by Sophie Stern
“Listen,” Herb leans against the counter, but glances over his shoulder. Is he making sure no one is listening? “There are a lot of strange things that happen in Wolfe City.”
“Really?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “Like what?”
He just shrugs.
“I’m just saying, not everything is what it seems. It’s best to keep an open mind around here, especially if you’re planning on doing any, uh, dating while you’re here.”
I blush furiously. Is it really that obvious I’m interested in dating? I wonder if I was hardcore flirting when I was outside earlier. I was definitely aroused enough. That in itself gives me mixed feelings. I know I don’t owe anything to this Adam guy, but the idea of someone else turning me on when I’m supposed to be going out with him makes me feel uncomfortable.
Or maybe it’s just the idea of arousal in general that makes me feel weird. It’s not that Jeremy never turned me on. He did. At least, I thought he did. The way he made me feel, though, is nothing compared to the way everyone in Wolfe City is making me feel. From the people scoping me out at the diner to the group outside the auto-body shop, I feel like a damn supermodel.
And it’s a really, really nice feeling.
I’ve always considered myself to be pretty plain, pretty ordinary. I’ve always considered myself to be quite normal. There’s nothing special about me. I’m a good employee and a good friend, but I’m normal.
It’s always bothered me a little bit. I’ve always wanted to be special. Doesn’t everyone want that? Somehow, here in Wolfe City, I’m starting to feel that way. I’m starting to feel like maybe I’m not completely ugly. I’m starting to feel like maybe I’m not completely boring and dull.
It’s weird because all I want is a fresh start, a new beginning.
Maybe I really am going to get that.
“Thanks for the advice,” I finally say to Herb. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that,” he says. “In the meantime, if you need anything at all, you let me or Heather know.” He hands me a business card. “This is my cell number,” Herb tells me. “Call me if you need anything at all. I’ll drop your stuff off tonight.”
“Oh,” I say, suddenly remembering my plans with Adam. “I actually have dinner plans tonight, so I won’t be in my room until late.”
“No problem at all,” Herb says. “I should be back around five. If for some reason I get back after you’ve already left for dinner, Heather has a spare key.”
“That would be great,” I tell him, relieved. “Thank you. I seriously super appreciate it. A lot. Thank you.”
I walk out of the shop. The crowd of bystanders is gone and I’m alone. I make my way down the road to the motel and stop in the front office.
“Heather?” I ask, stepping inside.
“Amy, how nice to see you. What can I help you with this afternoon?”
Heather is leaning back at her desk watching some show on her computer. It sounds funny and part of me wants to go peek and see what’s so amusing. Manners, Amy, I silently chide myself.
“I’d like to stay two more nights,” I tell her, making up my mind. This will give me all of tomorrow to make up my mind about where I’m going to go and how I’m going to get there. Honeypot isn’t too far. I know Hope will come get me, but I’d really like to figure this out on my own. Maybe I can rent a big car or something. All of my stuff will easily fit in a rental vehicle.
“Of course,” Heather says, not looking up. “Stay as long as you like.”
“Should I, uh, pay you now?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. She doesn’t seem too concerned about getting the money for the room. “Or when I check out?”
“What? No,” Heather shakes her head, but now she does look up. “That’s all taken care of.”
“What do you mean?” What is she talking about? I didn’t know I had paid for multiple nights. Shit. I hope she didn’t charge me for a million nights. There’s no way my credit card would cover that, and I’m going to need it available for emergencies. “I only paid for one night,” I say, trying to convince myself.
“Yes, yes, I know. Adam came in earlier and paid for it.”
“Adam? As in, the Adam I had breakfast with?”
“Yes,” Heather nods, but doesn’t offer any more information.
“Why would he do that?” I ask aloud. Why would he help a stranger? It doesn’t make any sense. More importantly, why would he pay for my room without asking me if I wanted or needed his help?
Heather seems to sense my confusion and takes pity on me. She finally shuts off her show and leans forward, eyeing me.
“Darling, there are a few things you need to know about Wolfe City. The first thing is that we take care of our own.”
“But I’m not one of your own,” I protest. “I’m literally the exact definition of an outsider. I’ve only been here a day.”
“Wolfe City is different than other towns. You might think you’re an outsider, but Adam feels a connection with you. He wants to take care of you. Didn’t you feel something, too? Didn’t you feel a sort of connection with him? You looked like you did.”
I shouldn’t pour my heart out to Heather. I barely know her. Hell, I don’t really know her at all, but something about her makes me feel comfortable and at ease. There’s something about Wolfe City that makes me feel normal. There’s something that makes me feel like life here is special.
“I told him it was fate,” I tell her. “I told him it was destiny.”
“Did you?” She smiles. “That’s quite the observation, especially for a human.”
“What do you mean? A human?” What the hell?
She just rolls her eyes.
“I just mean most people aren’t that observant. They certainly aren’t that brave. When they find someone they connect with, that’s it. They move on. They might stay for a little while, but it’s hard for people to admit when they’ve found true love, when they’ve found someone they’re supposed to be with.”
“True love might be a little intense,” I tell her. “A bit much. I’ve only just met him.”
“I’m not saying it’s love. I’m just saying that when you find someone you feel a connection with, especially an instant connection, it’s worth exploring.”
“You might be right,” I say, but something is nagging me at the back of my mind.
“What’s wrong?” Heather asks.
Somehow, I feel bad admitting what happened at Herb’s today, but I really need to tell someone. I need to explain what happened when I walked outside and how I felt. I need to talk about why I reacted the way I did. I didn’t do anything wrong, yet somehow, becoming excited feels like a betrayal.
“I think I messed up,” I tell her.
“Why don’t you sit down?” Heather says. “And we’ll have a cup of tea.”
Chapter 8
Amy
“Something happened at Herb’s.”
“Didn’t he buy your car?” Heather asks, setting two cups of hot tea down.
“Yes, but I went outside for a minute and there was a group of people there.”
“Oh? Is that right? And what did they say to you?”
“It’s not what they said,” I tell her, trying to figure out exactly how to phrase this. “It’s how they made me feel.”
“How did they make you feel?”
“Excited,” I admit, but the word comes out as a whisper. “And guilty.”
“What did you feel guilty about?”
“I can’t really explain it without sounding crazy or obsessive,” I tell Heather. “I’ve only just met Adam. We have a date tonight: a proper date. We’re going to dinner. We haven’t even slept together, haven’t even made promises to each other, haven’t even done anything that resembles forming a relationship, but I felt guilty when I got so turned on just by those people.”
Heather looks at me for a second. She seems to be assessing me somehow. After a moment, she sets her tea down and says.
“W
hat do you know about shifters?”
“I know they exist,” I tell her. “Some people can turn into bears. I saw a documentary about it.”
Heather rolls her eyes so fast that for a second, I think they’re going to roll right out of her head.
“There are other animals, too,” she says. “There are some people who can shift into dragons, into tigers, even into wolves. The animal is as much a part of them as the human is, and for a lot of people, this is difficult to understand. That’s part of the reason most shifters live in shifter communities.”
“I didn’t know there were shifter communities,” I tell her.
“Honeypot is one,” Heather says.
“That’s where Hope lives.”
“I know. She’s married to a shifter, if I’m not mistaken.”
“What?” I shriek, jumping up. “Does she know? How do you know?”
Heather holds up her hand and motions for me to sit back down.
“Calm down and tell me what her husband’s name is.”
“Blair,” I say. “Wyatt Blair.”
“Ah, yes. The famous Blair brothers. They’re bears. I believe they’re brown bears, but I could be wrong on the details.”
“Does Hope know?”
“Of course she knows,” Heather looks at me like I’m an idiot. “They’re life mates. He couldn’t hide something like that from her. Even if he could, he wouldn’t want to. That’s something she needs to know.”
“So you’re saying…”
“Your friend is mated to a bear and you’re falling in love with a wolf.”
“A wolf?” I squeak out.
“You are falling for Adam, aren’t you?”
“It’s strange, but I think I am. I shouldn’t be. We’ve only just met.”
“He’s your mate, Amy. That’s why you feel this way. Every wolf has a mate: someone they’re destined to be with. A wolf might spend their entire life searching and never find their mate, but Adam found you, Amy. He found you.”
I don’t know if I should believe Heather or not. The words she’s saying are so weird, so strange, that I feel like I shouldn’t believe her. I shouldn’t think what she’s saying is true, but I do. There’s something different about Wolfe City. I wouldn’t have pegged it for a shifter town, but now that Heather has said it, everything is starting to make sense.
“That’s why those people were surrounding me by Herb’s,” I say. “They were looking for mates.”
“They’re young and stupid. Adam hasn’t marked you as his own yet, so any single wolf who scents you is automatically going to be attracted to you. You’re gorgeous.”
I blush at the compliment, but now I’m even more curious.
“Marked?” I ask. “What does that mean?”
“He should be telling you this himself,” Heather says. “But he’s at work and you need answers. I don’t think you’re going to run off and leave Wolfe City before your date, but just in case you start feeling like you need to hurry up and get to Honeypot, I want to ask you to give Adam a chance.”
“Of course I will,” I tell her. “He’s incredible.”
I’ve only known him for hours, but it feels like a lifetime. It feels like we’ve known each other forever. There’s this odd, comfortable familiarity about him.
“Good,” Heather says. Then her eyes narrow suddenly. “You seem awfully calm about all of this. I would have expected you to freak out a little bit, at least.”
“You know, after everything I’ve been through this week, I don’t think anything could shock me anymore. Well, maybe the fact that my cousin is mated to a bear and she didn’t bother to tell me.”
“Privacy is very important to shifters. Even though the world has accepted us, for the most part, we still have to be careful, cautious. We still have to watch our backs constantly.”
“We? You mean you’re a wolf, too?”
“I am,” Heather sits up proudly, straightening her back, and suddenly, I notice. Her nose is long and narrow. Her face is slender and her eyes are all-encompassing. She’s always aware of her surroundings. Even when she seems to be watching a show or painting her nails, she’s still cautious, still paying attention.
“That’s amazing.”
“It’s just who I am. We all have things about us that are interesting and special. We all have our little quirks.”
“I don’t know about that,” I say wistfully. “There’s not much about me I’d consider special.”
“Oh, really?” Heather looks like she doesn’t believe a damn word I’m saying. “I’m sure you can think of one thing.”
One thing?
That doesn’t seem so bad.
Is there one thing I like about myself? One thing I’m good at? Heather isn’t asking for a lot. I just have to come up with one simple then.
My mind thinks of Jeremy, of work, of how terribly everything ended in Holbrook. My mind runs through the things my parents have said about me in the past. I think of my childhood, of my teenage years, of the life I’ve lived so far.
I think of all the mistakes I’ve made.
And then I think of Adam.
He doesn’t look at me like I’m some sort of mistake. He doesn’t look at me like I’m a screw-up. He doesn’t look at me like he can’t stand me. No. Adam doesn’t think of me that way. He looks at me like I’m a damn princess, like I’m beautiful. He looks at me like I’m perfect and sweet and everything he’s ever wanted.
He looks at me like I’m special.
And then I think of my one thing.
“I’m kind,” I tell her.
“Is that so?”
“Yes,” I say, nodding. “I’m really nice to people. I go out of my way to be kind and thoughtful. It’s not really a special skill, not really, but a learned behavior. When I was a kid, my grandmother always did her best to be nice to people and I thought it was really wonderful. As I got older, I started looking for opportunities to be nice to people. Once I got started, it was easy.”
“That’s a very good trait for a wolf-wife to have.”
“A wolf-wife?”
“Haven’t you figured out by now?” Heather’s eyes twinkle. “You’re Adam’s mate. He’s going to propose tonight.”
“I need to call Hope,” I squeak out.
She’ll know what to do.
Chapter 9
Adam
I manage to survive work. I’m not sure how, but I make it through the day without any major screw-ups, and I leave as soon as my shift ends. Tony gives me a nod, but doesn’t complain when I hurry out of the restaurant. He knows today is a big day, a special day. He knows it’s the day I’ve been waiting for.
As I stride down the street to my aunt’s house, a wave of nervousness sweeps over me. There’s no doubt in my mind that Amy is my mate, but I have to convince her. I have to show her that wolves are real and I have to prove I’m not just some loser trying to pick her up.
We were made for each other.
I knock on Aunt Erin’s door, but go inside without waiting for a response.
“Somebody’s in a hurry,” Erin says, coming out of the kitchen. My aunt is in her late 40s. She’s got graying hair that she wears down and bright, beautiful eyes that know exactly when some little wolf-shifter is telling her tales. Ever since my uncle passed away last year, she’s been throwing herself into baking cookies for the local residents. She doesn’t care whether someone is retired or simply
“I’m sorry for barging in,” I take the tray of cookies from her hand and set them on the cooling racks she has set up on the table. Erin likes to cool her cookies in the dining room because it gives her more space for decorating. If there’s one thing my aunt loves more than gossip, it’s baking. “But I need Grandma’s ring.”
Erin’s jaw hits the floors and then she lets out a howl. No, she doesn’t shift. She simply opens her mouth and the sound that comes out is completely feral. I wait patiently for her to finish, and then my aunt looks at me.
�
��You found her.”
“I found her.”
“How?” Erin walks over and places her hands on my shoulders. Her eyes search mine and for a second, I’m caught off-guard by how much she looks like my mother. My mom passed away years ago. She died when I was just a cub, but Erin was always there for me. She helped raise me and I’ll never forget that. I’ll always be appreciative of that.
“I smelled her last night. Then this morning, I met her at the diner. It was amazing, Erin. It was exactly like I hoped it would be.”
“It was perfect,” she smiles knowingly. “She’s perfect.”
“She really is amazing, but she doesn’t know I’m a shifter.”
“Really?” Erin cocks her head. “You don’t think she even has the slightest clue? Surely she has to. She was in Wolfe City all day, wasn’t she?”
“That doesn’t mean much.”
“Really?” Erin turns back toward the kitchen. She’s going to start the next batch of cookies, for sure. I follow after her as she keeps talking. “You don’t think a young, beautiful woman isn’t going to draw attention? In Wolfe City? You’re out of your mind if you think your packmates will stay away.”
“She’s my mate,” I say confidently. “No one would touch her.”
“She doesn’t have your mark yet, now does she?” Erin looks at me with warning in her eye. “If your mate really is here, you need to tell her, and fast. Put your mark on her. Marry her. Mate her. Be one with her. Do what you have to do, but don’t let her slip away. Love like this only comes around once in a lifetime.” She looks up at a picture of my uncle that’s hanging on the wall. “Believe me. I know.”
***
When I arrive at Amy’s hotel room, I knock on the door.
“Just a minute,” she calls out in a sing-song voice. This is it. Tonight is the night I’m going to ask her to be mine. I’m going to do something crazy and ask her to be my wife, my bride, my mate. I’m going to ask her to be my darling and I’ve never been more terrified.