Running Free (Northern Shifters)

by Jorrie Spencer

  He’d be hard-pressed to brush off a wolf. He might freak out, given his last encounter with a wolf, so it wasn’t an easy option, but revealing herself would in some ways be opening herself up to him, and that was needed. In terms of being a threat, she’d be attacking no one. She well understood how to present herself as harmless and weak. God knows she’d been forced to do it before.

  Zach went running most weekends when Storm was with his grandparents. He needed the speed and the freedom of running alone, though he reined himself in during the weekend before the full moon in order to save his energy. Shifting every night, five to six days in a row, wore him out. Tonight he made himself go home early.

  They must look an odd pair, he mused, the small white wolf pup and the chestnut horse. Of course, he took care for them not to be noticed. It was why they lived in a large house that edged onto the countryside in a less populated part of the province.

  He had insisted on it. He had insisted on a lot of things in the beginning when he was half-feral and unsure of his ability to interact with anyone on a daily basis—outside of Storm. The grandparents had given way on this living arrangement, and the area now felt like his own.

  So Zach explored the countryside as if it were his territory. Until recently, the different wildlife hadn’t bothered him much. Yes, the coyotes were a definite concern, and they had been the original reason Zach was emphatic Storm not wander far from his side. When the wolf had appeared, intent on doing Storm harm, that had shaken Zach.

  He feared it could happen again. Wolves didn’t work alone. The next moon was coming up fast, and moons were when wolves acted.

  Now Zach tested all smells, identifying what was what, wishing he had somehow been trained in smell identification, if it was even possible, rather than going through this trial-and-error process. Where error could cost Storm his life.

  For some reason his thoughts returned to Sally. No big surprise, he’d been thinking about her a lot. Too much. His near-obsession concerned him. At times like these he hated not remembering whole swathes of his life. Because something was wrong, pressing down on him, just beneath a surface that was close to breaking, and it was associated with her in some way.

  He’d killed wolves before, he’d told Connie that, but he didn’t know if it’d been weres or wolves who’d attacked him. A man should know such an important fact about himself, but he couldn’t even be sure how long ago that was, so lost in his horse he’d been this past decade.

  He had it in his head that Sally might be a were. Based on what, he couldn’t be sure. Her scent, of all things, attracted him. Surely he wouldn’t be attracted to a wolf? Besides, wolves were male.

  Yet he couldn’t shake this idea.

  Storm might know about Sally, a wolf’s nose being more sensitive than a horse’s. If Zach had settled on this ridiculous notion Sally was a werewolf, well, he’d better ask his charge. The trick was to do it in a way that didn’t alarm the boy. Casual-like, as if Zach asked this of all people Storm met. Hey, Storm, is Mrs. Gupta a werewolf? No, huh? What about Sally then?

  Okay, the delivery needed work. As Zach headed home, he continued his usual reconnaissance through the fields and woods.

  Fortunately there were no scents beyond such normal creatures as squirrels, raccoons, etc., as well as the neighborhood cat Storm had taken a shine to. So Zach retreated to his shifting spot, felt the pang of pulling his horse inward, losing his stronger form, and went into free fall.

  When he woke a while later, it took long moments to remember what had gone before. This kind of confusion always alarmed him, fear his entire life could be sucked into the blackness that was his memory loss and leave him with one large gaping hole of nothingness. To lose his memories of Storm as he’d lost his memories of his brother would be the end of him.

  But the evening came back to him—he’d been out on his own, Storm was with his grandparents, the night had seemed safe. Zach lay there on the snow, letting that edge of freezing cold bring clarity to his mind.

  When he was with Storm, he didn’t indulge in these melodramatics, refused to worry about himself, and he preferred it that way. He pushed up from the ground, pushed thoughts of his brother away, and shook himself out before stalking towards the back door.

  He wasn’t paying attention or he wouldn’t have been caught off guard, upwind or no. Even when he first heard the whine, he thought it was a lost dog.

  After a second whine, a creature emerged from the shadows, ears back, posture slumped—and it was no dog at all. It was a wolf.

  Fuck. Zach tensed, ready to attack—he couldn’t trample in this form but he sure as hell could take on an enemy—when certain details ticked over in his mind and held him still.

  The wolf had whined. Her ears went farther back, and she licked her muzzle. To top it off, she put her belly to the ground.

  She. Female.

  Zach pulled in one long breath of the familiar scent. Despite the change in form, the scent said Sally. Her wolf scent, yes, but still her, and he wasn’t surprised. Even if he didn’t know how he recognized her as one and the same. Before he could ponder that for too long, other questions rushed in. What the hell was she doing here? What was she doing in their lives? Did she know Hambly?

  He didn’t think to attack, couldn’t attack when she posed such little danger to him, her wolf frame as thin boned as her human. All he could say was “You.” The word sounded ragged to his ears.

  There was an edge of disappointment in his voice, perhaps betrayal. Zach did not wear his emotions on his sleeve, so she found it hard to read him—beyond his obvious tension. She didn’t think he’d attack her. He stared, and she rose from her crouch, put her ears forward, lifted her tail. Did everything to show she was friendly and harmless, and hoped he would respond to that.

  He placed hands on his hips and blew out through his nose, and she knew two things—he didn’t intend to harm her, and she absolutely needed to talk to him. If she didn’t, he might disappear with Storm. Angus had done some research, and Storm had been moved around a fair bit by his grandparents. This was normal wolf-family behavior. People became suspicious, and the family went somewhere new to start afresh.

  That couldn’t happen here and now.

  She barked, moved her tail, unable to stop herself from telling him she wanted to communicate. She also breathed in to smell his anger and his fear—and not much else.

  Angus was going to be furious if she fucked this up.

  She settled on her rump, whined.

  Zach rubbed the back of his neck, his muscular arm exposed, his gorgeous body tense and wary. “What the hell do you want?”

  She rose again and trotted towards his back door, though she was careful not to cut him off, to stay nonthreatening.

  “I don’t think so.” That flat voice of his, the one which brooked no argument, be it meeting with a werewolf or considering group piano lessons.

  Fine. This wasn’t working. She needed to shift, which meant she was going to make herself vulnerable to him. Maybe a mistake, but she’d committed to this. She’d gone to him as wolf, and now she had to face the consequences. She would present to him as human when he knew she was a shifter. Basically she chose to trust him, and her trust instincts had never been what had steered her wrong.

  She retreated to the woods, could feel him watching her while he said nothing, while he didn’t move. As long as he didn’t take off in the next fifteen minutes, she could make something of this meeting.

  She hoped.

  Not what he’d expected. Though whether that thought referred to Sally’s sudden appearance, or her disappearance into the trees, he didn’t know. His brain was not functioning at full capacity. Thing was, he wasn’t surprised by the entire show, so his hindbrain had been telling him about her the entire time.

  For God’s sake, he should have been more alarmed. Was it because she was female? Surely not. He didn’t trust females.

  Where had that thought come from?

  He
shook his head and retreated inside. He wasn’t able to think up a quick, effective response to this, so he did the next best thing—got dressed and sat down to eat. He tasted nothing as he went through his second sandwich.

  The knock at the door made him flinch, then he pulled himself together. Storm isn’t here. She can’t harm the pup here and now.

  “It’s me,” she called through the door. “Sally,” she added unnecessarily.

  He stalked through the house and went out the front, rounded to the back to observe she held no weapon—and wore no clothes.

  It was difficult to perceive her as a threat.

  She knocked again, and he retreated since the back was still locked, went through the front door and returned to let her in.

  She stood there, not yet shivering. Despite the cold, the shift would have heated her thoroughly. Zach made it a point not to glance downwards at her body, though he couldn’t help but be aware she was slender with curves and hollows. He made himself look into those gray eyes.

  “Can I come in?” She didn’t smile, her expression remaining cautious. “I know I’m imposing, but we need to talk.”

  She could talk if she wanted to. He had nothing to say. He walked away from the door, leaving it open, and she took that as a yes, crossing the threshold and shutting the door behind her. It was the first time another shifter had been in this house besides Storm and himself. It made him antsy. He hadn’t wanted this contact with others.

  “I’ll get you some clothes,” he told her. She needed them to stay warm, and he needed to not get distracted. He was honest enough to admit to himself her nudity affected him. And he resented it.

  He strode away, no longer naked but wearing sweats and a T-shirt. She could stare while he retreated, a little amused. She’d always hated the sometimes-forced casual nudity that came with shifters and moons, but he seemed less comfortable with it than she was.

  He’s a horse, she reminded herself, not a wolf. Not pack.

  She couldn’t help but feel that made her more comfortable with him, and her reaction pleased her, even pleased her wolf.

  Probably didn’t please Zach though.

  He returned with an outfit similar to his own—T-shirt and sweats. She pulled them on as he stood with his back to her. When she was dressed in the oversized clothing, she cleared her throat.

  He turned, his dark gaze pinning her with its intensity as he regarded her like she was a dangerous mystery. Mystery was okay, but she’d like to get rid of the idea she posed any danger to him or Storm.

  “What’s going on?” he demanded. “Did you know Hambly?”

  She blinked and remembered that was the name of the dead stalker wolf. Then she shook her head.

  “He didn’t give you our names?”

  “No.”

  “Yet,” he said with some perception, “you know who he is.”

  With an effort, she held his gaze. “I’m from Wolf Town. That’s where I heard of his death.”

  Zach’s expression didn’t change, but she became aware of a very fine tremor running through his body.

  “Can I sit down?” she asked.

  He swept his hand towards a seat at the kitchen table but remained standing. As a wolf it would have been a power statement: I’m bigger than you. His action had more to do with distrust.

  She ended up laughing a little, and she didn’t know what he made of her. “I’m afraid I’m not very good at this.”

  “Good at what?”

  “Playing ambassador, I guess.” While she’d thought of herself as a spy in Operation Storm, the whole concept had fallen by the wayside when reality hit.

  “I’m confused,” he said. “Why did you move here? Why are you Storm’s piano teacher? Is Hambly from Wolf Town?”

  “No.” She met his gaze again. It remained flat, unforgiving, and a sense of disappointment hit her. For the first time in a long while she was with a man who did not make her uneasy, but he disliked her and what she was. What did that say about her? She only liked those she couldn’t have?

  Forget about yourself. Make this about Storm.

  “We’d heard of Storm because a wolf was threatening him,” she began.

  “Stewart Hambly.”

  She nodded. “We were concerned about his safety, Storm’s safety, and we didn’t want to alarm anyone right after he’d been stalked. I was sent down because I’m female, and I teach piano. I’m supposed to assess his state of safety and well-being.”

  “Or else what?”

  “There’s no or else, and I can see what a caring guardian you are.”

  Zach seemed to startle at this description.

  “If I thought his living situation was a danger to him, I wouldn’t reveal myself to you, and others might have come here to protect Storm. As you must know, shifter children can be vulnerable, and their families are not always capable of protecting them.”

  “As I must know?” He looked away with a snort. “I don’t know much, I just look after Storm.”

  She leaned forward on the table. “I’m sorry to have misled you, but I only wish you and Storm the best.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “I’ll have to tell Connie, Storm’s grandmother, about this. She hasn’t wanted contact with Wolf Town.”

  “May I ask why?”

  His mouth quirked, a bitterness there. “She doesn’t trust wolves.”

  And Connie’s not the only one. “Nor do I at times. In fact, a year ago there was no way in hell I’d ever go to Wolf Town. But I’m there now, and they’re good people.”

  Zach remained unconvinced. “I want you to understand something,” he said, his intensity back, stronger than ever. “I’m taking you at your word here, that you wish the best for Storm.”

  She nodded.

  “It would be bad for Storm to be separated from me. He’s already lost the presence of both parents in his life. He fears me disappearing too. It’s been very healthy for him to have me as a steady presence this last year and a half. I know I’m not a wolf.” He pulled in a breath, as if the idea was close to repulsive to him. “But I do know how to take care of him.”

  “Absolutely. Wolf Town does not swoop in and take children away from the people who are looking after them. I promise you.” Sally didn’t quite know how she’d become this goodwill ambassador extolling Wolf Town’s virtues, but she believed in them and wanted to give Zach some peace of mind on this issue.

  “Well, good to hear.” No inflection as he spoke, and she didn’t know if he believed her or was being ironic, but at least the slight tremor of his body had ceased. He was still angry though. “I don’t think we’ll be attending any more piano lessons, and it was nice meeting you.”

  Disappointment hit her again. “I was hoping—”

  He smiled, no humor in it. “The price of deception. You can report back Storm is safe and sound, and we need have no more to do with you, is that correct?”

  This was a new experience for her, being brushed off by a shifter male. Even for those not interested in her personally, they had pals they were keen to introduce. Zach was young and no doubt had his pick of females; it wasn’t that she thought he should be hoping to bed her. Still, the lack of automatic interest, based on shifter biology, was altogether new. It might have been refreshing in other circumstances.

  Maybe it was time to retreat. First she had to ask, her empty stomach demanded it. “Would you mind if I ate something before I leave?”

  “Yes.”

  God, she was a pushy bitch, forcing her presence on him. “I really am hungry, and I still have to get back home.”

  He eyed her for a long moment then turned to the fridge to pull out food. He slapped down bread and cheese, and she eagerly made a sandwich, opting not to ask for condiments or lettuce to go with it.

  He continued to stand, watching her, and her heart began to sink.

  On the second sandwich, she said, “Really, we wanted to make sure Storm was okay, and we’re happy to know he is. A lot of wolf children
end up being in terrible situations because their parents can’t cope or don’t try or don’t care.”

  Something moved in Zach’s face, and he said, almost reluctantly, “Storm’s parents aren’t in the picture.”

  “Were they ever?”

  “Were yours?”

  Christ, she didn’t want to talk about herself, but there was little else she could do if he wanted to barter information. “Yes, for a time, given both my parents were wolves. They’re gone now though.”

  “How’d they die?”

  She made herself finish the sandwich before answering and kept her tone no-nonsense. “My father didn’t die, that I know of. He went feral when I was young. Something about the pressure of protecting two female wolves. I don’t really like to talk about him. After that, Mom and I kept on the move during my teens and twenties, set up home where no one knew where we were. We had a good twenty years together before she dropped dead.”

  Zach pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her, watching her, completely absorbed by this brief recap of her life. His tone was sharp. “Dropped dead of what? She was a shifter.”

  “A bit high-strung, didn’t take care of herself.” Sally was almost snapping back at him, but she couldn’t help herself. She braced her hands on the table and tried to soften her next words. “I talked to Wolf Town’s doctor about it later, because I was baffled, and he said sometimes shifters’ hearts give out if they push their bodies too hard. We’re not invincible, though some of us may think otherwise.”

  “I’m sorry about your parents.” If his eyes hadn’t warmed, just slightly, she might have taken this as his rote response to learning of someone’s death. Something in her relaxed to think he might have meant it and she might have touched him, however glancingly.