Winter with the Wolf

Hey guys, I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer for ya! Chapter 3 took almost 3 weeks to get approved so I'm sorry if this one takes a while too. At least it didn't take a whole year ahaha. It's 4am right now and I can barely keep my eyes open to proofread so I'm terribly sorry if there are mistakes.

Also, there has been some concern from some readers that I might kill off Moose. I don't want to ruin any suspense but I promise that there will be no intentional murder of any animals in any of my stories ever. Thanks for reading, always love feedback! Enjoy!

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The day couldn't have gone by any slower for Mia at the bakery. Just an hour away from closing Mia was eager to check her phone and get home. She resisted the urge to go sneak a peek at it right now. Her and Keenan had exchanged phone numbers at the end of their date last night and she felt like a higher school girl waiting for her crush to text her. Keenan had said he wanted to see her again after he gave her a hot goodnight kiss on her front porch. Their date last night had been wonderful and she couldn't wait to see him again. She still needed to get to know him better, it seemed like she barely learned that much and before she knew it the night had been over. Why hadn't she asked more questions? Oh right, she was too busy being hand fed by the giant hunk of male in question.

"Earth to Miaaaa," her coworker's voice called from the door to the front of the bakery.

"Sorry! What?" Mia snapped back to attention.

"I said someone has a delivery here for you, they wouldn't let us take it, said it has to go directly to you."

"Oh, okay I'll be right there!" Mia carefully placed the end of the wire holding her gumpaste rose into the block of styrofoam and washed her hands before emerging from the back of the kitchen. A delivery man stood by the end of the register with a package in his hands.

"Mia Gary?" he asked, making eye contact with her.

"Yep thats me. What's this?" she asked, accepting the package from him.

"Special delivery, have a good day!" Mia was left staring at his retreating back before she glanced down at the package in her hands. She took it into the back of the kitchen away from customers and peering eyes and removed the brown paper.

Underneath was a box of gourmet chocolates and a small card. "Thank you for the wonderful date last night" it read, without a name. Mia couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face as she took a closer look to see what the assortment of chocolates had. How did Keenan even know she liked chocolate? She gave herself another minute longer to feel like a smitten teenager before she ran the chocolates out to her car to keep safe. She would definitely enjoy those later. Thank god she was almost done for the day.

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"Thanks for coming in, we definitely need an extra hand with the winter season just about here. The snow brings down a lot of trees when it gets bad. All of your muscle will be a good addition to our team."

Keenan shook Rick's outstretched hand and grinned. "No problem, just call me when the paperwork is done and let me know when to start."

"You will be hearing from us soon." Rick nodded at him and returned to his work at his desk nestled in the back of the lumber yard.

Keenan exited the trailer and walked back to his truck. He stole a look at his phone wondering if Mia had called him or not. How long was he supposed to wait before talking to her again? Was he supposed to text or call? He had no idea what was acceptable for human courting. Either way, there was nothing new on his phone. Keenan debated stopping by the bakery to see Mia on his way back but after some quick calculations he figured she would be on her way home already.

His day had been pretty easy so far. He'd stopped at some places looking for a job. His savings wouldn't last him forever. He was lucky enough to get such a good deal on the cabin he bought. Apparently the market was terrible up here in the middle of no where. His travels had finally brought him to a lumber mill not far from town. He figured it would be a good job for a man of his abnormal strength and resistance to the outdoor weather.

Keenan continued to debate what his next step should be with Mia. Perhaps he should make her dinner? If he were trying to impress a werewolf mate he would present her with the largest prey he could find. Now he just needed to learn how to cook it first.

Keenan changed his route to the nearest grocery store. Putting his truck into park he sent Mia a text. "Would you like to come to my place for dinner tomorrow night?" He read it back to himself and wondered if he should say anything else. He hit send quickly before he let himself over think it.

The air was brisk against his face as he made his way into the store. He was sorting through what he knew how to cook in his head and making a mental grocery list. Meat of some sort was what he was most comfortable with. And he had no idea what Mia's favorite food was.

Moments later Keenan was loading half of the grocery store into his truck when Mia responded to his message. "Sure, sounds great. Want to come over for some coffee?" Keenan raised his eyebrows at his phone. She wanted to see him again before tomorrow night? The corner of his mouth twitched up in a sly smile. He must be doing good so far. He quickly responded, accepting her invitation and started up his truck.

His thoughts drifted again as he made his way towards home and Mia's house. The one question that was in the back of his mind since he met her came forward and plagued his conscious. How was he going to tell her what he was? His hands tightened around the steering wheel as he tried to imagine it playing out in his head. "Oh by the way, I'm a werewolf, aaaahhhhh" he imitated a high pitched screech into the silence of his truck and imagined Mia running for the hills. His only hope was that she felt the mating bond strong enough even though she's human. It might be the only thing that will make her stay. But it would also be the death of him if she didn't.

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Donovan puffed out a breath of impatience and watched it form a cloud around his face before disappearing. Thankfully his wolf blood kept him warm for situations like these but it still got pretty boring waiting for his prey. He'd taken up a spot on the ground this time that gave him a clear shot to the back of Keenan's house. He had his rifle at the ready just waiting for Keenan to step out his back door or linger at a window too long.

To pass time Donovan thought back on everything he had observed of Keenan since he got here. He didn't seem to be acting any differently compared to how he acted back home. Given the violent attack before he left and not being with a pack up here, Donovan expected a lot more mental instability then what he was displaying so far. According to Eric, rogues were supposed to be high strung, violent and spent a lot of time in their wolf skin in the wild, most resorting to living like that permanently.

He had heard a car pull up to one of the houses not long ago so he was at full attention now. It was either Keenan returning from wherever the hell he went for the day or it was Mia returning from her work and running for the bathroom, hopefully. He snickered at the thought of seeing Mia running into her house and straight to the toilet. It had been too easy. He had plucked her full name from a piece of her mail, followed her in the morning to find her work address and written a sappy note to make it sound real. Those chocolates should keep her away from Keenan for at least a full day, maybe longer if she didn't eat them all at once. No female would want their intended male around when there were horrid noises, smells and substances exuding from their body. Hardly anyone dies from food poisoning right? He only wanted her to get out of the way for a while. With Mia incapacitated and refusing to see Keenan he'd finally be able to get his target alone and wait for his chance to take the shot.

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Keenan couldn't help but smile when he heard Moose woof at his knock. It was even harder not to smile more when Mia's beautiful face was in front of him.

"Hey there," he said lightly, wondering when he turned into a love sick pup. He could feel his wolf's content at having their mate close again. He took a deep breath, inhaling her wonderful scent. He would have wrapped his arms around her in a second but she stepped back to let him inside.

"Hi, come on it, its so chilly out there," she held the door open for him but Moose took the chance to fill the doorway instead. He sniffed intensely at Keenan's pants, giving him a thorough check before he approved the entry into his home. "Oh Moose, be polite."

Keenan chuckled and finally stepped into the cabin giving Moose a good scratch around the ears. He knew he loved the scratches but being the good guard dog that he was, Moose didn't falter in his tough appearance for a second.

"He doesn't want to show it but I think Moose actually likes you," Mia said while she led him into the kitchen. "Moose c'mon, you want to go outside?" She'd forgotten to let him out right when she got home so she knew he wouldn't refuse the offer. She opened up the back door and let Moose slip out to romp in the snow. "So how was your day?" Mia asked Keenan, seeing he had settled himself into a stool at the island in her kitchen. She hoped the poor thing didn't collapse under his huge frame.

"Nothing spectacular, I managed to get a job down at the lumber mill hopefully. What about you?"

"Mine was the usual," Mia replied as she set some water on the stove and got out two mugs. "Picky customers at the shop, dough stuck under my fingernails, and-oh! The chocolates! Thank you so much, you didn't have to do that."

Keenan looked at her carefully. "Do what?"

"The box of chocolates you sent me today, that was so sweet."

"What...I didn't send you any chocolates Mia." Should he have? he wondered but was more concerned about who really did give her the chocolates. "May I see them?"

"Um...sure just a second," Mia disappeared into the other room for a minute before returning with a box that she handed over to him. Keenan lifted the lid off and looked at the assortment inside. They seemed harmless enough to the human eye but with one long inhale he could detect the wrongness about them. Something about the scent was off, there was something in those chocolates that wasn't normal.

"I'm assuming you didn't eat any of these right? There aren't any missing from the box."

"No, I didn't eat any. I was going to save them. What is going on? If you didn't send those to me then who did? The card that came with it referred to our date last night."

"I don't know. Do you have any crazy ex-boyfriends?" Keenan chuckled trying to keep the mood light for Mia's sake but inside he was furious. He would find whoever did this. He picked up the card that was with the box and brought it up to his nose, inhaling long and hard but there was no scent with it.

"Did...you just sniff that?" Mia asked incredulously with an eyebrow raised.

He gave her a light laugh and smiled. "Some people have strong colognes so I thought why not. Nothing to lose right?"

The kettle on the stove began to whistle. "Would you like your earl grey tea again?" Mia asked as she removed the kettle from the burner, silencing it's scream. "With milk? So strange," she said with a teasing smirk.

"Yes please ma'am," he responded with his own smirk to match hers. "Tell me which cabinet and I'll get it." He rose from his seat to find the tea when they both paused at a noise coming from outside. A cluster of barks, yips, growls and yelling seemed to be coming from the back of the house.

"What on earth?" Before Mia could reach the back door, Keenan was already there and outside to see Moose running from the treeline towards the house. He didn't stop until he was at Keenan's feet where he dropped something from his mouth, sat down and huffed as if presenting a prize and waiting for his reward.

Keenan crouched down and picked it up. A piece of denim? He flipped it over to inspect it and gave it a good sniff. The second the scent hit his nose he froze and stared back into the woods. Donovan. What was he doing here?

"Keenan? What is it?" Mia's sweet voice broke his concentration. He tucked the denim into his pocket and turned back to her.

"I think Moose got into something. Probably another animal. You want to take him inside and make sure he isn't hurt and I'll go take a look in the woods? Don't come out until I'm back." He gave Moose a good scratch and a firm nod as if to say he'd take it from here. Once Mia had Moose inside and the door close he charged over to the treeline and dove into the woods trying to follow Moose's scent with his human nose and follow the paw prints. He broke out into a jog once he caught the trail.

Keenan crouched behind some brush and froze as he saw Donovan rolling around in the snow. He was about to stand and confront him when he caught sight of the gun. Thinking twice, Keenan began to strip and shifted to his wolf as quickly as possible. The change ripped through him with a surge of strength that made him curl his claws into the cool snow. He crouched and slinked away to flank Donovan and get closer before attacking.

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Donovan cursed and scrambled in the snow. "Damn fucking dog!" He resisted the urge to yell. How the hell did a pet sneak up on him without him knowing? Domestic dogs weren't hunters like that! The stupid fleabag was apparently smart enough to circle around him to be downwind and was nimble enough to approach silently. Donovan ripped a strip off his shirt and tied it around his bleeding calf. Even took a good bite out of him too! He quickly tied it off so he stopped leaving his blood all over the white snow and he scurried to pack up his gun and get the hell out of there before that damn human came to investigate.

The small growl was the only warning Donovan got before the giant wolf exploded from the bushes behind him. He managed to roll once but it landed on his arm and still got a hold of him. He caught a glimpse of the eyes behind the black mask of fur. Keenan. He quickly tried to take note of any other signals that would let him know just how feral he had become. No frothing at the mouth, not crazy eyes, no mangy fur...he looked like one normal shifter. A pissed off shifter at that. Shit.

Donovan struggled to reach for his gun with his free arm. He was just inches away from it. The rifle wasn't made for close combat but it might be the only chance he had if he could just reach it. But Keenan saw his every intention. He still seemed intelligent, calculating. With one leap Donovan's arm was free and instead the large black wolf blocked his path to his gun. With one backward kick Keenan sent the gun spiraling even farther away and it discharged a shot harmlessly into the woods with a loud bang. Donovan scrambled backward when the wolf snapped at his outstretched arm.

"Shit...Keenan? Are you in there? Listen to me man..." what could he tell him? He was just there to kill him? He was just doing his job? Somehow Donovan didn't seem to think that would be good enough to save his skin, which was definitely in deep trouble. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this close to panic. Donovan watched as Keenan paused waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Keenan!?" A woman's voice pierced through the showdown. Keenan's ears perked and he raised his head to listen again for Mia's call. That was all it took for Donovan to snatch the knife from his boot and take one drastic swipe at Keenan, catching his front leg but nothing more. The giant black wolf yelped but attacked full on, biting at Donovan's feet and ankles. Donovan struggled to his feet and took off running, stripping out of his clothes in case he had to shift to escape.

Keenan gave chase excitedly until he heard the crunching of a second pair of footsteps running towards him, not away from him. He slowed and finally came to a stop, listening as the newcomer came into view. His brilliant icy blue eyes stared straight at Mia as she stood bravely before him with a shotgun pointed directly at him.

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Mia stood, trying desperately to steady her gun but she couldn't stop shaking. This was the biggest fucking wolf she had ever seen in her life and she wanted to run screaming. And it was staring at her like she was a piece of meat. Its eyes were so blue...so familiar. Shaking the thought from her head, Mia carefully stepped backwards slowly. She didn't want to shoot the thing. It probably wouldn't go down with just one shot anyway so she'd royally piss it off if she shot at it. Her best bet was to retreat slowly but it was damn hard when she was battling every flight or fight instinct. Her teeth chattered noisily, not from the cold but from nerves. The wolf continued to stare at her for a heartbeat longer, glancing at the gun again before making one last eye contact and it dashed away in the opposite direction.

The sudden movement was like a shot to Mia's legs and she bolted away as well, running like mad for her cabin. She burst through the door, slamming it behind her and stood watch by the window, still holding her gun. Where was Keenan? Was he okay out there? She cracked open the door to call his name out again.

About five agonizing minutes later she breathed her first sigh of relief when Keenan emerged from the woods, and walked towards the cabin all calm and cool. Didn't he see the wolf out there? Mia quickly let him in and he stared at her gun.

"Going duck hunting?" he asked with his usual little smirk.

"What? No! You didn't....there wasn't? A wolf? And a gun shot? Black, and huge!" She could barely form a full sentence. Keenan gently reached out and took the gun from her, propping it in the corner by the back door.

"I didn't see any wolf outside. Are there even wolves left around this area? I thought I told you to stay inside, you are shivering." He reached out and pulled her against his body to warm her. He had rushed the change back to human to return to her and his wolf wanted her close. He could still smell her fear in the air and wanted to comfort her. "Hey, its okay, there was nothing out there." He rubbed her back gently, still holding her close. He grabbed her tea off the island and handed it to her while steering her towards the cough in the living room.

"What happened Keenan? I swear I heard a gunshot, didn't you hear it?" Mia began to wonder if she was acting crazy. Everything began to wash over her. The mysterious chocolates, Moose's weird behavior, gunshots in her backyard, and that giant wolf. She suddenly felt exhausted and exposed. She crumbled against Keenan when he set her down on the couch. He took her tea from her, placing it on the coffee table and leaned back, pulling her with him to let her rest on his chest.

"Its okay, I promise you are safe with me." He whispered in a soothing tone to her. He knew she had an adrenaline rush when she saw him in wolf form outside. She must be crashing hard right now. He inhaled her scent from her hair and kisses her forehead gently.

Mia looked up at him with sleepy looking eyes before she stretched up to reach his lips with hers. She sighed as she felt his lips against hers and resisted the urge to moan at the taste of him. She could drown in his kisses forever if possible. She didn't hesitate at all when his tongue parted her lips gently and slipped inside her mouth. She sucked at it and squirmed with desire for more of him. Lazily, she snuck her hands up his shirt and felt his well sculpted abs underneath. She never broke their kiss as she dragged her nails down his chest and pawed at the top of his pants, wanting to undo them to reach the wonderful hardness that she could feel against her hip as she laid on top of him.