Abandoned Treasure

Nathan Storm’s POV

Shell, Wyoming

Thursday, November 8th, 2007

Isra and I were doing chores in the barn when her phone rang. She smiled as she fished it out of the back pocket of her jeans. “Hey baby, how are your classes?”

“I’m in a situation, Mom,” Jade replied. I could hear road noises in the background of her call; with my hearing, I had no problems with her side of the conversation. “My heat is here.”

“Shit. I thought that wasn’t coming for another month?”

“Nothing is set in stone, Mom. You know that.”

“You’re on the road. Are you heading to see Art Dreyfuss?”

“That’s the problem. I’m at Art’s home outside Garden City, and he’s not here.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“I left messages, but he hasn’t answered. He didn’t plow after the last snowfall, so I’m betting he’s out of town.”

“How are you holding up?”

“I barely made it here, Mom.” I could hear the stress in her voice. “There’s no way I can drive now. I’m stuck here, alone, and my symptoms are worsening by the hour.”

Isra waved me out as she hurried back to the house. “What about the other mountain lions? Have you tried them?”

“The married ones refused to help. Carl is the only one who agreed, but he’s snowed in. He said the the roads won’t clear for a few days, and by then, it will be over. What am I going to do, Mom? The only other option is the Sons of Tezcatlipoca chapter in Denver!”

We reached the house, and she told me to pack for a few days. I didn’t argue but left the door open to hear the conversation. “Don’t even THINK of bringing those men to you,” Isra said. “They are savages. They’d bring you to the clubhouse and run a train on you until you bled.”

“What am I going to do then?”

“Shift and run yourself out the best you can. I’ll have someone there in six or seven hours.”

“OK.” I could hear how defeated she sounded. “Wish me luck.”

“You’re going to get through this, Jade. I love you.” She hung up and walked into my room.

I looked up as I stuffed underwear into a bag. “Where am I driving Jade to? You know I can’t go near any Pack lands, and I don’t trust the Sons either.”

“You aren’t driving her anywhere, Nathan.”

The implication washed over me, and I blushed. “I’m not feline, and I just lost my mate. I can’t do what you’re thinking.”

“You’re a male, and the hormones will do the rest. It’s not ideal, but at least she can shift without endangering our kind.”

“Do you know what happens to her if you don’t help?” I had an idea. “Days of fever and debilitating pain. It can make you wish for death, and some cats have ended themselves to stop the pain. With you, she has continuous sex for a couple of days, then goes back to school with a smile. As her mother, which do you think I prefer?”

I didn’t have a choice. I owed Isra, and it was time to pay her back. “I’ll need her location.”

“I’ll program it into the Garmin. Finish packing; you leave in five minutes. I’ll stay and take care of the ranch.”

I was out at the truck four minutes later. Isra had just put a bag of food in the front seat, then handed me her Glock .45 caliber pistol and a wallet. I put the gun in my bag and looked at the familiar leather. It still had bloodstains but contained cash, gas cards, reloadable debit cards, and my Montana driver’s license. “It’s in my alias name,” I said as I pocketed it.

“Don’t get pulled over then,” Isra replied. “I set Art’s address in the GPS. It should take six hours to drive there. Don’t stop for anything but gas, and make that quick. There’s a burner phone in the bag; turn it on only if you have to. Have Jade call me when she’s heading home.”

“Got it.” I got in and started up the old truck. “See you in a few days.”

“If you get tailed, don’t lead them back here.” She tapped on the hood, then turned back towards the house as I drove off.

The Garmin directed me a few miles west of town before turning south on Highway 20. After that, it was a progression of 26, 28, then 30 to the southwest until I got to Utah. My destination was west of Bear Lake, which straddled the border with Idaho. I turned off the backroad and stopped to open the gate. It had a big NO TRESPASSING sign and the scent of a large male mountain lion.

I could scent the musk of a female cat in heat, and it made my cock twitch.

I was at the right place. I drove over the cattle fence and closed the gate behind me. Following the fresh tire tracks up the hill and into the woods, I took stock of the big cat’s territory. It backed up to the Mount Naomi Wilderness. Those rugged hills and peaks would have plenty of deer and prey outside the prying eyes of humans.

I drove for a quarter of a mile until I reached the clearing where the cabin sat. A green Ford Explorer sat in front of the garage, but I didn’t see Jade or Art waiting for me. I pulled next to her car and got out.

The wind carried her scent my way, and my wolf pushed to take over. I barely got my boots and clothes off and closed the truck door before he took over.

I tore off at full speed around the back of the cabin, following the sweet scent up a hill. It was early in the season, so the eight inches of snow on the ground didn’t slow me. I found her tracks heading into the woods, but I ran with my head up as I followed the air scent.

Bursting through the trees into a clearing, I saw a beautiful clouded leopard sitting in the shallow portion of a pond. Jade saw me and turned to run for the trees, and the chase was on.

You should NEVER run from a werewolf.

She was less than half my size, and wolves are born to run. Her mistake was getting too far away from the safety of the trees in her search for the fever relief the cold water would give her. It took less than a minute to catch up, my front paw reaching out to trip her and send her tumbling back down the grassy slope. I was on top of her before she could react, my teeth holding her neck and giving it a shake. She struggled, but my chest forced her to the ground as my cock sought her swollen entrance.

I growled at her, and she finally stilled. Instinct took over, and she gathered her back legs under her, raised her hips, and moved her thick tail aside.

With one thrust of my hips, I was deep inside her molten sex and pounding away.