by Sky Winters
“What are we doing?”
“You didn’t think we were just going to drive through this hood all day did you? This is where we hit the sidewalks.”
“Great.”
The day past that was just a blur of street names and faces that Ryan would no doubt come to know better than he’d like to in the coming months. Right now, they all seemed like clones of one another in their caps and hoodies, designed to hide their faces, color, sex, everything. It didn’t matter what their differences were in this neighborhood, they all had one common enemy - the police. The more they could blend in with one another, the less likely they were to be singled out as the culprit for anything caught on security cameras or cell phones.
Ryan understood it. It wasn’t much different than life in his pack had been. In an attack, you couldn’t sort out one brown, black or grey wolf from the next. Their individual markings blended together and they became one large entity, attacking as one. Only a very rare Alpha or the Omegas displayed any unique colorings, sometimes white, red, beige or a whole variety of shades in between. He found himself wondering what color Lucy’s wolf might be and if he’d ever see it. She remained in his thoughts as they drove back to the station, the drone of Tate’s voice beside him fading into the background and going unheard.
As soon as he was home, he sent her a text. He’d let enough time pass so as not to seem too eager. He didn’t know who wrote the rules about how long you should wait before texting or calling someone you’d been out with. He’d already pushed the boundaries by sending her a message the morning after, but he’d used the earrings as an excuse. He thought it was ridiculous that men and women made up so many silly rules for dating, but he found himself following them, nonetheless.
She, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care about them at all, as he received an almost instant reply.
I’d love to see you tonight. Call me when you get a chance.
Fine. If she didn’t care about the rules, neither did he. He pushed the call button by her contact name and waited as the line rang on the other end.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lucy
“Hello?” Lucy replied, trying not to sound too giddy.
“Hey. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I was asleep last night and had to be in early at work today. Haven’t had much time to talk.”
“No apologies necessary.”
“I know. Just didn’t want you to think I was blowing you off or anything.”
“I didn’t.”
“So, have you had dinner yet?”
“Not yet.”
“How about I swing by and pick you up on the bike? We can go down to The Folly for a burger and maybe take a walk on the trail.”
“Trail is closed at night.”
“You gonna report me to the police?”
She laughed and accepted his invitation, giving him her address. It wasn’t something she would usually do so early on. She tended to be paranoid and meet people somewhere else rather than telling them where she lived, but Ryan was a cop and she knew where he lived, so she didn’t think twice about it.
“See you in about an hour then?” he said.
“See you then,” she replied.
The call ended from his end and she tossed her phone on the bed, grabbing a quick shower herself before changing into some jeans and a soft button down blouse. She pulled a heavy sweater over it to combat the cold out and pulled her hair up in a ponytail before dabbling on a light coat of makeup for what she hoped looked like a casual, not trying too hard look. Then, she proceeded to pace about the house while she waited. She should be doing something, but she felt jittery. Why he had that effect on her, she wasn’t certain, but he did.
What had changed since their date? Nothing - except perhaps Sasha’s encouragement for her to not let it mean too much and just go with it. She was right, of course. Lucy’s instinct was always to flee anyone showing more than a passing interest in her. She was one of those girls who never fretted if a guy didn’t call after their date, even if that date included the mind blowing sex like she’d had with Ryan. She had goals and letting a man get in the way of them, especially an Alpha, was not an option.
Still, Ryan interested her in a way that most of them didn’t. They all pranced around with their superior attitudes and a sense of entitlement that Betas didn’t possess. You could go out with a Beta, fuck his brains out and he’d never call you, because most of them were out for a good time and that’s all. Even if they did call, you knew it was just a booty call or boredom. They needed someone to get out for the night with or they were horny. You could leave in the middle of the night and they wouldn’t blink an eye.
Lucy had behaved very much like a Beta in her life. She didn’t need some controlling Alpha trying to tame or conquer her. The last thing she wanted was some over-muscled Neanderthal telling her what to do or knocking her up with a litter of pups. At least, that is how she had always viewed life with an Alpha. Something about Ryan seemed different. He was in shape, big and powerful with muscles for days, but not the kind that shaped him more like a silver backed gorilla instead of a man.
He struck her as confident and assertive, but not overbearing or overly possessive. He could probably be both of those things when he wanted. It was a part of his nature. Still, she didn’t plan on getting to quite that level with him. A bit of fun and a very casual relationship seemed to be what both of them were looking for and she was good with that as long as he was.
There was the sound of a motorcycle pulling up nearby, but she’d not heard his car in the driveway yet. She was surprised when the doorbell rang and she opened it to find him standing there in a pair of jeans, motorcycle boots and a distressed leather jacket. Behind him sat an impressive motorcycle, though she had no clue what it was. Her expertise in motorcycles was about as extensive as her skills in brain surgery.
“I hope you’re hungry. I’m starving,” he told her.
“We are going on that?” she said, nodding toward the bike. She’d heard him say he’d pick her up on the bike over the phone, but she’d expected one of those big Goldwings like her father used to have. This looked more like something a Hell’s Angel would ride.
“Sure. You aren’t afraid of bikes are you?”
“No. I just . . . Well, I’ve never been on one.”
“What? You’re a wolf shifter and never been on a motorcycle? Half the packs in America exist in motorcycle clubs.”
“Not my pack and I’ve just never dated anyone that picked me up on one. I never even rode on my father’s bike.
“That sounds like disappointment.”
“Oh. No. No. It’s not disappointment. I - uh - I just . . . I’m not used to it. That’s all.”
“Should we go then?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Oh, you might want to put on a jacket. I know it’s fairly warm out here for January, but it will be much cooler out on the bike.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
Lucy grabbed her own leather jacket off the coat hook just inside the door and slipped into it, then followed him out to the bike, where she hesitated. He helped her put on the spare helmet before putting on his own and climbing on to steady the bike while she watched.
“Just throw your leg across and hold on to me. You’ll be fine.’
“Okay.”
Lucy did as he said and scooted up toward him, pressing her body onto his and folding her arms around his waist. He reached down and pulled them further around him and then cranked the bike, backing it out of the driveway and pulling onto the street before easing it forward along the street that led to her house. Once he hit the main road at the entrance to her small subdivision, he opened it up, roaring down the highway toward the restaurant that sat at the base of the mountain trails.
“I’ve never been here before,” she said as they climbed off the bike and removed their helmets.
He took them both and hung them on the handlebars before walking inside with her, pulling
out her chair after they were shown to their table and walking around to the other side. She pulled off her jacket, as well as the sweater underneath, and sat down. Ryan followed suit, revealing that he was wearing a faded yellow sweatshirt that said “Woodstock.” Instead of it being a reference to the music festival, there was a sketch of the bird from Charlie Brown beneath the letters. She smiled as he hung his jacket on the back of the chair and sat down across from her.
“I feel under dressed,” he said, looking at her crisp white shirt.
“Not as under dressed as your buddy Woodstock there,” she laughed.
Ryan looked down and chuckled, then looked back up at her. “It was a gift from my Mom.”
“That’s cute.”
Lucy wasn’t sure if it was a good sign or a bad sign. Either he was an overgrown mama’s boy or it was incredibly endearing that he had no issue wearing such a silly shirt out and about, even on a date. She had to remind herself that it didn’t matter either way. This was casual. Nothing serious and never would be.
“Thanks. She used to buy me one for my birthday every year.”
“Used to? She doesn’t anymore?”
“No. Sadly enough, no more t-shirts for me.”
“I’m sorry,” Lucy said, not sure what that meant or if she should ask. Nothing like starting a conversation off by bringing up someone’s dead mother.
“It’s okay. She just decided that I was too old for them and started giving me more grown up gifts. Truth is, I kind of miss them. So, I wear them when I get a chance. This is a pretty casual place and I thought you might be amused.”
“I am.”
“My work here is done then. Let’s get some food!” he said as their server approached.
With food on the way, the conversation resumed.
“So, your mother lives nearby then?”
“Yes. My entire family lives on the outskirts of town. They own a sheet metal shop that makes custom parts, mostly for our pack and others, but also for some of the locals.”
“I take it that you didn’t want to be in the sheet metal business?”
“No. I, um - I lost a brother to drugs when I was fairly young. It’s not that common with um, us, you know, but it happens.”
“I’m sorry. That’s horrible. I’ve known a handful of . . . us who have gone down that path. It’s not pretty.”
Lucy silently cursed herself. She’d escaped the potentially dead mother conversation only to end dredging up a dead brother instead.
“It’s okay. I was so little when he died. I don’t really remember any of the . . . bad stuff. I just know he was my brother and I loved him, but then he was gone and it hit me pretty hard. When I was older and understood what had happened to him, it struck me that I wanted to do something about the people who took him from me.”
“That’s understandable. So, you became a cop,” she said, carefully avoiding any discussion of what he might have done to anyone in particular that might have been associated with his brother’s death prior to that. Wolves weren’t exactly known for strictly abiding by the rules humans typically observed.
“Yes. I became a cop. In fact, I just got promoted. Today was my first day working more directly with the kind of people that led my brother astray.”
“That sounds exciting,” she replied.
He merely nodded, taking a sip of his sparkling water as the server arrived with their burgers and fries. The conversation slowed a bit as they ate, but picked right back up once they were finished and left the restaurant.
“So, the trail then?” he asked.
“You’re serious?”
“Completely.”
Lucy thought about it for a moment. The trail would likely be devoid of anyone at this time of night, as it was closed after dark. She would be completely alone on it with an Alpha wolf who she’d only been out with once before. It was risky, but there was a part of her that kept saying it would be okay. She wanted to go, but she was frightened. She told herself that it was all about being alone in the dark with a man she didn’t know that well, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew it was just as much that she didn’t trust herself with spending too much time with him.
She looked toward the trail and then back toward him. Why could she never just make a decision without overthinking it?
CHAPTER SIX
Ryan
Ryan didn’t miss her hesitation and he understood it. He was a cop, after all. He rarely missed body language or verbal clues. He was fully prepared to make an excuse so she didn’t feel bad about rejecting the invitation. There was no reason he couldn’t say he hadn’t realized how late it was getting and retract it, but she finally answered.
“Sure. Let’s go, but not too far out. Okay? It’s late and I have early classes tomorrow.”
He almost laughed but held it back and reached for her hand instead. They ducked into the entrance at the trail head and began slowly winding their way upward toward the first overlook. Though there were several on the way up, the top one was the most spectacular, especially at night. You could look out all over the city and see the lights below. They wouldn’t go that far up tonight.
What he really wanted was just to sit alone with her in the night air and talk, maybe kiss her. He was aware that it was very different from what he usually wanted from the women he dated, but he felt a certain affinity toward her that wasn’t usually present.
They were quickly up the hill and seated on a wide flat rock, he watched her as she looked out over the city below. It was only a section of what you could see from the higher perches, but still quite impressive.
“Have you been up here before?” he asked.
“Not at night. When I first came here, I didn’t have a place to stay. It was sort of last minute, my getting accepted to art school and all. Things were bad at home, between my father and me. My mother let him walk all over her and he made bad choices that put us on the wrong side of the pack. It’s a wonder we weren’t exiled altogether. I think it was only because my mother died and they felt sorry for me that we weren’t.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” he told her.
“Thanks. It’s been a while. I was sixteen. I stayed two more years after she was gone, finished school. My father pushed me to get married to one of the Alpha’s sons. It served his purposes, you know? Anyway, we had a blow out about it and I left with just a duffle bag of clothes and a few keepsakes from my mother. I slept in my car for my first few weeks of school and then I met Sasha, a girl from one of my classes. She let me stay with her while I got another grant sorted out and a part time job. I only gave that up recently to focus on my final semesters of school.”
“That sounds pretty rough. It must have been hard on you.”
“It was better than the life I left behind without my mother and it was better than the life I would have had there if my father had gotten his way. The Alpha’s son he tried to marry me off to wasn’t a terrible person. I knew all about him from others, but not first hand, and I didn’t want to find out.”
Ryan was moved by the story. No wonder she was so opposed to being ruled over by some Alpha. It was understandable and he certainly couldn’t fault her for it, but he wasn’t sure what to say next. Instead, he reached for her, pulling her chin toward his and kissing her softly. She kissed him back, a soft, lingering kiss that stirred him in a way he’d never known a woman to be capable of before. There was something special about her and he knew he’d be better off if he didn’t feel it. She’d already expressed her feelings on getting too close.
“I guess we should head back. The temperature is dropping. Even with the jackets, it’s going to get a lot chillier here soon,” he said, standing and helping her to her feet.
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her, letting her remain there for a moment, enjoying the way she felt against him. Finally, he let her go and took her hand, walking back down the mountainside with her. A sound to his left caught him off guard and he stopped, putti
ng his fingers to his lips for her to listen. They stood there and heard nothing further, except some small rodents shuffling through the leaves.
“I thought I heard something,” he said, beginning to move forward again.
“Me too,” she replied.
Only a few more steps down and they both stopped, the faint sound of footsteps nearby. They waited, the sounds growing closer and then stopping. Wordlessly, Ryan began stripping off his clothes, despite the look he was giving her that told her no. They both shifted and waited. The footsteps seemed to turn back and head off back down the hill. She and Ryan followed, clearing the woods, and seeing nothing. They turned and went back up the hill to where they had stripped bare and shifted back into human form.
“Where are our clothes?” Lucy said, looking around her.
Ryan looked about them, seeing nothing. “Is this where we stopped? It is, isn’t it?”
“It think so,” she said, her face screwed up in a puzzled gaze.
“Yes. It is,” he said, spotting a lone shoe lying on the ground nearby.
“Someone took our things?”
“I think so. Who would have done that?”
“I don’t know. Some locals pranking people they catch here in the dark.”
“There’s no way a kid or teenager could have outrun our wolfs down this hill,” she replied.
“No, but a wolf could have. Sons of bitches! My keys were in my pants!”
“So, we’re naked and without transportation?” she said.
“Speak for yourself,” he replied, reaching down, and retrieving his boot. “I have one shoe!”
They both dissolved into laughter. He was irked plenty that some little bastards managed to do this to them and more livid then he would admit that they took one of his favorite shirts, but he had to admit it was also comical in a way. The only question was how they were going to get home.
“I guess we’re shifting and taking the woods back home,” Lucy said, a step ahead of him but of the same mind.
