by Linda Palmer
“That’d be Chief, right?”
I nodded. He definitely remembered me.
Mr. Barlow handed over a cordless. I dialed home.
“Hello?”
“It’s me.”
“About dang time! Where in the hell are you?”
“We—“
“Eloped?”
Oh my God. “Of course not.”
“Then get your butt home now. We’ll talk about this when you get here.” He hung up on me.
With a sigh of defeat, I handed Mr. Barlow his phone. “What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Is that boy out there okay?”
I followed his gaze to the window and saw Rhyan by the pumps, barefooted with his heels bandaged, pulling paper towels from the dispenser mounted above the windshield squeegee bucket. He stuffed them into one of his boots, probably to soak up the blood.
“Not really, but there’s nothing you can do for him unless...do you have any socks for sale?”
“Nah, but I might be able to rustle up a pair.” With another look out the front, he left me, returning shortly after with tube socks.
I clutched them to my heart. “Thank you so much.” I turned to leave.
“Young lady?”
I faced him again.
“Do you need help?”
“Yeah, but unless you have a spare car sitting around...”
“You’re from the Quantauk reservation?”
I nodded.
“My son would probably drive you there for gas money and a sawbuck.”
“A what?”
Mr. Barlow chuckled. “Ten dollar bill.”
“Oh. Would you ask him, please?”
Billy Barlow, aged sixteen, dropped us off around noon. I did not see Chief's truck parked in the drive. Having had plenty of time to stew about things, I left Rhyan outside and charged into the house. Chief sat at the table, eating a sandwich.
"I called you for help, but you didn't come."
Chief blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"You and me, that's what. You didn't even listen to me. You just assumed the worst, as usual, and left us stranded--"
"The truck wouldn't start?"
"The truck is gone. Your guys stole it, which left Rhyan bleeding to death in the woods in a blizzard. If he hadn't shifted and found that stupid cave, we'd have died."
Chief's eyes widened.
"Give yourself some credit, Tehya," said Rhyan, now wiping his boots on the throw rug. "You'd have found it on your own." He caught Chief's eye. "You did an amazing job teaching her first aid and survival skills. I'll bet she's as good or better than any wolf you've got. She saved my ass for sure."
I looked at Rhyan in surprise. He had to know my grandfather had never taught me anything. But before I could retort, Chief jumped to his feet.
"Back up. Are you telling me some guys from the pack attacked you and then took my truck?"
"Eight total with Cam as leader." I made Rhyan take off the flannel shirt for an injury assessment, all the while relating the details of the vicious attack. I didn't mention my near rape. For some reason, I didn't want Rhyan or Chief to know the humiliating details of that.
Chief looked at the wounds, but didn't speak for long seconds. Though he obviously fumed about something, I couldn't be absolutely sure what.
So I looked him right in the eye. "No matter how I feel about your wolves, I'd never try to get them in trouble. That would just make you look bad."
Chief heaved a sigh. "I know." He got up and walked to the phone mounted on the kitchen wall. "Marsha? I need to speak to Cam." Pause. "He didn't?" Pause. "Well, if he shows up, send him over. We need to talk." He hung up the phone. "Cam never came home last night."
Rhyan and I look at each other. What did that mean?
Chief called someone else. "It's Chief. Round up the pack. I need all of you here now."
While we waited for them, Rhyan and I cleaned up a little in our respective rooms. In less than twenty minutes, five guys sat on the couch, hearth benches, and floor in our living room, filling the area to the max and then some. Rhyan, now wearing jeans and a tee, sat by me on the love seat. It felt really weird to be with the pack again after yesterday's violence. I noticed that most wouldn't look me in the eye. I felt as embarrassed as they did and tried not to think about how much of each other we'd seen.
"Where are Heath and Kenny?" Chief asked after a mental roll call.
"Working."
My grandfather nodded and looked at Brad. "That makes you the oldest here, so I'm appointing you spokesman. What happened yesterday afternoon?"
I noticed Brad glanced from Chief to the fire back to Chief again. "Well, we went to the ridge."
"We being all of you plus Cam, Heath, and Kenny?"
Brad nodded.
"And why did you go there?"
"Ca-- I mean, we wanted to see what Tehya and him were up to."
"He has a name," I said. "It's Rhyan."
"Go on," said Chief.
"We found them watching the wolves. Cam said it was because you were going to let him join us, and he had to pass all the tests. We don't want him in our pack."
"Cam lied."
"But--"
Chief silenced him with a look. "What did you do then?"
The guys exchanged guilty glances. "Well, we attacked him...just to make our point. We weren't going to kill the guy or anything."
I huffed my opinion of that. Brad's gaze clashed with mine. His eyes filled, much to my surprise. "I'm so, so sorry about what Cam did to you, Tehya. I swear I didn't know--"
Chief held up a hand, stopping him midsentence. He and Rhyan both zoned in on me, their expressions thunderous.
"What's he talking about?" asked my grandfather.
Gulp. Now I wished I'd been more honest. "Cam got a little physical with me."
"Physical? How physical? Is that where you got that bruise?"
I nodded.
Rhyan jumped up, his face flushed. "He tore your shirt, too, didn't he?"
I didn't answer, but words didn't matter anymore.
"What else did he do?" asked Chief.
I shook my head.
Rhyan growled. "Why are you protecting that asshole?"
"I'm not protecting him; I'm protecting you. Cam's cruel and vicious. I don't want you to go after him and get hurt."
"I can take care of myself, and I can take care of you...if you'll trust me, that is." He looked pretty pissed. "I'm not much help if you lie."
"Sit down, Rhyan. If anyone takes care of Tehya, it'll be me." Chief pointed at Brad. "What else did he do? And I want every single detail."
Brad hesitated, looking helplessly from me to Chief. Oh how I wanted to shake my head so he wouldn't talk. But I didn't dare, so Brad spilled his guts.
With a roar of fury, Rhyan leapt to his feet again. "I'll kill that motherfucker!"
"Not if I get to him first," said my granddad.
Chapter Eleven
My eyes widened in shock. I'd never heard Chief use that tone before. He sounded pissed, as in terribly, and almost dangerous. At least, it wasn't directed at me this time. Chief got up from his recliner. He stepped closer to place his big hands on my shoulders and inspect my bruised face. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"She's having nightmares"
I glared at Rhyan.
Chief made me look his way again. "Are you?"
"Just one."
"So far." Rhyan's face now matched my red shirt.
Chief considered that for a minute, then turned to his pack. "Where's my truck?"
"Cam took it. We don't know where he went, and he's not answering his cell."
My grandfather shook his head, clearly disappointed by what he'd heard. "You're all on lockdown until further notice. No one leaves the reservation except to go to school or work. Before you go anywhere and when you get back, you come straight here and report to me, understand?"
He got nods all arou
nd.
I could feel Rhyan's confusion about Chief's absolute authority over these boys who didn't belong to him.
"It's a pack thing," I whispered.
The phone rang. I jumped up to answer it, oh so grateful to get out of that tense atmosphere and catch my breath. "Hello?"
"Will Miller, here. Is Chief around?" Will had the job Chief had retired from--sheriff assigned to the reservation.
"Sure. Hold on." I stepped to the living room and motioned to my grandfather. While he took the call, I purposely hovered to listen in.
"Okay. I'll send someone after it. You haven't seen Cameron Halter around, have you? His mom says he hasn't been home since yesterday." Pause. "Would you? Thanks."
Chief hung up the phone. "The truck was found abandoned in New Mexico. A deputy, Bradley Grissom, is going to drive it here. No sign of Cam." Before I could answer, he stepped up close and hugged me. "I'm sorry for what happened, Tay. These guys are my responsibility, and I let you down."
His apology, so uncharacteristic, caught me off guard. Tears filled my eyes. I hugged him back for a long time, something that felt very, very good. When we walked into the living room, Rhyan saw my emotion first thing. He jumped up, frowning. I motioned for him to sit again, then perched on his knee instead of settling in next to him. I wanted to the pack to see where we stood. Their expressions told me they got the picture loud and clear.
Chief gave them the latest news, and then clarified Rhyan's position. "So he won't be joining the pack, but let me say this. If he decided to remain a wolf, if he wanted to be one of us, I'd support him. He clearly honors the wolf-way, which is something I can't say about any of you. Now get the hell out of here. I'm done with this."
They left, silently filing from the room, most of their gazes glued to their feet. The house felt nicely empty after, and I relaxed a little.
"You should've told me about Cam," said Rhyan.
"You were injured and bleeding. He was long gone. What possible purpose would it have served?"
"At least I'd have known."
"I think you should talk to Maria Swanson about Cam's attack." Chief referred to my old high school counselor, who lived on the reservation. "I'll call her and set up something, if you want."
"I can do it."
"But will you?"
"Yes." Both of them stared at me, clearly doubting my words. "I promise."
Chief nodded. "Rhyan, are you still determined to give up your birthright?"
"Yes."
"Then we should do this as quickly as possible to end the tension in the pack. For all practical purposes, you've passed the endurance test."
"How could I not? I'm a former Oklahoma State Teen Survival Champ. Tehya's the one who gets all the credit. She got me to shelter, treated my wounds, and fed us."
His bragging lifted my spirits. "You caught the rabbit."
"Yeah, but you cleaned and cooked it."
Chief looked happy for the first time in hours. "I'm very proud of you, Tehya."
I couldn't help but smile at the praise. Rhyan gave me a smug grin. "So she gets an A, too?"
"She gets an A." Chief obviously teased, but it still meant a lot. "So all that's left is the written test and the obstacle course. Once you've completed those, I'll teach Tehya what she needs to know to cure you."
"I think he could pass that written test right this minute," I told my grandfather.
"Okay. You know where they are. Let's do this."
I left them to get the tests from Chief's desk. He'd written them out by hand years ago, and I'd typed them up. He always graded them himself, but I knew the answers anyway. After all, I'd tutored many a wannabe wolf to a perfect score.
I found Rhyan sitting at the kitchen table when I returned, test A and B in my hand. I asked Chief, who stood at the stove heating coffee water, which he wanted Rhyan to take. He chose A.
"Did you make these up?" asked Rhyan.
"No."
"Then you should take that other one."
"And why would I do that?"
"So I won't feel so stupid."
I rolled my eyes. "The written test isn't stupid. It's a time-honored way to measure your knowledge of all things wolf. I realize it might seem a little simplistic in light of the whole mystical shapeshifting process, but--"
"Please take it. Ple-e-e-ease."
Sheesh. "Fine, then."
With a glance at Chief--I half expected him to object, but he didn't--I sat at the table with Rhyan. We both got started.
The test consisted of fifty questions, some true or false, some multiple choice, and some fill in the blank. I had to admit Rhyan had a point when he hinted taking it made him feel stupid. How could anyone really measure readiness to become a wolf?
When we finished, I took the tests to Chief, now seated in his faithful recliner in front of the television, his attention on the evening news. He quickly graded them. We both passed with flying colors.
"Your granddaughter is very smart."
Chief nodded.
"Probably smarter than your wolves." His comment earned him a measured look.
"I agree. Tehya should've been a straight A student."
Baffled by Rhyan's obvious attempts to fish for compliments and not eager to hear a lecture on good grades, I quickly changed the subject. "Tomorrow we'll start training for the obstacle course."
"Want to tell me about that? It sounds kind of ominous."
"Not tonight, okay? I'm sick of wolves. Want to help me feed the horses? Unless you already did?" I looked at Chief. He shook his head. Motioning for Rhyan to join me, I got my coat and handed him his. We left the house, headed for the barn.
The second we got there, Rhyan grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, shutting the door behind us. He lifted me off my feet in a bear hug, all the while kissing me. Of course, I kissed him back, wrapping my arms and legs around him so that he had to walk us to the wall to keep his balance.
Our equine witnesses whinnied as we made out, no doubt wishing I'd get over him and feed them. But I'd never get over Rhyan. I took his hand and placed it on my breast.
"Are you sure?" Clearly, Rhyan thought I'd be scared after Cam's attack. But his touch felt so gentle in comparison.
Nothing else mattered for several minutes. Then Rhyan set me on my feet. "Chief's gonna come looking for us."
"I know. But someday..."
"Someday soon."
Prowling the forest for food, I saw everything through a she-wolf's eyes. A chilly, snow-scented wind ruffled my fur. I sensed movement ahead. Crouching, I inched toward my prey.
A lonely howl stopped me in my tracks. I sniffed the air; I looked into the shadows; I saw him. A wolf, red with very familiar green eyes. He returned the glance, but didn't bare his fangs. Instead, he loped toward me.
My perfect match. My mate. My one true love.
Forever.
I opened my eyes with a smile, knowing for certain the identity of the wolf in my dreams. Peace settled over me, and as I drifted off to sleep again, I didn't have a care in the world.
Around midnight, I woke again, this time frightened and alone. Another dream of Cam's attack left my heart thumping painfully in my chest. Instinctively, I got out of bed and left my room. The house lay in darkness. I heard Chief's snoring in his bedroom. Ever so quietly, I crept past this door and darted up the dark stairs. When I got to Rhyan's bed, I pulled up the covers just enough that I could crawl under them. I put my icy feet on his bare leg.
He woke with a start. "What the heck?"
"It's just me." I scooted as close to him as I could, resting my head on his shoulder.
He slipped his arm under my neck. "Did you have another scary dream?"
"Yeah."
"About Cam?"
"Yeah."
"I could kill that jerkoff. You really will go see that counselor, won't you?"
"I promised, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but--"
"I'll go."
"It's for your own g
ood."
I sighed my defeat. "Could we talk about something else?"
"Sure. Anything. What did you have in mind?"
"I need to know what you're going to do once you're cured."
"Get on with my life, of course."
"In Oklahoma?"
"For a while, maybe. I miss my family. After that...well...I don't really know. I've got to get my GED, of course. Then I want to go to college and get a degree in physical education so I can coach some sport somewhere. Why?"
"I'm afraid I'll never see you again once you leave."
"That's just crazy."
"Why?"
"Because I love you."
I sat up and looked down at him. "You love me now?"
"I've always loved you, Tehya. I just didn't tell you because I can be pretty intense. Sidn't want to scare you off. So are you? Scared, I mean?"