Under An Alaskan Moon: A Shifter Romance

by Scarlett McLeod

  Reggie nodded at her and then tried to pet the wolf again. Colin dove behind Faye’s legs. He liked the idea of Faye being the only one to pet him; to put her hands on him.

  Reggie grabbed his jacket and disappeared out the door. Colin followed Faye into the other room, looking around curiously. On one side of the room was a small coffee shop with two tables. The other side was rows upon rows of sagging bookshelves. Colin was hit with a sudden longing. It had been decades since he had last been able to read a book.

  He whined, trotting over to stand and stare up at one of the shelves. He could read the titles. A Tale of Two Cities had always been his favorite book to read. He also enjoyed Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories. He had always loved books.

  Faye watched as her good-tempered Wolfie seemed to grow sad. He disappeared into the back room, his tail drooping.

  “That your wolf?” asked Heidi as she poured water into the commercial coffee maker.

  “Yeah,” answered Faye, turning back to the older woman behind the counter with a smile. “He’s not very sociable with anyone but me. I found him last night.”

  Heidi smiled. “So I heard you tell my hubby. But really, girl, Wolfie was the best you could come up with?”

  “Hey,” Faye chuckled, “don’t make fun of my naming skills.”

  Colin heard them from where he lay in the back room, nose on paws, and felt oddly protective of his name. Faye, his beautiful mate, had given it to him, and his wolf, previously just an entity within him, another part of his soul, claimed the name and loved it.

  Faye grabbed the stack of books that needed to be reshelved and got to work, kneeling down on the floor to reach the lower shelves. A few minutes later, she felt a cold nose against her neck. She giggled as she fell on her backside. Gently, she pushed Wolfie away, frowning half-heartedly at him when he plopped his head down in her lap, blinking his big golden eyes up at her entreatingly.

  “Wolfie,” she rebuked, “I’m trying to work.”

  All she got was a whine before she leaned down and asked softly, “What’s wrong, boy?”

  CHAPTER six

  “Something is off with your dog,” hollered Heidi.

  Faye looked up from where she was making herself a little bit of coffee with a lot of sugar and cream. Her shift was almost over, and she glanced up at the clock on the wall as it hit 5:00. It had been a pretty slow day. Only five people had come into the bookshop.

  “What’d you mean?” she hollered back.

  Faye finished making her coffee and headed towards the back of the shop. Heidi bent worriedly over Wolfie who lay whimpering on the floor.

  “I think he’s dreaming,” said Heidi, sounding concerned.

  Faye set her coffee mug down with furrowed brows, worried for her Wolfie. The bell rang at the front of the shop and Heidi sighed. “Of course someone would come in right at closing time,” she muttered, moving towards the counter in the front.

  “Need help?” asked Faye as she sat down beside her wolf.

  “Nah, I got this,” answered Heidi. “I’ll see you tomorrow, honey. Go ahead and go home.”

  Faye shrugged and soothingly stroked the wolf’s fur. “Easy, Wolfie,” she said softly. “I got ya.”

  ***

  “Mathair, no, please!”

  Colin walked slowly, his back stiff as he listened to his sister plead for him. Caterina was a tender-hearted little thing, a decade his junior. The bond between them was strong, perhaps because out of all his siblings, they were the closest in age. Martha and William Byrd had five boys before Caterina arrived; small, pink, loud, and all female. She was their last child and spoiled to a fault.

  “Rina,” he said gruffly, “quiet. ‘Tis not their choosing.”

  The sound of a sniffle reached Colin’s ears from where she walked behind him with their mother. He knew his parents had no choice in their decision. He was a danger to them all. Already, his wolf was so volatile that, for the past few weeks, he had been chained in the basement.

  The chains rattled around his wrists and ankles as he continued walking, briefly feeling thankful for the soft wind against his face. His frame was gaunt; pale skin stretched over bones. Stringy blonde hair and beard hid his face from view as he trudged on, following his father who led the way. His four older brothers brought up the rear solemnly, their mates and pups left at home.

  If Colin had his way, they would have all stayed behind, save for his father. But then, ideally, if Colin had his way, he would be curled up in bed with his mate instead of marching down a mountain to be executed by his own father. Adrian, Benjamin, David, and Justin had all found their mates within the normal time frame. Why was he different?

  His wolf was silent for the moment; the first reprieve he had had in months. His mother had injected him with a small amount of caochladh earlier which effectively silenced his wolf for a few hours. They wanted to say goodbye. Colin knew that, without the juice of the caochladh flowing through his veins, he would be reduced to nothing more than a snarling rabid dog.

  He was pulled from his thoughts when Caterina sidled up beside him, sliding her hand into his. Tears streamed her small face as she tried to be brave.

  “Och, nae,” began Colin, trying to smile. “We canna ‘ave this. Smile, piuthar bheag.”

  She choked on a sob and leaned her head on his arm. “I dinna ken how,” she said brokenly.

  “Like this.” Colin tried to smile.

  The effect must have been more of a grimace for Caterina giggled before crying again. They continued that way down the mountain.

  The elder Byrd stopped them once they reached the clearing. His eyes were full of sadness. Killing a son was not something he envisioned himself doing when he held Colin for the first time.

  The family stood in a circle with Colin and his father in the center. Tears formed in his father’s eyes as he roughly clasped Colin’s shoulder. “‘Tis not what I intended,” he said. “Ye were such a wee babe, Colin. Such a wee little laddie.”

  Colin felt his eyes fill with tears as his father held him close, nearly sobbing on his shoulder. His brothers were next, one at a time, hugging him and whispering apologies.

  What were they sorry for?

  Caterina clung to him, not even trying to hold back her pain-filled wails. His father had stepped back, trying to compose himself and resume his alpha duty. He had to step out of the role of father or he could never do what he was forced to do.

  All for the code. The code could not be broken, especially with a problem of such magnitude. Colin would go wild and could kill his family. He had to be put down. That was what the code stated, backed up by the Council.,

  His mother was last and he held her tightly, finally letting a few tears fall.

  “Mum,” he choked, burying his face in her hair.

  He didn’t want to die, but if this was the only way to keep his family safe, he would. But he couldn’t stop the ‘whys’ from rolling through his head.

  Justin held Caterina back as she struggled to get to him, screaming his name. Colin straightened his shoulders as his father approached.

  “Hush, Caterina,” pleaded Colin. The last thing he wanted to hear in this life was his sister’s agonized screams. She quieted down to soft sobs, but Justin still held her.

  His brother’s eyes were bright with unshed tears as he fought to remain strong. Colin hated this―hated to do this to his family. His mother walked to their father, briefly pausing by her mate to whisper comfort.

  As alpha, William Byrd was responsible for his pack. Colin’s execution fell upon his shoulders.

  Colin closed his eyes as he felt his father move towards him. The clearing quieted. Colin waited anxiously before opening his eyes, frustrated.

  “Just do it,” he yelled. “I canna stand the wait.”

  “I can’t,” his father yelled back, tears streaming down his face. “I canna do it.”

  Colin stood in shock, blinking rapidly as his father hastily grabbed the key to his shackles f
rom his pocket and unlocked them. The chains dropped to the ground with a clank, and Colin stood free for the first time in months.

  “Go,” commanded his father.

  Colin looked at him fearfully, dread creeping up his spine.

  No, he thought.

  He’d rather be dead. He listened in shock as his father recited the banishment. “I, Alpha William Byrd, hereby banish Colin Byrd from my lands. Upon violation of this command, the only punishment will be death.”

  “No!” Colin screamed. “Please, no. Kill me please. Don’t send me away.”

  His brothers looked on in shock as their father lost himself to his fur. Colin backed up as his father snarled at him.

  “Please,” he pleaded, “don’t do this.”

  He glanced to his mum for help but was met with teary resigned eyes. Caterina still struggled to get to him.

  “Go,” screamed his mother. “Go!”

  Colin gave one last look at his family, betrayal burning in his gut. Banishment was a fate worse than death. He would rather be dead than to be a lone wolf.

  With a cry, he lost himself to his fur, and with a howl, he ran.

  CHAPTER seven

  Colin woke, miserable and lost in the past. His heart ached. It had been so many moons since he had seen his family. Caterina had surely met her mate by now and probably already had pups. He wondered about his nieces and nephews. The oldest of them would have most likely already met their Promise.

  He felt so left behind, like the rest of the world had moved on without him. He was still locked in his fur even though he had already met his Promise.

  Faye sat beside her scrawny wolf with worry in her eyes. She gently ran her fingers through his fur. With a whimper, he laid his head on her lap, his big golden eyes staring up into hers. She bent and kissed his nose, silencing the heartbreaking whine in his muzzle.

  Colin closed his eyes again, a feeling of warmth seeping into his heart. There would be time to mourn his losses later. At that moment, his mate was snuggling his body into hers with surprising strength.

  He helped her out by practically crawling into her lap, his tail and hind legs curling around her waist protectively. She giggled as he shoved his head into her stomach and smelled her unique scent. Gently, she stroked his fur, mindful of his healing ear and cooed, “You’re such a good boy. Yes, you are, my big Wolfie.”

  Colin’s heart swelled again as she called him hers. There was nothing sweeter on earth.

  When his tail began to thump the floor, Faye smiled and said, “I’d love to cuddle with you more, Wolfie, but I have to get a move on. Suzanne needs me to cover her shift. Again.”

  With a sigh, she stood, and Colin followed her out the door to her car. He rode shotgun, shoving his head out the window with his tongue hanging out. He was aware of how silly he looked but didn’t care when Faye laughed at him.

  Faye’s shift at the Crazy Moose was only four hours long. Suzanne had another emergency she had to handle. Colin listened to Faye grumble about ‘useless best friends’ and ‘crappy relationships’. His ears perked up at that, and he looked at her with his head cocked.

  Faye chuckled, tugged on his ear affectionately, and said, “Suzanne has a reputation around here with men. She uses them and loses them, and she’s proud of it.”

  Colin hoped Faye wasn’t like that. It would be hard to watch her with another man and not kill him. He whined and shoved his head in her lap.

  “I’ve always wanted something a little more permanent,” mused Faye as she stroked Wolfie’s head with one hand. “Ever since my dad died, the cabin got pretty lonely. He was the only family I had left.”

  Colin nudged his head into her stomach, reminding her he was there. She looked down at him briefly, a small smile curving her lips.

  “I guess I’ve got you now, Wolfie,” she said cheerfully. “Who needs any other man, huh?”

  Faye wondered what she was going to do with Wolfie while she worked. Leaving him in the car wasn’t an option, and she didn’t know how well her boss would respond to having a wolf in the restaurant. With a sigh, she went in the employees’ entrance with Wolfie at her heels.

  “What on earth?” spluttered a female voice.

  Colin looked up as a short gray-haired woman stared at him.

  Faye grinned. Mardi was one of the waitresses and was a loud-mouthed gossip. Rendering the middle-aged woman speechless was an accomplishment.

  “Mardi,” Faye began, “meet Wolfie, the new addition to my household.”

  Mardi remembered how to work her tongue and said smugly, “Mr. Harding is not going to be pleased to see that animal in his place.”

  Without thinking, Colin snarled at the underlying threat in the woman’s voice. Mardi shrieked and ducked into the bathroom. Faye chuckled and then laid a calming hand on Wolfie’s fur. “As much as I enjoyed that, no more growling,” she reprimanded. “Mardi is a troublemaker, and she’ll go straight to the boss with exaggerations of a rabid wolf.”

  Wolfie licked her hand apologetically, and Faye left him in the back room with her purse to guard.

  “I’ll be back in a little while,” she said. “Don’t get into trouble and stay here.

  She walked out the door, and Colin laid his head on his paws. He perked up as she dashed inside the room again, propping up a piece of paper on the table. “Just so I don’t have to worry about coworkers losing their fingers,” she mumbled before she was gone again.

  As soon as the door closed behind her again, Colin got up curiously and walked over to the table. A doggy snort escaped his muzzle. If he had been in his skin, he would have laughed. In large capital letters were the words DO NOT PET WOLF. Colin grinned and decided he should check out her coworkers just to make sure they were not dangerous for his woman to be around in.

  He sniffed his way through the cubby holes, finding nothing suspicious other than the fine cat hair coating one of the ladies’ scarf. That made him sneeze. He whined eagerly as his nose caught a scent on one of the shoes.

  It was the woman Faye called Mardi. He growled and yanked her shoes out of the cubby hole, teething them like a puppy. He dropped them on the floor when he saw the woman’s bag in the back of the cubby hole. He dumped the contents on the ground before nosing through them.

  There were typical women things: lipstick, wallet, pen, and something cylindrical in plastic purple wrapping. He didn’t know what that was.

  Grunting, he left the mess on the floor but took a shoe to chew on over to his corner by Faye’s purse. He laid down with a flop, thoroughly satisfied with himself.

  ***

  Faye finished up her last order before her first break and vaguely felt sorry for the poor man’s digestive tract. His colon would be working overtime. She didn’t understand how some people could eat such strange things.

  She smiled as the other waitress, besides Mardi, winked at her. Becca was known for her cats, so she would never have informed the boss of the large wolf that currently resided in the back room. Mardi must have been too busy to tattle yet.

  Faye made her way to the back, taking her apron off and hanging it up so she wouldn’t get animal hair on it. She opened the back room door and stood flabbergasted.

  “Wolfie!” she exclaimed, hands on hips as she looked around at the mess.

  Colin leapt to his feet and bounded over to her, barking happily. “Shh,” she instructed frantically. “Quiet! My boss doesn’t know you’re here!”

  Colin’s noise subsided into happy little whines, his tail wagging furiously. He’d rather she work at Heidi’s where he could see her whenever he wanted. She had been gone forever, he thought.

  Faye moved to pick up the stuff Wolfie had scattered around, her lips on a brink a smile as she realized it was Mardi’s. Nobody else’s stuff had been touched.

  When she finished cleaning up the mess, she turned to Wolfie and said, “You don’t like Mardi much, do you?”

  Colin padded over to her and sat with a sneeze. Faye laughed before
she noticed the decimated shoes. “Oh Wolfie.” She groaned. “We’re in for it now.”

  Colin shrugged then got the shoes, returning them to the cubby hole before tugging on Faye’s shirt. He was ready to go home.

  Faye laughed as she said, “Can’t leave yet, boy. I’ve got another hour. Then we can go.”

  Colin whined before laying down on top of her feet, a morose look on his face. He had to endure the cat lady when she came in and tried to pet him despite the sign. And now he was hungry. He looked up at her with adoring eyes before licking her hand that reached down to pet him.

  “Good boy,” she praised, forgetting that he had just destroyed Mardi’s shoes.

  CHAPTER eight

  It was late when they arrived home. Colin watched protectively, ears listening for any sign of danger, as Faye shut her chickens in the coop and yawned tiredly. It had been a long day.

  Once inside the warm cozy cabin, Colin trotted over to the bearskin rug and flopped down with a huff. He was hungry, but right now, his legs were shaking from walking.

  He was weak still, something he didn’t really want to admit but had to. His eyelids drooped as Faye puttered around before disappearing in her bedroom. Colin’s ears perked up as he heard the sound of her clothes hitting the floor before water started running.

  Imagining her in the bathtub with water running down her soft naked skin made a soft whine leave his muzzle. He wanted to join her as her mate―as a man. He needed hands to worship her body, lips to kiss her skin, and a proper tool kit if he was ever going to make love to her the way he wanted to. He wanted a love like he saw between his parents.

  He quickly reminded himself of Faye’s humanity as he laid his head down on his paws. If Faye even accepted him should he finally change, there would be a long courtship, he was sure. Wasn’t that how humans did it?

  True, his kind had their own way of courting, but intimacy was all a part of that. Colin heard the shower shut off and got to his feet as Faye walked out, her hair in a towel and her cheeks flushed a rosy red from the heat of the shower.