The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay

by Raines, Harmony

His wolf chuckled. You’re going to need a cold shower to cool that temper of yours.

  I’m not angry. Logan sighed and stared at the mountain peaks that lay beyond the borders of the town. I just want to be free. I’d forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by people all the time.

  Valerie needs us, so we’re going to suck it up and get the job done. His wolf was always the practical one.

  Logan sighed. His wolf was right. They were both missing their cabin on the edge of the woods that fringed the mountains, where they spent most of the time hunting and fishing. Living off the land meant he could drown in silence and he only came to town a couple of times a week to trade in his furs and the fish he’d smoked himself.

  And to see his mom and his brothers, five other shifters who Valerie had also adopted when they were kids. All grown up now, they all kept in close contact with the woman who had showered them with love and understanding. They owed her so much.

  They also loved each other and were there for each other. If ever one of them needed help, he knew he could rely on the others to be there. Logan’s brothers often visited him at his cabin where they sat and drank beer under the stars. They would sit and talk, reminiscing over their happy childhood days, and dreaming of their futures. And their mates. Who none of them had been lucky enough to meet yet.

  Where are we going? his wolf asked. We can’t just abandon the hotel.

  We’re not. I just had the urge to get out of there. Logan stopped and sniffed the air. Can’t you feel it? There was something different about Wishing Moon Bay tonight. The air smells different.

  Snow, we’re going to have snow. Just think, all those people snowed in at the hotel. He chuckled as Logan grimaced. His wolf liked people. Or he didn’t dislike them as much as Logan.

  You don’t dislike people, his wolf told him. You just don’t always understand them. They confuse you.

  Logan shook his head from side to side. They don’t seem to be the thing that is confusing me now. There’s something...

  Here... His wolf stood up, his head raised, his mouth slightly open as he tasted something in the air.

  What is it? The hairs on the back of Logan’s neck stood on end as he stared into the distance. The streetlights lining the road were not exactly bright, but he could see something approaching them. Something on foot. A beast about to attack?

  His wolf itched to be free as he prowled the edges of Logan’s mind, but he didn’t sense danger. He sensed something else. Something he could not name.

  Logan’s pace quickened. He needed to see what the thing was coming toward them. It had a long and a short body. He tilted his head to one side. If that was right, it was walking sideways.

  Two. There are two of them. His wolf’s excitement ratcheted up a notch. Go.

  What?

  Go.

  Do you mean run away? What kind of devil would make his wolf want to run away?

  No, go to her. Go to them.

  Logan stopped walking. Cold sweat on his forehead chilled him and he shivered. He didn’t need his wolf to tell him anymore. He knew what he was facing. The biggest threat he’d ever faced.

  Our mate, his wolf finally said.

  Our mate. Just what we need.

  Exactly what we need, his wolf agreed.

  I was being sarcastic.

  I was not. His wolf chuckled but Logan didn’t find it amusing at all. No matter how often he’d dreamed of having a mate, he didn’t think he was ready.

  And a child, his wolf added.

  And a child. Logan’s heart hammered in his chest. His mate was here in Wishing Moon Bay with a child by her side. They must need his protection. The urge to offer her his protection was overwhelming.

  They might just be visiting town, his wolf told him as Logan began to walk again, his legs stiff and his mind numb.

  And out for a moonlit walk? Isn’t it late to be walking the streets with a young child?

  It’s not that late, his wolf replied, although he also felt the need to protect the two people in front of them.

  Slowly they closed the distance between them and his mate.

  Where is she going? Logan took a couple of running steps forward as his mate suddenly turned toward the houses on her left, dragging the child with her.

  You’ve scared her off and we haven’t even spoken to her yet, his wolf chastised.

  All I was doing was walking down the street, Logan objected as he broke into a run, following her trail. If she thought she could lose him, she must not know much about shifters.

  Maybe she doesn’t know anything about shifters, his wolf pointed out.

  Then what is she doing here in Wishing Moon Bay? The only people who cross the border are those who...

  Are supposed to. His wolf bristled with excitement as they caught the scent of their mate. Her hand had touched the tree on the corner of the front yard between two houses. He could smell her, he could hear her breathing, whispering to her child that it would all be all right.

  “Hello,” Logan called out, his voice low so as not to scare them.

  Too late, his wolf sniffed the air.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Said every axe murderer ever.

  “I’m from the hotel.”

  Lame. But his mate’s breathing slowed, and she inched toward him. He could see the outline of her body, he could see the small child’s silhouette against the huge moon that hung in the sky over the ocean.

  “You’re from the hotel?” she asked. “How did you know we needed the hotel?”

  “I...” A truck in the distance caught his attention. The tow truck. Frank was on his way home. It was late. “Frank.”

  “Frank told you to come and meet us?” She took a couple of small steps toward him, holding onto the small boy’s hand tightly, although the child didn’t look scared. His eyes were curious, to him this was an adventure, but his mother was guarding him, protecting him as mothers should.

  “Yes. I thought I’d come and meet you. Help you carry your luggage.” He sounded wooden, his tone stilted. Logan wasn’t a practiced liar.

  She sighed and came all the way out of her hiding place. “Frank didn’t say he was going to call you.”

  “I’m Logan.” He thrust out his hand.

  “Logan.” The name seemed to soothe her fears. “Frank did say you ran the hotel.”

  “Temporarily.” She hadn’t taken his hand. He wanted her to take his hand. He needed her to take his hand. It was as if once she put her small hand in his, he would own her on some level. They would be connected. Yet when she finally slipped her hand into his and he closed his fingers around her warm skin, he realized he did not own her, but she owned him.

  His life would never be the same again.

  Her eyes flashed in the moonlight as a jolt of recognition passed between them. “I’m Penny.” Her voice cracked and she coughed to clear her throat before she placed her hand on her child’s head and said, “And this is Milo.”

  “Hello, Milo.” Logan stared down at the little boy. He couldn’t be more than six or maybe eight. Logan wasn’t good with ages. People were people. When he looked at them, he didn’t define them by age or height, but by the way they behaved.

  “Hi.” Milo held up a plush toy that was well-worn and well-loved. “And this is Mr. Wolfy.”

  Logan’s wolf nearly choked as he stared at the soft fluffy creature thrust into Logan’s face. There was irony there. Fate sure had a sense of humor. He’d never believed it until now.

  “Hello, Mr. Wolfy.” He kept his voice even and low.

  “Is the hotel far?” Penny asked as she adjusted the straps of her pack and stepped out of the front yard where she’d tried to hide from him. She didn’t offer any excuse for why they had left the street and hidden from Logan and he didn’t ask.

  “Not very far.” He smiled like a fool as they reached the road and turned toward the Wishing Moon Hotel. “Here, let me carry your bags.”

  “Oh, I can manage.�
�� Her fingers tightened on the strap. She was still wary of him. Or perhaps she was wary of all people. They might have more in common than he’d hoped. “But you could carry Milo’s backpack.” Her tone and body language softened.

  “You can carry me.” Milo tugged free of his mom’s hand and held up his arms.

  “Milo, I can carry you.” She stepped forward as if to protect the child.

  “He is safe with me.” Logan scooped the boy into his arms and the child instantly wrapped his thin arms around Logan’s neck and rested his head on his shoulder.

  “It’s been a long day.” Penny’s toe caught on the ground and she stumbled forward. “A very long day.”

  “Our car broke down,” Milo told him sleepily. “Mommy was worried we’d get stuck in the middle of nowhere. But then we saw the turnout and the tunnel. It’s Mommy’s birthday next week. We need to get to Aunt Helena’s so that she can help me choose a present.”

  “Is it?” Logan glanced sideways at Penny. “I’m sure you’ll get her a present in time.”

  “I’d never seen the turnout before and the town is not on the map.” Penny changed the subject and fell into step with him, at least she tried but his strides were too long, and she kept having to jog a couple of steps to keep up.

  “No, we keep ourselves to ourselves here. So far we’ve managed to stay off all maps.” He shortened his stride so she could keep up.

  “Really?” She let out a breath and a cloud of vapor surrounded her face. “I thought that was almost impossible these days unless you live on an isolated island somewhere.” She glanced up at the huge moon that shone across the bay.

  “Mommy also said the moon is in the wrong place.” Milo lifted his head off Logan’s shoulder. “Did someone move the moon?”

  “No, the moon is exactly where it’s supposed to be.” He chuckled. “Wishing Moon Bay is like being in another world.”

  “I thought maybe it was a new town. But I can tell by the buildings it’s old. Very old.” She turned around and walked backward, her attention fixed on the library building, with its gargoyles perched on top watching them with suspicion as they passed.

  “It is very old.” He pointed up ahead. “The hotel is just along the street.” This conversation was getting awkward. He didn’t want to get into the history of the town tonight. Penny and Milo were tired and tired brains tended to protest information differently than an awake, alert mind. The last thing he wanted to do was scare them. Not on their first night.

  Not on any night, his wolf said firmly.

  But there were things in Wishing Moon Bay that were scary. And if they were going to stay, then they’d have to learn about them.

  If they are going to stay? his wolf asked.

  We can’t force them, Logan said as he placed his hand tenderly on Milo’s back to stop him from sliding out of his arms. The child was asleep. Drifting off into the land of dreams where anything was possible. In the town of Wishing Moon Bay where the impossible was not a dream, but a reality.

  Like us finding our mate, his wolf said before he rested his head on his paws and joined the boy in his dreams.

  Chapter Three – Penny

  Don’t talk to strangers. That’s what her mom had always told Penny and that was the same warning she’d passed onto her son. Yet here they were in a strange town with a strange man carrying Milo in his arms. She only had his word that he was Logan from the hotel. For all she knew, he could be taking them anywhere. But what choice did she have? None right now. It was too late. The time for making choices was when she’d seen the man prowling down the street.

  Her first instinct was to run. There was something about Logan that unnerved her. With the huge moon behind him, there had been something otherworldly about him.

  Otherworldly. Another warning her mom had given Penny and her sister when they were small children and Helena was convinced there was something hidden in her closet. Most mothers would have told her not to worry because there was no such thing as monsters. Instead, Penny’s mom had hung a talisman in the closet along with a bunch of herbs that would ward off all manner of nasty beasties.

  “Here’s the hotel.” Logan pointed to a turreted building set back from the road.

  Yes. Turreted.

  “Quirky.” There was no other way to describe it. The building looked as if someone had plucked a medieval castle out of their imagination and shrunk it in size so that it would fit on the corner plot on the street.

  “Like its occupants,” Logan murmured under his breath.

  “You must get a lot of visitors to the town.” Penny followed Logan as he strode up the short driveway to the large wooden door, hung on massive iron hinges.

  “Enough.” His tone actually said, too many, but she wasn’t going to push him on that point.

  “How long have you owned the hotel?” She twirled around as she climbed the marble steps, looking up at the building as she traced her hand over the handcrafted stone.

  “Oh, I don’t own it. I’m...hotel sitting...for my mom. She’s out of town for a few weeks while she recovers from an operation on her knee.” He pushed the door open. There was no creak or squeak, the hinges were well oiled, and as they entered the small reception area, the smell of beeswax polish and pine gave her the impression the hotel was well-loved and well cared for.

  “Looking after a hotel. You must be a good son.” She relaxed a little. The hotel was real, Logan was doing a big favor for his mom, all was well. There were no monsters in the closets.

  “I owe her a lot.” He went to the reception desk and slid around the polished wooden counter. “Hi, Sophie.”

  “Hi, Logan. Is everything all right?” A tall, slim, attractive blonde cast a dismissive glance over Penny before fixing her blue eyes on Logan. She was probably in her late thirties, but Penny found it hard to get a fix on her age.

  “Everything is fine.” Logan grabbed a key off the hooks behind the reception desk. “Penny’s car broke down and she and her son need somewhere to stay for the night.”

  “Oh, shall I sign them in?” Sophie didn’t make eye contact with Penny as she tapped the keyboard of the reception computer.

  Logan slipped back around the reception desk. “No,” he said quickly. Too quickly. “We can figure all that out in the morning.” His hand on Milo’s back was light but secure and a lump formed in Penny’s throat. If only Milo’s dad was half as loving toward his son. “This little man needs his bed.”

  “Thank you.” Penny’s voice cracked and she looked away as she blinked back tears.

  “Come on, I’ll show you to your room. It has an amazing view across the bay.” He was tall, well over six foot, his broad shoulders encased in a blue shirt that would not ward off the winter chill outside, and yet when they had shaken hands, he’d been warm, very warm.

  A hot-blooded male. She stopped that thought in its tracks. Sworn off men forever, she reminded herself. Yet, already forever seemed like too long.

  “Thank you.” She gripped the strap on her backpack as her emotions swelled inside her like a stormy sea.

  “My pleasure.” And oh, did his eyes promise so much pleasure as he stared down at her. Not in a leering male kind of way. But there was something in his soft brown eyes cracked with amber that enveloped her like a warm blanket under which they could make slow, passionate love.

  “I’ll give your hotel five stars on TripAdvisor.” She laughed awkwardly to break the moment and shatter it into a million pieces.

  “TripAdvisor?” His brows furrowed together.

  “Nothing.” She shook her head and looked away from him.

  “This way.” He turned around and headed toward the sweeping staircase that rose from the reception area. Before the hotel, the building must have been someone’s well-loved home. Penny could imagine ladies in long dresses and men in suits and cravats coming down the elegant staircase to dinner.

  “This place is amazing.” She clutched the handrail as they climbed the stairs, noting the small a
nimals carved into the wooden spindles.

  “I suppose it is.” Logan looked around as if seeing the place for the first time.

  “Milo would love to explore it.” She touched her son’s hand, draped over Logan’s back. “It’s a shame once the car is fixed, we need to leave.”

  “So soon?” His sharp tone caused Milo to stir and he rubbed her son’s back until he settled back down.

  “Yes. We’re traveling to my sister’s. I’m between houses. And jobs.” She sighed, unsure why she felt safe confiding in Logan. “My marriage fell apart and I have nowhere else to go.”

  “So you’re staying with your sister while you figure things out?” They reached the top of the stairs and he took a left.

  “Yes, uprooting Milo from all of his friends, from everything he’s ever known...” She brushed her thumb against the gold band of her ring finger. It wasn’t there. She hadn’t worn it for weeks, but she often forgot. “It hasn’t been easy.”

  “And...Milo’s dad?” Logan stopped outside the door at the end of the corridor. Room eight.

  “Milo’s dad.” Her bottom lip trembled.

  “Sorry, it’s none of my business.” But he didn’t open the door, and instead, half-turned to look at her as if it was his business.

  “No, it’s fine. Milo’s dad is the reason we’re here.” She pressed her lips together as she fought to keep control of her emotions. The events of the night had caught up with her. From their car breaking down to her worry as to how she was going to pay the repair bill and the hotel bill, to her fear of Logan when she saw him in the street... Yet how could she be afraid of the man before her? He was gentle and kind.

  “You don’t have to tell me.”

  She inhaled deeply. “There’s no mystery.” She forced herself to smile, to brush off her situation as if it didn’t matter. “Milo’s dad, he had an affair with an older woman. Somewhere along the way he also managed to squander everything we saved and then some. The sale of the house just about cleared the debts.”

  “Ahh.” Logan sounded sorry, but also relieved.

  “Which is why we’re temporarily homeless.” She held out her hands. “And I’m going to be straight with you. We don’t have a lot of money.”