Free Walker's Run by Mel Favreaux Page A

shivered.
    * * * *
    Braedyn could feel Casey’s fear and anger. His wolf longed to console her, but he knew better than to try at the moment. It could get the better of her and would only make Casey feel worse. Her fear was so strong he could nearly taste it.
    If she were to let go of her fragile hold on the rage right now, the results could be disastrous. She could lose all control, causing her transformation to come before nightfall. Making things even more traumatic.
    While Casey dealt with her issues, Braedyn found the rabbits he’d skinned and dressed the night before and put them over the fire. He looked up as the first rays of the sun began to tinge the gray skies.
    Twelve more hours before the sun set and he'd have to help her through the first shift.
    After a while, Casey came back over and sat next to him on the log. She shivered, hugging her arms to her chest.
    He understood her silence.
    “I don’t know what to do,” she murmured. It was so soft, if not for the keen hearing of the wolf, he’d have missed it in the wind.
    “You don't have to make any decisions right now, Casey,” he said turning the rabbits over the fire. “I will help you in any way I can, and I’ll try not to influence your decision.”
    “How? How can you do that when the wolf inside is pulling the way it does?” She took an exasperated breath.
    Braedyn turned to her, throwing a leg over the log, facing her. “What do you mean?”
    Her gaze drifted down from his, and she toyed with the zipper on her parka. “She’s pulling me so hard. I can’t seem to think straight.”
    He reached over and lifted her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes. “I feel the same way, but you can’t let your wolf control you. The wolf doesn’t always think logically. That’s where your reasoning has to prevail. You have to control the beast within, because for three nights each month, she can control you.”
    Casey grimaced and shook her head. “My thoughts and feelings are so jumbled right now. The only time the roaring in my head stops is when you touch me.”
    Braedyn reached down and took her hand. She looked up into his eyes.
    “I’m afraid, but she tells me you’re not to be feared, you’d never hurt me. She’s relaxed with you, and when I pulled away, she roared at me; angry I could do such a thing.”
    “You can’t always appease the wolf. Not always but...” He gently stroked her cheek and felt the wolf inside of him nearly keen with joy at the intimate contact. “Sometimes... it helps to just give in,” he added with a grin.
    * * * *
    Casey’s nostrils flared at the wolf’s expressed desire to be near him. Closing her eyes for a moment, forcing a rational thought into her head was difficult when all the wolf wanted to do was rut. The burn of desire welled inside her much like the night before.
    This was her last full day as a human, maybe she should take advantage of it and make it memorable. Shocked at thinking such a thing, Casey found herself leaning toward Braedyn; craving the salty sweet taste of his lips again.
    The kiss was gentle, yet firm. She felt the restraint he used, could sense his apprehension and she burrowed her hands in his hair, pulling him into a deeper kiss. Her tongue moved across his full lips seductively. She could hear the wolf in him growl with delight.
    “You need to save your strength,” he whispered. “You need to eat and rest today.”
    “We can do that in a bit.” Casey pulled back from the kiss and lifted the rabbits from the fire, setting them on the stones to cool. Rising, she took his hand and led him back into the tent.
    His pure, masculine scent filled her when he unzipped his parka. Her hands still numb from the cold, fumbled with the zippers and buttons on her coat. She fought the urge to rip it off, yanking her arms from the sleeves. Braedyn’s kiss was full of passion when he pulled her to him. They tumbled onto the air mattress, fumbling with each other’s clothing.
    Her shirt