He’d been trying to think of a way to insinuate himself into her life when he received the call from her brother. He couldn’t believe his luck. He could go to visit her as often as he wanted, and all with her brother’s approval.
Longingly, he gazed at her. She’d grown into such a beautiful woman. Her petite frame, only about five and a half feet tall, couldn’t possibly weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. Her curly brown hair reached almost to her waist and glittered with tones of gold and red in the sunlight. Her eyes were wide with flecks of brown and gold, unlike the last time he saw her, when they were utterly lifeless.
He visited her as often as he could in that horrible clinic. It broke his heart to see the way they kept her doped up so much of the time.
Remus still remembered the day Victor came home and told him what happened. With bitterness, he talked as if everything changed and that Remus should forget about mating with Maddie someday. He’d gently told him that the Maddie he knew didn’t exist any longer. Remus refused to believe it, though, and eventually convinced the old man that someday Maddie would be whole again and he’d be able to claim her as his own.
Glancing once more at his mate sitting in the swing, Remus turned and headed toward home, wondering how she’d react when he went to see her. Tomorrow, he’d reintroduce her to the wolf and see if she remembered him.
Just before her birthday last year, Victor died in his sleep, finally going to join his beloved Eloise. Out of respect for the love he felt for Victor and Eloise, Remus held off going after Maddie. He wanted to give her time to grieve. But even in death, Victor looked after him. In his will, he left his house to Maddie, but the land on which it sat and all the acreage around it to Remus. For her to claim the house, she’d have to come to Wyoming and be near Remus. Smiling, he changed back into his beast and raced toward his family home.
* * * *
Maddie woke with a start. Momentarily confused, she wondered why the surface on which she lay was so hard and why her neck hurt so badly. Raising her head, she looked around her and remembered. This was her grandfather’s house, now her house, and she apparently fell asleep on the porch swing.
Groaning and rubbing her neck, Maddie slowly sat up.
Boy, I must have really been tired. I can’t believe I fell asleep outside on this old, hard swing.
Laughing to herself, she got up and stretched. It would be dark soon, and she was suddenly feeling hungry. Taking a last look around the valley, Maddie headed into the house to find something for dinner.
Not wanting to eat anything heavy, Maddie fixed herself a quick sandwich and poured a glass of milk. Sighing, she took her food out on to the back deck to watch the sunset. Carefully, she carried her food over and sat it on the table between the chairs and then lowered herself into her grandfather’s favorite rocker. She picked up her sandwich and slowly began to rock back and forth. There’d been many times she sat on this porch and watched the colorful sunsets with her grandfather. Reaching for her glass of milk, she was startled when her cell phone rang. Pulling it out of her pocket, she glanced at the screen. Michael was calling.
“Hey, big brother, you haven’t been gone long enough for me to be in any trouble yet. What’s going on with your trip?”
“Hello to you, too, little sister. My trip is going just fine, thank you. I just wanted to check in with you and let you know that I arrived safely.”
“I’m sorry, Michael. Of course I want to know you arrived safely. I’m glad you called. I’m just sitting here eating a sandwich and watching the sun set over the mountains. What are you doing tonight?”
“Tonight, I’m just relaxing and getting my notes and drawings in order for tomorrow. I have back-to-back meetings with the crews, and hopefully we’ll break ground next week.”
She was pleased to hear her brother sound like his old, cheerful self. “That’s great, Michael. This is the biggest project of your career so far, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, if I’m lucky, the success of this center will open my company up to all sorts of jobs overseas.” Michael paused and cleared his throat. “Listen, kiddo, I wanted to say one more thing to you, and please don’t get upset with me, okay?”
“What is it?” A chill crept over Maddie, and she waited impatiently for Michael to continue.
“If you start having any problems at all, you should give Dr. Constantine a call right away.”
Maddie couldn’t stop the rush of anger that washed over her. “Absolutely not, Michael. I’m never going back to his clinic, no matter what happens.”
“Maddie, don’t be like that. Dr. Constantine only wants to help you. If you took the medication he wants you to take, you could lead a more normal life. Wouldn’t you like to be able to go anywhere or do anything you wanted without fear of hurting someone or breaking something? Wouldn’t you like him to teach you to control your gift? Please, Maddie, for me, just promise to call him if you get into any trouble.”
“All right, Michael, if I start to feel as if I can’t handle things I’ll give him a call.” Maddie’s hands trembled at the thought of calling her former doctor. She had no intention of keeping that promise. The drugs Dr. Constantine wanted her to take made her feel horrible. They made it impossible for her to function without help, and she often forgot what happened from one day to the next. No one should have to live that way.
“That’s my girl. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
“Great, Michael, I have to go now. I have things to do before I can go to bed tonight.” She made her voice sound firm. “I don’t want you to call me daily. I’m a big girl now, and I can take care of myself. You just concentrate on designing your convention center, and I’ll talk to you in a few days. Goodbye, now.” She hung up the phone before he could say anything else. In a childish fit of anger, she also turned the phone off in case he tried to phone her back before she was ready to talk with him again.
Thinking back to her months in the clinic, Maddie remembered Dr. Constantine and shuddered. He always promised her and her family that he’d be able to teach her to control the telekinesis. Unfortunately, he’d never been about to tell them what caused it.
In the clinic, they finally gave her the official name for what happened around her when she got emotional. Telekinesis. It was a funny name for the chaos that erupted around her from time to time. Unfortunately for her, the control he promised came from forcing drugs on her, which made it almost impossible to have any emotions at all. She’d felt like a zombie most of the time. Plus, it caused her to lose parts of her memory. She’d come off the drug and not remember where she’d been or what she’d been doing for whole days at a time. It frightened her, and nobody in her family would listen to her except her grandfather. When she voiced her fears to him, he stopped visiting her and she never knew why. It was the loneliest time of her life.
Smiling wickedly, Maddie spoke out loud.
“I don’t need the good doctor to teach me how to control my gift. I’m learning just fine on my own without taking his stupid drugs.”
Maddie turned and stared intently at the glass of milk on the table beside her. After several moments, the glass slid smoothly across the table, stopping just before it toppled over the edge. Laughing out loud, Maddie turned back in time to see the golden, orange, and reddish hues fall down behind the snow covered tops of the distant mountains. Here, in her grandfather’s cabin, she felt nothing but peace.
I only lose control when I’m angry or emotional. If I can stay here in this beautiful valley, I should be able to control myself all the time.
She remained outside in the rocking chair long after the sun set, only deciding to go inside when the cold began to seep into her bones. Tired from her day, she just wanted to stoke up the fire and climb into bed. Tomorrow, she’d spend time working on her control and do a little exploring on her own.
* * * *
Still in his wolf form, Remus approached the large log cabin home built at the edge of the forest and let himself
into the kitchen through a giant doggie door his brother installed a year ago. He’d been horrified when his younger brother suggested it, but he had to admit it made it easier for their wolves to come and go as they pleased.
Glancing up, he saw his brothers, Ethan and Latan, sitting at the kitchen table. Quickly, he shifted back to human and grabbed the pair of jeans he kept by the back door.
Never one to waste time, his younger brother Ethan spoke first. “Well?”
“She’s finally here, getting settled into Victor’s house. I didn’t think her brother would be willing to leave her alone there at first, but he finally gave in and drove away. Hell, he’s been like a shadow to her for two weeks.” He sighed heavily. “Gods above, Ethan, she’s even more beautiful than I remembered.” Remus knew he probably had some ridiculous romantic look on his face. He hoped his brothers wouldn’t make fun of him.
“So, when are you gonna mate with her?” Latan joined the conversation.
“It’ll be soon, but I want her to have a chance to adjust after being locked up in that clinic for such a long time. I don’t want to push her or throw too much at her at one time. I sort of promised Victor that I wouldn’t rush her, and I intend to keep that promise.” He didn’t tell them that he also promised to let her fall in love with him.
“I know what you promised Victor, but she won’t be twenty-one for almost two years. Do you plan to wait that long? How will you ensure that you don’t lose her to someone else before then? Not to mention, how will you get the others in the pack off your back about mating? They expect, as Alpha, you’ll produce a mate and an heir quickly.” Ethan looked genuinely worried. .
“I’m not gonna wait that long. I just want time for her to get to know me. I want her to come to me willingly, when she knows what I am. I don’t care what the others think. Hell, I’ve only been Alpha for a little over a year. There’s plenty of time for me to produce an heir. You know they can only put pressure on me. They can’t force me to do anything. Besides, I need time to help her get control of her gift. Victor said strong emotions bring out the violent episodes, and I’m afraid that suddenly finding herself mated to a wolf and having to meet all the other wolves could mean disaster for all of us. Think of the damage she could do with just one thought.” Although serious, Remus couldn’t help but laugh at the vision of her unleashing her gift on the stuffy Elders of his pack.
Both brothers nodded their agreement, and then Latan spoke up.
“How can we help, Remus?”
“She’s going to need protection. The doctor at that clinic wants her back for more research, and I’m not sure how far he’ll go to get his hands on her. I don’t know if Constantine knows she’s one of us or not.”
“Constantine!” both brothers cried.
Before he died, Victor told Remus all about Dr. Constantine and his involvement with the wolf shifters. It seemed the clinic doctor had an agenda Maddie’s father hadn’t known about. “Yeah, that’s one of my major problems. Since he knows about the shifters, he could want her for research other than her telekinesis. I don’t want to risk her life.” Remus’s glance went from one brother to the other. “I’d like it if we could split up so she always has someone watching her until I can mate with her and bring her home.”
“You can count on us, Remus. Just tell us what you want us to do.” Ethan said.
“Thanks, guys. Just check your schedules and let me know when you’re free during the next couple of weeks. I’m really hoping that’ll give her enough time to get to know me. I’m heading over there in the morning to see if she remembers the wolf. She was quite fond of me when she was a little girl.”
“When can we meet her?” Ethan asked quietly with a hint of enthusiasm.
“Soon, Ethan. Hopefully, by the first of next week she’ll be ready to meet with my family. I warn you, though, you’ll probably have to meet her as human and wait before you show her you’re wolves.”
“That’s fine, Remus. We don’t mind spending time with her as humans.” His brother looked uncomfortable and cleared his throat before continuing. “You also need to be aware that Nanita has been coming around, asking where you’ve been spending all your time.” Ethan looked at his brother, and Remus got the feeling he was trying to see how he would react to the female’s name.
“Keep that hell bitch away from me until after I’ve mated with Maddie. I’d sooner mate with a grizzly than bed that barracuda.” He paused and felt a moment of panic. “I’ll call Chatay and see if he can keep her occupied, maybe give her some job to do for the pack. Hell, maybe he can even send her on a trip. I’d certainly be willing to pay her expenses.”
Frowning, Latan spoke up. “Mate as soon as possible, Remus. Nothing’s going to keep Nanita away for long.”
* * * *
Slowly, Maddie woke from a deep sleep, toasty warm under several quilts in the huge brass bed. She didn’t remember ever feeling so safe and comfortable waking before, and she didn’t want it to end. Stretching out in the cocooning warmth, she refused to open her eyes in case it was all just a dream and she found herself back in the clinic bed that had been hers for so many years.
Realizing she couldn’t put off facing the day any longer, Maddie slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. Smiling and laughing out loud, she realized she was in her grandfather’s cabin, finally free. Giggling like a schoolgirl, she jumped from the bed, grabbed her robe on the run to the living room, and began to bank up the fire to add more logs. After she got the fire roaring, she went to take a hot shower.
Maddie dressed quickly in jeans and a T-shirt and then added a pullover sweater. She ran a brush through her long curls, then pulled her hair back into a ponytail and secured it with a thin red ribbon. Satisfied with her appearance, she headed over to the small kitchen area for a bite of breakfast before she took off on a morning walk.
Singing along with the radio, she ate her light breakfast of cereal and fruit and then headed out the back door to walk down to the lake. The grass, wet with morning dew, dampened her shoes as she walked lazily down toward the riverbank listening to the birds cheerfully singing.
When she arrived at the river, she spotted the huge rock overhang, always her favorite place to sit with her grandfather and talk. Smiling happily, she climbed out onto the rock, which had a perfect view of the river and the mountains. Sighing, she let her head fall back while she looked up at the sky. The beauty of this place always amazed her. The sky, a deep sapphire blue, didn’t have a cloud visible anywhere. Nowhere in the cities could you see sky as clear or as blue as this. Glancing back down toward the river, she watched the swift flowing current.
Looking around, she decided that this place, in particular, would be perfect to try out her new hobby. Without telling Michael, she’d begun painting in the clinic to pass the time away. She really enjoyed her new hobby, and the hospital staff convinced her that she wasn’t a half bad artist. She hadn’t been able to recreate the scenery here on canvas because of all the drugs she’d been given. Now, she could take her time and capture all this splendor. Michael would really be surprised by his Christmas present this year. Lying back to soak up the sun, Maddie allowed her mind to wander, remembering all the special times she shared with her grandfather right on this very spot.
* * * *
Remus ran along the path in his wolf form, heading over to Victor’s cabin. He couldn’t wait to see Maddie again, to see if she remembered her wolf.
As he neared the house, he caught her scent on the wind and stopped to look toward the river. Almost immediately, he spotted her on the great rock, lying back in the sunshine.
God, she’s so beautiful.
He started walking in her direction, purposely making noise as he approached so he wouldn’t frighten her.
* * * *
Maddie heard a noise behind her and turned quickly to see what it was. She couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched a wolf walking across the field toward her. Something inside her told her not to fear him. He
stopped briefly and looked right at her, then began walking toward her again.
As he got closer and she saw his huge size, she felt a little frightened. She remembered the wolf her grandfather introduced her to so long ago, but surely this couldn’t be the same wolf.
How long did wolves live in the wild, she wondered.
As he continued to draw closer, Maddie stood and began to back away slowly toward the river. She was amazed when he stopped advancing and then dropped to the ground and whined. Almost immediately, he began to crawl toward her.
Maddie stopped her retreat and suddenly heard her Grandfather’s voice in her head.
Look at his eyes, little girl. They show you what kind of wolf he is. I promise you this wolf will never do anything to hurt you. In fact, he’d protect you from danger if you ever needed it.
Feeling more confident, Maddie began to walk toward the large wolf. He stopped and watched as she drew near. When she stood right before him, the wolf rolled to his back, presenting his belly to her, causing Maddie to laugh out loud. Feeling confident, she sat down in the grass next to him. After watching him for just a few moments, she reached out a hand timidly and began to rub his belly.
“I’m so happy to see you again, big fellow. I can’t believe you’re still around. You must be getting pretty old for a wolf.” She jumped when a chuffing sound came from the wolf, almost as if he laughed at her. While she talked to him, she continued to rub her hand across his silky fur.
* * * *
Discovering Their Wolfen Heritage Page 2
