Chasing the Moon

by B. A. Tortuga

  Chasing the Moon

  BA Tortuga

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Want More?

  About the Author

  Afterword

  Also Available from BA

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

  Chasing the Moon

  Copyright © 2019 by BA Tortuga

  1380 Rio Rancho Blvd #1319

  Rio Rancho, NM 87124

  Cover illustration by AJ Corza

  Published with permission

  ISBN: 978-1-942831-92-1

  All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  First electronic edition published September 2019

  Printed in the USA

  Created with Vellum

  As always, to my wife.

  Also, special thanks to Desi Chapman and Jaymi Eggerstaffer, editors extraordinaire.

  I couldn’t do it without y’all.

  1

  Nathan considered himself a reasonable man, and fairly easygoing for a bear. He had a good place. Good friends. So why he walked right up to the little wolf pup who had showed up in Glen Wood looking for his former pack members and stuck his face against the kid’s neck, he had no idea.

  The scent just… kinda called to him.

  There was a wildness, a deep odor that was tea and good mushrooms, soil and soap and heat. Something amazing. Nathan breathed deep over and over before someone cleared their throat. Maybe Mai?

  He pulled back just enough to see the kid, Halian, standing there all stiff, eyes wide, shaking hard. Oops.

  He lifted his head to nuzzle Halian’s cheeks one after another. Oh. Sweet. Sweet and scared and new and…. Oh. Poor baby. “Welcome.”

  “Thank you….” Halian shook for him like a baby bird under the eye of a cat, and he reached up and rested one hand on the skinny chest to feel the fluttering of Halian’s heart.

  Maicoh cleared his throat again, the big alpha wolf obviously trying to get his attention. “So, Nathan. What kind of soup?”

  “Chili.” He couldn’t look away from the sweet little wolf, even though that wasn’t what he was here for. He was here for his best friend, Ash, who was hurt, but…. Right. Chili. “Beans. Beef. Spice. Yum.”

  Mai stepped on his foot, hard, eyes flashing gold. “Well, Halian can take it while you stop inside and see Ash.”

  “Of course. Yes. I will.” Halian took the pot from his hands, damn near running away, and Nathan mourned the loss of that scent.

  Mai growled and poked him with one finger, puffing up like a bullfrog when they stood toe to toe. “Don’t hurt him. He’s been cowed enough.”

  Nathan blinked, utterly taken aback. “Hurt him?” He wanted to wrap Halian up, take him home, and keep him. Forever. Weird. “Why would I do that?” He genuinely felt as if he was waking up from a dream.

  “I don’t think you will.” Mai sighed softly. “I just needed to tell you. He’s like Ash used to be when he got here.”

  “He’s not like Ash.” Oh. Oh shit. Mai meant like Ash had felt. So the pack had made the poor baby miserable. He hated that shit. Thank the goddess herself that grizzlies were just… beartastic. They didn’t have the whole hierarchy thing most of the year. Salmon season, maybe.

  Ash had taken years to relax and stop being scared. Speaking of the goofy little river guide…. “How’s he doing?”

  “Ash? Sleeping. I thought I’d get you to check on him, to make sure I did a good job on his ankle. I know you know healing.”

  You think? He would have said it, but Mai could be a little hidebound with a buried sense of humor. Nathan really did have experience as a healer, though. “I do. Should I wait until he’s up and moving?”

  He didn’t want to wait. He wanted to go check that poor ankle and then go back downstairs and sniff the new little one all over. Would that be too much? It might scare him.

  “No, go ahead. If he sleeps through it, so much the better.” Mai was so worried, his brow furrowed.

  “Sure. I’ll be right back.”

  Nathan didn’t run. That would be unseemly—and look like he was a dancing bear, probably, as big as he was.

  Ash was crashed out, the sweet, dear wolf smelling of sunshine, river, and fading hurt. He stirred, smiling as Nathan walked in, and didn’t that feel amazing? His friend knew him even asleep.

  “Hey, hon. How’s that foot?”

  Ash’s smile widened at him, the expression only a little tentative. Those heavy dreads framed his face, making Ash look young, innocent, which was such a lie. “Hurts, but it’s not too bad, not like it was. Did you meet the new guy?”

  “Uh. Yeah.” He refused to be embarrassed. Much. “He seems to need some guidance.”

  “Guidance? He’s a baby. The new omega for the pack. It sucks.”

  “Well, then. That’s why he’s here, right?” Nathan would protect Halian if he could. He was a bear. A big one. “Mai asked if he could stay with me, since y’all’s house is wee.”

  “That sounds like a great idea.” Ash grimaced when Nathan poked at that poor foot.

  He sniffed all around it, eyes closing as he scented, searching for infection, for deep damage. It would need rest, ice, elevation, but it wasn’t hurt as badly as he feared. In fact, it was going to heal up nicely if Ash stayed off it.

  “No working at the coffeehouse, huh? Not until it heals. Let me wrap it up better.”

  By the time he was done immobilizing the ankle, Ash was asleep again, sprawled out like an exhausted child. So he headed back out to Mai’s little kitchen to heat up the chili.

  And see his new roommate and apologize for sniffing him. Because that wasn’t awkward at all.

  “How is he?” Mai asked. So worried. Nathan loved it. Ash deserved a mate who was concerned about him.

  “He’s fine. You did well.” He held out a hand to Halian. “Sorry about that before. Nathan.”

  Those huge green eyes stared up at him. “Halian.”

  Nathan took the hand that Halian offered him, holding it carefully. The scent of this little wolf made him giddy. “Nice to meet you. My sniffer gets the best of me sometimes. The soup doing okay?”

  Halian tried on a smile and did a fair job. “It smells amazing. So rich.”

  “Thanks. I love soup.”

  Mai snorted and rolled his eyes. “Almost as much as he likes bread with honey.”

  “I love bread with honey. And tea. Tea with honey.” And honey dripped on a lover to lap up. He licked his lips and groaned.

  Mai cleared his throat again. “Would you make Nathan a cup of tea, Halian? Double honey.”

  Hrm. Did Mai need one too? Was he coming down with something?

  “Sure.” Halian moved around them, opening cabinets and finding tea, honey, and cups. Look at that beautiful man. So lovely. Skinny. Halian needed cookies, maybe. Definitely some meat. Bread.

  Clothes that fit. Oh, he’d have to get hold of Martin while Ash was hurt. The marmot had wicked ability to find clothes that fit perfectly, or to tailor them, and Ash was the only one of them who could move in and out of Glen Wood. They all had their talents, right? Nath
an’s was nurturing. He was very good at mentoring, and soothing, and loving.

  No one loved him back as much, but that was okay. He had a lot to give.

  “Here. Tea.”

  “Oh, thank you.” Their fingers brushed when he took the cup, which caused him to jump a little.

  “I—I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Static.” Halian’s eyes flashed up to his, the worry like a blade. So afraid of doing anything wrong, as if electricity was his fault.

  “Shh.” He smiled. “It’s dry here. Static is a thing.” There. That was soothing, right? “The tea smells lovely.”

  “Does it?” Halian sniffed, nostrils flaring. “It smells like you.” There was a bit of surprise on Halian’s face when he said it.

  Nathan smiled gently. “Thank you.” He watched Maicoh drift toward the door that hid Ash away, his expression distracted. They would have to go soon, Nathan thought. Mai and Ash wouldn’t care who was sitting in their front room.

  “I—do you want a bowl of your chili?” Halian asked.

  “I have more at my house.” He didn’t think Mai and Ash were going to wait for that ankle to heal to… get busy. “Would you like to come see? Mai and Ash are….”

  A long cry filled the air from the bedroom, and the sweet wolf’s face fell, the little pang of loss palpable. It nearly broke Nathan’s heart to see how Halian had pinned his hopes on Maicoh. He needed to get Halian away.

  He stood, holding out his hand. “Would you like to come with me? I can show you where you’ll be staying, and we can have some food.”

  “Please. I’ll have to go back to the pack soon, I guess, but… I appreciate it. I’ll be good, quiet, and I know how to clean.” Halian stared at his hand, lips twitching with nerves.

  “We’ll figure it out.” He leaned close. “Some people can’t figure out how to go back, hon. Would that be bad? If you had to stay here?” In fact, Ash was the only one he knew who could slip on purpose.

  “No!” Halian shook his head, eyes wide with hope. “No, it wouldn’t be bad at all.”

  “Oh, good.” Nathan moved slowly, not wanting to startle, then held his hand lower, less demanding. When Halian took it, he led the lovely young man out of Mai and Ash’s cabin. “You’re going to love the canyon.”

  “Have—have you been here long?”

  Nathan could feel electricity sliding through his arm up to the back of his neck from their contact. His nipples tightened, and he told his body to behave.

  “A while. I know most everyone.” He drew Halian over to his SUV, ready to show this one his house. He was proud of it, after all. All of his friends loved it, coming and going almost as much as he did. He loved having people over.

  “I’ve never been anywhere new. I didn’t know Ashkii was still alive until they sent me after Maicoh. I thought….” Halian sighed, staring down.

  “No, I imagine not. He’s thriving here. Just as you will. Some people are meant to leave the pack.” Nathan knew that with a deep certainty.

  “I—I was hoping. But he’s got a mate now, so….”

  Oh, poor sweet. Nathan understood. It was so hard to watch people pair off and know none of them were for you, especially one you had hero worship for. “Well, you can still find lots of happiness here, I promise. There’s a coffee shop and all sorts of stuff to see. Vapor caves and hot springs….” He got Halian into the vehicle, got it started so they could have the radio noise.

  “A coffee shop?” He got a shy smile, which lit up golden eyes in Halian’s lean face. “That’s cool.”

  “My sister runs it. She makes good cinnamon rolls.” He would have to get some from Angela to fatten up Halian. He thought Halian would love them, from the way he’d liked the smell of the tea.

  “Oh, you’ve got family here? Is your mate here too?”

  “I don’t have one.” Yet. Maybe…. Nathan tamped down on that for now.

  “Oh. Me either. I may not get one. Omegas sometimes don’t.”

  “Bears can be difficult too, sweet. We sleep a lot.”

  “Do you? Even as a person?” Those green eyes cut to him, studying him hard for mere seconds before Halian looked away.

  “Yeah. Not as much, but I do love to nap in the winter.” Nathan grinned a little.

  “That sounds nice, though. Napping somewhere warm.”

  “It does, huh? I bet you didn’t get the chance much at home.” He knew Ash and Maicoh’s pack lived out in the desert.

  Halian shrugged, the pain and fear in that motion making Nathan want to growl, to bare his teeth and warn everyone away.

  Glancing at him, Halian shrank away a little, and Nathan relaxed, worried he’d made Halian fear him. “Sorry, sweet. I was getting all protective. There’s my house.” He pointed up the ridge to where his A-frame jutted right out like part of the rock.

  “Oh….” The sound was awe and wonder, and it made him puff up a bit. Nathan got it. He’d worked on his home for years, making it a den he could be proud of.

  He patted Halian’s leg. “There are so many places to nap. We’ll have some food, and then we can be lazy. I promise.” Halian needed rest. Those poor nerves were shot.

  “I’ll sleep on the floor. My wolf is okay with that. Really.”

  “Halian. You don’t have to. In fact, that might insult me gravely. You’ll see.” Nathan grinned, because he did have about a dozen daybeds, beds, lounges, and sunken living room that was all pillows like a ball-pit situation…

  “I’m just grateful you’ll let me spend the night. This is such a new place.”

  “Well, if Mai and Ash weren’t, um, reconnecting, and their place is small….” Nathan took his hand back when he had to make the turn up his twisty drive.

  Halian nodded, shrinking a little. “I’d hoped… but mates are mates, right?”

  “They are. They’re lovely together too. You’ll see.” The last turn to his house almost made a man think he was going right off the canyon wall, but the view was breathtaking. “Ta-da.”

  Halian’s mouth was open, eyes wide. “Bear….”

  “You like it?” He wanted Halian to see this was a good place. A place to be safe and to recharge.

  “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Oh. That’s a wonderful thing to say.” He pulled in and parked. “Come on, I’ll show you the rest.”

  “Please. Thank you. I’d love that.” Halian trembled as they walked up to the house.

  Nathan opened the door, letting Halian in with a flourish. “Welcome!”

  “Thank you, sir.” Halian stepped in, offering him a quiet little grin.

  “You’re welcome. The whole floor is the living area. There’s a bathroom over there, and this is the kitchen.” He led the way through the front door, then across to the dining area, where floor-to-ceiling windows looked out.

  “You live here? It’s beautiful, seriously.” Halian looked a little wild around the edges.

  “Is it too open?” He knew some people had a fear of that.

  “Too open to what?”

  Oh. Right. Desert.

  “The windows, I meant.” He chuckled. “Let’s get you some chili and some bread.” He wanted to see Halian eat.

  “I could have some chili. It smelled so good, I mean, at Maicoh’s.”

  “Thank you.” Nathan bustled about, grabbing containers and heating up chili. He laid out cheese and cornbread, onions and sour cream.

  Halian stared at the food, vibrating, almost salivating.

  “Help yourself, sweet. There’s a bunch. What do you like to drink?”

  “Do you, um, do you have Coke?”

  “I do. Would you like one?” Halian looked so hopeful that Nathan was glad he could do this small thing.

  “I would, yes. Please. I mean, if you have one to spare.”

  “Of course.” Nathan pulled out a Coke and a bottled iced coffee. Angela, his sister with the coffee shop, made him his own cold brew, and he was addicted. “Let’s make ourselves a bowl of chili and go s
it in the sun.”

  “That sounds great.” Halian was smiling now, looking surer of himself. He even ate a piece of cheese.

  “There’s a spot out on the deck that’s perfect. You can see the river.” He led Hali out, and they both settled, the sun beating down in the best way.

  “Oh.” Halian seemed to uncurl a little. Yeah, he was probably used to a little warmer days than here. “It’s beautiful. So different from home.”

  “I bet. I mean, I’ve driven through.”

  Halian grimaced. “Yeah. People do that a lot and keep going.”

  He wanted to touch, so he focused on his chili, the spoon feeling tiny in his hand.

  “You’re a grizzly, hmm?”

  “I am. I didn’t fit in at home either.” Was that assuming too much?

  “No? Did you get sent away?”

  “Not really. Angela and I went in search of someplace we could be happier. I’m very lucky to have my sister.”

  “Oh, a packmate. I understand. It’s good with someone else.”

  “Yes. She understands me. Bears are generally solitary, but I love to be with others.”

  Halian offered him a gentle, careful smile. “Thank you for letting me be here with you.”

  “Thank you for coming with me! I love showing off my house.” He should have a party. Just because.

  “It’s cozy and bright.” Halian scraped the bowl completely clean, and he stood, taking the bowl.

  “We need more.”

  “We do?”

  “Mmm. Would you get me another bowl while you get some?” Halian was clearly used to having resources withheld. Nathan didn’t believe in that. It took a village, and this whole pick-on-the-omega thing was bullshit.

  “Yes, sir. Thank you.” There was a little shiver, and Halian wet his lips convulsively.

  “I’m just so hungry.” For Halian, to be honest.

  Halian’s nostrils flared, the pretty wolf scenting him. Nathan drew in a breath, and damned if he couldn’t smell arousal. Yum. He loved that, the sweetness, the richness of a needing man. It made his mouth water. This one especially smelled of good, wild honey.