Wolf Moon (27 page)

Breathing
heavily, I opened my eyes one at a time and looked around. My vision was warped
around the edges and tunneling inward into crystal clarity. Everything seemed
brighter and crisper like this; my vision, the smells, the taste of the cold Canadian
air, the feel of the snow and dirt beneath the pads of my paws.

I’d
done it. I’d forced the shift without the use of a trigger. Did this mean I’d
be able to do it every time? Probably not, but in that moment, I was proud of
myself, and I turned around to find Nick had already transformed as well.

We
did what we’d always done after shifting and greeted each other. I recognized
this as our way of memorizing each other’s scent in case we were to get separated.
I familiarized myself with him, taking into my memory the sandy color of his
fur, the cool woodsy smell of his sweat, and his blue-rimmed amber eyes.

Giving
my shoulder a gentle nudge with his nose, he guided me toward the frozen lake.
I took a hesitant step onto it, waiting to hear the crack that would plunge me
into the ice-cold water below its fragile surface. Nothing happened, so I
placed my other front foot on it, slowly taking step after step until I was
sure I’d be safe.

Nick
seemed a little more comfortable on the ice as he made better progress,
pressing his nose to the ground and sniffing before pointing it into the air
and inhaling deeply. I knew he picked up on something when he gave a little yip
and took off across the ice with ease.

I
dashed after him, the first couple of strides clumsy as my feet slipped on the
ice, but soon I found my footing and was able to catch up to him. When we
reached the other side of the lake, Nick stopped and sniffed again. Frustrated,
he grunted against the ground, a cloud of snow blowing up around his head.

He
didn’t give up, though, and his persistence inspired me to give tracking like
this a shot. My sense of smell had improved as a human, and I knew it was
exponentially more intense like this, so maybe I could find something…

And
I did.

Not
only did I pick up on the vampire’s putrid scent on the air,
but
I found a poorly hidden set of tracks. One or two had been missed in the hurry
to hide the direction he’d run, and I took a moment to rejoice in this massive
oversight before getting Nick’s attention and urging him to follow me.

We
picked up
speed,
stopping only occasionally to make
sure we were still on the right track. Whoever this guy was knew how to cover
his tracks, but he must have known we were on his trail, because he’d gotten
sloppy. Nick and I traveled up the mountain. It wasn’t an easy feat, and I
wondered if parts of it might be easier if we were human and could scale the
side. Of course, we wouldn’t have any clothes, having left everything back by
the lake, and our fur was the only thing keeping us from getting a raging case
of hypothermia or
frost bite
.

Nick
knew shortcuts and there were a few paths to make our journey up the mountain a
little easier. It was no less exhausting, and a couple more hours must have
passed by the time we even made it a third of the way.

Unfortunately,
by then we’d lost the scent. It was like everyone kept saying and like the
journals had read: the trail went cold. There was no scent lingering in the
air, no tracks. It was like he’d just vanished. How was that even possible?

I
took a moment, pushing aside my frustration and allowing my inner detective to
come out while I sniffed around, hoping to pick up even a trace of his stench.
I came up empty, and it only made me more anxious and angry. I paced,
whimpering and searching, scratching at the ground, then standing on my hind
legs and leaning against the side of the mountain, stretching to see if I could
find something. Nick and I went up a little farther, headed into a cave, but it
was also a dead-end. I didn’t want to give up, my desire to see this search
through until the bitter end stronger than my exhaustion. Nick was adamant we
head back down the mountain as the sun started to rise, though.

We
made our way back, but I continued to look behind me, wanting more than
anything to figure this mystery out. Nick had to prod me onward several times before
we hit the lake, and once we stepped onto the ice, all my focus was on getting
across without falling through.

Back
where we left our clothes, I tried to focus enough to shift back. It took me
much longer than I figured it might, because I was still experiencing the rush
from our tracking mission. Nick stayed in wolf form while I tried, almost as
though he knew that seeing him not struggle with his transformation might
stress me out and hinder what I was trying to do.

I
reversed my thought process from a few hours ago. I focused on the fever again,
only this time, I thought about how my bones would retract and shift to make me
human, and how the fur would shed from my body.

I
shivered when the cold air touched my bare skin, and when I felt a warm hand on
my
shoulder,
I looked up to see Nick’s smiling face.

“You
did great,” he praised, picking up my clothes and holding them out to me before
grabbing his own and redressing. Once we had everything on, he took my hand and
nodded back toward the woods that led us to the lake and would, in turn, lead
us home.

“Come
on. Let’s get back to the house.” Worry creased his forehead, but he tried to
mask it.

I
could see the concern still etched on Nick’s face, and I knew it wasn’t about
him or me; he was worried about Roxanne. Whatever he and I were didn’t negate
that he and Roxanne had a history together. He cared for her once—still
did—and what happened to her was upsetting to him.

I
grabbed his hand and turned him to face me. The whites of his eyes were red,
the irises made bluer because of it. “Are you okay?”

“I’m
fine,” he replied, trying to force a smile to his face.

“Nick,”
I whispered. “You care for her—I’d be worried if you didn’t given your
history together. You’re allowed to feel angry about what happened. Be concerned.”

Sighing,
Nick stopped walking. The heat emanating off his body from our recent change
turned to fog in the early morning air. “What she and I had wasn’t love,” he
tried to justify. “It wasn’t like you and David.”

Inhaling
shakily, I shook my head and stepped toward him. He’d never acknowledged that my
relationship with David might be more than infatuation or something to pass the
time. “Maybe not, but you were close, so I understand being upset that something
happened to her. Hell, she and I haven’t gotten along since I got here, and
even I’m concerned for her.”

“She
could have died,”
Nick
said, guilt lacing his tone.

“But
she didn’t. We found her in time,” I reminded him, reaching up and running my
fingers through his sandy blond hair.

“No,”
Nick interjected, bringing his eyes to mine. “
You
found her. If you hadn’t acted so quickly, she could have been
killed.”

“I’d
have done it for anyone—regardless of how unpleasant they’ve been toward
me,” I said, trying to inject a lilt of humor into my tone.

“And
that’s what I love most about you. You’re always putting the well-being of
others before your own.” Wrapping his arms around my waist, Nick kissed me lightly.

Smiling,
I shrugged. “It’s kind of a desired trait amongst cops.”

“It’s
kind of a desired trait amongst humanity,” Nick quipped.

Sensing
his tension leave him, I nodded toward home. “Let’s go set that mind at ease.”

T
he smell of breakfast
and coffee greeted us as we walked through the front door. Some of the Pack was
milling about the house while the rest of them were probably in the kitchen. My
stomach growled in anticipation. I was suddenly ravenous—probably from my
recent shift; I remembered the feeling all too well.

“We
should check in with Marcus,” Nick suggested when we heard his voice in the dining
room.

I
turned to him, the exhaustion of a sleepless night finally hitting me. “Can I
have a few minutes to freshen up? We’ve been out all night and I feel like I’m
dead on my feet.”

Grinning
wide, Nick kissed the top of my head. “Of course. Go on up.” Jackson emerged
from the living room, eyes inquisitive. “I’m right behind you.”

“Morning,
kid,” Jackson greeted with a slight nod.

“Good
morning,” I responded with a friendly smile, climbing the stairs. I was glad
that I had been able to move past my resentment for him and find some common
ground.

I
could feel Nick’s eyes on me as I ascended to the second floor, and I looked
back once more before heading to our room. Roxanne’s bedroom door was closed,
but I could hear her steady breathing as I walked by. It sounded like she was
sleeping. Naturally, I wondered how she was since it was kind of my fault she
was in this situation. The argument we’d had at the table the night before was
why she’d left the house in a huff and why I followed her to apologize. I never
meant for things between us to get out of hand, which was why I felt so
compelled to find the monster that had done this to her.

I
continued on to my bedroom, stripped down, and tossed my clothes into the
hamper. The crisp scent of winter rose off my clothes and filled the closet as
I grabbed a new pair of jeans and a blue knitted sweater. I took them with me
to the bathroom, set them on the vanity, and turned the faucet on to splash my
face. I’d hoped the frigid water might help rejuvenate me just enough to get me
through the next couple hours, but it did no such thing.

Abandoning
my change of clothes on the vanity, I continued to strip before stepping into
the shower. Even though it was the last thing I wanted, I kept the water a bit
on the cooler side, hoping it would do the trick and clear my head. I sensed a
nap would definitely be in my future, but for now I needed to be sharp and
alert.

The
cold water forced my skin to tighten,
goosebumps
rising over every square inch of flesh, and I clenched my jaw as I pushed my
face under and then wet and washed my hair. I was just rinsing the shampoo from
my head when the bathroom door opened, drawing my focus from the frigid water
that trickled down my body.

“Shit,”
Nick muttered, quickly casting his eyes to the floor as though he hadn’t ever
seen me naked before. “Sorry. I should have knocked.”

I
smiled as the tips of his ears turned pink. It wasn’t like him to be easily
embarrassed, but every once in a while he surprised me when his softer side
emerged. Don’t get me wrong, I loved how confident and strong he was, and his
cocky attitude often made me smile—when it wasn’t driving me bat-shit
crazy—but this was a welcome contrast. It was a fine line, but he
balanced on it with precision.

“No,
it’s fine,” I said, trying to keep the shiver from my voice as I turned the
shower off. “I’m done.” I squeezed the water from my hair. “Can you hand me a
towel, please?”

Nick’s
embarrassment dissipated a little as he grabbed a towel from the shelf and handed
it to me, his blue-green eyes lingering on my water-slickened skin. His stare
was so intense, and I felt the hum of his desire when our fingers touched briefly.
Warmth bloomed beneath my skin, displacing the lingering chill from my shower.

Feeling
unusually bold, I decided to let him ogle me a bit longer while I dried my hair
and stepped out of the open-concept shower. The longer he looked at my naked
body, the stronger my need for him grew. I suspected the adrenaline from
shifting the night before was the root cause of my shameless flaunting. Nick
had explained how our hormones ran a little hotter after shifting, and I remembered
how I felt the night of the last full moon. This wasn’t much different. The
wolf leapt forward and prowled the perimeter of my self-control. She had needs,
and they were fast eclipsing any hesitation I may have had.

Nick’s
chest rose and fell with each heavy breath he took. I could hear his heart
pound, watched as his carotid artery jumped with every beat. His eyes moved
over my body before locking on my lips, then eyes. His stare was so intense
that it thrust me into an unexpected vision of him reaching out and grabbing my
hip to pull me toward him. I got carried away then, fantasizing about the way
his lips would claim mine hungrily before moving down my throat, and how the
dark blond stubble on his face would scratch my skin. I could practically feel
his fingers move down my body before he grabbed my towel and threw me onto the
cold, granite countertop. I was so deep into the daydream when Nick cleared his
throat and startled me.

Warmth
filled my cheeks as I met his eyes and wrapped my towel around my body tightly.
Nick only smirked knowingly. “Breakfast is ready.”

I
couldn’t meet his eyes as I slid past him and picked up my
hair
brush
. “Marcus wants all who are able to attend. Business to discuss in
the library afterward, and he wants you there.”

I
only nodded, unable to find my voice, so Nick continued. “Get dressed,” he insisted.
“I’ll see you down there in a few minutes.”

After
Nick slipped from the bathroom, I pulled my clothes on and styled my hair into
a mess of damp waves. The circles under my eyes were pretty noticeable from
hunting all night, so I applied a little makeup to conceal them. When I was
ready, I grabbed my towel and tossed it in the hamper before stepping into the
hall. I had only made it a couple feet when I heard the voices—Nick and
Roxanne’s.

“Stop
defending her,” Roxanne said, her voice thin and hoarse. “I don’t trust her.”

Nick
sighed, and I pressed my back against the wall next to Roxanne’s bedroom door
so I could listen further. I knew eavesdropping was rude, but was it still
wrong if I was the subject?

“You’re
being paranoid, Roxy,” he told her, his tone cool and collected.

Silence.

“Weren’t
we happy?”

There
was a slight hesitation before Nick replied. “We had our moments, but I’d be lying
if I said Brooke wasn’t in my thoughts more times than not. I wanted her, but
knew it would never work, so I sought comfort elsewhere.”

“I
thought we’d be mated.” Roxanne sounded crestfallen as she voiced her admission.
“I imagined a future where we raised kids together.”

“I’m
sorry if I led you on,” Nick interjected.

I
imagined what their kids might look like, but was surprised to find my thoughts
drifted to what
our
kids might look
like. My eyes and Nick’s hair on a little boy, his eyes sparkling with delight
as he played tag through the halls of the manor with his father. It caught me
off-guard because I never thought I’d have kids—not after what happened
to Bobby and everything I’d witnessed in my years on the force—so this newest
fantasy rocked me to my core. Did I truly want that life? Or was it just normal
curiosity brought on by Roxanne’s confession?

Roxanne
heaved a heavy breath, snapping me out of my strange musings. “I knew you
didn’t love me,” she confessed. “But I figured you’d learn to. And then you
brought
her
here. Why?” she demanded

“You
know why,” he replied. “She needs to learn to control the wolf, and the Pack is
beneficial to a new wolf. You know that. I couldn’t just leave her to be a
stray without realizing her full potential.”

“So,
had she not been bitten, you wouldn’t have sought her out? We might have stood
a chance, you know.”

Another
pause, and I strained my ears until I heard his heartbeat pick up in tempo.

“Roxy,”
he said softly. “You know how I feel about her. You’ve always known.”

“Even
after you learned what her brother had become?”

Nick’s
breathing shifted from calm to irritated. “You know that what Bobby was had
nothing
to do with her.”

Her
bed springs creaked as I assumed she shifted. “Maybe.”

“Again
with the paranoia,” Nick grumbled. “You realize how crazy you sound, right?”

“All
I know, Nick, is that one minute, I’m headed to the woods when she confronts
and attacks me. I remember going off after you broke us up, and I was mid-way
through the change when everything went blank. Next thing I know, I’m waking up
in my bed, my wrists sliced open and my lungs on fire.”

“And
that’s somehow Brooke’s fault?”

“I
couldn’t stand to be in the same damn house as her any longer, so I decided to
go for a run and blow off some steam…” Roxanne’s voice shook slightly. “She
drove me out of my own home, Nick. How do I know she didn’t orchestrate the
attack with the coven…or worse, follow me out there?”

Nick
took a deep breath, and then I heard him take a step forward. “You started that
argument, Roxanne. You can’t blame her for standing up for herself.” He was
still irritated, but I could tell he was trying his
damndest
to mask it. “Besides, she’s the one who found you. She got to you before
Jax
and me.”

That
seemed to surprise Roxanne enough to shut her up for a minute, so Nick continued.
“Did you see who attacked you?”

“No,”
she admitted quietly, her voice shaking slightly. I could smell her stress in
the air as she likely relived what happened. “Like I said, I was in the woods
changing. I’d only just started to shift when something hit me from behind. I
was so preoccupied with my change that I didn’t even smell whoever it was.”

“We
tried tracking it,” Nick supplied. “But the trail ended at the mountains.
Again.”

I continued to listen in as Nick recounted the
events of the night before, and just as he got to the part where we decided to
head back and let the rest of the Pack know
,
a tickle filled my nose
. I tried to sniffle quietly in
hopes of making it go away, but there was no stopping it; I sneezed. It wasn’t
a quiet one either.

Floorboards
creaked, and soon, Nick’s head was poking out of Roxanne’s bedroom. “Brooke?”

I
stood up straight and tried to make it look like I had just come out of the bedroom
instead of having been listening to their conversation. “Hey,” I replied casually—or,
I attempted casual, anyway.

He
didn’t buy it, but he also didn’t rat me out. “I was just checking in on Roxy.
She’s awake.”

I
smiled, genuinely relieved that she seemed to be on the mend. “That’s great.” I
paused awkwardly. “I’ll, uh, head downstairs and give you two a little longer.”

I
laid a hand on Nick’s chest, offering him a reassuring smile as I passed, but before
I could get too far, Roxanne spoke up.

“Actually,
Brooke, I’d like to have a word with you.” I glanced past Nick to find Roxanne
sitting up in her bed. Her complexion was pale and ashen and her hair looked
dull and lifeless around her face. “Privately.”