Trust by Viola Rivard Read Free Book Online

giving him a reassuring squeeze but pulling back before it became any more than that. If he came on to her again, well, she wasn’t sure she could turn him down a second time.
    “Well, how about we get over that werewolf-infested mountain and then we’ll figure it out together?”
    Taylor thought the joke would lighten the mood, but Alder didn’t look amused. If anything, his face tightened.
    “Sorry. I’m sure that’s not the answer you’re looking for, but this is all kind of sudden to me.”
    “It’s okay,” he said dismissively.
    The frog legs had the same texture and taste as chicken, or at least what she remembered chicken tasting like. When Taylor was eleven, she’d had a pet pot-bellied pig, Ernest. She’d stopped eating pork that year, and became a full vegetarian soon thereafter. She did feel bad eating an animal, but the fact that it was just a frog made it easier.
    After they ate, Alder stomped out the fire and left the campsite, telling her he was going to scout the area. Taylor made herself a makeshift bed out of his leather jacket. Leather was another thing she wasn’t a fan of, but it was soft and it smelled like him, a little woodsy and a little spicy.
    The night before, she’d been incredibly exhausted and had fallen right asleep. Tonight, she was tired but not enough to pass out. The forest was dark, and she felt alone and exposed. Every noise had her lifting her head and squinting into the darkness.
    She let out a sigh of relief when Alder finally returned.
    “You all right?” he asked.
    “I’m good.”
    Alder sat next to her, removing his boots. “Get some rest. We have to be up early.”
    Without another word, he lay down beside her, putting an arm around her. Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest as he carefully repositioned her, resting her head on his biceps.
    She waited, mentally preparing herself for whatever he’d do next. Within moments, he’d fallen asleep. A few moments later, she did the same.

Chapter Nine
    T aylor plodded behind Alder as they ascended Mount Ezra. Despite her short legs and impractical shoes, she kept pace with him pretty well, which was no small feat.
    “Do you really think there are werewolves here?” Taylor asked from behind him.
    Alder slowed just enough for her to catch up.
    “There’s a whole pack of them on this mountain,” he told her. “They’re nocturnal. Probably asleep in their den right about now.”
    The Whiteriver pack wouldn’t be a threat to him and Taylor, but he would have preferred to be off of their mountain before they woke for the night. While the treaty between the two packs would prevent any aggression on their part, he doubted they wouldn’t come sniffing around to see what he was up to.
    “Have you seen them before?” she asked.
    “Yes.”
    “What were they like?”
    He could tell she was anxious again and knew she’d probably drawn the same conclusion as he had. Unless they found horses or a hot air balloon, they weren’t getting over the mountain before nightfall, not by a long shot.
    Mount Ezra wasn’t an overly large mountain. In his wolf form he could easily clear it in a day, but even his own human form wasn’t adequate enough to navigate the steep cliffs and rocky slopes that deftly, let alone Taylor’s.
    The sensible thing would have been to tell Taylor the truth, shift, and carry her over the mountain. It was only noon, if he did it now, he might still make it to his own territory shortly after dark.
    He had almost told her several times, but it seemed the longer he waited, the harder it became. Most humans believed that werewolves were monsters. He didn’t think Taylor would hate him or even be afraid of him once she got used to idea of his being a werewolf. But he knew that for better or worse, she wouldn’t look at him the same once she knew, and Alder just wasn’t ready for that.
    “They’re a lot like you and me,” he said, eager to dispel any negative preconceptions she had about his kind.