The warm breeze picked up again, bringing more of the intoxicating smell that had been burned into his memory, making the wolf whimper with its need to get to her. How long had it been since he’d come to the cabin? Two weeks? A month? More? Damn it. He should have been checking more often. What if she’d been in the area for weeks and he hadn’t had a clue?
No. That couldn’t be. Jaxon dismissed the notion almost as soon as it entered his mind. People talked. Someone would have brought the information to him had she been there for a while. There was no reason to keep them apart like there had been all those years ago.
His heart stuttered and his steps faltered. Unless she was already claimed. If she was married with a family, his pack might want to keep the information from him. Just because he hadn’t taken a mate didn’t mean she hadn’t. A growl rose from his chest. Again, he pushed the notion aside. He refused to believe that fate would be so cruel.
He didn’t slow down until the trees thinned and the clearing where the old cabin stood came into view. What had once been a rustic, three-bedroom cottage, was now run-down and in need of repair. The roof was missing a few shingles, but it looked sturdy enough. He’d have to give the place a good once-over to make sure it was safe.
Soft humming drew his attention toward the water’s edge. He loped along the tree line, his light footsteps silent on the forest floor as he followed the sound. His heart pounded against his ribs. Not from the physical exertion of his run through the forest, but in anticipation of seeing her after all those years. She’d been stunning, even as a child. With a mane of soft brown hair and a smile that transformed her face, she’d been gorgeous. Of course, her body hadn’t yet matured, but the light that had shone from her soul, even at the age of twelve, couldn’t be dimmed.
He half expected to see her lying on the small beach as she had when he’d first laid eyes on her all those years ago, but the beach was empty. Not that it mattered. Even if there weren’t wet footprints pointing him in the right direction, her scent would lead him right to her.
His ears flicked forward at the sound of trickling water, followed by a soft gasp.
“Oh, that cooled down faster than I expected,” Maple said, her voice sliding over him like a warm caress.
He strained to hear other noises to indicate she wasn’t alone, but the cabin was silent, and nothing stirred around him. No other’s scent tainted the air. She’d come alone. Some of the tension eased from his muscles as he approached a huge tree hiding her from him.
Not wanting to startle her, he walked slowly until he rounded the thick trunk. The sight of her stole his breath as need pounded through. Not three feet away, his mate stood, completely naked. The last thing he’d expected was to see her standing there with her eyes closed and her arms up, rinsing shampoo from her long hair. She had one of those camping showers strung up to a sturdy branch of the massive tree.
Once he realized what she was doing, he should have turned back, or at least averted his gaze, but he couldn’t tear it away. Suds slid down her body, cresting her full breasts before slipping down her generous curves on their way to the ground. He had no doubt that the shampoo would taste like crap, but it would be worth it to follow each bubble with his tongue.
“Hurry up, Maple, you’re going to run out of water,” she said in a singsongy voice as she turned and picked up a bar of soap.
The view of her naked ass, not to mention the little glimpse he got of her pussy, nearly had him whimpering. She made quick work of soaping her body before turning toward him again.
Shock registered on her face first, then her eyes rounded wide and she screamed loud enough to send the birds for a half mile out flying from their perches. Forgetting about her soapy body and the water that was about to run out, she scrambled back as far as she could until she was up against the tree trunk behind her.
The scent of her fear filled his nose, making it itch. He didn’t want her afraid. Not of him—or his wolf—ever. Going against his instincts to get closer to her, he whimpered and took a few steps back, tilting his head to the side, silently begging her not to run. When she didn’t move, he sat, then with his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, Jaxon wagged his tail like a damned puppy, letting it thump the ground behind him, scattering debris in its wake.
Maple swallowed hard but stayed where she was. When her breathing finally slowed and some of the tightness in her muscles released, he did the only thing he could think of to set her more at ease. He flopped onto his side and kept on wagging.
If any of his pack ever saw him behaving as he was, he’d never hear the end of it. As humiliating as it was, though, it was worth it to see her breathe a sigh of relief and pry herself from the tree once more.
“You stay right where you are, buddy,” she crooned as she stepped a
