Wolf Tracks

by Vivian Arend

  He shook his head and cleared his throat a few times. “I’ll be fine. I’ve never had a woman tell me about an old lover like this, while we’re—”

  “Lover?” What the hell? Oh shit. A laugh burst out. By the time she’d regained control, her stomach was sore and she was gasping for air. It didn’t help that every time she looked at TJ his expression set her off again.

  “Sorry…don’t mean to be rude. Oh my God, you’re kidding me. Didn’t you know? Damon was my partner, but he’s a dog.”

  “That’s my opinion for sure.”

  “No, seriously, a German Shepherd. I’m a dog handler for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Narcotics division, and I double in Search and Rescue when needed.”

  “You’re a dog handler?” He collapsed back onto the blanket, his arms flung out to the side. “Oh man, I am never going to live this one down.”

  Pam crawled nearer, resting her head on his chest. There was something very comfortable about the position. “I know, it’s a bit of a surprise, but I’m not sure why you think it’s such an odd job. It’s been a great way to be involved in the RCMP and still be able to enjoy working with animals. I debated training as a vet, but with one thing and another, it didn’t work out.”

  TJ rolled her, leaning close to nuzzle her neck, and the rising anticipation she was coming to expect around him seized her again. He spoke quietly, the brush of air from his lips teasing her ear. “I think it’s a fabulous job, and I bet you are completely awesome. All the dogs must have contests to figure out who gets you as their partner.”

  “Goof.”

  “Just saying…”

  She chuckled then broke into a huge yawn. What an amazing day. TJ tangled his fingers in her hair to stroke and pet her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck to encourage him closer.

  He took the hint and kissed her. Slow and thorough. Damn, he tasted good. It was like he knew exactly what kind of mood she was in. Tired from their busy day, she felt dreamy and soft, and that’s how he kissed her. He pulled back and his eyes sparkled, the dark centers mesmerizing. “As pleasurable as this is, I need to make sure I tied the canoe properly. I have a sneaky suspicion I forgot, and I don’t want to have to go for a swim tomorrow to find it.”

  “You want me to come with you?”

  “You can, or you can stay here. I’ll only be a minute.”

  She waved him off as another yawn escaped. She lay back on the blanket. Oh yeah, she was totally into this holiday. Six more days? They should think about getting an extension.

  She covered her eyes with her arm and breathed in deeply. The clean air filled her lungs with a fresh energy. She wondered what new tricks they could get up to tonight. Maybe make love in front of the fire.

  Something inside paused. Since when did she call it making love? Sex was sex. You took care of your partner, had some fun then moved on.

  A rustling in the nearby trees made her sit up, and she watched carefully for signs of what made the noise. They hadn’t spotted any wildlife yet, and that was one thing she hoped to change before heading home.

  She stood to have a better view. The lower limbs of a bush wiggled. Something small. The sound of sniffing reached her ears and she hesitated.

  That didn’t sound like a deer or a caribou or some other four-legged vegetarian. The head that popped out from the forest was brown washed with streaks of grey. One plate-sized paw followed another and Pam froze in terror.

  Bear.

  Oh my God, what was she supposed to do? She racked her brain for the training session she’d taken on bear encounters, but it had been a long time ago. Stay still. It can’t see me if I don’t move.

  No, wait—that’s what you’re supposed to do for a T-Rex.

  There was still a fair distance between her and the bear, so she took a cautious step backward. The animal’s head pivoted in her direction and it sniffed harder.

  Pam clenched her teeth together to stop them from chattering.

  The animal reared on its hind legs, scenting the air. It snorted at her, twice.

  She took another step backward and spoke softly. “Go away. I’m human. I’m not interesting at all. Oh damn, damn, damn, TJ, this is a rotten time to be out strolling.” Sneaking a peek over her shoulder to see if there was any action by the lake tempted her, but that would have required taking her eyes off the bear and that was physically impossible.

  The beast wavered, its upper body rocking from side to side for a second before it suddenly dropped to all fours, and with a nerve-racking grumble, it rushed her. She shouted, adrenaline flashing through her veins. She looked around frantically for a stick or a rock or anything to defend herself, but there was nothing at hand, and besides, her limbs were frozen in terror.

  A blur of silver fur flew past her from behind. She stumbled back and swore as she identified a canine-like body darting at the bear. Her attacker jerked to a stop, and snarled, its teeth gnashing together before spinning around. It disappeared into the bush with a crash, the wolf hard on its heels. A loud howl rang out as her protector paused at the tree line before pacing over to sit a short distance from her feet.

  Pam wrapped her arms around herself to stop the shaking from taking over even as she stared at the animal.

  How in the world?

  “Wolfie?”

  Chapter Seven

  Keil

  Granite Lake is empty. There’s no sign of him at any of the pack’s summer retreats. We even checked the old-timer’s trapline cabins and came up blank. As for Shaun, he did a supply run up north to Old Crow then parked the chopper and said he was taking a week-long vacation. The locals saw him head into the bush with a backpack. Looks like he’s the only one who knows where Pam and TJ are, and he’s making sure no Alpha can contact him and order him to spill the beans.

  I discovered a couple of the other single guys in the pack put together a food package for TJ. Seems he called in favours from all his buddies. All they can say is TJ asked for help and no one turns him down.

  BTW, Maggie texted. She said you don’t have to worry about Pam suing us, but you might not get a chance to skin TJ. Pam is very capable of handing out her own chastisement. Did you remember she’s an RCMP? You’re going to die when you hear the division she works in.

  Robyn

  Shit.

  Shit.

  Pam was totally going to kill him. And after that Keil was going to rip off his fur and use him for trimming coats. Halfway back from the lake he’d spotted the bear rearing before her. It was probably just trying to figure out what she was—bears had rotten eyesight—but he wasn’t sure Pam knew it simply wanted to catch her scent. And while there was no reason for it to really attack, he couldn’t risk her misunderstanding if it made a false rush forward. His wolf demanded he take action, and before he knew it he had stripped, shifting as he ran to convince ol’ Bruin to hightail it off for a different patch of berries.

  TJ moved slowly toward Pam who stared around in confusion. She yelled his name out a few times. “TJ! You ass, get your butt up here.”

  She was a freaking dog handler. How was he supposed to talk to her? For the millionth time he wished they were completely mated like full-blood wolves. That he could talk to her mind and have her hear his voice.

  “Okay, you look like the pet wolf I met at Maggie’s. But that’s flipping impossible. Stay.”

  He froze. Anything to make her more comfortable.

  “Shit, you’re not supposed to be trained. How did you get here? Come.” She snapped her fingers and TJ trotted to her side as she continued to call his name out loud in the direction of the lake.

  His internal debate continued. If he ran into the trees and doubled back behind the cabin, he could shift and pretend to have been in there the whole time. Except that would explain his absence, but not the presence of the “wolfie”, and it would be a lie.

  He didn’t want to lie to her. Didn’t want to keep up the deception. He ached to tell her everything, and following at her heel
s as she ran to the cabin, he made his decision. He was going to show her.

  Maybe it was too soon. But…they’d hit it off, right? Surely it would be better to be honest now instead of coming clean later and having the lies held over his head. She pushed open the door and searched the cabin.

  “TJ, where in the hell are you?”

  He blocked her path when she would have left the cabin, nudging her instead toward the couch.

  “Stop it, I need to find TJ.”

  He forced his body weight against her legs to make her move the direction he wanted, and suddenly sharp pain radiated out from his ear, followed by his throat, as she put him into a chokehold.

  “Stay.”

  Okay, enough of her ordering him around like a dog. He hesitated for all of two seconds before shifting back into his human form.

  Pam’s heart rate hovered around three hundred beats per minute. It had shot up there when the bear appeared and pretty much stayed at that level all the way until the damn dog blocked her path. Fuck this, she needed to get out of the building and no animal was going to stop her. Of course, feeling the fur under her elbow change to human skin and discovering she clutched the ear of a naked TJ did things to her blood pressure she was pretty sure were dangerous.

  She released him and slammed back into the door. TJ rose to his feet and stepped away from her, his hands held out non-threateningly.

  “What. The hell. Just. Happened,” she shouted. He cringed. Okay, maybe she was a few decibels over the safety levels, but…fuck.

  “I can explain.”

  Pam gasped for air. She wasn’t sure if she was going to throw up or laugh. Her stomach rolled a little more, and she would have closed her eyes but she wanted to make sure she knew where he was at all times.

  “Start now. Make it snappy.”

  TJ glanced down at his naked body. “Can I pull on some clothes?”

  She nodded. Even while freaking out she found him distractingly attractive. He turned and disappeared into the bedroom they’d shared last night, his naked butt teasing her.

  He’d turned into a wolf. That wasn’t possible.

  He returned and dug into the cooler, poured a glass of something and gestured for her to sit on the couch. She had to peel herself off the door.

  “You planning on…” She couldn’t think what to accuse him of. He’d turned into a freaking wolf.

  He held out the glass.

  “Orange juice. The calories are supposed to be good for people who have had a shock. Damn it, Pam, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to spill the beans this way. The bear wasn’t going to hurt you. I mean, I know that must have been freaky to have him run at you like that, but that’s called a bluff, because this time of year he’d be more interested in the berries. He just wanted to scare you off, but I still needed to make sure you were safe, and I know it’s a lot to take in—” He slammed his lips together and motioned with the glass. “Please, you’ll feel better.”

  She sat across from him and sipped the juice. The ringing in her ears slowly died down so she could hear again. He smiled when she placed the empty glass on the table.

  He’d changed into a wolf.

  That was actually extraordinary. Totally amazing. Incredible and frightening at the same time.

  “So this thing you plan on telling me is that in your secret life you’re a pet wolf?”

  He burst out laughing, then stopped abruptly. “Sorry, but oh my God, that’s funny. No, I am a wolf but not a pet. I mean, I’m a wolf and a human, but it’s not like the scary ‘moonlight makes me mad and I rip out throats’ or anything. Really.”

  Pam resisted clutching her legs. “Werewolf?”

  TJ tilted his head from side to side. “Kinda? But more like I’m a human and I can also change into a wolf. There’s no in-between stage.”

  She shivered involuntarily. He leaned forward as if he planned to come and join her, and she held up a hand. “Don’t. Just…don’t push it too fast, okay? I think I might be past the point I’m going to fall into a dead faint, but you need to give me some time.”

  He sat back and folded his hands in his lap, the hopeful expression he wore making her snort. She rose and paced to the door.

  “You’re not leaving, are you?” He sounded panicked and she took pity on him. She’d never figure this out if she ran.

  “No, but I need to move. Tell me more.”

  “Okay, except…there isn’t much more to tell. I can change into a wolf. Always have been able to, since I was about twelve. Umm, there’s a whole bunch of us, and we—”

  Oh my God. “Maggie. Does she know about this?”

  TJ hesitated. “Pam, I’m going to be completely honest with you but you have to promise not to freak out.”

  A laugh escaped—a little thin and quivery around the edges. “I don’t think I can promise that, but I’ll try.”

  “Maggie knows. She’s always known because she’s also a wolf. She married a wolf. My brother is a wolf. His wife is a wolf. Heck, ninety percent of Haines have the wolf gene, either full blood or half. Together we belong to the Granite Lake pack, and we’ve got a kind of government and hierarchy and, well, it’s complicated at times, but usually it’s pretty cool.”

  Pam stopped her pacing and leaned on the wall for a minute to calm herself. Everything she’d ever known as reality was slipping away and somehow she had to make sense of it.

  Her best friend was able to change into a wolf and never told her? The huge gorgeous men she’d seen at the wedding were all wolf shifters? Unbelievable, and yet it had to be true. Pain swelled inside, not so much fear, but a lack of certainty. Sadness at what she thought was truth being ripped away.

  She turned to TJ. Concern was written all over him, in the tightness of his shoulders, the expression on his face. He shook his head slowly.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you like this. Please, please don’t be scared. I’ll do anything in my power to make it better. Anything. Ask as many questions as you want, I swear I’ll tell you everything. The only thing I won’t do is let anyone harm my family.” He stood slowly and held out his arms.

  Insane. From one moment to the next she was doing everything wrong. He kidnapped her, and she laughed and had sex with him. Now he revealed he was a wild beast at times, and she was powerless to stop herself from stepping into his arms and accepting his embrace.

  She clutched him hard, wrapping her arms around his torso and resting her head on his chest. He rubbed her back in slow, even circles. Under her ear his heart thumped, the consistent pulse reassuring and steady. He didn’t say anything—just let her soak in his warmth, the comfort of his presence.

  In the midst of her rocking world, he gave her balance.

  She drew a deep breath, unsteady and ragged, and he swore. “You’re killing me. It’s going to be okay. Please, trust me. Nothing bad will happen to you. I’ll make sure everything works out.” He lifted her chin and stared at her with compassion, his pupils huge.

  She tried to smile. “It’s getting easier to accept, but I am so going to kick Maggie’s butt the next time I see her.”

  He leaned toward her, his intentions clear, and she held her breath. Did she want to kiss him?

  “Pam?”

  More than wanted to, needed to. She lifted her mouth and he kissed her carefully. With a gentle stroke he brushed away the tears that had filled her eyes as her world was thrown into chaos. He traced a finger down her cheek. “Maggie has a story to tell you, but it’s hers to share, not mine. I will tell you she’s always said you were her best friend in the whole world and she loves you a ton. She never kept secrets to hurt you.”

  She nodded. “Any other bombs you need to drop on me? Like is drinking the Yukon water going to make me able to shift or anything?”

  Pain flashed across his face.

  “No, afraid it doesn’t work that way.” He kissed her forehead. “Unfortunately there is one more thing I need to tell you, and it’s probably going to be another doo
zy of a revelation. You want it before or after supper?”

  He released her and she went to the sink to splash her face with water. More mysteries? Her heart couldn’t take much more.

  “Is it really important?”

  He nodded. “You should sit down.”

  Oh shit. “That bad, eh?”

  “I’ll promise to turn into my wolf afterward and you can twist my ear again if it makes you feel better.”

  She chuckled. “Goof.”

  He sighed mightily. “Hold on to your sense of humour, you might need it.”

  She sat and he sank to the floor at her feet. His expression was serious and concerned, so different than what she’d seen in him over the past days.

  “Hey, where’s that lighthearted guy who makes me smile gone? You can turn into a wolf. It’s not the end of the world, not unless you give me fleas. I hate having to deal with flea infestations.”

  He took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, kissing her knuckles tenderly.

  “No fleas…but something a little more permanent. I mentioned we’ve got a kind of government? My big brother, Keil, is the head of the Granite Lake pack.”

  “Really? That’s kinda cool. Why is that an issue?”

  “Well, it’s not, but he’s the Alpha since he’s the strongest wolf around. There’re these unspoken rules that happen in a pack, based on our wolves. Keil and his wife, Robyn, you remember her? They’re the top of the heap. Well, one of the other things our wolves decide is…”

  He shook his head slowly and brought her hand to his ear. “Here. You may as well grab on now.”

  How could she stay angry around him? She laughed and leaned forward to give him a kiss, smoothing her fingers through his hair. The sensation distracted her. “That’s what your hair reminded me of.”

  “What?”

  She stroked again, reveling in the softness. So soothing to the touch. Something about caressing, being close to TJ made her happy inside, lighting all the dark corners. “Your fur. The night you slept with me in your wolf form I fell asleep stroking you. That’s what your hair feels like. So soft.”