by Sy Walker
Things were going so well. He was a little bit stressed out that the resurgence of the wolf pack had caught the attention of the Forest Service so rapidly. Conditions in Oregon had driven them to come back to Northern California after nearly a hundred years of staying away and avoiding it like the plague. But it had been their rightful turf and now they had come back to claim it. Ever since then, both his home life and his work life had been bustling with activity. Preparations of all kinds had to be made. And nobody was more trusted for these preparations than Brandon was. Everybody looked to him for answers, and he was always ready to provide them and lead the way into the unknown.
His name was suddenly called on the loudspeaker and he jumped, startled. He was being summoned by Steven to go back into the office, where Quinn was receiving instructions from him. He wondered if he had been chosen to show this new man around, show him the ropes and how things were done in Northern California. During the brief introduction, Quinn had been boasted to be a leading biologist in his field, and it had impressed most of them. They were all hoping to work with the new guy and see what he was really like. Most of them just wanted a reason to gossip and feel smarter than he was, but Steven was smarter than to let that happen.
“Brandon, thanks for coming,” he said when Brandon pushed through the heavy door to his office. Brandon gave Steven a grin and shrugged.
“No problem boss, what's up?”
“You remember meeting Quinn, don't you?” Steven asked, gesturing to the man, whose soulful green eyes were once again boring into Brandon's. Brandon paused for a moment before replying, remembering the first time he had caught Quinn's scent and had been unable to help himself from seeking out its cause. He had followed it like a puppy.
“It hasn't been that long since he was introduced,” Brandon quipped, giving Quinn a friendly slap on the shoulder. “I swear, this guy thinks I'm stupid or something.”
“Quite the contrary, Brandon,” Steven said, smiling. He was used to Brandon's sense of humor. “Actually I think you and Quinn would make a good team. It's up to the two of you to find the wolves. I expect that you can do well together. There seems to be some compatibility with your resumes, and you're going to be on the case together. I wouldn't have it any other way.”
“Oh!” Brandon said, for once taken aback by something that he didn't expect. He was happy about it, but he hadn't expected the chance to get close to Quinn to come along so easily.
Quinn's eyes glimmered with amusement for a moment and then became still again as a look of apprehension crossed his face.
“Something wrong with that, Quinn?” Brandon asked, quick to sense the shift in his mood.
Quinn looked up abruptly, his face contorting in confusion.
“Oh, no, nothing at all,” he said with a nervous laugh. “I'm pleased to meet you.”
Quinn wanted to offer his hand, but it was clammy and sweaty with anxiety. He had been worrying about this man and his opinion since they had parted company, and now they were back together, assigned to the wolves together as a team. This was going to be quite an adventure.
“Good! Then let me be the first to tell you that you are going to love it here.”
Quinn looked deeply into Brandon's eyes, and for the first time his anxiety melted away. He meant what he was saying, and there was an undercurrent of excitement in his face. The excitement was contagious, and suddenly, instead of feeling fearful, Quinn was excited to see what lay ahead of him.
Chapter 4
When Quinn arrived home to his cabin, all he could think about was Brandon. The man was unbelievably attractive, but the fact that Quinn was attracted to him made him feel miserable. It was obvious that Brandon treated everybody that way, and that Quinn was nothing special. He definitely should not be taking anything personally, especially because it would mean that if he did try to explore any of those feelings, they would reach a brick wall. Brandon would think that he was disgusting, or worse, he would tell everybody about Quinn's disgusting secret.
It was awful to live in fear, but it was even more awful to think about being an outcast. Quinn loved wolves, because they were so inclusive and their groups were so solid and structured. Everybody in the group had a place, and that place was never compromised. He thought society was a lot like that, but because of his secret, he was more like one of the elderly or sick members of the herd that the wolves were going to go after. He would have been left behind in a heartbeat. Nobody would want to take care of him if they knew about his struggle with his sexual identity. He didn't know what would happen, but he knew that it would be terrible, and he would lose everything. Everything that he thought was important would be gone.
He was terrified Brandon would be close enough to him to see when he was staring. He would probably be the one to start the rumor that ended his career, or at the very least his comfort working with the people in the new office. He had always heard that people in California were a lot more open-minded, but this was not the same as being in the big city where there were many gay people all over the place. No, he was in way Northern California where there were both redwoods and rednecks. His life didn't have time for romance, and it didn't have time for him to explore these horrible truths about himself.
He whispered that they were nothing at all, and he went back to thinking about the wolves. He and Brandon were going to be going out the next day, after being fully briefed about where the wolves are located and what to do when he found them. It had been a long day of orientation and Quinn was very tired. All he really wanted to do was get through the next moment so that he could move forward and learn more about the resettling of the wolf pack. The patterns were fascinating, and he knew that if he could do his job just right, he would be able to change the way the world saw the wolf species. Maybe he would be able to ignite more compassion for the beautiful and magnificent creatures that he loved so much.
***
Brandon couldn't keep Quinn out of his head. As he ran through the forest, searching for the next best place to settle, all he could think about was the way that Quinn smelled, and the kindness in his gentle green eyes. He wondered what was going through his head when he had learned that he would be working with Brandon. It was obvious that there was some kind of an attraction between them. Magnetism pulling them together as if it were fate.
He was sure that Quinn had felt it as well, but there was something keeping Quinn from grabbing that destiny and moving forward with Brandon. Brandon was a lot more outgoing, it seemed, and Quinn was very shy and timid. There were things inside of him that were bottled up, begging for some sort of release. Brandon couldn't help but hope that he could help Quinn to unleash his wild side.
In the meantime, it was difficult to focus on the task at hand. The others were settled down a few miles east from where he was. They trusted him to find the next best place for them to stay. Somewhere with food and water, and far away from the people who would hurt them. It was best for them to stay out of sight, and they trusted Brandon with their lives. They had no other choice. Nobody else knew the area as well as he did. And besides, nobody else was willing to take the same kinds of risks.
Brandon was a thrill seeker, through and through, and any chance for a new adventure brought him a great deal of excitement. He could not contain the intensity of his zest for life, and he had never been able to find anybody else who he could share it with. Everybody was sad and shy and scared, timid like Quinn. Maybe there would be a chance to find somebody who wasn't so afraid of themselves that he could unwind with. Until then, his life was full of responsibilities and obligations that he had no choice but to fulfill.
Searching for his Omega mate had left him discouraged and vexed, and he was sure that there would be nobody else to fill the role. He had high hopes about Quinn, however, and was sure that if he could just help the man to accept the truth about himself, things would be so much better for the both of them. Suddenly, the sound of running water made his ears perk up, and Brandon ran toward it
quickly, and gave a long howl indicating that he had found exactly what the pack needed in order to survive. He trotted off quickly to find them and lead them back to the area where they would be staying, far away and safe from the humans.
Chapter 5
Quinn’s new job was exciting, and he was thrilled to be able to finally get out in the field and explore a new forest. He was deeply in love with the trees and the wildlife in Montana, but now he was in the mountains somewhere new. It was time for him to fully get himself acquainted to the area, and Brandon would be there to help him do just that.
At the thought of the handsome man, Quinn swallowed hard. He didn't expect someone so handsome and full of life to be paired with him. At the most, he was expecting a middle-aged woman or a man, who lived, slept, and breathed wolves. He knew what to expect going into a new situation, and it was generally his disposition to think things can go from bad to better. He believed that things always went from bad to worse. Unfortunately, sometimes this was a self-fulfilling prophecy for him. He lived full of anxiety and fear, never sure whether or not to take the next step and hurdle into a new moment believing that he would be able to come out on top.
Brandon seemed to have the opposite philosophy, leaping into every new challenge in situation with a smile and the belief that things were going to get better no matter what. Of course they were going to get better, because he was determined to make sure that they did. Quinn admired that about them, and couldn't wait to begin their first day working together.
“Good morning," Brandon said to him when he arrived at the site.
“Morning," Quinn said brightly. Although he was nervous, he was more excited, and it showed on his face. Brandon was excited by the energy, and turned away so that Quinn would follow him.
“Look, I found something before you got here. Do you think that it might be a lead?" Brandon was peering down at a large wolf track. Quinn's heart thudded heavily in his chest and he looked up at Brandon with wild eyes.
“That is definitely a lead," Quinn said excitedly. He pulled out a notebook and began to scribble wildly in it. Brandon watched him, feeling a little bit guilty about misleading the incredibly attractive man. He was just beginning to unwind around him, and here Brandon was deceiving him purposefully so that his wolf pack would remain safe from human intervention.
“Which way are they going to go from here?" Brandon asked. Although he felt guilty, he felt a stronger sense of obligation to protect his pack. He would lie to whoever he needed to lie to in order to protect them. That was why they had chosen him. He was bright and charming and knew his way around the English language. He could have been a salesperson in another life, making thousands of dollars off of things that nobody would ever need to use.
“I can't really be certain about that yet," Quinn said, studying the track closely. Brandon had made it himself that morning before Quinn showed up, and he had created a trail for them to follow together that led away from the pack and toward their previous settlement. At least they would be able to get real work done that way. He would be completely deceiving Quinn, but they wouldn't be finding the pack either. It seemed like a good balance.
“Maybe we should look for more tracks then," Brandon said, standing up and stretching out. Quinn glanced up at him, and found his eyes lingering on the small patch of bare stomach that was peeking out from Brandon's T-shirt. His eyes followed them the V from his muscular stomach and down the small patch of hair leading beneath his jeans. He looked away quickly, a red blush beginning to tinge his pale cheeks.
Brandon didn't notice. He was too busy thinking of ways to distract Quinn from any real tracks that they might find. His heart was setting heavily, but he had already made sure that the precautions set in place would be good enough to allow him to do his job for both the humans and the Wolf shifters. Quinn could not tell what was on his mind, but he assumed that Brandon was focused on the work. That was probably for the best, he wasn't sure that he could handle anybody noticing his strange tendencies right now. Northern California was supposed to help him escape these problems, not to make them worse. He had not counted on meeting a man like Brandon. That was for sure.
But there Brandon was, and all of his masculine and attractive glory, prowling in front of him, searching for more tracks. Finally Brandon perked up and called Quinn over.
“I think we should follow this trail here," Brandon said, pointing to a cluster of pawprints. Quinn studied them, drawing his eyebrows in concern.
“It looks like it's a whole pack of wolves, but I don't know if you can tell this or not, these pawprints are all from the same individual. I'm not sure what this is supposed to mean, maybe there was some kind of a scuffle here. I don't know what happened, but I do know that it's very strange. Maybe we should follow them like you said. I would like to figure out what's going on here."
Brandon stood up, allowing Quinn to move ahead of him. His heart had sunk, and he felt vaguely resentful toward Quinn for being so intelligent. He wasn't sure any other biologist on the team would have been able to tell the distinction, but Quinn was very quick and alert. There was no chance at fooling him if that's what it took. He would have to be a lot more careful. He didn't think that there would be any reason for Quinn to be suspicious and to examine the print so closely. But it just seemed to be a second nature for him. He could tell the difference. It was impressive, but it was frustrating.
He watched Quinn's lithe figure moving forward through the foliage, wondering to himself if he should continue on the path or mislead him on purpose. It didn't seem like there was any opportunity for him to take the lead anymore. He had already put Quinn hot on the trail, and there wasn't much that he could do about it from there. He would just have to remember that Quinn was smarter than most of the other people he had met, and make allowances for that when he was planning in the future.
Chapter 6
Brandon followed the trail all the way to a small stream ahead of Quinn. He thought it would be the perfect area to confuse him. He made it look as if the wolves all went for a swim, and from there the trail had disappeared. Now he wasn't sure that Quinn would fall for it, and he watched him seriously, his heart thudding painfully in his breast.
Fortunately, Quinn took the bait, and eased back on his hunches, sighing loudly.
“I guess whatever happened here we will never know about,” Quinn said. “It seems like whatever was attacking this wolf went into the water and took the Wolf with it. Or maybe the Wolf escaped that way. Whatever happened, there has to be some explanation. And that is the most likely. I would love to figure out what was pursuing it, but it might have been humans encroaching on protected land. That would make sense, because people would know to cover their trail in an area like that. The forest service would be on their ass in no time. I wouldn't hesitate to crackdown on poachers here. This land is too precious and these wolves too sacred to allow to be hunted like prey.”
Brandon looked up at Quinn, completely startled out of his thoughts. The way that Quinn was speaking made Brandon feel extremely loving toward him. Quinn is not worried about capturing the wolves or finding a way to get rid of them. He was worried about protecting them. It was the reason that Brandon had joined the forest service in the first place. For some reason, he had caught a lot of people who didn't seem to care as much about the wildlife as he did. They just did their jobs for an excuse to get paid playing outside. Unfortunately, this left many of the animals unprotected, even when they were facing great dangers like the wolves in his pack were facing right now.
A rival group of shifters had driven them out of the territory that they had been settled in before, and it had been up to him to move them all to Northern California. He remembered tales passed down to him from his great-grandfather about the land where they had come from in Northern California. His great-grandfather didn't want to leave, but there is nothing much that he could do to change the circumstances. Food had become scarce, and there were too many people out after them. It ha
d been terrifying to be a wolf back then, just as terrifying as it was now. Except there was at least some protections for them under the Endangered Species Act. Everywhere else was free game, and if you weren't careful, you could end up mounted on somebody's wall.
Over the years, the rival shifters had all become extinct because of their arrogance. They had dwelled in an area where they were hunted like wild animals, and they had not taken any precautions to keep themselves and their families safe. It was a sad but poetic justice brought to them after driving out Brandon's pack, and now he felt like Moses going back to reclaim the promised land for his people. Compassionate and kind Quinn could never understand what he was going through, or why he had to purposefully mislead him in order to protect the people that matter the most to him. What he didn't know was that Quinn also had his own secrets, and although he would never understand what it meant to protect somebody's very life with that secret, he would understand why it was necessary. That was the only way that Brandon could continue to look Quinn in the eye.