by Terry Spear
They headed into the more rugged terrain, away from areas where humans would likely be, mainly because Aidan was certain Nick would avoid the human areas. Aidan was also watching for any depressions in the snow that could be signs of hidden crevasses. Hikers, skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers could crash through a snowbridge and into a crack in a glacier in a heartbeat, falling just a few feet unscathed, if they were lucky. He remembered seeing kids playing on a glacier in the summer last year and wondering where their parents were. They obviously didn’t have enough sense to know how dangerous it could be. Luckily, nothing had happened to the kids, but just the same, they shouldn’t have taken the risk.
His focus on scents again, Aidan wondered, with more than 570,000 acres of mountainous wilderness, if could they even find Nick. The Cascades were cloaked in clouds and fog, typical for this time of year. The snow-covered mountains, clouds, and fog made the scenery appear mystical and magical.
Aidan had been here with his brother for every season: spring for long-distance skiing, late summer and fall for long hikes as wolves, winter for snow biking and skiing and to see the beautiful skies and lakes, the sun shining down on the mountain peaks, and the falling night that brought with it the pink-and-orange sunsets.
Which made him think about seeing a sunset with Holly up here. He suspected she’d need to return to her cabin with the other wolf before nightfall. If it had been just him and his men, he’d have stayed the night, curled up with them, and waited until dawn to begin searching again. But he didn’t want Holly and the other wolf to cause their pack alarm.
They’d combed several areas for hours, and it was getting to be time to begin the descent and head home. They were standing high on a craggy rock, looking down at a snowfield, when he saw a wolf moving across the snow below.
Holly saw the wolf too. Her tail straightened, and then it began to wag. Aidan hoped that meant the wolf was Nick.
She lifted her chin and howled, the most hauntingly beautiful sound he’d ever heard. The boy lifted his chin and howled along with her.
The wolf turned to see them standing high above and waited. He didn’t howl back. He just watched them. They couldn’t reach him from this point, and it would take them a couple of hours or longer to safely make their way down to him. But it would be too late then for Holly and the boy to return to their cabins without worrying their pack.
The wolf had to wonder who the strange wolves were and why Holly and the boy were with them.
Holly turned to Aidan, and her expression told him she wanted in the worst way to go to Nick. He woofed at her, reminding her that she needed to return home, as much as she wanted to meet up with her former pack mate. Aidan howled to let the wolf know what he sounded like, so Nick would recognize him if they saw each other from a distance like this again, in case Holly and the boy couldn’t travel with them tomorrow. The wolf would know Aidan was friends with Holly and the boy. Maybe the wolf would even think Aidan was Holly’s mate.
That had real appeal. Finding a she-wolf he’d be this fascinated with had been the furthest thing from his mind when Aidan had come on the mission to locate Nick. He hadn’t given the notion any space in his brain where other she-wolves were concerned, even back home. But Holly… She tempted every wolfish sense of his.
She licked Aidan’s face and smiled, a real indication she was interested in him in a courting way. Hot damn! He knew she was feeling the same way he was. Aidan lifted his chin and howled a joyful howl, telling her and the others gathered here that she’d made his night.
Ted and Mike were showing off their teeth in grins, shaking their heads, but they didn’t look surprised. The younger wolf did. He’d retracted his panting tongue and was just staring at Aidan as if he couldn’t believe what was happening between Holly and him.
When Aidan looked down at the older wolf, he was sitting on the snow, waiting to learn what they were going to do. Maybe he planned to disappear once they made their move, and they wouldn’t be able to see which direction he went as they made their way down the ridge to where he was. Or maybe he was showing them that he intended to stay, and they could meet up with him.
Despite wanting to speak with the wolf in the worst way tonight, Aidan was determined to get Holly and the boy back to their meeting place so they could return to their cabin before too much more time passed.
He woofed at her again, and she barked at the wolf down below, and Aidan began to follow the trail he’d made in the snow. Then he cut a new one to carve more of a straight path to the bottom where they could catch the smoother trail and return to where he’d met her and the boy.
She nipped at him to go in a different direction, one that would take him on more of a path to reach the wolf. If it hadn’t been for Holly and the boy, Aidan might have attempted the dangerous path. Though without the wolf being in any kind of distress, it would be better to start out again in the morning.
For now, Holly and the boy were his priority.
Chapter 7
In the worst way, Holly wanted Aidan to go to Nick. He looked so isolated. So all alone. She couldn’t stand it. But she knew why Aidan was pushing her to go home. She couldn’t allow the wolves in her pack to worry that she and her brother were in serious trouble, as much as she wanted to find a path to reach Nick and tell him how Aidan hoped to help him find a new home. She wasn’t sure Nick would appreciate it, but she certainly did.
The fog and clouds were clearing and the sun was setting, coloring the Douglas firs, junipers, and pine trees in a wash of pinks and purples and golden light reflecting off a lake and the snow. For a moment, Aidan stopped to look, as if he also was mesmerized by the beauty. He glanced back at her. Maybe he wanted her to have a chance to enjoy it before they lost sight of the lake.
It was truly beautiful, but she wished Nick was with them, enjoying it with a group of wolves and not all alone.
They continued traveling away from Nick’s location. The trek took them forever to reach the base of the mountain and the spot where she and her brother had met Aidan. A full moon lighted their way, though with their wolves’ night vision and their enhanced sense of smell, they could find their way home without any trouble. The moon reflected off the white snow, making it appear much earlier in the evening than it was. When they reached the rendezvous spot, she woofed at Aidan to thank him. He smiled and licked her cheek.
To her surprise, Aidan shifted and said to Holly, “I’ll call you when I reach the cabin to make sure you got back all right. Both of you. If you want, we can meet up here, and we’ll go first thing in the morning to try to find Nick.”
She woofed her agreement.
“Take care, and if you have any trouble, any trouble at all, you let me know.” Aidan shifted back into his wolf.
Appreciating his concern, she licked his face again. That was so uncharacteristic for her. She was never that friendly with a wolf she didn’t know. And even with male wolves she knew, she was careful not to show a lot of affection or they might get the wrong idea. With Aidan, she wanted him to know how delighted she was to have met him and how much she appreciated his help with finding Nick.
Then she woofed at the men to let them know she treasured their help too. They inclined their heads, smiling. She and her brother tore off after that, hoping to get home before it was much later, hoping that no one had heard the two of them howling. Or Aidan’s howl. As far away as they’d been, she didn’t believe anyone would have. Not unless some of the pack had ventured a lot farther from the cabins than they normally did, or in the direction she and Greg had gone.
Thankfully, she saw no sign of anyone looking for them. Snowy clouds drifted in, and snowflakes began to float to the snow-covered ground. How Christmas-like it was here! One of these years, she vowed to spend the holidays here.
They finally reached the place where Marianne and their parents had built the snowmen. All five of them. A family. She smiled,
thrilled they’d helped her and Greg out. Then she worried. Had anyone caught them at it?
She looked back at Greg. He was rubbing up against one of the snowmen, the tallest of all of them. He was an inch taller than their dad, so it made sense that he was claiming that one as his own, though his hat and scarf gave away the identity too. The snow was beginning to fall faster now, the clouds filling the sky. She hoped Aidan and his men made it back to their cabin all right, and she wondered where it was.
Then she and her brother raced off to reach the cabin as the snowflakes fell.
She suddenly saw movement in the trees to the west. Her heartbeat quickening and afraid it would be Ronald or Jared, she turned to see Marianne coming to intercept them. Sighing with relief, Holly was glad it was just her sister, but then she worried something was wrong at home.
To her surprise, Marianne tackled her in a fun way. Greg stared at them for a moment in surprise. Marianne turned her attention to Greg and tackled him. He growled back in play.
He was a lanky wolf, an aggressive male, but he was easy on Marianne. When he turned on Holly, he wasn’t as easy because she was full grown. She wondered if Marianne was here as a subterfuge to pretend to Ronald, if he was nearby, that they had been together for a while, just playing around.
After a good twenty minutes of wild wolf playing, they were panting and trying to catch their breath. The three of them collapsed in the snow and smiled at each other. That’s when Holly realized four unsmiling male wolves were watching them from the woods. She wanted to tell them to lighten up, to find something fun to do. To get lost. She hoped no one from the pack would search for Aidan, learn where he and his men were staying, and threaten them to make them leave. She nipped her brother’s ear and ran off. Her brother and sister bounded after her, barking and having fun.
When they reached the cabin, she heard voices inside. Jared’s and Ronald’s. Crap!
She stopped at the front deck of the cabin, and she and her brother and sister paused to get a breath. She thought of going to one of the bedroom windows and getting in that way, but they would be latched. Then she nixed that notion anyway. She wasn’t sneaking in and making up some lame story to satisfy Ronald.
Holly nosed at her brother and sister to go around back so she could say she had gone off on her own. But they shook their heads. She loved them, even if they gave her grief sometimes.
She woofed at the front door to let her parents know they had returned. Her dad opened the door, his forehead wrinkled with anxiousness. “We were beginning to worry about the…three of you.”
Holly woofed in a happy way. Jared folded his arms and gave her a disagreeable look. Ronald was scowling, and her mother cast her a wry smile. Holly hated seeing Ronald and Jared there, but nothing could be done about it.
She raced inside the cabin and back to her room to shift and change. Greg and Marianne followed her lead. She hoped they would let her do all the explaining. She wondered how long Marianne had been away from the cabin though. That was going to be tough to explain. She had no intention of telling Ronald or Jared they’d seen Nick. Since Ronald had kicked him out of the pack, it was none of his business.
When Holly was dressed in a soft, lavender sweater, jeans, and mukluks, she returned to the living room, staying far away from Ronald and Jared, afraid they’d smell Aidan’s scent on her. She should have taken a shower first! It wasn’t that she couldn’t deal with Ronald and his brother, but she didn’t want them to hassle Aidan and his men. “Sorry for worrying everyone. I was out looking for Nick, like I always do when I come out here, and went a little farther than I usually do.”
“That was partly my fault,” said Greg, dressed in jeans, a sweater, and socks, as he joined her. “I was egging her on to go farther than she wanted to, but she didn’t want me to show her up, now that she’s getting so old.” He smiled at her.
She smiled right back at him. He could be so cute when he wasn’t being a teen.
“Really,” Ronald said.
“Yeah, I went looking for them because it was getting so late. And gave them heck for it too.” Marianne smiled at Holly and Greg.
“That’s why you tackled us?” Greg asked. “I should have known.”
“A little sibling rivalry is fun. But I’m exhausted.” Holly gave her brother a sharp look, faked, of course. “It’s not because I’m getting old. I’m taking a shower and hitting the sack before anyone else takes dibs on the bathroom.” She needed to leave before either Ronald or Jared had a chance to smell Aidan’s scent on her. At least Greg hadn’t touched Aidan, so if he got too close to Ronald or Jared, it wouldn’t make any difference.
There was a little matter of supper, but she wasn’t mentioning it, hoping Jared and Ronald would leave before she came out to speak to her parents about what had happened.
“Wait,” Jared said. “I told you I wanted to run with you. Why didn’t you come get me after you made your snowman?”
“You know I always look for Nick when I come here. Besides, you agree with Ronald about banishing Nick. I didn’t think you’d want to go against your brother’s order and help me seek the old wolf out. That’s always my priority.”
Jared ground his teeth but didn’t contradict her.
“I had such a late start that I didn’t want to stop searching for him once I was out there. As if I need to explain myself to you.”
“Come on,” Ronald said to his brother, but then he suddenly turned to face Holly as if it was an afterthought. “You’d better not be seeing that Dr. Denali.”
“I saw him at the mall. That’s a long way from here. Why would I be seeing him here?”
“Did you locate Nick?” Ronald asked.
“As many acres as there are out here, I probably won’t ever. But I won’t give up searching for him every time we visit.” She’d also come there on her own, trying to find Nick. Ronald knew that too, because she had to let the pack know she wouldn’t be available anytime she left. “I want to make sure he’s all right. Night all.” Holly turned on her heel and headed for the bathroom, walked inside, and shut the door. She began to strip and turned on the shower, hoping that Greg had gone to his room and wouldn’t be interrogated next.
When she heard the front door close, she hoped that meant Ronald and Jared had left. A tapping at the bathroom door had her grabbing a towel. “Yes?”
Her mother said, “They’re gone. You can come out and tell us what happened. At least your version. Greg’s telling us his.”
“Be out in a second.” No telling what her brother was saying.
When Holly left the bathroom, everyone was sitting down in the living room smiling at her—all but Greg, who was grandstanding. The rest of the family looked surprised. Surely, he couldn’t have already told them all that had happened.
“Uh,” Marianne said, “he didn’t tell us anything much except that you were wolf kissing all over Dr. Denali.”
Holly’s face felt hot with embarrassment, and she could have slugged her brother. “I was thanking him for saving Joey and for helping us locate Nick.” She gave her brother a scathing look, but he only laughed. “Didn’t you tell them about finding Nick?”
“You came out of the bathroom too quickly.”
“If you must know,” their mother said, “once Greg told us about you kissing the wolf—”
“That you have the hots for,” Marianne interjected. “Greg’s words, not mine. Though you sure gave the doctor a warm hug at the mall too.”
“—Marianne was asking for more details,” their mother continued.
“Aidan wants to help Nick find a home with another pack. And he helped Greg and me locate him. We couldn’t reach Nick before it got dark, and Aidan insisted he return us home rather than go after Nick. It could have been dangerous trying to make it down the ridge to locate Nick. Aidan wants to ask him for a sample of blood for his research, sure, but h
e also wants to find him a home.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” her mom said, tears of joy in her eyes.
“Yes, it really is. I just hope Nick waits for us to return and accepts Aidan’s generous offer. Aidan was concerned enough about Greg and me, not wanting to worry the whole pack, that he let go of his mission and returned us to where we’d met him earlier. I know he wanted to escort us all the way home, but he didn’t want to cause trouble for us with Ronald and Jared.”
“No one discovered we were the ones who made your snowmen,” their dad said, “so you’re in the clear.”
“They’re beautiful,” Holly said.
“I helped.” Marianne sounded proud to have been instrumental in the deception.
“Thank you.”
“Are you going to try to see Nick tomorrow?” their dad asked.
“Yes, with Aidan and his men. He said he wants to go first thing in the morning.” Holly looked at Greg. “Do you want to run with me again, or do you think it’s too much of a risk for both of us to go this time?” She really was glad he’d gone with them, but she didn’t want him to feel obligated, especially if it could get him in trouble with Ronald.
“I have to stick to you,” Greg said, propping himself on the arm of a chair. “Who else is going to share all the juicy details of the trip otherwise?”
“I guess you don’t want me to go,” Marianne said, not sounding too unhappy about it.
“You have to wolf-pup sit, don’t you?” their mother asked.
“It’s Greg’s turn.”
“Glad I don’t get saddled with wolf sitting all the time.” Her brother had to wolf sit, like everyone in the pack, and he loved playing with the kids, but he had that macho-male teen stuff going on, so he didn’t like to let on he enjoyed it.
