speaking of which, I turn stomping down the steps. At the bottom I call a number that usually only dials mine.

It picks up on the first ring. "Kane?" A low voice says. "Yeah. We've got a problem. Three rogues were in my territory. Probably headed to yours. I made myself known to them."

My friend, Blaine Smith, is Alpha to a pack in the neighboring territory. His father was the one who set up the small town and surrounding woods as my territory when I shifted for the first time at thirteen.

A shuffle and a curse, followed by a soft voice in the background reaches my ear. "Shit. Do you need help?" He asks. I sigh. "Normally I wouldn't. There's only three of them, but I've found my mate." Silence. Then my long time friend starts to quietly laughing his ass off.

"I'm glad to hear it. Is she blind, deaf and dumb?" He asks trying to push my buttons. I growl out impatiently. I'm in no mood for games. "I'm just joking, big guy. Me and Annie will do some shopping tomorrow. I'll meet you at the diner." Frowning I run a hand on the back of my neck, pacing in the front of the diner.

"My mate works at the diner, the rogues almost touched her," I growl again,"she's human, she doesn't understand any of this." I can hear Blaine take a deep breathe. "Listen, Kane, you're going to have to go gently with her. But on to the rogues, I'll be in town tomorrow afternoon. We'll see what we can do then. Okay?"

"Sounds good. And Blaine?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." Blaine chuckles and says, "You owe me a foot rub mister!" Ugh, I hang up on him.

I let out a low whistle, then wait. A shadow runs to me and I crouch down. "Okay, Grim. I need you to stay with Aubrey." He's an intelligent animal of course, but after a Caster friend of mine cursed him to have understanding, he is as supernatural as I am.

He walks up the stairs on the side of the building to scratch at her door. He repeats the process a couple times before she opens the door. She squeals, before letting Grim inside. No doubt she'll let him sleep with her. Suddenly I'm jealous of a damn cursed dog.

I stalk towards the woods to my little clearing. I need to track the wolves, and I can do that much better in my bear skin. I remove my clothes, stashing them in the hollow of a tree, my boots at the foot. I walk barefoot for a couple of feet before my knees hit the ground. Skin shreds, bones break and heat envelopes me. My transformation isn't easy and swift like wolves. Then again neither am I.

Breathing hard I look through my bear's eyes toward my surroundings. An anger erupts in me as a smell hits my nostrils. I've got their scent. Blood means they've hunted, my food on my territory. I lumber forward toward my prey.

There in the distance, maybe ten or twelve yards east, they're feasting on a doe. Her foal beside her. I let them finish their meal. It will be their last. Growing up with a Flathead native american grandfather, I was taught to cherish the life of a mother. I will never hunt a doe with her foal. That disrupts the food chain in these woods and I was taught to keep balance.

The mutts slow their eating and I charge. I'm not as fast as wolves but I have surprise on my side. My large paw catches one by the head, spraying blood. After that I lose myself to the red haze. Fur flies, blood splatters and the mutts flee. I breathe heavily, calming myself. My large head turns to the carcasses. Digging a hole, I shove them in together. Covering the bodies again I take a moment to appreciate their life and death.

***********************************

It is dawn the next morning, and I'm in my bedroom fussing over what to wear like a teenage girl. Growling in defeat, I just throw on my usual jeans, boots and black long sleeve thermal shirt. I walk across the street of my shop, toward the bottom of Aubrey's stairs.

Taking slow deliberate steps I argue with myself the whole way up. She probably doesn't want to see me. But then she said my apology was accepted. But I didn't even apologize. That's what I would do. Yeah. I would apologize.

Knocking on her door I wait. Inside I can hear her laughing and soft music. When she opens the door I can't help but stare. My mind goes completely blank. She's wearing a huge white T-shirt that falls off one shoulder that stops at her knees, showing her pebbled nipples through the thin material. Her wild curly hair is all over the place, but those damn eyes have me rooted to the spot. "Grim." I manage to rumble out, all other words seemingly died in my throat. She crosses her arms over her chest. It is winter time but all it does is push her chest out and it takes everything I have in me to not ogle her.

"Morning Kane. You sent Grim didn't you?" I look over to the dog to see him on his back asleep still in bed. "Yes." I answer her. She rolls her eyes stepping back to let me in. I'm still staring at her in that shirt. I wonder what she would look like in mine.

"I want to talk with you, have a seat please." She instructs. I take a seat on her couch, which groans painfully under my weight, as I watch her move around the kitchen, studying her frame. She's not thin or short. I'd say average height of 5'7". She has the curves of a woman with hips I could easily grip without touching bone. "Im going to get dressed real quick." And without another word, she scoops some clothes from her dresser and ducks into the bathroom, a blush on her lovely cheeks.

I hold my breathe, straining to hear if she has locked the door. She hasn't and I nearly groan, thinking how easy it would be to open that door and help her undress. I've got to get a grip before she gets out here and sees the tent in my pants. Taking several calming breathes, I nearly groan out loud when she comes out wearing a dark green, very form fitting, t-shirt that highlights her eyes. She pats Grim on the head in passing, artfully avoiding my gaze, and trots to the kitchen. I watch her make coffee, my eyes brushing her lovely form, from the wild blonde curls that drive my bear insane, to the swell of her hips all the way down to her little red toenails.

"Can we call a truce?" She asks bringing me out of my lust filled haze. "Truce?" I ask frowning. She nods setting a coffee cup she had fixed in front of me on the coffee table. Sitting beside me on the other end, she angles her body to face mine. "Yes a truce. I can't afford to make an enemy in town so I thought maybe you could be my friend."

She looked so hopeful I almost laughed. Yeah right. I wasnt going to be friend zoned. If she wanted me to be nicer I could do that, but just friends? Never. "No." I growl out with more ferocity than I meant. Her eyes widened, Grim woke trotting to sit next to her glaring at me.

"I don't want that at all." Her face falls, her eyes turned down to frown in her lap. I continue anyways. "What I want is to take you to dinner." Or have you for dinner, I add silently. She looks up at me then, her eyes seeming to pierce right through me. I pray she finds something good. But I highly doubt it.

"I can't, Kane. The truth is I just got away from a relationship with a man who hurt me badly. I need this time to heal myself." I feel a sudden respect for her, but right on the heels of respect for her came anger at the son of a bitch who dared hurt my angel. I reign my temper in, taking a breathe."I understand. But don't call me a friend." I stand to walk to the door and she does the same. "I intend to be much, much more. Keep Grim here at night for protection." She followed me to the door holding the frame in one hand, looking up at me through full lashes.

With nothing further to say I take her hand, so much smaller and softer than my own, and place a kiss on her fingers; lingering to look in those bewitching eyes and make my way back out into the cold before I do something stupid. Like throw her down on the floor right here.