A Mate's Healing Touch: A Valentine's Day Wolf-Shifter Romance Read online

  A MATE’S HEALING TOUCH

  A VALENTINE’S DAY NOVELLA

  Copyright © 2017 by Cara Wylde

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover design by Emma Griffin

  E-mail: [email protected]

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  MORE VALENTINE’S DAY NOVELLAS

  THE ALMA VENUS UNIVERSE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER ONE

  It was chilly. Or, at least, she supposed it was. Rosanna didn’t really feel it against her fur. She was more intent on smelling out the deer that was alluding her. The scent wafted in front of her, and her snout quivered with anticipation. She wasn’t going to let this one get away.

  She stood still, waiting for a breath of wind to help her identify which direction the deer had gone. Finally, it came, a slight breeze which made it easier for her to isolate the scent. Rosanna didn’t wait a second longer. She lunged forward, her heartbeat increasing, adrenaline rushing through her veins. The ground crunched under her feet, but the sound was minute because of how fast and elegantly she was moving. That was one of the things she loved about being a shifter: being so fast that everything else around her became small and blurry. It was something she enjoyed immensely every time she went out to hunt.

  She passed a cluster of trees and she saw the deer, hopping about, unaware of the danger it was in. Rosanna didn’t take sadistic pleasure in killing animals smaller than her; it was only a matter of survival. She had found that thinking about deer as food was the best way to stop any sort of emotion. It was the food chain and nothing more. Clear and simple. It was the same thing if she chose to eat at Schloss Blackmane some delicious steak prepared by the cook and his assistants. The fact that it was cooked meat instead of raw meat didn’t make any difference.

  The yellow she-wolf jumped and sank her teeth into her prey’s throat, feeling a slight tinge of regret. The feeling passed as the life disappeared from the animal’s eyes, and she allowed herself to indulge into its delicious, juicy flesh. It was a healthy, strong deer, and Rosanna was happy she could enjoy such a satisfying breakfast. She finished eating, then dragged what was left between the trees so it wasn’t blatantly in sight of everyone who passed by. Sometimes, tourists hiked up in these mountains, and she didn’t want them to believe wolf-shifters were cruel creatures. She was too tired and content to do more than hide the remains, so she told herself she would come back later and make sure she disposed of all of it. After all, she didn’t want to be irresponsible.

  Rosanna licked her muzzle until it was clean, and lazily walked around in a circle, debating on whether she should change back to her human form, or run around for a bit longer. She was still exhilarated from the capture, and decided that a run wouldn’t be amiss.

  She walked at first, taking in the surroundings. She hadn’t realized she had reached this part of the forest – the thickest, richest, and darkest one. Schloss Blackmane was surrounded by acres of trees that her Alpha, Max Blackmane, made sure to maintain. It gave them privacy and good ground for hunting when the werewolves didn’t feel like eating cooked food. Rosanna was one of the wolves who preferred hunting, and she would never get tired of running through the woods. As a young, strong she-wolf, exhaustion wasn’t on the list of things she generally experienced. She snorted at the thought of getting tired, which had never probably happened to her. Well… if she thought hard enough about it, it had happened once…

  Rosanna’s face darkened, and she quickened her pace to distract herself. She wouldn’t let herself be sucked into those memories; this wasn’t the time or place for that. She was going to try her hardest and think about something else. When that something else didn’t come, she started running like her life depended on it. She ran fast, but her eyes took in everything: the beautiful tall trees, the glimpse of small animals moving in the underbrush… nothing escaped her sharp vision, and the sounds and scents of the forest calmed her down and cleared her mind.

  She came to a peak, one of the many on Mount Halbmond. She stood there, watching the forest stretch before her until it met the line of the horizon. She recalled her Alpha had told her once, when she was merely a pup, that the castle was built at around 2,800 feet above sea level. It was a small nugget of information she recalled from time to time so she could fully appreciate the beauty of her home.

  Rosanna debated on running around some more, and looked at the sky. It was still early, and no one would miss her back at the castle. As she considered which way to go, her sensitive nose caught an unmistakable scent, a scent she had had engraved in her mind for as long as she could remember. Instinctively, she started running towards it, her body taking full control. If she had stopped to think for a moment, maybe she would have made a different decision and ran in the opposite direction. It was too late now. Her excitement rose with every step she took, her inner beast knowing how important the person she had identified was for her. She hadn’t seen him in two weeks, and she simply couldn’t pass up this opportunity. For a second, she wondered if that sort of devotion was bad for her, but all was fair in love and war, wasn’t it? Even if she tried to deny it, or ignore it, it wouldn’t work. Sometimes, she was stronger and managed to resist the urge to see him and talk to him. Other times, her feelings were too much to handle.

  She burst through the trees and caught one glimpse of him before their bodies collided, causing them to roll on the grass together. A laugh bubbled up in her chest and escaped her in the form of short wheezes. They detangled from one another, and Rosanna grinned up at him, her green eyes shining with excitement.

  The gray wolf was taller and bigger than her, but he wasn’t a threat. He seemed to let a sigh escape him as he looked into her eyes. He bowed his head as if to ask why she had done that.

  Rosanna raised one paw as if to say she had felt like it before she indicated with her head that they should go for a run together.

  The gray wolf sighed again, but his green eyes softened, and he nodded.

  Rosanna couldn’t help but feel the mirth of his approval fill her heart. Finally, Caleb was home. And he was with her.

  Lately, Caleb had been away a lot. He was always gone on various business trips for their Alpha, and Rosanna hated it, although she’d never say it to her Alpha’s face. Her rank in the pack didn’t give her the power to question his orders. However, Caleb was an important part of her life, and when he was gone, she missed him like crazy. Sometimes, she wondered if he was aware of her feelings for him… But, the truth was, Caleb hadn’t paid attention to anything around him in a long time.

  The gray wolf was running so fast that he soon left her behind. Was this how it was always going to be? Caleb putting distance between them, and her always having to push herself harder and harder to catch up with him? She growled in frustration. Determined, she increased her pace. No matter how fast he ran, she was strong and determined enough to follow him.

  They ran around some more, until the sun started rising to the middle of the sky, sending cold rays all over the snow-covered mountains. Caleb slowed down, and Rosanna followed his lead. They both heard the sound of rushing water. He didn’t seem interested in it
, but she didn’t care. She had an idea. She veered off course, running towards the small waterfall all the Blackmane wolves knew so well. As she had hoped, Caleb noticed her and, after a moment’s hesitation, decided to let her take the lead.

  Once she reached the waterfall, Rosanna didn’t think twice. She started shifting, relaxing her muscles and allowing her bones to break and rearrange themselves. Her yellow fur disappeared back inside her pores, leaving white, smooth skin behind. Once the shift was complete, she jumped into the freezing water of the pond, screaming and laughing at how amazing it felt on her heated body.

  “Come on!” she said, turning around and looking at him. “The water is perfect.”

  The dived under the water then reemerged, smoothing down her wet, blonde hair. When she opened her eyes, she realized Caleb was still in his wolf form. It didn’t seem like he wanted to take her up on the offer. She swallowed heavily, afraid she might have just made a mistake. It was so easy to do or say the wrong thing to him, nowadays…

  ***

  It was wrong.

  Caleb didn’t want to be staring so blatantly at her, but he couldn’t keep his eyes away. It was almost as if she had cast a spell on him, making sure he couldn’t look away from her naked body, and he was unnerved by how much he enjoyed it, how much he loved being around her, watching her run, play, laugh, and take advantage of every wonderful thing the forest and the mountains had to offer. He wanted to keep on staring, even though his mind told him it was wrong. His desire for her made him the most awful, fucked up man in the world.

  She was unaware that she was being watched. That was the thing about Rosanna: she was so unassuming and sweet, that he couldn’t help but smile at her antics. They made eye contact, she looked like she was thinking about something deeply, then she shrugged her shoulders and went back to swimming and diving. Even though he hadn’t moved from his spot and hadn’t looked away, she acted like she was alone. His presence didn’t make her feel uncomfortable. Remembering the way she had greeted him, Caleb’s smile grew wider. Her pleasant, cheerful personality was enough to give some hope to a dark soul like his.

  She was splashing around now, without a care in the world, and he had to keep his face expressionless as she was laid out bare for him to see. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her naked before, but each and every time, the sight of her perfect body caught him by surprise and aroused him to the point when it became painful to stick around. Her scent was intoxicating.

  For shape-shifters, seeing each other naked wasn’t a big deal. Before shifting, they usually made sure to get rid of their clothes, as they didn’t like the idea of tearing them to pieces. If they shifted back and their clothes weren’t around, it didn’t bother them. It was February, and it had recently snowed, but they didn’t feel the cold as humans did.

  She had seen him naked, too, so he shouldn’t have felt weird about shifting and joining her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He could barely allow himself to admire her body, take in each flawless curve, her raspberry blonde hair, and big, green eyes. A bright smile lit up her features as she swam, her long arms and legs creating ripples in the water. Even though her breasts were under the water, there wasn’t much left to the imagination. If he looked closely, even from that distance, he could see the small mole on her hip. As for the soft skin between her legs… He didn’t want to linger too much on that.

  This wasn’t right.

  He looked away, struggling to ignore her laughter. The more he pushed Rosanna’s image away, the more another woman’s face took hold of his thoughts and senses.

  Valerie.

  Grief gripped his heart in a tight grasp, squeezing until it felt like it was going to choke the life out of him. Why did she have to be the one to go? Why couldn’t it have been him? Fate had been unnecessarily cruel to leave him alive while taking his better half away.

  Caleb closed his eyes, and he was back in time, when his whole world had ended.

  “Caleb!”

  The voice was calling him, begging him to wake up. When he opened his eyes, it wasn’t Val, like he had expected, but Rosanna. Her eyes were swollen, and she was holding his hand. It made him wonder how long he had been out, and how long she had been there, trying to bring him back.

  He wanted to get up, but she pushed him down.

  “You’re hurt pretty badly,” she said. “I’m just glad you are awake.”

  “What do you mean by that?” he asked.

  “It’s been three days. I was scared you wouldn’t wake up,” she said timidly.

  “What happened?”

  “We won,” she said.

  “Oh, thank god!” A smile broke across his face. It had been a bloody battle, and the Blackmane wolves had given their best to protect their Alpha and the Alpha’s pregnant mate. At some point, they had all thought they were doomed, but the dragon-shifter who had been on their side had probably saved the day.

  “Where’s Val?” he asked. His girlfriend was the first on Caleb’s mind as his headache began to fade and he started putting the pieces together.

  Rosanna was quiet, her eyes clouded. The smile died on her pretty face.

  “Where’s Val?” he asked again. It was all he could do: ask and ask, until Rosanna would give him a straight answer.

  Rosanna didn’t answer this time, either, and she didn’t stop him when he got up and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. His head started spinning, and he breathed in and out slowly, waiting for the dizziness to subside. He studied the room. It looked unfamiliar, so he concluded they weren’t home, at Schloss Blackmane, but still at the Alma Venus Boarding School, where the battle had taken place.

  “Caleb, please! You are healing,” Rosanna whispered weakly.

  “Tell me right now where Valerie is!”

  “Caleb…”

  His demanding tone had alerted the wolf-shifters in the other rooms, because Max Blackmane walked through the door, followed by his Beta, Kevin. The Alpha approached his bed, and Rosanna stood up and stepped away.

  “Val didn’t make it,” he said.

  “What?” Caleb couldn’t process the information. Maybe he had heard wrong. “No, that’s not possible.”

  “Caleb, I’m sorry. Val… she’s gone.”

  Heavy silence fell between them, and Caleb looked from Max to Rosanna, then to Kevin, as if he was hoping that one of them would take pity on him and tell him it was all a joke or something. Kevin hung his head, and Rosanna started sobbing softly. Max’s eyes were filled with sadness. It was then that everything clicked in Caleb’s mind, but in the worst way possible. Valerie, the love of his life, had died in the Battle at Alma Venus. She was no more. Then, why was he still there?

  “I want to be alone,” he said.

  Caleb snapped back to the present moment. He felt weak all of a sudden, so he sank to the ground. Ten years had passed, and he had thought he would get over Val’s death eventually, but it never happened. It still weighed heavily on him… the guilt of not being there for her, the guilt of having survived when she had not.

  Under the waterfall, Rosanna stretched, arms above her head and eyes closed to enjoy the freezing water and the sun, making him even more aware that she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. He felt lust growing deep inside him, and he hated himself even more. Rosanna had been Val’s best friend. What kind of person would he be if he went after her? Regardless of how much he craved her touch, it wasn’t right. He couldn’t do this to Val’s memory. She would hate him for it.

  With that thought in mind, Caleb backed away, turned around, and started running towards the Schloss. He was a fool for accepting to run and play with Rosanna. Next time, he’d make sure to avoid her better.

  ***

  Rosanna felt like something had changed in the air. Because of the water falling all around her, she didn’t hear Caleb leaving, but she could feel the absence of his presence. By the time she turned, he was gone like a ghost, as if he hadn’t been there at all.

>   She sighed, then started swimming towards the bank, her long, slow movements reflecting the disappointment in her heart. She couldn’t imagine why he had left like that, without saying a word. She would have preferred it if he had said something to her, so she wouldn’t end up feeling so pathetic, like everything she did was silly and useless.

  She sat down on a rock near the pond and watched the water fall as if nothing had happened. This place was the same every year. It had been the same ten years ago, when Val’s death had shaken the entire clan, and it will be the same ten years from now. It was nearing noon, and the sun felt a bit warmer on her skin. She closed her eyes, stretched on the rock, and let the sunrays drink the drops of water off her body. She would wait a few minutes before going back to the castle. Besides, she didn’t want anyone to see her like that.

  For a moment, Rosanna had forgotten she was unclothed, and now that she realized it, she wondered if that was the reason he had left. “Nonsense,” she thought. She had always felt comfortable being naked, and most of the Blackmane werewolves felt the same. There was nothing sexual about it, especially when they shifted for a good reason.

  “No, that can’t be it,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t understand him. But that was okay… He was unique, and that was why she loved him so much.

  The thought that he had left her alone like that, after they had had so much fun running together, made her feel miserable. It hurt her that he could do it so callously, ignore how she felt about him, and go about treating her as if she were only another member of the pack. By then, Rosanna was sure Caleb had figured her out. She had never told him out loud that she loved him, but she had made it clear through her gestures and behavior.

  Was she just a friend to him? Or… was she just Val’s best friend, and nothing more? Thinking about Val made her stomach clench in pain. Her friend had been so strong, so confident and full of life that she could make even Rosanna be a little insecure around her. Val commanded attention, but she never did it knowingly. That was probably why Caleb had been so attracted to her. But Rosanna couldn’t be jealous. She had loved Val just as much. For a long time, she had been the only one who knew about her friend’s relationship with Caleb.