Lesser of Two Evils

by K. S. Martin

  The woods outside were a flurry of activity. Squirrels were bouncing and flying from tree to tree. Birds were hopping about, and taking off. The raven was back and squawking, then she spotted them. The turkeys. Straight out though the trees, five fat turkeys. The wolf urged and pushed. The glass went suddenly white. She turned and he was standing in the middle of the bedroom. His hands on his hips, a deep scowl marring his brow, and anger rolling off him in waves. Realizing what she’d done, Kerry nibbled her lip and went back to her chair. She needed to get control of the wolf. She’d dropped her broth and her towel to walk to the window. Those damn turkeys. He was in the middle of changing the sheets when she’d spotted them.

  “Sorry,” she whispered and used the towel to mop up the broth. “I don’t know what gets into her sometimes.”

  “Sit. Stay,” he hissed.

  “I said I was sorry.”

  He nodded and padded from the room. She watched his backside as he went. It was nice as far as backsides went. It was nicer than Eric’s and she’d studied that one. Ethan and Eric were definitely different. Eric was fun. He was always coming up with stuff to do, finding things to chase, and water to splash in. He didn’t boss her around the way Ethan did. Eric also didn’t look at her the way that Ethan did either. Now that she thought about it, Eric never looked at her that way. She didn’t want to disappoint Ethan, even though she kept doing it. It was time to let Eric go, let him be past. He didn’t love her. Not that Ethan loved her, but maybe if she behaved, he might love her. She wanted to please her new Alpha.

  “Here.” He bumped her arm, and she realized that she’d been sitting there with her eyes closed. “Drink all of it. Don’t make me discipline you.” A shiver of fear went through her as she wondered what that would entail. He finished changing the sheets and put the dirty bed linens in a hamper. He came over and sat in the chair opposite her. “When you see game outside, what happens in your head?”

  She sipped her broth and shrugged.

  “Do you have any control at all over her?”

  Concentrating, Kerry thought about it. Did she have control? “I can make her go one direction instead of another. Chase a buck instead of a doe, or one turkey instead of the flock.”

  “But can you control her? Not chase any turkeys and walk through the middle of the flock without reacting?”

  Kerry swallowed more broth and swung her head slowly.

  Ethan sighed and put one foot up on the opposite knee. He stared at the white window and tapped his finger to his lips. He pushed the button on the remote, and the glass went clear. Her wolf went on alert, looking for game. The window went white again. “I think it’s because you grew up hungry.”

  “My father made me hunt. I was just a pup the first time I went out. He wouldn’t let me eat until I brought in game. He said if you wanted to eat, you had to hunt. I was expected to help. It’s not her fault.”

  “I know, but now it’s a problem. You aren’t safe alone out there, and she doesn’t get that. Are you finished?” He nodded at the mug and Kerry looked inside. It was nearly empty, so she finished it. “Good girl.” He took it and set it on the table. “Come.” He held out his hand as he stood. “Did you shift?” She nodded. “No wonder.”

  “No wonder? What?” she asked, letting him lead her back to the bed.

  “No wonder you’re so tired. There are dark smudges here.” He gently pulled his thumbs under her eyes. “We’ll sleep for a few hours, then I’ll fix us some lunch. Okay?” Kerry crawled into the bed and lay down without answering him. Ethan cuddled up behind her, and her eyes widened when she felt his hardness. She stiffened. “Sleep.” He pulled her to him and kissed her damp hair. “Did you wash while you were in the shower? You still smell like the forest.”

  “Not my hair. I got too tired.”

  “Later then.” His arms were wrapped around her like steel bands, and he had her facing the bathroom door instead of the window. She had the feeling that the window would stay frosted for a while.

  ***

  Kerry woke to the most amazing smell. There was bacon and steak. She got up to find her clothes. Tugging them on as she went, Kerry hurried to the kitchen. Ethan was behind the counter in just jeans. He stirred something in a pot, then turned steak over in a frying pan. Kerry licked her lips. She heard his growl and popped her gaze up to meet his. “I’d like to pretend that look of lust was for me, but you’re hungry, aren’t you?” She nodded, answering his question. He reached into a cabinet and put two glasses on the counter. “Can you make us drinks?”

  Kerry took the glasses and filled them with water at the sink. He watched. “There’s soda in the refrigerator if you want it.”

  She’d had that once at Eric’s house. It was fizzy and burned her nose. They only drank water at her house, and not the bottled kind. Her water came straight from the tap usually, but if they couldn’t pay the bill, she had to go to the creek. She shook her head and carried the glasses to the table. Ethan moved the steak to the oven and went back to stirring the pot. She wondered what was in there.

  Kerry perched on a stool at the counter, and he got silverware from a drawer, then handed it to her. She carried it to the table as well, placing it on paper napkins from the holder in the center of the table. Ethan opened the oven and filled two plates with steak and potato. He dipped his spoon into the pot and drizzled brown sauce over everything.

  “Homemade steak sauce.” He answered her silent question. That wasn’t something they had at her house either. Her mother considered herself fortunate to have salt and pepper to put on meat. Ethan carried the plates to the table and waited for her to sit. Kerry looked at the round steak with the bacon wrapped around it, then sliced into it. It was perfect. Starving, she demolished it. Ethan had a satisfied look on his face but said nothing. He finished while she poked around at the potato. “You don’t like potatoes?” She tried some of it. It wasn’t like anything she’d had before. “It’smashed try it at least.” He asked.

  Kerry took a small forkful. It was crispy on the outside and soft inside. She ate more, and finished it.

  “It’s good,” she decided. He took her plate and carried it to the sink.

  “Did my delivery come before the turkey incident?” She shook her head. “I was hoping that it had.” Kerry went to the sink and washed the dishes by hand. “Here, you just put them in here and the machine does it.” Kerry got out of his way and went back to the bedroom to sketch. She tapped the remote to turn the window clear and curled up in the wing chair with her pad. She opened the book and took out her pencil nub to draw. A buck stood out under a tree, nibbling on something behind it Kerry began to draw him, but soon found herself at the window watching him. Her wolf urged her. The glass went white then, and she spun around.

  “This window stays frosted until further notice,” Ethan said with a raised eyebrow. “And you are not to go out into the woods alone. Ever. Do you understand?”

  Her chin wobbled, but she agreed

  “Look at your computer, okay? I need to check in with Connor.” He handed her the laptop from its place on the dresser. Kerry opened it and he left the room. She looked at the video site that she liked, then downloaded a few free books. She began one of the classics but got bored and closed the computer. Ethan had said that Thelma had a garden, and she decided to go find her.

  She passed by the office, but the door was closed. He was on the phone, she thought, and she didn’t want to bother him. Through the empty living room and out the front door, she headed for the pink house.

  Chapter 7

  Kerry knocked on the front door, and it opened almost immediately.

  “Kerry, it’s so good to see you again.” Thelma chirped.

  “Ethan said that you have a garden and that if I help you tend it, you will plant anything I want.” Thelma laughed softly. “I don’t have anything in mind but I want to help you take care of it. Is it close by?”

  Thelma closed her front door and hooked her bony arm through Kerry�
�s.

  “It’s this way.” She led Kerry away from the house and down the road. “So there’s nothing that you want out of my garden?” Thelma asked. Kerry shrugged.

  “Just something to do.” Thelma quirked her mouth. “I’m not allowed to hunt or draw and I got tired of reading.”

  Thelma sighed. “I can see why you aren’t allowed to hunt after yesterday, but why can’t you draw?”

  Kerry scrunched her face up. “I can’t keep control of my wolf. She wants to hunt. I was sketching earlier, a buck in the back of the house, and before I knew it, I was naked at the window and trying to get out.” Thelma laughed. “We were really poor, and I had to hunt to eat. It’s going to be a hard habit to break.”

  Thelma led her past several houses, some with fences and evidence of pups. They turned a corner at a colonial, and it looked like the beginning of a road, but it dead-ended. Beyond that was a large rectangle of freshly tilled dirt. Thelma stopped at one end of the garden. Corn was up, and there were seedlings already sprouting.

  “What’s here?”

  “Let’s see.” Thelma slipped her sandals off and started toward the garden. “Here I have snap peas. Try one.”

  Kerry went to stand beside her and took the pea pod that Thelma offered. She stuck it in her mouth and chewed. Her eyes widened.

  “Good, huh?” Kerry nodded. “Well make yourself useful and pull the weeds you see.” Thelma worked down the row, pulling out things that didn’t belong. Kerry helped by doing the same.

  “How do you like Ethan so far?” Thelma asked without looking up. Kerry sighed. “That good, huh? Well, you’ll grow to love him. Ethan seems like a good guy. He’s much better than Alexander. I’ve been in this pack since birth, and that Alpha was a real piece of work.” She grunted. “I’m glad he’s dead.”

  “How did he die?” Kerry pulled a long slender stem and tossed it out of the garden.

  “I probably shouldn’t say.” Thelma thought about it a second. “Doesn’t matter now. The pack tore him apart. They’d had enough of him hooking wolves on the poison that he sold. Ethan assumed it was some addicts, and we didn’t correct him. It didn’t matter who did it because the reason was the same. We’re better off without him and without his drugs. They buried his poison out in the woods. Good riddance, I say.”

  Kerry stopped to examine some baby lettuce. “Can I try this?”

  Thelma nodded, and Kerry plucked a leaf and stuck it in her mouth. She chewed, then grimaced. Thelma cackled loudly. I’ll put you down for no arugula. It’s peppery.” Kerry nodded and swallowed, making another face. She and Thelma moved over two rows. Kerry studied a plant. It was frilly and pretty.

  “Kale. It’s good. Break off a leaf.”

  Kerry did and liked it. She moved down the row, keeping up with Thelma. “Are you sure that there’s nothing you want me to plant?”

  “Is there melon here?”

  Thelma glanced up at her. “Like watermelon?”

  Kerry’s eyes widened and she grinned.. “No, but I will get some seeds for you, sweetie. I like that, too.”

  “What’s this one?”

  “Lavender. It keeps the bugs away and it’s good in tea when it blooms. It’s very soothing. I will harvest its flowers and dry them to put in my drawers. I make sachets in the fall. They smell nice.”

  Kerry heard a bloodcurdling howl then. “What the hell is wrong now?” Thelma straightened and looked back toward the houses, her eyes sharp and glittering. Kerry stood and scanned the field they were in and the street with the houses lined up. A wolf, silver-gray, streaked across the grass toward them.

  “Connor.” Thelma snapped at him, “What in the devil is wrong with you?”

  He shifted and stomped over to Kerry. “You! Come with me!” He grabbed her arm and dragged her from the garden. Kerry tried to get loose, but his grip tightened and he tugged her forcefully, dragging her toward the house. She saw why when they turned the corner of the two-story white colonial with dark green shutters. Ethan was stalking toward them. He looked angry, and Kerry tried harder to get free. His eyes were full of fire and on her. Connor jerked her forward within a few feet of Ethan. A fist flew past her and met with Connor’s face. She felt the air shift as it whizzed by her cheek and heard the crunch of Connor’s nose.

  “That’s my mate you’re hurting,” Ethan growled.

  “You said to find her. She wouldn’t come.” Connor let go of Kerry to wipe his bloodied face with his hands.

  Kerry bolted and ran inside the house. She raced through the living room and down the hall to the bedroom. She darted inside her closet and sat in the corner beside her duffle bag.

  When Ethan finally found her, she had her knees drawn up to her chest and her face buried in her tear-soaked hands.

  “Hey,” Ethan said softly and pulled her hands away. She kept her eyes squeezed closed. “I’m sorry he scared you.” Ethan’s fingers skimmed her upper arm lightly. It was bruised, she was sure. She hadn’t looked, but Connor’s grip had been crushing. He sat down beside her. “We’re not having a good beginning, are we?” He put his arm around her and pulled her into his side. “I’m sorry. I thought that you had taken off again. I was…upset. Why didn’t you say that you were going to work in the garden?”

  Kerry was silent for a long time, but he waited for her sobs to subside. His hand rubbed her arm, and he kept her against him.

  “I heard you on the phone and it sounded like Alpha business. I didn’t want to interrupt, but I was bored and I’m not allowed to hunt or draw. You said that Thelma had a garden, so I went there.” She sniffled. “She won’t want me to help anymore. I’m too much trouble,” she finished softly.

  Ethan scoffed. “Sure she will.”

  Kerry shook her head. “He scared her, too, and when he dragged me out I stepped on one of her plants. I think a lavender. Now I don’t have anything to do.” The tears started to roll again. “I feel like a prisoner. I want to go home.”

  He squeezed her closer. “I can’t let you do that.” His voice hardened. “We’re mates. You stay with me.” She sighed, feeling her body deflate. “Thelma will let you into the garden, and Connor will never put his hands on you again. I promise.” Ethan got to his feet and picked her up, carrying her to the bed. When he put her down, she scurried away.

  “Please don’t make me,” she begged. Ethan’s brow furrowed. “Please, I don’t like it.”

  Ethan cleared his throat. “You don’t like what? What is it that you don’t want to do?” His hands clenched at his sides and she gulped nervously. “Tell me.”

  “I don’t like…sex.” She finished the sentence with a whisper. He exhaled heavily and stomped from the room without saying a word. Kerry rolled herself into a ball on the bed and thought about what had just happened.

  She thought about what she’d said to him. She didn’t want to end up like her mother, but it seemed like this would turn into that. Her mother always cried after her father forced himself on her. Kerry would hear them through the thin walls. Her mother trying to escape and him growling at her. Sometimes he would bite her. Kerry had asked once why they didn’t leave him. Why would she let him keep doing that to her? Her mother’s eyes would fill with tears and she’d say, “Not all wolves are free. We’ll die alone.” She’d been right. Kerry was alone yesterday and she’d nearly died. Shot an hour away from the house. She was trapped like her mother. Soon he would mount her and eventually he would bite her. It wouldn’t be gentle like the mating bite. It would be with force, and she would be prey. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Chapter 8

  “Kerry?” Ethan shook her awake, and she flinched away from him. “Easy.” His hand stilled on her shoulder. “Dinner is ready. Come on.” He pulled her into a sitting position, then walked out of the room. She followed, and the smell hit her. Her stomach growled ferociously. Turkey. She went to the kitchen where a place was set at the table. The plate had separate piles of turkey breast, corn, mashed potatoes, and a buttered
roll. None of the foods touched, he was considerate of the way she liked her food That was nice of him. A glass of water sat beside the plate but she didn’t see a plate for him.

  “Aren’t you eating?” she asked. He was rinsing dishes at the sink and putting them in the dishwasher. The corner of his mouth lifted, then dropped.

  “I’m good. You go ahead. Eat.” He nodded at her plate. She sat down and he left the room. Kerry ate the turkey and pushed the rest around on the plate until it was too cold to eat. She wasn’t hungry anymore, and she knew it was because of what she’d done and what she’d said. Kerry scraped her plate into the trash. Her mother would tan her hide for that, but she just didn’t want it.

  She rinsed the dish and put it in the dishwasher. When she went to the bedroom, she saw that her things were gone. Kerry went to find Ethan. He was plugging her laptop in.

  “Are you done?” She nodded. “I put locks on the windows so your wolf doesn’t talk you into anything. I hope this room is big enough for you. I moved your duffle bag into the closet. You didn’t unpack.” His brow knitted, but then he said, “I hope you are comfortable in here. If you need anything, just let me know. Oh, and Lu took delivery of my packages yesterday when you didn’t answer the door. They’re in the closet there.” He pointed. “We’re going to work this out,” he said, coming closer. “I want to be a good mate, and I think that I haven’t been so far. I’m sorry if this was more than you were ready for, Kerry.” His big hand wrapped around the nape of her neck and pulled her closer. He kissed her forehead. “It’ll get better. I promise.” He swallowed, and she watched his Adam’s apple bob. “Goodnight.”