Lost Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

A heavy feline scent hung in the air, and it wasn’t from house cats.

  Shifters.

  I slowed down to a near-crawl and walked around the immense building. A wide variety of odors assaulted our nose, everything from food to perfumes. I could even smell strange plant life—they had to have been imported like the cars.

  Around the back of the building, I finally saw windows. People danced inside, appearing to have the time of their lives. Music sounded from inside, loud enough that I could feel the beat on the ground.

  I paced, keeping my focus on the party. Victoria’s scent lingered, and it was stronger here. It seemed to be coming from inside, but that didn’t make any sense. Why would a wolf be in there? Especially among feline shifters?

  Rumors abounded of jaguars and cougars, but this was the first real proof I had of any of it. Though I couldn’t tell if what I smelled was jaguar or cougar, I had a feeling I’d soon know the difference.

  My wolf and I sat, focusing all the more on the dancers. I could sense that he wanted to leave, not that I could blame him. We were in dangerous territory, and if any of the other shifters caught wind of us it might get ugly. No way we could take on an entire pack—or herd, or whatever cats traveled in.

  Then I saw her. Not only was Victoria in human form—during the full moon—but she was dancing with a tall, muscular man.

  A low growl escaped our throat. I wasn’t sure if that was from me or my wolf. I didn’t care.

  What was she doing with that guy?

  I growled, exposing our teeth. I would tear him apart.

  My wolf urged me to back down.

  Have you lost your mind?

  An annoying feeling of calmness washed over me.

  Stop it!

  He didn’t. Another few minutes of this, and I would curl up and go to sleep.

  A thought crossed my mind—I knew nothing of what had happened to her during our time apart. Running inside to fight wouldn’t solve anything.

  Back before her death, we had been in rival packs. Both of our fathers were alphas, and had expressly forbidden us from seeing each other. We had both been chosen to marry others from our respective packs.

  Not that any of that had kept me from falling head over paws for her.

  My wolf finally relented with his force to calm me. I brought my focus back to Victoria.

  I let out a yelp.

  She was wearing a white lacy dress. I jumped up and paced. This couldn’t be a wedding, could it? She hadn’t somehow been turned into a cat shifter?

  No. It wasn’t possible.

  Victoria was a wolf.

  Yet she was human during the full moon.

  What had they done to her?

  I growled and inched toward the building.

  A twig snapped nearby.

  It was only someone taking a bag of trash to the dumpster. He didn’t even look my way.

  I snapped my neck back toward Victoria. That pompous jerk held her close and spoke into her ear. She threw her head back and laughed.

  My wolf urged me to return to the pack.

  Never.

  A wave of calm pulsated through me.

  Sometimes I hated him. It was my turn to give in to his leadership. Later, I would probably agree that he was right. But right then, staring at Victoria in the arms of another man—a feline shifter—nothing other than an attack made sense.

  Why was she wearing what looked like a wedding dress? Could that just be the style of formal wear this year?

  My wolf stepped away from the building. He’d calmed the fight out of me. When he burst into a run, I merely went along for the ride. I would need to find out as much as I could the next day when she showed up to class.

  That was it. Tomorrow was the first day of classes. She wouldn’t be getting married right now.

  My own relief washed through me.

  I’d overreacted, and my wolf had been right.

  We traveled through the woods, again passing my home. The air pressed our fur back like a heavy wind blows down blades of grass. Our pack’s scents grew stronger.

  My wolf called out to them.

  Joyful howls sounded in return. All except Jet’s.

  He would get over it.

  Our pace slowed as we neared the others. We were near the Faeble, a lively bar open to all supernatural creatures. Often, after shifting back to human form, we would stop in for something to drink to relax after the grueling changes of shifting. The owner let us keep spare clothing around back.

  I, for one, was ready for both shifting back and a strong drink.

  One quick glance at the moon told me it would be a while. My wolf urged me to go on a hunt.

  Wouldn’t you rather curl up and sleep? Busy day tomorrow.

  He growled. I would have, too, if I could only be in my preferred form one day a month.

  I lowered our nose to our chest.

  My wolf burst into a run, sniffing for something to chase. Our mouth watered and our stomach growled at the thought. He wanted to go after a deer, always preferring the thrill of getting a larger animal.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about Victoria in the arms of that feline. None of it made any sense. Obviously, she didn’t remember me, but what else had changed? One didn’t just stop being a werewolf. Sure, we could fall in love with other species, but not become one.

  As my wolf ran through the woods, I blocked him out and tried to make sense of everything. The more I thought about it, the more it made my brain hurt. Or wait…

  No, that was the familiar ache of the impending shift.

  My wolf’s disappointment ran through us. It was so strong, it nearly felt like my own, except that I was all too aware of how badly I wanted back into my human form.

  I had to find out what was going on with Victoria.

  Pain shot through our spine. I gave into it, eager to be human for the next month. My wolf fought it.

  Next time, we need to get on the same page.

  His resistance ran through me.

  In this form, our uniting was on me. When I gave into the monthly change and went with the flow, it was as though we were one and the same. Times like this reminded me that we were two forming one.

  Our front legs ached. It was about to happen. I looked around. We weren’t as near the Faeble as I would have liked. Sure, I was comfortable in my own skin, and my pack was plenty used to seeing each other in the nude given the nature of our changes, but I avoided running through the woods without any clothes if I could.

  I’d run into people more often than I preferred—and they weren’t nearly so forgiving about guys running around naked.

  Clumps of fur dropped to the ground. I fought the bone pain and ran toward the bar.

  I could smell the others nearby. Some were already in human form while others were still changing. The younger ones tended to have less control over the changes and often turned first.

  Being over a century myself, it was unusual for my wolf and me to be at such odds. We were old friends and had been through a lot together, including loving and losing Victoria.

  My wolf stopped us and put our nose to the dirt. Pain ran from the tip of our tail upwards through our spine, spread out to all four extremities and finally crashed into our neck and skull. The crunching was so loud, I couldn’t tell where the shift began. It was easy to know when it had ended, though. Rocks and twigs dug into my sensitive human flesh.

  I stood and pulled some leaves from my side. Stinging nettle. Great. I pulled some more off and thanked my wolf for his choice of where to stop.

  The sounds of conversation reached me from nearby. The Faeble was only a hundred yards away. I ran for the back, where the spare clothes were stashed in some old lockers.

  Jet was already getting dressed. He stared at my side. “Run into trouble?”

  “Stinging nettle. I’ll be fine.”

  He punched me in the arm. “What doesn’t kill you, right?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure this’ll make me plenty stronger.” I
opened the locker where I’d stored some of my clothes and got dressed. “I could sure use a drink.”

  “You and your wolf were at odds tonight. What was up?”

  I pulled on my jeans. “That obvious?”

  “Dude.” He arched a brow. “Totally not like you.”

  “It happens to everyone.” I shrugged like it was no big deal.

  “Yeah, but not you.”

  “I’m made of flesh, blood, and fur just like the rest of you.” I pulled my shirt on and found some socks and shoes. Only a couple more outfits remained. I’d have to restock soon.

  “If you say so.”

  A few more guys came over and threw their clothes on. We all headed inside. Music greeted us from the nightly live band as soon as the door opened. Lively conversation buzzed around from all directions and I could smell a wide variety of creatures, as usual.

  Some of our pack were already seated, so we joined them. Jet grabbed a seat from another table. A siren in a fedora glared at him, but didn’t say anything.

  The waitress came over and took our orders. Each of us ordered strong drinks—they tended to help us ease back into being human.

  I laughed and joked with everyone, but my mind was back at the large building Victoria had been dancing in with the cat. I needed to find out everything I could about both the shifters and their club.

  There had never been a jaguar here at the Faeble as far as I knew, so if I couldn’t find anything out from Victoria, I was going to have to get creative.

  Either way, I would get to the bottom of all this no matter the cost. Nothing else mattered.

  Chapter 9

  Victoria

  My favorite song interrupted a deep sleep. I groaned, hoping it would stop.

  It didn’t.

  “Would you turn that off?” Sasha asked. “I’ve got another hour to sleep.”

  I reached for my nightstand, with my eyes still closed, and found my phone. The music grew louder as I brought it closer. I found the snooze button and jammed the phone under my pillow.

  A moment later—or at least that was how it felt—the song played again.

  “Guess I better get up,” I mumbled. The last thing I needed was to be late for class on my first day of college. I was setting the stage for my entire college career. No pressure.

  I opened my eyes and turned off my alarm.

  “What were you doing out so late?” Sasha mumbled. “I heard you come in at, like, two or something.”

  “I lost track of time.” I yawned and stared at my pillow, wishing I could flop back onto it for another five or six hours.

  “Dancing with Carter again?”

  “Yeah. It’s so much fun at the Jag.”

  “Did you get pictures this time?” she asked.

  “Sorry, I forgot again.”

  “Some friend you are.”

  “Didn’t you want more sleep?”

  “Yep.” She flipped over and pulled the blankets over her head. “You’re the one who wanted a ten o’clock class.”

  “It sounded good at the time.”

  “Live and learn.”

  She was right. I’d just have to make sure I got to bed at a decent hour in the future. Maybe dancing with Carter would have to be a weekends-only thing. We could still do dinner other nights.

  I forced myself out of bed and stared at my clothes. They all seemed so boring after wearing formal dresses the previous two nights. “Thanks again for letting me borrow your dress last night.”

  Sasha mumbled something.

  I picked a gray tank top with splotches of pink and some cute denim cutoffs and headed for the shower. The hot water soothed my bones. The ache lingered, but the harsh pains seemed to have disappeared.

  When I got out of the bathroom, Sasha was in her bed, texting. She glanced up and nodded with approval. “Cute. I see you did your eyeliner like I showed you.”

  “Yeah, I like how it makes my eyes catlike.”

  “Definitely suits you, girl. Good luck today.”

  “You, too.” I grabbed my already packed backpack and my purse. It was kind of awkward with both. I’d need to figure something else out.

  Sasha’s forehead wrinkled. “A backpack? Really? What is this—the third grade?”

  I frowned. “I saw plenty of people with those at orientation.”

  “And how many of them are dating Carter Jag?”

  “Who said we’re exclusive?”

  “Two nights in a row and plans for studying this afternoon? I’d call that serious.”

  “We’ll see. I gotta go.”

  “Better eat breakfast. I’d hate to see you empty out the cafeteria.”

  I grabbed one of my pillows and chucked it at her. “Funny.”

  “You’re never going to live that down. I hope you realize that.”

  “Just wait until you do something crazy.”

  She snickered. “I don’t do crazy. Well, not like that. I’m more likely to get drunk and dance in someone’s yard, singing old 90s songs. In my bikini.”

  “Nice. See you later.”

  “We’ll go shopping tonight.”

  “For what?” I asked.

  Sasha rolled her eyes. “For a better bag. Just try not to ruin your reputation today with that ugly thing.”

  “Won’t dating Carter make up for that?”

  “Let’s hope. I have a reputation to manage, also. Can’t be roomie of a geek.”

  I threw my other pillow at her and went downstairs. The TV blared from the living room, but I had the kitchen to myself. I dug my frozen waffles out of the freezer and ate them quickly. I was surprised I had any appetite left over after all I’d eaten the night before. After pigging out on sandwiches, I’d eaten two main dishes at the Jag.

  Carter had been amused by my appetite—not knowing about how much I’d eaten earlier—and luckily hadn’t been put off by it. The sparkle in his eyes actually made me think he enjoyed seeing me scarf down so much. Most girls probably tried to impress him by barely eating, but I’d been so ravenous I’d had no other choice except to give in to my appetite.

  I’d had such a great time dancing with him, but the entire time I felt pulled outside. In fact, I’d glanced out the window so many times, he insisted we just dance in front of it. For some reason, the moon was so gorgeous I couldn’t stop staring.

  But now it was the first day, and if I didn’t hurry, I’d find myself late for my first class. I hopped in my Jaguar and drove as fast as I dared until I reached the parking lot nearest my class.

  Once I found the room, it was nearly full. I recognized most of the faces from the orientation.

  Grace waved me over to where she sat on the far side of the room, halfway back. She patted the desk next to her. “I saved it for you.”

  I sat down. “Thanks.”

  “I can’t believe you were almost late on the first day.”

  “Life happens.” I pulled my laptop out of my backpack.

  Professor Foley entered the room, chatting and laughing with a couple guys wearing school football uniforms. He set his things on the front desk and arranged them.

  Grace rattled on about a band, but I couldn’t stop watching the teacher. He was so gorgeous, as evidenced by the three pretty students who had jumped up and now surrounded him, chatting and obviously flirting.

  Something deep within me awoke with fury. I had to literally force myself to stay in my seat, gripping the sides so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I wanted to tear those girls to pieces.

  “You okay?” Grace asked.

  I gritted my teeth. “Fine.”

  “That vein in your forehead is going to explode if you’re not careful.”

  Not that I cared. Those twits were practically all over him. If it would have been socially acceptable for them to actually crawl on top of him, I was sure they would have.

  I sniffed the air. I could actually smell their lust and desire.

  Okay, I was losing it. I shook my head. How could I smell their
emotions? I had to get control of myself. Who cared if they were flirting with Professor Foley? Why should I, when I had Carter to focus on?

  I turned back to Grace. Now she was talking about a virtual game her mom didn’t like. I tried to focus on what she was saying, but Toby’s aftershave wafted over to me.

  Wait.

  Toby?

  I didn’t know Professor Foley’s first name. I hadn’t even seen it anywhere.

  Or had I? I found the online course syllabus.

  Introduction to Statistics

  Professor T. Foley

  My breath caught. His name actually did start with a T.

  Maybe I remembered reading that and just gave him the name in my mind.

  That had to be it. There was no other explanation. Not that smelling his aftershave or the desire of those girls all the way from my seat made any sense, either.

  He stepped back and told everyone to take their seats. His gaze ran across the classroom and stopped when it landed on me.

  My heart jumped into my throat and my pulse raced. We stared at each other for a moment before he continued looking around the room. I shook.

  What was it about him that sent me into such a frenzy? I didn’t feel this out of sorts even when Carter laced his fingers through mine or when he held me close as we danced to slow, romantic music.

  Toby—Professor Foley—introduced himself again and then told us to open the syllabus. He went over the expectations of the class and told us that he was available for anyone who needed help.

  “Call my number or email me, day or night.” His gaze held mine for a moment. “If I’m available, I’ll help you then. If not, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I want all of you to succeed.” He scanned the rest of the room, explaining the schedule. “And there will be a pop quiz every Wednesday.”

  Half the class laughed.

  “I’m telling you so you know to be prepared for it—and to be here. I know the ten o’clock classes tend to be considered early, but don’t miss any because you’re tired. You can’t make the quizzes up. I hope you’re taking notes.”

  The sounds of laptop keypads being struck sounded all around the room.

  Professor Foley smiled.

  It was such a beautiful sight. I nearly melted into the chair. It was hard to breathe as he grinned. I wanted to reach out and stroke his stubble. To lean in close and smell his musky personal scent.