Deceived by the Shifter

by Juniper Hart

  He had wracked his brain, trying to recall where she said she was from, but the location evaded him if he had ever known it in the first place.

  It shouldn’t be this hard to find her, he thought as he struggled through the week, trying to focus on his work.

  It was not until Friday that he remembered there was another avenue to investigate: Amberlyn. It was a less common name than Hollie, which could make her easier to find online.

  What did she say her last name was? Try as he might, Aaron could not remember what the girl had said that night at the blackjack table. He replayed the scene often in his mind, recalling how well he and Amberlyn had bantered until Hollie had appeared.

  If Hollie had just gone back to her room without telling her friend, things would have ended up much differently. It was obvious to everyone that Aaron’s mind was elsewhere, but he could not bring himself to think of anything but the fact that he was married.

  “How do I look?” Lance asked, and Aaron spun around to look at the groom.

  “Not as good as me, but I guess you’ve looked worse,” he replied, grinning.

  In fact, Lance seemed radiantly happy, and Aaron wondered if the tryst he’d had in Nevada had been a one-time thing which he had gotten out of his system. Aaron hoped so for both Lance and Adriana’s sake.

  “Are you ready?” Lance asked, gesturing toward the front room where everyone waited anxiously for the festivities to get underway.

  Aaron nodded, clapping his best friend on the back. “Yes,” he replied. “Let’s make an honest man out of you.”

  They exchanged a silent, knowing look and turned to the rest of the party.

  “Let’s get the show on the road, boys,” he called.

  Lance turned, and the others turned to follow, but before Aaron could step outside the dressing area, a hand fell on his shoulder.

  “I trust you know to keep your mouth shut about what happened in Vegas,” Jason said as Aaron looked back in surprise.

  Aaron’s blue eyes narrowed. “Does that really require an answer?” Aaron snorted, shoving Jason’s arm from his shoulders.

  “My brother trusts you,” Jason said quietly, and Aaron was suddenly aware of how much larger the hazel-eyed man was than him.

  “He should,” Aaron retorted.

  “I don’t,” Jason continued as if Aaron hadn’t spoken. “I never have.”

  Aaron felt his jaw lock, but he forced himself to smile.

  “That is your loss, brother,” he answered lightly. “I think we could be good friends if you would let it happen.”

  “We are not friends, and we are definitely not brothers,” Jason snarled, his face inches from Aaron’s.

  The slightly smaller man felt a small fission of alarm course through him, but he couldn’t say why. He had no intention of telling Adriana anything, but Jason made him feel as if he could read his disapproval.

  “I’m not going to betray him. We’ve been friends almost since birth, Jay, almost as long as he’s been your brother.”

  “And he is my brother. We’re family. Don’t forget that.”

  There was a much deeper meaning to Jason’s words, a meaning that made Aaron very uncomfortable.

  “Lance is waiting,” he mumbled, turning away from the groom’s brother. He walked quickly away to avoid any further conversation.

  Jason had never cared for Aaron, it was clear, but it seemed as the boys grew older, Lance’s big brother became more openly disdainful of Aaron. The younger man had suspected it had to do with jealousy, but as the dynamic changed later, Aaron knew that Jason’s seemingly innocuous comments had a much more significant meaning.

  Never mind Jason O’Connor now. This is your best friend’s wedding. Nothing else is important today.

  He took his place at Lance’s side, offering him a generous smile, which Lance returned gratefully.

  The nervousness in his face was apparent, and he nodded reassuringly.

  Lance seemed to understand the silent message that Aaron sent, but the cue of the wedding march caused them both to turn toward the aisle where a flower girl began to walk slowly and sweetly, tossing rose petals aside with a happy smile on her small face.

  Behind her, the bridesmaids entered, followed by Adriana’s sister, the maid of honor.

  “Here Comes the Bride” began to play, and Lance’s bride walked toward them in even, measured steps, her father on her arm.

  Aaron stole a glance at his friend, noting the look of awe on his face, and he was abruptly seized by a feeling of melancholy.

  I wanted a wedding like this, he thought glumly. Instead, I got married in the middle of the night in a ceremony I can barely remember. He fought against the sense of regret growing in his stomach. Maybe when I find Hollie, she and I can do it over again properly. A big party with orchids and a white dress for her. Lance can be my best man, and maybe Amberlyn will be her maid of honor. She would like that…wouldn’t she?

  It shamed him to know that he really had no idea if she would like that. He had much to learn about his wife.

  Like where she was.

  He had found several women named Amberlyn on Facebook, but none of the profile pictures resembled the round-faced blonde he had briefly met.

  Would I even recognize her if I passed her on the street? Aaron was sure he would.

  He could still remember the mischievous glint in Amberlyn’s dark blue eyes as if she knew something he did not.

  She does know something I don’t: where my wife is. Aaron forced himself to listen to the service, his eyes floating around the church.

  He could not stifle the spark of envy he felt. Lance is having the wedding I always wanted, he thought with some bitterness. He tried to find the silver lining. At least Hollie and I weren’t married by Elvis.

  In spite of his earlier misgivings, the reception was a beautiful and festive event, impossible for Aaron not to get caught up within. He danced, drank, and ate, laughing with the bridesmaids as the band played against the sparkling manmade lake on the terrace.

  As night fell, he had almost forgotten about his earlier woes as he sat lazily in a folding chair which had been used for seating during the ceremony, a beer in hand as he watched the party continue. Adriana and Lance had barely left each other’s side since saying “I do” and as his gaze fell on them, Aaron felt a surge of happiness for the couple.

  They will be very happy together. Lance made a mistake, but he will be a good husband. I can tell by the way he looks at her. But we all make mistakes. A twinge of wistfulness touched his heart, and he turned back toward the band.

  I wish Hollie was here, he thought, sighing.

  “What are you pouting about?”

  He leaned his head back and stared up at his best friend who had disentangled himself from his new bride.

  “Am I pouting?” Aaron asked, laughing. “I’m just thinking.”

  “About your own wife?” Lance asked, his eyes widening with amusement.

  “As a matter of fact, I was,” Aaron replied, too tipsy to deny it. “So what?”

  “So, I have some news for you,” Lance replied, plopping onto a chair beside him and grabbing for his beer.

  “What news is that?”

  “I found her.”

  Aaron’s mouth dropped open in shock. “What do you mean you found her? Where is she? How did you find her?”

  “Woah,” Lance laughed, taking a swig of the bottle before handing back to Aaron. “One question at a time, please.”

  “What do you mean you found her?” Aaron asked again, trying to keep calm.

  “Actually, she found me on Facebook. I guess she had messaged me a week ago, but it went into my spam inbox. I just happened upon it in my notifications.”

  “What did she say? Why couldn’t I find her? Did you respond to her?” His questions were rapid fire, and Lance seemed pained.

  “I shouldn’t have told you about this until I was sober. You’re making my head swim,” the groom complained.

&
nbsp; “What did she say, Lance?” Aaron was losing his ease. “Where is she?”

  “She said she is looking for you, and oddly, she lives in Ketchum.”

  Aaron stared at him. “Ketchum, Idaho?”

  “Is there another Ketchum?” Lance replied dryly.

  “She lives twenty minutes away?”

  “So she says,” Lance replied. He dug his cell phone from the pocket of his trousers and handed it to Aaron. “See for yourself.”

  Eagerly, he opened Lance’s Facebook Messenger app and found the note from Hollie.

  She’s not using her real name online, he realized immediately. That’s why I couldn’t find her. His eyes scanned the brief message which she had sent, sinking against the chair.

  “When did you find this?” he asked Lance.

  “Last night actually. It slipped my mind with everything going on.”

  Aaron nodded slowly, peering at the picture closely. It was unmistakably the woman he had married, her dark eyes smiling at the camera as she stood before a giant redwood tree with her arms spread.

  Oddly, he didn’t feel the same spark he had felt when he had seen her in Las Vegas.

  It's a picture. It’s not the same as seeing her face to face.

  “Can I write back to her?” Aaron asked, and Lance chortled.

  “Of course you can,” he snorted. “Why do you think I showed this to you?”

  He sauntered off to find Adriana, leaving Aaron with his phone.

  With trembling fingers, Aaron began to concoct a message to the woman he had wed less than a week earlier.

  “You’re at a wedding, and you’re glued to Facebook? That’s kind of tacky, isn’t it?”

  Aaron did not bother to look up, fixated on what he was going to say to Hollie.

  “Some things can’t wait,” he replied shortly.

  “Oh yeah? You checking to see how many likes you got on your latest selfie?”

  “For your information,” Aaron spat, finishing the last of his message. “I’m messaging my wife.”

  He tore his eyes from the screen long enough to glare up at who he thought was a drunk bridesmaid.

  His mouth twisting into a gape. Am I so drunk I’m hallucinating?

  “Hollie!”

  “Did you just say you were messaging your wife?” she gasped, stepping back. “You’re married?”

  Aaron burst into laughter, nodding. “Yes,” he replied, holding up the cell. “To you.”

  Her chocolate eyes travelled to the phone, and she pursed her lips together as she realized he was indeed messaging her.

  His grin broadened. “How did you know about the wedding? Did Lance invite you?”

  She shook her dark head quickly. “It’s a long story,” she muttered. “But no, I am not an invited guest. I need to talk to you.”

  “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” he replied. “Let’s go somewhere quiet.”

  He jumped to his feet, looking around for Lance, but his best friend had disappeared into the crowd as the music switched from the band to a DJ, and the beats grew louder.

  They slipped into the coatroom and stared at each other for a long moment.

  “How are you?” he asked conversationally, but her face flashed with anger.

  “You’re going to ply me with pleasantries?” she demanded. “We need to figure out this mess and fast.”

  “What mess?” Aaron asked. “Our marriage?”

  Hollie snorted. “Marriage?” she repeated. “This is not a marriage, Aaron. This is a sham, a drunken mistake, and a hangover from hell. We have to get an annulment.”

  Aaron found he was stung by her words. “That’s not really fair,” he replied. “Considering it was your idea to do it.”

  “My idea?” she choked. “You have got to be kidding me!”

  Aaron shook his head. “I’m not kidding you,” he replied softly. “Don’t you remember?”

  “I…” she stopped speaking and looked down at the ground, her eyes betraying the truth; she didn’t remember much about that night either.

  “We had a connection, Hollie. Obviously, our instincts led us to this place.”

  She stared at him in confusion. “What place?”

  “Marriage, of course,” he sighed, chuckling. “We wouldn’t have done this if we weren’t meant to do it. Fate brought us together.”

  “What the hell are you saying?” she demanded. “I will find a lawyer, and now that I know where to find you, we’ll just nullify it. I’ll take care of everything if you want.”

  Aaron shook his head, remembering his promise to himself. No, there is a reason we got married. It was destiny. I can’t let this go without giving it a chance, he thought.

  “Why the hell are you shaking your head?” Hollie yelled, her eyes wide with confusion.

  “I think we should give it a shot.”

  Hollie’s mouth fell completely open, and she let out a noise which was a cross between a gasp and a laugh. “Is this a joke to you?” she snapped. “Because I am not amused! I have been trying to find you since we got home. It’s been time consuming and emotionally draining.”

  Aaron’s face went ashen. “No, Hollie, this is not a joke. I think we owe it to each other to work it out. I won’t grant you an annulment. We consummated the marriage anyway.”

  If possible, her mouth dropped further. “What?” she choked. “We had sex twice?”

  He shrugged and nodded. “In the courtyard of some hotel park. I can’t really remember which one.”

  Her face registered sheer horror. “Oh my God,” she moaned, slumping against the wall. “What the hell did I do?”

  Instantly, Aaron was at her side, comforting her. “I’ll make a great husband. I promise,” he told her, and she looked up at him as if he was crazy.

  “Aaron, we don’t know anything about each other. I only found you because I remembered your friend’s name. This can’t work! Of course, now that I’m thinking clearly, I could have called the chapel and got your address. Ugh, why didn’t I think of that earlier? But, it doesn’t matter. I’ve found you now, and we need to fix this…situation.”

  “Situation? You mean our marriage. Listen, we don’t know that it won’t work unless we try,” he replied, pulling her into a hug. “Let’s give it a shot.”

  Hollie didn’t resist, and Aaron squeezed her tightly as the door to the coatroom opened.

  “Seriously? You’re having sex in the coatroom at my brother’s wedding?” Jason snarled.

  Aaron whirled, scowling, his arm still tightly about Hollie’s shoulders.

  “We’re not having sex!” Aaron snapped. “This is my wife, Hollie.”

  Hollie’s eyes raised numbly to stare at Jason, and suddenly she gasped, wrenching herself from Aaron’s arms.

  “You!” she hissed, pointing.

  Jason’s face turned stony, and Aaron watched in twisted fascination as a low growl filled the room.

  “What are you doing here?” Hollie snarled, baring her teeth.

  Jason exposed his canines, which were slowly elongating.

  Their forms transitioned, a white snout appearing on Hollie’s face as Jason’s claw extracted.

  “You married the enemy?” Jason spat, his eyes glowingly fixed on Hollie.

  “The enemy?” Aaron murmured, his heart swelling with excitement. “She’s one of us.”

  “She’s not one of us,” Jason barked. “Her father is Lucas Oliver. She’s the daughter of the Ketchum pack leader, and you brought her into our den!”

  “And you’re Jason O’Connor,” Hollie breathed in disbelief. “Leader of the Hailey pack.”

  Aaron felt a fusion of fear and excitement course through him. I knew there was a reason fate brought her to me. Now I can certainly never let her go.

  Chapter Seven

  Hollie flew out of the banquet hall, her adrenaline pumping as she was certain both Aaron and Jason were on her tail, but when she finally paused to look back, no one was behind her.

  Not that
it matters; inevitably, I will see him again.

  She stood at the lip of Boise National Forest, having run full steam in full transition.

  Her breaths came out in short gasps as she leaned against a Ponderosa pine, willing herself to calm and shift back to her human form, but it was proving harder than she expected.

  Her mind was still in a primitive state, but she knew she had to go back to Water’s Edge for her car. It was a three-hour drive back to Ketchum, and she needed to get back and warn her father about what she had done.

  This is unforgiveable. He will disown me when he discovers who I married.

  Hollie’s anxiety was mounting, and she had no idea which way to turn.

  I can’t tell him, she thought, panicked as she looked around the darkened forest. She was half-expecting a member of the Hailey group to appear, but she remembered that they were in Eagle.

  Boise and this area are neutral ground. No one will attack here.

  Slowly, her hands became regular long fingers and manicured nails. Hollie exhaled and made her way out of the forest, realizing exactly how far she had run. Groaning, she began the walk back to the event center, shaking her head.

  At least she had the presence of mind to take her purse.

  She made her way back to Eagle, a walk which took over an hour, and stealthily made her way to her Honda Civic, parked in the lot where the wedding reception was still going in full swing.

  Hollie did not waste any time, jumping into her car and disappearing from the venue.

  Now shit is really going to hit the fan, she thought grimly.

  ***

  “You have a lot of nerve showing up here,” Amberlyn scoffed, turning away from the doorway, folding her arms over her heaving chest. “You don’t return my texts after the way you spoke to my dad.”

  “Amber, I’m in trouble,” she muttered, pushing her way into her best friend’s apartment. “And I need your help.”

  “Well that’s convenient,” Amberlyn replied, rolling her eyes as she spun to look at Hollie. “You only come around when you need something.”

  Hollie stared at her in disbelief. “You can’t mean that!” she snapped, her patience done with Amberlyn’s petulance. “You are the most selfish, egocentric woman I have ever met!”