by Sophie Stern
It’s nice to have someone tell you you’re strong.
“First, find a mechanic,” I say. Then I realize it’s nearly midnight. I imagine all the mechanics have gone home for the night. “Scratch that. Find a motel. In the morning, talk to the clerk. The clerk can help me find someone to fix my car.”
That’s it.
That’s what I’ll do.
I’ll find a motel. I’ll find a clerk. I’ll find a mechanic.
They’ll fix my car and then I’ll be on my merry way. Then everything will be okay and I’ll only be a little late to Hope’s place and then I can really start my new life without Jeremy, without stress, without any problems.
I’ll be able to start my life.
My legs are aching and my throat is dry. I wish I’d thought to grab a water bottle. I’ve been walking for close to an hour and sleeping in the ditch is starting to seem like a viable option, but then I finally spot some lights.
There are only a couple of lights visible at first, but soon there are more and more, and I reach the edge of a small town.
“Wolfe City,” I read the sign. “Cute name.” I mean, it’s the kind of name that makes me think this is going to be a ghost town overrun by wolves, but it’s cute. I pass a couple of houses before I find the main street. The street lights are bright and the town seems to be well-lit. It’s quiet, and I’m guessing everyone is asleep, but I should be able to find my way around.
There’s a small grocery store and a general merchandise store, along with a couple of fast food chains. I walk past them and finally find what I’m looking for: a little run-down building with the word MOTEL flashing in front.
I approach the building warily and push open the door. A little bell jingles and the scent of must and mold wafts to my nose. It’s an older building, but it’s just for one night.
Hopefully.
Oh, I really, really hope it’s only for one night.
“Hello,” the clerk says when I walk in. She looks me up and down and then, if I’m not mistaken, she sniffs the air. Oh damn, do I smell bad? I walked for a long time. I’m probably sweaty and gross by now. “Can I help you?” She cocks her head to the side, waiting for me to say something.
“Um, yes, do you have any rooms available?”
“You want a room?” She looks surprised, as if that was the last thing she was expecting me to say.
“Yeah, I mean, yeah. Isn’t this a motel? I mean, um,” I stumble over the words, completely flustered, until she smiles and laughs and waves her hand.
“Calm down, honey. It’s just that we don’t get too many out-of-towners here. I figured you were looking for directions. Of course we’ve got a room. Just one night?”
“Yeah,” I say, breathing a sigh of relief.
“I’ll need to see your ID, and it’ll be $42.50 for the evening. Cash or credit is fine.”
I fish my driver’s license out of my pocket and hand it over, along with my credit card. I do have a little cash, but I want to save it for emergencies. Then again, I think this technically qualifies as an emergency.
The woman starts whistling as she bustles around, copying my ID and filling out something on her computer.
“So what brings you to Wolfe City?” She asks.
“Oh, I’m actually on my way to Honeypot,” I tell her. Maybe I shouldn’t admit my final destination. Maybe I shouldn’t be telling a stranger where I’m going, but something about this woman seems calming, trustworthy. She’s older than me, probably around forty or so, and she has a gentle smile.
“Honeypot?” She looks up at me in surprise. “Why?”
“I’m going to go stay with my friend for a little while.”
“Oh,” she nods. “Boy trouble?”
“Something like that. My car broke down, though, so I’m here.” I motion to the room. “You don’t happen to know a good mechanic, do you?”
A grin spreads across her face.
“My husband is the town mechanic,” she says. “And he’s the very best. Don’t worry,” she glances at my ID. “Amy. We’ll get you taken care of in no time.”
Chapter 2
Adam
As I lurk around the Wolfe City Motel, I can’t quite believe what’s happening. The women Heather called Amy is my mate. She’s definitely, absolutely, totally my mate.
And she’s totally human.
How could this happen? How could this be the way I found out? I’ve been searching my whole life for the one woman I’m destined to be with. I never expected it to be a human. I never expected to find a mate who wasn’t a shifter.
A shifter knows, though. There’s no mistaking it when you find your one true mate. There’s no denying the way you can scent them, the way you instantly know there’s a connection. There’s no way this could be a mistake.
She’s the one I’ve been waiting for all this time.
And she’s only passing through town, so I don’t have much time.
I was able to catch her scent more quickly than I should have. Usually a person’s distinct scent is fairly faint. Usually, you have to get pretty close to be able to smell them. This is why wolves are so seductive and suave. This is why we use all of our sexual prowess to get close to each other. We need to be physically close, and sometimes physically touching, in order to tell if someone is our mate.
But I didn’t have to get close to Amy.
I didn’t have to touch her.
She was crying while she walked down the road outside of town. She was crying and her heart called out to mine. I was in wolf form, which may have made it even easier to smell her, to scent her. Everything is easier in wolf form, and everything is easier when emotions are strong.
Wolf or human, strong emotions lead to a strong scent, and Amy’s is forever seared into my mind. She’s perfect, and beautiful, and I have to win her heart. I’ve been waiting forever to find her.
Now I have to prove I’m good enough for her.
Now I have to prove I’m not a creep.
Although most humans know shifters exist, not all of them do. Those who do know often think the idea of shifters is false. They think it’s a rumor, a trick. Unfortunately, this means convincing Amy I’m not a monster or a liar. It means convincing her I’m not some weird stalker. It means convincing her of the truth: that we’re destined to be together.
She walks out of the motel office and I slink back into the shadows, still in wolf form, still not ready to approach her. I need to wait for the right moment because I don’t want to freak her out or ruin my only shot at love. This is it for me. This is my one chance. I’ve been searching for her for years and now she’s here.
She’s finally here.
Amy looks at the key in her hand, checking the number, then starts looking for her room. The motel room doors all open to the parking lot. This makes it nice during the cold Colorado winters when visitors can simply pull their cars up to their room and quickly get inside.
Apparently, Heather has her in room four. I wait to make sure she gets in and I hear the door lock. Then I walk to the motel office, shift, and walk inside.
“Adam,” Heather says, ignoring the fact that I’m completely nude. Nudity isn’t anything new in Wolfe City. When you shift with wolves, when you hunt with wolves, when you live with wolves, you get used to nudity very quickly. “What can I do for you?”
“Oh, I was just in the area,” I say, leaning on the counter, smiling.
“No, you were not just in the area,” she says smoothly. “You don’t even work over here. You work at Tony’s, and this isn’t my first day being around you, Adam Hart.”
I glare. I do work at Tony’s. The little Italian restaurant is the best in town and my friend, Anthony, is an incredible chef. I don’t cook. I’m his manager, and I’m damn good at my job. I’m not rich or wealthy, but I’m good at what I do, and I have a good heart. I could love Amy if she’ll let me. I’ll be good to her.
“Tell me what you really want,” Heather says. She’s not even l
ooking at me. She’s not even taking me seriously. She’s just staring at her computer.
“She’s my mate.”
That gets Heather’s attention.
“Excuse me?” She looks up, pushing her glasses up. Her hair, which was probably perfectly styled at the beginning of her shift, is now in a messy bun with stray hairs framing her face. “What did you just say? Because it sounds like you just waltzed into my hotel buck-ass naked and told me my latest visitor is your soul mate.”
“She’s my mate,” I repeat. My voice is strained. It’s hard to get the words out, hard to admit this is what’s happening. It’s been so long. I’ve searched for so long, fought for so long. I’ve tried so hard to find my life-mate and now she’s here within reach, and I don’t know what to do.
“All right, big boy,” Heather says, motioning for me to sit in one of the plush velvet chairs. “Put a towel down so you don’t get your butt on the chair, and then have a seat. I’ll make us some tea.” Without a backwards glance, she heads through the door that leads to her family’s living quarters.
I open a cupboard where she keeps random things guests sometimes need, and grab a towel. By the time I finish setting up the towel and getting myself situated, Heather is back with two cups of tea and a plate of cookies.
“Cookies?” I ask, surprised.
“You’re going to want comfort food. Now shut up and drink your tea.”
She sets the tray on the little coffee table and I reach for a steaming mug of tea. I sip it while I wait for Heather to start speaking because if I know one thing about the wolf mistress of the motel, it’s that she tells it like it is.
I reach for a cookie and it’s only then, when I take my first bite, that Heather begins to speak.
“Don’t be stupid,” she says, and my jaw drops because that’s not what I was expecting her to say. I open my mouth to protest, but she holds up a hand and keeps talking.
“Adam Hart, I’ve known you since you were a little kid and I was your babysitter. You were just as impulsive then as you are now and you need to get over that real quick if you want to win this girl’s heart.”
“I’m not impulsive,” I say, but I set my cookie down sulkily.
“You are impulsive and right now, I’d say you’re trying to figure out how you can march over to room number four and introduce yourself without being weird. The correct answer is that you can’t, creeper.”
“I’m not a creeper.”
“No, you’re not, because I’m not letting you be. You male wolves are all the same,” Heather continues. “You think you can just walk up to a woman, declare you’re her mate, and live happily ever after. I hate to be the one to tell you, Adam, but it doesn’t work that way, especially with a human.”
“Then what do I do, Heather?” I’m exasperated. I chug the tea. I eat another cookie. “I’ve been waiting for her my whole life.”
“And she doesn’t even know you exist,” Heather says. “She doesn’t know you’re here, or that you’re destined to be together, or that you’re a damn wolf, so give the girl some fucking time and be patient. You’ve waited 25 years for her, Adam. You can wait a few days.”
I let her words sink in. I know Heather is right. I don’t want her to be, but she’s right. I need to be patient, especially now. I need to wait. I need to play this cool. Amy only just got to Wolfe City and chances are she’s going to be here for a couple of days. That gives me a few days to plead my case. That gives me a few days to win her heart.
“Tell you what,” Heather says, taking pity on me. “I’ll bring her to Tony’s for lunch tomorrow, all right? Herb is going to look at her car in the morning and he’ll let us know how long it’s going to take to fix. I’ll introduce you.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Kid, you’re like a little brother. I’ll do anything for you. Now get out of my hotel, and wash that towel.”
I try to hug Heather goodbye, but she motions at my nudity and simply goes back to her desk and starts playing a computer game.
“Thanks, Heather. Thank you. For real.”
“Uh-huh.”
I take the towel with me and walk out of the Wolfe City Motel. With only one short glance back at room four, I head toward my home. It’s only a few minutes away. Let’s be honest: Wolfe City is small enough that everything is only a few minutes away.
I walk in a daze until I get to my house. Then I open the door and go inside, happy I left it unlocked. Because shifters can’t exactly carry keys, most of the Wolfe City Pack members leave their houses unlocked. We also all have hide-a-keys stashed around town. It’s probably not a good habit, especially when outsiders come to town, but it’s how we live, and it works for us.
My home is small, but comfortable. I have a little two-story house on the edge of town. The backyard opens up to a beautiful field. Sometimes I’ll take a blanket out there and lie down so I can just stare at the stars and think. Living in Wolfe City is incredible. It’s beautiful. It’s lovely.
And it’s better now that Amy is here.
Call me a hopeless romantic, but when I walk into my house, all I can think is that I can’t wait for her to come live with me. I can’t wait to win her heart so I can bring her here and show her my home.
Our home.
The first floor has a living room, kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom. The two bedrooms are on the second floor with another bathroom. There’s a large wraparound porch and the master bedroom has a walk-out balcony. It’s tiny and it’s simple, but it’s mine, and I love it. I love my home.
Once inside, I do lock the door. Then I deposit Heather’s towel in the laundry room and head upstairs to shower. I need to take a long, cold shower. Yes, that’s exactly what I need. I need to shower and clear my head and think about what I’m going to do tomorrow. I need to think about how I’m going to win my mate.
I need to think about the fact that tomorrow, my entire life is going to change.
Tomorrow is the day I’ve been waiting for.
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“Two weeks,” Audrey said with a frown on her face.
“One week,” Gabriel protested.
“Two.”
“Fine.”
Audrey smirked, thinking she had won the argument, but Gabriel planned to bug her endlessly until she got the pictures back sooner. He knew she could work faster than that, but he also knew his little spitfire was a bit of a perfectionist. She always needed everything to be perfect.
If only she felt that way about her own life.
Audrey pushed away from the table and stood, smoothing her black dress. She grabbed her red hat from the table and slipped it on, completing her pinup girl look. She was forever living in the past, but Gabriel suspected it had more to do with her love of photography and the trendiness of 50s fashion, rather than a personal statement.
Gabriel stood as she did, his large frame towering over her small one. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was intimidated, but he did know better. Nothing scared Audrey. Nothing. Not deadlines, not arguments, and certainly not dragons.
She was the fiercest human on Dragon Isle.
Maybe anywhere.
“I have to go,” she looked at her cell phone to check the time. “I have a meeting with Emerson about taking photos of his new baby. Then I have to meet with some of the older dragons to talk about pictures for their church directory.”
“There’s a church on the island?” Gabriel said with a smirk. Audrey just rolled her eyes. The dragons were more open to sexual deviances than most humans, but the older generation still appreciated the solitude that church offered them.
“Yes, Gabe, there’s a church.” Audrey smiled playfully at Gabriel. Fuck, she was beautiful. If only he could convince her there was so much more than fr
iendship between them. Audrey had been adopted by a dragon couple as a small child and had grown up on the island. Though she and Gabriel had grown up together and were the best of friends, she hadn’t made a move to pursue anything else between them.
And it was killing him.
Each day that passed was one more without her. Gabriel wasn’t sure how much more he could take. He needed Audrey like he needed his next breath. She was all he could think about. She was consuming him.
“Want me to fly you?” He asked, desperate for a few more minutes with her. She cocked her head in surprise and raised her eyebrows. “To Emerson’s? No. I’m going to his house. It’s not too far to walk. You can walk me, though,” she added, fluttering her eyelashes in joke seduction.
He’d take it.
Gabriel dropped some money on the table to pay for their drinks, looped his arm through hers, and led Audrey out into the bright summer sunshine.
She chatted aimlessly as they made their way through the village and to the clan leader’s modest house. The entire time, Gabriel was wondering how much longer he was going to let things stay the same. How much longer could he stand being her best friend? How much longer could her handle being the guy she ran to with all of her problems? How much longer could he be the one she cried on when some other loser broke her heart?
How much longer could Gabriel wait for Audrey to realize he was standing right there?
When she kissed his cheek to say goodbye, he held her in a tight hug for a few seconds too long, wanting the moment to last just a bit more. He knew they were reaching a turning point. He was going to break or she was, and he wasn’t sure which, and he wasn’t sure where they were going to end up.
He would always love Audrey.
But if he couldn’t have her, he couldn’t wait around to see who would.
***
Audrey watched her best friend turn and walk away before he stripped down, tossed his clothes in a nearby basket, and shifted. Fuck, if he wasn’t the most gorgeous dragon she’d ever seen. Did Gabriel even know how much she wanted him? Craved him? She doubted it. She’d had a huge crush on him since they were kids, and she didn’t know what to do about it.