Dark Heart Wolf - Haley Weir Page 0,29

to the side with a sly grin. “And I am the one who devours gods if they fail to do as they are told.” Her eyes flashed, and Ethan jumped back. When he opened his eyes again, the creature was gone. He called for his wendigo to attack, and they flooded the meadow. The wolves and their mates were there, quick to come to Charlotte’s aid.

Among the females was a healer, a fox, a witch, and...

The Wendigo Spirit sensed nothing within the other woman. The mate of Sam Cassady was a mystery to him. Ethan stepped into the field and watched as the shifters collided with his army of wendigo.

~*~

Wolf Valley

Colorado

"How could she be so stupid?" Sam barked as he tossed aside his muddy boots once he stood in the doorway of Mary Ann's home. Charlotte hadn't waited for anyone before tracking down the witches. She went off on her own and fought them, not thinking about how her actions might have left everyone vulnerable to attack. When Sam and the others arrived, they were forced to fight off the witches and another horde of wendigo. Only one of Kaia's witches had been slain, the others disappeared.

The only good to come out of the entire situation had been the realization that the Wendigo Spirit and Kaia feared Charlotte's power. Sam just could not let go of his anger in that moment. "She knows what we're up against."

"You and Charlotte have a lot of similarities, Sam. It's no wonder you and her ain't the best of friends."

"I have no issue with Charlotte except for what she pulled today." Sam removed his jacket and hung it up on the hook beside the door. "And now Wesley is talkin' about takin' her with when he hunts down those bandits."

Mary Ann rolled her eyes and sauntered up the stairs with a sway of her hips. She peeled off her clothing and dropped it as she walked, leaving behind a trail that Sam followed all the way to their bedroom...their bedroom. He stood in the doorway of the bedchamber and pressed a hand to his chest. For a moment, it wasn't Mary Ann he saw crawling onto the covers of the blanket. It was Savannah.

She crawled beneath the linens and crooked her finger at him. "Come keep me warm, Samuel."

But he could not. It was too much. It was far too domestic, felt too much like coming home to see his family after a long day at the ranch. "I can't," Sam sighed. Guilt and nausea churned inside of his stomach. "I gotta go, Mary. I'm sorry. I just need some time to think."

She sighed just as heavily as he had. "You're runnin' again, ain't you?"

"I ain't sure."

Mary Ann stood up and grabbed her robe from the chair in front of her vanity before slipping into it. She walked up to him slowly and removed the talisman from around his neck. "When Charlotte took Wesley's off, it got me thinkin'. You claimed me, Sam. We're together in every way except marriage and commitment. You wore this still. Hopin' it still has some power so you could withhold a bit of yourself from me."

"It ain't like that, Mary…"

"No?" she chuckled. "I guess I should have known this would happen eventually. You were pushed by everybody else to choose me. I ain't mad. I guess I'm just disappointed that I was right in this situation."

Sam stiffened when she reached out to touch him. He still felt the lingering shock. Mary Ann looked wounded, but she smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't know what to say, Mary. I want to be with you. I want my life to be simple and full of the love you give me, but—”

"I have somethin' to tell you," she interrupted. "It might make you run for the door quicker than you already are. But I want you to know that you don't have to do anythin' about it. I can take care of everythin' with or without you."

"What are you sayin'?"

She took a deep breath and uttered three words he never expected to hear after he had lost his family. "I'm with child." Mary Ann didn’t move an inch as she continued. “I know this has to hurt you. Bringin’ back painful memories can bring out the worst in people, but I hope you understand that I ain’t goin’ nowhere. I’ll be here.”

Sam barely registered anything she said. “You’re havin’ my child?”

“I am.”

“How long have you known?”

Mary