ChangingPaths
Page 5
“I really do appreciate you coming by to check on us.”
“No problem. Like I said, you’re on my way into town. Here, this has both the lodge phone number and my cell on it. They can get a message to me if you need something fixed.” With another wave he left. She watched him walk across the yard. For some reason she felt the need to run after him, wrap her arms around him and ask him to stay. Gripping the screen door tightly, she willed that urge away. It was time for her to go meet the Alpha to ask his permission to stay here permanently.
She sent up a fervent prayer that her Aunt Willow was correct about Micah Keeps Vigil, that he was fair and that he’d let her stay even though she was Moon-Denied. She called her daughter then headed for the car.
Chapter Four
Harmony couldn’t help how her hand shook as she reached for the door. She hadn’t met Micah, whose time with the Pack had begun after she’d left. She really hadn’t had much to do with the other Alpha either. He didn’t want to waste his time with the Moon-Denied. With a shuddering breath she tapped on the door. It felt a little weird to knock since this was a real lodge, complete with paying guests from time to time, but she didn’t want to overstep.
Harmony knew the woman who answered was the Alpha’s mate. Willow had described her perfectly right down to the infant she carried, not to mention her scent of oranges and vanilla. Harmony smiled at her tentatively.
“Hello. I’m Harmony Johnson, Willow and Jake Johnson’s niece. I’m here to see the Alpha.”
The woman smiled. “Yes of course, Willow told me about you. I’m Olivia and I’m glad you’re here. Come inside. Is your daughter with you?”
She shook her head. “Um, I haven’t told Rain a few things about me…I mean us. So I didn’t want her asking questions about why I had to have this conversation.”
The woman blinked amazingly blue eyes at her in surprise. “You mean…she doesn’t know you’re a shifter?”
Harmony gaped. She’d never been called a shifter before. Everyone just called her one of the Moon-Denied if they were being politically correct. There were worse terms that she chose to ignore. Before she could reply, a tree walked into the hall behind Olivia. No, not a tree. A mountain. A man so tall with a chest so broad she took a step back in instinctive fear.
“Oh it’s okay. That’s just my husband. Come in.”
At the gentle tug on her arm Harmony entered the scariest place she’d ever been.
“Micah! You’re looming. You’re scaring the poor thing to death. Go look imposing at your desk. At least then you will be at eye level.” The blonde shooed her husband. Harmony gaped again as she watched this woman wave her hands at the Alpha as though he were a loose chicken on her porch. And he moved at her motions. There was a knowing gleam in his eye when he caught Harmony’s gaze. The wink he tossed her way went miles in making her relax.
But her nerves fired up again when she entered the nearest room. He might be just below eye level now that he was seated but she could smell the power rolling off him. He was more than an Alpha. There was something else about him but she wasn’t sure what it was. Before she had time to consider it another scent came to her. Pine—clean and strong. Gareth had been here recently. She smiled. It was nice to have that scent to hold on to.
“I am glad you have come to see me so soon, Harmony Dancing Johnson. I hold your aunt and uncle in high regard. Your great-uncle is one of my seconds as well. Why do you come to me today?”
He slipped into a more formal tone with the last question. She responded in kind as she’d practiced with Willow.
“I am Harmony Dancing Johnson. My mother and my father were born into the People. I was born into the People. My daughter and I want to apply for membership and residency.” Her voice only shook a bit.
His brown eyes held a hint of his wolf as he looked at her. He stood up then came from behind his desk. “And what do you bring the People? Why should we accept a single female with a female cub?”
Even though she knew the ritual by heart thanks to Willow, the archaic, sexist words still made her angry. Some of her temper snapped out in response. “Because I am of the People. My gift is myself and my daughter returning to our home. I will not need charity. I am an illustrator for children’s books. My daughter will not go begging at your door, Alpha.”
She drew in another breath. “But she was hoping for a job. Gareth mentioned you sometimes hired school-aged kids to work here and that you might have an opening?”
His chuckle brought her head up. She hadn’t even realized she’d been looking down and away from him. “Well now. I guess you are related to Pete. He got the same tone on that line about his ability to provide for his family. And yes, your daughter can help out here. We will set up her schedule later. Now let us finish this. Harmony Dancing Johnson, will you protect the Pack? Will you run with us at the full moon and at the calling of your Alpha?”
She blinked rapidly in surprise as the pain tore at her. “I will protect the Pack. I cannot run with you because I am Denied by the moon.”
There was honest shock on Micah’s face now. “Denied? You’re Denied? But you—”
Olivia stuck her head in at that moment. “Micah, a word?”
“Excuse me.” Probably due to the look on his mate’s face, as though something was definitely wrong, he left without saying anything else.
“Yes, my heart?” He smiled down at her. “You realize you are interrupting a ceremony?”
She waved an impatient hand. “Yes, I’m sorry. But you can’t tell her she doesn’t smell right. I heard the whole thing. You were about to say something like that. She’s off somehow. Someone has messed her up. Willow told me she was both mentally and physically abused by her ex. So maybe we don’t need to…” Her voice trailed off as she put a soft hand on his arm.
He patted that hand as he nodded. “You think she is like you. That she does not know how.”
Olivia bit her bottom lip. “Yes, I do. And I just feel that we need to approach her differently. I can’t tell you why. It’s my gut.”
“I trust your instincts, Olivia. And in this I will follow your request.” Micah kissed his wife before he went back into his office. Harmony stood just where he’d left her, her head slightly bowed. “Sorry. My son needed me. So you are Denied. Do you agree to the laws that bind all Pack members, Called and Denied?”
Harmony answered the remaining questions as she’d rehearsed with her aunt, including her aunt and uncle’s promise to stand as sponsors. Whatever Olivia’s reason for interrupting them she’d managed to give Harmony enough time to release some of the tension that had gripped her since she’d arrived. Sucking down the pain of knowing that any Gathering she was called to wouldn’t be a Moon Gathering as she’d dreamed of when she was young, Harmony looked up, meeting her Alpha’s eyes. When Micah took her hand to pull her into a gentle hug, she caught her breath. That kind of acceptance was a marvelous thing.
“We take care of our own, Harmony. You are now one of us. And, if you will follow me, I think my wife baked something as a welcome for you.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond. His voice rumbled in her ear through his chest. He must have sensed her unease because he gently pushed her back to look into her eyes. Instinctively she turned her head just a bit but maintained some eye contact.
“You are Pack now. It has been a while for you, has it not? We are affectionate with one another in all our forms. The Wild Haven Lodge Pack does not shun the Denied, Harmony.”
Tears sprang to her eyes as her throat tightened. Afraid to speak she nodded. Relief came when a young girl scampered in.
“Micah! You have to hurry.” The urgency in the child’s voice made the man stiffen as he released Harmony.
“Talia, what’s wrong?” He covered the distance to her in two easy strides.
“They will eat everything if you don’t hurry. Olivia told me to tell you that.” With a bright giggle the child ducked Micah’s playful grab. “Come on!”
“What is this?”
Her aunt gathered her into a hug. “Surprise! We’re your early welcoming committee. Rain is meeting some of her cousins at the house. Now grab a sandwich before Gareth eats all the food.”
The man in question gave a short laugh that made Harmony light up. “Me? It’s that cub there that we should be scared of. Tally! That’s your fourth sandwich. Slow your roll, pup.”
Harmony lasted for nearly twenty minutes before it got to be too much. She excused herself as she slipped outside. All of this open acceptance seemed overwhelming. It didn’t feel real. She knew how the Pack treated the Denied. Were they setting her up?
She took a deep breath. The sun was just beginning to go down and the air already delivered the promised chill for the night. She had not missed the cold when they’d lived in California. The scent of the woods filled her nostrils. Home. No other place she’d ever been smelled quite like home. Sure everyone inside was discussing her Moon-Denied status, she started a little when the door behind her opened.
Of course it would be him. One of the Alpha’s seconds, one whose injuries would have been shunned by another Pack just as one of her status could have been.
“Micah asked me to come talk to you.” He settled himself on the rail beside her, staring out as she had been, at the open ground around the lodge. “Your aunt said you think your daughter might need some help with her first shift.”
“I…” She took a deep breath, still not quite sure exactly how to respond to any of this. She’d never expected to be welcomed, of all things, by the Alpha. Now to have one of his seconds seeming to offer to help? It was all too much. And yet she wanted that and so much more. But not from Gareth.
“I know Rain is going to be able to Change. I just know it in my heart. Even though I c-c-can’t.” She hated the tears that fell from her eyes, hated that quiver in her voice, hated that any man saw her crying when she’d vowed never to cry in front of a man again.
“Hey, don’t…” He had gotten to his feet and moved closer to her. He ran a hand down her hair as if knowing that anything else might be too much. Of course Pete would have told Micah about the restraining order. Harmony realized there was no reason Micah wouldn’t have passed that on to another of his seconds.
Turning her head slightly, she met Gareth’s gaze. The shadowed light on the porch let her see just enough of his features to note the concern there. Not the discomfort some men showed around a crying woman, but what looked like real caring. This close she could see the pale stubble on his face and the harshness of the scars on his cheek.
“I’m sorry.” She covered her face with both hands, hunching her shoulders as she tried to stem the tears. The stress must have finally caught up with her though, because she couldn’t stop them, or the shakes that gripped her. Slowly, so slowly she could feel her heartbeat between each step he took, he eased closer.
When she didn’t move he wrapped his arms around her to pull her against his chest. Even through the heavy coat she wore, she could feel his heat. This was something else she’d missed, how warm some shifters were.
She leaned into him slightly and that seemed to be all the encouragement he needed to truly gather her in. One of his arms around her shoulders, his hand still stroking her hair, the other arm around her waist, he just held her as she fell apart. If safety had a scent, it was Gareth. She wanted to just stand there and be with him all night.
As she sniffled her way back to some sort of sanity he handed her a soft bandana that she used to wipe her face. Still enclosed in the circle of his arms, she raised her head to thank him but the words stuck in her throat.
She could feel his strength through the gentleness with which he held her. The patch covering his right eye rested just above his cheekbone, so she could see the strong lines of his face. His clean aroma pulled her in and without volition her thumb moved up to touch his bottom lip. He made a sound deep in his chest and she raised her eyes again. The hunger on his face nearly caused her to flee but he somehow sensed that too. She knew, as all of those raised in a Pack knew, that she would have to make the first move if she wanted to experience that hunger.
Covering her hand with one of his, he tilted his head, moving his face closer but still giving her plenty of time to pull away, turn away, to move out of the circle of his arms. She didn’t do any of that. Instead she gripped a fistful of his shirt at his back, pulling him closer, and stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
A heartbeat, a startled breath and then he was kissing her back. And in a way she’d never been kissed. Despite the strength in his body, his lips were gentle. She could feel, honestly feel, him holding back. It had to be the stress because she didn’t want that. For once she wanted to kiss a man without wondering when he was going to hit her. For once she wanted to take control. So she did.
Opening her mouth under his, she traced the seam of his lips with her tongue until he yielded to her then she thrust her tongue into his mouth. He tasted of coffee, of cherry pie. She wanted more. She inhaled him deeply, letting the pine embed itself into her scent memory.
Wrapping both of her arms around him, she pulled him even closer, tilting her hips to feel the hardness of his body against hers. Harmony wanted to just give in to this feeling. With a low growl Gareth lifted her so that she could wrap her legs around his body. He turned so that she felt the wood of the building against her back. Gareth’s heat poured into her as he levered his body against hers.
She should have been afraid since he held her so securely, his hands hot against her thighs, his body tight against hers. But how could she feel fear when his mouth was still so damn gentle? She reveled in their kisses, her hands stroking his shoulders even as she kissed him for all she was worth. She felt his erection at the juncture of her thighs. Her own body softened against his. The smell of her arousal rose. She felt a low growl rumble through his body and into hers. Still he let her lead, her body trembling with the heat of the kiss.
The sound of a door slamming farther down the porch caused them both to freeze. He loosened his hold just enough to lift his head. His lips pulled back on a snarl at the intruding sound.
“Oh my god.” She pushed against him, the words leaving her on a soft gasp. What the heck was she doing? This wasn’t just any guy. This was a shifter male, one of the Moon-Called. He could tear her apart without even breathing hard. She pushed harder as fear gripped her. He set her down, keeping his hands on her hips until she was steady on her feet. Once she felt the porch solidly under her, he stepped back. It was as if he knew she couldn’t take the nearness.
“Harmony…”
“Don’t, please. This was…this was a mistake. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” She turned then ran inside, heading straight for the bathroom on the main floor. For a few minutes she couldn’t even face herself in the mirror. When she looked up she gasped. Her eyes were almost glowing, her skin flushed and her lips red and swollen. She had a slight beard burn on her chin. Her hands trembled as she lifted them to smooth down her hair.
Even when she and Tom had been in a good place she’d never looked this way after kissing him. If this was the difference in kissing a Moon-Called male, she now understood why so many females started the mating process so early. Gareth’s hands, his scent, his lips…she shuddered slightly then shook her head. “Stop it, Harmony Dancing Johnson! Stop it now. You’ve been here one week. You’ve just barely been accepted by the Pack. Don’t do something stupid like starting to whine after a Called male. Besides, he’s hot as hell and probably has females lined up to sleep with him. Just stop it.”
With that self-delivered bitchslap out of the way, she tossed cold water on her face. Maybe she scrubbed it dry longer than necessary, but then she took a deep breath. One last check of the mirror showed less glow, less “I nearly fucked Gar
eth on your porch.” She headed back to the main room to say good night.
She glanced around but didn’t see Gareth anywhere, so she made her goodbyes as politely but quickly as possible, nodding her acceptance as Micah said he and his mate would come by her home in the next day or two to help her explain things to Rain. Olivia slanted her a glance that was all feminine curiosity. Harmony ignored it.
The ride home was a blur, all Harmony could think of was Gareth and that kiss. She had to double back when she missed the turn to the cabin. Once there, she sat in the car for a few moments. With the window down just a crack, she took in a deep breath, letting the icy air act as a slap. She needed to get away from this lust she was feeling. It was just that. Lust.
Just because she hadn’t had sex with anyone in years. She laid her head on the cold leather of the steering wheel. As stirred up as she was, masturbation seemed the only answer. God, what had he done to her? Her vibrator didn’t even interest her.
“Okay.” The sound of her voice made her laugh. Good thing Gareth wasn’t around. Hearing her talking to herself was sure to make him want to touch her—as he loaded her into the ambulance bound for the nearest psycho ward. With a sigh she got out of the car and headed into the cabin. The stillness of the air around her brought another measure of calm. One she needed before seeing Rain again.
“Mom! Where have you been? You were supposed to be back an hour ago. There’s no signal on my phone, so I couldn’t even call you. My cousins dropped me off a long time ago. What was I supposed to do while you were gone? No internet. No TV. I’ve read all the books I brought. Like twice this week. God! I’m so bored.”
Rain punctuated the last word by slumping down on the sofa. With her daughter’s legs jutted out and her lips twisted up into a pout, Harmony thought her daughter looked about six years old. But, she had to admit, sullen teen was even better than chilly wind to get your mind off sex.