by Terry Spear
He kept pacing, and Aidan suspected Greg had a lead on where Nick was. Aidan woofed at Mike to stay there and wait for Ted. They could follow him and the Grays as soon as Ted joined him.
Mike frowned.
Aidan knew Mike wanted to stay with him to protect him. Aidan woofed at him again. This time, Mike inclined his head.
Aidan looked at Holly to see what she wanted to do. She moved toward her brother, who was waiting in anticipation, his tail straight, his ears perked, and Aidan nodded and moved toward Greg. With a grateful wave of his tail, Greg headed back the way he’d come, and Aidan waited for Holly to follow in Greg’s footsteps. Aidan brought up the rear to watch their backs.
They had traveled about a mile when Aidan got a whiff of another wolf’s scent. Nick’s?
Greg suddenly stopped in his tracks. Aidan thought he might have seen Nick, but when he didn’t budge, Aidan moved to the right of him to see what he was watching. A grizzly fishing at a stream.
They were way up above and a long distance from him with a beautiful view of the mountains. From this vantage point, Aidan could see the trail Greg had made in the deep snow, and it led all the way to the creek. Aidan made the decision to stay put. They could go way around the bear, but he opted for staying here for a while. Even though Greg looked anxious to keep pushing on, he waited for Aidan to make the decision. Holly was watching Aidan, shaking her head, telling him not to tangle with the grizzly.
Aidan wouldn’t risk their lives by following Greg’s trail at this point. If the grizzly had been attacking Nick, that would have been a different story. Aidan licked Holly’s muzzle in an affectionate way, and her jaw dropped before he gave her a toothy wolf smile, then watched the bear again. He was serious about her joining his pack.
The grizzly finally moved off downstream. Aidan began to lead the way this time. He’d follow his nose and Greg’s trail. He wanted to be in the forefront if they ran into trouble.
They had made it down the ridge into the valley when Mike woofed from where they’d been a short while ago on the ridge. Both Ted and Mike were standing at the crest, and then they began to make their way down the ridge. Aidan and his group waited for them, the five of them more of a threat to a grizzly.
When his bodyguards reached Aidan and the others, they greeted them, Ted and Mike wagging their tails, glad to be with them.
Aidan again led the way until they reached the stream, where he looked downstream to see if the bear was anywhere in sight. It wasn’t. They moved across the cold stream, and Aidan again followed Greg’s trail.
They headed back into the woods. Then Aidan smelled a campfire. Someone was cooking fish.
Nick? Hopefully it was, and he’d stay put while they tried to reach him.
Holly suddenly came around Aidan and moved in front of him on the trail. He figured she wanted to be the first one to greet Nick so as not to alarm him.
She suddenly woofed, letting him know they were coming.
They went through some underbrush, and then Aidan saw the white-haired, bearded man hunched over a fire.
“Well, hell’s bells,” the older man said, looking over at them. “What took you so long to get here?”
Chapter 11
Holly was so thrilled to see Nick all bundled up next to his fire that she ran to him and jumped at him like an unruly pup. She woofed in greeting. He ran his hand over her head in a heartfelt caress, his eyes tearing up. God, she knew he’d missed the pack and felt bad to be out here. He couldn’t have been satisfied with living like this.
She was glad he was happy to see them and hadn’t run off, angry with her for being part of the pack that had banished him.
His response was a small smile, and she swore he looked just like Santa Claus with his white beard and hair, his whiskers partly frozen. “Welcome to my camp. Is he your mate?” He glanced in Aidan’s direction as the wolf moved in beside her.
She shook her head.
Greg woofed, wagging his tail.
“I’m glad to see you too, Greg.” Nick motioned to the tent. “Change of clothes inside if you want to converse with me human style,” Nick told Aidan.
Holly would let Aidan do all the talking. In the meantime, her brother sat by the fire, eyeing the fish in the frying pan, looking ready to forget his manners and eat it. Ted and Mike joined him by the fire, appearing as though they were going to stop him if he even thought of eating Nick’s meal. She was glad to see Nick seemed to be doing well, and by the look of it, he was eating and was perfectly healthy, though he’d lost some weight.
Aidan went inside the tent, and within a few minutes, he had shifted, thrown on some warm-weather clothes, and joined them by the campfire. He sat on a log that would probably be used for the fire later, unless they could convince Nick to go with them. Holly settled down next to Aidan, her body resting against his leg, and he reached down and ran his hand over her head.
“I’m Dr. Aidan Denali.”
Nick took a seat on a camp chair. “The one who was looking to take blood from all the wolves and figure out what’s wrong with us or, I should say, with others of our kind who aren’t in the pack. I know. Everett Johnston called me a while back and told me, concerned I might be like everyone else and need to have my blood checked. What difference does it make for an old wolf like me?” He raised a white brow. “You came all the way out here to track me down to take my blood? It’s half frozen.” He motioned to Holly. “At least she was worried about my health, I ’spect. I know you tried calling me too, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone in the pack.”
“That’s not the only reason we were trying to track you down,” Aidan said. “If you’d allow me to, I’ll help you find a pack you would like to join. If you’re interested.”
Looking surprised at that bit of news, Nick’s gray eyes widened a bit. “You’re with a pack?”
“We don’t have an official pack, but yeah, if you’d like to join us, we’d be glad to offer you a home. I’ve been testing wolves’ blood wherever I can find a pack. I’ve gotten to know several and keep in touch with all of them. That means a lot of packs you could check out, and I’m sure you’ll find one that will suit you. Everett Johnston was the one who called me about you.”
“He was banished like me. Did you know that? He was the accused bank robber.”
“Wrongly accused, and that was all cleared up, but he had no intention of returning to the Seattle pack. Then I spoke with Holly, and she confirmed you were living in the area. She was trying to check on your well-being, but she hadn’t been successful.”
“What does Ronald say about it? I can’t imagine he would like Holly and Greg out here with you and…your friends?”
“My bodyguards, Ted Gallagher and Mike Stallings. And I’m sure you’re right about Ronald, but he has no say in where you go, and Holly and Greg felt compelled to find you. Running around by themselves was too dangerous up in this area,” Aidan said. Holly licked Aidan’s cheek. He smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her to give her a hug.
“What if I visit another pack and don’t like the people or their politics? Or they don’t like me?” Nick asked. “I could be trading one bad pack leadership for another.”
“I’ve met the others. They’ve all taken in other wolves, welcomed them, even if they’ve been newly turned. Ronald and his men are an exception to the rule. It’s completely up to you. My brother has a couple of private planes. He has tons of resources. We’d be willing to fly you all over to visit with each of the packs and to visit with my family too. If you don’t like what you see, you can return here, if you’d rather live like this. Though it means Holly risking her neck looking for you, concerned for your welfare. She won’t be giving up on you. If you like one of the packs, even the couple we’ve located in the Scottish Highlands, and they’re agreeable, then you can stay with them.”
“Scotland? And wear kilts? No, thank you.”
Nick rubbed his whiskers. “You’d do this for me just because I’ll give you some of my blood?”
Aidan smiled. “No. As much as I want to find a cure or solution to this problem, you don’t have to give me any of your blood. I still want to offer you a chance to be with a pack again. One that’s more agreeable and that you enjoy being with. Unless you like living in the wilderness all on your own.”
Holly knew Nick didn’t. She just prayed he wouldn’t be too proud or stubborn to take Aidan up on his offer.
Tears filled Nick’s eyes again, as if he’d never thought anyone would offer to take him to live with another pack and he might find a home again. She wanted to hug him. Instead, she got up and licked his cheek. He laughed and patted her back. “Hey, Doc, it’s okay. I know you wanted to see me and make sure I was okay, but I wasn’t ready to make any changes in my life after Ronald kicked me out. I was feeling down, depressed, sorry for myself, and angry with the world when I lost Millicent. She and I have had a lot of long talks while I’ve been out here.” He glanced at Aidan.
“I’m not crazy. I just had to do a lot of soul searching. I’m not cut out to be the Santa Claus of the Glacier Peak Wilderness. It’s time to have a nice, toasty-warm home to live in again. And real people to talk to.” Nick took the frying pan off the fire and motioned to the golden, pan-fried cutthroat trout. “I was going to have this, but…have you got steaks at your place?”
Holly looked back at Aidan, hoping he had steaks, just to convince Nick to go with them. Though she suspected the old wolf would go with them even if all he got to eat was more fish.
“Absolutely, and lots of other good food you might want to eat. My two bodyguards are practically gourmet chefs. You’ll have a five-star meal for sure. And a soft bed in your own bedroom and a hot shower. You can warm yourself by the fireplace.”
“Steak, seared on both sides, works for me.” Then Nick frowned. “Whiskey?”
“Got a fully stocked bar,” Aidan said. “And you can visit the other wolf packs via a private plane. Meals on the flight too.”
“Well, hell, what are we waiting for?”
“Would you prefer to run as a wolf to the cabin, and we’ll carry your gear?” Aidan asked.
“Hell yeah. These old bones aren’t meant for this much cold for this long. For a while, it was fine, especially when it was warmer, but I’ll sure take you up on a warm bed, a hot shower, and a hot meal.”
Greg was eyeing the freshly cooked fish, and Nick dished it up on a tin plate for him. “Here. Knowing you, you could eat this and a steak. Have at it. Hate to have swum in a cold lake for the meal only to throw it away.”
Wagging his tail, Greg woofed, then gobbled up the fish. Holly wasn’t surprised. She swore all four of his wolf legs were hollow.
Ted suddenly walked inside the tent. He called out from inside, “Just shifting and getting dressed.” He came out just wearing a sweater, pants, and socks. “Doc, why don’t you run as a wolf too? I can carry all of Mr. Cornwall’s gear.”
“Okay. Just know there’s a grizzly bear somewhere near the stream where we were,” Aidan warned him but waited for Nick to use his tent to strip and shift before Aidan went in to remove Nick’s spare clothes.
“All right,” Ted said.
“Yeah, that grizzly has been in the same area as me for a while. Luckily, he’s been finding his own food and has left me alone.” Nick entered his tent, and a few minutes later, he came out of it as a pure white wolf.
Aidan went inside and removed Nick’s clothing, then shifted and came back out as his beautiful gray-wolf self. Holly noticed the men all watching her as she eyed Aidan. They were sure to think she had more of an interest in him than just sharing her blood and helping him in his research.
Ted had taken the parka and boots Nick had been wearing and finished dressing.
Holly was certain Aidan hadn’t offered Nick help to find a pack just to prove something to her. He genuinely cared. She hoped Aidan had enough steaks for everyone, because now that Nick had mentioned it, and after the long hike they’d made, she was looking forward to having one too.
She suspected Greg would like to join them. He’d been instrumental in finding Nick. She was sure Aidan would welcome him to eat lunch with them too.
They waited while Ted packed up the tent, put out the campfire, and rigged up the backpack so he was carrying everything and ready to move on.
They made their way across the stream and all the way to the area they had to climb. Ted was leading the way, carrying Nick’s gear. He was setting the pace because as a human carrying all that equipment, he was the slowest of the party members. Nick followed after that, moving slower than the younger wolves, but he would still walk faster than poor Ted. Holly thought maybe Mike would offer to carry some of the burden, but she suspected he felt he needed to be a wolf to help protect everyone if they should run into trouble. Greg followed behind Nick, Holly next, then Aidan, and Mike was bringing up the rear.
It was a long wolf run back to the place where they were supposed to have met up with Greg, but before they got there, Ted paused for a break and drank some of Nick’s bottled water. The wolves had paused to drink out of a stream.
“Hey, Doc, I know you would have asked if you had thought of it, but Greg and Holly are welcome to join us for steaks at the cabin, right?” Ted asked.
Aidan woofed. Greg was panting, his tail wagging enthusiastically.
“That is, if there’s no problem with Greg and Holly going with us,” Ted added.
Greg vigorously shook his head. Holly barked to say it wasn’t a problem.
“Okay, it’s a deal. Since we don’t need to go to the meeting place, I’ll take us in a more direct route back home.” Ted started off again, and the wolves followed him.
Holly was glad they were taking a more direct route so they’d be farther away from her own cabins. She was afraid Jared might be looking for her at this point. Maybe he’d be searching for Greg now too. At least they hadn’t run into Jared so far. And they’d found Nick. She was so glad he was healthy looking, a little thinner than he had been, his cheeks and nose a little windburned, but his step was sure, and he seemed just as strong as before. It was easy for anyone to break a leg out here or sustain a sprained ankle, as rugged as the terrain was. He could have even incurred injuries if he’d had to fight over food and territory with a grizzly or a pack of wild wolves when he was running as a wolf. People who traveled alone in the wilderness took dangerous risks. That had worried her.
She’d also been concerned about him finding enough food, since he was hunting for whatever he could get.
She thought the men worked well together and were considerate of each other’s well-being. They took another couple of breaks for Ted. Mike woofed at him, and she figured he was giving him a hard time about taking so many breaks. Or maybe he was offering to switch places.
Ted shook his head.
But then Mike pulled at the backpack.
“We’ll be there in another couple of hours,” Ted said. “I could hike all day with a pack on my back. I’m fine. You just want to show off to the doc.”
Mike woofed. Aidan smiled, and so did Holly. She suspected he meant showing off in front of her, not in front of Aidan. The guys were funny.
They headed out again, and she thought they’d make it to the cabin without incident until they saw elk running their way. That’s when she saw a pack of wolves hunting them. Had to be wild gray wolves.
Holly and her party were in the direct path of the stampeding elk. Everyone stood for a second watching the direction the elk were headed, as if they thought they’d suddenly veer off, but they weren’t changing course, and she and the others scattered, racing out of harm’s way.
Chapter 12
Aidan barked a warning, trying to scare the elk into stampeding in a different direction. Ted dropped his bundle and ran through
the snow toward the trees for protection. The rest of the wolves scattered, though Holly was trying to protect Nick. Greg had headed in a different direction. Mike was trying to cover Ted’s retreating backside since he was the slowest, sinking deeper into the snow in the snow boots. The wolves were lighter, their weight spread out more, and they stayed on top of the snow better.
His adrenaline pumping hard, Aidan stood firm, attempting to deter the rampaging elk, hoping he and the others didn’t get into a confrontation with the wild wolves. Heart racing, he continued to bark.
The elk turned at the last minute, scattering snow in their wake, so close they sprayed him with it. The wild wolves were too busy hunting to bother with the scattering wolf pack. Relieved the wild wolf pack and their prey were headed away from them, Aidan heard a startled yelp and a bark. He spun around. Greg was way off to his right, stopping in his tracks to see what the matter was, Mike off to his left, running to see who was in trouble, and Ted was still headed for the trees. There was no sign of Nick or Holly.
His heart in his throat, Aidan raced through the snow in the direction they had taken, following their tracks and their scents when he saw a warning depression in the snow and slowed his approach. Ted turned around and moved back toward Aidan. Aidan barked at him to be careful. If what he feared had happened to Nick and Holly, he didn’t want anyone else to risk falling into a crevasse. He prayed that hadn’t occurred, but then his worst fears were realized when he heard Holly howl from what sounded like the center of the earth—directly ahead of him.
He howled to let her know he was nearly there. But he needed to dress and use a rope to help get them out. He’d have to climb down into the crevasse while the others held on to the rope. They’d have to shift, dress, and help Nick and Holly climb out. That was, if neither was injured.
Aidan lay down on his belly and inched forward to the edge of the hole they’d fallen through, sending a shower of snow down below. They must have fallen thirty feet or so. He woofed, trying to reassure them. Nick was sitting on a narrow ice ledge with Holly, the two of them looking up at him, ears perked.
