Wolf Moon

by Desiree Holt

Alexa turned to Derek. Be ready to move. Go for the gun hands. But be swift and don’t give them a target.

  Derek dipped his head once then turned back to the pack.

  “Come on, Bang Bang.” Jesse pushed away from the car. “Give it up. Let’s all go home.”

  “I’ll send him home,” someone from the other gang shouted. “In a box.”

  Before anyone could move, the speaker lifted his hand and shot Bang Bang twice.

  Then all hell broke loose. The gangs began shooting at each other, and Jesse and Charlie were trapped in the crossfire. No one expected the furry bodies that suddenly leaped out from nowhere, so fast they were blurs of motion. They attacked and retreated, each time causing enough damage to stop the gunplay, then leaping in again. They moved too fast to make themselves targets for guns or Tasers.

  In seconds, several of the young men lay writhing on the ground, bleeding from wolf bites, screaming in pain. Derek led his pack quickly back into the trees again, while Alexa stood to the side, waiting and watching.

  The police moved forward, guns drawn. No one seemed to be paying enough attention to the young man kneeling beside Bang Bang. Before anyone could reach him, he lifted his gun and pointed it at Jesse.

  “This is all your fault, asshole,” he screamed, and his finger tightened on the trigger.

  Alexa was a blur of motion, leaping at the gang member. She knocked his arm to the side but not before the gun fired. A bullet ricocheted and plowed into her side, and she dropped to the ground, blood pouring from the wound. Another gun fired, twice, and through pain-filled eyes she saw the man drop, shot twice by Jesse. Everyone else froze, unsure what to do next.

  “All right,” the man with the bullhorn shouted. “The next gun I see, the owner’s a dead man. Let’s get in here and clean this up.”

  As if released from a time warp, the cops moved forward. They collected guns, cuffed the startled gang members, called for medical treatment for the wounded.

  Jesse approached Alexa, frowning.

  “Is she dead?” Charlie asked.

  “I don’t think so, but I’m afraid to touch her.”

  “And where the hell did all those other wolves come from?” Charlie wanted to know. “Think she brought some friends?”

  “Don’t know, but I’m damned glad they showed up. Too bad she got hurt.”

  “I’ll call animal control.” He reached for his cell phone. “They’ll know what to do.”

  No. No, no, no.

  Alexa could not let that happen. Panting with the effort, she pulled herself to her feet. Jesse took a step forward then halted, uncertainty in every line of his body. At least, she thought, he didn’t look afraid of her. Slowly, she limped off to the tree line where Derek and the others waited out of sight.

  “Come on, Jesse,” she heard Charlie say. “We need to finish up here. You can’t do anything to help her. She’s able to move. Maybe her, uh, friends can take care of her.”

  “Yeah.” Jesse sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

  With supreme effort, Alexa managed to pull herself close to Derek.

  I have to get away from here but so do you. Someone will come after you if you don’t.

  You’re badly hurt.

  I’ll heal, but I have to know you are safe. Go now.

  He didn’t move, still watching her, indecision in his eyes.

  Go, please. I have to get home, and you have to get away.

  At last, Derek dipped his head once. We will wait to hear from you again.

  Fine, but please get away from here. Now.

  Derek and his mate moved close to her, ready to assist, as they made their way back to the orange grove. She watched them lope away before she began the painful process of heading home. If she could make it to the woods behind her house and find a place to lie down for a day or two, she’d be all right. Shifters healed fast, although, right now, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be whole again.

  The trek was arduous, and she was dizzy and disoriented from pain and loss of blood. Somehow, she ended up on the edge of the trees at her backyard rather than safely concealed by them. With the last of her strength, she tried to drag herself to a hiding place, but the effort proved too much for her. She dropped to the ground and closed her eyes as another wave of pain washed over her.

  ***

  Jesse thought the night would never end. The mopping up at the scene of the gang fight had been arduous and messy. There had been lots of screaming and cursing and a few last attempts at bravado that made more problems for them. He was eternally grateful most of the cheap guns the gang members had were so poorly made they’d either misfired or jammed.

  Finally, they had everyone transported either to the station or the prison ward of the hospital. The booking process took forever, and they had to catalogue all the guns for the evidence locker. By the time he left the station, Jesse felt as if he’d been on duty for a month.

  The appearance of the wolf again had startled him, but not nearly as much as the fact she’d brought help with her. Jesse was sure that without those bodies attacking and distracting the gang members, things would have been worse. A lot worse.

  Charlie kept teasing him about his pet, but he’d been damned glad she’d shown up.

  The sun was well over the horizon by the time he finally dragged his weary body home. Pulling his car into the driveway and climbing out of it seemed about all he had energy left to do.

  He wondered if Alexa was waiting for him. He needed a long shower and a month of sleep before he felt fit enough to see her. But he at least owed her an explanation.

  As he headed toward her house, something in her backyard caught his eye. With weary steps, he forced himself across the lawn to the tree line. He was shocked to see his wolf lying on the ground, panting shallow breaths. The bullet that hit her had plowed a furrow in her side, fortunately not penetrating her body but leaving a rough wound just the same. Blood matted the silver-white fur.

  Blocking Charlie’s warnings from his mind, he knelt on the grass beside the animal and stretched out a hand to caress her head. She moaned and reached her tongue out to lick his palm. Her eyes were shadowed with pain and…something else. What?

  Jesse sighed. She’d helped him. Now it was his turn to do as much for her.

  “Come on, girl. Let’s see if I can fix this wound. It doesn’t look too bad.”

  Exhausted and barely able to manage himself, he lifted her in his arms. He was surprised at how small and light she actually was. Being careful not to jostle her, he carried her into his house and placed her gently on the couch. Fighting to stay awake, he went to get a bowl of warm water, a cloth, and his first aid kit. Did you treat wolves the same as humans?

  He’d have to chance it.

  With gentle fingers, he cleaned the wound on her side and applied what remained of the antibiotic salve. He fetched a second bowl of water from the kitchen and put it on the floor, hoping she could reach down to drink from it. Finally, he took the blanket that still lay folded at the end of the couch and covered her with it.

  “That’ll have to do for now, girl. If I don’t go to bed, I’m going to pass out.”

  And Alexa will have to wait until tomorrow.

  ***

  Sunlight blazing through his window woke Jesse in the late morning. He hoped his wolf had slept through the past few hours. Dragging himself out of bed, he stumbled into the living room to check on her and stopped, frozen to the floor.

  The wolf was gone. Instead, Alexa Morgan, nude shoulders showing above the edge of the blanket, lay there fast asleep.

  What the hell?

  He shook his head as if to clear it, but the scene didn’t change.

  His brain had to be playing tricks on him. It’s the fatigue, he thought and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, a very pale Alexa was awake. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and clutched it around her, a look of desperation on her face.

  Jesse stared.

  Am I asleep and dreaming this?
Am I so tired I’m not smart enough to be afraid of this? Whatever this is? I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I can’t leave her lying here.

  “Jesus Christ. Alexa?” He could barely croak her name.

  She turned whiter than a sheet. “Jesse?” she whispered.

  “How did you get here?” he demanded. “And what happened to…?” He stopped. Maybe he’d imagined the whole thing. Maybe he’d brought Alexa home last night and didn’t remember it. Yeah, right. And maybe he’d won a million dollars in the lottery.

  No, something weird had happened here.

  “Jesse, listen.” She changed position, trying to push herself into the corner of the couch, and pain slashed across her features.

  “What is it? What’s wrong? What are you hiding there?” He moved to the couch and lifted the blanket.

  Alexa shrank away from him but not before he got a good look at the angry gouge in her side. Like his wolf! And, strangely, the wound seemed to be partially healed.

  He dropped the blanket as if it was on fire. “What the hell’s going on here?”

  She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Jesse, listen to me. We have to talk.”

  “How did you get hurt? And where’s the wolf?” He looked around the room and demanded, “There was a wolf here, right?”

  She was trembling as she looked up at him. “If you’ll stop shouting and sit down, I’ll explain.”

  He raked his fingers through his hair, frustration running through him. “Explain what? Jesus, am I dreaming this? Or maybe having a nightmare?”

  Alexa swallowed, hard. “Can you come sit down beside me?” She giggled nervously. “I won’t bite you.”

  Oh, oh, bad joke.

  “You know,” he said, “maybe it’s the fatigue, or the stress from everything that happened tonight. Maybe I should go back to bed, get up again, and it will be yesterday. None of this will have happened.”

  “Jesse!” She all but shouted his name. “Jesse, please. Just listen to me. Five minutes. That’s all I ask.”

  “Five minutes, huh? All right. But it better be some doozey of an explanation.” He leaned against the wall, refusing to come near her.

  Alexa drew in a breath, wincing slightly. “I’m going to tell you something you’ll find very hard to believe, but I want you to listen carefully. Jesse, have you ever heard of shape-shifters?”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “People who are part wolf, part human. Who can shift from one shape to another.”

  “Are you nuts?” His eyes narrowed. “I mean it, Alexa. What kind of drugs are you taking?”

  “Give me five minutes to explain to you. Then if you want me to leave, I will.”

  Plucking nervously at the blanket, eyes focused on her hands, voice not quite steady, Alexa told him her story and the truth about her nature. About her flight to Florida and why. Falling in love with him. Changing into her wolf form to protect him. About the wolves at the abandoned orange grove who came to help her. When she finished, she lay back on the cushions, pale and exhausted.

  Jesse stared at her. “That’s the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever heard. You’re shitting me, right? You’re making this up?”

  She shook her head. “I wish. You know, there are hundreds of cases where shifters and humans have…mated successfully.” She tried to keep the note of hope from her voice.

  “How is that even possible?”

  “You know how it’s possible.” The words came out in an angry flood. “We’ve had enough sex to show you how possible it is.”

  “Have you ever…I mean, did you ever…?”

  “Have another relationship?” She closed her eyes briefly. “Yes. It ended in disaster. That’s all you need to know.”

  “You’re lying. About everything.”

  “Why would I do that? This isn’t easy for me to tell you.”

  “Okay, if that’s true, show me.”

  “What?”

  “Show me how you…change, or whatever it is you do.”

  “Jessie, I’m wounded. I don’t know if—”

  “Damn it.” His eyes were wild. “Show me.”

  Alexa gritted her teeth against the pain, focused, and forced her body to shift. Then she rolled off the couch, padded over to Jesse, and licked his hand.

  He jerked it back as if she’d stabbed him. “Jesus Christ.”

  Alexa padded back to the couch, took a deep breath, and forced herself back to human form. Then she lay back on the couch, totally drained.

  “Look.” She pointed to her side where the wound was looking even better. “Shifters heal very quickly. Although I really, really want to thank you for taking care of me last night. Most people would have left me where I was.”

  “I didn’t know that you….” Jesse stopped.

  “That I was what I am?”

  But Jesse stood rooted to the floor, unable to say another word or move his feet.

  “Please say something,” she begged. “Anything. I love you.”

  He stood for a long time, staring at her, then turned toward the door.

  “Jesse?”

  “What?” He refused to turn back to look at her.

  “Where are you going? This is your house. You don’t have to leave.”

  His shoulders tightened. “Go home whenever you’re ready. I can’t stay here right now.” He moved into the hallway, the door slammed, and he was gone. In seconds, she heard the engine of his car crank and tires screech on the driveway.

  Alexa leaned against the couch pillows and let the river of tears she’d been holding back break loose. She cried until her throat was raw and her eyes burned. At last, there were no tears left and the gulping sobs subsided. She dragged herself off the couch, wrapped the blanket tightly around her, and stumbled home.

  The pain in her heart was far greater than the one in her side.

  Chapter Ten

  A week passed, and Alexa had ventured out of the house only twice. She’d made a necessary trip to the grocery store and a visit to the orange grove to let Derek know what she’d worked out for them. Otherwise, she was a recluse. She listened for Jesse’s car when he left for work and the sound of the door slamming when he returned. Some nights, he didn’t come home at all. She restrained herself from looking out the window. Seeing him, even from a distance, would be way too painful.

  For the first three days, she waited optimistically for him to appear at the door, to call, anything. Then she realized he was probably still in shock and the reaction would come later. His absence said it all.

  Her wound healed quickly. That was a blessed side effect of being a shifter. The body repaired itself fast. But there was no cure for a broken heart.

  It’s my own damn fault. I should have known better. I was stupid to put myself out there, thinking somehow this could work.

  By the end of the week, she’d decided the best thing for her was to move on, find somewhere else. Start over. Only this time, she’d guard her emotions much more carefully.

  Yeah. That’s what I said last time.

  She found a real estate agent in the yellow pages, and, two days later, the For Sale sign went up in front of the house.

  You’re safe now, Jesse. I’ll be gone before you know it.

  Sleep was a rare commodity for her. Whenever she closed her eyes, she’d see Jesse’s face. Feel his hands and body. And wake up wanting what she couldn’t have. So, she stayed awake until, exhausted, she’d fall into bed for a dreamless hour or two.

  Tonight, she’d started packing up her things. She had no idea yet where she was going. If necessary, she could rent a storage locker until she found a new location. Far away from here, that was for sure.

  About three o’clock in the morning, her eyelids finally began to droop. She stripped off her clothes and fell into bed for what passed for sleep these days.

  But this time she was dreaming.

  In her dream, Jesse was beside her, holding her in his arms. Kissing her,
his mouth moving over her face, her jawline, her breasts. His hands were on her everywhere, touching and caressing her. Arousing her.

  “Jesse,” she cried out, tears running down her cheeks even in her sleep.

  “Ssh.”

  She swore she heard his voice. Then gentle thumbs wiped away the moisture on her face and soft lips covered hers.

  Her eyes flew open, and there he was in the flesh.

  Jesse.

  Hovering over her, his dark eyes molten with desire.

  “Oh, God, are you real?”

  “You tell me.” He took one of her hands and moved it down past his belly to his swollen cock, wrapping her fingers around it.

  “I can’t believe you’re here. Why are you here?”

  “Later.” He captured a nipple in his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. “First things first.”

  He took her mouth then, his lips moving over hers with rough intensity. His tongue pressed inside to sweep the lining of her cheeks and taste the roof of her mouth. Threading his fingers through hers, he stretched her hands over her head. His body covered hers as he ravaged her mouth, drinking from her, savoring her taste.

  “Oh, God.” He shifted suddenly. “I forgot. Your side.”

  “All better,” she smiled, turning her body to show him. “I told you I heal fast. Jesse….”

  “Later,” he repeated.

  He went back to kissing her, pressing his lips to the hollow at her throat where her pulse beat heavily, then down to the slope of her breasts. He nipped, he licked, he nibbled, pulling on her nipples until they were red and swollen and throbbing with need.

  Slowly and carefully, he moved his mouth over the flatness of her belly. He paused only to dip his tongue into her navel before moving to the trimmed curls at her mound.

  “I want to see that beautiful cunt.” His voice was hoarse and thick. “God, I’ve dreamed about it every night.”

  He pressed her legs wide apart with his broad shoulders. With his thumbs, he opened her labia until her entire pussy was exposed to him.

  “Play with your nipples for me, Alexa. Pinch them, the way you like me to do.”