I knew that my accidental words would have repercussions, but, wolf-like, the man beside me seemed willing to deal with the present danger first. Wolfie kept his gaze trained on my cousin as he coldly bared his teeth in what would look like a smile to humans...but wasn't. "You've delivered your message," the alpha said coldly. "Now go." Milo jerked his head in a farewell, as if he'd meant to leave anyway, but it was clear that the alpha's command spurred his quick exit.
The two of us stood in silence until my cousin was out of sight, then Wolfie turned toward me and raised that eyebrow that was getting such a workout today. "We need to talk," he began.
"We do," I agreed. "After I check on Keith."
***
I didn't slow down until I'd rushed around to the back of the building and could see the beta and my nephew through the dirt-encrusted windows. There was more work getting done now that Chase was Keith's partner, but the kid still seemed to be having fun, if the huge smile on his face was any indication. I could feel the tension in my back easing at the sight.
"They're fine," Wolfie said, grabbing my shoulder to spin me around to face him. Despite my previous conclusions about his good intentions, I instantly shrank back from the alpha's firm grasp, and he let me go as if I were on fire. A wolf-like growl burst up from his chest, and I took another step backwards even though I was at least partially sure the bloodling's reaction was pure frustration.
Unlike every other alpha-leaning male I'd ever met, though, Wolfie seemed to instinctively know how to defuse his dominance. He dropped into a sitting position so I was towering over him rather than vice versa, and I slowly joined him on the ground. The lawn was chilly, but the sun felt good on my face, so I sat silently for a minute, collecting myself, and Wolfie let me take the time I needed.
"That was a lie about Keith being your heir," I started tentatively, once the sun had driven away most of my earlier chill.
"I do consider him part of my pack," Wolfie answered, his correction sufficing as confirmation of my earlier statement. Now it was the alpha's turn to pause as he worked his mind around an undemanding way to ask me what my intentions were toward my nephew. Because my accidental word choice with Milo made it clear that I hadn't showed up simply to help Keith through his first shift.
When I didn't offer any explanation, Wolfie suggested, "Chief Wilder sent you to bring Keith back into the fold." Ashamed of my own willingness to consider the plan, but figuring lying was no longer an option, I nodded agreement. "But you aren't going to bring Keith to Haven," Wolfie continued as if this second statement was as obvious as the first.
"What am I supposed to do instead?" I burst out. "Father said it was Keith or me...." I let my voice trail off, though, as I realized that Wolfie was right. I'd only known my nephew for twenty-four hours, but already I realized that my father would chew the boy up and spit him out. I couldn't set up such a good-natured kid for that kind of soul-crushing. Better that I suck it up and go back to Haven myself—after all, I'd already enjoyed a decade of freedom. I probably had been tougher than Keith even when I was his age, and unlike my nephew, I would survive my father's attention. I sighed, accepting the inevitable.
Wolfie had no such fatalism. "We'll think of a way to fix it." He reached out and took my hand in his massive paw, which woke my wolf up with a jolt. Instead of the pain I'd felt recently whenever my wolf was present, though, a tremor of pleasure rushed through my body. The innocent skin-on-skin contact suddenly felt thoroughly erotic, and my breath caught in my throat. Breathe, demanded my wolf. I want to smell him.
Wolfie's mouth turned up into a smile, almost as if he'd heard my wolf's reaction, and I blushed furiously. "There's just one more thing we need to talk about right now," the alpha rumbled gently.
"What?" I asked, trying to figure out which other disaster had attracted Wolfie's attention.
"Whether you'll go out on a date with me tomorrow," the alpha replied.
***
It was a day of interruptions, but this was one I was grateful for. "There you are," Dale called toward us as he strolled around the corner of the building. "The clinic's looking great, isn't it?"
My brother-in-law was so homely and human that he made the werewolf beside me seem even more dangerously beautiful. Emphasis on dangerous. Despite my wolf's complaints, I yanked my hand free of Wolfie's and got to my feet, dusting off the back of my jeans and turning away from the alpha without a backward glance.
"Rounds go okay?" I asked, and Dale was quick to gratify my curiosity. When I turned to wave goodbye to Wolfie a minute later, the alpha merely looked amused by my escape, rather than angry, so I let my brother-in-law draw me toward his minivan, where a sodden Keith was already waiting in the back seat. My nephew had sunken into avid contemplation of a hand-held gaming device, and in that instant he looked as entirely normal as his father did. I could almost imagine that Keith wasn't a young werewolf, and that I wouldn't have to figure out how to help him change into wolf form and then how to protect him from my father. But as I got into the car, the kid's eyes turned up to meet mine in the rear-view mirror, and I could see the hint of worry in his face. "We'll talk soon," I mouthed, and my nephew smirked briefly before turning back to his game.
I'd never been part of a normal family before, and despite Brooke's absence, I could almost touch the solidity of the unit she'd left behind. I offered to help Dale cook dinner, and it felt comfortable to be chatting about our day as I chopped carrots and he sautéed up a stir fry. Keith was his usual, uncommunicative self over dinner, but when Dale was called back to the hospital in the middle of the meal, my nephew volunteered to help me wash up the skillet and rinse the dishes before they went into the dishwasher. Despite Milo's visit, I was surprised to realize that the packless ache in my stomach had nearly entirely fled.
"So, which one of those guys are you dating?" Keith asked out of the blue as he ferried a load of plates from table to sink.
That pulled me out of my happy, pack-filled glow and my eyebrows shot up. "I'm not dating either one!" I exclaimed. While literally true, the words felt a bit off as they bounced around the kitchen.
"Hmm," my nephew hummed noncommittally. "You definitely like one of them."
"We're not all in high school, Keith," I retorted, but couldn't help smiling at the kid who suddenly reminded me of his mother. Brooke had always known exactly what everyone was feeling in our household, and Keith had evidently inherited the knack. Even though I'd lost my sister far too soon, it felt more sweet than bitter to notice those traits in her son. "Wouldn't you rather talk about your problem?" I deflected, figuring we might as well get the Talk over with while Keith was feeling happy and I wasn't drooping with exhaustion.
"Naw," Keith answered. "We've got all day tomorrow while Dad's at work and I'm home sick. Right now, I'm more interested in your loooove life." He drew out the word in the way only a teenager could, and I laughed despite myself. But I still shook my head, refusing to dish up any more information.
"Girls always like the bad boys," Keith concluded. "That's a shame. Chase is a pretty cool guy."
A day ago, I would have agreed with Keith that it was too bad. But I was starting to realize that Wolfie possessed a depth that the bad-guy image didn't begin to cover. Not that I was interested in either one of them, of course.
Right, my wolf responded, pulling me out of my thoughts. I would have liked to think she was agreeing about my lack of interest in the young alpha, but I knew sarcasm when I heard it.
Focus, I reminded my wolf. And myself.
Chapter 10
I had thought it was a good idea to hike up the mountain with Keith before explaining werewolf culture and helping him through his first shift. The uphill climb would smooth out the boy's jitters, and if my nephew freaked out about his wolf form, he'd have a long way to run before he could do any damage.
The flaw in my plan only became apparent as we crested the ridge. There lay Wolfie in canine form, lounging in the same ray of sunlight he'd bee
n enjoying two days before. The wolf barked a welcome as we came closer, and I rolled my eyes, trying to decide whether to turn around and go home.
"That's Chase's dog," Keith explained, sitting down beside the alpha werewolf to give him a belly rub. "He's harmless," my nephew continued, as if my reaction was due to fear of being bitten by a strange dog. I wished a dog bite was the only thing I had to worry about.
The day was already off to a bad start, but I figured I'd better ignore the alpha and barrel on through. "So..." I stretched out the word, trying to figure out how to begin. "If your mother was still alive, she'd be the one telling you this," I started. "Well, it really should be your father, but..."
"...He's clueless," Keith finished for me. "I really hope this isn't all a lead up to telling me about the birds and the bees, Aunt Terra, because I promise, I've heard that before."
The kid's charisma was already shining through despite his teenage gawkiness, and I figured Keith would be putting his sex-ed knowledge to use much earlier than the average teenager. I barely resisted the urge to pat his tousled hair, and I smiled despite myself, imagining Keith's reserved father trying to give his son the other kind of talk. Dale would get so embarrassed about the subject that he wouldn't even be able to start the conversation. "I'll bet you didn't learn about the birds and the bees from Dale," I retorted, laughing at the image.
"He bought me a book," Keith confirmed. My nephew moved his attention up to Wolfie's ears, which apparently were in dire need of scratching from the expression on the wolf's face. Or maybe the alpha was just amused at my fumbling attempt to educate my nephew.
"So, right, not about the birds and the bees," I continued. "I guess I should start out by telling you that your grandfather isn't a very nice guy, which is why your mother ran away from home so young. I did too." That had finally gotten Keith's attention and he watched me as I paced nervously in front of him. After another bout of extended silence (and pacing), I figured I might as well just spit it all out. "I guess I said that wrong," I corrected myself. "Your grandfather isn't a very nice werewolf."
It was only after Keith started laughing that I realized the kid didn't believe a word I was saying. Okay, sure, he probably believed his grandfather was an asshole, but tossing out the term "werewolf" with no lead-in had made my nephew think I was making a joke. And as much as I tried to bring him back down to reality, Keith had determined we were kidding around.
"That's a good one, Aunt Terra," he gasped finally, when his belly laughs were all played out. "But what did you really drag me up here to say?"
"I..."I began, but Wolfie had decided to take matters into his own hands. Or, paws, rather. The werewolf stood and walked a couple of feet away from Keith, then shifted into human form.
***
"Whoa!" Keith exclaimed. "You weren't kidding!"
"And you're not helping!" I shot at Wolfie. Sure, the alpha had made my point abundantly clear, but I didn't think my nephew was ready to see shifters in action when he probably thought they existed only in comic books. Figuring that I'd better get ready to deal with symptoms of shock, I squelched my anger at the alpha and reached out a hand toward my nephew.
Keith didn't seem as traumatized as I'd expected him to be, though. "You need some clothes, dude," was his first statement to the wolf who had suddenly turned into a man. Clearly, Keith's teenage world view expected to see ten impossible things before breakfast, and Wolfie smirked at me as if to say, I told you so. Okay, maybe the alpha had a better feel for the situation than I did after all.
"You'll get used to the nudity," I told Keith, even though I clearly wasn't. My wolf was fully alert now and begging to come out to play, but I didn't want to make Keith shift immediately after taking in the notion of werewolves being real. It was tough tearing my eyes away from Wolfie, though, especially since he seemed to be giving off an even more enticing aroma than previously. Okay, yes, the alpha's nakedness was a factor in my intense gaze too.
"My clothes are down there," Wolfie answered Keith, pointing over the other side of the mountain, where we could just make out a colony of mobile homes through the trees. "I thought we might go down and meet the pack." The alpha looked at me challengingly, and I shrugged, turning the question over to my nephew with a tilt of my head.
"Are there girls in your pack?" Keith asked, and I rolled my eyes again. Just what I needed—a teenage werewolf more interested in the concept of seeing naked female bodies than in his own shift.
***
"Humans in the house!" came the call from the kitchen as we entered the first trailer. "Put on some clothes."
The werewolf compound consisted of six mobile homes lined up in a rectangle with a huge greenhouse atrium filling the center. As we'd walked up from the outside, I saw doors scattered along each wall's length, giving the inhabitants easy access to the outdoors. Inside, walls had been ripped out to join the trailers into one structure, and large windows had been inserted into the atrium-side walls, turning the compound into an intriguing example of modern redneck architecture.
The contents of the first trailer were even more interesting than the architecture, though. Four young werewolves were scattered around what seemed to be a communal living room, and I was surprised that no one stopped what they were doing when Wolfie entered the room. I was used to an alpha's presence having an instant dampening effect on his male underlings, who would have immediately stood to attention in my old pack. Women in Haven were expected to avert their eyes and to make themselves scarce. But no one here seemed particularly interested in Wolfie. Until, that is, the alpha called out an answer to the still-unseen speaker, "There are no humans here, Tia."
That silenced the crowd and trained every eye on me and Keith. Before anyone else could speak, a middle-aged woman walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel and looking us over. "You're right," she said, and a wide smile of welcome sprang out onto her face. "You must be Keith and Terra. Chase has told me a lot about you."
The woman appeared to be the pack mother of the clan, and I guessed from her words that she was Chase's parent. I liked Tia right away, but hated the way my heart sank at her words. Despite myself, I wished that Wolfie had been the one telling this mother figure a lot about me, clear proof that I'd spent too much time lately talking to my wolf.
So I was glad when Keith drew my attention back to the task at hand. "Everyone here is a werewolf?" the teenager asked. In his shoes, I would have been daunted by the prospect, but my nephew just appeared intrigued.
"Well, we're all werewolf kin," a young woman a few years older than Keith answered him. "Some of us are halfies like me, or are technically humans. But, yeah, most of us can shift."
As the girl continued talking, their alpha slipped away down the hall, and I gave my wolf a little slap to remind her to pay less attention to the naked man and more attention to the nephew we were supposed to be protecting. Not that Keith seemed to need any help. I was overwhelmed to be in the middle of a pack again after so long, but the kid was eagerly lapping up the attention as each werewolf introduced himself. Keith was clearly in his element, glad-handing the lot of them like he was a politician on the campaign trail—my nephew's alpha blood coming out at last. But even though I was glad he was happy, I was feeling more overwhelmed by the minute. Loud voices and strong wolf odors were making the walls appear to close in around me, and as I strained to make out Keith's words to ensure he was okay, I realized that even sound seemed to be receding into the distance.
My panic attack was so engrossing that I didn't notice at first when Wolfie ended up back by my side, this time clad in jeans and a button-down flannel shirt. I could feel his wolf, though, and my own darker side rose up to meet it, which had the fortunate side effect of squashing my panic. My inner wolf saw no reason to be concerned about these obviously friendly pack mates, and she saw every reason to be interested in the scents wafting off the alpha beside us. So I let her have her head...or rather our head...for a few seconds as I caught
my breath.
"Do you want us to help him shift?" that alpha asked by way of greeting, cutting right to the chase. His brown eyes were piercing as he trained them on my face and ignored everyone else in the room. I, on the other hand, couldn't resist casting one more glance around the common area, noticing that no one had batted an eyelash when Wolfie walked back in. This really did appear to be a very different kind of pack than the one I'd grown up in.
Wolfie's words were also unusual for an alpha, since most pack leaders would have just taken over and decided when a young male was ready to shift. It was traditional for a group of older males to help a younger male through his initial change, and given how hard it had been to pin down my own wolf lately, I figured Wolfie's suggestion was probably a safer move than having me walk Keith through his first change of form alone. On the other hand, I was the one who would have to deal with the aftermath over the next few days and weeks, so I was leery of initiating Keith's shift until I had my own wolf under better control. I muddled my way through the explanation, expecting Wolfie to laugh at my inability to shift, but instead, he just seemed puzzled.
"I saw you as a wolf," the alpha said, confused. Of course he wouldn't understand how much I struggled with keeping my wolf down and letting her rise at will since he'd met me once in human form in the city and once in wolf form in the woods—perfectly appropriate werewolf behavior.
"And she was beautiful. I remember," I answered wryly, recalling Wolfie's words to me on the mountaintop.
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