by Jody Morse
At that moment, Orkos’ cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his shirt pocket. He glanced down at it. “I have to be going now. Duty calls. The pack is having a dilemma.”
“Can I stay here for the day, Papa?” Kyana asked, still holding Josh’s hand. “I’ve already done all of my chores at home.”
“I don’t see a reason why not,” Orkos replied. “It’s not every day that we get to meet the infamous Samara McKinley.” He grinned at Samara before heading to the door.
Once she heard the door close behind him, Samara turned to Kyana. “He doesn’t seem that old school, if you ask me. I mean, he let you skip going to school so that you could hang with us for the day. I can’t imagine an overly strict father allowing that.”
Kyana laughed. “He only agreed to let me stay because I don’t go to school at all. I’m homeschooled, but I’m way ahead of schedule on my schoolwork. In a few weeks, I should be able to graduate early.”
“You don’t seem like a homeschooled girl,” Josh commented, leaning forward and giving her a small kiss on the lips.
Samara gaped at him. She had never seen Josh act this affectionate towards Lilly before she’d died, and they’d been mates. Was it possible that his feelings for Kyana could be just as strong? From what Colby had explained when she’d first turned, Samara didn’t think it was possible to ever get a second mate—unless you were to get bitten before you went through initiation and were forced to decide between two packs, like she had.
Pushing away from him, Kyana scoffed. “I wasn’t aware that homeschooled girls acted a certain way.” When everyone stared back at her, she explained, “I’ve never been around many girls who have gone to school. Papa and the rest of the Koto pack believe that it’s best for us to be isolated from humans because they ‘cloud our vision’.” She made air quotes with her fingers, rolling her golden honey eyes at the idea.
“You don’t seem much different from the girls who go to our school,” Colby commented. “Most of them dress like you and act like you.”
“One of the women in our pack owns a clothing store,” Kyana explained. “Me and the other girls from our pack get most of our clothes there . . . otherwise, my father would probably object to me wearing human clothing at all. He’d rather see me dress in deerskin than wear human clothing.” She rolled her eyes. “He makes it seem like humans are so bad sometimes, when really, I don’t see how they’re much different from us.”
“They’re not,” Colby agreed. “Well, some of them are more obnoxious. Like Samara’s friend, Emma. She’s a wolf now, but she wasn’t destined to be. And there’s probably a reason for that. She’s the most annoying person you could ever meet! Have you ever seen the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days? It would be like that if Kate Hudson’s character wasn’t just pretending to annoy Matthew McConaughey’s character.”
“Colby watches chick flicks!” Kyle snorted.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyana replied, ignoring Kyle’s comment. “We don’t have TV, and Papa doesn’t like for us to go to the movie theater often. Usually, we only see cartoons to entertain the pups.”
“That’s probably a good thing,” Colby said. “TV corrupts our minds.” Chris and Steve both burst into laughter, obviously amused by what Colby was saying.
“That’s what Papa says,” Kyana replied sadly.
“It’s just like this Emma girl! She probably watched too much TV,” Colby continued. “Something had to have corrupted her mind. She’s not very nice. She thinks she’s the greatest thing in the world . . . . and she’s not the brightest light bulb in the box either, if you know what I’m saying.” He shook his head, as though the idea of Emma gave him a headache or something.
Samara shot him a glare, surprised that he was capable of talking so meanly behind someone’s back, since Colby was always picked on at school himself. Plus, he had been so nice about saving Emma’s stepdad the night before. The way he was talking seemed really out of character for him.
“I wonder,” Samara began slowly, knowing that Orkos probably wouldn’t like that she was bringing it up, “if your father would be willing to let you become an Ima.”
Kyana’s eyes lit up at the idea. “Really? You would let me be one of you?”
It was difficult to tell if Kyana was more excited at the idea because she wanted to get away from her own pack’s strict rules, or if it was because she was clearly falling for Josh. Either way, Samara nodded. “You’re more than welcome to be one of us. Assuming your father will agree to let you join, that is.”
“Well, it’s not up to my father, exactly,” Kyana said, slowly. “It’s mostly up to my brother, Akar. He’s the Alpha of our youth pack. He’s supposed to obey our father on most aspects . . . such as mating—” she explained, shooting Samara a ‘look’ which told her that she was talking about having puppies at a young age, “but if he gives me permission to leave, I’m not sure that the decision can be reversed if my father goes back on it. He won’t like it, but I’m not sure there’s much he can do about it.”
“Sounds like a lot of possible family drama to me,” Colby said, and Samara almost wanted to thank him for being the one voice of reason in the room. “I would make sure that you know it’s exactly what you want before you ask your brother if you can become an Ima.”
Kyana glanced over at Josh with a look in her eyes that only a girl who was falling in love could have. “I never ask for things unless I’m positive I want them.”
Samara glanced over at Luke, who was staring at her intently, a blank look in his eyes. Is everything okay?
“I need to speak to you,” Luke told her out loud. “Outside if that’s okay.”
Nodding, she turned to the rest of the pack. “We’ll be back soon, guys.”
“Oh, it’s dark out there,” Steve whispered to Chris, who responded with, “Wonder what they’re gonna do.”
Samara rolled her eyes at them. “Way to be mature, guys. We’re on a life or death mission right now, and you’re acting like a bunch of kindergarteners.”
“Oh, please, we’re not immature. Don’t give each other cooties, though,” Chris said, smirking.
Once they were outside, Samara glanced up at Luke. “What’s going on?”
Luke stared into her eyes. “You blocked me from your thoughts last night. Why?”
Samara glanced down at her feet, which she could barely see through the dark morning. “I . . . I didn’t want you to know that I was upset with you last night.”
“Because I slept in the living room,” Luke said knowingly.
She nodded. “Why did you do that? Why didn’t you want to be near me?”
Luke let out a deep breath, which formed a wispy cloud as it hit the Alaskan morning air. “It’s hard for me to resist you, Samara.”
“What do you mean by ‘resist me’?” she asked, feeling her heart quicken its pace.
Luke met her eyes. “It’s hard for me to resist being intimate with you. When we touch, I feel like . . .” He paused, searching for the right words to say. “I feel like my whole body is frozen and on fire at the same time, if that makes sense.”
“I feel the same way,” Samara whispered, realizing how accurate his description was of the way she felt.
“I know you’re not ready yet, though,” Luke told her. “And I understand that. We don’t have to do anything until you’re ready. I’m not going to pressure you.”
“Thank you for being so understanding,” Samara whispered, inching closer to him. She glanced around. “Look, it’s snowing.”
Luke nodded and turned to walk back towards the house, but she grabbed his wrist and spun him closer to her. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips against his.
He ran his fingers through her hair, making his way down her back, and encircled his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. With the snow swirling around them, they both lost themselves in the icy, fiery feeling of their lips brushing against one another.
C
hapter 16
That night, the guys were goofing around outside, and Samara was sitting at the kitchen table telling Kyana what it was like to go to a public school when there was a loud yelping in the backyard. Rising to her feet, she went to the back door and opened it.
Three of the guys, in their wolf forms, stood on the back porch, staring at her. Colby, who she was able to identify right away due to the heart-shaped patch of brown hair on his otherwise gray body, rolled around on the wooden boards, scratching his back. In front of her, the other two guys sat down on all fours, scratching their bodies with their hind legs.
Samara raised her eyebrows at them. “Itchy much?”
Yes, we have fleas, Chris’s voice filled her head.
Samara burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”
This ain’t no prank, Steve replied, shaking his furry head with attitude. This itches like hell.
Can you get them off of us? Kyle asked, scurrying over to her, rubbing his fur-covered butt on the porch.
“Yes, I’ll get them off you,” Samara said, just as Kyana came outside behind her.
Kyana raised her thick eyebrows. “What’s going on?”
“The guys have fleas,” Samara told her, stifling a giggle. She knew it was mean to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself. The sight of the guys rolling around on the porch was just so funny.
Kyana laughed, too. “All of them?”
Everyone but Luke, Colby told Samara.
“Everyone except for my guy,” Samara said with a sigh of relief.
“Great,” Kyana muttered with a giggle. “I’m head over heels for a fleabag.”
Hey, it’s not my fault, Josh said, a pouty tone to his voice. Then, excitedly, he proclaimed, She’s head over heels for me! Woohoo!
Samara laughed, trying to ignore the feeling of tiny bugs crawling on her arms. She pushed up her sleeves, only to find that she was just being paranoid. She didn’t have fleas—not yet, at least. “Would I know if I had them when I was in human form?”
Kyana nodded. “Yeah, you would definitely know. When we get fleas, they stay alive on us even when we’re in human form, since we’re still technically part doggie.”
She’s right, Colby confirmed matter-of-factly. I’m pretty sure you don’t have fleas. You haven’t been around Nuka when you were in wolf form, I don’t think. You can keep them when you’re in human form, but we only get them while we’re in wolf form because they’re drawn to our fur.
“Nuka is the reason you guys got fleas?” Samara asked, turning to Kyana. “Did you know Nuka has fleas?”
Kyana shook her head. “No, I didn’t know. And I groom her regularly. I don’t know how she could have gotten them.” She opened the door, and the Siberian Husky bounded outside, wagging her tail happily. Kyana bent down next to her and said, “Let me check you for fleas, girl.”
A moment later, Kyana pinched something and, holding it up to the outside porch light, said, “Yup, it looks like they’re right. Nuka has them, too.”
Samara turned to the guys. “So, let me guess. You want me to give you flea baths?”
They all wagged their tails excitedly at the idea.
*
Several hours later, Samara finished running one of the flea combs that Orkos had brought over through Kyle’s long, fluffy gray fur. Orkos had said a flea comb would be the best option if it worked because they had never tried using flea products, like sprays or baths, so they didn’t know how werewolf skin would react to it—and a flea comb wouldn’t create a huge, soggy mess in the bathroom.
It had been a struggle to get all the fleas off, but Samara was pretty sure she’d gotten rid of them all, so hopefully she and Luke wouldn’t have to worry about catching any of the fleas remaining in the other guys’ fur.
“I found a tent,” Luke said, coming into the kitchen, where all of the wolves had lined up earlier to have their fleas removed. Kyle was the last one left. “There might still be some fleas left in the house, so I figured you and I could sleep outside tonight so we don’t get them. Who knows if one of us will turn into wolf form during a dream tonight or something? It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Samara grinned at him, thinking that talking about fleas was just like the human equivalent of talking about the stomach flu. She also had a feeling that he was just trying to get them some extra alone time together, since it seemed unlikely that either of them would actually be at risk of getting fleas tonight.
“Sounds perfect . . . I’m so glad you’re not a fleabag, too.” She heard the low growling that came from Kyle’s chest, and she realized that she’d offended him. “Sorry,” she said, patting her cousin on the head.
I’m not a dog, I’m your cousin. But I gotta say, you have great fingernails for giving back scratches, Kyle told her, rubbing up against her hands.
Samara laughed. “Maybe another time, Kyle . . . like when I don’t have to worry about getting bitten by fleas.”
“I’m gonna go put the tent up now so it will be ready for us to sleep in once you’re done,” Luke told her.
Samara nodded. “Okay, sounds good. I’m just going to try to get all the fleas off Nuka, and then I’ll come out and join you.”
Luke carried the tent out the back door, and Samara stood up. “I’m done with you,” she told Kyle. A gust of blue smoke encircled him as he changed back into his human form.
“Whew, it’s about time those suckers are gone,” Kyle said. “That was one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced.”
Samara raised her eyebrows at him. “It couldn’t have been that bad. I’d bet that case of poison ivy you got when we were kids was worse.” When they were six or seven, Kyle had gotten poison ivy all over his face. It had been so bad he’d barely been able to open his eyes.
“No, I’m not kidding. This was way worse than that. Imagine having bugs all over your body biting you.” Kyle shuddered. “I never knew what those poor cats and dogs go through.”
Samara sat down on the hardwood floor next to Nuka, who licked her in the face happily. “Speaking of dogs . . .” She glanced up at Kyle. “I don’t want to leave Nuka here. I feel like we should take her back home. It’s what Grandpa would have wanted us to do, I think. I mean, the poor thing has to be really lonely living in this house by herself with only a daily visit from Orkos and Kyana.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Kyle agreed.
Samara frowned. “Except, my mom has her heart set on this Yorkie puppy and I doubt she’d want to adopt a second dog right now, so I was just wondering if maybe Nuka can live at your house?”
Kyle hesitated. “I’ll have to ask my mom, but I don’t see why it would be a problem . . . especially once I tell her she was Grandpa’s dog. I think she’ll give in. If not, I’m sure Nuka can live at Colby’s house. His mom loves animals.”
Samara nodded, as she began combing out the tiny bugs that crawled around the dog’s fur. “I feel bad. I feel like his mom takes everyone in. So, hopefully your mom goes along with it.” She ruffled Nuka’s fur, as she searched for fleas, and the dog wagged her tail contently. “Do you think we remind her of him? Maybe that’s why she likes us so much.”
“Maybe,” Kyle shrugged. “Though, I know I, for one, am nothing like Grandpa Joe. He was a cold man sometimes. He barely felt like a grandfather.”
“I know,” Samara admitted, sighing. “It’s so weird that he left all this stuff for me, even though he never seemed to want anything to do with me when he was alive.” She paused. “I’ve been thinking . . . it’s not fair that he left everything to me and nothing to you. So, I want to give you some of it.”
Kyle’s blue eyes lit up. “Really? You don’t have to do that, Sam.”
“I know I don’t have to. But I really want to. It will make me feel less guilty about it.” She pulled a few fleas out of Nuka’s fur and killed them in the bowl of flea killer medicine. “I’ve also been thinking . . . I might want to give some of it to Seth, too.”
“S
eth? What are you talking about?” Kyle asked incredulously.
“Kyle, he helped Luke. If it weren’t for Seth, Luke might be dead right now. Enemy or not, he saved my mate . . . and Grandpa Joe was his grandfather, too,” Samara explained. “Agree with it or don’t, but I think it’s what I’m going to do. Not right away, but eventually.”
“Have you told the rest of the pack about this?” Kyle asked, lowering his voice. He glanced into the living room, where the others were passed out on the couches, exhausted from the whole flea ordeal. It was doubtful that any of them had heard what she’d said.
Samara shook her head. “No, but—” she started to say, but Kyle interrupted her.
“If you decide to go through with this, you shouldn’t tell them. They won’t be happy with your decision. I don’t know if I even am, but I guess I shouldn’t complain too much since you’re doing a nice thing for me, too. If you really decide to give some of the money to Seth, you should do it on under anonymous circumstances. Don’t even tell Luke. I wouldn’t want to see you get overthrown.”
Samara raised her eyebrows. “Overthrown? I’m the Alpha. No one can overthrow my decisions, can they?”
“No one can overthrow your decisions, as long as you’re Alpha, no, but here’s the thing. If they don’t agree with what you do, it is possible for them to overthrow you. Basically, it would banish you from the pack . . . or at least from being the Alpha.” Kyle met her eyes. “It rarely happens, but when it does, it isn’t pretty. If anyone found out you spoke to Seth, I could see you being overthrown.”
Samara opened her mouth to argue with him, but she quickly closed it. “Okay, I’ll keep it to myself,” she told him. “For now, at least.”
“Good. I’m not trying to be a bossy cousin or anything, but it’s really in your best interest.” He elbowed her in the ribs playfully like he always did. “I’m gonna go to sleep now. Goodnight.”
“Night,” Samara murmured. She wanted to believe that her pack would never overthrow her—for any reason—but maybe it wasn’t as simple as that. Maybe Kyle was right; she did need to keep these types of decisions to herself. She didn’t want her own pack to hate her for communicating with the enemy.
