Wishes for the Wolf: Men of the Pack Book Two (Silver Moon Pack / Men of the Pack 2)

by Parker Skye

  “We’ll both have sweet tea.” When Izzy noticed the odd way the hostess was eying Ryan’s muteness, he added, “He’s fine, just shy.” The hostess nodded doubtfully and headed off to the kitchen to prepare their drinks. Once she was gone, Izzy turned to the rest of the group who had finally noticed something was different.

  “Hi, boys! Miss me?” Wide-eyed silence greeted Izzy. “Well, hell. You guys sure know how to make a guy feel welcome.”

  Chapter 3

  Ryan

  Adam’s cackle of joy finally startled Ryan out of his stupor. He stepped back in self defense as Adam pushed past him to wrap Izzy in a huge hug. “Izzy! It's so good to see you again! What are you doing here?” Adam asked, pulling back to meet Izzy’s equally happy gaze.

  “Oh, you know. Things,” Izzy replied. The waitress returning with their drinks broke up their happy reunion and Ryan stepped around the pair to take the empty seat next to Logan. He picked up his sweet tea and downed half of the glass in a single go. He wondered if his blood sugar was dropping from the stress of the last few moments. He still felt lightheaded and a fine sheen of sweat coated his brow and upper lip. Even his armpits stung.

  “You okay?” Ben asked quietly, obviously concerned at Ryan’s distressed appearance.

  “Sure, sure. I’m fine,” Ryan replied, looking down at the table instead of meeting Ben’s concerned gaze. “Just a shock meeting up with Izzy in the parking lot like that.” Ryan wanted to explain what had really happened, but he found he couldn’t. His tongue would lock down whenever he even thought the words needed to explain this bizarre situation.

  “I bet. He’s a character,” Ben agreed, reaching over the table to grip Izzy’s hand in greeting. Izzy perched on the edge of the extra chair, elbows on the tabletop, practically vibrating with excitement. Izzy met Ryan’s gaze and winked conspiratorially. Ryan flinched back in response, not sure at the game Izzy was playing. If Izzy was concerned by his rejection, he didn’t show it.

  “Hi, Izzy. I’m Logan Sterling, Ben’s older brother. I don’t think I officially got to introduce myself at the inn. Don’t pay any attention to Ryan here. I think he might be coming down with something. He’s not usually this rude,” Logan reached in front of Ryan to offer his hand to Izzy. When Logan’s hand made contact with Izzy’s, Ryan couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled deep in his chest. The entire table froze, including Ryan, startled by his own reaction.

  “Yep, definitely getting sick,” Logan said through a smirk, pulling his hand back to his own side of the table. Ryan was mortified at his wolf’s unexpected reaction, especially as Logan continued to smirk at him knowingly, as if Ryan’s growl was an effort at marking his territory. Ryan, positive that was not the case at all, rushed from the table toward the restroom. He and his wolf needed to have a come to Jesus meeting.

  Once there, Ryan stood in front of the mirror, hands planted firmly on the countertop. He stared at his reflection, stunned by how crazed he looked. His pupils were blown wide, the gold almost entirely engulfed by black. He could feel his wolf pacing aggressively just under the surface. Confusion blossomed as Ryan realized he had no clue what was going on. He’d never felt like this before. He suspected he might be going into shock. He turned on the cold water faucet and used both hands to wet his face and the back of his neck, hoping to counteract the effects of whatever endorphins had just flooded his system. When he finally felt more in control, he looked back at his reflection and flinched at the sight before him. He looked more stable, but he was still overall a mess.

  At least his pupils were back to normal and the sheen of sweat had been rinsed clear. His cheeks were still slightly flushed but much less than before. His shirt had taken the brunt of his dousing, the neckline practically drenched to mid chest. His hair was now in wild disarray, the strands around his face soaked and plastered to his forehead, appearing almost black, instead of his usual dark brown. His wolf was no longer pacing, but he could still feel it right under the surface as if waiting for the next shoe to drop.

  Ryan looked over his shoulder when the bathroom door creaked open behind him. He was unsurprised to see Ben shouldering through the door, heading straight for him. He had been, after all, Ryan’s best friend since they were pups. If anyone would notice Ryan’s unnerving condition, it would be Ben.

  “Dude, you look like shit,” Ben said, arms crossed over his chest. “What’s really going on, Ryan?” His feet were planted wide like a sentry blocking his escape, as if he expected Ryan to flee any moment.

  “Maybe I am getting sick or something,” Ryan replied, looking down into the sink. “I feel terrible. It just came on all of a sudden.” Ben opened his mouth slightly and inhaled using both his sense of smell and taste to sample Ryan’s unique scent.

  “I don’t think so. Your smell is off a little, but not like sickness.” Ryan sighed and turned around to face his friend, grabbing a paper towel out of the dispenser to wipe his still dripping face. He was by no means dry, but at least he no longer looked like a drowned rat. Facing Ben again, Ryan did his best to force a convincing smile. He could tell Ben didn’t totally buy it but he seemed to accept Ryan’s attempt as an overall improvement.

  “I’m okay, Ben. Or I will be,” Ryan said, placing as much calm as he could into his tone of voice. “ Besides, we need to get back out there before they start wondering what we’re doing in here for so long alone,” Ben pretended to tease.

  Ben huffed out a laugh as he wrapped his arm around Ryan’s shoulders, pulling him along. “As if. Adam knows I’m totally whipped.”

  “And don’t even try to pretend you don’t like it that way,” Ryan replied, again attempting a smile to ease his friend’s concern.

  “Like it? Ha! I absolutely love it. I hope someday you find your mate, too. I’m telling you, Ryan, there’s nothing like it,” Ben replied, his happiness so obvious he practically had rainbows shooting out of his ass as he walked.

  They made their way back to the table and Ryan felt Izzy’s gaze focus on him again. He couldn’t suppress the full body shiver it seemed to cause. He pulled away from Ben and sat down quickly, hoping Ben hadn’t noticed his physical reaction. Ben took his seat across the table and opened his mouth as if tempted to resume his interrogation. Thankfully, their food had been delivered while they were gone, and Ryan took a huge bite of his cheeseburger temporarily blocking his ability to speak. Ben took the hint, and attacked his own meal instead.

  The meal continued around him as Ryan methodically demolished his plate of food. He refused to look at Izzy again, unsure of himself in a way he’d never been before. He didn’t know what was going on and it didn’t look like he was going to get any answers anytime soon. Ryan took from the conversation flowing around him that Izzy had told the guys that he had hitchhiked here, having decided his position at the Hideaway Inn didn’t have enough upward potential.

  The meetup with Ryan in the parking lot must have been fate, he’d said. Ryan didn’t know why Izzy was lying, but he knew from previous efforts that he wasn’t going to be the one to tell Izzy’s true story. Even the thought of disputing Izzy’s claims caused his tongue to turn to stone, making it exceedingly hard to chew the bite of burger he had just taken. He had to force his mind onto other subjects or risk choking.

  Hell, Ryan realized he didn’t even know what Izzy’s story really was. He was certain it had something to do with that lamp. Whether it was some sort of portal or summoning device or what, Ryan didn’t know. He’d never heard of anything like it...well outside of fairy tales. There was no way Izzy could be a genie. That just wasn’t possible. Sure Ryan and his friends were werewolf shifters which also shouldn’t have been possible, but that was leagues more believable than a genie in a lamp. That was just plain crazy.

  It was a relief when the meal was finally over. Ryan expected they would be able to shake Izzy loose as they continued their journey to Adam’s home town. Ryan hung back to put as much distance as he could between himself and the rest of his group,
hoping to avoid all the farewell shenanigans. He felt his heart drop into his stomach when he saw Izzy climb into the back of their SUV, taking up the empty middle seat between himself and Logan. Oh, no fucking way! Ryan froze ten feet from the SUV staring at the open doorway awaiting him.

  Adam rolled down the front passenger window and hung his elbows over the edge in frustration. “What are you waiting for, Ryan? Get in. Izzy doesn’t bite, you know.” Ryan faintly heard Izzy’s ‘not much anyway’ from the backseat. The rest of his friends’ chuckles did nothing to soothe his fraying nerves. He didn’t want to get in that truck but he couldn’t just walk away from his friends, his pack. He couldn’t explain it to them either. Right now, his behavior probably made him look totally crazy, or an asshole, or a totally crazy asshole. Heck, that’s how he felt at the moment, too.

  Logan finally growled out a command for Ryan to ‘Get in the truck, Fearborn!’ Realizing he had no choice, Ryan pushed forward and threw himself into the backseat of the truck. Ryan stayed as close to the door as he could, trying to keep some space between him and the bedazzled marvel who had somehow shoehorned himself onto their journey.

  Happy conversation rolled around him as the night went on and the miles to Lakeland ticked down. Ryan had stayed silent since dinner, virtually stewing in swirling emotions and consternation. He leaned bodily on the door now, having subconsciously continued to widen the space between himself and Izzy. He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep but he’d never been more alert in his life. He felt his wolf pacing just underneath the surface, just as much on edge as Ryan’s human half. It was as if they looked at Izzy and saw only a threat, despite the winning smiles and sparkling personality. Izzy may have everyone else fooled, but Ryan saw through the facade to the danger underneath. If he couldn’t tell anyone else what was going on, it was up to him to protect them all from the creature in their midst.

  Chapter 4

  Izzy

  Izzy was torn at which direction to take this next adventure. He was thoroughly enjoying his new master’s obvious mental breakdown but, he really liked these guys. Izzy knew if he continued to let Ryan work himself up like this, it wasn’t going to end well for any of them. Izzy had a job to do and Ryan was an integral part of it, whether he realized it yet or not. Izzy could let him deny their connection for a while, but eventually, the curse of the lamp would force Ryan to accept they were now eternally connected until Ryan had requested all three of his appointed wishes.

  While Izzy hoped he would enjoy this job more than he had the last, really it was just another job. It would be just like every other job since he’d first been cursed to the lamp, so long ago now that he couldn’t remember when or where. He didn’t remember much of his life from before, but he must have really pissed someone off good to end up spending eternity playing the devil.

  How could he be a devil, you wonder? He granted wishes after all and wasn’t that inherently good? Izzy had accepted long ago that the curse not only applied to him, but to the unlucky souls who ended up getting tied to him. Can you imagine the inner turmoil it creates having to decide what to wish for when you only have three wishes? And, the wishes never ended up going the way one would expect. It was like winning the lottery, but then having a massive stroke so you couldn’t truly enjoy it. Instead all the money got spent on paying people to spoon feed you and wipe your ass for the rest of your life. No, the wishes never turned into a truly good thing.

  When Horace had wished he’d never met Izzy, he’d almost been sad that he’d met Ben, Adam, and their friends. He just knew he would end up in one of the wolves’ luggage. That was part of the curse. He didn’t get to choose. If he did, Izzy would choose to throw himself off a ship to the bottom of the ocean. Spending eternity trapped in the lamp would be a cakewalk compared to watching master after master unintentionally destroy themselves.

  Oh, well. Nothing to do about it now but play it out. While he hoped the damage to the group would be minimal, he knew he couldn’t do much of anything to influence the outcome. As soon as he had time alone with his new master and explained the rules, the countdown to the first wish would begin. Izzy just hoped Ryan wouldn’t continue to be stubborn and avoid this new reality. It was easier on everyone if Ryan just got it over with.

  Somehow, the lamp sensed when a new master was hesitant to make their first wish. Whether from indecision or trying to save up wishes until a master decided he truly needed something, Izzy had seen enough over the years to know that delaying the first wish caused chaos at levels never before imagined. Izzy suspected the first wish was like the signing of a contract between the lamp and the new master. Once the first wish was delivered, generally things could go on forever it seemed until the next wish needed to be made.

  Izzy continued to banter back and forth with Logan as they drove on through the night. Every few minutes, his gaze would be drawn to his new master’s tense form where he practically molded himself to the door. Ryan was obviously avoiding even the slightest contact between them.

  Izzy could feel his new master’s inner turmoil like a black cloud hanging over him. He wished he could offer some measure of comfort to the distraught werewolf, but Izzy knew anything from him wouldn’t be welcome yet. Heck, he didn’t know if anything he offered his master would ever truly be welcome, but he hoped at some point they could at least be in the same room together without Ryan looking like he wanted to rip his throat out.

  Not that it would do any good if Ryan did rip his throat out, but it would still hurt. Izzy had had enough experience trying to end his own existence over the years to know that it just wasn’t possible. He would temporarily appear to die but by the next day, he would pop right back into being as if nothing had ever happened. He’d decided long ago the pain he endured through repeatedly “dying” over and over again, often in horribly painful ways, wasn’t worth it to keep trying to find a way to end the curse.

  So now, Izzy just existed. Izzy just got the job done. Just moved on from master to master, trying his best not to entwine himself more than he had to. It was easier that way. Just act the impartial witness. Don’t take anything personally, no matter how many hateful things were spewed his way by masters who felt betrayed. When the third wish was delivered, the assignment was complete and he was blissfully alone again for a while; at least until the curse placed him where it desired to start the horrible process all over again.

  Izzy had hoped the curse would have skipped over his new master and his unsuspecting friends. He honestly had. But now that they were together, Izzy had a job to do, whether he liked it or not.

  Chapter 5

  Ryan

  When they pulled up in front of the small house Ben had rented in Lakeland, Ryan couldn’t hide his irritation that Izzy was still with them. He had hoped they would have dropped him off at the truck stop on the outskirts of town, even going so far as to suggest it, which got him a couple of spectacularly nasty looks from his friends. Izzy had lied again with that super-fake bubbly way of his and said Lakeland was actually his final destination. He said he had a job offer at a local hotel chain for management training. While the others had gushed about Izzy’s good fortune, Ryan had seethed silently, certain that no one that looked like Izzy would be working anywhere in corporate America. Ryan was certain his pack mates must be under some sort of spell where this creature was concerned.

  Ryan ran both hands through his brown hair with such intensity, he was sure he looked like his next room should come equipped with padded walls. Izzy met Ryan’s irritated gaze and his expression looked almost regretful. Ryan knew Izzy was aware of his displeasure at having him still around. Obviously, the pickings were too good for Izzy to give up so easily. Well, Ryan decided, he would just have to continue staying on guard then.

  As the group poured into the tiny living area with their bags, Ben showed them around the house. Ryan decided it was more of a cottage, than a house, but kept his negative thoughts on the tight quarters to himself. He knew when Ben originally
chose this as his home away from home, he had never expected to need space for four adult werewolves. And now there were five, four wolves and one whatever-the-hell Izzy was.

  They walked through the cottage, deciding on sleeping arrangements. Ben and Adam shared the master but that room currently housed the only bed in the house. The guest room was being used as an office, but could easily be converted back to its original purpose. Another sleeping space could also be added in the living area. It was decided by Logan without much input from the rest, that it would do until Adam’s graduation, which was only another ten weeks away. They would all have to share the single bathroom, but sharing tight quarters with pack mates was nothing new for most of them. It was part of being pack.

  Ryan mentally did the math in his head. Even with the addition of two more sleeping spaces, there just wasn’t room for Izzy to stay with them unless someone was willing to share. Sure they were shifters, but even they liked a little personal space… well, except for mates. No way was he sharing a room, much less a bed, with Logan. He talked in his sleep something fierce. Ryan realized he probably should have taken that moment to speak up as he heard Logan’s “Claimed” call out as he stood in the doorway to the office. Stupid Walking Dead references…

  “I’m small. I can take the couch,” Izzy piped up. “We can get an air mattress or something for the living room for you,” Izzy continued, meeting Ryan’s gaze happily, like he had a say in the matter at all.

  “Good idea, Izzy,” Ben said, digging the keys out of his front pocket and passing them over to Ryan. “Why don’t you two go over to the supercenter and pick up a couple of air mattresses and bedding? While you’re at it, get something for breakfast. We emptied out the fridge before we left. I think all that’s left are a couple cans of soup and some stale goldfish.”