Searching for Home (Wolves of West Valley Book 2)

by Sarah J. Stone

  Since Richard vanished with the first Alpha, Carter had lost any semblance of balance in his life. Losing a twin was worse than any other feeling in the world. Worse than losing every limb or watching your own death in slow motion. It was like having more than half of your being cleaved away from you, like losing everything you recognize as yourself.

  It didn't matter that no body was found or that there was no trace of what happened. He knew his brother was dead the moment it happened.

  Carter lost all of the family he had outside of the pack and the pack's Alpha, all in just a couple minutes.

  It wasn't even Richard's shift.

  He was covering for Carter so that he could pick up an extra shift at the casino he had worked at. Even outside of the pack all they did was guard duties, keeping an eye on the whole town, business by business.

  West Valley came into view ahead of him, and Carter slowed down, only just realizing he was going almost twenty miles over the speed limit. He gritted his teeth impatiently, frustrated with himself for getting lost in his thoughts again.

  He failed again.

  His pack would probably have him booted out of it, probably make him leave for letting another leader vanish. His friend, James, was the only reason he hadn't been kicked out yet. They'd been friends since childhood and always watched out for each other, but he wasn't sure James could watch out for him much longer.

  Pulling up to the resort, Carter parked and took a deep breath. He could get through another shift like he always did. He could get through this one, and the next, and then another. He wasn't going to give up; Richard wouldn't ever forgive him if he did.

  He'd keep going for his brother.

  Carter got out and straightened out his uniform, wishing he could just be running around in his proper wolf form instead.

  The resort was a recent and unwelcome development. Five years ago, when they heard ten older businesses had been bought out, everyone immediately started gossiping. Ideas swarmed of a government base. Some said it would be a strip mall. Others had the idea that maybe it was going to be demolished for a park.

  Nope.

  Just a huge, empty, ludicrous, building to pamper all of the tourists that never came.

  West Valley was an empty town that cost too much to fly in or out of. Putting a destination resort in a town where no one would think to visit even before it was constructed was a horrible idea.

  It opened up jobs, allowed the town to work, but was a giant eyesore.

  Carter's phone vibrated, and he looked down at it expectantly.

  "EMPLOYEE MEETING IN THIRTY MINUTES. BE THERE OR YOU'RE FIRED!"

  It was a mass text sent out to all of the employees of The Grand West. Carter cringed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. He hoped nobody was mourning more than just the first day. Nobody could really afford to lose work anymore. Living was expensive enough as it was. Jobs were limited, and times were rough.

  When his brother was killed, Carter missed two weeks of work at first, went back one day, and then couldn't go back for another month. He drank himself into a hole and lost his job at the casino. He was lucky the resort picked him up as quickly as it did. He wasn't even sure why they hired security guards.

  Maybe to make their guests think the resort was better than it was.

  Probably.

  Carter slid his card and went in through the side door, not excited.

  ***

  The meeting was hell.

  Almost three-fourths of the staff were part of his pack. There were only eighty employees in the entire resort, so they'd apparently been hit hard.

  Edwin, the owner, was a pimple.

  He was a loud, angry little man that everyone hated. One of those short men who work extra, trying to make everyone think highly of them, even though nobody thinks less of them for their height. They thought less of him for how shitty he treated everyone.

  "We have a reviewer here to do a write up on us, and I! NEED! YOU! TO! ACT! LIKE! YOU! KNOW! WHAT! YOU'RE! HERE! TO! DO!" he was shouting, punctuating those last words by slamming his open palms on the table in front of him. Carter felt a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. If this little, wrinkly toad even knew what kind of people he was yelling at, he'd probably shut up real quick.

  As it was, they couldn't exactly chase him out of town.

  They couldn't reveal themselves.

  If people knew about shifters there would be mass panic. Of course, they would. Imagine knowing that the person sitting next to you spent their weekends roaming around as the thing you've been taught since childhood to fear most.

  Imagine knowing the person next to you changes their form to fit their mood, turning into a big beast with gnashing teeth and sharp eyes.

  Non-shifters would hunt them to extinction.

  They tried before; they could try again.

  "If we get a bad review from this week I'll be looking into pay cuts. You get paid for the job you do, so do it!" Edwin finished off. He'd been talking himself in circles for the last twenty minutes. The meeting ended, and everyone rose to leave.

  "Hey," Carter said to Sam, a pack member, wanting to share in grief.

  "Don't talk to me. Fuck you," Sam replied, staring him down before leaving to work.

  Mm, so the pack was definitely mad at him.

  He didn't blame them.

  Breathing deep, cooling his temper, Carter went out to stand behind the monitors and stare at screens blankly until it was time to do a round. Same boring job.

  At least the casino had an occasional brawl to break up. But the most exciting thing the rich people who spent their time there would do was have a heart attack.

  Chapter Three

  The spa was incredible.

  As dismayed as Willow was at it all being so empty, she had to admit it was kind of nice being the only one enjoying it. She had exclusive access to the tubs and massage therapists.

  It was nearing noon, and she'd already had a personal yoga instructor, a massage, a face mask and manicure, and was settling into a hot tub. The employees had so far been disgustingly nice.

  She couldn't decide if it was because of the small-town personality type, or if they were treating her well because of her review, but it was a little creepy. It felt wrong, like drinking from a cup and it tasting sweet but not knowing what it was.

  The hot baths overlooked the lake and an untouched view of the mountain range. Snow still covered most of the mountains in the distance, even though it was melted off the nearest peaks.

  Willow swirled around in the water, her mind looking for anything to focus on.

  Were there any flaws?

  Not that she could see.

  Everything was impeccably clean and in order. Her every need was attended to, and she could see that many would enjoy a stay there.

  She let her mind wander away from the spa.

  The local news site didn't yield much of interest. She was able to read most of the stories of the month within a couple hours before she got bored of that as well.

  A missing persons case had opened within the last couple days, but they made it sound like a normal thing. Looking at the vast mountain range she could see why. It looked far too easy to get lost out there.

  The rest of the news was on births, moving, businesses opening for the spring, some never opening again. Even some gossip on a casino that was twenty minutes outside of the town.

  Someone had posted an article about their outrage at a local raccoon trashing their alley, and the fact that it even made the local news made her laugh. It was every bit the tiny and boring town she expected.

  Climbing out and feeling hungry, she wrapped herself in a robe and made her way out of the spa.

  The resort was mostly empty, so she wasn't too embarrassed to walk around mostly naked. She had a bikini on under the robe, small and black, but she still felt like she was mostly naked. It was a fun and cheeky feeling, and she found herself runn
ing through the halls and up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

  As boring as the small town seemed.

  As ordinary as the resort felt.

  Something was so right about this place.

  Something was exhilarating and freeing, and she hated that she didn't know why. She felt like she could get into mischief or get away with acting how she wouldn't regularly, and she almost wanted to try.

  Almost.

  Her hair started tumbling out of the towel she wrapped around her head, and she pulled the towel tighter, almost giggling. Willow wasn't sure why she felt so good, why she had all of this energy, but she wanted to enjoy herself. She turned a corner tightly, her feet thudding away wildly under her, and slammed face-first into a chest of muscle.

  "Ah!" She slipped backward and fell right onto her back, her bottom immediately smarting from the slap against the ground. "Ah, ow," she groaned, rubbing her back and wondering how badly she was going to bruise from it. A hand came down to her, and she took it graciously.

  "Here," the mountain of muscle offered, leaning down to help her up off the ground.

  "Thanks," Willow murmured, wincing as she stood.

  She took a deep breath in, trying to collect herself, and something about the air felt good. How could air feel good? Willow rubbed her neck and looked up at the man ahead of her.

  He was god damned good looking.

  The stranger was in a tight button-down shirt with "The Grand West" across his whole chest in teal. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal thick and strong arms, the ones that were just holding her a second ago.

  "Hi, I'm sorry," she said, looking up at this face. His eyes were the brightest blue she'd ever seen. His dark hair, long on the top and swept back and short on the sides, amped this up more. His cheekbones and chin looked like they were carved out of marble, and she wanted to run her fingers against the stubble on his jawline.

  Oh, that stubble…

  She couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like against her skin.

  "It's all right, are you okay?" he asked, bringing her back to reality with his gravelly, deep voice.

  God.

  Something about this man was electric, as if every single atom that built him up hoarded some kind of magic to make her want him. She wanted to pull him against her and breathe him in, she wanted to taste his skin and…no, no, she needed to stop those thoughts right there.

  "I'm okay," she agreed. "Willow," she offered her hand.

  "I'm Carter," he replied, shaking it. "Your robe has fallen open," he added, just now pulling his blue eyes off her.

  "Oh, god…sorry!" Willow felt her face burn bright red as she pulled it closed. She couldn't imagine him knowing what she was thinking of while she was half naked in front of him.

  "Are you the reviewer?" he asked, the first person who had actually asked.

  "I am," she replied, wanting him to talk more, but not sure how to make that happen.

  "They're all in a fuss about you. How are you liking the stay?" he asked, leaning against the wall.

  "It's been very nice. Everyone's been super friendly," she said honestly, not wanting to mention how creepy most people's friendliness had been so far. His felt genuine. The high energy she'd felt running up through the resort was still there, and it made her want to take a risk. "I'd honestly like to see more than just the resort," she added, seeing an opportunity.

  "Hmm?" he seemed actually surprised.

  "Would you like to show a stray tourist around West Valley?" she asked, being more straightforward.

  "That's not really part of my job," he was smiling now. Smiling! His left cheek dimpled a little, and she cherished it for the moment it sat there.

  "It doesn't have to be work related," she said, smiling back.

  She never did this.

  Never.

  The last time she'd asked a man out instead of waiting for him to ask her, she'd been in high school. That was ten years ago, and now she was feeling young again. Something about this man – about Carter, she reminded herself – was just so right. She wanted him to stay as close to her as possible; she didn't want to risk anyone else snatching him up.

  She felt like he belonged beside her.

  "Mm, I'm pretty busy," he said. His face faltered and then dropped. "I have a huge work load lately. I can't really take off," he added.

  She felt her stomach turn in disappointment. She didn't want to miss her chance. After how right everything had felt here, she was sure it had to do with him somehow.

  He felt right.

  He looked amazing.

  She wanted to just drag him out to a restaurant or a bar right then, wanted to get to know him and get to know why she was so drawn to him.

  "I'm sure you can get at least one day off," she said softly, leaning against the wall with him. "I promise I don't bite," she added. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but she wanted to keep going with it. Wanted to hope he'd go for it.

  "I'm sorry, maybe some other time," he said, letting her down softly. "You're very pretty," he added, his face shifting for a second like he didn't plan on saying that. "I have to get to work," he finished, looking down at his watch as though he had just realized it existed.

  "Okay, catch you later," she replied, sighing as she watched him jog around the corner she just came from.

  ***End of Preview***

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  Chapter 1

  Life had become aimless.

  Samuel padded through the woods, disinterested in the small wildlife that moved about him. His bear form was agile, but right now he moved sluggishly. When had he become so bored with life?

  Humans contemplated eternity with fascination.

  They seemed to think that living with no end in sight was some sort of wondrous adventure. They could not be more disillusioned.

  Samuel the Warrior.

  Samuel the Wise.

  Samuel the Scholar.

  Names given to him that meant nothing now.

  When was the last time he had fought for a cause? When was the last time he had surrounded himself with books? Life had become so empty. A branch scraped against his side, and he ignored the slash of pain. Sure enough, the wound healed within a heartbeat.

  Death was a morbid subject, one with which he had become quite fascinated.

  Sometimes, he assumed his younger form and wandered around the humans who loved death. But they were naïve, mere children who discussed forces that were out of their intellectual depth. Sometimes, he sat amongst the elderly, and became one of them.

  Humans were lucky. Although, they feared death, it was the very incentive that led them to enjoy their life to the fullest. He had had children. He had seen them grow up and take mates of their own. And he had left when he had realized his time was near.

  The love of a woman was not unknown to him. But Clara was dead and had been gone for centuries.

  Sometimes, he tried to recall the sound of her voice when she had been angry at him, or her infectious laughter. But he failed. He couldn’t even remember what his youngest had looked like when he had last seen him.

  Of course, Roy was buried now.

  His children had lived full lives, and sometimes he went to check on his extended family. How long had it been since he had gone to the markers where his family was buried? Emily, his eldest daughter, had been furious when he had decided to leave.

  Of course, he hadn’t known at that time that he would meet that damned vampire and outlive his entire family as a result.

  A grunt.

  He felt a twinge of pain when he thought of them, but four hundred years was a long time. He had met women; played with them for a while, but no one had ever caught hi
s interest, not like Clara. Nobody was quite like his mate, so open with her emotions. He had spent half of his mortal life running after her, making sure she didn’t get herself killed with that honesty of hers. Clara had always been direct, no sugarcoating the truth.

  Samuel stared at a spot on the ground. How long had he been standing there, lost in his thoughts? The sun danced on the ground, playing hide and seek with the foliage, thin beams peeking out from behind the leaves. Maybe he should lie down here and take a nap?

  No, he didn’t quite like the shade. It was cold for early November. The fog that had settled in the woods was ominous to many a creature, but not to him.

  He had no home anymore.

  Changing his train of thought as quickly as it had come to him, he started moving. He should probably eat something as well. Since the sun was out, he should find a nice spot which would warm him up as he took a nap.

  A lingering scent caught his attention, and his bear recognized it as something new.

  Human, but not human.

  As he moved further, he caught traces of that earthy scent. It almost felt like the entire place had been scent-marked by a predator claiming its land. This place was new to him. He didn’t like to stay in one place for too long, so moving about gave him an activity to do.

  Samuel paused for a heartbeat and looked at the dense foliage ahead. Should he even bother?

  The scholar in him sat up, revealing some interest. This was a scent that he had never come across. Not a witch, not a shifter. Every species had an underlying scent that gave away their kind. This was different.

  He cast a look at the dying sunlight. It was going to become dark soon, and he had not bothered looking for a place to sleep. A cave would have been a suitable reprieve after so many nights of sleeping under the open sky.

  His head turned to study the dense shrubbery. Every time he looked at it, it seemed that it had been placed there almost deliberately. It piqued his interest. After so many years of just going through the motions of living, anything that stirred his bear’s curiosity was worth checking out.