Protector Wolf

by Linda O. Johnston

And now, their hike was over and so was anything else she needed to do with these men, at least for the moment. It was late afternoon. They were about to split up, probably not see each other again until her talk tomorrow.

  That disappointed her. She wanted to hang out with them—and the dog—even longer.

  “Hey, you guys care to join me for dinner tonight?”

  She noticed that Piers looked at Ryan, as if he’d go along with whatever the other guy said. Too bad, in a way. She would rather have just invited Ryan, but those two seemed always to stick together. Sure, they had a common employer and common goal, but…

  Well, in some ways it might be better not to get Ryan alone. She found the guy much too attractive.

  “Sure,” Ryan said. “There’s someplace we need to go first, but we could meet you. Any ideas where?”

  “Not really.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at the time. “It’s about four now. How about if we meet around six, in the hotel lobby? We can ask there for a restaurant recommendation.”

  “Sounds good,” Ryan said.

  They walked in the same direction, toward the hotel, for a few blocks, but then the men excused themselves.

  “See you later,” Ryan said, and Piers reached for Rocky’s leash.

  Their splitting up then somehow made Maya feel a bit bereft. But she felt really good that she’d see Ryan later.

  They could talk more then about what she would say in her presentation tomorrow. Could discuss wolves even more. Spend a little more time together, even with Piers present.

  And as they left Maya figuratively kicked herself for even thinking such thoughts. Ryan and she might share a love of wildlife—but nothing else.

  *

  “So where are we going?” Piers asked. He had ceded the handle of Rocky’s leash to Ryan, who now upped the speed of their walk along the street in a different direction from the way Maya had gone.

  “I’m hungry.” Ryan resisted the urge to pivot around to determine if he could still see Maya. He would see her later anyway. And how much trouble could she get into while in town? “I need some snacks. How about you?”

  “Oh, then we’re going to the grocery store to sound the Sharans out about…well, whatever info we can get from them, right?”

  “You got it.” Ryan turned back to aim a grin at his aide. They’d learned that Maya had visited the grocery store earlier that day and said hi to its owners, but she wouldn’t have any idea of Ryan’s suspicions about them.

  She probably hadn’t the slightest idea that shapeshifters even existed except in books, movies and TV, and that was a good thing.

  He needed to make sure she stayed safe, didn’t create any waves that would give more credence to the claims of the locals who weren’t wildlife fans and that was all.

  Except for learning what he really needed to know while here…

  They’d reached the block containing the Corner Grocery Store. The place was crowded this late afternoon. Not good, Ryan thought.

  Its owners might have less time to talk if they were busy handling customers.

  On the other hand, he had some ideas of what to hint about that could get their attention—fast.

  “It would be best if you wait outside with Rocky,” he told Piers. “He might not be welcome, and he’s also likely to be bumped or have his paws stepped on in that mob.”

  “Got it. We’ll go for a walk. But call if there’s anything you need.” He accepted the end of Rocky’s leash back from Ryan, who then headed inside.

  He stopped first near the entrance, close to the few cashiers, then went around them to the heart of the place when he didn’t see either of the Sharans.

  For such a relatively small grocery, there seemed to be a good selection of all kinds of products, Ryan thought. The aisles were barely wide enough for carts going in opposite directions, and those he glanced at had a lot of stuff in them.

  This probably wasn’t the best time to buddy up to the owners—and hint strongly that tomorrow afternoon, around one thirty, they ought to be in the park again listening to Maya.

  They’d been pro-wolves before, and should be again, but it was also a good thing for them to see their fellow locals’ reactions once more, especially when Maya told them to stay away from wildlife around here for their own safety.

  That should be something the Sharans promoted as well, whether or not they had anything to do with the attack on Fritts.

  Or if they were the wolves who’d appeared ready to hurt Maya before he’d come along…

  “Hello, can I help you?” A medium-sized guy with narrow shoulders who appeared to be in his early twenties had approached Ryan. Did he work here?

  “Oh, I’m fine,” Ryan said. “Just deciding what to look for.” He paused. “And I had a couple of questions for the owners—the Sharans, right? I met them the other day.”

  “I’m their son, Pete,” the guy said. He did in fact have his mother’s light brown hair, not streaked as hers was but with a sheen to it—like a wolf’s? His nose was longish, as well.

  If he was their son, he was probably a shifter, too, assuming Ryan was correct and both older Sharans were. His scent suggested that as well, along with his physical resemblance to his parents.

  Then Pete, too, should hear what Maya—and Ryan—had to say tomorrow.

  And what had he done last night, while shifted beneath the full moon? Might he have been the one who’d attacked Morton Fritts?

  “Good to meet you, Pete. Are you a champion of the latest presence of wolves in the area like your parents are? I met them at a talk given by a representative of WHaM the other day—Wildlife Habitat Monitoring. I’m Ryan Blaiddinger, and I work for US Fish and Wildlife.” He held out his hand while studying Pete’s face.

  His expression froze for an instant as if he was shocked, or at least uncomfortable, at being approached by a wildlife proponent.

  Was that because, as a shifter, too, he tried to keep his opinions to himself to avoid any kind of strife with regular humans?

  Ryan didn’t get the opportunity to push for an answer, though, since Kathie Sharan walked up and stood close to her son.

  “Hi, Ryan,” she said with a smile. “Welcome. I’m sure Pete’s already asked, but can we help you find anything? As you can see, we’ve got a lot of stuff here—including people buying it.” She blinked at her own joke, and Ryan gave a short laugh, turning his head to once again take in the crowd. He’d already noticed the many aromas of food—as well as the buzz of people talking. There were even scents of sweet, fresh baked goods in the air.

  “Yes, I do see that. And I don’t want to take up much of your time. Since I’m just visiting and staying in a hotel, I don’t need much in the way of groceries except maybe some snacks. Jerky sticks, maybe, roast beef and bread for sandwiches, and some fruit. And I think I’ll get some extra dog food for Rocky.”

  While he was in human form, he felt a lot happier eating produce than while he was shifted—although he rarely had to eat while shifted anyway. But he wasn’t about to ask them for beef products that he might love to devour. He couldn’t really store and cook in his hotel room. Beef jerky was okay as a snack. So was sliced roast beef. But neither were his favorite food. And he tended to feed Rocky high-quality dog food.

  “Sure. Pete, why don’t you show Ryan where those are?”

  “Thanks,” Ryan said. “Oh, and I just started to tell Pete about the next talk Maya is giving in the park tomorrow. I’ll be there, too. Since we heard about what happened to Morton Fritts, she’s going to be describing how everyone, even wildlife lovers like us, can stay safer—like not getting too near them. And I wonder how close you and your family get to wildlife, and people, at times like last night. Full moon and all, you can certainly see what’s out there a bit better than on other nights.”

  He looked Kathie deeply in her dark brown eyes, reading the shock on her face. Her son must have seen it, too—or maybe he was just reacting to what Ryan said.

&n
bsp; “We don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said quickly, planting himself in front of his mother.

  “Really? Maybe not.” Ryan smiled, then stepped out of the way as someone pushed a grocery cart a bit too close. “Although your even saying that suggests otherwise to me.”

  Their conversation, or maybe the way they were all regarding one another, apparently grabbed Burt Sharan’s attention, since he was suddenly with them, as well.

  “Is something wrong here?” the beefy guy demanded, his arms fisting at his sides.

  “I don’t think so,” Ryan responded, although he knew the question hadn’t been directed at him. “Just met your son, and I was telling Kathie and him that Maya plans to give another talk, this time about how to deal with wild wolves now that some are back in the area—hopefully to prevent any more incidents like the one with Morton Fritts. Although there’s a possibility that couldn’t happen again for about a month anyway.”

  He kept his expression innocent and calm as he looked straight into Burt’s shocked face. “What are you talking about?”

  “Just the possibility of different kinds of wolves showing up around here—not just gray wolves, for example, but…well, others, too.”

  Burt grabbed Ryan’s arm in a rough grasp. “Look, if you’re insinuating—”

  “It’s okay, dear,” Kathie said. “I don’t think Ryan means anything besides letting us know that he’s on our side—on the side of everyone who appreciates wildlife, including whatever wolves happen to show up. Right, Ryan?”

  He’d already reached down and pried Burt’s hand away. “Exactly,” he said. “But I really do think it would be a good thing for all of you to come to tomorrow’s talk. Can I count on you?”

  He looked first into Kathie’s face, and though it was pale she had raised her chin and appeared strong. She nodded.

  Ryan then glanced at Burt. His face was flushed, but he no longer looked angry. Worried, maybe. Which was probably a good thing.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there. Pete, too.” Burt glanced at his son, who nodded.

  Pete’s expression was unreadable to Ryan, but that was okay since all three of them might be shifters.

  And the talk tomorrow would be to benefit all wolves, no matter what their background.

  But Ryan had a pretty good idea what their background was—and hoped to be able to get them to admit it.

  Which might only happen when he admitted at least part of his own background, too.

  Chapter 10

  Maya chatted with the concierge in the lobby of the Washington Inn. His nametag said he was Larry, and he stood behind a tall stand with a computer on top—probably the way he researched things that guests wanted to know for which he didn’t have answers. He had little hair to frame his unwavering and respectful smile.

  Maya kept sneaking looks toward the stairway. Were Ryan, Piers and Rocky up in their rooms? She’d only arrived downstairs a few minutes ago, just before the time they’d said they would meet, and she didn’t even know if they’d returned after their outing this afternoon. She hadn’t changed her clothes, but her shirt, jeans and athletic shoes felt appropriate for the casualness of their arrangement.

  “I’m not exactly sure what the people I’m going to dinner with will want,” she told Larry. “Do you have any kind of restaurant list?”

  “Nothing official, but I’ve got a pretty good sense for what’s close by, if you can give me some idea—”

  “Oh, I should know shortly.” Maya had just spotted Piers and Rocky heading down the stairway. They were followed by Ryan. The men had changed from their climbing outfits but remained dressed as casually as Maya, both in sweatshirts and jeans.

  They soon had maneuvered through the fairly empty lobby and joined Maya near the concierge stand.

  “What kind of food would you guys like for dinner? And I’m not asking Rocky, since I think I know what he’d say.” Maya grinned. Of course a wolf-dog would want some pretty heavy meat.

  “How about some kind of steak house?” Ryan asked.

  Maya supposed that the dog’s owner could share some preferences with his pet but still found that kind of amusing.

  “Fine with me.” As much as she liked wildlife, she had considered becoming a vegetarian early on but decided against it—although she did limit her meat intake, often preferring more salads to heavy foods like steak.

  Larry gave them the name of a nearby dog-friendly place called, appropriately, House of Steak, and handed them a town map, where he circled the location. In a few minutes, they were on their way. There weren’t many others walking on the sidewalk, but the weather was fine, a fairly warm evening in September.

  Once again, Maya enjoyed being with this group, and not just because Rocky resembled one of the kinds of animals she especially appreciated.

  She found she also appreciated being with others who liked wildlife as much as she, but whom she hadn’t met through WHaM. And the fact they brought that adorable, wolflike dog along nearly everywhere only added to her appreciation of them.

  They were seated on a sparsely occupied patio as soon as they reached the restaurant. Rocky was the only dog present, but there were several other groups of people. Unsurprisingly, both men ordered steaks, which actually sounded good to Maya but she decided that a steak salad instead would be perfect for her. The men both ordered beer but she decided to stick with iced tea. They did, of course, request a bowl of water for Rocky.

  When the server, a friendly and knowledgeable fellow, had left, Maya turned to Piers. “Why did you decide to join the US Fish and Wildlife Service? Obviously you care about wildlife, but why make it that official?”

  She wanted to know the same from Ryan but thought it would be easier to ask Piers first to lead into the topic.

  She caught the men trading glances that looked somehow strange, but only for a second. “My background is in science,” Piers said. “I’ve always liked animals. I started out in the military, then decided to follow up this way.”

  “Same thing, basically, with me,” Ryan said without her even having to ask him. She opened her mouth to ask for more detail but he continued, “And you? Why did you decide to join WHaM?”

  This was something she loved to talk about. “The thing is, I’m a statistician by background, as well as a real animal lover. Even before, I loved observing and documenting and forecasting future numbers in different fields. But along the way I met other people as obsessed and adoring of wildlife as I am—so we got together and formed WHaM.”

  “Then you’re one of the founders?” Ryan’s tilted head and smile suggested he was impressed, which made Maya feel even better.

  “Yep,” she said. “A group of us decided that an organization was needed to document and try to maximize restoration of native wildlife throughout the country. We discuss ideas with each other and, when appropriate, make suggestions to local governments. Of course we recognize the need to make sure that the influx of wildlife occurs as safely as possible for both animals and locals, so my talk tomorrow is entirely appropriate for me—and so was the one I gave yesterday.”

  “So what brought you here, to Washington?” Ryan asked. “Although I’ll bet I can guess.”

  “I’ll bet you can, too,” she replied. “We’re all so delighted about the return of wolves to this state and wanted to be part of it, though there aren’t many yet and even fewer in this area. And some, in other areas, are unfortunately being disposed of for doing what comes naturally to them: hunting prey. But here I am, representing all of WHaM—and maybe all wolves, too!” She shot them both a smile—but noticed they glanced at each other again first. What was going on? She had to ask. “Do you two have some kind of opinion on WHaM or the wolves or whatever that you’d like to share with me? Or some kind of official opinion from Fish and Wildlife?”

  “Not really, though of course the more we know about your organization, and the more your organization knows about Fish and Wildlife regulations and standards, the better for all o
f us—and the wolves here, too.” Ryan spoke as if he was a government guy, which he was, and Maya saw Piers’s head nodding, as well.

  Their food arrived then. Maya wasn’t surprised when both men cut pieces of meat from their steak and fed them to the now-sitting and clearly happy, tail-wagging Rocky.

  For the rest of the meal, they talked in generalities, sometimes about this town and any sights to see, sometimes about transportation here from Sea-Tac, but never again anything personal about their backgrounds, even though Maya attempted now and then to turn the conversation gently back to that subject.

  No matter. She enjoyed her salad—and she enjoyed the company.

  She even kind of enjoyed it when Ryan took over the discussion and began telling her what she ought to cover in her talk the next day.

  Most of what he said made sense.

  But it was her talk. If she chose not to do it his way, too bad.

  *

  There was something about this woman that really resonated with Ryan.

  Maybe it was her enthusiasm about wildlife—particularly wolves.

  Maybe it was her intelligence. Her determination. Her jumping right into a situation that fascinated her and finding a way to share it with the world. The organization she had helped to create was now known by nearly everyone involved with wildlife preservation.

  And maybe his appreciation of her was spiced up even more by his attraction to her—physically and otherwise.

  For now, though, as they finished their meal, he had already donned his nonexistent cloak of being in command, thanks to his false job with the federal government.

  He allowed that once more to be the reason he treated her to this meal—and Piers, too, of course.

  “Thanks,” Maya said as they stood to leave. “And thanks also for your suggestions about what I should say tomorrow.”

  The smile on her face, as cute and appealing as it was, seemed false, as if she wasn’t overly excited about his ideas on how to give her presentation.

  But he didn’t mind. He liked the idea of her being her own woman—on behalf of wolves. And he would be there. If she got into anything she shouldn’t, whether a topic or approach or anything else, he’d be able to channel her back in the right directions. Even correct her.