Shifter Starter Set

by Candace Ayers

  The second wolf ran alongside Colton, about five feet away, matching him pace for pace as they thundered through the forest after Hannah. Colton had the slight advantage of being on the dirt path, the wolf had to negate the underbrush and wild growth of the forest. It only slowed the predator down by nanoseconds, but it was an advantage to Colton.

  He could smell the rancid breath of the beast, his own blood boiling with sheer rage as he heard the wolf’s saliva swirling about in its mouth, drooling as he gained on his prey.

  Colton had a choice. He could veer off path, heading off the wolf from the side, or he could wait for the wolf to make its move, and then attack head on. He decided the latter was too dangerous; if the wolf chose to leap, Hannah would be wounded, no matter how quickly he managed to drag the hell beast off of her.

  He heard the wolf lose some ground as he hit a small, dried up ravine. The creature stumbled, swiftly lifting itself, but Colton had already veered toward it. He leapt at the wolf’s side. It spun around instantly, growling ferociously at its attacker. This wolf was smarter. He didn’t leap at Colton. He retracted back on to his hind legs, driving himself closer to the ground, aiming to land a blow at Colton’s underbelly.

  Colton bore down lower, shielding his torso. They growled at one another, slowly circling in the forest, each beast waiting for the other to make the first move. As ever, always staying true to its instincts and exposing its greatest weakness facing predators, the wolf quickly lost patience and moved in for the kill.

  He leapt head on, razor-sharp claws extended and jaw bared open. Colton bade his time; when the wolf’s fangs were an inch from his face, he clobbered the creature with his paw, knocking it off its trajectory whilst getting a good swipe into the wolf’s front haunches. It smacked into a tree, spine first, and whimpered.

  Colton gained on it, ready to finish the job. The wolf was too quick. It leapt up, scattering a light dusting of dirty snow and mud into Colton’s face, and disappeared off into the undergrowth.

  The wounded wolf left a blood trail that Colton could have followed, but again, he couldn’t risk it. He needed to follow Hannah, to ensure that she got back to her cabin safely.

  Following her again, Colton was able to keep a greater distance. He couldn’t smell any danger, and let himself relax, his mind whirling as to what this incident would mean for pack/clan relations. As soon as Hannah was indoors, he would need to warn his brothers and Joe. The old man who manned the Burke’s cabin desk was strictly aligned with the bear clan, as were most of the Port Ursa residents. Colton would let him know what was happening, with strict instructions to contact Colton if he saw anything suspicious.

  Finally, they looped around back to the Cabin. Hannah looked pleased and tired as she slowed down her run into a gentle jog, blissfully unaware of how much danger she’d been in only moments before.

  She paused at the front door, wiping perspiration from her brow. Her scent was viscerally intense due to the run, and smelled of the sweetest perfume to Colton’s nostrils. Colton had to force himself to back away from her. The pain was physical as he fought his bear who was demanding he claim her immediately.

  6

  The garage was on the seedier side of the small town. Hannah followed the road until the traditional wood cabins became sparser, and were replaced by corrugated metal constructions and white-board homes that were falling into disrepair.

  Hannah glugged down a coffee which tasted like rocket fuel, courtesy of the old man at the cabin reception. Turning a corner, she saw the garage up ahead and slowed the SUV to a halt a couple of yards away.

  Car tires were piled up in the lot, along with an assortment of rusty car parts. She could see a shadowy figure moving around inside, but couldn’t ascertain whether it was Brad or not. It had been too long since she’d last seen him to recognize his gait or his posture.

  Hannah was partly dreading this, wishing that she and Brad had kept in touch a little so that their first meeting in over ten years wasn’t on the subject of divorce papers. She didn’t believe for a moment that he’d mind. He was probably just as eager as she was to get them signed, and like her, just hadn’t got around to it or had a pressing need to get the marriage annulled.

  Still, it was going to be an awkward conversation, and as much as Hannah was curious about how Brad was doing after all these years, she felt slightly apprehensive as she exited the car.

  As she approached, she could make out that the figure was definitely Brad. The charming high school all-star had grown taller and leaner. An oil-stained t-shirt clung to his sinewy muscles, giving his appearance a slightly hungry, malnourished look. His hair was shaved into a buzz-cut, removing the floppy locks of his younger days. She made a mental note to tell Laura to spend her next summer here. Port Ursa may be cold and wild, but its male population more than compensated.

  “Can I help you?” He hardly looked in her direction, his attention focused on the contents of a popped car hood.

  “Hi Brad, it’s me, Hannah. Hannah Cooper.”

  He jerked his head up so fast he almost whacked it on the hood. “Well, shit,” he turned to look at her, “Last person I expected to walk in here.”

  “Nice to see you, Brad.”

  “Likewise,” Brad wiped his hands on the bottom of his t-shirt, causing it to ride up, exposing a rock-solid six-pack and a monstrous bruise covering the left side of his torso. “You look great, Hannah. Doing well?”

  “Yeah, you know. Just finished my residency, so, tired more than anything else.”

  “You a doctor now, then?”

  “Yes. Finally. And you, how are things going?”

  “Good. Got a pretty sweet set-up here. Own this dump.”

  “That’s great, Brad.”

  “Yeah. It gets pretty busy during tourist season, fixing up skidoos and flashy cars that can’t hack the roads here,” he ushered her toward the back room of the garage, “Want coffee. or something stronger?”

  “Coffee would be good.”

  Brad turned and busied himself with a kettle.

  “So, I take it you’re not here just for a visit. Unless you’ve discovered a passion for bird watching or salmon fishing since I last saw you.”

  “No, not here for sightseeing,” she hesitated, trying to work out how best to approach the subject, “I was actually wondering if you could help me with something?”

  “Sure, shoot.”

  “Well, we’re still married, as you know, and I thought it’s time we officially ended it. Don’t you think? My lawyer will handle everything, I just need you to sign the papers, that’s all.”

  Hannah winced at the silence that followed. Brad had his back to her, spooning instant coffee into mugs, so she couldn’t gauge his reaction.

  “You getting married or something?” Brad asked, eventually.

  “No, it’s not that. It just seemed like a good time. You know, sorting out my future, that kind of thing.” Something stopped Hannah from mentioning the inheritance. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Brad, exactly, but she no longer knew him either.

  “Right.”

  The kettle boiled, screeching loudly and Hannah almost jumped out of her skin. She was regretting the request for coffee. She was clearly already on edge.

  “I’ve got the paper work right here,” she extracted the papers from her bag.

  “No messing around, huh?”

  Hannah detected a tension simmering under the surface of his jovial tone.

  “I just didn’t want to take up any more of your time than necessary. I’m sorry Brad.”

  He shrugged, holding out the steaming cup toward her.

  “Thanks,” she murmured.

  “Do remember that road trip? It was wild. Did you hear that Matt died?”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. Animal attack. Camping in the Rockies. A couple of years ago, really shitty stuff.”

  Hannah was stunned. The last recollection she had of Matt was him yelling out to the echoing vastness of De
ath Valley, head thrown back, bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand. Now he was gone? She wondered what he’d been like as an adult.

  “Did you see him much after high school?”

  “A bit,” he shrugged, “We roomed together for a while, after you left.”

  Hannah nodded.

  “You see anyone from school?” Brad asked.

  “Not really. I’ve lost touch with most people, shame really.”

  “Well, you’re here now.”

  Brad smiled at her. Hannah returned it, not really knowing what to say next. He’d strayed from the subject of the divorce deliberately, but Hannah wasn’t sure why. Was it painful for him, even after all this time? She doubted it. When they’d parted it had been on good terms, and Brad had seemed as happy to see her go as she was to leave. Neither of them had been anywhere near ready for the commitment of a marriage.

  “What about dinner?” He continued.

  “I really only planned on being here for one night,” Hannah hesitated, “I need to get back.”

  “Do you have plans for tonight?” He persisted.

  “Well, no. I guess we could. It would be nice to catch up.”

  “And I’ll definitely have a look at those papers,” he grinned. “I’ll get them signed, and you’ll be free of me forever.”

  That sealed the deal for Hannah. If it meant getting the divorce papers signed, then a nice dinner catching up with her soon to be ex-husband was no big deal at all.

  “Great!”

  They finalized the details, Hannah insisting that she drive to the destination rather than have Brad pick her up. She wanted to keep this whole thing strictly professional. He hugged her tightly as she left, and Hannah inhaled his scent. It was so strange and familiar all at the same time. She broke the hug first, taking a step backward and smiling at Brad brightly.

  “See you later.”

  “Yeah. See you, Hannah.”

  There was an odd look in Brad’s eyes, but she couldn’t decipher what it meant. Regret? She couldn’t really say. Whatever it was, it unnerved her and Hannah was happy to step out into the natural light of the garage parking lot and hurry back to her car.

  7

  “Shit.” Tucker ran his hands through his hair, “We’ve got a problem.”

  They’d gathered in Joe’s apartment. Their offices were secure, staffed entirely by clan associates or bear shifters, but Colton hadn’t wanted anyone overhearing their discussion.

  “Did you get an identity on the second shifter?” Joe asked.

  “No. I had to stay with the woman.”

  Joe nodded, “You did the right thing.”

  “Who is she?” Wyatt asked, “Why would they target her? Do you know her?”

  “No. Not really. She’s a doctor, in town looking up a friend. I didn’t ask who.” Colton wasn’t ready to divulge to the group that he was pretty sure Hannah was his mate. It was something he wanted to keep quiet for a while, until he understood why she was being hunted, and until he better understood his own feelings.

  “We need to find out who she’s visiting, or if that’s even the truth.”

  “It’s the truth, Wyatt. Trust me.”

  “Colton, you don’t know that,” Wyatt argued, “Not for sure. We should keep an eye on her, see what’s going on.”

  “Fine, I’ll keep an eye on her, but I want Jackson’s pack watched as well,” Colton was on the defensive. He knew Wyatt was just being cautious, but when it came to the safety of Hannah, he didn’t want to take any chances, nor did he want anyone else tracking her. That would be his responsibility.

  “I’ll speak to Derek, see if he’s willing to divulge pack information,” Joe reassured Colton.

  “Be careful. If it gets out that he’s aligning himself with us…”

  “Yeah, I know, there’ll be hell to pay. But, the alliances are going to emerge soon. This cold war can’t last forever. I know Jackson. He’ll get impatient and break soon enough. I want us to be prepared when he does.”

  Colton looked over at Joe. He sounded determined and strong, but observing his features more closely, Colton saw that the man looked tired. They all knew that Wyatt would soon be taking over as alpha, it would be his sworn duty, but Wyatt had always been a bit reticent to take up the leadership role. He wouldn’t be able to evade it for much longer, thought Colton. Joe was becoming more insistent he step down as the years passed.

  “Tucker, get a team together and start tracking Jackson’s pack. Keep it spread out and below the radar, nice and easy. Colt, you keep close to the woman. Find out what her story is. Wyatt, you’re contact point. All info goes through him. Got it?”

  The brothers all nodded in the affirmative and started to disperse.

  Tucker shadowed Colton as they left the building. As soon as they were outside, he came and walked next to him, out of earshot of Wyatt.

  “You’re lying, brother,” murmured Tucker, “About the girl. You know more than you’re letting on. What’s the deal with that?

  “You’re imagining it.”

  “Oh, come on, don’t give me that crap. What’s going on?”

  “Jesus.” Colton spun round to face him, “I don’t know her. At all. She came into the shop yesterday. First time I met her…” he let out a slow, defeated sigh, “But, I think she’s my mate.”

  “What?”

  “My mate. My one true partner. The real deal, whatever you want to call it,” Colton was getting agitated. He wanted to get on the road, find Hannah and make sure she was safe.

  “How do you know?”

  “I just know, okay. I can feel it.”

  Tucker raised his eyebrows as if he wasn’t quite convinced by his brother’s words.

  “Believe what you want. I don’t care, but I need to find her, so I’ll see you later.” They had reached the parking lot and Colton opened the door to his car, getting in without so much as a backward glance at his brother.

  “Don’t do anything stupid!” Tucker shouted at the departing vehicle, and then cursed quietly under his breath.

  * * *

  Colton pulled up at the reception desk. Leaning out of his window, he gave the door a sharp knock. It opened instantly.

  “She here?”

  “Nope. Not back yet,” replied the old man.

  “I’m driving up.”

  Colton got back behind the wheel and continued his way up the dirt drack, his tires crunching in the frost. He pulled up outside her cabin, smiling at the fading smoke still drifting from the chimney. Hannah must have overloaded the fire something fierce to have it keep going this long.

  Colton desperately wanted to shift, to see if anyone had been sniffing around while she’d been gone. In human form he could usually pick up the faint scents of wolf, but his sense of smell wasn’t nearly as strong as when he was in bear form. Shifting was too risky though. Hannah could return at any moment. Seeing a bear roaming outside her cabin and a stranger’s vacant truck would most likely terrify her.

  He checked his phone. No news yet. Putting it back in his pocket, Colton heard the sound of Hannah’s SUV approaching. He prayed that he was going to be able to keep her interested enough to spend the day with her, in the interests of protecting her from harm, and his own selfish needs of wanting her, in the not so distant future, in his bed.

  8

  Hannah was surprised to see a truck parked up by the cabin. As she cut her engine, she was even more surprised when the door of the truck opened and the hot guy from the outfitters store emerged. He wore a North Face jacket over a plain white t-shirt and low slung jeans.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey yourself,” Hannah replied.

  An awkward silence followed, Hannah waiting for the guy to explain what he was doing outside her cabin, a few miles up from the main road.

  “Colton–from Sterling Outfitters.”

  “I remember who you are.”

  He shifted on his feet, and jammed his hands into his pockets.

  “Just checking to
see if everything’s okay up this way. How’d the sleeping bag hold up for you?”

  “You do that for all your customers?” Hannah hoped she looked skeptical rather than flattered. She ignored the slight fluttering in her chest.

  “Nope.” Colton smirked at her.

  “Well, the sleeping bag was great, thanks.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” he hesitated, “actually, I was kind of concerned about wild animals up this way. They get pretty active this time of year. Bears come out of hibernation and there’s slimmer pickings for wolves.”

  “Seriously? They hunt this close to the town? I’d never have thought that. Thanks for the tip.” Hannah was slightly taken aback. Before she’d gone to sleep last night, she’d thought she could hear howling but assumed it was dogs or a few wild coyotes.

  “They do, yeah, and you’re really not that close to the town,” Colton corrected her. It was true. On her run yesterday, she’d got more of a feel for the layout of the place. The ‘town’ was more of a thin line of houses and restaurants that followed the bay, backed by miles upon miles of forest. Hannah’s cabin may have only been a short ride from the main road, but behind it lay pure wilderness. She shivered.

  “Scaring you really wasn’t my intention. Sorry.”

  “No, I’m glad you told me. It’s better to know than be unpleasantly surprised. I went on a run this morning, deep in the forest without thinking. What an idiot.”

  Colton seemed to find this amusing.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Just typical behavior for a city dweller.”

  “I grew up in Montana. I’m just a bit rusty is all.” She raised an eyebrow at him. She couldn’t quite figure out if he was flirting with her or just being friendly. She hoped for the former, but considering this was an excursion to get her husband to sign divorce papers, it was probably better if he was just being friendly.

  “How long have you lived in Chicago?”