She Wolf

by Sheri Lewis Wohl

  She breathed in deeply and filled her senses with the essence of the young woman. She wondered if Lily could do the same thing and, with it, follow her to wherever she waited for someone to come.

  “Well.” Jayne looked over at Lily. “Anything?”

  Strain was beginning to show on Lily’s beautiful face. Her eyes were narrow, her lips pressed together in a hard line, and her skin was pale. Jayne wished she could ease the worry that pressed on her. She didn’t know how to help Lily when she didn’t even know how to help herself. “I’ve got her scent.”

  That single statement gave Jayne a surge of hope. “Can you track her?”

  Lily shook her head. “Not in this form. I can tuck Willa’s scent away in my human form, but to truly track her, I have to change. That is not going to happen in broad daylight. I’m sorry.”

  Her hopes fell. “You can’t track in daylight.” It didn’t really make sense to her. What difference did it make if it was light or dark? Scent was scent, right?

  Lily’s intense eyes met hers. “I’m old, Jayne, very old, and I didn’t survive this long by doing stupid things. How many people in this area have guns? How many of them in this current fearful climate would hesitate to shoot a wolf running through their property? I want to survive long enough to bring Willa home.”

  As much as she hated to admit it, Lily had a valid point. “I can protect you.” She was the sheriff, after all, and she carried a big gun.

  Lily shook her head. “No, you really can’t. I know how anxious you are to find Willa, and I will help in any way I can, as soon as I can. Changing during daylight hours and risking exposure is not something I’m willing to do. It’s too dangerous, plain and simple.”

  Jayne couldn’t remember ever feeling this frustrated. Everything felt as though it was spinning out of control. “But we have to find her. You have to understand that Willa is special.”

  “I understand, I really do. I can feel the essence of Willa here, and I promise, I will track her tonight just as soon as it’s safe for me to do so.”

  “But…” Her cell phone rang. She grabbed it and answered. When she heard Dana’s voice, a new kind of anger rushed into her. Dana had a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Jayne ended the call and looked over at Lily. “Dana is finally back at the station. We’re heading back.”

  When they’d gone to the station earlier, she been surprised and irritated to discover Dana wasn’t at her desk. She’d left the crime scene before they did, so Jayne had fully expected to see her back at the office. When she’d checked with the rest of the staff and no one had seen her, she’d gone from irritated to pissed off. As she and Lily had left to head over to Willa’s apartment, she’d left instructions to track Dana down and get her back to the office ASAP.

  They were both quiet as they drove the short distance from Willa’s apartment to the sheriff’s office. As they walked through this time, they didn’t have to stop every few feet and explain Lily’s company, and for that she was grateful. The gossip would be all over town by dinnertime, and that was okay as long as she didn’t get confronted with it every five seconds. Lily followed Jayne, who only paused at Dana’s desk to say a curt, “In my office.” When Lily started to sit in a chair outside, Jayne motioned her in. She was a part of this now, and Jayne figured she might as well hear it all.

  Lily took a seat in the corner of Jayne’s office and stayed quiet, looking a tad bit uncomfortable. She’d be worried except she was pretty sure the woman was capable of handling anything that came her way. Besides, hadn’t Lily demanded right from the beginning that they be a team? Yeah, well, team it was.

  She turned her attention to Dana, who walked in looking decidedly grim. Jayne wasn’t sure if it was because she knew what was coming or was still shook up about being the one to discover Tess dead. Didn’t matter either way. Dana had messed up big-time and had to answer for that. Her mistake could turn out to be a deadly one.

  “Sheriff, I’m sorry I didn’t come straight back here, but I had to get my bearings. I’ve never seen anything like that before. I needed a little time to process. I couldn’t come back here and just pretend it was all okay.”

  From Jayne’s point of view, she was trying to make her case before Jayne jumped on her. She sounded sincere and she might buy it, if she didn’t have a funny feeling Dana was hiding something. Like Jayne, Dana had grown up here in the Colville area, but she was enough younger that she really didn’t know her. Dana was already a deputy sheriff by the time Jayne took over the department. Thus far her work had been fine and her dedication to the county was solid, so there’d never been a reason to question her motives or performance. Until now.

  Jayne’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not worried about your less-than-straight path back to the office, Dana. Anyone would need a little breather after discovering that level of violence.”

  “You’re not angry? Then what is it? I’ll write out my report right now. I followed procedure and took notes and pictures while I was there.”

  She stared at Dana. “Willa.”

  Dana’s face paled, and she began to twist her hands together. “Oh, God, I forgot about Willa.”

  “What do you mean, you forgot? Jeni called you yesterday. Why isn’t there something on my desk?”

  Running her hands over her face, Dana dropped into the chair in front of Jayne’s desk. “I was going to write up something when I got off the phone with Jeni, and then I got interrupted. Besides, in all honesty she hadn’t been gone long enough to be technically considered a missing person.”

  So far, she wasn’t impressed. In their line of business, interruptions were the norm, and there were legitimate exceptions to every rule. “You and I both know that, in Willa’s case, that time limit goes out the window.”

  Dana shrugged and had the decency to look sheepish. Her expression said she knew she’d fucked that one up.

  Jayne wasn’t done, however. “Explain to me what would be so interesting you’d forget something like Willa not showing up for work.”

  Dana turned her face away from Jayne. “My girlfriend called.”

  Silence hung heavy for at least a full minute. Did she just say what she thought she did? The surprises just kept coming today. Jayne sank to her chair. “Your girlfriend?”

  Nodding, Dana finally looked up, a flush to her cheeks. “You have to understand, it’s not something people know about.”

  This explanation didn’t make sense. Dana was married to a man. “How about your husband?”

  Dana shrugged and looked down at her feet. “He’s been gone for months,” she mumbled. “I didn’t want people to know he left me.”

  How did something like that fall off the gossip trail in a town like this? Then again, she wasn’t exactly on the main line, so it was possible for her to have missed it. Wasn’t a great testament to her skills as a leader that she’d missed something this major for one of her staff. She looked over at Dana. “And now you have a girlfriend?”

  This time Dana’s eyes met hers. “I kinda thought you, of everyone here, would understand.”

  Of course she understood. It didn’t explain anything else. “I understand many things, Dana, and who you choose to spend your time with is entirely your decision. No one else, me included, has a thing to say about it. That said, it also has no place in this office. Taking a call from your girlfriend and forgetting about a missing special-needs young woman is not just an error. It could very well be a fatal error.” Life-ending for Willa and career-ending for Dana was what she didn’t elaborate on.

  “I’m sorry,” Dana whispered. “It won’t happen again.”

  “No, it won’t.”

  “I’ll go write the report now.”

  She tried to be the best leader she could, someone her staff could count on, someone the county could depend on. That meant at times having to do the hard thing. This was one of those times. “Not quite yet. First, I want your badge and your gun.” She held her hand out.

  “What?”


  “As of this moment, you’re on suspension for ten days. Write your report and then go home.”

  “Sheriff, that’s uncalled for. I made a mistake, that’s all.”

  “You made a mistake that could cost a young woman her life. Combine that with what you discovered this morning, and I can’t trust you right now. We’ll talk again in ten days.” This was the only thing she could do. Unfortunately it was the worst time to be a deputy short, but allowing Dana to skate on an error of this magnitude was unthinkable as well. She had to do what she had to do.

  Dana jumped up, and for a moment Jayne thought she was going to fight her decision. Dana opened her mouth and then, after staring at her for a moment, took her gun and badge and smacked them down on Jayne’s desk. Without another word she stalked out. She was surprised she hadn’t slammed the door on her way through.

  Jayne stared down at the gun and the badge. The truth was, even when warranted, she hated doing things like this. It was, however, a necessary part of the job.

  From where she still sat in the corner, Lily said, “Well, that was interesting.”

  Jayne looked over at Lily and shook her head. “In more ways than one. You know, Dana’s been married for years. Then she comes in here, stands in front of my desk, and announces she has a girlfriend…a girlfriend. As if things around here weren’t crazy enough already.”

  “You mean like the sheriff meeting her girlfriend online.”

  This time Jayne looked up and gave her a wry smile. “Exactly.”

  *

  Bellona sat everyone down at the table. She was surrounded by happy faces, even Little Wolf, who had come back earlier scowling and cranky. All it took to turn her mood around was breathtaking sex and a fortifying meal, thanks to her pantry-filling trip to the grocery store. Now Little Wolf was as happy as the rest of them.

  “I need you all to listen,” she said. A game plan was in order, and they needed to listen and understand.

  Eve was piling more beef on her plate. “Listen, listen, listen,” she said in a singsong voice.

  It made Bellona smile. She really did love this girl already. “Seriously, we have to be careful, and that means you, Eve. The Jägers are here…”

  “Who are the Jägers?” Adam asked as he leaned back in his chair and sipped a glass of milk. He’d put away half a gallon of the stuff just in this meal.

  A slight shiver raced through her body. She’d dodged them for years and survived. Even so, she respected their skill and might. None of them should be taken lightly. “They’re hunters.”

  “I know hunters,” Eve piped up, her mouth still full of food. “They’re pretty nice. Joe Joseph brought me some venison sausage one time. It was good.”

  She put a hand on Eve’s shoulder. “Not these hunters, darling. These hunters will kill you.”

  Eve stopped chewing and looked at her in surprise. “Why? I didn’t do anything to them. That’s not nice. Why aren’t they nice?”

  Adam put an arm around Eve’s shoulders and squeezed softly. “Don’t worry, little one. I’ll protect you. No bad hunter is going to hurt you.”

  While she appreciated the way Adam looked after Eve, it was bigger than the two of them. “We will all protect each other,” she said solemnly. “It’s what being a family, a pack, is all about.” Just saying the word “pack” filled her heart with satisfaction.

  Little Wolf smiled and held up her glass of wine. “Amen to that. Our pack rules.”

  Bellona reached over and took Little Wolf’s free hand and brought it to her lips to kiss it. “Yes, it does. However, we still need to stick together to keep all of us safe. I have a plan, and the first priority is to run the Jägers hunters out of town. We’re all going to need to keep a low profile until we can redirect their efforts.”

  “How do you plan to do that?” Little Wolf took a sip of her wine. “I think it would be easier and quicker just to kill them.”

  Again she was struck by Little Wolf’s lust. It was a bit of a double-edged sword. Bellona loved how fearless she was and at the same time was afraid that fearlessness could jeopardize their safety. Somehow she had to keep her in check at least until the Jägers were gone. She didn’t want to lose her, but if it came down to saving her or saving the pack, she only had one choice.

  “It might be easier in the short run, my sweet wolf, but we have to think of the big picture if we want to stay here to grow and flourish. This is the right time, I feel it here.” Bellona tapped her chest. “If we all work together, we will make this happen.”

  “I’m in,” Adam said as he tipped his empty milk glass toward her in a mock toast. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

  “I want to run,” Eve said. “Tonight.”

  The edginess brought on the approaching full moon was apparent in all of them. The power the moon would bring also meant her small pack would be hard to control during that time. Adam and Eve would respond even more dramatically, for the first full moon was always the most important. To deny them the opportunity to run now would further fuel the frenzy, and she wasn’t going to risk it.

  “You will all run tonight, together. It’s important we stay together. No exceptions.”

  She turned and captured Little Wolf’s eyes. Her wild and passionate woman was just as wild and passionate in wolf form. Difficult to control was being nice. The challenge it presented thrilled Bellona. She hadn’t felt this alive in years.

  Little Wolf grimaced and then said, “Got it. I’ll stick close.”

  “No killing.” Bellona swept her gaze over all three of them. “I’m serious. We can’t afford the scrutiny. Priority number one is running the Jägers out of town, not your fun and games. Not right now. Your time will come if you’re patient. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Adam gave her a small salute.

  He was going to fit in exceptionally well. “Eve?”

  “Ah-ha.” She was sliding her fork around on her plate.

  “You’ll stick close when we run.”

  “I like to run with Adam.”

  He ruffled her hair. “And I like running with you, pretty girl.”

  Eve laughed and started to eat again. “I like all of you.”

  “Little Wolf?” Bellona squeezed her hand lightly. “For me?”

  Little Wolf’s smile lit her face. It was that smile that had made Bellona stop and decide to stay on the first day they met. “Just for you.”

  She leaned in and kissed her deeply. “I’m pretty sure I love you.”

  “I know I love you,” Little Wolf said against her lips.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Can I watch?”

  They were standing outside next to Jayne’s car and Lily was only half listening. “What?”

  “Can I watch you change?” Jayne clarified. “I’m still not a hundred percent on board, and I’m thinking to see is to believe.”

  Shaking her head, Lily said, “You are a strange person, Jayne Quarles.”

  Jayne shrugged. “That’s not the worst thing I’ve been called. So can I?”

  Lily wasn’t sure she wanted to go there. Some time ago she’d asked Senn to video the transition so she could see it for herself. It had been a mistake. There was nothing pretty about morphing from a human into a wolf. At least the transition itself was fairly ugly. Her wolf form was not. She rather liked how she appeared: strong and sleek with a coat that shone in the moonlight. She didn’t like the way she felt as well as she liked the way she appeared. In wolf form, the animal side of her warred for dominance. It took a phenomenal amount of self-control to keep that side of her at bay. Did she really want to expose all of that to Jayne?

  The answer wasn’t as cut-and-dried as Lily would have imagined. For whatever reason, pushing the obvious answer, no, across her lips wasn’t happening. “Let me think about it.”

  “What’s to think about? It’s not like I’m going to tell anyone what you are.”

  Lily trusted her on that score. They’d only been acquaint
ed for a brief time, yet something about Jayne rang true to Lily’s heart. She wasn’t one of those people who hid behind deception. The straight-up nature of her personality appealed to Lily. Throughout her many years, she’d run up against so many who wore masks. To say it made her weary was an understatement.

  “It’s not that I worry you might tell others. It’s that changing is really personal. It’s baring my soul at a very intimate level. I don’t do it lightly or ever, if you want the truth, because it’s a risk I’m not willing to take.”

  Jayne studied her closely. “I guess I didn’t think about it like that. I suppose it could be pretty dangerous.”

  Lily put a hand on her arm and loved the warmth that it brought into her body. “I wouldn’t expect you to see the peril involved with changing in front of others, especially since you don’t really believe.”

  Jayne patted her hand where it lay on her arm. “You’re starting to wear me down. I’m about this far,” she held her thumb and forefinger about half an inch apart, “from believing it all.”

  Good news even if it wasn’t swaying her much at the moment. Sharing the werewolf part of her took courage, and right at the moment she wanted to save every ounce of courage she possessed for finding this killer. For a second, she stopped and turned her face to the sky. Then she tilted her head down and looked at Jayne. “Is it usually this quiet on a Tuesday afternoon?”

  “What?”

  They were standing on the main street of town next to Jayne’s vehicle, and while they’d been there, not a single car had traveled down the street. Likewise, no one had walked down the street, and the only noise she heard was a flock of birds flying overhead, presumably heading south for the winter.

  “Aren’t people usually out and about this time of day?” It was a small town, but it wasn’t a ghost town.