by Dannika Dark
Naya jogged down the steps. “Darling, you’ll wake the dead.”
The cold air chilled her wet feet, and she paused when what looked like two bears moved in through the front door. Lorenzo stripped out of his heavy coat and heaved it at Austin.
Lexi admonished them with a glance. “You shouldn’t have come. Not in this weather. It’s dark as sin out there. Believe me, we would have understood.”
“Nonsense,” Ivy replied. “We’ve come all this way, so there’s nothing more to discuss.”
“Stay for dinner?”
Ivy handed her an oversized bag. “We brought plenty of fresh bread. If we’re lucky, it might still be warm.”
“Hand that to me,” Lynn said. “You’re such a sweetheart for baking this for us. I’ll put it by the fire while you two get settled.”
Naya came down the rest of the stairs, leaving behind a trail of wet footprints that William quickly noticed.
“What happened to you?” he asked.
“Wheeler got me wet.”
He smirked. “Indeed.”
Lorenzo strode toward the fireplace while Austin hung up his monstrosity of a coat. “Three miles south, the power lines are down. We had to take a difficult route. Do you have any hay for my horse?”
Austin snapped his fingers. “Reno, go move the cars out of the garage and put the horse in there.”
Reno barked out a laugh while he covered his head with a red baseball cap. “He better not shit on that floor. I spent all day yesterday cleaning up the oil stains and organizing. And we don’t have hay,” he said, grabbing the doorknob and heading out.
“I know where to get some!” Lennon shouted, running after him.
Travis was contentedly watching all the action from Trevor’s arms, a smile hovering on his lips. He still looked a little sleepy, as if he’d just woken up from a nap.
Naya took Ivy’s hand. “Come by the fire and get warm.”
Ivy followed behind her. “You look like you need to be wrung out.”
“I feel wrung out from all the work we’ve been doing today.” Naya took her coat and set it down near the fire to dry. When Ivy sat on the hearth with Lorenzo behind her, Naya handed her a flannel blanket to wrap around her shoulders.
“Beautiful tree,” Ivy said.
Naya admired the tree in the left-hand corner by the staircase. Someone had adorned it with simple ornaments, but it still looked unfinished. It was much larger than the plastic one they’d previously owned.
Lorenzo gave Austin a tight grin. “It looks a little naked, Cole.”
Hendrix, who was sitting by the TV, stood up with a bunch of popcorn strung on a thread. “We’re taking care of it.”
“Where did you get that?” Jericho asked. “If that’s your mother’s popcorn, she’s going to eat the tree if she shifts.”
Hendrix cackled and sat back down on the floor, continuing with his project.
Izzy glided into the room with two mugs and handed them to their guests. “There was hot water left over in the kettle. It’s just cocoa, but I can make coffee if you’d rather have that instead. Ben found an old camping burner that runs on gas, so at least now we can have hot drinks. Our hot-water tank went cold hours ago.”
Lorenzo nodded appreciatively and drank the cocoa right away.
“That’s so kind of you,” Ivy said. After a long sip, she set down her mug and reached into her coat pocket. “Hope sent a gift for Melody. May I give this to her now?”
“Of course,” Izzy said. “Mel! Come down here for a minute.” She headed toward the stairs and yelled again.
Maizy was sitting on the sofa with Denver’s wolf pressed against her legs. Austin said something to her privately, and after a moment, she quickly got up and led Denver out of the room. It wasn’t respectful to have wolves lying around the house when there were guests present.
A heavy knock sounded at the front door, and everyone turned to look.
Austin moved through the room like a torpedo. No one in the Weston pack knocked to come in, and Naya couldn’t imagine who would have traveled all this way. When he opened the door, a tall figure filled the doorway. Lennon weaved around them from outside, tossed his coat over a chair, and collapsed on the floor next to Hendrix. They started snickering about something, the way young boys do, but Naya kept her eyes on the visitor. Austin lingered in the shadows a moment longer before closing the door and escorting someone into the room.
Ivy sprang to her feet. “Lakota!”
He pulled off his black beanie and showered the floor with snow.
Ivy’s face was fraught with worry. “I told you not to come. Why didn’t you listen—”
“Mother, let’s not cause a scene. I’m here now.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I only planned to follow for a mile, but I saw the accident on the road a few miles back. You fell off your horse, didn’t you? Are you okay?”
She stepped back, her voice calmer and her cheeks flushed. “I’m fine. The horse just got a little spooked.”
Naya collected his wet hat and hung it on the drying rod affixed above the fireplace. She couldn’t help but notice how much Lakota had grown into a man since the last time she’d seen him. He must have all the girls in a tizzy.
Lakota stretched out his arms and grinned. “Since when does Texas get this much snow? You must have pissed off the spirits.” He combed his fingers through his shoulder-length hair, the ends tangled and dripping with ice.
“Did you come by car or horse?” Austin asked.
“I handed my mare off to your beta. He’s out there shoveling manure and cursing.” Lakota’s smile waned. “I fed her well before we left, so all she needs is water. There are several pounds of carrots in my pack for a treat, but she’ll paw through the snow if she’s hungry enough in the morning.”
Wheeler trotted down the stairs, looking delicious in a clean muscle shirt and black pants. Naya crossed the room and curled up against him. He smelled like exotic oils, and she could tell he was in a snuggling mood by the way he curved his arm around her waist and tucked her against him.
Maizy and Denver returned from the kitchen, Denver finally in human form. All he had on was one of Lexi’s white aprons. He saluted Lorenzo with two fingers and strode through the room, his bare ass out for all the world to see.
Izzy bumped into him as she hurried downstairs. She looked around frantically. “I can’t find Melody. Has anyone seen her?”
The twins stood up with alarm in their eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Have you seen your sister?”
They looked at each other and shook their heads.
It was then that a grim silence hung in the air. It was easy to lose track of people with so many coming and going, but it was unlike Melody to separate herself from the group for long.
“I need everyone’s attention!” Austin boomed. “If you’re not in this room, get in here now.”
Several packmates appeared from all directions. Ben and Reno were the only ones unaccounted for since they were still outside.
Izzy was shaking so hard that Jericho wrapped his arms around her. She pushed back and shouted, “Melody!”
The silence sent her even deeper into panic.
Jericho paced, his fingers steepled and covering his mouth. “How could this happen? Mel wouldn’t just take off,” he said, genuinely shocked.
“Who saw her last and when?” Austin asked.
Naya shook her head, trying to recall. “This afternoon she helped me search for the cat. But when he didn’t turn up, I told her to forget about it and go back to enjoying her day. That’s the last time I saw her.”
Maizy rushed toward the room that led to the heat house.
“Oh my God,” Izzy breathed. “The cat.”
Jericho gripped her shoulders. “What is it?”
“She wanted to go outside to look for him, and I told her yes. That was hours ago!”
“I saw her walking down to the creek,” Lexi said.
Everyone knew how dangerous sno
w could be for Shifters. It erased territorial markings their wolves routinely made. Not only could rogues accidentally wander onto the territory, but so could neighboring packs.
Maizy reappeared, out of breath. “She’s not in the heat house. I just checked.”
The twins ran for the door.
“Boys!” Jericho shouted. “Stay inside. I don’t want you separating from the pack.”
“But Dad, we can’t just—”
“You heard me.” Jericho gripped the bear claw on his necklace. “I’m not losing any more kids.”
Austin rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s too dangerous out there to have everyone gone. There’s no moonlight, and the snow makes it difficult to navigate. Dammit.”
The last thing they needed to do was abandon the house after dark.
Lorenzo stood quietly, scrutinizing Austin with a judgmental gaze. Naya wanted to give him a good smack because the man was always seeking any opportunity to find fault in Austin, even though they were allies. Men were silly when it came to old grudges, and theirs went back to high school. But Austin knew exactly what he was doing, and keeping his pack safe was top priority.
Lakota reached for his hat and put it on. “I’ll bring her home safe.”
Austin peeled off his shirt. “Tell Reno he’s in charge. I’ll search the property by the creek; Jericho, you take the front. Then we’ll work our way to the back if we don’t find anything. Keep the porch lit, and gather up some lanterns and flashlights to spread around the property. Maybe she’s close and can’t see the house.” He turned to the twins. “I want you boys on the second floor manning the windows. You’ve got a good view up there, so take flashlights and shout if you see anything.”
Like lightning, they tore up the stairs.
“I’ll search the back,” Lakota said, inviting no argument as Ivy gave him a concerned look.
“That’s a lot of territory to cover.” Austin took his baby boy from Trevor’s arms and kissed his cheek before handing him to Lexi.
“I’ll check out the west side,” William volunteered. “Then we can all wrap around to the back. Lakota will have a head start on us, so he’ll need to mark the territory if he finds her trail.”
Lakota shook his head. “I’m not shifting unless it’s necessary. I can cover more ground on horseback, and I don’t want my wolf taking over. I come from a long line of trackers,” he said, looking at Lorenzo.
Naya couldn’t help but notice Lorenzo’s proud expression. Lakota wasn’t his son by blood, but in that moment, it was clear that he looked up to Lorenzo as a father.
“I’m going with you,” Izzy insisted. “I can’t just sit here while my baby is out in the cold.”
Austin spoke, his voice reassuring. “Your boys need their mother. You’re the only one who can keep them from running off into this mess.”
She rubbed the scars on her wrist. “I should have said no. Why didn’t I just tell her no?”
“Tell you what you can do. Go outside and check all the cars. She might have gone in there for privacy and fell asleep.”
Izzy nodded, but it wasn’t likely Melody would have done such a thing. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. Austin just wanted Izzy to feel useful.
Naya’s stomach did a somersault. Had she not asked Melody to help her look for Sparty, the poor baby wouldn’t have gone searching outside.
She approached Izzy and wrapped her arms around her. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head. Melody’s a smart young lady and is probably inside one of the bunkers staying warm. She’s just waiting for us to come get her.”
Izzy nodded and wiped her tears away. Everyone knew she was a strong wolf, so seeing her distraught made everyone realize the gravity of the situation. Jericho shifted, then William. Austin opened the front door and let them out while Lexi gave him a kiss and whispered something in his ear. This wasn’t just Izzy and Jericho’s child; this was the pack’s child.
Lakota swaggered up to Izzy and offered a confident smile. “No worries, ma’am. Even if the snow covered her tracks and she hitched a ride to Santa Fe, I won’t return without her.”
“Promise?”
After a flicker of hesitation, he nodded. “On my word.”
Chapter 11
Melody
When Melody raised her head, she was staring into the eyes of a wolf. There was no way to know if she was on his property or he on hers, but by the low growl humming in his throat, he was definitely giving her a warning.
She slowly rose to her feet and searched for a tree with low enough branches to climb. Unfortunately, there weren’t any reachable ladder steps on the trunk to hoist herself to safety on the tree stand. The brown wolf peeled back his lips, flashing his sharp fangs and delivering a threat.
If only she had her bow.
She took cautious steps toward a tree next to her, her eyes submissively low. When she reached for the branch, she pulled herself to safety.
Melody remained there for hours.
Now it was pitch-black—darkness like she’d never known, not a trace of light bouncing off low clouds. Not a single dim star. Not even a sliver of moonlight.
Her legs ached, and she couldn’t keep her balance any longer. The bitter cold was making her sleepy, and she realized that sleeping on a branch in the dark wasn’t such a swell idea. What if she fell and hit her head? Even though the plan had been to stay put, fear sank in. She hadn’t heard any howls or shouting, and if no one came for her, she could die here.
It made her angry. Not just because of foolishly running into the woods after a cat, but mad that she could miss out on all her dreams. She wasn’t done with life, and there was no way she was ready to die in a tree.
Melody gripped the branch and held on, suspended in the air for a few brief seconds before dropping to the ground.
She had to keep moving to circulate the blood and stay warm, but she was too weary. All she wanted was one drop of light to make her feel safe for just a moment. After kicking the snow and creating a place to sit, she crouched down and cupped her hands in front of her mouth, blowing a heated breath into them while devising a plan.
Maybe her pack was searching, and she’d missed their calls because of the wind. Melody made the sound of a dove’s cry, this one a long note that hung in the air.
Wood split up ahead, and her heart leapt out of her chest.
Was that light?
She clenched her hands into fists but found herself unable to stand. Cresting the hill in the distance, the shape of a horse came into view. She heard him struggling to climb, and a sharp beam of light sprayed the trees above before falling to the ground and giving her only a silhouette of a rider with semi-long hair.
“Dad?” she yelled out.
Her dad didn’t have a horse, but no one else in the family except Maddox had long hair.
The rider slung his leg over and dismounted. She squinted when he dropped the flashlight in the snow and stalked toward her. Melody froze in panic—she had no weapons to protect her.
The horse snorted and whinnied, pawing at the ground with his hoof.
She remained in a crouching position, unable to move and hoping in vain that maybe he didn’t see her. The stranger crouched down and secured her hood over her head.
“I knew it was you when I saw that purple hair,” a familiar voice said.
Her eyes watered as she tried to focus on the face in front of her. “Lakota?”
The wind whistled against the trees, snowflakes swirling all around them as if they were trapped inside a snow globe. He stood up and took off his black coat. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Melody felt warm when he wrapped the coat around her shoulders. Still crouched on the ground, she tugged at the collar.
Lakota took each of her hands and, one at a time, cupped them in his own. He blew out a hot breath, and the heat burned against her icy fingertips. “You have everyone worried,” he said. “Maybe today wasn’t the best day for a stroll in the woods.”
She kept staring at him, amazed at how different he was from the last time she’d seen him. All the boyishness was gone, replaced by a man. He must be about twenty-two now.
He lifted her chin with the crook of his finger. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“I’m waiting for you to say something funny,” she said through clenched teeth. The shivering and teeth-chattering had ceased, her muscles now locked tight.
Lakota smirked. “Stand up and let’s get you home.”
“I can’t. I’m too cold.”
“You will. Now stand up with me. We’ll do this together.” Lakota took her arm and helped her to her feet. Then he gave her the strangest look—one that put a flutter in her stomach. “You’ve grown taller since I last saw you.” His voice softened as he looked down and studied her features. “How old are you now?”
“S-s-seventeen.”
He pulled the coat tight and buttoned up the front. “No, you’re not a woman yet. Soon.”
“I am too a woman.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Oh? And when did you go through your first change?”
She glared up at him. “None of your business.”
“That’s what I thought.” Lakota bent down and looked her in the eyes. She’d always thought his blue eyes were remarkable against his dark features. “I can smell a new wolf, and you haven’t gone through your first shift yet. Otherwise you wouldn’t be sitting out here shivering. Come on, kiddo. Your chariot awaits.”
She wrenched away as they walked toward the horse.
Lakota chuckled quietly. “Still the stubborn girl I remember.”
“Why is it when a man refuses someone’s help, he’s self-assured, but when a woman does the same, she’s stubborn?”
“Gender has nothing to do with the words I choose for you, but I know a braying mule when I see one.”
Melody reached down and scooped up a handful of snow, then tossed it at his head. It broke into pieces when it hit the side of his face.
Lakota slowly wiped the snow away and folded his arms. “Is that any way to treat your savior? This is the second time I’ve risked my life for you.”
