Micah's Mate

by Abigail Raines

  It was worth it, of course. I wouldn’t trade anything for that long night of texting with Luna, even if we didn’t talk about anything important. I’m learning when it comes to love, the unimportant stuff is just as important as the important stuff. These little thoughts are probably obvious or even trite, but they feel like epiphanies to me. I can’t wait to rub my raised emotional IQ into Aaron’s face. Now who’s the king of romance!

  It’s not like I’m trying to wear Luna down either but...I feel like she’s coming around. Maybe. Gradually.

  On lunch at work, I decide to go bother Mason again. I get a long “hour” for lunch and I have enough time to drive out to his place. I probably owe him a conversation anyway and if I don’t start it first and don’t at least give him a hint about what’s going on, I know he’ll go to Xander eventually, and then the hammer will come down. Xander hates being left out of the loop. At the same time he knows that Aaron and I often run things by Mason before we have to go to Xander. It’s sort of like our way of easing in.

  I let myself in like usual and I think Mason somehow psychically knew I was coming, because he’s already got two plates set out at his table. This time it’s panini; mozzarella and tomato with peppers.

  I say, “No mush-”

  “No mushrooms,” he says. “I thought you might be stopping by. I hope you’re about to tell me what’s going on because I have to admit, I’m very curious.”

  I take a deep breath and a bite of panini. My brother can cook. It’s kind of annoying. He makes money like other people breathe and he can cook. I don’t understand why he’s single.

  “Alright…” But I don’t say anything else for a bit. Mason waits patiently while I polish off my panini. At least it makes me feel a little less exhausted. I’m running on fumes.

  I’ve also texted Luna a few more times today and she hasn’t answered. I’m trying not to over-analyse that because we had such a long and meaningful conversation that night over the texts. She didn’t seem upset. She’s probably just busy.

  “You can’t tell anyone. Not Xander, and especially not Aaron.” I look right in his eyes so he knows I’m serious and that it’s not some bullshit like when we were kids.

  He actually takes a second to decide if he can hear this, which I appreciate. That means he’s taking it seriously. “Okay,” he says. “I won’t say anything.”

  “Luna’s a wolf shifter,” I say. “For real. It’s not a hunch.”

  Mason looks shocked for maybe the third time ever in his life. Yet, all he says is, “Really.”

  “Yeah. She’s been covering her scent.” I can’t help but be a little smug about that. “Just like I said, by the way. Michelle doesn’t even know. But she doesn’t have a pack and she says we can’t be together and she won’t say why and...and what the hell!”

  “Hmm. That’s why you were asking about lone wolves.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, this is a pickle,” Mason says.

  “A pickle,” I say scoffing. “Yeah, it’s a pickle. I’ve found my perfect mate and I can’t get her to commit and I have no idea why. I’m freaking out, man! And she’s driving me insane! Hot and cold! Hot and cold! And honestly, she could slam the door in my face and invite me back the next day a thousand times and I know I’ll always go back because...because…”

  “She’s your mate.”

  “Yeah. She is. It’s brutal.”

  “Well…” Mason rubs the back of his neck. He doesn’t look quite swept up in the romance of it like I thought he would be. “I think we need to find out what this lone wolf business means. Why doesn’t she have a pack? That might be an issue, Micah.”

  “I guess it might be,” I say warily. “I don’t really care what the issue is though. It’s not going to change anything.”

  “I mean, it depends-”

  “It doesn’t depend!” I slam my fist on the table. My wolf might be just a little bit riled up. “She’s my mate, and that’s all that matters.”

  “I know you feel that way-”

  “I don’t just feel that way,” I growl, getting to my feet. I have to walk. I start pacing, my wolf wanting so badly to come out and run in the woods and then go find Luna and bring her home. “It’s the truth.”

  “It’s just I was talking to dad and Xander-”

  “Oh.” I nod and rub a hand over my face. “Right. I get it. Dad and Xander-”

  “Look… Is there a rule? No. Could there be a good reason she doesn’t want to tell you where she’s from though? Yeah, there might be. And it might be bad. Dad couldn’t even think of a situation where a wolf left their pack and never found another one. It just isn’t done. Wolf shifters always run in packs. It’s pretty elemental.”

  “What if it’s like Xander was saying at dinner though.” I continue to pace as I talk, trying to get my energy to go somewhere. “What if it’s like, she came from some really terrible place? I know her childhood sucked. That’s not her fault, right?”

  “I mean no,” Mason says thoughtfully. He strokes his chin. “But I can’t really think of a pack so bad that other packs wouldn’t want you, you know?”

  “She did come from somewhere really brutal though, Mason.” I wince just thinking about it. “She told me enough. It sounds to me like they left the pups to fend for themselves all the time. She said her dad was a real monster too. It was her pack, she was talking about. Sounded hellish. Is there anything like that?”

  “Well, there’s Hardwidge,” Mason says, shrugging. “Down in Oregon. They’re maniacs. If she escaped from there, she’s gotta be tough as nails. Nobody escapes from Hardwidge. I think it’s called something else now...but, I dunno. They come up every once in a while. They’ve spilled a lot of blood down there. The clan there can barely keep them contained, but the pack’s so big nobody wants to go to war with them. That’s just scuttlebutt though. I don’t know the details.”

  “Hardwidge…” It sounds kinda familiar but I don’t make it my business to know about all the packs in the world or anything. I’m guessing Xander knows more. “Wait, is that the pack with the lunatic alpha who thinks we’re all too assimilated-”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Mason says nodding, as he pokes at his panini. “Says we should all live like wolves all the time and all that. I mean, nobody wants to mess with them or risk them coming after their pack. If she was from a place like that? I could see her going solo.”

  “Hardwidge,” I mutter.

  “You should find out,” Mason says. “Look, I don’t know Luna, but I generally trust your judgment-”

  “Oh, thanks.”

  “What I mean is, it speaks well of Luna that you’ve fallen in love with her.”

  I smile at that. “Thanks.”

  “Also, Michelle’s known her for a long time. I don’t think you can pretend to be a nice, genuine person for that long and be some psycho killer underneath or something.”

  “That’s a good point,” I say, feeling a little heartened.

  I peel out of Mason’s driveway and speed back to work to make it back from lunch on time. It’s not really the kind of place where people are paying close attention to when you get back from a break, but as light-hearted as I (generally) tend to be, I don’t like to be a slacker and I’m a pretty hard worker.

  I feel a little better after the talk with Mason and some food in my stomach, although I’m practically dead on my feet from the lack of sleep. I let myself into the parking garage with my keyboard and find my preferred spot to park in, out of the way in the corner where there’s always a reliable spot.

  There’s a beat up old black SUV parked there. I know everybody’s car in the place and this one doesn’t look familiar and it’s definitely not a client’s car, but I’m not a particularly paranoid person by nature. The guy leaning against it, smoking and looking like he’s got nowhere to be, makes me a little wary though.

  I pause before I get out of the car. In my rear-view, I can see that the guy is looking at me. He’s sucking dow
n his cigarette like it’s a lifeline rather than a potential death sentence. He’s staring at me.

  I don’t have a good feeling about this.

  But, my hunch is, if he’s trouble, he has something to do with Luna. I don’t know why I think that, but I do. And I’m too curious about what’s going on with Luna to just peel away. I’m also not one to run.

  Nevertheless, I’m not actually looking for trouble though, so when I get out and pocket my keys, my intention is to ignore him. Then I get a whiff of his scent. Yeah, he’s a shifter.

  I’ve also smelled him before. I ran into him in a hallway...in Luna’s building.

  The hair on the back of my neck is standing up. I start to turn toward the elevator, and, sure enough, the guy makes his way toward me.

  “Hey there, Tremblay.” He laughs and claps his hands as I turn around to size him up. I think I could take him. Normally. I’m tired though, so he might give me a lot of trouble. “Micah Tremblay, isn’t it? Of the infamous Tremblay pack.”

  I glance around, but nobody’s there to hear him. “Do I know you, man?”

  The guy clears his throat and stands up straight. He tips his cap like he’s being very formal. “I don’t believe so. No, sir. Name’s Dax, Dax Ackley. Nice to make your acquaintance. Actually…” He strokes his chin thoughtfully. “We have a little friend in common. Luna. Kennedy. That’s not her real name, of course.” He smirks like he’s being real cute. “Her real name is Haywood. But sometimes you gotta lay low like on the down low, you know what I mean?”

  I don’t like him, in fact, I think I might hate him. I’m pretty sure I have good reason to want to kill him, I just don’t know exactly why, yet.

  “Alright,” I say stiffly. “And how do you know Luna?”

  He just looks so pleased at everything’s that happening and I’m wondering what I could do to wipe the smirk off his face. “Ha! I knew she wouldn’t tell you.” He crosses his arms and licks his lips. “Well, this is gonna be a lot of fun. You and me, we’re gonna have some good ole times, boy.”

  “I don’t think so,” I say, practically growling.

  I shift and pounce, quick as lightning, and I never even touch him. The tranq dart, when it hits me in the flank, brings me down like a brick wall. I growl and writhe but that’s about all I can do because the tranquilizer hits me so fast, I can barely move. I don’t even know if Dax was the one who shot me. I think there are other people here. They must’ve been in the SUV.

  Dax looms over me and cackles. He spits in my face and I can hardly bare my teeth at him. “Yeah, I think so,” he says. “You ever heard of Hardwidge? Welcome to it, Tremblay.”

  Oh shit.

  He seems to be really pleased that I shifted. It’s like he knew exactly what was going to happen. Now, a couple guys are dragging my wolf body into the SUV. Male wolf shifters are huge though, and Dax has to help them. It’s the most infuriating sensation in the world to want to bite somebody’s head off and not even be able to move. It’s also terrifying. I’m paralyzed and completely at their mercy.

  On top of that, I want to know where Luna is. Is she safe? Is there any chance I’ve completely misread her and she’s actually behind this?

  No, absolutely not. Everything I felt was real. I’m sure of it. And I know her friendship with Michelle is real, too. Whatever is happening, Luna is a victim of it, not a perpetrator. If it’s Hardwidge she grew up with it would explain a lot, just like Mason said. No wonder she took off and hid who she was.

  The henchmen with Dax fix me with a muzzle and bind my legs. It’s humiliating. The tranquilizer isn’t knocking me out, it’s just paralyzing me. I certainly can’t shift either. I don’t remember ever feeling so helpless before.

  “We’re gonna have a lot of fun with you, Micah Tremblay,” Dax hoots from the shotgun seat up front and his henchmen cheer and encourage him. Bunch of ass kissers

  Where is Luna?

  I’ve never thought of myself as one of the tougher Tremblays. Fighting was always more for Xander or Aaron, or even Mason, more than me. But, right now, I’m completely helpless, yet all I can think of is: How do I save Luna?

  Chapter Thirteen: Luna

  “Where’s Trevor?” I sigh and sit back. Michelle has strapped me into her passenger seat. She’s acting like I’m a human time bomb; fragile and potentially very explosive.

  “He’s with his grandma at the estate,” Michelle says, as she starts up the car. “Which is where we’re going.”

  I clench my fists. If Dax comes back and I’m gone, I don’t know what will happen. I haven’t been taking my tonic. What if he sniffs me out? He met Micah in the hall a few days ago. What if he can sniff Micah out? What if he tries to bust into the estate?

  I’m not really providing myself with any answers. It’s all I can do not to jump out of the car and run back to the apartment. Going back to Hardwidge with Dax is the second worst thing I can think of, the worst being something bad happening to Micah. At least I know if I return with Dax...well, I’ve escaped before. Although God knows what their new place at the compound will be like.

  “You should have let me go,” I argue once more, even as Michelle pulls out into traffic.

  “No way,” Michelle says. “You looked after me when I got pregnant, now I’m looking after you. And you’re not okay right now.”

  I’m still tired. I’m sore too, from sleeping funny on the floor.

  “Charge your phone,” Michelle commands me. I plug my phone into her charger and watch the little plug icon appear. I wonder if Micah has tried to text me.

  “They drive cars,” I mutter suddenly, staring out at Quinton blurring past me.

  Michelle frowns at me, confused. “Who?”

  “The pack I grew up with,” I say. “They’re called Hardwidge. It’s a huge pack. They say they live like wolves but they drive cars and Dax smokes cigarettes. I should’ve asked him how they justify that. I mean that’s like the Amish playing video games, isn’t it?”

  “You’re talking about the pack you grew up with that you mentioned before?”

  “Yeah.”

  “They sound weird.”

  “They’re awful,” I say. The understatement of the year.

  “And they’re after you?” Michelle asks.

  “The alpha’s a guy I grew up with,” I say, feeling that stupid sense of shame well up in me. “He wants me to be his mate. Because my dad used to be alpha. He said if I don’t go back with him, he’ll kill Micah.”

  “Jesus.” Michelle gapes at me and has to quickly turn her eyes back to the road. “You should have told us. I wish you’d told us. When did this start?”

  “Just a few days ago.”

  “Still.”

  “Do you remember how I had to pick you up from work once because you had the flu,” I say, fidgeting with the sleeve of my shirt. “It was a long time ago. Back when you obviously had a crush on Aaron, but wouldn’t do anything about it. You were standing outside with him. I think he was taking care of you and being sweet while you waited for your ride. That was the first time I met Aaron.”

  Michelle looks at me funny and says, “I guess so. Yeah. What about it?”

  “That’s when I found out he was a shifter,” I say, shrugging.

  For some reason, I remember that moment like it was yesterday, and it was two years ago. I told Michelle not to go to work that morning because she was obviously feeling terrible. But she can have a killer work ethic. She was only there a few hours before she called me to pick her up while I was on lunch. At the time, she didn’t have a car. I remember driving up to the sidewalk as I saw Michelle and some guy far away. I rolled my window down and I smelled him before I got a good look. It wasn’t like I didn’t smell shifters from time to time. But it always put me on edge. Then I pulled up close to them and saw that huge, hunky man looking so concerned for Michelle. I didn’t learn his last name until a few months later. Tremblay.

  “Oh,” is all Michelle says.

  “It’s we
ird, but even after I found out who he was, that you were so into one of the Tremblays...I should’ve been scared. I guess I was. I thought if I was found out, I’d be run out of town. But I just wanted you to be happy.”

  Michelle smiles at me, but she looks like she’s so worried. I feel like I don’t deserve it.

  “I just wanted you to be happy,” I say again.

  She takes a breath and composes herself as we pull into the big circular driveway of the Tremblay estate. I want to tell her she needs to turn around and take me back. I don’t belong here, This is only the outside and the place is already intimidating. It’s the kind of house that has actual “wings.” I wonder which wing Micah grew up in. It’s beautiful though. Like a fairy tale type of place. It makes me want to pester Micah for information about what his childhood was like. We’re right by the woods. He must’ve run all around them with his brothers as a little pup. He would’ve had everything he needed, including a whole bunch of people who loved him. It makes me want to go running to him. It makes me want to beg them to let me be one of them, too. But that’s impossible.

  “I want you to be happy, too,” she says. “And Micah makes you happy. So we’re going to figure out how to fix this and then you’re going to tell Micah you love him and let him take you out on a date and get your happily ever after.”

  My hearts swells for my best friend, yet I can’t help but shake my head. “People like me don’t get a happily ever after.”

  “Oh sweetie.” Michelle reaches over and squeezes my hand. “You are not wherever you came from.” She says it like it’s obviously true. For a second, I almost believe her.

  “They’re going to be mad at me,” I say darkly.

  “Maybe,” Michelle admits. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll stand by you. They’re good people. Xander’s a little gruff sometimes, but he’s not an asshole.” She pats my hand. “Come on. Bring your phone.”

  Michelle seems so comfortable here as she walks me to the giant front door and some fox shifter in a suit lets us in. I guess he’s a butler. That’s probably obvious but the entire notion of a butler blows my mind. I’ve met one or two at the fancier homes I’ve designed kitchens for. Those places barely seemed real for a girl who grew up in the dirt. They were places other people lived in but never anyone I knew. It’s weird to think my best friend’s new family has a...butler. Or any kind of staff, really.