As she said it, she imagined a grim sight. It was Rowan at thirteen, staring down an entire pack of wolves. For a second, she felt connected to him somehow. She was in just as frightening as a situation, though she wasn't as terrified as she thought she would have been. Though Rowan was unconscious, he was still right there beside her, fighting with her as he struggled quietly back onto his feet.
She kept her eyes locked on Grey, even when he was telling her to shut up.
“They’re not your friends,” she said. “They’re all just scared of you, just like I was. Take them away and you have nobody left in your life.”
“STOP IT!” Grey screamed.
His cries were lost in the roar of the waterfall. Mia could feel his hand trying to grab her again, though his knuckles were weak.
“You’re trying to fight it,” she egged on. “But you know for a fact that you’re alone, and you always will be.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, they almost felt like a magic spell, as if she knew the ancient sayings that would release her from Grey's grasp. Grey faltered backward, dropping Mia to her knees as he struggled. He held onto his head with both hands, screaming in a fit of rage as if he were being plagued by an irritating noise.
"Mia…" he said as he tumbled backward. He was teetering near the waterfall, and Mia knew she only had a precious few seconds.
She kept going, screaming over the waterfall as she proclaimed her love for Rowan, how Grey would amount to nothing but being a pathetic person that tormented others for his own benefit. The words fell from her mouth like stones, heavy ones that she had longed to say. They seemed to hit Grey right in the face, and within moments he was convulsing on the cliff’s edge. His body eerily shifted, ghosting between human and animal as his jaws outstretched into a gruesome muzzle.
Just as he seemed halfway through, Mia took a step closer. She braced herself, ready to finish him off. But before she could, Grey had cried out in agony as a flash of white teeth snapped from the shadows, latching on to his ankle. Mia watched in horror as Grey got himself stuck in between shifts. He rolled helplessly on the ground, his arms vaguely resembling wolf paws as she seized against the rocks.
Rowan lifted himself over Grey now, his hackles raised as he crunched his jaws harder into Grey’s ankle. Grey screamed a horrifying combination of man and wolf shrieks as he stumbled towards the edge of the cliff.
Mia watched Rowan shake Grey with such ferocity. She could see he was getting himself too close to the cliff’s edge. With a cry she rushed for Grey, her body making contact with his deformed ribcage. He had felt light as a feather at her touch, and Mia watched as he tumbled into the misty falls without a sound.
It was silent, save for the rushing water beside them. It was as if Grey had simply disappeared in front of them. Just to be sure, Mia stood over the edge and stared down into the water. Grey’s body was there, hanging limp and lifeless over a rock. She could see the dark smear of his blood bathing the side of one of the boulders.
Then, in a second, Grey’s body was washed from the rocks and disappeared into the violent river.
Something grabbed tightly to Mia's leg, and she let out a startled cry thinking that it was Grey. But she looked to see that Rowan had shifted back into his human self, and was weakly smiling up at her. Mia ducked down beside him, taking off her jacket to drape around him. She tucked his wet hair behind his ear, and tenderly kissed him on his scratched forehead.
"Thank you," she said. Rowan nuzzled against her hand.
"Thank you," he said. "Glad we could finally work together for once." He smiled, his teeth still bloody from biting Grey. He noticed and wiped it with his arm in embarrassment.
"I think I figured out what you meant back in the tent," Rowan said, his voice exhausted. Mia shushed him, pulling him closer into her lap. His body curled up on her knee as she stroked his hair. She was just as exhausted as he was, and there was no need to discuss anything serious now.
"I used to hate myself every day for not being there for you," Rowan said. "But what I didn't realize, is that you're here, right now. And we don't have to live in all of that. That shadowy past that keeps us apart."
Mia looked down at him, wiping a red stain of blood from the corner of his lip.
“Stay with me then,” she said. “Here, in the present.”
Rowan gathered his strength, leaning up to kiss her. Mia turned and kissed him softly on the cheek.
"Um," Mia said. "Let me kiss you when you don't have the blood of my ex in your mouth."
“Right,” Rowan said. “Sorry.”
Mia lifted Rowan to his feet. They struggled up the hill, clutching onto the boulders together. Mia clutched tightly to him, glad that finally, they could exist in this new space together. Now that the evil was gone from Mia's life, their next battle would be navigating through the present and the unpredictable future.
“Need a hand there, buddy?” A voice said, reaching down to grab Rowan’s arm. Rowan grunted as Brian stood on the ledge to pull him up, his body hurriedly covered up with a sweater and sweatpants. The rest of the Lost Shadow pack stood beside him.
“What happened to the others?” Rowan asked, appearing to take notice of the numbers.
From the group, Josiah stepped forward. “They’re being tended to,” he said calmly. “By the looks of it, you should probably get back to your tent too.”
“And the Feral Bloods?” Mia asked. Shay emerged, being supported on the arm of Kara.
“Chased them out,” Shay said proudly. “I don’t think they’ll be coming around here for a while.”
“They won’t need to,” Josiah said. “We’ll be heading back to our home shortly. After all, we got what we came for, haven’t we?” He cast a knowing glance at Rowan. Rowan avoided his gaze, somewhat nervous. He glanced over at Mia, and suddenly she felt a pang of sadness as she realized that she didn’t have Rowan for as long as she thought.
“You’re going back with them,” Mia said definitely.
“I have to,” Rowan said. “I need to finish my training. Tonight was just another reason to get this under control.” He brushed Mia’s hair from her face. Mia shuddered at his touch, suddenly longing to be closer to him again, her body intertwining with his. All to herself.
“Okay,” she said quietly. She couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from him.
“I can’t keep letting this get in the way of what I love,” Rowan said as he held her close and kissed her forehead. “And that’s you.”
Mia trembled in his arms, dreading the goodbye. But Josiah had other plans for both of them.
“You know, Mia,” he said. “That the Lost Shadows home base has an opening.”
“An opening?” Mia asked. “For what?”
“We’ll need someone to help oversee the pack, and possibly train the incoming shifters.”
“But I’m not a shifter,” Mia said. “I don’t see how much use I could be to you all.”
“I see you and Rowan have learned some things about triggers that I think may be a useful contribution to our pack,” Josiah said.
Mia beamed as the rest of the pack agreed with Josiah, mumbling their approval. She looked right into Rowan’s eyes. “Then I accept,” she said with a grin from ear to ear. She had been lifted right out of her sorrow, and back into the arms of the man that she loved.
EPILOGUE
Mia carried her bag of groceries at her side as she followed the rugged path through the forest. Her feet hopped from stone to stone over a creek as she made her way back home. She knew she wasn’t supposed to, but she still liked a bit of recklessness every now and then. The leaves were green again, to her relief. The past two winters had been insufferable for her, and she was looking forward to feeling the sun on her shoulders again soon.
She came to a tree, where a single rope trailed from the trunk to the ground. A zip line that she had helped to build not too long ago. A child stood on a platform made of plywood, her hands gripping onto the lon
g bar as she took a leap of faith. Mia stopped to watch the girl, as she giggled all the way down the zip line and landed in a pile of leaves.
It was great to give the kids something to do in between training. As Mia continued on, she turned to see the child emerge from the leaves as a young wolf. She shook off the leaves that were clinging to her ears and ran in the direction of the main house.
It had been a couple blissful years for Mia. After Grey had been killed, she had felt lost for a while. Not because she needed Grey in her life, but because she had been so used to having him in her life, lurking around every corner and threatening to make his return that she didn’t know what it was like to have a life that wasn’t always in fear.
Luckily she had someone that could guide her through it, not to mention the help she had received from the Lost Shadows. Mia smiled to herself, grateful for the love that surrounded her. Her hand rested on her belly, large and round. Soon, there’d be an addition to the pack. On the back of Mia’s mind there lingered the strange question of just what kind of child she was going to have once it emerged from her womb.
She was disturbed by a rustling nearby. At first, she thought it was just the child playing, but the young wolf had long since disappeared. Mia walked faster now, checking behind her. She knew the pack wasn't too far away, but she still couldn't shake the strange feeling she would sometimes get while walking through the forest alone.
Then, from behind a tree, a large figure leaped out in front of her. Mia gasped at the sight of the large grey wolf, lowering its head in front of her.
"Oh my!" Mia cried in an over-exaggerated tone. "There's a wolf out here! Somebody save me! He's absolutely rabid!"
The wolf shifted with ease, in fluid-like motions until it was Rowan standing in front of her. His messy hair was now cut short, clean and presentable, though he knew Mia still liked how he used to keep it. He was fully clothed, wearing a dark-green park ranger uniform. That’s what the haircut was for, to keep Rowan presentable for his daily job.
Rowan lunged for Mia, carefully bringing her into his strong loving arms.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” he said, very serious.
“Ma’am?” Mia said in shock. “I’m pregnant but I’m not an old woman, Rowan.”
“Sorry…Miss,” Rowan said with a wink. “I heard there was a predator out here, and I’m here to save you.”
Mia smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “What’s a park ranger like you going to do to fight off a wolf?” She asked softly.
Rowan shrugged. “Well, it just so happens to be that I am a wolf myself,” he joked. “And I’m actually here to claim my territory.” He reached up to grab her hand, holding it up to his lips to kiss it gently. His eyes regarded the bright shimmering ring on Mia’s finger. “Seems as though it’s a little late for that,” he said.
Mia pulled away, still holding onto Rowan’s hand as they continued to walk.
“What’s happening in the wild these days?” Mia asked.
"Brian's been staying in the fire watch tower," Rowan said. "He says he's got his eye on one of the conservation program's interns."
“Uh-oh,” Mia said. “Think she could be his mate?”
"Not sure," Rowan said. "We'll see if she can get over the bear-shifting hurdle first. You know, like you had to with me?"
“I didn’t even have to,” Mia said. “I already loved you then.”
“You still got freaked out,” Rowan said matter-of-factly.
"Well, yeah! You were a wolf!" Mia argued.
They chattered on like this until they came to the large cabin where the Lost Shadows stayed. The cabin branched off into separate smaller cabins, and Rowan and Mia had one to themselves.
The cabin was similar to the one Rowan used to have, though it was hard to get Rowan back to that cabin after what Grey and his pack had done to it. He was still able to salvage some of his books, along with his cooking pots and his clothes. What he didn't take was the box he had kept in his closet. He figured that the past should remain where it was and that there was no point in uncovering what needed to stay.
“The pack should be getting back soon,” Mia said as she placed the groceries on the counter of their cozy kitchen.
“Shay and Kara have been on patrol today. Glad to see that the hunting has settled down for the season.” Rowan sifted impatiently through the bag, pleased to find a chunk of beef wrapped in packaging. “You know,” he said. “If you wanted meat, I could just get that for you. You know…for free.”
“Yeah, but I prefer to have my meat in one piece, thank you,” Mia smirked.
“Well then,” Rowan said as he crept up behind her. “Do I have one piece of meat you might be interested in?” He nibbled on her ear and Mia shrieked with delight.
She smacked him on the shoulder, though his offer didn’t sound too bad.
“Oh, wait here,” Rowan said as he remembered something. He came back with a small red box, wrapped neatly with a bow. “Happy anniversary,” he said with a smile as he handed Mia the box.
Mia took the gift, glancing at the over-excited Rowan. As she pulled off the covering, she could feel warm tears flooding her eyes. She pulled out Rowan's gift and laid it flat onto her palm. It was a clay ornament, half of a heart, with another shape inside. 'st, tes,' was painted on the front.
“It’s incomplete,” Rowan said. “But no worries. I just happen to have the other piece.” He reached into his pocket, producing the other half of the ornament. “be, ma” was painted on his.
Mia excitedly put the two halves together. They made a single heart with a single message: ‘Best mates’
"Get it?" Rowan said. "'Mates' is like the word 'friend', but you know…you're also my mate." Mia laughed but noticed that the two pieces didn't exactly fit together; almost reminiscent of the old ornament they used to have.
"Rowan," Mia said. "What's this hole in the middle?"
"Check the box," Rowan said. Mia pushed the other paper away in the box, finding a small circle of clay. It was painted to look like the face of a baby. Mia laughed even harder as she completed the ornament, the baby's face perfectly joining the two halves.
"Do you like it?" Rowan asked, not sure if Mia's laughter was good or bad.
“I love it,” Mia said. “But we definitely can’t show anyone this. The baby makes it a little weird.”
“Deal,” Rowan said as he embraced her. Mia wiped her eyes as she leaned into his shoulder. He was warm and welcoming, like the home they could finally share together.
Mia leaned up, her lips pressing against his. Rowan was her best friend, her dearest love, her wolf.
The present had never looked so good.
END
Shadow of the Wolf
Central City Wolf Chronicles Series
By:
Amelia Wilson
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
1. FORTUNE
2. INTERRUPTED PEACE
3. THE SIGN
4. NEGOTIATIONS
5. PARTNERS
6. IN THE CARDS
7. HISTORY
8. BONES
9. DISTRACTIONS
10. WRONG TURF
11. ALPHA
12. DISAPPOINTMENTS
13. ALPHA
14. LONER
15. PARTING GIFT
16. BROTHERS
17. ORACLE
18. AWAKENING
19. POWER
20. PEACE
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
No place for anybody.
Certainly no place for a wolf.
A scattered rhythm of paws thudded against the pavement outside of the abandoned warehouse. They were just far enough outside of the city for curious eyes not to find them.
The pack was swift, made up of at least ten members that gathered in tight formation, their ragged panting making clouds in the frigid night air. They reached a chain-linked fence, where each of them took turns to scramble under it to reach the ma
in yard.
The building hadn't been touched for years, the windows were broken from rocks thrown by careless teenagers and wandering drunks. The wolves followed carefully behind the alpha as he led them through a hole in a brick wall, into the echoing emptiness of the warehouse. It was cold and damp, smelling of mildew and dying rats. Some of the wolves were nervous, although none of them would dare show it in front of the alpha while he was leading a mission. One false move and they could be exiled back onto the streets.
Once safely inside, the alpha, who had serious olive-colored eyes and red brindled fur, turned to face the sea of grey and light-colored markings. With a faint whoosh and a jagged pattern of blurs, the alpha shifted effortlessly into his human form, and pressed his back against a crumbling brick wall. He was handsome. Rugged, with stubble along his sharp jawline. His human eyes were just as serious as his wolf eyes had been and his trimmed hair was a deep brown with subtle hints of dark red.
The others took notice to shift alongside him, all of them forming tighter circles. The men and women waited patiently for their orders.
The alpha regarded his pack with pride. All of them were dressed similarly in black athletic clothes. They had a very important mission to attend to this night. One of the members stepped forward, a grimacing young man with glasses and neatly combed hair. "My map says it's one of those doors," he said, pointing to either side of the main floor of the warehouse. Two hallways split off, curving ominously in different directions.
“Split up,” the alpha said. “Beta, you’ll lead the second group. Sound off a warning if you find anything.”
“Don’t you think we should stay together?”
"We don't know how much time we'll have to find this thing."
Without listening to another word, the alpha leapt over a railing, and landed firmly on the dirty tiled floor below. His polished boots scraped against the shattered glass as he led his half of the pack towards the right side of the room.
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