Touch of the Wolf

Author's note:

All characters and companies mentioned in this story have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone or anything bearing the same name or names. Events portrayed in this story are pure invention and have not been based on any events that have happen in real life. All the characters involved in any sexual acts if their ages are not mentioned before hand; are over 18 years of age. Enjoy.

Hi everyone

Thanks to all those who sent feedback, if I didn't get to you sorry, stress at work and as alwasy a thanks to my editor. To those who are going NOOO about only one more part don't worry, I have been working on another Freedom of Flight which is Alanna's story.

Have fun

*

Part 5

Cass slowly opened her eyes. She felt a warm breath brush her neck and the arms around her tighten. She sighed, as she stretched in his arms. She was tender from their love making but it was a good kind of tender. She felt a slight pain around her neck and a sharp pain from her thigh. The pain from her neck was simple to deduce, they were mates, he had turned her last night when he had bitten her. Her thigh was a different matter altogether, but a matter that could wait. She tried to rollover without rolling off the couch; she managed the feat just barely. She rubbed her face against his chest and sighed.

He woke up then and nuzzled at her throat. He could already feel himself rising to the occasion, wanting her again. "I need you." His husky voice said softly.

She moaned, her body reacting to his declaration. "This time how about we try the bed?"

He chuckled and they tumbled off the couch; her landing on top of him. He smiled and they struggled to untangle themselves from the tight wrapping of the sheets. He got free first and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder; he took four strides to his bed and tossed her down. She bounced lightly on the soft surface and glared at him when she finally found her balance. He smiled and tugged at the blanket to get her free.

"I really should call Rose and tell her to call off the search parties."

He chuckled. "Right… you're with a hot Were Alpha… you don't come home, ergo you spent the night making… hot… sweet… love." He crawled over her.

She spread her legs in preparation to welcome him, but winced instead as her thigh suddenly screamed in pain. He noticed her wince and rolled her onto her side to inspect what had made her wince. Four long deep furrows ran up her thigh, scabs had started to form and he knew she would bear the scars for the rest of her life.

"That needs a doctor." He got off her and threw a blanket over her, grabbed his phone and cursed as he remembered that he didn't know Nathanael's number. He dialled Amy's mobile instead and hoped she had it on her.

"'ello." a groggy voice asked.

"Amy, I need Nathanael's number." He explained hurriedly.

"Why? What's wrong? Who's hurt?" She asked suddenly awake.

"Cass…"

"What happened?" She demanded.

"It looks like I scratched her last night while we mated." He explained.

"Congratulations." She said before she quickly rattled off a number that he memorised and hung up. He quickly dialed for Nathanael.

"Uh-huh." A sleepy female voice asked.

"Nathanael?" He asked.

"Moment." She replied and hit Nathanael, waking him. "Phone."

The phone was passed to him. "Nathanael speaking."

"Nathanael, it's Grey-hawk."

"What can I do for you?"

"I need you to come to my hotel room." He said firmly.

"What's wrong, are you hurt?" Nathanael asked.

"Not me, my mate, Cass. I turned her last night but I scratched her thigh deeply. It doesn't look nice." He explained while looking at Cass.

Cass?…

he thought for a moment trying to pinpoint who that was, no Were was at their best whilst still half asleep. His eyes snapped open completely as he threw himself out of bed,

Amy's assistant,

he remembered. "I'll be there in half an hour, have coffee waiting." Nathanael closed the line.

He quickly put in an order for food and plenty of coffee. He then went and pulled on a pair of silk pyjama pants before grabbing a bowl, filled it with hot water and started to clean the blood from the wound.

She watched guilt cross his face. Her hand covered his as his hands move soothingly across her skin. "It's okay."

"I hurt you."

"So?"

"It will scar."

She rolled her eyes and watched him as he carefully cleaned the dried blood from her thigh. He then sat her up and cleaned her neck and shoulders. He stood and went to get rid of the bowl and got her another of his shirts. She slid it on then got up to use the bathroom. She limped heavily, trying to keep from tearing the scabs open.

Food came in while she was in the bathroom using a curtsey bush to clean her teeth and a comb on her hair. When she came out Nathanael was drinking a coffee next to her mate. She felt a warm glow at the thought… she could hardly believe that she was mated.

Grey-hawk stepped in automatically, putting his body firmly between Nathanael's and Cass's, he knew she was hurt but instincts to keep others from her were strong.

"Hi Nathanael." She greeted with a smile.

Nathanael smiled at her. "Cass." He acknowledged and then frowned as he watched her limp. "Lay down please." He pointed to the bed, completely ignoring Grey-hawk's possessive stance.

She did as he asked, while he put his coffee down and grabbed a large black bag before approaching her. Grey-hawk stepped in again, putting himself between them. Nathanael sighed warily, used to such displays of protectiveness and raised an eyebrow as he waited for Grey-hawk to move. He wouldn't approach until Grey-hawk stood down.

After a few minutes of the silent stand-off she decided to intervene. "Grey... he is mated. You called him here to look at my leg, he's not here to take me from you." She reasoned.

He sighed and after considering her words he finally stepped aside to let Nathanael through. She was right but his instincts were almost impossible to ignore when it came to protecting her. He took a few steps back.

Nathanael placed the black bag on the bed near her and opened it up. He rolled her onto her side so he could have a better look and pulled her shirt up, exposing the long deep furrows. Grey-hawk tensed for a moment but crossed his arms to keep from tearing Nathanael's hands from his arms. Cass made her eyes lock with his, hoping to keep him calm. She offered her hand to him but he shook his head, if he got any closer he would hurt Nathanael. He would watch carefully from that distance and if he saw something that he didn't like he would attack.

Nathanael frowned. "Scabs are good but these scabs are too wide. I'm going to have to remove them and see if you need stitches." He rummaged through his bag for a moment, and then a wet pad was lowered on top of the scabs to soften them. Amy appeared holding a pair of crutches

and a box. Nathanael smiled but quickly returned his attention to Cass. "She may need those."

Amy nodded and grabbed his arm, "Calm, Grey-hawk."

Nathanael pulled the pad off, taking the scabs with it. Fresh blood pooled in the wounds. He quickly used some gauze to absorb the blood. He carefully flushed the wounds to see how deep they were. "Stitches." He declared. He cleaned the wounds then went to work stitching the wounds together, using small tight stitches hoping to lessen the scaring. When he was done, he wrapped the wound. Grey-hawk growled, thinking that he could wrap the wound. Grey-hawk stepped forward just as Nathanael taped the bandage down. Nathanael stepped back waiting for Grey-hawk to apease himself before he looked at her neck.

Cass rolled onto her back and sat up carefully, Grey-hawk sat next to her and pulled her into his lap being careful of her leg. He ran his nose against her throat smelling his scent overlaying hers which made him calm down slightly.

"Now can I look at her neck?" Nathanael asked as he approached. He waited for Grey-hawk's permission before he

gripped her chin lightly and tilted her head to have a better look. "Paste will be fine on those." He released her chin. "Lay off the rough sex until I clear you and keep off that leg." He ordered, looking reprimandingly at Grey-hawk. Grey-hawk looked slightly sheepish at Nathanael's words. He turned back to Cass and continued, "I'll come by to change the bandages tomorrow. Remember, don't get them wet."

She nodded as Amy offered her a box and the crutches.

"I have to go, I left the cubs with Alanna. Just came by to drop the crutches, thought you might need them. The box has books in it for you, they'll help, trust me. Talk to you later." Amy quickly said as she deposited the box on the bed.

Cass nodded and thanked Amy just before she vanished. Nathanael packed up and let himself out quickly.

"I'm sorry." Grey-hawk reiterated with a wealth of guilt.

She glared at him. "You'll be more sorry if you don't get me some food."

He smiled, letting her slide from his lap. He got to his feet and wheeled the trolley over to her to make her selections.

****

Shannon nearly choked on her coffee as she watched Cass hobble into the café on crutches. Becky snorted into her cup. "What did he do to you?" She demanded. She didn't need to ask who, she knew Grey-hawk was the one who could have hurt her like this.

"He scratched me but it was an accident." Cass defended as she sat.

"Some scratch. Has Nathanael seen to that?" She asked.

Cass nodded. "Yes and it was him who put in the stitches."

Amy smiled, overhearing the conversation while entering the private room of the cafe. "Leave her alone." Everyone turned to her as she walked up to them.

Amy sat in the last chair. "So, here's my plan…" She said as if continuing a conversation.

"What plan?" Becky asked.

"To kill three birds with one stone."

Everyone frowned.

Amy rolled her eyes. "A three-in-one mating ceremony."

A waiter came to take Amy and Cass's orders.

"A three-in-one mating ceremony?" Becky repeated.

"Think about it, Terri will be happy and there won't be a heap of different gatherings. One gathering, three matings." Amy said, trying to get the three women before her excited. "It can't happen for another month but we will have to make arrangements, send out invites."

"And what… do it here?" Cass asked, still skeptical of the plan.

"Yes. Look, I'm sure I can make the Alpha's forgo the normal challenges. So you get mated and we get a forum to launch the Were, Others and Human bill of rights." Amy accepted her coffee, the waiter put down a pager and closed the door so the women could talk in private.

"A bill of rights you haven't written." Shannon pointed out.

"

We

haven't written." Amy retorted.

Everyone was shocked.

"We?" Becky questioned.

"Yes,

WE

. Think about it, we all were turned… or in my case, attempted. We have a unique perspective on this; we know where humans are coming from and we know where Were and Others are coming from. We are the neutral ground." She waited for the others to catch on with her reasoning.

Becky sighed. "You know if we do this people will start calling us the Awesome Foursome or the Fantastic Four."

Amy smirked and shrugged, not caring about the labels with too many other things to consider.

Shannon sighed, "Do we want another August the 3rd? Because we'll get one if this isn't sorted, if we can't find a middle ground. Maybe that is why history erased August the 3rd. Maybe the gap couldn't be bridged by whoever was present then. According to Vivian and Mryddin, you being here has already altered history enough, maybe it's time we helped you."

Becky gave Shannon a perplexed look.

"Come on Becky. If it wasn't for Amy, you would have killed yourself and you never would have met Terri." Shannon turned to Cass. "Grey-hawk would never have become friends with Amy and Wolfgang, never would have been compelled to help in the battle, would never have saved your life and never would have met you." Shannon ended.

"Not to mention becoming friends with Roberto, hiring and introducing you." Amy added.

Shannon nodded. "See, Amy is the reason why we are here; she is the thread that binds us."

"I never looked at it that way," Cass agreed, she hadn't looked at the chain of events Amy had set into motion. She knew that Ancients could change courses of events; she even knew that Amy's very existence in this time was an alteration big enough to affect the course of history as it was. What she hadn't taken into account was the people Amy surrounded herself with, that they too might help change the whole course of history.

****

Cass sat nervously next to Grey-hawk as he turned down onto a dirt track. Grey-hawk took her hand as he slowed down. "Everything is going to be okay." He reassured her, noticing her tension.

"I hope so. My grandfather is all I have," she replied a little sadly.

He nodded as he pulled to a stop. He had made the suggestion to come out and meet her grandfather and to hand-deliver his invitation to their mating ceremony. She had agreed happily at first but the closer they had gotten to the ranch, the more nervous she had become. This was a first for her; she had never taken anyone to the farm to meet her grandfather.

He pulled the car to a stop and smiled at her, "Relax, he'll love me," he said cockily, trying to help her get out of her pensive mood.

She smiled weakly,

then truly smiled as she noticed a black and white ball of fur running full pelt towards the car, tongue lolling out in panting excitement. She jumped out of the car as the border collie came running and barking to the car. "Elfie." she called excitedly. Elfie paused and smelled the air, noticing that her scent had changed. She knelt and offered her hands to him, understanding his reluctance to greet her. He sniffed her carefully, his tail wagged as he finally recognised her scent. He bounded forward and licked her face as she roughened the fur around his neck.

Grey-hawk walked around the car to join her and meet the old dog. Elfie growled and put himself between her and him seeing Grey-hawk as a threat to his pack member.

"Elfie!" She exclaimed. "This is my mate, the man I love." He stopped growling, knowing he had been reprimanded for growling at the man.

Grey-hawk knelt and offered Elfie his hands. Elfie sniffed him then lunged forward to wash his face, satisfied with the introduction. He chuckled and scratched him behind the ears. She stood and asked, "where's grandda, Elfie?"

Elfie barked and ran off and they followed him leisurely. "Let me guess, you named him?" He question teasingly, having met her fish, 'The Cuteness'. He knew her penchant for strange pet names.

She nodded. "Grandda got him shortly after my parents died and I moved here. I'm sure he got Elfie to give me something to focus on instead of my parents." They walked around the white washed house and towards the open barn. He sighed and gave her his jacket so he could help unload the hay from the back of the truck.

"Who are you?" A burly old man asked as he tossed a bale of hay down.

"Grey-hawk," He grabbed a bale with each hand and tossed them over to the stack of hay.

Ray blinked, surprised. Even in his youth he never would have been able to toss a bale that far. He glanced pass Grey-hawk and spotted his granddaughter. "Well, well, well, my little Stray has come home." He hopped of the tray and hugged her.

Stray? Why does your grandfather call you Stray?

Grey-hawk asked as he grabbed another two bales.

Cass blushed and Ray frowned. "What's wrong, Stray?"

"Nothing, Grey just wanted to know why you call me Stray." She replied.

Ray's frown continued and his eyes turned back to Grey-hawk, wondering how she could know that when no sound has passed between them. Grey-hawk tossed more bales over to the stack. She smiled and took off her jacket and hung both up on a hook. She lifted a bale in each hand and moved them into position. Ray watched them work. When they had finished clearing the hay, he noticed that they weren't sweating or panting or even exhausted.

"Stray, have you been working out?" Ray asked, perplexed.

"No, grandda. This is Grey-hawk, the man I love. He's Were and he has turned me." She said hesitantly, she didn't know how her grandfather would react.

Ray smiled and after a moment hugged his granddaughter tightly. For a moment he thought he had misheard her, but she said love and he knew what it took for a Were to turn someone. "I am so happy for you." He meant what he said. After he learnt that she had been raped, he had been afraid that she would lock herself away and never fall in love, that she would never find that one person she could share her life with after what had happened.

She smiled into his shoulder, greatly relieved. "Thank you," she whispered.

Ray released her and walked over to Grey-hawk and offered him his hand. Grey-hawk shook it warmly. "Welcome to the family, Grey-hawk. Mind if I call you Grey?"

Grey-hawk shook his head. "No, I don't mind at all."

She smiled. "Grey this is my grandda, Ray."

"Come on, I have some iced tea in the fridge." Ray said as he wrapped an arm around Grey-hawk. She grabbed their coats and walked up to the house with the two men. He got them tea and ice and joined them on the veranda. He offered the tea out and sat with a contented sigh. "You two just saved me from unloading that truck for the rest of the afternoon. I might actually take some time off."

She chuckled. "Like there won't be something else that will pop up."

Ray chuckled along then went serious. "So what brings you out here?"

She smiled, "Well, I wanted to introduce you to the man I will be mated to in two weeks. Plus, I wanted to give you the invite to our mating ceremony," she explained proudly.

Ray frowned. "Ceremony? I thought they only had formal ceremonies for Alphas."

She gave her grandfather a startled look.

"Hey, I may live in a small country town and spend my days on the farm but I'm not ignorant. I read that book your boss wrote. I wanted to be able to understand you when you talk about your work." he told them.

Grey-hawk smiled. "I'm an Alpha. My territory is in Canada, beginning just past Yellowknife and goes all the way to the Yukon territory, up to Beaufort sea and stops just before Coppermine in Nunavut."

Ray's eyes almost fell from his head. "Damn, that's big."

Grey-hawk shook his head, "No, Mick Roseland has the biggest territory although Wolfgang rates a close second. Mick's territory is in Australia, which basically is all of the Kimberley region and half of the northern territory." He explained.

"Wow." Ray breathed, impressed.

*

Cass walked with Grey-hawk in the early dusk light. She leant into his body as they walked up to a large old tree that sat on the top of a hill; there was a rustic bench beneath the tree where they sat.

"You never did answer my question, why does your grandda call you Stray?"

She chuckled. "When I was little, I used to find stray animals and bring them home. We had four cats and two dogs at one stage. Anyway, we were here one summer when I was twelve and I was walking in the reserve along side grandda's land. I found a colt, he was very sick and alone. I brought him back and nursed him back to health. That's when grandda started to call me Stray because I just kept bringing back strays to him!" She stood and looked around the paddock. She smiled and turned back to him.

"Want to meet the colt?" She asked.

He nodded. "But he would be what, twelve years old now?"