Wolf in the Woods

by N. J. Walters

  Her father mostly hunted and fished and picked up the odd job. They also had a garden which kept them almost fully self-sufficient. She and her mother sewed, often bartering services for other things they needed. It was a simple life, but a good one.

  “You know you can’t do it without me,” Billy shot back. She liked how easy he was with the older, more powerful full-blooded wolf. And it wasn’t just because he was now one of them. They truly had accepted him as a human.

  “You keep telling yourself that,” Mikhail teased back.

  “Want to see what I’m working on?” Billy asked.

  “Yes.” She walked forward and peered down at the piece of wood he’d been lightly sanding.

  “I’m building a custom table out of reclaimed wood from a family barn,” he told her.

  “It’s beautiful.” She ran her fingers over the sanded wood. It truly was lovely, and there was obvious pride in the workmanship. Her daddy always said you could tell a lot about a man by the kind of work he did.

  He took her around so she could see what the others were making. Reece was working on a cabinet. Mikhail was starting a mantel. Elias was crafting a bench, and Cole was working on a chair that was more like a throne.

  Cole must have seen the incredulous expression on her face, because the corners of his mouth moved up a fraction. She couldn’t call it a smile. Not exactly. Maybe a twitch. But he wasn’t as forbidding as usual.

  “The client is big into video games and wants it for his man cave,” Billy explained.

  “What the hell is a man cave anyway?” Cole asked. “Why would he need one?”

  “To get away from his wife,” he explained.

  “What kind of idiot wants to get away from his wife?”

  Billy only laughed. “Maybe his wife isn’t as loving as Cherise.”

  Cole’s eyes darkened. “No woman is as loving and beautiful as my Cherise.”

  Just hearing the big man, the dangerous wolf, talk about his mate in such a way warmed her, even though she was still scared to death of him.

  She learned the names and various uses for some of the larger pieces of equipment and that the smaller shed was for varnishing and finishing pieces, kept separate so sawdust wouldn’t be a problem. Plus, it kept the smell mostly out of the main workshop. Always important when your senses were keener.

  The other men continued to work, and Billy had to be anxious to get back to his project. These next couple of days were about seeing if they could be together as a couple or if their relationship would fall apart when they weren’t under constant stress. That meant they had to go about their normal lives. He needed to finish sanding his table, and she needed to find something to do.

  She wasn’t accustomed to being idle. The past few days had been the laziest of her life, but she supposed she could forgive herself for that. The muffins long gone, she set the now empty coffee mug on the table alongside some others. Billy or one of the others would bring it home later.

  “What do I do?” she asked. The other men were listening intently, but it was Billy’s reaction that mattered the most.

  He put his hands on her hips and angled her so she was in front of him, with his larger body blocking her view of the others. “What do you want to do?”

  She shrugged, not quite sure how to do this without intruding on others. They’d all been welcoming in a pack setting, but thrusting herself into their personal space was something else altogether.

  He tucked his hand under her chin and ran his thumb along her jawline. “What do you normally do at home?”

  Very aware of his thumb grazing her skin, she barely suppressed a shiver of desire. For someone who’d had no interest in sex a week ago, she’d certainly taken to it like a duck to water. Apparently, all that had been missing for her was the right man.

  “Addie?” His voice was lower and thicker.

  There were other people here, including his father, she reminded herself. “After chores were done, my momma and I would garden or sew.” She wondered what he’d think of her simple life. Like many wolves, her education didn’t extend beyond basic high school.

  He smiled and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. Her wolf loved the touch and pressed against her skin from the inside, as if trying to get closer to him.

  “You have two choices then. Sage is the farmer in the bunch. He’ll probably be in the greenhouses or getting the various outside beds ready for planting. He’s always happy when anyone wants to lend a hand. Or you can head to Sylvie’s place. Some of the women meet there to sew or quilt.”

  As much as she’d rather hide in the garden with Sage, she had to find a place among the women if she was going to be able to stay. “Sewing it is.”

  He must have sensed her hesitation. “You sure?”

  “Yes.” She went up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “You go back to work. I can find my way.” She was a wolf. If she got turned around, she could sniff out the direction.

  Now he frowned. “I can walk you over.”

  Her heart ached with what she felt for him. It had to be love. Nothing else could hurt this much but be so beautiful at the same time. “I need to do this.” She kept her voice low, even though the others could hear her. They both needed time alone. She really needed to think about what Elias had said to her this morning. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Billy. Right now, everything in her life was up in the air.

  “Okay. I’ll point you in the right direction.”

  “Now, that I don’t mind in the least.” She’d rather not get lost and end up wandering around. While she might enjoy it, some of the pack might not, and she didn’t want to give them a reason to mistrust her any more than they already did.

  “Bye.” She waved at the other men. They all acknowledged her with a nod and continued working. Cole watched her a little longer than the others, his warning silent but obvious. Yeah, that was one wolf that wasn’t totally on board with her being here.

  Billy put his hand on the small of her back and led her outside. “Take that one.” He pointed out the path on the right. “You can’t miss it.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Sure you don’t want me to walk you?”

  She shook her head and stared at the trail. Several others branched off, one of which would take her back to the safety of his home. She literally was at a crossroads in her life.

  “I’ll see you later.”

  “For lunch,” he promised. “It’s only an hour away. Gator will have something cooking. I’ll come eat with you.”

  An hour. She could handle an hour on her own with the women. Or at least she hoped she could. “Sounds good.” She took a step forward. It would be so easy to turn around and run back to him. He’d understand. He’d leave his responsibilities behind and spend time with her.

  But that would only give those who weren’t happy about her being here further reason to distrust and dislike her. A pack survived and thrived only when every member did his or her part. If she was even considering staying here longer than a couple of days, she had to find a way to fit in.

  Maybe she should just go back to Billy’s place and forget about it. Stay in his room until it was time to go home. But that was defeatist thinking.

  Everything will be fine.

  She kept on walking.

  ****

  Billy watched Addie go and took a step toward her. She looked so lost while trying to put on a brave face. He rested his hand against a tree and dug his fingers into the bark to keep from running after her, scooping her up, and taking her home.

  “You’re both doing the right thing.” Surprisingly, it wasn’t his father but Mikhail who’d joined him. “She needs some time to herself. She also needs to see if she can find her place in the pack. I know how difficult that can be.”

  He was right, but that didn’t make it any easier for Billy to handle. He hadn’t missed the stress on her face when she’d walked inside the shop. Obviously, his dad had said something to her. And there was no missing the way Cole glow
ered at her. It wasn’t that the older wolf didn’t like her, but he was worried about how her being here would affect his mate.

  Would she want to leave because she didn’t feel safe or fully wanted here? If that happened, he’d have a choice to make—go or stay. Not that there was any real dilemma. For him, there was only one real option.

  Maybe she’d decide she didn’t want a permanent relationship, that a couple of days of sex were enough. What the hell would he do then? His gut clenched and he broke out in a sweat. Inside him, something volatile churned, just waiting to erupt.

  Mikhail slapped him on the back, jolting him back to the present. “Come back inside. Work. The hour will go faster. Then you can join her for lunch.”

  He narrowed his eyes, and the older wolf laughed. “No, I wasn’t listening to your conversation, but it’s not hard to guess. It’s what I would have done.”

  Billy looked down the path one final time. Only her slight scent on the breeze indicated she’d ever been here. Fear speared through him. He couldn’t let her disappear from his life.

  Mikhail gripped his shoulder and squeezed.

  He shook off the sense of foreboding that filled him. Addie was only going to a nearby pack house. She was in the heart of their land and was safe. “Yeah, I’m good.” He went back inside but paused at the doorway to look back at the empty trail.

  He shuddered and went back to sanding the table he was working on. He’d give it forty-five minutes. Then he was going to find his woman.

  ****

  Jude Gordon was not having a good day. Not only was his daddy pissed with him, but he was also facing his alpha, as well as Addie’s parents, all of whom were very angry. “I tried to stop him, but Simon wouldn’t listen.”

  “He wouldn’t listen,” Ryan slowly repeated. The alpha had shown up this morning with Addie’s parents in tow. She’d called them last night and told them everything, and they in turn had told the alpha.

  Jude glanced at his daddy and found only disappointment on his face.

  “No, he wouldn’t,” Jude persisted. “I tried to get him to leave, but he’s lost his mind over Addie, figured he could convince her to mate with him.”

  A low growl came from Orin. Jude hunched his shoulders, hoping he didn’t hold him responsible. He wasn’t sure he could count on his daddy for his support if that happened. It occurred to him that Addie must have experienced the same hunted sensation he was experiencing right now.

  “I’m sorry,” he blurted. “I should have done something to protect her. But Simon went after the human instead.”

  “That would be Billy Gallagher, the man who stepped in to help her when you didn’t,” Ryan pointed out.

  Jude nodded and kept his gaze lowered, unable to face any of the older wolves questioning him. Inside him, his wolf whined.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” his daddy asked him. “I thought I taught you better.”

  Resentment bubbled up inside him. “Simon is my only friend.” Jude was a bit of a loner, never quite fitting in anywhere, least of all with his family.

  “Addie was your friend,” her momma quietly reminded him, making him feel lower than a turtle in the mud, because she was right. Addie had always been kind to him.

  “He’s most likely gone to find her.” Best to come clean. He glanced at his alpha, hoping that would placate him. Mostly Jude wanted the attention off of him.

  Ryan sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “We already know that. If he attacks anyone on Salvation Pack land, we’re going to have a heap more trouble.” He turned to Orin. “I need LaForge’s phone number.”

  Orin pulled out his phone, punched a listing in his contacts, and handed the phone to Ryan. Jude took a step closer so he could hear the conversation.

  “Yes.” The voice was male and deep.

  “This Jacque LaForge?”

  “It is.”

  “Ryan Hatfield. We have a problem.”

  Jacque sighed. “I figured we would.”

  “I just got confirmation that Simon is most likely there.” Ryan peered up at the sky. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but will you not kill him. Call me and I’ll come get him and bring him home. He needs to be dealt with by me. I need to make my feelings clear on this matter so it doesn’t happen again.”

  Jude swallowed past the lump in his throat. He’d never once considered Simon could die. Of course, he’d never thought his friend would attack Addie and a human either.

  “I’ll do what I can but make no promises. He attacks one of mine and he’s dead.”

  Shit, that didn’t sound like a weak alpha. Maybe all those stories he’d heard about Cole Blanchard were true. Or maybe this LaForge guy was just playing tough. Although from the expression on Ryan’s face, he didn’t think that was the case.

  “That’s all I can ask.” Ryan handed the phone to Orin.

  “I want to see my daughter,” Orin demanded of the Salvation Pack alpha.

  “Your daughter can decide what she wants to do when this mess is over. Right now, I have enough problems to handle without adding more unknown wolves to the mix.” There was such a strong compulsion behind the words, Jude had to fight the urge to whine. Even Orin backed down, hanging his head.

  “Once Simon is dealt with, we can talk about you visiting. Addie might even decide she wants to go home.” Then the alpha ended the call.

  Orin tucked his phone away. “If Simon hurts my girl, I’ll kill him.”

  Ryan nodded. “That is your right. But let’s see if they can bring them both back to us so we can deal with things ourselves. I don’t want Salvation Pack wolves on our land again if I can help it. And I sure as hell don’t want a war with them.”

  Jude had a bad feeling that this wasn’t going to end well for any of them. The others left, leaving him alone with his daddy. He didn’t yell. Instead, he walked over to him, wrapped his hand around his neck, and pulled him in close.

  “Tell me what I did wrong?”

  His chest tightened at his daddy’s words. He was blaming himself.

  “I’m sorry,” he blurted. “I’m so sorry.” He knew he’d done wrong, but it was too late to go back in time and change things. He just hoped Simon didn’t add to the mess he’d already made of things, but he wasn’t holding out much hope.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Addie’s steps slowed as she reached Sylvie’s house. Now that she was here, she wasn’t convinced it was such a great idea after all.

  “Can I help you?” Etienne Rollins, Gator and Sylvie’s teenage son, seemed to appear out of nowhere. She hadn’t heard him, and she’d been listening. There was a quiet intensity about him, but it was balanced by a sense of calmness.

  “I’ve come to sew with the women.”

  When he grinned, he looked more like his father. “Mom and the rest of them are inside.” He loped past her and opened the door. “Go on in.” When she hesitated, he added, “It’s safe.” He inclined his head toward the hallway just beyond the kitchen. “Just follow the noise.”

  When she stepped inside, he shut the door and disappeared into the nearby woods. The familiar sound of sewing machines drew her in. It reminded her of home, of spending countless hours with her mother.

  Sylvie appeared at the end of the hallway. “I thought I heard Etienne talking with someone.”

  Addie rubbed her hands over the sides of her sweater. Her palms were sweaty. “I don’t want to intrude.”

  Sue poked her head into the kitchen. “Everything okay?” When she saw Addie, she came to her with open arms. It reminded her of her momma. Her throat tight and her eyes filled with tears, she accepted the hug from the most important woman in Billy’s life.

  Clearing her throat, she found her voice. “Billy said it would be okay if I stopped by.”

  “That’s fine,” Sue replied and then looked to Sylvie for confirmation.

  “Of course. Do you sew?” Sylvie asked. She motioned them both down the hallway. They entered a large room where Rina, Sage’s
mate, was busy working at a machine.

  Addie stopped just inside the room and made a sound that was part surprise and part longing. Now this was a workspace to be envied. Four sewing stations were centered in the middle of the room, each with state-of-the-art machines. She knew because she’d often looked online, coveting them, promising herself she’d save up enough to buy one someday.

  Sylvie laughed. “I recognize that look. You’re a serious sewer. Come on in and check out the place.”

  Like a sleepwalker, she stumbled forward. Cabinets wrapped around the space. One was open, displaying shelf after shelf of fabric. The closet doors were also open, showcasing more fabric, as well as buttons, threads, and other necessities. She’d never seen so much in one place outside of a store.

  “I take it you sew.” Rina stopped what she was working on and joined them. “I didn’t know how when I arrived, but the others taught me. Elise sews, too, as does Cole’s mother. We all have machines at home, but we often come here. It’s a larger workspace, and it’s fun to work on projects together.”

  Sue wrapped her arm around Addie’s waist and gave her a quick hug. “Why don’t you dig through the cabinets and see if you can find any fabric you like.”

  A longing to do just that filled her. She could spend hours lost in fabric and colors. But she also didn’t have any money—and fabric cost, especially quality material. She put her hands behind her back, linking them together to keep from touching anything. “I can help you with your projects or maybe do some mending.”

  Sue’s smile faded. “Addie, honey, what’s the matter?”

  Swallowing her pride, she gave them the truth, even though it stung. “I can’t afford this fabric. My momma and I mostly use scraps leftover from projects people pay us to do for them and fabric we find at the used stores when we get to the city. People get rid of perfectly good sheets, too, which make great backings for quilts.” Until this moment, she’d never felt poor. It was simply what they did to make things work.