by R. E. Butler
His father dropped him off at the station house and he spent the rest of his shift filing and doing busywork so he could think. They needed to find out what she was running from and what she was running to. If she was looking for something, they’d give it to her. If she wanted a family, they’d do that in spades. Safety, protection, a home. They would move the moon in the sky if she asked for it. But first, they had to get past the anger at her situation in order to give her whatever she needed.
It was nearly lunchtime when he trudged back into the house, exhausted to the core. Ethan was sitting on the couch, asleep, snoring lightly. He walked to the bedroom door and stood silently. The only thing he could think to do was offer to help her get her car replaced, to give back the thing she’d lost. He lifted his hand to knock and then felt a chill slip over his feet.
Reaching down, he felt under the door and icy wind greeted his fingers. Trying the door knob he found it locked, so he grabbed the key over the doorframe and unlocked it with shaking fingers. His fears were confirmed as he stared in shock at the room. The bed was made. Except for something folded on the dresser, her things were gone. And the window was wide open.
Chapter 6
**Callie**
It felt damn good to run. Shaking the snow from her shoulders, she sat down on her haunches and surveyed the woods from her perch on a small hill. Earlier, she’d woken up from a restless sleep with the sound of a car starting in the driveway. It was damn early, but she hadn’t been able to sleep worth a crap. Her hormones were in overdrive. The bed smelled incredible, like the most male of scents mixed with a rich spice. Every time she moved, the scent blasted her and she kept startling awake. It had been just a little bit of extra hell in the full blown shit-storm of her life. No home, no car, denied credit card. She had hit the trifecta.
She heard movement out in the front room and figured one of them stayed behind to keep an eye on her. She hadn’t said much at all, except for her argument with Ethan. His steel gray eyes were so sad as he’d implored her to eat with them. She had a good idea that both he and Eryx wanted to give her a good shake and force her to eat. And she was starving. The steaks smelled delicious, the food made her stomach cramp because she was so hungry and she hadn’t ever had any man make a meal for her. But pride had kept her from devouring the delicious food. Stupid pride, but pride nonetheless.
Her mom was killed in a car accident when she was 15, so she’d never gotten to see her only daughter shift, and that had always made Callie sad. Her father, and she used the term loosely, was a rogue wolf that banged her mom, knocked her up, and left without a word. Her mom wasn’t even sure he’d given her his real name. She’d told her growing up that staying within the pack was important, and that while she loved her, she wished she’d never laid eyes on her father. Having a child with a rogue had tainted her for the other wolves and she’d never mated. Callie knew she didn’t really mean her to take it personally, but when her mom kind of wished she’d never been born, well, it didn’t exactly make her self esteem do cartwheels.
Jason’s parents were alpha at the time her mom died and they took her in. They were cousins, after all, and it wasn’t too long after that, that Jason took over the pack after his father was shot in a hunting accident and made lame. Callie felt like a lot of her timidness came from not having her father in her life to teach her how things worked. Maybe that was bullshit. Maybe she was just shy and would have been anyway. Or maybe she hadn’t found anything worth fighting over.
She waited until she heard the deep breathing of the man in the front room, signaling he slept. She’d been totally aware of their presence in the hall and although she couldn’t hear what they were saying because they whispered so softly, she could feel their worry, taste it on the back of her tongue. It was odd, to say the least, and uncomfortable at best. That she wanted to comfort them when she was the one in the bad situation had helped keep her awake. Nothing like guilt to chase away a much needed rest.
Sliding the window open, bristling at the cold rush of winter wind, she stripped and slipped out of the window and dropped down into the snow, shifting immediately. Her shift was typical size for a female wolf, something like a large dog but leaner. She-wolves were smaller than males, around 60 lbs. or so, but all muscle and often no less fierce. In her form, she’d take on anything in a hunt. In her human form, though, she was content to stay in the background.
She'd always thought she was made for snow. Her fur was very light gray and tan on top and stark white underneath. She bounded away from the house and gave herself over to the beast so she didn’t have to think about the twins, or their kind eyes, or their gentle voices, or her own needs that were rising inside her like a slowly filling vessel.
Starving, she scented for game, and found a clutch of rabbits that gave good chase, catching one and devouring it before heading off deeper into the woods in search of more. In winter, not much was out and about except things built for snow, so she expected birds more than anything, but really didn’t know much about Pennsylvania game. Sure, she could have asked the twins, but that conversation probably wouldn’t have gone over well at all.
She ran for hours, drinking in the smells of the woods in deep slumber, relishing the crunch of old ice and snow under her paws and the dust of fresh snow that kicked up and tickled her nose. She watched the sunrise, appreciated the valley for its beauty, and finally had enough and headed back. As she trotted along her own path, she realized suddenly she wasn’t alone, as two mountain lions came towards her with purpose.
She crouched low, defensively, but knew she was no match for them. They weighed at least three times as much as her, were twice as long, and they had a fierce look to their eyes that said they were pissed off. Somehow, she knew they were Eryx and Ethan and slid out of her crouch and sat back on her haunches. Her fur bristled as they came closer and the feeling that she was in their territory made her want to run, but she stood her ground. Or, rather, she sat her ground.
To her surprise, they both chuffed at her, and then laid down, rolling to their sides and showing her their bellies. It was a clearly submissive gesture, and a little part of her softened at the sight. They could take her head off with a swipe of their paw, but they were telling her they weren’t going to hurt her. She wished she could talk. She would have told them that she appreciated the gesture. But it was probably better that she couldn’t talk because she might say something ridiculous and out of character like, “please take your human form and mount me against the tree,” or, “would it be alright if I licked your chest?”
She showed them the respect they deserved with their offering by moving slowly towards them and nuzzling their necks. They smelled the same, even in their shift, like sun warmed spices. Their fur in the sunshine was golden, their bellies white and lovely, and their eyes were the same color as their human eyes. Ethan’s steel gray and Eryx’s lighter silver. She gave each cheek a lick, in what she hoped they recognized as a friendly gesture and no more, and then her head snapped to the side.
They leapt up next to her, lifting their heads and sniffing the air at the same time as her. And then they were on the hunt, barreling as a trio towards the scent of something big. Flying through the trees, Eryx took the lead and Ethan fell back behind her, and they crested a small hill and came upon a single bull elk, drinking from a stream. They were neither quiet nor stealthy as they crashed down on the elk. She went under him for his throat, and Eryx lunged for the back of his neck as Ethan took down his back haunches. They splashed into the icy stream while the elk cried in alarm until she choked off his air supply. The elk caught her on the hind leg with a hoof and she yelped and dropped her grip, rolling away, and Ethan roared and tore the offending leg clean off before sinking his fangs into the neck and pulling the flesh free. The elk’s breath gurgled in the gaping wound and he went still as Eryx shook his head and broke his neck and then dropped him. Gesturing with their heads to the elk, they were offering her a great boon in wolf culture by letting her have a kill t
hat she didn’t take down. If she were with the pack, she’d have been one hungry puppy.
Ethan nuzzled her back leg with an unhappy growl. When she shifted, she was betting she’d have a good scratch on her thigh. She made a short whimpered sound but moved to the elk and tore a chunk of meat from the neck. She tucked it into her paws and they fell on the elk and ripped it apart, their happy purrs echoing around them. They were graceful and beautiful, even covered with blood.
Finished, Eryx drug the carcass away from them, and she assumed it was to keep scavengers away from their home, although anything that would come into a lion’s territory, especially two of them, was just asking for it. Ethan nudged her and she trotted off, her leg burning slightly, but already healing.
Eryx joined them shortly and took up her other side, and she felt oddly safe in the middle of two such large beasts. She would have gone back around to the bedroom window, but Ethan made a barking sound at her and threw his head towards the open garage door. With a deliberate gesture, they both motioned towards a Jeep Cherokee, and she got the idea that they thought she should shift behind it. She’d rather be in the house in the bedroom and not out in the garage with no clothes, but she didn't seem to have much choice.
She moved to the front corner of the jeep and shifted back to her human form. She was sure it looked spectacular to humans, the shift from human to wolf, or other animal as it were, but for their kind it was just normal. It felt good to shift, like a part of her had been caged up and was glad to be free. Certainly it wasn't painful like they showed in the movies. She’d never want to shift if it hurt like Hollywood said it did.
She stayed crouched behind the jeep as the garage door shut and the overhead light clicked on. “Callie?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah?”
“Are you coming?”
“I’m naked.” Her face went hot with blush.
There was a small chuckle and then a blanket came airborne over the jeep and she caught it and draped it around herself. Hell it’s cold out here!
Eryx was standing with his large hand holding the door open, a pair of jeans on and nothing else and Ethan was next to him, also in jeans and nothing else. They’d obviously stripped and shifted in the garage before coming to find her. She took one step and winced slightly and Ethan was at her side in an instant, sweeping her up into his arms.
“I can walk.”
“You’re injured. Don’t be so stubborn.” His grip tightened on her and she tried not to sink into the warmth of his chest. She’d known them less than a day and her mind just about stalled out completely every time she saw them. If she didn’t split fast, she’d get mired in something too thick to get out of. And she wanted to leave. She needed to spread her wings and live on her own for a while. Her new mantra: resist the hunky lion cops!
Ethan carried her with sure strides to the bedroom and laid her down and Eryx disappeared into the bathroom and came out with a medical kit.
“Whoa!” She gasped, jerking the blanket from Ethan’s hand. She’d almost let him take away her only covering. “I’m fine, I heal fast.”
“Elk hooves are filthy.” Eryx said, handing the kit to Ethan.
“I just want to see your leg.” Ethan’s voice dropped to a soft tone and she groaned in defeat. She just couldn’t resist that tone. It was so sweet.
“Fine, just, would you let me put my pajamas back on at least?”
Eryx handed her the folded tank and shorts set that had been on the dresser and they both turned their backs to her and the problem with that, was that their backs were just as lovely as their fronts. All tight naturally tanned muscles. And their fronts were very nice. Well, nice was an understatement. Underwear-model worthy, definitely.
She shoved her arms into the tank and shimmied into the shorts, still feeling incredibly bare. Trying not to sound breathy, she steeled herself and said, “Okay.”
Ethan folded the blanket down and rolled her over slightly more by her hip and her whole body jerked at the touch. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
She turned scarlet and cleared her throat. She was great. Ethan had just found a direction connection between her hip bone and her pussy, that's all. “I’m good.”
The hoof mark was healing as she knew it would be, and if she were by herself she would have showered and left it alone. But Ethan clearly had some medical training because he cleaned and bandaged the scrape quickly and expertly. Giving her a satisfactory pat on the knee he said, “You in any pain at all, Callie?”
“No. Annoyed, that’s all.”
“At us or getting injured?” Eryx smirked.
She sat up. “Getting caught by the hoof. Are you guys going to yell at me?” Right now, she wanted their approval more than anything and that scared her. It meant that after a day, her resolve to leave was already weakening, new mantra or not.
Eryx, clearly the more stoic of the two, folded his arms and his pecs bulged nicely. She gave him hard eye contact so she didn’t stare at his lickable nipples. “What, do you mean are we going to tell you that it was insanely foolish for you to go out alone in a territory entirely run by mountain lions that don’t know you? Or that you scared us half to death when you went out without telling us?”
“Or, we could tell you that you’re beautiful, human and wolf, and it was our pleasure to hunt with you. If you want to hunt, all you have to do is ask and we’ll escort you. It’s safer that way. The humans know about us, but they won’t know about a wolf yet and a lot of them are twitchy with a rifle.” Ethan said and Eryx nodded.
A thousand things went through her mind but what she said wasn’t the top of her list, even if it was smart. “What I want is to get another car and be on my way.”
Their faces fell and her heart cracked so sharply she was sure they heard it. It was Eryx that said, “Well the lot in town is closed until tomorrow morning, so I guess you’ll just have to suck it up for one more night.” His voice was raw, dripping with hurt and sarcasm and she winced at it. He and Ethan left without a word but didn’t shut the bedroom door.
She heard their hushed voices, the angry tones, and cabinet doors slamming in the kitchen, and then the front door opened and slammed shut with such force that the house shook. She’d hurt them.
Laying back on the bed, she blinked at the tears as she stared at the ceiling. This was for the best. The less attached they were to her, the better. No matter how beautiful they were, no matter how well they took care of her and watched over her, a relationship between a wolf and a mountain lion was doomed. They said it, anyway, that she’d always need an escort to make sure she wasn’t hurt. That was no way for her to live. She was looking for freedom and independence, not more rules.
She tried to rest, to catch up on the sleep she’d hoped to get the night before, but it wouldn’t come. All she could think about was the looks on their faces when she said she was leaving, as if she’d slapped them. She tossed and turned for a long time, and then got up. She wasn’t a bitch. She might not want to stay, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be mean. It would be better if they hated her, so they’d be glad she was leaving, but the problem was that she couldn’t be that mean.
Pausing at the doorway of the bedroom, she closed her eyes. What was she doing, exactly? She was going to walk out into the front room and tell whichever one was sitting there babysitting her that she was, what? Sorry they’re so hot that she couldn’t help but want to wrap her arms around them even as her eye was trained on the door? That she had to keep moving, because she’d only been gone from her stifling life in the pack for a week, and that was hardly spreading her wings? That she didn’t want to come between them, even as she was pretty sure she couldn’t choose anyway? Those things all sounded like excuses, and weak ones at that.
Still unsure what to say, she walked out into the front room only to be surprised to see a woman standing at the front door with her hand on Ethan’s arm. She was beautiful, like something carved by an artist. All sharp angles, tall and lean, she just scr
eamed predator, and immediately Callie knew she was a lion like them. Ethan shook off her hand as if it suddenly burned.
The woman, who looked only slightly older than Callie but more refined and elegant than she could hope on her best day, sniffed the air and made a face, “Who let the dog in?”
Oh, this was exactly why she didn’t want to be around other were-animals. The females always fought for the males and Ethan and Eryx were the most wonderful examples of masculine perfection she’d ever seen. Of course they were sought after. And she’d be seen as a threat. An easily dispatched by a huge lion paw one, but a threat nonetheless.
Ethan's voice was hot with anger, “Farrah, you will treat our guest with respect when you’re in our home.”
She snorted and it sounded regal. “Banging tourists, Ethan, really? And a dog at that? That’s low even for you.”
Callie turned away before she heard anymore. Before Farrah saw the tears that her words caused. Before Ethan saw how humiliated she was. She was definitely leaving now.
She laid down on the bed and drew the covers over herself, turning away from the open door and staring at the window. She wondered how female lions put down their competition. In the wolf pack, if Callie had made a pass at a wolf that another female wanted, or if a male was sniffing around another female and someone else wanted him, then the females would try to put each other down. That meant someone got grabbed by the neck and forced down to the ground. In public. It was about the most humiliating thing, unless they gave you a choice to put yourself down, and that was worse. Sure it saved you from getting beaten to a pulp until you gave up, but no one thought much of anyone that didn’t at least try to stand up for themselves.
Not that she’d had that many suitors. Only one wolf had ever really sniffed around her, an older male named Bruce. He was the stuff the word “ick” was made of. And he wasn’t looking for a mate. One night, he’d caught scent of an unmated female in heat in town somewhere, and he was looking for sex and didn’t care who it was with. And he had a reputation for liking it rough. She could remember easily how he'd had a mind to drag her out into the parking lot whether she was willing or not – and she was most definitely not – and bend her over the hood of his car, and Cadence had come to her rescue. If Cadence were here in King instead of her, she’d have marched over to Farrah and took a swing at her. Even if she would have ended up losing, she took it as a victory if she could at least get one good punch in. Callie wanted to be like Cadence. Callie had planned to turn over a new leaf and find her inner bitch, but the first sign of trouble and she tucked her tail between her legs and ran.