Jaxon smiled, but there was an earnestness about it. “Even the most alpha among us is brought to our knees around our fated mates. The moment you smell them, you know it’s something you’ve never experienced before. And then that first touch… Wow. It’s like electricity. There’s no going back after that. It changes your life.”
A murmur of agreement went around the table.
Not least between Greer and me. We stared at each other, and I felt a spark of that electricity Jaxon spoke about. Since Coraline, I felt even more connected to Greer. He was my rock, my best friend, and my soul. He’d given me everything I’d ever wanted, and more. A family. A home. A way into the pack I’d yearned to fit into my whole life. I had it all—everything I’d written about in my book. I had my happily ever after.
Later that night, I lay in bed, listening to Coraline breathing. I did that most nights, just sitting beside her, watching her little chest rise and fall, searching for any sign she wasn’t comfortable. She was a good baby, ate regular as clockwork, slept long hours, which gave me the opportunity to write. I’d just finished my first draft of the sequel, and had months ahead of me in edits, but I was satisfied with what I’d done so far. Greer had wanted to read it, but it wasn’t ready for that yet. Soon though.
I smiled and looked over the side of the bed into the crib. The nursery was all set up for her, but I didn’t have it in me to put her there yet. I liked having her beside me so I could keep an eye on her—what parent didn’t?
She whimpered as if knowing I was looking at her. Her little face screwed up, and I instantly knew she was going to wake up for her feed. Before she could disturb Greer, I got out of bed, and then carefully picked Coraline up, murmuring to her softly as I rocked her in my arms.
“Hey, little one. You hungry?” Of course she was. Like Stacia, she was a growing girl who loved her food. I was just about to take her downstairs into the kitchen to heat up her bottle when I saw an orange glow from outside the window.
It wasn’t the first light of dawn. For a start the windows faced north, and it was way too early for the sun to come up. I frowned and moved closer to the window, trying to see the source of the glow.
Far off on the mountain, but close enough to know it was within the boundary of the pack’s lands, the orange glow seemed to spread, get brighter, and then I realized what I was looking at.
Fire.
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Nash
BANG! The reverberation hit me like a bullet. I stopped in my tracks. My ears pricked up and my whiskers quivered. My legs shook. My guts clenched. I wretched and coughed up bile. I knew what had happened. Minutes before I got back to camp, before I saw him on the ground… I already knew what had happened.
I ran as fast as I could on four legs through the desert. My tongue hung dry and limp out of my mouth as I panted in the searing air. My lungs burned. My feet scorched against the hot rocks. It felt like an eternity, but I was moving at lightning speed. I had to get back… I had to get back…
I got back to camp alright, and I wished I’d shifted into my human form first. I saw everything in too much detail with my sharp wolf eyes, like the collapsed wall of our makeshift base, like the shrapnel strewn all over the dry desert floor.
And my comrade… My best friend. A head wound. And so much blood.
I raced over to him before I had time to think. The blood was warm beneath my paws. I looked down at him, and he looked up at me with some kind of wonder in his eyes. I shifted back into my human form and yelled commands at the other officers. I called for a medic. Didn’t I? Surely I called for a medic…
“I’m not going to make it,” he groaned as I held him in my arms.
“You are. You’re going to make it.”
“Nash… I need you to take this. I need you to tell him…”
The coastal highway was a blur and the rental car smelled like sickly sweet air freshener, even with the windows down and the sea air blowing in. I thought taking the scenic route back to my hometown of Timberwood Cove from the Washington military base would be romantic, but it just seemed to drag on forever. Halfway there, I regretted my decision and yearned for the straight-shot inland freeway. I got stuck behind a campervan doing ten below the speed limit. I took a deep breath and leaned back in my seat.
Chill.
Easier said than done when you’re on your way back to a hometown you left eight years ago. I flicked on the radio and tapped my fingers to the beat of sappy love songs, until I was tapping them much faster and much harder than the tempo.
The caravan in front of me flicked on its turn signal, and I wondered if they’d given up on the tight turns of the winding coast and were going to head inland to find the freeway. We came to a stop at an intersection and stayed stopped while they waited for the oncoming traffic to disappear. I let out a frustrated growl and looked out at the view to try and relax. This part of the highway had a thin shoulder and the road dropped off into nothingness at the jagged cliff’s edge. The sparkling, deep blue of the ocean stretched out with a kind of vastness that made me feel small. I wondered why feeling tiny also made me feel safe. Something to talk to my new veteran therapist about.
I put my hand to my chest and was almost surprised to find the set of dog tags there. Mine were in the glove compartment. These ones though, I kept them safe. I wrapped my fingers around the cold tags as I took in a sharp breath, and then I rubbed my thumb over the engraving, too small for me to read by touch, but I knew the name better than I knew my own. Jessiah Gloss.
Jesse had been my best friend, and I had one last mission to carry out on his behalf.
Finally, the caravan turned off, and it was a straight shot up the highway to Timberwood Cove, going ten above the limit. When I saw the aquarium on the horizon, I felt a tightness in my chest. The huge glass and metal building looked as if it was rising up out of the ocean, like some kind of new Atlantis. It was the first real landmark I’d seen all day. It was a sign I was almost home.
I held the cold metal of the dog tags against my lips as I turned up Silvercoat Way.
“It’s been years since I’ve been here, Jess,” I said to no one with a sigh, looking at the town with fresh eyes.
They fell onto my chest with a heavy clank as I suddenly veered to avoid a flash of white and gray fur, followed closely by a shot of brown. I hit the curb, but managed to pull out in an easy move, and then I looked back in the rearview mirror as I got back on the road. A big white husky was pushing its way into the dog park with a stumpy little corgi right on its tail.
I let out a short laugh and ran a hand over my hair.
“It wouldn’t be Timberwood Cove if it weren’t overrun with canines.” I laughed, but continued tapping my fingers, harder and faster than ever.
It was a straight shot up Pack Lane, and the gates to the Wolf Lodge homestead opened with a grandeur I’d never noticed when I’d lived here. I’d been back from my military service for a few holidays and a couple of appointments with specialists for my mom, but I could never stay for longer than a few days—a couple of weeks if I was lucky. This time was different, though. This time was for good.
“It’s more beautiful than I remembered, Jess,” I mumbled as I drove the long way around the homestead roads at a crawl, sticking my head out the window and taking in the scent of the dense pine forests that grew on the mountains surrounding the homestead, hot and aromatic from the summer sun.
I noticed a few houses in the homestead I’d never seen before. A couple of faces that weren’t familiar, new residents who were checking mail and painting fences. They all gave me a friendly smile or a wave, but I started wondering if I was going to feel like I was coming “home” or if it would be like moving into a new town. A stranger in a strange land. But that worry disappeared as I took a wide curve toward Wolf Lodge and saw my mom’s house peeking out from behind a dense, high hedg
e.
I grumbled when I saw the driveway had too many cars in it.
“Susie Parsons, you better not have organized a big event for my return.”
Of course she had, but the moment I knocked on the front door it flew open and my mom’s bright smile made all my worries fade away.
“Welcome home, Nash!”
I pulled her into a big hug, even as my heart ached and my wolf whined, worried for my mother. She hugged me back, and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The smell of mom, the hint of dinner rolls baking in the oven, and the scent of a woody, salty air made me feel like I was actually home.
This was it. This was the place I’d called home since I was a cub, and now it would be again until who knew when. The familiarity of it hit me hard. I swallowed down a lump in my throat and pulled back to get a look at my mom. She was thinner than the last time I’d seen her a few years earlier, getting more frail, the Rheumatoid Arthritis she suffered from ravaging her body. But she just beamed back at me with unconditional love shining in her eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“My beautiful boy,” she said, putting a hand on my cheek. “Handsome as the day you were born. Isn’t he handsome?”
She turned and I noticed Frank Schultz, the community’s head firefighter, standing in the hallway.
“Frank! Sorry. I don’t know how I missed you there.” The big guy grabbed my hand and pulled me into a firm hug.
“Welcome home, Nash,” he said, slapping my back.
“Thanks, Frank,” I said as my heart swelled. I’d been a volunteer firefighter straight out of school, before I’d left for the military, and Frank was the closest thing to a father figure I had left since my dad had died.
“Well, come on,” Mom said, dragging me behind her as she headed deeper into the house. “The rest of the family is dying to see you.”
“Good to be home?” she asked, squeezing my fingers. Her skin felt cold.
“Good to see you,” I said, smiling down at her. “The house seems bigger every time I come back.”
Frank let out a laugh and nodded. “And let’s be honest, Nash. It was already freakin’ huge.”
“Just a trick of the light,” Mom insisted.
“Mhm, so the light is creating a mirage of a beautiful, new two-story structure by the pool, is it, Susie?” Frank asked, his voice teasing.
“Mom, did you get another extension?”
“Just a little guesthouse out the back.”
“A little two-story guesthouse?”
“I thought you’d like your own space,” she said, and then she gave me a warm smile. “And Linc Travers was happy to do the work. You’ll be impressed with the workmanship.”
We walked past the stairs that led down to the games room, past two guest bedrooms and finally into the oversized kitchen and dining area where our closets packmates were sitting around the table, chatting and laughing.
“Look who’s home,” my mom said happily.
“Nash!” someone yelled.
I grinned and gave a short wave to everyone, then quickly took my seat at the table between my mom and my cousin, Jaxon Parsons. He also happened to be our pack’s lead alpha, and being around him instantly made me feel safe. I let out a relieved sigh and gave him a smile.
“Good to see you, Nash,” he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as the food was brought to the table.
“You too,” I said, genuinely. He was the older cousin I’d always looked up to, and he’d always looked out for me. Ever since he’d become our pack alpha, I’d felt even more like he was protective of me.
“You alright?” Jaxon asked gently as he handed me the peas.
“Yeah, yeah,” I waved my hand. “It’s just been a while since I’ve had so much attention on me being a good thing…”
“Life in the Navy SEALS is a little more incognito, huh?”
I laughed and nodded as I spooned peas onto my plate. “I’ve done my best to become as unremarkable as possible. Attention usually means danger. Going to be hard to change that habit.”
Jaxon nodded and took the peas from me when I offered them. He didn’t rush to fill the silence.
“How’s Bryce?” I asked, just realizing that his mate was missing.
“Mm, he’s at home, it’s chaos there right now. What about you? Anyone special in your life? A mate?”
I shook my head.
“Not for me. Not much romance in the military. I certainly didn’t meet anyone, let alone a fated mate.” I chuckled and Jaxon raised his eyebrows.
“A skeptic about fated mates, are you?”
“I know it happens to other people, but I don’t think I’m sensitive enough to recognize the signs even if they jumped up and bit me.”
“Hey, even the most alpha among us is brought to our knees around our fated mates,” Jaxon declared, and a murmur of agreement went around the table. “The moment you smell them, you know it’s something you’ve never experienced before. And then that first touch… Wow. It’s like electricity. There’s no going back after that. It changes your life.”
Even my mother was smiling and nodding. I was the odd man out, and all eyes were on me.
“How’s Lori?” I asked Jaxon, desperate to take the attention off me.
“Oh, she’s a handful.” Jaxon laughed as he reached for the potato salad. “She’s three and a half now, can you believe it?”
“Seriously? The last time I saw her, she was still in diapers.”
“Yeah, man, it goes fast. Got to pay attention to every moment, while you have it.” Jaxon sighed and looked away.
I followed his gaze and found him looking at my mom. I felt a twinge of guilt and a rush of paranoia. Did the pack leader know something about my mom’s health that I didn’t? Before I could ask, he slapped my shoulder.
“Glad to have you back,” he said before tucking into his meal.
I felt a little more relaxed once I had a belly fully of food.
“How’s everything at the station?” I asked Frank sometime later.
“Good!” he replied, wiping his moustache with his napkin. “Busy, actually. There’ve been a few incidences going on around town. Dragon shifters have been starting fires. Nothing too serious but annoying all the same considering we can’t find the bastards who are responsible.”
Jaxon grunted and I glanced at him for more information. “We’ll talk about it later,” he said. “We’re keeping vigilant, but like Frank said. We can’t find the bastards.”
“Actually, Nash,” Frank said, grabbing my attention. “Are you heading back to the military any time soon?”
I shook my head. “Nope, that’s it. Done for good. I got out after an incident.”
Frank nodded, and I was grateful he didn’t press me for more details.
“So, do you have any plans for work, now you’re back in town?”
“Not yet. Going to talk to the veteran’s association about hooking me up with something to stay busy.”
“Well then. How would you feel about joining us at the station?”
I raised my eyebrows. “As a volunteer?”
“Sure, if that’s where you want to start.”
“You’d take me on as a firefighter?”
“Why not?” he asked, reaching for the roast potatoes. “There are plenty of vets in the rescue services. Especially Navy SEALs. Man, you guys learn most of our skills in your first year of training. It wouldn’t take much to get you signed up.”
“Hm.” I put down my cutlery and seriously considering the offer.
“That could be good for you, darling,” Mom said to me as she passed Frank the gravy he hadn’t asked for. “A little something to keep you busy. Frank, I swear you’ll regret it if you don’t try those potatoes with this gravy.”
She was right about the gravy. In fact, she was always right.
Once everyone had cleared out, I checked out the guesthouse while my mom went to take a nap. I stepped out through the huge glass doors of the dining ro
om, out to the manicured grounds. As soon as my bare feet set down on the grass, I felt some residual tension melt away from my body. I closed my eyes and tilted my face to the sun, bathing in the warmth. I took my time walking around the outdoor pool and down the short garden path to the new guesthouse.
Frank was right. The extension was excessive. It was the size of a modest house, and when I opened the door it was clear to me that my mom had intended it to be exactly that. It wasn’t so much a guesthouse, as much as it was a home for me to stay in indefinitely. The art on the walls were paintings I’d done in high school, posters of surf bands I’d been obsessed with, and the place was decked out in my favorite muted browns and deep blues.
The craftsmanship was incredible. Timber beams lifted up the angled roof, and it looked like they were held in place with interlocking wooden brackets. Everything was wood and stone. I couldn’t see a piece of steel anywhere.
I was relieved to find that Mom had re-upholstered the ugly couch I’d had as a teenager. I flopped down on it and let out a long, deep sigh, melting into the couch as I looked out through huge glass windows down to the main house. However, relaxation wasn’t something I was used to, and after just a few minutes I started to get itchy.
“Guess I should unpack,” I said, and I heard the sound muted by the wood. No echoes here. Not like in the barracks.
The strings in my chest felt like they were being plucked again. I lifted the dog tags and gazed down at them, and decided it was time I paid him a visit.
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