by Chant, Zoe
Tyler had noticed how he had looked at Maddy. “Hm, must’ve been very important, you smelled like you came a long way.”
“Oh yeah,” Konrad agreed. “It’s been a long journey.” He’d never been this far from his hometown before.
“And you found it, huh?” For the first time, Tyler cracked a genuine smile. “Good on you.”
He found himself smiling back. “Thanks. Look, I — I shouldn’t have just entered your territory unannounced, but I was so close to, y’know.” So close to his mate that he had decided against proper caution.
“No, it’s all right, I get it now.” Tyler put his hat back on. “I shouldn’t have attacked like that either, but you know how it is during the full moon.” He sighed. “I should work on that. But you’re all healed, right?”
Konrad nodded, and Tyler looked relieved. “Yeah, Maddy cleaned me up. I’m guessing you’re all right too?”
“Yes, Maddy did, and imagine the surprise I got this morning.” She gave Tyler a significant look. “One that could’ve been avoided if someone had told me about were – wolf shifters.”
Tyler couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I bet that was a shock. Hey, we’ll talk about that some other time, okay?” He nodded at Konrad. “You seem kind of busy.”
Konrad sniggered, and Maddy flushed. “Just go back to work, Tyler,” she muttered, stepping back so she could close the door.
“Have a nice day!” Tyler called out, smiling as Maddy closed the door.
She leaned against it, and looked up at Konrad. “Well, that was interesting.”
It definitely was. He was glad Tyler was a nicer guy than he had been a wolf, and at least now he wouldn’t have to worry about some local wolf shifter with a grudge. “Yeah. Hey, wanna go back to breakfast? I’m pretty sure my coffee’s gone cold now.”
“Probably,” she murmured, and went back to the kitchen. Her expression was thoughtful, and when she sat down, she poked at her cereal like she’d never seen it before.
He grimaced when he took a sip from his coffee. It had gone cold. “Mind if I make some new coffee?”
“Go ahead,” Maddy replied, still frowning at her cereal. “The coffee’s in the tin next to the machine.”
“Thanks.” He busied himself with that, then tapped his fingers on the counter, waiting impatiently.
“Konrad? You and Tyler, you’re not gonna fight again, right?”
He turned around and shook his head. “No, no, we’re good, now. It was basically all a misunderstanding anyway.”
She sat back, clearly relieved. “Good. So what was the mysterious thing you were looking for, then? That thing you found?”
“Uhm,” he said, feeling more nervous than last night when he had first met her. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Along with an answer, yes,” she asked, holding up her empty mug.
He poured her first, then re-filled his own mug and sat down. “I was looking for you.”
Her eyes widened, and she tightened her grip on her mug. “What? But — but you didn’t even know me before yesterday!”
Crap, that made him sound like a stalker. “No, I meant, I was looking for my mate,” he explained. “And I found her.”
*
“What?” Maddy eventually managed, slowly putting the mug down. Mates? Mates? What did that mean? Did it mean what she thought it meant? Was it because they had had sex last night? Dammit, she should’ve known that having sex with a guy who could turn into a wolf would lead to trouble.
And Konrad just kept smiling at her. “You’re my mate,” he said, as if that explained everything.
“Right,” she said slowly, eyeing him. “Right. And that means what, exactly?”
“Oh, you know, that we’re gonna spend the rest of our lives together.” His smile widened, and he looked so happy that Maddy couldn’t help but feel a brief spark of happiness herself.
“The rest of our lives?” she repeated, still incredulous. “You’re sure about that?”
“Of course,” he said, sounding a little insulted. “There’s no mistaking the scent. It’s definitely you. I’ve been looking for my mate for weeks now, and last night I caught your scent. Well, I didn’t know it was you specifically,” he added. “Just that it was my mate. That’s why I came into town after getting wounded. I wanted to rest for a short while so I could heal, then wander around to find out where you lived.”
She imagined waking up in the middle of the night to find a wolf prowling around the front yard. “And then what?”
“Then I’d return to where I’d left my clothes and come back during the day to ask you out on a date. I, er, guess we skipped a few steps there,” he added, a little embarrassed.
She felt relieved knowing he wouldn’t have tried to break in as a wolf, but the whole thing still didn’t sit right with her. How was he so certain that she was the one for him? “How do you know we’re gonna spend the rest of our lives together?” she asked. “I mean, we’ve only just met, I barely know anything about you.” She didn’t even know where he lived, if he had any siblings, what his hobbies and interests were…
“Then ask away,” he told her cheerfully. “What do you want to know about me?”
She wanted to know how he could be so casual about this; why he didn’t care that he didn’t know much about her either. What if they didn’t get along? What if they had nothing in common? What if in a few years he went out and found a woman who smelled better and realized he had made a mistake? For some reason, that thought felt like a punch to the gut. “Where are you from?” she asked, deciding to start at the beginning.
“Woodland Creek,” he replied. “It’s a small town to the west, you wouldn’t have heard of it. I already told you it was a town mainly inhabited by shifters, right?” When he saw her nod, he continued. “It’s a nice town, you’ll like it. It’s not just wolf shifters either, there’re fox shifters, bear shifters, and a couple of coyote shifter families as well.”
She wasn’t surprised that there were other types of animal shifters out there as well, and she started to wonder if there was a limit to it. Were there only mammal shifters, or also bird and even insect shifters? Then her brain caught up with something else Konrad had said. “What do you mean, I’ll like it?” she asked, feeling apprehensive.
“The town,” he said, smiling. “I mean, once we’re mated you’ll have to live with me, and we kinda have to live in Woodland Creek if I want to be the Alpha for the wolf shifters and be on the council.”
“What?” she asked, not sure where to start. He wanted her to move in with him? And what sort of council was he talking about?
“I should’ve explained that better,” he muttered, more to himself than to her. “Woodland Creek has a council, and each of the shifters has one person to represent them in the town’s decisions. That’s the Alpha. For past eight years, my uncle has been the Alpha for the wolves and he’s…” Konrad paused for a moment, grimacing. “He hasn’t been doing a good job. His last term as Alpha is almost up, and I’ve put myself forward as a candidate. But only mated shifters are allowed to be Alpha, so I went looking for mine.” He smiled at her again. “And now I have.”
Maddy rubbed her temples, starting to get a headache from trying to wrap her mind around everything. “So an Alpha is like a mayor, except you have multiple mayors and they’re all in a council together… do the humans have an Alpha as well?”
“No, but there’s not that many,” Konrad replied. “The only ones who live in Woodland Creek are married to shifters anyway.”
That casual dismissal did nothing to lift her definitely growing headache. “Right.”
“So does that answer your question?”
She wasn’t even sure anymore what her original question had been. “You went out to find a mate so you can be sort of a mayor in your hometown,” she said, looking at him to check if she was right.
His smile widened. “You’ve got the gist of it, yes. So, when do you want to be mated?”
/> “What?” Surely he was kidding?
“Because two of my cousins want to become Alpha as well; they left about the same time as I did, and I’ve got no idea if they’ve found their mates already or not,” Konrad explained. “If I want to be Alpha, the sooner I get back with you, the better.”
She had had it. She had had it with Konrad, with Tyler, with the entire town Konrad had come from, and any shifter she might meet in the future. “I’m not doing it,” she said, standing up and finishing the last of her coffee. “I don’t know you; I don’t know your town. I don’t know if I want to spend the rest of my life with you or if I want to be a mayor’s wife.”
She wanted to look for a decent job as a vet, maybe set up her own practice a couple of years down the line. She hadn’t thought about settling down with someone at all.
“But you have to.” Konrad looked like she had just kicked his puppy, a mixture of confusion and hurt. “You’re my mate.”
“Well, find another one.” She opened the cold water tap and rinsed her coffee mug. The thought hurt, but she also couldn’t go with him just because he wanted to be on a council. This was her life he was talking about. If what he needed was a wife, he could easily find some other woman.
“I can’t do that. Mates are destined to be together once they’ve found one another. Everybody knows that.”
“Well, I didn’t,” she snapped, turning around angrily. “I didn’t know anything about shifters, or mates, until this morning.”
“I’m sorry.” Konrad got up, standing a few feet away from her. “I know it’s all new to you, but it’s just so obvious to me, you know?”
“What, that I should just abandon everything because you say so?” she asked, gesturing with her mug before angrily slamming it down on the counter. She was surprised it didn’t break. “That’s not how it works, Konrad. Not for normal people.”
“What do you mean, normal people? I’m not normal?” he asked, hands on his hips.
“You can turn into a wolf, of course you’re not normal!” She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. God, this really had been a rollercoaster of a morning.
“You didn’t mind that earlier,” he countered, following her.
She felt her cheeks redden. “That was before I knew why you were here.”
“What, for you?” He put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.
“For yourself,” she told him, turning to look at him again. “You can’t become Alpha unless you’ve got a mate. That’s what you said.” Somehow, the fact that he was only interested in her because of what she could bring him stung.
“I did,” he replied, still clearly confused. “And you’re my mate.”
They were arguing in circles. “Look, Konrad, you seem like a nice guy, but I can’t do this, okay?” she told him firmly. “I only found out this morning shifters even exist, you can’t just expect me to marry you and move across the country for you!”
Konrad stared at her. “It wouldn’t be across the country. The only reason I had to travel for weeks to find you was because I didn’t know where to start looking. I’m pretty sure that if I had a map, I could —”
“That’s not the point,” she exclaimed, wanting to tear her hair out in frustration. Why didn’t he realize he was moving way too fast? “I just can’t, okay? I can’t marry you.”
“But —”
“Don’t tell me that I have to because we’re mates,” she said, narrowing her eyes.
Konrad remained silent, his shoulders slumped. “You’re sure? 100%?”
Not 100%. Maybe if Konrad was willing to date for a while first and have a relationship before talking about mating…but it was obvious he didn’t want to take it slow. “I’m sorry,” she said, and meant it.
He swallowed hard, and nodded. “Okay. You’re — okay. I, er, guess I should go, then.”
She put a hand on his arm. “You’re a good man; you’ll find someone else.” Someone who actually knew about shifters.
He smiled wanly. “Sure.” He walked away from her, heading towards the hallway. “Maddy, I hate to ask this, but I think it’s easier if I left as a wolf. I mean, it’ll hurt, but I can’t go around on my bare feet either. Could you open the door? I don’t want to shift outside.”
Relieved to have something to do, she nodded. “Sure, follow me.” She brushed past him, ignoring the stab in her stomach and the voice in her head telling her she was making a huge mistake. She went to the front door and opened it, looking outside. The street was quiet, and her parents’ house was near the edge of town. Konrad would be able to run into the woods pretty quickly.
She heard two soft thuds in the living room, and then the clicking of nails on the tiles in the hallway. She looked down at the wolf walking up to her, and blinked back her tears.
What the hell was she doing? Konrad was a great guy, and she was telling him to find someone else. But it was for her own good; he wanted too much, too fast. They didn’t know enough about each other to know if they were right together.
Konrad whined softly as he stood by her feet, nudging her knees with his head. He didn’t want to go either.
Her fingers twitched with the urge to pet him, and she wrapped her arms around herself. “Just go, okay?” she said quietly. “And stay out of trouble.”
The wolf let out another whine, then trotted off, his tail hanging low. Maddy felt another pang of regret, then forced herself to go back inside and close the door. It was the right decision. She didn’t want to be with someone who was only in a relationship for his own gain. If he hadn’t wanted to be an Alpha, he never would come looking for her.
She wiped a few tears off her cheek with the sleeve of her bathrobe, then walked back into the living room. The t-shirt and sweatpants she had loaned Konrad lay in a pile by the door, and she picked them up. She’d do laundry later.
Maddy busied herself clearing the kitchen table and even doing the dishes. She kept thinking of Konrad. Would he go back to his hometown and try to be an unmated Alpha? Or would he continue his journey? She didn’t know the first thing about shifters, for all she knew he had lied about not being able to find another one.
There was, of course, a way to find out without asking Konrad. She could ask Tyler, to see what he knew about mating. Perhaps he had even heard about Woodland Creek.
Oh God, why was she still thinking about him? She took a deep breath. No, she had better things to do than this. She had animals to take care of, and she should call Mrs. Williams to let her know that the dog she found in her shed would be fine. Yeah, the dog would be fine.
*
Konrad had been sitting down and staring at the same tree for a while now. He had returned to the part of the forest where he had left his clothes and belongings last night, and had shifted back into a human and put his clothes on. Shifting again had hurt, but leaving Maddy’s house as a human hadn’t been an option either. He had had no wallet, no shoes, nothing. The pain was nothing compared to the ache he felt in his heart.
His own mate didn’t want to be with him. He would’ve understood if Maddy had asked him to get out after learning he was a wolf shifter, but she had asked questions, listened to him and been genuinely interested.
He closed his eyes, remembering the taste and feel of her underneath him. He could still feel her fingers on his skin, the way she’d clung to him like she’d never wanted to let him go. And yet she had.
Why? The question had been going through his mind ever since he first set foot out her door that morning. He yanked another leaf from some nearby bushes, and started picking it apart. Why would Maddy send him away? She had wanted to know more about him, so he had explained the situation. His parents had always taught him that honesty came first in a relationship.
His wolf was howling to go back, itching with the need to be back with his mate. Maybe if he explained things again? It had been a lot of information to take in at once, and Maddy had had a big shock.
What he needed was
someone to talk to, someone who knew shifters and humans, and who could help him with this. Konrad tore off the last bit of green from the leaf he’d been picking at, and ran his hands through his hair. He needed advice, but the only person he knew around here was Maddy.
And Tyler.
His wolf bristled at the thought of asking Tyler, and Konrad’s pride still hurt at being defeated by the other wolf shifter, but Tyler really was his best bet. The man knew Maddy, and he had been friendly enough after Konrad had explained why he was here.
It wasn’t a good plan, but it was the only plan he had. He couldn’t leave Maddy, and he would do whatever was necessary to convince her that they were meant to be together. Feeling a little better, Konrad got up and headed back to Crystal Springs. Since he knew Tyler’s scent, it wasn’t too difficult to find the right direction.
The long walk gave him more time to consider how he would ask Tyler for help, assuming the other man was even willing to give it. Maybe he was still annoyed with Konrad coming here after all. Then again, as a shifter Tyler had to understand the importance of mates.
When he finally reached the ranger station, knocking on the door before heading in, he almost felt more nervous than when he had to shift in front of Maddy to prove he really was a shifter.
“Hey there,” a young woman sitting behind the desk greeted him, also in ranger uniform. “How can we help you?”
“I was looking for Tyler,” he said. “Do you know where he is?”
She nodded. “Yeah, he’s just in the office, eating his lunch.” She leaned forward. “Hey, Tyler! Someone’s here to see you!” she yelled, then leaned back again.
A few seconds later, Tyler came in through another door, finishing the last of his sandwich. “Sarah, what did I tell you about raising your voice in here?”
She shrugged. “You always ignore your phone when you’re eating.”
“And with good reason,” Tyler grumbled, then finally looked at Konrad. “What brings you here? I figured you’d have more important things to do than visit me.”