Moon Dancer

by Aimee Easterling

  We watched, all three of us, as the tendril pulsed wide and thick where it flowed out of the puppy. But the knot strangled forward motion. The connection on the other side thinned although it didn’t disappear.

  The throbbing settled into the pain of a toothache. Sharp in moments, weak in others. It was no way for an infant to live.

  And yet...I understood the mother’s impulse. The tether was dangerous. Not only because it attracted the father’s attention in the moment. It also made the task of Changing the pup into full humanity impossible to achieve.

  “I’m sorry, my baby, my love.” We picked up the pup, smothered it with kisses. “Some day you’ll understand.”

  No, my wolf growled as we fell out of the past together. She’d made the mental leap before I did—whatever worked for the pup would work for us also. No knot. Never.

  I understood her demand, but the danger of pack connection followed me back to the present like the sour taste of bile.

  No knot, but we’ll keep our distance from Claw, I compromised. The visions had never steered me wrong previously. I had to do something to lessen the hazard. Wolf?

  She pouted for long moments. And only when real sleep began to claim me did I hear her answer.

  Low, quiet, and disappointed. More whine than syllable.

  Still, she said it: Yes.

  Chapter 12

  The next thing I heard was Patricia’s voice suggesting a pit stop. “We’re either gonna need a potty break or to break out the adult diapers.”

  Straightening, I checked my watch then peered at the various Madisons and Noahs. (Yes, there had been two of the latter among the lucky lottery winners, along with drummer Jacob and an Emily.) We were due at Shamanic Journeys in an hour and a quarter, but Patricia was right. The students were all squirming uncomfortably.

  “Okay,” I agreed. “Pick a spot where we can grab food and gas at the same time. Then everybody needs to be back on the van in ten minutes flat.”

  I intended to scan my phone in search of restaurant offerings, but my wolf swiveled us around to peer back at the road we’d just traversed instead. Sure enough, Claw’s SUV rolled along four careful car lengths behind us.

  Safe. Good, my wolf murmured. Still, I twitched when the students came to a consensus on our place to eat.

  “And the winner is...” Jacob paused to pound his pencils in a drumroll against the seat back ahead of him. “Micky D’s.”

  “Do you always have to drum?” one of the Madisons muttered under her breath. But I silenced her complaint with a pointed glare.

  I was more concerned about the choice of restaurant than I was about Jacob’s percussion. “I don’t think...” I started, then dropped the issue with a shake of my head.

  There weren’t likely to be shifters waiting to ambush us at every McDonalds. And my wolf was right—between yesterday’s scent marking and the entourage behind us, we’d be covered no matter whose territory we ended up in.

  So I texted a heads-up to Val, knowing she’d pass along my message. “Can the pack patrol entrances and exits?”

  “Mission received and accepted,” she texted back playfully. The driver of the SUV was more serious, though, when the pack’s vehicle swerved around to beat us into the gas-station parking lot. Theta and Harry exited like Secret Service agents on a mission, and my blood pressure would have lowered at their professional abilities if Claw hadn’t made a beeline directly for me.

  “Walk with me,” he suggested when we were close enough to speak without yelling. The flow of students parted as they passed around us, playful smiles proving that Claw’s supposed boyfriend status had made the rounds overnight.

  Still, full bladders and empty stomachs apparently trumped gossip. Sooner than I would have expected, the two of us ended up alone.

  Alone...but exposed to prying eyes. Claw set off for the corner of the gas station and my feet moved in the same direction at the exact same moment. The fabric of my sleeve brushed the button of his shirt cuff. If our fingers moved one inch closer, we’d be holding hands.

  “This week is a partnership of convenience,” I reminded my wolf, reminded Claw, reminded all of us. I was having trouble keeping track of my goal. “I want...”

  “Excuse me.” One of the Madisons brushed past, legs squeezed together as she hightailed it for the outside bathroom twenty feet past us. The McDonalds’ stalls must have been packed for her to choose a grimy gas-station toilet instead.

  The door closed on both Madison and my interest in her situation. It was tough to pay attention to students when Claw was close enough to breathe my breath.

  “You want...?” he asked, one eyebrow raised. His lips almost, but not quite, tilting upwards into a smile.

  The verbal nudge suggested all sorts of interesting scenarios. But I couldn’t let the seductive notions own me. Instead, I laid out the boundaries I’d come up with while mulling over our situation in the van.

  “I appreciate your help, but”—I cleared my throat—“I want the students and the werewolves to remain separate.”

  “Which means you’ll travel with...?” Claw raised one eyebrow, reminding me I had a wolf in my belly just like he did.

  “I’ll be with the students,” I said firmly.

  Claw sighed, and his hurt lodged in my stomach. So I elaborated on the issue keeping us apart.

  “My wolf confuses matters,” I admitted. “I need to wait on figuring out our relationship until we’re no longer a threesome.”

  “Foursome,” Claw corrected, waggling his eyebrows. He was referring to his wolf, but the over-the-top innuendo gave me a way to laugh hurt feelings off.

  “Yeah,” I agreed. Claw was making this easy for me. Why did that make avoiding him so hard?

  I didn’t get to finish the thought, however, because two bathroom doors opened at the exact same instant. Madison came out of the further one, looking far more serene than she had a moment earlier. Nothing like an empty bladder to bring anxiety levels down a notch.

  I was far from serene however. Because the other stall had disgorged a shifty-eyed vagrant whose scent was laden with werewolfy fur.

  AS IF THAT WASN’T BAD enough, two of his pack mates stumbled out behind him. Trust shifters to think going to the bathroom was a group endeavor. Or maybe they’d run here in lupine form and used the space as a shared dressing room. Whatever the reason, they were two-legged but barely human as they cornered Madison against the wall.

  “You smell...doggy,” one said by way of greeting, fencing the much smaller woman in with two muscle-bulgy arms. “But you’re not a bitch.”

  “I’m not a bitch? Is that supposed to be an insult?” Madison hadn’t caved beneath the pressure, but her voice broke into an uncustomary quaver. I turned back to face Claw, unable to understand why he hadn’t stepped in already...and found myself alone with no companion other than the cooling air.

  So I was the one who pushed into their grouping, my wolf bristling in my belly and my tone firm as I demanded, “Release her.” Then, remembering what had worked last time, I added: “Or Claw Scordato will be severely displeased.”

  Unfortunately, Claw’s name got no traction. Maybe we were too far from his center of influence. Or maybe these shifters simply weren’t his fans.

  Whatever the reason, the closest male grinned at me, sharp teeth pushing out of human gums. “Ooh. I’m shivering.”

  He wasn’t, of course. Instead, his inner animal was rampant, pulling my own beast higher and higher until she was clawing for purchase against the inside of my throat.

  Meanwhile, Madison’s puppy-dog eyes gazed at me with far more faith than I merited. “Dr. Olivia. Thank goodness.” She relaxed, clearly believing I had a plan...which I didn’t. Using Claw’s name had been my only stab into the dark.

  “Doctor, huh?” the third shifter interjected, taking a step closer. “You can play doctor with me anytime you want to.”

  He grabbed his crotch, eyes wide and hungry. And even though I had no plan.
..apparently my wolf knew exactly what to do.

  Our teeth lengthened, the skin on our forearms fading beneath a fuzz of fur growth. I glanced at Madison, hoping she wouldn’t notice. But her brows were furrowed, her gaze focused on my disappearing skin.

  “What’s going on?”

  Her voice was high-pitched and terrified. She was a sophomore, I’d learned during the drive from campus. She collected unicorns, sang in an all-women’s a-capella group, was on track to become a nurse practitioner.

  Now, though, she looked like a little girl, huddled in the unwanted embrace of a randy werewolf. Was it worse to let her see my alter-ego or for her to be molested by three wolves in human clothing?

  Definitely worse to be molested. I relaxed my grip on my lupine counterpart...just as three gray, furry bodies sprinted around the corner and into sight.

  ADENA SWOOPED IN AFTER them, a solid fourth to their attacking triumvirate. The bird—which every student knew was my constant companion—turned out to be a hard clue to avoid.

  “Are those...?” The wheels in Madison’s head were almost visibly turning. If she hadn’t been so flustered, she would have put two and two together already.

  Then the electricity of shifting werewolves promised three strangers would soon join Claw, Harry, and Theta on furry paws.

  I grabbed my student’s hand and spun her around to face me. “Police dogs,” I lied. “They’ll take care of the problem. But it’s not safe for us to be out here. Let’s go.”

  Madison didn’t buy what I was selling, but she followed me away from the snarls of battle anyway. “Dr. Olivia,” she started, panting out her fear and exertion. “I don’t understand...”

  Thankfully, I never learned what she didn’t understand. Because Val met us as we came around the corner. My phone was in her hand, my father’s voice audible via my wolf-assisted ears.

  “...to speak with my daughter immediately.”

  “Uh huh,” Val said vaguely, her eyes widening as she took in whatever was happening behind me.

  I had to force myself not to swivel and draw Madison’s attention back in the wrong direction. Instead, I kept moving forward, twisting Val around to fall into step as I went past.

  Unfortunately, my father was yelling now, the temper tantrum loud enough to capture the interest of my student. “What’s going on?” Madison asked, and I was relieved to see fear slide off her shoulders as she tuned in to the drama localized in front of our eyes.

  “Olivia’s father...” Val started.

  “...is out of patience!” Dad yelled. “You tell my daughter that if she doesn’t speak with me immediately, I’ll pull the plug on this week’s funding...”

  We were far enough from the werewolves so that their snarls had faded beneath the sounds of passing traffic. Madison’s eyes were no longer dilated. Val was there to prevent anything crazy from happening.

  Making a lightning-fast judgment call, I snatched the phone out of Val’s hand.

  Chapter 13

  “Dad.”

  “Olivia.” His voice lowered immediately. Sweetened. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

  I’d seen this side of my father many times during my childhood. This was his dining-with-donors facade. He could be affable when he wanted to be. I refused to fall prey to the sleight of hand.

  “Now’s not a good time.”

  “Your first big trip, eh? Nervous?”

  By this point, Madison, Val, and I had reached the McDonalds entrance. I watched Madison slip past me to join the other students, tensed as I tried to listen to her conversation with one ear and my own with the other. I needed to stick by my student and make sure she didn’t spin a wild tale....

  “Dad. Why did you call?”

  “Well.” He cleared his throat. “Justine mentioned she’d set up an appointment for you. The GPS tracking on your cell phone suggests that if you don’t start moving shortly, you’ll be tardy.”

  I closed my eyes and lifted my chin. He’d hacked my cell phone? “Why is this any of your business?”

  His tone darkened. “Because it’s my money.” Ah, there was the father I knew and loved. “I’ve invested quite a bit of time and effort in this expedition already. The shaman has important contacts outside Yellowstone. If you hope to hunt for artifacts on tribal lands, you won’t blow off this connection we’ve made for you.”

  He was right. But—“This is a legit operation,” I said. “No items we uncover will end up in private hands.”

  My father growled so low under his breath that he probably expected me not to hear it. But his voice, when he spoke was calm and clear.

  “I understand that. But we share a name. One Dr. Hart with impressive archeological finds is good advertising for the other.”

  Now I was a billboard. Suddenly, his dining-with-donors voice made perfect sense.

  “Look, Dad. I have a lot on my plate. I’ll do what I can, but....”

  “Let me be perfectly clear.” His voice dropped, making hairs rise along my forearms. “If you miss this meeting, I will contact your department and remove your funding. Don’t be a spoiled child, Olivia. Do as I say.”

  I LOOKED UP FROM THE ended phone call to find every student eye pinned on me. My face was hot, my hands shaking. I wished I could slip into the bathroom and hide.

  Some pack leader I was. Teacher. I meant teacher.

  Before I could sort out my own internal monologue, Patricia was ushering me out the door along with Val. “Harsh.” Patricia’s mouth quirked. She understood overbearing fathers.

  I tried to come up with an explanation. Failed. Settled on: “Yeah.”

  “But we can be ready to go in five minutes....”

  I shook my head, interrupting her. I had no idea how long it would take Claw to finish dealing with the bathroom brigade. And as much as I’d wanted to keep werewolves and students separated, it was now entirely clear that I couldn’t afford to bring my students further into danger without protection from the pack.

  After all, it had to be the werewolf aroma in the van that had gotten the lone wolves interested in Madison. Alpha protectiveness run amuck.

  Until I managed to de-scent the van and get everyone’s skin and clothes laundered, my students were safer with the werewolves than without them. “No, you need to stay inside here until my”—I coughed—“boyfriend comes back from his business call.”

  As if on cue, Theta ambled around the cornet to take up sentinel duty at the edge of the gas station. Her eyes slid across the McDonalds and she jerked her chin upwards in a nod confirming she was on top of the situation.

  So, apparently, was my teaching assistant. Patricia squared her shoulders like a soldier reporting for duty. “You go on ahead. I can handle this.”

  She had no idea what she was handling. There were so many potential dangers, not least of which was—“They sell alcohol in the gas station....”

  “And nobody except me is over twenty-one. I’ll keep an eye on everybody while we wait. I promise I can do this.”

  I opened my mouth to tell her that she wouldn’t be in charge. Claw would be. Or, while he was absent, Val and Theta.

  Then I remembered the times I’d stood up to my father with the same youthful belief in my abilities...and been squashed beneath his heel like an upstart cockroach.

  I’d promised to nurture my students into independence. This was my chance to prove to Patricia that I trusted her leadership abilities.

  So all I said was: “Thank you.”

  As a reward, I got to watch as Patricia’s smile grew so wide I could have hung a coat on either end.

  AFTER PATRICIA HEADED inside to embark on her duties, Val walked me into the parking lot. “You did a good thing,” she told me. “I could have used a pack mate like you when I was twenty....”

  She was interrupted by my cell phone’s beep.

  “You’re not moving,” my father had texted. I rolled my eyes. Micro-manage much?

  “Here,” Val dropped the SUV keys into my ha
nd. “Get the old man off your back. We’ll catch up to you.”

  Students and werewolves riding together in one vehicle. My previous squeamishness now seemed irrelevant. Still—

  “There aren’t enough seats in the van for everybody,” I protested.

  We’ll stay wolf.

  Claw’s voice in my head should have been jarring. Instead, it was as rich and warm as if someone had just baked a butterscotch cake for my birthday. My father might not trust me to tie my shoes in the morning, but Claw had always acted like a true partner. No matter how many times I evaded him, he always had my back.

  I breathed in the contact...and for one split second I was behind Claw’s eyes as he swiped at an enemy shifter. His paw raking through fur and tumbled the wolf end over end. Triumph sizzled through our body. The hair of our ruff tensed upright. There was only one stranger still standing, which bought us a little breathing room.

  And what should we do with that breathing room other than turn and gaze at the reason for our battle? We—Claw—swiveled stiff-legged. The barest shadow of a woman’s silhouette was cut off by the brick corner of the gas-station wall.

  She—I—was beautiful in Claw’s vision. Strong. Smart. Irresistible.

  We inhaled deeply and together. Warmth and joy suffusing our shared being. Our mate needs....

  I jolted away from Claw so quickly I tripped over the SUV’s tire. My wolf was in my throat, the pack tether tightening. Memories of the cave girl’s terror sped my steps.

  I leapt into the driver’s seat as if the pavement was out to get me. Slammed the door and started the engine without bothering with a goodbye to Val.

  I couldn’t hesitate. Not when Mate sounded an awful lot like being stuck with my wolf forever. Mate sounded like a bond impossible to break.

  Chapter 14

  “This doesn’t make sense,” I said aloud as my GPS drew me through the edge of a rundown city. I was already ten minutes late, and I’d been dreading my father’s Darth Vader ring tone for quite a bit longer than that. Patience wasn’t Dad’s strong suit....