His jaw tightened. “I will talk to your father about bringing your clothes since you are unable to carry them with you today.”
Elsie lifted her brows. “That’s okay. They have extra clothing in Wolf Hollow.”
“You should have your own,” William said firmly.
Before she could tell him it didn’t matter, William stormed away. Elsie felt both relieved and apprehensive. Mia patted her back. “Don’t worry. Your father will keep him on the mountain. He doesn’t want William mucking up your chances with a mate—none of us do.”
“Jeez, he’s creepy,” Charlotte said, shuddering. She squeezed her eyes closed and reopened them, a smirk forming over her lips. “He’s probably going to repack your bag—remove all the lace underthings and replace them with heavy cotton.”
Mia nodded and grimaced.
Elsie put the underthings and William out of her mind. Balmar Heights was no longer her home. It was time to return to Wolf Hollow and claim a mate.
chapter four
Trees whizzed by—a kaleidoscope of green, brown, and blue. Sasha led their group through the forest like a thunderstorm streaking across the sky. Elsie’s wolf was the smallest, but she had no trouble keeping up. She was just as eager to reach the hollow—more than Tabor and Sasha could possibly realize. Even running there on four legs took a day and half.
Tabor could never know about the curse. She knew he’d try to take on Brutus . . . and likely end up severely wounded. There was nothing her brother could do for her. She had to claim a wolf mate. Only one shifter knew the truth, Elsie’s best friend, Kallie.
They reached the hollow’s northern border late in the afternoon. Sasha lifted her snout in the air and howled. Tabor and Aden followed suit. Elsie joined them, excitement pulsing through her legs to her paws. Their howls felt like big excited whoops leaving her chest.
A chorus of wolves responded. Sasha took off—a flash of fur through forest. Tabor, Aden, and Elsie pursued her in wild abandon, leaping over fallen logs, tangled roots, and brush. They arced away from the steep bluff at the edge of the den, circling around through thick brush.
Upon reaching the den, Sasha led them to the center of the clearing where they all shifted. Elsie jumped to her feet, spinning around with a gleeful smile at all the activity surrounding her. Not only was she home, but so were the den mates. Rope ladders were being dropped down from treehouses overhead. Shack doors were propped opened and shutters opened. Kindling was gathered and set beside small rock pits in front of individual dwellings. The families with treehouses had stored essential kitchenware, extra clothing, and the like safely above ground for the den mates living in huts. Woven baskets were being lowered with rope to children waiting below to untie the handle and take their family’s meager possessions home.
An air of jubilation filled the clearing.
Elsie craned her head around until catching sight of Kallie in her yellow dress, her thick brown hair unbound over her shoulders. Kallie dipped a mug into a bucket of water and poured it into the soil teeming with herbs in circles of stacked stones outside the garden.
“Kallie!” Elsie cried. Her feet pounded over dirt and grass as she raced across the clearing and threw her arms around her friend, squeezing her tight. “Oh my gosh! You’re mated and pregnant. You’ve been busy since I left. I want to hear all about it.”
In her excitement, Kallie accidently sloshed water over Elsie. Her eyes crinkled as she laughed and hugged Elsie back. “Sounds like you know everything already.”
“Yeah, but I want to know all the details.”
Kallie laughed again and gave Elsie a squeeze. “I’ve missed you, Elsie.”
Tabor walked over and tapped Elsie’s shoulder. The two females pulled apart. He offered Kallie a smile and a hello before turning his attention back to Elsie. “Sasha, Aden, and I are headed to the glade.”
“I’ll see you there in a bit,” Elsie said.
Tabor flashed a brief smile before joining Sasha and Aden. Backs turned to the den, the three shifters walked out naked. Elsie’s eyes followed the movement of their butt cheeks before turning her attention back to Kallie.
“So, Aden’s fallen for a human?”
Kallie scowled. “They were humping while he guarded her, but I doubt he has any real feelings for her.”
“Hmm.” Elsie wasn’t convinced, but she left it at that.
Kallie looped her arm around Elsie’s, tugging her across the glade. “How much time do you have left?” she whispered.
“Three weeks,” Elsie answered.
Kallie worried her lip. “And you can’t tell your brother?”
Elsie shook her head. She patted Kallie’s arm gently. “Don’t worry, friend. I will claim a wolf as a mate before Brutus has a chance to trap me inside his cave forever. Look how quickly you domesticated Wolfrik. My task is easy compared to your feat.”
“Some animals can never be tamed.” Kallie laughed then pressed a kiss to Elsie’s cheek. “Oh, how I’ve missed you. Let’s find you a dress.” They walked arm and arm to the den’s communal shed, taking their time to allow for Kallie’s limp. “Your white dress is still here.”
Elsie pulled the familiar gown over her head inside the shed. It was the same long white dress she’d first arrived in.
“There’s a big celebration gathering in the glade tonight,” Kallie said, grasping her hands. “The entire pack will be there.”
They shared squeals of excitement. This homecoming was better than anything Elsie had imagined. She had been afraid the hollow would be somber or on lockdown.
“I’ll see you there later, okay?” Kallie gave Elsie a quick hug then resumed watering herbs.
Elsie dashed onto the trail leading to the glade, waiting until she was alone in the woods to slow her steps and speak the word to a spell.
“Arto ra le Zackary.”
Unfortunately, she didn’t have an article of Zackary’s clothing to perform a location spell the way she had using Jordan’s tank top after the she-wolf had gone missing from the hollow. But Elsie did have feelings for Zackary that could be used to point her in the right direction. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of his voice and his bashful grin every time she had spoken to him. He was a large man. Aden was the biggest in the hollow, but only because he was a werewolf. The largest true shifters in Wolf Hollow were Zackary, Raider, and Wolfrik. In her mind’s eye, she brought a mental picture of him to life, repeating the spell.
“Arto ra le Zackary.”
An invisible string tugged her down the trail. Elsie had nearly reached the glade when it yanked her down a narrow westward path.
Late-afternoon sunlight filtered in through the canopy of the forest. Even in the shade, it was hot enough to keep the insects away. Zackary did not have the luxury of lazing around, waiting until evening brought cooler temperatures. He raised the ax above his head and brought it down over the fallen tree. The blade bit into the bark with precision and force. He lifted it and struck again.
Sweat sheened over his broad, bare, muscled chest. The only clothes he wore were a pair of snug khaki shorts with the top button undone to allow more room for his bulky hips.
Wiley and Justin sat on the ground, slouched against trees, yapping while Zackary did all the grunt work. They’d taken in two loads of firewood to the glade for the big bonfire celebration Jager had planned to welcome back the hollow’s den mates and their families. Until enough wood was chopped for the three of them to carry another load, it made sense for Zackary to do the felling since he was the biggest and strongest.
“You should have seen the human’s eyes balloon when I went for his throat. Pissed himself,” Justin boasted yet again.
Every time Zack lifted the ax, he caught snippets of his friends’ ceaseless narration of the pack’s battle with the humans.
Thunk.
“They sound like rabbits when they scream,” Wiley tossed in.
Thunk.
“Hi, Zackary,” a sweet, femini
ne voice broke through the chatter.
Zack lost hold of the ax as he hefted it over his shoulder. It flew back, thwacking a tree trunk behind him.
Elsie laughed. Thankfully, she was at his side rather than behind him.
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” Her eyes shone with mirth as he turned to face her. Before their eyes could meet, her gaze was traveling down his chest, a gleam of appreciation in her expression as she surveyed his six-pack. Zack had seen females gawk at Raider this way, but never at him. It made his cock stir to life inside shorts with no room to grow. Maybe the pain would help get his head back on straight.
The council could have banished him from Wolf Hollow, instead they’d denied his right to ever claim a mate. He’d accepted his punishment without argument. All females were off limits to Zackary—not that any had ever shown an interest in him, not until Elsie. Tabor’s sister. That reminder helped sober him.
“You’re back.” He tried to sound casual even as his muscles strained with a vainglorious urge to flex the longer she stared at his body.
Elsie’s eyes lifted to meet his. She grinned. “I’m back.”
Justin and Wiley had gone utterly silent. Zackary didn’t have to look at them to know they were staring. At least he didn’t have to worry about blushing; his entire face was already flushed from chopping wood. Zackary rubbed his clammy palms together, wanting to blame the sweat of his exertions for losing hold of the ax.
Elsie looked like an angel in her white dress, so out of place among barbarians, like himself, and the pack’s she-wolves who could turn vicious in an instant. Elsie was like some long-ago dream of a beautiful time before the world went to shit. Sometimes her kindness felt like a punishment—her attention like torture. It would be easier to avoid that which he could never have. The more she talked to him, the worse it got. The wanting. The desire. The guilt. The ache. The agony.
The need.
Zackary frowned and turned away to retrieve the ax. He gave the handle a yank, releasing it from the tree’s bark.
“Well, I just wanted to say hi and see you tonight,” Elsie said, still sounding cheerful. She lifted her hand in a cute little wave and spun around. “Hi, guys,” she said to Justin and Wiley as she passed.
“Hi,” they muttered in unison, avoiding eye contact with her, as though she might put them under a spell if they weren’t careful.
Elsie didn’t need spells. The moment Zackary first saw her appear with her father in the glade, he’d been enchanted. If she weren’t a half witch, every single male shifter in the hollow would be after her. At least now he stood a chance. Zackary scowled at his own stupidity. He had as much chance with Elsie as a rat had with a dove.
Justin and Wiley remained silent a long while. Zackary could practically feel their thoughts turning like stew in the cauldron. They were waiting until Elsie was safely out of earshot. Zackary wasn’t any better. He held the ax and stared at the fallen tree as though he’d turned into a caveman who’d never seen a tool before.
Justin was the first to break the silence.
“The witch bitch is back,” he said in a low, cruel voice.
Zackary wheeled around and snarled at him. “Don’t talk about her that way.”
“Uh-oh,” Wiley said with a grin. “You’ve insulted Zack’s girlfriend.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
Justin and Wiley got to their feet, wearing twin smiles.
“I think he meant hump buddy,” Justin said with a gleam in his eyes.
Zackary’s growl should have scared Justin instead of making him laugh. Zackary slammed the ax into the fallen log with a violent thunk. If he kept the tool in his hand, he might use it as a weapon. Instead, he stormed up to Justin and pushed him against a tree.
“Whoa!” Wiley shouted. When he tried to grab Zackary’s arm, Zack shook him off easily. His friends were scrawny and didn’t come close to his physical strength or stamina. They both knew it.
“Hey, I was only kidding,” Justin said. “What’s gotten into you lately?”
Zackary stepped back and huffed with frustration. He gripped his neck with both hands and turned to the fallen tree he needed to finish hacking apart. Pulling in several steadying breaths, he turned slowly to cast a look of stern warning on his friends.
“You weren’t there when she helped find Jordan and David. She really cares about the pack. And she’s nice. So be nice back.”
Justin and Wiley exchanged a glance then shrugged.
“If you say so,” Wiley said.
Zackary pulled the ax out of the log and stared down Justin. Their eyes locked. Wiley looked between the two friends and lifted his brows.
Justin released a breathy sigh. “Yeah, okay, so long as she doesn’t hex us.”
“Maybe don’t give her a reason to,” Wiley suggested.
Zackary grunted. Elsie seemed too considerate to use magic against the pack. And she really had cared about recovering their missing members when their small group ventured outside the hollow. As awkward as it had been to team up with Tabor, Zackary had liked being part of the rescue group. He only wished they’d caught up to the humans in time to save David. The rough wood handle of the ax dug into his calloused palm as he squeezed it.
“Why don’t I take a few swings?” Justin suggested as he sauntered over. The wicked gleam returned to his eyes. “Before you accidently throw it into one of our heads.”
Wiley winced.
Zackary rolled his eyes. “I was startled.”
“Well, you should watch out,” Justin said, tugging the ax out of Zackary’s grip.
“Why’s that?” Zackary folded his arms over his broad chest, staring Justin down. His friend’s face filled with mirth.
“Because that little witch wants to ride your broomstick.”
Justin and Wiley howled with laughter as Zackary turned beet red. He could feel his cheeks blazing brighter than the color from his earlier labors. Seeing his face, Wiley doubled over as he erupted into fresh laughter. Justin flipped the ax around, handle pointing toward the sky, and ran his fist up and down the hilt suggestively. Zackary felt a fresh wave of anger and embarrassment.
“Give that back before you cut yourself,” he snapped.
As soon as Justin handed the ax over, Zackary began chopping wood with gusto. His friends leaned against a tree watching him and chattering away like a couple of gossipy females.
“Do you think witches ever do it doggy style?” Wiley asked Justin.
“I’m sure they do more than get on their hands and knees,” Justin answered. “They probably levitate or something while they’re going at it.”
Wiley’s mouth gaped open. “Do you really think so?”
“For all we know, they’re banging up against their ceilings.” Justin grunted. “Crazy shit happening on that mountain. You can be certain of that.”
Zackary increased his speed, hacking away at the log in double speed. He knew he should reserve his energy, but he had extra to spare. He only wished his friends would return to their banter over the battle rather than speculating as to the mating practices of witches; he didn’t want to get hard again.
chapter five
Den members crowded the glade talking, eating stew, and drinking mugs of brew old Jager had prepared. While the adults mingled, the kids climbed boulders and trees along the edges of the commotion.
“Who wants to play at the river?” Emerson hollered over the din.
“Me! Me! Me!” the kids cried.
“Then follow me,” Emerson said, swinging her arm in a wide arc over her blonde head. She, Gina, Taryn, and Janelle took the hands of smaller kids, leading the way to the river trail. They were followed by several of the single males: Heath, Alec, Carter, and Dylan.
Elsie was still trying to catch up on all the news. As much as she adored Sasha, the pureblooded she-wolf wasn’t big on details. Elsie wanted all the gossip she’d missed out on while she’d been away. But first, she offered Raider her condolences on
the loss of his father. She hadn’t known Garrick well, but her heart went out to the grieving shifter, and to the pack for losing another elder, leaving them with only two.
When Tabor waved Elsie over to his spot in line at the cauldron, she waved back and shook her head. Too much excitement was thrumming through her to eat.
She found Kallie seated on a stump. There was an empty seat beside her that Kallie patted.
“I’m fine standing,” Elsie said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Kallie chuckled. Wolfrik swaggered over, setting two bowls of stew on the empty log. As soon as his hands were empty, Elsie hugged him.
“Wolfrik! Oh my gosh! Congratulations! You have the best mate in the pack.”
Wolfrik’s eyes expanded as though he didn’t know how to react to Elsie squishing herself against his chest, squeezing his middle while jumping in place. Finally, he chuckled and patted her head. “Can’t argue with you there.”
“Kallie is the best!”
Kallie laughed. “Have you had too much brew?”
Elsie pulled away from Wolfrik and shook her head. “Not a drop.”
“So, this is normal behavior?” Wolfrik looked at Kallie when he asked. His mate smirked.
“I’m beginning to think so,” she said.
Wolfrik shook his head. “Witches are weird.”
“You’re weird,” Elsie returned.
“You’re weirder,” Wolfrik countered.
Kallie put her head in her hands and groaned. “I’m getting a mental image of what kind of father Wolfrik’s going to be.”
Elsie snickered. “He’s going to be so much fun.”
Kallie grabbed both bowls of stew and looked pointedly at Elsie. “You should sit.”
“Yeah, sit,” Wolfrik echoed. “Eat.”
Elsie looked from the second bowl of stew to Wolfrik, brows furrowing. “But that’s your meal.”
“Sit with my mate. I can get more.” His tone left no room for argument.
Elsie plonked onto the stump beside Kallie as Wolfrik barreled through the crowd toward the cauldron.
Moon Cursed (Wolf Hollow Shifters Book 4) Page 4