If Mia already knew? It didn’t matter. As her mate, I would still protect her for life.
“You’re right.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and put the truck in gear. “I’ll take you home.”
Mia
I collapsed in the chair on the back porch facing the forest. What a day. I doubt it could’ve gotten any weirder. Noah kissed me and then some random hunter rummaged through my things. He probably stole my shirt like some pervert.
Bears didn’t inhabit this part of Montana that I knew of, so why would hunters come here? Unless they hunted protected animals, like wolves. Not only was that illegal, I also hadn’t seen any wolves since I’d come back.
Regardless, the day was beyond weird, creepy even, and I hadn’t heard from Noah the rest of the afternoon.
As dusk settled behind the forest, I flipped on the porch lights and grabbed my sketch book and pencil. Even as an adult, staring at the forest behind Joan’s place was one of my favorite places. I’d forgotten how much I loved it. Towering trees, the crisp scent of pine needles lingering in the air, the mysterious treasures I imagined hid amongst the branches. The peacefulness. In winter, dusted in snow, this place would be breathtaking.
Wait up. Just because I loved the view, coupled with one spectacular kiss from Noah, didn’t mean I’d stay here. Though, part of me effortlessly envisioned a future in this house. I didn’t have much of a life back in Seattle anyway. I’d already lost my job because I embarked on an eight-week vacation and by the end of the summer, I would’ve burned through my savings just to pay my half of the rent on my shared apartment. Packing up and starting a new life here seemed like the logical option.
I exhaled a long breath. I’d consider those big decisions tomorrow. Tonight, I had the urge to sketch. I hardly made the time back in Seattle. Even before I finished college, I worked fulltime and barely had time for anything else. Art didn’t pay as well as people imagined.
I dragged the chair to the right, stopping at the top of the stairs for an uninterrupted view of the forest. Deep orange shone between the branches, darkening as the minutes ticked by. I held the pencil between my fingers and let go. With each stroke, the tension and weirdness from the day drifted into the background.
Daylight faded, replaced by the porch lights spilling over the lawn, but my pencil never stilled, pouring emotion, and longing onto the page. It reminded me of the last time I came here, where I sat on the grass each afternoon filling the pages with black and white sketches of my wolf friend.
A branch snapped at the far corner of the yard. My pencil stilled along with my breath. I waited, listened. When I heard nothing else, I resumed sketching. Clearly, I was still a little jumpy given what happened at the waterfall. I probably imagined it.
Focusing back on the page, I shaded the trunk of one tree, rubbing it with my thumb to smudge the pencil and create depth in the bark.
Another branch snapped. Closer this time. Nope, I didn’t imagine it.
A squirrel probably rummaging for food. Still, I paused again, straining to identify what made the noise. My ears buzzed in the silence. A weird sensation tugged at my chest like a fist squeezing and pulling at my heart.
I placed the sketch pad and pencil on the table and stood at the top of the stairs, scanning the yard. Nothing…My breath hitched. At the far end, surrounded by darkness and almost completely hidden between the trees, a set of ice-blue eyes stared back at me.
I’d know those eyes anywhere. My wolf.
“Thor,” I whispered. The name I gave him for his protection, bravery, and strength. In one summer, he healed the heart I hadn’t known was broken.
But how was Thor still here fifteen years later? I thought wolves lived for only five or so years. I descended the stairs quietly and slowly, so I didn’t spook him. Would he recognize my scent? Would he trust me?
I inched closer.
Thor whined and retreated a step, almost hesitant for me to approach. I stilled. Maybe this wasn’t him. Maybe this wolf was related to mine, which explained why the eyes were the same shade? A pup or more likely its pup’s pup?
No. Even knowing the unlikely odds, that tugging in my chest told me this wolf was my Thor. My heart squeezed. Fifteen years ago, he was the only thing that got me through the summer. Our unconventional friendship made me feel safe, protected, loved. Whole.
I’d give anything to feel that again.
Slow and steady, I crept closer, my palm held out in front of me.
This time, Thor’s whine morphed into a low rumble. A warning. But he didn’t retreat.
A few feet away, I crouched on the dewy grass. Just like the first time we met, I ventured halfway. Now it was his turn. I hoped he recognized me as I did him. Though, even if he didn’t, I’d be content sitting here at a distance admiring his glossy black fur. I wished I’d brought my sketch pad. I considered darting back for it, but with my luck the sudden movement would scare him, and he’d bolt into the forest.
One black front paw moved forward, stepping from the tree line. I held my breath. Thor’s gaze met mine. Recognition tickled the back of my mind. Those eyes. I’d seen them before, not just on him, but somewhere more recent. Where?
When I sensed he wanted to come closer, I held out my open hand. “Come here, Thor.”
Silently, he drew nearer. My heart pounded behind my ribs.
As soon as he was within reach, Thor lowered his head and whined. A sound so familiar, it resonated through my blood, curling around my heart. That tugging sensation intensified.
I reached out and smoothed my fingers through the bristly, black fur at his neck. Thor leaned into my touch.
“I’ve missed you. So much,” I whispered.
A sense of belonging spread through my chest, right to the center of my soul. My shoulders sagged under the weight of all the decisions I’d made leading me to this moment. Why did I stay away from here? I could’ve come back to Woodland Falls whenever I wanted. Joan would’ve welcomed me with open arms. Instead, I avoided it. Why?
Fear of failure? Disappointment? I didn’t know. Until Joan, the only family I ever loved did nothing for me in return. I hated the thought of becoming my mother, but even more so, it scared me to want something more from Joan. Instead, I made do with the memories of how perfect that one summer was until my mother returned and took it all away.
Joan must’ve known. Otherwise, why else would she include the condition in her will? She wanted me to not just find peace here, but find myself, discover who I truly was out from under the dark shadow of my mother.
Not that I’d seen my mother in what felt like forever. I didn’t even know where she was these days. She’d never bothered to track me down once I left.
Thor nuzzled my face, licking my cheek, bringing me back to the present. I giggled, really giggled for the first time in ages. I’d missed this. Until this moment, I hadn’t realized how much.
“I can’t believe it’s you. How is this possible?”
I scratched him behind the ears in the exact spot he used to love.
“Have you waited for me this whole time?” Pressure caved in on my ribs. “I’m sorry I left. I didn’t even say goodbye.”
Unshed tears burned in my eyes. Thor whined again, as though sensing the shift in my mood.
I smiled. Wolves were such sensitive and beautiful creatures. Noah was right about that.
“Did you find your mate?”
He licked my cheek again. I sank back on my haunches, and Thor placed his paw on my knee.
I’d never seen other wolves in the forest. Noah said they valued family above everything else, but what happened when they didn’t belong to a pack? They became the lone wolf. Just like Noah’s tattoo.
Just like me.
“Are you a lone wolf, Thor? Is that why we’re such good friends?” I ruffled the fur at his neck again. “It’s okay. We can be our own pack and wander the earth together.”
Thor stilled and cocked his head to one side.
Noah
had moved in a similar way when the hunter—
A low growl rumbled deep inside Thor’s chest. A warning, loud and clear. Did he sense a threat? His lips curled back in a snarl, revealing sharp fangs. I jerked backward, even though I knew he didn’t aim his aggression at me. Thor spun, growling at the trees. Something else was out there.
Thor turned to me, snapping his jaw, forcing me backward. I scrambled to stand. He kept snapping until I backed all the way up the stairs onto the porch. He paused, two front paws on the bottom step, growling at me.
“Okay, I get the hint. Playtime is over.”
For some reason, Thor wanted me inside the house. Now.
I grabbed my sketch pad and pencil, and dashed inside, locking the door behind me. My pulse raced. Was a hunter in the forest? If so, why was Thor so concerned with my safety and not his own?
From behind the kitchen window, I watched him dart toward the forest. Just before he entered, he peered back at me for a split second then bolted into the darkness.
Chapter 9
Noah
I came to buck-naked on all fours just beyond the edge of the forest. I rolled my neck loosening the muscles. A sweet after-shift burn spread through my limbs, made worse by how far my wolf had run. But I couldn’t rest. I needed to get to Mia and make sure she was safe.
I stood, grabbed the pile of clothes I left by a tree and shoved on my jeans and shoes. Racing out of the forest, I pulled a shirt over my head and ran straight up the front steps and into the Cole house.
After my call earlier in the day, Liam closed the bar and bunkered down with Ivy inside the house. To a hunter, an ordinary human family lived on the farm.
Large packs worked together to take down hunters. We were a tiny pack of four with only three shifters. This hunter wouldn’t stop until he discovered our location and got what he came for—blood.
The second I returned from Mia’s, Ash shifted with me and joined the hunt. We became the hunters instead of the hunted. But we’d lost the hunter’s trail to the far west of the forest near the main road leading to Timber Falls. That asshole had been at Mia’s place, I smelled his retched scent all over the lawn but thank fuck he didn’t stick around.
The hunter had clearly picked up a few tricks since our last encounter.
By the hall table, I paused and inhaled a deep breath filled with Mia’s jasmine scent. It coated my body like an extra skin. Even though I’d shifted with a single intention to remain in the forest, my damn wolf didn’t listen and stepped onto the lawn.
I envied it. To have a connection with her without secrets or expectations or having to deal with all the shit that came with being in human form.
Enough was enough. She clearly didn’t know about this world. She needed to realize the dangers and that no matter which path she chose, I’d protect her. I’d sat on the sidelines for fifteen fucking years. I wouldn’t do it any longer, especially while Mia remained in that house unaware.
The hunter might not attack her place right away, but it wouldn’t be long until that psycho figured out she was a Whitcome descendant. Then he’d know her link with me. I wouldn’t sit on my ass while the hunter planned his next move. Been there, done that. And Joan died because of my negligence.
I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
I snatched my cell and keys from the side table. Four missed calls from Mia. I didn’t need to listen to the messages to know they were about my wolf and what just happened in her backyard. I retained that memory after I shifted back.
Now she needed to know her wolf and I were one and the same.
Liam walked around the corner into the hall. “Kill that sonofabitch yet?”
“Working on it.” Fury clenched my jaw. “Ash and I lost the scent.”
The front door slammed opened, and Ash strode in, shirt hanging from his hands. “I doubled back in case we missed something. We didn’t.”
“I lost the trail near the Henderson property. He might be heading to Timber Falls.”
Liam pulled out his cell, thumbing the screen. “I’ll let Baker know, so he can be on alert if the hunter shows up there.”
“Good idea.” Ash slipped on his shirt. “We’ll get him, Noah.”
I wasn’t so sure. Once maybe, but that psycho had terrorized us for long enough. This needed to end before someone else died.
“I’m going to Mia.” A whole lot of silence from Ash and Liam. “I can’t keep tiptoeing around this. She’s safer knowing. And if I go to her, I can be on the front foot if she already knows.”
Ash nodded. “I agree.”
Wait. “You do?”
“This hunter isn’t going to stop. Leaving her unprotected at that house isn’t wise. Especially after…”
Joan.
I’d never admit it aloud, but Ash’s support meant more to me than he realized. With less than two years between us, I still looked up to him. Even more after Dad passed.
He gripped my shoulder giving it a firm squeeze. “Let me know how it goes. I’ll text you once we hear from Baker.”
“Will do.”
At the door, I paused and turned back. “Ash?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks, man. I mean it.”
A soft smile hinted on Ash’s face. “I think Mom would’ve loved Mia.”
My eyes stung. “Me, too.”
Before I got all sappy, I tucked the cell in my jeans and left, jogging down the stairs to my truck.
I sped down the road, ignoring the speed limit.
Once in Mia’s drive, I sat there for a moment while my heart stopped launching from my chest. For fifteen years, I dreamed of telling her. And now that hunter forced my hand. I would’ve told her eventually, I just wished it were under better circumstances.
I took the key from the ignition and got out of the truck. I still couldn’t believe I kissed her today. I hadn’t planned to, it just happened. The stars aligned, so I seized that moment with both hands. And it was fucking worth it. Everything I’d hoped it would be and more. The mate connection between us zapped through my blood, racing around my body. I sensed she felt it too by the way her eyes flew open with a gasp.
Hopefully, she recalled our connection when I showed her who I really was. She already knew my wolf, and soon she’d know the real me. After that, I’d tell her everything. The night would end in one of two ways: an unbreakable bond or my ass out on the street.
Of course, I hoped for the former. I’d waited fifteen years to tell her how I felt, to show her my true self. Surely, it was about time the universe cut me some slack.
As I strode to the porch, I inhaled a deep breath, sifting through the scents in the night air, searching for the hunter. He wasn’t here. Time might be on our side for once.
My heart wouldn’t calm the fuck down. Her laugh, her smile, the way she looked at me like she knew. Not just that she was my mate, but I sensed deep down she knew about me. My wolf. Even if she didn’t admit it to herself, once she saw my eyes tonight, she’d piece it all together.
When I reached the veranda, Mia flung open the door, her eyes wide and frantic. “I left you like a thousand messages.”
“I know.” Reaching her, I cupped her cheeks between my hands. “Are you okay?”
Jesus. My scent was all over her. My damn wolf must’ve licked her entire face. Bastard.
She relaxed in my embrace and exhaled a long breath. “Yes. No. I don’t know. I’m kind of freaked out.”
I bent so we were eye level. “I’m here.”
Her brows pinched as she stared into my eyes, but she didn’t say anything.
“May I come in?”
She nodded. I lowered my hands, following her inside, locking the door behind me. That wouldn’t stop the hunter. That psycho would blow up the joint to get to me. Or another Whitcome.
I followed Mia into the kitchen. She leaned against the counter while I stood there all awkward, hands shoved in my jean pockets.
“I think someone was here tonight, in the fores
t. Noah, what the hell is going on?”
“There’s a hunter in Woodland Falls. The guy is dangerous.”
She tilted her head slightly, studying me. “I didn’t think hunters came here. Even if they did, why would they hurt people?”
My pulse raced, and my wolf paced back and forth ready to take over. Calm the fuck down. This is my time. I sent the mental command, but the stubborn bastard didn’t obey as usual.
This conversation was harder than I expected.
I dragged a chair from the dining table, but before I sat, a picture frame hanging on the living room wall caught my attention. I gravitated to it. Encased in a simple thin wooden frame was a black and white sketch of a wolf in a yard. I recognized it immediately. The tool shed of horrors at the far side, the empty vegetable patch, the tire swing hanging from a tree. Pressure squeezed my chest as I brushed my finger along the frame. This sketch was the first time Mia met me in wolf form. The moment I found my mate.
Mia came up beside me.
I turned to her. “Who drew this?”
Light pink bloomed over her cheeks. “Me. I like to sketch.” Without taking her gaze off the drawing, a soft smile lifted on her lips. “I came here one summer. My mother dumped me with Joan because she had better things to do. It was the first time I met my grandma and the only time I spent with her.”
She paused. I held my breath waiting for her to say it. Wanting her to say it.
“I befriended a wolf. It wandered out of the forest the first day I arrived, and every afternoon after. Thick black fur, long nose.” Her smile widened. “He had this one brindle patch on his chest. And the most haunting ice-blue eyes.”
Her palm rested on her chest, in the spot where my wolf had the brindle patch.
A tremor quaked low in my gut. I clenched my jaw, sending the impatient bastard a silent message to wait his turn. Or maybe it was my way of delaying the shift. I mean, I wanted to show her, I needed to, but…shit. What if she freaked out? What if she hated me for not telling her earlier?
Warlords, Witches and Wolves: A Fantasy Realms Anthology Page 85
