Love at Sea

by Preston Walker

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  Love at Sea

  Preston Walker

  Cover Designed by Duong Covers

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  The story may be over but

  Chapter 1

  Ash could hardly believe that ten hours ago, he’d been standing in front of the Phoenix airport with the dry heat of Arizona all around him. The parking lot alone seemed to stretch for miles, with a haze of heat rising from the parked vehicles. He stood there, looking at his future before him while he waited for his family to catch up. His parents, siblings, grandmother, and a scattering of uncles and aunts from both sides of the family, as well as cousins both young and old, and their children or spouses—Ithis was his pack now, all that remained of it after difficult financial times saw his larger pack disbanding into these small familial groups.

  He didn’t mind it, not really. Red wolves were the laughing stock of the wolf shifter world. Scrawny and small, hardly larger than the coyotes who prowled the Arizona desert, even their alphas were dwarfed by an average grey wolf. All that meant Ash Davenport was the lowest of the low, because not only was he just a red wolf but an omega male as well. The larger pack made of intertwined families was rougher on a guy like him, while his family was simply that: family. Most of them liked each other well enough, to the point where your standing had little impact on their behavior towards you.

  The tough times meant that it wasn’t possible any longer for them to stay in the shifter city of Avondale. Most of the time, shapeshifters like Ash tended to live in secrecy in human society, but there were certain areas of the world where his people had formed paradises. Unfortunately, living in such places tended to be expensive to the point where it wasn’t worth staying.

  Over the course of three weeks, Ash’s parents sold their home and their car and bought the cheapest property available right then and there, and then they had bought plane tickets with their last bit of expendable cash.

  Ash remembered the announcement over the dinner table, with his father clearing his throat to get the attention of everyone. “We found a property and we bought it in full,” he said in his deep voice, never one for subtlety or tact.

  “Where is it?” came the question from everyone in attendance. The tone of the responses ranged from excited, as Ash’s little cousins bounced around and flung peas all over the floor, to the complacent acceptance from adults who knew this was not so much an adventure as a big step down on the ladder of society.

  Then, Ash’s father hesitated and that was when everyone over the age of ten understood that this was not going to be good news.

  “Oh, spit it out, Matthew,” his grandmother sighed. The joints in her wrists creaked as she brought a spoonful of rice to her mouth. “You don’t hesitate for nothin’.”

  “It’s in Alaska. The island is called Unalaska. We’ll be near Dutch Harbor. The property is big enough for all of us until we’re able to separate out.”

  No one made a single sound of complaint. How could they, when this was their only option?

  According to his parents, Alaska didn’t get much in the way of people moving in. The real estate market wasn’t fantastic, which meant that people selling their homes often did so at astronomically low prices even when the buildings were in peak condition.

  We should consider ourselves lucky that this happened, Ash thought, standing out in front of a different airport and looking at a different future, just as he had in Phoenix. However, this time, instead of shimmering heat waves and a towering metropolis in the background, he saw his breath mist on the chilled air and could only stare in wonder at the mountains that rose up everywhere he looked. It was as though the very ground itself had risen to welcome them to their new home. At such a late hour, those mountain peaks were blue-on-blue, dark against the deep evening sky. Snow covered every peak in some amount, with great ribbons of white occasionally tumbling in cracks down the entire mountain face. Cold ran through the lifeblood of Alaska.

  And now cold ran through Ash’s blood as well, because he was freezing and dressed for ninety-degree weather. Whatever temperature it was right here and now, he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.

  Shivering, he gripped the suitcases he had been toting along behind him and turned back to watch his pack as they slowly emerged from the airport behind him. It was, as usual, a sight of barely-controlled chaos that sent other airport goers skirting way over to the side to avoid being trapped by scampering children who were all valiantly resisting the efforts of their parents to dress them in the jackets they had packed away. And, of course, no one could quite seem to remember exactly what suitcase the jackets and other warm clothing had been packed away in, so a majority of his family members were sprawling out in the center of the floor just beyond the main front doors. They had piles of clothes set out in front of them, shifting through or repacking them, or chasing the children around. A few stood off to the side, looking rather bored.

  Ash’s own parents, Matthew and Bridgett, were tending to his old grandmother, who was in her wheelchair and looking decidedly grouchy. He had to smile at her, however. She wasn’t complaining because of the cold. Despite the loss of control in her legs that came with a combination of osteoporosis, advanced arthritis, and the onset of Parkinson’s disease, she managed to stay mobile by zipping around in her chair at such speeds that even the children had difficulty keeping up. She never simply went anywhere—she always went as fast as she possibly could.

  It was the waiting that made her grumpy, being forced to slow down when she wanted to explore their new home.

  Ash chuckled and turned away slightly, knowing that if he went over to help, he would just be told that there was nothing he could do. It would be a kind rejection, since he had no skills whatsoever with herding children. He wasn’t even sure he liked them, and everyone knew it. Often, his aunts teased him that he had better hurry up and discover his inner housewife because he was near the age when an alpha could come along at any moment to snap him up. He was nearly twenty-one now, and that was the age when most wolves found their mates.

  After perhaps another fifteen minutes had gone by, they were finally able to make their way from the airport to the train, which took them to the ferry. This airport was on Unimak Island, which was part of that interesting sort of tail that the state of Alaska had near its southeastern area. From there, the ferry ride took another three hours to arrive at Dutch Harbor. By that point, it was very nearly midnight. Everyone was exhausted, and every adult toted along a double-load of suitcases and sleeping children. Ash’s grandmother had also given out, so he was pushing her along in front of himself.

  They took the last bus of the night to the bus stop near their new home, and they walked the last block on foot. It was so dark, the inky blackness of the Alaskan sky swallowing even the thin sprinkling of stars, that not even the wolves with their superior vision could really make out the exterior of the house. They had all seen pictures, of course, but real life was going to be much differ
ent.

  Oh, well, Ash thought, hurrying to get inside as soon as his father unlocked the door with the key that had been hidden for him. We’ll have plenty of time to look around, soon.

  Their personal effects and belongings were still arriving, which meant the inside of the house was blank and empty. No one even bothered to turn on the lights. Everyone simply shapeshifted where they stood and curled up into a giant furry pile of shadowed, russet fur. Children were pressed towards the center of the pile, and Ash’s grandmother was gently lifted out of her wheelchair and propped up against the wall, surrounded by wolf shapes. Sinewy bodies flopped against one another, fur was fluffed out for warmth, and the Davenport pack fell quickly to sleep in their new home.

  Well, except Ash. He couldn’t help but to stay awake. His thoughts were churning with anticipation. He was a daydreamer by nature, and now he couldn’t help but think over how much their lives were going to change and how busy they were going to be. Children needed to go to school. Adults needed jobs—at least, those who weren’t already able to find work. They would have to buy a vehicle or three, and eventually members of the pack would spread out into their own homes nearby. They would have to seek out any other shifters in the area to see if there were rules here. They would need to explore and stock up on household necessities, and arrange the house when their things arrived…

  His thoughts whirling and churning, his four dainty paws still wobbling as if he was on the ferry, rocking back and forth with the waves, Ash eventually succumbed to a voyage into sleep.

  Chapter 2

  Ash awoke to what must certainly have been Hell, but in a unique frozen-over sort of way. Which was to say that, despite his fur being fluffed like a startled cat’s coat, he was freezing. His warm-weather pelt wasn’t going to do him much good here, apparently.

  It sounded as though there were twenty people all around him, all of them talking and jabbering to each other as loudly and brashly as they could. Opening his eyes and looking around, Ash mentally adjusted that number to twenty-three as he saw his little cousins engaged in a furious game of Fetch and Catch. Keeping them entertained was an uncle and an older cousin. His own siblings were nowhere to be found, although he easily picked out their voices and scents from the mix. His parents were standing in the kitchen with his grandmother, who had stubbornly shifted and now sat on all fours in her wheelchair despite the fact that shifting was rough on her old bones. Red wolves were usually some combination of red-brown and grey, but she was so old that nearly all of her had gone pure white.

  Smiling fondly, Ash got to his feet and shapeshifted back to his human self. His clothes came with him, as they typically did. Exactly how that phenomenon worked, no one was quite sure. It didn’t always work, and some types of shifters seemed incapable of it, and the clothing usually had to be skin-tight or nearly so, but for the most part, it was possible. How those other shifters survived when they went around tearing their clothes to shreds every single time, he would never know.

  He tried to skirt around the Fetch and Catch game, but just as he was passing by he heard an excited yip and saw a round red blur shoot right past his face. Groaning inwardly and mentally preparing himself for the impact, he went sprawling as no fewer than six small wolves crashed into him. Their ball game forgotten, they pounced all over him and scraped at his skin with their blunt nails. They mouthed him with their powerful jaws and sharp teeth, obviously forgetting that what was playful to a wolf was harmful to a human.

  Gasping and choking on mouthfuls of fluffy brown, Ash pushed out with his hands to grab at a wolf pup and set it aside. No sooner had he done so than another took its place, and a wagging tail smacked into his nose. “Oof!” he grunted.

  Their powerful, youthful bodies squirmed against his, prancing and leaping on his body like hunting dogs on a kill. Their scent was weak since they were so young, but he could tell from the deeper notes of musk that all of them were going to develop into alphas, even the two females.

  On the one hand, he felt proud that his pack was going to be that much stronger very soon. On the other, it was slightly irritating that even alpha pups could overpower a fully-grown omega.

  “That’s enough,” he gasped, and the sea of pups flooded away from him. Staggering to his feet to rub at his stinging bite marks, he finally made it into the kitchen.

  Bridgett turned and smiled at him. “You look like you’ve been hunted!”

  “I was,” he said, and gave a stiff laugh.

  At that moment, his grandmother chose to shift back to her human form. All three Davenports lunged to catch her as she started to topple forward, and within moments she was sitting elegantly in her chair with her arms held out.

  “Come here, my little one,” she crooned to Ash.

  Grinning, he knelt down by her wheelchair and leaned against the wheel so that she could pet his rich brown hair that was the same shade as his fur.

  “You’re getting so big and fine. You’ll be a worthy prize!”

  “Mom,” Bridgett protested. “He’s not some material possession that’s going to be handed out to the first person who seems okay enough. That’s not how we do things.”

  His grandmother blinked innocently. “Why can’t they be prizes for each other?”

  “That’s…” Bridgett gave up and sighed, lifting her hands. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here, Ash.”

  He stayed where he was, the gnarled old hands in his hair not quite ready to relinquish their grip. “Need help with something?”

  Matthew gave a wry grimace. “What don’t we need help with? We have no supplies to speak of whatsoever. Our belongings are supposed to be here in a few hours, which sounds to me like that will be just enough time to head out to buy literally everything we need.” He laughed. “I was planning on sending out Greg and Thornton, and figured you would want a chance to go, too.”

  Ash gave a similar sort of grimace to his father’s. Those two uncles of his hadn’t exactly been the nicest to him growing up. He’d managed to avoid speaking to them literally at all for the past couple of years.

  His father seemed to notice the look on his face. “You won’t have to stick with them the whole time. Earlier, your mother and I gathered up a list of what we need. We’ll divide it up into three parts so you can go out on your own. Just, try not to dawdle too much, okay? We can look around together when we get settled in a bit more.”

  “Sure,” Ash agreed. “When do I head out?”

  “How about now?” Matthew said and thrust a piece of paper into his hands. Ash glanced down at the words, written in blue pen in his mother’s neat hand. Toilet paper, toothpaste, paper towels… It went on and on and on, naming all the essentials of life that a person wouldn’t ever quite immediately think of until it was gone.

  “Seems easy enough, but how are we going to carry all this stuff by hand?”

  Matthew smiled a little. “Trisha will be heading out with you all. Apparently, there’s a golf cart rental place nearby so she’ll grab a few of those so you don’t have to carry everything.”

  “Golf carts?” That was baffling.

  Bridgett laughed. “Apparently, it’s pretty common here. Cheaper than cars, especially since there isn’t a rental place on this whole entire island! Just be glad we aren’t a little further north or we would be using dog sleds.”

  Ash’s grandmother cackled. “We would be the dog sleds.”

  Everyone laughed together just as Ash’s uncles and Aunt Trisha came up. They were given their lists and told to hurry back.

  “We’re going to go on ahead,” Greg said shortly as soon as they stepped outside. Before Ash could even say anything, both of the alphas had begun to sprint away from him. Even though they stayed in their human forms, they still moved with the lean grace of wolves.

  “Don’t mind them,” Trisha said kindly.

  Ash glanced over at her. She was married to Greg, an outsider brought into their pack. She wasn’t much older than he was, although she had a graceful
aura about her that made him jealous. Why couldn’t he be some slender, beautiful omega instead of a gangly runt?

  “I’m used to it,” was all he said.

  Trisha increased her pace slightly so that they were walking side-by-side along the sidewalk through the town. They were in a suburban area set back from the seafront. The road wove up and down around houses that clustered along rolling hills that were surprisingly green and vibrant despite the cold weather. The mountains seemed even closer here than they had been by the airport, and he could taste the faded tang of sea salt that had just barely made its way to the neighborhood. Most of the houses were low and long and white, although stained with damp and salt, and crusted about the edges with frost.

  “It gets better once you’re mated,” she said.

  Ash sighed and looked down at his feet. “I don’t want to be mated, Trish.”

  She giggled softly and reached down to brush her hand through a stand of particularly tall weeds that had sprouted between the cracks in the sidewalk. “Neither did I until I met Greg.” Ash made a face, and her smile grew softer. “He’s different on the inside. Just flawed, like you and me and everyone else. But, you know you can’t help it once you find someone.”

  Ash looked out far ahead, just barely able to catch a glimpse of his uncles as they dashed around a corner and went out of sight. He tried to imagine a softer side to Greg that would appeal to this gentle woman beside him, and he just couldn’t. “I never liked the sound of that. It seems to me like that’s just…being trapped.”

  Trish shook her head. “You’ll understand when you feel it. Now, I hate to go but according to the map I looked at earlier, the golf cart rental is over this way.” She pointed down one of the many branching streets. “You’ll be okay on your own, won’t you?”