“It won’t really matter when there are only shifters left in the whole area,” Bree said.
“I have been all over this mountain top, but I want to take Bree on a tour. You are both welcome to join us.” Nate told the other two women.
“Thanks, but Rylee and I are actually going into town to have a proper look around this afternoon,” Hope said and gestured to Bree to follow her as she went into one of the cabin bedrooms and closed the door.
“How was Rafe?” Hope asked her as soon as the door closed behind them.
“Upset, but he does understand, Hope. He admitted that he too had never had the urge to bite you and he knows how devastating it could be if you made a life together and then one of you met your mate, he’s just hurting because he really likes you.” Bree took her sister’s hand and squeezed it tightly.
“I hated hurting him and I do have feelings for him, there is just something missing, you know. I wanted it to be him so badly, but it’s not.”
“I ran away from Nathaniel two years ago, Hope. The second I saw him again it all came flooding back and my feelings are stronger than ever. He completes me and I am antsy being apart from him, even for a few hours. We gravitate towards each other in the same room and I would do anything in the world to see him smile. I almost ruined it between us, don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve, love.”
“Maybe I’ll be the spinster aunt to all these new babies that are popping up all over the place.” she joked but Bree knew she was hurting too.
They joined the others in the living room again and Rylee and Nathaniel were deep in conversation. Bree sat on the sofa beside him and Rylee’s face was animated.
“You don’t look old enough, when did you graduate?” Nathaniel asked her bluntly.
“Two years ago and I have been working for an attorney in the city since then. I deal mainly in real estate law, which might come in useful.” she smiled.
“Rylee graduated high school before she was seventeen and had her master’s degree by the time she was twenty-one.” Hope said, “She’s a total brainiac.”
“I graduated law school and passed the bar three months after my twenty-fourth birthday.” she grinned. “I’m not that smart, I just have a terrific memory.”
Nathaniel liked the young woman and knew she was playing down her abilities. A great memory alone would never have cut it to do all of that at such a young age.
He turned to Bree.
“Rylee and I were just talking about the possibility of her working with me a few days a week and she has two years of property law under her belt. It would free me up to concentrate on helping Kandis with the move and we should be able to wrap up these home purchases easily with an expert on board.”
Bree was delighted. She loved Rylee and since they found out a while back that Rylee’s brother, Garrett was actually her half-brother too, she considered her family, even though they had no blood tie.
“That would be awesome, Rylee, but won’t it be a little dull compared to working as a highflyer in the city?” Hope asked.
She shook her head and grinned.
“That would be the best part. I liked the job okay, but I hated living in the city and would go back home every weekend just so that I could run in the woods. I think it would be perfect here and I am not hurting for money so part-time would be ideal and would afford me some free time to do the other things I love, like painting.”
“I can’t say it wouldn’t be fabulous to have you here Rylee,” Hope said, “I think Garrett will be delighted too if you were to make a home here with us.”
“He has been hoping I would decide to move with the pack and it’s not too far to visit the rest of my family. My Mom has really woken up since my father's death and taken a hold of her life again, but I still want to keep an eye on her. Cillian is there with her and he doesn’t have the best track record, but I think he is trying to be better.”
Bree didn’t have a lot of time for Cillian Adair and didn’t want to hurt Rylee’s feelings so she stood up and held out her hand to Nathaniel.
“Ready to show me this mountain?”
“You bet, darlin.”
They said their goodbyes and the two of them hiked up the path leading from the back of the cabin until they were well out of earshot of the other wolves.
“I guess you don’t care much for Garrett and Rylee’s brother.” he smiled.
“No, he is spoilt and conceited and although he is trying to turn over a new leaf I think there is too much of his father in him. He and Garrett share a Mom, but she is nice and Rylee takes after her too.”
Nate grinned at the scowl marring her features and decided to leave the topic of Cillian Adair for another day.
“Let's climb right to the top so that you can see the farm and the rest of the town and then we can work our way back down to the bottom. I would like to check out the two possible sales so that we can match them to potential buyers.”
They walked hand in hand and when they finally reached the summit Nate was breathing a little harder but Bree’s heart rate had barely gone up a notch. They sat on a rock for a moment until he caught his breath and Bree was grinning at him.
“I think you have been spending too much time behind a desk Nathaniel Wade, we need to whip you into shape. Maybe you could train with Kandis?”
He grimaced and shook his head.
“I think I will take my chances with the guys, I watched her training with Liam and I don’t think Kandis would take any prisoners.”
He pulled his shirt over his head and she openly admired the broad tanned chest and washboard stomach that was common in most younger wolves.
“You look fit to me,” she traced a finger over his abs and he sucked in a breath and caught her hand in his, bringing it to cover his beating heart.”
“I do work out, but I need to run more to build up my endurance. It’s just not as much fun on your own, running with the pack is so much better. Besides, I’m an old man, you my love are still just an infant in comparison.
She stood up and slowly stripped off her clothes, discarding them item by item and he watched until she was naked in front of him and his mouth felt dry as he watched her tease him with her spontaneous striptease. His tongue swiped his parched lips and she leaned over and kissed him briefly on the lips.
“Then let’s run.”
She shifted in an instant giving her a head start as he quickly stripped off and followed suit. He had never seen anyone shift as quickly and followed her trail as she disappeared into a thicket of trees. He wanted to howl as he gave chase but his wolf sensed the danger in exposing himself to the human population and he concentrated on the chase instead. He could smell her excitement as he gained on her and when he came to a stop in a small clearing she ambushed him, her jaws clamped around his back leg, bringing him down.
His much larger wolf overpowered her easily as they wrestled around on the undergrowth and she finally acquiesced and lay down with her belly exposed. He snuggled down beside her and rubbed his muzzle with hers and her wolf growled in satisfaction. It was cool and quiet and they lay there for some time, silently soaking up the atmosphere.
Bree knew she was relatively young in wolf terms but she had always known her own mind. This mountain felt right, it felt like home and she couldn’t wait to start her new life here with Nathaniel. She got up and stretched, preparing to make the run back up to the top of the mountain to shift back and get dressed.
They ran through the trees at a slower pace, so caught up in each other that they didn’t notice someone at the edge of the clearing, silently watching them. He lowered the camera and tried to force his body to stop shaking. He thought at first he was in for a peep show and he almost lowered the camera, not interested in being a voyeur, but what he got instead was pure dynamite.
It had been hell trying to keep up with them and he had been lucky that they stopped for a rest when they did, but he had enough footage to solve all of his problems, all h
e needed was a buyer with deep pockets.
He turned and ran silently back to his old truck parked behind one of the empty cabins and drove carefully back down the mountain. He didn’t stop until he was safely back at the edge of the small town with a view to the mountain road. He would wait and see if they emerged, he needed to know who these people were and formulate a plan.
Wolf shifters, he stared at the camera in his shaking hand. He was used to shooting bear or deer and occasionally wolves but this, holy shit, this was something else entirely. No-one would believe in a million years what he saw, if not for the rolls of footage in his Dad’s old Nikon. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.
CHAPTER SIX
Nate
“I kept picking up the same human scent all the way back up the mountain. It seemed to be all over the place.” Bree said, sniffing into the air as she wiggled into her jeans and fastened them.
“I did too and am annoyed that I let my guard down, we should have been more careful but I didn’t see anyone so they were probably long gone. We still get a few hikers up here but hopefully, we can discourage them as our numbers grow. We can have the town council put a ban on climbing and hiking, citing falling rocks or something. Jay seems to know a few people on the committee and we can use it to our advantage until it’s a shifter only community.”
“It seems a little mean to spoil someone’s fun, but I know it’s also necessary to provide us with anonymity,” she replied with a smile.
“Let's take the long way around this time and have a look at these cabins that Hope mentioned to us earlier.” He pulled the piece of paper from the pocket of his jeans and they walked hand in hand in the direction of the first cabin.
It was lower down the face of the mountain, just below where Liam and Kandis had bought their new cabin and looked quite small from the outside. It was in great condition and would be ideal for one of the younger couples or even an empty nester looking to downsize a little. He snapped a few quick photographs with his phone.
There was a car parked out front so they gave it a wide berth and continued across the south face for about a mile until they came to the next one. It was a two-story family-sized home but again it was occupied and Bree knew they would have to be patient until Kandis had spoken to the owners before they could possibly have a look around. Bree wasn’t known for her patience and knew she couldn’t do what Kandis was doing, playing a waiting game with some potential sellers and full speed ahead with others.
Kandis had shown her worth being thrown into the middle of this venture and she was sure Seann knew that she was the right person for the task at hand or he would never have given it to her in the first place.
They walked back up the mountain to the top to pick up the car at the cabin and Hope’s car was no longer parked beside Nates in front of the garage. They were still in town looking around.
She fastened her seatbelt as Nate reversed and took the steep road back down the mountain toward the small town.
“Do you think there is enough space up here to build the number of cabins we need?” she asked looking around her as he reached across and took her hand in his.
“Yes, we could build several on every existing plot, it wouldn’t be as private as it is now, but when have shifter communities ever been private.” he smiled. “There are also houses and apartments in town that some people may prefer and there is a ton of space out on the farm as well, let’s go out there and have a look before we go home.”
Bree settled back in her seat as they drove the short distance from the base of the mountain road to the farm that her brother was planning on turning into the pack HQ. She thought she would have liked to build a cabin in the mountain overlooking the town but when he swung into the courtyard where the new Den would be she sat forward in her seat to get a better look.
The farmhouse was huge with a sprawling courtyard and surrounded by tall pines. She could already see the pack gathered here out in front of the Den as they prepared for their monthly run up the face of the mountain and through the woods surrounding the farm. The air was clean and fresh and the scent of apple and peach filled her senses when she breathed in deeply.
She jumped out and walked to the front of the house and peered in through one of the huge bay windows while Nate got out and went around to the back door.
He grinned and slid open one of the unlocked windows overlooking the back garden and climbed inside. It was a mudroom leading to a huge kitchen but he didn’t hang around and went to the front door and unlocked it to let Bree come inside.
“Isn’t this breaking and entering?” She raised an eyebrow but followed him inside anyway and they walked from room to room while she snapped photos to send to Imogen later on.
Everything was dusty and stale and would need updating but the rooms were bright and Bree knew Imogen was going to love the massive kitchen/ dining room. There was a large living room, another slightly smaller snug, an office, a laundry room, a bathroom and two bedrooms on the ground floor. The staircase was beautifully carved oak and only needed a little TLC to bring it back to its former glory. There were six additional bedrooms and two large bathrooms on the upper floor and at the end of the corridor was a master suite with its own sitting room and bathroom.
“This is bigger than our Den now and I wonder if Seann and Imogen will find it too big now that Hope and I are moving out.” Bree mused as she snapped some more photographs.
“An alpha always needs plenty of room for unexpected guests,” Nate smiled.
They went back downstairs and out through the kitchen door to the garden. There was a stretch of patio that needed cleaning and a lawn that was a little overgrown with a discarded vegetable garden to the right, but Nate went to the fence at the bottom of the garden and jumped over. Dozens of fruit trees lined the man-made paths trodden down over the years by the farmers' family no doubt. As well as the peach and apple Bree had caught the scent of there were also plum and pear trees, blueberries, raspberries and two huge pecans flanked the small wooden bridge that crossed the stream.
“Imogen is going to love this,” Bree said as they walked over the bridge and watched the shallow water trickling beneath them. “It’s like a little slice of heaven out here.”
“The house will need some updating but I think it will be perfect for a new Den for the pack. The surrounding fields could be built on as well and most are already surrounded by trees. We could plant more to give us additional privacy.” Nate added as they walked back to the house and re-locked the doors before walking across the courtyard to see the house that India and Garrett were going to buy.
The front door was locked but Nate was able to get inside without any trouble and Bree wondered where he had acquired that particular skill. It was much newer than the farmhouse and apart from a deep clean and replacing the carpet in the bedrooms, it would be ready to move into. The kitchen was the size of their existing one at the Den and there were five bedrooms and an office. Plenty of room for their family of four and any more children they would have in the future. She took more photographs for India and they explored the empty outbuildings on the property too.
Bree picked out the perfect building for a new schoolhouse for the younger kids and although it would need some time and money spent renovating it, it would be perfect for them. She wanted to teach here. She loved the teenagers and was qualified to teach high school but the little ones were where she knew she could help the most. The younger the child, the more open their hearts and minds were to learn new things and Bree had never been as happy as she was in her first job, teaching first graders. Their classes would be composite because they didn’t have enough kids but she would teach grades one through three in the same classroom. She already had a ton of ideas.
Bethany would still run the daycare and kindergarten classes and she had several people in mind for the small high school. She had no problem with human teachers for the high schoolers, they were old enough and skilled enough to hide what they were
from the human population and initially that would be fine. Eventually, though it would be perfect to have shifter teachers for all of their classes too.
She told Nate her thoughts as they walked around the vast property and he was happy to see her so enthused about getting the schoolroom up and running.
“Don’t the younger kids get taught together now?” he asked.
Only for some lessons, a couple of hours per day. The rest is on the parents which can be a bit of a challenge for the working Moms. They need a proper structure to their day just like the teenagers have at the moment.”
They came to the last row of old brick buildings and Nate pointed out which ones would be put to use as a new base for ‘Wolverine’ clothing, ‘Fresh Bite’, the pack’s catering company and the largest building on the end would most likely become Lachlan’s for the construction company he managed.
“What about the little cottage over there, is it salvageable?” she asked him.
“I asked Lachlan to take a look, if it’s possible, it may work for Roisin. I know she would like to be close to the Den again and if not, there are still houses in town and cabins on the mountain she can choose from.”
“She won’t want to live in town.” Bree said shaking her head, “I think she would love this though if it can be fixed up.
They drove back into town and she took a shower and changed into shorts and a tank top and sent off all the photos she had snapped to India and Imogen, holding back the ones she had taken of the chocolate box cottage until Lachlan was able to have a look at it. She hoped it wasn’t beyond repair because she knew Roisin would love it.
When she emerged from the bedroom, Nate had set the table and the smell of grilled steak and garlic filled the air. Her stomach rumbled as he put a plate in front of her and she sliced off a piece of the tender meat and popped into her mouth.
Children of the Moon: Book Four Page 4