Winter with the Wolf Ch. 03

Hi guys, I know its been a very long time. I apologize sooo much, I'm just terrible with continuing projects. I'm also having trouble deciding where to take this story, its my first time writing and I find developing a plot very difficult. I kind of consider this chapter a "filler". I hope you enjoy and hopefully I will finish the next chapter soon.

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Donovan climbed back up into his black truck and turned the heat on to warm up. Werewolf blood can only do so much against the bone chilling temperatures up here. Being naked temporarily didn't help the situation. This assignment was going to take longer then he initially had planned. He had done a drive by on the address Eric gave him yesterday and found Keenan holding on to a human female in the driveway next door like a dog holding its favorite toy. Donovan had no idea what kind of involvement the female had with Keenan but he needed to know before he acted. Keenan hasn't been here long but there's no telling what kind of ties he has established already. Has he revealed himself to this woman? Has he gone rogue and has his sights set on the female? Would this human cause trouble with the police when Keenan disappears? All of these were things Donovan had to figure out before he could eliminate his target.

And that's the reason he got a great peek show this morning. He prepared early this morning to watch her house and track her if she left. He built a small tree stand post deep in the woods away from the trails that gave him a clear shot through the forest to see the back of her house which offered the most visibility into the inside of her home. If she left out the front or started her car he'd be able to hear it and pursue her. He was armed with his military grade M24 sniper rifle just as a precaution and the detachable scope let him see through her windows with ease. It was the very same gun he planned on using for his hit on Keenan...before this pretty little bump in the road came along.

When the human had left for her walk Donovan abandoned his post, shifting to his wolf to track her on the ground. That damned dog of hers knew something was stalking them but of course a human lacked the natural instinct to know any better and she didn't seem to believe her dog. It was slightly exhilarating being in his wolf's natural habitat but he was here for business. He had let her stray towards Keenan's home by herself. He gave the area a wide berth so he wouldn't leave a scent behind in the area that Keenan had marked as his.

Donovan had shifted back to human and made it back up to his post in time to catch the female pawing at herself in her mirror before she showered. What a delightful little show she put on. He could see why Keenan was attracted to her, she was very fine; curves in all the right areas and a nice ass to boot. It'd be a shame if he had to kill her too. A loose human running around with werewolf secrets was unacceptable. If he had to take her down, he'd be sure to have a little fun with her first. Donovan was distracted from his plans by the vibration of his cell phone.

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Eric waited impatiently as the phone rang against his ear. After a moment his enforcer picked up.

"Yes Alpha?" Donovan's gruff voice came through on the other end.

"I expected to hear from you sooner. How are things going?" Eric asked.

"There's been some...complications. But it's all under control; will just take a little longer. I might have to silence a human."

"He's gotten involved with someone already? And a human?! He must be going rouge, just like we thought," Eric clenched his free hand in a tight fist. He knew Keenan was sound and stable. He just needed to justify killing him to the pack. Eric would love to kill Keenan himself but knew his chances of that were slim. Besides not having an excuse to travel away from the pack for some time, Eric was no match for Keenan in a fair fight. He had to settle for sending Donovan after him to return with his body. Keenan thought he could just walk away from the pack after what he did? No.

"The facts are unclear, Alpha. I will find out soon though. They apparently have a date tonight," Donovan offered.

"Alright...call me when there is news," Eric hung up the phone and resisted a growl. He glanced down at his desk to the picture of his father. "I will avenge you Da, I promise."

"Eric? What are you up to in here?" his mother's voice carried into his office.

"Nothing Ma, just checking on business," he replied. His back was turned to the doorway and he missed the suspicious look on his mother's face as she stared at him. Sometimes it scared her just how much Eric looked like his father.

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Mia paused to glance in the mirror for the hundredth time as she scrambled to get ready for her date. It had taken her three outfit changes and two attempts on her make up until she was semi-satisfied with the result. Unsure of where they would be eating, Mia kept her outfit presentable but simple, grey pants and one of her favorite purple sweaters that was mostly fur-free. You could never be completely fur-free when living with an Akita. Mia thanked her lucky stars everyday that she wasn't allergic to canine fur.

She had just finished packing the last bit of odds and ends into her purse when she was alerted to Keenan's arrival by Moose's small woof from downstairs. She scurried down the stairs, grabbing her coat off the hook near the door.

"Be good Moose!" she called as she hopped out the door, locking it behind her.

"Hey there." Mia's breath caught in her throat at the sound of that rich voice behind her. She turned to see Keenan halfway up her walkway smiling kindly at her. "Ready to go?" he asked and extended his hand to her.

"Sure," Mia uttered faintly and placed her hand in his. Would she always lose her breath every time she looked at him? Keenan escorted her to his truck, helping her into the seat before climbing in himself.

"So where will we be dining tonight?" Mia asked trying to break the tense silence.

"Well, I made a reservation at Mill's Tavern. I don't know much about the restaurants in town yet so I hope that was a good selection." Keenan replied as he started the truck.

"Oh, I love Mill's. They've got an amazing prime rib dish!" Mia's smile faltered for a moment as she realized that maybe she shouldn't pig out on a big steak on the first date. Surely that wouldn't be very attractive would it? She continued to ponder the best course of action while Moose watched their truck pull out of the driveway from the front window, leaving wet nose marks everywhere as usual. He remained at his post long enough to see the black truck drive by shortly after they left, traveling down the road in the same direction.

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"Hello, we have a reservation for two please," Keenan addressed the smiling hostess. "The name is Burke, Keenan Burke."

"Ah yes, we have you right here. Please come this way," the hostess responded.

Keenan shifted to let Mia follow the hostess to their table near a front window so she could pick her seat first. It had nothing to do with the fact that he could watch her ass anytime he walked behind her. Her pants were tight and her sweater softened all her curves to make them appear even more luscious. His mouth watered just thinking about exploring every inch of her.

As they sat deciding on what to order, Keenan barely glanced at the menu. Instead he was focused on Mia, trying to read her body language and smell her emotions. Courting a human was new territory to him. Things were simpler within the pack. If a female wanted to have sex he could smell it. If she was his mate, he could smell it. The act of sex itself was more carefree and open with wolves than it was with humans. He was unsure how to act to win Mia's favor.

"Are you all set to order?" Their server's voice pierced though Keenan's thoughts. He looked at Mia for confirmation. At her small smile and nod he ordered the prime rib for himself since he didn't actually read the menu.

"I'll have the berry spinach salad," Mia said.

"I thought you loved the prime rib?" Keenan asked as the waiter took their menus away.

"It is very good but I figured it's a little too heavy to have tonight," she replied.

Keenan watched her closely noticing how she fidgeted. Was she nervous? "So, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a baker at the bake shop that is just down the street. You will probably end up there at some point; it's the only bakery in town. What about you?"

"Aha, so you are a professional. I thought that pie was a bit extraordinary. I actually don't have a job yet, I came here kind of spur of the moment. I moved from New York City where my...family is." Keenan made a mental note to word things carefully as to not raise questions.

"Oh wow...I've only been to the city once but I wasn't a big fan. What made you come all the way up here?"

"We had a...death in the family. It kind of tore us apart a bit so I came up here to get away. I'm not much of a city person either. Too smelly." He smiled broadly hoping he was coming off as friendly. He had never had to talk about himself to another person before. Mia matched his smile and she seemed to be a little more relaxed than before. Keenan turned his head as he caught a whiff of fresh hot meat exiting on a plate from the kitchen.

Their waiter placed the giant steak down in front of Keenan and gave Mia her salad.

"Wow this looks amazing." His mouth watered so fast he actually had to make sure he didn't literally drool. Sometimes the wolf's senses didn't work in his favor. Though his nose and taste buds were overwhelmed with the feast in front of him he didn't fail to notice Mia staring at his steak.

They continued on with their small talk while Mia picked at her salad and Keenan attempted to attack his steak in a civil manner with a fork and knife. He kept watch carefully looking for any signs from Mia that let him know how she was feeling. She didn't seem to be making much progress on her salad and she stole quick glances at his plate occasionally.

"Would you like some of my meat?" he asked seriously as he watched her play with a leaf of spinach. She looked up quickly with wide doe eyes and stared at him for a moment.

"Uh...what?" she asked, taken aback. He wouldn't really be that bold would he? She had hoped he was at least a little bit well mannered.

"My prime rib-oh...oh no, I didn't...you thought I meant? No!" he had a horrified expression for a split second before apologizing. His response was rewarded with giggles from Mia as she embraced the humor of the misunderstanding. His heart clenched at the sound of her laughter. His wolf chuffed contently inside him. He was so screwed.

"Here, please have some," he said as he cut a bite sized piece off and dipped it gently in some horseradish sauce. He extended the fork to her.

"I've noticed you looking at it, don't deny it."

Mia's face turned crimson red but she still reached forward to accept the fork from him. Until his hand caught hers midair and slowly pulled it back down to the table. She looked up at his face to see his eyes soften and but still serious as he moved the fork closer to her lips.

Keenan held his breath and willed her with his eyes to lean forward and accept the food from his hand. He could feel his skin tingling with goose bumps, a projection of his wolf's fur standing on end as he too waited to see how Mia would react. To take food from his hand would mean so much to them. Their mate accepting what they provided for her would bring them great fulfillment.

Time seemed to stop for Keenan as Mia started to lean forward. He memorized every second of the movement, her breasts pressing against the table, her hand slightly tightening in his, the way her eyelids drooped halfway while her tongue peaked out to make the first contact with the juicy piece of steak on his fork. Her lips closed around it and her face melted into satisfaction as she savored the flavor. Her eyes cracked open at the same moment that Keenan's wolf swelled with pride so strong that his eyes flickered to their silvery wolf form for a split second. Mia barely caught the change and quickly forgot it as she saw him cutting her another piece.

"I can just order my own, it's okay," she said quickly.

"But I would much rather feed you mine" he replied with a sexy grin.

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Donovan sipped at his coffee to avoid scowling at the scene before him. He watched Keenan cut his food into bite sized pieces to feed to the human female from the local coffee shop across the street. The only time he'd ever seen wolves do that was with their mates. Was that plump human actually Keenan's mate? The thought of that plus the public display of affection before him made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. As much as he didn't care for the female he still wasn't set on killing her. Killing females was never easy for him. Maybe if he sent her a little warning she'd go running off for a while and remove herself from the picture.