by Alisha Paige
Coming Wind scratched his head. “I hope so.”
****
“Who’s behind those roses?” Aunt Bette asked as Sean and Paige entered her hospital room suite.
Sean placed a huge vase of pink roses on a nearby table. “Thank you, sweetie. They’re beautiful.”
Sean kissed his aunt on the cheek. Aunt Bette reached her hand out to Paige and gave her a knowing smile. “How are you, my dear?”
Paige smiled shyly, reluctantly offering her hand to the she-wolf. Aunt Bette laughed out loud as she looked up at Sean. Sean flashed her a worried frown.
“It’s okay, honey. You probably think you walked straight into Little Red Riding Hood’s life. The wolf dressed as dear, old granny.”
Paige laughed nervously as she squeezed Sean’s hand. “I’m sorry you were hurt so badly.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine. I thought I knew where all the traps were, but I guess I missed one.”
The thought of getting caught in a trap meant for a wild animal gave Paige the chills. This was all so weird and freakish. For a second Paige wondered if Sean thought of taking her to the vet. The thought made her laugh to herself.
“You’re starting to see the comedy in all of this?” Aunt Bette asked. “It’s a good thing you have such a good sense of humor. You’ll need it in this family.”
Paige nodded as Sean led her to a plush sofa on the far wall. Aunt Bette was recovering in a magnificent suite. Paige had no idea that rooms like this existed in a hospital. Sean had made sure that she received the best medical care possible and he spared no expense in obtaining the most extravagant suite. It was generally used for dignitaries or celebrities and to many in Colorado, Sean Wilson was as close as a celebrity as anyone. He had brought home the gold and they had all cried with him as they shared his joy at the medal ceremony. He was still stopped daily for autographs and his aunt was nearly as famous.
Bringing home the gold had done more for Aunt Bette’s bed and breakfast than any ad agency could ever hope for. He had flown her to the Olympics to watch him and she had even gone to several interviews with him after he won the gold. He told the press that she was his inspiration and America had fallen in love with her endearing smile. Her recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies was featured in Southern Living magazine and her bed and breakfast was shown on the Travel Channel.
Aunt Bette wasn’t known for her tact, so Sean wasn’t surprised when she dove right in. “I’m sorry we gave you such a fright, dear. We wanted you to realize you weren’t dreaming and frankly, we knew you wouldn’t believe it unless you had seen it with your own two eyes.”
Paige drew in a ragged breath.
“Well, I saw it with my own two eyes, but I’m still not sure if I believe it or not.”
“It’s a lot to swallow. At least you will have time to absorb it all. Can you imagine watching your husband change and then getting bit and having to undergo the change yourself?”
Paige shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. Suddenly she was very cold.
“No, I can’t. How did you get through it?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I didn’t really have a choice. It was thrown at me and I did the best I could with it.”
“How awful for you to have been bitten.”
“At the time, yes, but now, I don’t think so. I can’t imagine life as a mere woman. The world is so much more complex. There is so much to see and feel and taste. You can’t possibly do it all as a human being. Existing in the animal world has taught me a lot about life...and death.”
Paige was intrigued. “Are you glad you turned into the wolf?”
“I wasn’t at the time, but now I am. The wolf enriches my life. If it ever happens to you, you’ll understand.”
“Whoa,” Sean protested as he stood and shook his head. “Let’s don’t go there, okay?”
Aunt Bette laughed. “Okay. Let’s just get her feet wet first.”
Sean winced. “Let’s forget about the feet. By the way, how do yours feel today?”
“Better. I’ll be fine. They’re spoiling me rotten.”
“Good, they better. That’s what I’m paying them for.”
A nurse came in to check her bandages and fluff her pillows before the shift change. Aunt Bette told her jokes about getting caught in animal traps and the young woman laughed. They stayed for lunch and dined on hamburgers, French fries and milk shakes. Aunt Bette had requested her favorite burger joint and Sean had prearranged it before they had arrived. After lunch, Aunt Bette had taken her pain medicine and wanted to take a nap. Both of them kissed her goodbye and Paige couldn’t help imagining Aunt Bette’s nose grow into a long, hairy muzzle. She remembered how the she-wolf’s wet, black nose had sniffed in her direction when she had looked at her after changing. She felt silly for asking, but curiosity got the better of her.
“Do you recognize other people when you’re the wolf? Is your memory the same? Would you know my name?”
“Didn’t you see me looking at you?” Aunt Bette asked.
“Yes. That’s why I asked. It seemed like you were looking at me,” Paige replied.
“Animals are just as intelligent as humans. Just because they can’t speak a language doesn’t mean they can’t understand.”
Paige would never think of a dog or cat in the same way again. And horses seemed so intelligent to her. She had a new found respect for the animal kingdom. Suddenly she didn’t see human beings as being much more superior then animals. She began to see things in a different light and it was so far out of her realm of thinking that she couldn’t help but think about it.
“I’m sorry to ask so many questions.”
Aunt Bette yawned and took Paige’s hand. “Don’t be, dear. I completely understand. I had a million questions myself. I’m just glad that Sean and I can answer the questions for you and you don’t have to find out the hard way, like I did.”
“Me too. I’m sorry that happened to you, but I’m happy for you if you’re happy as a wolf now,” Paige stammered.
Sean’s heart wanted to melt. Now Paige was trying way too hard. Paige shut her eyes tightly, embarrassed by her ridiculous comments. She was so unsure of what to say and there certainly wasn’t a Hallmark card to fit the occasion. Sean laughed at her and kissed the top of her head.
“Stop being sorry, darling. We all had a rough weekend and I’m just glad it’s behind us. Pretty soon you will think nothing of this. You’ll find that we’re just as human as you are. You’ll look back on this and laugh.”
Paige was already laughing, but mostly out of nervousness or maybe at how bizarre the term canis lupus nubilus homo sapien sounded to her ears. It would all take a while to sink in, but like Sean, she was thankful that the initial shock was over and they could get on with their lives. She was just happy to be with Sean again. One night without him had been horribly lonely. She never wanted to lose him again. So what if he liked his meat extremely rare? She had quirks too. Who didn’t?
****
Paige returned to work on Tuesday and for the first time in her career, dreaded her job. The second floor was under construction in preparation for an Egyptian exhibit featuring King Ramses II. It was an amazing exhibit that had already traveled through much of the United States. She had worked tirelessly on the proposal for the exhibit. People from all over Colorado and the surrounding states would travel just to see the magnificent artifacts and jewelry from Ramses’ tomb. It was an impressive collection and Paige was very proud to be exhibiting such a priceless piece of ancient history.
Normally she would have been absolutely giddy when faced with work on such an exciting exhibit, but as she flipped through pages and pages of photographs, she found herself sighing and staring out the window. She didn’t even want to begin to decide where and how to place thousands of pieces of jewelry and art. Most of it would be displayed in a similar manner as the previous exhibit in New York, but there were still far too many details that she would have just rather delegated to someone else
. She was even considering giving the list to Mary, though she was no where close to being qualified to make those sort of decisions. Who would ever know? God, she was pathetic. She had a fabulous job that most people would envy. An art lover’s dream. She decided that she had been gone too long and would get back in the groove by the end of the week. She forced herself to dive into the photographs and began categorizing them into display groups. She worked straight through lunch and never glanced at the clock until four. Wow, the day had flown. She had accomplished a lot and yes, she was certain that by the end of the week she would be more excited about the exhibit. A lot had happened in the last few weeks and she just needed to give herself some time to readjust. She realized as she shut down her computer for the day that in the space of one week her life had drastically changed. She had become an aunt again and she would be moving and possibly quitting her job because she was engaged to her dead husband’s best friend who happened to be part wolf. It was a lot to absorb, but she was strong. Surely she could handle this.
Sean called her on her cell phone while she was at the supermarket picking up dinner. He said he would be stopping by the hospital to check on Aunt Bette but something in his voice worried her.
“You’ll be by for dinner tonight, right?”
“Uh, I’ve got a lot to do tonight,” he stammered.
“Oh? Like what? I can help.”
“Well, I need to straighten up the cabin a bit. The realtor called. She’ll be showing it tomorrow.”
“I can cook over there. I’ll help you,” Paige replied easily as she threw a pound of hamburger meat into the basket.
“That’s okay. I’ll just grab something here.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind helping you.”
“I know, but you worked all day and you need your rest.”
“I’m not tired at all. My day flew by and my brain is still buzzing with Egyptian artifacts. I’m starting to really get excited now. Construction is underway for the new wing and it’s all starting to come together. I still haven’t decided where to put the outer sarcophagus, though.”
Sean grew silent, never replying.
“Honey, are you still there? I’m sorry for babbling on. I know you must have a lot on your mind with selling the cabin and all.”
He remained silent and Paige looked at her cell phone to see if they had lost each other.
“Honey?”
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m here. Yeah, I guess I just have a lot on my mind.”
“What’s wrong, Sean. You sound terrible. Are you sure you don’t want me to help? Are you sad about moving? I know how much you love living here.”
Sean sighed on the other line. He hated lying to her. “No, I’m not sad about that. I mean I guess I’ll miss it some. I just want to hurry and get back to the canyon. They need me, but I don’t want to go without you. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“You aren’t going without me,” she reassured him.
“I may have to move out there earlier, honey. Didn’t you say that the Egyptian exhibit is going to last three months and it’s still four months away from opening day, right?”
“That’s right,” she replied, wondering what he was getting at. She couldn’t even think of resigning at this point.
“Are you planning on moving out there right away?”
“The tribe needs me. The pack needs me. Coming Wind calls every day. You know how busy he is. He’s being pulled in every direction. He’s really anxious for me to get out there as soon as possible.”
Suddenly Paige was angry. “I don’t care, Sean. I’ll call Coming Wind myself. I was under the impression that we would move out there together and in due time. We aren’t even married yet.”
“How long did you think I’d stay here? I told you how much the Havasupai mean to me. I’m the alpha male,” he responded, becoming angry.
He didn’t like her tone. He thought she had understood. That’s why he and Aunt Bette had gone to such extremes. They had nearly lost each other for God’s sake. They still had each other and he thought it was best if they moved on with their lives as soon as possible.
“Do you think there’s any possibility that you could resign before the exhibit?” Sean asked, praying for a miracle.
He knew she was fabulous at what she did and hard to replace.
“Absolutely not. What would I tell them? I can’t just leave in the middle of the biggest exhibit we’ve ever had.”
“Who cares?” he spit out.
Sean paced the cabin floor, running a hand through his hair.
“Honey, I know you have a lot going on. Let me come help you tonight. It will go much faster. We can talk over dinner and work something out.”
“You just don’t get it do you? They need me in Supai Village. As soon as I sell the cabin I’m on my way and no, we can’t have dinner tonight. It’s a full moon. I can’t see you at all.”
“Why not?” Paige paused. “Oh.”
“I’ll be eating fresh meat tonight. I haven’t decided what to have for dinner. I’ve been eyeing a certain rabbit for months now. Yeah, rabbit sounds good.”
Paige’s hand flew to her mouth. Why did he have to be so grotesque? Did he have to give her details? “Sean, I really didn’t need to hear that,” she replied softly as she pushed the shopping cart toward the checkout.
“Well get used to it, sweetheart. I’m as carnivorous as they come. Let me know if it’s too much for you. Are you sure you want to marry a wolf-man?”
Tears formed in her eyes. She stopped the cart near the cereal aisle. The aisle was empty and she didn’t want anyone to see her crying. “I do want to marry you. Can’t we talk about this? Why are you being so mean? I’ve never heard you talk like this.”
Sean walked out the back door and sniffed the air. Yeah, he’d probably be having rabbit tonight. He could smell hundreds of them out there.
“Well, maybe you don’t know me like you thought you did. I have a lot of responsibility now. A lot of people are counting on me. I just can’t believe I have to wait on you because you need to throw a bunch of ancient, old art around so snooty people can mill around and pretend to marvel at it in all its grandeur.”
She had never heard him drone on and on in such a sarcastic demeanor. He was making fun of her and her job and the art patrons. Her work was important to her and she took great pride in it. For the first time, she realized she didn’t know this man. She had been shocked to learn of his true heritage, but she had still loved him and desperately wanted him in her life. Now she wasn’t so sure. Hot tears streamed down her face. Not only was she sad, but she was livid.
“You’re an ass, Sean Wilson.” She hung up the phone and threw it into her purse.
She left the shopping cart and exited the supermarket. She fished in her purse for her sunglasses and fixed them on her head, hiding her tears. She stormed to her car and jumped inside. She drove home slowly, tears streaming from under her sunglasses. She made her way up the mountain and passed Sean’s house without so much as a glance toward him. Sean saw her drive past. As angry as he was, a stab of pain pierced his heart. She must have left her groceries. He would go see her tomorrow. It was already dusk and there wasn’t much time left. His stomach was growling and he needed a fresh kill badly.
Paige arrived at her cabin and went inside without even checking the mail. She locked the door behind her and made sure the back door was locked. She no longer cared about dinner. She was much too upset. She marched to her room, throwing her purse on the floor. Flinging off her clothes, she stepped into her favorite pair of flannel pajamas and flung back the sheets. Her room was already dark as she slid into bed. She glanced at her alarm clock and made sure it was set for the next morning. Her phone rang, but she ignored it. It was Meg and she left a message asking her to call. Her parents would be flying out the next afternoon and they all wanted to have brunch with her. She groaned and rolled over. Her work at the museum had put her in overdrive and the emotional stress of dealing
with Sean had completely done her in. Tears fell softly into her pillow when she smelled him. Sweet sleep soon took over.
****
Meg tried to call Paige at least five times. Twice at home and three times on her cell. She left a voice mail each time, but Paige never called back. Her parents told her not to worry and that she was probably out with Sean somewhere. Maybe her cell wasn’t getting any reception. Meg didn’t think so. The two sisters had always been close. They were so close that when something was bothering one of the sisters, the other one knew about it. Meg had sensed for days that something was bothering Paige and had even asked her about it. Paige had said she was fine, but Meg didn’t believe her. She knew Paige just didn’t want her to worry and suspected it had something to do with Sean. Meg wondered if something had changed between the two of them. For some unknown reason, she felt like something had come between the couple. Paige didn’t seem to want to talk about wedding plans and sounded extremely depressed to Meg a few days before. Now Meg was worried. Her father decided to go see her in the morning before she left for work. If he caught her early enough, she may be able to arrange her schedule, so she could go to brunch with the family.
The sun was just edging over the mountain when Paige’s father left in Frank’s truck. He passed Sean’s cabin. Her car wasn’t there, but that didn’t mean anything. She could have stayed the night if Sean drove her to work in the morning. If he had no luck at Paige’s cabin, he would try there. The sun rose higher as the truck slowly wound up the mountain side. Up ahead he could see Paige’s car parked in the drive. A few lights were already on and he sighed in relief. She was okay. She was already up getting ready for work. He smiled to himself as he exited the truck and made his way to the porch. He had been meaning to talk to Paige alone. Maybe they could share a cup of coffee. He wanted to tell her himself how proud he was of her and how happy he was that she was marrying Sean. Sean had impressed him from the moment he had met him and he really believed that she couldn’t have chosen a finer man.
