by Marilu Mann
Olivia went up the stairs after Talia who trudged up them like her doom awaited her. The room in Micah’s apartment that had Talia’s things in it was cozy with a country charm. As she tucked the child into bed, Olivia brushed some stray hair back from Talia’s face.
“You like Uncle Micah, don’t you? You smell just like Aunt Jane does when she’s looking at her mate.” Earnest eyes stared up at Olivia making her squirm in the intensity.
“Husband. You mean Aunt Jane’s husband, honey. Mate isn’t the right word.” Olivia stood up to go.
“Husband or mate, we call them both. Does your Pack say it different?”
Olivia shivered. Was this some weird cult? “Go to sleep, honey. We can talk about it after your nap. You can help make dinner if you like.”
Closing the door, Olivia headed for her room and her computer. She had to get her impressions about the ride down while they were fresh.
Micah caught the bale that Gareth tossed and pitched it into place by the tack room. He knew his help wasn’t necessary-Gareth had done this particular task alone many times before-so he broke the silence.
“What did you want to talk to me about, Gareth?”
Gareth set down the bale he had in his hands and perched on it. The seriousness of his gaze told Micah he’d been thinking about whatever it was for some time. Rolling his shoulders relieved some of the stiffness in Micah’s shoulders from tossing the hay but not all. Gareth’s voice cracked as he started to speak.
“Look, I know it’s not my place to question you, but have you thought about sending Talia to the Pack in town to grow up in? Don’t get me wrong, Micah. You’ll be a great father to her, but kids need mothers. If Olivia is going to stick around, then she’s going to be important to the kid.” Gareth paused, taking a deep breath but still not meeting Micah’s eyes. “I think you need to tell Olivia what she is.”
Micah nodded. “That’s my thought too, Gareth. Not about Talia-she’s fine and I’ll make sure she stays fine. Liv, though, that’s a wolf of another color, isn’t it? I tried to tell her and she misunderstood me. Thought I was talking about totems and spirit guides.” Micah’s fingers tangled in his hair as he tried to comb it back from his face. “I don’t know what to do other than change in front of her.”
“It’s not just that, Micah. She could probably accept your changing. Some humans do. I mean, Slade and Tony both have human mates, right? Olivia’s not human. She’s one of us. Now that you’re back there’ll be a Gathering and you know it’ll be a big one. Everyone is going to want to see you. And the females.”
Gareth hesitated as a grimace crossed his face. “Well, you know they’re going to be all over you. And the males will be hot on Olivia’s tail. They’re always chasing any unclaimed female.”
Nostrils flaring, Micah bit out his words. “She is not an unclaimed female. She’s mine.”
Scooting back on the bale of hay, Gareth held his hands out placatingly. “I didn’t mean anything, Micah. I didn’t realize you were that serious about her.”
Micah sighed. “Neither did I. But Olivia is not fair game. Gathering or no, if any other male gets near her, I’ll tear him apart.”
He pivoted on the balls of his feet and headed back to the lodge. Time to show Olivia what he was. And more importantly, time to show her what she was. He glanced over his shoulder to see Gareth watching him.
“I’ll need you to stick around the main building for a while. Keep an ear out for Talia in case she wakes up.”
Without waiting for Gareth’s response, Micah mulled over his options as he headed back to the lodge. He knew he had to give her unalterable proof of his claims. That would be shock number one. The second shock he had planned was what had him jamming his hands into his thighs as though the repetitive thuds could ease the guilt building in him.
Forcing another shifter to change was something he did only in dire circumstances. He’d used his power to change another shifter for necessary healing when a shifter had been hurt too badly to effect the change themselves. He’d also used it on occasion as punishment. Forcing the change too rapidly could hurt.
His grandfather had driven home to him more than once that he could lose his power if he used it for ill. Many stories had been told to him about those ancestors who hadn’t heeded the warning and had been stripped of their ability, leaving their Pack vulnerable.
The lodge steps appeared in front of him too soon for his liking. He considered taking a walk-a long one, with Canada looking like a good first stop. Shaking his head, he laughed. What good is running, Micah? And isn’t that the question you ask others, not yourself?
Squaring his shoulders, Micah opened the front door.
Chapter Seven
“Olivia?” Still no response from her. Resting one hand against the frame of her open door, Micah softly spoke her name again. She was so engrossed in her writing that she hadn’t heard him the first time. This seemed to be a pattern for them. She holed up in her room writing and him standing outside trying to get her attention. Still, he wouldn’t mind vying for her attention for a very long time to come.
Stepping closer, Micah said her name with more force. A startled curse rang from her lips as she jumped and knocked over a coffee cup. Fortunately for her laptop, it was empty.
His core sizzled when she hit him with those cornflower blue eyes. Pulsing in his jeans reminded him just how much he wanted this woman. He grinned. Now was definitely not the time to shift because while it was easy to hide his erection behind denim, he wouldn’t be quite as successful as a wolf. She’d have no doubt just how happy he was to see her.
“We need to talk.”
Her laugh threw him off until she explained. “Isn’t it the woman who’s supposed to say that? And the man is supposed to run howling into the woods?”
Answering her with a laugh of his own, he reached back to close the door then covered the distance between them in two easy strides. It felt so right to fold her into his arms and place a gentle kiss on her head.
“We were talking about something and got interrupted.”
Olivia grinned as she tilted her head up to look at him. “Yes, we get interrupted a lot, don’t we? But Talia is napping now. Want to finish what we tried to start?” She nipped at his chin.
“Olivia, you don’t know how much I want to take you to bed and bury myself in your sweet warmth. But we have to discuss the fact that you are different.” She stiffened in his arms but he tightened his hold on her.
“Different just like me, Olivia. Just like me. Sweetheart, you aren’t going to get what I tried to tell you, so I’m going to show you. Promise me you won’t run, okay? Promise you will watch what is going to happen and trust me. Can you do that for me?” He pressed another kiss to her forehead as she nodded at him.
Stepping back from her, he began to take his clothes off. A grin stole across Olivia’s face. “Really, Micah, you were scaring me a bit. If that’s your idea of foreplay, we really do need to talk.”
Micah didn’t answer. Concentrating his energy, he shifted into his large black and gray wolf body. Olivia’s face went white as she took a step backward.
“What the hell? Okay, that’s a pretty good parlor trick, Micah. Where did you go? I’m assuming this animal is tame?” Her voice rose in pitch as she continued moving until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed. “Micah?”
Shifting back took less time but Olivia’s jaw dropped even further. “This is not funny, Micah. What’s happening?”
Taking her hands, Micah knelt in front of her. “Liv, this is me. This is us. A monster didn’t kill your parents. You didn’t kill your parents. The shock of having you change in the backseat caused your dad to lose control of the car, but you were not responsible. You should have been with a shifter family. You should never have been with humans. You’re a shifter too, Olivia.”
Blonde hair skimmed her cheeks as she shook her head. “This is too much. Too much. What are you saying? Are you telling me that you
can turn into a wolf? That you’re a…” Her voice shattered on the word. “Werewolf?”
Her sweet orange scent suddenly held an overlay of the sharp smell of fear. Micah wanted anything but that. He’d rather she’d rage at him than be scared of him. Filling his lungs with a deep breath, he nodded.
“Yes. Werewolf is one name for us. We prefer shifter since it doesn’t have the Lon Chaney factor built in. We are not murderers. We don’t eat children. We don’t usually steal sheep. We live and work among the humans without them knowing the truth of what we are.”
“We. You keep using we. I’m not like you. I don’t know why you think that, but I am not one of you!” Olivia tore her hands out of his as she scrambled to her feet. Pacing back and forth, she pointed a shaking hand at him.
“Why are you doing this? Who set you up to this? Are you supposed to make me think I’m crazy? Too late. I already know that.”
Micah’s throat tightened at the tears welling up in her beautiful blue eyes. Getting up off the floor, he walked toward her but halted when she threw a hand out to stop him. How could he get her to believe him? Her knowledge of her abilities was crucial.
If she didn’t know she could shift, she would go through life with black holes in her memory and the guilt of murder weighing down her future. Worse, she could injure someone if she didn’t know how to stay with her animal self. Shifters who let their animals rule were a danger to all-especially the Packs who wanted to live in secret.
If she refused to take control of her animal and stayed here with him, the local Pack would be well within their rights to order her exterminated for the good of all. As Alpha, even an unofficial Alpha, it would be his job to carry out that order. Micah’s hands fisted tightly as he tried to calm himself. Worrying about things that hadn’t happened, that he wouldn’t allow to happen, wasted precious time.
Then he realized that telling her again that she could become a wolf was futile. He had to show her. He had to use his power and trust that he was doing it for the right reason. He had to protect Olivia from herself.
“Olivia, will you come outside with me? I want to take you back to that clearing. I can prove my words to you there. It’s a special place. It’s where the Pack comes together during a full moon and other special times. It’s where we celebrate and where we play.” He poured everything he could into the request, hoping she would hear the truth and trust him.
Dear God. Go into the woods with a man who apparently isn’t a man? Olivia questioned her sanity even as she nodded her agreement. For whatever reason, she trusted Micah. She’d always known there was something different, something wrong with her. Now here was Micah telling her-no, showing her-that there truly was more to this world than she had dreamed of.
Olivia paused a moment, fighting back a reluctant chuckle. Quoting Shakespeare only reminded her that she did dream of this. Every night she ran wild in her dreams. Wolves at her side. And if she were crazy, then she’d hallucinated the large wolf. She grimaced when she looked at the hardwood floor where a tuft of silver hair lay in mute testimony to the reality of what she tried to deny. Wait a minute.
“That wolf the other night…the one playing in the snow. That was you?”
Micah’s smile warmed her from the inside out as he nodded. “I tried everything I could to get you to come outside. I’ve never felt quite so foolish.”
It hadn’t occurred to her that he might be taking a risk telling her about himself. She took a hesitant step toward him, hating the fear she felt. This was Micah. Yes, she’d only known him a few short days but it felt like so much more. The intensity-that scared her more than his changing into a wolf.
“I’m ready then. I don’t know what to think right now, Micah, but I know that I do trust you. Not sure why, but I do. Let me bundle back up.”
So fast it took her breath away, Micah stood at her side. His lips were warm and soft as he pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek.
“I know you think one of us is insane, but I promise you, neither of us is.”
She didn’t worry about the fact that he stood there while she changed. Hearing his breath speed up made her feel powerful in a way she had never felt before. She took her time slipping into the silk undershirt, even turning to face him when she zipped her jeans up over the silk pants. She could have sworn his tongue was about to loll out of his mouth. With a nod, she headed past him and down the stairs.
“Are we taking the sled?” Olivia went for the most mundane thing she could think of.
He shook his head and handed her a pair of skis. “I’m assuming you know how to cross-country? I know you did that article on it for that New York resort.”
Her head jerked in surprise and he laughed. “Yes, Olivia, I researched you before you came to my property. Here are your poles.”
The trip to the clearing was shorter because they didn’t have to stick to the winding path. Cutting through the trees, they sliced at the snow with skis and poles. Left ski, right pole then right ski, left pole-the kick and glide rhythm was easy to fall into. Olivia had forgotten how much work it was but reveled in the clear, crisp air.
She managed to work up a sweat with the sun warming her up in her layers of clothing. Finally the edge of the opening appeared before them and Olivia kicked her skis in toward one another to snowplow to a stop. Without a word from Micah, Olivia removed her boots from the skis.
“Okay. Now what?” Suddenly she thought about what she was doing. Out in the middle of nowhere with-she looked at Micah and took a deep breath. With a man she knew she could trust. He just smelled right. Shoving her doubts aside, she moved toward him until puffs of her breath caressed his face.
“Are you going to eat me now?”
Micah’s start of laughter elicited an answering one of her own. For a minute they let the silliness of the double entendre ring through the woods. Then Micah’s face tightened as his eyebrows drew together and his lips pursed in. He huffed out a breath as he looked into her eyes.
She marveled at the myriad colors swirling in his eyes. What she had mistaken for brown was more hazel than anything else. Light seemed to flicker in his gaze and Olivia forced herself to look away.
“Olivia, what is about to happen is going to scare you. I’m going to help you change. I’m going to show you what you really are. Are you ready?” He stroked her cheek, sending heat waves to her belly.
At her nod, he unzipped her jacket. “You’re going to need to be naked for this or you’ll ruin your clothes. I promise you won’t come to any harm and you won’t freeze.”
Olivia didn’t hesitate. In for a penny, in for a pound. She followed Micah’s directions, tucking her folded clothes into a tree branch. Despite his assurance, she couldn’t stop a shiver from coursing over her body and she could feel the cold, especially in her bare feet. “Okay, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
He licked his lips as he scanned her body. She noticed a change in his smell and a tightness in his pants. Then he focused intently on her and her whole world shattered. Olivia screamed as her hands begin to twist on their own. Falling to her knees, she begged him to stop but the words didn’t come out right.
Her lips elongated as her jaw jutted forward. Reaching a hand up to feel her face, Olivia cried out when a paw shot up next to her. Only her cry came out as an unearthly howl.
Shuddering, she realized the world looked and smelled incredibly different. The colors were muted into shadows. Scents assaulted her nostrils until she wanted to bury her snout in the snow. Snout? SNOUT!! Olivia jerked her head around to look behind her. A furry rump with a long flowing tail greeted her. Leaping up, Olivia whirled but the tail was gone.
A coughing sound caught her attention. Where Micah had stood was the black and gray wolf. He cautiously approached, bumping her with his nose. She shied away then realized she’d leaped a good ten feet from him. Hey, that’s not bad! Wonder how fast I can run? Before the thought fully left her mind, her feet dug into the snow as she propelled herself for
ward.
Air whipped around her but didn’t chill her. Olivia opened her mouth to give voice to the joy she felt. This was so very right-this was her right. The sound of pounding paws came from behind her and then Micah pulled up even with her. He shot her what could only be called a wolfy grin and surged forward. Oh no you don’t, fella. I’m built for speed.
You are built for other things too and you’re the most gorgeous she-wolf I’ve ever seen, Liv. Run with me!
Olivia didn’t question his voice in her head nor did she answer it. Instead she poured energy into her run using every bit of muscle she had to gain ground on Micah. Finally she flipped her tail as she passed him. At the next large tree, she flopped down panting to wait for him. He came around the corner at full speed.
Snow flew everywhere as he skidded to a stop. Olivia waited for him to come to a complete halt before springing to her feet. Nipping at his neck, she shoulder-blocked him then hauled furry butt back toward the clearing.
The howls of pure male frustration spurred her to greater speeds. Micah didn’t catch her again until they were both nearly to the clearing. His body check came out of the blue, knocking her off her feet. She laughed in her head as she rolled through the snow to come to a standing position again.
Who’s the fastest, Micah? She danced on her paws then bowed toward him.
You are, Liv, you definitely are. But then females are built smaller so they can run faster. Ready to go home?
Olivia shook her head at him. Go home? This is home. She wanted to run until she fell over. Chase rabbits. Plow through the snow and feel no cold. She never wanted to be human again.
Taking in a huge breath, she embraced the crisp pine mingled with other scents. Her ears toggled forward when she realized one of the scents was wolf and not familiar to her. Sidling toward Micah, she ducked her head under his neck. Touching him felt familiar. Do you smell that?
Micah’s throat rumbled as his hair ruffled up along his neck. When he pressed his jaw against the top of her head, Olivia felt immediately safe.
