by D. M. Turner
What if Brett was right? Regardless of what Ian had said to Jeremy the year before, which had been meant to tease, not impart honest wisdom, surely there was a way to fight the instinct to mate. He’d had love with Alison. He hadn’t guarded it closely enough, and it had been ripped away. Such a love could only come once in a lifetime, even when someone lived as long as he had.
Besides, once Sophia had the answers she sought, she’d leave. She’d made it clear she had no intention of staying, of committing to either the pack or a mate. He’d heard every word of her discussion with Kelly that morning. She wanted neither a husband nor children.
Ian frowned. Come to think of it, she hadn’t said why, other than having a “messed up” family. That could mean any number of things.
He slid open the back door and stepped inside, then waited for the she-wolf to follow.
She crossed the threshold, stopped to look up at him as he slid the door closed, and made a bee-line for the kitchen.
So much for distracting her. Ian glanced at the clock. They’d been out for over an hour. Hopefully that had been long enough. Otherwise, she was going to drive him nuts, begging for food. He sighed. There was a reason he’d never wanted a dog. You couldn’t reason with them like you could another wolf. He snorted. Normally. “Fine. Have it your way, but then we’re lying down for a rest until Jeremy and Annie get here.”
As Ian chopped beef muscle meat, heart, and liver into manageable chunks, the she-wolf stood quietly beside him, her gaze intent on what he was doing.
“I’m living with a hobbit. This will be your third lunch. How many dinners will you want tonight?” He snorted and shook his head. “Keep this up, and I’ll have to restock the freezer in a matter of days.”
Once she’d gained strength and could eat her fill, maybe he’d take her hunting. He’d spotted a wounded bull elk the last time he’d run in the Preserve. If the animal hadn’t healed or already been taken by another predator, they could put it down, prevent further suffering. Assuming, of course, that she could hunt in her current mental state. That was anybody’s guess.
Ian set the bowl on the floor, barely able to get his hand out of the way before she fell on it like a starved animal. He shook his head again.
By the time he finished washing the knife, the stainless steel bowl clattered and ground across the tile floor as she licked it clean. Fingernails on a chalkboard had never bothered him, but he imagined the effect that had on others was exactly like he felt about the metal bowl scraping and rattling across ceramic tile. Enough! He picked it up and set it in the sink.
“Alright. Nap time.”
She cocked her head.
Ian circled her and headed for his bedroom. He made a short side trip to grab the blanket and afghan off the living room floor that Sophia had left there earlier, tossed the afghan on the couch, carried the blanket into the master bedroom, and dropped it on the rug beside the bed.
The she-wolf padded along faithfully.
That’s getting downright creepy. That kind of mindless devotion didn’t seem right from Sophia.
He closed the bedroom door to confine her to the room then went to use the master bathroom, the wolf close on his heels.
She explored the large bathroom then followed him back to the bedroom, sniffing every inch.
Ian ignored her and stretched out on the king-size bed.
After a few minutes, Sophia’s wolf came to stand beside the bed, her amber gaze studying Ian.
He waited quietly to see what she’d do.
After a few moments, the wolf huffed a sigh, curled up on the discarded blanket, and closed her eyes.
Relieved, Ian allowed sleep to come.
* * *
The soft purr of an engine pulled Ian from sleep. Brett’s truck. Ian rolled onto his back, stretched, and sat up, glancing at the floor beside the bed.
Sophia, in human form, was curled up on the rug with his blanket tangled around her.
The image unsettled him.
Is she aware of where she is or how she got here?
He eased down beside her, one knee on the floor.
A vehicle door slammed. Brett would enter the house in moments.
Ian gently gripped Sophia’s shoulder and shook her. “Sophia?”
She grunted and changed position, stretching out her legs.
He forced his gaze to remain on her face and not study the bare skin of long legs.
The front door opened and closed.
“Sophia, wake up.” He put a bit of authority behind the request.
Finally, she swiped a hand across her face, yawned, and peered up at him with a puzzled frown. “Ian?” She blinked then looked around, fear and confusion filling meadow-grass green eyes. “Where am I?”
That answered his question. If she didn’t know where she was, there was no way she would remember Shifting from wolf to human. Was the wolf capable of doing that without the human driving it? “The floor of my bedroom.”
Sophia stared at him as though not comprehending then clutched the blanket tight. “It happened again, didn’t it?”
Ian nodded.
“Why does it keep happening?” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“I don’t know, but we’ll find answers. As a matter of fact, Brett just arrived. Hopefully, he has something for us.” His gaze still on her, he got to his feet, troubled by how small she seemed, curled up and vulnerable on the floor. He motioned to the bathroom. “There are sweatpants and t-shirts in the linen closet. You might be able to find something to fit you. Come on out to the living room when you’re dressed.”
Not looking at him, she nodded.
Lord, I really hate that submissive, beaten look.
Ian bit back a wave of anger and left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Brett waited in one of the chairs in the living room, a laptop open on the coffee table in front of him. He glanced up as Ian settled in the opposite chair. “I think I found something. Where’s Sophia?”
“She’ll be out in a minute.”
His friend frowned. “Is she still in wolf form?”
“No. She reverted to human while napping.”
“That’s good, I suppose.” The scowl tightened. “Is it bothering you as much as it is me that the wolf seems to drive these Shifts rather than the human?”
“Yes.” Understatement of the decade.
* * *
The moment the door closed between her and Ian, Sophia gathered the blanket around her, ran into the bathroom, and closed that door. Twice in one day. That had never happened before. Her back against the door, she slid down it to sit on the floor. Maybe being there wasn’t such a good idea after all. It had made her worse.
What if she killed someone? She’d already gone after Brett. What if Ian hadn’t been there to stop her? Brett was strong enough to protect himself from her, no doubt, but what about others in the pack?
Chapter 10
“Did you and Kelly make up?” Ian forced himself to relax, rotating his shoulders and twisting slightly to release tension along his spine. He could use a good wolf-run. Work the kinks out.
“Yeah.” Brett grimaced.
“So you swallowed your pride like I suggested?”
His friend shot him a disgruntled look. “Yes. Kelly promised no more climbing ladders or carrying boxes.”
Ian nodded, pleased peace had been restored once more. For however long it lasted. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring her. I don’t know how long we’ll be tied up here tonight. Are you sure she’ll be okay alone for a while?”
“O’Neil’s wife is sitting with her while I’m gone.”
“Good.” He nodded. O’Neil’s mate, Hannah, was human but kind and as efficient as her husband, whom she helped with his crime scene cleaning business. Given his skill as the pack’s “cleaner”, his career choice had been no accident. It gave him a legitimate cover for the messes he handled for the pack. If his vehicle, tools, and equipment were ever tested for blood, it
had good reason to be there, and no one would question it. Though chances were slim that anyone would ever find blood on so much as a boot if O’Neil had anything to do with it.
Jeremy and Annie’s car pulled up in front of the house. One of them had put the wrong gas in it again. The engine knocked slightly and had lost some power. The idle was off.
Ian glanced at his bedroom door. Still no sight or sound from Sophia. Had she reverted to wolf again? Maybe leaving her alone had been a bad idea.
Brett was bent over his laptop, still punching keys. “I should’ve gotten Carlos on this, or Max. The way those two ferret out information never ceases to amaze me.”
“We’ll do that, if we must. For now, I’d like to keep Sophia’s… condition to as small a group as possible. Unless it proves dangerous to the pack, I see no reason to involve the others. Not yet.”
The front door opened and closed behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder.
A bright smile lit Annie’s face as she walked in holding Jeremy’s hand. Her dark brown eyes sparkled, even after a long day on her feet as a nurse in Jeremy’s medical clinic. That woman had to be the most cheerful person Ian had ever met. If he hadn’t come to adore and admire her so much, he’d probably hate her.
She’d been a wolf less than a year, having been Turned the previous summer, but she had accepted the change with an ease he’d never seen. Her mate had struggled far more with her Turning than she had. Jeremy had been the one to Turn her, and not by choice. He hadn’t wanted the werewolf life for her. Sometimes circumstances forced choices people wouldn’t otherwise make.
Like a new mate? A chill went through him.
“Ian? Are you alright?” Annie frowned in concern, her gaze not quite meeting his.
“Yeah. Just thinking.”
“Those definitely aren’t happy thoughts.” She patted his shoulder gently as she walked past then settled on the couch.
Jeremy dropped on the cushion beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.
She smiled at him and snuggled closer before turning her attention back to Ian. “Can we help?”
“I hope so.” Ian glanced toward the bedroom. Still no sign of Sophia. Should I check on her? He frowned, turning back to the others. “Sophia will be out in a minute.” Hopefully in human form. “In the meantime, let me explain what came up today.”
Jeremy frowned. “Did she run into more problems after the hypothermic state?”
“Yes.” Ian nodded. “She became hyperthermic around mid-day. I hauled her outside to cool her down. That worked well. No more issues with anything like that in the hours since then, but—” He glanced at Brett, who quirked a brow but kept his gaze on the laptop screen.
“But…?” The doctor prompted.
“Something… odd happened when I went to fix her lunch.”
Jeremy and Annie studied him with their heads cocked and matching expressions of curious concern. Did they have any idea they were doing that in unison?
“We talked before I went to the kitchen. Next thing I know, I’m not dealing with Sophia anymore. A wolf followed me into the kitchen.”
“So, she Shifted?” Annie’s confusion couldn’t have been more obvious. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Sophia wasn’t in control. She wasn’t even… there.” He pointed to his head. “The wolf was fully in charge.”
Annie and Jeremy looked at each other then back at Ian. The doctor frowned. “That’s not possible. Is it?”
“Apparently, it is.” Ian pointed at Brett. “Neither of us has ever seen anything like it. The human mind was so suppressed, the wolf didn’t understand a word as simple as ‘come’.” He leaned back in the chair and sighed. “It gets even weirder. She has no memory of being the wolf or anything that took place during that hour or so. Brett came in angry, and she went after him.”
“What?” Jeremy glanced at Brett.
“I stopped her,” Ian continued, “but she was determined to get to him. Once he calmed down, she settled, but I had to pin her to the floor and hold onto her.”
“She doesn’t remember any of it?” Annie’s eyes narrowed in thought.
“No.” He shook his head. “She Returned to human form, scared by the fact she couldn’t recall how she ended up on the floor.” He pointed to the span of area rug between the coffee table and fireplace.
“I can only imagine how terrifying that would be.” Compassion and sympathy softened Annie’s face.
“We talked to her.” He explained what Sophia had revealed about the first such event the previous May and the two in the fall. “Whatever triggered those three ‘blackouts’, as she calls them, scared her, and the wolf took over again. It was after that that I called you about her food intake, Jeremy.”
Jeremy released his mate to lean forward and rest his elbows on his knees. “Is she still in wolf form?”
“No. She took a nap and Returned again with no memory of doing so or what happened during her time as a wolf.” Ian shook his head. “I’m telling you, Jeremy, this is something I’ve never seen. Dealing with her wolf when she’s like that is like dealing with a totally untrained dog. No word recognition. No human reasoning. No human intelligence. Like one of Brett’s natural wolves.”
Looking as baffled as Ian felt, Jeremy shook his head.
Where is she? He got to his feet and headed to the bedroom. “I’ll be right back.” He stopped in the short hallway off the living room and tapped on the bedroom door. “Sophia?”
No answer.
“I’m coming in, so I hope you’re dressed.” Ian opened the door and peered inside. Empty. He entered, went to the bathroom door, and knocked. “Sophia?”
A soft whimper responded.
Oh, no, not again. Had she scared herself enough to bring the wolf to the surface? “I’m coming in.” He turned the knob and pushed.
The door stuck.
He pushed harder.
It budged only a bit.
Ian leaned a shoulder into it, and it opened far enough for him to stick his head into the room to see what blocked it.
Sophia was curled up against it, trembling violently.
Hoping he wouldn’t hurt her, he pushed open the door enough to squeeze through and knelt by her. A quick touch of his fingers to her exposed neck confirmed his fear. Another hypothermic reaction.
“Sophia, can you hear me?”
She nodded. At least, that motion of her head might have been a nod. Hard to be sure with her shivering so hard.
“Let’s get you into some clothes.” That might be difficult. His gaze fell on his robe. Thick, plush terrycloth. Could do the trick, at least temporarily. Easier than getting her into a t-shirt and sweatpants, assuming he could find some that wouldn’t fall off of her. He got up long enough to grab the robe before returning to her side. “Can you help me get this robe on you?”
She turned her head to look up at him, her eyes glazed.
“I won’t look. I promise.” He held up the robe and turned his face away, closing his eyes. “Just slide your arms into it. Then I can close and tie it without looking.”
After a long moment, he felt pressure on the robe. It took longer than it should have until he heard a quiet “okay” spoken through chattering teeth. Eyes still closed, he moved in front of her, layered the front edges of the robe over each other, and tied the belt around her waist. He opened his eyes and straightened the blanket.
“Put your arms around my neck.”
She did so without the faintest hint of annoyance at his bossy tone.
His scowl deepened, her ready compliance bothering him. He wrapped the blanket around her, throwing the ends over his shoulders, to trap his body heat between them and under the blanket. Then he scooped her up and got to his feet.
When Ian returned to the living room, carrying Sophia, Jeremy shot to his feet, his eyes wide.
“Another hypothermic episode.” Ian sat in the chair he’d vacated minutes before and held Sophia close, making su
re to keep the blanket over her bare feet and legs. “Why is this still happening?”
“I wish I knew.” The doctor shook his head with a frown and eased back onto the couch, staying on the edge of the cushion. “She doesn’t have only you baffled, I can assure you.”
“Pu-pu-puzz-le.”
Stunned but pleased that her sense of humor was apparently intact, Ian chuckled. “You’re definitely that.”
Annie scooted forward on the couch cushion and smiled. “Hi, Sophia. I’m Jeremy’s mate, Annie.”
“Hi-hi.” She snuggled as close as she could possibly get, burying her face in Ian’s neck.
Holy cow, it’s like hugging an ice cube. He shivered slightly and hoped she wouldn’t notice, tightening his arms around her.
“Ian told us what happened today. About you Shifting without knowing it.”
“Y-yeah.”
The softness of the word made him clench his teeth. Seeing and hearing a strong woman so vulnerable… wrong on so many more levels than he could possibly ever explain.
Annie continued, oblivious to his thoughts. Thankfully. “What caused the first Shift today? Ian said you got scared. Why?”
“I re-rea-lized I was t-t-tra-trapped here.”
“Had Ian done something to make you feel threatened in some way?”
“N-no. A-annoy, n-not s-s-scare.”
“Annoy?” Annie’s gaze shifted to Ian.
“She thinks I’m bossy.”
The woman snickered then cleared her throat. Her gaze fell away, and she glanced at her husband, who chuckled soundlessly. “Well, yeah, he can be that at times.”
“She told me and Brett that she suddenly realized she couldn’t get over the wall and didn’t have the gate code. It panicked her, I guess.” He shrugged.
“Y-yes.”
Ian leaned sideways to look into Sophia’s green eyes. “If you wanted to leave, all you had to do was say so. You’re not a prisoner.”
“I-I-I kn-know.”
“I don’t think that was the point, Ian.” Annie moved close enough to lay a hand on the arm of the chair. “Sophia, did you want to leave?”