by Robin Roseau
“No, Michaela. I was wrong.”
“No. At the time, you were not wrong. You weren’t fitting in. You were troubled, and we were troubled. Something changed. Do you know what?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Please don’t tell me you’re kicking me out. I want to stay.”
“We’re not kicking you out,” she said. “No, we are not kicking you out. But we must be formal about this. Zoe Young, do you belong as a member of the Madison weres?”
“Yes, Alpha. I do.”
And as if it were a signal, the assembled wolves lifted their noses and howled. Michaela covered her ears. They howled for a minute or two before Lara held up her hand, and they faded off. But she’d been one of the howling wolves.
“Those assembled agree with you,” Michaela said. “In the two weeks, we have watched you. You have been under observation from many angles: mine, Lara’s, Elisabeth’s, and even many of my students. But most closely, Portia has spent nearly every minute with you. And she has nothing but the best things to say about you. She tells us that you performed every task assigned, cheerfully, even exuberantly.”
I looked over to Portia, but she didn’t look pleased. I didn’t understand what was going on.
“I concur with her observation. My students have taken a shine to you, as we all saw earlier when they continually stole you away.”
There was laughter at that.
“Lara, our alpha, and Elisabeth, our head enforcer, also agree. Portia, has this member completed her sentence?”
Portia stood up. “She was assigned fifty hours of pack service and an additional fifty of service to the enforcers. She has completed her pack service hours with a few to spare but lacks another fourteen hours of service to the enforcers. We ran out of tasks I was willing to let her do.”
“What tasks did you deny?”
“In short? Rory’s laundry.”
“Eww,” Michaela said. “A wise decision, enforcer. What is your impression of this pack member?”
“My impression, Alpha?” Portia asked. “The pack is lucky to have her.”
“Succinctly said,” Michaela said. “You may sit.”
Portia still looked unhappy, but Michaela gathered my attention. “Zoe Young, Lara, Elisabeth, Portia and I have discussed your service for us, as well as the other aspects of your position in the pack. We feel that the original reason for your sentence has been addressed. We are gratified at how you have become a vital member of this pack. And so, we pardon your remaining sentence. Your driving privileges are reinstated, and you are free to return to your normal life and standard obligations to the pack.”
I stared at her.
“Portia will drive you home tonight, or if it is too late tonight, perhaps in the morning. Now give me a hug.”
I hugged her, but I felt a little sick inside.
She was sending me home.
And I didn’t want to go!
Michaela kept me with her for the next hour as the stories and skits continued. When she finally released me, I looked for Portia, but I couldn’t find her.
* * * *
Portia came home very late that night. I thought she would come to check on me, but she went straight to her own room. In the morning, she drove me home.
Neither of us seemed to have anything to say to each other.
Part Four
Confession
I glanced at the phone before answering it, and I was smiling when I said, “Hey there, you.”
“Hello, Zoe,” said Portia. “How are you doing?”
“Well. I missed you on Wednesday.”
“I had things I needed to do,” she said. “I heard the council approved your photography class.”
“Yeah, but we’re waiting until after Christmas. I think the kids are getting cameras in their stockings.”
“Yeah, probably,” she said. “I bought one.”
“Really?” I asked. “Which one?”
“The Nikon you like,” she said. “And a couple of lenses and the other things you said.”
“Maybe you’d like me to help you learn to use it.”
“I would,” she said. “I’d like that a lot. Maybe tomorrow? I could pick you up.”
“Maybe you should invite me there. Better subjects to photograph.”
“You’re right. In the morning?”
“I’ll come after breakfast.”
“I’ll do something for lunch, and maybe you’ll let me take you to dinner.”
“I’d like that.”
* * * *
“Show me what you know,” I said.
“I read the manual, and I took a bunch of pictures. I don’t know what to do with them.” She smiled. “I have something else to show you.” She took my hand and pulled me to my feet.
Portia’s house was small, but she had a little room she used for storage just off the kitchen. She led me there. When we arrived, I saw she had changed it. It was now a home office, and there was a shiny new Mac sitting on the desk.
“Ah, I love converting the world, one person at a time.” We grinned at each other.
I showed her how to move pictures from her camera to her computer, then showed her what she could do with them.
“This rocks, Zoe!”
“I know.” I taught her how she could get them printed if she wanted, but told her, “You’ll want image processing software.”
“The guy at the store tried to sell something to me, but I wanted to see what you recommend.”
“There are a lot of good choices. I could teach a dozen classes.” We talked about software, and I told her for now she could use iPhoto, but I’d show her other software when she was ready.
Lunchtime arrived, and we ate together. Then we each grabbed a camera and spent the afternoon in the woods, practicing.
It was a lovely day.
We stayed out until late afternoon, but eventually made it back to her place. I had a change of clothes, and it was like I had never left. I showered and changed, and twenty minutes later, we were in her car, heading for a restaurant.
We talked comfortably over dinner, but I could tell something was bothering her. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to you about something, but I don’t know how you’re going to react. So I want to wait until we get home.”
“All right. You’re not leaving the pack, are you?”
“No way,” she said. “This is the pack for me.”
“Good,” I said. “Because if you said you were leaving, I’d throw a fit until Lara refused to let you go.”
She smiled but didn’t say anything right away, then changed the subject.
Her hand felt good on my back as she directed me to the car. But once we were inside, she was quiet. I babbled for a few minutes, but I faded off as well, and we rode the last half of the return home in silence.
“Would you like to go for a run?” she asked once we were out of the car.
“You’re stalling.”
“I know.”
“Come on.” I took her hand and pulled her into the house. We sat down on the sofa. “Tell me.”
She wouldn’t look me in the eye.
“Portia, tell me.”
But she was still quiet.
Finally I reached over and pulled her chin to me. I’d been told to never do anything like that with a dominant wolf, but she didn’t growl. Her eyes were filled with pain.
“Are you sick?”
“No. Wolves don’t get sick until we’re a lot older.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No. I’m afraid you’ll be mad at me.”
“If so, you’ll apologize, and I’ll forgive you.”
“I’m not sure you will.”
I huffed at her, causing her to smile. “Wager.”
“What?” she asked.
“Wager. If you win, I owe you an unconditional apology. If I win, you owe me a foot massage.”
“Zoe…”
“I be
t you can’t make me beg you to stop tickling me. You have five minutes.”
“Zoe, this is important.”
I lay back against the cushions of the couch, spread my arms, and closed my eyes. “Start a timer and start tickling.”
“Zoe, I’ll happily play this game another time. I appreciate what you’re doing, but this is too important.”
I opened my eyes and looked at her.
“All right,” I said. “Just tell me.”
“I have a confession.”
“So you said.”
“Do you remember your date with Harper Armstrong?”
“I do,” I said.
“And do you remember how Elisabeth was here when you got home.”
“I remember that, too.”
“And do you remember when I said it was partly my fault she was still here?”
“I vaguely remember that.”
“It wasn’t partly my fault. It was entirely, 100% my fault.”
I stared at her. “Okay,” I said. “Explain.”
“I didn’t know Harper, but I knew of her. I asked about her, once I knew you had a date with her.”
“Okay. Keep going.”
“I made sure she knew you had to be home that night. She couldn’t keep you overnight. Due to your sentence.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“And I made sure Elisabeth was waiting when you two got here.”
“And did you know she would run from Elisabeth?”
“I knew Elisabeth wouldn’t keep her cool if she saw you with another woman, and I knew the house would stink of her jealousy. Yes, I knew Harper would run.”
I got up from the sofa and walked to the window, trying to figure out what was going on. I stood there for a while.
“Say something,” Portia prompted.
“Why?”
She climbed from the sofa and moved behind me. When she tried to put her hands on my shoulders, I moved away.
“Why?” I repeated.
“I knew Elisabeth’s scent would overwhelm another scent.”
“What scent?” I turned around. “The scent of betrayal?”
Pain flicked across her face, but instead of retreating, she said, “No. My own jealousy and desire. Zoe, I couldn’t stand you with someone else. I want you for myself. I love you.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“I love you. I want you.”
I moved away from her, still staring. “This is what Prudence meant, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say anything then?”
“I-”
“Yes?”
“I was afraid.”
“You were afraid.”
“As long as I didn’t tell you, then I could believe you felt the same way, or could grow to feel the same way. But once I told you, then the cards are on the table. Zoe, I’m sorry. I had no right to meddle. If Harper was the right woman for you, you deserved the chance to find out. And if she wasn’t, you deserved the chance to find out.”
“I see.” I looked around the room for a while, my eyes finally settling on her again. “You love me. Is that what you’re telling me.”
“Yes. I’m not sure I knew what love is. Now I know. Zoe, I’m sick thinking you’ll hate me. Please, please don’t hate me.”
“That was awfully conniving.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You should have told me a whole lot sooner, Portia.”
“I know.”
I couldn’t believe she was saying this to me now. “You didn’t seem upset about Prudence.”
That caused a ghost of a smile. “I didn’t know Prudence, but I knew of her.”
“You were expecting an old granny. Were you surprised?”
“Yeah, and I felt threatened, but then she said what she said, and I knew I had time. Not much, but some. Please, Zoe, am I too late?”
My brain was trying to catch up to everything she had said. The problem was, my brain was largely shut down.
Portia loved me.
“I’m human,” I said.
“I know. I love you.”
“We can’t run together.”
“That’s not true. We can run just fine. Just not in fur. I don’t care. Well, I wish we could, but we can’t, and I’m fine with that. We’ll do our own way of running. And we’ll find games we can both play.”
“I won’t be any good.”
“I don’t care. I don’t care, Zoe. All I care about right now is hearing you tell me you forgive me.”
“Forgive you. That’s what you want?” I asked. “You want me to forgive you?”
“Yes.”
I huffed.
“Please.” Her voice cracked.
“No,” I said. “We’re not talking about that anymore.”
“Zoe, please.”
“Quiet.”
I moved closer to her and looked up into her troubled eyes. Her hands trembled, and I knew she ached to hold me.
“You love me.”
“Yes.”
“Like a woman loves a woman.”
“Yes.”
“Well then,” I said. “That’s good.”
“It is?”
“You’re a dominant wolf, Portia.”
“Yes, normally.”
“When I want something, I am not going to be shy with my opinion. So you better be okay with that. And right now, I want you to pick me up, carry me to your bed, and show me exactly how much you love me.”
She gave a cry of joy and did just that.
* * * *
She howls when she comes.
* * * *
I don’t. I scream her name.
Forever
Portia Fleming
I stared at her as she slept. I leaned closer and inhaled deeply. I didn’t have to. The entire house was filled with the scent of our shared passion. But I couldn’t get enough of her scent.
Tomorrow, I was going to chase her all over the house. I knew she’d shriek with laughter. I knew if I made her work hard, she would spread her scent everywhere, and my home would smell like her.
I’d do that often.
I inhaled again, filling my nose with her scent. I wanted to bury my nose in her. I wanted to bury my fingers and my tongue in her. I needed to wake her, and do it all again.
But I had worn her out.
Her joy though, oh her joy was like none I had ever seen.
“Mine,” Wolf said to me.
“Ours,” I agreed.
“Mine,” she growled.
“Ours.”
“She thinks I’m magnificent,” Wolf said.
“That she does, Wolf. That she does.”
“She thinks you’re magnificent, too.”
“I know. No one has ever said that to me before.”
“She likes touching you.”
“She does.”
“Mine!” Wolf said.
“Ours.”
“And we’re hers,” Wolf said. “We are mated now.”
“Yes, Wolf, we are mated.”
“Forever,” Wolf said.
“Forever,” I agreed.
And in her sleep, Zoe whispered, “Forever.”
About the Author
A writer by avocation, Robin has a renaissance interest in many areas. A bit of a gypsy, Robin has called a few places home and has traveled widely. A love of the outdoors, animals in general and experimenting with world cuisines, Robin and partner share their home with a menagerie of pets and guests, although sometimes it is difficult to discern who is whom.
Robin can be reached via email as [email protected]. Robin’s web site is http://www.robin-roseau.com.
Works by Robin Roseau
The Madison Wolves Series
Fox Run
Fox Play
Fox Mate
Fox Afield
Fox Revenge
Fox Dish
Wolf Watch
Wolf Ways
Wolf Women (coming November 2014)
Fox Short Stories
Hunting Pups
Fox in the Water
Fox Opponent (coming October 2014)
Other Books in the Madison Wolves Universe
Familiar
Seer
Seer: Thrall (coming October 2014)
Other Novels and Novellas
Blood Slave
Emergency Claus
Fitting In
Free to Love
In Custody
Lost in the Words
Privateer
Stark’s Dell
The Interrogation
Tresjolie
Short Stories
Captured by the Raptor (writing as Rosetta Robins)
Cooking for Love
Southern Night
Wolf Ways
Copyright 2014 by Robin Roseau
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
* * *
License Notes
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Table of Contents
Assimilation
Unexpected Visitor
Gear
Running
Lust