Wolf Out of Water: Mythic Series, Book 4

by Abbie Zanders

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “No, of course not. But now maybe it’s time to start thinking about yourself a little. You take too much on yourself. You don’t have to carry the whole load alone, you know.”

  “I don’t. I have you and the Council. And when I start getting a little too full of myself I have Dani to knock me down a few pegs or so.”

  Malcolm chuckled at that. “Yeah. But that’s not the same as having a mate, and you know it.”

  Yeah, Matt did know it. He was healthy and happy. The pack was doing well. And yet something was missing.

  They passed the bottle back and forth once more. There was little to no chance of them getting drunk; their shifter metabolisms burned off the alcohol before it had a chance to have much of an effect.

  “So what’s holding you back?” Malcolm asked finally. “There are any number of females who’d give their left paw to mate with you.”

  Matt sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “I think I do,” Malcolm said. “You don’t just want a mate, you want a soul mate. Like those damn vamps. How the hell did they get so lucky, I want to know.”

  “I’m not even sure I believe in that shit,” Matt said, but inwardly, he was glad that someone else got it. At least he wasn’t the only one. “I do know I want something more, but I’m not even sure what that is. Does that make sense?”

  “Yeah, it does, actually. Have you given any thought to talking to Tedi?”

  “What the hell would I do that for?”

  “Well, she is an Oracle. Maybe she can put you on the right path.”

  Matt snorted, but Malcolm continued. “Seriously. Talk to her. Tedi is awesome.”

  Matt knew of the Oracle, of course. When she first came to Mythic, she’d been renting Old Mabel’s cabin on the eastern border of the pack’s lands. She’d made fast friends with many of the wolves, including Malcolm and Dani. According to both, Tedi’s mind operated on several planes simultaneously, making her appear somewhat ditzy, but in actuality she was seeing various possible future events all at once. While her visions had been beneficial from a financial aspect, he was reluctant to consult her about something as personal as his love life.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Just think about it, okay?”

  He already had. And decided against it.

  “So. You want to talk about it?” Dani asked later that night when he tried unsuccessfully to make it to his bedroom without her knowledge. He had been hoping that she might have given up waiting for him and gone to bed, but he should have known better. She, like everyone else in the damn pack, had undoubtedly heard of his uncharacteristically abrupt ending to the Council meeting. First Caleb had to open his big mouth, then Malcolm felt the need to join him on his ledge. Now Dani was breathing down his neck. Why couldn’t everyone just back off and leave him the hell alone?

  “No,” he answered through clenched teeth as he walked right past her. Just twenty more feet to his room and he could close the door and pretend, if only for a few hours, that everyone trusted him to handle his own business. Christ, he ran the whole pack without a problem, didn’t he? Why didn’t they have any faith that he could handle his personal life just as well?

  “Matt, I was thinking, maybe you should - ”

  “Christ, not you, too!” he nearly shouted. “I’ve had enough people telling me what I should do. I’m the Alpha, goddamn it! I’ll take a mate when I’m good and ready and not a moment before!”

  Not the least bit cowed by his show of dominance, Dani glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you finished?”

  He glared right back, narrowing his eyes. It usually worked. At least on everyone except his sister.

  “I was going to say, maybe you should take a few days off. Get away for a little while.”

  He blinked, some of the anger fading. For a moment he felt a spark of anticipation, but that quickly dissipated when he remember his responsibility. “It’s a nice thought, but you know I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?” Dani countered. “We can survive without you for a couple of days. When you went to that Alpha conference last year, you were gone for two weeks and we managed just fine.”

  He grunted.

  “Seriously. You’ve been growling and snapping at everyone, Matt. That’s not like you.”

  Yeah, he was a little tense. So what? It came with the territory. Being Alpha wasn’t supposed to be easy.

  “I’m worried about you,” she said, her voice softer as she wrapped her arms around his midsection. “We all are.”

  Matt accepted the hug, his wolf relishing the contact. Ever since the pack decided that he really needed a mate, he hadn’t allowed himself to get physically close to anyone, lest it be seen for something it wasn’t. It didn’t help when he discovered there was even a pool going on, the odds of which changed daily based on who he’d been seen with or had spoken to. It had gotten to the point where he had to think very carefully about saying or doing anything.

  “I’m all right, Dani,” he said, feeling bad for yelling at her. And everyone else.

  “I know you are. Buuuut...”

  Matt knew that tone of voice. The one that had the hackles rising on the back of his neck and told him, in no uncertain terms, that Dani had done something he wouldn’t approve of. He placed his large hands on her shoulders and pushed her back far enough to look at her face. “But what?”

  “But... we kind of chipped in and got you this.” She reached into her back pocket and withdrew a brochure for a seaside resort. “One full week of fun and sun, paid in full.”

  “We?”

  “Well, me, mostly,” she admitted. “I used my savings from working at The Sanctuary.”

  “That’s your college money!”

  She shrugged and thrust the pamphlet with the confirmed reservations into his hands. “Not all of it. Think of it as the next couple of years’ worth of birthday and Christmas presents combined.”

  He eyed the glossy photo of the beachfront hotel, built to look like a giant white castle. It showed private balconies, an abundance of palm trees, and an expanse of pristine, light beige sand meeting with dark turquoise waters. It did look tempting, but he had responsibilities.

  “Get a refund.”

  “Can’t,” she said.

  “What do you mean, you can’t?”

  “I can’t. You have to cancel a minimum of seven business days before the arrival date to get your money back.”

  His eyes narrowed again. “And when is the scheduled arrival date?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” he growled, his eyes starting to glow.

  “Yep. And don’t look at me like that! I knew if I told you about it earlier you’d make me cancel. You need this, Matt. Take this time for yourself. Just you. Have some fun. And who knows? Maybe it will help you find some of the answers you’re looking for.”

  Chapter 2 - Beach Blanket Bitches

  Jessie breathed a big sigh of relief, closing the heavy door behind her and leaning her back against it. She’d made it! Now she could finally relax and enjoy one whole week on her own, away from everything. No phone calls, no texts, no unexpected visitors -—because no one knew where she was. The note she’d left just said she would be back in exactly seven days and not to worry.

  Of course, they would worry. That’s what family and friends did. But hopefully not too much; they’d had more than their share lately.

  Jessie was going to change all that.

  If they hadn’t found the note yet, they would soon. Her biggest fear was that someone would have spotted it too soon, before she’d had a chance to get out of town unnoticed. Since no one had followed her -—a fact she’d tested repeatedly by forging a serpentine path fifty miles out of her way -—she figured she was safe. Prepping weeks in advance, planning everything down to the last detail, and paying with cash also helped lessen the chances of discovery.

  She tossed he
r backpack onto the bed and checked out the room. It was more like a suite, really. The small bedroom was done in neutral, beach-appropriate shades of tan and turquoise, with framed landscape prints of dunes on the wall. A king-sized bed with no less than six pillows took up most of the space; a small closet, a nightstand, and a narrow dresser filled in the rest.

  On the other side of the bedroom, a louvered door opened into a tiny walkway leading to the rest of the suite. On her left was a small but practical kitchenette, complete with a fridge, gas stove, sink, microwave and coffee maker. A brief check of the cabinets revealed plenty of shatterproof dishes, cups, mugs, and silverware.

  Across from that was a full bathroom, with a tub/shower combo, commode, and double sink. It had the same neutral color scheme as the bedroom, except for the porcelain, which was gleaming white. She smiled when she saw the complimentary soaps in the shapes of sea shells. Everything looked and smelled clean, but she was going to wipe everything down with Clorox wipes anyway before she used it, just in case.

  How nice it was going to be to have the bathroom all to herself for a whole week! Using it whenever she felt like it, not having to take turns or wait on someone else, taking as long in the shower as she wanted. That alone was going to be heaven.

  The largest space by far was the living space beyond. A full sized couch sat against one wall, flanked by matching end tables and rocker recliners. On the other side was an entertainment center, complete with a respectably-sized flat screen, DVD player, and mini-stereo. There was a small table-slash-desk there, too; the top covered with all kinds of flyers and coupons from local businesses for everything from pizza to parasailing.

  She drew back the heavy curtains that covered nearly the entire far wall and made an appreciative noise. A huge tinted window looked out over the beach, right down to the ocean, with only her personal patio and several palms trees in between. It was an absolutely gorgeous view.

  It would definitely do for a few days of desperately needed R & R, perhaps the last chance she would ever have.

  As excited as she was to hit the beach, one look at the crowds had her postponing that ‘til later. She’d take a walk out on the sand when the sun-worshippers put down their umbrellas and came in for the night. Tomorrow she’d get out there early enough to get a good spot. But for now, she was going to curl up on the sofa and take a short nap. The stress of the last few weeks was catching up with her, and the idea of a few hours of blissful, uninterrupted sleep sounded like heaven.

  Her loudly growling belly woke her up much later. The sun was going down, bathing everything outside in a beautiful reddish-orange glow. She took a quick shower, tossed on a pair of loose shorts and a tank, then headed out to the hotel’s beachside bar and restaurant. The place was packed, filled with those who had taken advantage of the two-for-one drink specials between five and six, now looking somewhat sun-weary, bleary-eyed and trying to get something substantial into their stomachs.

  When the hostess informed her that it would be at least a thirty minute wait, Jessie nixed that idea and went across the street to the WaWa, opting for a meat-filled hoagie and a big bag of chips instead. It was probably better to limit the sit down meals, anyway. She’d really put a dent in her cash reserves to get here; no sense in pissing it all away right up front on overpriced meals that probably wouldn’t satisfy her anyway. With that thought in mind, she picked up some grocery items, too. Making her own breakfast would definitely help keep costs contained.

  With two reusable canvas bags filled to overflowing, Jessie made her way back to her room. She was constantly checking over her shoulder, half expecting to find someone tracking her, but there was no one. Just to be on the safe side, though, she took a circuitous route.

  Once inside, she put everything away while scarfing down the hoagie and chips. Her hunger assuaged, she finally made her way out to the beach.

  Jessie loved the beach, always had. When she was little, when things were better, her parents used to bring her and her siblings here for a week every summer. Not in this hotel, of course. This place was far nicer than anything they could have afforded then. No, back then they would rent a house closer to the bay side, usually before the Fourth of July when the rates shot up.

  It had been a chore, then. Packing up six kids and crossing six-lane highways to get to the sand and surf. But it had been worth it. Her mom would slather them all with oily lotions and then stretch out on the beach with a book or three. Her father would fall asleep within minutes beneath a large, colorful umbrella. Jessie, her three sisters and two brothers would frolic the day away, body-surfing and hunting for shells and making sand castles.

  That all changed about ten years ago, when Lucas decided to challenge her father. They were a small pack; most of the big packs never bothered them. Lucas probably wouldn’t have, either, if she hadn’t been so damn stupid, she thought bitterly. One stupid, impetuous, mistake that put her in Lucas’s sights and doomed them all.

  Jessie pushed those thoughts away. For the next seven days, she was not going to think about Lucas, or about what she would be forced to do when she went back. This time was hers.

  As beautiful as the shore was during the day, it was even more so at night, when the moonlight glowed on the sand and highlighted the white caps of the crashing waves. The constant background noise of the water as it rose and crested and fell, reached and then pulled. There were far fewer people on the beach; she could enjoy the scene without being surrounded on all sides by others who had flocked here to escape their everyday lives, too.

  Jessie couldn’t fault them for that; she had come for exactly the same reason. But that didn’t mean she had to like them. She didn’t want to hear their music. She didn’t want to listen to their conversations, complaints, and lamentations. And she certainly didn’t want to befriend or encourage any of them.

  She walked up and down the shore, the waves washing up over her toes every now and then. Occasionally, she caught sight of others who had come down to the beach as well. From beneath hooded eyes, she watched lovers, young and old alike. Strolling. Holding hands. Huddling together in the sand, dark shadows in their own little worlds. She sighed. As touching as it was, it was kind of depressing, too. She knew with certainty her future would not include any of that.

  More entertaining and less painful were the groups of kids who played in the sand, adorned in glow stick jewelry, tossing around flashing balls and discs that could be easily seen in the darkness. Hearing their laughter mixed in with the soothing sound of the ocean reminded her of the times when she had played here once, too, as both a human and a wolf.

  When there were others around, they had remained human. But on every trip, she and her siblings would sneak out in the middle of the last night of their vacation and change into their animal forms to experience the beach as wolves. They’d frolic in the waves and feel the sand beneath their paws. It was wonderful! Without fail, their parents would come after them and be absolutely livid. The traditional punishment for the infraction was a long grounding for weeks afterward, but it was always worth it, every time.

  Jessie wouldn’t be doing any of that on this trip, however, no matter how tempted she was. She had learned her lesson, and learned it well. Someone was always watching; cell phones were always recording...

  She fingered the special amulet she wore around her neck. Spelled by a powerful witch to mask her animal nature, both from herself and others, it was the only way to ensure that they could not track her. The amulet would mask her scent, as well as block any and all telepathic communications from her pack and her family.

  For the next seven days, Jessie’s wolf would cease to exist.

  It was not her stomach, but the obnoxious brat on the floor above her that woke Jessie up precisely at dawn the next morning. Apparently it didn’t matter how expensive the hotel was; kids were still kids and parents tended to take the path of least resistance, especially when on vacation.

  It probably wouldn’t have been too bad if th
e group of rowdies who’d closed the bar down hadn’t decided to break into a drunken medley of Led Zeppelin’s greatest hits right outside her door at two-thirty a.m. and continue until the police finally showed up an hour later.

  Barely awake, Jessie cracked half a dozen eggs into one frying pan. In another, she dropped at least as many slices of thick, slab bacon. While the coffee machine dripped with agonizing slowness, she popped a couple pieces of bread in the toaster and downed half a quart of whole milk. One great thing about being a shifter – her metabolism allowed her to eat as much as she wanted. She wondered if wearing the amulet would suppress that like it did her other shifter traits, but then decided she didn’t care. Even if she did manage to pack on a few pounds this week, she’d burn them off as soon as she started shifting again.

  She turned on the news, hoping to catch the local weather forecast while she ate. After ten minutes, she turned it off, disgusted by what she had seen. Multiple shootings. A couple of murders. Carjackings. Another attack by a serial rapist. Humans were unnecessarily violent creatures. It made her shifter community seem peaceful in comparison.

  The forecast didn’t really matter, anyway. She was going down to the beach. If it grew stormy, she’d just come back to the room.

  After cleaning up her dishes, she pulled on her bathing suit and packed a small bag for the beach. There really wasn’t anything worth storing in the in-room safe. She’d left her tablet and phone at home; both were too trackable.

  It was still pretty early; not too many people were on the beach yet. A couple of elderly walkers. A few joggers. A small yoga-on-the-beach class. According to the sign, the hotel’s rental shack didn’t open for another two hours, but guests could use their key cards to get what they needed (a nice perk).

  Within a few minutes, Jessie had her umbrella and beach chair set up in the perfect spot. She carefully spread her meager possessions out as much as she could, marking her territory. Her bag had her eReader, a cooling towel, a couple of bottles of water, and a couple of bucks in case the beach bar waitress came along later.