Page 18 of Refuge

Worry slammed into Cole as he glanced toward the direction Eric had earlier. “How long ago?”

“About half an hour.” Eric frowned. “I told her if they weren’t back in an hour, I’d be looking for them.”

“Shit.” Cole stomped away, then pointed. “Is that the way they went?”

“Cole, calm the hell down,” Eric ordered. “She’s fine. Now come on so we can get this done before she gets back.”

Cole fought a battle within himself. Did he do as his alpha ordered or did he follow his instincts and find Leeza to make sure she was okay? His instincts won. “I’ll be back.”

“He’s in love.” Kile, who had also stopped and was listening intently, snickered. “Let him go find his damsel in distress.”

“Fuck you, Kile.” Cole growled as he took off at a run. He was sure Eric was right and Leeza was fine, but Eric also should have sent someone with her, namely him, the first time letting one of the wolf-dogs out to run. Anything could happen, and how well did she really know this area? None of them knew the area well. What if she had trouble? He was sure she’d shifted so she wouldn’t have a phone. How would she call for help?

“Jesus,” Cole hissed at himself. He was worse than a mother with her first damn child. He had never worried like this before and yet, since meeting Leeza, that’s all he seemed to do, especially after what happened with Foster Manning.

He cleared the field, his eyes scanning the ground, seeing tracks. He also saw another set of tracks going in the opposite direction, but stopped at the edge of the woods. They were small, human. He went left to follow the tracks, then took off at a run. He couldn’t pick up a scent, so he knew it wasn’t too recent. He followed them, deciding not to shift, at least, not yet. The small human tracks stopped at the road. He backed up looking at the ground. There were tracks going toward the sanctuary as well as tracks going back to the road. With a frown, he turned and retraced his steps in a fast run. Eric better hope he found Leeza unharmed, because if he didn’t, there would be hell to pay, alpha or not.

* * *

There were a few times that Ari tried to pull a fast one on her, but she knew he was just having fun. Letting him have the lead, she followed as he explored through the woods. She kept her eyes tuned for danger of any kind, but all in all, it was quiet and peaceful.

She hoped that soon, they could all take turns letting the wolves and wolf-dogs out of their enclosures to let them run wild for a while. She knew the possibility of all of them being able to do this was slim, but it was worth a shot.

She followed Ari into a clearing. A huge pond lay hidden behind all the brush and trees. It was beautiful. Ari padded up and lapped at the water, getting his fill to drink. With a wolfy grin, she snuck up behind him and gave him a shove with her head, sending all four of his paws in the water. He jumped like he was shot and scrambled out of the water with a growl.

Leeza walked up to the water, ignoring his show of anger. She dipped her front paws in and man, did it feel wonderful. It was really hot out and a nice cool dip would feel great. Looking around, she knew they were alone. There was no human scent anywhere near them.

Not being able to pass up a perfect opportunity, she shifted back into human form. Kneeling, she glanced at Ari. “Don’t even think to try anything, mister, ’cause I can shift right back and kick your ass,” she warned him. He tilted his head and sat watching her, as if understanding every single word she spoke. Maybe he did.

With one more glance around, she stood then walked into the pond until the cool water lapped at her thighs.

Looking at Ari, she pointed at him. “Stay right there or come in, your choice.” She turned, and dove into the water, cooling off her hot skin. Shifters were warm blooded by nature, so the cool water on this extremely warm day felt like bliss.

Breaking the surface, she quickly turned to see Ari exactly where he was before she’d disappeared under the water. “Come on, chicken,” she teased. “I know you can swim.”

Again, he tilted his head, watching her. She patted the water, doing her best to get him to come, but he just sat there as if on guard. With a shrug, she lay back and decided to enjoy this for only a few minutes. Then she would get out, shift, and off they would go. It had to be getting close to an hour they had been gone. She didn’t want to cause a panic by being late, but having this moment for herself was just too good to pass up.

Leeza stared at the blue sky, its huge fluffy white clouds passing overhead as she floated on her back. She kept half an eye on Ari, who’d lain down, his huge head on his paws, fast asleep. Maybe this run wasn’t just for Ari. Maybe it was for her also. She needed a minute away from everyone to think. It was hard at the sanctuary to find a quiet spot, unless she wanted to sit in her enclosed tent. A line of geese flew overhead, honking loudly. Yes, this was the perfect spot to have a moment to herself. Glancing once again toward Ari, she saw that only his eyes looked up to the geese, but then soon closed.

Her mind kept going back to Cole and their last conversation. She loved him,ofthat she had no doubt, and she knew he had feelings for her. Love, well, she wasn’t for sure about that. Sometimes mates didn’t truly love each other. There was a genetic code, something in their makeup that picked a mate. She didn’t truly understand the science or mystery around it. If you were lucky, love played a big part in that or at least showed up later in the relationship.

Cole Jackson was a man like no other in her book, but even though Riley had treated her fairly, she had lived under his thumb. When he’d said no, she’d always listened. She may have thrown a short fuss, but in the end, she had always lost, and he’d had his way. He’d been her alpha. Cole may not be her alpha, but he was an alpha male, which to most held precedence in a relationship.

All in all, she wanted a partner, an equal. Not a dictator. Plain and simple. But for Cole Jackson to understand that wasn’t going to be easy. Getting Cole to live that kind of life with her would be close to impossible. With a loud sigh, she held her breath, closed her eyes, and sank into the water.

The first time she had seen Cole was when he’d walked into her brother’s office with Eric and Kile. She was drawn to him instantly, but with her brother’s sickness and the uncertainty of their pack, she only had seconds in her daily life to even think on her attraction to the man. One thing she now realized was that he also seemed to be there when she needed him. After Riley died, Cole was always there, mostly silent until she needed to talk or just needed someone to lean on.

They truly hadn’t talked much, but as time went on, their conversations became more in-depth. As she said earlier, they hardly knew each other, and today behind the trailer was their first kiss. How could she even consider allowing him to just take care of her? What would others think? Did she even care what they thought? Maybe she did, a little. This again was a new situation for her and maybe she was overthinking. She was sure most of the women were jealous because Cole was one hell of a catch. The men would probably pat him on the back and buy him a beer, or whatever guys did.

Finally running out of air, she broke the surface. She glanced to make sure Ari was still where he had been and then continued to float, staring at the clouds as they passed.

She’d already been talked about with the attack, and although she took responsibility for not setting the record straight earlier, the pack’s isolation had still hurt. It still alienated her and she didn’t like it. She loved her pack and the strong women who belonged. Letting someone who hadn’t even claimed her publicly as his mate to take care of her wasn’t something she was going to let happen.

Glancing down, she studied her body. She’d never considered herself beautiful. She was strong with a healthy figure. The one thing she prided herself on was her long black hair. She couldn’t even remember the last time it was cut. Before Cole came into town, she had boyfriends, boys as friends, and only one lover. Unfortunately, her brother ran him out of the pack as soon as he found out, but Beefy Brad, as all the women called him, had been her first, and it hadn’t been what she had hoped it would be.

Beefy Brad was clueless about how to pleasure a woman. Not that Leeza had any experience, but holy crap, Beefy hadn’t a clue. It was clumsy and hurt like hell. She was sure all her friends giving her advice hadn’t known what the hell they’d been talking about either, because their “first time” stories sure didn’t match up to hers.

The image of Cole flittered through her mind, and she had a strong feeling that Cole Jackson would know exactly what to do with a woman and how to pleasure her, putting Beefy Brad to shame.

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