by Bru Baker
When the cabin was full, each of his campers would have a roommate, but Harris told him they were light on wolflings at the moment, so he only had four kids. There were four bedrooms, not counting his suite, so no one had to share. Each of the wolfling rooms had three beds, but Harris said he’d rarely have more than eight kids at a time.
Nick wanted to lie on the ridiculous memory-foam mattress and take a nap, but he had a staff meeting tonight after dinner, and he didn’t want to risk sleeping through it. He’d met the other psychologist, Kenya, and the camp director, Anne Marie, when Harris had shown him around earlier. Tonight he’d be introduced to the rest of the staff, along with the person heading up the infirmary, who was also new.
He was glad he wouldn’t be the only new guy. It was bad enough that as lowest man on the ladder he had to live in a cabin with campers. Now that he had seniority over someone, Harris got to choose whether or not to live with the kids. He’d gleefully informed Nick he was choosing not, and Nick was inheriting his old cabin. Nick couldn’t blame him. It was certainly going to be a lifestyle change.
Though living here with the wolflings wasn’t exactly going to be a hardship. Nick’s suite was almost as big as his last apartment. He had a private deck, a sizable sitting area full of comfortable furniture, and a bathroom with a walk-in shower and a gorgeous claw-foot tub that was just the right size for two. He was currently putting a lot of energy into not thinking about what Drew would look like sprawled in it, which was ridiculous, considering he’d known the guy less than twenty-four hours and would never see him again.
Nick wandered out to the tiny kitchenette off his sitting area. Meals in the mess hall were included in his compensation package, but it was nice to have a space he could make a simple meal or have a snack alone. He’d have to borrow one of the camp cars and find a nearby town to stock up.
He blew out a breath and shook his head. He’d only been here a few hours, and he was already looking forward to getting off campus. It didn’t bode well for his future here.
Nick set off for the infirmary, which Anne Marie said was the only place at camp that was both private and comfortable enough to hold all the staff together. It was one of the areas he hadn’t seen on his tour with Harris, so he wanted to leave himself plenty of time to get lost along the way.
The contractors had done a nice job replacing the window in the Pilates studio. Not a speck of glass remained, and if not for the slightly different shade of stain on the wood he’d never have known any fix had been made. The window was huge and looked custom-made, though clearly it couldn’t have been. It had been less than twenty-four hours since it had broken—even a place with pockets as deep as Camp H.O.W.L. couldn’t have made that happen.
He passed a low, plain building labeled Library and named after one of the most prominent members of Congress who, according to the plaque on the door, was a camp alum from the sixties. No wonder they were able to hide in plain sight on federal parkland. Clearly the camp was well connected.
It was smart, isolating the camp on a parcel of land surrounded by public parklands. Nick bet if he looked at the land records he’d find the national parkland had been donated by a wealthy family, with the camp itself being left as private property. Hidden on thousands of acres, people would have eventually forgotten the entire tract wasn’t public land. Anyone who stumbled on Camp H.O.W.L. now saw miles of fencing and warnings about not picking up hitchhikers. The camp was officially a private program for troubled teens who needed nature therapy.
He hadn’t come across a wolfling yet, but dinner was just ending. They’d still been in lockdown when he and Harris had arrived, and now he could hear the muffled chaos of a large group of teens talking and eating in the mess hall nearby. He’d already looked over the roster of kids in his cabin—all boys. They were breaking him in gently, because God only knew what a cabin full of teenage girl drama would be like.
The infirmary was one of the few buildings on campus that didn’t have a view of the lake. Every light blazed like some sort of homing beacon. Did they always leave it lit up like that, or was it for his benefit?
He jogged up the cedar stairs and entered the building, following the quiet hum of conversation through the small lobby and deeper into the darkened hallway. There was an empty desk—reception, he guessed—and few small exam rooms with the doors propped open. A staircase led upstairs, but the voices were coming from farther back. He emerged onto a large screened-in porch, joining a group of about ten people who were milling around with plates of food.
Anne Marie snagged him immediately. “Welcome, Nick. We usually eat in the mess hall before the meeting, but today was a little hectic with the storm cleanup. The mess sent over some food, and we were just finishing up. Help yourself if you’re hungry.”
His stomach was too tied up in knots to let him eat, but he knew he’d regret it later if he didn’t try to force something down. It wasn’t like he could make a Taco Bell run at midnight if he got hungry.
The dinner laid out on the table didn’t look like something that had been pulled together for a last-minute meal. There were platters of roast beef sandwiches on thick slices of brioche, several types of salads, and some sort of soup that smelled mouthwatering. Spicy and sweet.
His pulse quickened as he took another breath. It wasn’t the soup.
Nick lifted a shoulder and sniffed at his shirt, reassuring himself he’d changed out of Drew’s dirty one at the cabin. He’d stuffed it in his suitcase after unpacking—lying and telling himself he’d stashed it there so it didn’t get mixed in with his laundry and not in a lame attempt to preserve the remnants of their scents mixed together.
He was wearing one of his own clean shirts, but Drew’s smell was unmistakable. He’d spent last night trying to memorize it to give himself something to think about on his lonely nights at camp. Nick turned around and scanned the room, looking for the source of the smell. Anne Marie was talking to Kenya, and the rest of the staff was clustered in groups of threes and fours, chatting. Harris was nowhere to be seen, but he’d told Nick he had mess-hall duty, so he was probably still there keeping an eye on the wolflings.
There weren’t any other familiar faces, and Nick forced himself to take a calming breath. Clearly he was losing his mind.
Nick helped himself to a plate and a sandwich and wandered over to the edge of the porch. The infirmary might not have a view of the lake, but it had its own pond out back. Water burbled down a pebbled wall, and he could smell the citrusy tang of the lemongrass growing in pots along the edge. It blended nicely with the sharp smell of the evergreens that blanketed the forest. The entire setup was peaceful and relaxing, which made sense. This was an infirmary, after all. Weres were immune to most diseases and infections, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t break bones or injure themselves in the same ways humans did. They just healed faster—especially in an environment like this.
“It’s a wonderful place to spend an afternoon reading,” Kenya said, joining him. “The pond has koi in it, and when it gets a little warmer, we’ll bring out hammocks and chairs so everyone can enjoy the pond. Though I suppose that might change. Diann kept the pond and the porch open for anyone, but it’s not actually meant to be a public space. The camp doctor lives upstairs, so this is really an extension of his home.”
Nick hadn’t realized the doctor lived there, but it made sense. The stairs he’d passed probably led to an apartment. The doctor needed to be available at all hours to care for sick wolflings, and living above the infirmary would make that easy.
“I think you’ll like him,” she said, gesturing over his shoulder toward the hallway. “You two are about the same age, and he’s got a great sense of humor.”
The spicy-sweet smell intensified, and Nick turned around, panic building tight and hot in his throat. It couldn’t be, could it?
But it was.
Drew stood in the doorway, freshly showered and dressed in a Camp H.O.W.L. T-shirt that was just a little bit too b
ig. It dipped below his collarbone, exposing a love bite Nick had left there last night. It was only visible for a second, disappearing behind the sweater Drew pulled over his head before stepping onto the porch.
“Sorry for holding you up,” Drew said, slightly breathless. “I wanted to wash the plane off.”
He’d probably wanted to wash the scent of a werewolf off too. Nick had done the same as soon as he’d gotten into his room, even though smelling a human on him wouldn’t have caused any problems. Not like the scent of a foreign wolf would in a new den.
Drew’s hair had been mussed by the collar of his sweater, and he absently ran his hands through it to tame it, a motion that looked so practiced Nick doubted he knew he was doing it, let alone how sexy it was.
“Already wearing the merch, Dr. Welch?” someone called from a chair a few feet away.
Drew laughed. “Like it’s a surprise, Scott. I think this one is yours, isn’t it? I recognize the ketchup stain under the O.”
“Why aren’t you wearing mine?” a tiny blonde sitting on the arm of an easy chair called out.
“The one you sent had literal sparkles and ended under my nipples, Kaylee. I’m saving it for a special occasion, obviously.”
The thought of Drew in a skintight belly shirt made Nick shiver. What the hell was going on? Was this actually happening or was he having some sort of stress-induced hallucination? If it really was Drew—and his nose was telling him it was—then why was he acting like he knew every werewolf in the room? How was he even in the room? This was a Were camp, and the last time he’d checked, Drew was decidedly lacking in an inner wolf.
“Everyone sent Drew an article of clothing that carried their scent so he’d smell like Pack when he got here,” Kenya explained, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “We figured it would be easier for the wolflings to accept a human if he smelled like he belonged here right from the beginning.”
It wasn’t just a scent thing. Drew acted like he belonged here, too. He was completely at home, joking around with everyone like they were old friends. Hell, he wasn’t even wearing shoes. The sight of his bare toes poking out from the hem of his jeans was so domestic it made Nick want to pounce and claim him right there on the floor. The thought made him scowl at the bare wooden planks like they’d offended him. Even though he’d been fantasizing about finding Drew all day, seeing him here was nightmare. Nick didn’t want a relationship with him, not a real one. And now that they were coworkers, they certainly couldn’t be fuck buddies.
Kenya turned to face him, and Nick realized he hadn’t said anything since Drew had walked in.
“That isn’t going to be a problem, is it?” she asked sharply. “Drew being human?”
As a coworker? No. But as a huge complication in Nick’s work life? Yes.
Before he could answer, Drew walked up. “Nice to see you again, Kenya.”
She smiled and put a hand on Nick’s shoulder, turning him slightly so he was facing Drew. Her fingers tightened in warning, like she was afraid he was going to say something rude. No chance of that, since being face-to-face with Drew again seemed to have rendered him mute.
Not Drew, though.
“Son of a bitch,” Drew said, his eyes widening. “Are you kidding me? You’re Tate’s replacement?”
Kenya’s hand dropped from his shoulder, and the whole room went quiet. Nick was painfully aware the words he chose next could make or break his career here. Drew was obviously known and well loved, so in a quarrel between the two of them, Nick would be the odd man out. It was probably a lot easier to replace a counselor than a camp doctor anyway.
“Hey,” he said, going for casual. “Nick Perry. Nice to meet you.”
Drew’s face tightened. “Seriously? That’s what you’re going with? I suppose now last names are relevant?”
His new coworkers had started to whisper and snicker, and Nick’s hackles rose. Was Drew going to out their one-night stand to everyone? Did he have the slightest idea how unprofessional that would be? Nick wanted these people to respect him, but how could he achieve that if this was their first impression of him? And why was Drew so mad anyway? They’d had fun, but it wasn’t like he’d made any promises. Drew had seemed perfectly fine this morning.
Anne Marie stepped between them, and the murmurs stopped.
“That’s right, you two were on the same flight, weren’t you? So you’ve already met. Wonderful. Let’s get our meeting started and go through formal introductions. A lot of you already know Drew from the time he’s spent here visiting friends. He’s taking Diann’s place in the infirmary. He comes to us with rave recommendations from a hospital in Missouri, where he specialized in emergency medicine. Nick is joining us from private practice in Colorado, and he’ll be taking over Harris’s duties in cabin two.”
“Praise be to baby werewolf Jesus for that,” Harris said, swooping in on the food table and grabbing a sandwich. “The Lethane kid was about to go home in a box. And now he’s your problem, Nick. Enjoy.”
Anne Marie scowled at him. “No one is going home in a box.”
She turned to Nick. “That being said, the Lethane kid is a menace and a fucking half. Watch out for that one.”
Nick stared at her, shocked by her language and still processing the fact Drew was standing next to him, seething with barely concealed anger. Everyone in the room had to be able to smell how pissed off Drew was—except Drew, of course. He couldn’t smell anything because he was human. And standing in a werewolf camp. It still didn’t make any sense.
“Moving on,” she said, pulling over a chair to perch on the arm, “let’s get this staff meeting started before the wolflings have a chance to cause any permanent damage.”
Chapter Four
“JESUS, Drew. I was totally blindsided. Everyone in there thinks I hate you because you’re human. What the hell is your problem?”
Nick crossed his arms and glared at him like Drew had anything to do with it. Like Drew hadn’t been every bit as surprised to enter his own goddamn porch and see Nick standing there, casual as you please.
“My problem? You tried to pretend we’d never met!”
“Because we haven’t!” Nick snapped. “I mean, not in a professional context. What happened last night is irrelevant. We’re coworkers now.”
It hadn’t felt irrelevant at the time, and having their connection dismissed so harshly stung.
“It happened this morning too,” Drew said bitterly. “Maybe if you’d let me introduce myself last night before sticking your dick in my ass this could have been avoided.”
Nick scoffed. “What would you have said? Hi, I’m Drew Welch. I’m a doctor and a Libra and I’m part of a fucking werewolf Pack, by the way. I’m heading down to be a werewolf doctor even though I’m human. Maybe I’ll see you down there?”
Drew pressed his lips together and prayed for patience. He and Nick had made it through the entire staff meeting in hostile silence, but this wasn’t what he’d expected Nick to say when they’d finally gotten a moment alone. Everyone had lingered on the porch, clearly trying to figure out the weird vibe between the two newest staff members. Drew doubted they knew yet, but it wasn’t exactly hard to guess. Especially since he was sure he smelled like arousal, even through his righteous anger. Damn werewolf noses.
“Actually,” he said, drawing out the word, “I’m a Sagittarius. Which you might have known, along with my last name, if you’d been interested in anything other than a no-strings fuck. I wanted to talk, remember? You told me you didn’t want to waste time.”
Nick made a frustrated noise. “Because I didn’t think you knew about werewolves. I mean, what was I going to do? Tell you my life story and say hey, this might freak you out, but I have a tail?”
That was fair, but Drew didn’t want to give Nick any ground here. Even though they’d had a great connection, he wasn’t upset Nick had run out without exchanging numbers. He was a big boy. He understood one-night stands. They hadn’t made each other any promises—
Drew had been under no false assumptions that there was anything between them aside from some killer chemistry and a night of great sex. Circumstances being what they were, he didn’t have any moral high horse to mount.
But Nick’s reaction to him in the meeting had smarted. In that moment of feigned casual recognition, he’d shown his true colors. It was clear Nick didn’t want their coworkers to know they’d hooked up, but why? Sure, Nick was the new guy here, and he had first impressions to make.
But it wasn’t like anyone here would care. Weres weren’t prudes. When everyone could scent attraction, hookups became no big deal. Nick was hot, he was interested, and they took that to its natural conclusion: sex.
Werewolf society was pretty free-wheeling with casual sex for exactly that reason. Drew had been around the camp enough to know the staff here was more incestuous than an episode of Game of Thrones. Staffers were in and out of each other’s beds with alarming frequency. Drew might be a new hire, but he wasn’t a new face. He’d spent quite a bit of time around the camp while Adrian had been here, and before that he and his stepbrothers had been a few times to visit Harris. Hell, Drew had slept with Scott and pretty much the entire grounds-keeping crew, though not at the same time. Everyone knew, and no one was scandalized. But he was the camp doctor now, and those kinds of hookups wouldn’t be proper. How could he expect someone to come to him for medical advice when he’d been in their bed for a booty call the week before? Even if he wasn’t so hung up on Nick, sleeping around wouldn’t be a good idea.
But now Nick wouldn’t even look at him, and that hurt. His body language made it clear he didn’t want anything to do with Drew, but he was going to have to suck it up and put on his big-boy panties because their paths would be crossing frequently.