by Vivian Arend
Erik shrugged. “There was no use in panicking. The challenge must be solvable, so I decided we’d figure it as we went along.”
Jared shook his head. “You really are too cool and collected at times, aren’t you?”
A muffled howl rose from up the trail and they turned to see TJ racing back. His loping gait tore up the rocky terrain as he returned to drop a rock at their feet. Erik picked it up, running a hand over TJ’s head. “Well done. I wasn’t looking forward to hunting for this answer.”
“Where was it?”
He pointed to the mountain spine extending another mile off to their left, the razor edge jagged against the skyline. “The puzzle clue was Cutting you off and the map shows the location to be along the far ridge. I sent TJ ahead in the hopes the answer would be something obvious, and save the rest of us the trip.”
Maggie swallowed hard. Imagining having to hike the ragged rocks to the spire made her even more grateful for TJ’s wolf. “I would never have made that.”
“What symbol do I add?” Jared asked.
Erik handed the rock over to Maggie and she turned it over carefully. “There’s nothing carved on it.” Her stomach fell. Were they going to have to do the dangerous climb after all?
“Don’t worry, this is what we need. It’s not always simple like having the answer written on the surface. Remember the answer to the sixth clue involved a math formula.” Erik nudged her arm. “What kind of rock is it?”
TJ pawed at her feet and she knelt to scratch behind his ears as she stared at the stone chip. “You wouldn’t have brought it unless you thought it was the answer, so I’ll assume it wasn’t in a normal setting.” She wrinkled her nose. “It sparkles, so I’ll guess it’s fool’s gold. There’s got to be a lot in these parts.”
Erik laughed. “Remind me never to go panning with you. You’d miss out on a bonanza.”
She gaped at him. “It’s real gold?”
“Yup, and that’s not the usual location to find a nugget. Gold is rarely found loose like this, and never up that high. Someone had to have planted it there.”
Maggie rotated the chunk again. “Still doesn’t look like much to me.”
Jared added a few notes with a flourish. “One piece of gold.” He glanced up, worry back on his face. “There’s only three more clues before we run out and hit the blank section of the puzzle.”
“Then we’ll stop for the night.” Erik rose and held out a hand to Maggie to assist her up. She took it gratefully. “That’s the last of the big uphill. From here on it’s rolling trail until we start down to Bennett Lake. The next clue is Reflections and the coordinates look like it should be by a water source, so let’s get moving. The day will be done before we know it.”
He held up her backpack and Maggie crawled under the shoulder straps reluctantly. He brushed his hands over her body as he helped tighten the snaps and buckles, and her skin tingled.
“Stop it,” she whispered. Great, now she was going to be hiking with sore feet, tired muscles and an aching need in her belly.
Erik chuckled. “I’m just trying to be helpful.”
She elbowed him.
“But it doesn’t mean anything.” TJ scratched his head.
“It has to.” Jared paced back and forth and Maggie rubbed her temples. They’d set up camp two hours ago, had dinner and then the puzzle began to drive them all nuts.
“They are totally unrelated words. It’s gibberish, no matter which way we read them.”
Maggie stared at the papers at her feet. It was true. There was no logic in any of the words and symbols they’d found. “We’ve tried rearranging the words. We’ve taken the first letter, the last letter. We’ve…”
“…tried everything.” Jared glanced over at Erik. “What if we don’t figure this out? Can we finish without the last six clues?”
Erik nodded slowly. “We just need to get to the Bennett Lake check-in by three. That’s not a problem at all. Only in previous Games, the final challenge used information gathered from all the rest of the events. Five years ago the team in fourth spot came from behind to win because none of the leaders had all the clues.”
Maggie sighed. She’d felt so useless this whole challenge. Unlike TJ who had more than pulled his weight, all she’d done was ensure they hiked slower than usual. Usually she was good at logic puzzles. She picked up the clues and shuffled through them again. Something caught her eye.
“Erik, what are these notes?”
He sat next to her and she soaked in his presence. “Those? I kept track of where we found the answer. I figured everything might help in the end.”
Her heart raced. “What if the clues weren’t just to help us find the location, but we have to use them twice?”
Jared plopped down across from them, hope shining on his face. “How do you use a clue twice?”
Maggie laid out the paper and pointed. “We found the answer to number eleven by looking in the reflection of the pool at the base of the waterfall, right?”
“There was the Greek symbol omega. We wrote it down. It means nothing.”
She nodded. “But when you look at your reflection it comes out backwards.” She wanted to jump up and down. This was the right track, she was sure of it.
Erik brushed her arm. “But the symbol for omega is the same whether you draw it backward or forward.”
Maggie laughed. “But what if you think of it as the back of the alphabet? Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. What’s at the other end?”
TJ shot up his arm before lowering it slowly. “Sorry, too many years of school training. Alpha is the Greek A.”
“Right.” Maggie started a new paper. She deliberately drew the symbol for alpha. “And here…we wrote down gold. But the clue said Cutting you off. The chemical formula for gold is Au. If we cut off the U we get an A.”
The next thirty minutes passed in a blur as they struggled through the rest of the puzzle, discovering as they fed the current answer through the clue again there were clear-cut alternatives.
“In your notes you recorded what height we found the answers, high up or low to the ground. Should I add that information?” Maggie glanced at Erik to find him staring at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “What?”
“You’re very attractive when you’re obsessed about something.”
Jared laughed. “You two. Save the lovey-dovey for later. Let’s solve this thing.”
When the new list was finished, Maggie held it up with a flourish. Now they would be able to find the final answers. She scanned the page quickly and her hopes fell. There was nothing but a series of single letters from A-G mixed up again and again.
It still made no sense.
Jared and TJ started laughing, and her temper flared.
“It’s not funny.” So much for her being an asset to the team like Erik had suggested.
“We tried. I guess we’ll just have to finish without the final information.” Jared threw a rock into the bush and lay back on the ground in disgust.
TJ startled. “What are you guys talking about? Don’t you see it?”
His earnest expression made Maggie feel even worse. “There’s nothing there that helps us, TJ.”
He snorted and took the paper from her to scrawl down six more letters.
Erik looked at the list and raised a brow. “You think?”
“Positive.” TJ nodded rapidly. He scrambled in his pockets, fumbling as he pulled out his harmonica. As the first notes of the familiar children’s opera rang into the air on the unusual wind instrument, Maggie laughed.
“No way, you’re saying those letters are musical notes? That tune is too funny.”
Erik grinned at her. “I think TJ’s hit on the right solution. Does it help if I tell you the race director’s name is Peter?” He clapped slowly. “Well done, team.”
Jared groaned. “‘Peter and the Wolf’? We went through all that searching to have to listen to TJ playing bad classical music on his harmonica?”
<
br /> TJ hit him and the two of them tumbled away to wrestle again. Erik smiled down at her and she grinned back in satisfaction. She really had managed to help the team.
Suddenly the idea of being a part of the pack didn’t nauseate her. The guys had been nothing but supportive of her, and her heart no longer went into palpitations when she remembered she was in the bush with three other wolves.
Except for the rushing, pounding rapid beat of her heart that remained every time she thought about Erik. Her wolf bumped to the surface, as if reaching for him. His eyes widened as they stared at each other, and Maggie had to hold back from pressing closer, rubbing herself all over him. For one moment she seriously considered dragging him into the tent and accepting their mating.
Her throat closed tight and she dropped her gaze away, fidgeting with the papers. She organized them, then thrust them out at him.
The idea of being in wolf form with others around—she wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready for that step. Mating with Erik but refusing to let their wolves have contact would be the cruelest thing imaginable. She couldn’t play games with his emotions, couldn’t tease his wolf with promises she was unable to keep.
What of the challenges still to come in the Wolf Games? Had she helped solve this puzzle only to tear victory from their grasp when she was unable to shift?
“You’re thinking too hard. Let it rest.” Erik brushed a stray hair back behind her ear and she leaned into the caress without thinking. “In fact we all should turn in. Just because we know what we’re looking for won’t make tomorrow any easier.”
“So using the song to solve the puzzle gave us six letters in the answer column, but no idea where we’ll find them? I assume that’s the information we’ll need for the final event, right? That sucks,” Jared complained as he unzipped the fly to the tent.
“Hey, at least we know what to look for, and with TJ’s great sense of smell, I’m confident we’ll be at the checkpoint in plenty of time.” Erik patted TJ on the back, catching him by the shirt when he tripped. “Yup, a good night’s sleep and a short hike tomorrow. I’m betting there will be little time between the end of this challenge and the start of the next.”
Erik settled the boys, returning to hold his hand out to her. “As much as I’d love a repeat of last night, I suggest we hit the sack as well.”
She nodded slowly. There was too much to say and she didn’t have the strength yet. “Erik, what if I can’t—?”
He held up a hand. “I’m not trying to be rude, but I’d like you to trust me on this one. Sleep first, discussions later. You did so well with the puzzle, but I can feel your exhaustion from here. While you’re getting the chemicals you need from being with us, I doubt you’ve hiked this far in the past few years while hanging out in Vancouver.” He pulled her against his body and she molded herself to him. It felt so wonderful. He lifted her chin and stared at her. “I’m warning you I’m going to hold you tonight. I can’t resist, and I think you need it too. If you were planning on protesting, argue here so we don’t wake the boys.”
Jared’s snores already rocked the tent and Maggie laughed. “Like me blowing a trumpet in his ear would wake him.” They exchanged grins before she grew serious again. There was nothing she wanted more right now than to feel his arms around her. “I could handle you holding me. If you feel you absolutely must.”
He nodded seriously. “I think it’s vital.”
They slipped into the tent and Maggie relaxed, the warmth of her mate covering her like a blanket as the never-ending light shone through the walls of the tent, filling the space with a peaceful blue glow.
Chapter 8
Erik was pleased when their team finished the challenge in plenty of time, finding all but one of the puzzle pieces. Maggie had insisted on recording everything she could think of about the locations where they’d discovered the letters, hoping the information would help them down the road. They barely crossed the line at the checkpoint before they were whisked away to Carmacks to start the next race.
He kept Maggie beside him as they boarded the bus with four other teams. The fear in her eyes made his heart ache, but the way she squared her shoulders and insisted on sitting with TJ filled him with pride.
The chairman rose at the front of the bus to announce the details of the next challenge.
“You’ll all be in human form for this event of the Games.”
A murmur carried through the bus and TJ swore under his breath. Erik dropped a reassuring hand on the young man’s shoulder.
“You’ll be paddling through one of the toughest sections of the Yukon River. Because of changing water levels, the Five Finger Rapids are nowhere near as dangerous as they were in the days of the Gold Rush. But we’ve planned a mass start, so there will be a lot of canoes vying for the safest route. It’s up to you to make it through to the other side in one piece.
“Scoring for this event will involve both time and bonus points. There will also be deductions.” He held up a brightly coloured float. “We’ve got six buoys anchored at various points along the river. If you get close enough, you’ll once again have an opportunity to observe a symbol that will help you later. It’s completely discretionary if you wish to attempt to reach the buoys.”
“What would cause a deduction?” one of the Anchorage team asked.
The chairman grinned at them, his canines long and sharp. “Falling out of the canoe. You can still get a time score when your canoe crosses the finish line, but anyone out of the canoe causes a deduction to be applied, no matter how it happens.”
TJ’s shoulder tensed even more under Erik’s hand. The kid was just going to have to get over his fear of screwing up. So he was clumsy—he was way better now than a few years ago.
The chairman sat and a low rumble of voices filled the bus. Erik leaned back in his seat trying to get comfortable for the journey, his knees cramped against the back of the bench in front of him. Even the buses adapted for wolves were too small for his bulk. He sighed and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again they’d arrived at Carmacks. He herded his crew over to the side of the staging area then stood back to take a good look at the setup. The canoes were lined up along the edge of the river, twenty feet from the shoreline. Erik eyed his opponents with a practiced eye, spotting the three teams who would be the most competition in this event.
TJ remained silent as Jared joked around. Without her saying a word, Erik knew exactly where Maggie stood, hiding behind his back, sneaking peeks around him at the other wolves. She was doing extraordinarily well, not panicking as the group grew larger by the minute. All the teams were assembled and their support crews were placing the final supplies in piles for the teams to collect when the whistle sounded.
Arms wrapped around his waist and he stilled, covering her small hands with his own. She’d buried her face in his back, her breath warm against his skin. Small tremors shook her body and he twisted, kneeling down to enclose her in his embrace. They stayed there for a moment, just breathing each other’s air. It felt so damn right to hold her.
He kissed her forehead gently. “You going to be okay?”
She nodded quickly. “I might throw up a few times, but I’m not giving up.” Her stubborn announcement made his heart sing. They were truly going to be a wonderful pair, once they dealt with a few minor issues like her shifting problem. Her refusal to accept their mating. Making sure—
Jared nudged them, breaking them apart, before handing over two life jackets. “Try to throw up over the edge of the gunnels.”
Maggie smacked him on the arm and Erik bit back his surprise. “Next time, don’t listen to a private conversation. If I have to throw up, I’ll throw up anywhere I damn well please. Got it?”
A ripple of shock crossed Jared’s face and he dipped his head in submission. Maggie stood just a little straighter and Erik hid his grin. It seemed his little wolf was starting to feel her place in the pack.
He turned to make sure TJ had his lifejacket
on properly. The boy was still swearing colourfully, with few repetitions.
“Does your brother know you’re this talented with words?”
TJ snorted. “Who do you think I learned them from? Well, him and Robyn. She’s awful good at cussing in sign language.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to fuck this up. I just know it. I’m going to cause some major catastrophe.”
“Why?”
TJ looked at him like he’d grown a third head. “Because I’m me. You know I can’t walk twenty feet without landing on my face.”
Erik shrugged. “You bounce pretty good. Just get up and get your ass into the boat.” He tightened TJ’s lifejacket straps and stepped back to complete his own.
TJ continued to stare. “How can you be so calm when chances are I’m about to screw this up for us like I always—”
“Enough.” Erik let his power roll out over the young man as he towered over him. “I don’t let anyone talk shit about you, not even you. Do your best, that’s all any of us ask. If you do have an accident then fix it the best way you can.”
The panic in TJ’s eyes faded slightly.
A piercing whistle broke the air and the team gathered around Erik.
“Okay, there’s the five-minute warning. Those are prospector canoes—flat bottomed so they’re nice and stable. I want Jared in front, TJ and Maggie side by side in the middle. I’ll take the stern and steer us. What do you think about going for the extra buoys? Yes or no?”
TJ flicked a glance at the team. “I’m just going to paddle and keep my ass in the seat. I’ll do whatever you decide.”
Maggie chewed on her lip. “Are the buoys far out of our path?”
Erik shook his head. “Looks like we can pretty much stick to the current. We’ll want to do that anyway to make the best time. The fastest route down the river is not a straight line. When we get close to the rocks we’ll have to stay to the right.” He looked at Maggie. “Did you ever see the rapids when you lived in Whitehorse?”
“If I did, it was a long time ago.”